Fun & funky artwork

I love it when I come across something cheap and creative to do. I only wish I could be the creative one to come up with the idea. Recently I read somewhere about making cheap art using your last name. I read all the details on how to do this so of course I had to do this too. It's funky, different, interesting, and just plain cool!! If you want to know how I made it then just ask me. It's too long to write out but it is really easy. I'm thinking this will go in our hallway or dining room somewhere. Let's just say the possibilities are endless on how you could make your last name or any other phrases. Hope you like it.

My version of a book makeover

One of my favorite decorating sites is Decor Chick! The things that she comes up with are just amazing. If only she could come and decorate my house then I could just sit back and relax. Well, Decor Chick did a book makeover. I would have never thought to do this idea. You can see Decor Chick's version HERE

I thought I would give this makeover a try. So here is what I did. I bought a plain hardback book from Goodwill for $2. Now, Decor Chick spray painted her book and at first I thought that is what I wanted to do. So I bought Ivory colored spray paint. I went to Hobby Lobby yesterday and found the exact stamp that Decor Chick used. It was regularly priced $10.99 but was on sale for 50% off. I couldn't justify spending $6-$7 on a stamp that I will use probably just once. So I went looking for a cheaper idea. In the same scrapbooking area they have all of the cool scrapbooking paper. I found this beauty for $.59 a sheet. Sold!! I bought 2 pieces and a package of glue sticks for $.99.

I glued the paper to the book and I was done in 10 minutes. No waiting for paint to dry or making sure I perfectly stamped the book. Nope...not for me!! I folded the edges on the inside and glued them down. I did have to cut off the extra paper. The paper was 12 x 12 and my book wasn't that big.

Since I had to use 2 pieces of paper to cover the book I made sure my seam was on the back side of the book. You can see my seam on the left side. You will never see this part.

I do need to go back and add some ribbon but overall I am pleased with my book makeover. My cost was $4.17. And the cool thing is the selections of scrapbooking paper is endless so you can do so many cute things all for CHEAP!! Enjoy! (Sorry for the horrible cell phone pictures. I needed something quick before Jax started screaming.)

On Fire!

Our front door is on fire this year! So I know it's not cool outside...yet...but it will be soon. I couldn't wait any longer to bring out my fun fall stuff. I have a wreath that I bought at Michaels a few years ago. It is just plain and doesn't really jump out at you. I wanted a wreath that screamed FALL IS HERE!! Our front screen door and entry door are both black. I went to the Dollar Tree and they had 3 choices of colors of leaves. Brown, a deep dark red (looked almost brown too), and yellow with red tips. I had a winner with the yellow!!! I figured the brown and red wouldn't stand out since our door is dark too. So here is what I did. I bought a wreath ($1) and 5 packs of leaves ($5). I used super glue that I already had since I haven't bought a glue gun yet. Then I went to town just gluing the leaves down. Oh...I did crinkle the leaves too since they came flat in the package. An hour later this is what I have. I might go back and add some berries or pine cones later. But for now...I love it!!

To die for

Enough said!

The Secret Closet

I love this episode of Friends b/c I too have a secret closet. Ok, it's not as bad as Monica's but I feel like it is sometimes. We've been using one of our hallway closets as our "office". Well now it looks more like an office. Pictures coming soon!

My conversation with Levi

Levi looking at a picture above our mantel of Jesus holding a baby: Jesus! (stated with excitement)

Me: Yes that is Jesus. Levi, where did Jesus go?

Levi: Jesus, car, night night, his house.

Me: Did Jesus get in the car to go to sleep at his house?

Levi: Jesus weep (asleep) pillow (meaning Jesus is asleep on a pillow).

I love the innocence of our precious children that Heavenly Father has sent to us.

Projects Galore!!

I have been working on several projects all at once. I didn't think it would that big of a deal b/c they aren't huge projects. They are just simple little things. But when you take a lot of simple little things it then becomes a BIG thing. So I have finally finished my projects that I started. Only now I have 2 other BIGGER projects that I want to start. Not to brag, but I am proud of what I did. I have discovered that I can be quite crafty and I have become good at using wood putty and spray paint. I'm not so much creative but I do enjoy taking other people's ideas and trying to copy what they did. I won't take credit for coming up with the idea but I will be proud of myself for copying it. :)

Pirate Mast: My cost $11-$12. Pottery Barn $100. I needed to find a curtain that already had holes in the top. The only thing that I could find that was close to that was a shower curtain. I bought the shower curtain at Target for $10. I cut it down to the size I wanted and sewed her right up!! The curtain is hanging on wooden dowels that I got at Lowes for around $1.50. Matt painted the dowels with paint we already had so that = FREE. Also, the rope we already had. The letter "L" was a challenge for me. I thought about getting the L embroidered but that was expensive. Then I tried to find something I could iron on that looked embroidered. But no such luck. Then I bought some iron on fabric from Walmart for $5 and printed out the L. I cut it out and ironed it right on. Looking back I should have just done that from the beginning and saved myself a lot of time. I bought the iron on fabric with a gift card so that was free as well! The felt was about $.50 at Walmart. I printed out the skull and cut it out on the iron on fabric. Done! Good job!!


Dining room light fixture: My cost $10. This took a can of primer and a can of oil rubbed bronze spray paint. The previous owners of our house took down this fixture and shoved it in the back of our attic. They hung up this cute tea light candle fixture that we never touched. I thought for sure we would have some romantic dinner with that....yeah right!! So down it came and up went this beauty. I still want to add some shades to this light fixture. I just haven't found the right ones yet. With this light plus the recessed lighting already in there it is pretty bright. But we do have a dimmer to help out.

Candlesticks: My cost $4. I found these candlesticks at Goodwill for $2 each. They had a pretty wood color but there were just too many dings and scratches. I really didn't like the look of the candlesticks being the same size. So I cut out a section to make them different heights. I glued the parts back together and sprayed them with oil rubbed bronze paint. Ta da!

Picture frames: My total cost $30. This was a great deal to me. I found these horrible colored frames at Goodwill for $5.99 each. A picture frame like this would have easily cost $15-$20 a piece, maybe more at Walmart or Target. But I knew I could paint these and make them look brand new again. Then at Hobby Lobby I found artwork that was half price for $15. The pictures came with a matt but I didn't end up using the matt for the finished product. Wood putty, primer and paint and I have nice frames. These are now over our nightstands in our bedroom. I will have a picture of that later when I finish accessorizing in there.

Cloche: My total cost $3.25. I found a cheese dome at Goodwill for $2.25 and a candlestick for $.99. I glued the two pieces together after priming and painting them. I love this little decoration in my kitchen. I can do so many things with this. I'm seeing so many different seasonal decorations in this little guys future

This last project was all Matt's hard work. He worked for 3 weekends straight to get all of this work completed. Not to mention it was hotter than you know where each weekend. The previous owners put down the pavers in the backyard as a patio. We never liked the look and the bricks were uneven. We've wanted to get rid of these for a long time especially after Levi fell and broke his nose by tripping on the pavers. So we sold all of the pavers on craigslist for $200. We took that money and bought all of the flagstone from someone else on craigslist for $120. We used the rest of the money to buy sand, grass, and dirt. Matt had to cut up all of the sod and put it in between all of the cracks. I honestly wanted to help him so this would be done faster but I had to stay with Jaxon. So the patio itself was FREE!! We didn't pay a dime out of pocket for it. That is what I love. The table, chairs, and gazebo were on clearance at Target and we paid $200 total for everything. We had no shade in our backyard so this was much needed and well worth the investment. We love it! Thank you Matt for all of your hard work and sweat. We can't wait to sit out there in the fall and eat breakfast, lunch and dinner.

My next 2 projects involve the fireplace and entertainment center. I can't wait to finish those projects. I started these projects b/c I felt our house was lacking in the decor department. There really wasn't any artwork or accessories that brighten or lighten a room. I still have some other ideas and things I want to do but when I am finished it will all look amazing. I hope you enjoyed my hard work.