Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Giveaway...

Hi again!  Just wanted to pass this along to all you lovers of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint...

Via Pinterest and www.anniesloan.com

Lauren at My Wonderfully Made is having an awesome giveaway!  Your choice of TWO colors of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, one can of A.S. Clear Wax AND a copy of her book, "Creating the French Look."  Visit her site, become a follower and enter to win!  Good luck!

I Created a Favicon... For Free!

Wow!  I think this may be a record for me, three posts in four days!  Somehow I feel this won't happen very often.  :)  I wanted to share a quick post about my added feature.  As I was linking up to some parties and viewing the ones posted, I stumbled across a blogger named Becca at From Gardners to Bergers.  She was gracious enough to share how you can create your own favicon for free.  A favicon is that orange B (Blogger) or W (Wordpress) to the left of your web address.  I've always admired the personal favicons of my favorite bloggers; now I can say I have my own "bling!"

To make your own, go to her tutorial post here.  She takes you through a step-by-step process that is super easy to follow!   She also shows you how to create your own blog button!  You can go here for details on the "how-to."

Thanks Becca!  I've always wanted to know how to do this!  My next (hopefully successful) attempt will be the button!  Here is my favicon, up close and personal!

  

Altered Art

Have you ever tried to find coordinating pieces of art to complete the look of a room?  It may be that you want the same frame or similar art style.  When I was redecorating our master bedroom (about two years ago), I came across this beautiful framed Tuscany inspired piece at Hobby Lobby.  Sorry for the quality, it was a small pic that I enlarged to show detail.

The colors worked well with our bedding, Pottery Barn's Simone.  I first fell in love with this pattern when AnNicole at Our Suburban Cottage featured her splurge on two of their pillow covers!  Can you believe after almost two years of discovering this bedding, it is still full price?  I happened to find mine on eBay for about $75 dollars.  This included the duvet and two standard shams!  Can we say score?

I had owned the Tuscan print for at least a year when I decided to move it into our bedroom.  I wasn't sure my hunt for a coordinating piece would be successful.  Fortunately, I came across one that had the same frame/layout style as mine.  I didn't care for the rusty orange flower, but I didn't let that stop me!

(I had already started dismantling this when I realized I hadn't taken a before shot.)

 I went to the poster section @ HL (1/2 off that week) & found this:

Due to the size and space I was working with, I couldn't incorporate both trees, so I measured and cropped the cluster of trees I wanted and mod podged it right over the existing print.

Here's the result:

Here's a close-up...  I started with this print,

 purchased this $5 poster,

and transformed it into this:

    I love how it turned out!

So next time you're in search of coordinating art, but there's something about one of them that doesn't appeal to you, just tweak it!

Have a great day!  :)


I'm linking up to:
Metamorphosis Mondays at Between Naps on the Porch

Master Bathroom Reno... We Left This One To The Professionals!

Hi everyone!  Hope you enjoyed your weekend.  We just returned from our family vacation to the Gulf Coast.  The kids had a great time playing at the beach and swimming in the pool.  We're happy to have one more week of summer break to recuperate before school starts!  

I know most blogs I browse are primarily about sharing DIY's, but I'm so excited to share our recent master bath renovation.  Don't worry, there's a (small) DIY at the end of this! We decided to leave this one to the professionals because we feared there may be mold hiding behind the tile walls!  We didn't really intend on doing such an extensive reno, but since we were tearing it all down, we decided to just go for it!  Besides, if there was mold back there, we wanted to get this one done as soon as possible! Thankfully, there was minimal (if any) mold during the demolition.  This project started in March and was completed in about three weeks.  Here are the "oh so lovely" before pictures.  Please excuse the quality, as they were taken with DH's iPhone.

The demolition took the men about a day.  Let me just say, those guys work fast!  

Here are some demo pics of both the shower and tub area...

They installed the shower pan liner and raised the shower head.  

Now hubby doesn't have to hunch.

Here's the floor tile, bullnose trim and travertine we chose.

Apparently travertine is a pain to work with and very fragile.  

Several cracked just on the way from the store to the house.  

Here is the tub reframed, new hardware installed and hardieboard with RedGuard.  The hardieboard aides in blocking out moisture.  The RedGuard is an added moisture barrier... our guy was very thorough and suggested this extra step to help prevent mold.

Hardieboard, RedGuard and tile floor.

 Stone installed with accent tiles.  It was exciting to see it all come together!  We couldn't help but peek in every hour or so to see the progress.  Can you blame us?

Before our semi-frameless door was installed...

The ledge was slightly angled to help shed water.  The glass will be installed on the outside edge.  This is my favorite feature, as this will add an extra 3-4 inches (making the inside feel bigger) and give me a place to sit!  They suggested that a "wet" seal be added to the accent tiles.  This helped to bring out the colors in the tile.  We also LOVE the accent border, bullnose trim, added soap tray and nook!

Are you ready for the reveal?  What a HUGE difference this made!  We are beyond thrilled with the results!  See how I had no ledge in the inside?  Made it difficult for this girl to shave her legs!  Here's a reminder of the before...

 And the beautiful after!  Isn't she lovely?
Thanks to Eric and his team at HomePro-Renovations!

In my next post, I'll share with you the work DH and I put toward completing this space.  You can already see the paint color we chose, Sherwin Williams Austere Gray.  The guys at HomePro had to retexture our walls, as there was very dated wallpaper that we stripped off.  We discovered that they (the builders) had smoothed the walls to adhere wallpaper, making it a pain to re-do this room on a budget.

The window valance was made using three napkins I found at Stein Mart.  They have a beautiful taupe and cream damask design.  I'll be back soon to show you the other side of the bathroom... stay tuned!    

Ava's Par-TEA!

Hi again!  Hope you're having a great weekend!  In my last post, I mentioned the recent party we threw for our "Sweet Ava Kate."  I have to admit, I cannot take credit for any of these adorable ideas!  I found a lot my inspiration on my favorite party blog Polkadots & Pirates.  I just love every detail that Jess puts into making a party special and fun!  I wanted her invitations to be similar to those Jess created.  I contacted Carli on Etsy who creates custom invitations you can print at home.  I sent her my inspiration and she worked her magic!  Aren't they the cutest?  Thanks to Carli @ Dimpleprints!  To order and view more of her custom designs, go to www.dimpleprints.etsy.com

A few weeks before the party (I started to go into panic mode), I went to Tar-jay and scoured their clearance sections for table linens, entertaining pieces and paper goods.  

I was NOT disappointed!  My first find was 3 mini table runners, perfect for the tables where the girls would be sitting.  Just check out the prices!  

I bought three of these for $2.48 each!  Woo-hoo!  :)

I wasn't crazy about the design, but the reverse side was turquoise, so I decided to buy some coordinating ribbons and do a loop trim on the ends.  Here's what I came up with...

(Yes, this picture is a re-enactment)

I also found a set of four scalloped shaped bowls in graduated sizes and colors.  Normally $19.99 for $4.98!  I used these for fruit, cookies and the pop beads the girls used to make jewelry.  You can find these at Target for the odd price of $16.19!

I'm telling you, these provide hours and hours of fun!  

Prior to the party, Ava and I came up with some of our own creations!

The green & white gingham table cloths were a great find, 

normally $14.99, on sale for $3.24!

Okay, now onto a few pics of the Par-TEA in action!  The girls had so much!  

It was cute to listen to their conversations.  I just love their innocence.  

The girls making their pop bead creations!  

I wish I had more pictures of the girls playing with these. They really enjoyed making necklaces, rings and bracelets. I told them anything they made they could take home as their party favor!

They played pin the flower on the tea pot... Ava's idea!

I love creating party decorations using scrapbook paper and stamps.  I used to be a Stampin' Up! demonstrator back in the day and my paper and stamping supply is still quite extensive.  I used what I had to create pennant banners, thank you cards and games for the party.  

Here is where their dolls sat while the girls 

were busy socializing and watching Ava open her gifts...

Happy Birthday, Ava!  

The day would not be complete without a group picture.

Ava's dolly and me Par-TEA!  

Mac is Back! Time for an Update!

Hi everyone!  I apologize for my long absence.  We've been sick with everything imaginable and are finally feeling better.  I wanted to give you all an update on the banquette.  It's still not painted, but that hasn't stopped us from enjoying and using it. We love the extra room it provides and the easy access to things we seem to use everyday.

For those of you following for the first time, here's a recap of our space before the build.

You can go here and here to see our inspiration photos and beginning stages of the build.

And here it is today!  Remember the warped bench seat I showed you on this post? Well, since we had the extra wood and the trim wasn't expensive to replace, we (I mean, DH) decided to fix it!  Once the kids are in school again and I get some "me" time, I have every intention of sanding, painting and making cushions!  We can't wait to see the finished piece!

New lid and trim (below)... Much better!  :)

We are currently using our same table chairs; I'm searching for the perfect table and two chairs (or bench) to complete the look!  Hoping to find something similar to this...

 Source via Pinterest 

Source via Pinterest

I thank my dear husband for the long, hot and grueling hours it took to build this beautiful piece!  It came in handy at our daughter's 6th birthday party, which was a huge success! I'm excited to share about her "Par-Tea" in my next post.

As for other updates, I finally put some finishing touches on our sunroom, I'm still not completely satisfied with the window treatments, but since the party was primarily taking place in this room, they are a quick fix for now.  I made them long enough so that I can change the look, when I get the motivation!

 I even made a cute little pillow for the chair.  

I picked up a few accessories at my favorite place... TJ Maxx/Home Goods.

The new rug was a Ralph Lauren find for $12.99 and the unique glass sculpture was $7.99!  

Here's a close up...

A friend and I went shopping in downtown McKinney a few months ago and I found that 

awesome antique locker basket.  We hope to make a bench seat for this room and put baskets in cubbies for storage.  I haven't put everything in it's respected place (this room is still a work in progress), but I just can't resist grabbing pieces I love when I see them!  

I'm sure you can relate!  :)  

I'm linking up to:

Miss Mustard Seed's Furniture Feature Friday  

and 

Feathered Nest Friday