DIY Vintage Window Headboard

Along with being a DIY-er and craftaholic, I am also a tax preparer. I have a lot of clients that I have developed relationships with in my seven years of preparing taxes. One of my dear clients came on Tuesday and brought me seven vintage windows that she had picked up at a yard sale a while back. She used to paint them but has not had time to lately so she willed them to me. FUN FUN! Two of the windows had broken glass and I have been wanting a different head board so I thought "why not put chicken wire behind the windows, hang them up an voila!" Here is my little tutorial :) My beautiful stack of windows. First, sand all of the chipping paint off of the wood and clean the dust off. These windows were actually in pretty good condition so they didn't need a lotof sanding. I then sprayed my chicken wire with Rustoleum Hammered spray paint. This took away the shiny silver and gave it a worn vintage look. Staple the chicken wire to the back of the window and cut it to fit with wire clippers.

Hang it up! I didn't screw the 2 windows together, I just put them side by side on the wall.
I couldn't be happier with the turnout! My total cost for this project was $0!! I had everything on hand! Can't beat that DIY project! Have you made anything fun for free lately? I'd love to hear!!

A Touch of Spring

Here in the desert it seems like spring starts the end of January, but this year it has been in the 70's one day and snowing the next. I'm pretty sure we are done with the crazy weather and spring is here to stay! To welcome it in, I decided to add a few small touches of spring in my home.

This is a spring banner that I made using paper doilies and tea dyed coffee filters...and of course my go-to tool Tim Holtz Distress Ink!

I do have to say I'm a tiny bit obsessed with coffee filters right now...with saying that, here is a topiary that I made using more tea dyed coffee filters. This is a very inexpensive project but turned out so beautiful!

This little tree is placed under a cloche on my dining room table.

And this little setup isin my kitchen in front of my sink...the cheery colors make me happy while doing dishes...well at least that's what I tell myself :)

I hope the beautiful Spring weather is making your days sunny and happy!

Kaydence's Big Girl Bed

So sorry I have been a little M.I.A this weekend. I have been very busy working on Kaydence's new bed. About a week ago I did a post found here explaining the need for a big girl bed but just could NOT decide what kind of bed to go with. The next morning I was browsing craigslist and came across a 1920's antique wooden bed. PERFECT! With my love for antiques and the pricetag, I had to have it! Another plus...it was only 20 minutes away! It definitely needed some work though...

As soon as I got home I got to work and have pretty much been working on it sonce Wednesday! I am so happy with the final result and Kaydence loves it! I also changed around a lot of her room so the post I have of her room tour is not so accurate anymore. Here is where my little princess sleeps now... It couldnt' be more perfect.

Growing Up Too Fast

So I think the time has come to move Kaydence into a "big girl" bed. She's been trying to sneak out of her crib the past month and today I caught her with both legs over the rails! There are a couple of reasons I'm not ready to do this...

1.) the selfish reason...bedtime will become a battle of wills

2.) the emotional reason...it feels like she's growing up too fast

I'm not sure what type of bed I want to do...here are a couple of cute ideas I've seen...

Ashley Ann Photography

Life in the Fun Lane

Both styles of these beds would look perfect in her room, just need to decide. By the way if you haven't looked at either of these blogs yet, please do! They are fabulous!

DIY Vintage Arm Chair- Repainting and Recovering

I was browsing craigslist one day for some new furniture for my daughters room and decided to look for a vintage style chair. I found this baby for a great price and was even able to get it for a little less :) I loved it...my husband...not so much! I think he thinks I am a Grandma from the 70's with the way he looks at me and my purchases sometimes. Anyway, I loved the bones of this chair and was loving the rattan sides. I knew with a little spray paint an new upholstery it would be perect! Um...reminder to me...I've NEVER completely reupholstered a chair before. So I went blog browsing and went to one of my favorite DIY blogs Centsational Girl and found her tutorial here. She saved me! So here is my own little DIY tutorial. Not as good as hers, but you can get the idea :)So here she is in her original state. Not horrible, but definitly needed updating!

First things first...remove ALL upholstery!

This was before I did the arms but it took me a while to figure that out :) So we have a little naked chair!

Next, sand and prime!

I used Rustoleum Painters Touch Spray Paint Primer...that is my go to primer for everything! Works fabulous!

While the primer was drying I started to recover the seat of the chair

I used the original pieces as a template for my new pieces. The batting and foam in this chair were in great condition so I didn't need to replace much.

Since I wasn't going to do the buttons and tufting, I filled in the holes in the foam with batting so that you didn't see indents when the chair was done.

Then you start stapling and putting the chair back together :) LOTS OF STAPLING :)
Glue on some trim...I used a vintage lace for the top and sides and made piping for the arms.

And then you have your finished product!

For the chair color I used Rustoleum Painters Touch Spray Paint in Almond. It's a gloss paint but it doesn't look too glossy to me. Then for the material I used a classic Brown Ticking Home Decor fabric. I could not be more happy with how this came out (and hubby is happy too) :) He really needs to trust me I tell ya!

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Home Tour- Kaydence's Room

This is probably my favorite room of the house. It is bright, funky and colorful which all describe my daughter as well.

I am going to attempt to move her out of her crib into a big girl bed that her Papa is helping me make...wish us luck :)
This arrangement is directly above her crib :)

I really do think decorating her room is the most fun for me! What room in your house is your favorite to redecorate?

Home Tour-Living/Dining Room

I recently rearranged my home to incorporate my dining table into my living room. It seems strange, but the way my house was designed makes no sense at all. There is a wall separating the family room and living room but the fireplace and tv niche is on the side where the kitchen is. That left us with one place to make our dining room...in the family room away from the kitchen. After four years of having the table there, I finally figured out how to move it into the living room without it being too cluttered. Here is the final result and I am so happy with it. I love how rearranging furniture can make it feel like a new place. :)





Looking at this room makes me remember why I love the look of a handmade home. What do you love in your home that you've made?

photo credit: Sara Lucero
Edited Version:

I've been doing a lot of redecorating lately so here are some new changes for Spring 2011 ;)

I added some corbels to the shelves and painted them white.  I love the freshness it adds!

Home Tour- My Kitchen

I decided to take you all on a tour of my home. Today we will start with the room which I spend most of my time...my kitchen. I live in a desert town in California in a track house. Track housing has it's ups and downs for me...a down being that the homes are hard to make custom. We are thinking about enlarging the kitchen island soon...but we'll see. I think it has a very cozy feel to it. We recently repainted it light gray from a deep red which was a HUGE change but I love it!

Here is a full view of my kitchen...tiny isn't it :)A few of my favorite Anthropologie finds

I recently found this little pepper shaker at our local Salvation Army for $.75!

photo credit: Sara Lucero