Show Us Where You Live - Guest Bedroom Edition

Once again, it's time for Show Us Where You Live Friday over on Kellys Korner blog. This week features guest rooms, and I'm excited to show mine off! Particularly because we just re-decorated this room about a year ago on a budget and I'm very happy with the way it turned out. I really wanted to modernize the room. I love all the contemporary mirrored furniture and accessories that are popular now, but they are usually so expensive! Luckily I was able to DIY alot of things and score some great deals on clearance items!

Soooo....here we go! Here's a look at how the room was decorated before. I do love the brass bed, but it was my grandmother's, and it just wasn't our style anymore:

And here's what the room looks like now:

As you can tell, we switched the furniture arrangement around, painted the walls and woodwork, and got all new linens and accessories.

My dear husband helped me make the gorgeous brown faux suede headboard. He made a frame using 1x2's and we covered it in a layer of foam, batting and fabric. I actually found that a twin-sized egg crate mattress topper worked perfectly and was cheaper than buying a piece of foam at the fabric store. We pulled it all tight and stapled it in the back, I sewed on the buttons, then we attached rings to hang it on the wall like a picture.

This was my vanity from my bedroom when I was a little girl. As I mentioned, I'm going through a mirror/silver phase, so I spray painted it silver to modernize it a bit:

Of course, I had to incorporate a fleur de lis somewhere in the room! I embellished this tin with a fleur de lis and accented it with rhinestones:

I also updated the end table by painting it silver and gluing mirrors to the top and sides. The lamp came from Target and the shade came from Ross.

Here's a fantastic mirror I found at Pier One at a great discount because it has a couple small (barely noticeable) chips.

As for the linens....I picked up the duvet set for $40 on linenandthings.com (before they went bankrupt!) and the curtains at Burlington Coat Factory. The silver square pillows came from JCPenny, the smaller silver one from Burlington, and the patterned one on super-clearance at Target. Most of the other accessories came from places like TJMaxx and Ross, and I got the mirrored oblisque on clearance at Dillard's.

I keep this glavanized bucket in the corner with extra blankets and pillows:

Well, that's it! Are you ready to come visit? I'm accepting reservations through the summer!

Have a great weekend!

Wordless Wednesday...My Garden

Mother's Day Wrap-Up

I hope everyone out there had a great Mother's Day - moms and children alike. I've been promising to share the gift I made for my mom, so here it is:

I made a terrarium! This came together piece by piece. I bought the glass bell jar lid a couple months ago from Paul Michael Company in Monroe and knew it would be perfect for a terrarium, I just had to find the perfect things to display inside.

I knew I wanted to put something real inside, not a fake flower or anything like that. Luckily, during our shopping extravaganza in Canton, TX, last weekend, I stumbled upon these cute little air plants that don't need to be planted in soil. Then I found this great piece of driftwood at another booth and a cute little iron turtle at yet another booth.

My terrarium was finally coming together! I just had to find a base. So many of the ready-made ones were a little more than I wanted to spend, so I decided to make my own. I picked up a terra cotta saucer at Lowe's for about $5 and spray painted it with some Stone-look spray paint I already had.

So, I just glued the plants to the driftwood, arranged everything on the base, and topped it off with the glass lid. My mom loved it and it will make a great centerpiece on her kitchen table, or outside on the patio.

Show Us Where You Live Friday - Living Room Edition

Kelly over at Kelly's Korner has started a weekly blog entry asking readers to "show us were you live" every Friday. Last week was kitchens, and this week is living rooms. She had so many great entries last week I thought I would join in the fun this week. Our living room has undergone quite the transformation from top to bottom since we moved in. We replaced the nasty grey carpet with hardwood floors, painted the walls and bookcase, and installed a new fan. Also, it's decorated in my favorite colors, purple and gold! (Don't worry, it doesn't look as bad as that sounds!)

Here's the full view from our kitchen. Gidget is proudly displaying the hardwood floors that we put in last year. I've been looking for some new artwork for over the couch, but finally decided to just spray paint the frame of the one that is up there now (it was light brown before). You can't tell from this photo, but it is a beautiful watercolor print that has all the colors of the living room.

Here's the view from the other side of the room. My hubby usually claims the chair (it reclines) and I stretch out with Gidget on the purple couch. I love my couch, it was my first big purchase (besides my car) after I graduated college. It's beginning to sag a little around the edges, but I can't bring myself to replace it just quite yet!

And here's what we're looking at when we're lounging in our respective spots. I was not very happy when my hubby wanted such a big TV, but I gave in when he agreed we could purchase a nice entertainment center to go around it....something else for me to decorate! Now I love the big screen and wouldn't have it any other way!

Here's a close up of the built-in bookcases. My mom & I painted these white and painted the back wall purple (the same color is on the foyer walls). I have fun decorating these shelves and like to switch out the decor occasionally.
Here's a chair on the other side of the room that my mom & I re-covered. She also made the pillows with a beautiful fleur de lis fabric (who would have ever guessed I would have picked fleur de lis???). You can also see the beautiful Tiffany-style fleur de lamp I got for FREE from one of my mom's friends.
And finally, here's a close-up of the candlescape on our coffee table. I made this candle embellishment to dress up the candles a bit.There you have it! I just so happen to be posting entry from my big purple couch right now while watching DVR'ed TV!

Hope everyone has a lovely weekend....give your mom a big hug and kiss if you are lucky enough to have that special person in your life. I'll be posting the DIY Mother's Day gift I made on Monday.

Another notch in my craft apron...

It never fails when I start crafting, the scissors end up on one side of the room, glue on another and other bits and baubles end up getting lost. I needed a cute apron to wear while crafting, and also one that would come in handy if I ever sell at a craft show. My sewing skills are by no means at an expert level, but I figured I could handle sewing a few straight lines and I had a few hours to spare, so I decided to make my own. I looked up tutorials on the web, and found a great resource here. But I ended up just winging it instead of following one specific pattern. Here's the result:

I think it turned out pretty cute (just don't look too closely at the stitching!) and it will be functional as well. I plan on giving it a test run at the home show I'm doing next week.

I had a bunch of fabric left over, and I was feeling pretty ambitious, so I decided to takle a more advanced project. I saw so many cute dog dresses in Canton, TX, last weekend, and I figured they would be pretty easy to make. Gidget deserved a new frock! I found an easy-to-follow pattern here. It wasn't that difficult, but pugs are kind of hard to fit, so it's kind of wide around the neck. I'm trying to decide if I want to shorten the skirt a bit more. Overall, I think she looks quite stunning. Of course I had to add a little bow and vintage button to finish it off!

I can only handle about two sewing projects a year, so I've got to go clean up my mess and return my sewing machine to it's home at the top shelf of the closet before I strain myself too much and decide I need to sew something else!

My name is Christy, and I'm an addict....

....a fleur de lis addict. It's time I come face to face with the truth and confess. I realized yesterday while hanging my newest piece of fleur de lis artwork that I really and truly am addicted to all things fleur de lis. While I know it may seem cliche to some, I have a connection to fleur de lis given that I am born and bred in Louisiana. It is such a unique symbol not only for our state, but for the city of New Orleans, where I lived for several years (and still miss). I guess my addiction really began during my days as a merchandise buyer for a tourist/gift shop in NOLA. Having access to tons of fleur de lis merchandise at wholesale prices only fueled the fire! Now I know this all may seem like overkill, but I've tried to keep it subtle and spread throughout the house so you don't walk in and become overwhelmed with fleur de lis. And while I have many pieces of fleur de lis artwork and decor items, each piece is meaningful and unique. I thought I would share a few of my favorites today.

Here is my most recent accquisition, a photograph collage by M. Palmer I hung in our office. You can't really see it in the photo, but it is actually several black and white photos of New Orleans landmarks:

This print I bought at the Red River Revel last fall, from Alexander Art Studio. This is by an incredible artist who does amazing fleur de lis designs, it is a tiger face:

Another print I bought at the Red River Revel a couple years ago, displayed in our kitchen, it is a fleur de lis made up of various Louisiana icons like crawfish and hot peppers:

Two more photographs by Joshua Lee, a gift from my best friend, displayed in our dining room:

Here's a collection of my favorite fleur de lis decor items:

My husband even made these nifty decals to hide the ugly fruit basket tiles on our backsplash:

Oh, and it doesn't stop there! I have several pieces of fleur de lis jewelry and clothing items, including a beautiful aquamarine fleur de lis ring my hubby bought me on our last trip to NOLA and a rhinestone fleur de lis baseball hat I just bought last weekend in Canton, TX. Even my dog has a fleur de lis t-shirt. I just bought several fleur de lis embellishments on Etsy yesterday to use in my crafts! Somebody stop me!!

Ok, before you start thinking, "this girl really does have a problem," wait, there's more! My husband and I just got matching fleur de lis tattoos to mark our 5th anniversary (I think that must be the equivalent of an overdose)!

Whew, it feels good to get this off my chest! Admitting that you have a problem is the first step in recovery, right?! I'm on my way to rehab right now. C'mon, I know I've got a support group out there, what's your addiction?!?

Inspiration Overload!

Just a quick update before I post a longer entry later this week....my mom and I returned last night from our bargain-hunting trip to Canton, TX. We had a great time and found some really fabulous things for both home and fashion! I got a few new pieces of vintage jewelry to incorporate into my frames as well as a new style of ceiling tile tins that I'll be painting up soon. I wish I would have worn a pedometer to see how many miles we logged walking! We added up the hours, and by the time the weekend was over, we had shopped a total of 19 hours (well we did take a couple of snack breaks now and then, but not for very long)! I'll take some pics of my finds soon and post them later this week.

Wordless Wednesday

Busy week ahead....

Looks like I won't get much crafting done this week since my "real" job will be interfering too much! Plus, I've had to give a lot of extra TLC to our sick bulldog, and I'm planning a trip to Canton with my mom this weekend. We'll be walking the miles of vendors in search of crafty inspiration and goodies to bring home! This will be my first trip, and I'm excited to check it out. In the meantime, I've had fun looking at their website, http://www.firstmondaycanton.com/.

When I get back I'll be making plans for my first Home Show, in conjunction with Chicky Girls Hair Bows. She's another Etsy seller who I found using the Shop Local function on Etsy when I wanted some unique hair bows as a gift for some special little girls. Hopefully we'll be able to get the word out locally about our handmade products.

Oh, and I've also got to work on a special craft for my mom for Mother's Day! I can't say what it is yet, but I'll be sure and post about it once I give it to her. What are some of your unique handmade ideas for Mother's Day gifts?

More tins....

I've finished a couple more handpainted antique tins. I had another custom order for a personalized tin and I also made a new one to sell in my Etsy shop. Here they are:

The blue one is for a baby shower gift. The mommy-to-be will have a very unique personalized gift for her new son! A friend of mine gave me the idea for the brown one, I think it would work well hanging either on a front door or a wall in your home.

Also, today is Etsy Day! Basically, sellers on Etsy have united to try to spread the word about http://www.etsy.com/ through a one day marketing blitz. If you haven't visited http://www.etsy.com/, be sure and check it out today and don't forget to stop by my shop too!

Happy Earth Day!

I googled "simple ways to go green", and found several tips. Here's a list of the ones I personally do, and I find they don't really take that much extra effort on my part:

1. Use rechargeable batteries.

2. Adjust freezer & refrigerator temps (keep the fridge at 37° F. and the freezer at 0° F).

3. Consider using compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs). They cost a bit more than regular bulbs, but you'll lower your electric bill and pay less in the long run.

6. Recycle! Your trash is someone else's treasure! Check out http://www.freecycle.org/ and http://www.earth911.org/.

7. Buy a laptop (they use less energy than desktops).

8. Get off the junkmail list (Register with the Direct Marketing Association's Mail Preference Service (dmaconsumers.org) and you'll see a significant reduction in mail after three months).

9. Double up on printing. Configure your printer so it prints on both sides of the paper or use the other side of paper you would otherwise be recycling.

10. Tote your own grocery bag. Most places like Dollar Tree or Walmart sell re-useable grocery bags for $1 or less.

11. Switch to organic products (I try to buy at least organic fruits & veggies).

12. Wash clothes in cold water whenever possible.

13. Set your thermostat a few degrees lower in the winter and a few degrees higher in the summer to save on heating and cooling costs.

14. Use a water filter to purify tap water instead of buying bottled water. Not only is bottled water expensive, but it generates large amounts of container waste.

15. Use a reusable water bottle.

16. Check out garage sales, thrift stores, and consignment shops for clothing and other everyday items.

17. Borrow from libraries instead of buying personal books and movies. This saves money, not to mention the ink and paper that goes into printing new books.

18. Share power tools and other appliances. Get to know your neighbors while cutting down on the number of things cluttering your closet or garage.

19. Wear clothes that don't need to be dry-cleaned. This saves money and cuts down on toxic chemical use.

20. Keep your cell phones, computers, and other electronics as long as possible. Donate or recycle them responsibly when the time comes.

Wow, I can't believe how long that list got, several of them I didn't even realize I was doing! And there are so many other things I could be doing, like making my own cleaning products and using a low-flow showerhead.

Find more great ways to go green here, here, and here.

Don't Worry, Be Happy

Just listed in my Etsy shop:

Click on the photo for more pictures!

Pink Chandelier DIY

Many thanks to Spearmint Baby for posting about my chandelier makeover on her blog. Visit Spearmint Baby for beautiful inspiration and products for your baby. Here's the before and after of the chandelier I transformed for my best friend's little girl's room:

TGIF: A rainy weekend ahead...

This week has really flown by, and I've only gotten a little bit of crafting done. I just finished a special order tin that turned out really cute. The lady's name was Happy, and that got me thinking of some new phrases to write on the tins. Luckily I got several tins prepped and painted yesterday so I'll have plenty of time to create during the rainy days ahead. I'll be sure and post pics when I'm done.

For now, I'll leave you with a few website recommendations. If you're looking for a craft to do this weekend, these sites are great sources of inspiration:

http://www.oneprettything.com/ ~ This is the mecca for DIY fanatics! Learn how to make everything from stuffed animals to scarfs to curtains!

http://daisycraft.com/ ~ Check out the Craft Tips section for free tutorials!

http://tipjunkie.blogspot.com/ ~ This is a great site that promotes women & their creative ideas. Right now she's featuring some great home decor tutorials & tips.

Wordless Wednesday

Featured Crafter

Today I'm featuring another crafter who uses a medium I am not all that familar with. Raina's primary medium is polymer clay, but she uses a bevy of supplies (including some great vintage materials) to create her fascinating pieces. She is definitely a crafter of many talents! Her items can be seen in her Etsy shop, Rhubarb Incident. Her prices are very reasonable, and she has a wide variety of items, so you're sure to find the perfect gift for yourself or even the pickiest person on your gift list! Here's a few of my favorites:

This plaque would be fabulous hanging in a retro-inspired kitchen:

Her jewelry is so beautiful and unique, it's hard to pick out a favorite piece. Since my favorite color is purple, I really love this clay pendant:

And you know my fleur de lis-loving self just can't resist these beautiful earrings (plus there's a matching pendant!):

Since Raina loves to dabble in so many different types of crafts, who knows what we'll see next! Thanks for the inspiration, Raina!