Skippy the Elf and his Christmas Shenanigans

Here are just a handful of examples of Skippy's mischievous adventures


I made some tiny trapeze bars out of pieces of kabob skewers and fishing string. I tacked them to the ceiling. Luckily we had a Barbie that could bend her knees!

 

Skippy wore Justin Bieber's outfit for this one. I used his stand as well. 

 

In this one I found an old light globe and used some spray snow as well as some of the snow in a can that I found at the dollar store.
Then I added a tiny hat and scarf I found at Micheals.

This one is self explanatory.

I didn't catch pictures of all of the different poses, but there's always next year!!

Putting pieces together

With 5 people living in a 2 bedroom house, I'm always trying to find new ways

to create more storage.  So I had an idea in mind (can't remember where I saw it originally) and I set out to try to recreate it.  When I saw a piece I liked at  a local thrift store, I crossed my fingers that it would still be there on 50% off day, and it was!! So I picked it up for $7.50.

It's not a quality piece, in fact all of that nice woodwork you see on the front is actually a plastic veneer, but what can you expect for $7.50?

I decided to pair it with a bookshelf that I have had for like 5 years. I bought it at Walmart. It's one of those cheap particle board things you put together yourself.

 

Now, I forgot to take photos of the painting process, but basically I painted both units white using a home made chalk paint. Because the bookshelf is like a paper veneer, I knew I would have issues with the paint sticking. Although I did a coat of primer before painting, the paint STILL is peeling right off. So I will be on the search for a new bookshelf to replace this one with.

I removed the back of the bookshelf and covered it with wall paper I found at Lowes using wallpaper paste. The paper is called Damask by allen+roth.

Here is the finished product. I am going to be painting the accent wall a darker shade of the tealish color in the paper and am on the lookout for some lighter curtains.

 

When?

As I start to write this blog, there is only 8 minutes left of the first day of 2014.
2013 was a good year for me. My oldest daughter started Kindergarten, we were blessed with the birth of our third daughter, my real estate business really took off, I got a new car (one that fits 3 car seats!) and my husband and I just celebrated our 7th Anniversary last night. As I sit and scan through the Facebook status updates of all of my friends, family, and FB acquaintances, I notice the common theme of New Years resolutions that you would expect to see on the first day of the New Year. Most of the people who swore they would eat healthier, go to the gym, or read the Bible more, probably did today. As for me, as I finished putting all of the Christmas stuff away today and tried to get the house back in order, I focused on myself and tried to be really thoughtful of what MY resolution would be this year. And in this very routine act, I figured it out.

I started in my living room. I took the lights off the tree and my husband helped me carry it out. I carefully swept all of the pine needles (the baby is already picking up microscopic things off the floor). I dusted the furniture, put all of the baby toys away, vacuumed the rug, wiped the blinds, did all of the usual cleaning.  I headed into the kitchen to do the dishes and from there went into the girls' room to tidy up. When I finished in there, I started to walk to my bathroom when I caught glimpse of the living room again! All of the baby toys were out, there was ketchup smeared all over the coffee table, the dvds were pulled off the shelf, there were little choking size Trix cereal scattered all over the rug.  I absolutely lost it!   My 2 year old is a dumper. She dumps entire baskets out. All of them. My 5 year old can't make up her mind what she wants to do, so she does a little of everything.  I find myself all day running behind them cleaning this or that and all the while saying "Not right now, I have to clean up"..."Not right now, I'm folding the laundry"..."Not right now, I'm busy". "Let's do it later"..."We can do it tomorrow".....

And it hits me like a ton of bricks.  If not right now, then WHEN? When will my house be clean enough? When will I ever be caught up on the laundry (with 5 people wearing 2-3 outfits per day)? When will the dishes really ever be done? The answer is NEVER! But when will my daughters stop asking me to play Barbies with them, or to draw a picture, or to swing with them outside, or to eat their pretend pie they made just for me? Too soon. My 5 year old is asleep in the bed next to me right now and I can remember the day she was born as though it was yesterday, and now she has already asked me not to walk her to class anymore!  It doesn't help that all of my girls seemed to really grow up too fast, literally. My 7 month old is seemingly days away from taking her first steps already. 

So my resolution for this year is to be a "RIGHT NOW" mom, a "YES" mom. Not that I will say yes to everything, or never say "not right now" again, because honestly it will have to happen sometimes. But I will think a lot harder when I am up to my elbows in dirty dishes and my 2 year old says "Mom, can we play play-doh?" on which is more important at THAT moment.  I have to cut myself some slack.  The house doesn't have to be clean, the laundry can wait, the toys aren't hurting anything being left out. I've got 3 beautiful girls growing up right before my eyes, and we've got a lot of books to read, and Barbies to play.

Table Envy!

If you want to see a really cool faux technique that you will love so much you will be looking for more furniture to paint, keep reading.....

 

 

Restoration Hardware is where I first noticed the popularity of the reclaimed wood look, which has a driftwood feel to it. I absolutely love it. They call it "salvaged natural".  I am slowly turning over the color and décor in my house from all warm earthy tones, to more of the cool greys and blues. This look is incorporated into that.

 

I found these chairs at Pier 1 Imports and I asked for them for my birthday. I love the texture of them and of course, the colors. And at $99 a piece, I just couldn't lose.

 

So naturally after I got the chairs, I just wanted to find a way to make them feel al little more cohesive with the dining set I already had.

I purchased this table from my friend Megan. I originally bought it to go up to our cabin and then loved it too much to pass it on. (Not to mention, I had a really high bar table and my daughters kept falling off the chairs, so it was time!)

I love this table because it is super chunky and solid. However, the top was never properly sealed so the finish was very splotchy and uneven. I felt like sanding and re-staining it would really just tarnish the antique feel that was really charming about this piece. So I went on a search for something cool I could try and after a long session of Google Images, I found exactly what I wanted!

This tutorial is awesome.

Gorgeous Shiny Things

It is so easy. My table literally took me 20 minutes to do (granted I only painted the top...)

 

Here is my finished product

Since I was using the technique on a surface that is used a lot for paint, playdoh, dinner, etc, I decided to seal it with 2 coats of furniture wax. Not only did it make the colors richer, but it gives it a really nice smooth seal that is much easier (and less stinky) than polyurethane varnish.

 

 

DON'T BE AFRAID TO TRY NEW THINGS!!

 

 

                                -Amy                                   

What's the hang up...?? - Hanging wall art properly

It's been a while since I have written a blog. I have been a little busy with school, work,...oh, and having a baby!  Anyway, I guess I only write when I have something to say anyway.

So today's topic is actually an Interior Design tip.
I have been into two houses this week for design purposes and the homeowners both had the same problem.  I would say it's a pet peeve, but it's not like it really irritates me because most people just don't know better....or maybe they like it the way it is, who am I to tell anyone else they are wrong!
The issue at hand is wall art and how it is hung.

The biggest mistake you can make when hanging art is hanging it too high. The two houses I went to this week had 15 foot ceilings. With high ceilings, many people feel that they need to fill the space. In reality, the general rule of thumb is to hang pictures so that the center of the piece is at eye level.
Now eye level can vary as you can see below. So the best thing to do is average it out. If you are a short person, hang it a little bit high, and likewise if you are tall, hang it lower.

 

 

Here is an example of art/accessories being hung too high

 

 

http://renewedspaces.blogspot.com/2012/07/top-decorating-mistakes.html

 

WRONG

 

 

 

RIGHT

 

(This is actually a pretty good blog on this exact topic) http://consideryourselfathome.blogspot.com/2011/07/dont-hang-me-too-high.html

 

NOW, there is ALWAYS an exception to the rule. Photo groupings are one of those exceptions.
If you have a smaller grouping, its always ideal to keep the center of the grouping at eye level like this:

 

 

But a larger grouping can go all the way to the ceiling as long as there is some order. Notice how these frames coordinate and the pictures are all equally spaced apart

http://thescreamingmeme.blogspot.com/2010/03/eyeballing-your-art-groupings.html

 

Then again, sometimes there are no rules as long as the arrangement is visually
appealing!

http://luv-decor.blogspot.pt/2013/02/detalhes-gallery-wall.html

 

 

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/classifieds/real-estate/placing-art-is-not-a-science-its-an-er-art/nWKjZ/

 

 

Anyway, I'm sure you get the idea. As I said, this is the biggest mistake you can make, the second is scale....but we wont get into that one :) I absolutely love photo groupings. If you are planning on taking on a photo wall, remember to lay it out on the floor BEFORE you hang it to figure out the most appealing arrangement. Remember, asymmetry is OK....don't be afraid of it.

Here is one of my favorite blogs on this subject. Wall Art Wednesday by Laura Winslow Photography. http://laurawinslowphotography.com/blog/2013/07/17/diy-home-decor-and-wall-ideas-wall-art-wednesday-laura-winslow-photography/

 

 

Thanks guys!