DIY: How to Frame a Seafan

About a month ago I came across this idea to frame a Seafan in a shadow box from Bower Power and I knew this was an idea that I wanted to do for our 2nd bathroom which has a beachy theme. It's rather simple because all you need is a seafan, shadowbox, cardstock paper, and adhesive. Yes, it's that simple and I think it's gorgeous and classy decor. The hardest part of this project is getting your hands on a Seafan especially if you don't live by the sea, but we discovered that you can buy anything on Ebay.

Cardstock paper, gluedots (adhesive), and scissors

All you do is trim the cardstock to the size of your shadow box and adhere the seafan to the paper. You need to use a shadow box versus a picture frame because of the end of the seafan that is 3 dimensional but if you want to cut that off you could use a frame.

Here's my Seafan in the 2nd bathroom next to the beachy picture already framed.

Our little window with some birds and toiletries for bathtime.

Another view of the bathroom

This was a super quick project and I love that I finally have some artwork hanging up in the bathroom. I'm thinking about framing a starfish into a smaller shadow box but I don't want this room to be too themed which is always a problem for me. In addition to hanging these 2 frames, I pounded about 20 nails into our walls today but you'll have to wait to see where the other 18 nails went.

Blogs I Adore - Joy the Baker

Meet Joy, Joy the Baker, who's blog I have a love/hate relationship with. This young lady can whip up baking creations like nothing I've ever seen but the one problem - if I bake it, I have to eat it and that's a bad combination for me. She is a self-taught, taste bud baker who lives in Los Angeles and is only in her 20's. She has quite the following and I really hope you try some of her creations. What more can I say other than move over Betty Crocker, Joy the Baker is in the Kitchen!

Pumpkin Pie Bars - I LOVE pumpkin and will be whipping these up shortly

Red Velvet Black and White Cookies

Peanut Butter Fudge Treats

She even makes her own Vanilla Extract and I'm really excited about trying this because I go through this stuff like water and it's not cheap. I think this would make a great hostess gift or holiday gift for the baker in your life. Warning - it takes 2 months to make so make sure you plan ahead with this project.

Root Beer Float Cake - oh my, this has me dreaming about the floats from A&W when I was a child and I am itching to try this as well.

I make the best Carrot Cake ever (I know but it's true) so when I saw these Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Dulce de Leche Buttercream, it was love at first sight. This combines my love for cupcakes with my love for carrot cake, what more does a girl need?

Are you drooling over these recipes or have I already lost you to your kitchen to begin some baking? I should have put a warning at the front of this post but if these recipes don't have you running to the kitchen and you want something a bit more unique why don't you try her Vegan Chocolate Avocado Cake, Fresh Mango Lime Bread, or Blueberry Sour Cream Ice Cream with Fudge Sauce. I wasn't kidding when I said Joy bakes up some "creative creations" did I. Instead of baking another dozen chocolate chip cookies why not try one or two recipes. Have I convinced you to try one of these delicious recipes, do you promise to try one of them soon? I know I will and I'll follow up with all of you on the outcome, if there is any left of course. Also if you need a taste-tester, I'm always available.

What Colors Are Inspiring You?

I have a laundry list of blogs that I check out on a regular basis via my google reader and this post on "High Heeled Foot in the Door" had me loving that gray couch and the green accent colors. That got me thinking about how much color inspires us and how much it can change how we look and feel about ourselves and our environment. I thought I would share a couple of the pictures that have inspired me today with one common color throughout. Any guesses on what that might be?

GRAY! No not drabby gray but beautiful, classy gray. It's become the new black for me and I absolutely love this color, just look in our garage and see how much we love gray. I came across this gray inspiration board on what other blog than, Grey Likes Weddings. Ah, isn't it a beautiful color?

Peach and Mint Green - how can you not love this color combination? Grey Likes Weddings put together this Peachy Keen inspiration board and even though I'm not getting married, this is one blog that is plump full of inspiration and will have you think - should we renew our vows and have another wedding celebration?

Oh my oh my, how gorgeous are these place settings? I wouldn't want to dirty up the place setting after seeing this, I would prefer to stare and admire the colors. I love the mason jar wrapped in twine with beautiful roses. For more inspiration, check out this post on hostess saavy for more inspiration.

What colors are inspiring you right now? Does it change from season to season? Do you have go-to colors for what you like to wear or how you like to decorate? Do you love color or do you prefer to stick to basics? Do tell.

It's Really Growing

About a month and a half ago, I blogged about the building and planting of our small little veggie garden and some of you have inquired about how it is doing. Well to refresh you memory on the "before" and the labor of love that went into this garden, feel free to check out "let's hope it grows". You probably recall that this project was a big venture for hubby and I because we definitely don't have a knack for growing things.

BEFORE

And I'm proud (please don't be "green" with envy) that the garden is flourishing and I'm so happy that we took the challenge of growing our own veggies this year. We planted tomatoes, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, green peppers, dill, basil, and parsley - needless to say I can't wait to bite into those juicy tomatoes in a few more weeks.

AFTER - LOOK AT THAT BABY GROW!!!

TOMATOES AND CUCUMBERS

CHERRY TOMATOES, PAISLEY, BASIL, AND DILL


CUCUMBERS, CUCUMBERS, AND MORE CUCUMBERS

So what's the secret you are asking (ha ha). Well I read lots of blogs, websites, and magazines to get some tips and in preparing the soil we added mushroom compost as well. Then I make sure we water it regularly using our fresh rainwater from our rain barrel! The rain barrel was another labor of love that took us 10 times longer than we expected but we are definitely reaping the rewards with fresh, FREE rainwater at all times. Have I convinced you to make your own rain barrel? If so please feel free to read about our DIY Rain Barrel Project.

She Really Likes Me

I was so ecstatic to see my picture from the "What was I doing at..." challenge on the one and only Elizabeth Kartchner's blog - Just Us. Seriously out of the 123 bloggers that participated in the contest, she thought my sexy turquoise blue pj's where too exciting to resist. That's me in the lower left hand corner digging through my closet trying to sort out my wardrobe picks for the following day. While I didn't win the give-away, I feel like a winner after Liz posted a comment on my blog (gush) and then included me in her "group hug" picture. What can I say, I love it when "famous" people drop by to say hi. If you aren't a scrapbooker you may be wondering what is the big deal but let me tell you ladies and gents that she was Scrapbooker of the Year from the all famous Creating Keepsakes magazine and is a force to be reckoned with. Need I say more? Don't believe me, check out her blog post here.

What I Was Doing on 07.08.09 @ 10:11:12

What I Was Doing on 07.08.09 @ 10:11:12 p.m.

was digging through my closet trying to figure out what I was wearing to work on Thursday. I have to get up extra early tomorrow and can't be late so planning ahead is a must for me. I was also popping a couple more Tylenol for the pounding headache I've had all day long. I was also thinking how happy I was that the workweek was half over - it's been a really LONG week and I can't seem to catch up on all that has to get done. I'm working from home on Friday and hoping that I will be able to do some much needed catching up so I can feel good about my accomplishments come the weekend!

P.S. If you participated in the challenge, don't forget to stop by Elizabeth's blog to enter your picture into her giveaway!

What Will You Be Doing on 07.08.09 @ 10:11:12

Elizabeth Kartchner from the Just Us blog came up with this cool idea to have everyone take a photo at the same time! Are you in? Here's how to play:

1. Have your camera handy on July 8th-this Wednesday

2. Take a photo of whatever you are doing when your clock says 10:11 am or pm. (we won't worry about timezones)

3. Challenge yourself to think outside of the box in how you take the photo or don't worry about that part and just snap one real quick!

4. Post the photo on your blog or an online gallery. Leave a comment on Elizabeth's blog linked to your photo and you are entered into her giveaway (it has scrapbooking goodies in it)

How simple is that? I think it's a fun idea and I'm infatuated with #'s and times like this. In fact did you know that every time I look at a clock and it says 12:29 (my b-day) I have to make a wish - I know I'm weird. Good Luck!

Headboard Makeover - Guest Bedroom

When my niece Lacey stayed with us for a few days in May, we decided to redo the headboard in the guest bedroom and it was a project she was up to helping on. This is the headboard that was in my room growing up and let's just say it's a tad bit outdated and has seen better days. Having never ventured into a project like this before, I decided to read the "how to's" section of the This Young House website and of course they had step by step instructions on how to tackle this project. A trip or two to the Home Depot to buy sandpaper, primer, paint, and polyurethane and we were off to the races.

Here's the beauty that has seen better days.

Lots of sanding

2 coats of primer
(Note: primer sticks to your hands and won't come off - trust me mineral spirits saved my life)

2 coats of white paint
& 2 coats of polyurethane
& 1 very proud niece later
WE WERE FINISHED!!!

After seeing how gorgeous this new headboard looked in the guest bedroom, I decided that the room needed a face lift and some new bedding. I hit the jackpot at TJMaxx/Homegoods and got a great deal on this coverlet and pillows. Also can you believe that I got that little table for $10 at Target? It ties in beautifully with the black frames and slipper chair next to the dresser.

What do you think - do you like the white headboard and new bedding? Any other suggestions to make this even more comfortable? The room has a yellowish/taupe paint color with white, black, and taupe accessories. This guest bedroom also is where our little Tanner hangs out in his crate all day - he seems to like the new look thus far.


P.S. Thanks Lacey for all of your help on this project.
P.S.S. Lacey said it was the favorite thing we did all weekend! I'll need to invite her over more often.

Blogs I Adore - Freckles Chick

Mrs. Freckles Chick (Mrs. FC) is a thirty-ish Coloradoan who doesn't take life too seriously. She loves design, a good bargain, and remodeling her fixer upper home with Mr. FC. I adore all of her projects and our styles are scarily similar. In fact, her bedroom looks just like ours thanks to her hard work on that headboard. She was my inspiration and the reason why I built our headboard about a month ago. Remember this blog post???? DIY Fabric Headboard with Nailhead Trim that I blogged about in May - Mrs. FC was the superwoman who did this for her bedroom and made me feel confident enough that I could do it. I'm loving having a headboard versus a bare wall. Ever since that project - I stalk or shall I say follow her blog because her ideas are awesome.

FC is always redecorating her rooms and when I saw this recent post with a picture of her bedroom, I started to laugh because it looks so much like our room - probably because I like to steal her ideas. I adore that coverlet she has at the bottom of her bed and she purchased it from my favorite store - Homegoods. I may need to make a trip there this weekend.

I love having plants as part of my decor but I just don't seem to be able to keep them alive. However I am on a mission to grow a green thumb (ha ha) and thus far my garden exploded with blooms while I was away and the indoor herb garden is looking oh so yummy so I may try this project. Mrs FC purchased these lovely bowls from Crate & Barrel and planted these succulents to add to the decor in her kitchen and I just love this idea too. If you want to try this project, Mrs FC was kind enough to blog all about it with step by step instructions for those of us that require that - me! Check out this post if you want to add some succulence to your life.

I love organization and chalk cloth tags are oh so lovely. I used chalkboard tags in my scrapping/crafty room to label all of my stamps, crafty goods, and photographs so I can find what I need and look chic all at the same time. When I saw that Mrs FC Incorporated this idea into her kitchen and blogged about it, I have to admit that I too wished I had open shelving in my kitchen so I could use this idea too.

And I think I saved the best idea for last - are you loving that bathroom art or what? After seeing this Seafan decor on her blog, I decided I must make one of these for my bathroom downstairs that has a seashore theme to it. That bathroom is in desperate need of some art and creating it myself makes it that much more special. All you need is a seafan (ordered from ebay or pick one up at the beach if you are lucky), a shadowbox, and a piece of scrapbooking cardstock for the background. That's all it is and it has me swooning.

The best thing about Freckles Chick's blog is that she constantly has new ideas. All of these projects were blogged about within the last 2 months so she is always up to something at her chateau. I hope you stop by and check out Freckles Chick's blog - you are sure not to be disappointed.

One Busy Weekend

Last weekend was one busy weekend and I'm still trying to recover. We headed to Summerfest in Milwaukee (the largest music festival in the US) for the KEITH URBAN concert and also for a 40th anniversary party. Then we had to rush home for a few hours of sleep before I headed to the airport for my business trip to New Orleans. Gosh - I'm getting tired just talking about it....

Here's a picture of my boyfriend Keith, I'm thinking I need a better lens so you can actually see him without looking at the screen.

Me and the hubby lovin the concert

Hmm....who loves Keith more?!?!

Me loving the music

After the concert we ended up having to walk back to the hotel because there were no cabs in sight - seriously. I had flip flop's on and the walk was very long especially since we got lost, we walked about 20 city blocks and by the time we got to the hotel, I couldn't feel my swollen feet! I'm trying to block that experience out of my mind by remembering Keith singing to me....

The next night we had a 40th anniversary party for my BFF's parents and I was the photographer (or at least I tried to be). Paige lives in Idaho so I don't get to see her too often and it was so great to see her - she's a riot. It was a lot of fun and then we headed home for a few hours of shut eye. I headed to New Orleans the next day and boy is that a unique city!!! I didn't have my camera because it's too bulky to take on business trips but my co-worker took some pictures that she'll be sending my way soon.

It's been a busy few weeks but I'm so happy to be home!!!!