My favorite design element is lighting. Nothing gets me more excited than building a lighting element, plugging it in and watching it set the space aglow. Mix that with my love of anything Vintage-Industrial and you can see how easily I became obsessed with marquee light up signs for the last few years. When I opened up my 2012 Baby and Child catalog from Restoration Hardware I loved finding that they had a cute vintage looking star. unfortunately it was $269. Slightly out of my budget and not very large (24").
Pottery Barn also has one for sale for $129 again, not very large (22"):
BUT, if you know me at all, you know that I'd almost always rather make it myself than buy it. So, I scoured the internet for tutorials on how to make these little beauties. I combined different techniques from all of the tutorials Read more [...]
This is our backyard deck. It is hard working with a large 12' x 14' waterproof surface up top and a 10' x 14' storage area below. It has about 4'6" clearance, not enough to walk around under, but tall enough to store a lot of stuff. To keep things nice and tidy I made curtains from drop cloths to hang below and cover all the junk.
This was a very simple project, in fact, this is the second time I have done this. The first set lasted about 5 years and worked great, they just started to disintegrate so it was time for a fresh pair. After measuring my deck, I determined that I needed two canvas drop cloths with the following dimensions. I prefered the ones from Lowe's because of their color and texture. I purchased a grommet set from Harbor Freight for $3.99 It was a super deal, BUT you get what you pay Read more [...]
With my beach roots, I adore anything that reminds me of the ocean. So last year while on a trip in Hawaii, I gathered up a few bags of driftwood and stashed it in my luggage. I have contemplated many different driftwood projects since then, but none made me as excited as this. It is super simple and cost me about $3 (not including the trip to Hawaii of course).
I started with jute cording that I picked up for around $3 from Michael's. I taped off the end giving it a firm shoe lace like tip.
Then I laid out my driftwood and drilled a small hole in each end of each piece. The drilling created a big dusty mess but it was easily wiped up. Then threaded the driftwood with the taped jute. If it didn't go through the hole easily, a small pair of pliers pulled it right through. The easiest way to thread a bunch Read more [...]
With the fall weather in full swing, I thought I'd share my easy Last Minute Chili. Since it includes cans of chili beans and stewed mexican tomatoes, the rich deep flavor is built-in, even if it only simmers for five minutes. Usually I make a recipe card for those that I share, but this is soooo easy I opted not to.
Ingredients:
2 cans chili beans (I prefer S&W or Ranch Beans)
2 cans S&W Stewed Mexican Recipe tomatoes (these work the best)
1 lb ground beef
1 tsp garlic
1 tsp chili powder
Start by heating up a dutch oven. I got my Martha Stewart one two years ago from my in-laws and use it all the time, I LOVE this pan. Brown the ground beef and add the chili powder and garlic.
While the meat cooks, open up all four cans. Use some cooking shears to cut the stewed tomatoes into smaller pieces (you Read more [...]
What happens when you take someone like me to drop off a sofa at the dump? You end up with a car full of junk bound to be a cool project someday. Well this last weekend became this project's someday. I started out with this slightly rusted tray. It looks like a paper tray without a bottom. Or maybe a vintage army tool chest stand. I've Googled it and can't come up with anything else like it. Then I disassembled two pallets I found in a dumpster near my house.
I carefully removed all of the nails by hammering them on the bottom and then pulled them out from the top with the back side of the hammer. The wood was long enough to fill the tray with just one cut on each end, but I thought that a diagonal pattern would be more interesting to look at. I dry fit them together and cut each one myself. Yep, I even Read more [...]
Another chalk post? Why yes, that is the beauty of chalk art, it is always changing. This was my summer board.
I had sprayed it with a heavy coat of hairspray and it stayed clean and crisp all summer. To clean off the chalk and hairspray, I took a wet paper towel and wiped it down. Some of the chalk wasn't budging so I added warm water and some foamy hand soap. After a few wipe downs we were back to a clean slate.
For fall I wanted a bold wheat graphic. I searched till I found one I liked and added the words "Give Thanks". I measured my chalk board and created a template in Publisher. I selected fonts and scaled them to fit. I took the printed piece of paper to my local FedEx store and had them print it on a transparency. I laid it on my overhead projector and copied the outline.
Of course things Read more [...]
You may or may not know that I am a Mormon. This weekend is a great time for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints because it is our semi-annual conference This is when we listen to our Prophet and his twelve apostles and other great leaders. A talk that was given Saturday morning by Ann Dibb was particularly fabulous (follow THIS LINK to hear her talk). Here is a free printable I created based on her words. Feel free to download it and use how you'd like. I created it to be printed as an 8X10, 8.5X11 or 5X7.
{Click HERE for the high res version in light 8X10}
{Click HERE for the high res version in light for 5X7 or 8.5X11}
{Click HERE for the high res version in dark for 8X10}
{Click HERE for the high res version in dark for 5X7 or 8.5X11}
To learn more about Mormons, click Read more [...]
This is my deck and outdoor dining set. We purchased it around seven years ago from Sam's Club. This set looks amazing despite living most of its life in the harsh sun, rain, and hosting hundreds of meals. But it didn't always look this great.
The surface of the metal gets dull over time and those grease spots from last nights pizza glare at who ever is sitting in front of it. I was having a few friends over for lunch and wanted to eat out side when I tried everything to get this table to look new again. That's when I discovered the magic of Sprayway's Stainless Steel Cleaner and Polish! (and NO, this is NOT a sponsored post, I just happen to be obsessed with Sprayway brand cleaners) In one quick step I just sprayed the Stainless Steel spray all over the table and wiped away 7 years of ick. It also had the Read more [...]
This is my friend Laree's upstairs children's bath. I think it turned out adorable. We were going for a vintage Pottery Barn feel when we started the remodel. And I think that is exactly what we achieved.
With all of the remodeling going on, amazingly, none of the bathroom was effected except cosmetic. Here is the floor plan from the original and current layout. Notice the double but separate vanities, I love this feature.
To keep with a vintage remodel feel, we used small hex tiles throughout the bathroom flooring. A medium gray grout was chosen to give it a worn look and keep it from being too stuffy.
The matching vanities were painted in a bright cheery blue. The cabinet builders built-in a pull out drawer step in each vanity for little ones to reach the sink with ease. I love the oversize shiny Read more [...]
A few weeks ago I posted my tutorial for making Sewing Pattern Flowers. I was originally making them for an office space I've been working on, but fell so in love with them I had to use them in my own home. Click the image below for the complete tutorial for making these beauties:
HERE is my original inspiration for making and installing the flowers. The ever amazing Anthropologie:
For my installation, I wanted to keep it light and easily removed. You know me, I love to change things up, so I didn't want even MORE holes in my walls. I opted for standard scotch tape, the one in the green box for office supplies. I taped up the strings that hold the flowers together. The tape is nearly invisible and easily removed.
For now, my tv is centered on a wall in my family room. I decided to have the Read more [...]
My good friend Erik hired me to help him design his new office space for his laser hair removal company named "Simplicity". This was my first non-residential space and it was a blast. The over all office has a warehouse feel so when it came time to design the break room, I suggested one wall be a giant chalk board. The wall is pure black but since there are huge bright windows on the adjacent wall, it doesn't feel dark at all. Strangely enough, it really warms up the space. The ceiling is also painted black for an industrial feel. When the company moved from their old location to their new digs, I wanted to welcome them with a quick chalk art design on the large wall. Here is the design I came up with after cutting and pasting a few images and fonts in Publisher.
For less than a dollar I had it copied onto Read more [...]
Crafts, Lighting 
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