Today I'm at Pretty Handy Girl

Hello all! I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Today I'm over at Pretty Handy Girl sharing a super easy diy gift idea.  Stop by and say hi :) and make sure to check out all of the other diy projects!

our BIG news!

Hi! I hope that you had a great weekend! Things are moving in the right direction, so I can finally tell you the great news!

We're buying a house!! :) Surprised? Considering we just moved to Ohio .. let me explain. It's in Maryland, close to our parents. We're hoping to move back to Maryland in April, but nothing is set in stone. We move for David's job, so even if we don't move back it will be nice to have a place to call home (close to our parent's so that they can watch things while we're gone) and to centralize all of our things. One of the biggest stressors from moving was figuring out what to do with all of our stuff. If you're a diy/design blogger, you know how much space it takes up. It's definitely not practical to move everything from place to place for 6 months to a year or so. Moving next time should be much easier (I hope :)

We're SO excited to start some new DIYs!!

David's also excited to have a two car garage .. you probably don't know, but he loves fixing up cars .. he has one stripped down to the frame (and a lot of extra parts) floating around his parent's garage, so at least half of the garage will be devoted to that. The rest will be for our DIY stuff. BUT there is a side room (used to be for a pottery kiln) that we'll set up to use as the wood shop. It will be so nice to keep the dust contained.

Enough talk :) Here's a couple pics of the main living space. Full tour once furniture is moved out..

Hardwood throughout (except the kitchen and bathrooms) and so much potential!! Of course we already have some plans :)



The home inspection came back with no major problems (just nickel and dime stuff) yay!!

I decided to wait to share since there was a "home of choice" contingency in the contract. The owner was waiting to find another home until they were under contract .. and since they were looking for a home with space for horses, (they currently have horses that are boarded) we were a little worried. Friday we found out that they put an offer on a property and it was accepted! So everything is moving in the right direction!

We're scheduled to close in January, but since the current owner found a home, we're hoping to move the date up to just before Christmas. Hopefully, since we'll be spending time in Maryland at Christmas!

So between the closing date and April, we'll be working on projects the weekends that we're in Maryland. Also, David's schedule is switching to 6 / 12 hr days in February so I may be spending some time in Maryland since he'll be here basically just to sleep :( So I might DIYing solo - we'll see how it goes ...

We're so excited :) I hope that you'll follow along on our next adventure!!

White and Gold Ombre Lamp at Infarrantly Creative

Hey everyone!! Happy Friday! Sorry for the lack of posts recently ... We are finally getting settled yay! so I'll have more time to work on all of my recent thrifting finds.

Yesterday I found lots of great things at Goodwill and Habitat Restore (pics soon!) Also, we brought David's old truck back from Maryland ... so I'll probably be borrowing that a few days a week to haul my finds.

Today on Infarrantly Creative, I'm sharing my .97 thrifted lamp makeover. YES, only .97!! It needs to be rewired, but you can't beat the price!


Make sure to stop by and check it out!

I hope you have a great weekend! We'll be staying put, so knocking out lots of projects!!

p.s. big news soon!! probably next week :)


Design Plan | Lauren's Contemporary Cottage

Before we left California, I met Lauren through one of my Craigslist furniture sales. I wasn't looking for any clients at the time, but she was super sweet and her house was so cute, I had to do it! Plus, a while ago, she pinned our old bedroom, so it was kinda meant to be.

I finished up the plan a few weeks ago and never shared, here it is!

Living room now:


Living room plan:

pinterest burlap and lace | pinterest  | the hunted interior 

The entry is connected to the living room, so to make the most of it I suggested creating board and batten molding with coat hooks. There is also built ins next to the door, so a deep charcoal trellis stencil would help them stand out. 

I adjusted the space planning using their existing sofas, but turned it towards the back wall so that the entry and living room would be a little more defined. Lauren wants to find a faux fireplace, and I instantly thought of the hunted interiors stacked logs. To help the TV blend in I suggested building a gallery wall around it, similar to burlap and lace's TV area.















































Sunroom, now:


I fell in love with this room right away. It's a finished garage but the roof line and the french door really make this place special! 

Sunroom plan:

By the french door, I suggested putting a rattan hanging chair - perfect for reading! For storage, two long buffets against the long wall (similar to Young House Love's) Lauren and her husband need something with taller storage, so this would be a good option. The seating area on the back wall was created with their existing sofa (I swapped the legs) and two caned chairs that Lauren just purchased from a friend. 

To help camouflage the washer and dryer, I turned them the other direction and placed screen.

 Bedroom now:


Since the bedroom was so tiny, there was only one place to place the bed. Since it would have to block part of the window, I suggested an open iron headboard so that it would still feel open.

the hunted interior | pinterest | haskel harris 

To balance the off center window and bed, I suggested creating an asymmetrical gallery wall similar to the hunted interior. For bedding, a mix of black and white pattern with a pop of coral mixed with natural elements. 

























Guest room, now:


Used as a spare room, there needed to be room for an air mattress and still function as a dressing room. 

Guest room, plan: 























































This was such a fun space to work on. I can't wait to see the space finished! I'll be sure to share as Lauren completes the spaces. 

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ps, I'm still wifi free, something about them not having the address on file, so they need to come verify first ... grrr ... going to stop in for the third time since Wednesday today. Hopefully they figure it out asap! 















Chair Fabric Options. What do you think?

Thanks SO much for all of your support!! One of the things that I love about blogging is the supportive community - you all are the best!

We are in our new rental and it feels great to unpack (except for the fact that we brought two boxsprings .. we forgot to check the boxes before we loaded the uhaul, whoops!! We assumed since the movers had put corresponding numbers on the boxes, that they were a set) We'll swap them when we go back to MD.

Yesterday I started tearing apart my $9.99 chair.



We're planning on swapping the back channeling for tufting, since I don't think we could replicate it. 

Here's some fabric options that I already have ... 


Kravet Archipelago Haze Gray
   

Kravet Riad Clove (dark brown) I only have one yard, but I could get more.


Kravet Xu Garden Orkid 

I also love the idea of using a wide black and white stripe.

I'll be using it as my office chair here - it's going with our natural x leg desk. Since the fabrics are designed for light upholstery, I'm planning on layering it with a sheepskin to help with the wear. Then I can use it as a side chair later - hopefully it will hold up well. Has anyone used these fabrics on a chair?

So what do you think? Do you have a favorite? I think I want to paint the legs glossy black, but I'm open to suggestions!

Happy Friday, I hope that you have a great weekend!

(p.s. I'm at McDonalds now ... still waiting on our wireless to be set up. I'm working mostly off of my phone now ... so I may be a little slow publishing comments, etc.)

the GOOD, the BAD, and the UGLY

The coffee table/island has been put on hold .. where to start, I want to end on a happy note, so I'll start with the ugly. 

the UGLY

Friday night we received a call from management where we were staying. To say that it didn't go very well would be an extreme understatement. I won't go into the specifics, but it was very unprofessional and led to us deciding that we couldn't stay there. Also, the fact that they weren't able to fix the extremely slow internet (not good for bloggers .. and anyone in the 21st century) and the water was strange, after you got out of the shower you felt like you got out of the pool, it tasted horrible (I think it was river water that was chlorinated, yuck!!). I won't be providing a name or link, but if you're on Lake Erie, OH send me an email and I'll tell you where NOT to go.

Lesson learned - do not rush to get into a place because you want to get out of a hotel ... we had to stay at a not so nice hotel (when we got here in October) since the only decent hotel in town wouldn't accept dogs, and since we needed an extended stay to look for housing .. that wouldn't work. 

the BAD

Saturday we were scrambling to find a place .. we did find one (yay!!) but then we had to coordinate moving all of our stuff out. We rented a Uhaul on Sunday (had to drive 40 minutes one way since that was the only one open, yuck). Loaded it ourselves, it was a long walk to and from the unit to the truck. I'm still sore. We got on the road around 6pm and headed towards Maryland. Why Maryland??? I gave up on finding an unfurnished place, because practically everything is personal vacation homes. However, the people where we are renting are allowing us to move a few things into their other rental next door, so we'll have our own sofa, mattress and desk .. SO we left over half of our things with our parents in Maryland. In 24 hours we spent 12 hours driving and 12 hours sleeping/unloading sorting organizing boxes. 

the GOOD

Last night when we arrived back in Ohio, we met the owners at the little house we'll be staying in. They are super nice, and they completely built or remodeled (can't remember, but he is a contractor) the little house we'll be staying in. Since this is their home during the summer, they wanted to make sure that we were "ok" and go over a few of the specifics. I hope to share my good news that I mentioned on Friday soon .. I want things to firm up more before sharing too much. Even though it's very good news, it has made things a little more difficult. 

I'm definitely not sharing all of this because I want your pity, but you might be wondering what's going on with my photos since it won't look the same as they have in the last week or so. 

The last few months have been extremely draining and stressful - It helped to take a few deep breaths and remember that the one of the most important things - the thing that really mattered was healthy and next to me - David and Annabelle too :) We are extremely blessed. 

I know that everyday I learn something new - recently I've had a lot of days with much bigger lessons. But in the end I'm stronger. 

Wondering what this will mean for my blog? I'll still be sharing projects, but we won't be building as many things from scratch as before since we don't have a garage and it is going to be COLD (got a taste of the sideways blowing snow last night). We love designing and building things, so we'll be back to that very soon. Stay tuned! :) 

I should have normal internet and be back up to speed in the next day or so (when I can get it installed at our new place) Thanks so much for your continuous support!! You all are the best! 

Coffee table to ____?

Hi everyone! Sorry for the lack of posts ... we've been working on something - hopefully I'll have fun news to share soon!!

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 Remember this coffee table that I picked up at Goodwill for only $9.99?


























and this instagram pic? 



We don't have all of our tools out but we're still building!

Here's what we've got going on. Any guesses?



Ok, I'll just tell you, I want your input :) It's going to be a kitchen island! We have 2' of counter space, so this will make the kitchen a little more useable.

What would you do with it? I think it will have to be painted since there are three different finishes going on. We hope to finish it this weekend, so let me know what you would do!

Happy weekend!!



Layered Headboard for only $20 | Contributing Article at Houzz

Want to see our new headboard!? Stop by Houzz for the full tutorial! Since we'll only be in Ohio for 6 months, we wanted something easy, inexpensive, but still a little lux. 

By eliminating wood and foam, we were able to make it for only $20!!

This would be perfect for renters, a dorm room, or anyone who likes to change their mind a lot :)

Make sure to stop by!

High-End Look for Less: Make a Layered Headboard for $20

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Ideas for your living spaces, lighting and landscape design.
Browse top designers interior portfolios, from high-quality pots and pans and a decorative dinnerware set to ideas for remodeling bath and kitchen.

Designer Inspired Pillow Shams | Stenciled Ikea Pillow Shams for only $3 each!

Hi! I hope that you had a great weekend!! Today I'm sharing a few super affordable pillow shams - I made them before we moved, so photos are taken from our CA home - if you are wondering if we have a gallery wall/shelving/rug etc. Not yet, but hopefully soon!

In case you missed the tutorial on Infarrantly Creative, read on to see how I made them!



I love this because you can simplify it to be finished in about an hour or you can spend a little more time to have a completely custom look! Want to know the best part? It only cost about $3-5 per pillow sham!

I started with $3 white pillow shams from Ikea. Then I picked up some fabric paint and fabric medium from Michaels. I decided to purchase the colors that I didn't have and also use leftover latex paint with fabric medium so that it would be washable after heat setting.































For my inspiration, I turned to my Pinterest boards (always a great way to see trends in what you like!) and picked the a few designs that I loved from Caitlin Wilson Textiles and Sarah Swanson's home
































I started with two striped designs. It really doesn't get easier that this! For the diagonal stripes, I didn't even have to measure! :) I simply determined the width between stripes and offset it with two pieces of tape to keep the line straight and then laid the next piece of tape. For the wide chevron, I did measure, but still super simple! 
































The most important thing is to press the tape down firmly so that the paint doesn't seep underneath the lines. Then I mixed up my paint, dipped my roller in, rolled off the excess (also important to get clean lines) and rolled away from the painter's tape to avoid build up around the tape. 

After that dried, I created an inexpensive trim by taping off the edge and brushed on a contrasting color. 
































Now for my favorite part! I decided to create my own stencils based on Caitlin Wilson's Hong Kong and Scallop fabrics. Download my silhoutte files for free Hong Kong inspired HERE and HERE (2 part stencil) Scalloped HERE. I drew the patterns in Adobe Illustrator and cut the stencil on my Silhouette Cameo. You could also pick up a few stencils at your local craft store for a simpler method. 

I've been making stencils for about a year and have learned that not everything can be easily translated into a stencil. To get the thin gold lines instead of a gold fill on the Hong Kong inspired stencil, I created a two part stencil, the first to capture the outer edge of the cube, and the second to finish the inside. A little extra effort, but I was able to achieve the exact look I was going for, so definitely worth it! 

If you've never stenciled before, here are a few tips. 1. Lay and tape paper over your table, tape the sham down, center the stencil and use painters tape to secure your stencil in several places to avoid it moving 2. dip your brush in paint and wipe off excess on a paper towel before starting, you want a small amount of paint on the brush to avoid it going underneath the stencil. 3. Hold the stencil down with your other hand as you go to prevent it from coming up 4. Carefully line up the next row so that the pattern stays consistent. 

Allow the paint to dry completely and heat set with a white cloth between the pillow and iron on a low setting. 


I decided to mix the painted shams with my DIY greek key sham and a pillow made out of the left over fabric from my Mid Century Modern refurbished chairs, Caitlin Wilson's tall mint chevron. 































































I didn't paint the backs, but that would be a great way to add a contrasting color or pattern to have a reversible sham! 































I'm loving our new pillow shams! Most of all, I LOVE the price! 

Here's the breakdown:

Ikea Gurli Sham $3, qty 4 $12
Paint and Fabric Medium $6 (with coupon at Michaels) 

Total: $18 

I had the fabric for the mint chevron pillow left over and the Greek key sham was a previous DIY, but this project could be easily done for under $30 depending on your fabric selections! 


Final CA Home Tour

I recently updated our final CA home tour! Scroll down to see what our rental looked like just before we left :) It's fun to look back at all of our projects, which also makes me think about all of the time invested. This time around - since we'll only be here through April, I think we'll be focusing on simpler projects (or at least ones that we can take with us - i.e. not a massive grasscloth / nailhead feature wall ;) and save the more time intensive projects for when we have a house - hopefully soon! I've got lots of projects floating around in my head, so we will see :)

I also included a few before photos .. taken at night just before we left, sorry for the iPhone quality.

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ENTRY


BEFORE

Walking into our unit we have a pretty tight entryway. To maximize storage and space, we created a demilune table from a round table, perfect for holding keys and mail. The small size and round edges are perfect for our entryway because it doesn't take up a lot of space!


Moving upstairs, we have DIY ombre frames with custom prints. 


Our folded rope dome light has been one of my favorite projects to date!



The second level has two bedrooms and two baths (while the living room/kitchen is on the third). Weird, right? The second level has practically no view, and the third has a great one, so the main living area is up there.

MASTER BEDROOM


BEFORE (looking at desk wall)

I adore grasscloth wallpaper and nailhead trim! After wanting to use it for a while (and constantly living in rentals) I decided to make a removable feature wall incorporating grasscloth, nailhead, and trim. This way I get the custom look of wallpaper and nailhead, but with minimal (fixable upon moving) damage to the existing walls.


The bright coral upholstered headboard adds a pop of color and the custom curved arms repeat the edge of the nailhead design.  

We built two nightstands with bamboo legs and a Skubb drawer from Ikea. We also painted dated brass lamps with white spray paint and made a removable white shade cover.







The writing desk was one of our first refinishing projects.




GUEST BEDROOM


BEFORE (looking at bed wall)

Our guest room was primarily repurposed from our previous master bedroom, mixed with my favorite diy mirror.




We made a fabric wrapped parson's table from two hollow core doors. The fabric was the perfect way to hide minor imperfections in the doors. We also upholstered two Ikea Lack tables with a moroccan fabric. 



Moving up to the third floor, we have two more landings. Did I mention that it is really hard to move furniture up here? :)


The first has a tall ombre gallery wall

and the second has a custom stenciled wall with frame shelves.



The third level has one long room that we use as an office and living room. Our DIY Schumacher Zimba inspired draperies on both sides help pull the space together and give it a pop of pattern and contrast.

OFFICE


BEFORE


The first important change was adding a credenza to hold all of my printers and papers. Getting all of my office clutter off of the ground and behind doors that could be closed when I was done for the day really helped. It's amazing what a little organization can do!

March we made this statement chandelier from a fluorescent diffuser for Creating with the Stars. We also added stripes to the ceiling and trim attached with small finish nails. It didn't go with our office at the time, but I loved it so much, that I decided to make it work :)




The round table was a roadside find - we added crown molding to the base, painted it and stenciled the top.

Then added a few large scale prints that read as one quote. I love the impact that the large font has! Even more, I love the price! I had them printed at Staples as engineering prints for a few dollars. Free download for text here


Finally to finish the office, I added this large black and white abstract painting. I've changed this wall 4 times and finally found a good mix of scale and contrast! I feel like this finally pulled the office together, it's amazing how one piece of art can do that! 



LIVING ROOM


BEFORE

Our living room is shared with the office and divided with our minty blue open shelving unit. Using mostly materials from Habitat Restore, we were able to build it for only $35!

The living room seating area is grounded by a painted offset stripe rug. This was probably our quickest project - only taking a few hours! 

and on top - our most time consuming project (by far my favorite too!) the herringbone driftwood table. David milled strips of wood from beach driftwood using a chop and table saw and constructed a metal base. I get tired just thinking about how much time that took! BUT so worth it, now we'll always have a memento from our time here. 

We painted a set of nesting tables white and added a key stenciled top. The lampshade was also stenciled with a greek key. Stenciling is one of the cheapest ways to add pattern to virtually anything! 



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