Forced Blog Redesign

So this morning I woke up and to my horror I noticed that my background image was GONE on my blog. Completely gone.

(insert whines and cries here)

Recently Google has been making changes to google reader, Gmail and more, and I'm not certain if these changes effected my blog, but for a while it's been acting kinda funny. It was either that, or MORE LIKELY Cox members site problem where I was hosting all my images. Either way, it was time for a fix.

So, I've pretty much spent all day neglecting my kids working on this blog to get it back in shape.

It's still a work in progress, but I'm liking what I'm seeing. I decided to run a test post because my signature seemed to not be working either, (probably has nothing to do with the fact that the image is a "borrowed" image...ahem...) so (fingers crossed)...hoping it works.

Put a Bird On It

I've had this idea in my head for a while to create some art that looked like THIS. It was another idea from Pinterest. The caption said "Elmers glue then paint over it." Genius I thought, pure genius.

So, I grabbed my canvas (which I had painted a long time ago and never finished), came up with a sketch of what I wanted, that included a sweet little bird. As I was drawing it I kept chuckling about the "Put a Bird on It," from the show Portlandia.



Anyhow, of course I ran into some issues. In doing this project I didn't actually look into the blog of the lady that did it. I took my HUGE canvas and just went all glue crazy on it. I could tell immediately that it didn't look as "puffy" as the photo from Pinterest, so I started to wonder what was going on.

So, I went onto the computer and went into the actual blog of the gal that created it. Come to find out it was NOT Elmers glue. She used puffy paint in a very SPECIFIC way to make this piece of art.

So, I had a couple options, go with what I had or try something new. I decided to go with it, paint on top of it and see where I was. If I still wanted more texture I could add the puffy paint afterward. After I added the white it was just TOO much white, it would have been fine for a small canvas, but this was just TOO much. Even with more texture it was going to overwhelm the bathroom where I had it and it needed something else to it. SO, I started painting some grey on it to see where I ended up.

It's getting somewhere now...

This is the finished painting, no place for it yet though....

I ended up liking the way the different shades of grey looked on the white canvas and left it as is. For fun I hung it over the fireplace in my den while I was painting the cabinets (to keep it out of reach of small hands) where my Monet painting used to be and it actually looked REALLY great there, so I just decided that it would stay!

My mantel (now painted white with new decor)

 Anyhow it was a DIY turned disaster that actually ended up being something different than I imagined, but it totally worked itself out, and I think its fun, even though I did get a little cheesy and "put a bird on it".  I've gone back and forth about adding color to the flowers, but I like it simple as is, the splash of color with the scrapbook paper on canvas is all I really want for now, so I think for now I'm just going to keep it that way.

Bathroom Reveal

So, I just glued together my DIY mason jar soap dispenser, and decided to call the bathroom "done" enough to post photos.

We still need to nail down the baseboards and I have some other art I'm working on for the wall, but I was ready to wrap up this portion of my blog on my bathroom.

I had a LOT of fun with this project, and some frustration as well, but I'm extremely pleased with how it turned out.

So (drumroll) here it is:

Before:  Yellow walls, dingy cabinets, creme switches, brown trim.

After!  I am SO pleased with my dark cabinets, neutral walls and white trim!

Painting behind the toilet was NOT fun.

I went back to home depot and had them darken the color.  The first time I brought it home it was too "purple".  It's still a slight bit too pinky for my taste, but since my accent towels are purple, it actually works pretty well.  I also painted all the trim white in the room and I will eventually switch it out for a paneled white door when I get the funds.  Baseboards are all white now and I'm LOVING the contrast of the colors.  The dark trim was just SO not me.

I used my old flowers but made a new trough to put them in on the back of the toilet.  An idea I got here from my hero Thrifty Decor Chick.

I love how it turned out and it was super easy to make.  Just used scrap wood I had in the garage, wood glue and some nails and stain and voila.

Isn't it pretty?  I LOVE LOVE LOVE it.

I'm so into this rustic meets modern look.  Farmhouse meets modern decor.  LOVE it.  Another Pinterest find was the mason jar soap dispenser.  I decided to make one too, and I love how it looks in there.  I just followed the easy instructions.  The hardest part was getting the pump to stick on.  Hot glue did NOT work, and I had no plumbers adhesive, so I used good old superglue and it worked just fine.

My mason jar soap dispenser.

The vase I had in the attic for like...um, forever and I forgot about it.  Added some branches and voila!

I had a lot of fun on this project, but I'm glad it's over!  Seriously though the photos do not do justice to HOW MUCH better it looks, really.  Now I'm working on my den cabinets.  They are painted and I'm working on adding the decor to the shelves, that blog is coming soon!

Santa's Workshop

So I've been reading this blog by this awesome chick Ana White.  She is a GIRL woodworker who lives in Alaska and makes this awesome furniture. I've fallen in love with about a thousand of her woodworking plans but one in particular stood out to me and that was the kitchen play set (click on link for plans to it on her blog).

We decided to undertake this project for our girls, and at the same time made two more for people my husband works with (figured if we were making one we could go ahead and make three and just do an assembly line).

This was a really fun project.  It got a bit crazy doing the mass production, and I'm not certain I would undertake such a project at Christmas time again, but looking back I did enjoy the time in the garage with my husband.

We went to the hardware store and picked out the materials the weekend before thanksgiving.  We came home and cut the pieces for the sink and stove in no time.  It was when we started mass producing them that things began to slow down a bit.  We spent about three weekends working on the project in December.  Thankfully we had a small space heater in the garage and an insulated garage door.  It was really fun woodworking next to my husband.  I learned a LOT (when I wasn't acting like a miss know it all and would shut up and actually listen...something I'm NOT great at).

Anyhow, the people we made it for at my husbands work wanted pink for their kitchen.  We finished those first and here is what they turned out like.

I decided that I didn't want the one for my girls all pink and since their room has daises in it, I wen with daises on the door rather than the swirly flowers.  The colors pink, purple and white match their room perfectly. 

Here it is Christmas morning waiting for them

We used wooden tires from HL for the knobs on the stove, and purchased the handles from Habitat for Humanity.  They have the larger pulls at Ikea but unfortunately OKC does NOT have an Ikea yet....we used dog bowls for the sinks from Petco and we purchased the cheapest laundry faucet we could find at Home Depot for the sink faucet.  They ran $17 each and was probably the priciest part of all the kitchen other than the wood. Others recommended Ebay for faucets, but I just couldn't find any that were not like $15 for shipping.

I sewed the sink skirt for my girls kitchen out of fabric scraps and my MIL sewed the other two (which turned out MUCH nicer than mine and unfortunately I didn't get a photo of those but they were SUPER cute).  I also made pot holders to go with them and found small wooden spoons at the thrift store to give the girls.  They also got TONS of food and kitchen misc items for Christmas to go with the kitchen.  So far they have had a BLAST playing with it, and I'm really proud of how it turned out!

The finished project in their room!

Renovation Nightmare

Two years ago my husband was driving to work and having a chat with God. He jokingly asked God to give him a new truck. Not five minutes later he gets plowed by a hit and run driver. Thankfully he was fine, but his Pontiac Grand AM was NOT. The car was totaled, and yes, my husband got his truck

This spring my husband told me we needed to paint our house. We were also in need of a new roof and some other outside repairs that we just didn't have the funds for. We jokingly asked God again to provide for us (we do realize that God is NOT a magic genie in a lamp). A few weeks later we were pummeled by a hailstorm. We had MASSIVE damage to our home. Looks like all those things we were needing to get taken care of insurance would cover.

God has a funny sense of humor when we ask him for things doesn't he?  Or is this just US?

I need to be a little more careful what I ask for. We are four months after this hail storm and still knee deep in the process of trying to get our house back together. Dealing with the insurance company and the mortgage company has proved to be a nightmare. On top of it I decided to be my own contractor to try and help save on my deductible. I've learned NEVER to do that again.

This is a long story so I'll try and keep it brief.  We had a claim for A amount of dollars.  B amount of dollars was our deductible.  C amount was our depreciation amount, so insurance cut us a check for amount A-B-C which I will call amount X.  We get our amount X Check and it is made out to us AND the mortgage company.  So, we called the evil bastards our mortgage company and they told us to get the check cashed we must send in the contractor information, their license, insurance the report from the insurance adjuster and a check for $35.00 for a home inspection when it's complete.  We explained to them we were working as our own contractor and that we would be completing some of the work ourselves and the work would be done by various companies.

Here is where things got messy.  Here is where I wish I would have thrown in the towel and just called a contractor.

The mortgage company said we would need a materials list printed from a supplier (Home Depot or Lowes), we would need insurance and license info for every company working on our house, and the estimates from all those companies.  So, we comply of course.  Problem is the people at Home Depot look at us like we have two heads when we ask for a materials list.  We decided to just send them a spreadsheet with the materials, the cost, and the item and where it will be purchased at.  10 days later, no word, and no money.  I have ROOFERS on my house installing a roof and I have NO MONEY.  I call the mortgage company and they tell us that they are missing information on a materials list.  The one we sent them wouldn't suffice.  Really?  So, my wonderful savvy husband prints a shopping cart from online and sends it to them.  10 days later we call and they tell us that a check has been issued.

Thank.  God.

So, we leave for vacation expecting a nice fat check when we come home.  We get home and yay!  We have a check!  We open it up and it is for HALF of amount X.  HALF.

I feel bile rising in my throat, and anger pulsing through my veins.  In the memo line it says "50 percent contractors material draw."  Really.  You have GOT to be kidding me. 

So, my wonderful husband gets on the phone to the mortgage company (because at this point I was about to postal on these people).  The representative explains to my husband that we can't get more money until the entire job is complete.  We ask her how we are supposed to cash flow the project and she is nothing but nasty to us.  She said we could release some of the funds for the roof, but we would have to pay to inspect ($35 remember?) every time someone comes out (roof, windows, paint, gutters etc...you get my drift).

So, we decided to get out of their nasty system, and pulled some strings to cash flow the project to complete it.   Once we get it done we will get the remaining funds from amount X from our mortgage company (granted that they don't need our blood type and a kidney from us).  THEN once it is all completed we will get amount B (the depreciation) from our insurance company.  THEN we will pay off the project.  Sigh.

It's October.  Hail storm was May.  My house is NOT done yet but we are getting there slowly.  My husbands truck was also damaged in the storm, when we found a repair shop insurance asked us "do you want the check mailed to you or the repair shop?"  I said "REPAIR SHOP."  I am backing out of the system and washing my hands of it.  I will let the repair shop argue with the insurance company and I will keep my hands clean of this mess ever again.

Here are some photos of my home and the hail damage it sustained:

Now we have gotten almost all the painting done.  We just need to finish the painting, do the gutters, get the windows fixed and new screens and we will be done.  I can see the finish line the end is near.

Here is where we are at so far:

One thing I can be completely thankful for is that through this entire process God has provided, and we have a gorgeous new roof, and we were able to redo the colors on our house and get a really great garage door.  The house looks a MILLION times better than it did and I'm loving it!  Final reveal of the home will be coming soon!

New Blog I Love

I have fallen in love with this new blog "Make it and Love it".  Seriously some of the cutest ideas that I've ever seen.  This month she is having a giveaway of these super cute watches.

You seriously have to take a look at these, totally adorable (and check out this site, I just LOVE it)!  Check them out here, and get in on the giveaway!

Copycat Decorating 101

Ok, so I don't claim to be an expert in the least bit on decorating, however I am pretty good at doing cute stuff on a tight budget.

I do admit, I snag ideas here and there, however I'm not using these for resale or for profit in any way, so ethically it's fine.  I just find something I like and copycat it.

My daughter wanted a music theme room.  I found some ideas for wall decor and did my own copycats of them.

First I did a wall mural.  I found the photo on Google that I liked and replicated it on her wall.

Here is the original image:

Here is my copycat of it.

Not too shabby, and it only cost me the paint  (which I all ready had on hand), and about an hour of my time.  I LOVE doing this kind of stuff.  It's fun for me.  So yesterday I was sick and stuck at home.  So I decided to take a stab at another idea I saw I liked.

Here is the original image:

And here is my copycat version of it;

Just had hubby find some extra plywood he had in the garage and he cut me 8x8 sections and sanded it down.  I painted the sides black, then the tops of two white and the other tops of two black, then after it dried I reversed the colors and used while paint was still drying I scratched it to reveal the opposite color underneath.  Voila!  And it didn't cost me anything because I had it lying around, and it was TOTALLY fun to do.

I'm working on one last piece for her room, but this one is an original, and I'm not quite done with it yet, but I'll give you a sample....

Logo Work

Ok, so I've been staying up until midnight or later this week, but I've been doing some logo work.  It's been WAY too long since I've done anything remotely creative, so the lack of sleep is worth the payoff in the long run.  Well, at least I'm HOPING it will pay off and I will get some business coming in!

I'm pretty hapy with what I've come up with this week.  I feel like I've been pretty productive (graphic wise, however the laundry is still a hopeless cause...)

I did a logo for my hubby's work.

Then I did my business cards...

Then I did a few logos for my friend who currently is making adorable bags, and is also a great photographer.  You should really check out her bags and photographs.

So, all in all not too bad of a week.  I'm back in business again!  Hopefully offers will start pouring in ;)