ORC - Post One - Does She or Doesn't She??

I have followed the One Room Challenge on Calling It Home Blog 

through  a couple of challenges.
(I wrote this post last week and have had an ongoing conversation with myself about doing this or not or am I crazy because I haven't really planned this or budgeted or have time or, or or... but somehow I hit the "publish' button and here we are. In this together!)

There are professional designers who create amazing rooms. Great ideas.

They are fun to look at but what I like best are the many, many rooms created by bloggers and their progress is posted every Thursday.

These rooms are being done on budgets more like mine than a designers

and the creativity is off the charts.

Sort of a "necessity is the Mother of invention" push to create amazing rooms.

I loved seeing what was going on in "real time" with "real life" projects.

 

 

It seems to be a great motivator to get a room completed.

Who doesn't need that little push to wrap things up?

 

Around here we tend to be 85%ers.

 

I used to think I was a 95%er

but I have come to terms with the fact that I get close on a project

 and then fizzle out and don't quite seal the deal.

I don't know if I lose interest, run out of money or time, want to go get margaritas and guacamole, or want something I can't find or afford to put the cherry on top and finish a room.

Not sure.

 

But I'm thinking about jumping in and seeing if I can finish a room

 - beginning to end -

 in 6 short weeks.

Whaaaatt???

 

I'm thinking about jumping in with the smallest room in my house that isn't a bathroom.

(commitment issues? playing it safe by keeping it small??)

A guest bedroom.

 

And the designers and linking bloggers usually post inspiration pictures.

I have a great starting point for my inspiration.

 

I found this bed at a nearby Goodwill in February.
It has been leaning up against bookcases in the Library since then. See what I mean?

 

 

 It was in fantastic condition.

A very nice Stanley daybed with cane detailing.

 

 

I couldn't believe it was not sold!

It was a steal!!

Yes, please.

 

 

It needs a coat of paint. Stay white? Fun color?
( We may need a few more bed slats!!)

 



 

Isn't this an awesome motivator??

I love daybeds anyway

 ( we had a Victorian style iron and brass one in CG's nursery years ago)

 but this one is pretty amazing.

 

Spoiler alert: I left the brown and blue striped chair on the right behind.

 

And be sure to visit Linda's blog  and see all of the ORC Linking Participants!

I checked out the ORC "Invitees" yesterday and they are going to be awesome to watch - some of my all time favorites are in the line up!!

The Hunt Is On!!

 via

 

I love all the Easter mantels, Spring décor and cute tablescapes for Easter dinner out there on blogs and Pinterest

but the truth is that I was lucky to get a

 bunny banner on the door.

 

 

via

 

I was just reading a favorite blog, The Pink Clutch,  and she commented

 that it's hard to think of things for Easter baskets once your kiddos get older.

It's true and the older they get the costlier their items are

and this is not Christmas or a birthday, after all.

 I also do not like to spend money on inexpensive, silly trinkets that don't serve any purpose other than to fill up a basket.

 But I do not want to stop filling a basket for CG either.

It's fun for both of us.

I'll head off to Sunrise Service and our early service and they will all join me at 11 o'clock service.

We'll "do" baskets when we get home.

 

 

via 

 

So to get back on track. I responded to Paige at The Pink Clutch with the following.

 This was my "big kid" solution to the Easter goodies dilemma a few years ago

and it is a big hit (and gets them off their iphones) :

via

 

A few years ago, the 'children' in our regular Easter dinner get together group (no family in town) decided that they were in HS and college

and too old to participate in my traditional Egg Hunt.

Challenge taken.

 

via

 

 

 I filled plastic eggs with loose change that I collect in a jar

 and my car console and numbered slips of paper.

The numbered slips of paper corresponded to numbered

$5.00 and $10.00 gift cards to favorite places like

QT for gas, Target, Chi-Fil-A, of course, and Starbucks.

 They scrambled like we hadn't seen them move since they were little

and the adults laughed at their antics to find the eggs and collect the goods.

 

(College Girl counting up her "egg money" after a hunt a couple of years ago)

 

 Hard to say if they were happier about the change which added up or the gift cards.

 Here we are 4 years later

and the first thing they tell their dates and friends, who now come along on Easter, about 

 is the Egg Hunt.

 If the weather is great. then outside it is.

 If it is rainy then you can hide less eggs, avoid crazy running in the house and possible breakage of treasures and just give them a list with clues to find their 10 or 12 eggs.

 They can even be color coded if it's just your own kids.

They really love this as much or more than the goods in the basket!!

And it's pretty easy, too - change and a run to one place with lots of gift cards

 and a quick drive thru for tea, gift cards, and a salad for you for lunch at CFA!!

 

Happy Easter!!

Burlap and Bunnies

While the burlap and paints were still hanging around

 from the Quick and Easy Burlap Banners

 I made last week for a friends' Girls Night Out activity,

 I decided I should at least make an effort to put something on the front door that would give us a little Easter decor before it's too late.

 

 

So Burlap and Bunnies it is!

 

 

A quick outline on the burlap runner remnant.

 I just use a flat paintbrush about 1/2 inch wide and paint the shape.

 

I filled it in with a larger brush and then while the white was still wet,

 I gave the bunny pale pink insides of his ears and cheeks.

I love to paint leaping bunnies.

 

 

I sketched in some carrots at the bottom

 and started painting grass in multiple shades of green.

All very quick and simple.

 

I painted lots of blades of grass.

Then I used a Spouncer and added yellow polka dots all around the bunny.

 

I gave him a pink nose and a black dot for an eye.

After he dries I will erase the chalk outlines you can see around the carrots.

I'll use a sharpie to draw a few whiskers!

 

And it's on the front door -and it's not the day before!

Time to spare.

 

I didn't have a dowel rod long enough so I used a fairly straight branch from the yard.

 We've been pruning so plenty of branches on hand.

 

 

It was impossible to get a non- shadowy picture on the front door yesterday so I took one of it flat on my kitchen table so you can see the branch.

I just added a hanger from orange gingham ribbon.

 I had it on hand and it looks good against my SW Urbane Bronze front door.

So quick and easy with the hemmed burlap table runner.

Other than drying time this whole project takes less than an hour.

So, hop to it and get one made before Easter!!



Burlap Banners - Quick and Easy!

I know these are everywhere and there are tons of tutorials

but after I posted a picture on

Facebook and Instagram

I had a bunch of how-to questions and promised a tutorial.

 

 

These are so quick and easy.

 

 

Wow - that's blurry.

I bought a roll of burlap ribbon/table runner from Wal Mart. It was on an end cap.

It is 12 inches wide and has finished edges.

It was $5.97 and will make several.

 

 

I cut a length 21 inches long.

 I didn't measure but a friend texted me

and wanted to know the dimensions, so I measured.

I folded it in half and cut it at an angle.

 

 Think about it before you cut and make sure you are angled the right way!!

I mess up at least one bow every Christmas!!

 

I ended up with this 'pennant" shape.

You could leave it straight like I did on this one.

 

 

This was a scrap of burlap with frayed edges on all 4 sides.

It was drying here - the tape came off later.

 

 

 

Then I took a piece of chalk and lightly doodled a whimsical letter on the burlap.

Just work with it until you are happy with it.

The chalk lines will wipe right off later.

 

If freehanding and whimsical is a little outside your comfort zone

 then you can print off your letter in any font you like.

 Just enlarge, enlarge, enlarge until it's the right size

 and you can see right through the burlap to trace it with chalk.

Seriously that easy!

 

Tonight a friend hosted a Ladie's Night Out and I was the entertainment - LOL!!

They ate and chatted and created.

It was a relaxing, creative evening for all of them -11 total.

They had a great time!

( Two of them work together at a school and

 I think they are going to have this as a staff meeting!!

 A treat for hard working teachers.)

 

 

 

Then take a flat edged, fairly stiff bristled brush

 and trace the letter lightly in your paint color.

The brush I used was about 3/8 to 1/2 inch.

 

 

 

And then with either method just start painting the letter

 and filling it in until you are happy with it.

 

And then we used spouncers to add polka dots.

 

 

I put gold dots on my banner because it is headed for College Girl's front door.

 

 

 And she loves gold polka dots on burlap.

 

Then you can sew a rod pocket at the top and slide a dowel through

or glue a scrap of lattice across the top and then add a twine or ribbon hanger.

 

I didn't get that far tonight but I'll try to put a picture of the finished banner

on FB and IG so be sure to look for it in a day or so.

 

And not everyone painted their initial.

You can do anything you want on a burlap banner.

 

 

 These are so quick and easy (and inexpensive) that you can still make some for Easter gifts!!

 

Linked up at:

 



Painted Furniture. And Frames.

 

 

 

This sideboard was an awful color but had great lines.

The requested color was Lusty Red (Sherwin Williams)

We styled it up a couple of different ways in the studio. Just for fun.

 



 

This was a very old but cute little piece.

 It was dark and beat up

 so we gave it a "peachy" outlook on life.

 It's actually Sherwin Williams Coral reef.

 

These are grainy iPhone pics. Sorry they aren't better because the colors are great.

 

And I am so sorry that I don't have any before pictures or better after pictures of this turquoise ombre dresser.

A client found it on a trash pile and brought it by for us to "save."

 She thought we could do something to it and it would probably sell in the shop.

She couldn't bear to see it go to the dump.

Sell it did, in less than 3 days!





 
 
There were 2 of these.
 They were an orange-y stain color. And pretty rustic.
 A coat of khaki paint and they were headed off to perk up
 a client's daughter's college apartment.
 A great size to fit in a small apartment and great storage as well.
 

 

This dry sink was stained a yellow, early American color.

The customer is going to use it for a coffee bar in her kitchen

now that it has some personality.

The recessed 'sink" area is lined with a nice, heavy duty copper tray

 so it's perfect for a coffee bar!!

 

 
And we painted stacks of those bright brassy gold frames that are everywhere right now!
Some had mirrors in them and the empty ones we fitted with chalkboard panels!
Everyone wanted ornate chalkboards.
Especially for Christmas décor.

 

We painted them grays, creams and khaki colors.

One right after another.

And if I had a few minutes to spare I doodled on the chalkboards!!

 

 

 

It would be fun to paint one of these frames a bright Spring-y color or glossy white
 and put a Summer bucket list on it!!
#anotherproject

I'll let you know if I find one to paint a fun color.

Chick Night

Two weeks ago we had our second ladies night at church.

I realized I never posted about the first one :)

 

 

The theme for the first one was literally chick night

 and somehow that became the name of our ladies night

 even though the theme changes every year.

I say "every" tongue in cheek because I changed church jobs a little over two years ago

 and we have just had our second chick night at my new church.

 

But it has caught on and we are already thinking about the next theme.

 

Chick Night was a super cute, fun and easy theme.

We went with pink and yellow for everything so it was very cheerful and perky.

I made tons of signs with these cute chick faces on them.

Just circles cut from yellow scrapbook papers - solids and patterns.

 Orange triangle beaks and button eyes.

 And I bought one package of real yellow feathers to add a fun touch.

 I hot glued those and pink ribbon bows on the tops of my chicks' heads.

The signs had funny sayings that were plays on the words having to do with the chick theme.

 

"Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to Chick Night!!"

 

"Which came first? The chicken or Chick Night?"

 

You get the idea.

We had fun door prizes. We had Peeps and feather boas for one thing!

 Just silly little 'peep' and chicken themed prizes.

 

I  used chicken wire and twinkle lights on the serving table.

 I stretched the wire in old frames I had and around some scrap squares of wood I had at home  and had already  painted white.

We draped them with twinkle lights and cute pink and yellow buntings.

 

Easy and used items I had at home because the budget was very, very small.

 



I bought fake daisies at the dollar store and put them in mason jars I had on hand.

 

 

I made the chicks from yellow paper lanterns.

I found them for a dollar and they were already yellow

 but I had already planned to spray paint them

if all I could find at the dollar store was white.

 I've painted them before and it works just fine if you do light coats.

Again, I used a triangle of orange scrapbook paper for the beak and buttons for eyes.

I cut ovals of yellow paper for the wings and added some yellow feathers

with little dabs of hot glue.

I cut a strip of yellow scrapbook paper about 3 inches by twelve and cut it into a fringe.

 I just rolled it up and slipped it in the opening at the top of the paper lantern.

You can secure it with a dab of hot glue if you need to.

I put them in galvanized buckets that I found at the dollar store and the Target Dollar Spot.

We put some raffia around them to look like straw.

 

These lanterns are great for fun, inexpensive décor.

I've used them for this and this.

 

But the table centerpieces were the hit of the evening!

 Remember, we are in the metro Atlanta area,

 but I found a feed store between home and where College Girl is at school

 and bought galvanized chicken feeders for less than $3.00 each!

I had the mason jars at home.

 I washed the heck out of those new feeders and

then went on a quest to find something fun to fill them with.

The custom pink and yellow m and m's were too expensive.

I explored a couple of other possibilities and

then I saw the bags of pre-popped popcorn at the dollar store!

Seriously, I should have thought of that first.

Corn. Chicken feed!! Brilliant.

And it was the right color for our theme too!!

 

 

We put one in the center of each table and the ladies of all ages went crazy over them!!

There wasn't a speck of popcorn left at the end of the night!

 

Every chick there had a great time!

 

We really changed it up for the Chick Night we had a couple of weeks ago-

Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Everything was white and Tiffany blue and pearls.

We challenged the ladies to wear black and white, their pearls or even a tiara.

Some of them channeled their inner Audrey and came dressed to the nines!

Such fun!