Kitchen window sign

A few weeks ago my friend T and I went shopping in Round Top.  We both picked up a couple of windows, me for a few clients, her for her kitchen.  She just sent me this picture of it hanging up and I love it!  Cocina means kitchen in Spanish.

For step by step instructions on how to create your own window sign, check out this tutorial I posted a month or so ago.  T's projects shows how versatile the signs can be and that I need to start looking for more interesting shapes to use!

New Treasures

Our trip to Round Top was a success! It was my first time to go and I was really impressed with the variety, prices and options. If you love old stuff, this is the place for you. Almost all the vendors were quality and I got everything major on my list. Here's what I came home with:

What I kept calling a wagon wheel is actually a buggy wheel from the 1800's! I shopped around and only found 5 that had wood and weren't all metal, and some of those had broken spokes. I was hoping to score one for $60 but ended up talking the lady down from $125 to $100. This was a splurge.

Paid $4 for this metal bird, but it is an import from Mexico and just made to look aged. That's fine with me, its still cute!

There were lots of ceiling tiles, but many were in bad shape or painted off white. I managed to find some in the exact shade of green my fireplace is painted! These will go on a wall next to it. I paid $60 for 4 24x24" tiles. I am going to have my Dad build square boxes for me to mount them on for hanging. The edges are sharp and the backs are covered in rust so I don't want them hanging straight on the wall.

I also randomly bought this old window for $10. I plan on painting it to look like an antique sign from a french bakery and hanging it in the kitchen.

And last but not least, this frame that was marked $5 and I got it for $3. It had a hideous picture in it that I already took out. I plan on turning this into a place to hang earrings. Once I get time for all these projects I promise to post a tutorial for this one!

We actually never made it to Round Top, but spent most of our time in Warrington, another fair about 4 miles away. They hold the sales in April and October every year and I highly recommend going. Just be sure to book a hotel now as they fill up fast!

Lamp Shade Makeover

When we first moved into our house I made a few hasty decorating purchases that I now regret. One was the lamp in our entry way - it was boring and with a boring shade. At the time I probably thought it was great but not so much anymore.

Enter some trim I saw while wondering the aisles of HL. I bought a yard and a half for less than $5 and added it to the shade. The colors are gold, rust and green, perfect for our entry way. I forgot to take a before shot but here is the after:

Much better - it looks much more "decorator" now. I glued it on with tacky glue and held it in place with clothes pins while it dried.

As for the entry table, the tin mirror is from Kirkland's, the rust canisters from Hobby Lobby and the frames were a gift from Aaron Brothers. And the reflection in the mirror? Iron wall hangings I got in clearance at Pier 1. After I hung them I saw them on a decorating show and I was super proud of my purchase! Ha!

Project Previews

I was hard at work this weekend finishing up some paintings and some projects at the house. The paintings will not be delivered to their owner's for a few weeks so here are the previews:

As for the house projects, still have finishing touches to put on and I hope to be done in the next few weeks. Here is a sneak peak of what I have been working on in the master bedroom:

I can't wait to show off the finished products!

Book Makeover

A month or so ago I saw this book modpoge project featured on Drab to Fab. They used old hardcover books and scrapbook paper to create these custom decor books. My dad was recently cleaning out his "man fort" where he has tons of book sand I was lucky enough to snag a stack to use for this project. I plan on creating some for my new study and I thought if I posted it here I would remember and actually do it!

For step by step instructions, click here.

Be sure to check out their blog for some amazing, inexpensive projects. They do a great job of re-doing thrift store furniture and it is so inspiring!

My Dream Dining Room

Ever since The Husband and I moved into our house 2 years ago we have been having a dining room debate. We both want to finish out the house with a dining room set but we don't really see the point in having one. We have a breakfast table with seating for 4 and we don't have big dinners over at our house. When I host Book Club or showers, we typically hover over the food table anyway, and our living room offers plenty of comfy seating. Plus, my "art studio" is currently housed in the dining room. Even more reason not to get a table and hutch.

But......don't think I havent imagined what it would look like. Here are all the elements I would incoprorate into my dream dining room:

I want a 6 person table that expands to seat 8. I love the chunky wood look of the Hooker Furniture Wynterhall collection. The leather chairs with nailhead detail are perfect:

On the other hand, The Husband doesn't like things that match. I kinda agree with him but it makes shopping for things like a dining room or bedroom set much more difficult. If I had to buy my pieces a la carte, I would go for a chunky table from Pottery Barn like the Benchwright. I love how it looks like an old door:

For chairs, I want the heads of the table to have armchairs and the rest to be armless. I like these Pottery Barn slip covered chairs, especially the green paisley patterned one. If the print goes out of style I can always make new slipcovers.

The walls of our dining room kina of blend into the rest of the living space, so they have to be the same color as the rest of the house. But, I would love to add a tone-on-tone stripe treatment to our exisiting khaki paint. Something like this, but without the faux finish look:

I also want a great big iron chandelier with hanging crystals......I could go on for days with these ideas! Look what getting my Grandma's china started!

Add Some Punch To Your Shelves

Painting or wallpapering behind shelves is a great way to make a simple piece of furniture brilliant! Decorating shelves can often be overwhelming because you feel like you have to fill every space but then it just looks cluttered. But, if you add some color to the back, it looks more decorated and simple accessories will do. I love the green stripes on the wall above and the green on the shelving unit really pops.

In the picture below, they used wallpaper to add interest to a dining room hutch. If your shelving unit has a back, you can paint or apply paper directly to the back. Just know that it will always be there! If it doesn't, you can paint the wall behind it or use tacks to hang the wallpaper on the wall. Just push the shelf all the way against the wall so you can't tell. That way you are not stuck with whatever you pick for forever!

And I just noticed the child playing on the dining room table.....does that mean I am not ready to be a Mom yet?

Design Dilemma - "Builder Bland" Bathroom Makeover

When the husband and I moved into our house, it was what I like to call "Builder Bland." We chose upgraded tile for the kitchen, bathrooms and floors but aside from that the walls and fixtures were pretty generic. We have been slowly doing some cosmetic upgrades with paint, new lighting fixtures and molding. One of my favorite projects was out guest bathroom.

I have used a very similar color palette throughout the entire house and rusty red is one of our accent colors. I know they say you shouldn't paint a small room a dark color but I did exactly that and I LOVE the way it turned out. Here is a view of the entire bathroom:

It originally had that cheap-o exposed bulb light fixture but I replaced it with a bronze version that was the floor model from a lighting store. I score it for $70 bucks! We also replaced the silver faucet with a bronze one I purchased on EBAY. That saved us another $150!

I wanted to do something with the mirror, but the builder glued the ENTIRE mirror to the wall making it impossible to remove. Instead, my Dad built a frame out of molding and we put that directly on top of the mirror. The result is a custom look for a fraction of the price. I have the same project planned for our master bath, so when I do that one I will put up a step by step tutorial. Another tip - I painted the existing light switch and outlet covers with a bronze paint to turn to make them look more expensive. Just lightly sand them to take the shine off the plastic and you can save a ton by just painting them.

For wall art I purchased these 2 ceiling tiles on EBAY and framed them in a shadow box frame without the glass.

This is a shot of my linen closet, with each shelf labeled (courtesy of the label maker) for the size sheets that go on it. I also keep a basket of sample products in there for guest to use.

Lastly, I just have to share a pic of the soap/lotion combo I have in the guest bath. Everyone that comes over just loves it and I can always tell when they have used it b/c the smell is pretty strong. Its Tranquil Mint from Bath and Body Works. I actually bought it for the kitchen but hated the way it smelled on me. Who knew everyone else would love it so much!

Reader Design Dilemma - Centerpiece Concerns

A few weeks ago on of my readers emailed me this picture of her dining room table and asked for suggestions on a centerpiece. As a busy working Mom she did not want anything "with little rocks she has to dust all the time" and I totally understand where she is coming from:

The table is a rich espresso color and is a taller pub height, which makes it interesting. My first suggestion is to add a table runner. The one below is from Pottery Barn and is pretty neutral, but I also think something in a rich color would be great. Table runners can sometimes be hard to find these days, but I usually see a good selection at Marshall's, Ross and Pier 1 Imports. They might be a little old fashioned but I think they can really add a punch of color and make any centerpiece more outstanding.

Now for a centerpiece, there are a few things to consider. First, how often do you use the table? If not very often, you can choose something that is a little more decorative but not as functional. I love large, tall centerpieces, but if you use the table alot this might not be practical and can be hard to see over. You also need to consider all sides of the table when choosing something for the middle. You don't want something that has a font or back or doesn't look pretty all the way around. Here are some of my favorite ideas:

This tray features some rustic wooden candle holders and candles. I like how the candles have 3 colors, much more interesting than a solid. When putting candles on a dinner table you want to make sure they don't really have a smell, as this can mix with the food smells and sometimes not be so appetizing.

I also like this floral arrangement, although I know everyone is not big on fake flowers.

Another concern Miss S had was her light fixture. It was in the house when they moved in and although everyone else loves it, she kinda hates it. She has removed some of the crystals already and right now it looks like this:

Sorry S, but I kinda agree with everyone else, I like it. It was probably a really expensive fixture and it is pretty. I do think it is a little busy though, and the thing that stands out most to me is the finish. If everything else in your house is brown, this silver finish might be too much. My suggestion - remove some more crystals if you want and spray paint it. I know you guys are probably sick of me talking about my love for Rust-Oleum Hammered Finish Spray Paint in Brown but this stuff rocks. I think a brown finish would work much better with the table and the lamp shade covers and the hammered effect looks like metal so you will never know it was spray painted.

Hope some of those suggestion work, let us know how it turns out!

Have a room or area you are not sure what to do with? Send me a few pictures and I might feature your room and some suggestions as a Reader Design Dilemma!

Make Your Own Upholstered Headboard

Guest rooms are often the place where left over furniture ends up. I wanted ours to be a great place for guests to relax, almost like a hotel. I already had some brown stripe bedding left over when we upgraded our master bedroom decor and I added some celery green sheets when I was on a green and brown kick. The effect was nice, but I wanted more. The bed was sitting on a plain metal bed frame and I didn't really want to invest in bedroom furniture for the guest room so I decided to make a headboard. Easy right? Well, kind of. I did this project before I started the blog, so here are the steps to creating your own upholstered headboard:

1. Decide on a size. Measure the width of the bed and add an inch on each size. Then decide on a height. Higher = more drama. Add 1 foot to your height so that the headboard goes a foot below the mattress height.
2. Get a piece of plywood and cut it to the size you need. Or, flirt with the man at Home Depot and get him to get it for you. This works best if the Husband is not around. You will also need some 2x4" as legs. If you have other scrap wood around the garage, use that.
   
3. Gather your supplies. You will need fabric, quilt batting and a staple gun. For fabric, I used a shower curtain. For real. I was having trouble finding the perfect fabric at the cloth store and I found this Nautica shower curtain that was exactly what I wanted. When choosing a fabric, keep in mind that stripes are the hardest to work with because they have to be perfectly straight.
4. Cut your fabric and 2-3 layers of batting large enough to cover your plywood with 4" extra on every side. The more batting you add, the more padded it will look. I did 2 layers but wish I had done 3. It looks more flat once you put the fabric on.
   
5. Lay all the layers of batting down and place the plywood on top. Wrap the edges and staple about an inch in with the staple gun. I did the wrapping, the Husband did the stapling. I am scared of the staple gun. Trim the excess batting.
6. Lay your fabric down and place the plywood batting side down on top of the fabric. Make sure your pattern is lined up how you want it.
7. Start wrapping the edges and staple on the back about every inch. Make sure you are pulling the fabric just a little bit each time, but not too much. Equal tension is key to make it look even.
8. Continue around all the edges. Then, flip it over and see where you have any wrinkles and pull and add another staple.
9. Use a drill to screw the legs onto the back. I painted mine the same color as the wall so they blended in.

Its actually pretty simple. I used the extra fabric to have my Mom make a coordinating pillow. And of course, I did some artwork for the walls. These green and brown scrolls contrast well with the stripes in the bedding:


Now, are you ready to try it yourself? I did the whole project for $85, pretty good huh?

Design Dilemma - My Mantle Makeover

The Husband and I have this thing about random art. We don't like hanging things in the house that don't have any special meaning to us. I am fine with hanging decorative iron pieces or other such things on the wall, but I just can't go to Kirklands and buy a random picture of the countryside and feel good about hanging it up. It has to mean something to me. So, deciding what to hang over the fireplace has been quite a challenge. With the advice of a decorator, we painted the area over the fireplace a rich olive green shade. And then it just sat there. For a year. Blank. After I created my vanity area, I moved my old make up mirror to above the fireplace and it looked like this:

Yes, the mirror reflects a great view of a ceiling vent and the fan. Attractive.

Then, one day while digging through the bargain bin at the Pottery Barn Outlet, I ran across this Williams-Sonoma Home pillow (yes, they are owned by the same people - the have a monopoly on stylish home decor) marked down from $78 to $22. Now, let me explain something. I have been obsessed with using coral shapes in home decor for about 2 years. So I literally DOVE into the huge clearance bin to grab this. I added 3 more pillows that I scored for $2 each at the outlet and wa-la, my couch came alive with the perfect mix of modern and ranch I was going for. Well, as much as ranch and modern can mix.

So, with the coral pillow inspiring me, I set out to paint my own pictures for above the fireplace. Easy enough you say? Not so. I do not really paint stuff for grown ups. Kid's art is so much easier to do and although you might think I have painted stuff for every room in my own house, I haven't. So coming up with a design was quite a challenge.



I knew I wanted a big graphic coral shape. I bought a square canvas (they look so chic) and painted what I thought was a coral shape. To my dismay, it came out looking like a tree. Not that a tree is bad, but it just wasn't what I was going for. So, if you have the need for a 20x20" rust colored graphic tree picture, let me know! I'll sell it to you for $25.




Anyway, I made a second attempt and came up with a much better shape. I stacked the coral picture on top of a larger picture with a big graphic print and added a vase we already had. I am still not 100% happy with it but it is a big improvement. I think I may add some brown molding around the larger print to make it even bigger. I kinda wish it was bigger and I am on a big molding kick!

Show Us Where You Live - Dining Room

I have been following Kelly's Korner Blog for a few weeks and she has a great post on Fridays called "Show Us Where You Live!" Its a chance for readers to show off their rooms and share decorating ideas. This week is all about the dining room, and since my dining room doubles as my painting studio, I don't exactly have a fabulous room to show off. So, I thought I would show you where we really eat anyway - The Breakfast Nook!

First up, the light fixture. We had a work weekend this past weekend and changed out the fixture. Gone is the builder grade light:

And here is the new fixture! What a difference a light makes - instant upgrade! A new light fixture is a great investment and can really change the look of the room.

Next is our breakfast table. I searched high and low for the perfect table and just couldn't find it. I wanted a round table but couldn't find one that I like that was also in the budget. We ended up purchasing this rustic table from Four Hands Home here in Austin. Four Hands supplies furniture to some of my favorite stores, including Pottery Barn, and they have great deals at their warehouse. This table was actually a taller "pub" height, and I chopped the legs down to a conventional height. For the right price, I wasn't about to let some little table legs stand in my way!

Add these real leather chairs I also scored at Four Hands for $110 each and you have a comfy spot for weekday meals. The centerpiece is a basket I bought from Hobby Lobby and it is filled with artificial apples from Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart has the best looking (and cheapest!) fake fruit selection around.

I also struggled with the wall decor for awhile. We have alot of square and rectangle shapes in the house, so I wanted to balance it out with something round. I was inspired by this vintage plate grouping and really wanted to put plates on the wall. The Husband was not so convinced, but I did it anyway and he didn't mind when I was done. To make the plates not look like they were just floating on the wall, I added the chair rail to anchor them and add architectural detail. It was a great improvement and cost me less than $40. I hope to slowly add more plates to my collection. I am going for a Tuscan theme with the colors and designs and enjoy hunting for additions at thrift stores and of course, Marshalls!

Lastly, I have these glass canisters that sit on the bar counter. Right now they are filled with lemons and wine corks, but I regularly change them with the seasons. At Christmas I fill them with little round ornaments, and in the Fall pine cones and leaves look great in there.

If you are new to the blog, I hope you enjoyed the little tour of my "Dining" room. Although my blog is mostly about decorating your nursery I also post ideas on decorating and DIY projects for the grown up part of your house! Check back daily for more artwork, ideas and inspiration!

Nothing Wrong With a Little Vanity

I admit it, I am a girly girl. I love to go to weddings just because I love to get dressed up. I love to pick out an outfit, accessorize it and coordinate my makeup to it. That is why I have been obsessed with having my very own vanity for years. I love the idea of having all my makeup and hair stuff organized in a place that is just for me. So when the DH and I moved into our new house with 1 master bathroom sink and almost no counter space to speak of there was never a better time for me to start the hunt for my little makeup station. Now, for as long as I can remember I have been putting my makeup on on the floor. That's right, I had a mirror propped up on the wall and a towel spread out with all my makeup. I would sit as close to the mirror as possible. I think this stems from my days in the sorority house when 40 girls would be trying to get ready at the same time and you had to fight for bathroom mirror space.

Anyway, about 6 months ago I began my quest for a vanity table. I first tried shopping online. To my disappointment, I didn't really find anything decent and substantial for under $600. So, I broadened my search and went to almost every furniture store within a 30 mile radius. Apparently the vanity is a lost piece of furniture and almost nobody carries them. Or, if they do, they are for children or made of particle board.

I then turned my search to Craigslist. Everyday I would search the word "vanity" and check out my selections. I was looking for a dark wood to match our other furniture but everything I found was a cherry color or the wood was badly damaged. Now I love DIY projects, but I will NOT strip and re-stain furniture. This is just too much work. So, after dragging the DH to check out a few disappointing CL postings, I decided my search was never going to end and started to give up.

Enter my good friend and fellow DIYer, T. T also shared my obsession with vanities and finally found one that she painted. Wow, light bulb, genius! Why hadn't I thought of that? I should PAINT an old one. No staining required! So, after a few weeks on CL I brought home a bright yellow vanity with 70's floral drawer liners and green trim. The DH was not impressed and did not share my vision at all.

But, I had hope for my little treasure! I decided to paint it red with bronze trim. I first sanded off the top layer of the old paint. Since I wasn't sure what was used on it before, I primed the entire thing with a grey primer. Grey is a better base coat for red paint because it is darker and does not require as many coats to cover it. I used a high-gloss enamel paint and had to put 3 coats on to get the coverage I wanted. I added some trim in a bronze finish and replaced the knobs with an inexpensive style from Lowe's. Total cost of the project, around $175. Here she is:


The color is a little bold, and took some getting used to, but I love it. It didn't come with a mirror so after trying and returning several, I finally settled on a frameless style from Lowe's that I purchased for just $40. Since the vanity is dainty, a frame looked too heavy with it.


It also did not come with a stool, and that was quite a challenge. The space in the center is pretty small and all the stools I looked at were too wide for the space. I finally found one that was the right size, but the wrong color - but that didn't stop me! Check back later this week for a little lesson on how to paint and recover a chair..........

Boys vs. Girls - The Decorating Dilemma

Decorating a new house with your new spouse is always a challenge. His college frat house furniture and decor from IKEA meets your girly girl red couch and vintage french advertisement prints = not cute. That was the challenge when we moved into our first home in Round Rock. The outside of our home is Kirby Stone rock - of course - and the inside reflects that same country feel. Without being too country. I call our look Texas Tuscany, a little bit rich rustic ranch, a little bit Tuscan with rich olive greens, rust and dark wood furniture. I think this is a pretty good mix of our two styles.

Now, anyone that knows my husband knows he has a passion for hunting. Mammal, bird or fish, he will catch it, trap it, or shoot it. This has resulted in several deer "mounts" that have a happy home staying at the ranch. No deer heads over the mantle here. But, as a good wifey, I try to incorporate his hobbies and personal interested into our decor. We both like to decorate with things that have meaning when we can. We have a painted duck decoy on a stack of books on a sofa table and we now have my latest craft project, antler art. Inspired by one of my favorite sites, This Young House. Below is a pick from their living room/den.



Note the painted white items on the fire place ledge.

So, on his last trip to the ranch, I asked Blake to bring me back some shed antlers. As a wife of a hunter, I know that deer shed their antlers every year. Who knew?

Using some white paint I had on hand from putting up a chair rail in the breakfast nook, I painted them and placed them on a tray on a side table.

I have seen similar all white antler art at ZGallerie and Pottery Barn and a quick call to the best friend gave me reassurance that I was not crazy and it had potential to work. So, what do you think, kitchy or creepy?

Thanks to Google Analytics, I know I have readers all across the country. So, maybe this posting just applies to those of us in the South. But, don't think I'm a redneck or anything, you better believe I am sporting Uggs, jeans and a North Face fleece while I sit in the deer stand reading an InSytle!