Home AboutMe Crafts Food
Showing posts with label Decorating. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Decorating. Show all posts

Friday, May 27, 2011

How to have Decent Furniture with a House Full of Boys

This is our breakfast table. From a distance it looks pretty good.
 But the closer you get, the easier it is to tell that a house full of boys use this table and it's {unfortunately} cream colored chairs on a daily basis.
 Now don't get me wrong, these chair started out a beautiful cream color and they stayed that way for a few years in my {rarely used except for crafting} dining room. When we finally outgrew our 4 seater table, the logical thing to do was to move this bigger table into the breakfast nook for everyday use....the only problem was those beautiful cream colored chairs. We tried being careful, we tried cleaners, we tried scrubbing...nothing was going to keep those chairs clean! The only solution was to recover....using something a little more durable than cream colored fabric!

I considered using a vinyl type fabric so that spills would clean up easy, but who wants to eat dinner on a chair that squeaks like Marie Barone's couch:) That is where this bolt of fabric comes in. I picked it up at Hancock Fabric on clearance for $6 a yard...and it is outdoor material! I figured outdoor material would repel stains and clean up easier than normal fabric, plus it was so cheap that I got a few extra yards so I can recover them again if we have any major oops!
To recover your chairs, simply remove the seat from your chair. Cut out a piece of fabric big enough to cover the front of the seat and wrap around the sides.
Use a staple gun to attach the fabric to the underside of the seat and then cut away any extra fabric.
Covering up those stained cream cushions made our chairs seem like they were brand new...now we are just waiting for our first spill to test out our newly recovered chairs!


And just for fun here is a before and after....though I almost considered labelling them the opposite because the first one is "after kids have been here" and the second one is "before kids have been here":)

So how can you have decent furniture with a house full of boys....cover up their stains and have an extra stash of fabric just in case they when they inevitable make more!
Weekend Bloggy Reading
Pin It!

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Rustic Frame Makeover

Summer is officially here. We've had an interesting few days to say the least!
*all three boys went to my parents' for a visit*
*a business trip cancelled after we were already headed out of town*
*shopping instead of tripping*
*first movie of the summer*
*last tennis lesson until fall*
*running 2 miles*
Needless to say I am more than tired which I'm using as an excuse to avoid my blog for a few days:) Instead of posting something new for you today, I am reposting a guest post that I did last week for Yanet over at 3 Sunkissed Boys.
**********************
Today I am sharing a simple spray paint project that is part of my bigger Master Bedroom Redo.
I started with these really cute frames that I bought a few years ago. I loved them because the colors were perfect for our room and they had that rustic yet tropical feel that I was going for at the time.
Since I decided to add red into the decor, the two tones of blue just weren't working in the room anymore. The easiest solution for that problem is a little bit of red spray paint, some newspaper, and some painters tape.
I used the painters tape to mask off just the darker color blue and then I used the newspaper to protect the rest of the frame that I didn't want the red spray paint to get on.
After the paint dried overnight, I used a piece of sandpaper to rough up the red a little bit just to make it match the rustic-ness of the rest of the frame.
I added in some new black and white pictures, and now my frames are ready to go into my {still in progress} master bedroom.
Pin It!

Friday, May 20, 2011

Thanks, Smiles, & Fabric

Today is the last day of school. Somehow this school year has flown by....and it has been a great one! We were blessed with amazing teachers for both Henry and Grant this year, and I just couldn't finish out the year without showing them our appreciation one more time.
I sent these really cute canvas bags for each of their teachers filled with a few happies and a gift card to Target:) The bags are monogrammed with an iron on initial that I cut out with my Cricut. Then I added a little tie to the handle for a little extra flair!
 Yesterday Eli and I went to eat lunch with our Kindergartner and 1st grader for the last time this year. It was kind of sad, but the boys are already saying they will be a 1st grader and a 2nd grader after today:) I think Eli is most excited because he will finally have someone to play with during the day!
 I've been working hard to finish up a few projects around the house before summer break starts. This bolt of fabric has been measured and cut and my re-upholstery project is about halfway finished...now I have less than 2 hours to get done before the madness begins:) Hopefully I can share the finished product with you one day next week...that is if we aren't already spending our days at the pool by then!
We have a birthday party on Saturday and a little trip planned for Sunday, but inbetween I hope to work on some new summer door decorations! Have a great one....and spend a little time working on a fun craft this weekend:)
Pin It!

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Paper Mache Easter Eggs: Non-Wreath Door Decor

Paper Mache! A bunch of you smart people guessed correctly that we were working on a paper mache project from my Crafty Sneak Peek yesterday!
**************
We started our project with some old newspapers, glue, and a giant plastic Easter egg that I picked up at Hobby Lobby. That was the only thing I could think of to use as a mold for our paper mache eggs, so I used a 40% off coupon and got it and two smaller eggs for around $12. Henry helped me tear up the strips of newspaper, then all three boys got their hands {and the rest of their bodies} dirty helping me cover the giant plastic Easter egg with the strips of newspaper coated in a mixture of water and glue. We put on about three layers of newsprint, then they got bored and ran off:)
After the newsprint layers were dry, I added a layer of torn up white printer paper....that way I could just glitter right over the white paper without painting, but the white paper also makes painting a little easier too.
After drying for two days, Jason carefully cut all the way around the egg with a blade and popped the two paper mache egg halves off the plastic egg. Now it was time to pretty up my eggs:) I got out some Martha Stewart glitter, glue, a foam brush, and a few pieces of wax paper to catch the excess glitter.
I poured the glue onto the egg, spread it around with a foam brush,and then sprinkled on the glitter as evenly as possible. I worked section by section and let each color dry well so that when I was shaking off the excess glitter the colors didn't mix.
After the eggs were pretty well coated with glitter I took them outside and sprayed them down with a clear coat to protect it from moisture and to keep the glitter from getting on everything!
After the clear coat was dry, I used my hot glue gun to add some decorative rick rack between the different colors of glitter.
The last thing I did was poke a small hole through the top of the egg to add a piece of ribbon for hanging. I tied a bow at the top of the ribbon and then tied a double knot at the end of the ribbon inside the egg to keep it in place.
And here they are fun and sparkly hanging on my front door!
I love that they are different than a normal wreath and I love that my kids actually got to help me make them...they just didn't get to help with the glitter part {it was messy enough without them helping}!

How do you decorate for Easter?
Visit thecsiproject.com
Pin It!

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Master Bedroom Redo: Halfway There

In June of this year, we will have been in our house for 7 years. And for the most part our house has stayed pretty much the same. We have added new pieces of furniture here and there. Jason made a few built-ins to make life with three kiddos a little more organized. Most of the rooms in our house have stayed the same colors that we painted when we first moved in....partly because we love the colors we choose and partly because our ten foot ceilings make repainting a major affair. 

However, as we get closer to the anniversary of our moving in I think I am starting to get the "7 Year Itch"! I have more than a few projects on my mind {including a playroom makeover, under stair storage, and a breakfast nook bench} BUT the major thing that I really want to redo right now is our master bedroom. Maybe it's because we just recently rearranged some furniture and added an armoire to our bedroom, or maybe it' because our old bedding was getting tired...either way, last week I set out to make a few changes in our master bedroom.
Before:
The before is not too terrible. I really like the color of our walls and the bedding was a great match....kind of neutral with just the right shade of turquoise in it. However, you can tell that our bedding has seen better days, and after at least four years of rough and tumble boys who think mommy and daddy's bed is a trampoline....it really needed to go. My dilemma when picking out new bedding was the fact that I knew Jason didn't want to repaint, and I really wanted to change up the color palette a little bit.
After:
After finding this black and white bedding at Target, I decided that maybe adding in a little red was just the right way to change up the color in our room. I also worked on removing as much of the brown and tan colors as possible {like the lampshade}. I think the contrast between the walls and the bedding is too strong, so I still need to find some pillows to help incorporate the wall color onto the bed....and I think I need to add a little bit of red to the wall too. All in all I think I am off to a good start, but I am keeping all my packaging and receipts just in case I change my mind:)
*************
So what do you think?!? Good change, or not so great?
I would love some suggestions on other ways to change up the room or specific fabrics or bedding that you think might look great in this space.
Pin It!

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Cherry Red Table

I have to admit I didn't always love spray paint. But that was back when I was foolish enough to think that the cheapo spray paint was as good as the more expensive stuff. I would go through two or three of the $1.99 cans of spray paint on a project, and end up with poor coverage and a sore trigger finger! Then I discovered how wonderful name brand spray paint can be. I have used both Valspar and Krylon, and they are both WAY better than the cheapo cans I used to buy...and really they aren't that much more expensive!
******
My latest spray paint victim is this lovely but {oh-so} boring table that has been a resident of our foyer for quite a few years. My mom bought it for us at a thrift store a few years ago, and it fit perfectly in the space. I wasn't really thrilled with the ultra-traditional look of it, but it was good enough. I decided that spray paint was the way to go for this table redo mostly because I was so happy with how spray paint transformed my end table!
Jason helped me disassemble the table, we sanded it down just a little, I covered the mirror with newspaper, and then I got busy spray painted the table with Krylon Cherry Red!
{This is a close up of the color just because my 'after' picture didn't really show the true color.}
I am still amazed at how well the spray paint covered and how professional it looks....and it only took two cans of spray paint and two hours!
My newly spray painted Cherry Red table complete with new fabric covered lampshade:)
Have you spray painted anything lately?
Pin It!

Thursday, February 17, 2011

How to Recover a Lampshade

I had this lamp.
It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't really great either.
It's just the right size for the table in my foyer, but the shade was a really weird green color that looked even worse once I painted the table it sits on red!
 Instead of just buying a new one, I decided to salvage the lamp by recovering the lampshade...a quick, easy no sew project. Start by tracing a pattern of your lampshade on some paper. Do this by rolling the lampshade while using a pencil to follow along the top and bottom edges of the lampshade. Then use a ruler to connect the two lines at both ends.
 Cut out your pattern and test fit it on your shade.
 Make any adjustments in size, then pin your pattern to your fabric and cut.
 Apply heavy duty spray adhesive to the wrong side of the fabric. Then carefully wrap the fabric onto your lampshade.
 The piping on my original shade matched the new fabric, so there was no need to do anything to the edges of the lampshade. If you want to cover the edges, make the fabric a little larger and fold over the edges. You can also hot glue on some matching ribbon to cover the rough edges of the fabric.
Now my lamp is much more fun and it matches my new red table perfectly!
Pin It!

Friday, January 28, 2011

Valentine Dish Towels and a Giveaway!

This giveaway is now closed! Congrats to Kelly!
I spent most of the morning yesterday avoiding laundry working on these SUPER cute Valentine Dish Towels!
 I love having an excuse to make something pink and girly and ruffley! Plus this was the perfect first project for me to finally put my ruffler to work:)
 One of the best things about these dish towels is how easy they are to make....and it doesn't hurt that they are pretty inexpensive too. I picked up a couple different kinds of white dish towel/sack clothes at Walmart and Target a few weeks ago, and I found some really cute pink/red/Valentine fabrics and ribbons at Hobby Lobby. A few ruffles, a few snips with my pinking shears, a few straight stitches and I had some SUPER cute Valentine dish towels:)
 But the very best thing about these SUPER cute Valentine dish towels is that I am giving TWO of them to one of you!





To enter:
Mandatory entry: Leave a comment telling me what kind of Valentine's Day decorations you have or plan to have at your house this year.

For another entry, follow my blog and leave me a comment telling me that you do.

For another entry, follow me on twitter, and leave a comment telling me that you do.

For another entry, tweet about this giveaway and include @SUPERMOM_Kelli and a link  http://tinyurl.com/4vrhmrg to this giveaway in the tweet.

For FIVE extra entries, subscribe to my blog via feedburner...click on the icon in the right sidebar by the facebook and twitter icons. Make sure to leave 5 separate comments.

Make sure to leave a comment for each thing that you do. This giveaway will end next Friday, February 4th at 10:00 pm. I will use random.org to pick a winner! Good Luck and thanks for entering!

Join  us Saturdays at tatertotsandjello.com for the weekend wrap 
 up           party!
Pin It!

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Oh I Wish I Were an Organized Person

Apparently January is all about organizing.
Great! Who doesn't like a little bit of organization in their lives....less clutter & more space sounds good to me. But where do you start when you feel like you may just be as far from organized as any one person can be?!? Well if you are me, you start small...really small.

Magazines.
I have a bunch of magazines. I know it is kind of old school to save magazines, when it is so easy to have a folder on you computer to store all of your found inspirations. BUT, I love that I can pull out a Martha Stewart magazine from 3 years ago and get a great idea for a Christmas craft that 3 years ago I completely overlooked.










My only problem was I had two shelves of very unorganized magazines, so if I wanted to find a few inspirations for a Valentine's Day project it took a while to find all the February issues. My very simple solution was to sort all my magazines by month, thus making it much easier to find exactly what I was looking for. I made twelve different stacks and got busy sorting.
I started on the left hand side of the shelf and placed the magazines January through December...with a little extra room for a few more magazines:)
When I finally recover from the craziness that was Christmas, and I decide to work on Valentine's Day crafts, all of my February magazine are all in one place waiting to inspire me!

What kind of organizing projects are you working on?

linked up at:
Jen's Weekend Wrap Up Party:)
Pin It!
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...