Polka Dot Thought

Fun Fireplace Flare!

2010-12-23T05:15:00.000-08:00

Talk about a random project---this is exactly what happens to us in the winter! We are cooped up inside the house while it is freezing outside, not to mention it gets dark SO early now, so what do we do...head over to Home Depot or Lowes (of course) and see what we can get our hands on!

This time in particular Home Depot was having a GREAT sale on the mosaic tiles that come in 12" x 12" sheets--they were half off! Now, before we get carried away and start buying the whole lot of these to do our kitchen (something we have REALLY wanted to do), we decided to test our tiling skills on our fireplace first....

Success! Basically, $20.00 later and starting/completing a project from 8pm-10pm on a work night--voila! Seriously, this was such a simple project and so worth it! It adds a splash of color and definition to the all black fireplace, tying in the colors of the room nicely! Definitely recommend! We will for sure be doing this to our kitchen at some point!

Fireplace Before (2008)

Fireplace After (2010)

Personalized Wall Art

2010-12-09T10:53:00.000-08:00

I told you the next few posts would be consumed by baby projects! This just opens a door to a ton of new creations to make!

I love the look of having the child's name displayed in the room somewhere so decided to make my own. Taking a TV cubbie door that we saved from when purchasing our house (see here), I personalized this and painted it with her name: Kaydence (we call her KD for short). This is a SUPER heavy piece, so it will only be going behind the changing table, not crib.

Personalized Sign

2010-12-02T11:00:00.000-08:00

Every girl needs a sign on their door right? Well, baby KD does! :)

This was a quick project--I just took a huge wooden letter 'K' and mod podged some pretty scrapbook paper on it. I then added to the look by adding spray painted wooden letters of her name (hot glued them) and decorated it more with paper flowers. Finally, I attached a ribbon for hanging!

Simple. Fun. Cute!

Diaper Creations

2010-11-25T18:42:00.000-08:00

Now, I know I have posted a few times here on how to make diaper cakes. This is just a quick post to show you all out there the TERRIFIC other diaper creations available, as well as other ways to make diaper cakes!

I just recently had some showers and attended some showers and was astonished by the creativity with diapers! Completely takes diaper cakes to a whole new level of creativity! Below are just a few examples of branching outside and using diapers in other very creative ways---compared to these, my diaper creations were so plain! I know how to spice them up now!

Rolled Up Diaper Cake with trinkets

Diaper Wreath with trinkets

Layered Diaper Cake with trinkets

Diaper Tricycle

Diaper Sand Castle

Baby Murals

2010-11-18T05:14:00.000-08:00

Now that the room is painted and the beadboard is up, now it's time to start accessorizing--my favorite! Since I'm playing up the stripes/polka dot shapes, we added 3 white Japanese lanterns in one corner (mimicking dots). We then added a corner shelf we already had and placed a few items accented in pink.

Lanterns and Shelf

To personalize the room more, I pulled out the craft paints and got to work on creating some adorable wall art! To go behind the crib I painted 3 little murals--again tying in the pink accents and polka dots.

Painted Canvases

Canvas and Crib

The blank canvases came in a 2 pack and were 50% off, AND are very light, all pluses, and I was sure to use a non-toxic, acrylic paint with a ton of ventilation and a fan in the room while paining.

Beadboard and Stripes!

2010-11-11T05:13:00.000-08:00

If you haven't realized yet...I LOVE decorating and even more so when I'm able to personalize things and make them my own creation! As I mentioned in previous posts, JD and I are expecting our first child February 2, 2011! It has been confirmed--a little girl is on our way and we couldn't be happier!

So, with a baby on the way it means my mind is constantly consumed by baby ideas and projects. First project to tackle--the nursery!

Even though we are having a little girl, my favorite color combo (as if you can't tell from my blog) is light blue and brown. I was bound and determined to have a nontraditional girl's nursery and not saturate the nursery in pinks, but still have enough pink to compliment the girliness of it--this would be through the use of pink accents in the room. I also knew I wanted a more modern nursery, playing up stripes and polka dots, but a space that is still welcoming and calming.

This being the case, we kept our bluish gray walls and on one accent wall added some stripes. To tone down the cool color, we warmed it up by placing white beadboard up (another first for us!). Love the look of the white beadboard, it really says 'nursery' to me!

Applying Beadboard

Applying Chair Rail

Painting Stripes

Completed Beadboard and Stripes

Now it's time to accessorize and personalize...More to come!

::ribbit:: FROG is DONE!

2010-11-04T05:11:00.000-07:00

Since the day we stepped foot into the FROG while touring our house, we decided if this was to be our house we would use this huge, 2 car garage sized finished room to be our Family room...And just to put a plan in action, after we purchased the house and moved in, we drew up plans and taped off our ideas for what we envisioned to be our custom built cabinet and bookshelf space.

FROG 2008

Well, I'm SO SO proud to say, that TWO years later, we have put this plan into motion! Since we had everything drawn up and priced out years ago, it was just a matter of finding the time to pull it together! All I have to say is WOW! For a little over $500, we were able to put this plan into action!

We started by hard wiring the internet wires and cable we knew we would need to have there. We then created a base for the cabinets to be placed on. This was probably the most time consuming part of the project because here we learned about the importance of accurate measuring and keeping things level. Since we were going wall to wall, we also learned that the corners in our house are NOT perfect 90 degree angles, so you have to accommodate for that.

Base work

The next part was fun...placing the cabinets on our base we created! That really helped illustrate our vision! When then worked on the counter top, ceiling board (our ceiling has the annoying popcorn, so we covered it for this built-in), shelves, and finishings (molding).

Placing Cabinets
Prepping Shelves

Prepping Shelves

Eventually, after a ton of caulk, liquid nails, screws, nails, kiltz, white paint, wood and saw dust in the room, and hammered thumbs, our FROG came to life and is even better than we imagined!

Completed Built-ins!Some shelf decorations

Now we have all this storage space, and just in time, too (because everything has to be moved out of our computer room to this room for the nursery)! We will eventually put a TV up here and this will be our new family and gathering room!

DIY Shuffleboard Table

2010-10-27T05:10:00.000-07:00

Yes, we are probably in a small percentage of people to claim we have a personal shuffleboard table, and even a smaller percentage to claim it is combined with our garage cabinets!

At first glance, a work bench/cabinet

Why shuffleboard? When JD and I were in college, and more so when I would visit him while he finished (I graduated 2 years before him), we LOVED going to the Clemson bars and playing the free shuffleboard games! It quickly turned into betting terms---winner gets Brewster's Desserts, winner gets free dinner...etc. Can't complain (when you win!).

To bring home a piece of our past (and provide great entertainment for guests), JD built his cabinet/work bench that opens up to a regulation size shuffleboard table! After thorough research on how to create a shuffleboard table, we went with the economic option and got hard wood planks from Habitat for Humanity and made this the shuffleboard deck. Then with spare metal, created a system so you can continually level out these planks in the future through the use of screws. Finally, for an added embellishment and personalized look, we took a wood burner and etched a Clemson paw in the center of the table---always reminding us of the history of shuffleboard to us. To top it all off, we created a stellar smooth surface by using a VERY thick epoxy glaze coating (this was quite the adventure in applying and definitely took two of us!).

Take a closer look...
A shuffleboard table!
Wood burned Clemson paw in the table center

Looking down the table

Now, our games and bets continue and the shuffleboard table is quite the conversation starter! To keep track of our winnings we even mark on the table the final score and betting terms!

Garage Fit for a King!

2010-10-21T05:09:00.000-07:00

A garage is the man's layer right? Well trust me, my husband jumped on the opportunity to make his space the perfect getaway complete with all things MAN: TV, Tunes, Dart board, Tools, Sports Equipment and Outdoor Gear. And he didn't just organize his garage, he made it a place that I actually enjoy sitting in and hanging out! Forget the tool gas fumes, this garage is where it's at!

When we first moved into our house 2 years ago, nothing was finished in the garage. After I got a good grounding on some of the house projects, JD jumped in and started to focus on his beloved garage....again a project that consisted of a lot of learning and firsts (that is what first homes are for right?!).

Garage 2008

He started with insulation and putting up drywall in the garage. Wow, what a difference that makes!

Drywall Up

He then purchased a kit (on sale, of course!) for finishing the garage floor. This is my favorite part--I think EVERY garage should have floors like this! I can actually walk barefoot and not worry about black bottomed feet!

Then it was time to organize--this consisted of hanging shelves, arranging tools and building a cabinet to organize garage items and also provide a nice surface for projects. The cabinet/work area is such a great way to hide the garage clutter-but this cabinet doesn't just serve as a storage provider...it is also our personal, home made, regulation size... SHUFFLEBOARD TABLE (another post for this).

Shelves
Mural (for fun)
Work Bench/Cabinet Storage/Shuffleboard Table

With all these fun things in the garage---why even go inside?!

Hot Tub Time Machine

2010-10-14T05:09:00.001-07:00

My husband and I are regular Craig's List shoppers! You can seriously find some GREAT deals--some things just need a little TLC and you just have to have patience with searching and finding the deals.

Our latest guilt-free Craig's List purchase is...a hot tub! Yes, I know, a hot tub?! This person was wanting to get rid of a perfectly working, 6 person tub...only requirements were we would have to remove it from his deck and the framework needed some finishing work on it, but all in all, great condition!

Well, if you know anything about a CL purchase-you have to act fast on the deals! This makes for a somewhat impulsive buy (because let's face it...a hot tub was NOT on our list of things we need at the moment or on our never ending project list), but again, we couldn't pass up the price so we shamelessly made the purchase!

This hot tub, bought in March 2010 has been an ongoing project and quite the learning experience---a lot of firsts on our end! First, we had to find a spot for the tub. This meant we had to transplant some plants (a first!) and pour a level concrete slab for the tub to sit on (another first!).

Transplanting

Preparing the Grounds

We then got 6 friends to help pull the tub out of the previous owner's deck and place in our designated tub spot. The following months consisted of redoing the side boards, wiring the hot tub to 2 breakers (a big FIRST!), learning about hot tub care and chemicals (another first) and ensuring it works correctly (luckily it does!!).

Transporting Hot Tub

Wiring

Refinishing

We are so happy this 6 month project is completed, and just in the nick of time for the upcoming Fall/Winter weather!! :)

Complete!

Only downfall, is I will have to wait until after February to enjoy the hot tub, because in the midst of this project we found out we are expecting our first!! A little girl--which means one thing...more projects in the mix!!

I heart color!

2010-03-07T16:34:00.000-08:00

Anyone ever watch HGTV's color splash (or any home improvement show for that matter)? I love those shows, especially the before and afters! A lot of times I just DVR them and see the before at the beginning and fast forward to the end to view the afters! What an amazing transformation simply changing up the color can do for a home!

Well, this weekend was an 'off weekend' from traveling to see family and friends so my husband and I decided to tackle the daunting task of repainting our living room and hallways! We have lived in our house since 2008 and have always joked the paint color was 'starter home white'---you know what I'm talking about? It's the contractor white they put down to cover the dry wall? Anyway, with a free weekend upon us a change was needed--plus we had NO touch up paint for all the scratches and holes we have created in the 2 years here.

So knowing we were painting this weekend, during the week it was time to settle on colors. I had no idea how difficult that would be! I knew I wanted a tan and/or chocolate, but the choices were so overwhelming and all the colors looked so much better in the store than at home because of the different lighting and surroundings! By Friday we literally had 12 splotch samples on the living room walls as well as paint chips taped to the wall. I felt I was as picky as Goldilocks (but with paint): Some were too pink, some were too green...none quite right! Needless to say, by Saturday it was crunch time-time to pick and just roll with it! So we did...

And I LOVE the colors we chose! Our free weekend turned into 8 hours of painting labor requiring me and my husband to climb a 12 foot ladder placed on the stairs and use a 4 foot extender pole for painting the stairwell--WHEW! That was so interesting to say the least!

Below are the before and afters of what was done this weekend. I am happy to now cross this off my project list! Next project...crown molding and mosaic tile for the fireplace! Can't wait!

Hallway Before: 2008

Hallway After: 2010

Hallway Before: 2008

Hallway After: 2010

Living Room Before: 2008
(picture when touring
house before moving in)

Living Room Before: 2008/2009Living Room After: 2010Living Room After: 2010

Painting the stairwell: 2010
(what an adventure THAT was!)Completed stairwell: 2010
(just to show you how
high that was!)

Winner!

2010-02-26T16:53:00.001-08:00

Friday is here! TGIF! Since it is a Friday, I won't delay it any longer...the two blogger winners who have been chosen by random.org to win a custom blog button are:

#7
Lanie Ree said...I'm following. That button you made for Someday Crafts is so cute. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

::and::

#4
northern cottage said...i totally voted for your version - it was perfectly darling. Mmmmmm wonder what you'd come up with for my little old cottage? So glad I found your blog too - following & perusing now!

Congratulations! If you could please leave me your email address in the comment area so we can discuss the blog button, that would be great! To everyone else, thank you for participating and also for following my blog and leaving such sweet comments! Have a great weekend!

Blog Button Give-Away!

2010-02-23T01:04:00.000-08:00

Wow! I had NO idea the response and feedback my innocent button would create for Someday Crafts. I truly appreciate everyone's comments and for voting for my graphic. It was so fun to create and I guess I didn't realize the strong demand for buttons! In recognition of the many kind bloggers who are in need or just want a new button and something fresh, I am hosting my first ever give-away!!

::drum roll::

Blog Button Give-Away!

I will be selecting 2 bloggers at random to receive a custom graphic button for your blog. All you have to do is...

1. Become a follower of my blog
2. Leave me a comment letting me know you follow and what graphic button you would be wanting.

That's it! I will then be selecting at random on Friday and announce the winners and correspond via email about the button you are wanting.

Let the give-away begin!

A Knotty Blanket

2010-02-21T12:36:00.000-08:00

This one is a sinch! I made this blanket in less than an hour and for less than $15.00 for my bestie's baby. It is so easy, inexpensive and a nice personal gift! My mother in law actually made one for my husband and I, and I've seen these blankets all around, but I actually had a hard time finding directions for how to make these...so for those of you who may want to make one one day, below are the instructions and steps.

Step 1:
Buy 2 pieces of felt.
Lay them on top of each other and align
as perfectly as possible.
Trim any access.

Step 2:
Measure and cut out a 4" x 4" square
on each corner of the stacked fabric pieces.

Step 3:
Start cutting your strips. I didn't measure,
but it was roughly 1" x 4"

Step 4:
Start tying the knots!
It is easiest by tying every other strip.

There are many ways to tie the knots.
Explore different methods and see
how different ties create a different look.

Step 5:
Personalize!
I chose iron-on because of my
awesome (sarcasm) sewing skills.
I did, however, sew a little to keep
these intact during washing.

Encore...More Diaper Cakes!

2010-02-15T18:02:00.001-08:00

So--it seems as if over the past year my home has become a regular facility for diaper cake creations! Not only does my home regularly smell like baby powder, but I have also come along way since the first stab at making these back in August 2009. Since that post sparked such an interest, and my fertile friends have given me plenty of practice in making these, below is an actual step by step guide (with pictures!). I'll let the pictures do the talking for this post. Enjoy!

materials you will need:
stage 3 96 white diapers, pizza pan,
soup can, cake topper, glue gun, ribbon, string

Step 1:
Place soup can in pizza pan, and start
to curl the diapers around the can.
Step 2:
Keep curling.
Step 3:
Secure diapers with string.
Step 4:
Shift the diapers to be spaced evenly.
Remove can and replace with rolled diapers.
Step 5:
Repeat for all tiers. I prefer 4 tiers.
Step 6:
Secure ribbon over string.
Just put a dab of glue on the ribbon ends
to hold them together.

Step 7:
Add cake topper.
Viola!

The possibilities are endless
making each diaper cake unique!

Plexiglass Art

2010-02-10T09:58:00.000-08:00

There is this hibachi restaurant in town that my husband and I absolutely love! It is a cute little restaurant that serves some amazing hibachi food at half the price/time of the places like Yamatos and Miyabis. We went a couple weeks ago to a new one that opened up closer to where we live and I just fell in love with the way it was decorated! It had such a cool, modern vibe. The wall art in particular caught my attention, and while waiting for the food to be delivered my husband and I studied it and imagined ways we could easily and inexpensively replicate the art. I took a picture of our inspiration with my phone (below).

(hibachi restaurant art: inspiration)

After enjoying our food, we decided to head over to Lowes and see about replicating this. We decided the easiest way to recreate this for our home was to get some plexiglass, fun paper patterns and spacers. We ended up getting 2 huge sheets of plexiglass and had Lowes cut the glass for free at varying lengths. We had a total of 5 different lengths cut, and cut 2 of each length. We then bought some spacers and long screws to help with mounting the pieces and allow varying depths.

Once we had the materials purchased (for less than $20 I might add!), we then began building it, which was surprisingly easy. After laying out the paper patterns we wanted to use, we just sandwiched those between 2 matching sizes of plexiglass. We then drilled a hole in the plexiglass and slowly mounted to the wall. When mounting, we used the spacers to help create depth. The first piece we placed on the wall was screwed directly into the wall. The next piece used a small spacer to make it stand out more. We then started overlapping the pieces and created different depths with the spacers.

(plexiglass and paper laid out)

(drilling holes for mounting art)

(final presentation in hallway)

The good thing about this artwork is when we get bored with the paper patterns we selected, we can easily change it out! I did have to overlap some of my paper because the piece were shorter than the plexiglass, so I would recommend either getting larger paper or smaller plexiglass because at certain angles you can see the seam. Other than that, it was a simple, inexpensive and fun project! Definitely great for filling some blank wall space in the house!

Linking To:

Cozy by the fire for 2

2010-02-06T05:38:00.000-08:00

Let me start this post by explaining that my husband and I love the outdoors, especially outdoors during the summer months. It is primarily during the winter months we find ourselves couped up in the house or lounging around. It is just hard for me to motivate myself to go outside when it is freezing! Well, all that changed when we visited my parents a couple months back. This is when we discovered our inner pyromaniac state of minds...

On a cold 25 degree (that is cold people!) night at my parents house, we decided to head out back and check out their new fire pit. Well, let me just tell you, we checked it out and enjoyed it SO much! Warm, cozy and such a fun gathering! We enjoyed it so much so that when I came home from work a couple days later, my husband surprised me with our very own (and smaller) version of the fire pit and bench. It was adorable and according to him so easy to make! He just got a few pressure treated 2 x 6's for the bench, and then some landscaping bricks to construct the fire pit. For a little bit of time creating and only $45 we had our very own fire pit and bench--much cheaper than the kind you get in stores (and more personal since it was hand made!).

(parent's fire pit: the inspiration)

(our fire pit and bench!)

So, for those of you who are crafty or have a handy husband/boyfriend around, this is a definite must for the cold winter months!

homemade personal gifts are fun

2010-01-31T17:31:00.001-08:00

As I said before, I'm way behind on my posting. I had really wanted to post this right after Christmas, but just got too busy. Needless to say, I'm posting it now :) This year, my husband and I really wanted to cut costs during the Christmas months and get everyone a small gift as well as make a personal and useful gift--so we made everyone personal message/keyholder boards!

OK, not exactly the best Christmas gift, but it's the thought that counts right? And I'm pretty sure most everyone appreciated them! We got the idea when I felt the dire need to make something with chalkboard paint. I had this naked spot in the kitchen, and after flipping through a recent Pottery Barn catalog came across this adorable saying written on a chalkboard in the kitchen: "Put in about 1 teaspoonful of good spirits, a dash of fun, a pinch of folly and a cupful of humor." I loved it and had to recreate with my own flair!

After I recreated for our kitchen, we then felt this would be a great personal gift for friends and family. Rushing to Home Depot, we got a thin sheet of smooth particle board, small hooks and some crown molding. It was seriously an assembly line at our house for awhile! While my husband cut the boards, I painted with chalkboard paint.

We then fastened the crown molding to the painted boards with wood glue and a stapler gun. We screwed in the hooks for the keys. We hung our board in the kitchen by simply screwing the whole thing in the wall, but figured not everyone would want to do that. To solve this (and make it an even cuter board!) we fastened ribbon at the top to hang it by. We then painted some small wooden letters black, and decorated with a white paint pen, the letters of their last name to make the board personal. We glued the letters to the framing with hot glue. It was adorable, inexpensive, practical and personal! Couldn't complain! To top off the fun gift, we wrote a cute message on the board and gave everyone chalk to keep their boards fun as well!

Below is what ours looks like. Again, I was sans camera and didn't get a picture of the cuter/more personalized ones. Maybe I will go back and add the letters and ribbon to mine as well? In any case, it is a fun feeling to walk in family/friends' homes and see these hanging proudly!

Faith in the New Year!

2010-01-18T17:42:00.000-08:00

So, I have slumped into the dreaded blogging taboo of disappearing! And I didn't just disappear for a day, or a week, I was M.I.A. for a few months! For those viewers I still have, thank you for sticking with me. Like many, it has been a "tough economy" and I hate to even mutter those words as if it is any excuse for my neglect to my blog, but it seems to sum everything up perfectly. I do however, feel I have legit reasons for being out of the blogging world for awhile. First my camera broke...I mean what is a creative blog without pictures?! Anyone who knows me knows how much I value pictures, so the loss of my camera hit hard. Then my Mac died (gasp!) and while I can blog on my husband's PC (doing now because I gave in), it just felt like I was cheating. Rest assured I am getting back into commission and LUCKILY it is a new year. 2010 is definitely a new year of greater and brighter things to come. I have faith in this upcoming new year. Faith things will happen as they should. Faith the pieces will fall into place appropriately.

Believe it or not, this artwork piece has taken on many looks before I completed it with full satisfaction. I don't have any pictures of the original state this project started in (again, sans camera), but when given to me, it was a simple frame with a white canvas in the middle. I think it use to hold a horizontal picture (the hanging wires were backwards than how I used them) that got ripped out or something, but needless to say, I had high hopes for this piece.

The first transformation this frame held was something simple, and since I have no pictures, obviously didn't appeal to my liking at the time. I turned it horizontal and painted the definition of 'family' on it. It was OK, but just not what I was going for so I scrapped that and started over.

I then turned it vertical and decided that I would fill the blank space with some sort of wrapping paper or design and hang it in our guest room. Satisfied with this idea, I went searching for some cool paper. Sometime in early December I came across this little botique with some awesome handmade paper. The texture was amazing and the pattern matched perfectly with the blacks, golden/tan colors I have in the guest room. Without hesitation I purchased the sheet of paper and rushed back home to place it in.

Unfortunately (but really fortunate in hindsight), the paper was too short and left a huge white gap at the bottom. To solve this a piece of scrap metal was placed in that spot, which also matched the colors in the paper and room so worked out perfectly. Unfortunately (again) the metal was a tad too narrow. To correct this, I had my husband cut and place a tiny block of wood to the far right and to cover the seams of the paper and metal meeting, we placed a small shelf.

Now, I just had to decide how to make that random block to the right and the metal blend with the design. It then came to me...I would continue with the Asian/Zen inspired piece by painting a character of some word in the metal and the english word in the block. But what word? I tossed out a ton of words...Hope, Grace, Destiny...etc. When I came to the word 'Faith' I sat and thought about that simple word in its entirety... FAITH. How perfect! Much like this project, where all the pieces fell into place perfectly, life is just like that. You have to have 'faith' that life will fall into place perfectly and as it is suppose to. The pieces of life will become seamless in time. Much like the pieces of this project, some pieces may stand out on their own and not seem to fit, but each will soon blend once the other pieces line up as planned. It isn't until the project is completed, or the story is told that you see the greater, bigger picture of things.

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Hebrews 11:1

Quick and Easy Towel Bar

2009-10-27T07:25:00.000-07:00

This project was such a breeze and made such a difference in the towel organization (and presentation) for our bathroom! Before we crammed our towels on the tiniest metal bar. I mean were the builders of this house serious? They expect people to use that bar for their towels? How?! It barely holds one towel? And don't get me started on the aesthetics of the beautifully crafted bland metal! In any case, it was time for it to retire.

The new towel bar was actually made out of scrap pieces. We had some scrap wood from other projects sitting in the garage...I lucked out and didn't have to cut the wood at all because it was already the perfect size for me. After making my selection, I then applied some leftover paint and screwed in the hardware. Done! It was that easy and is so much more functional! Now my husband has no excuse to throw the towels on the floor because there isn't room on the towel bar...problem solved! :)

Before:

After:

A 'Blogover'!

2009-10-22T18:53:00.000-07:00

Awhile ago one of my best friends, Lacy, inspired me to create her a new look and feel for her new blog. Lacy and her husband are expecting a baby boy in early January and wanted a private blog to catalog their new journey, so I immediately jumped at the opportunity to provide her a new look! After designing the header and background, I modified her blog code a bit (set up similar to my layout) and voila! I am really pleased with the way the blog came out...kind of makes me want to redesign mine and give mine a 'blogover' soon...we will see. In the mean time, check out her new 'blogover'. Since her blog is private, for now a picture will have to do. Enjoy!

Click to enlarge:

Pink Week Photo Challenge

2009-10-20T19:08:00.000-07:00

In honor of October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the I Heart Faces blog has posted a challenge to submit any pink photo. I have to admit, when I read about this challenge I really wanted to participate, but honestly I'm not a 'pink' kind of girl...my heart goes to baby blues, but I was determined to find a photo that would work! So in digging through photos all I could find was blue, until I came across a photo of my niece, Caroline. Thank goodness some pink and lots of it! The original photo was a bit saturated in the pink, so I toned it down a bit, adjusting the lighting and desaturating the colors a tad for a softer appearance.

I am really proud to participate in this challenge in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This challenge hits close to home for myself, and I'm sure countless others. A few years ago my aunt was diagnosed with Breast Cancer, but thankfully she is a fighter and through medication and prayer she was able to fight it and is cancer free to this day!

Enjoy my contribution to the Pink Week Photo Challenge, and be sure to check out the other amazing entries and read their empowering stories as well.

Before and After Home Improvement-Kitchen

2009-10-13T20:31:00.000-07:00

WARNING: Picture overload. I apologize in advance!

A lot of my local friends have personally seen the transformation of our house slowly take place, but when I saw DIY Show Off post a Before and After Home Improvement party, I felt obligated to join and share some before/afters of our house. We bought our house in May of 2008 and I love every minute of personalizing it and making it 'our' place and our home, but I do feel the work is never done!

Before we even moved into this house the first thing we did was transform the kitchen and dining area. Now, don't get me wrong, the before wasn't bad (so if any one of you have this same color or style, I'm not judging, it just isn't us), but the space before felt a bit dark and drab. I seriously felt I was walking into a Duck Head commercial kitchen with the forest green and the wood cabinets...I felt any moment I was going to turn the corner and see a deer head hanging off the wall--that is just what the color palette felt like to me, personally (again, no offense to anyone with this color palette!).

I wanted natural light to shine in and a more soothing color for this space that people often congregate in--so we took action in creating a brighter, more open and inviting space:

Before: Kitchen

Before: Kitchen
Before: Dining
(not our furniture, previous owner's)

Before: Primed Dining

Before: Cabinet Doors Off
(prep for painting)
Before: Primed Kitchen

After roughly 2 weeks of working on this project, the following is exactly what we did, which wasn't much, but made a great transformation to our kitchen and dining. Again, amazing how paint makes a world of a difference!

Walls: taped, primed, painted
Cabinets: sanded, primed, painted, new hardware, accent lights above cabinet molding

Below are some after pictures. The kitchen/dining are still not completed, as I previously said, I feel my work is never done. When time and money permit I would love to put up a tile back splash and crown molding, and maybe redo our counter tops....ahhh to dream!

After: Kitchen

After: Kitchen
After: Cabinets

After: Dining

B o o-tiful pumpkins!

2009-10-08T17:14:00.000-07:00

I saw this idea last year when looking at HGTV's Fall decor postings, and I just couldn't pass it up this year...I HAD to make these! I mean who doesn't want some adorable, plastic-but-look-so-real pumpkins with the letters 'B', 'O', 'O' carefully cut out?! HGTV showed them being placed outside, however, with the crazy wind we have here because of the beach, I was afraid they would blow away...or some wild animal would walk away with my work of art in its mouth---so they are my inside decorations for now!

These were fairly simple to make and pretty cheap (would have been cheaper if I just waited until after Halloween for the sales like I kept telling myself...but I couldn't resist!). I bought these medium sized plastic pumpkins at Michael's. They were on sale for $5.99 each, but I also had the lovely 50% off coupon, so not bad at all!

I came home and picked the font on the computer. I chose one of my favorite fonts, 'Monterey'. Now, I know you can print out the font and trace it, but I just eye-balled it and drew on the pumpkins with a pen. Two HUGE things to keep in mind (that I didn't even think of until cutting) is to make sure you make the letters have enough support and that you make sure you draw the letters in a way that you aren't cutting out the centers of the B and O's...if that makes sense. You can see one of my O's has support at the bottom of the letter instead of it being 1 piece like the other O...I learned my lesson.

Cutting is the trickiest part. I started by cutting a hole in the bottom of the pumpkin for the lights to go in. I then took the small knife and started cutting. I tried all sorts of methods and I can't tell you which is the best...I did the sawing method, the puncture method and I then even resorted to scissors--all were challenging. I do have to say I feel it was pretty similar to cutting a pumpkin though--you have the harder outside and the foamy/squishy inside, so very similar.

I then placed these on top of our hutch with some rope light weaving in and out of it. I know you can also get those fake tealights if you wanted to set them outside. I am REALLY happy with how they came out and thrilled beyond words I get to use them next year!

Oh, and these pictures do not do these cute pumpkins justice at all! They are much cuter in person.

Fabulous Fall Cards

2009-10-06T18:32:00.000-07:00

Now that it is most definitely, officially October, I feel safe posting some pictures of the adorable cards made in the monthly card class. The cards we made this time around were Halloween inspired and are just so precious! I have tried to get Monica, my friend who leads the class to create a blog and post her awesome card creations, but she refuses...so I will just post for her! Below are the ones made in class and I can't wait to address and send these out! They were all so easy to make! My favorite is the candy holder, which was a bonus in the class. Seriously to make this, you just create a cylinder of paper and pinch the ends--done! So simple and so cute! Enjoy these fabulous fall cards.

Furniture Makeover

2009-10-01T05:32:00.000-07:00

DIY is hosting a furniture makeover celebration and I thought this would be the perfect time to share my craft table makeover! First off, a little history lesson on this table...it has been in my family forever! It was one of my PARENT'S wedding gifts and it was my family's dinner table for as long as I can remember. My parents generously passed it along to my care when I graduated college and moved to Atlanta. Below is the picture of the table taken in my very first apartment of my own!
Now, I must admit, in looking at this picture, I crack up to myself how 3 things in that picture are still around in my house, but have a TOTALLY different look than shown in that picture! Ha ha! The stools seen in that picture now look like this. The picture collage seen in that picture now looks like this. The cat sitting on the table (OK, I didn't change, paint or redesign her, but I wanted to share!) now looks like this. And finally, the table looks like the below. At least I know I get good use out of my furniture! Just because it may not be my style initially, that is what paint, fabric and a creative mind can do for you!
Now, not much was done for this transformation, but it is amazing how a little bit of paint can really make a difference. As you will see, my before table picture makes the style of the table seem a bit country, and after sanding, painting and adding seat cushions the style has been updated/modernized a bit. I just didn't have the heart to throw this beautiful piece of furniture out. It is hard to find solid wood pieces these daysd, and this table has a lot of childhood memories woven into the wood grain, so I had to keep it! Even though it isn't our current dining table, it still gets plenty of use...actually MORE use than our dining table because it is my craft table!

wall art

2009-09-30T16:55:00.000-07:00

Finally! I have my camera back now, so I can start taking pictures of the projects I have been doing! The minute I saw this post from Thrifty Decor Chic, I had to go out and put this idea to work myself. I think it turned out fabulous! Now, I know she used 9 boards, but the wall I was wanting to place this on was to narrow, so I kept it simple with the 6 boards. Thrifty Decor Chic outlines the steps to making this (and includes more pictures), but I also have them listed below if you are eager to get started! I have also listed 2 small things I would change to make it easier if I were to do this again in the future.

Pick out your 12 x 12 inch scrapbook paper pattern. I went the cheapo route and just picked colors/patterns that I liked and that were on sale! (mine were 0.42 cents a piece!)
Go to Lowes or Home Depot and have them cut MDF Particle Board (Medium Grade) into 12 x 12 inch squares (board cost $7.42 for me, cuts were free). Keep in mind size does matter here! My guy cut 3 of my boards 1/4 of an inch too long and since the paper is a set size, I do have a slight boarder going on.
Paint or Spray paint the trim of the boards. I did mine in black to match the gray room they were being placed in better.
Taking spray mount, spray the paper and boards and adhere the two.
Now, you can either place picture brackets on the back of the boards, or nail through to hang them. Since I may move these in the future, I went ahead and placed picture brackets on the back of each one ($3.50 for 6).

Don't they just look fabulous! And they fill the space so well! The thing I love best about these (besides the really inexpensive cost) is that when I get bored with these patterns, I'm just going to spray mount new scrapbook pieces! Love it!

Now, two things I would do differently if I were to do this again:

Have them cut 11 x 11 boards, so the 12 x 12 paper overhangs and you take an etching knife to trim the excess. That way the paper is flush to the edges and you don't have to worry about lining it up 100% perfectly.
Paint the trim...I spray painted it this time and I personally think I am just not a good spray painter...I made the biggest mess! Again, probably just me.

In any case, this project was super fun, super easy and super cheap! If you have a blank wall and some time, give this a shot and let me know! I'd love to see what patterns you picked out!

frugal & fantastic do go together!

2009-09-25T20:11:00.000-07:00

So, I'm sitting here in the midst of 3 craft projects started, but no way to take pictures of them because my husband has our camera! He has been in Texas for a week now and boy do I miss him and I'm SO glad he is coming home in a few days! It is amazing we went 2 years long distance when I use to live in Atlanta...that just seems like another life time ago and my how fast you get use to a new routine! I do find I get a lot more crafts completed, however! Ha, I guess I just find more time to do them when he is out.

In any case, while missing him I was flipping through our old photos and came across one of the most special days in my life...our wedding. I could look at those pictures over and over again and just relive each moment! While getting all sappy and caught up in the wedding memories, I decided I could write a post about some of the wonderful things created to help save cost and still maintain a fabulous wedding!

I am not sure about you, but I had a long engagement...1 year and 3 months (to me that is long), which gave me plenty of time to prepare, plan and create our wedding just as dreamed. I also thoroughly enjoyed each piece I made for our wedding because I still have those pieces today to cherish the work and love put behind creating them. I have even begun to reuse some of the pieces as decoration, as I described in my Alternate Headboard post.

Anyway, I could go on and on about our wedding and continue to bask in that beautiful day, but instead, I'll let the pictures do the talking and you can see for yourself how being frugal and fantastic do go together!

Wedding Program Fans
(since our wedding was outside, in the
south, in June...these were a must!)
Wedding Wish Bowl
(made by a friend to borrow for
guests to drop in wishes for us)

Wedding Flowers (fake flowers)
(a fraction of the cost of real flowers,
and you get to keep them!)
Wedding Kissing Ball (fake flowers)
(placed on the chairs lining
the aisle for extra decor)
Wedding Cake Topper
(monogrammed topper is just wood cut
out in the font I used throughout wedding,
painted white and swarovski look-alike
crystals glued to the top )
Wedding Favors
(sugar cookies with homemade labels)
Wedding Bubbles
(placed in a cute basket made by a friend
with ribbon and decor)

From Shab to Fab!

2009-09-24T08:12:00.000-07:00

Recently I have gotten big into coupon clipping. You would be amazed how much money you can actually save with taking a bit of time to cut and save the coupons! You do, however, have to be really organized in the way you store your coupons. Different things work for different people. Currently, I am making a coupon book with separate tabs to organize all of them (I'll be sure to share in another post)...but until I complete this I decided to turn my old bulletin board into a clever way to hold a few notes/coupons.

This bulletin board is placed on the inside door of our pantry and as you can see from the first image, was very...how do you say...blah! It needed some pizazz (ha!). I also kept losing the little push pins or I would over load the push pins with too many pieces of paper and it would constantly fall, so needless to say, it was time to remodel the coupon system! Taking some paint, ribbon and clothing clips I was able to transform this shab bulletin board into a fab and more organized (and cuter!) note/coupon holder.

If you aren't into coupons, this could easily hold recipes, important phone numbers, calendar or anything else usually found stuck in the kitchen/refrigerator. By tucking this away in the pantry, it makes for a more organized home and a central place for everyone to place important items. Embellishing the old bulletin board was super easy and added a nice touch of color and structure to the cluttered paper!

save on sales!

2009-09-23T08:29:00.000-07:00

With Autumn here and Halloween JUST around the corner, it seems all the craft stores are putting their summer items on sale. And a sale=big time money saving! I'm not sure if you are like me, but I like to buy things 'off season' for the better price (especially clothes!). When I went to Michaels today I saw all the cute summer items on sale...and for the record I was surprisingly good to only buy what I went in there for!

Anyway, in honor of the great sales I thought I would post some of the summer cards I made and haven't posted yet. Tomorrow I will be joining the monthly card class and we will be making Halloween cards, so I guess it is time these last few summer cards get their debut on this 'ole blog! The good news is that with all the summer things on sale right now, you could make these cheaper and just save them for next year!

Just a thought...a polka-dot thought!

Vintage Picture Viewing

2009-09-22T10:18:00.000-07:00

I'm kicking it back old school today! Now, I must say I haven't actually attempted to make this yet, but as soon as I get my hands on one of these vintage toys, I'm SO trying this!

Awhile ago my coworker brought in a View Master toy. Go ahead and flash back to the 80s when you remember checking out the coolest movie slides while aiming the View Master to the light. Well, the one he brought in had personal pictures in it! Maybe this is common, but my View Master only had the Disney characters in it, never me! His brother actually made it (AND in 3D!), but he had a lot of cool tools to do this.

So, I got to thinking how an average person could make it and here are my thoughts...what if we took this old toy, poked out the Disney character frames and replaced it with our own film negatives? This may work, but won't be in 3D. The images would also have to be zoomed out a good bit because the 35mm negatives are a lot larger (26mm x 36mm) compared to the View Master slide (12.9mm x 11.9mm). I know you can buy a special camera to make the View Master slides for you, or you could pay a photo company...but who wants to do that? I'm convinced we can do this with what we already have!

Another idea I had was printing the images at the correct size on a transparency sheet. This may be the best option because you will get the correct size. You could even go ahead and create the 3D image in Photoshop and print it from your home printer on the transparency. You would just need to cut it out and assemble, and viola!

Anyway, like I said, I'm definitely going to make this soon. It is on my list, I just need to get me an old View Master first! If you already have one, give it a shot! I'm sure it would make an adorable personalized gift for a niece or nephew.

Just a thought...a polka-dot thought!

because every picture needs some flare!

2009-09-21T06:46:00.000-07:00

Recently my sister-in-law sent me some absolutely precious pictures of my niece (Caroline) to edit. I guess I had the movie 'Office Space' in my mind, because while editing I kept hearing a tiny voice saying I needed to add some 'flare'...so I did and below is how it turned out.

Looks almost like a digital scrapbook, or like I took a picture after I placed it all together by hand, but this was all done on the computer. And yes, I did blur out the last name for privacy purposes. Enjoy and show me your photo flare! I love seeing how different the creative minds work! At times I personally think photos need that extra flare...

Just a thought...a polka-dot thought!

ring my bells

2009-09-20T06:05:00.000-07:00

As I was sitting here checking my email, my very own Marley inspired me for this post. You see...Marley and I have a system...when he has to go to the bathroom or wants to go outside to play he has to ring his puppy bells that dangle on the back door. Since I was upstairs playing on the computer, I just heard the frantic 'I really have to go to the bathroom, Mom!' bell ringing!

After letting him out (he is outside playing as I type), I grabbed the puppy bells and decided today I'm going to remake them because they have seen better days...and in doing so, I thought I would share how truly simple these are to make AND use for your dog! No more barking, no more door jumping/scratching! Now, I can't take credit for this great idea of the puppy bells, as they were given to me, but I can share with you how you can make your own and how I will recreate mine!

So to get started, you will need some ribbon (the thicker the better because these will be pulled, teethed on, tugged, banged around...). You will also need some simple holiday bells (found at any local craft store, especially during the upcoming holiday season!). Finally, you just need a sewing machine to sew it all together.

Measure the ribbon according to your dog's height. My dog is a Golden Retriever, so he doesn't need a lot of slack in the ribbon. Taking the holiday bells, you can place them on a key ring to hold a lump of them together. You then loop the ribbon around the key ring and sew to secure. For the top, to keep it simple you can just create a loop to fit around the door handle (or secure with snaps/buttons as mine previously were). Piece of cake!

Training: Now you will need to train your pup how to use these. Ever hear of Pavlov's Theory? Well, it holds to be true. When taking your pup outside always ring the bell and guide him/her through the motions. If your pup knows the 'sit' command, just make them sit at the door near the bells and ring it for them. Pretty soon they will associate the ringing must occur for them to go outside and they will do it themselves! Marley picked it up within 2 days, so I know your pups can do it too! Don't get discouraged if they don't pick it up immediately and always remember to praise your pup for ringing before you let them outside!

Creating this pup bell is just so simple and provides even more structure for your pup! It is even great to travel with so you know when they need to go out. It allows them to better communicate to us and hopefully prevent embarrassing accidents! Every house with a pup should have one!

Just a thought...a polka-dot thought!

Reunion + Baby Shower = F-U-N!

2009-09-19T10:06:00.000-07:00

I have been meaning to blog about this sooner, but (a) I have been way too busy and (b) my camera broke, so I was waiting for my friends to Pando me the pictures so I could have something visually exciting to show on the blog!

Two weeks ago my old college roommates and I met up in Clemson for our annual post-college reunion AND for the first time to have a baby shower! My how time is flying that we are already planning baby showers! I feel we JUST graduated college and got married...

In any case, the weekend was filled with a lot of orange for Clemson and blue for Lacy's soon to be baby boy! After meeting up in Greenville Friday night and attending a winning Clemson game Saturday, we headed to Lacy's first baby shower! I, with the help of Ashley and Stacey, again made another diaper cake...except this time I got white only diapers and it made a huge difference!

Stacey had the adorable idea of the cake topper being flowers and socks--she turned the baby socks into miniature flower buds as the diaper cake topper! It was so adorable!

As another decoration idea, I thought it would be cute to drape baby boy clothes along a clothesline where the shower was being hosted. To save money, I got some adorable and precious baby boy clothes second hand. Since I didn't really want to wrap the clothes as a gift for Lacy, we used it as decoration and then she got to keep them as well. It was definitely a big hit...I mean who doesn't think baby clothes are adorable?!

Finally, one of my favorite parts about the shower was the adorable watermelon crafted to be Noah's ark! It was a perfectly functional decorating piece that was not only cute, but was also the 'bowl' for the fruit! Seriously, so precious!

All in all, the weekend was a hit. Friends, Food and Fun...can't complain!

Moving Reminders...only a year late!

2009-09-18T21:16:00.000-07:00

I'm actually able to have a really relaxing weekend! The forecast is calling for rain, and for once I am looking forward to being forced to stay inside and accomplish some things around the house. As I was cleaning tonight and organizing some boxes from moving in a year ago (still!), I was reminded of my adorable moving reminders I had EVERY intention of printing and mailing out to family and friends!

I never realized this until now, but there is a common theme in my designing...I like polka dots and the color blue! Ha ha! Even a little over a year ago when I designed these, I see my design trademark of the color palette and simple, yet adorable dots. Now, my husband and I have no intention of moving in the future because we love it here, so since I never got to send these out then...I will just share with you what was designed and intended for mailing so you can enjoy it! Of course, I have blurred out the important information, but you get the picture!

I need cat nip

2009-09-15T18:57:00.000-07:00

So, I have been MIA for the past week or so, and I was off to such a good start with this blog! I apologize for the few viewers/readers I did collect...I hope you didn't scamper off and forget about me! September, the start of an awesome fall month and season, has not been off to a very good start for me at all! Not to bore you with my life's adventures, or misadventures I should say, I will briefly sum up the past two weeks and move along to my post!

This September I have...managed to fall down the stairs of our 2 story house, incurring an eversion ankle sprain thus creating a limp and new nickname 'hobbles' for the time being. We have also managed to blow out our tire while traveling to a Clemson game and to top it all off my husband just recently had an emergency appendectomy...all of this in 2 week's time! On a more positive note, I am very thankful we are both fine and I just continue to pray that God will turn our luck around...I know something uplifting is coming our way, so I keep my chin up.

Now, in the midst of this chaos, I haven't had time to update my blog at all! I really wanted to participate in the iheartfaces challenge this week for submitting pet photos because I am proud to say I have a ton of pet photos! Even though the challenge is already closed for the week and I am late in posting this, I still wanted to submit what I was intending to submit. Below is a photo of my precious and first fur baby: Puff Chasity. She is a 5 year old Maine Coone rescued from the streets of Clemson, SC. Isn't she just precious? Not to be biased, but I really think she is such a photogenic cat. She actually won a calendar contents in Atlanta a few years ago.

Below is my pet photo contribution. It was so hard to choose just 1 image, but I chose this one because she had just finished playing with cat nip and had a boost of energy that was so entertaining to watch (and photograph). With days like these, I feel I need some cat nip to give me some sort of boost as well!

'fall' in love

2009-09-01T05:26:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend, I again met up with Stephanie, whose wedding I have the honor to be in this November. After getting all the wonderful details of her wedding, we decided to crank out her wedding invitations! With them already designed, it was now time to print and assemble!

Again, since she is having a Fall wedding and a color scheme of chocolate and autumn orange, we created some chocolate invitations. She actually picked up the invitation stock from Michaels, which is a great money saving idea! We were then able to design them how we wanted and assemble them ourselves! I truly think her invitations came out beautiful! I absolutely love the die cut leaf with the ribbon addition to the invitation. Using that same leaf die cut look, we created a similar leaf to be printed on the response cards and envelopes, for a more cohesive look and feel, and to again reiterate the fall theme.

Next on our list is creating the programs, which we will do in a few weeks once everything is nailed in place. I know her wedding will be as gorgeous as these invitations reflect and I can't wait to be a part of her big day!

a thank you to my blog readers

2009-08-31T05:12:00.000-07:00

So for today's post, I wanted to send each and everyone of you a 'Thank You' for reading my blog...and what better way to do that than to show my thanks in one of the home made cards recently made!

This card is actually one of my favorites because of the contrast in colors and the texture in the paper stock, and it was so simple to make! Really! This card only required a scored white card stock, black and yellow paper and a flower die. After sizing and cutting the paper, and punching the flower out, it was just a matter of piecing it together and stamping the final 'thank you' on the yellow strip.

So enjoy the card created, and again I just wanted to thank you all for stopping by my blog, commenting and taking in my ideas! I have also enjoyed visiting each and everyone of your blogs and will continue to do my best to share my 'polka dot thoughts'.

Thank you!

Fix it Friday...Er Um...Sunday!

2009-08-29T21:30:00.000-07:00

So I was a little late in contributing my 'Fix it Friday' photo for the I Heart Faces blog...but better late than never! The original photo (below) is so beautiful in itself! However, I must say editing this one was a lot of fun (especially since I had more time this time than the last one completed during my lunch break!).

Original:

In looking at this photo titled 'beauty', this little girl looked like she would be a sweet dancer. Once I envisioned her as a dancer, my creativity soared from there. While editing and imagining this little girl as a dancer, the song 'Tiny Dancer' came to mind (and is now stuck in my head). I really wanted to capture soft angles and coloring in this image when editing. I also wanted to add some creative swirls/scrolls. Hope you enjoy my attempt at editing this photo, and be sure to check out other amazing edits on the I Heart Faces blog!

Edit:

Personalized Koozie

2009-08-29T17:46:00.000-07:00

Football season is definitely amongst us and what better thing to make than personalized koozies for all the future tailgating? If you are anything like me, you probably have a handful of freebie koozies sitting around somewhere at your house. These are the kind you pick up at events, wedding favors, tradeshows...etc. They are cute and all, but sometimes you just feel they need a little bit extra to be more personalized! Piece of cake, all you need is an old koozie, ribbon and scissors to make your koozie fabulous!

Taking the old koozie, whereever you want to weave the ribbon (I usually do it at the top), make small vertical incisions every 1 inch followed by 1/4 inch. Keep cutting in this pattern until you have come full circle. Next, just take the ribbon and weave it in and out of your cuts. After the ribbon is in place, just adjust the strands and tie a cute bow. Finally, feel free to embellish your koozie with cute iron-ons such as embroidered letters or rhinestones! This is such a simple craft and looks like it was personalized from a specialty store. It's sure to be a hit among the crowds and perfect as a simple tailgating gift for friends.

Foto Friday!

2009-08-28T06:24:00.000-07:00

This week's photo features my very own Marley. He is our loving 7 month Golden Retriever. With Golden's having a natural liking to water, this photo is one of my favorites of him because it captures so much thought. This was taken back in June when we went to a friend's lake house to kick the summer months off. Everyone was playing in the water, splashing and having a great time and then there is Marley, very concerned about the water and not quite sure what to make of it. Rest assured, his natural water instincts kicked in and he finally decided to take the plunge and go swimming (now we can't keep him out of the water!).

Taking the original photo, an aged lighting filter was applied. After playing around with the curves and tones to further emphasize the shadows in this image, the photo was then softened and slightly cropped in. I feel the edited image almost looks like an old post card, which is one of the reasons I like it so much. It also reminds me of young Marley's fears and reservations when he was a puppy. Now he is a little dare devil in the water!

Got a special photo you want featured for Foto Friday? Feel free to send them to me and they may be featured!

Bored with your headboard?

2009-08-27T08:48:00.000-07:00

OK...so I guess I wasn't bored with my headboard because my guest room doesn't actually have a headboard...but I was bored with staring at a blank wall behind the bed where the headboard should be. The guest room needed something more, but I wasn't about to go and buy a bed frame and headboard--and I also didn't have the funds for some huge inspiring art piece. Instead, I scavenged around the house looking for anything I could reuse to fill that blank space.

While digging through boxes of things and pondering what to do, I came across the small 6" x 6" mirrors used as center pieces for my wedding. I had a ton of these and they were begging to be reused! Taking a handful of these mirrors, I walked in the guest room and stared at the blank wall for what seemed like hours...we were definitely having a stare down and the blank wall was winning...

Finally, it came to me! I was going to create a contemporary geometric pattern above the bed, where normally a headboard would go. I had decided to create 8" x 8" black squares and place the mirror circles in the middle, and hang on the wall. This could act as a piece of artwork and fill the space temporarily until I had an actual headboard.

I really should have waited for small 8" x 8" wood pieces to be cut, but I had an idea and like normal, I wanted it done right then and there...so I made do with what I had. Grabbing extra cardboard boxes, I started vigorously cutting the 12 8" x 8" squares. I then grabbed my paintbrushes and black paint and got to work. JD, of course walked in the living room to see this huge mess I had created and could only laugh and let me continue my crazy work.

Once the paint dried, I attached the mirrors in the center and hung (as straight as possible) each of these pieces. Finally, the room was coming together and life was being brought into the room! The best thing about this project is it cost absolutely nothing but my time. Surprisingly, I do get a lot of complements on the pieces and my guests never realize it is cardboard until I point it out! Amazing what the eyes see...but even more amazing what you items you can reuse in your house!

A Homemade Card that Kicks..Butt!

2009-08-26T08:27:00.000-07:00

In preparing for a future bachelorette party, I was on the hunt for the perfect, clean and tasteful bachelorette card to make. Monica introduced me to this adorable card that displays a bra on the front side and a butt on the backside--perfect for this occasion! After seeing this card, I felt I had to make it and luckily Monica needed to make one as well, so the 2 of us got working.

The main template for this card is really simple...just like you would make a heart (folding the card and cutting half of the card), you do this cutting pattern, except you cut in the shape of an 'w'. Once you have cut, when you open the card it should look like a butterfly. Next on the front you start to cut decorated paper for the bra look. You can then embellish the bra by adding some lace for the straps.

To work on the butt, just flip the card over and using the same paper pattern, create your thong (or underwear) look. Finally, if desired, simply add a cute heart 'tattoo' stamp on the butt. You can then personalize the card and share it with your soon to be wedded friend! Again, this is such a perfect card for this occasion and is easily created with little paper and ribbon. Once completed, it is sure to create some smiles among friends!

I ♥ Faces - Week 33 - Nostalgia Photo

2009-08-25T10:08:00.000-07:00

This week at I Heart Faces, blog viewers are asked to post a picture representing just one word...'nostalgia'. This was quite challenging for me, but I still welcomed the challenge.

First I had to define what nostalgia is. Dictionary.com defines this as "a wistful desire to return in thought or in fact to a former time in one's life, to one's home or homeland, or to one's family and friends; a sentimental yearning for the happiness of a former place or time: a nostalgia for his college days."

In looking through my photos, I came across a photo of myself as a child. Who wouldn't want to be taken back to the simplicity of their childhood? As I was color correcting this photo, I was instantly taken back to 1988, when this was taken. I distinctly remember my favorite Rainbow Bright tricycle that I had just gotten! I felt like I was on top of the world...barefoot and free, with no worries. I could let my childhood imagination roam and there was no stopping me!

I think we should all have moments of escape to our childhood. Remember our childhood dreams and imaginations. Remember the people that surrounded us with love that may no longer currently be with us. And remember how the small things (such as your favorite tricycle or toy) made the biggest impact. What do you think? What are some of your favorite childhood memories?

Craft Closet

2009-08-24T08:42:00.000-07:00

Among many things, I'm notorious for being organized...so much so that people laugh when I show them my 'junk drawer' in the kitchen (a post for another day I suppose). Being organized may seem like wasted time or energy to others, but I actually like cleaning and organizing! It is a great stress relief!

Since we moved into our house about a year ago, I have been itching to convert one of our FROG (yes, we have big hopes for this FROG of ours!) closets into a craft closet, organizing all my craft stuff in one central location. Grabbing the paint we used to color the room, I moved all the stored boxes out of one of the closets, painted and decided I was tackling this project that moment! JD helped me with the shelves, ribbon holder and painting, so I had great help! Within 2 days we were able to knock this out!
As you can see, I have labeled baskets storing crafting tools, utensils, paint, paper..etc. I also used a trash can to hold my wrapping paper and a curtain rod for the ribbon spools. Finally, a larger basket was used to store my saved up tissue paper and gift bags. If you have a vacant closet and a good bit of craft clutter, I highly recommend this! When the closet doors are shut, my crafting clutter is out of sight--but when the doors are open, I'm ready to dive in and play!

Back 2 School...Cool!

2009-08-23T15:00:00.000-07:00

So, I'm not sure about you guys, but tomorrow is the first day of school for the 2009 year! What does this mean...well this definitely means more traffic for me getting to work, requiring me to leave at least 10 minutes earlier than normal with the hopes I don't get stuck behind any school buses. After all, I only pass 4 elementary schools on my way to work!

But the start of school also means other things...football season is in session, tourist season is dying down here at the beach (thank goodness!) and kids, parents and teachers are gearing up for another big year. Parents are ensuring their kids have new clothes, supplies, haircut and are ready to face another year of learning and growing. They want their kids to start the school year on the right foot, and I agree with the parents! First impressions are lasting, which is why I think going above and beyond is a must!

Now, I do not have any children yet, but I imagine if I did I would want my child to do something a little special for the teacher to make a lasting first impression. It doesn't have to be anything huge, but something small and sweet is a nice added touch. I think a great idea is to make some simple personalized note cards for the new teachers. Who doesn't like personalized note cards? They are very simple to create and I'm sure the new teachers appreciate this over the cliche apple, lotions, candles, candy... (no offense if anyone has ever done those, those are very sweet ideas as well!).

Below are some samples of personalized cards I have made in the past. Simply purchase the note cards that are already have a designed background and you can personalize them yourself with the use of various graphic programs. Once the design is completed, just run them through the printer and you have a very nice set of cards for the new teachers. It doesn't cost a fortune and makes a lasting impression! I give this an A+ for Back to School musts!

Fall Invitation

2009-08-22T09:23:00.000-07:00

Today I am meeting with a good friend, Stephanie, to go over designing her wedding invitations. She is getting married in November and I am honored to be a bridesmaid in her wedding. The dresses are so cute--chocolate, strapless tea-length with an autumn orange sash. I definitely feel I can be rewearing this in the future...especially for upcoming fall events. I know all brides (including myself) always say the dresses can be reworn, but I would say 9 out of 10 times they are never reworn. I can personally attest to this as I currently have 3 other bridesmaid dresses in my closet that have never been reworn.

In brainstorming ideas about Stephanie's wedding invitations, I am reminded of the wedding I created invitations for last year. It too, was a fall wedding for early November and she wanted a simple, clean invitation that included fall items such as a leaf. When I first started designing them, she was unsure of her wedding colors, so I stuck with a sage green coloring. You can see I created a few options below, and further down are the final ones she chose. Her final colors for the wedding came to be a royal blue. I think the invitations turned out great and the wedding was absolutely gorgeous and so Shannon! I can't wait to create Stephanie's invitations and see how they turn out!

Options:

Final:

Wedding:

Fix it Friday

2009-08-21T10:05:00.000-07:00

Every Friday at the iHeartFaces blog, they have a photo for bloggers to edit and share tools used. Below is the original photo and my edits done quickly during my work lunch break!

Original

Edit #1

Edit #2

All of my edits were completed using Photoshop. Let me know your thoughts and check out what others have done to edit this photo...the possibilities are endless!

Foto Friday!

2009-08-21T06:30:00.000-07:00

It is time for 'Foto Friday', where I will display a photo I have taken the time to edit in various programs. Today's honored photo is a picture of my adorable niece, Caroline. My amazing sister-in-law and her daughter came to visit a couple weeks ago to embark on their first mini-vacation and also to celebrate Caroline's 6 month birthday. Let me first just explain, that not only is Caroline a sweet heart and such an easy baby(!), she is also a very gorgeous child! That weekend with Caroline was among many firsts for her: First long trip, first time eating bananas and first time swimming in the pool, which is the photo I have taken and edited.

Below is the before image. Aren't my sister-in-law and niece so adorable? She had the best time in the pool, was splashing with her tiny hand and laughing! It was such a precious site.
Although the original image is a very cute one without the editing, I wanted to capture Caroline's true soft beauty, which is shown below. After a bit of cropping, lighting adjustments, color changes, sharpening, surface blur and burning shifts, below is the final outcome!
Got a special photo you want featured for Foto Friday? Feel free to send them to me and they may be featured!

Clean, Reusable Calendar

2009-08-20T04:17:00.000-07:00

What do you get when you take an old college dry-erase board calendar and combine it with an old large collage frame? Well, see for yourself...
You get a very clean, reusable calendar, perfect for any office setting!

After moving to the beach and unpacking my old boxes, I came across my dry-erase calendar board and my old college collage board. Instead of updating ALL the pictures in the collage, I decided to use this collage and frame to create a nicer looking dry-erase calendar that matched the look and feel of the office better. I simply took apart the old dry-erase calendar, just taking the thin calendar portion (if you have one similar to me, it is just a vinyl calendar piece laid on top of a card board piece, framed with a cheap plastic). Next, take out the photos from the collage, leaving only a few openings to be next to your calendar. Now you can just place and secure the calendar on top of the collage matting. Finally, take your dry-erase pen and secure it to the outside of the frame with some Velcro adhesive. Voila! You now have a more aesthetically pleasing calendar for your office! The dry-erase marker should be able to be erased on both plastic and glass. I usually clean my calendar monthly with some nail polish remover...works like a charm!

Remember, most 'junk' can be turned into something amazing! Just clear your mind a bit, dust off the old cobwebs on your 'junk' and put it to good use!

When Life Hands You Lemons...

2009-08-19T05:57:00.000-07:00

Make an adorable Lemonade Card! Every now and then my good friend, Monica, hosts a Stampin' Up party where she teaches us how to make some adorable homemade cards. I went to one Wednesday night and as always it was a great time of food, socializing and crafting cards.

It just amazes me how much you can actually do with stamps! A few jobs ago I use to work at a crafting company, and there one of the products produced was stamps. I never realized it at that time all the awesome things you can make with stamps! In my mind, stamps were old fashioned and used by teachers when grading papers...boy was I wrong! There is so much you can do with stamps. With the right tools you can create colorful patterns. You can even emboss or create scratch and sniff items with stamps!

Perhaps the most impressive thing to me about the Stampin' Up brand is how everything is color coordinated and matches perfectly, which I love! You can buy Stampin' Up paper, ribbon, ink, markers and much more that ALL match the same color...meaning if you use a pale blue in the paper, you can get the same pale blue ribbon to match perfectly.

One of the cards made in the class is this adorable Lemonade Card that is actually 3D. By simply cutting the paper, making a few punches, stamping the lemons, using a vellum for the cup and an actual straw, we were able to create this adorable card! It is so cute, I almost want to keep it and not send out, but of course I'll send it out so someone else can enjoy the card and special message.

Upholster Your Furniture

2009-08-18T17:19:00.000-07:00

I have a big project in the FROG I want to eventually undertake. Basically, it requires me to convert our old TV stand into a sitting bench with cushion. Now, since I have never upholstered anything before, I needed a test dummy...bar stools it is!

I have had these bar stools in my life since as long as I can remember. They have followed me from childhood, to college, to present--so it was time for an updated look anyway! Since most of the furniture in our house is espresso or contemporary black, I decided it'd be easiest to paint black and upholster the top. After purchasing some clearance fabric and foam at JoAnns, and grabbing my husband's staple gun--I got to work (and had WAY too much fun with the staple gun I might add!) All in all, I'm actually quite pleased with the result and once I get started on the bench I'll be sure to share that as well! Enjoy!

Custom Shot Glass Case

2009-08-17T19:30:00.000-07:00

Everyone has that one thing they collect, well, mine for years has been shot glasses! It never ceases to amaze me at how many people still remember that, too, but I'm glad they do! I remember when I first started collecting them, I ordered a custom case but it only held 25 shot glasses. Well, at the time 25 seemed like a lot, but it wasn't long until I quickly outgrew that case.

When packing up and moving to the beach, all my precious shot glasses were wrapped tightly and placed in a box. It wasn't until we moved into our house that I rediscovered this treasure of mine and was determined to find the appropriate home for them! I was on a mission and that meant a project was brewing...

After researching various cases and again being stunned at the costs for them, my husband and I set out to design and create our own custom shot glass case that matched our modern decor style. After drawing up the plans and buying the wood, we created the case, shown to the left.

It can hold well more than the shot glasses I have, which is perfect...room to grow! We didn't make individual slots for the shot glasses, because I wanted to be able to fill the space with picture frames and other knick-knacks until I got more shot glasses. We also made the bottom and top rows taller to hold the double shot glasses. It was a blast working on this project with JD. While he did the wood work, I was in charge of painting and organizing the shot glasses. This is one of my favorite projects we have done to date because the end result was so rewarding. I now can go in the FROG and see our shot glasses being displayed proudly. I can look at each shot glass and still remember who gave me them and for what reason, so this is very special to me. Another great thing about this case was it cost...are you ready...$16.00! That is right, $16.00 for materials and then the only other cost was our time! Well worth it in my mind! Enjoy!

Diaper Cake Creation

2009-08-16T17:30:00.000-07:00

There is definitely something in the water here! Everywhere I turn, I'm finding out my friends are pregnant! What a wonderful blessing and I couldn't be happier for them. I do have some friends who have been through a long journey to get to that point, so to see them with smiles on their faces again because of their growing miracle is so special to me.

Along with crafting and creating, a huge passion of mine is decorating and planning events! Recently my work hosted a shower for 2 of my coworkers who are pregnant and due shortly. I of course, did the decorating and loved every second of it. This was my first baby shower I helped with and it was great practice for the many others I'll be throwing. When finding out I would be decorating, all I could focus on was how to make a diaper cake! How perfect would that be for the shower? I remember seeing them in specialty stores and baby boutiques and them costing $75-$100, and I made a mental note that the first baby shower I helped with I was making one! Well, I am proud to say, I followed through and below are my successful efforts!

How did I make them you may ask? I bought a pack of 96 diapers, stage 3. Learn from my mistake and be sure to get white only! This being my first cake, lesson learned! You then need to take a round pizza can and place a soup can in the middle. Next simply start wrapping the diapers around the soup can, overlapping as you go. There is math involved in this, if you are making a 3 tier cake, be sure to keep it to a 3:2:1 ratio on the diapers. So depending on the quantity you have, just calculate accordingly. Once you have the diapers wrapped, take a piece of string to secure it. You can then remove the soup can and fill the middle with remaining diapers for that tier. Follow those same steps for the other 2 tiers. Finally, you can stack the tiers and secure with a stick. I secured my tiers with the flower topper (it had a long stem, so worked out perfectly). Finally, the fun part! Accessorizing the cake! I kept it simple by just securing some colorful ribbon. I did use 2 different types of ribbon here: a thick white and colorful. You can probably just use the colored ribbon as the white was just used to make up for my mistake of grabbing patterned diapers!

I know for a fact I will be creating 2 more of these, probably larger, so I'll be sure to post these new ones in the future! In the mean time, enjoy my first attempt. Remember, this decoration is perfect for a visual point of view and also for a practical one. The mother's get to take these home and actually use them in the future! If you buy the later stage diapers it works out better because then the mother's can enjoy the craftsmanship a little longer before needing to use the diapers.

Welcome Guests!

2009-08-15T20:15:00.000-07:00

Since this is my first official blog posting, and anyone viewing this is officially a guest, I thought the perfect topic would in fact be...guests! Even though the summer is winding down and school is about to start back up, tourists and guests are still vacating to the beach. There's a saying that goes something like "You never know how many friends you have until you live on the beach". Well, although my husband and I aren't right on the beach, we are still close enough. From friends to family, we have been fortunate enough to be able to save money and travel less this year because everyone has been traveling to see us!

I personally love being a host and showing off our town and beach. If I could greet each guest with a welcome basket, I would, but since that could get pretty pricey, I do the little things for an added touch. One such thing I do for guests is personalize a welcome card that sits in a basket in the guest room complete with towels, lotions and small reading. Below is a sample card created. Most of my guests choose to take them home as a 'souvenir'.

This is such a simple, yet special thing that friends and family eat up! I had some extra invitation stock for reply cards (from creating a friend's wedding invitations), that I am able to print on and create these little cards. Take a peak, enjoy and next time you have company, doing something simple and sweet like this is the perfect added bonus to being a great host/hostess!