It occurred to me yesterday that Derek has been gone a whole week and I hadn’t done a single project. I know, me–alone–unsupervised. That’s a combination that has project written all over it. But alas, I didn’t get into a single bit of trouble last week.
So I decided to change all that. I sat down last night and did a quick makeover I’ve had on my mind for months now. It took about 10 minutes to complete and I love the way it looks. And if I ever decide I don’t like it…I can always revert to the original. Check it out.
Right before Derek and I got married we had each lost grandparents. This sad event turned into a blessing for us young newlyweds. We had two estates to look through and “shop” for things for our home together. The greatest part is that now our home is filled with things that constantly remind us of our grandparents.
One of the things lifted from Derek’s grandmother’s home was a pair of floral lamps. In our current house we don’t have room to have both lamps out at once. So the one lamp has lived lonely on a side table at the foot of our stairs since last July. For a few months now the lamp has been staring at me, just asking for an update.
It took a bit to come up with a way to modify it without permanently changing it. Finally I decided on summering it up a little with a rope-wrap and a new shade.
I bought a package of Manila rope from Menard’s and simply wrapped it around the lamp. I used hot glue to secure it to the lamp. If we want to revert back I’ll just remove the rope and peel off the glue.
What can you wrap in rope? My answer…anything. Anything solid or with a glossy finish can be wrapped and removed. Just put a little hot glue on it and see if it peels up clean. Rope says nautical. Nautical says summer!
Last week I showed you a little tease of a project I’d been working on. Below you can see the problem. In our bathroom we have some really convenient storage…but it’s open and an eye sore. So Derek and I came up with an idea of how to maintain our space without showcasing our clutter.
Here is the after! I’m so pleased. It was really a pretty easy project.
First we built a drawer for the bottom shelf. It’s retro-fitted with drawer sliders. Really, not that hard at all. Just build a box, then add the sliders. This was a big help because now we can take advantage of the deep storage available without having to dig around in the closet to look for a specific item.
While Derek was working on the drawer I worked on the doors. I bought six fence posts from Menard’s to use as the door. After getting them primed and painted I cut them to the right length and braced them together with a few 2×2 scraps. Once everything was put together we hung the doors and added a hook and eye to keep it stylishly closed.
Once everything was in place it was time to declutter. We have not purchased a towel since getting married nearly four years ago. We have towels that we never use and others that are mascara stained and overall very dingy. So I weeded them out, refolded the good ones and stocked the cupboard. Much better.
I love a project that makes my storage more efficient and my house prettier. Oh, and I should add that this gem cost us less than $30! Even better.
I’m calling it done for now…but I’m not sure this one is “finished.” I think maybe it’s missing something. Maybe I’ll do some sign lettering on the shutters. What are your thoughts? Add something, or leave it be?
Did you like critical thinking problems as a kid? I did. I loved them…like isn’t even a good word for how I felt about creative, critical thinking. I still love them. Maybe that’s why I like home improvement so much.
When all is said and done, home improvement is just one big critical thinking problem. Whether the improvement you are looking at is major {a complete over-haul} or minor {improving the look of that blank wall with a little gallery}, it’s all about problems and solutions.
As with any CT puzzle, the first step is identifying the problem. I’ve identified many a problem in this house {the stairs, the floors, the built ins}. A problem I saw very early on was in the bathroom. But, in the big puzzle it really wasn’t that important. I tackled the first floor, first…since that’s what is most visible. Now I’m getting into the other parts of the house.
So here is the problem. There is a gaping shelf/cabinet thing in the wall. Perfect for storing towels. But my towel collection isn’t really worthy of being showed off {neither are my folding skills.} The solution? Well…it has to do with these painted fence posts. For now, I’ll keep you guessing. I’ll tell you this, though: I’m excited about this one. I’m looking forward to a morning when towels and medicine cabinet junk isn’t the first thing {beside Panda Cat, of course} to greet me in the a.m.
On a side note, please let me tell you how crazy I looked buying only six fence posts, in PraCan, in 20 degree temps, with more than a foot of snow on the ground. The kid processing my order gave me a look…but he didn’t ask. So I didn’t tell. My weird hardware store purchases are my business. {And yours too. There are no secrets between us. Especially when it comes to my awkwardness.}
I don’t Instagram. Really, I don’t even understand what that means. I thought it was just fancy filters you could add to your phone photos. Now it’s all…”Follow me on Instagram.” “Oh, Amy, you’d love it.”
Guys…I don’t need any more social media in my life right now. Pinterest was a pretty big step. Maybe someday I’ll get on board. It must be pretty awesome because loads of my awesome friends do it. For now, I’ll sit this one out.
However, when I’m out and about I do tend to snap photos on my phone. When I see something that strikes my fancy I take a photo. Especially if it’s something that I think is “over-priced” and I could “…easily whip that up at home,” or “find something like it at an estate sale.” So I looked back through my phone. I really do need to do some deleting. And I put together this little collage of things that have been inspiring me lately.
Enjoy.
#1. We were in South Dakota last weekend. While visiting we went to what I consider the cutest winery ever. Total transparency…I haven’t been to very many wineries. But I really do love Prairie Berry. And their free wine tasting doesn’t hurt. Anyway I was this precious wine caddy. We could make that, don’t you think?
#2. When I was in Dallas for the Strip Church conference I took my lunch break at the Galleria Mall. In the middle of the food court two kids had used their mom’s coats {and their coats} to build an elaborate fort. NBD. Except that is pretty, stinking awesome. What’s even better was how the parents just continued to chat like nothing weird was going on.
#3. In Shreveport, Rhino Coffee uses table paper to write their ever changing menu. I don’t know where, and I don’t know why…but I need this in my house. A very welcome alternative to chalkboards.
#4. At a grocery store in Dover, DE there was an aisle completely dedicated to colored sprinkles. WHAT?!!
#5. Again, at Rhino, the bathroom had this nifty TP holder made out of plumbing. Sturdy, practical, I could totally do that.
#6. My friends’ boxer, Clara Belle incognito. Who’s that cowboy in the living room?
#7. I love this line of quirky-folksy tea cups from Anthropologie. Too bad I can’t afford them. I’m banking these cute patterns for my next paint-your-own-pottery night at Margie’s in Minot.
I know. You’re thinking, “Who is this adorable girl eating meatloaf so gracefully?” Well, paws off. That’s my sister. She rocks. She rolls. She’s pretty much awesome in every way a person can be awesome. {And believe me, I know awesome.}
Here’s the thing with Sis. {I call her that, you can call her Erin.} She’s a lefty, a borderline ginger…and she was born on Leap Day. So, all in all she has really defied the odds. I doubt that happens very often. Since the 29th of February doesn’t come around every year, that means we celebrate her on the 28th. Which is…today.
Given that today is her birthday, I thought it appropriate to share something amazing that she has come up with. Now, this is classic Erin. Lists, organization…that’s her ball game. {She is a kindergarten teacher after all. No organization=no sanity in that arena.}
Recently she and her husband put their house on the market. {Sidenote…if you are in the Elkhart, IN area, or would like to move to the best town in America and would like a super cute, well kept, sweetly landscaped home–hit me up. I know a good one that just came up on the market.} Now they are hunting for their next place.
If you’ve ever bought a house you know the process can be stressful. One showing after another and another and another. Eventually they all blur together in your mind. You forget what you liked and what you didn’t. Even if you take photos, some of the details fall through the cracks.
Not to mention, the tension that can come up between spouses when house hunting. You’ve got your eye on an old, needy fixer upper with good bones. He’s got his eye on something from the last 20 years with a room big enough for his Call of Duty game nights. Uh-oh.
To take care of this issue Sis created a worksheet that they take with them on each showing.
Pretty genius…am I right? They go to each showing and fill out this score sheet as they tour the house. Then they add it up and keep it with any photos of the property. As time goes by they will have a clear record of every property and how it scored with them.
Love this idea? You can download this template right here. Or make your own. You can do it in Word or Paint or just write things down on a sheet of paper and copy it, or if this really hits home for you…you can use this one.
This may be one of my favorite wreaths ever. I’m kind of a wreath junkie…so that’s kind of a big deal. It’s pink and romantic {a little late for V-Day} and just so gosh-darn pretty. I needed something to replace that awesome Pottery Barn knock off snowflake wreath from Christmas time. It’s really time I begin looking forward to a day with no snow and blooming flowers. This is a perfect fix.
I’ll tell you this: It was easy, but it wasn’t fast. Commit a few hours or a few nights of TV watching/multi-tasking and you too can be the proud owner of a wreath just like this. All for the low, low material cost of $9. Here’s what you’ll need: (more…)
Hi there. So…as promised, today I’m going to show you how I whipped up these pillows. Now, you are not even going to believe how long these took. Ready? 9 minutes 35 seconds. Did I just blow your mind. Okay, total transparency…they took that long to make each…and it didn’t include the time it took to cut out felt hearts and glue those on. That was another 10 or so.
For this project you’ll need 1 yard of fabric {that’ll make 2 square pillows}, felt, and hot glue.
This is a long post…so if you are following along, go on and click through now. (more…)
Let me be honest. Never in my life have I felt air as cold as what I felt today in Practically Canada.
I’ve been cold before. My senior year of college classes were cancelled because it was just so cold. Highs of 3 degrees with -20 wind chill. Well…Muncie, IN wouldn’t even know what hit them if they experienced today in North Dakota.
When I woke up this morning I looked out the window at the thermometer on the garage. Certainly it was broken. It registered -10. By the time we were home from our afternoon errands and activities the thermometer looked like this:
Yep. You are seeing that right. Nearly -20. The wind chill ranked in around -45. Tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. the real temp will be -24. I just can’t even believe that this is happening. And locals say sometimes it gets even colder. HOW?!
It’s so cold this crazy sciencey thing happens. You aren’t even going to believe this…so we got video of it. To prove to you that it’s real. It’s so cold that if you throw a cup of boiling water into the air it all turns to steam before hitting the ground. When I heard about this I thought for sure it was a joke. Let me assure you, it is not. It’s really that cold here.
This little party trick kept up entertain for quite some time this evening. {A whole kettle full of entertainment.}
So, yes. This is crazy. If you need me, I’ll be on the couch Netflix-ing under the electric blanket. The only thing that warms me up on a cold night like this is a super cute, cuddle kitten. Really, is there anything better than a sleepy kitten? I highly doubt it. Panda Cat has pretty much given up on life outside of the down comforter. What a baby.
See you tomorrow! Be sure to come back for the no-sew Valentine’s Day pillow tutorial.
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