It’s that time once again.  If you want to know what I have been reading, you can check out my blog roll, or you can go check out One Project at a Time. The name says a lot, but don’t be fooled into thinking that the “one project” is anything small….these guys tackle some major jobs!  Right now they are elbow deep in a bathroom renovation.    Beautiful penny tile and mosaic tiles galore!  Erin, her husband Jason, and their little man, Ryder, have been putting hard work and lots of love into a foreclosure in efforts to make it a home for their family.  I think they are well on their way…. what do you think?

A beautiful living area

What an awesome laundry room!

Serious closet envy

My personal favorite, the playroom.

Take a few minutes to go check them out… heck, take more than a few minutes.  We’ll pretend its Friday and you don’t need to be super productive anyway.      Heck, in my book, getting to know great bloggers and getting ideas for projects is super productive.   And the best part of this blog?  They haven’t even scratched the surface on what they want to do with their home.  They have a whole list of projects waiting in the wings.

While your over there, check out their first house as well.  Gotta love a family with the drive to not only do one home, but start all over again with another!

While I am at it, check out what I pinned today… this little piece is inspiring me to get to work on another project… hope to have some progress this weekend!

What have you guys been up to this week? Any great blogs to share?  Already a fan of One Project at a Time?  Please share!

I have a game plan, and that is a huge step for me on this one.  Not only do I have a game plan, but my plan has me pulling it off for less moolah than I had ever imagined.  Maybe that is what was in my way all this time?  Money… I’m thinking that is some of it, but a good portion of my hesitance in moving forward with a design is pure fear.  Fear that I won’t get it right.  Fear that I will put it together and it won’t be like I pictured it.  Well, you don’t know till you try, huh?  So here you go.  Moving forward with this room.  I am really excited to put it all together.  It will be one step at a time though.  I debated whether I should get it done, then give the big “Here it is!” reveal, along with the info on how I did it – or show all the little projects as I commence this journey and show the big picture when it is done.  I have decided on the latter.  I will be DIYing as much as possible and it will kill me to keep it all hush, hush until the reveal.  And let’s face it, with my crazy life sometimes, it may take a bit to get to the reveal.  So without further adieu…..

The story of a lamp.  We bought these guys at Lowes last year (maybe the year before?) for $11 each –with the shade.  That was a pretty good deal.  We had been all over looking at lamps, T.J.Maxx, Marshal’s, Lowes, Home Depot.  My husband’s style and mine just aren’t the same all the time.  So when we finally saw these, and the price tag, we jumped.  Although they are nice lamps, my plan includes yellow lamps.  Enter Rustoleum’s Ultra 2x cover spray paint.  I picked a can up at True Value on my lunch break for the tune of $4.25.  That’s a pretty good price to get 2 new lamps, don’t you think??  This is really my second attempt at spray painting anything beyond picture frames and glass jars, so I was a tad nervous.  Nothing to fear though, this stuff is amazing!  Great coverage and what a glossy finish!

I started out by removing the shade and the hardware that holds the shade.  Then I followed that up by wiping the hole thing down with a damp cloth to get any dust or residue off of it.  Once I dried it, I covered the cord with a plastic bag, securing the piece closest to the base of the lamp with a little frog tape.  I also stuffed the top part with paper, and covered it and taped it as well.  Pretty much – if I didn’t want it yellow, I covered it up.

Don’t worry, the dog wasn’t standing there when I painted… that’s Lizzie, our boxer/helper/droololigist.

One coat…

2 coats…

3 coats…

And because I didn’t want to miss anything and there were a few spots… 4 coats…

You can already see the shine on that bad boy…And here we are…one yellow lamp.

I let this cure for a bit before bringing it in.  It dried really fast, and I only had to wait a few minutes between coats.  I am very happy with how this turned out.  I haven’t done the other lamp yet, since mother nature decided I needed to wait… 2-4 inches of snow to be precise.

And as always, because I love a before and after pic.

Now all that is left is to figure out if I am going to change the shades.  I may have to wait until I am further along with the room.  That yellow is pretty bright and I don’t want the shades to compete with it. 

Anyone else been spray painting lately?  Any success, or maybe not so successful, stories to share?

Well,here it is!!  All decked out in new duds.

It was in decent condition, just outdated and lots of wasted space inside.  My vision was to make this a storage ottoman that could be used to store all sorts of goodies.  This is all in line with our need for more storage in our home.  I am determined to add storage, but only if it is attractive.  So my plan of action was to pull all of that fabric off and see what I had underneath. 

After I cleaned off all of the fabric this is what I was left with.  This is actually flipped upside down.  I was hoping there would be a top and bottom piece of wood, but there was only a top piece.  So much for using only what as existing… I would have to figure out how to create a top and bottom.  My sister-in-law had a good idea, pop off that piece that was already on the top, and use it as the top since it was the perfect size, then use a piece of plywood I had in the shed to create a bottom in it. 

Did I mention this thing had a lot of staples?  I mean a LOT of staples, it was ridiculous.  Whoever had built this thing was not intending for it to be taken part.

The next steps were pretty simple.  I measured the outside of the ottoman and cut my material about 2 inches longer.  The I laid the fabric on one side and began stapling it by stretching it over the top and then the bottom.  I did the entire top of one side, then pulled it tight across the bottom.  If you notice, I have tabs cut out around those supports inside.  I simply cut those pieces back when I had it all stapled on.

Here is where I ran into a bit of a problem…. when I got to the very end of the fabric, I had to attach it to the ottoman.  I folded it over and staples it.  I did not like how this looked at all.  I hopped online and did some searching for ideas of how to remedy this.  I found this tutorial over at Running with Scissors

I pulled MORE staples out… lol ugh!  This was actually an easy step, turn the fabric face to face and sew a quick seam in it.  Turn it right side out and pull it down over the ottoman.

Now you may have noticed that the inside of this ottoman is particle board.  I will have to be careful what I put inside this unless I line it somehow.  I had purchased a flat white sheet from the Goodwill a while back and was holding onto it in case I needed it.  That would work perfect for this ottoman.  So I put together a quick plan after measuring out the ottoman.

Thanks to my mom for helping me get all these pieces cut.  I am sooo new at this and she keeps me straight on cutting fabric correctly.   I lined up all the pieces before I started sewing them together, just to be sure I wasn’t horribly off on any of my cuts. 

I sewed all of them together in a circle, then sewed them onto a bottom piece of the sheet.  (Should I mention that I sewed the bottom on the wrong side the first time??  lol thank goodness for seam rippers).

Here it is!  I stapled my lining on at first, but I didn’t like how that turned out either, so I went back and hot glued it in.  I am actually quite pleased that this worked out so well, I came up with the liner all on my own, and I am NOT experienced in this sort of thing.

The next item to take care of is the lid.  Again, this part was straight forward.  Cut the fabric with some extra on the edge to pull over and staple.  Once it was all stapled, I hot glued a piece of that sheet that I had hemmed up as a liner to cover the particle board.

Here we are… getting close to the end!!  I purchased a piano hinge to attach the top.  I was concerned that it would not handle the job, but had seen lots of other ottomans using this simple hinge.  I also purchased a soft close hinge to keep this lid from slamming down on anyone’s fingers.  Specifically a 17 month old that would find it endlessly fascinating to hide stuff in there.

And here you go… here is the inside all put together and ready to go!  um, well, almost, the soft close hinge I bought was a right side hinge.  Because of the side supports I will need a hinge that can be attached either farther out, or closer to the center of the lid.

And, for a good before and after…here you go!!

We each picked out a yummy treat and settled in to test it out. I picked a crème Brule cupcake, complete with that crispy sugar crust. Sorry I didn’t think to take a pic before I started in on it… oops!

Here is my sister-in-law’s… yum!

She got a Palm beach brownie… seriously… this thing was rich!!

Oh and you know the little man had to get some… whenever he sees something he wants to eat he starts in with “hum” until you give him a bite. He really is insistent. I think he had an idea what was in store.

And then right before we went to leave he decided he wanted to sit in this chair, and he wanted that table to put his drink on. He settled in and commenced to cleaning the chocolate off of that spoon. He didn’t really want to leave. Isn’t he adorable??? Ok, I am a little biased, right? J

And another reason I am so glad it’s Friday is that I have plans for the weekend… it involves this little sketch I made up the other day. I need to do some measuring and make it more to scale, but I bet you can’t guess what I am doing!!

Anyone else have big weekend plans? Had any sweet treats lately? Maybe you have had a 17 month old boss you around?

It’s time once again to go check out another great blog. 

I have been following Our Humble A{Bowe}d for a while now, and let me tell you…this is a blog packed with inspiration, tutorials, and just plain interesting stuff. Amanda and her husband, Dean, are currently finishing up a kitchen remodel. Amanda is incredibly talented, she designed her spaces, and also has some really neat graphic design work as well. And did I mention that her husband is like the current version of “Tim, the tool man Taylor”? Seriously, a duo like this that love to renovate AND blog about it… *sigh*…. This is why I spend so much time reading blogs. Now I know that since I told you about it, you are going to hop right on over there and check it our right?? Well, if you need further convincing….take a gander at some of her home.….

Here is her living room now… you really should go see the before…as well as the before of her kitchen below. 

It isn’t complete, but wow, what amazing work!

And a corner of their kids’ room… darling!!!

All images are found at Our Humble A{Bowe}d

You can check out her “to do” section here….  See what fun stuff she has done??

DIY house numbers

And one a DIY lamp shade

And her Etsy shop where she offers the cutest prints at super prices.

So take a few minutes and go see what Amanda and her family are servin’ up. And while you are at it..tell me what blogs you are reading right now… leave a comment and share the goods!

I also have a project I have been working on for, oh, 2 weeks now?  It’s taking way too long, but it should be done this week!!  I will share all the details ASAP!! 

I am actually getting to spend the evening with my love… for the first time in 17 months! Baby bliss?  er, not more babies..get your mind out of the gutter.  Post baby bliss lol  And I have a new love in the kitchen… I found him at Michaels!!!  I think I might have actually jumped up and down and squealed a little when I saw him  He is almost exactly like this one I found over at Zgallerie, but I got him for $7.50 thanks to a 50% off coupon I found on GeoQpons (a great iphone app)…  shall we name him in YHL style??  Any ideas? 

Hope everyone is having a wonderful day…and week for that matter!

This picture shows you one thing…this room is bare boned~plain~in desperate need of help.

If you remember, back in October ‘11, I put together a post on my master bedroom.  That was a beginning phase for me (not that I am a professional now), and it is kind of fun to look back and see where I have come from there.  So here is the original mood board I did back then:

I had pretty much left it alone after that.  I had ideas, but nothing really gave me that push to get started.  I think I have found that “push”, two pushes actually.  We need to get our house on the market, and that un-inviting bedroom is not going to be a selling point.  The other?  I have found what I  really want to see in there!! 
A designing trend I keep seeing is board and batten.  I have seen it A LOT lately.  It’s not new, been around for a long time.  But I have seen it used recently in some really interesting rooms and ways.  For example…Mandi at Vintage Revivals revealed her master bedroom not too long ago.

Check out that board and batten.  It’s absolutely lovely.  You can check those out here.

In this discovery, I decided to do another mood board, but from scratch.  Here is what I came up with:

Do you see the similarities in the first and second?  Besides the obvious bed of course.  The color scheme stayed almost the same!  Ahhh, I am getting somewhere.  I also noticed that I still have a hanging light in there.  I am totally loving the second mood board though.  **My husband did veto the rug   oh well, can’t win ‘em all**  I will take a moment to explain what I am thinking and what I will use.

1.  My color scheme: I love the bright colors with a light grey to bring it down a little.  The orange may not be obvious, the teal either, but they will fit with my ideas.

2. That mid-century dresser I still need to redo, MUST go in here.  The clean lines is what I love there.

3. The board and batten.  It’s lovely, isn’t it?

4.  A bright pop of color with lamps will allow for simple furniture.

5. A nightstand with a drawer I am thinking is a must.  Something light, but no white.

6. The pretty rug… I was wanting this to bring all the colors of the room together.  But in hindsight, it might be better for a more neutral rug anyway.

7. Pillows for the bed should be where the color is found -  I am at a loss on bedding, that is where I am still working through options.

8. I love these pendant lights, and I saw a tutorial on how to DIY them that I am going to have to check out.

9. A simple platform bed should do, no need for a head board either.

10. Colorful, or 2 toned curtains that play on my color choices, I don’t want them to be the star of the show though.  They will be up against the board and batten, so they will need to be bright.

11. This little red mirror is just a good example of the bright pops I want to see on the walls. 

12. I have a large mirror that my mother gifted me(love it! thanks mom!) that I want to use as a floor mirror in the bedroom, along with a sitting area

13. Sheepskin rugs and throws are great for texture, so throwing one over the chair would be a great addition

14. A colorful little table to use in a reading nook…possibly a lamp as well?

15. And a cozy chair, one you can picture yourself curling up in to read a book.

16. Lastly, a piece I am working on…should be complete this weekend.  Not spilling that one quite yet

So there you have it, a plan.  Actually, ideas.  But here is the plan:

Get those walls painted! Get that done as well as the board and batten.

Get the crib put away. 

Re-arrange so that I can make a sitting area

Get that dresser done and in my room!

Find bedding

Paint lamps

DIY pendant lights

make faux sheepskin rugs/throw

find a thrifted side table, as well as nightstands

get that mirror in the room and secured to the wall

DIY curtains and pillows

That’s a big list for a full-time working mom.  But, it can be done.  Hope my husband is reading that list, cause I’m going to need help (Heck, anyone who wants to come help is more than welcome!)

What have you been up to this week?  Any epiphanies of your own?

I was looking for a recipe and she mentioned one she had used from Pinterest, so that’s what I used… I like a road tested recipe. Here is the pin for you to check out… definitely worth trying. I made some adjustments (of course) and added cinnamon, vanilla, and I only used 1/4 cup of sugar. My sis-in-law made those suggestions since she had made them before, although she used nutmeg as well. I am not a nutmeg fan, but if you are… then why not. So what was the part that I was testing? I wanted to have these cream filled. YUM! I had another pin for a carrot cake muffin filled with icing. So I jumped over there to see how she did it. Super simple stuff. I creamed together powdered sugar and cream cheese, I taste tested the amount of powder sugar. Next step, put a little of the batter in a buttered muffin pan, put a dollop of the cream in the center, then another spoon full of the batter on top. I really hadn’t planned on blogging about these, so I don’t have any in process pics (sorry!). You can jump over to these two blogs though and get some great pics. And how did they turn out??? O…M…G… wow, these things were amazing!!! I will be trying these out with other batters for sure! I will have to make some for the kids this coming weekend as well. Are you drooling yet? Well, here…

I would definitely use more filling next time, ans even less sugar.  They were still really sweet, I would almost go with a tablespoon of sugar. 

Oh and I would be really selfish if I didn’t share this recipe that my sister-in-law made for us Thursday night…Spinach lasagna rolls. We added a little bit of ground turkey to them.  Another success!!

You can find the recipe for this here, that is also where the image is found.

The other thing that I whipped up was a little easier…and less scrumptious, but really cute! I was playing around with publisher and made this little picture up.

Cute, no? I hope I didn’t infringe on any copyrights with it, cause this was all out of my imagination that I can tell. I thought it was pertinent to the coming holiday. And I will be hanging it on a gallery wall.  Which may be continuing down the hallway in the near future… 

So what have you been up to lately?  Any new recipes? Any new art?

Good morning all!  Hope you have found your way over here on a pretty, wonderful, fun-filled, productive morning… because I am about to take the productive out of that sentence for ya   Starting this month, February, I am going to feature a new blog weekly for you to check out.  As I mentioned in my Blogger love post, there are so many great blogs out there.  I doubt I have the time in one day to read and get to know even half of them.  Hopefully you will go and check them out, I am sure that at least one will strike your fancy. 

This week I am going to introduce you to a blog that I frequent often.  Have you ever been over to iloverehabs ?   If not you just don’t know what you are missing!  Jennifer, her husband (coined “the hubs”) and piper (the dog), share the journey they are taking through rehabbing old items, decorating their own house, as well as helping friends with their decorating needs.  Just check out her home tour if you don’t believe me.  Here are a few shots:

Pretty nice, huh?  Go check out the rest of her projects…definitely “pin” worthy stuff.  Blogs like this are what keep me going.  So glad she has taken the time to share her story and passion with the rest of the world!

And I thought you might be interested in what I have been working on… here is a little teaser…

More details to come!

I came across a few things that would be very useful, and one item that I have been wanting for a while now.

The wire racks will get use in the kitchen where I am in the middle of organizing and purging cabinets.
That ottoman has been on my list for a while now. As part of putting our house together, we have unanimously decided that we are sorely lacking in storage. I despise clutter, but you must have places to put all those things that you use regularly in order to keep them from looking cluttery. Yup, that’s a word. Although this ottoman is not designed for storage, I have some big plans of seeing what is under that current fabric (a little cubby perhaps?) and doing something fun with a new fabric. So stay tuned… this one is on my to do list!