Accidental Decorator

Random Acts of Kindness

2012-01-11T08:34:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday to Me

For my birthday this year I asked for 43 acts of random kindness from my friends and family. Its been really cool seeing how creative people get and then the joy they experience when they do one.

My birthday's not over so here's just a partial list of what they've done so far.

1. Left money in a library book before returning it.
2. Gave Pacers tix to couple at Pizza Hut
3. Bought groceries for person in front of them who happen to be buying for a youth group event.
4. Took stray cat to vet for shots and neutering
5. Took groceries to local food pantry
6. Let someone go in front of them in checkout line
7. Went through McD's drive thru and paid for person behind them as well
8. A group is making dinner and serving it at the Ronald McDonald House
9. Went to the movies and bought someone else a ticket
10. Brought up neighbor's trash cans for them
11. Cleaned out freezer and made a donation to Third Phase
12. Gave a free haircut to cancer patient
13. Making a meal for a patient
14 Donated eggs to church to be used for baked good for youth group
15. Cupcake from the bakery for our favorite bus driver (other than AZ :) )
16. Orange Leaf gift card for dance teacher
17. Orange Leaf gift card for basketball coach
18. Gave a dozen cookies to the volunteers at the food pantry
19. Gave a complement to someone

If you'd like to participate just leave a comment letting me know what you did.

Thanks to everyone!

Dimensional Wall Decor

2011-12-22T11:37:00.000-05:00

Losing My Mind

So I'm finding as I get older I have a harder time remembering what I ate yesterday, let alone how I decorated last year. So this year I made sure to take pictures of how I decorated to I can remember next year. Duh!

Really liked the look of my mantle last year. Of course I didn't take any pictures and I can't remember how I had it decorated. This year it turned out just ok but definitely needs a little help next year.

These beaded cones are actually one of my favorites. I like the dimensionality of them on the wall. And they are just cool to look at!

Christmas Decor

2011-12-21T17:51:00.000-05:00

Hawthorns Christmas Display

Here are some pics of the displays I did at the Golf Shop.

Not bad for a small budget. Hoping to add more next year!

Magnetic Memo Board

2011-12-19T10:58:00.006-05:00

Gettin' Crafty

I like to make a gift for a couple of my friends each Christmas. In the past I've done ornaments and pictures. This year I decided to make a fabric covered magnetic memo board with personalized magnets from an idea I saw on Pinterest.

It was so simple to make!
The most time consuming part was picking out the fabric.

Check out the Accidental Projects to see the steps how I made it.

Fall Decor

2011-12-12T09:48:00.000-05:00

Hawthorns - Fall Decor

I'm a little behind (okay, a lot behind) in posts so I'm going to work hard this week in getting you caught up. A couple months ago I started working as a Visual Merchandiser at a local golf shop. Some of you asked to see some of the displays so I'm going to post the Fall and Winter pics this week. The shop is closed till March so I'm off for the winter.

These pictures are from the displays I did back in October.

More pics coming this week of the Christmas displays.

Ethnic Dinner Club

2011-09-22T09:48:00.000-04:00

BRUGGE BRASSERIE

That time of month were my ethnic dinner group goes out to dinner at a different ethnic restaurant. This month we tried Belgian. We went to Brugge Brasserie in Broad Ripple. Very quaint place with great atmosphere. They brew their own beer and their specialty is the Triple Ripple. There is a limit of 2 per person because the alcohol content is 10%.

For an appetizer we went with the Frites. All kinds of unique dipping sauces from homemade ketchup to pesto and mustard with maple. All of them were very yummy! Hard to pick a favorite.

For dinner I went with a crepe. It was the special of the day - seafood crepe. Very tasty as well. Their other specialty is mussels.

We did not order dessert (but wished I did!). They had an apple crepe with carmel that looked awesome.

Next month French!

Outdoor Patio

2011-09-05T13:41:00.000-04:00

Outdoor Living Room

On a whim I decided to sell my family room furniture in our garage sale in May. It sold right away which was great, however the bad part was I didn't have any furniture to replace it. I found some great furniture but it wouldn't be delivered for another 3 months. So in the meantime we needed a place to sit and since I also sold the patio dining table that gave me the idea to create an outdoor living room.

The Smith & Hawken furniture and the rug are from Target.com. The pillows are from Target. The table accessories are from West Elm and the big lanterns are from Crate & Barrel.

What a wonderful, cozy place to relax and enjoy the outdoors!

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!

2011-03-31T13:14:00.001-04:00

Girls Weekend!

When life is getting too crazy and you feel like you're being pulled in too many directions a girls' weekend is the perfect solution! I tell you what (as my friend Kate always says), going shopping with the girls is exactly what I needed to get me through the last week of school before spring break!

We headed to Columbus, OH where we did a little lunch and a little shopping. Sooo many stores, sooo little time! The next morning we headed to Jeffersonville to check out the Potterybarn Outlet. Found some good buys there like this cute little West Elm table for $30.

Next we headed to my favorite place... Of course IKEA!!

Found some goodies like these awesome pillows! (Thanks again Kate!) I can't tell you how long I've been searching for pillows! Of course IKEA had the perfect ones for the perfect price. Now I just need to find a little rug to pull the whole look together.

Also, found these cute lanterns for on top of the cabinets. They look really cool when we turn on just the top lights.

Whew! Kind of a whirlwind tour but what fun! Definitely looking forward to our next outing! You girls are way tooo fun! What happens in Vegas (or Columbus) stays in Vegas!

Kitchen Makeover with Beadboard

2011-03-09T08:46:00.000-05:00

Ta-Da!

Except for a few details the kitchen is finally done. We added beadboard to the backsplash and changed the wall color from green to gray. I'm very pleased with how it turned out. The door is not on the pantry yet because it still needs painted. We painted the beadboard in a high gloss white and when we installed it next to the existing molding it made the molding look yellow. So we've been painting all the molding to match as well.

Before

After

Hubs says he can't wait for spring so I can stop giving him "winter" projects!

Blog Makeover

2011-02-01T21:25:00.000-05:00

Yuck-O!

Well its been ice upon ice here in Indiana. Hubby's been working hard on finishing the beadboard and molding. I need to run out but because of the weather I'm stuck inside with the kiddos. So I decided my blog needed a makeover.

On a positive I did finalize our spring break plans. I'll give you a hint...

(Those are my little ones on the wall. They are now 9 & 10)

Looking forward to warm weather and frozen drinks!

Should be able to get some pics up soon!

Molding and Beadboard

2011-01-12T14:42:00.000-05:00

Project Updates

Well its been a while since I posted. So let me give you an update on what I've (actually my hubby) been working on.

I have lots of wall space in my great room and in the master bathroom. So I decided to add a little molding. Downstairs I did Chairs and Squares all around the entryway, hallway and great room. Up in the master bath I added beadboard and then am also going to be adding the beadboard in the kitchen. When I'm done with the molding I'll be painting the great room, bathroom and kitchen.

Here are pics of the downstairs. I really like the contrast between the dark floors and the white molding.

One of my hair brain ideas was to add a column at the end of the stairs. There was already one column there at the end of the railing but I decided I needed one on the other side of the wall. Its turning out nicely!

The green in the kitchen is going away and I'll be painting the walls grey.

The green in the kitchen is going away and I'll be painting the walls gray.

Its been a somewhat slow project but its been our winter project. Very excited to see how everything turns out.

Apothecary Jars

2010-11-30T20:45:00.001-05:00

What to put in my jars?

I bought these very inexpensive apothecary jars for my guest bathroom but have been racking my brain as to what to put in them. Most jars have fruit and twine balls but I just didn't think that looked right for my bathroom.

So one day I'm at Pottery Barn and I finally see something that would work - Decorative Soap.

Pottery Barn shows soap wrapped in pretty paper with a monogram sticker. How easy! So I went to Archiver's to find some nice paper. Wrapped some plain Ivory soap in the paper, added a ribbon and a monogram sticker. I think it turned out pretty nice!

I was also thinking these soaps would make nice hostess gift. Just use some cute christmas paper.

Anyway one jar is solved. The other jar I'm just going to order some colored bath salts. That jar is not as big.

Another Wall Decor Idea

2010-11-18T15:42:00.000-05:00

Easy Wall Decor

This little project only took about an hour. The part that took the longest was deciding what design to choose. Well, I finally decided on the cute little tree.

If you want to see how I did this project check it out on my Accidental Projects Page

Wall Decor

2010-11-10T15:52:00.000-05:00

Closet Wall Art

Still working on my bedroom and closet. Here is the latest wall decor I put up. They are actually jewelry hangers from Claire's. I saw them and thought they'd look great hanging on a wall. When you look at something that catches your eye always think to yourself where else could I use this!

30 Day Giving Challenge

2010-11-09T14:10:00.000-05:00

Giving Challenge Ideas

How is your 30 Day Giving Challenge going? I worked on finding items for my shoeboxes. Here are a couple of other suggestions I have that don't cost anything. The last one is my favorite!

Give a complement to a stranger - love to see them smile!

Give some items out of your pantry to the local food pantry

Give your extra change in a jar to someone who needs it (Christmas Jar)

Give a coffee or drink to the Salvation Army bell ringers - could you stand out in the cold for 6 hours?

30-Day Giving Challenge

2010-11-02T09:23:00.000-04:00

Operation Christmas Child

My love language is giving so when I came across this challenge I didn't even have to think twice about accepting the 30-Day Giving Challenge. The holiday season is quickly approaching and this challenge is a good lead in to the real spirit of Christmas.

It's funny I didn't even know about the challenge until about 10:00 pm last night. But earlier that day I came across Operation Christmas Child and had already decided to participate by buying some dollar store items. I especially like this challenge because I can do it with my kids.

Here is more information on Operation Christmas Child. Basically its Christmas in a shoebox for the children in Africa. Can you imagine all your gifts to your kids fitting in a shoebox. And they are so thankful and love everything in it? Hmm maybe this would be a good lesson for my kids.

I'll be posting updates on some of the ways I have been giving. Feel free to leave comments or suggestions of how you've been giving.

Carmel Apples

2010-10-29T10:46:00.000-04:00

Disney Candy Apples

I found these fun apples at Goofy's Candy Co in Downtown Disney. They are just toooo cute! They used marshmallows to make the ears. I'll have to remember this the next time we have a bake sale! (sorry about the glare from the case!)

Halloween at Disney World

2010-10-26T18:04:00.000-04:00

Back from fall break trip to Disney World. I've been several times but never at Halloween. Wow was that fun! The decorations at the parks are amazing! Everything was so cute with the fall colors! We went to the "Not so Scary Halloween Party". Everyone dressed up, went trick or treating and watched the parade. The rides were open as well which was cool! The kids scored big with the candy and it was good candy like Snickers and Twix!

I'll be showing you more pics this week so check back!

Cloche

2010-10-15T15:49:00.001-04:00

Fall Cloche

I've never had a cloche but I have to say their pretty cool. Its very fun (and frustrating) looking for different things to go in them. Since it was fall I wanted a white pumpkin to go inside. Of course, what I visualized and what I found were two different things. I was actually looking for a tall, oblong white pumpkin. Well I found a shorter, fatter one instead. Still looks nice but maybe someday I'll actually find the one I really wanted.

Hmmm - what should I put in it for Christmas? Any ideas?

Fall Display

2010-10-11T14:15:00.000-04:00

Fall Suitcase Display

Ok, I admit it. I'm not an Autumn person. I don't get all giddy when I see the pumpkins, cider and cornstalks at the store. To me its actually kind of depressing. To me, Fall means summer is over which leads to snow, cold and lots of layers of clothes. (You'd never guess I grew up in Minnesota!)

However, I can appreciate the beauty of Fall. I do like seeing the vibrant orange and red leaves on the trees. I do like seeing my kids get excited to put up Halloween decorations and picking out their pumpkins.

So when I decorate for fall I like to add subtle touches. A couple of pumpkins here and there. Some colored leaves left around. Here is an idea I got from my friend Carolynn at This Charming Life. I bought the suitcase at The Christmas Tree Shop but I've also seen them at Hobby Lobby. I put some fall pics in the frame. The leaves have a string of lights underneath which is a nice accent.

Organizing Coupons

2010-10-04T19:59:00.003-04:00

I'm not the best at clipping coupons but I try. I go in waves. I have months where I'll do really good at clipping my coupons and keeping the organized and then I'll have months where life just gets away from me and they pile up (see below). So since the weather is getting cooler I'm back to getting my coupons organized. Here is the system I use.

I use a three ring binder with tabs and divided inserts (these are just baseball card holders I bought at Target.) I also have a pencil pouch to hold my pencil and scissors.

I clip my coupons and organize them by categories. If I have to fold the coupon to fit in the divider I make sure the expiration date is visible. If not, I write it on the front of the coupon so I can quickly glance through the coupons to see which ones are expired.

I don't subscribe to the Sunday newspaper (long story!) but will try to pick one up each week if I'm out. If not, there are several good coupon websites that I use.

Red Plum

Proctor & Gamble

Coupon.com

Target
(You can also received Target coupons through a text which is nice because you just show the cashier your text and they take the amount off.)

Also check your local grocery stores. Some have the capability of selecting your coupons online and adding them to your rewards cards.

The last tip I have is if you do spend the time organizing and clipping coupons don't forget to bring them to the store! I've done this several times and its frustrating! So now I keep my coupon binder in my car.

Using Removable Vinyl

2010-09-30T10:02:00.000-04:00

Decorating My Laptop

Ok its not that I've run out of things to decorate around my house but I just had this weird urge to decorate the cover of my laptop. When I ordered my laptop I could have chosen from many different colors and custom designs - but for an extra cost, of course. So being the frugal person I am I passed on paying the extra money to trick out my laptop.

I decided to jazz up my laptop. I could get some vinyl in fun colors and use my Cricut to cut a cool design. I ordered the vinyl from H&H Sign Supply. They have many colors and their prices are good. I paid $3.00 a YARD for the vinyl. You can also get a discount on your first order by entering FIRSTORDER in the code at checkout.

So here's the design I made out of white, silver, light purple and dark purple vinyl. I did make a slight mistake that was fixed easily. When I put the design on the cover of my laptop was closed. When I opened the laptop I discovered my birds were upside down if someone was to walk by and look at my laptop. Easy fix. I just turned around my little birdies and voila! Fixed. Be sure to get the removable vinyl or you may be stuck with your design for a long time.

Shoe Locker

2010-09-23T10:29:00.000-04:00

If you can't get rid of it --- hide it!

I have this area right inside my garage door where the kids come in and just dump their stuff. I know we all have it and eventually it gets to us. I didn't want to put any furniture there because it is a walk way and it would make the space narrower. However, since there is always a pile of stuff there anyway our walkway space would not change. So my plan would was to put a bench there that would at least hide their stuff and still have the same amout of space to walk through.
Let's face it if you can't get rid of the stuff then hide it!

This is phase one. I have another shelf that will go over the top I just haven't had a chance to work on it. I got the bench (its actually a tv stand) from IKEA. The kids had fun helping me put it together. (twice - of course I realized when it was
almost all done that I had one piece on backwards. Darn it! Oh yeah,
and you know it was the first piece I put together!)

Look at those dangle earrings! She's the best dressed handywoman!

Ethnic Dinner Club

2010-09-14T09:42:00.000-04:00

A couple months back I started an Ethnic Dinner Club. I had been in one back in OH before I moved to Indy. Its a very fun night of getting together with friends and trying new restaurants and new types for foods. Our only rule is we don't do "chain" restaurants. So far we've done Thai, Indian and Belgium. This month we tried Moroccan.

This is the Saffron Cafe. The owner Annie was so helpful explaining the dishes and making recommendations. I chose the Tagine which came out in a beautifully painted clay pot. The dish had chicken, pears, apricots and prunes. It was soooooo yummy!

Next month we will be at a German Restaurant - after all it will be Oktoberfest!

Home Decor Websites

2010-09-08T17:18:00.000-04:00

Were you a big fan of Design Star as much as I was? I loved watching the makeovers each week. Time and time again I'd see them shopping in a cool little store and want to shop there! So I spent one whole afternoon researching where the Design Stars shopped.

Here is a list of what I found and a few others I like.

http://www.theaccentfurniture.com/

http://www.furniturefirst.com/roomplanner/planningwiz.php?zipcode=11235

(This is a room planner with lots of furniture to play with.)

http://www.westelm.com/?cm_type=gnav

http://www.cb2.com/

http://www.chiasso.com/

http://www.lampsplus.com/

http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/index.jsp

http://www.pearlriver.com/v2/index.html

http://www.pier1.com/Home/tabid/36/Default.aspx

http://marketplace.hgtv.com/As_Seen_on?from=vs

Be careful though! You may be surfing for hours like me!

Bedroom Inspiration from Polyvore

2010-09-03T09:42:00.000-04:00

I love, love, love Polyvore. (www.polyvore.com) I could play all day on it. If you're not familiar with it let me explain. Its a sight where you import clips (you need to download the clip tool) of items you've collected from other websites and then create a composition space. It lets you virtually create your room before you buy any items. Here's my bedroom that I'm working on. I already have the comforter.

moroccan bedroom inspiration by accidentaldecorator on Polyvore.com

http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing.outbound?.embedder=1414939&.mid=embed-imagelist&id=22307634
$100 - bedbathandbeyond.com

Casablanca Lantern -Black 10"

Z Gallerie
$7.95 - zgallerie.com

Pier 1 Imports - Metal & Rattan Wall Décor
$60 - pier1.com

New York Scene is an Ode to the Greatest City in the World
Z...
$10 - zgallerie.com

The Land Of Nod
Kids Mythic Paint and Toxic Free Mythic Paint
$6.99 - landofnod.com

DesignerLinensOutlet.com - Amy Butler Constanta Comforter and Sham Set...
designerlinensoutlet.com

It All Started with a Bedroom Closet

2010-09-03T09:33:00.001-04:00

Here is the project that started it all. Our closet was just a mess with a lot of wasted space. One can only straighten the stack of clothes so much before it gets to you! The piles were getting higher and higher and now matter how straight they'd always fall over.

So we decided it was time for a closet makeover. A trip to IKEA and a gallon of paint and this is how it turned out. Painted the walls light purple and the shelves are black. It turned out really nice.

Now I'm in the process of making over the rest of the bedroom. Just got the walls painted purple and now I'm getting the rest of the room put together.

My Favorite 4-Letter Word

2010-09-01T15:31:00.000-04:00

You're right if you guessed IKEA. But I have a word even better (I know - gasp!) SALE - at IKEA.

My main purpose for the trip was to buy a closet system for my closet. We had to take 2 cars because the panels are 8 feet and they barely fit in my car with no one else in the car. But when we pulled in and saw "SALE" on the front I got all tingley. Of course we ended up with everything including the kitchen sink. Well not a sink but an oven that hubby needed for the basement. By some small miracle we got everything to fit.

And that's only 1 car. Didn't take a picture of the other car that was packed! The closet turned out great and I'll show you pics in the next post. The closet is just the beginning of the whole bedroom makeover which I'm excited to share!

Bored with my kitchen

2010-08-26T18:08:00.000-04:00

When we built the house I chose white cabinets which I liked. But as time goes on I'm bored with them. So I'm needing to do something with my kitchen. I've changed the wall color once already which helped for a little while but I need some change again.

Gold Walls

(Ignore the tacky vinyl tablecloth. Have no idea where that came from?!)

Green Walls

I like the green but I'm bored with it. Here's what I'm thinking. Add white beadboard on the island. Maybe also on the backspalsh. Here are some inspiration pictures I found on HGTV website. What do you think?

Beadboard on the Island and on the Backsplash

Again Beadboard on both.

This one has white brick for backsplash. Should I go back to all white and just add more black in accessories, hardware, lighting?

Decisions....decicions.

"Perfect Brownie"

2010-08-18T18:52:00.000-04:00

Have you seen the ad on TV for the Perfect Brownie? Bake your brownies in the special pan and you'll have "Perfect Brownies".

I have a confession. I'm in infomercial junkie. I'm the one that always stops and watches as I'm clicking through the channels. Always hangs on till there's more then tell me its only $19.95. That's right put it on TV and I'll buy it. Unfortunately most of the stuff I buy doesn't work...except the "Perfect Brownie" pan.

I did not buy mine off TV but found mine at Target for 19.99. I have seen them at The Christmas Tree Shop for $8.99. They truly are the perfect brownie! Crispy on the edges and soft, moist on the inside.

The "BIG UGLY"

2010-06-21T17:00:00.002-04:00

No I'm not talking about the hubby, but the challenge he took on. Today is his birthday so he decided to throw caution to the wind and do something crazy. He took on the Bub's Big Ugly Challenge!

No your eyes are not deceiving you. That is 22 ounces of ground cow that will be cooked and then turned into the One Pound Big Ugly burger!

Cameron has aspirations of taking on the Big Ugly but for now he has to settle with the mini bub.

And he ........

does it! In the Man V. Food challenge

Man won!!!!!

Mike will be forever immortalized as he has his picture on the Wall of Fame inside Bub's.

(Rumor is that Adam Richman from Man V. Food show on the Travel Challenge was at Bub's not too long ago taping an episode of the show.)

Another memorable birthday!

Easy Bookmarks

2010-06-18T17:32:00.000-04:00

This idea came from Chic N Scratch website. She is a Stampin Up demonstrator and always has some cute and easy crafts. This is a project my daughter did for her fellow girl scouts.

Check out how she made these on the Accidental Projects Page.

Good summer craft because she was able to do everything herself.

My Pears Part 2

2010-06-14T11:13:00.000-04:00

Remember my pear prints and the story (Little Bit Of Heaven) that went with them? Well I just wanted to show you where they ended up. In my guest room above the daybed. This is my IKEA room because 80% of everything in it came from IKEA!

"Friend" of Vera Bradley

2010-06-08T16:32:00.001-04:00

I was lucky enough to go to the Vera Bradley outlet sale in Ft. Wayne.

Wow what an experience!

Me & Kate

(Her awesome hubby scored us tix to the pre-pre-sale which I found out was the "Friends & Family" Sale. That's right I am a "friend" of Vera.)

Rows and rows / piles and piles of purses. Amazing! Then in the back of the room is the "sorting" area or the "I changed my mind" or the "over-the-budget-have-to-put-it-back" area. I learned to just grab everything you think you like because you can dump what you don't want later.

Then when you've finally made your decisions you head to the check out room.

Only took us 15 minutes to get through but I guess during the regular sale this can take a couple hours. Yikes!

Filled up my bag but I wish I had gotten more! I guess I stayed too long in the "sorting area" and now I'm regretting it. Oh well, there's always next year!!! Live and learn!

"Margarita Influenced Wall Hanging"

2010-06-06T20:30:00.001-04:00

No the heat has not gone to my head. I have not suddenly changed my decorating taste to "ethnic flair" or margarita influence. This is the real reason for the new "wall decoration".

Yes that's right. The new wall decor is actually temporarily hiding an "oops". Hubby wasn't too careful taking down the Christmas decorations and accidentally ripped off the paint and drywall. So as a quick fix (and probably under margarita influence) I decided to hang the sombrero and poncho on the wall. (Your probably wondering why I have a poncho and sombrero in the first place but I'll let your imagination take over for a little while longer!)

Since I had the floor redone I decided it was finally time to get rid of my
not-so-awesome wall decoration.

I found this great corner bookshelf at The Christmas Tree Shop (no, really its not Christmas stuff!) for only $60. I've been looking online for a while but didn't want to pay over $100. Hubby tried to steal it for his pub but I won! Had fun filling the shelves with items from IKEA, Christmas Tree Shop and Hobby Lobby! And the best part is the picture on the wall is covering up the hole in the wall, but shhh, don't tell anyone!

Floor Makeovers

2010-05-17T10:16:00.001-04:00

Foyer Before

Foyer After

Kitchen Before

Great Room Before

Kitchen After

Great Room After

Back Door After

Everything went great with the Hardwood Floors. Jack Laurie Floors did a great job! They look awesome. We choose a handscraped look for the main areas and slate for the doorways. Feels good to get the nasty carpet out of here! Even had company during the construction. Just need to get some rugs. Looks like another trip to IKEA (Although I do have my eye on this one from Ballard Designs).

Sorry, Sorry, Sorry!

2010-04-16T15:42:00.005-04:00

OK so I told a little white lie. I said I'd tell you tomorrow where I stopped. Well the week got away from me and 1 day turned into 5. Sorry, sorry, sorry. Did you have a guess where I might have stopped? You know if there is an IKEA anywhere in a 100 mile radius I'm there!

So, hello Schaumberg, IL! Home of IKEA, Legoland, and Gino's East Pizza!

Spring Break 2010

2010-04-13T09:09:00.003-04:00

Last week was spring break for us. Instead of heading south like everyone else, we thought we'd be different and head north. We headed to the Wisconsin Dells - Great Wolf Lodge. If you've never been to GWL you have to go. It's very fun! Even the big kids have great time (wink!) Lots of waterslides, arcades, dominoes and adult bevies! Here are some pics from the trip.

On the way home we made another stop. You'll have to come back tomorrow to see where....

Cute Little Birdies or Are They?

2010-04-02T16:58:00.005-04:00

Yes they are cute little birdies but they are not what you think. They had a different purpose other then looking cute on my shelf. Do you have a guess? Well? Your wrong. They are actually salt and pepper shakers. I found them at Home Goods and thought they would be cute on my shelf. The trick is to have them high enough you don't see the holes on their backs.

So keep your eyes open when shopping and try thinking outside the box!

Finally! Nicely Decorated Shelves

2010-04-02T16:48:00.006-04:00

I originally saw this idea for the shelves at of course IKEA. They are 3 separate shelves just hung together. I've had these shelves up for a year and hadn't found anything I liked to put on them. When I was shopping at Pat Catan's I found all sorts of cute items that you'll be seeing popping up around my house. The walls are still green. Not sure why in the after pic they look blue.

BEFORE / AFTER

Easter Cookie Bouquets

2010-04-02T16:39:00.005-04:00

I was asked to make a couple of these cookie bouquets for Easter. Little time consuming but they really are cute when they are done. Check out how I made them on the Accidental Projects page!

Happy Easter!

My Day Off

2010-04-02T15:41:00.013-04:00

Yesterday I took the day off. That's right no cleaning, no dishes or laundry. Just a day for me to do what I wanted. And what I wanted was to go on a little road trip and shop. The Christmas Tree Shop just opened here and I've been dying to go check it out! So with the sun roof open and my Starbucks I headed out. I must say I really enjoyed the day of just poking around and doing whatever crossed my mind. Here's how my day went.

First Stop - Christmas Tree Shop

Found these cute cake plates. I admit it. I love cake plates. Just something about the shape and height. Anyway CTS had some cute ones for spring. Love the lavender. Found this cute plate and stand for $2.29. Love the prices there!

Also found a cute little black table for my bedroom - $15 and ran into the Easter Bunny (wink, wink!)

Next stop - Old Time Pottery

Have to say I was greatly disappointed! Everywhere I looked I was surrounded by frolicing frogs and scary gnomes. Finally made my way into the glassware but it was so dusty I couldn't tell the true color of the glass. Ewww, I felt like I needed a shower after I left.

Little bummed after I left OTP. Wanted to end the day on a high. So when Hobby Lobby caught my eye I decided to stop.

Next Stop - Hobby Lobby

Jackpot - 50% off all hanging decor. Found this cute little "F" pic. When its hung I'll show you. Sadly I ran out of time so will definitely have to go back!

Ladybug Fly Away

2010-03-17T13:14:00.005-04:00

Ladybug, Ladybug, fly away home .... Just not to my home! Was cleaning up the craft room and found 6 lady bugs hanging around. Yuk! So I did the most humane thing I could think of....sucked them up in the vacuum. They'll probably just crawl out and end up somewhere else in the house.

While I was cleaning up I decided to get out my Casio Label Maker. Luv the label maker! Feels great to just label everything. Once I start I can't stop!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Decorating Marshmallows

2010-03-16T09:18:00.012-04:00

Saturday was just a rainy, dreary day. We had nothing planned and no where to go which is very rare. So I saw this idea on Green Beans Crafterole website (http://www.thegreenbeanscrafterole.blogspot.com/) and thought my kids (especially the sugar king) would love these. They are chocolate dipped marshmallows. I was able to find the Strawberry flavored ones at Walmart. Just heat up Candi-Quik and dip. Too easy! The kids (including the big one I'm married to) enjoyed dipping and decorating.

I think the original idea was used as a gift. They are so cute and look great in a clear jar. Our teachers might be getting these at the end of the year.

Little Bit of Heaven!

2010-03-08T08:56:00.008-05:00

What a great weekend! Friends, family and IKEA. What more could a girl ask for! Made a trip to IKEA with some girlfriends. Lots of great ideas! Here are a couple I found.

I think its cool how they used the sticks behind the bed.

I have these pillows on my guest bed. They took the cover off the pillows and put them on a canvas frame. You'll definitely see this one pop up around my house soon!

And the creme de la creme! My bargain of the day. It took some patience and effort but well worth it! My pears!!!

Everytime I've been to IKEA I've seen these pears on display and love them. Never bought them because they were $49.99. There was always something I needed more than to spend $50 bucks on 2 pictures. Well this time I just happened to be down in the canvas art and didn't see them anywhere. So I asked Ben (who was my hero of the day!) if they had anymore or were they discontinuing them.

Ahhhh, the words I dreaded...discontinued...no more in stock. Ok think, think. So I asked Ben if he could sell me the ones upstairs on display. Ben got right on it and thankfully he was also someone who didn't take no for an answer very easily. Luckily after several phone calls to people who really just didn't give a crap and didn't understand the urgency of me needing those pear prints Ben tells me he's just going to have to do it himself. Music to my ears! He went and rescued my pears! Of course when he got back I did try to finagle the price. You know...discontinued...display...yada yada. No deal. Couldn't help me there. Oh well! Life is good. I have my pears!!!!

The best news is that when I went to check out the price came up to $29.99. Yeah, got my pears and saved $20 bucks!!!

Whew! What a fantastic day at IKEA. Thanks Ben!!!

Happy Monday!

Simple Little Squares

2010-02-25T20:24:00.005-05:00

I have these squares I bought at Target on clearance for 3.99 each. They were just black and white photos on these plaques. So I figured I would just buy them, cover them with pretty paper and other embellishments. As you can see I haven't gotten to the embelishment part. That's where I stopped. When I was finished I was planning on hanging them in a bathroom.

Well, I lost my vision and when I held them up to the wall they just didn't look right. So in the mean time I just set them on a ledge temporarily till I found a home for them.

That was about 5 months ago. Since then I have had several people compliment me on them and ask me where I found them...

So I just faked it. I told them how I made them and acted like the squares where meant to be there and look that plain. Here's what they look like.

Bluebirds

2010-01-30T16:02:00.001-05:00

I saw a bluebird the other day. It was a very cold, crisp January afternoon. I looked out the window and saw a bluebird in the tree. They make me smile because they have the brightest blue color I've ever seen on a bird minus a parrot.

It was just a nice contrast to the dull gray skies and trees.

I'm back!!!

2010-01-26T14:54:00.000-05:00

Middle of January and its cold and snowy outside. I've had a chill for the last couple of days. I think the only thing that is going to get rid of it is summer.

So to try to warm up I've put a fire on (with the flip of the switch :) ) and put in a movie. Love winter afternoons. Gives me chance to catch up on all the summer blockbusters I've missed because I'm outside enjoying the weather.

Haven't been to Ikea lately so I'm making a run for the border Friday. I've got a few items on my list so I won't be going crazy. Just a little Ikea fix though!

Across 5 Studio

2009-10-15T16:31:00.000-04:00

Here is a picture of my craft studio. For the most part its finished I just need a window treatment. Its so wonderful to have a functional space! I love that I can start a project and then just shut the doors if I'm not finished. My friends love this area too! The doors are always open if you want to come over and play!

Time Out for a Halloween Craft

2009-10-06T16:33:00.000-04:00

When I was at Archiver's over the weekend I got inspired by all the cool Halloween paper to do something crafty. I decided to make a Halloween Banner. Took a little while to complete but only because in my mind I know how I want it to look but getting the materials is always a different story. Anyway, hope you like it!

3 Months Later ...

2009-10-01T16:20:00.000-04:00

Well not really, but it seams like that's how long I've been working on my kitchen pantry. I'm getting closer though. Putting together all those boxes takes a lot of time. Not to mention several paper cuts! Anyway most all the boxes have labels and I should be finishing the pears for the outside this weekend. Next I'll be working on finishing my laundry room which is what I started before getting into my pantry project. FOCUS!!!! And now dh has started switching the spare bedroom and playroom. I need to slow the man down so I can catch up.

This weekend I hope to clean up my studio / craft room so I can take some pictures to post. Still don't have a window treatment but I'm still deciding what to do.

Kitchen Pantry Needs Help

2009-09-23T14:56:00.000-04:00

Whew! What I thought would be a simple project of course is turning into a bigger project. That's because I can't just do anything thing simple. I always have to take it just a little farther. Let me explain. I was on my way to my favorite store - IKEA - to get baskets to finish up my laundry room. On the way there my friend and I decided we needed to organize our kitchen pantry. I guess when you can no longer see the floor its time to clean it out. I think I found food that made the move into this house 6 years ago. So, definitely time to throw it out. Okay, so how much more simpiler can you get than buying some boxes/ bins and throwing your food into it. I found some awesome and inexpensive boxes for the pantry at IKEA. But once I put the food in the boxes I needed some labels to remind me what was in them. Then after creating labels I still needed to add just that little extra decoration to jazz up the boxes. Sounds great if your doing 1 but I'm doing 14 so its taking me just a little longer than planned. Oh, yeah and darn I ran out of boxes so that means another trip to my favorite store!!!!

Start of something new!

2009-09-21T16:26:00.000-04:00

Ok, so I've been wanting to do a blog for quite some time. I consider myself somewhat creative but mostly I love finding great ideas and adapting them. I also love re-purposing anything. Its always fun and challenging to find a common item and then figure out a way to use it in an unusual manner. Lately I've been on the organizing kick. I've figured out the you can keep the same amount of junk but if you hid it in a basket or bin it looks a lot prettier! Hence, I've been working on my kitchen pantry and laundry room. I guess when you can't see the floor or walk very far into the room its time to start organizing. Most everything I use is from IKEA which is my favorite store. Great items at great prices! Got to love a bargain! Lastly thanks to Carolynn my BFF who is always giving me great ideas including starting this blog. Too bad we are across 5 states!!