A Big Announcement and a week of GIVEAWAYS!!!

I bet you are all wondering what in the world this big announcement could be, right??? Well, I am so excited to share this news with y'all. This project has been in the works for many months now and we have eagerly awaited this day. I am partnering with two of my best bloggy friends, not to mention two completely inspiring women, to start a fabulous new blog called

the CSI project!!!

This exciting new adventure includes my besties ........ Jen from Tatertots and Jello , Beckie from Infarrantly Creative, and myself. It's a weekly craft challenge that's going to be so awesome and really fun -- a place where you can show off your ideas. And we want to feature YOU!

Come on over to the CSI project and check it out to learn all of the details!
It's going to be a blast ........

•There will be a really fun challenge each week

•There will be a beautiful giveaway each week that you can win

• And there will be a fabulous guest judge each week that will see your projects, and lots more!!

To celebrate the launch of our new site, Jen will be hosting a week of fabulous giveaways on her blog ..... Tatertots and Jello. See that little cutie up there with the gorgeous flower on her stinkin cute bald head? That is only part of today's giveaway package, and let me tell you...it is completely adorable...you must check it out!

Be sure and mark your calendars for the week of May 24th for our very first craft challenge link up at the CSI project! The theme for the week will be "paint". So ladies.....start thinking about all the fun things you can do with paint and get to getting!!! We'd also love to hear your thoughts on ideas for future themes you'd like to see. So hop on over and leave us a comment or two and come see what we're all about. I hope to see you all there the week of May 24th...it is going to be so much fun!

Frayed Rosette Flip Flops

After making the frayed rosettes last week, I still wanted more. (Click here for the tutorial.) Right now I am knee deep in hot glue and fabric strips, making brooches for Mother's Day happies and a necklace for myself. Then last night, I had the brilliant idea to embellish some flip flops with them. I ran to Walmart looking for a cheap pair for myself, but ended up getting these adorable pink patent leather ones for my 4 year old instead. These are definitely at the top of the cute scale! I am in LOVE.

The fabric for these flowers started out as a bedsheet turned window mistreatment. I had recently taken these down and put them away in the closet. I was so excited to be able to repurpose them and give them new life.

I think I have enough strips of this hot pink fabric to make 689 more rosettes. And I haven't even cut into the second half of the panel. Anyone want to come over and make no sew flowers with me???

Ok, this is what you'll need to get started....a pair of shoes or flip flops to embellish, fabric torn into strips, hot glue, and felt.

After I made my rosettes (tutorial here), I cut a round piece of felt to back it with.

Now slather the back of the felt with hot glue.

Pick it up carefully and put it behind the strap of the shoe where you want the rosette to go. Now sandwich the two together and press tight until set.

Cute, cute, and more cute!!!

Have you ever tried to take pictures of a wiggly 4 year old's feet? It is nearly impossible.

She immediately wanted to take her new fancy nancy shoes outside to play. I think she loves them more than I do and that makes me happy!

Randomness

Ok, so I've noticed while looking back on some of my recent posts......they've been a bit schizophrenic and quite random. I do have a few reasons for the madness, though. I am currently in the process of redoing two rooms (master bedroom/craft area and my little girls' room) that seem to be taking on a life of their own. Hello...never ending story? Many of the projects I'm posting are in relation to these two rooms, with a few new items I've made for my etsy shop thrown in the mix. So, while it may seem there is no method to the madness.....there is a hint of method!

I made this sweet little plaque to go on one side of the bed. I am making another one for Ava to go on the other nightstand. I absolutely LOVE this color combination. I am moving away from the hot pink and lime green and introducing more of this bubblegum pink and seafoam green/blue. I pulled these beautiful colors out of the paisley fabric I used to upholster the headboard I found on the side of the road. When and if it all comes together, I think this room will be so girly and sweet. Hopefully one day in the next 5 years I will finish!

This frame is a gift for a friend who is moving. Steph...I hope you don't read my blog. If so...surprise!

And of course...more of the adorable home decor silhouettes. Isn't that lamp and side table the cutest thing ever??? I was thinking of making these 3 into one long vertical wall hanging, with a ribbon strung along the back. Or I could add a seperate ribbon hanger to each one. What do y'all think?

Oh....and one more random thing. I just had to share my Dollar Tree deal......these precious birdy votive holders. They look like heavy iron, but really they are just that plastic resin stuff. You absolutely can't tell unless you pick them up. They are so stinkin cute...I want to go back and buy 37 more! If you want some, you better hurry...they'll be gone in a flash. You know, cause I might go back and buy them all.

Red to Black Front Door Makeover

I had the brilliant idea to paint my front door at eight o'clock last night. I knew it was a gamble choosing to paint in the dark. But all the kids were fed, bathed, and in bed. The stars and moon aligned and I had nothing better to do. So....I dove right in and got it done. It was worth the risk of having to repaint just to be able to cross this project off my list....it has been on there for like 3 years!

This is my front door last year at Halloween. I cannot wait to see what my black and white spooky chic decorations paired with my new chic black door look like! I am so happy to see this red door go. Don't get me wrong...I love a red door, a bright red door. But mine was a purplish red......not loving that so much.

I love my Christmas fluff, but it sort of clashes with the old red door. I think all of my holiday decor will really pop on the black!

Has anyone noticed how unbelievably impossible it is to take a good picture of a black door or black furniture??? Anyway......I LOVE my new door. I love it even more with the addition of the vinyl lettering. I tried to zoom in so that you could get a better look at it, but the glare off the black was horrendous! So this is all you get.

Question? I'm thinking about painting the trim surrounding the door the same black. I eventually want to have the brick painted a nice grayish taupe. what do y'all think? Should I paint the puke green trim black or leave it until I can get the whole house and all the rest of the trim painted?

New Life for Old Magazine Boxes

I bought these magazine holders a few years ago at Ikea thinking they would go perfectly in my chocolate brown family room. Well, it was a bit too much brown and I never ended up using them. They've been sitting in a drawer since then...wasted and useless. Actually, I'd forgotten about them. While in the process of redoing and updating my bedroom/workspace, I've been trying to reuse and repurpose as many things as possible. I thought these would be great on the shelves above my work table to hold miscellaneous things that need to be hidden.

The brown floral is really quite nice, just not the right color or pattern for this room. I found some fabulous scrapbook paper in a black and white houndstooth to use for this project at Hobby Lobby. LOVE it! You will need 2 and a half sheets of 12 x 12 scrapbook paper for each box.

Very simple.....flip your paper upside down and trace around each side....then cut out.




You'll end up with four pieces to attach to each side of the box. I used spray adhesive to adhere my paper, but you could also use mod podge or double sided tape...whatever you have on hand would probably work.





Fast, fun, easy project. Instant gratification! There are sooooooooo many wonderful papers to choose from out there. They are easy to work with, extremely inexpensive, and readily available. And if you are a paper hoarder like me, you have piles and piles of lovely paper to choose from without having to leave the house and spend any money. This is my favorite kind of project....easy, fast, fun, and FREE!

Now if I could only get my shelves hung above the desk, I'd be set. My sweet hubby started on them when he was home last week, but ended up not having enough time to finish. Poor guy...his "honey do" list was just waaaaaaaay too long. I love him for trying so hard, though...he's my guy! I don't mind waiting a bit longer...especially since he should be home for good within the next month. Now, THAT is cause for celebration. We will jumping up and down at our house when that day finally comes!!!

Christmas in.......April???

Is it weird that I am thinking of Christmas in April? Does it make me a total freak that I am already making holiday crafts? Well, if the answer is yes...then I'm just going to own my crazy ways and embrace it. Because that's how I roll and I'm good like that.

Y'all are probably soooooo tired of seeing all these frames I've been making lately. But I'm having fun with their versatility and finding new ways to spruce them up. You can find frames of all shapes, sizes, and colors at your local craft store or even a yard sale. Then you can use fabric, scrapbook paper, or even wrapping paper under the glass to give it a little extra pizazz. It can be completely customized to match your color scheme or you could keep it nice and neutral so that it could work in almost any room. For this particular one, I used a black frame I found at Walmart. I usually don't buy my frames there, but I loved the shape of this one. I like that it's an odd shape and size. And it works beautifully with this sweet nativity scene. Again, I found this font online at Lettering Delights. I downloaded and installed it on my computer. Then I used my Sure Cuts A Lot software hooked up to my Cricut to cut the images in vinyl. I applied them right on top of the glass, but you could also cut your image in reverse and apply the vinyl to the underneath side of the glass. If you missed my post on cricut tips and tricks....you can read it here.

If you're not the crafty type, you can just let me do all the work for you. I will be making these to put in my etsy shop for Christmas, along with some on boards, glass blocks, and ornaments. They make beautiful, meaningful gifts for the holiday season. But if you just can't wait and need to have one right this minute, I will be happy to comply. These beautiful 18 x 9 frames also look lovely with a family name and established date....like the one I made here, only smaller.

BIG EXCITING HUGE NEWS!!!!

On Monday May 10th, I will be celebrating the announcement of something awesome that has been in the works for the last 6 months. I am so unbelievably excited to share this fun adventure with you...I can hardly wait.This will be something that everyone can get excited about and have lots of fun with! So mark your calendars for Monday May 10th.....you will NOT want to miss it!

Can I Get a Do-Over, Please?

Remember when I posted about my fabulous new-to-me repurposed 8 foot work table? Well, I promptly went to town putting a skirt on it so that I could hide all of my "stuff" underneath. And guess what? I HATE it! Here are all the things I hate. Number 1....the fabric. I used painter's dropcloth because it was inexpensive and I thought the neutral color would be good. Ummmmm...not so much. I can't stand the wheat color in this room. In my chocolate brown living room it looks fab, but in here it's a snooze-fest. Number 2....my decision to NOT cover the legs. I was thinking it would make the whole process of getting stuff out from underneath easier. Guess what? It really doesn't make one ounce of difference in how I get stuff out. What was I thinking? Number 3......the addition of the ribbon to cover the hideous veneer trim. Not a complete bad idea. It does need to be covered, just not with ribbon. I think this might be the first time ever that ribbon has failed me. I'm so disappointed.

I guess it's not horrible, but it is just not working for me.

The ugly veneer is completely off on both side pieces, and I actually think it looks better like this than with the ribbon. Since then I have completely ripped off all of the ribbon and the rest of the trim. Now I have to pull 987 staples out of the table, so I can start all over.
Fun times.

Oh, how I wish I could leave it open like this. But unfortunately I have way too much inventory and crafty crap that I need to hide. Dang those hobbies of mine! I am hoping to get started on the new table skirt tomorrow. I found some lovely fabric at Hobby Lobby that I think will be the perfect compliment to my black and white room redo. Stay tuned for reveal #2........

Shabby Chic Rosettes - No Sew

I have had these adorable rosettes on my to do list for a really long time. And I have been putting them off for just that long because I do not sew. And by that, I mean...I really can't sew, not even a straight line. When I need something hemmed or a button sewn on, I take it to my hubby. Yes, my big strong army man husband sews. He actually has three sewing machines and impresses me with his skills all the time! Funny, huh? Anyway, I've been thinking about how I could make these without having to sew or thread a needle. Enter my dear friend....the hot glue gun. These were super simple to make and completely addicting. I started making them late last night and made myself stop around 1:30 this morning. Seriously, they are so fun and easy! Before I show you how I made the rosettes, let me show you how absolutely adorable they are on my plain jane white lamp........

Complete transformation!

I started off by cutting my $1.99 a yard cotton fabric into strips. I didn't measure, I just cut and ripped to my heart's content. Now fire up that glue gun and let's get started!

Tie a knot onto the end of your fabric strip, tuck that small end under and secure with a dot of glue. Now start twisting the long end of your strip.




As you twist, start wrapping the strip around itself. Every so often, you'll want to apply a line of hot glue to hold it in place as you continue to twist and wrap. You can twist the fabric tight in some places and loose in others. This will give it a nice look that doesn't look like you just wrapped a bunch of fabric into a tight ball. Play with it and do whatever you think looks best. The first few I did look different from the last few, because I realized I liked them loosely twisted better. Tip.......as you are applying the hot glue, try to put it as close to the back side as possible. You don't want your glue peeking through the front where it can be seen. I learned that really quickly.




When you get to the end of your fabric strip, take that last little bit and glue it under to the back side.

If you'll notice, this is a low temp glue gun which means I only burnt off 2 or 3 layers of my skin while obsessively making these rosettes. No big deal, right? They were totally worth it.

For the smallest size rosette I cut one of my fabric strips in half. The middle size is one full strip, and the largest rosette is actually two strips tied together.

I pretty much want to plaster every surface of my home with these little cuties now.
I love the shabby frayed edges, but think they also look very chic and sophisticated. Now I'm off to figure out how to make them into a necklace. How adorable would that be??? I'll keep you posted on my progress!

A Little Nip and Tuck on the Plate Wall

I hope you know this was inevitable. I am a tweaker.... a nip and tucker of the home decor. I just can't help myself...I'm never satisfied. After finding this amazingly adorable font last week, I simply cannot get enough of it. You can find it at Lettering Delights. It is called "In Good Company". Love, love, love it. Couches, chairs, setteees, lamps, dressers, frames...all sorts of yummy goodness!

I never got around to putting anything on this platter, and now I know why. It was just waiting for this little vinyl settee silhouette. It fits the scale of the small platter perfectly.

A nice wingback chair silhouette fills out this 25 cent yard sale plate just right!




I don't know what kind of chair this is, but it's so simple and elegant...I had to have it on my plate wall.




Now I feel like this wall is truly complete and, dare I say it? Just about near perfect. I love the elegance of these silhouettes and how they seem to tie the whole grouping togther. Before it was cute, but it was pretty much just a mish mash of things...a chandelier, a face silhouette...it didn't flow. Now I feel like this wall has the cohesion that it lacked. I thought I loved it before, but now I am head over heels in love with it! If I could only stop obsessing over projects that were already completed and work on the rest of the room....I might be able to actually finish it before I die. Hmmmmmm..............

Rug Help

People, I desperately need your help. My wool rug will not stop shedding and I am about to go insane. I love my zebra rug, but if I have to see one more black fuzz ball rolling down the hallway like tumbleweed.....I might hurt someone. Before I bought this rug, I read all the reviews and the tips on how to care for your wool rug. They all said the rug should stop shedding after 15 - 20 vacuumings. I have vacuumed this rug no less than 150 times. And the shedding continues. I am becoming a crazy person. My once beautiful pristine zebra rug, now looks perpetually dirty because of all the black fuzzies. See that picture up there? Yeah...it doesn't look like that anymore and that makes me sad. So, all of you wool rug owners...please impart some wisdom on me. Help a girl out, before I have to commit myself to the looney bin over a hairy rug!!!

Jewelry Giveaway Winner

And the winner of Kristen's Custom Creations jewelry giveaway is............

comment #44......Jess said,

"I love the double stack mommy or grandma necklace and the love you more. That is what I tell my kids and hubby all the time!"

Congrats to Jess. What a great prize to win right before Mother's Day! I hope you enjoy your beautiful new custom creation. And thank you to Kristen for offering such a generous giveaway, as well.

Spring Signs

Well, I've been at it again with my cricut and the Sure Cuts A Lot software. I found the absolute cutest fonts last week and had fun playing around with different ways to use them. I made some new signs for my shop and a couple custom orders. This first picture shows the darling font I am absolutely in love with right now. It is called "In Good Company" and you can find it at Scrapnfonts{dot}com. It features a variety of chairs, couches, settees, lamps, telephones, and frames in silhouettte....it is so.stinkin.cute. I added the welcome on top of the settee for a little flair. Wouldn't that be cute hanging near the front or back door, or in a guest bedroom?

What could be cuter than a monogrammed birdcage? Love, love, love this!

Or an adorable monogrammed sign for your porch?




I have to apologize for being so absent the last week. Sometimes life just gets the better of you and you have to know when to step back. My sweet husband got home Thursday evening for a two week leave, my dad had 4 stints put in his heart the next day, and on Saturday we attended a funeral for a sweet friend at church who lost her husband in Iraq. They are expecting their first baby next month and he was supposed to be coming home in time for the birth. I have never attended a funeral for a fallen soldier before. Needless to say, it was overwhelming and so unbelievably sad. But as a military family, we were so very honored and proud to be there to honor this young man who gave his life to serve our great country. I will never forget that day, and I will never forget this young soldier and his sacrifice for all of us. It made me remember how blessed we truly are and how proud I am to be an American!