~Organizing EXPO~

I had such a fun time Saturday at the Pacific NW Organizing EXPO! I met some really great people and had wonderful conversations on how I might be able to help them not only feel more organized but to be able to enjoy their homes more. Whether you are someone who enjoys design and decorating or if your gifts and talents are in another area, it seems that everyone can use a fresh set of eyes from time to time to look at their furniture, artwork and accessories. After all, you see them every day and most likely have seen them for many years. We become very accustomed to our belongings. Many people think that they have ugly or outdated furnishings and that's why they don't like their room. Most often, it's just that there are other ways to set up the room to make it not only look appealing but function better for their families needs. There are actual "rules of thumb" that people in the design business know about because of our training and hours of research. I could literally spend hours each day looking at decor blogs and websites that have to do with design. I NEVER get tired of it. Want to know something really strange? I dream it! I kid you not. There are times that I wake up and I'm ready to tackle a project and I know just what color to paint the walls, etc. except that I realize that it was just a dream. Call that weird, maybe to much time "researching" right before bed, but it's seriously in my blood.
I've got some great jobs lined up for the next week and a half and I'll be sure to post about them so that I can share my passion with you.
Oh and also, I went to the Salvation Army's 1/2 price sale today and scored a cute little table, a desk and some smaller items that need some love. I'll be sure to share my process of refinishing those items with you as well in case you need some inspiration on any projects you may be holding off on doing!


tag words:Interior Design, Interior Decorator, Decorating, Staging, Color Consultation, home makeover, furniture arrangement, Redesign, One day decorating, Use what you have decorating

~This old window~

I bought this old window at a garage sale over a year ago for $15! I loved it just as it was, chipping, bubbling paint and all! It sat in my garage until the perfect idea came to me about what to do with it. I'd finally decided on the family photo idea and then I was ready to put it together. First I needed to remove the old Brinks home security sticker. This was seriously the hardest part of the whole project. I think that it had gotten "baked on" in the heat for who knows how many years. I soaked it in Goo Gone and bought a new paint scraper with a super sharp razor. Finally I got that baby off! I used the paint scraper a little bit more to get some extra paint off the windows but I still didn't worry about it being perfect. It's old and used and that's how I wanted it to continue to look.

The window is pretty heavy so I placed these hanging hooks on the back. I made sure to buy hooks that are made to hold extra weight.

I got the "family" decal free with another purchase with this project in mind. My original plan was to place the family photos on the back side underneath the glass but I couldn't figure out how to make them "float" in the middle of the square without backing it with paper or something. What I ended up doing was placing these little photo corners on top of the window and then the picture just sits inside of them. This way it will also make it easier to switch the photos out from time to time as the grandbabies grow.

Each window pane measures 9 1/4" square. I ordered 8x10 photos and cut them into 8" squares.
I had a place in my entry just waiting for this project to be completed. Now each time I head toward my stairs, I see these sweet pictures of my children and grandchildren and it makes me happy!

~This poor little stool~

This little stool was just too cute to get rid of. It had seen better days, to say the least. Surely I would need this stool for something, right? As an ottoman, something for the grandkids to stand on, or maybe jump off of? Whatever, it's cute and I wanted it to be even cuter.
If you're reading this, chances are that you've recovered something before and you know how very easy it is. If not, I'll show you the steps so that everyone can realize that this could easily be done by a 3rd grader. Well, maybe with a little assistance using the staple gun.
First you unscrew the top to remove it from the base. If you're going to paint the base do it now because most likely you'll need several coats. I spray painted this with Krylon Ivory paint in a satin finish.

After I was finished with the painting and it was dry, I antiqued it a bit with my antiquing glaze to "dirty" it up a bit. It's important to remember that when you use a glaze like this, you are trying to make it appear worn, so fight the urge to make it perfect. It will be thicker in some places just like the natural wear and tear would have been.

I bought some cute black and cream toile fabric (the left over, I used on my framed "A" project, a few posts back).
Then you remove the fabric (in this case, I had to take pliers and pry the old fabric off). Many times, you can pop the old staples out but not in this case. It was on there for life! If the existing cushion needs to be replaced, just cut the foam to size and lay it on top of the board. To do this project properly, you'll want to place batting between the foam and the new fabric. I skipped this part because I didn't have any on hand, but I'm already thinking that I'll go back and do this step. It will hold up much better if you do.


Lay your new fabric out, upside down, and cut it so that you have plenty to wrap underneath. Pull it really tight and use a staple gun to secure it. The corners are the trickiest. You'll want to treat them a little like "hospital corners" on a bed when making it. Make sure that before you get started with stapling, that you turn the board over to make sure the print is straight. After stapling, place the board back onto the frame and screw it back together.

Simple effort, big difference! Now I just need to find the perfect place to use this cute little stool! I will, I assure you!

~Breathing new life on an old lobby~

I recently had the privilege to update and renew the lobby at my church in East County. It had become dated and needed desperately to be given new life. Funds were limited so it was very important to concentrate on making the most substantial changes as inexpensively as possible. For some crazy reason, that's how I'd rather work. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have unlimited funds to make huge changes in any job that I do but I do love the challenge of prioritizing and making do with as little as possible while still making a big impact.

The very first thing on my list was to take out the colored plexiglass that had been serving the purpose of a stained glass window for years. At the time it was done, it was a great solution of creating the stained glass look. However, let's fast forward to this century and it's not so cool. Also, it gave the whole room a yellow glow and made it impossible to create a warm and pleasing atmosphere.

Second on my list was to update the lighting. Again, when the building was built, I'm sure that those big round globes were the thing to do. They didn't give off good light as they only had the ability to hold one light bulb each and that light bulb was enclosed inside the globe. I knew I needed to find fixtures that were not only pleasing to the eye but that had at least three bulbs each. I found these great light fixtures at Home Depot. The other ceiling lights were also updated. Now with the combination of natural light coming in through the window, and new light fixtures, there was proper light to show off a warm color for the walls. I chose "Latte" from Sherwin Williams. It was dark enough to be warm but not too dark. I love this color because it is a neutral that can go with just about any color you put with it. It doesn't have any green or yellow tones like a lot of neutral browns do.

This wall between the two double doors that lead into the sanctuary, in my mind, needed to make a statement about who this community is and to make it feel welcoming.

I replaced the table with a beautiful piece from World Market. I think this table is timeless and hopefully won't become outdated for years to come, if ever. I took down the bulletin board and replaced it with vinyl words from Uppercase living. The phrase is this community's statement that speaks to who they/we are.
Next, there is a need for seating in a lobby like this. This is what was serving the purpose there.

In trying to come up with a good plan for this, I had the thought about how cool it would be to find an old antique church pew. I went searching on craigslist and found this baby.

Oh, it didn't look like this however. Not for the $100 we spent on it! This is what it looked like before.

Thank goodness for a sweet, talented man named Keith. He took on this project wholeheartedly and did such an amazing job with it. It had LAYERS of old paint on it and it needed some other repairs done as well. He actually cut it down about a foot to make it fit better in the space. I think it's so beautiful!
I think it's easy when you have a room or home that you're not particularly happy with because it's older, outdated, and doesn't work well for the needs of those who use it, to just stop taking pride in it and to let it build up with extra clutter. It's easy to not even notice it because it's not an area that you take much pride in any more. I noticed that this is what happened here, a place that many people consider to be a part of them. It's easy to just sit things around or to store things without even noticing. It does seem that making simple changes to a space gives everyone involved in using it, a new sense of pride and ownership.
I enjoyed being able to help make this happen, but when I say "I added" or "I changed the lights, etc.", what I really mean is that there were many talented and devoted people to this community that made it happen. I picked out the lights, and etc. but I certainly didn't install them or spray the tall ceilings with a huge paint sprayer. Thank you to all who helped transform this place.
Many times, it's the small details that make the biggest impact on a project like this. Yay for updating!

New message board...

...or more honestly, a new place to hang my grandbabies pictures! Regardless, it's there in case I decide to write messages or tack up important things, etc.
I really wanted something cute yet functional to hang in my desk area. I say "area" because it's the corner of the dining room instead of an office, but it works well and keeps me in the middle of everything.
When we recently worked on my granddaughter's bedroom, we replaced this adorable picture.

We bought it when it was more of a nursery, not a growing 3 year old's room. I loved the frame, it was already the color I wanted and "beaten up" a bit. Some people call this look Shabby Chic. I just know I like it.

So, I began by taking off the board and spray painting it with chalkboard spray paint. After several coats of that, I placed it back into the frame and cut some cork tiles (from Michaels)the size that I wanted them and stuck them on with double stick pads that came with the cork. You can always glue it but I wasn't sure if that would be a problem with the push pins.

Then to help with the transition between the cork and the chalkboard I hot glued some black rope cording.

I added another ribbon to the bottom of the cork to cover a seam where I had two pieces come together. I started to paint the "messages" word but that didn't go so well. It just didn't look neat enough so I just printed out a sign on heavy weight paper and I think it does the trick.
I encourage you to look at picture frames this way. Before you ever consider getting rid of one because it isn't the right color or you don't like the picture inside, see all of the possibilities that it could become!

Let's give it an "A"!

I worked on a fun project this weekend. It was simple and better yet, I already had everything I needed except for the $3.49 letter "A" from Michaels.
I took a square frame that I got a while back, cheap! I knew that I'd find just the right thing to do with it. I took some black and cream toile print fabric that I had left over from another project and then bought a 9" letter "A" to represent the first initial of our last name.

After spray painting the frame and the letter, I simply took the fabic and placed it over the cardboard back of the frame. I made sure to pull it tight so that it wasn't wrinkled. I hot glued the fabric in place in the back to keep it from slipping.

After that, I took gorilla tape and secured it on the back for extra support.

I turned it over and hot glued the letter right onto the fabric.
This was so simple to make, and I love the finished result.
Chances are that you've got most everything you need to create one of these also. If you do, send me a picture of it, I want to see it!

~Clark's Redesign~

Yesterday, I had the privelige of doing a Redesign for my sweet friend, Lori Clark. This was such a fun room to do because the only direction that she gave me was to do whatever! I love that! To have a room that the family loves but doesn't particularly enjoy using is such fun for me to recreate.
They have a great fireplace to the right of the room. I asked Lori if they like to use it and she said, "all the time!" I knew that most importantly, I needed to turn the sofa the other direction and to bring the TV over to that side of the room as well so that they never had to miss out on viewing the fireplace. After discussing cable outlets and cords, etc. I was ready to work. I also asked Lori if she had any other items that she would like incorporated into the room. As a matter of fact she did! She had an amazing wicker trunk, a book shelf, a rocking chair and a large decorative cross that she wanted hung in a place where she could add to the collection.


The sofa is a very large sectional. I was so happy to see that it was the kind that you can break up and reposition. I created a sofa and a loveseat in the shape of an "L" and placed a cute cane side table between the two to hold a lamp. I was able to take one section out of the sofa to place next to the fireplace to function as a reading chair. I pulled a standing lamp over there to create better lighting for reading and also to bring light to that side of the room.


The desk went to the far side of the room with enough space to use but to still allow the majority of the room to be used as a family room.
Lori and I talked about some other fun ideas that she wants to do to the room. Eventually they will be installing wood floors and taking out the floor board heaters. I gave her some ideas on window coverings and some paint samples for the walls. I can't wait to see the finished project when she gets those things done. It is my hope that this sweet family enjoys the new set up and function of their family room in this amazing home.

~Where I unwind~

I love nothing more than to get into a hot bubble bath at the end of the day. To make it even better, I love to light candles and turn out the lights. Okay, I just realized where it sounds like I'm headed with this, but I'm talking about being alone in the quietness and warmth after a long day, week, YEAR! I wanted to create a bit of a spa feel to the bathroom with a budget of...zero. Guess what, I did it! Here's how. I took painters tape, a level and a ruler to mask off stripes on the back wall. I already had the white paint adding to the "zero" factor. I wanted to soften the transition from the wall color to the white so I mixed a little bit of these two colors together to create the stripe between the two. I really wanted to add some fun, relaxing words again without spending any money. Have you priced those cute vinyl words? That just wasn't going to be an option, so here's what I did. I printed off the words, "relax, refresh and renew" in the size and font that I wanted on the computer. I turned the paper over to the back, and with a pencil turned on it's side with the led flat, I rubbed it until the whole word was covered. I then held the paper in the position on my wall where I wanted it, and traced the word with an ink pen. When you lift up the paper, you should have an impression of the word. I painted over the letters using a really tiny paint brush, but if I did it again, I would probably use a paint pen. I think it would come out cleaner and neater. It's hard to have a steady hand when writing on a wall. The result isn't perfect like it would be if it were made of vinyl, but that's okay with me. It gave me the result and feel that I was going for and did I already mention that it didn't cost me a thing?

You should try it! If you do, let me know and send me a picture. I'd love to see it!

Getting Crafty!

I've always wanted a cute craft room. Something like this...
As cute as these are, I don't have a whole room to devote to this nor do I have the funds to create something so adorable. My option is to...go shopping...at home! So that's what I did. First, I cleared out one side of my Grandkids playroom. I found my card table in the garage and placed it in the corner. I took the hutch off of a credenza in the office. The bookcases had toys all over them but since I had two in there, I just placed all of the toys on the other one. Next, I really wanted to have cute little baskets and organizers to put all of my items in, something like these...
Again, I went shopping around the house. I looked for every basket or cute container that I could find that would be big enough to hold my items. I also had these little tags that I placed onto the baskets to serve as labels. To be honest, these really weren't needed since I can basically see into all the baskets but I thought that they were cute, and in my mind they created unity .

I also hung a task light on the wall so I can aim it onto my projects as I work. This helps a lot, especially when your eyes aren't as good as they used to be!
So here it is, my make shift craft room! I put it to good use during the Holidays and it worked out great! I loved having everything in one area and it was so great not spreading my projects all over my table or countertop!

One day I may have a whole room dedicated to this. I may not. I may have the money to buy all the cute shelving and baskets that I desire to make it picture perfect. I may not. For now, this works for me and I do love the feeling of creating something without spending a penny!

~My "antique" shelf~

So in order for you to truly appreciate this cute little shelf, I should show you a before picture. The problem is, like I so often do, I got so excited to redo it that I forgot the before picture. Uggg... I hate when that happens!
I did however, take a picture of the pegs that I removed. It was this ugly, peachy color. There it was, sitting on a shelf at Salvation Army. I believe I paid around $6.00 for it. I loved all the cute little details and the shape. I knew that a piece like this could look cute just about anywhere!
I put several coats of cream colored paint on it. I should have spray painted it, but because I was out of the right color, and I had regular paint on hand, that's the route I went. It wasn't very easy getting the paint in all the little curves on the lower part.
After it was completely dry, I antiqued it. Once again I used Valspar Antiquing Glaze. I drilled holes where the pegs had been and put knobs that I already had on it. Wall...ah! Cute, huh? It sits above my computer on my desk.
I love it!

My "new" tray!

Look what I found at Salvation Army! I think I paid $5.99. I probably got it at one of their half price sales. I don't remember exactly since I got it a couple of months ago but I assume so since I always try to take advantage of those sales. Chances are that you're like me and you love to find cheap, used items and transform them. If that isn't your cup of tea, here is my advice. Since I've never come across anyone who didn't like a good deal and to pay as little as possible for something, I recommend you go and look through some second hand stores. Garage sales are great too, but when you live in Oregon as I do, that's only something that we can do in the spring or summer. Anyways, walk through a second hand store and look for interesting pieces that catch your attention. Don't pay attention to the color, that's easy to change. Look at the lines, consider it's function and begin looking at it with eyes of transformation. Besides paint, most things can be cleaned, fixed, added to, etc. I loved the shape and detail of this cute tray. I just didn't care for the shiny brass. Of course that's nothing that some black spray paint can't fix. So this particular find only took me the time to wipe it down of dust and give it a couple coats of spray paint. Now I have a cute tray to sit on my dining table to display Holiday vignettes.

Happy hunting!