Christmas mode is in full swing at my house. Pandora has been on the Mariah Carey Christmas station, peppermint lattes have been consumed, and twinkle lights have made their way down from the attic. Tis’ the season, and I’m excited to show you what I’ve been working on lately.
DIY Paper Christmas Trees
Repurposed Vintage Wire Baskets
I made the button art at a craft party last year. I found the idea here on Design*Sponge. |
Also, I’m guest posting today over on VIew Along the Way. Kelly has a great series that showcases bloggers’ homes. I’ll be talking about being content with aspects of your home even though they may not be exactly what you had in mind. Head on over and say “hello”!
5 Layer Greek Dip
Enter, 5 layer Greek dip…
Start with hummus. I’ve got a simple recipe for homemade hummus below. In a pinch, store-bought works just as well! If you’ve never made hummus at home, it’s easier than you’d think. Plus it’s more cost effective than buying it pre-made, even if you’re using organic ingredients.
Learn about my DECOR COACHING to get clarity and confidence in your home.
DIY: Ombre Paint Chip Art
Apparently I’m a little behind in blog world and am just recently getting swept up in ombre obsession along with everyone else. I decided to combine two things that I’ve loved seeing on Pinterest lately: OMBRE + PAINT CHIP ART.
I found the gold frame at a flea market several months ago for $12 and had been waiting for something to house in it. The paint chip art was FREE, since I painted the matting and made two four trips to home improvement stores to collect the chips.
Maybe I just have a guilty conscience, but my husband had to keep reminding me, “You’re not stealing. They’re free chips.” Regardless of this true statement, I feel the need to sport a trench coat and dark sunglasses in Home Depot if ever I decide to do this project again.
Our guest room houses my clothes and serves as my dressing room. Most old homes have larger bath tubs than closets, and ours is no exception. The Mister gets our closet, so I get the whole guest room. (Don’t feel bad for him; he has full reign of the basement.)
Since I’m in this room a lot, seeing it undecorated each morning was bumming me out. I had a few pieces that I loved and decided to work with them to build the room. It’s not finished yet but getting there.
I had two gold lamps that I found at a flea mart for $5 each a while back. This summer, I found the shades at World Market and loved the color combo. The room was already green, so I decided to accent with gold, corals, pinks, and purples.
-Scissors
-Glue stick or spray adhesive
-Paint chips
Process:
I am all for cheap/free art, so this project was great despite being time consuming.
Clean up was “fun” to say the least. And I will never walk into Home Depot without the “Mission Impossible” theme song running through my head.My Classroom Makeover
This was the first week of school, and I am pooped. The sheer fact that this post made it up is a miracle. Fall is the craziest time of year for elementary teachers. Endless to-do lists and twelve-hour work days can make you question your sanity for ever getting into the profession. By October things slow down, and I can breath again. Hats off to my teacher friends with real children of their own; I don’t know how you do it.
My post-school routine for the first week goes a little something like this: Trudge through the door. Drop everything I’m carrying the second I cross the threshhold. Mumble “hi” to husband. Put on pajamas. Open a pint of ice cream. (A blur that involves spoon and mouth.) Sit in catatonic state staring at empty ice cream carton.
Thankfully my husband knows this about the beginning of the school year, lovingly stocks the freezer with Ben & Jerry’s, and fends for himself where dinner is concerned.
BUT, my favorite part of a new year is getting my classroom ready for a set of fresh faces. I have a disability when it comes to teaching…If my classroom doesn’t look good, I can’t function. I picked out several fabrics as my inspiration, and built the the room’s look around those colors.
Even though the cabinet is in the back of the room, I wanted to make it a fun spot for the kids. After I painted the wooden cabinet doors blue, I used an overhead projector to draw the US map in pencil. I then traced the outline using a chalk paint pen. My original plan was to draw each state…that plan fell to the wayside quickly, and Missouri ended up being the only one that made it. (Though very tempted, I resisted the urge to trace Texas.)
This name tag cost me nothing to make. Yes, these are just Scrabble pieces! I used wood glue to attach to stands, and then glued the letters in place. (You better believe I added that apostrophe in…Sharpie to the rescue.)
Since my last name is Freeman, my class is nicknamed “The 5th Grade Freebeez”. I found inspiration on Pinterest and ended up making a “bee hive” lantern in my classroom. I’m not thrilled with the results and almost left this pic out. (I figured if I show you everything I’m proud of, I should show you my flops too!) I’m thinking I should have started with a yellow paper lantern and added several more layers of tissue paper. Martha Stewart may not be impressed, but 10-year olds seems to like it alright.
Our principal let us use chalk paint on our classroom doors this year. This is great and serves as kind of a management spot in the room.
Remember the “toad stools”? They found a home. My double decker hamburger used to show the steps of the writing process is on its third year. Crossing my fingers it lasts a couple more.Here’s to a new school year, freshly sharpened pencils, and lots of “aha moments” for both the littles and their teachers. |
DIY Art 3 Ways
One of the first things I wanted to do when we bought our house was to cover our blank walls with unique art and decor. I didn’t realize that most of the art I loved was way out of my budget. I didn’t want the same prints from Target or Bed Bath and Beyond that I’d seen a hundred times, as much as I love other things from both those stores. Thankfully, Etsy provides us with a plethora of options these days. But sometimes even a $30 print from Etsy feels like too much. I’ve found a few thrifty ways to imitate the look I want for less. Another way to save is by using coupons, visit website.
I used card stock as my guide and cut the wrapping paper to a standard sheet size. Feeding it through the printer can be tricky. Just keep trying, and eventually it works. |
2. Find a great book and frame the illustrations in a series.
My sweet friend Dana had this great book, Insects of Surinam, that is filled with vivid images of flowers, plants, and an array of crawling creatures. We loved how unique they were compared to stock botanical prints you see in stores. We joked about ripping the pages out and then framing them. Well, she did. Then I did, and now I’m planning to do the same for some clients above their mantle in a formal living room.
The hardest part was choosing just four. |
3. Trace a shape and create your own oil pastel art.
Something about artichokes… Not only are they delicious, but visually they’re so iconic and beautiful. I’ve seen some great prints online, but couldn’t commit. I also kept thinking about the Andy Warhol soup cans. They’re so bright and playful you can’t help but love them. I wanted to merge these two things for my kitchen art. I’m not really sure that came through, but these were my inspiration for the artichokes.
I’ve NEVER worked with oil pastels before, so this was a learning experience for me. Since I traced my shape first, it turned out to be easier than I thought.
Some other things you could fame:
-Your kids’ artwork
-Comic book, magazine, or album covers
-Dried leaves/flowers from your yard
-Beautiful wallpaper
-Collections in a shadow box
If you’ve been frustrated by blank walls or almost passed out due to sticker shock on great art, try to make something you love. You really DON’T have to be artistic to create personal art for your home. It can be as easy as cut, frame, and hang.
DIY: Stenciled Wall
This very well could be my biggest DIY to date. That, my friends, is not wallpaper. It is several hours worth of work using a paint pen and a piece of cardboard. It’s not for everyone, but this project only cost me $15! |
2. If I tire of the pattern (which is inevitable at some point), I can simply paint over it.
3. I discovered that trying something that once intimidated the life out of me could pay off.
Like many blogoholics, I too have been enamored by the amazing stenciled wall projects out there. Here are just a few of my favorites that nudged me over the edge to try it myself.
This amazing room from Hello Gorgeous |
Kate’s bedroom from Centsational Girl |
Please forgive the dreadful pics…This was pre-Cannon 60D. |
3. Then I used white paint pens to go over the penciled tracing. It is by no means perfect up close, but from a distance the pattern looks mostly uniform.
Console Tables
One of the only places in my home that I am totally content with is my entryway console table. For some reason the stars aligned, and I wouldn’t change a thing to the set up or accessories. This doesn’t happen often, as I almost always change my mind about a space or have a plan for improvement. (If my husband were reading this, there would be an audible , “Amen”.) The first set of images is my home. Followed by that are foyers and console tables that I’m pretty fond of.
I’m a sucker for symmetry. I started with two lamps I loved and two of the centerpieces from our wedding. From there I just picked small items in my house that I wanted to showcase.
Most of the images below, I feel, tend toward fashion rather than function. In truth, mine does too. Our back entry is where all the keys are thrown, bags dropped, and mail collects. I’m still on the hunt for pictures of tables that are equally functionally and still fashion forward.
via Lonny Magazine |
Windsor Smith |
Two of my favs from Domino
So what do you think takes the rump card, function or fashion?
Little Mister: A Bow Tie Baby Shower
Whenever I’m throwing a shower, I have a tendency to “throw” myself into it Much to my husband’s dismay, I morph from the girl he married into crazed party planner, ignoring the budget and rearranging the furniture with or without help. I lose sleep, forget to eat, and make more trips to Hobby Lobby than any sane person should in a week’s time.
Ironically, I love this process.
I love it more when I’m throwing it for someone who can only be described as my “kindred”. My best friend Tanya is expecting her first baby and couldn’t more excited. When we sat down to plan the shower, immediately we had flashbacks of wedding planning. (We were both each other’s maid of honor and decided to get married within a month of each other…What were we thinking?”)
We even planned the date around when our dear friend Laura (Lark Photography) wasn’t traveling the globe and could shoot the shower. Tanya has impeccable taste, and I knew this shower had to stand out. We based our theme around this adorable invite we found on Etsy.
I got a little ambitious with the favors and made mixed berry pies in mini mason jars for the guests to take home with them. I snagged this great idea from Paiges of Style.
Other than an actual newborn baby (or a boatload of puppies), what in the world is cuter than baby pies?
I got desperate at 2am and decided my only option for getting the ribbon up was hot gluing it to the trim. That was a snap decision that I’d pay for later. Clean up involved repainting the trim…