A Living Room I Love Living In!

And finally, the "accent" wall had to go. I, unfortunately, picked such a light blue color that it was washed out during the day. So, I decided to go bold. I actually picked the *middle* color on the paint chip. (Gasp!)

Oh, and here's the link to the original Living Room when we moved in: LINK

Even though the husband was convinced that "Courtyard Shadow" was gray, I knew he would love it once out living room was one solid color. And I was right!

Oh! And because my MIL was as sick of seeing all the TV wires as I was, she came to the door with this!

The first thing my cat had to do was make a little garden apartment for himself on the bottom shelf.

See my record player and lamp that came with the house? Well, I'm just glad I finally found a paint color that made me not mind the husband's favorite lamp so much.

Oh! And remember the hooks I made months ago? Well I finally hung it on the wall! And, get this, I hung keys on it!

Keeping My Hands Busy

I've recently needed a distraction for my hands in the past few days, so I've been trying to get back into crafting.

The first thing I did was make a dry erase calendar. I had been meaning to do this craft for ages, since I saw a version on Somewhat Simple. Even though the one seen on that blog is very organized and incredibly detailed, I just needed something to compensate for my procrastination to buy a 2010 calendar, which led to finding ones in June that are $20.

I got a cheap frame at Jo-Anns and some clearance scrapbook paper and used a ruler to draw the grid I needed. I did everything with dry erase marker on what would be the front, and traced everything with permanent silver marker on the bottom side, so I wouldn't accidentally wipe the grid and days of the week lettering off when cleaning it.

I love how quick it was, and how great it turned out.

While I was at Jo-Ann's, I picked up a few jewelry making accessories so I could put this March of Dimes ring to good use.

I loved the ring. It says "Be Happy" and "Be Healthy" on it, but I hated the cheap looking purple string that it was attached to. I realize it was a token of gratitude for donating to charity, but, I really did want to wear the ring, but I needed a solution.

After some beads, about an hour with a pair of needle-nose pliers, and the sanity to keep pushing my cats away from the little jewelry pieces, I had this.

Christmas Crafts

After December, I kind of cut back on blogging. So much going on and procrastination got the best of me. But, better late than never!

Here are the beginnings of my Italian style baskets I made for my side of the family. When I lost my job, most family members said they would be angry with me if I spent money on them. Therefore, my Christmas shopping was done at Dollar Tree.

My favorite gift I made, though, were for my cousin's twin girls. I bought blank doodle pads and pasted fun scrapbook paper to the fronts and stamped their names across them. Then, I modified the designs for crayon sacks, seen on many craft websites to give to them.

Baby Steps

I feel like I've lost almost a week of my life to this flu. I watched TV the entire time I was sick. Actually, scratch that, I woke up, put on something I'd want to watch, fall asleep after five minutes and repeat the process every four or five hours. I'm finally feeling better and I'm trying to catch up on lost time today. So I actually ventured out of the house and went (where else?) the craft store and the dollar store.

First, I had seen these made on a few Web sites now, but I loved the idea (and the frugality of it), I had to make my own. I didn't take pictures of the steps, but I will tell you it involved a candle stick holder, a little hurricane vase, some glass frosting spray paint and a hot glue gun. Then I added a ribbon and stuck a candle in it for instant Christmas decorations!

Where I Got The Idea

And Here

And my other project is in the dryer as we speak: a stamped-print shirt. Oh, how freakin' cute is this?

My friend, who watched me haphazardly place the stamps said, "You know you just put owls on your boobs, right?" Some quick thinking and I answered her with "Well, they're called 'hooters' for a reason, right?" Then I realized how perverted my shirt was. Oh well, it was just the prototype to see how I liked the look.

But look at how cute these owls are! I love this stamp.

The instructions on setting the paint are below.

LINK

One More Thing

Oh! And the last Halloween decoration I added were these little pumpkins.

And, with the addition of puff paint, I added some 3D designs.

After they dried, I spray painted them.

And, of course, I forgot to take a picture of the finished pumpkins. But, they were lovely. Because they were live pumpkins, I had to throw them away.

Another Costume!

My sister-in-law's daughter is being Gabriella from "High School Musical". I think it's the third movie because she's going as Gabriella from the prom. The dress she bought for her was a little flat, she told me. So I was commissioned to figure out a solution (I love a challenge). Easy-made tutu, here I come!

I saw this LINK from Crystal's Craft Spot and couldn't wait to try it. I could not believe how easy it was!

Oh! And the dollar store, I was thrilled to find out, sold 8-yard spools of tulle! I went through about eight of them. With a few stitches from he sewing machine I had my base.

I soon had visitors when making the tutu; the cats would not leave me alone!

Here's the finished product, including those curious little ones.

As the tutorial says, I need to flatten it out. It's in the bathroom right now, awaiting a long shower.

I'll post pictures of my niece after Saturday. I totally want to make one for me, but I don't think it'll go with my current costume idea.

Stone Candlestick Holders

I love the look the stone spray paint offers. LOVE IT! My husband now gets mad when I use it because he enjoys it so much, he thinks it's his to use. But I used it anyway.

On my trip to the dollar store this week, I bought regular glass candlestick holders.

I don't think I would have looked twice at them, but I began scouring the store for stuff to use the spray paint on because I still had a lot of it. When I came across these, I knew they'd be perfect.

And, in my humble opinion, I believe I was right.

The candles are actually red, but spray painted black so when they burn, they'll have a bleeding effect. Oh, I can't wait until Saturday!

Christmas Decorations for Halloween

Last week when I went to the dollar store, they were still stockpiled with Halloween goodies. When I went this week, however, Christmas had arrived, leaving only a few sad shelves of paper plates with pumpkins and ghosts on them.

Ha! Like that would stop me!

Found some cute birds that would go on a Christmas tree.

Sorry, but birds do not represent Christmas to me. They are dirty creatures. Dirty, I tell you! And, one of them stole my bagel once while I was walking down the boardwalk in Atlantic City. Flew right by my head to do so. OK, maybe not any bird that looks like the ones pictured...but my dislike for any member of the bagel snatcher's species are not nice!

See? Even Beth and Buster know of their evil!

Anyway, I'm on a spray painting kick lately. So, what did I do? I brought the evil out in these birds!

Even the feathered tail looked even more evil with the weird spray paint effect.

I used some magenta nail polish on their eyes to really bring out the evil and my chandelier is now evil-ized!

Oh, my Halloween dining room is really turning out to be great!

Throwing Our Coats on the Furniture is Getting Boring

I received these coat hooks from Lenny's Nana last year and they just sat in my hall closet, feeling sad and lonely. Our coats were usually flung on the chair facing the front door.

After a few coats of spray paint...

And some Mod Podge and Paper...

Can't wait to hang them up!

When the husband saw them last night, he said "Oh! These came out so nice! I love squares!"

Oh dear...

He loves squares, and I love circles. Should I be worried? Are we incompatible?

Mod Podged Pumpkin

Absolutely not my idea at all, I will say that. I've seen it on a few blogs this season. But I did want to show the process here because, damn was it simple!

I found the small pumpkin at Joann's for about $3. All of their Halloween stuff is 50-percent off! Woo!

I have a confession: I hate the color orange. I don't know why, but I've never gotten a feel for it. It just always looks tacky. Oh, I don't mind the little bit here and there, but the color itself just turns me off completely. So I was glad to have a way to cover it, but still make it holiday appropriate.

I spray painted the stem with some light blue, but it didn't really want to take, so I gave up.

Using one piece of scrapbook paper cut into strips of varying lengths and widths, the Mod Podging commenced!

Tip: I found it easier to wet the strips with water before Mod Podging the backs. Also, I spread a layer of Mod Podge on the pumpkin for extra hold.

(And, that would be Miss Beth investigating.)

After covering all the (evil) orange with the paper, I added a few more coats of Mod Podge.

The nice thing is, I've used the same paper in my dining room as a mat for pictures, so I was very happy to have some dining room decor.

(See previous post to see the finished product.)

UPDATE: I used some silver ribbon and hot glue to finish off the badly-painted stem.

Pottery Barn, eat my Mod Podge!

I can't rationalize spending the amount of money Pottery Barn would like me to. Maybe it's jealousy. Maybe it's the pretentious reputation the store has. Maybe it's the episode of "Friends" in which Phoebe hates Pottery Barn. But I've never been a fan. Sure, I'll look at the catalog, but in my mind, I'm constantly saying "I could make that!" for some of their items, especially decor.

Last week, Apartment Therapy was looking for freelance writers from my area and its application included a sample column. So, I had the idea to do a weekly column taking accessories from stores I believed were charging too much, and writing tutorials on making similar products yourself. Not that it'll pay enough to quit my day job, but it's a nice project it's a great project.

Anyway, here's the "inspiration" (I use quotes because I still can't help rolling my eyes at Pottery Barn):

Oh, OK, and here's the link, if you really want it.

Originally, when I wrote the sample column, it was listed as $24. I'm a little disheartened to see it's been reduced to $16. But, it's still more than I paid!

Here's the bulk of the column (wow, I feel awkward stealing my own writing, for some reason):

Wooden Tray: $7 ($4.20 with coupon for 40% off at Joanns.com)
Skull Cutout: $2.99 ($1.79 with sale on all Halloween supplies at Joann's)
Black Gloss Spray Paint: On hand (typically $3-$5)
Silver Metallic Spray Paint: On hand (typically $3-$5)
Mod Podge—Gloss Finish: On Hand (typically $3-$4)
Foam Brush: On hand ($.50 for two)

First, coat the tray with the black spray paint. I didn't like the idea of the silver on the outside, but with some painters' tape, you could create the look of the PB version.

Next, cut the wire holding the mandible (thank you, high school anatomy!) onto the skull, and paint each piece separately with the silver spray paint.
Tip: Do a few coats of light and quick sprays instead of a few heavy coats. This gives the finished look more of an even tone and the layers dry quickly.

Use Mod Podge to adhere skull to tray. After the glue has set, give the entire tray a few coats of Mod Podge to seal it. If you'd like more of a durable finish, spray the Mod Podged tray with acrylic sealer a couple times.

My cost: $7.99
Cost without coupons, supplies on hand and maximum prices: $24.49. Yes, it would be $.49 more, but you'd have leftover Mod Podge, black spray paint, metallic spray paint and a foam brush, which could all be used for other projects around the house.