Marbled Papers

I am officially in LOVE with these marbled papers from Paper Mojo.

Source: littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com via Elise on Pinterest

Aren't these boxes made by Centsational Girl gorgeous?

How about this amazing bookcase makeover from Gorgeous Shiny Things?  I love everything on Danika's blog.  If you're not a reader already, check it out RIGHT NOW!

I had hopes of framing a few sheets for these empty frames in my bedroom.

We're getting a little tired of  this anonymous family staring at us x6.  I would much prefer looking at this beauty.

Source: danielleoakeyinteriors.blogspot.com via Christen on Pinterest

While the Paper Mojo is reasonably priced, I found the shipping a bit too much for my teeny-tiny budget.  I hate it when shipping costs more than the item I'm purchasing!

Hmmm...looks like I might be experimenting on making some of this paper myself! 
Here's a Martha Stewart tutorial.

Source: marthastewart.com via Suzanne on Pinterest

And this one from Skip to My Lou looks similiar, but a bit simpler.

Source: skiptomylou.org via Lauren on Pinterest

Have you tried this?

House Tour: Master Bedroom in Progress

A few weeks ago, I asked you if I should buy this bedding from West Elm.

While many of you cautioned me against purchasing it, I had to buy it on ebay because it was such a good deal.  I have a hard time passing up a deal!

Can you see why I can't go with all white bedding?  That dog is like a mud magnet who thinks our bed belongs to her.

As you can see, the room is definitely "IN PROGRESS."  The mirror needs to be moved.  I also need soe fun throw pillows or I might pull out my embroidery machine and monogram the pillowcases.

My coral desk is also not quite the right color with the bedding...nothing a coat of paint can't fix.  But, that's the risk you run when buying things online.  I'm never quite sure what the color will look like in person.  I also want to paint the file cabinet to match the desk.

That window needs some kind of covering besides the shade.

I have plans for this blank wall that I will share with you tomorrow.

While it's definitely not finished, this room has come a long way from being the most neglected room in the house.

To Do

 

• Throw pillows for bed.
• Window covering.
• Wall art.
• Repaint desk and file cabinet.

Should I Buy It?

I'm not usually plagued by indecision.  I usually know right what I want and go for it, sometimes regretting the consequences later.  I saw this West Elm bedding on ebay for a steal and am considering getting it.  But, is it too bright?

King size duvet and two euro pillow shams for $59.  I think it would look pretty with my new coral desk.  I have black furniture, so this would help brighten things up.  I currently have a white quilt...maybe I could just fold the duvet down by the foot of the bed so the pink and coral are quite so vibrant?

Here's an OLD picture of my bedroom.  The walls are now gray and I have some new lamps, but the bed is still the same.

Now. I'm wondering if I like this bedding only because the price is right?  The bedrooms I've been pinning have much more subdued shades of gray, white and black.  Kind of like this:

Source: centsationalgirl.com via Suzanne on Pinterest

I must really like that bedroom, because I have it pinned two times.

Source: google.com via Suzanne on Pinterest

But, now I'm more drawn to bright, happy places like these:

Source: danielleoakeyinteriors.blogspot.com via Suzanne on Pinterest

Source: bhg.com via Suzanne on Pinterest

But that one still has pretty neutral bedding.  Ugh.  I guess I really don't know what I want.

This indecision's killing me....

Coral and Gold Desk

If you follow me on Facebook, you know Big K and I started a little impromptu bedroom redecorating project this weekend.  It's still in progress, so I don't have any additions to the house tour.  But, as soon as everything is put back together, you know I'll have a post for you!

One thing that I can share is my new desk.  I've desperately been seeking my own workspace and I've finally done something about it after being inspired by Carmel over at My Fifth House...use a desk as a bedside table.  Genius!!!

Luckily, I had this guy sitting in my garage just waiting for a makeover.  I picked it up for $10 at a yard sale earlier this summer.

Can you spot Emma back there?  She seems to sneak into every picture.  If I was that cute, I might try to be in more pictures too!

I also had some Krylon spray paint in Coral Isle in the garage that I sprayed the desk with after priming it with Kilz.

I hadn't spray painted something in FOREVER.  I had forgotten how easy it is.  No messy brushes to clean.  No waiting days for paint to dry.

Here's the final result.

I think something is wrong with my camera.  All of my pictures have been super-grainy lately.  I have no idea what is going on.  Do you have any ideas????  I don't know what to do, besides buy a new camera.  This camera used to take great, clear pictures.

My favorite part of the desk is this gold detail.

In the background, you can see my new blue-gray paint...also done this weekend.  It's called Oyster Pearl by the Ace brand Clarke & Kensington.

Over in the corner you can see my "new" file cabinet.  This was a old Target dealio...you know the fake wood pieces that you have to assemble???  I just primed and spray painted it glossy white.  This was my first attempt painting this type of "wood."  It looks pretty good and I think the paint will stick.  I made sure to prime well with Kilz.  Otherwise, I was afraid the material might have been too slick and the paint would have peeled right off.

One last look, just because I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my new desk/bedside table!  One of my favorite things - it was almost free!  All of the materials I used were found in the garage.  I didn't have to buy anything except for the $10 desk.

Linked to some of my favorite DIY blogs:  Liz Marie, House of Hepworths, My Simple Home Life, Happy Hour Projects,
Elizabeth & Co, DIY Dreamer, Today's Creative Blog, Sugar Bee Crafts, Not Just a Housewife, Reasons to Skip the Housework, Primitive and Proper, Home Stories of A to Z, Savvy Southern Style, DIY by Design, Tip Junkie, Type A Decorating, , The Thrifty Home, Domestically Speaking, Primp,
A Diamond in the Stuff, Restore Interiors, The Shabby Chic Cottage,  Beyond the Picket Fence, My Simple Home Life,
Addicted 2 Decorating, Just a Girl, Remodelaholic, Miss Mustard Seed, Finding Fabulous, Tatertots and Jello, Under the Table and Dreaming, Thrifty Decor Chick, Coastal Charm, Serenity Now, Get Outta My Head Please, You are Talking Too Much, The Southern Institute  My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Homemade Chalk Paint Dresser

There are so many great furniture makeovers using chalk paint.  However, I'm bit too cheap to shell out over $50 for a quart.  I've been thinking about trying to make my own chalk paint, but haven't had the right piece to try it on.

Enter this dresser.  It's perfect for my chalk paint experiment AND my daughter Chloe needs a new dresser.  Double score!!

This is probably the nicest piece of furniture I've picked up at a yard sale.  It's made by Drexel, solid wood (super heavy!), dovetail joints, etc. etc.  It's also in near-perfect condition.

Chloe wanted yellow.  So, I picked up a free quart of Ice Cream Sundae at Ace Hardware in a flat finish.  I had seen different techniques on making chalk paint.  At first I was going to use unsanded grout mixed in with the paint because I had a container of it sitting in my garage.

Luckily, my friend Ange from the Blooming Hydrangea commented that this would make the paint a "chalkboard" - type paint rather than the coveted "chalk" paint.  Instead, I mixed Plaster of Paris with the paint and thinned it with a little water.

I don't have an exact recipe or tutorial for you because I didn't measure anything.  I started by putting a few tablespoons of plaster of paris into a container.  I mixed this with about a tablespoon of water and then added a cup or so of paint and mixed well.  The consistency was similar to yogurt...fairly thick.

As I painted it on, there were glops and bumps.  The paint dries VERY quickly....maybe in twenty minutes or so.  There is no need to wait for the paint to cure.  You can go right ahead and sand as soon as the paint is dry.  Just like everyone says, the paint sanded beautifully into a chalk dust.

I used two coats of Minwax paste wax, which buffed to a subtle shine.

I added some new hardware from Hobby Lobby.

And I have a cute new dresser for my cute little Chloe.

Before:

After:

This is my "After" project for Lisa's Before and After party, which I wasn't supposed to share until the end of the month.  But, I finished it so quickly and was so excited by it that I had to share it now!

Linked here:
Today's Creative Blog, Sugar Bee Crafts, Not Just a Housewife, Reasons to Skip the Housework, Bella Before and After, Primitive and Proper, Home Stories of A to Z, Savvy Southern Style, DIY by Design, Tip Junkie, Type A Decorating, http://sistersstuff.blogspot.com/, The Thrifty Home, Domestically Speaking, Primp,
A Diamond in the Stuff, Restore Interiors, The Shabby Chic Cottage, Somewhat Simple, Beyond the Picket Fence, Fireflies and Jellybeans,My Simple Home Life,
Addicted 2 Decorating, Just a Girl, Remodelaholic, Miss Mustard Seed, Finding Fabulous, Tatertots and Jello, Under the Table and Dreaming, Thrifty Decor Chick, Coastal Charm, Junker Newbie, Serenity Now

Guest Post: How to Make a Bedskirt out of Curtain Panels

I have my favorite guest poster to share with you today.  Why is she my favorite?  She's my one and only SISTER!  I've been begging her to share some of her craftiness and now that she is home on maternity leave, she finally has a little spare time.  My sister is the creative and crafty one.  She taught herself to sew just about anything and later attended Parsons School of Design and FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology) in New York.  Gina doesn't have a blog, but I'm hoping to occasionally share more of her talent here.  Here's her first-ever blog post!

Hi I'm Suzy's sister, Gina. I live in a 2-bedroom apartment in New York. I thought I'd help my sister with a guest post, due to her recent finger injury! Although her finger injury does not seem to be slowing her down much.

My husband and I had a baby in February and with all of the baby stuff in our apartment, we had to start storing stuff under the bed in bins. I had to raise the bed onto bed risers in order to fit the bins under the bed, and I did not like how this looked. Enter the idea of a bed skirt! But h how I hate how traditional bedskirts get all bunched up and generally look a mess. I recently made a super easy bedskirt for the baby's crib so I thought I'd make a similar one for my bed.

Here's her cute baby, Tre.

Gina made all of the bedding herself.

I was planning to use some fabric I had around the house or a set of sheets, but none of the fabrics I had were heavy enough to completely hide what was under the bed. In the process of converting our bedroom to a bedroom/nursery I bought some blackout curtains from TJ Maxx. As I was sitting around the house recently I thought to myself why not get some more curtains from TJ Maxx to use to make a bedskirt. The weight of the curtains would be perfect to completely hide everything I now have stashed under the bed, and a bedskirt in the same fabric as the curtains would bring a nice continuity to the room.

$19.99 for a pack of two panels at TJ Maxx.

So here goes my first ever how to blog post….

I only needed the bedskirt to cover 3/4 of my full size bed, so I was able to make the bedskirt out of one package of two 40'' x 84'' panels . If you wanted to make a bedskirt to completely go around your bed you would have to buy a total of four panels.

I have our bed situated against the wall, like a day-bed flanked by two Ikea dressers. So I only needed to make 3 panels for the bedskirt. One for the length and two for the width of the bed.

She was originally going to velcro the bedskirt to the box spring.

I began by making the panel for the length of the bed out of one curtain panel. I cut a piece of fabric that was about 72'' x 26'', the length of the bed 72'' by 26'' (which is the height from the box spring to the floor + 6''). I used the hemmed side of the curtain for the bottom of the bed skirt, thus there was no need to sew a hem for the bottom of the bedskirt and an added bonus being that the bottom of your bed skirt will have a perfectly straight hem. All I had to do was sew the sides of the panel (you could even do this by hand if you did not have a sewing machine). Don't worry to much about your length measurement as there will be corner pieces that will allow for any imperfections in length (if anything I'd make your panels a little bit shorter than the length of the bed).

I then needed two panels for the width of my bed, I planned on using the second curtain panel for this. The second curtain panel was not long enough to cover the length of both ends of the bed, so I made my end panels only 3/4 of the length of my bed ends. Part of the sides of my bed are hidden behind the dressers. I cut a 26'' wide panel out of the entire length of the curtain and then cut it in half in order to get my side panels.

I originally planned to attach my bedskirt to the bed with velcro. So I finished off the cut side of my panels with a hem and velcro, but once I was done I realized this step is not necessary (unless you want to hot glue velcro to your box spring and attach the bed skirt with velcro). At the last minute my husband had the brilliant idea to attach the bedskirt to the box springs using safety pins. I used quilting safety pins because they have a little bend in the middle which makes them easier to use.

I WISH I was this organized.  I would be frantically scrambling in a junk drawer to find a safety pin.

I used velcro to attach a bed skirt to our baby's crib, but safety pins work great for attaching the bedskirt panels to the box spring if you don't want to deal with the hassle of hot glue. Here are some pictures of my son's crib.

She used velcro to attach the crib skirt to the board.

Out of the scraps I had left over from my curtain panels I cut two 10'' x 26'' pieces to to cover the corners of the bed. I used the part of the curtains that had the grommets, just to make it a little interesting. If you were making a bed skirt to go around your entire bed you would need to have four of these pieces.

Once I had all my pieces cut and had hemmed the side edges I was ready to attach the bedskirt to the box spring. I started by pinning the corner pieces first, and then attached my three side panels. I placed a safety pin every 6-12 inches.

I like the idea of safety pinning or velcroing the bed skirt to the box spring, because it is sure to remain in place. When I had a bed skirt I had bought from the store it always got bunched up and would look all messy every time I tried to make the bed.

Here's a picture of the completed project. I hope you enjoyed!!

Thanks Gina!  Gina has all kinds of ideas for redecorating her apartment, including making a super-cool headboard.  I hope we get to see more of her projects soon...and I don't have to cut off my fingers to get another blog post out of her!!!  I love you Gina!

The Bedroom

I think my bedroom is probably the most neglected room in the house, which might explain why I've never shown you pictures of it.   Well here it is:

Yes, that would be a gigantic wedding picture circa 1999.

And a pair of mismatched lamp shades:

Big K likes to read children's books before bed....to the three year old who always ends up in our room.

That was one of my first DIY projects - wrapping a lampshade in jute twine.

Just this morning, I decided to see what small changes I could make using things I have around the house.  Coral and gray is a new favorite color palette, so I wanted to incorporate those colors.

I replaced the wedding picture with this sunburst mirror I purchased at Home Depot several weeks ago.  If you're looking for a mirror this one was a bargain at $35.

The lamps got some new lampshades.  I got these at Target on clearance plus it was buy one, get one 50%.

The lamps needed something else, so I decided to paint them.  When painting lamps, I protect the top by tightly wrapping it in tinfoil.

I wrap the cord in tape and then place the remainder of the cord in plastic grocery bags.

Here's the lamp painted with Krylon's Coral Isle spray paint.

I flipped the quilt to the white side, put on some different shams, and moved pillows from the living room to the bed.

It's not perfect, but it's a start.  It's also fun to try to reuse things I already have...OR have gotten for free!  I got a quart of free paint at Ace Hardware.  They are giving away free quarts every Saturday in March.  This is the color I'll be painting my room.

Update: I stopped at the thrift store this evening and found a pair of lamps that I'm going to replace my little stick lamps with.  Don't worry, I'm still going to spray paint them coral.  I'll post pics when I'm done.