Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Who doesn't LOVE Toile!

I am joining the party as I am a hug fan as well. Here is some I have in my home. My favorite is black and white, but red and white is just as nice!

Hope you enjoy.


My shopping bag, I am so glamorous when I grocery shop!

The bulletin board in the kitchen.
Curtains I made and didn't sew anything!
Last but not least, may favorite mirror.


Hope you check out all the others... http://prettyorganizedpalace.blogspot.com/

Monday, March 23, 2009

The Bathroom

Just a quick post, I am not feeling well. Better than earlier, but still blah.


A few pictures from the bathroom I talked about yesterday. This room is very small, only room for a sink and toilet. Sorry I didn't take a before picture, but it was yellow and no one liked it. I painted it green and used lots of black accents. So far no complaints, but sometimes it takes a few days in this house. I need to find new curtains that go with the room better and we will eventually put in a pedestal sink. The bathroom will not stay this clean and clutter free, soon the shelves will be covered with hair products and make-up.
The sign below hangs outside the bathroom.



I bought this mirror last year at Marshells for less than $10.00. I have moved it all over the house, but it looks nice here.
See the curtains do not seem to go now, but this was a no cost make over(for now anyway)

OK I am going back to the couch, have a good night!

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Change of Plans

We woke up today to a dusting of snow on the ground and flurries in the air, can you believe it! I guess that is what we get for living in upstate NY. So I did not work in the back yard today. We cleaned the house, Chris hung my window frame on the porch and I am painting the upstairs bathroom. It is just a small half bath so it only took about an hour. I am waiting for the paint to dry so I can finish it up.





I want to show you my dresser/cabinet re do. I saw this at Salvation Army on Monday, was immediately drawn to it as I have been looking for something like this to paint. I didn't buy it that day though, I am not sure why the price was right, $6.99. I kept thinking of it all week and went back Friday and it was still there. I was both surprised and not surprised if that makes sense. It was a cheap piece of furniture but very ugly. So I bought it and brought it home. I removed all the old hardware and filled the holes(the were right down the center), sanded it down and began painting. I am very pleased with the way it came out. There are no handles on it yet, I would love some glass ones, but at about $4.00 a piece and I need 8 that is out of my price range. So I am probably just going to get the plain wood ones and paint them black. They will go on either side of the numbers. The feet also need replacing, I will be looking for round fence finials to use, it will bring the cabinet closer to the ground.

Saturday, March 21, 2009

A Day in the Garden






Well actually a day in the yard and flower beds, but in the Garden sounds much more glamorous. I finished the front and side flower beds and hope to finish the back yard tomorrow. I also hung the sweet garden sign. I made it out of on old bed post, finial and scrap wood squares. It will look better when all the trees and flowers are in bloom.




Not only did I work in the yard and hang this I also repainted a set of drawers. (I'll share the before and after tomorrow, its almost finished)



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I will leave you with a few more Garden signs.



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I really like this "The Garden" sign, I am still trying to decide what to put in the top black part, maybe a number or flowers in French...what do you think?

Friday, March 20, 2009

I am Losing it!


About 5 minutes after my post last night, guess what was found? That darn memory card reader thing (sorry I have no idea what the real name is). My Husband found it in a place I looked 3 times, I HATE when that happens.
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OK I am going to tell you how to make those chalkboards.
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Materials to be used:
1) Wood - A smooth Pine board works just fine, but not to knotty.
2) Paint - Your color of choice.
3) Making Tape
4) Chalkboard Paint
5) Rub on Decals
6) A sawtooth hanger, twine, wire, or ribbon - Whatever your preference for hanging.
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I was lucky enough to get about 4 bundles of hard wood drawer faces (the fronts of dresser drawers that were never assembled). They work great for these chalkboards, but they are a little heavy. Obviously you are not going to have extra drawer faces lying around, but any piece of wood will work. Lowe's has pre cut wood in all sizes. Paint the whole thing the color of your choice. Then take masking tape and tape all the way around the edges, you can also tape off a square at the top to leave painted so you can embellish it later. Once everything is taped, paint on the chalkboard paint. I use the kind that you apply with a brush, but I am sure you could use the spray paint kind. To embellish the square in the middle you can paint something if you feel artistic, a pretty flower, a Fleur de lis, or you can use a rub on decal. I am sure you have seen them at Walmart, Micheals, AC Moore, etc. I used roosters, topiaries and sunflowers on the ones I've made, it really makes them professional looking. If you want to hang them you can nail a sawtooth hanger on the back; or drill holes through the top as I did for wire, twine, or ribbon.
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I wish I could take better pictures, but I think you get the point.
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Any questions, let me know. I would love to see all of yours when you finish them.
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I have a lot of things I want to accomplish this weekend, we will see if that happens. Either way I will have something for tomorrow. ( I have been working on a few things) Hopefully I will be able to add more to Etsy too!
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Thursday, March 19, 2009

What a night!

Its been some night, but my Etsy is now open. Check it out using the link on the right. Not sure how it all works yet, but I will figure it out. In other news my memory card reader has disappeared, no one knows where it is. I guess it grew legs and walked away. So maybe tomorrow I can share with you how to make the chalk boards.


I have to have at least one picture so I will leave you with this initial I did a few years ago.


Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Cafe Sign

Are you surprised, another French inspired sign, this from an antique cafe sign. I decided to do shading on the letters. It sure makes them pop.Reality...My bench is getting full. I need to get organized the craft fair is next weekend. Not only do I have to price all of these I have 4 totes full of signs to go through that need to be re-priced. If I have had them too long they get reduced to get rid of them. That will be a project for this weekend. I will have lots of pictures as those were all done pre-blog so no pictures. See the chalkboards on the end? I will share more of those soon. Super easy to make, you'll defiantly wanna make one.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

A Few Green Things



I picked up this cute pear at the thrift store..of course it needed a fresh coat of green paint. It looks so spring like sitting in the kitchen window. I also found this great silver tray.


The weather here was beautiful today...I think Spring is finally on its way!




Monday, March 16, 2009

Sweet Cottage Sign and a Thoughtful Gift



I just know there is someone out there who will love this little sign, its just waiting for the perfect cottage. I have been trying to come up with different signs for an upcoming craft fair on the 28th.
In other news, my cousin Anson, who lives in Ohio, has finally committed on a sign. He is an excellent cook and hopes to one day have a BBQ business. I have the opportunity to design and paint a sign for a newly built pavilion. I can't wait to show you what I come up with.
I had a similar opportunity last summer, where I painted a sign for a local Bar. The softball team that is sponsored by them gave this to the bar as a Thank you gift. A great personalized, meaningful gift.



Sunday, March 15, 2009

Butterflies



I had an order for butterflies for a little girls room. The only request was to have the butterflies white (her room is pink and green). This is what I came up with. I had a hard time finding the right pink. While at Michael's my daughter found the perfect pink glitter, but it was for fabric? I never know they made glitter for fabric, probably because I don't sew or make clothes. It's hard to tell in the pictures, but each letter is glittered as well as the circles on the wings. The antenna are made from wire.