Trash to Treasure Update

The sun finally returned to Boston after a much-too-long hiatus and I can't tell you how happy I am.  In fact, everyone seems happier.  After 14 straight days of rain, a bit of a depression was starting to set in around the city.  Unfortunately I'm stuck inside my office all day, but hopefully I will be able to get out and enjoy the weather during my lunch break!  But the real reason I'm talking about the weather is because I was FINALLY able to take a picture of what I've done so far with the "trash" that I found at the transfer station a few weeks ago (check here for more information on that).  The lighting had been limited non-existent for so long that I wasn't able to capture it until this morning.  The pictures aren't great, since they are just from my iPhone, but at least this will give you an idea of the space until I can do a full post of the transformation. 

If you recall, the table looked like this when I picked it up at the dump....

Not too shabby, if I might say so, but it definitely needed some accessorizing.  So I grabbed some items from around the house and took a quick spin to Home Goods to supplement anything missing.  I ended up with some $19.99 artwork and a $6.99 ceramic bird (LOVE!).......so for under $30 I was able to update this blank spot.  I still need to find something for the adjacent wall (to the right) but I can't seem to find anything that is the right scale (since its a 6' stretch of bare wall from floor to ceiling.  Take a look at what we have so far and let me know if you have any suggestions....

It's pretty simple, but that is kind of the theme around our casa, so I wanted to keep things consistent.  I'm sure I will change up the little vignette every once in a while, but I think it works for the time being.  And even though the blank space to the right still bothers me, I feel better about it after this mini-transformation.  At least the corner isn't entirely empty like it used to be (well....except for when our christmas tree took up residence there for almost two full months....she was a survivor!).   For now, I'm enjoying the simple set-up and scheming (more than normal) about how to fill the rest of the space.  Any thoughts, opinions, suggestions would be more than welcome!!

So that's it so far for my trash to treasure transformation.  And although I didn't have to do anything to the table (which is always more rewarding) this time around, it still feels nice to fill up some space in the room for FREE (well, except for the giclee prints and the bird....isn't he adorable)!!!  Can't beat that price. 

 

Patio Furniture: Round 1

So we finally scored some inexpensive patio furniture this past weekend from Home Depot and Home Goods.  We looked at Lowe's, HD, Wal-Mart, Sears, Ace Hardware, Target and a bunch of local seasonal stores over the last few weeks and ended up going with old faithful....the Depot!  Thanks to everyone for their suggestions on patio furniture though.  It's always helpful to hear personal reviews on things before you buy them!  We definitely checked out EVERYTHING imaginable, but at the end of the day, we needed a certain size/shape to fit properly on the deck so a wrought iron patio set from HD was the answer.  There were a lot of great rectangular options at all of the stores listed above, but none of them would really fit well on our deck....BOO!  But in the end, we are REALLY happy with the set we got. 

Check her out on the HD website and on my deck:

Nothing too fancy, but that's exactly what we were aiming for.  We opted for 4 chairs initially (since that was what fit well in our car) but I think we might head back over to pick up 2 more for additional seating when we have a party.  And since these chairs are stackable, we can just hide them away in the corner until we need them (or even in the garage)! 

The other great thing about this set is the price.  The table was $89.98 and the chairs were $29.98 each....for a grand total of $209.90.  And on top of that, my brother recently moved, so he was nice enough to let me use his 10% off coupon that he got in the mail.  YAY!  We walked out of there with an entire patio set for only $188.91!!  Unfortunately we still need to get an umbrella and umbrella stand, but I'm pretty happy with the cost so far.  If anyone has suggestions for that purchase, I am all ears!  I have looked everyone and have been hesitant to pull the trigger on anything for fear that it will only last us one season.  My parents gave us their old one to use last summer when the guys were still working on the deck in the heat all day, but unfortunately it got swept away one day in a storm and ripped in a few places.  We are worried that this might happen again depending on the type of umbrella we get (since we clearly get some strong wind gusts in our backyard) but it's hard to tell from online photos what style will hold up best.  So if you have an umbrella that you love, or you have a horror story or some words of wisdom to share, I would love to hear it!!

We are also looking for an umbrella that will match the cushions that I found at Home Goods.  They have light blue, dark blue, and a sage green in them.  They caught my eye as soon as I walked in the door.  I knew I couldn't leave without them!  I'd looked at a few other patterns and styles while we were hunting for the furniture, so I'd seen the prices and decided that $29.99/two cushions wasn't a bad deal!  Obviously I would have loved to get them on clearance, on craigslist, or for free, but after weeks of searching it just wasn't working out that way.  So another $60 later we have some nice comfy cushions (which I have to tell you are a MUST for me at this point in my pregnancy....I swear that I build forts whereever I go in the house in order to get comfortable....not sure if this is normal behavior, but it has gotten me through the last 6 months of this pregnancy pretty well). 

So I'm thinking of going with either a sage green or light blue for the umbrella.....what do you think?  Oh, and another concern I have with the umbrella is durability.  If you don't go with the sunbrella fabric, will it fade too easily and look terrible after one season?  I decided to go non-sunbrella for the cushions, but I also plan to keep them in a box on the deck when we aren't using them so they won't be constantly exposed to the sun.  Any thoughts on that would be greatly appreciated as well!  We are closing in here on the deck project, but I'll keep you posted (literally) on any other developments along the way!  Stay tuned!

One Man's Trash....

....is a crazy/hormonal pregnant woman's treasure!!  But before I get ahead of myself, let me tell you the story.  So, this past weekend I was on a routine trip to the "transfer station" (apparently my town is a little too proud to call it like it is....a DUMP) when I decided to take a quick peek at the swap area.  One of my neighbors clued me in on this when we first moved in and I can't tell you how excited I was.  The point of the swap is to leave your unwanted items (ones that you can't justify throwing out or don't want to bother selling, but just can't find a place for) so that someone else can use them.  It's like a free craigslist!!  The best part being that you never know what you might find.  So instead of sending B solo to take the trash out on Saturdays, I make it a point to volunteer my services or offer to join and "help out"!  And every time, I glance over at the swap area to see if there are any goodies left to be had.  Well, I lucked out on Saturday because this beauty was just sitting there waiting for me.

Look at her curves and the beautiful finish.  Oooh.  It was love at first sight.....and not just because she was free.  She was in PERFECT condition.  There were literally no scratches, dents or broken parts to be found on the entire piece.  I'm not even sure there is a piece of furniture in my house that I can say that about at the moment.  But back to the story......so, it just so happens that I was in the market for a piece of furniture in the corner of my living room (where the xmas tree was).  I have been looking on craigslist and stopping at yard sales recently but nothing was catching my eye.....until that day!!  I spent a few seconds wondering why someone would give up such a lovely thing and thinking about what it was used for in its past life, but then I quickly snapped out of it and realized I better act fast!  I scanned around to see if anyone else was eyeing it before I made a mad dash over to claim my prize (and by mad dash I mean that I went a little faster than I normally go.....my dashing skills are a little on the slow side these days)!  And thankfully it wasn't heavy (since we both know that I wasn't leaving that place without it), the only problem was that it's not very easy to carry anything when you're pregnant, so I caught a few people watching me out of the corner of their eyes thinking, "hmm...maybe it smells like candy and pickles because she is REALLY excited about it?"  I was a woman on a mission and I wasn't going to stop until this thing was safely locked in my trunk!! 

And that brings me to my next point.  Since its a free-for-all, there are literally "vulchers" circling the place on a daily basis just waiting for the right piece to come along.  I recognized a few people that I've seen there every time that I go (which is usually around 10 am on Saturday mornings).  Either we are on the same schedule or they are just ALWAYS there waiting for the right moment to swoop in.  They are probably thinking the same thing about me though....haha!  It's not a bad hobby though.  I'm sure if someone had the time and the talent, it would be a lucrative business to pick up free unwanted pieces, fix them up, and sell them for a pretty penny on craigslist.  Hm....wheels turning.....

So, that is my treasure story from the weekend.  I have starting moving things around to see what I can put on her.  I will be back on Monday to share an update on the living room.  Can't wait to redecorate!!!

Also, in other news, we picked up some patio furniture this past weekend as well.  I am still looking for some cushions and an umbrella, but hopefully we will tackle that project as well this weekend and I can report back next week.  Stay tuned!

Cheap DIY Wall Art

As promised, here is some cheap DIY wall art that I whipped up a few weeks ago during an especially crafty martha moment (I also made the coffee filter wreath and updated my hurricanes in the same week).  I was inspired to do this after I saw some extra fabric lying on the floor in my living room.  The colors were perfect for my dining room plus I already had some white frames lying around the house.  It took me a few days to get the initiative to tackle the project, but once I got started, it only took me about 10 minutes to have them up on the wall.

To start, I gathered the following items:

Picture frames (I had a set of 3 from Target but I only needed 2 for this purpose)
Fabric (extra scraps I had lying around) 
Scotch tape
Scissors

This really couldn't be easier.  I simply removed the existing picture from the frame, cut a piece of fabric larger than the mat opening (in this case, I chose the grayish-purple fabric for the background, which is leftover from making bench cushions for the kitchen...to be blogged about later....).  Then, I cut strips of the white fabric (which was leftover from hemming my Ikea dining room curtains) and placed them in different patterns in the frame until something looked good.  The final placement looks almost like a sail or a flag.  It is simple, but I like it.  I actually repeated the pattern in the next frame, but used more strips to change it up a little bit.  No rocket science here, just playing around until it looked decent.  Then, to secure the fabric, I just used scotch tape on each corner and sealed up the frame. 

In hindsight, I probably should have ironed the fabric before I inserted it in the frames, but I was a little too lazy for that.  Let's just say that it gives it a "rustic" feel.......

Luckily these frames already had ribbon attached to them for hanging, but if they didn't it would be easy enough to cut two pieces and tie them together in a bow at the top for some added dimension and depth on your wall. 

And finally, I had B help me measure and hang the frames on either side of the dining room windows.  I measured from the edge of the drapes to the wall (rather than from the window to the wall, since the drapes cover a few inches of the wall).

And here they are.....



It looks fairly plain, but since we have a pretty large Monet print on the left wall, I thought it would be nice to balance it out with something simple and elegant. 

Side note: now that I'm looking at the picture, it seems like they are a little too high on the wall.  What do you think???


P.S.  I'm linking up to The DIY Show-Off's 2010 DIY Recap Party, go check it out:

Christmas Decor: Hurricane Transformation

Only two days left til Christmas and I am still scrambling around.  All of my shopping is done, but I have yet to wrap ANYTHING and still need to buy some grocery items for Christmas Eve dinner.  We are hosting this year in the new house, and it is really exciting!!  And to break from tradition a bit, we are going to serve an italian-style meal; sausage lasagna (my sister-in-law's yummy recipe), caesar salad, homemade garlic bread and some "Doggy Treats" as an appetizer.  They are also called Sausage & Hamburger Rounds or something like that, but I think Doggy Treats is a little more fun!! 

Here is the recipe if anyone wants to try it:

Doggy Treats

1 lb hot sausage (casing removed)
1 lb lean hamburger
1 lb velveeta cheese (cubed)
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp salt
1 shake worchestershire sauce
2 loaves miniature party rye rounds

Brown and crumble sausage and hamburger.  Add cheese and seasoning to the mixture then spread onto individual rye rounds.  At this point, you can either freeze them (and then put them into plastic bags for storage until needed) or you can pop them on a pan and put under the broiler for a few minutes.  EASY-PEASY!!!  I am only having 7 people over tomorrow night, so I will probably halve the recipe or just freeze the ones I don't use.  I think everyone will love it.  Wish me luck!!

And, as promised in my mantle post earlier this week, here is a quick before and after on my christmas-y hurricane vases. 

Materials:
(2) hurricane vases
(2) tall candles (any color is fine - green just worked well in my room...AND I already owned them)
White cane sugar (about a bag and a half)
Burlap Garland (bought a roll Michael's with a coupon for $1.50)
Roll of Ribbon (I chose a sparkly green one from Michael's....on sale and w/ coupon $1.25)
White snowflakes ($1 for a pack of 4 at the dollar store)
TOTAL: $3.75

I started out with two glass hurricane vases.  For most of the year, they are filled with some sand, a candle and some shells or starfish.  For Christmas, though, I decided to take it up a notch.  I poured out the sand and added some white sugar to the bottom of both. 

Then I added my tall green candles (can't remember where I got these from but I have used them for years and they are still ridiculously tall!!)  And next step was to heat up the hot glue gun and get ready to add the burlap garland.  On the roll, it is rather wide, so I actually cut the length I needed and then folded it over to double it.  I wrapped it around the hurricane, dabbed a few dots of hot glue on either side of the cut ends and held them together for a minute to cool. 

And while the the glue gun was hot, I cut the ribbon to the same length and dabbed a few dots to attach it around the hurricane as well.  By gluing both the garland and the ribbon to itself, I will be able to take off this decor after the holidays and change up the look of the hurricanes for another season.

And finally, the last step was to add the snowflakes.  Originally I was just going to use these snowflakes on the tree as ornaments, but once I started this hurricane project, I knew they would go to better use here.  All I did to attach them was add a dollop of glue to the center of it and hold it in place on the ribbon.

And..................VOILA!

It was such a cheap and easy transformation that I had to share it with you guys!  And I can always use it again next year if I keep the same rustic, natural theme in my living room.  All I would have to do it slip it off and store it with the rest of my christmas decor and then slide it back on next year!! 

Have any of you done some fun christmas crafts?  Any easy, affordable ones you would like to share too??? I would love to hear about all of them! 

Christmas Decor: Mantle

Not only is this my first year decorating an entire house for christmas, but it is also my first time creating a festive mantle-scape.  YAY!  I have actually never had a fireplace in any home I've lived in.  I have had some shelves that doubled as mantles in our living room, but never the REAL thing [gasp].  Growing up, we would always hang the stockings on the wall behind the TV in the basement or even keep them hidden since they were stuffed so full they would have taken the wall down with them.  It was perfect, and I have the most wonderful childhood christmas memories....but I never knew how much I wanted a christmas mantle until I actually had one!  For most of the year our mantle looks like this (with a few variations here and there for the seasons)

But for the upcoming holiday, I decided to take it up a notch and add a few festive additions to the mix.  Here she is today:

All I really added were some hurricanes (which I updated for about $5 and will post more about tomorrow), white berry garland (about $3 for three strands...also used on the tree at JoAnn Fabrics), some stockings from Crate and Barrel (the Angelique collection....currently unavailable online...but some stores still have them), a few mercury glass votives from Target (clearance) and VOILA!!  Really easy update.  I had a few other items that I wanted to add....some burlap flowing underneath everything and a few strands of crystal beads...but it was too much.  Our goal this year was a simple, rustic, elegant theme and the extras just put it over the top.  Also....I'm pretty sure that burlap is REALLY flammable, so I thought that including it within close proximity to the roaring fire would be less-than-responsible.  We rarely have sparks fly out of the fireplace, especially with the screen, but you can never be too careful!!!

So that's it for our mantle.  Since its my first year, it's definitely not something extraordinary, but I will work my way up to that.  I am starting small this time around and will learn more as I go.  I really do love having a mantle though and I am so thankful that we didn't give up the fireplace on our list of must-haves while we were house-hunting! 

Also, I missed linking up to some of the earlier christmas-decor and mantle-related linky parties, so I will just have to wait for next year.  But if you haven't checked them out already, there are quite a few great mantles to be seen at Layla's party over at The Lettered Cottage.  Check them all out!

Coffee Filter Wreath

After being inspired by several other bloggers out there like Nester, The Little Brown House, and The Pleasures of HomeMaking, I set out to create one of my own coffee filter wreaths.  How hard could it be, right?  It didn't seem difficult from what I read in blogland and based on the photos I've seen they look amazing......so why not?  Well...I'm going to be honest with you.  It IS beautiful and I DO love it, but it was a little bit of a PAIN in the @$$ to do.  Although there is nothing difficult about the process, it is very time consuming!  My husband even threatened to pry the glue gun from my hands when he found me still working at 1:00 am last week.  All in all, it took me about 6 hours to finish over the course of a few nights.  It really wasn't bad,  though, I just like to exaggerate and complian.  Or so my husband says.  Haha.

But, the most important part is that it was totally worth it.  I love it.

And the best part is that no one can tell that it's made out of coffee filters!  A few people at my party this weekend were shocked when I told them how I made it!  Some even asked me to make one for them since it sounded like it was pretty easy to do.  Ha...maybe if you hire me a full-time masseuse or trade me your first born child...but otherwise, no can do....

So....if I haven't deterred you with my ranting and you are still eager to make your own coffee filter wreath, here is a little how-to on the process.

Supplies:

Package of white (or brown) coffee filters (I used the larger-sized ones) - approx 200
Glue Gun
20 glue sticks (at least that is what I used)
1 Foam Wreath form

I started by separating out the individual coffee filters and pinching then at the bottom to make an almost flower-like shape.  See below....

Then I put a dollop of hot glue on the form (and occasionally right on the coffee filter) and held it in place for a few seconds.  I found that the best method was to create an almost flat bottom to the "flower-shaped" coffee filter before attaching it to the wreath to achieve the most secure outcome.  Every once in a while I would have to add a little more hot glue to the bottom to make sure it was going to stay in place.  Here is what my wreath looked like after a few coffee filters were attached. 

And then I just kept attaching them one by one next to each other until I achieved this..... 

I fully admit that I wanted to scream and throw my glue gun out the window about halfway through, but just keep pushing through and you will be so happy. It is totally worth it in the end and you will thank me. Well, actually, you will probably just thank yourself, but you know what I mean. Just keep glueing, just keep glueing.....

You can't tell in the photo, but I did not glue any coffee filters on the back.  By that point I just couldn't hot glue another thing.  And to be honest, it hangs more flat this way.  I made sure to do enough around the edges of the wreath so that you couldn't see the foam wreath form in the back when it was hung though.  I would definitely recommend that.

And last, but not least, I hung it using a piece of ribbon that I so imaginatively hot-glued to the back of the foam wreath form and hung over my built-in hutch with a thumb tack.  So easy!!!  Aside from taking a while to hot glue all of the coffee filters, this project is REALLY easy and REALLY affordable.  I totally recommend it.  I will absolutely use this in my house long after the holidays are over.  I might just put a different ribbon and hang it somewhere new to keep people guessing.  I love having versatile items that can accommodate any and all of my design whims (as they seem to change so frequently).  But when they are as cheap as this was (I think $5 total with some Michael's 50% off coupons and coffee filters that I stole from work already had) it is crazy not too!  I have even seen people making rectangular wreaths or trees out of coffee filters too.  There are unlimited possibilities with this seemingly underappreciated household item. 

So that's it for my wreath tutorial.  Have any of you made one of these before?  If not, has this inspired you to make one for yourself or hire a masseuse for me to make one for you instead?  I would love to see or hear all about it if you did!! 

Happy Glueing!!

Christmas Decor: Tree

Ever since I was a little girl, I've LOVED decorating the christmas tree.  It was always one of those events that really inaugurated the holiday season for me.  And I still feel that way today.  There is just something magical about filling your home with a seasonal smell, crisp white lights and all of your favorite keepsake ornaments.  I don't know about you, but it just makes me feel all warm and cozy inside. 

And this year was no different.  We moved at the end of December last year and really didn't have a chance to decorate or celebrate in our old place.  There was actually more taking down than putting up the whole month, so it felt like we didn't even celebrate at all.  To fill the void, I even drove up to decorate at my parents house.  I had to.  It felt like I was having withdrawals....

But enough about last year.  This year makes up for all of it since we are in the new house and in a new town....it is all really exciting!!  We had our annual christmas party (well annual except for 2009) this past Saturday and what would a christmas party be without a tree.  So, I went out last week (I think it was Wednesday...whichever was the COLDEST day of the year!!!!) and scoured a few different local nurseries for the "perfect" tree.  And when I say a few, I mean 5.....crazy, I know.  There were hundreds of beautiful trees; balsams, spruces and firs...you name it.  But I needed to find the "one"!

So after turning down an ALMOST perfect one at the fourth nursery, I decided to try one more place.  And I'm so glad I did.  The sales guy was super nice and patient (although he was probably both ONLY because he works on commission), but nevertheless he spent a good 30 minutes going back and forth between three trees until we finally narrowed it down.  Bless his heart.  He kept picking them up and spinning them around....all with a smile on his face.  I'm pretty sure there is a special place reserved for him in heaven.  If it had been B with me, he probably would have told me to just walk around the tree a few times....

I waited a few days after bringing her home to decorate....

My theme this year, if you can even call it a theme, was burlap and white.  I was going for a rustic, natural, almost ethereal look.  I used burlap as a tree skirt (no sewing necessary), some old ornaments that I already had (white balls, icicles, snowflakes and others we have collected over the years)....and a few new ones too!  In the old house, we had mostly warm colors on the walls, so I used a lot of gold, maroon and white in my christmas decor.  With the new color scheme, I thought that white, silver and crystal would be more appropriate.  Luckily, my tastes have changed so much over the years that I have a slew of ornaments to suit most of my decorating whims.  And it's fun to change it up every year or so....it keep things interesting. 

What is your tree theme this year?? 

I will be back tomorrow with my mantle and other christmas decorating.  For now, I'm linking up to these parties....go check them out!!!

Bower Power Blog

Kelly's Corner Blog

If walls could talk...

They would probably tell you what color they are....

But since I am quite forgetful these days, I haven't shared that with you.  And since I have received a few comments and emails regarding wall colors over the last few months, I decided it's about time that I cough up the details. 

Well, without further ado....

Half Bathroom

Behr Tranquil Pond (Eggshell Finish)

We went with eggshell since this half bath doesn't see any moisture....

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Kitchen Cabinets

Sherwin Williams SuperPaint Interior Acrylic Latex Paint - Pure White (Semi-Gloss Finish)

We also used CoverStain underneath to prevent the knots from showing through.....

although they are definitely starting to peak through already...but I think its kind of charming

 

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Kitchen/Entryway/Hallway

Sherwin Williams ProMax 2000 Paint color-matched to Behr Burnished Metal (Eggshell Finish)

 

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Living Room

Behr Silver Sage (Eggshell Finish)

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Guest Bedroom

Martha Stewart low-VOC Lilac (Eggshell Finish)

I should warn you now, this is only a temporary color.  I loved it a lot more on the swatch than I do on my walls. I am definitely a purple fan, but in smaller doses than this. Next in line for the walls is Behr White Truffle (Eggshell Finish again...shocking!!)  It is a creamy beige/tan color.  I love it! But maybe I will do something similar from Sherwin Williams since I love their paint too!!! More details to come.  I have soooo many ideas for this guest bedroom...some furniture redos and maybe even some DIY art!

Are you ready for this, folks??

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Dining Room

Behr Down Pour (Eggshell Finish)

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Master Bedroom

Behr French Silver (Eggshell Finish)

Oh, and before I forget, the trim throughout the house is Behr White (nothing mixed in) in a semi-gloss finish

Hm...I think that's it for now. I could show you the office, but that is changing shortly as well. It is currently Behr - Restful (Eggshell finish) but I am looking for something a little brighter in there once it turns into a nursery.  It definitely works for now though, so I'm going to leave well enough alone....for now at least!