DIY: Free Wall Art

First off, let's start with my oops, for posting about that fabulous snack. I'd forgotten I'd already posted about it here. Sorry guys!

But on to more interesting stuff...thanks to Pinterest (and specifically, one of my fav blogs, called How About Orange,) I was inspired to make this little beauty. Artwork from paint chips. The best part, other than it costing zero buckaroos, was me standing among the paint swatches holding them up to different light sources for about 45 minutes. (Someone must have thought I was a designer or something!) These are Glidden paint swatches.

I used an old frame from Target that I had, the frame itself, I spray painted Heirloom White last summer, cut up my paint chips (that took a little while) and put it all together...

The colors were taken from our bedroom and I threw in the red for some pop. All I used was a pair of scissors, a pen and ruler and a glue stick! A nice little craft project with a nice price too. Free works for me every single time!

Friday's Five-Star Finds ~ July 29

~ That is gorgeous! I want this for my jewelry!
~ A work of art indeed, recover your mouse pad thanks to Anna @ twelve 22.
~ This is an amazing light fixture for the DIYer!
~ Great natural tips on how to get rid of those pesky summer ants.
~ These Blueberry Lemon Crumb Bars sound (and look) delicious!

Alone Time

Speaking of nail polish, I had about 10 stolen minutes of alone time while Husband brought the kids to VBS last week, so I quickly perused the blogs and painted my nails. Something I haven't really done since my brother's wedding back in June (paint my nails, that is, not blog-read.)

Those few moments of solitude in a mom's life is so precious. And because of this fact, it sometimes feels so secretive. Quiet time to think or to hear nothing.

As a 20-something young woman, years ago, time was something I had, along with naturally dark hair and no wrinkles. Someone I knew at that time, told me to cherish that place and I listened, but I was longing for a different place. A place filled with a mate and babies.

And that eventually happened. And it is good.

DIY Tip: Nail Polish On Keys

I don't remember where I learned this, but it has helped immensely. If you have a lot of similar keys on a keychain, you can paint a drop of nail polish on the key, in order to distinguish it from all the others, (ie. your house key.) That way, there's no fumbling with keys when you're trying to get into your house!

Friday's Five-Star Finds

~ Now that I saw these, I must make my own sugar cubes.
~ Who would have thought you could improve a PB&J?
~ Think twice about where you sleep when you see this bedroom.
~ A new friend named Amy introduced me to her photography website.
~ My 13-year-old daughter showed me how to get a Facebook banner.

That's Pinterest-ing!

 Weekly Round-Up "Pins" from Pinterest's Blog

I'm not sure if I'm supposed to be flattered or shocked! People are "pinning" some of my stuff on Pinterest. And while I find this secretly kinda cool, (this is a good thing, right?) I've yet to start my account (due to crazy summer scheduling with the family) so I can't even say I'm a newbie to this site!

So, what's your take on Pinterest? What do you use it for? Apparently, some people like my craft projects, others like my recipes. Fill me in and let me know what you think!

Sneak Peek: Brown & Pink

Progress has been slow on our six-year old's room. All I knew was I had a vision. I knew the color scheme, I plotted on mood boards and at paint stores, it has been a well-thought out journey, I must be growing as a self-proclaimed designer/decorator/DIY-er. ;)

I still have one thing left to add to her room until I'm ready for the big reveal. But more than just showing you our little girl's room, I hope you'll be amazed at how little $$ we've spent. At this point, the paint was the most expensive item in the room!

Meanwhile, go here for a new favorite blog. In fact Nicole's nursery was one of my inspirations. Take her house tour, it's amazing!

 

I'm already working on our livingroom, getting more inspiration from The Nester's beautiful drapes. I want them! I'm so crazy about them, I've even convinced Husband that those drapes are our goal! Men like goals...

Have a great week and enjoy the decorating blogs! I know I will!

Before & After: Instant Privacy

Since we've moved into our new house, we've had to endure a lot of changes. One of those changes include new neighbors. We've got great ones, ones that have brought over housewarming presents (yes, really!) as well as muffins and treats for the kids, I can't complain.

But we also live in a small town, which means everybody knows your business. Not that I have anything to hide, but I appreciate some privacy, without losing the light (originally there was a homemade curtain there.) Thanks to Sarah and Allison, I too, wanted to "frost" up my kitchen door window using as little money as possible.

Before, the neighbors had a great view into the hub of our home, the kitchen:

With some pointers from the DIY gals (and a few tools) I was able to get that privacy for about $5. Yes!

All I purchased was clear contact paper, cut the paper to size, sprayed the window with glass cleaner (to move it around) used a grocery card to get the bubbles out and voila, instant privacy!

Yes, looks like something under a microscope...

I'm linking up to Sarah's Before & After party and Allison's Hookin' Up with HOH, join the fun!

Back From Wisconsin Dells

What's summer vacation without a trip to Wisconsin Dells? We're back from our annual overnight trip, tanned, tired and water-logged.

Because I have a new computer (did I mention that yet?) I haven't installed my Photoshop software, so you are looking at photos straight from the camera! How about this fun shot? Not bad for my faithful Canon point-and-shoot!

Believe it or not, one of our kids is actually in that shot, but hidden under the waterfall. At the Dells, I'm usually the appointed "towel holder" and that's okay with me. I did go on one ride, which was the 'Flash Flood.'

Hope you had a good weekend, I'll be back with the reveal of our daughter's bedroom later this week!

Paintalicious

http://thinkpinkalicious.com/

I just got done reading the book 'Pinkalicious' to my daughter. A suitable book for a little girl who loves pink. This weekend, aside from fireworks and red, white and blue cake, Husband and I began to transform our littlest's bedroom.

The walls were painted white over a previous blue color. A no-no for our girly-girl. The carpet is actually gray, even though it looks blue-ish in this photo.

I'll name this color  'Cafe Au Lait.'

I found a color I loved from another paint store, shhh...had Lowe's match it (because they'd sent me a coupon) and saved the rest in an old PB jar. (Paint tip: keep the sticker, so they can scan the bar code to get the exact match if you need more paint!)

Then busted out some handy spray paint to paint the vent cover, switch plates and outlet covers...I'm still pouting over not being able to paint the woodwork white, but I'll get over it when I get all the accessories up and with the help of a neighbor, sew her a new comforter, which in the end will cost me $3.50!

Stay tuned for more posts on her room transformation...

Join me and others, we're hookin' up with Allison:

In The Kitchen

Could we turn my kitchen into this kitchen?

Even though the move into our smaller/older home was tough, I'm loving our kitchen. First, because the computer is in it. There's something about having the computer in the hub of the home that makes me feel like it belongs there.

Let's face it, our entire family goes on the computer at some point during the day, so it's easily accessible and also allows me to stream music when I'm cooking whether it be on iTunes or on Grooveshark.

I wouldn't say our kitchen is big, but it's a good size and it seems that everything is in arms reach. In our last house I felt like we had to walk a few miles to put away silverware from the dishwasher or travel to another state just to check out what was in the pantry! Okay, I'm exaggerating. But you know what I mean. Kitchen layout is essential.

Our cabinets are oak and I have forever loved the idea of a white kitchen. But sadly, the last time I mentioned painting any woodwork in the house, Husband poo-pooed that idea. Must come up with another idea...or wait awhile until he warms up to the idea, hmm.

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I've also found a new favorite designer on HGTV, her name is Sarah Richardson and her designs are amazing. Of course I don't have her budget, but her style is just beautiful.

Who's your favorite interior designer? Which DIY/decorating blogs inspire you?