Sister Chairs

Let me paint a story of what happens EVERY TIME we sit down to eat a meal.  Breakfast. Lunch. Dinner. Snack.

I tell the girls that the food is ready and Boog (3) and Bear (2) come running.  Bear always runs directly to Boog's chair and climbs up looking all ready to eat.  Boog always looks at Bear and says, "No, your spot is over there!"  Bear climbs down and then goes to her chair and sits.  As soon as I set the food on the table, Bear is all over the place- moving, standing, turning. That's when I always say, "Your bottom goes here."

Now onto the chairs...

Sister Number 1

Sister Number 2 is the one between sister number 1 and Lucy... not sure where the before picture is :)

Sister Number 1 I got from a yard sale, she is absolutely perfect.  Now I'm usually a painter, I think it can make things that much more beautiful.  But for some reason, I just couldn't lay a brush to this chair.  Her color is amazing and the wear and tear on her couldn't be matched, so she didn't get painted.  You can tell she has a story, I just don't know it :)

Her hand-carved rose.

Sister Number 2 was the only chair left from our dining set that wasn't chippy and falling apart, so I chose to keep her a part of the new set.  Here is how she turned out...

Aren't they cute together?

And now for the whole point of the story above....

Boog's Chair

Bear's Chair

I will still probably hear the same conversation at every meal, but at least these make me laugh :)

Check out the completed dining room set here!

Partying Here!

Wooden Pallet Bookshelf

My kids love books and bookcases are not C-H-E-A-P! So for under $5 a set... these are a great deal AND super easy to make.

These are made out of wooden shipping pallets.  I love them because they are readily available and, essentially, free wood that has already been distressed!

Here is what you need:

• A wooden shipping pallet (ask around at different places that you go...I got one from a school and the other I paid $5 for at Ace Hardware)
• A saw (handsaw or jigsaw will work)
• 1 x 4 piece of wood cut in the width of your pallet
• wood glue
• 6- 2" wood screws (get a few extra to hang it into the studs)
• screwdriver/drill
• sanding block for the rough edges

Step One:  Lay your pallet flat on the ground.  Pallets come in all shapes and sizes, but try to find one that looks similar to this.  I like way they curve at the sides.

Step Two:  Make six cuts.  

Step Three:  Place a small line of wood glue at the end of each support and lay 1 x 4 across to create the bottom of your shelf.

I know you like my photoshop wood glue :o)

Step Four:  Screw a 2" wood screw up through the bottom into each support.

Step Five:  Decide where you want your shelves.  Find the studs and use 3- 2 inch wood screw to secure it to the wall.  It is absolutely necessary to find the studs... these things are heavy and will pull straight out of drywall!

This may sound like a lot, but it really only takes about 15 minutes to do if you have all of your supplies and is incredibly easy. 

They can be used for more than just books!  I have seen them used as display shelves for plates, wine storage, picture displays, and even bathroom shelves!  They are extremely versatile.

NOTE:  There has been some controversy over these due to the fact that some of them have been treated with pesticides to keep the bugs away and they can become contaminated if they have been used to ship food.  I have been careful where I found mine.  I try to avoid food places.  If this concerns you, you can buy pallets new or this tutorial may be another good option.

I will be doing the giveaway at naptime, so you still have a few more hours to get a comment onto your favorite post!  Stay Tuned!

A preview of what my day looks like... I'm so excited!!!

Have a great weekend!

A DOUBLE WHAMMY and a Giveaway!

Day 1.... 5 posts down and a bazillion and one to go! An Introduction, a List, 2 tutorials, and an introspective memoir :) But what kickoff day would be complete without a room reveal and a GIVEAWAY!! (Not to mention TWO room reveals and a giveaway!)

WARNING: This is seriously the longest post ever, but hopefully it's worth it!

I have been waiting and planning for this day for awhile and I am SO excited to show off the first two "COMPLETE" rooms in our new house!! (I say that, but don't be surprised if in 3 months I do another room reveal and it looks totally different... I do that a lot :-)


May I present to you...drumroll, please... Boog's Purple Room!

AND Bear's Vintage Eclectic Pink Room!

TOTAL COST FOR BOTH.....keep that drum rollin.... $72! But I'll break that down in a later post :-)


When we moved in 3 months ago, Boog's room was in fact purple, but Bear's was a different story. (Hide your eyes or prepare to be nauseated)

I apologize for the downright hideous picture, but how am I supposed to take a good one in a room that is high gloss hot pink on two walls and high gloss dark purple on two walls? And a fan that is the size of my head and has 6 different color blades NONE of which are on the walls!?!? NOT HAPPENIN. While I'm sure this fit well with the previous owners decor, it was a little too dark for my taste :-)

After 2 coats of primer... I went with a "dusty pink" (I've learned if I put the word dusty in front of every color I love... I don't have to dust as often because it just adds to the color :-) I found the color on the oops shelf at Lowes for $5!! Woot, woot! I'm pretty much in love.

As seen here I created a vintage gallery wall from all the pictures I found in a recent shopping spree at my favorite store (more on that later!) The thing I spent the most on is that hamper down on the right, a splurge at $8... but you gotta hide dirty clothes in something pretty!

Below is a great view of the plant stand hanging on the wall of our garage when we moved in... do you see it? Flip it upside down and you have a beautiful hanging canopy. (It was a toss up between this and a pot rack)

Boog's room is the only color in the whole house that I liked when we moved in. But it has still been a work in progress.

Since we have lived here, my baby has given up her paci and her "rocky rocky" which is now in Bears room (sniff, sniff) but it made room for her new desk ($20) at goodwill.  
Oh how I love this window... you might see more of this window soon, I love it that much!

I am super excited about these rooms and I hope you enjoyed looking at them. I will go more in depth about a lot of these elements in the future, but if you have any questions... just ask!

And now for the FuN pArT (wasn't that fun, hehe) I am giving away these potholders from the incredible Erin Duke at The Life & Craft of Erin Leigh Duke.  This is one talented woman!  She makes some absolutely beautiful things so check out her Etsy shop as well! I will also include two "S" hooks so that you can hang them on your stove in your kitchen if you so desire!

All you have to do is read my last 5 blog posts and comment below on which one you liked best and why. I'm not going to kick you out if you tell me you hated them all, but that would just be mean :-) I'm also not going to beg you to follow, but it would make me happy if a few people did! Especially if you actually took the time to read 6 blog posts!

The winner will be randomly selected and announced September 9, 2011. 


My goal for the first 30 days is to post 5 times a week, so check back often! I have a lot of fun projects ahead including this....

Have a happy Friday!


Check out what else you could win!

Daniels Den Relocation

6 months ago this was my den...

My home was a 2 bedroom, 75 year old farmhouse with one complete door that only closed with the assistance of a paint stick. It had no insulation and sat right on the road. It had a carport (which if you have a carport you should totally read this blog post from The Little Brown House... I loved it! Heck read it even if you have a garage.) The den was also called the master suite and was conveniently close to the kitchen. I had a beautiful old fireplace in the kitchen, dining room, and Boog's room... none of which worked. Every line, every door, every floor in the house was crooked. It smelled funny. It had mice in the winter.

I could have looked at it that way. Very Easily. A lot of days I did. But some days I chose to look at all the positives....

We brought a baby home here.

We had an amazing view out of our kitchen window.

This guy made his home in our back yard.

We had a few really great Holiday Seasons

We had birthdays, 2 sets of first steps, and a chance to learn what is important in life.

That was our home and I worked for 2 1/2 years to make it that way... no matter what.

5 months ago we got the opportunity to buy our first house. It's a dream come true for us. We tripled our space and got our own bedroom (it even has a big brick fireplace in it that works!)

**We will call these all "before" pictures, mmmk?**

We have lots of doors that close now and 3 bathrooms. We have a mini bar, a play room, a den, and formal living and dining rooms.

And a backyard to die for.

I can't forget my dream all white kitchen

With all of that, there are still negatives. It was a foreclosure after all. I still have to remind myself that a home is only about 10% what it is built with. The other 90% is how you perceive it and what you do with it. It doesn't take much money to make a house a home, it just takes some determination and persistence. We lived on $600 a month for the better of 6 months and still managed to make a place that people loved to spend time in.

If you are not content in your home, your family and friends won't be either. It has to be a place that your family can be the best that they can be.

My goal in life is to teach my daughters that lesson.

And truly learn it myself one day.

-Katie