A Craft You'll Love

Let's make a sweet little decoration

for Sweetheart's day!

First, gather your supplies. You will need:
Scrapbook Paper
Scissors and Glue
Ribbon
Paint
A Glitter Heart (Package purchased at WM for $1.50, but you could easily make your own)

Artist Canvas (You can find these in any craft store. These were purchased at WM, 3/$2.50 for 8x10 size. They can be also found in 7x9 sizes at the dollar store 2/$1.)Next, mark and drill two holes on one side of all three canvas panels. Then on one canvas, drill two more holes on the opposite side. If you don't own a drill, you could easily make the holes using a hammer and nail to punch through the canvas.Paint the two canvases with two holes. I used spray paint, but any craft paint will do. Or you could cover them with scrapbook paper.Cover the canvas with the four holes with scrapbook paper.
Glue on a large glitter heart.Cut two large I's and two large U's out of coordinating paper. Stagger the two pieces for a shadow effect and glue them onto the painted canvases.String ribbon through the holes in the canvases to tie all three together.And there you have a sweet, and fairly easy, Valentine's Day decoration!

I love a craft that you can personalize to your own taste!

You could connect the canvases horizontally to have a bigger area for words, instead of letters. You might choose: Be Mine, Happy Valentine's Day, Hugs & Kisses, to name a few. If you have a passion for scrapbooking, you might want to get more decorative.

If I've inspired you to make this sweet little craft,
I'd love to see yours!

You've Been Framed!

I love my foyer table and mirror. I'm so proud of the way I was able to transform them. I'm happy that they look so good together. But, there has always been one little thing that has bothered me. The mirror is just not the right dimension for the table. The balance between the two is off, large table, small mirror.I've managed to create balance by placing large objects like plants and candles on each side of the mirror. Yet, it still seemed like it needed a bit more.
The other day as I sat contemplating my design dilemma, it occurred to me that the solution was right in front of my face.A little tweaking and I had my solution. I love the layers and balance, as well as the repetition of design from across the room. I even like the look of the hanging wire. It helps to tie the two frames together.

Could there be a solution to your design dilemma
right in front of you?

More Green for Less Green

I love to look in popular home stores and catalogs to see what's current. I never want to have one of those homes that an archeologist can date it (or me) by the furnishings and decorations. You know what I mean. Think of that house down the street that still has country blue and mauve wallpaper adorned with geese and a old dusty dried floral arrangement. Your home design, like water, should never be stagnant. My mother taught me that "a change is as good as a rest." And making small changes in your home can really make it a more restful place.
You don't have to change everything in your house to keep up with the styles, just incorporate a current item or two.

(photo courtesy of Pottery Barn)

Recently while in a very trendy store, I noticed these "moss spheres" adorning several surfaces. You know what I did? Yes. I stopped by the dollar store on my way home and picked up a few items. The glue and thread were items I had on hand.I turned on some relaxing music and started to craft. Working in sections, I applied glue to the styrofoam ball and then stuck on the moss. It was a bit messy, but really easy. Knowing that these spheres might tempt the young men in my family (a ball is a ball to them), I took a clue from the original items and wrapped each with green thread to additionally secure the moss.I was able to make five moss spheres for substantially less than purchasing them at the popular store. Won't this arrangement look gorgeous in my fireplace or as a centerpiece for my table?

I promise to light the candles
and not leave them unattended.
I'm pretty sure that fire and smoke damage
is not a new design trend.

The Scale of Just This

If you've read my blog at all, you know that I enjoy thrift shopping. I love the thrill of the hunt as well as finding a good bargain! But I know, that for me, this is an addictive behavior, so I try to keep my addiction to a minimum by just this one bargain shopping outlet. I don't shop the classifieds, on-line auctions, or even garage sales. Because I limit myself, it's a bit more difficult to find that certain little treasure I may be looking for.
I've wanted a vintage kitchen scale for several months. During that time I've only seen one at the thrift store....in someone else's hands. So it was time to do a little "networking." Fortunately, I have a friend who enjoys going to estate auctions!
I asked my friend to look for just this one little item. Last week I got a phone call telling me that my treasure had been found! It needs a little cleaning, but I love it.I highly recommend networking when it comes to finding the little "just this" you're looking for. I also recommend that you keep your wish list to just this one or two items, and that you make it clear that you are willing to pay up to just this amount of money. You don't want to take advantage of your friend. You may even choose to offer your friend a finder's fee to help motivate them to search for your treasure, although for most people the thrill of the hunt is payment enough.
Next time you are on the search for just this one item to complete (or start) your collection, why don't you give networking a try.

Opps! There It Is!

People pay me to help them decide on just the right color for their homes, so would it surprise you to know that I'm not one of those people who obsess over which is the perfect color to paint a room or piece of furniture. In fact, the only thing I do obsess over, when it comes to paint, are the "opps" paints. It drives my husband nuts that I cannot walk into a store that sells paint without checking out those discounted little beauties of mistints. Most stores sell a gallon of mistinted paint for five dollars. I've paid as little as one dollar and as much as ten dollars a gallon, depending on the brand. I almost always buy satin finishes because I like the warm shine of satin on the walls of my home. Occasionally I'll buy a semi-gloss because the finish gives furniture a nice shine and is easy to clean. I limit my color choices to neutrals, unless I have something specific in mind.
The wall in my dining room was a mistinted venetian plaster. I layered an opps glaze on top to give it warmth.My kitchen cabinets were also painted with oops paint. I wanted a cream color and I knew that applying a poly on top would change the color a bit, so I choose not to be so particular about the exact color of cream.The kitchen wall color wasn't a mistint, but it was discounted because the paint store had a contractor decide he didn't want all of the paint that he'd originally ordered. Don't be afraid to ask the paint store employees about extra paint that they may have from cancelled orders. Sometimes these are the same colors that are being used in model homes.My family room walls are painted with two gallons of red oops paint that I mixed together. The paint on the entertainment center is also a mistint.The door coffee table is a happy oops---one of those colors that I would not have chosen unless it was super cheap, but I'm thrilled with the finished product.Remember when you learned to mix paint colors in grade school? You can do that with oops paints too! Just last month, I painted our guest room. I mixed two different colors of mistints until I got just the shade I was looking for. It's a gorgeous gray with a hint of green. I love the color so much, I wish I would have painted my master bedroom walls this color.The nice thing about oops paint is that you can paint a room for under ten dollars and if you don't like it, you haven't spent much more than you would on a fast food meal. I do reccomend that you have a color range in mind before you choose a mistint, and be open to all possibilities. For instance, you may love the color of your oops painted walls, but feel that your accessories now look out of place. Before you repaint the walls, consider changing the color of the accessories in your room (AHH! The wonders of a little spray paint). That change might be all you need to love your newly painted walls. And with freshly painted accessories, you'll feel like you had an entire room make-over for under twenty dollars.

A Drawer Full and a Heap Too

It's the middle of January which means it's time for a winter inversion where I live. The skies are gray, the sun is covered by smog and the snow is old and crusty. This kind of weather can really get you down. So to help cure the mid-winter blues (or should it be mid-winter grays?) I picked up this little plant on my last trip to the grocery store. It's so cute and petite and is the perfect reminder that spring will soon be here.Instead of just plopping it in a pot, I dug out these little wooden boxes that I found at the thrift store a while back. I pulled out some old architectural pieces too. I gave them all a fresh coat of black paint (I know! I'm becoming very predictable!) After sanding everything, I added some wooden knobs so the boxes looked more like little drawers. Now the plant has a cute place to live as it sits in my kitchen window waiting for spring to arrive. (picture could not be taken of plant in windowsill due to the glare from the smog and snow)

I am continually humbled by your kindness!!! As if it isn't enough that you take the time to read my little blog, you have showered me with awards too! Thank you!!! I feel sooooo spoiled! I mean, look at this heap!
Holly gave me this
This one is from BrendaKara gave me this oneI got this one from Pam at Frippery This one is from Kasey
Please take the time to visit all of these incredible ladies. I promise you'll have a lot of fun!

Inventory By Heart

My daughter called today from across the country. She was so excited because she and her husband had finally found a dollar store. While standing in the store, she asked what she should buy to decorate her little apartment for Valentine's day.

Is it strange that I knew the inventory of the dollar store (even miles and miles away) and, without hesitation, I could rattle off a list of dollar goodies she should get?!?!

These were one of the items I told her to buy. In fact, I suggested she buy a few bags.Did you happen to pick any up on your recent trip to the dollar store?
According to the packaging they're "Great accents for floral arrangements & many other decorative uses."
Here's some decorative uses that I thought of.

Simply remove the picks.Then use the sweet hearts for fillers in glassware,
and scatter the rest around you're existing decorations.How cute and easy is that?!?

Dollar Notes

Look at what I bought at the dollar store.With a little chalkboard paint and a new ribbon,I have a fun way to remind the boys

in my house that they have a chore to do.

A Little Flakey

While many of you are already decorating for Valentine's day, I'm still embracing the beauty of winter. What better time to enjoy the subtle colors of white, cream, and silver, with splashes of green ?Do you like the "ribbon" around my candles?

Can you guess what it is?You probably have some in your kitchen too.
It's foil that I folded and taped to the candles!

This picture is for Sally who asked if I was done with my silver collection.There's already an addition of two mercury glass votives. They were 90% off. I HAD to buy them.

Bowled Over

There was one more thrift store treasure that I didn't show you yesterday.
It's this wooden salad bowl.

What?!?!
You don't think it's a treasure?
I love it.

In fact, I now have a collection of wooden bowls. They're not your typical bowls. They each have interesting details. And, of course, I like to paint them black.

Do you think they're fabulous now???

How about when they're turned over?

I'm sure that right about now you're wishing you hadn't passed by that old wooden salad bowl last time you were at the thrift store.
Don't worry.
It will probably still be there, because no one else knows
what a fabulous find it really is.

Speaking of fabulous...go check out Darlene and Kara.
They're both giving away some fabulous prizes on their blogs.
(I used the word "fabulous" four times in this post!)