Best tool!

My creative juices have been flowing again.  Thank God, I thought they were gone for good!  I've done a few makeovers I hope to share soon.  But first I have to share this tool with you.  I'm sure some of you already have it!

This thing makes taking off those metal, plastic or any material "Feet" SO EASY!  It's also great for a bunch of other things too.  And SO much easier than wrestling with a screw driver! :)

 

 

 

 

Then you can put your felt on!  It's the little things that make life SO much easier!

 

XOXO

Lamp dilemma and a little chat :)

Ok, first things first!   I have decided that in order for me to keep blogging in a somewhat timely manner, I am not going to wait until everything is magazine worthy or edited to death.  I just do not have the time.  And honestly, we don't live that way.  So why put up a charade that we do?  I have 3 kids, 4 horses, we homeschool and our kids do more activities than anyone should!!  My housekeeping has slacked MAJORLY since having kids.  I figure when they are grown and gone I'll have plenty of time to make it all perfect.  Maybe...  And if I wait until my house is perfect there will be no more blog posts.  Deleting the blog would make more sense than waiting!   Whewwwww, I'm glad I got that out!   I consider us friends.  When I look at my stats I see people are reading, and I'm thrilled with that.  So if you're my friend it means you can come over for coffee and a visit and see some clutter, riding boots, an occasional lampshade on the floor (like in this post).  Because you're not going to judge me right?  Well it's ok if you do, just follow the golden rule please! LOL!

 so I have changed lamps in the family room and never shared it. I know, I know......

 I originally had the crystal lamps that you originally saw here.   And here
  

  But about a year or more ago I changed them to these....

 

But now I have found these ADORABLE goldish-tan silk type shades with LEOPARD on the inside, have I mentioned I LOVE having little splashes of leopard.... :)

 

isn't it cute?!

 

Here are what both lamps look like next to the sofa.  Which do you think goes better?   I'm leaning toward the crystal lamps (and a hint, that right table is changing too!!).   But open to suggestions!  I'd love to hear your thoughts! 

And yes,  there is a shade on the floor behind the end table!  We are friends remember?  Come in and have some coffee or tea! ;)

So, what do you think?

XOXO

Mattress update, over a year later

I originally planned on updating you a week and even a month later.  But a year later I think speaks volumes.  You may remember this post from last February.   We did something VERY daring (probably stupid) and ordered a mattress online without ever touching or laying in it.  But to be honest with you, we were desperate and I'm not even exaggerating at ALL.   We had several horrible mattress sets that had cost much more than what this was going to cost.   I had pretty much read up on latex mattresses until my eyes were sore. 

 Two things kept standing out to me when I read about them, actually three.   They are made of natural materials (some more natural than others), NO springs (to break or bend) and they seem to last and have been around for a VERY long time.  Longer than our normal 3-5 year life span that our others had lasted.

I had read about "layering" for awhile.  Which is where you buy a firmer mattress than you are usually used to, but then use latex toppers (not memory foam).  I could not decide between the firm and medium, that was the hardest part. While I LOVE the feel of a soft mattress (for usually the first 5 mins)  I knew the lack of support was making my body (and hubby's) sore.  It was basically agony for active people who are just 40 yrs old!    But I was also afraid that the stiffness from a firm mattress wouldn't be much better.   So I read some more...... lol!   And from what I understood the latex mattress tend to be much "firmer" than regular mattresses anyway.  So I thought the firm would be like sleeping on a cement slab!

We finally decided on a "medium" Nuform mattress from Overstock.com.  They are not as thick as conventional mattresses either.  So we bought this 3 inch latex topper and then also this 2 inch latex topper.  And use this mattress pad, I read even THAT makes a difference, LOL!   I  have been PAIN free for a year.  And no, I am not being paid by Overstock!

this is what it feels like!

courtesy of Google images

Do I feel like the princess and the pea? YES!  But, FINALLY we found something that works!   I am so happy we bought this combination.  I sometimes wonder if I should have gone for the firm (for longevity) but this seems to be perfect for now, with no sagging or wearing (yet!).   We turn it (not flip) every couple of months for maintenance.   But we are HAPPY with it!  YAY!   So if you ever wondered about Latex mattresses, we love ours! Go for it!!

XOXO

Sofa table, need your thoughts and opinions!

It has been just shy (like 3 weeks) of us being in this house for three years.  I am JUST starting to want to do some projects.  I'm not sure if it was the trauma of moving, kids, homeschooling, horses or the million other things.  But for awhile I had ZERO ambition to do anything around here besides cook and clean.  

Well, the creative juices are flowing and I'm ready to tackle a few small projects.  I even have a bigger one in mind, but that is whole other blog post! ;)  And while writing this I am remembering that I have never shown you the mudroom cabinets...... which I painted in Annie Sloan Emperor's silk.  Uh oh, my bad!!   Will show that soon too :)

You might remember when I first posted our family/great room, I had this smaller sofa table in here.  For the simple reason I had nothing else.  And actually as I look at this picture, things have changed, LOL!

About a year ago I moved the original one in our master bedroom and found the current one on Craigslist.  It's a Thomasville table I got for a great price.  But it was much longer and narrow, which were the specs I needed most!     I would like to paint this table with Annie Sloan chalk paint.  Which color, or colors do you think I should do?  I have so many that I'm embarrassed to name them! Colors in the room are tannish gold, green, red, turquoise, and some black accents.  The walls are Sherwin Williams Ivorie.   If you need a refresher of the room you can see the Family room here.     Anyway, here is the table......   

 

 As you can see, I have already played with the knobs.  I added the crystal knobs,  but two weeks ago I found mercury glass knobs at Homegoods which I thought were adorable.  You can vote on those too! ;)       Thank you and hope to hear from you!

 

XOXO

Lamp domino.....

Just wondered if anyone else does this?  Or am I the only one?

yes there are light sabers in my basket.....  no time for cropping when your insane! LOL!

I got a new lamp, which I will post about soon.  But it has been in my house for 2 weeks and I hadn't put it out yet.  So tonight I thought would be a good time to put it in the family room.  I put it on the table and have proceeded to move about 8 other lamps, switched lampshades, finals, you name it!!  Now I have lamps everywhere and I don't like them anywhere else.  Why do I do this to myself?  Tell me I'm not alone!   Hopefully I will have this resolved before bed........ However it's 11:30 pm, so it's not looking good!!  

STAY TUNED!!!!!!!!

XOXO

Recycled finial

I wanted to share this very easy, very quick project with you.   We recently (in the last 2 years) got a Hobby Lobby.  After YEARS of hearing my cousins bargains there.  She lives in the South.    Anyway, it's one of my favorite craft and decor stores.   I don't get there too often, but when I do I'm usually in there a LONG time!  My poor family knows the deal and usually wants me to go there alone. ;)

I bought an adorable wine stopper there that had a crown on it.  Well, I BROKE the cork part off trying to get it out of the wine bottle.    It was too cute to throw away.  So I thought for a minute and came up with this idea.....

 I spray painted one of those plain finials that come on lamps sometimes.  

Then I glued the crown to the finial I spray painted black.

 Voila!  From broken to recycled!  Sometimes the littlest things excite me!!!

I think it makes an ADORABLE finial!  On my thrift store lamp! 

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XOXO

Slipcover secret

Not a great shot but you see it was almost white even though they call it "natural"

I discovered a secret.....   I wasn't sure it would work but I figured it was worth a try.   I have the Pottery barn basic down filled sofa.  It was one of the very few "new" purchases we bought.  Many of you know that I am the second (third, fourth and etc) hand queen.    Although upholstery pieces can be tough to buy second hand because most have to be reupholstered.  A chair is one thing but a sofa is a financial commitment  Anyway, I digress.....   I hemmed and hawwed on buying this sofa, but the size was perfect.  It seems like most sofa's today are G I A N T.  I needed something smaller scale and comfortable.  In other words, it couldn't swallow up the room.    So when I looked and sat on the basic from PB, I knew it would work well. I waited for their winter sale  and bought it.   I have washed the slipcover at least 3 times and it comes out great.  The key is to NOT dry it all the way and put it back on the sofa a TAD damp.    

This fall I wanted something a little darker or more "cozy".   But the prices of the PB slipcovers are downright ridiculous!   I just could not justify the cost of them when I could actually buy a new SOFA for the price on some of the fabrics they had listed.     Then I remembered how similar the IKEA Ektorp sofa was to the basic.    Sadly, we do not have an IKEA nearby.  So of course I jumped on Ebay to find this pretty Idemo Brown slipcover for $79.99.  I figured if it didn't fit, I could consign it or sell it again on Ebay.   I am SO HAPPY to report that it fits!  And at that price point, I could get my sofa it's own wardrobe!

So if you have a PB basic and your wanting a different color, go ahead and get the Ektorp slipcover!  You'll be SO happy  you did! :)

Here it is "undressed" without the pillows.  It fits perfectly!  

Found this cute little pillow at TJ maxx for $10!  

Stay tuned for a mattress update!

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XOXO

Cute little table!

Last week I had to go run an errand in the next town over.  I don't get out there that much, but my FAVORITE Sally's is out there.  So you know I HAD to stop in and see what they had in there!

I found a bunch of clothes and adorable cream bust, forgot to take a picture of that!  But then I spotted this cute little table.  I needed a little table like this for a chair in the family room.  I walked over and was stunned to see it was only $7.99!  I snapped it up immediately!  It's solid wood, but I am going to give it an Chalk paint makeover!    Any hints on what color I should paint it?      

It's going to go next to this chair (I think, lol) I used this table in the basement for the tv area down there.  So the chair is lonesome and needs a table!

XOXO

The "main" bathroom aka kids bath

I pretty much dropped off my home tour last year.  The fact was/is the upstairs isn't really finished.  Yes it's finished in the sense we live here and it's done.  But it's not really decorated.  Well, I shouldn't say that, M's room is done.  And J&K's room is done, although most of the time it looks like an episode of hoarders!

The upstairs was supposed to have three bathrooms, one master and two mains.  Cleaning bathrooms and toilets is my least favorite cleaning job, so I nixed one of the bathrooms and made it the laundry room.  I couldn't be happier that I made that decision.   So this main bath is shared by the kids.  M is only 4 so she uses our bathtub a lot still.   It's not big and actually on the small side.  But it has everything they need.  Two sinks helps a lot with multiple children, something we didn't have in the old house.

looking back to the upstairs hallway

We opted for just a tub so we could tile the walls to give this bath a little pizazz.   I wanted it to have an old/vintage feel.  So when I saw the floor tile I fell in love.  I was concerned with so much grout, but like I said before it's a small room.  I can deal.   I got the mirrors at TJ Maxx and all the towel bars, hooks, and toilet paper holder on myknobs.com for a fraction of what the bath store wanted.  And they are Moen which I figured was a good brand and hopefully the finish won't be chipping off!  

We still need a shower curtain in here and I was thinking this fabric might be good?   It's shared by boys and girls so I probably should keep that in mind.  I had a few other ideas but felt it might be too "girly".  Does that matter in a bathroom?  I over analyze everything .   Which keeps me from doing and finishing things, which keeps me from blogging.  Do you see the trend here?!

What kind of fabric could you see in this room?  This one or another? I love hearing your input, helps me in the decision making!! 

Hope you enjoyed the tour! :)

Gonna party over at

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Come join the fun!  

XOXO

Featured at.....

I am SO excited to be featured by Martina at Northern Nesting!!!   She asked me and I was so honored and flattered that she would do so.  If you haven't been over to her blog, go on over!  Your in for a treat!  She has a gorgeous home and so many wonderful projects to share!    Whenever I visit I'm ready to get my paint brush out!

Thanks again Martina!  And welcome new friends!

XOXO

To shade or not to shade

This past summer we changed the chandelier in the Dining room.  I don't think I ever posted a picture of it.  It's very similar to the one that was in there, but it has 12 lights.  I think the other one had 6 or 9?  I should just look at the old picture!     Anyway, while I LOVE the new chandelier, it's BRIGHT.  REALLY BRIGHT even though I only have 25 watt bulbs in it.    So I bought a couple of shades to play around with it.  I can't decide whether I should put shades on it, leave it without shades or just install a dimmer.  Then again I could put the dimmer and STILL put the shades on! Then I start to think when my beloved incandescent bulbs are no longer available I will want shades to cover those ugly light bulbs.   Even though I am hoarding the good ones in my basement!   See why I get nothing done?!  Sometimes I can't make a decision to save my life! 

      That is where YOU come in! I'd love to hear your thoughts.  What do you like better? With or without?  Which shape?  Take a look and let me know what you think!

Here are some pictures of the options...

XOXO

Ginger Jar Lamp redo

This was an extremely fun project.   The problem is,  very often  I forget to take BEFORE pictures.  And this time is no exception.

Edited to add*   I completely forgot to mention that this lamp was one of my Sally's (aka Salvation army) finds, by now you know this is one of my favorite stores.  I paid $3.99 for the lamp.  

  I tried very hard to find a similar lamp online that looked like the one I had.  Then I remembered I already had a pic of the lamp in its original state. Good thing I'm a picture hoarder! Which I had in my keeping room for a year.   I have been adding some turquoise or robins egg blue in the Family room because the Bosporus toile has some blue in it.  And also I was ready to introduce a new color.  The more the merrier right?

Here is the original lamp

 After an extremely unsuccessful attempt at chalk paint on this lamp, I used a turquoise-y blue spray paint.  Once that was dry I went over it with black, brown and wicker white craft paint.  Just to give it a lil patina.  Since I looovveee all things patina'd! 

Had this lampshade from another lamp.  I got it from PB on sale last winter.

 Clearance finial from my FAVORITE new store, Hobby Lobby!  I have waited YEARS for one of these! :)

Finished lamp with the light off......

Finished lamp with the light on! 

Easy, fun lamp project!

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XOXO