Memorial Day Weekend!

I hope you all have a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend! I start my vacation so you won't see me around for a little while. I have some scheduled post for Sandy's Springy Tablescape Party @ Reluctant Entertainer (June 2) and Susan's Tablescape Thursday @ Between Naps on the Porch (June 3).

Don't think I have forgotten about the giveaway I'm planning. It's handmade and that always takes a little longer...

Also, I'm working on a special project that all you scrapbookers will love! Thanks for stopping by! I love hearing from you!

I'll leave you with some inspirational photos for a Memorial Day Luncheon! Be back soon!

Have a great weekend!

Photographs on the Wall

As I was getting ready for this post, it occurred to me that I don't have much in the way of "artwork". As a novice photographer, I take a lot of pictures and tend to use my photos for art. Which is great in my opinion, because the subject matter is usually my children {and family}, flowers, or the beach...3 things I adore.

Above the fireplace, I hung 6 12X12 floating frames, all with snapshots of the boys, I sometimes change out the photographs, and could stand to do that now. This is super easy to do, because I print them right here at home.

I would love to do a complete overhaul on the fireplace area...but for the now, Justin built a mantle "slip cover" to hide the Builder's Special traditional mantle. It's still under there (for resale purposes), I just wanted a more modern fireplace and this works for me. I did a faux finish, and it's ok. for now. Maybe later we can afford to do what I really want! :)

Something in the order of this:

(James Tse)

This is a new configuration...This is two separate pieces. The German closet on the left was my parents. They were stationed in Germany, circa 1965, before I was born, and this closet they brought home (to the US). I always loved it. Just for the record, I use this as a coat closet...it would never hold all my clothes! :)


I put a modern bookcase next to it to give it more visual balance. So the German closet circa 1965, and the bookcase circa 2008, love it. I did a vignette on top, using the height of the ceiling to my advantage.


Two inexpensive prints and one of my own photos. I love using black frames.




Over the sofa, I did a small grouping. I would like to add a couple more chunkier frames. I'm always on the hunt for some, at the nearest thrift store.




Thanks for stopping by! I hope you're inspired!

Kitschy Bamboo

For me, bamboo adds just the right amount of exotic flare...it's sustainable and eco-friendly too. I found this great wine holder at the goodwill {talk about being green, buy second-hand!}, really cheap.

Four dollars later, my new wine rack and I were on the way home. Never mind the fact we don't drink...I had other ideas! This is a versatile piece! It doesn't have to hold just wine bottles...letters, or vintage seltzer bottles, that would be cute too!

BEFORE:

Not bad, but it looked a little too tiki for me...I wanted to update it with some paint

DURING:

Rustoleum Primer, of the spray paint variety.

AFTER:
(Ivy Leaf from Krylon)

Exotic slash Coastal slash kitschy slash love it!

It's going to help me corral my magazine collection for a while! I photographed it with just a few magazines, but it really holds a lot!

I can't rave about the Krylon paint enough...look at that finish!

I also painted the starfish in Peekaboo Blue from Krylon. It was a rusty metal color, something I picked up at Hobby Lobby's garden dept. It is the heavy iron metal, I thought it would make a great paper weight! Love it in blue!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you're inspired!

Easy As 1-2-3

Collections pop up all around me, I am perpetual collector, after all...and I have a collection of glass bottles. I think because everything seems to come in plastic bottles these days, I hoard glass. Like I'm some kind of glass ambassador, I know I'm weird unique.

These particular ones are a nice shape, sorta like medicine bottles, but not really. But kinda.

So I decided to do something fun with them using vinyl stickers. I love any kind of typography, so I was excited! This is a simple idea and one that has been done before, but the thing is: I finally did it, which offers such a sense of accomplishment, even in this teeny tiny project. You know what I mean?

I simply eye-balled the stickers...1-2-3

Super easy!

(Purchased from Wal-mart, hardware dept.)
How fun is this!

Just loverly!

I see a whole slew of vinyl sticker projects coming on! :)

Thanks for stopping in! I hope you're inspired!

Memorial Day Project

With Memorial Day right around the corner, the unoffical beginning of Summer, I decided to create a fun and easy (I mean super easy) painting project with a Goodwill find. A simple 15'' square piece of plywood with trim added, someone's abandoned project. Whoever donated this, thanks! It saved me some work cutting my own board and trim!

...and for .79 cents, definately worth it.

Here's what you need to get started:

Plywood or any scrap board, of your desired size

Gesso/primer

Star template (optional)

Acrylic paint, red white and blue and burnt umber

Small to medium artist brushes

Sandpaper

I liked the black trim and decided to keep it, but primed the rest of the piece. Two coats of gesso and it was ready to go. I used gesso for a couple of reasons: it prepares any surface for acrylic paint, and I had it on hand. Plus, it dries really fast. However, any primer will do.







Next, freehand a flag motif. Very simple to draw, and I used a stencil for the stars, you can freehand these as well.









Paint the stripes (Bright Red)






Paint around the stars (Aquamarine Blue)











Don't worry about painting perfectly straight stripes and stars, a handpainted look is what we're after. That's great for me! No pressure getting it perfect!


Paint in the white stripes and stars...




After your project is dry, you're ready to do some distressing!


For distressing, I used sandpaper, and sanded down the entire surface. I kinda went in a cross-hatching pattern vs. circular.



As a final step, I did an antiquing was over the whole piece. Antiquing wash, which is really just watered down burnt umber. Brush it on, and gently wipe it off. It leaves a subtle aging effect.

You are ready to celebrate Memorial Day Weekend! My vacation starts Memorial Day Weekend, so I'm really looking forward to it!






After my project was finished, I was inspired to do a little revamp on the china hutch!


My good friend gave these beautiful colbalt blue goblets to me, thanks Judy! {She gave me the milk glass plates pictured behind them too!} Aren't they beautiful?


I changed out my normal green apples for red...brought out some blue dessert plates...added a few stars (borrowed from Logan's room:)

What do you think? It's a pretty easy project, right?

You can do it!

I love the casual lean...:)