Decorating

Spring Mantel

May 13, 2013 By Stacy 14 Comments

It finally stopped snowing here in Utah so I decided to finish my spring mantel. I didn’t have the motivation to do it when I was still snuggled up with the fireplace roaring. But it has been sunny for a week straight so to celebrate here is my springy, yellow, mantel!!!

Another reason I held off was I was waiting for my tulips in my flower beds to be ready to cut. Aren’t white tulips so sexy? And what scream spring more than gingham? Maybe green grass?

To cover up my TV, I just sprayed some foam board with chalk board paint. It is easy to prop up in front of the TV when it is not in use and easy to take down when we want to see a show :)

I realize that I still have not posted my fireplace tutorial (head hung in shame). I promise to get it posted soon.

I love my wood box. I ordered it from Joss and Main. The bunny was from Hobby Lobby and he got a coat of brass paint.

The vase is just a regular vase from the dollar store. I covered it in gold vinyl that I had left over from Christmas.

Happy Spring!!!!

Filed Under: Decorating, Projects 14 Comments

I am in a book! {and a beautiful giveaway}

May 6, 2013 By Stacy 123 Comments

*****THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED*****

The winner is Nicole, who said: “Hello, We are not a big houseplant family. But that needs to change! My daughter has Asthma and her attacks are getting more and more frequent. I think that by outfitting every room with a plant or two, maybe this will help. Thing is I have no clue where to start! I would love ideas and this book looks amazing! Thank you for the opportunity.”

I have something fun to share with you today! My Mason Jar Planter has been featured in a book :) I have been featured in several magazines but this is my first time in a book. And it is a topic that I adore. I have plants all over my house. I love gardening as much as DIY projects so it is a natural thing to have so many plants around.

The publisher, St.Lynn’s Press, sent me a copy. This book is gorgeous! There are 138 pages of inspirational photos and advice on what plants to use and how to keep them alive. Here is just a tiny example of what you can see in the book:

Indoor Plant Decor: The Design Stylebook for Houseplants is now available on Amazon in hardback for about $10.00!

GIVEAWAY:

Longfield Gardens is also wanting to giveaway one of these terrarium growing kits to one of my readers. I ADORE Cloches style terrariums. And this one is so pretty.

(Source: Longfield Gardens)

This Grow Kit contains:
• Terrarium
• Peat Pot
• Soil
• 1 bulb, variety Picotee White

Let’s keep this simple.

To enter: Leave a comment on my blog telling me what your favorite houseplant is OR telling me why you need/want this book.

*This giveaway will run from May 6th until May 13th. The winner will be announced May 14th. Open to US residents only.

Other blogs doing similar giveaways:

The Rainforest Garden
Gardening Gone Wild
Cowlick Cottage Farm
Shawna Coronado
Dirt Du Jour
Personal Garden Coach
The Impatient Gardener
Gossip in the Garden

Pam Penick’s Digging

Filed Under: Decorating, Garden 123 Comments

Celebrity Homes! {$100 Home Depot Giftcard Giveaway!}

April 24, 2013 By Stacy 133 Comments

***THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED***

THE WINNER IS (according to random.org)………Lindsay Fitchett!!!

I LOVE my sweet little home and I am so happy here. But I think it is so fun to go to home shows or look online at the crazy huge homes. I am fascinated by it all. I personally could never live in a house that big but how amazing would it be to visit or peek inside? I think the next time I go to California it would be fun to go to open houses and see the homes in the Luxury real estate in Los Angeles market. California would be a place I could move to :) Warm weather, the beach, Disneyland. Plus, think of all the celebrity real estate listing they have! I bet you would have to get special permission or “know” the right people to see those listings. Hmmmmm, the wheels are turning. Maybe I need to plan an anniversary trip!

Seeing them in person would be fun but there is another way you can have a peek. Homes.com has celebrity listings all the time. And today I have partnered up with them for something SUPER fun!!!

I have $100 in gift cards to The Home Depot courtesy of Homes.com. You get to look at celebrity homes and then tell me which was your favorite. Easy peasy! Leave a comment on my blog telling your favorite and you will be entered. The winner will be chosen by random.org on Monday April 29th, 2013.

Here are a few of my favorite homes.

This first home is Michael C. Hall’s home. He plays Dexter Morgan on the hit show Dexter. I want his dining table. His views rock. And that outdoor space is killer ;)

Jon Bon Jovi’s home in New York is currently for sale. He also have wonderful views. Look at all that light! His outdoor space is my favorite.

Reese Witherspoon has an old ranch in California that is so fun and rustic! Those beams! I die.

So here is a break down of what you need to do.

*Visit the VIP listing section on Homes.com and browse the celebrity listings. There are a ton of good ones!

*Pick your favorite

*Come back here and leave a comment on this post telling me what it was

That is it! Good luck :)

Filed Under: Decorating 133 Comments

Office Closet Makeover {The Big Reveal!}

April 15, 2013 By Stacy 30 Comments

After surviving spring break with the kids home, two bouts of the stomach flu, and what seemed like endless days of dark gloomy skies, I FINALLY had a day where I could do a photo shoot for my office closet makeover. We had a sunny day and my husband was home to wrangle the kids :)

I think I need to give you a little reminder of what it looked like before. It was bad. Brace yourselves….

So you can see why I needed to overhaul the whole thing, right? And sad but true, this “before” was actually after I had bought totes and sort of organized it. The problem was that the totes were piled so deep in the shelves that I had to unload them all to get to the totes that were in the back. It was not very functional I needed to somehow get everything out front and center.

One of the ways I did that was by adding pegboard. I was not utilizing the wall space across from the shelves before. So by adding the pegboard, I instantly added a TON of storage. And the best part is that everything is right there and easy to grab. No more unloading a million totes to find something.

I bought the pegboard from Home Depot and decided to keep it white since the wall were a darker color (Peacock Blue by Glidden mixed in Behr Ultra). The pegs, hooks, and baskets came in a “starter kit” box that was a really good deal (also from HD). The baskets were black so I spray painted them silver to match everything else.

The turquoise long metal container started out white. It came from IKEA and I spray painted it. The smaller silver buckets also came from IKEA.

I love that the colors of the tools add to the fun :)

I love my polka dot lamp shade :) I bought a basic white shade from IKEA. Then I cut out circles from vinyl and stuck them on the shade like stickers. I then spray painted it lightly. If you spray too much and it gets saturated, when you turn the light on the shade will look uneven.

I love the bookshelf!!! I wanted the closet to look like the rest of the office as much as possible. So I bought the same baskets and canvas boxes. I built the peacock blue boxes out of scrap plywood and painted them. The light turquoise baskets are also from IKEA but they started out white. I spray painted them.

(Do you see the same baskets and storage boxes?)

(I had to hang out the office window to get these shots! The closet in in the corner of the room and it was so hard to get his angle)

The shelves got a makeover too. The were just simple plywood shelves we put up soon after moving here. Functional but not pretty. Added some molding and stained them with Walnut Gel Stain from Minwax. I put everything that didn’t fit in a cute bin on these shelves. Because this is above the stairs that go to our basement it is on an angle. SO the top shelf is 41 inches deep, the middle shelf is 31 inches deep and the bottom shelf is 21 inches deep.

Underneath the bottom shelf was shallow enough that I didn’t think it was worth adding a fourth shelf. But I wanted to take advantage of the space. I hung hooks under and put some empty paint cans filled with more DIY goodies in them. Did you know you can buy paint cans like this with out any paint? They were less than $5 each at Home Depot. And since my closet is all about DIY I thought they were fitting :) I cut out vinyl lettering to label them.

Here are some of the during shots :) Even the floors got a makeover!

I know there is a ton of stuff crammed into this 3 foot by 3 foot closet, but it has made my DIY life so much easier! And I am even going to keep the door off because I like seeing it all organized and pretty.

To see my full office read this post. And to see my computer hutch I recently finished for my office read this post.

Filed Under: Decorating, Painting, Power Tools, Projects, staining, Tutorials 30 Comments

Hexagon Greenhouse

April 10, 2013 By Stacy 22 Comments

I was invited to join 7 other bloggers to create something for my home for a “Crafting for Charity” event through Homes.com. We each created something and picked a charity. The blogger whose project wins the most votes, gets to give a $5,000 donation to their charity. The details (and the voting) are on the Homes.com Facebook page on the top where their tabs are. One voter will randomly be picked to win $500 :) So go vote!

I have always wanted an indoor greenhouse but the ones I have come across were too small. I decided to figure out a way to make one myself.

I was originally going to build one from scratch but when I found this 6 foot curio cabinet on our local classifieds for only $25 I knew I couldn’t build one for that cheap. I came up with a plan to transform it into the greenhouse of my dreams :)

The curio was sadly outdated and very BLAH. But the shape was amazing and all that glass would be perfect for a greenhouse!

I sanded the metal to dull the shine so the primer would adhere better. I painted it. Then I used my Silhouette to cut out vinyl for the panels. The vinyl I bought cam in 3 foot sections so I cut out 6 panels (two for each side).

If you do not have a machine that cuts vinyl, you can order custom vinyl online. You could also cut out the hexagon pattern out of 1/8 inch plywood with a jig saw. Also you could stencil it on with paint.

I actually have this in my bedroom right now. That might seem like a weird place for a green house, but my room is so sunny and I LOVE waking up and seeing it. Plants make me happy :)

I would love it if you would go and vote for my project on the Homes.com Facebook page. My charity is The Children’s Justice Center that provides care for abused children.

Filed Under: Decorating, Garden, Projects 22 Comments

UPDATE: “Little Houses” Pillow

April 8, 2013 By Stacy 6 Comments

WOWsers! I have never in all my days received so many emails about a project as I have for this pillow. So many of you have asked if I would make them and sell them. After the first ten comments/emails I considered it. After the first 100 I decided I had better rethink that :)

I am so happy that so many of you felt what I felt when you read those words. It is a lot of what my blog is about… decorating and living in a small and cozy home.

But I am sad to say that there is just no way humanly possible I could make as many pillows as I have had requests. I have literally has several emails (sometimes more) every day since I posted about it a couple months ago. At first I considered selling the vinyl so you could make the pillow yourself, but even with just that it would be too hard to keep up and still run my blog and household.

So I have two options for you.

#1 There are tons of places online that sell custom vinyl. You tell them the font and how big you want it and they ship it out to you. Make sure if you order online that you tell them it is for a stencil. You will need everything and not just the words. You need the stuff they would normally take off and throw away. You know, outside and the innards of the letters :) So tell them NOT to weed it.

#2 There is a site called Spoonflower where you can upload your own pattern ( or in this case, text) and they will make it into fabric. You can choose which type of material and how much you need.

The font I used was Courier New and the text covered a 12 inch by 12 inch area.

I am very sorry that I will not be able to make these for you. If I could figure out a way to do it and still do everything else, I would. Thank you for all of your kind words about this project.

Filed Under: Decorating 6 Comments

Armoire turned Computer Cabinet

March 27, 2013 By Stacy 32 Comments

We are probably the most un-tech savvy family ever. Everything we have is old. I just got my first cell phone a year and a half ago. And we still have a land line. So it was big deal for us to upgrade and get a new computer!

Our computer was almost 10 years old which in computer years is like 12,587. Sheesh! No wonder why it didn’t work.

We got our new computer from Staples. P.S. I was surprised at how many different things Staples carries. I think I am officially addicted to office supplies. My hubby and are were not super picky but we definitely wanted something with a lot of storage. Between taking pictures of my 4 kids to the blogging pics, I need STORAGE baby :) We got an HP and I love it! I am still trying to get used to Window 8 though. Please tell me it grows on you!

(source: Staples)

So our new computer was going to need a home…..

When I finished my office over a year ago, the plan was to turn our old armoire into a computer hutch. Yeah…… It has sat there this whole time, almost empty. Why are the little, easy projects the ones I always put off? Getting the new computer was a much needed kick in the pants to get this project done.

This armoire was the very first piece of furniture my husband and I bought together. We had been married for a month. We used it for clothes since our tiny apartments had tiny closets.

Ever since we moved to this home (about 6 years ago) it has been kind of useless. It held random things. So I am happy to have it actually functioning now!

The only thing I really had to do was add a sliding shelf for the keyboard and cut a hole in the back for cords. Easy, right?

I cut a 1″x12″ board to the right width, stained it to match, and added drawer slides to the sides. The drawer slides are about a 1/2 inch each so I subtracted an inch from the width of the inside of the hutch to figure out the width of the board.

One easy change and it has a whole new function!

I also decided to add some magnetic paint, chalkboard paint, cork board, and dry erase vinyl to the inside of the panel doors.

(See our home phone? We are probably one of the last people in America to still have a land line :P)

The chalkboard section I put at the bottom because I figured my 3 year old would want to use it too. It is right at his level. I try hard to not be on the computer during the day very much, but if I am, he can be a little helper.

I happened to have some dry erase vinyl on hand but they also sell dry erase paint. Rustoleum is the brand, which is also the same brand as the chalkboard and magnetic paint. I had to paint 6 or 7 coats of the magnetic paint to get it to hold the big heavy magnet clips.

The baskets on top and the file folders (I painted them blue) are from IKEA and the chair is the chair I painted. It has held up really well! The drawers hold printer paper an other supplies.

I am sure as I use this more and see what works and what doesn’t, that I can make little changes. But for now I am having fun with my new blogging space. I love that I can close the doors and the mess and work is hidden. I am kind of OCD like that, hence the desk with nothing on it! What about you? What is your work space like?

Full disclosure, Staples provided me with this computer. The words and opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own. To see the full line of computers visit Staples.com.

Filed Under: Decorating, Furniture, Painting, Projects, Tutorials 32 Comments

The day I met Martha Stewart….

March 25, 2013 By Stacy 30 Comments

It was a warm sunny day in Las Vegas and I had just spent an hour next to a very chatty man (who thought he was hilarious) on the airplane. I was rocking my first pair of colored skinny jeans (heck! my first pair of skinny jeans period!) and I was feeling good. I walked into Mandalay Bay to be greeted by a sea of orange. The Home Depot had descended upon Vegas for their annual Managers Meeting and I was about to get a behind the scenes look!

While the 3,000 some odd Home Depot store managers from around the world were in a meeting, I was able to sneak into the “product walk” as they call it. They basically build a Home Depot store inside the event center, only it is a Home Depot store times 100! It was HUGE! Talk about feeling like a kid in a candy store.

The product walk was set up so that the store managers could see all the new products. The reps from the companies taught, and answered any questions about the products. This way when people come into the stores, they will be educated about the product and will be able to give the best service. There were so many booths that it takes two days to visit them all! Some of the CEOs for the brands were there as well. That was really neat to see how proud they were of their company :)

(LEFT: CNBC setting up for interviewing the CEOs and Martha Stewart RIGHT: Frank Blake being interviewed)

My favorite CEO was there too. Frank Blake, the CEO of The Home Depot, came to speak to the managers and check it all out. This is the first time they have let the media come. It was CNBC and….. me! In fact, I had to sign a confidentiality agreement. Good thing I rock at keeping secrets :) Oh, and there is a Frank story later……. because I can’t seem to travel anywhere without embarrassing myself, right?

The garden center was one of my favorite areas. It smelled amazing! And I love that everything here (in fact all the products in this whole HD convention center) were donated to local charities after the event was done.

The convention center wasn’t big enough so they had to take over a whole parking lot as well! They had hands on booths and showcased products that are online only. It was fun to see things in real life that normally I browse for on their website.

And of course there were plenty of power tools :)

And I learned about some awesome flooring and tried it out. It was stunning! This color in particular will be coming out later in the year and I am trying to think of where in my home I could put it.

And guess what? Martha was in the HOUSE! She was interviewed by CNBC and then demonstrated her new line of paint. I had the chance to meet her and visit for a minute.

(instagram shot)

Martha is amazing at personal branding and has mad business skills. She is the best at what she does. And it is a notch in my DIY belt to say I have met her.

The whole day was fabulous. Insider Home Depot secrets, creme brulee for lunch, hanging out with my favorite PR girl Kelly, Martha, and sunshine pretty makes for a perfect day. The best part for me was being surrounded by people who were so full of excitement that it was almost tangible. There is an energy that is indescribable when you are in a room full of passionate people.

So as the day was wrapping up, I still had not had a chance to talk with my buddy Frank. I had met him at a previous event and was excited to see him again. He is seriously the NICEST guy ever. He had taken off after the interview with CNBC and was walking around like everyone else. We had the event planners with their walkie talkies trying to spot him for me. Finally right before I was about to leave Kelly and I spotted him.

Insert random fact……. I am a hugger. I like to squeeze the crap out of people when I am excited to see them or meet them. I didn’t hug Frank Blake the first time because no one else was and I was so shocked to be actually meeting him. But I figured that since it was our second meeting, a hug was warranted. And really, I think he went in for the hug first.

I think.

Well, after chatting a minute it was time for me to go back to the airport. On our way out of the event center we saw the event planner. She was standing next to a guy who looked familiar but I didn’t think anything of it. I told her we had found Frank so she wouldn’t have to keep looking. I told her he had recognized me and we hugged.

Her eyes got huge. She looked to the man at her side (who turned out to be Frank’s personal security) and said “Is that even allowed?”

We had a good laugh :)

I am so excited about the things that Home Depot is doing this year. And I am excited to be able to share more behind the scenes stuff with you later. Thanks for letting me share!

Filed Under: Decorating, Garden, Painting, Power Tools 30 Comments

Upholstered Bench

March 11, 2013 By Stacy 26 Comments

I built this bench when we first moved in this house which was long before I started blogging. We had poured all our money into buying the home and had very little left over to furnish it. We needed more seating so I used some particle board, a little foam, batting, some 4×4′s, and fabric I got for free to build a tufted upholstered bench.

When I redecorated my family room recently, I needed to reupholster it to match the new decor. It would have been a good idea to have taken a picture of it while it was torn apart but it was one of those “I forgot I was a blogger” moments that has me hitting my forehead and saying “DUH!” But I think it is simple enough that showing you the underneath and talking you through it you will totally get it. If not, you can email me and ask any other questions :)

I built a basic box. I have 4 little boys and little boys like to jump on things so I added boards across the center to give more support.

I noticed that it had a little bit of a creaky noise if you moved around when sitting on it so I used caulk along to the seams to quiet that. It is one of my little secrets :) Caulk is awesome!

I then cut a 4×4 post into the 4 legs and screwed them into place.

Before I added the foam and batting I measured where I wanted to buttons to be and drilled holes with a drill bit that was slightly bigger than the needle I would be using. For each button I drilled 2 holes next to each other about an 8th of an inch apart. Those holes are what the needle goes through when you tuft. And I did two so I could go up through one, then down through the other, and then tie a knot.

Then I cut a 4 inch thick piece of foam to fit the top of the bench. I wrapped batting over that to hide the seam between the wood and the foam.

Now the first time around my mom offered to sew the top because she is my mom and knows me well. I am not a very good seamstress. After breaking a record number of needles in Home Ec in Jr. High I was politely asked to just observe the others for the rest of the term….. seriously. BUT this time I was determined to try it on my own. After a quick lesson from my mom I did it myself! And unsupervised to boot. And I would love to point out that the fabric is STRIPED. Small stripes that were a bugger to line up and keep all pretty.

(an instagram of me sewing the cover….my only proof I did it :P )

Since I barely survived sewing it, I do not think I am the right person to do a tutorial. If you need more info you can email me or search online for instructions. Or you could borrow my mom. She is pretty sweet :)

Not only did I conquer the stripes, but it fit like a glove. I slipped it on and then flipped the whole thing over. I used a stapler to attached the fabric to the underside. It took a long time. I wanted to make sure that the seam wasn’t being pulled more in one spot than another. I wanted everything straight as possible. And I had to make sure the corner seams were right at the corner of the bench.

Once it was all covered it was time to tuft.

I LOVE these little button kits. I buy them at WalMart. They make fabric cover buttons.

(source: dritz.com)

I bought a big ‘ole needle at a fabric store. It is 8 inches long. I have heard of people using fishing line or coat thread as their thread but I actually used non waxed dental floss, doubled up. This is my third tufted project. The first that I did was about 8 years ago. Dental floss has always worked well for me. But you can use anything that is strong and doesn’t stretch.

Like I mentioned before, I stick the needle up through the bottom (hole #1), I thread the button on, and poke the needle through the top going down to the bottom again through the second hole.

I have a helper push down on the button (so that it has that indent you want with tufting) while I tie a triple knot below. Ten buttons later I was done!

This project from start to finish is a big project. It is fairly simple but it is time consuming. But I am thankful I did it and have no regrets because I adore it. I also was able to have seating when we had very little money.

We also use it as an ottoman/coffee table when we need to. And my hubby and I have also been known to play board games on it as well. I know, don’t be jealous of our super adventurous lifestyle…… We are pretty wild around here :P

Where ever it is in the room, it is gorgeous!

Which place is your favorite?

Filed Under: Decorating, Power Tools, Projects, Tutorials 26 Comments

Ceiling Fans VS. Light Fixtures

February 7, 2013 By Stacy 18 Comments

I posed the question on my blog’s Facebook page one day about whether you liked a ceiling fan or a regular light fixture better. I was getting ready to take down our ceiling fan in the family room and replace it with a gorgeous Pottery Barn light I got on sale. I learned very quickly that y’all LOVE your ceiling fans! And after visiting Florida this past fall with The Home Depot Foundation, I TOTALLY understand. Holy humidity! Our Utah dry heat has nothin’ on your Southern humidity.

(After working outside in high humidity….. Can you say one hot mess?)

I wanted a new look to go with my new room so I had no problem taking our ceiling fan down. My husband on the other hand….. was not so sure. Even though we have central air that is excellent at keep our house comfortable I do understand there are times when it is not hot enough to warrant having it run and it is nice to have a fan. They are more energy efficient as well. And if you can get away with just the fan, it is better.

So for that reason, and to appease my hubby, I started to look around for other options. I wanted whatever we got to replace the ceiling fan to be pretty and not an eye sore. I thought maybe I could get a vintage one.When I googled “vintage floor fan” I found antique ones and most didn’t work any more. Not only that, but they were PRICEY! I googled just “floor fan” and I saw this beauty and I knew I had to have it! It has that vintage feel but it is new.

It is called the Sutter 16″ floor standing fan. I found it on a website called Lamps Plus. They actually have a ton of different styles. This one was the perfect color and style for my cute 1938 home :)

I contacted LampsPlus.com and they were kind enough to send it to me. I love how it looks like a part of the decor AND is functional.

My husband is happy, and I am happy. And my kids are praying it warms up soon so we can test it out :) But with single digit temperatures I don’t think we will need it for a while!

Filed Under: Decorating 18 Comments