Spending the day at the beach isn't always possible. So when you find yourself dreaming of splashing waves and sand between your toes.... Put together a beach vignette. Don't roll your eyes....it really is a sweet band-aid solution. And it's super easy to do. Have you ever noticed play sand for sale at the garden center? When you do...be sure to buy a bag. Yes...it may be more than you need, but I'm pretty certain that once you have your bag of sand, you'll be glad you bought it (and it certainly won't break the bank). Plus, you'll find lots of ways to use that sand. In … [Read more...]
Since I couldn't go to the beach....I decided to bring the beach to my house this summer. It's amazing what you can do with some sand, shells, and stuff from the stash. Join me for a super simple seashell art DIY project. Who knows why I purchased this small square photo frame at The Dollar Tree some time ago. As I was trolling my stash, I was so excited to find it, and the wheels started turning. This post contains affiliate links. Then I remembered I had some scrapbook paper in coastal colors. Yay! Originally I purchased it for making some masculine … [Read more...]
Want to bring the beach home or create a coastal or nautical feel in your decor? Create an Easy Nautical Life Ring Wreath. Hang it on a vintage window like I did here, on the wall, or even on your front door. It's a super quick and easy wreath to make. You need a few supplies and in less than an hour, you'll have yourself some classy coastal decor. Easy Nautical Life Ring Wreath Supplies: A foam wreath form; mine came from the Dollar Tree. Ruler Scissors Straight pins Cream or white fabric cut into two and one-half-inch strips. An … [Read more...]
This was not the year for me to be spending time at the water's edge, wiggling my toes in the soft warm sand. Yet, my heart was yearning for the beach. What's a girl to do? Create a coastal vignette! It all started with my glam clam that had a makeover. She looked mighty fine on the sideboard sporting her new color combo along with a sea of shells and beach glass. There was one missing element, though. A seascape on the wall. My stash did not include a lovely painting of a lake, beach, or sea. But, my stash did include a picture that I picked … [Read more...]
I couldn't wait any longer. It was time to get out my can of spray paint and indulge in a little coastal decor DIY makeover! This summer I really started missing the Great Lakes. I'm a 'Mitten State' girl who grew up a bicycle ride away from Lake Michigan. And more recently we lived 20 minutes away from Lake Erie and 40 minutes from Lake Ontario. Spending time at the beach in the summer is one of those things that renews my spirit. Since I wasn't going to be making the trip to the beach, I decided to bring the beach home. It may not be the same. But, I have had a ton of fun … [Read more...]
One of my favorite things to decorate in my home is a vintage window. It hangs like a piece of art on my wall. The beauty of a vintage window is that it's a wonderful blank canvas for giving your room some seasonal decor. Its shabbiness provides a textural contrast in more traditional or contemporary decor. It's fun to be creative with ideas in just a small space. It can change with the season or your whim. It's great for whimsical paper-crafting projects that just don't 'work' elsewhere. Last November my friend gifted me with a lovely window. It's perfectly imperfect. And hung sideways it … [Read more...]
I'm so excited to share the Laundry Room Makeover Reveal with you!! Some of you may have been impatient with me as I shared my laundry room makeover in bits and pieces. It all started last summer and then finally a few weeks ago, I made up for lost time. Have you ever wanted to makeover a room, but had no funds in your account? Don't let that stop you. My zero budget forced me to get creative with what I had around my house and proved to me, once again, that I don't need to let the lack of money prevent me from making my home extraordinary. My laundry room makeover was a fun … [Read more...]
When you live in an older home, circa 1950, with a basement laundry area, you just might not have all those wonderful modern, out-of-sight hook-ups for the washer and dryer. So what's a gal to do when she doesn't like looking at the vent and the water faucets? Create a cute laundry room skirt to hide the "unmentionables." It really is an easy solution. And a pretty cute one too!! Last year, I happened upon a bag of miscellaneous fabrics for $1 at the thrift store. It was truly a mixed bag. When I decided to create a skirt to hide the "unmentionables" in my laundry … [Read more...]
Hello, my name is Diane and I am enamored with chalkboard art. Chalkboards and chalk and I go way back. Last year at Christmas, I tried my hand at creating some chalkboard art. It wasn't magazine worthy by any stretch. However, that did not stop me from attempting to create some laundry room chalkboard art. [wink] You see I have this little laundry room makeover that I started last summer. And because I'm a finisher, I decided it was high time that I get the project done. So I started with giving you, and me, the ultimate inspiration, including a 'before' picture. … [Read more...]
It's been a busy week, but the laundry room makeover is almost complete! And today I'm going to show you some of the art that I created for my laundry room decor. As you come down the stairs and turn to the left, this wall is the focal point of the laundry area, here's the before shot. Because I wanted the area to look whimsical and inviting to do laundry, I decided on my zero budget to create art for my laundry room decor with what I had on hand; some clothespins, black cardstock, leftover paint, and a thrift store find. My laundry room decor began … [Read more...]
Today we're talking laundry room art. Art takes different forms. Art helps rooms come alive. Art gives walls visual texture or color or tone. Art can help set a theme or style for a room. Every room needs some sort of art. Even the most humble or utilitarian space benefits from something artful. Even my laundry room. Yours too! Is the smell of clothes hung on the line one of your favorites? Except for being at camp and hanging my wet towel or swimsuit on a line strung between trees, I have never hung laundry outside. But, that doesn't exempt me from … [Read more...]
A long time ago. That would be last year. [wink] Our lower level laundry room/closet and bathroom were completely gutted. It was the biggest mess I have ever seen. But, there was a silver lining in it. We were able to make a few very minor changes to make the laundry space more comfortable to use and give the primed walls a few coats of sweet buttery yellow. Here's a photo of what it looked like before the mechanical renovation which I shared about here. I quickly snapped a before photo because I thought the floor tile was going to be coming up. It's not a terrific shot...but gives you an idea of … [Read more...]
Last night I had an Oh, No! experience. It was one of those heart-sinking realizations. "My readers must think that I am too good to reply to their thoughtful comments on the blog." Those were my thoughts. I was sure you thought I was a blogging snob. "She must think_______." Or something equally not true. I had no idea that when I took the time to reply to all your sweet comments that you had no idea that I did. Somewhere along the line I neglected to add a plugin, something called Comment Reply Notification. When I started this blog I worked really hard to get the … [Read more...]
I have one of those rooms that many just dream about. A Studio. That's what I call it. Most would call it a craft room. A tiny 9x9 room in my house that is totally dedicated to my love of papercrafting. I have dropped hints that I might show it to you. Some time. And all these months later...I'm pretty certain that you wondered if I even had a craft room. Um. Studio. So without further ado.... Welcome to my Studio! Ahem. Craft Room. May I offer you a glass of ice water, lemonade, or lightly sweetened tea? Let's begin our tour of this modest … [Read more...]
Some call them rosettes... I do, too. Some call them medallions... I did here. And others call them pinwheels... but that really is something else entirely. Regardless of what you call them... a lovely rosette or medallion puts the EXTRA in extraordinary! And....because you asked...I've put together a pleated medallion tutorial for you: How to Make a Rosette... It all started with the bolt of ribbon that I picked up in my travels. Somehow, somewhere, a gal will find a use for American flag ribbon when it's marked down drastically. So after carting it around the … [Read more...]
It's time to display our red, white, and blue! Stars and stripes! Buntings, banners, garlands, wreaths, and.... Old Glory! It's time to get in the spirit of the holiday! Here's a simple, but festive way to.... Decorate a Vintage Window with a Patriotic Wreath and Garland for the 4th of July This garland might look a little bit familiar. I made a similar more simple star garland for my sunroom, which is all decked out for the Fourth of July! A handful of stars were left over from that project...just enough to create a garland for the vintage … [Read more...]
Do you decorate your home for Fourth of July? Generally, I add a few simple touches of red, white, and blue to my kitchen and great room. American flags are key to my decor inside and out. Then I pull out my Longaberger Baskets with red and blue accents, along with like-colored pottery. It's a fairly uncomplicated look, but evokes the spirit of patriotism for this fun, but very important national holiday. This year, I went all out in the sunroom. It might have something to do with the One Day, Three Ways :: Restyled Space Challenge. Yes, the one where seven fabulously … [Read more...]
