They’re Baaaa-Aaack

Remember when I told you that the teddy bears were only going to be a distant memory? Well, I lied. Because here they are:

Fear not my friends, after this post I promise you’ll never have to see them again.

This cornice box was so nice and sturdy and I just hated to get rid of it. I decided to keep it, and just upholster the whole thing so it was much less offensive and didn’t scare our baby girl every night when she went to sleep.

I pretty much followed the exact same process as last time I made one of these, but the corners wrapped a little differently because this one has a top to it. Let me show you…

After I wrapped two layers of batting around the box (one layer felt too thin — so I just stapled on another layer — nothing scientific here, folks) I (Steve) cut the fabric to size. And then I stood there and took the most awkwardly angled photo in the history of time. Am I levitating? Am I 10 feet tall? You will never know.

This is how I started, buy stapling the fabric onto the top of the box. This is the part that no one will ever see because it’s awful close to the ceiling.

After that was all secured and taut I flipped it on its back and stapled the bottom.

After giving it another flip so I could see what I was left with, well, this is what I was left with:

I took careful measurements and then proceeded with caution. <– I’m totally lying. I winged it. It really is like wrapping a present… but you just have to keep playing around with it until the fabric folds right.

I sort of pinched the fabric so the bulk of it fell under the fold. Does that make sense? It’s so hard to describe. Actually, it’s much harder to describe than to actually just do it.

After the fabric is pinched and folded exactly how you want it, BOOM, put a staple in it. Sort like put a ring on it, but not. Wow. I literally think that’s the first and last Beyonce reference I’ve ever made / will ever make.

I put my staple on the inside so you can’t see anything from the outside. After it was secure I unloaded a whole bunch more. Partly because it needed them, and partly because it was so much fun.

Once you complete all of your corners you’re done! Here she is hanging in all her glory:

I’m in LOVE with the cornice box and the floral fabric. In. Love.

I had this grand idea of how I wanted to use this vintage lace curtain that we used at our wedding. So we stapled it into the inside of the cornice box. I’m not totally over the moon with how it turned out, but I’m not ready to rip it off, yet. I think we’ll wait and see how we like it when the rest of the room starts filling up with furniture.

Steve walked by the other day and said “it’s definitely growing on me”, which I agreed with. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever done to a window before. I ALWAYS use curtain panels, and no blinds. So, this switcheroo (and using the blinds that came with the house) is kinda a nice change. And the lace softens the hardness of the wood blinds.

We’ll see how we like it when the whole room comes together. The crib won’t get here until the end of October so we’re sort of at a stalemate until it hurries up and gets here already.

Steve has the day off today and his goal is to get the room cleaned up and ready to fill with furniture! Our next big project is refinishing the dresser / changing table. I’ll update you as we make progress!

10 Dolla!

Remember when I told you guys about our garage sale finds? There was one particular treasure that I purposefully kept from you. I’m sorry, but it had to be done.

We scored this baby for 10 measly dollars. The gentleman who was selling it plugged it in right there on the spot, so we knew it worked, and then we promptly handed over a 10 dollar bill. Ya’ll.

Can you guess where it’s going? OH THE SUSPENSE. You’ll have to wait until the end of this post. NO CHEATING and scrolling to the bottom.

This weekend Steve rigged up this lovely contraption that our neighbors were surely thrilled with. It was the only way we could paint every nook and cranny.

You give my husband a pitch fork, a nail, and a cereal box and he’ll build all kinds of things. And yes, our grass looks like straw. I am not ashamed. It’s supposed to be 103° here tomorrow. Do you have any idea how ridiculous that is? Oh, my grass knows.

After a few coats of primer, Steve rigged a second “drying” contraption to be displayed in the shade of our garage.

After a few more coats of paint it was time to move inside…. TO THE MASTER BATHROOM. Ta da! That’s where this is going. I think I already told you that yesterday. Oh well.

We picked up this “can converter” kit from Mendards (for some reason Lowes and Home Depot didn’t carry it) and got to work.

After removing the can light, this is what we were left with:

And this is a before and after of the can converter installation:

I asked Steve how he always knows how to do this stuff and he just batted his pretty eyelashes and told me he just follows the directions on the package. It’s just so simple, isn’t it?

After a few curse words and huffs and puffs the chandelier was installed! (We still need to get a dimmer switch on this bad boy so excuse the blinding light.)

Doesn’t she look gorgeous? This bathroom hasn’t been visited by the decorating fairies yet so this was a welcome change. It really adds so much personality to the room.

I’d still like to switch out the vanity lights some day, and perhaps the faucets. Sigh. So much to do, but we’re definitely making progress!

Here’s my view from the tub, because I’m sure you’ve always wanted to know.

Now we just need to re-caulk around the tub, get some artwork on the walls, and this room will be close to done! It’s a lovely, serene place to start my day, and I love it oh, so much.

I’m on a teal kick these days. I want this room to feel very open, light, and ocean-y, so it really made sense. You can’t tell in this horrible lighting, but the walls went from dark green to light and bright antique white. I never thought I would purposefully paint a wall white, but I love the openness it brings to the space.

Now to brainstorm for some artwork…

 

Mirror Mirror and the Nightstands

Hello! And a happy Tuesday to you all. This weekend was a blur so I’ll try to wrap it up as cohesively as humanly possibly.

First and foremost I took my lumberjack out for a surprise date on Saturday, where we visited Traders Point Creamery. For all of you Indianapolis people, I highly recommend checking it out! It’s an organic farm with this gorgeous and rustic “loft” that serves as the restaurant. All of the food comes straight off the farm and I don’t have enough good things to say about it, and what they’re doing over there. Bring your wallet, and perhaps your neighbors. It’s a wee bit pricey (READ: IT’S WHOA EXPENSIVE) We love supporting local, organic farms, so for a special treat it’s totally worth it.

After dinner we went and saw Snow White and The Huntsman, and IT WAS AWESOME. Another high recommendation from The Harpsters. (We also watched Win-Win on Netflix this weekend, and we think you should watch that one, too.)

Ok, ok. Enough with the weekend updates. You probably want to see those doggone nightstands that you know I was working on. Remember those little rascals that gave me so much trouble with the whitewashing?

Here’s what they looked like before the epic paint fail of last week:

(Excuse the atrocious lighting in the next series of pictures. We’re working on a new camera, I promise.) Here’s what they look like now, after priming, painting, and then ORBing the hardware:

You guys, I’m not going to lie to you: I don’t love them. I’m not even sure if I like them. But, the deed is done and if I want to change them all I’ll need is another coat of paint. They turned out way more cheerful-turquoisy-blue, and less moody-dark-teal than I wanted. They look too “country cottage” for my taste, but I’m going to live with them for a while.

We still need to ORB the lamps, and I think I’m actually going to take down the sconces. I need something less traditional above the bed to make this room feel more modern. We still need to get a bunch more furniture in this room, so once it starts to fill in I’m hoping these grow on me more. As in, I hope I don’t still hate them with every fiber of my being.

So, basically these $5 nightstands have turned out to be the bane of my existence, which makes me want to try EVEN HARDER to make them work. Now it’s a personal challenge. I MUST MAKE THEM WORK.

One other small, yet functional change we made to the master bedroom this weekend was the addition of a full-length mirror. You didn’t think “Mirror Mirror” in the headline was only alluding to the movie we saw, did you? My headlines have to work around here; but they receive insurance options and 401K benefits so don’t feel too sorry for them.

This $37.90 purchase was THE BEST BUY EVER. Seriously. I haven’t had a full-length mirror in the bedroom since we moved in (our apartment had closet-mirrors – classy, yet functional). You guys wouldn’t believe how much easier it is to get ready for work now. I’m sure my coworkers are relieved, too. No more awkward, “are you wearing that on purpose?” conversations.

Tomorrow I’ll show you guys the chandelier we installed in the master bathroom. It’s a real hoot, so stick around!

 

 

 

Mea Culpa

This post is all about keepin’ it real. Sometimes I kill plants, I admit it. Because I have so many and because of my moniker “Crazy Plant Lady,” one would assume that I never have any trouble keeping them alive. Well, that’s just not the truth.

This blog is about the successes as well as the failures, so please turn your attention to  EXHIBIT A:

Remember my coffee-table succulents that I pulled from my backyard? Well….. yeah. They’re not doing so hot.

I have a few theories, so I decided to pull the trigger, buy some new ones, and give it another try. You know, get back on the succulent horse. Or whatever.

Are those just so adorable? I kind of want to eat them. I know they would taste terrible but I just want to take a big adorable bite out of one.

What would a project be without my little helper, who is never more than two feet away from me?

Notice the concern in her furrowed brows. She’s really hoping this goes well.

So, here is what I suspect was the problem:

Under the soil I used these large rocks from our landscaping for drainage. I think because the dish is so shallow and these rocks are so huge, the succulent roots didn’t have anywhere to go.

I remembered that we had extra gravel from our fire pit, which I thought would be the perfect size drainage rocks.

I’m holding one of the old drainage rocks so you can see the size difference. Much better, right? Well, I hope so.

I refilled the dish with soil, and gingerly planted my succulents and placed the decorative rocks.

I loved my free succulents, but I am obsessed with the different colors of these guys. I am now the proud owner of a multicultural succulent bowl.

Here she is in her home on the coffee table. Please note how fabulous the credenza looks in the background.

What do you think? Any tips on keeping these babies alive? I asked the nice lady at the nursery for any reason why she thinks I may have killed the old ones and she told me they may have just been not getting enough water. Because I pulled them in from outside, they were probably used to much more of the elements: rain and snow. I’m going to keep a close watch on these new babies.

I have garage sale and antique store finds to share with you later this week, as well as a front entryway switcheroo.

Did you guys all have a great weekend? Get any projects done?

TGIM! No? Well, okay then.

Pillow Party

This isn’t just any pillow; it’s one near and dear to my heart. Last time we were at my parents house my dad gave me an old embroidered piece of fabric that his mother used as a pillow. It was falling apart, and needed some love. I got to work on it over the weekend and I couldn’t be more thrilled with how it turned out.

The first thing I had to do was remove the rotting fabric from the back, and cut out a new piece of material for the new backing.

Isn’t that embroidery work gorgeous? I loved the colors immediately and thought it would be a perfect fit in our home.

Once I had the piece cut and the two pieces pinned together I thought it would be a good idea for me to draw where I needed to sew, since the seem needed to be in such a particular spot. It was easy to trace because of the raised embroidery.

I did that all the way around the border.

Ok, so after the pillow was all sewn up and stuffed, it was time to hand-sew the small hole on the fourth side shut.

I have a trick for you. A very scientific trick with expensive and complicated tools.

Just kidding! All you need is a binder clip.

Using a binder clip to hold the fabric together as you hand sew the open seem makes life so much easier. I think the first time I tried to sew a pillow shut I desperately wanted to be one of those Hindu gods with multiple arms and hands. Can you imagine how much you could done with all of those extra appendages?

Alas, I could not grow extras — I tried — so I devised this binder-clip trick.

Works like a charm every time!

Isn’t that old, green chair the perfect spot for this pillow? It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy knowing that I have something from my grandma. If she were still alive I know she’d be thrilled. If she were still alive she would also be trying to get me to eat something right now. She didn’t know too many words in English, but you better believe one of them was “EAT.”

I love how the hint of turquoise is seen from the back. It’s a nice little “Why hello there, how you doin’?”

That’s the end of our weekend projects! And just in time for a new one. There are tons of garage sales this weekend around my town, so I’m hoping for a few more solid finds. I will, of course, keep you posted.

Hopefully we can started on our night stands tonight! I will be perusing Pinterest for some painted-furniture inspiration. Any links to share with me?

Pst! Here is another one of my pillow-sewing tricks.

 

 

 

Ok, One More

One more blog post about plants. I promise this is it for a while. After this post, I have no new recent plant acquisitions to share with you. (That is a lie. When we were at Lowe’s over the weekend I definitely snatched up a $2.99 fern. What? Let me have my fun.)

Now that that’s off my chest.

Look at the hanging succulents I get to see every time I walk into the master bathroom:

Aren’t they kind of magical? I scored that awesome hanging planter thingy-majig at Midland when my mom was in town. I thought it was perfect in this little bathroom nook that is currently lacking any artwork.

I followed the same planting process as my other succulent display. It was really simple.

1. Dig up succulents in front yard
2. Layer rocks in bottom of planter
3. Add dirt
4. Add succulents
5. Place decorative rocks on top
6. Install ceiling hook
7. Check out Steve’s tushie while he hangs planter
8. (Optional) Give it a pinch (tushie, not planter)

In the morning light this whole thing is just magical. It gleams. I don’t use that word loosely.

Here is what it looks like from the corner where the toilet is. Haven’t you always wondered what I look at while I’m on the toilet? WELL NOW YOU KNOW! This just got a little too personal.

Ahh. Love.

Plants sure do make me happy.

Same Name, Different Game

Ooooh man that one was really stretching it. The rhyme worked, but I’m not really sure I would classify giving the air plants a new home “game.” Ah, well. It’s Friday. It shall have to do.

Remember when I introduced you to Tilly? Here’s a picture to jog your memory:

Well. As much as I loved the idea of these guys, they just weren’t doin’ it for me. They weren’t tickling my fancy. Scratching my itch. Satiating my hunger. This just got weird, didn’t it? Something was off. I lived with it for a few days and then decided they needed to shape up or ship out.

AND SHAPE UP THEY DID.

They got a lil makeover. Some beefing up, if you will.

I got rid of the dinky fishing line and replaced it with some twine. Rope? Jute? Hemp? I never know what it’s called. But I definitely don’t recommend smoking it. Learned. My. Lesson. HAHA JUST KIDDING, MOM & DAD.

Instead of hanging it through the loop on top of the glass spheres, I thought it would be interesting to make a triangle shape by weaving the twine through the air holes. I’m really into triangles right now.

And of course I had to throw in some miniature pebbles leftover from the terrarium project. I think they add a playful touch of personality to the corner. They also act as a terrific source of water. I just recently found out in order to water my air plants all I have to do is keep a slight amount of water under the pebbles; no more taking them out for weekly baths!

SIDE NOTE: While I was at the garden store over the weekend I picked up a few more of these tillandsia. A girl can’t have too many shoes plants, right? They were too big for the globes so they found their forever home at the base of another lingering house plant.

They add some much needed oomph. That’s a real word, by the way.

Ok! What do you think? That should about it do it for the plant posts. We added quite a bit of greenery to the house this week; it’s feeling very jungly in here. But the good kind of jungly. Not the kind where the ground moves at night because of the blanket of bugs.

I watch too many nature shows. And on that note.

Have an awesome weekend everyone! Steve and I finally get to spend a weekend together! He has Saturday AND Sunday off and I’m not sure how we’ll spend them yet. A whooole weekend together with nothing planned is kind of the best feeling ever.

Happy Friday! xo

Abra-pillow-cadabra

Har har. I know my magician pun is less than amusing. I’m sure David Blain would be all “MAGIC IS A SERIOUS THING.” Simmer down, Dave.

I have a magical useful pillow-cover sewing trick that I want to share with you all. It all started with this pillow cover that I had sewn three sides of. To be perfectly honest I was at a complete loss for the best way to hand-sew the fourth side. I showed it to my mom during her visit and she taught me the best trick to tackle it. Hooray for moms!

Ok, here’s how it goes. Once you have the three sides sewn up, you’re going to go against everything you know and sew up that fourth side (while the pillow is still inside out).

See? Looks weird to have all four sides sewn up while it’s inside out. I am aware. But now that it’s sewn you’re going to take the flaps and fold them back onto the fabric.

Give those a good iron to make sure they have a solid crease, and stay folded down.

After you’ve ironed the flaps back, go ahead and carefully remove your seam with a seam ripper.

Ok, so now the prep work is done. Flip that bad boy right side out.

Once it’s flipped the right way, the edges are now creased into the pillow, which makes it easy to pin a clean edge.

Next, all you do is finish it up with a hand job! (Sorry – I couldn’t resist. Inside joke with my mom — although I’m sure you can figure it out. I know my mom is probably cracking up right now, which makes me happy.)

But, seriously. You finish up that fourth side by hand. A job. By hand.

That’s officially the first time I’ve ever said “hand job” in a blog post. Ope! And second time. I should stop before this gets censored.

That’s it! Does that all make sense? It sounds like there are a bunch of extra steps but really it’s the prep work that makes the final sewing-by-hand part really simple.

And what would one of my tutorials be without Olive modeling the finished product for you?

I promise that despite her appearance she’s not the Saddest Dog in All The Land. She is just trying to smile with her eyes, and obviously Tyra would not send her through to the next round. If only modeling competitions were judged on potency of gas and ability to sneak a cold, wet nose in your armpit. OLIVE WOULD WIN THEM ALL.

Choose your own adventure: the reason why I illustrated the tutorial is A.) so I could get more detailed with my instructions. — or — B.) because whenever my mom and I are together we enjoy in the occasional (or often, whatever) glass(es) of wine.

Pick whichever reason makes you the least uncomfortable!

I hope despite all of my side rants you found this tutorial to be helpful. I certainly underestimated how complicated it was to hand sew the fourth side of a pillow, and this trick certainly helped me out.

You’re welcome for the break in plant-related posts. But don’t get too comfy. There will be one tomorrow. Muahahahahaha