Winter on My Living Room Shelves

Happy Sunday!

We've had a busy weekend around here - bowling, baking, sewing, movie-watching  and playing in the 2+ feet of snow we received on Friday  (It was SNOW DAY!!)

I don't have much time (I should finish writing my report cards before Downton Abbey starts) but I wanted to show you my newly re-arranged display shelves in my living room.  

They have a wint'ry feel to them with a mix of natural elements, silver, wood and crochet.  

I'll let the photos do the talking.....

  

See my new little white squirrel?  I grew up in a small town famous for its white squirrels so when I saw him I HAD to have him!!

I had a few of these crocheted snowflakes leftover from my Snowflake Banner that was strung across my Winter Mantel. So, instead of letting them go to waste, I hung them over this tarnished silver tray.

Can you spot the difference in the next two photos?

Number 1

Number 2

Yep - it's the wooden basket.  I felt she looked a little too plain in my original photo so I went to work during my "Snow Day" and added some painted stripes and a wooden number 2.

Of course I distressed the paint just a little bit so that any imperfections in my line-painting would be less noticeable.  

Did it work??   : )

Bathroom Reminder Signs

Do you ever get the feeling that something is missing?

 That there is gap where there shouldn't be a gap?

I have had this feeling about the space above the kids' bathroom toilet for ages!

Here is a photo of the bathroom early last fall before I started its colour transformation.  

 The room is no longer blue and orange, and I am very happy with how it has turned out (you'll see it in the next few days!) but that open space above the turquoise basket needed SOMETHING. . . .

So last night I grabbed a few dollar store canvases and made THESE:

Simply done, yes, but graphic and space-filling at the same time!!

And goodness knows, my kids could use the reminders, too!

The "quilt-looking" area of each sign  is squares of coordinating scrapbook paper that I applied with homemade Mod Podge ( you know- white glue and water !)

I cut the letters using my Cricut and black cardstock. 

On they went with Mod Podge, too.

And here is a shot of the signs, in place, with a few other items in the "bathroom transformation."

Can't show you much more because where is the surprise in that??

Want to see another Mod Podge sign I made? Here is a link to my "Baby It's Cold Outside" sign.

And that Heart Mosaic art hanging above the medicine cabinet above - it can be found HERE. 

3D Paper Star Art

Oh! I am getting so close to being to share our completed kids' bathroom project.  I have been working on it, literally, for months. 

I have one small project to complete and then I'll be able to show you all of my hard work.  

Today I have an art project to share from that bathroom.  

I wanted something cute to hang above this towel bar/shelf thingy.  I made our Bathroom Pixie to watch the kids brush their teeth, but something else was needed.

I had a few small artist canvases in my craft space, so I pulled them out and began playing with trim, buttons, stamps and paper.  

And this is what I came up with:

I cut and folded my stars using THIS TUTORIAL and then applied them to the canvases on top of some stamped swirls.  

Do you like them?

They make my heart sing.  

Aren't they cheerful?

Colour and shape and style.  And perfect to greet the kids each morning when they roll out of bed.  

If you want to see some of my other wall decor ideas, check out:

Baby It's Cold Outside Sign

Make Your Own Paper Mosaic Art

and

Camden's Photo Wall

I'll be back later in the week with another small bathroom project and then, following that -- THE REVEAL.

(Man- I really hope it lives up to the hype I am creating!  :)

Hugs to you and yours,

B.  

Hearts, Hearts and MORE Hearts

Hello all!  It's Friday and I can't wait for the weekend to begin!

It's February 1st, too, and the blogging world is full of Valentine's Day fun.

I have been enjoying the many Valentines crafts and decor projects shared by so many of my online friends, but truth be told - I haven't done any myself!!

Nope.  I am not really into the heart/cupid/doily decor thing.  I have done some V-Day baking including red and pink candies and sprinkles, but that is the extent of it.

It's not that I don't like hearts.  In fact - I LOVE hearts.

And to prove it, I've put together a little collection of several of my "heart-shaped" projects from the last year.

If you want to see the full post for each item, click on the coloured text.

ALLIE'S APRON

Red and white and perfect for 5th birthday present!

WE MET, WE MARRIED, WE LIVED, WE LOVE

 I made this to commemorate all the special places in our marriage.

(This has been pinned and re-pinned thousands of times!)

CROCHETED HEART BUNTING

Cute little crocheted hearts I made to decorate above my daughter's bed.  

PAPER ANGELS

Cut from several different craft papers, these little darlings were perfect on the tree and in cards. 

HEART PAPER MOSAIC

A simple little craft that has great impact in any room of the house.  Mine is displayed in my kids' bathroom. 

I hope you enjoyed this walked down "heart-shaped" memory lane.  

Hmmm...maybe I will do some "Love Day" decor after all.  

This weekend might be the perfect time - and I am sure I'll have 3 sets of little hands who will gladly join into the fun!!

Hugs and love to all,

B.  

Vintage Style Powder Room Makeover

The other night I was thinking about the early days of our home ownership when it was just hubby and me.  Back then, if I wanted something done around the house, I'd get it finished in no time at all.  Paint a room - done in a day.  New curtains?  Fabric bought, sewn and hung in one afternoon.   

But here I am - in the 11th year of owning a home.  

And now, if I want to do any kind of project around the house IT TAKES WEEKS!!  

What is slowing me down?  Let's see - 3 kids, a full-time job, homework, piano lessons, swimming lessons, lunch-making, laundry, shoe-shopping ( no- not for me!), etc., etc.

This powder room project was no exception.  In an earlier post I shared the BEFORE pictures of our well-worn, yellow powder room.  

And then I was pleased to show you all the work hubby and I did one weekend over the Christmas holidays including painting the walls and installing board and batten wainscotting.  

And now, nearly a month later, I have completed the decor on our cute little powder room.  

To begin, this is how our vintage medicine cabinet looked BEFORE:

DURING:  (I bought this lovely "vintage-y" floral fabric in Salisbury this past summer while hubby and I were on a trip to the UK.  It has a Cath Kidston vibe and I adore it!)

And AFTER!!

(PUH-retty, don't ya think??)

Hubby also added "plumber" to his list of DIY skills and changed this old builder faucet into. . . . .

. . . this cute "old school" faucet.  

On the blank, main wall that you see as you enter the room, I hung this long shelf that I have had for years. 

 On it went a collection of a few of my favourite things.

The rose painting is a "paint by number" that I grabbed for $2 at  Goodwill. 

 The lacey frame came from Michaels and was a steal during their after-Christmas sales.  

The blue and white Delft jars belonged to my Oma and Opa.  My mother recently passed them on to me!

This bunch of flowers may not be real, but they add a touch of nature to room with no window or sunlight!

This green and white plate was FREE from a lady who was closing here vintage store in my hometown. 

 The plate has a small crack so she felt she couldn't charge me for it.  Personally, I would have charged extra for the crack - a little character and an aged feel.   : )

Everyone who has seen our re-newed powder room loves the new look.  I am so pleased with the paint colour and the wainscotting as well as the little details like the new faucet.

It's nice to have a room completely done.  I have also been working on the kids' bathroom on the second floor of our house.  It nears completion and I am looking forward to sharing it with you, too!

Hugs to you and yours and thanks for visiting!

Love,

B.  

Winter Mantel 2013

Here's another one!!  My mantel has been redone again, this time  in a wint'ry style - perfect for the FUH-REEZING temperatures we have been having here in my part of Canada.  

White and  minty-green with touches of nature and a little  bit of glitter.  

A winning combination, I think!!

(Not too many words in this post - I am going to let the pictures do the talking.... )

I shared how I made this sign here....

And how I made this snowflake garland here.

Hey there, Frosty!!

And just in case you need a little "warming-up"......

Drop by again soon,

Hugs,

B.  

"Baby It's Cold Outside" Sign

After taking a little break from any decor tweaking, post-Christmas, I was back at it again this past weekend.  

I finally filled my empty mantel (empty since I took down the Christmas decor) and put together my winter mantel.  

I wanted a real "centre-piece" for the mantel - something to add a fair bit of interest and to be the focal point. 

So....I grabbed a 2-dollar canvas from the Dollar Store and got started.

My mantel colour scheme was going to be white and mint green. So I mixed together some blue, green and white paint and covered the canvas.  

Next, I planned out, using old-school pencil and  paper, the text and font mix I wanted to use.  I kept my Cricut cartridges nearby so that I could remember exactly what fonts I had available.  

Then I started cutting.... 

....slicked on some homemade Mod Podge (water and white glue!) and..... 

.....THIS  is how it turned out:

Not bad, eh?  I think it looks just like something one could by in a decor store.  I'm pretty proud - yet it was so darn easy!!

It fits perfectly into my mantel decor.  Can't wait to show you that next time!!

An aside.....

The dining room table was looking pretty naked these days, too. 

For something a little different, I made a "book vignette" on  top of it.  I had recently bought some books online and was given several more by a book-obsessed friend. I can't wait to dig into them all and having them nearby will remind me to make books a priority!!

What's in this stack?  Seed catalogues and the newest issues of my favourite Country Living magazines. As well, I just finished reading 

Miss Mustardseed's, "Inspired You." It was a lovely book with pictures of her home as well as real life stories about learning to love the home you have and making the most of it.  (If any of my real-life friends want to borrow it for a read, let me know!)

As well, I ordered "The Happiness Project" and "Happiness at Home" written by Gretchen Rubin. These books teach you about finding the joy in everything - even in the littlest of places.

 And my friend, Julie, started using "Q&A  a Day for Kids" with her kids just after Christmas.  I loved the idea of recording our children's thoughts for later reading and quickly snapped one up for myself, too.   Can't wait to get started!!

The second stack contains novels by Edward Rutherford and Chris Cleave - all highly recommended by friends.  I might save these for our trip to Florida in March....

( Oh...and there is my youngest cutie- stealing some of photo props!!)

Visit soon and often!!

Warm hugs to you and yours,

B.