Paper Wall Flowers

Have you seen the cool looking wall flowers that Young House Love put in their guest room? I loved them from the second I saw them, but I wasn't so sure I wanted to drop some dough for them.

Enter the d.i.y. solution:  Billie Monster, an amazing artist and designer, created this great template for paper wall flowers to add some dimension to the walls, and the best part is it is super inexpensive! No buying the flowers from some company - you can do it yourself! Billie Monster also has tons of other great stuff on her blog, so go check it out. You will not be disappointed. 

Using her template, I came up with this. It took less than 45 minutes from start to finish. I like a quick project. :)

Pretty, right? It's a great solution for dressing up a blank wall. For the double-sided scrapbook paper, I decided to go with Martha Stewart's 12x12 heirloom paper pad (LOVE!). I like that it is subtle and sort of blends in with the wall color, but also adds visual interest.

Billie Monster has great instructions for making these as well as the template she created. I used double-sided tape to attach mine to the wall. It's nice in case you want to move them around as you hang them.

I also have a tip about making the cutting process easier. I was trying to think of how to cut several flowers at once, and I wanted to do the equivalent of pinning layers of fabric together. Stack 3 pieces of scrapbook paper together, clip the binders to the sides to secure the paper together, trace the templates onto the paper, and then cut out the flowers. Boom! You have 3x the flowers. haha!

Thanks for looking! 

This is totally unrelated, but here is a pic of my fur children (just had to get it in because it has been a while since I've shared their sweet faces with you.) 

Yes, they were sitting on the hubs as he was lying on the couch (hehe). You would think they believe they own us, not the other way around. 

They'd be right.  ;)

Linking to...
Tatertots & Jello Weekend Wrapup; Saturday Spotlight @ Craft Envy; Scrappy Saturdays @ Scrappy Gifts; Saturday Night Special @ Funky Junk Interiors; Saturday is Crafty Day @ Along for the Ride; Scrapbook Sundays @ Born Again Crafter

Clock Makeover

See this clock? 

It bought it from Walmart for $3. Kind of boring, right? (By the way, that's my lovely husband doing the hand modeling in this pic...hehe.)

I've had this on the wall for 4 years now - it was about time for a makeover! All I needed to turn this into a custom clock was a little leftover Oil Rubbed Bronze spray paint and some scrapbook paper. Piece of cake.

It took some prying, but I was able to separate the different plastic pieces so that I could take out the number plate. Once I did that, I traced it onto some pretty paper. Then, I simply cut it out, added the hand-drawn numbers, and placed it in the newly painted frame.

And here is the finished product!

Although it's not my favorite clock ever, I think it is an improvement. It was super easy! I should have done it years ago. If I had had some pretty number stickers on hand, then I would have used those instead of a sharpie for the numbers. I still like it, though. :)

Thanks so much for looking! If you have any clock makeovers you would like to share, please do! 

Linking to Creative Juice Thursday; Beyond the Picket Fence; Paisley Passions; House of Hepworths; Transformation Thursdays @ Shabby Chic Cottage

I am participating in the CSI Project's $5 and under challenge. Please join me by clicking the button below to enter your project that cost five bucks or less into the contest as well. :)



UPDATE: Jen picked my clock! Yay! Thank you, Jen!

Do you like discounts and coupons? I do!

Although revamping and repurposing are my passions, I also like to to be thrifty and get a good deal. Who doesn't, right? I am always buying things online. I even buy a lot of my clothes online from clothing stores where I know that certain sizes and styles work for me. When I buy online, I often search around for discount codes if I don't already have one, because often times a discount is available - you just have to know to look in the right places!

http://www.couponchief.com is a good site for locating many of these coupons. You can either do a custom search for a specific store, or you can click a tag such as "clothing," and you will find many great coupon codes on stores - currently, there is a 40% off code for The Limited, a 20% off code for Payless shoe store, just to name a few.

In fact, I tried out the 20% off Payless coupon to buy a cute pair of tan peep-toe wedges. Suh-weet! I've also had a code not work, though, for a different store. But I only lost maybe 5 seconds trying it, so no harm done. The reason why some codes do not work is because individuals are posting the codes, and occasionally they are inaccurate, expired, etc. Next to each code that someone has posted, people who have tried using the coupons will respond whether it worked for their purchase or not. I have found that those having an 80% success rate or higher are usually valid, but you really just have to try it to see if it works for you and if it qualifies for your purchase.

Clothing stores are not by any means the only ones with coupons. If you're looking for fabric to make DIY curtains, pillows, or anything for a project, there are Joann Fabric & Crafts coupons.Yay! I need to use this one myself! :) Anyway, I wouldn't recommend you all check this site out unless I believed it could truly save you money without investing that much time, but I want to mention that I am being compensated for this site review, so I realize my perception may be influenced by that fact. But there are no gimmicks here or sign-ups required, so there are no risks if you want to search for coupons next time you're about to buy something. I know I will be doing just that!

Quatrefoil Painted Desk {tutorial}

Have you ever owned a piece of furniture that just made you say "blah" every time you glanced at it? Guilty! In fact, for over a year, I had been living with a used oak desk that my husband bought. It was a little too rough around the edges for my taste. It was in dire need of a makeover. The solution? I painted a quatrefoil pattern on the top, and now it's one of my favorite pieces of furniture!

The nice thing about this project is that it is super easy on the budget.

Materials - All you need is...

• to print a quatrefoil pattern (here is a great template from Tatertots & Jello)
• an Xacto knife to cut out the template
• a paint brush (preferably a small one with a strait edge)
• acrylic paint ($1.57) in your preferred color ( I used one 2-oz bottle of Apple Barrel's Burnt Umber #20512)
• Minwax's Polyurethane in Clear Gloss (if you want a big can with lots of leftover paint for future projects, go with the 32-oz can for $11)-- to seal the acrylic paint

Time - This is where the project becomes expensive in terms of the time it takes to finish it. I split it up into 2 days, and spent approximately 5 hours on it, if not more. In my opinion, it was worth it, though!

Let's take a look at the before picture of the desk. It's plain and boring and scratched up. Blah.

Time for a makeover!

Step 1 - Print and cut out the quatrefoil pattern using the template. I only cut out one template, but this also made the project take longer because I had to wait for the stencil to dry before I could add on to a section.

Step 2 - Once you have your stencil, tape down the parts that do not interfere with the parts you are painting.

Step 3 - The picture above does not show this, but I eventually found that my paint was more likely to stay within the lines when I used my brush and painted around the edges and then filled in the middle of each section. It took me 2 coats of paint, by the way. It could be worse! :)

Step 4 - Wait for a section to dry, and then move your template such that it adjoins with the section you just painted.

Here is what it looked like when I was about three-fourths of the way through.

I'm so surprised that I didn't mess up the pattern. I am by no means a perfectionist, so if I can do this, so can you!

Step 5 - After you have finished the piece of furniture and the paint is completely dry, give it a coat of shiny polyurethane to seal the acrylic paint. I waited approximately 4 hours and gave it a second coat.

Here is a photo of how the clear gloss can deepen your paint color, and make the whole thing more professional looking.

(Note: The other after pics of the desk were taken before I had a chance to polyurethane the desk. So, it actually looks shinier than that now.)

And here is the final result! (minus the clear gloss)

What do you think?

UPDATED: I wanted to show you pics of how the desk looks now with the polyurethane topcoat.

See how much shinier it looks? I like it much better, and now my quatrefoil pattern is protected. Yay!

Linking to...

Just a Girl Show & Share Day; Shanty 2 Chic; Thrilling Thursdays @ Paisley Passions; Under $100 Linky Party @ Beyond the Picket Fence; Power of Paint Party @ Domestically Speaking; Restored It Wednesday; Get Your Brag On @ Gluesticks; Creative Juice Thursday @ Momnivore's Dilemma; VIP Party @ Designer Garden; Favorite Things Friday @ The Speckled Dog; Sunday Showcase @ Under the Table Dreaming

Lamps & Another Giveaway!

I am OBSESSED with table lamps. Seriously.

There are so many different kinds, and they make any room look better, as long as you choose the right base and shade. I like to mix and match mine. More than once my lamps have made their way to different rooms in the townhouse. Some have gotten makeovers. And others I bought brand new because they were too gorgeous to pass up (given the price is right and all that).

Right now, I am digging drum shades and curvy bases. Check out these beauts:

Both lamps are from CSN's lighting department. And trust me, there are so many lamps to choose from! CSN is also supplying this giveaway of a $35 gift code, which if you win, can be used towards anything in their 200+ online stores. You will be sure to find something you love!

Here is how to enter the contest:

1. Become a follower (unless you are already following -- thanks, friends!)

2. Leave a comment on this post with your email address, so that I can contact you with the gift code if you win. However, if you know that I can definitely find your contact info by clicking on your name, then no need to bother with an email address.

For an extra 2 entries, simply add my button in the sidebar of your blog, and then leave me a second comment letting me know that you did so. Thanks!! :)

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Here are a couple of other details:

○ Contest is open from Monday 3/7 through Sunday 3/20 (ends at 12:00pm EST)

○ Only US and Canadian residents are eligible (sorry! Has to do with shipping…)

Okay, ready..set..go!

I will contact you if you win. Good luck & thanks for entering!

UPDATED 3.22.11: I used Random.org to generate a random number to pick the winner of this giveaway, and I would like to say congratulations to Erin J!

Linking to...

Guest Bedroom: Before & After

I am finally getting around to posting my new and improved guest bedroom. It is by no means finished since I'm always wanting to change things, but it is much better than the ugly, mismatched look we had going on before.

It's actually an inviting and serene place now, where I can get stuff done (it's also our work space). In addition, I am no longer embarrassed to have guests stay in there. And we do get quite a few guests because J and I live in NC but we are from OK, so family and friends come to visit us, which we really appreciate!

Are you ready for it? Here are some BEFORE pictures:

Do you see the sweet little dog sleeping on her blanket? Love her

Now for some AFTER pictures. Sorry they are so dark! (It's weird how natural light makes a room look darker in pictures than it really is.)

Here are all the things I did to the guest bedroom:

1. Painted the room

2. Made a paper lampshade

3. Painted green desk white

4. Covered the file cabinet with woodgrain contact paper

5. Covered the lampshade on my desk with pretty fabric

6. Made a cork lamp base, but have since replaced it

7. Created a starburst mirror for $2

8. Sewed a pillow

9. Made-over a torch floor lamp

10. Spray painted and reupholstered the desk chair

11. Made no-sew curtains for $10

12. Made a wall decal out of contact paper

13. Sewed a dog bed for the girls

14. Changed the furniture pulls with spray paint

15. Made a fabric tissue box cover

16. Spray painted some dollar store birds

17. Made some easy & inexpensive wall art

What do you think? :) Thanks for looking!

Linking to Just A Girl's Show & Share Day, Funky Junk Interiors, & Remodelaholic.