From Rock Star to Toile Star

1. Bought star from The Dollar Tree
2. Cut off the yellow ribbon
3. Spraypainted the whole thing black, I really only had to do the sides
4. Traced around the star on scrapbook paper and cut it out
5. Modpodged the paper onto the star
6. Added another ribbon and hung it
My little project was very quick, easy, and cheap. I went back and bought 3 more stars (that's all they had left) so I could make some more with different scrapbook paper. Kinda cute, huh?!

Antique Mantel

The mantel I have in my living room is actually an old one bought at a flea market type store about an hour and a half from my house. That store is now closed and I was so mad when I found out! Anyway, I had been looking for an antique mantel for a long time, but they were all too small (the opening not wide enough) for my fireplace. I had seen some pretty mantels at this store and told my husband about it, but had pretty much decided he might have to make one instead of buy one so that it would fit. I really wanted an old one though. Well, on the way back from a work trip my husband stopped by this store and bought one of the mantels. I was so surprised and excited when he came home with it. I was also wondering how in the world he was going to make it work in our home. He had to cut the mantel in half (I didn't watch) and add about 10 inches of wood to the middle to make it wide enough. He also had to cut some off the sides of the legs to get enough clearance on either side of the firebox. He added a new deeper shelf and painted it to match the rest of the mantel. I wouldn't let him repaint the rest of it because I wanted it to remain as it was. I love my antique mantel because it is interesting and I'm sure has plenty of history behind it. I don't know what that history is, but I can make up my own stories about stockings being hung there at Christmas and a family trying to keep warm in front of a roaring fire. I hope y'all had a wonderful week and will have a relaxing Labor Day weekend!

Architectural Pieces

I just love old architectural pieces. I am talking about stuff off old houses. Aren't they called architectural pieces or am I trying to sound like I know what I'm talking about but I'm really wrong? Anyway... I like old columns, windows, railings, moldings, stuff like that. They are interesting to look at and add some character to a characterless house like my 1973 ranch. We have scavenged at my husband's grandmother's house and found some neat pieces. I didn't do anything to them but hang 'em.


Lamp made out of a porch railing baluster


Column I bought in a store

Sorry about the dark pictures! They are dark when I don't use the flash, but too bright when I do. I love the white chippy paint. I have some other pieces I want to show, but I got tired of loading pictures so I'll save them for another day. I can't believe I'm doing a post at 8:40 in the morning. I'm up early today! I didn't go to bed until 2am so I am still very sleepy! Well, off to get a few things done before my son wakes up. Have a great day!

Sheet Turned Shower Curtain

Meme over at Screaming Meme did a post yesterday on using sheets for decorating projects such as recovering a chair. So, I thought I'd show my master bathroom shower curtain I made from a sheet. I cut it to the right size and my mom sewed it. She only had to sew two sides. You could also use hot glue or fabric glue. I do a lot of hot gluing! I so need to learn how to sew! Then I put holes in the top for the rings. I did not do any kind of professional job like putting grommets or sewing buttonholes. Nosirree, I'm all about the quick and easy. I took some kind of sharp tool (an icepick I think) and just jabbed into the fabric to make the holes. I think it turned out good, although I'm sure my husband would rather have something besides flowers. Sorry sweety! You know I'm in charge of the decor! The last picture shows the bottom of the curtain. What made this sheet cute besides the pattern was that it had a ruffle on one end. I have a small bathroom so it is not easy to take pictures in there! Have a terrific Tuesday!

Spray Painting Party

Joy over at Joys of Home is hosting a Spray Painting Party today. Here are a few of my projects...

A chalkboard in a frame hanging in my kitchen

A chair planter by my backdoor

A table by my chair in the living room

Picture frames in guest bedroom

Birdhouse roof was blue and I painted it red


Spray paint is an awesome invention and can transform just about anything!!!

Window Pot Rack

My husband and I made this pot rack out of an old window. I have hung some baskets, vintage pots, and dried flowers from it, but have never been happy with how it looks. I love the french country look so I'd like it to reflect that. Do you have any ideas about what to put on top of it and also hang from it? Please let me know. Thanks!!!

My Big Wonderful Closet

O.K., now I will make the big reveal on where the heck my closet is. To those of you who live in a big house with big rooms and big closets this will not be a big deal. I live in a normal size house (a little over 2000 sf). My closet is actually a former bedroom. The previous owners made an opening between the master bathroom and a bedroom. They had someone come in and install all the shelves and rods. So, my closet is large (to me) and I LOOOOOOOOVE IT!!! We have an armoire, a chest of drawers, and another small cabinet in there. Oh, and we also have a dog crate in there which is great for throwing clothes and stuff on. I am so used to this big closet that I don't know what I'll do if I ever have to go back to a small one. This house was originally 4 bedrooms and now it has 3. Like I said, the couple who lived here before us did it. I don't know if I would have had the nerve to. But, I have never had that 4th bedroom so I don't miss it. Everything could go back to the way it originally was, but I can assure you we won't be doing that!








I didn't clean it up for y'all - sorry! I'm sure you found this post to be very informative and exciting!

Master Bedroom

I was going for a cottagey, kinda vintage look in our bedroom when I decorated it. It has changed several times in the five years we have lived here and I'm sure will be changed again in the future. The curtains and pillowcases are from one of my favorite fabrics, Waverly Vintage Rose. I have a comforter in the same pattern, but I can't handle a white/cream colored background because I'd be afraid of how dirty it would get. I got it from a garage sale and it is in my attic until I decide what to do with it. My comforter is usually never on my bed. Our two dogs sleep with us and they shed A LOT! So, we have a beautiful ( I'm being sarcastic) dark green sheet that stays on top of our other sheet in order to catch the dog hair. Can anybody out there sympathize? Did you notice we have a fireplace? I bet you don't have one in your bedroom. We are so rich - NOT!!! It's one of those fake fireplaces from Lowe's. I like how it looks in the room and it gives me another surface to decorate. That's always a plus! My bed and nightstands were black until a few months ago when I painted them an off-white color to lighten things up and look better with the window cornices my husband built. My husband built the headboard too. He's pretty darn handy! You didn't think I married him for love, did you?! I'm just kidding! My mother-in-law is reading this and wondering what kind of chick her precious son married. Look at the third picture and you will see an alcove to the right of the bed. I didn't post a picture, but it's where our TV is and also an antique cedar chest. That small alcove used to be the closet for this bedroom. I can't imagine my husband and I having to keep our clothes in that space. So, we don't have a closet in our bedroom. Well then, where is our closet? I know you are absolutely dying to know the answer. You'll have to check me out tomorrow to find out. I hope you'll be able to go about your day not knowing and highly anticipating tomorrow's post. Have a wonderful day!

My First Award

I want to say a big THANK-YOU to Sue at The Cotton Patch for my very first blogging award. I am truly honored that she picked me. It made my day!!!

Here are the rules:

1. The recipient must link back to the awards creator.

2. You must post these rules if you receive the award.

3. You must choose 5 people to receive the award after receiving it yourself.

4. You must fit the characteristics of the recipient of the award (see below).

5. You must post the characteristics of a recipient.

6. You must create a post sharing your win with others.

7. You must thank your giver.

Characteristics for the Smile Award:

1. Must display a cheerful attitude (not necessarily at all times--we are human)

2. Must love one another.

3. Must learn from others.

4. Must be a positive contributor to blog world.

5. Must learn from mistakes.

6. Must love life.

7. Must love kids.

The 5 blogs I chose (all awesome and I read them daily) are:
1. Cherry's Jubilee
2. Just A Girl
3. Decorating Fanatic
4. Our Cozy Nest
5. Feels Like Home
I am still working on taking pictures of my bedroom and will post them sometime tomorrow. Good night!

Cornices in Master Bedroom

I love the cornice boxes over the windows in my master bedroom. I saw the idea a few years ago in a magazine and kept the picture so that hopefully I would have some one day. My husband built these a while back and I have been very happy with them. I painted them white and then aged them with some stain. I was going to leave them white, but they just looked too stark.



Another thing I have to mention that I am so excited about is that my husband is in the process of installing new windows in our house. Our house was built in 1973 so we have been needing them bad. I have always kept the blinds closed in the rooms where the windows looked the worst. Our bedroom was one of those rooms. Now I am not embarrassed to open the curtains and show the outside. We are not sure if we'll put the blinds back up. Mine stay so dusty. Could it be because they never get cleaned?! He is almost done with the back of the house and has got to special order the ones for the front. It ain't cheap, but we are saving lots by him doing it. I am so proud of him because it is not easy job. If I can get my bedroom cleaned up enough, I'll show the rest of it tomorrow. See ya!

A few weekend projects

I did a few projects this weekend. I did Joy's project from Joys of Home, Under Five Minutes and Under Five Dollars. I would link you to her, but I don't know how to do that yet. I'll have to get my computer savvy husband to show me. Joys of Home is an AWESOME blog with easy and cheap (my two favorite adjectives) projects to do. The project was an initial plaque. I did one for my son's room.


I painted a wooden plaque, modpodged some scrapbook paper onto it, painted a wooden letter, and then glued it on. It think it cost me around $3 and took less than five minutes. I love those kinds of projects! I also created a new vignette on my fleur de lis piece in my living room (see the post entitled From the dumpster to my den).

I have been looking at other blogs to get ideas on arranging things on tables and creating pretty groupings. I have trouble with that. I like it when accessories are layered and at different heights. Some people just have a knack for it. Another thing I did was I went with a friend to a scrapbooking weekend event and had a great time. Some people were there all weekend, we only went on Saturday. I am a beginning scrapbooker while my friend has been doing it for a few years. She probably has close to ten thick albums she's done and they are so cute. I wasn't sure if I should get into it or not, but now I know I enjoy it and like the idea that I'm creating something I'll keep for the rest of my life. Let me know if any of you out there scrapbook and have any tips for me since I'm new to it. I hope you had a super weekend and will have a great Monday!

Pantry Screen Door

I saw this idea somewhere and thought it was so cute. Ofcourse, the one I saw that was so cute had all the food and stuff inside all organized into baskets and bins which is my goal to do one day.



My sweet and wonderful husband saw the screen door in someone's trash while he was jogging. He went back later and got it and I was thrilled. I have looked at new ones at Lowe's and Home Depot many times, but wanted one for really cheap. He cut it and pieced it together so it would fit the opening. He painted it black and distressed it. I can't take credit for any of it because he did it all. I did get the fake crystal knob for it though. It was something I already had. He also put molding on the front of each shelf and black and white checked wallpaper on the back wall.




I know I'm probably crazy to have a pantry where you can see everything inside, but I haven't regretted doing it. Like I said, my goal is to have cute baskets, bins, jars, and different kinds of containers to hold everything. It just hasn't been a priority yet. I'll let you know if I ever get it to look pretty. I hope you all have a wonderful and creative weekend! I am going to do some scrapbooking with a good friend of mine so I'm excited! Oh yeah, and we'll be hitting some yard sales too ofcourse!