Lockers, etc.

I was really happy to hear that Allison from House of Hepworths liked my book vases and featured them on Hookin' Up with HoH!!  There are a lot of cool Halloween projects from last week on her site..LOVE it!

I don't usually talk food on my blog but we found the best chicken curry recipe this week and you've got to try it.  It is dee-lish!! I'm a lucky girl - my husband likes to cook & he's good at it. I did have to clean the kitchen...totally worth it.  Here is the recipe. 

Since it was such a gorgeous day here in GA, I decided to do some painting. 

Remember these?  

They are going in my son's room.  I'm in the process of getting all of the stickers off them, giving them a good scrubbing & painting them white. He has about a bajillion Legos and everything that goes with them.  I think these bad boys will do the trick in getting his room a little more organized.  

 Hopefully, I'll have an after pic of these really soon!  I hope you all enjoy your Sunday..I'll be resting and I'm soo ready for it.  

TTFN,

Book Vase Tutorial & a lot to be thankful for!

I love having the kind of weekend that just recharges you for the week to come! We had family stay with us and then more came over for breakfast on Sunday. I'm so thankful to have all of them and no matter what might be going on in our lives, we always end up laughing our heads off! Then Brian and I went to our Bible study group last night and it was totally awesome. By the time we got home, we felt completely shored up and renewed. God is good!


On to the tutorial -

I made these last week and was asked how I did it.

I'm sure there is an easier way but this is how I went about it:

First, pick a paperback that is about medium thickness. I've tried it with smaller & larger ones and haven't had much success with them. I also don't recommend an older book because the spine might be brittle. Trust me, it's beyond aggravating when halfway through cutting you split the spine.

 Tear the cover off the front & back and draw your vase shape.  It's easier when you keep the shape simple.

I use scissors and cut more than one page at a time.  Depending on your design, you might need a straight razor for tight cuts.

Next step, bend back the spine, fan it out and figure out where you want to glue it.

I tried quick dry glue and it didn't hold.  The ol' hot glue gun to the rescue (again)!  It should look something like this after you glue the two ends together.  Fan all the pages out again until they are spread out all the way around.

This is when I snip the pages that are sticking out a little further than others (I see one in this picture). And keep in mind, my version is not perfect.  These are like the Christmas tree, you have to put the bad side to the wall.   

If you try this, I'd love to see how it turned out.  I'm off to start my week - take care!

I'm going to party with Met Monday at BNOTP - lots of cool stuff to see..

TTFN,

A couple of wreaths, a couple of books

Like almost everyone else in bloggerville, I have created my share of wreaths.  I made a new sheet music wreath last night (copied Miss Mustard Seed's). I ripped the sheet into fourths, so this one is a littler smaller.  I'm hanging this on an old window in the hallway. I don't know about you guys, but I have a hard time just sitting and watching TV, so this was fun to do while catching up on my TiVo'd shows.

love it!

While I was at it, I carved up a couple of paperbacks.  I was digging through my home magazine stash and found a Country Living with these in them and gave it a try. 

 

 I think they're fun and if you get tired of it just get rid of them.  Disposable decor!

Last year I made my sister this gigantic book wreath.  I didn't mean for it to be so big, but it kinda got out of control.  I've learned to show a little more restraint since then.

 

 I have just accepted the fact that my pictures are going to be shoddy at times until I get a fancy-schmancy camera.

 

 

means Happiness in French 

 

I stamped gold stars with a smidge of glitter on the tips.

 

And this is the back.  

I can't believe we're almost to Halloween.  I don't really decorate for anything other than Christmas, so it's been fun looking at what everyone else has going on.  Am I the only one that is too lazy to decorate for each holiday/season?

I'm Hookin' Up with HOH.  Lots of projects over there!

TTFN,

The life of this hutch...

 Ok..so I picked up this hutch at a garage sale last year.  It wasn't expensive and I would describe it as 'primitive' which means totally beat up with a high awesomeness factor.  It was blech blue, so I repainted it to look like this:

I love the copperish pulls & the storage is great.

Added a little detail to the drawers.

Now I really did like this hutch.  It reminded me of furniture we saw in Italy (I had to throw that in there - wink, wink).

It lived happily in my den filled with video games, DVDs, exercise gear, etc. until I mentioned to my mom that I was going to sell it because we're clearing space for new furniture and remodeling the den.  She was like...uh, sell it?!  I want it!  So there ya' go..it's mom's now.  I repainted it for her and it's moving out this weekend.  Here's the new look:

A clean white French country look. It will fit right in at mom's!

I like the wood planks on the side.

 

I love using color on furniture but white really makes knobs & pulls pop.  

I was playing around with old paperbacks the other day. I've seen quite a few altered books used as decorations & I was trying my hand at it.  I really liked this shape and stuck in the bookcase - done!

So, this weekend we have friends visiting from PA and we're tripping the light fantastic with them. I'm not finishing any more projects for a few days, so I'll be bloghopping!  I hope you all have a great weekend & thanks for coming by!

I'm linking to FFF at Miss Mustard Seed's and SNS at Funky Junk Interiors.  There's a lot of cool stuff over there!


TTFN,

Valet for the Pink Room & Recent Finds

My mom totally surprised me the other day and brought over something I grew up looking at:

My dad used this valet daily. Change, wallet, keys on top...this was also where he kept his belts.  The belts that I had to choose from when I royally messed up.  Yep, I was spanked as a kid  - my brother & sister were spanked too.  I know people freak out about it now, but I believe it was a necessary tool in my parents arsenal when it came to me & my brother.  My sister, not so much - she was usually framed and I'm still apologizing for some of my stunts.  But I digress....he also kept his shoe polish kit underneath.  Of course, it looked a whole lot different then.  Mom put a lot of work into this & totally refurbished it for me. She had to take it apart to slipcover the back and seat & painted it.  She did a great job - I love you, Mom!

  I love that it offers a hanger, tray & a seat!!  Of course, I have my stuff all over it but it's there if you really wanted to use it.

 

This got bumped out of the corner and it's now floating under the window.  I'll have to find a new place for it..good luck with that!

Here are a couple of recent finds:

I picked up these at Habitat for Humanity.  I like using old serving vessels for my jewelry. 

I've got to share this...a birthday card my sister gave me a few years ago that still makes me laugh..

TTFN,

Repurposing shelf brackets

I picked up these two brackets at a garage sale a while back..I think I spent $1 for the pair. I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do with them, but I really liked the shape.


Here they are before:

They were pretty but a little busted up...my favorite!

After:

I saw quite a few architectural pieces at Scott's Antique Market, so I went in that direction.  I screwed the two brackets together, painted & distressed them.  They're a little wonky but that seems to be what I gravitate towards.

I'm slowly but surely getting the bookcase in order & will change things around several times a week (or day).  Right now we're cutting the veneer into 3.5" strips and covering the desktop.  It's a total pain but I think it'll be worth it.

Tonight we're meeting with a Bible study group from church and looking forward to meeting new friends.  We're also going to take a big step this next week..I hesitate to say more until it's done. But we're so EXCITED about it and I'm just saying my prayers, crossing my fingers & toes it all goes smoothly!!

I love Sundays & I hope you all are enjoying yours!!

I'm linking to Metamorphosis Monday at BNOTP - pop over & see what everyone has been up to!

TTFN,