Monogram Christmas Wreath

I couldn't wait any longer, I had to change out my fall wreath. Although, from this photo you can't tell there is still pumpkins on my front porch. Not carved, of course, but it's going to really hurt my feelings when I am finally forced to get rid of them. 

I've been keeping my eye on wreath ideas for Christmas and LOVE monogram themes. On my recent trip to Joann's, I was delighted to find pretty much everything fabric or holiday-related in the whole store was 50-60% off. Sales everywhere. Yay. Unfortunately, everyone else knew about it too so lines were long. Yuck. 

All naked wreathes were half off (that's what I call the wreathes not yet decorated). I grabbed a mid-sized wreath (I think it came out to about $4) and the biggest paper mâché letter A (30% off all letters!).

I still needed something to spruce up the wreath so I scoured all the aisles for bells. I love bells! They're so festive! I found a little pack of red bells, unfortunately not on sale at 3.99 unless you want to use your 60% off coupon for it. Don't mind if I do! I figured I'd come up with a way to attach them and the letter when I got home.

 I just needed to get the heck outta this store with all these people in it. I've been cart-bumped by one too many senior citizens with carts full of fabric today. And by one too many, I mean there was only one. ...And she did it twice. I mean, Merry Christmas, I love you!!! :|

Thanks to my "look around-yep-that'll do" attitude, I found some wire to attach the bells to the wreath. I suppose you can use a pipe cleaner or a twisty tie or anything wire-like. I clipped that into one inch pieces, threaded through the bells and crimped them on. 

Spray paint your letter the color you want.  (Do first so it can dry while you attach your bells. Yay for time saving!). 

I did gold with glitter on top. Duh. 

I kept the little plastic tag hook on the top of the letter and looped more of the wire through it to attach it to the wreath. 

Annnnnnnd good enough for me. I'm done. (It's really just my short attention span). You can do more and there's so many possibilities: smaller letter, bigger wreath, little ornaments, pinecones, blah blah blah. Go get creative.

Time to put up Christmas lights! I want some lights framing that front door! 

Has anyone made any Christmas crafts this year? Cookies don't count. 

DIY Framed Chalkboards

I love these and have seen them for sale everywhere, always around $40 and up. No way, I can make it for less! I've been keeping my eyes open for the right frame for a while now.  I didn't want to pay a ton for a used frame (obviously), and I didn't want it to be too plain and simple either.  So many of the frames I've scoped out at Goodwill were overpriced because of the (ugly) artwork in them. (I don't care about the crappy art, I just want the frame!) All the frames I scoped at yard sales this morning were just too thin and plain. I'm looking for some chunky detail! 

After no such luck, Dad said, "let's see what's in the closet at my house." Okayyyy! Yayyyy for repurposing. Well of course I found one I could live with. It's a big, chunky frame. Check it out: 

I took out the glass and dusted it off. I've been DYING to use my turquoise spray paint (Rustoleum's Lagoon).  I decided I wanted to leave a little gold detailing on the inside so I taped that off and got to spraying. 

After cleaning the glass, I put 2 coats of Chalkboard spray paint ($3.97) on the glass. 

I organized the garage a bit while I waited for them to dry. I put them back together and ta-da! 

I totally dig it! I'm glad the gold worked out, I really didn't want to have to paint again. :) 

Now I just need to settle on a place to hang it! Entry way or beginning of hallway? Help me decide! :)

*Update: I decided to try out the frame in the entry. I really like the pop of color. Annnnnd to be able to see inspiring messages when I leave and come home would be really cool too. :)

I also had an extra frame on hand that I wanted to make into a little chalkboard to put on an easel for the bar area. You know, to write silly little quips or festive messages or menu items or the cocktail of the evening? :) The possibilities are endless. 

If you repurpose an old frame you already have, this project will only cost you the price of the paint! Even if you have to go thrifting or yard-saling for a frame, the project is STILL incredibly affordable. Now go repurpose some old frames! 

Yard Sale Finds and Freebies!

Dad and I went to some yard sales this morning. Here are my finds:

2 little milk bottles which I plan on painting with gold/glitter for vases. I love the shape!

(.25 each)

Annnnd I was antsy so I already painted them. One coat metallic gold, one coat of spray glitter! Yeehaw! By the way, spray glitter might be my new favorite thing. *finger on sprayer, look around to see what else I can paint.

Round wooden bar tray which I also plan on painting. (.50)

Yep, already did that too. Same paint as the vases! (I may or may not be gearing up for a NYE party...)

*Jackpot find: electric wine opener for $3.00! Wahoooo! I've been eying these for a while but hadn't pulled the trigger because I didn't want to spend $30+ when I could keep doing it manually for free. BUT this will be great for those emergencies when you need a bottle of wine opened 12 seconds faster, or even if someone with hand arthritis comes over and wants wine but I'm in the bathroom at that exact moment and can't help. You never know. A girl's gotta be prepared. Ok, kind of unnecessary, but hey, it's not a Billy the Big Mouth Bass, ok?

*Jackpot find: Weaved basket. This isn't just any 'ol basket. I have been wanting one like this for so long! At the co-op in Chico, I've seen these for $40! I couldn't pay that much for one of these, even though they are amazing. The perfect farmers market/grocery store/garden veggie-gathering basket, in my FAVORITE color, barely used, for $5.00! Woo!

Multi colored Christmas lights, 2/$1.00! (Marked as $1 a piece but I like to bargain so there you have it!) All they can do is say "no". Always try! 

Also, got that $10.00 Kohl's card in the mail. I love using this. It's like a game for me to see what I can get for $10.00.  I've been gathering discounted Halloween decor and supplies for next year and found a couple do-dads to add to my Halloween box. This pumpkin tablecloth and hand towel. Because the total was less than $10, it was free. Not bad for FREE. Not bad at all. 

PS: There will be a Halloween party next year so start planning your costume now.  :)

Did anyone score at any yard sales this weekend? 

Garage Shelves For Dummies

Woo hoo! I'm getting closer to having our cars in the garage! I've been really wanting to put up some shelves in the garage to corral our storage bins and what not. We made that happen tonight. Poof! In three hours we had these puppies! 

I started by clearing an 8-foot space on the rear garage wall. The shelf will only be the length of the boards. 

Supplies were a little too much to fit in my trusty 'ol car this time so Dad brought the lumber down from HD (Home Depot, duh) plus some other handy tools like a stud finder, screws, and a neat-o laser level.  

Here are the supplies: 

(2) 4'x 8' sheets of plywood $9.75 each

(12) 2x4s $2.65 each

       *We got 13 but only ended up using 12. I'll use the extra for another project. 

Box of 3.5" screws $8.47

After lumber fees and tax, total cost to make this shelving unit: $67.54

We already had our sweet power tools to make all the necessary cuts but if you don't, those little darlings at HD will make  all the cuts you need for your project! 

We made a frame out of the 2x4s and secured it to the wall making sure we hit studs. The first one looked like this:

The spacing between the 8'-long boards is 2 feet. Those boards in between them are cut to 21".

You'll need to get out your tape measure and crunch some numbers but don't worry, it's elementary stuff. Just make your marks and HIT THOSE STUDS or all your yearbooks and camping gear and Christmas decorations and all that other crap you have is going to go crashing down in the middle of the night and you're going to have to run out in your underwear with a baseball bat because you'll think someone is breaking in. And you can't be tough in your underwear. You just can't. Now I'm all stressed out. So just hit the studs, ok?!

We cut those plywood sheets in half and they fit perfectly:  

Yeah, go ahead and attach those 2x4s on each side for support. Then make another frame and do it again!

Awwwww look at our Daddy/Daughter drills... It was really handy using both. One of us pre-drilled holes with a bit to prevent wood splitting while the other followed behind with the screws. How efficient! 

We even got Scotty out here to give us an extra hand. "Here, you just stand here and hold this up..."  He looks so happy to be helping! (He really was, I just caught him off guard with the camera)

 

You know I had to mess with him while he was stranded up on that ladder.  For some reason, he didn't like that, and he threatened to drop the shelf. What a bump on a freakin' log. ;)

Annnnnnd of course I got out a can of spray paint and gave these babies a little spritz-a-roo. I like everything colorful but you KNOW those black stamps on those boards were bugging me. So TA-DA!

I quickly put most of the things on the shelf just to get it off the floor but I still want to do more organizing and consolidating of boxes. I have some of those empty bins I want to use so I can get rid of some cardboard boxes. 

I have some wood scraps so I am planning on getting crafty and making some book shelves for the garage. Some of those boxes are filled with books and college text books and binders and I'd like to display them. Books don't get read if they're never seen! 

Also, those little bins you saw sitting alone on the shelf in one of the above photos were recycled, probably otherwise headed for a dumpster. I spray painted them before we started the shelves. I covered them up with purple and orange and they now hold electronic cords! They looked like this: 

I still have a half sheet of that plywood too so I may end up making myself a little workbench on another wall. Yay for more projects! :) 

Garden Mania!

Hi! I know it's been a while but I've been busy with more projects! We're all moved in and we are loving it here.  Each day I complete a little something more. Lots of small  things to do but they'll get done in time.

But there's something I've set as "high priority": the garden! I have been itching to grow our own food for years. It hurts my heart every time I have to buy a store bought tomato in the summer. Ugh! The easiest freakin' plant to grow and here I am forking out money for it. :|

I have been so antsy to put the winter garden in before it gets cold! Luckily it's still quite warm here in good 'ol Northern California. Since its way too late to start from seeds, I was on a mission to find some non-gmo starter plants. Because my beloved town of Chico had such an amazing farmers market with seasonal starter veggies, I thought I'd first check out the local fm here. I'd been wanting to check it out regardless. Before you locals call me an idiot, I KNOW the big market is on Saturday by the Convention Center. However, I was really excited to see what the Thursday morning market at the outlets had. 

WHAT. A. TOTAL. LETDOWN.

  

There were SIX tables. SIX. Doesn't it look depressing? And there weren't even any veggies. I almost cried. Don't call me dramatic. After looking around for seven seconds, I asked a friendly-faced older gentleman, "is this it?" "This is it, well, a few of us aren't here today, the pie lady is usually right there", he said. :|  I'm not here for PIE. But wait, what time does she get here?...

After that pathetic endeavor, I drove straight to Wyntour Gardens. When I walked into this nursery, my inner dialogue's sound effects crew made that heavenly "Waaaaahhhhhhhh" sound with harps in the background. I had been here years ago and knew it was good but here I was seeing it with new eyes! 

Look at that lettuce. LOOK! I wanted to just lean down and munch on it like a rabid bunny. Do bunnies get rabies? Also, why are bunnies so cute? Oh, don't the white ones with the red eyes gross you out? Me too. 

All these veggies are non-gmo. Woo! And quite the selection too. I loaded onto my 'ill blue wagon: 

Broccoli, cauliflower, sugar snap peas, onions, cabbage, spinach, butter lettuce, kale, and celery! 

Oh yeah, I probably should have told you that I built some little garden beds. Check it out:

They are embarrassingly simple, short, and shallow. Don't criticize them. And the drill wasn't here when I made them so I had to use a dumb hammer. Look how dumb:

What is this? The 1500's? I'm a simple gal but I love power tools. Those nails were tough. Too tough that I switched to these tiny nails that went in easier.  I'm not even showing you in detail because it's so pathetic. I knew that I just wanted them up and I could reinforce them later.

After planting this morning. I still had tons of veggies that didn't fit in my infant beds so what's the solution? MORE BEDS! I ran on down to Payless Building Supply and grabbed six more cedar fence posts at $1.19 each. That price makes me happy. Then I got crazy and did THIS:

They're.... TRIANGLES! These are just the boards making the shapes but I ended up securing the frames using brackets that I bent to fit and now they're nice and sturdy. I just need to get more soil and pack it in there. Oh, and I really hope I don't kill all this stuff.

Also, since I've had (until I planted this morning) basically oversized litter boxes in my backyard for the past two days, I've come out to find a freaking cat turd in one both mornings. Those skanky wild cats next door, pooping in MY garden. I've taken to scaring them (running at them in my garden Crocs loudly yelling and waving my arms). I'm hoping that will deter them. ...Unless they want to get revenge, they hate me and they hate Crocs, and I'm most likely going to wake up tomorrow morning and see 10x the amount of cat-butt logs laying amongst the newly planted veggies. Nope, I won't let that happen. I have plans A-D in order, I just hope I won't have to resort to that.

By the way, Crocs are the nerdiest shoe ever made but have you ever tried some on? Wow. Wear them in your garden, not in public. 

Also, I started painting rocks the other day. I have a life, I promise. That just made me think of The 40 Year Old Virgin when he's defending that he has a very fulfilling life then it cuts to him doing things like this by himself.  This is actually a lot like my life... and I'm married. It's not sad, I'm just independent and know how to entertain myself when Scotty's not here or is in a coma because his 4th graders wore him out.  Here, have a laugh. It's good for you:

Ok, look at some of my rocks. Joe Dirt reference, anyone?

We had a ton of these stepping stones in the yard so I decided to add a little color to them.  It's just acrylic paint with a decoupage seal.

I plan on adding some more beds and planters around the yard, some smaller yet taller beds perhaps.  I've been looking at repurposing ideas for planters so stay tuned.

Ok, that's all I have for you this time. I'm sure I'll find something else to update you with.  I'll let you know if I start painting cats or something equally as cool.

DIY Framed Bathroom Mirror

First of all, HAPPY OCTOBER!  Fall is my absolute favorite.  I was told to wait until October 1st to put out my pumpkins and other festive decor. 1. I can't believe I actually abided by that. 2. You can believe that stuff was put outside as soon as I woke up this morning!

I've seen several pins on Pinterest for framed bathroom mirrors that I've been wanting to recreate.  While picking up baseboards at Home Depot, I just added a 16 foot piece of moulding to my cart.  I just got the least expensive one at .68 a foot.  If you want to get your board even cheaper, measure your mirror first. ;) I didn't end up using the whole thing but paid around $10 for it. The way I see it, I paid $10 for a new mirror. :)

While my cousin was here generously cutting the baseboards with his fancy machine, I measured the mirror and had him make four cuts. 2 for the sides, 2 for the top and bottom.  All 45 degree angles.  Since they are thin, you could easily cut them with a handsaw and miter box. 

Look, Woody is posing for you.  I told him to get out of here but he didn't listen.

Miraculously, I still have paint left from doing the armoire, all the kitchen cabinets, AND the bathroom vanities. ONE GALLON of Behr Espresso Beans, Paint and Primer in One (~$27.00 at Home Depot) allowed me to do all these projects. Score!  I put 2 coats of paint on the boards:

All painted.  I took them in the house to see how they'd fit on the mirror and realized I needed to paint half of the backside too since you could see it in the reflection. : |

I picked this caulking up at Home Depot as well:

Squiggle the caulking on like so.  Try to avoid the brown area (part that shows).  On one of the sides, I got a little close and the caulking squeezed out a little further than I wanted.  It's only slightly visible. D'OH. 

Stick 'em on and make sure they all line up!

By the way, I'm really growing fond of the fact that my house has no doors.  It's actually feels so much more roomy! I am not a private person, so it kind of works out.  Sorry Scotty! If I don't get around to painting and hanging them all, I'll at least do the bathroom doors before the housewarming. ;)

Hooray! My mirror is all jazzed up now! Oh look, you can kind of see my creepy prints of animals wearing assorted hats. I just love those.  What am I going to put on that blank wall? Help!

I really would have preferred to use thicker moulding for this but since the mirror was already so small, I didn't want to decrease the size of it even more.  I may end up trying to do a chunkier frame in my master bathroom vanity area.  I also really like the way white frames look but I wanted it to match the color of the cabinets. This will just have to work.  

Go frame something! 

PS: I did this today because I'm avoiding the painting of door trim...

Let's Move In!

It's been 11 days of hard work but the worst is over! We did it! Also, I'm exhausted. My feet hurt. It's all been worth it though. I love the changes we've made.

There are things that still need to be done like paint the trim around the doors, add a second coat of paint in the master bathroom, paint and hang doors, etc. Yay. More painting. :|

BUT, all my big projects have been completed! 

Putting the sealer on the floors:

I LOVE how they turned out. There are tiny imperfections throughout (small cracks and holes from tack strips) but those just add character! I'm so happy with the color and how the concrete accepted the stain. 

Check it out! Ignore the black marks on the walls. I got crazy with the stain...

The stain I chose was New Look's Smart Color in Hazelnut, diluted and sprayed on with a plastic pump sprayer. When the sprayer was working, it worked great! However, it kept getting clogged! We ended up cleaning it out three times before we finished all the floors. Very  frustrating. I already liked the color but wanted more dimension. We let that dry all day and then I came back after work at 9:00pm and sprayed on more Smart Color in Black. Because I didn't want to wrestle with the pump sprayer and end up throwing it through a window, I just mixed up the black stain in a plastic spray bottle. It kept splattering a bit so I would keep blotting here and there with a rag so it didn't look like there were huge drips on my floor. 300 squats later, my floor looked exactly how I wanted it! 

Tonight, my fabulous cousins came over to help us with baseboards. Before Scotty got off work, Phil and Dad worked on baseboards and Amber and I went to get a load of stuff to take to the house. We got pretty creative with our packing and also lifted a lot of heavy things to make us feel really macho. 

Phil, thank you for your skills! And your saw and nail gun...

My eyes lit up when I saw this: 

And THIS: 

You can see the burnt orange paint in the bathroom in the above picture. I forgot to take a picture of the finished product. I'll get it later. 

I just wanted to stand in the living room and stare at it all night. I LOVE taller baseboards. We chose 5" base since we took the floors out and had more to cover! Oh darn...  ;)

So much cleaner and more finished-looking!

We also started to set up our bed frame. I really need to change the bulbs in our room. So dim!

I hung this 'ol thing up tonight. I'm still not 100% on it in that spot. i just don't know where else to put it. What do you think?

I can't wait to move more in this weekend! I'm ready to make this a home!

More updates coming soon! I already have a couple of projects in the works.