{crafting for the New Year}

Throwing a New Years party??? Why not trying incorporating clocks and countdown numbers. All instructions found here. They have a huge bucket @ Whole Foods full of corks and I bet they would donate a few to the corkless crafter:-)

Also homemade party blowers would be a nice touch too. Found here.

{fluffy lantern - DIY}

Need a project to do...then why not buy 1200 coffee filters and make a sweet fluffy lantern. That is exactly what Nichole over @ Parlour did. I say it makes for a huge impact over her table. Love it and think this would also be great at a really special party. I am pretty sure there was some finger burnage going on from using all of that hot glue..at least there would have been if I were the one handling the glue gun.

Go here & here to read more about it.

DIY light fixture

I am a fan of Lindsey Adelman light fixtures. I recently stumbled upon a wonderful tutorial on how to make the above light fixture. In fact I felt it was such a good one that I had to share. For the full instructions go HERE.

{all photos via Lindsey Adelman Studio}

Beautifully crafted items from a sewing machine

{above photos from ES+ ES but found via The Neo-Traditionalist}

I was seriously dying over these children clothes found from ES + ES on Etsy. I am still saving my pennies for a beautiful piece from their shop. Speaking of beautiful, did you happen to notice that the word beautiful was stenciled in gold onto the above pictured skirt..brilliant.

And also speaking of beautifully handcrafted items...Have you seen all of the sewing Liz does over on Say Yes To Hoboken? I love it when she posts about her adventures in sewing or crafting. Lets observe some of the most recent...(click on the picture to take you directly to the post for instructions).

Oh and there are many other projects like ruffle shirts that Liz has done so you probably need a bit to pursue her blog over here.

{stencil and a sharpie}

Remember that beautiful kitchen I posted about yesterday? Well those same designers also had the opportunity to stage a 3000 square foot home. I read that when it came to the master bedroom they faced a major dilemma with no more money and a lack of time. They needed a headboard so within 24 hours they created a stencil and with a Sharpie pen they went to work. It cost them $22 and took 9 hours to complete. I don't know about you but it inspires me to go pick up some metallic Sharpies and do something with my life:-). You can go here to read more details about how they made the stencil.

easy on the eyes (Angela from TPC)

The only thing better than looking at pictures of a beautifully decorated space is looking @ pictures of a beautifully decorated "REAL HOME". Let me introduce my friend Angela. I am in awe at what she has been able to accomplish on such a budget. She is a DIYer and an artist with an incredible eye. Anyway, you really do need to go check out her blog because this week she is giving us the tour of their cottage in Appalachian Mountains and you will not be disappointed.

A few key notes to the above:

*Artwork was done by Angela

*Craigslist

*Garage sale

*Antique malls

*IKEA

*Home Goods

*Outlets

*DIY Painting

*DIY Reupholstering

And all of this while handling her bustling children...my kind of girl. Of course, she points out that she is still not finished and has many more things she wants to add to the above room...sound familiar to anyone? Well I think it looks smashing.

Ok fine one last picture to serve as a sneak peak to what's going over @ Angela's blog as she gives us the tour of the cottage...only because it inspires & I liked it extra special. In fact I would post more pictures from her home because I love it all but alas I better let you hop on over to Angela's blog to see more.

To see more of Angela's work visit her blog here.

Thanks Angela for letting your talent grace this blog.

{above photo by Matt Odum}

Yep in case you were wondering the above is Angela and she is as easy on the eyes as her home is.

Angela - I hope you don't mind that I posted the above picture...can we still be friends?

{party blowers}

How fun would it be to make your own party blowers. Think of all of the possibilities.

Found here.

Still thinking about green & projects

Still speaking of green...did you catch Paula's tutorial over on Two Ellie for bringing in some beautiful green color? If you didn't well what are you waiting for?  Go here to hop on over & to be delighted by some great posts.  I can't wait to to give this project a try.

{photo via Two Ellie}

Speaking of more projects, I really enjoyed reading through House Beautiful's 101 Ideas for updating your home with the changing seasons. Below are a list of a few that I may just want to try around my home.

"Buy ceiling drapery track and the least expensive linen you can find and drape all the walls. White linen in a bedroom, a darker color in a dining room. It smooths everything out and feels moody and interesting. You can even hang art from chains on top of it." -Betsy Brown

"Paint all the terra-cotta pots on your balcony or terrace with a polyurethane stain in high-gloss black or brown. They'll look like Chinese porcelain by the time you're finished." -Randall Beale
Pictured, Martha Stewart Colors French Bulldog Black MS025

"Add a glass top to a table for a more sophisticated look. You can put fabric or wallpaper underneath, or even paint the underside of the glass to give it a little more jazz." -Kendall Wilkinson
Pictured, Tsang, to the trade. Allan Knight: 214-741-2227; allanknightasso.com

"I have replaced all my old cleaning products with Method's aromatic, environmentally friendly line. My favorite tub and tile spray comes in an ergonomically correct pale blue bottle and smells delightful. In fact, all of the bottles are attractive and look great on a pantry shelf." -Milly De Cabrol

"Make tableskirts for your end tables in some offbeat color, with a contrasting flange at the bottom. If your tables are round, put a square piece of plywood on top before you start. Square just feels more contemporary." -Marcy Masterson
Pictured, fabrics by Peter Dunham:peterdunham.com

"Line the backs of your shelves with raffia.Phillipjeffries.com has all sorts of colors and weaves. I've used it in kitchens and bathrooms. It gives a little depth and texture, and anything you put in front of it looks great." -Meg Braff

"Go to Home Depot, buy a length of crown molding at least two inches deep, and nail it to the wall to create a picture ledge. I'd do it in a family space, like a kitchen or a hallway. Buy standard frames and pop in your children's art or family photos and change it around every few weeks." -Suzanne Lovell

"Experiment with different lightbulbs in your sconces and chandeliers. Instead of the traditional flame tip, try using clear Edison bulbs. Ditch the shades for a more modern look." -Philip Gorrivan

"Buy inexpensive ribbon by the roll and glue-gun it as a border around the room, outlining each wall and running it up and down the corners. Works equally well over paint or fabric or wallpaper." -Robin Bell

"If you have something — a lamp, a table, even a chair — with great shape but not quite enough dash, take it to your framer and have them gild it." -Jeffry Weisman

"Hang art in surprising locations, like over a door or above a tall cabinet or on the pilasters of a bookcase." -Nancy Boszhardt

"Buy a bunch of those battery-operated LED Everywhere lights for only $8.99 each. They're like little hockey pucks, with adhesive on the back. Put them under a console table, on top of a bookcase, or use them to backlight some interesting object on a shelf." -Libby Cameron

For the full list of ideas go to House Beautiful right here.

Any projects out there that you have on your list that I should know about????  Pls feel free to share.

{DIY with Ikea & grass cloth}

I am loving that Robert Passal took Ikea shelves & wrapped them in grass cloth.  I'm going to take it from this designer & get me some of that grass cloth.  Way to make Ikea look high end.  I'm also thinking the wrapping of shelves doesn't have to end with just grass cloth.  Many more possibilities, I'm thinking (although I am a HUGE fan of grass cloth).

Also, Mr. Passal also won the bedroom contest on All The Best.  That green chair is doing something to my heart.

Chic on a shoestring

I came across Caitlin's blog & when I saw one of her decorating projects she accomplished for $250.00 my jaw dropped. I love it when I see the creation of beautiful things that are done on a budget. I really believe it takes much more creativity to do budget decorating which in return creates an immense amount of satisfaction (at least for me). I thought it would be fun to break down the project to see how Caitlin accomplished this work of beauty. (refer below)

I love the below inspiration board that she put together while trying to meet the objective of the project. For more inspiration visit Caitlin's interior design blog here.

{All images via ccinteriors}

Here is what Caitlin so graciously shared about the project:

1. Headboard- DIY. There are great tutorials all over the internet about making headboards and I do it all the time. The wood was purchased at home depot for about $8. They can cut it to size for you and then I used a skill saw to cut the curves. You can do any design to get a custom look and once you have all the supplies the project only takes about 1-2 hours. All other supplies were bought at Joann's fabric. We used Yellow duck cloth for it's durability and added the nailhead to dress it up. The total for the wood, batting, fabric and nailhead was about $40. Once I had all that I just used my nail gun and hammer and voila!

2. Night stands. The old tv tables were already sitting around. At first I was really against using them but then I thought, hey we are on a budget and in my experience nightstands can be one of the hardest garage sale/thrift store finds. When you turn the tray table on their side you get the more architectural feeling with the x so we bought 2 cans of charcoal gray spray paint for $4 and got to work

3. Bedding. We loved the look of classic white hotel bedding but of course we also wanted pope of color. The Duvet was just from the hotel line at Bed Bath and Beyond for $60. The shams were purchased on clearance at T.J. maxx as a duvet set for $19 I used the duvet on a different project. The throw pillow was custom, sewn by me. I bought 2 yards of fabric for $16 at a quilting store and the insert was $5 at a local fabric store. The same fabric was used to reupholster the seat of the chair.

4. Chair-a thrift store find. $8 plus a can of green spray paint at $4. I love the shape of this chair.

5. Accessories-

art-since these were small we used clip art images off the internet. Vintage printables has some great ones. We spent $20 on frames at Michael's. We loved the look of the metal letters at Anthropologie but of course, way out of the budget so be bought a cardboard version at Joann's for $4 and went to work with the left over spray paint from the tray tables.

Lamps-thrift store find. They were ugly brown and brass but had a great shape. They cost $5 each from a local thrift store. After a $4 can of white spray paint and new lamp shades from target for $10 each they were as good as new. Lamps can easily be spray painted if they have a good shape so that is what I usually look for. I have about 8 lamps sitting in my garage. I think I have an addiction.

Suitcases-thrift store find for $7 for the set. The rain boots and cowboy boots were the clients own.

Green vase with daisies-thrift store $1

Green succulent pot- thrift store $1

In terms of budget I splurged on the rest of the accessories. The butterfly trays were from a store called Alice Lane Interiors. The tray cost $7 and there were actually a pair but we didn't photograph the other one.

The metal boxes were $10.95 at Z Gallerie.

The patterned boxes are actually note cards and matches. The notecards are from target for $7.95 and the matches I got on clearance for $1.50 at a gift shop in upstate New York.

We also purchased a small mirror from Home Goods for $20 that wasn't pictured and a few other accessories that brought the total to $250.

All I have to say is WOW...job well done. A big thank you to Caitlin for taking the time to share her project. I hope it will be as inspiring to everybody else as it was to me on creating a chic space on a shoe string budget. Does anybody else want to attempt creating a custom upholstered headboard now? Oh & does anybody else love those fun happy colors?