Maternity {Session}

Couldn't wait to post these! Check out more from my maternity shoot here. Check out the awesome photographer here. She was even sweet enough to let me edit. :)

a before {and after}

I didn't quite take an effective 'before' pic, but I at least took it before it was done, so props right?

These were a wedding gift from almost two years back and they have been sitting in different part of the kitchen, but because my husband hates clutter and unessential decor, I decided to use them as the focal for this part. They were just white however and a little boring.
So I did this:

I love the numbers trend that is going around A LOT. And the family stand up I found at Ross for $3. Cheap way to change a look for the better! Let me know what you think!

home {made} ikea frame canvas

This is my bedroom. Don't mind the layer of dust on the dresser, I'll get to that. Well technically, that dresser is no longer in the bedroom, so I guess I don't need to worry. What you should focus on is the hangings above the bed...I bought the frames at IKEA and covered them in toile, and well basically love them. I wanted something similar for the staircase going up to our room in our town home- because it was painfully empty and at least a gazillion feet high. So I thought, why not knock it off? hahaha.

So we'll be making this. Be patient, it looks a lot better than the picture. Actually, all the pictures look a lot better than this picture.

I have a TON of cheap dollar store frames just hanging around. These particular ones are 8x10. You'll want to make sure they have a flat side and are wood. I guess you could use plastic, but then it would be plastic.

I took the glass out and put the original cardboard backing in. You'll need some support so any cardboard will work.

I choose the fabric I wanted and cut it a little less than a half inch wider than the frame on all sides. Ok, I realize that some of these sides are bigger than that, but you get the point. :) I just ripped this fabric.

I originally attempted to staple it down as I would with the IKEA frames. The frames were too narrow/thin/cheap to do so, so I had to revise that whole plan and head down another track.

Bring on my favorite friend the glue gun. You'll be using a lot of glue for this project so make sure you are well stocked.

To glue the corners down I pulled it tight and put a glob on each side, laying it on top.

For the rest of the frames I just glued.

This is what happens when you rest your hand on the melting lava hot tip of the glue gun. You will hear a subsequent sizzling sound and then exquisite pain will shoot through it, while your husband laughs in the background at your moanings. Put some baking soda mixed with a tiny bit of water on it, it will draw the heat out. Thanks Mom. I don't really recommend this step.

Yes. So....crafting. Yea. The second material I choose was some brown felt I had hanging around. If you use a thicker material like felt you will need to be patient with the corners. I tried trimming one, but it didn't look as great.

And here they are. I laid them out how I wanted. At this point you could just call them good and hang them individually. They would make a pretty nice piece.

I however never know when to quit so I continued. I measured 5 inches in on the creme fabric and then glued each piece together subsequently. In retrospect I would have used a manlier glue like liquid nails for this part, but meh.

I found these letter at hobby lobby. They are originally $.99 a piece, but they were having a 50% off sale. I arranged them how I wanted them so I could also place where I wanted my burlap flowers to go.

To make your flowers cut five 'leaf' or 'petal' shapes out of the burlap. Try not to sneeze.

Seriously this is what everything looks like when you're done cutting. I can still smell it in the air and I'm pretty sure I have a million burlap particles attacking my nose cavity. *sneeze* *sniffle*

Put a little line of glue on each end and pinch it together.

Arrange how you want them and glue them down.

Pick a second coordinating material. I choose a charcoal felt. I love felt. Repeat the process just use smaller shapes.

For the inside I just used a circle of a lighter burlap, and then a little felt flower shape. You just roll a flower shape like here. Finish with a button and some brown leaves and you're done.

Almost. You have some more work to do still. I painted the letters a mustardy yellow and then added another flower to the other corner. Again, you could stop here and it would be a great piece.

But I'm gonna keep going. Of course. I wanted to be able to add pictures to the canvases. My original plan was to just have blank canvases and put the pictures in the middle with brads on the corners so they were interchangeable. You could do that I guess. Since I wanted to put all the fancy letters and flowers though, I had to revise so it didn't look like a third grader took a bunch of macarroni and glue to it. Maybe it still does, but again, meh.

So I decided on a 4x6 size and cut squares out that were 5x7. I guess technically that's a rectangle. Thank you ninth grade geometry class. Then I cut an inner square that was 4.5 inches wide and 5.75 inches high, so it overlapped the pic, but still gave room on the edges to glue down. And yes that is paint on my fingers, because I paint like a five year old. Actually your five year old probably does better.

Embellish it of course. Glue all sides but the top down to the canvas on the edges, that way your pics can be interchangeable.

And here it is! Sorry this could possibly be the WORST picture I've ever taken, but it is DARK in the stairwell. We're trying to find a new light to make it better, but we'll see. This project was very minimal in cost: the material, glue, frames, and paint I had on hand, so I only had to buy the letters. Happy Friday!

my favorite things board

Remember this project? Well because I'm OCD I was a little concerned about the childishness in the office I decided to redo my redo. We repainted the kitchen, (pics later) and decided the old decor had to go, which was fine since I paid a whopping $5 for it. We also wanted the space to be a little more functional, and I had seen a lot of menu boards, message boards, photo boards and calender boards I had liked around. So I figured the best thing to do would be to combine all my favorite elements into one thing. Of course.

This is my favorite things board! Spaces for notes, weekly menu, calender, and all the announcements/notes/pic I get sent!Also, in case you cared, the rosettes match this project.

I started by spray painting the frame. I covered it in paper from my home printer, so needless to say there were gaps and the mist in the air got them. A little rubbing alcohol took the paint off so if it happens to you don't fret. Or you could actually take the time to tape and cover the board. If you're cool like that. I then distressed it a little. Finally I cut a piece of fabric I had on hand to the size I wanted on the board.

I carefully glued the edges and pushed them into the frame, then the middle, then the final edge on the board.

I trimmed it with grosgrain ribbon. After gluing it down I measured where I wanted everything else. My calender measure 17.5" by 14.5"- giving me 2.5" inches per square and a 2" space at the top.
If you haven't seen rosettes made out of fabric, I'm not sure where you've been. It's ok, we still love you. Typically I hand stitch these if they go on fabric but because I'm lazy inventive I just hot glued them where the stitch would be. Then I put a button in the middle of each one and glued them to the corner.
I couldn't find my ribbon so I just used yarn. It worked just fine, just crisscross where you want them to hold the pictures and glue each end under the frame trim or ribbon trim to hide it.

If you have a cricut, I'm sure you'd make this all cute with vinyl. I don't, so I didn't. Handwritten looks ok too. :)
These bad boys are the bomb. Use permanent markers for anything you don't want to wipe off easily. They do come off with rubbing alcohol, so don't fret.
I marked out where I wanted my calender to be and then traced the level. Don't tell my husband I got black permanent marker all on the side of his level.

And since we all LOVE trying to find markers, I decided to just attach it to the darn thing. Use some glue.
Then use some more. Voila.
I pretty much love it. Happy Wednesday!

two {down}!

So I'm officially into the third trimester...hallelujah!! Besides not being able to sleep and feeling a lot like death, things are great! lol. No, I really do feel so blessed and grateful to be at this point and to dream about what our little button will look like. If she'll have dark hair, who she'll take after. I can't wait!

In the meantime, I have been doing A TON of projects in the home which I am super excited about. Here are some glimpses, and I'll blog more about the how tos later!

My favorite one of the nursery so far- hand painted murals. Except they won't go above the crib...just seeing how they'd look! And I'll also tell you how to do the board and batten look for super cheap.
My $1.00 salvation army find...spray painted of course.
My first recovery project. And I painted it.
New pillows? Yes please.
These are everywhere on blog land, but you can make your own hurricane for dirt cheap. This one cost me $0.45. Not kidding.
Sorry about the flash, cuz my wall is not orange. Some fall decor! (Those vases were .35 cents a piece...glass but spray painted black)
More dollar store fall decor! Not the painting. That for sure cost more than a dollar. :)

My first curtains attempt. This is part of a much larger project for door and window. Again sorry for the flash at night. And we're missing plate covers for the switches, we just painted. I'm loving the new color!

So excited for the projects coming up, including restoring a nightstand and dresser, making curtains for french doors, another table runner for the dining room, dish towels, Little Button's blessing dress, some blankets, some....

...You can just call me nesting. :) Happy Tuesday!

new curtains

I made these beauties out of broadcloth and some fabric I had around from another project. Total cost was around $10. It was my first curtains attempt, and I winged it, so make sure you don't look terribly close. I needed to design the long curtains so they wouldn't get caught in the door but would cover the windows when the sun came in during the afternoon. I love the bright colors in the kitchen though! (oh and excuse the dust, mess, and random tile saw in the corner. We have been doing last minute finishes on our town home basement and we are both. very. ready. for. it. to. be. done.)