Holiday Decorating

I'm almost done decorating for the Holidays, one craft project at a time. I've been busy since the day after Thanksgiving. LOL Just as soon as I finish a crafty project, I quickly load up my plate with more. It never seems to be enough!
I found some great tutorials on how to make your own glitter houses and white bottle brush trees here and here. I love miniature things. I don't know why, but they are just so enchanting to me.

Everything in my little village was bought at Michael's Crafts. The dollhouses are kits you assemble. I painted  one of them ivory white and  the other, soft white. Then, I brushed on Elmer's glue and sprinkled them with silver glitter. I couldn't resist adding little details, like the "lights", tiny wreaths, candy canes, and gems decorating the trees. I reused the peace sign and dove ornaments from last year. Which I blogged about how to make here.

My sweet Grandma, who has since passed away, painted this lovely scene when she was in her eighties. She was also a quilter, raised 11 children and loved to put together jigsaw puzzles(just like me). We also share the same Birthday. I have fond memories of her and I'm glad I have something to proudly display that she created. :0) I thought the snowflakes were a nice way of making the scene look a little more festive and wintery. 

My husband made these plates when he was 4 and 5 years old. My kids love seeing them and I'm thinking about having them make some too. :0)

I decided to keep things bright but simple on the mantel. 

I convinced my hubs to let me buy a white tree this year. It's so bright and cheerful!

Happy decorating! 

Suzy :0)

Thrifty Purchases

Hey there. I've been scoring some good bargains lately at my local Goodwill and wanted to share.

First up is this cute white frame with navy carved pattern. A whopping $2.

This shadow box was $4.55.

This planter was $2.

I LOVE this metal bowl! It looks great with my orchid. Best part, it was 99 cents!!

I found this vibrant blue lamp shade for $2 and the silver plate/platter was $3.

The metal fruit holder was $4 and the blue jar and green vase were free thanks to my Mom!

All this for less than $20! 

Suzy :0)

REALLY Pink Butterfly Bedroom

My youngest daughter, who is 5, REALLY loves the color pink. Big surprise, I know. So when I was picking out paint colors for her room, I THOUGHT I found the best shade of pink. A warm peachy pink. I was even doing what you're supposed to do when picking a paint color, I chose a coordinating shade from her bedding. But, I went a shade darker to create a little more impact. Well, it definitely created some impact. But more like a slap in the face with a bright flashlight right in the eyes.

Here's what I mean:

Yooouuuch! That's bright! 

 But, even with the flamingo pink walls, I am happy with the look of everything. I was inspired by Pottery Barn Kid's Lindsey Collection. I LOVE it. But, what I loved more was saving some serious dough by getting a little creative.

Since my daughter is Disney Princess OBSESSED. Another shocker, huh? I whipped up some art using my own two hands and some cheap map pencils. I found these beautiful Disney scrap booking stickers and incorporated them into the drawing for a neat dimensional look.

 These two photos are pre-tent canopy. I found an affordable alternative at Ikea for $20! If you compare that to the cost of Pottery Barn Kids, that's an $80 savings!

I made these butterflies out of scrap booking paper and taped them right on the wall. You can check out my other post on paper butterflies here.

My other drawings turned out so well, I decided to make an Alice In Wonderland themed picture too. I drew the background and this time I used Disney and daisy stickers along with a little sheet moss for the tree's foliage. One of my favorite scenes in the original movie is when Alice is singing and laying in the daisies.

I found the dresser on Craigslist and gave it a coat of white. You'll notice that the paint has chipped away from the 2 bottom drawers. But I kind of like the worn away look of it. Plus, the drawers do not open smoothly so I don't really have a choice!

I made my own version of the Rose Lamp from PB kids and saved even more. I found the lamp at Big Lots for a mere $15. I bought all the roses at Hobby Lobby for 50 cents a piece and hot glued them onto the lampshade. I figure I saved about $60 doing it myself. 

Some things I'd like to change: 

New paint color. I'm thinking Benjamin Moore Lavender Ice

New bedding in crisp white with some new patterned decorative pillows. 

New curtains: crisp white

Hopefully sometime, by the end of Spring, I will have updated pictures to show you. Until then, to be continued...

 :0)

Colorful Teen Bedroom

My 14 year old daughter was getting tired of her bedroom and frankly, so was I. It was starting to look a little busy and not very restful. The purple was creating a lot of noise and the posters looked tacky thrown up on the walls. That phase was over and she was ready for a more sophisticated "artsy" look.

Here's the after: 

Here's a before with my daughter's friend being goofy. LOL

                                      

Bringing in more white into the room helped tone down the purple walls. By changing out the nightstands to lighter, less bulky pieces, it helped balance out the dark dresser. New bedding added interest and texture. I love the black and white pattern in the pillows!

A couple of years ago, I made these collages from thumbnails I found on a friend's Myspace profile. I printed them off into 3" X 3" squares and made a collage. The frames I found at Walmart on clearance. 

I made the paper wreath after seeing some amazing wreaths I found on etsy but couldn't afford. 

Most of the accessories she already had. We bought new nightstands, white comforter and curtains, and black & white pillows at Ikea for under $200. She loves it but is begging me to paint the walls a blue grey like my Master bedroom. I like the purple now and I think it works well with her new decor. What do you think?

My Very First Posting!

\Today I'm blogging for the first time! After reading so many great blogs out there, I thought it was about time I joined in. So here I am!

For this first posting, I thought I would share my master bathroom. It's nothing fancy. Just your basic "builder grade" bathroom. I don't have room in my budget to make major changes to it. But, working with what I have, this is what I've done:

The walls are a custom color using Benjamin Moore paint. I drew the Eiffel Tower picture in ink. The mirrored frames I found at Tuesday Morning and the silver frame at Target. The black lacquer shelf is from Hobby Lobby. Here's a few more views:

Some things I'd like to do in the near future are: install drawer and cabinet hardware and new flooring. What do you think?