Super Women with Super Purpose

I just spent an amazing weekend with 77 women for a church retreat. I was on the team who helped host the event and it was uplifting and inspiring to work with such a great group of women. My friend and I wanted to make the ladies a gift for all of their hard work and because (according to Bev) sometimes you just need things because they are cute! We made each of them a little purse to carry around the items they would need for the weekend (cell phone, schedule, pen, rooming list, notebook, etc.). They were a huge hit and someone at the event even asked if all the participants could get one next year...ah, I think I better start now! I lined each bag with the fabric used on the ruffle and cheated a bit by using a wide ribbon for the strap. My next version will have a small pocket for your cell phone!

Play Ball!

A dear friend of mine was checking out my Etsy page, but couldn't find the "Baseball Mom" pin I sometimes wear. I had to explain to her that I bought it at a craft show (the horror!). I know, don't let that get out! She then challenged me to make one for her, well, actually three as Mother's Day gifts. After studying it, I thought, bring it on! I got some wooden cutouts from Michael's, acrylic paint, and paint pens. I wasn't sure how it would all come together, but in the end I thought I should make one for myself...I liked mine better than the one I bought. She was thrilled, and I'm sure we'll be seeing some more Julie-inspired projects to come! Love you, Julie!

Moroccan Flare

I decided to change out the curtain rod in the dining room and when I took down the old curtains, I realized how the Florida sun had beaten them up. They were quite faded and dull looking, so to fabric.com I went! I wanted something that was somewhat of a Moroccan design and found this print. I created two rectangles and use the curtain clips to hang them. The fabric is very sturdy and should last me a while!

The Project From He%%

I love my house! I love the people I share it with, the neighborhood we live in, and the way I have changed it to be our own. BUT, one of the things I have NEVER liked about my house was the cabinets...the same cabinets that are in the kitchen and three bathrooms. Beige blah, pickled oak, white wash...what ever you want to call them, I call them ugly! The master plan is to one day update the kitchen, so I'll be happy to get rid of them then. In the meantime, I'm trying to update the bathroom ones so they grow on me. For that to happen, we need a small miracle or just some paint! I opted for the paint. I decided to tackle our bathroom during spring break while my family was on a camping trip (because, I don't camp!). It was quite an undertaking and took me the full three days. I had to take off all the hardware and doors and then sand everything down. I then used a de-glosser to take off the finish. That's when the fun of painting began. It took a full two coats of paint on everything because the wood underneath was so light.

Once I finished and let everything dry overnight, I added another two coats of Polyurethane. This seals everything and keeps the paint from chipping. I then was in search of just the right knobs to help finish them off. I found some porcelain knobs at Hobby Lobby that I fell in love with. They also had a brass trim that matched the existing hinges. I am so happy now when I walk into my bathroom and it makes quite a statement!

The Pizza Stripes are Gone

For years I've had a cornice in my kitchen above my sliding glass door. It helped add some pizzazz, but this had fizzled out for me in the last few months. With all the great new fabrics I was placing around my home, the striped kitchen cornice was started to look like a pizzeria. Time to hit Fabric.com! I found some beautiful yellow and white fabric that didn't match the kitchen, but it "goes." I wanted something that was bright and cheery but not in your face. It was an easy fix, I just took down the old one and staple gunned the new fabric right over the pizzeria stripes. Then, viola! We had sunshine in the kitchen!

Found One!

So, after my last gallery wall I was in search of more walls...I found one in my dining room that was in need of help! I wanted to create a family gallery wall that would pull in things that are important to my clan. I also really wanted to create something to show when we it all started. I found some tiny canvases at JoAnn's and had to have them. I then took a sharpie to them and wrote out the year we began our lives together. I had some other pieces that were hanging out in the house, but not really living to their potential to help pull it all together. Ta-da!

I'm Just Nesting

This is a really good term to describe the state of my life right now. When I'm not working, I can't sit still so I craft, or "nest." I try to make my home more comfortable and more cozy for our little family. For Easter I thought this dessert was perfect, given my current state. They are much like rice crispy treats, only you use chinese noodles instead of cereal. They are so cute when done, and my kids love making them! They are also the perfect treat for the salty-sweet taste buds!

The Happiest Day of the Year

This year I really wanted to make Easter special. I also wanted help remind my family why this is the best day of the year. I found a centerpiece on Pinterest much like the one I made, only it grew real grass. Well, I tried that but the seeds didn't take. I had to go to plan B and use some Easter grass I had on hand. To make the crosses, I used a branch that literally jumped out at me. When I was on a bike ride with my son, this branch jumped into the spokes of my tire. I hung onto thinking it was meant to be and it would help me make the crosses I needed. I then got out my new best friend, gunny (the glue gun) and started putting it together. I used twine to tie the crosses together and a plastic egg for the "tomb." I was happy with it in the end!

Sunburst Mirror - Take 2

I had some left over dowels from my original sunburst mirror so I thought I would make another one. This time I decided to space them further apart and use a smaller mirror. Now it's in my great room and it makes a cozy corner that I can admire when watching my favorite shows!

Make Yourself Happy

I was having a really bad day and I needed a boost. What a better remedy than working with a fabric that makes you smile? I had ordered some fabric on fabric.com and when it came in, it looked so happy! I thought I really need to put this where I can see it all the time. I decided what's a better place than my kitchen command post. It needed a boost, so I used three tension rods and sewed a little roman shade. I love looking at it and it makes me smile every time I see it. The bad day passed, but the smiling roman shade will be around for a while!

Groovy Curtains

My new little office needed some color and I wanted something in gray and yellow. I found this great fabric (again on fabric.com) that is called Groovy, that has yellow, gray, charcoal, and turquoise. I had the curtain rod, I just had to purchase the clips and make the curtains. I was so happy with the outcome!

Loving the Chevron Trend!

I love the new chevron trend and seeing bold colors against a white background. I found this yellow and white chevron fabric on fabric.com (my new favorite site) and really just wanted a pillow. I had a pillow that I wasn't crazy about on my couch, so I recovered it and love the outcome!

Tomato, ToMATO

For our anniversary I asked for a plant (since it lasts much longer than flowers...) and my adorable husband made me a patio tomato garden. He did his research and he found the best thing to use is five gallon buckets and drill holes in the bottom to let them drain. He is very practical, something I love about him, and he used some of the buckets we already had--two of which happened to be cat litter buckets. I had to chuckle when I got home because of the Tidy Cat and Fresh Step advertising we were doing on the back patio. Of course, I had to dress them up and put my own touch on them (and help them to match my decor.) For some reason, the new duct tape trend popped into my head and I went with it. I used red duct tape to wrap the buckets. I then discovered you can purchase duct tape sheets, so I used that to cut out letters so we could put names on them. We decided to each pick one and name it for ourselves, hoping it would grow the biggest. My son named his Bob, my daughter used Tomato Dude, and my husband and I claimed Big Boy (since that's the type of tomatoes they are). The race is on! Go Big Boy!