REAL OR FAUX FLOWERS?

I just wanted to start this post with a confession...yes I do have ALOT of faux flowers and even have a faux tree!Yep I am a Sir ( miss in my case) faux alot. I like them big, round, and fake...( that's and ode to one of my fav. songs as a kid) You know THAT song..I personally cant afford to have fresh flowers in my home at all times and another confession, I most times kill anything that is in dirt, so faux to the rescue. There are a lot of really nice looking fake trees and flowers out there and they have come along way from your grandma's fake plants and flowers. I think they look pretty darn close if not better than the real thing, and I  think company's caught on that there are lots of people (I hope) like me out there who couldn't keep a plant alive to save their own life.

Now some of these can be pretty expensive, but if you do some searching you can find good prices. I personally bought most of my fake little friends at Ross, and a couple from Home Goods. I think their prices are among the best. Joss and Main have some pretty decent prices sometimes too.My motto is don't be afraid to rock your faux's. If you love them and fresh flowers are not part of the budget, or you cant keep your plants alive rock the faux's! I will leave you with just a few of mine...

 

 

 

Do you rock the faux's?? Let me know!  Hope your day is great!!

KENDRA SCOTT GOODNESS

Can you believe February is almost over?? I cant, this month just flew by so fast! No more Febuany from subway, (BIG frowney face) I have been there a lot this month, Mama loves me some turkey breast sandwiches with all the fixings hehe.. I am so exited that spring is on its way though. Speaking of February, I totally forgot to share what my hubby got me this Valentines day. I dropped him some MAJOR hints this year that I wanted this awesome pair of turquoise earrings from Kendra Scott. I have seen these every where and wondered who makes these and where can I get them?? I did a little googling  around and aha I found them. HERE is her website. I was in love with everything, but I only could ask for one thing which I was happy with. The earrings I wanted are called the Danielle Earrings, found HERE.

I waited for the V Day to arrive patiently (not so much) to see if the hubby ordered them and by golly he sure did! I opened up the box to this beautiful pouch

Front

Back

The earrings were even more beautiful..

Thank You my Sweet Hubby! You Truly Are The Best! I am sure you figured out that I LOVE these hehe..Here is a pic (side view) of them on..Whatcha guy's think??

 

See You Tomorrow!!

Stenciled Curtains

There are a lot of stenciled curtains out there in blog world so I thought I would give it a try myself, so here's my story and it goes like this.. I turned my plain curtains to custom made ones, my curtains I purchased from Ikea, they were $20 for a set of 2, great deal. The nearest Ikea  is a whopping 5 hour drive, so to say the most my dear dear Ikea I can only see you every few months if I am lucky. Its probably a good thing because I would probably be there so much I would have to sleep in one of their demo beds..hehe I could totally live there they even have a restaurant that serves all three meals. Sorry hehe back to the curtains, I was in a rush when I purchased these curtains,(time is always on my back) so I just grabbed the first color I seen. I got them home and they were terribly beige (boring) for my taste, but nothing that a stencil cant fix.They needed some jazzing up, so I looked on Pinterest for some inspirations and came up with my stencil. I took a drive to the craft store and  purchased a stencil sheet traced my stencil on it and used a exacto knife to cut it out. I opted for an open design without any intricate lines to cut out.

 Now for the paint, I just used some regular  paint (the kind you paint walls and trim with). I poured the paint into a plastic cup and I added some textile medium, mix 2 parts paint to 1 part medium.That's the awsomeness of this textile medium (it turns regular ole paint into fabric paint), I found a chop stick and gave it a good stir and the paint was ready to go. I recommend washing your curtains first because after you paint these and set them the fabric wont shrink around your stencils in the washer then they wont have that puckered look. After washing the curtains and mixing my paint I put down trash bags on the floor and taped them  down so if the paint seeps through the curtains it wont ruin your floors, then lay your curtain on the floor. I eye balled my stencil and where I wanted to start it, put my stencil down and use some painters tape to tape down the sides of the stencil so that it wont shift around when you are painting. I used a foam brush  (you can pick up for 99 cents at the hardware store) dipped it in and held my stencil down with my free hand and started painting.

 I brush my paint from the corners to the middle of the stencil so that the paint has less of a chance of seeping under. Move your stencil over to the next spot and so on. I took only one coat of paint for mine. I let it dry for a few hours then I ironed the back side to set in the paint(so you can wash them and the paint wont come out).  From start to finish including drying time it took me about 5 hours. It's time consuming but no pain no gain I guess. I think the hardest part of this project wasn't making the stencil or painting, it was to keep my kids, my hubby, and the dog away from it while it dried, so maybe if you can do it when nobody is home that would be better hehe. Here they are hanging..do you dig??

Here is some up close photo's 

Here is a price break down:

Curtains $20.00

Fabric Textile (already Had)

Paint (freebee from ace)

Foam Brush .99 cents

Stencil Sheet $1.99

Total               $22.98


Not too shabby ehh for custom made curtains? Thanks for stopping by!!

BTW you see that light fixture hanging on the ceiling? I made that too I will be posting about that soon!!

WEEKEND DEFEAT AND OBSESSION FOR CHINESE CHIPPENDALE CHAIRS

The weekend defeated me, I had a list of things that I was really gonna get done and I only finished one project. (sad face)This was my list:

1. Switch T.V. cabinets (this is the only thing I got done)
2. I had a secret project I posted about here
3. Make pillows that I posted about here 
4. Buy a camera!!and take all new pictures for the blog
5. Change the wall of pictures behind T.V. (new gallery)

So I only got one thing done, I had my weekend warrior attitude in place with my chest puffed out ready to work but the family said no way lady not this weekend. I guess you win some and you loose some right? I will leave you with the one completed project...

                        BEFORE

             AFTER

Much better, I still haven't decided if I will try and tackle painting the wood cabinet yet. Oh and do you see those Chinese Chippendale Chairs? I got those off Craigslist for an unbelievable price, $35.00 buckaroos for the both, I swear it, these chairs just call out to me I think, I have been unbelievably lucky when it comes to finding them. Is anyone else obsessed with this style chair?
See you all tomorrow!!

CAN YOU GUESS WHAT THIS MAY END UP AS?

The Hubsters brought home these storage containers,(4 of them) not really sure what was in them, I am thinking flour?? They will get a good cleaning just to be safe. Well I have an idea to make these over..and  a store is selling something like it now. Here's a hint..I am gonna buy some faux white leather and some thumb tacks and the first letter of the store is a T...hmm..stay tuned for the reveal (I am hoping I will get these done this weekend, fingers crossed).

See you tomorrow!!

Home Decorator's Reflections Cabinet

When I discovered through an email last year that Home Decorator's was having a clearance sale on their Reflections Cabinets I let out a big ole squeal!! I have been eyeing these baby's for a long time, but they were totally out of my price range. I went to their site with my fingers, my toes, my legs crossed to see what the clearance price would be and if I could afford even the clearance price. Well it was my lucky day, I could afford this and they were offering free shipping too, woohoo! I got my cabinet for $300 with free shipping. I had been saving up some money to buy a dresser or some kind of cabinet for the new t.v. my hubby purchased, and of course the t.v. he chose to buy was a whopping 55 inches, so I needed a long something. (This was income tax time last year) we normally wouldn't have that kind of money for such a t.v. purchase.

The unfortunate thing was the day before this happy little email I received from Home Decorators,  I jumped the gun and bought a really awesome cabinet from the thrift store. I didn't spend a lot of money on this thrift store cabinet but I kinda felt a little guilty, what would I do with two cabinets??
I just couldn't pass up the Reflections cabinet, so yes I did buy it. The one I really wanted was out of stock which was this one:

VIA

This is the one that I ended up getting, it's still really nice even though I "settled" for it:

 The thrift store cabinet came home with me and we put the T.V. on it and that's where it has stayed for a whole year now. When the Reflections cabinet came I intended to switch the two around (put the t.v. on the reflections cabinet) but I just never got around to it. It has been in my dining room ever since. Well the time has come to do the switcharoo..Hopefully I will get it done within the next few days.. Maybe my bugaboo (hehe you like that ) will help me do it for me and be my muscle Here is the thrift store cabinet, (I love the brass hardware and the ring pulls,) I may end up painting this one, I haven't made up my mind on this one yet..but if I do I will be posting about it. What do you guys think the switcharoo is in order?? How about painting this cabinet??

ekk cords..they are everywhere in my house

 

ADDING SOME TEXTURE

 Texture is the surface quality of an object, resulting from its three-dimensional structure, and is often used to describe the relative smoothness or roughness of a surface.Texture may be perceived by either touch or sight,it can be a smooth shiny surface or a rough nubby surface.In interior designing this is an important tool. Texture adds that something special to a space, it really is a powerful force, it creates a visually engaging room. That's what I think we all strive for.

When I say add texture, it can be anything like a weaved nubby basket filled with your favorite magazines, a furry throw pillow, raw wood logs in the fire place,smooth rock filled vases,a piece of coral or a silk throw.All things I personally love and am drawn to when I "window" shop.

 Mixing pattern with texture really work great together. Pattern is used in design to "fill" a space as does texture, so try and marry the two together without over doing it. I like to use pattern in different scales with similar colors, so you can mix the patterns, just make sure they have commonalty's in color. I love pattern and this way I can add more pattern till my hearts content and by mixing texture with pattern it really gives the eye a nice calming break.



 

 Speaking of patterns, I try and add them to the entire room, and not clump them up in one corner. It keeps the eye moving around the whole room and not just stopping in one spot (the corner).I hope this post helps with the saying "add some texture" and what that means.

BTW...when I get a camera (I talked about that in my last post) I will be a photo taking crazy lady..so brace yourself Effie (if anyone's wondering where that is from..its Mrs. Doubtfire, love that movie). I will have many photos to help with visualizing my posts..until then...this is all I gots. See you guys manana!

DSLR CAMERA'S AND WHICH TO CHOOSE?

Since starting my blog and uploaded my pictures, I have noticed how much I really need a decent camera. My pictures look ok until I upload them, after that they are just simply terrible. I have a simple point and shoot Kodak digital camera, and I often use my iphone 4s camera, but they just don't cut the cheese. I compare it to a professional chef trying to cook over a camp fire with one hand tied behind his back.

 I have done some research on photo editing for adding light, sharpening, cropping and so on and  I have been using Picsa and it seems to be ok,but I think it would work much better if the quality of pictures I started with were better.  I see so many beautiful pictures on many blogs and I wonder "what kind if camera's are they using"? Their photos look fantastic! The photo's are so clear and bright you can actually see the details, that's important. Mine are just a blurry mess.Do not adjust your screen, yes these are my pictures...I need to put that disclaimer below all my pictures..hehe

That question led me to where I am  now, sitting on the couch with my laptop in my face for many hours trying to find an affordable yet good quality camera..I have found DSLR camera's are the "best" choices. The problem now is what brand do I choose, and which one in my price range is the best choice?? These are the ones I have been looking at..

This is the Cannon Rebel  XSI 12 mega pixels. 

And this the the Cannon Rebel XS 10.1 Mega Pixels.

These are in my price range at the moment, I found this one (the Rebel XS) at my local pawn shop for $260.00. It is on the older side but it looks like it has been barely used and it does come in the original box with all the instructions and software.As far as I read this is supposed to be a great camera with outstanding picture quality. I haven't made up my mind yet, anyone have any suggestions?? To be continued...

ECHELON HOME QUATREFOIL DUVET SET

Good Morning Sunshine...That's what my little one Brandon said to me this morning. It was so darn cute!
My hubby and I were up a little bit past our bedtime last night watching this hilarious movie called The Change Up. This movie has three fo my favorite actors in it, Leslie Mann,  Jason Bateman, and Ryan Renalds. If you haven't seen it, I Highly recommend it, super funny.Anyways I always find myself looking at the decor in the background of the movies  I watch and I randomly just burst out with "oh look honey isn't that cool", or "oh I love that lamp", random things like that. My poor hubby, he always replies "yes I see it, Ya its cool" like a robot..just to amuse me(and shut me up)..I seen this duvet set in this movie and liked it a lot which kinda has the same feel as the one I have.

From the movie find it here

That is my inspiration for today's post, my duvet set that I finally got around to putting on my bed..
Its called Echelon Home Quatrefoil Duvet Set in midnight. Its a bold graphic print which I am such a huge fan of. I got mine HERE. Its super affordable and you get the duvet, and two pillow shams.

 I broke mine up a bit with a white duvet, I tried it without the white duvet and it was just a little bit too busy for me..This is how I liked it..

Much better this way, gives the eye some rest... Anyone else a fan of BOLD graphic prints??
Well that's all folks, see you tomorrow!

FAUX GREEK KEY SHADE

You gotta love greek key, In my opinion it is timeless, a classic. I know it is very "trendy" at the moment but I have always had a love affair with greek key.  Because it is very "trendy" most things that I like are a little out of my budget, but the pattern is very simple and can be DIY'ed fairly easy.

I needed something for my kitchen window,I decided  it has been bare long enough. I have a plain old plastic blind hanging for privacy, but lets face it, plastic blinds arent very attractive to look at. So I wanted something pretty to look at, something to make that ugly blind not be the center attention. I came up with a greek key faux shade. Its not a functional shade, but it works for me, To "pretty" up the window.

First I had the idea and now second,what materials would I use?
Fabric can be expensive, even just  plain, non-patterned fabric, so off to the thrift store I went. I was looking in the linens section and found a nice crisp, clean white sheet. A light bulb dinged in my head..This is perfect, a sheet would work just fine. It was a twin size sheet and since my window was small this size will work. (If your window is larger, just buy a queen or king size sheet). I left the thrift store spending $1.50 for my sheet. Now I just needed the ribbon to make the greek key pattern. I had some black ribbon in my hoard craft drawer and some fabric glue, and that's all I needed. Three simple materials.

                                                         (sorry, forgot the sheet)


Here is how I made it:
I measured my window, which was 32 inches wide.
Decided how long I wanted it to be from top to bottom which was 20 inches and the "flap" 10 inches
Laid my sheet on the floor,measured 34 inches width (addition 1 inch on each side for the hem)
Measured Length wise 35 inches (20 inches for total length+10inches for flap+3inches for flap under hang+2inches for hem)
Marked the measurements on my sheet with a pencil, then cut.
I used my sewing machine to make the hems(you can use stitch witchery too) if I had some I would have used that instead. I created a little pocket at the top so that my rod could go through for hanging.
To make the "flap" I just folded the sheet under and sewed the outer seams together.

Now for the ribbon, I used graph paper and sketched the greek key, cut it out and again used a pencil and drew it onto the sheet. Putting the ribbon on is easy, put a little glue on the back side of the ribbon and just hold it down for a minute. The straight parts of the ribbon was easy, folding the ribbon to make the corners of the greek key took me a few tries. I learned if you fold it into a triangle then fold it down ,it works best for the corners like this..

  You will have to glue the ribbon to the ribbon then to the sheet. I let it dry for a few hours then hung her up. My window is now pretty! Here it is all done! Has anyone tried this before??

HELLO AGAIN SAN FRANCISCO

 This is totally off  topic of my usual home decorating posts or diy posts, but I would like to share something about our family that effects our every day lives, and if anyone out there is living with this I would love to hear from you.

Our Fam just got back from another trip to San Fransisco. The weather was gorgeous, bright sunny sky's, not a cloud in the sky. The temp was nice at around 63 degrees. We make this trip every three months ritually. My youngest son was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when he was just 4 years old, he is now 9.  My world came crashing down on that day to say the least. Not knowing any thing about diabetes I was sooo scared, and felt so helpless, clueless, and many other things I have no words for. No one in my husbands or my family had ever had this disease.

We still aren't sure why or what has caused this. But we are grateful to still have our little boy and are happy to say he is happy and healthy, thanks in part to our visits to Sanfran to see his specialists and several daily blood sugar checks and an insulin pump. We try to make our trips a fun thing and like to take in all the sites..San Francisco is a gorgeous place to visit. Here are Brandons  fav views..

He Loves the Golden Gate Bridge, he gets super exited every single time. Is anyone else have a child that has type 1 diabetes? I would love to hear your stories.. Here is my kiddo (I had to take a picture of a picture) he just wasn't up to photo time.. Hehe that's my boy..

FINISHED AGATE FINIALS

They Are Done!!

I posted about my idea for agate lamp finials last week (here).
I ordered my fancy finials on Ebay and they finally arrived. I gathered my materials, here is what you need for this project:

• Agate's 
• Finials you can get here
• Super Glue

 Here is what the finials look like when you get them:

First take the finials and separate the prongs like this:

Put a dab a little dab of super glue at the bottom of your agate and set it inside the prongs and close them up.

Let it set for a few minutes and its done, screw on your finials and enjoy!

JUST A PEEK FOR NEXT WEEK

Wanted to leave you guys a sneak peek for next weeks posts..Have a great weekend!!

DIY QUATREFOIL MIRROR

Hey, hey! This is a project that only takes a few hours, this is a simple one.

I was a little obsessed with anything quatrefoil for a while, I still like it but I might have burned myself out on it a little...Anywho, I have seen several blog posts about how Lowe's Home improvement had these inexpensive version of the highly sought after quatrefoil mirror find it here . It was Christmas time and this is what I asked my hubby for.

  I think he got it for $55.00 with free shipping, not bad compared to some I have seen go for $6-8 hundred. Shipping was reasonably fast but it arrived with the mirror broke. So before putting  it back into the box, I had an idea..What if I just use this as a template and trace it onto wood and cut it out??I thought that would be pretty cool.

Off to the hardware store for a nice looking piece of plywood and some trim..I just picked a piece out that looked nice I don't remember what kind of wood it is, and the trim was just the cheapest stuff they had. I did ask them to cut the trim for me. After I got home with my plywood and trim, I laid the mirror on top of the plywood and took a pencil and traced the outside of it. Next, I got my jigsaw out and started cutting. I did drill holes where the pattern had sharp corners (the 4 corners). I had only used a jigsaw once before so its a little on the rough side..

After I got it cut out, I sanded it down a little to make the wood smooth. So for the trim, I gave it a quick coat of paint, and let it dry. Once dry I used some wood glue and small brad nails to attach it then used some clamps to help the glue along.I contemplated painting the wood, but I think I like the natural look of it.

 For hanging the mirror to the back I used these:

I slid my mirror in the slot and used the screws that came with the clips and screwed them right in and wallah.  I got my mirror from a thrift store and had it sitting around waiting to be used. I also attached this hanging hardware to the back and also used mirror hanging wire, the thick stuff.

Via

Well thats it, enjoy your day!