Fourth of July Decor

O.K. So I am a day late (well several days late and a dollar short) I'm on vacation and was having some issues trying to post using my iPad. I'm borrowing my brother's computer for now. 

I've never really decorated much for the 4th, but this year my daughter really wanted to so I tried to come up with some inexpensive and quick projects for us.  I love to create things that we can use over and over each year.

First up...a couple of table cloths. Both are made using drop cloths from Lowe's.  Very helpful assistant.

I used fabric paint on this one.

I was running short on time so decided to just spray paint this one...and I taped the star design instead of drawing with a pencil...so much faster!

Now on to the reaming decor...

Dollar Store ribbon that we glued glitter stars to.

Brown metal stars that I had on hand but never used....quick spray paint job

My easy take on red white and blue with stuff I l already had and an inexpensive bunch of carnations.

More Dollar Store ribbon and a couple bags of red hots

White chocolate candy lollipops...

..and finally a lovely dessert from my friend (shout out Karen)

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Easy Silhouette

It's so hard to believe that the 4th of July is almost here, especially when it is cold and soggy outside. I'm longing for the sun so I can paint my ever-growing stack of things to be painted.

Last week I showed you my gallery wall.  Part of my plan included a silhouette of my daughter. I've been wanting to create one forever and this wall seemed the ideal place to hang it. As I've mentioned before I have a ridiculous amount of scrapbook paper for someone who doesn't scrap.  So this project was perfect to use some of that paper.

Here is what I started with

Probably one of my easiest and quickest projects. Love the immediate gratification.

I printed the profile picture of my daughter then simply traced the outline onto the paper and cut out the shape.

A little glue and the frame...

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Anatomy of a Gallery Wall

I have been eyeing all the amazing gallery walls out there for months and knew someday I would create my own. The main wall in our living room has been empty for almose 8 years! I know how sad is that.

We spend most of our time in our family room but still the blank space drove me nuts. I was very determined to hang something other than a big picture with something flanking either side. I really wanted it to capture people's attention and make them linger a bit over it....

Then a light bulb went off....after seeing all of these fabulous gallery walls around I thought...uh duh...you have a huge blank wall!  So off I went to plan the wall. I went through all of my stuff...places that I haven't looked in a while including the garage and I had all but a couple items.

I taped out the size (It's about 6.5 feet high and 8 feet wide)

Then taped out the same size on the floor so I could play with the arrangement. I had one of my friends cone over to keep me motivated and keep me from going insane.

I took a picture because I knew I would be working on this over severl days (in truth it was months)
Some things reamined and some changes as I started hanging on the wall...

I started with the top row and worked my way down the sides and then the center and the bottom last.
(you can see the picture layout taped to the wall)

             

Ta-Da!

The shelves and objects give it depth and texture and eye has an opportunity to travel around a bit.
In truth the bottome left corner is temporary. I have something in mind but am having a bit of a challenge fulfilling it.

A view looking down - hard to believe I lived with a blank wall for so long!

Here are a few close-ups

My daughter's art work from pre-school (point for mom for framing and putting on the wall!)

Silohuette I made from craft paper (I'll post about it soon)



Old film reel from a flea market. and one of my antique cameras. I used to collect them but in a frenzy of purging I sold a bunch in a garage sale and just kept my two favorite. The shelf is from Ikea from about 10 years ago. I bought a bunch to display the camera but never used them and they have been in the garage ever since.

I typed the lyrics to our wedding song and uploaded the image to Costco to have it printed on canvas.

Yay - out living room is finally complete (well until I decide to change something else). I would love to paint but so not going to happen - we had to have scaffolding because the ceilings are 20 feet high...so it will stay red for a looooong time.

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Seasonal Purchase Disorder

O.K. so I don't know if this is a real condition but I swear I have it.  Every year as the seasons change and items such as, clothes, accessories, home decor, tabletop decor, etc are marketed, I go nuts. It can be as simple as Spring/Summer inspired magnets (you know because you can never have too many magnets).

There are all kinds of "must-haves" for the season.  Here is just a sampling of what caught my eye for summer....

Lovely items from Cost Plus.
 

Decorative bird cage from Crate and Barrel - the thing is, I already have a similar one that I have had for several years only I don't know what to do with it. How exactly do you decorate with a bird cage?

And outdoor chess set from Cost Plus... I have a perfectly good chess set collecting dust, why can't I take that one outside and let it collect dust out there?

Love these pillows from Pottery Barn...but honestly, how many pillows can one person have? Do people have closets where they stash all of their seasonal pillows....hmm I think I might be on to something there!



And finally, more lanterns....at last count I think I have 11 or 12 lanterns, and I am not even using most of them...I really do love these ones from Zgallerie and you may remember I made some that were inspiried by these (posted here)



Let me know if you have ever heard of this condition and if there is a cure.  Fall is right around the corner and all the new items will be out before we know it....stay tuned for Fall Seasonal Purchase Disorder confession.

End of Year Teacher Gifts

It's that time of year...you know where you are scambling to come up with an idea for a gift for the teacher. One that is thoughtful and will say thank you for all that you have done for my child and basically teaching the kiddos everyday without running screaming from the classroom.  Shout out Mrs. W!

My friend came up with a similiar idea for her son's class.  I was inspired (basically I took the idea). My daughter wanted to make something and this seemed like a breeze.

I am not a scrapper but for some reason I'm a sucker for deals on scrapbook supplies - I have loads of paper, and I mean loads!  I have every intention of making my daughter a baby book (before she is 10) and I do use it for picture mats and cards. But seriously I think I could open my own store.  I was more than happy to be able to use it for this project.

You can see that it's a little off kilter, I wanted to fix it but my daughter made me promise that she could make it all on her own...times 3! She made one for the class helper and the computer teacher.

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Hey Boo Boo...Look at that Picnic Basket

One of my favorite things about summer is picnics - by the river, at the lake, at the beach, at the park, in the backyard...I'm not picky about where, but I am picky about what. For me the best picnics are those with the proper accouterments...my daughter Savannah has become quite the expert in the last 7 years.

I am addicted to containers and well with picnics, you get to use lots of containers! I keep a basket stocked with the basic supplies and always have a cute blanket on hand. I have a couple of baskets, but this is my favorite because it holds alot and I always bring the hamper/cooler.

Dont's forget the libations...

This summer we are planning a few special picnics. Our town shows movies in the park so we will picnic at a few of those and we will be picnicing in the great outdoors on our upcoming roadtip in July. In addition we will throw in the backyard, park and beach along the way.

It'a always fun to have an impromptu picnic along the way!

Do you have a favorite spot to picnic?

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Backyard Vignette

In between the bouts of rotten weather I have been trying to spruce up the backyard. The more I do, the more I find that still needs to be done! Our yard is small so I've tried to creates niches to use every ounce of space.  We entertain often so I want kids and grownups alike to relax and enjoy. I've been painting like crazy to add that pop of color and refresh the old.....

Here is a before of our seating spot by the firepit....pretty bland and boring

and the after so far...

the picture is terrible because I forgot to take it this morning and ran out in the worst light possible. The art on the wall I posted about here.

Do you recognize the fern pillows??? They are from here and the green ones in the back are placemats too! I swear I truly never will look at placemats the same way ever again!!!!

And the pots and plant stands I've had forever - I think I got them from a garage sale or thirift store. They looked terrible...oh and avert your eyes from the deck in need of staining and the ugly paint on the railing (like I said lots to do!)

this one is actually meant to hold a feed bag for a horse - I've always liked it as a plant stand. you can see it to the right of the after picture.

A few cans of my favorite Rust-oleum in aqua and keylime and black satin and ta-da color!

Look how big the puppy is getting and he appreicates the new motif - see how relaxed he is!



Here is the before and after again

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