Living room project

I'm excited to share with you another completed house project! {am I on a roll or what?!}

Our fireplace wall in the living room always felt very blah. It is situated between two 'doorways' and it needed a little sprucing up.

All of our walls in the living room are the same color, which I can't remember what it's called right now. But, they are all pretty bland. I wanted this wall to stand out and be more defined. We were thinking of painting it a solid color, but then I've really been into chevron patterns recently. So I bought a stencil {over a year ago!} and finally was able to spend two days working on it.

 

I wanted it to be visible, but still subtle so I chose to use this Martha Stewart  paint:

 

I decided to use pencil and trace the stencil, instead of painting over the stencil, then moving it, and painting it again. Since it was a chevron pattern, I knew it had to be level and straight. Fortunately my Mom was just a phone call away and gave me some tips. Unfortunately, I called her after already getting started, so I was super thankful for the Magic Eraser I had on hand to erase the lines I had already drawn. 

I spent about an hour erasing my pencil marks but the Magic Eraser worked amazingly well!

I decided to go with Frogtape because I heard that it works better than the blue painters tape. It was a little more costly, but I knew I needed clean lines so I felt it was worth it.

 

After I got the pencil lines correct it was time to tape:

and tape...

and tape...

{I indulged in a venti caramel macchiato as a way to keep me going!}

 

Phew! That was a lot of taping! It took an entire roll plus a little more from a second roll to complete the pattern.

 

The painting itself only took a couple of hours and two coats of paint.

 

I LOVE how the gold stands out and shimmers in the light. I don't think that it looks too busy, it just makes the fireplace wall defined which is what I was hoping for. The gold paint reflects some gold specks we have in our tile surrounding the fireplace, tying everything in nicely.

 

The tape did bleed a little bit in some places so I have some touch ups to do, but overall I am really happy with how the frogtape held up, compared to the regular blue painters tape.

 

{and I just looked on the Frogtape website and saw that they have shape tape and they have it in chevron pattern!} 

For the most part, the lines are crisp and came out exactly as I hoped!

 

I am so happy with the wall. The paint is great and even with the few touch ups needed, I can take my time with those.

 

Have you done anything to spruce up your space lately?

Happy Sunday!

Happy Sunday Friends!
I hope that your weekend is going well and that you are looking forward to a great week. This is my little space to share with you some things that are making me happy recently. Enjoy!

I found this little drink at Target and it is so delicious! The right amount of fruity-ness and fizziness and the perfect drink for these hot days we are having!

One day at work, we had 3 boxes of doughnuts brought in. We were also bbq'ing hamburgers that afternoon, so of course one of my co-workers decided to try making a doughnut burger. He went all out: ketchup, mustard, lettuce, cheese. He could only take about 3 bites before he was done with it. It looked pretty, but not appetizing! Sometimes we have to make work fun!

Yay, another project completed!

We have a half fence between out house and the neighbors. Fortunately, it's between our side yards that don't get a lot of use, but our den window looks out that way. We decided that instead of raising the fence we would add lattice and jasmine plants opposite the window. This was a quick project {less than an hour to complete!} and it makes such a difference already!  

 

I picked Bailey up from Chris' Mom and since it was already warm at 8am, we went to hang out at the mall. It was so quiet and Bailey really enjoyed riding the little mechanical cars. Seeing that smile was worth the 75 cents!

I have been looking for leopard print shoes for awhile and when I saw Gen post her new shoes, I knew they were what I was looking for. Although, they did gave me blisters the first time I wore them, I still love them and will keep breaking them in.

 

I hope that you have a great week!

Happy Sunday! 

 

 

Some completed projects

I am SO happy to report that we've been able to complete some projects lately. The house has taken a backseat to a certain two year old and it felt really good to cross off some to-do's {even if they were only on the list in my head}.

 

Remember THIS project?

{the never-ending project that we started September 2011}

 

WE FINALLY FINISHED IT!!!!

{almost 3 years later}

{minus a few minute details}

It is no where near perfect or professional looking, but it is done!

It is such a relief having that project off our backs and I'm happy to say that we made it though without any big fights erupting!

Our next step is to plant some drought tolerant plants along the edge. I'm looking forward to decorating our porch for holidays and spending time enjoying our front yard a bit more.

 

An easy paint project.

 

I bought a bench on sale from World Market a few years ago {similar here} and it was basic wood. I always envisioned it having a place on our front porch one day.

The screws had come loose and it was starting to weather a bit, so I knew it needed some paint to spruce it up and to make it last longer.

 

I decided to use green paint because we are contemplating painting our house trim and eaves the same color.

Who knew two coats of paint could breathe such new life into a drab piece of furniture! I added two red pillows for contrast and I love how it both pops and seamlessly fits in at the same time on our new porch. 

We moved our small fountain from the backyard to the front {tying in the red pillows and red bricks} and we bought a new hose reel at Home Depot. We still want to make a cover for our water softener, just out of sight on the right, and add some wall décor to the left.

 

Den Décor

 

Our den has a huge wall, running the length of our garage, and I was stumped at how to fill up the space without making it too busy.

 

A before picture:

{Right after we moved in, so we do have a new coffee table and pillows}

 

I had a picture of the three of us blown up and framed. That was all that was on the wall for a few months. I finally shopped our own home for some smaller frames and candle holders to flank the big picture.

{sorry for the iPhone photo}

Each small frame holds a picture of our family members.

Top Left: Chris and his parents at his Paramedic graduation

Bottom Left: Chris' sister and her family

Bottom Right: My brother and sister-in-law

Top Right: My parents and Bailey

 

I haven't decided if I like the black or white mats in the frames, but I am so happy having something up on the wall!

 

 It makes me feel so accomplished and happy to have completed a project (or three)! Hopefully we will have time to complete a few more to-do's in the near future!

 

Some other projects on our list:

~ Paint the house and eaves

~ Dual paned windows

~ Plant front and back flower beds

~ Remove a small wall in the guest bathroom

~ Change the wall décor in the hallway

~ Make a flower privacy screen next to den window

~ Organize back sheds

 

Etc., Etc., Etc.

 

 

Project update

Easter weekend we decided to work on {and hoped to complete} our front walkway. 

We definitely did not get as far as we had hoped because it turned out to be a bigger project than any of us could have imagined. A lot of learning and teaching and sore muscles happened and we have a good start on getting it done. 

1. Over a year ago, we cleaned up the weeds and pured a concrete mow strip to prep the area.

2. Last July we poured the concrete foundation for the bricks. Using over one hundred, 60 pound bags of concrete and thankfully a cement mixer working in the hot sun! 

My Mom found us a great deal on bricks on craigslist and we bought 734 of them.

3. Easter weekend. {My Mom estimated it would take us 3 hours to complete the project}

Frustration #1 We realized quickly that the bricks we bought off craigslist were taller than the ones we used to measure for the height of our concrete. Frustration #2. We decided to continue the herringbone pattern that our existing bricks have, taking longer to place them and get the pattern correct. The frustrations kept continuing.

None of us had ever done bricks of this magnitude and we had a lot of learning to do. Fortunately, my Dad is a very patient man and he taught us a lot.

It was wonderful to spend time together as a family on Easter, hopefully this project will not take us another year to complete!!

5 minute pinterest project

I've been making an effort to bring my pinterest projects to life, so they're not just stuck on my pin boards forever. Last night, I made one and it literally took five minutes.

 

Here is an easy way to keep those plastic shopping bags organized.

 

Step 1:

Gather items:

~ Empty Lysol hand wipe container

~ Scrapbook paper

~ Scissors

~ Tape

 

Step 2:

Peel the label off

 

Step 3:

Use the label as a template to cut out a piece of scrapbook paper to wrap the container and tape it into place.

{Next time I will make mine a bit wider so that it covers the entire bottle}

 

Step 4:

Fill with plastic bags

 

I'm so glad that my bags aren't taking over our cupboard under the sink anymore!

Thanks Pinterest! 

 

My first mod podge

Hello, my name is Mallory and I admit it, I've tried Mod podge and I might be addicted!

I like creating homemade gifts, but haven't had much time at home to be creative.

Since coming back to work, I've had time to get my creative juices flowing and I can finally share with you a gift I made for Chris' sister (since we gave it to her for Christmas).

**No pictures of the process, just the end result**

Here is what you will need:

Letters, paint, brushes, Mod Podge

I started out with some paper mache letters (spelling out my SIL's last name) from paper source and painted them a dark grey.

Then I printed out pictures of their family of three.

First I printed out the pictures in wallet size, but they were too hard to work with and didn't create the look I was going for, so then I printed them out in the contact sheet size and it was perfect.


When you print a picture from your computer, this box comes up, and then choose contact sheet prints.

 Then came the tedious job of cutting out the pictures. I had over 100 pictures to cut out (the number of pictures needed obviously depends on the length of the name/word you're using).

Then I played around with the pictures, positioning and re-positioning them on the letters until I found the set up I liked.

Then...Mod podge!
I just brushed a thin layer on top of the letter, then put the pictures on, and put the letters picture side down while they dried (I put them onto waxed paper) to keep the pictures from curling up.
After they dried, I added another layer of mod podge and they were done!

I am so happy with the result!

I have been coming up with lots of different versions:

FAITH  with favorite bible verses

LOVE with our vows

FAMILY with pictures/words/descriptions of favorite things

The ideas are endless!

I really enjoyed putting this together and see many more of these in my future!

(If you'd like one or have suggestions for others, let me know!)

House projects

A few weeks ago, my parents came down to help us with some house projects. It felt so good to have three big items checked off of our to do list!

The day before Mom and Dad came down, we were able to get a new back fence. Our fence had fallen down in some strong winds we had had and the fence was just propped up, as you can see:

We think that it might have been the original fence from when the house was built, it was completely rotted in some parts and some of the screws were broken out. We took the fence down ourselves (saving over $200!) and we will use the wood for some projects or for in our fireplace.

The new fence is beautiful! It has a nice lattice top to add some detail and it has metal posts sunk into concrete (hopefully combating the possibility of wood rot). It has really made me want to get the rest of the backyard in shape!

We also had a garage sale, making over $300! It was the first time either Chris or I had a garage sale of our own, and it went pretty well. We did have quite a bit of stuff left over, which we donated, but now I can park my car in the garage!

Our third big project was to work on making a front patio.



The first picture is the before (we poured the small concrete strip months ago); then Chris, My Dad and Chris' Dad mixing about 100 bags of concrete (thank the Lord for concrete mixers); and after the concrete is done!

We are going to be topping the concrete with bricks so it matches our walkway, hopefully in the near future. It was SO much work! Chris and I worked for a few days prepping the hard dirt, the guys (and Mom) worked so hard in the blistering sun getting the concrete done and Mom was able to watch Bailey while the men worked. Unfortunately, I was at work and couldn't help with the concrete.

I am so thankful for parents that can help us make our project visions come to life and for their hard work when they are down here!

Bailey sure enjoyed her time with her Nana and Grandpa! I'm pretty sure she has Grandpa wrapped around her finger already!

My first Pinterest

Yesterday, I spent quite a bit of time on Pinterest and came away with a few inspirations. I decided that today would be a craft day and I started two pinterest projects. One I was able to complete and the other may take a little while, so I will share my first one with you.

This is my house key. I have three keys that look exactly the same on my key ring. I needed a way to make it stand out from the others.

Taa Daa!

I used up some of my old glitter nail polish and painted the top of the key.

Now it is all pink and sparkly and easy to distinguish from the others.

Thanks Pinterest!

Thanksgiving mantle

Sitting on the couch all day yesterday, got my creative juices flowing and I was able to complete our Thanksgiving mantle today.

The big picture

The iron candle holders on each side of the mirror were a gift from my Mom; and from left to right: Vase from my friend Shannon with fake flowers and branches from my parent's yard, a photo frame, my willow tree angel, in the middle: a fall cupcake wreath and gold leafy garland from Michaels, "Give Thanks" sign I made, and on the right: I Love You sculpture from my Mom, a pumpkin, and another willow tree angel.

I got the banner idea and printables from HERE. I added some patterned paper behind the letters and then added some plain brown paper, which I embellished with a Martha Stewart punch, and added some green raffia to hang it.

I'm pretty happy with how it came together, although I want to paint the mirror a mossy green to add some color to the space.

How do you decorate for Thanksgiving?

Halloween wreath

Now that we have beautiful front doors I have been dreaming of ways to enhance them as the seasons change. One trend I have seen a lot around lately is the cupcake wreath. {Wouldn't it be amazing if it was an actual wreath made with real cupcakes?? Ok, moving on...}

Last week I went out to gather my "ingredients". I started at Target because I thought that I could find some cute items for cheap and then I headed over to Michael's to get the rest. I was surprised that Michael's had a big wall full of cupcake liners in all different patterns for only $1.99. I might have gotten liners to make Christmas and Valentine's day wreaths too!

I decided to make with a Halloween wreath and I started with:

8 inch foam wreath form (I would get a bigger one next time)

Orange ribbon to cover the form

about 125 cupcake liners

Step 1:

Cover the form with the ribbon. One roll of ribbon was perfect for covering it, I tacked it down in a few places with hot glue.

Step 2:

Fold up the liners so they look pretty on top. I did a few different ways of folding them (as you will see in the finished project below) and it really does make a difference in how it comes out. Play around with it, and see what works best for you.

Step 3:

Hot glue the liners to the covered form. I wasn't exactly sure how many liners I would need, so I did it in sections in case I had to intersperse different liners. {Here you can kind of see the different ways I folded the liners and how tightly they are put together}

Step 4:

Finish hot gluing the liners to the form. If you want, embellish with a "flower" (I chose an orange liner to make my flower for contrast). I added a little goblin eye to the center of my flower for a little whimsy.

Step 5:

Add a ribbon for hanging and enjoy!

This was such an easy, quick project to do! It only took about an hour start to finish. I didn't put any liners on the edges of the wreath, so the orange ribbon would show through, but if you wanted it more full it would be easy to do. I see many more of these in my future!

What is your favorite holiday project to work on?