The Vintage Glitter House

Colorful Dining Areas

2011-09-25T17:35:00.001-07:00

Here are a few of my favorite photos from Pinterest. I'm thinking about brightening up my kitchen and painting the table and chairs.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Hmm, it seems that I love yellow, blue and green! I'll let you know what I decide.Have a great week!Stephanie

A Big Thank You....

2011-07-16T13:10:00.000-07:00

I was browsing this great site called Decorating Your Way and happened upon a post
called, Craft Room Design & Storage Inspiration. I was delighted to see that #7 was a photo of my kids craft room. When I put this area together a few years ago, I had no idea that it would generate so much attention and be such a great design inspiration for so many people. The last time that I checked, it was added to nearly 6000 ideabooks on the website Houzz.com I have also seen it on blogs, Pinterest, Flickr and even on Facebook.

Here is my original post....

The previous owners left us the long white table.

It weighs a ton so I can see why they didn't want to take it.

I added two cabinets from Lowes at each end and connected everything with a peg board.

Peg boards are easy to paint if you use a roller.

I buy these mini rollers from Sherwin Williams that work great.

I use them on all of my furniture painting too.

When you hang your peg board, don't forget to attach it to a

piece of wood that is about an inch thick. The peg board needs to stick out

from the wall so that here is enough space for you to use the hooks.

I found most of the storage containers from Ikea.

Very easy to use and they can be moved around when needed.

The chairs were $14 each...what a bargain.

So......THANK YOU to everyone that has reposted my photos. I know some people would mind and like permission for the use of their photos but I'm not one of them. I'm honored to have people repost! It means they like it and that makes me happy!!

Stephanie

Easily Organized Sport/School Photos

2011-06-23T12:13:00.000-07:00

If your kids are like mine and have played sports since they were little, then you know how many team photos you can collect over the years. They're cute. I love going back and looking at them. But, I really don't want to display them all. They would take over the house.

Here is the easiest way to keep them neatly organized.

Each child gets their own binder. When they move out (sniff sniff....it will be here before you know it) they get to take this with them and it will be a great reminder of all of the fun that they have had and the successes that they have achieved over the years.

Fill it full of clear sheet protectors

Whenever they get a new photo, I just slide it in. Let me just add, scrap booking is great and if you are into that, that's great. It would be a much prettier set up. I'm just a little bit lazier, and this is perfect for me. No stress involved. Just pop it in.

Each binder in separated into the different sports and I usually add a few candids, ribbons, metals, etc.

I eventually added their school photos too. Simple, easy and all in one place.

When ordering the sport photos, I try to stay consistent and just order the memory mate (shown below). However, it's not always offered.

My favorite part about keeping these binders is about the 3 times a year when we add the new photos we get to sit down and flip through the book. It's amazing how fast your kids grow. Enjoy every minute!! My oldest will be going to college in two years and I still can't believe how fast it went.

Happy organizing!!

Stephanie

Spring Jewelry

2011-05-05T06:18:00.000-07:00

I've added new spring jewelry to the shop.

Vintage Bling Bobby Pins

Chunky Floral Cabochon Necklaces

Repurposed Vintage Jewelry Cuffs

....and necklaces

100 and 104 Main Street

Milford, Oh

45243

Happy Early Mother's Day

Stephanie

Vintage Wallpaper Necklaces

2011-03-25T17:18:00.000-07:00

Here are a few new items listed in my new Etsy shop. I opened up a new shop on Etsy and it is dedicated only to jewelry.

As mentioned in an earlier post...I love vintage wallpaper!

These little beauties are a cinch to make and look fabulous on. I'm a t-shirt and jeans kind of gal and these are just perfect for me.

This one looks great with cute yellow

sweater over a t-shirt or tank.

This is my favorite. It's way cuter in person

and looks great with navy.

I only have three listed now but will be adding more soon.

Have a great weekend!

Stephanie

Newest Obsession

2011-03-01T19:47:00.000-08:00

My latest obsession is with vintage wallpaper. Love it, love it, love it!! I'm slapping it on everything! Here's a couple of my favorite's.

Mini Clipboards

Each clipboard is 5x7 and covered with a different vintage wallpaper in either a geometric or floral print. I added a little clip covered in a coordinating print to hold a notepad or notes.

These are the perfect little gift for teachers, co-workers, friends, or even yourself.

I've listed a few in my Etsy shop... The Vintage Glitter House

and I added a few to the shop.

The Mercantile Mall.
104 Main Street

Milford, Oh

(513) 248-0350

Happy Hump Day!

Stephanie

New Tea Room in Milford

2011-02-24T05:59:00.000-08:00

Here is the link for the new Tea Room's blog that is located

at 217 Main Street in Milford.

You will love the atmosphere and the great tea

and homemade cakes and tea sandwiches!

www.thetearoominmilford.blogspot.com

Stephanie

Wordless Wednesday

2011-02-16T17:40:00.000-08:00

I snapped a few photos down at the shop when I was in the other day.

If you get a chance stop in and see what's new.

Mercantile Mall

104 Main Street

Milford, Oh

(513) 248-0350

Girl's Bathroom Remodel on a Budget

2011-01-30T11:12:00.000-08:00

Here are the photos from the girls bathroom remodel. We wanted to mix some of the newer trends, like glass tile and Quartz with some of the elements of a vintage style bathroom, like bead board and

Carrara marble basket weave floors. I think we achieved all of this while staying on a budget. I've added some my money saving tips with the links to the stores where I shopped.

I hope you find the tips helpful.

Stephanie

Before

It was way worse in person. The wall by the shower was rotting and the cabinets were falling apart.

It was also leaking into the kitchen so it was time to remodel.

We gutted the whole bathroom down to the stud's and started over.

The new trend in bathrooms is to use glass tile. There are so many beautiful ones that it is hard to choose. Since we won't be remodeling this bathroom again for a very long time I wanted a tile that was neutral and could go with just about any color that I put with it. This glass tile is clear and Carrara marble. A word of caution about glass tile.... it's hard to cut smoothly. My guy had cuts all over his hands and there is some feathering with the grout in some places. Also, because the thin set on the wall was gray it gave the tiles a green appearance instead of white/ clear. I would use white next time. The glasstilestore.com is a great place to buy tile. They are about the cheapest that I found. Everything arrive quickly in great condition. I even got the Carrara Marble floor tiles from them. I spent less on my marble floors than my friend spent on commercial grade linoleum for her bathroom.

We removed the linen closet and added open shelving for the towels. The closet was just a place for the girls to hide all of their stuff. It was always a mess. Now it's easy to keep clean and organized.

The vanity was the most expensive purchase. If you want a white vanity with inlay drawers and doors you will have to have it custom made. This was surprising to me. We added these cute glass knobs that I found at Homegoods.

Instead of a towel rod we added three hooks. It's convenient to just grab your towel to dry off and the girls have no excuse not to hang their towels.

To keep cost down, I bought this mirror at Homegoods and painted it white.

I spent about $30.

And what would a vintage bathroom be without bead board.

The shower curtain was from Homegoods too.

The counter is Quartz which is the most durable, maintenance free product on the market. It's more beautiful in person. It has little pieces of mirror that sparkle when the light hit it. I could go for weeks without wiping it down (but I don't) because it doesn't show a thing.

I found this in the remnant yard at a kitchen/counter design center.

We made two recessed spaces to hold the shampoo, soap, etc. The bottom is a marble slab. If you are looking for a piece of marble this small try to find a place that has marble window seals. It was $20 for both. To have two pieces cut at a counter design center, it was going to be about $100.

I love the new trend with square sinks so I had to add one.

Once again, I didn't want a towel rod in the shower either. In the old shower the towel rod was always piled full of wash clothes. Now, each girl has a hook. The washcloths dry nicely and the shower stays cleaner. I searched and searched for new hooks like these and couldn't find them anywhere. I went to the local salvage yard and found two porcelain hooks. I was so happy. They cleaned up beautifully and look brand new.

Have a great week!

Stephanie

http://www.glasstilestore.com/

Ideas for Displaying Family Photos

2011-01-10T07:24:00.000-08:00

My familly room photo's were on the homepage of Houzz.com. It is an awesome online collection of home decor photos. Check it out. You will love it!

Stephanie

New Year's Resolution: Frame Your Photos

Houzz- Kitchen Design, Bathroom Design and More»

Home Design and Decorating Ideas:

Kitchen Ideas · Bathroom Ideas · Living Room Ideas · Bedroom Ideas · Dining Room Ideas · Patio Ideas · Landscaping Ideas ·

Vintage Jeweled Cuffs

2010-09-02T05:59:00.000-07:00

Collecting vintage jewels and turning them into something more current, more fabulous has been my passion lately. First I ripped apart the old jewelry. Taking each piece apart by removing the earring clip, pin, etc. Sometimes things that look like complete junk look great group together. Then I glue ( with E6000) the bits and pieces together, making sure to cover the whole base.

I will be selling these and many other pieces in my space down at The Mercantile Mall.
I hope to see you there.

I hope everyone has a great Labor Day weekend! Stay safe!

Stephanie

Hilton Head

2010-08-14T12:34:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that I didn't do one blog post all summer. This was the fastest summer of my life. The kids start back to school on Tuesday so hopefully I will be able to get back to blogging, crafting, junking, etc.

Here are a few pictures from our vacation to Hilton Head.

My niece flew in from California to join us on vacation.

Strike a pose!

I love this photo. The girls found a starfish.

Me and my girls

Zoe and Dad

Rowan

Zoe

We made a few stops along the way. The first stop was Clemson University.

We always try to incorporate college visits into our trips.

The was the University of South Carolina

Hope to blog again soon!

Stephanie

Blue

2010-06-09T07:17:00.000-07:00

Red, White and Blue!

2010-05-28T18:22:00.000-07:00

With Memorial Day this weekend and Independence Day just around the corner, I thought we could use a little red, white, and blue decorating inspiration.

Here are a few of my favorite photos.

coastal living

Bhg

A Soft Place to Land

White-thread.com

Centsationalgirl.com

Country Living

Flickr

FlickrFlicker

Flickr

Country Living

Happy Memorial Day

Stephanie

Dresser Redo

2010-05-14T09:29:00.000-07:00

Ahhh... a brand new sander! My sander broke 6 or 7 months ago

and things were really starting to pile up.

My new sander made it super easy to finish this dresser. Since I was using

spray paint, it only needed a light sanding.

The top already had this design so I sanded most of it

off and then I just went over it, free-hand with fresh acrylic paints.

Then I finished it off with a little floor wax for protection.

Join me for Furniture Feature Friday at Miss Mustard Seeds Blog

Have a great weekend!

Stephanie

Vintage Inspired Jewelry

2010-05-10T15:19:00.000-07:00

I have been dabbling a bit in jewelry making. I love collecting old,

vintage jewelry that isn't really much to look at anymore. I mix the old with the

new to create something that's fun to wear. Here are a few of them.

Happy Monday!

Stephanie

Coffee Table Makeover

2010-05-06T09:40:00.000-07:00

This coffee table was well used. The botttom shelf was cracked

an the top had a ton of scratches and marks made from paint and markers.

I removed the bottom shelf, gave it a good sanding,

and a coat of red spray paint. I decided not to paint

the top because it sanded nicely and painted table tops scratch too easily.

I brushed on a couple of coats of a matte varnish and I was finished.

I thought it would make a great train table.

I'm participating in a link party, Furniture Feature Friday, on Miss Mustard Seed's blog.

There are a lot of fun furniture makeovers to check out.

Have a great day!

Stephanie

Cozy Home Offices

2010-04-30T07:08:00.000-07:00

8 Tips For The Perfect Home Office

1. Find the perfect spot.

2. Create inspiration boards.

3. Make storage accessible

4. Have great lighting

5. Make storage fun

6.Add fun color

7. Keep area clean and organized

8. Find a comfortable chair

Have a great weekend!
Stephanie

Photos from Houzz.com

Spring Break At The Biltmore

2010-04-16T14:23:00.000-07:00

We spent our spring break in North Carolina visiting the beautiful Biltmore Estate. If you haven't been there you must go. It is unbelievable and probably the most perfect house ever created. Especially considering it was built in the late 1800's.

George Vanderbilt III built this home as his bachelor pad....250 rooms and 125,000 acres.

Today the home is still owned by the family and has only a mere 8,000 acres.

They owned as far as the eye could see and every view was spactacular.

This is one of the gardens. Unfortunatley we didn't get to see it in full bloom but we plan to return.

We were able to take an hour long horseback ride on the grounds.

This is our corny, traditional spring break pose. Silly, I know.

Strike a pose!

I wish that I had photos of the inside to show you but no photos can be taken inside.

It is absolutely amazing.

If you do go you must rent the headsets. It will give you the history and details of every room.

Zoe, my teen, thought it was going to be boring. She admitted at the end that is was way more fun than she thought it was going to be and she would love to go back.

Happy Spring!!

Stephanie

Garden Envy

2010-03-25T18:27:00.000-07:00

I would love to be this lady about now. I am so over winter and this yucky, cold, raining weather so I browsed the web in search of dreamy garden photos. Here are some that I found...

Think Spring!!!!
Stephanie

Photos courtesy of Southern Living, Coastal Living, and myhomeideas.com

Kids Craft Area

2010-02-23T19:40:00.000-08:00

I cleaned the kids craft area this week so

I thought I would snap a few pics before it got trashed again.

I'm thinking that will be before dinner.

The previous owners left us the long white table.

It weighs a ton so I can see why they didn't want to take it.

I added two cabinets from Lowes at each end and connected everything with a peg board.

Peg boards are easy to paint if you use a roller.

I buy these mini rollers from Sherwin Williams that work great.

I use them on all of my furniture painting too.

When you hang your peg board, don't forget to attach it to a

piece of wood that is about an inch thick. The peg board needs to stick out

from the wall so that here is enough space for you to use the hooks.

I found most of the storage containers from Ikea.

Very easy to use and they can be moved around when needed.

The chairs were $14 each...what a bargain.

Thanks for visiting,

Stephanie

Fun Jewelry Display

2010-02-14T21:45:00.000-08:00

I usually have no idea what jewelry I have unless it's laying right out in front of me.

There have been so many times that I would root thru my jewelry boxes and

find pieces that I totally forgot that I had. Anyone else like that?

I have been collecting frames and materials for a while now and

I finally decided to sit down last week and check this project off of my list.

Here's how I did it.

Materials that I used...frames without glass, old radiator screen, simple fabric,

random drawer pulls, hot glue, and nails.

Cut the radiator screen to size with tin snips. It cut much easier than I thought. Place it in the frame and nail little trim nails into the corner of the frame and bend the nail flat against the radiator screen. This will hold it tight into the frame.

Scrambling around the house to find something to hang my jewelry from, I found gold brads. I slipped them thru the holes half way and bent the backs. It worked suprisingly well. Sorry, I didn't get a picture of them.

For the fabric covered frames, I simply cut the fabric a little larger than the cardboard backing. I then used hot glue to secure the fabric to the back. I used trim nails to secure it into the frame as well.

This may look a little scary but I needed to be resourceful. My backing was too hard and my pins wouldn't stick into it. So I used a few sheets of my daughters craft foam. I glued them to the backing with hot glue and trimmed them to fit. Then I covered it with the fabric like I described above.

Adding the knobs was easy. Just simply push the screw thru the back and twist into the knob. Hint: if the knob is a little loose, add washers or nuts to fill the gap. I had to add several to one of them so it felt secure.

Here is how they turned out. I'll have to be honest. I am truly disappointed in the photos.

It looks so much better in person. I must have taken a hundred photos, a.m., p.m., flash, no flash. Ugh.

I'm in the process of redoing my bedroom so it looks a little sparse. My brother in law gave us this very large sleigh bed (which I love) so we needed to redo everything. My furniture looks rediculous next to that huge bed. I'll have to post when I'm finished.

Have a great week.

Stephanie

Valentine's Day at the Mercantile Mall

2010-02-09T17:08:00.000-08:00

There are so many fun things for sale down at the Mercantile Mall. Every time that I go down to refresh my space, I have to remind myself that I 'm there to make money...not spend it.

I have been on a crepe paper and ribbon rosette kick lately.

I made a bunch of these valentine ribbons that say "be mine."

Mechelle, from pink daisy's blog is new to the shop. We love having her there. Her sewing skills and love for vintage fabrics has helped make the shop look fabulous!

Here are a few more rosettes

vintage textile and lampshades

This little wicker chair is so adorable.

More linens and another cute chair.

We would love for you to visit.

Stephanie

The Mercantile Mall

100-104 Main Street

Milford OH

Friday Furniture Makeover

2010-02-05T06:03:00.000-08:00

I haven't done Furniture Feature Friday in such a long while.

I can't wait to go through and see all of the amazing projects. I get so inspired by all of talented people in blog land.

So, if you haven't stopped by Miss Mustard Seeds blog before, today would be a great day to start.

Not only is Friday filled with great furniture makeovers but during the rest of the week she cranks out one creative project after another.

This week I'm featuring a mini furniture makeover, an antique ottoman.

Before

After

I hope everyone has a safe and fun weekend!

Stephanie

Sweetheart Valentine Flashcards

2010-01-29T06:05:00.000-08:00

I bought these darling little flashcards from The Pretty Little Studio a few weeks ago.
They are so adorable. However, I'm having a hard time deciding what to do with them.
Have you ever had that problem? You know that there are a billion choices but you just can't seem to settle on one. So, I'll ask for help. Any suggestions ladies?

Have a great weekend and stay warm,

Stephanie

Reward of Merit

2010-01-26T10:25:00.000-08:00

If there is anyone that you want to say, "kudos" to, here is a cute and easy idea
for you to create. I found this cute graphic on The Graphics Fairy's blog.
If you haven't been to her website , you really need to check it out. She has amazing clipart.

I glue it to an extra piece of matte board that I had and added a few embellishments....fun and easy. There is also a space at the bottom for you to write their name in and to sign yours.

I have a lot of seam binding for sale in my Etsy shop.

I really do use it on everything.

(more colors to be added soon)

Happy Tuesday!

Stephanie

Vintage Seam Binding

2010-01-21T20:52:00.000-08:00

I found this vintage seam binding in a warehouse last year.

Since then, I have used it on everything. It's great for so many things and it adds the perfect touch to gifts, crafts, tags, scrapbooking, etc. It's silky soft, comes in a wide array of beautiful colors, it's washable and you can even dye it.

It's addictive. If you want to try some......

I added these to my Etsy shop today and also took some down to The Mercantile Mall.

Take a look!

Stephanie

Valentine Banner

2010-01-18T16:15:00.000-08:00

Valentine Banner
Banners are so much fun to make! I've been wanting to make one for a while now so I finally sat down and taught myself how to make crepe paper rosettes, cut the triangles, and got busy creating. They're pretty easy to make, especially if you have a lot of scrap paper and trims already at home.

I hope you like them.

I made two of them. One is listed in my Etsy shop
and the other will be at the Mercantile Mall in my space.

Have a great week!

Stephanie

Lampshade

2010-01-13T08:43:00.000-08:00

Lampshade Makeover

Here's an easy way to turn a blah lampshade into a beautiful custom shade. You can find great shades at garage sales and thrift stores for next to nothing. Your really just looking for a great shape. You can cover everything else.

First, I ripped the trim pieces off of the shades so there wouldn't be any bumps. Don't toss it.... you can use it later. Then I cut my fabric into fat strips, with the top being slightly smaller than the bottom. Each lampshade will be different. You can always cheat a bit and cover gaps or overlapping areas with pieces of trim.

Next, I used spray adhesive to cover a section or two at a time. Be sure to work in a well venilated area. Spray adhesive is really smelly. I used clothes pins at the edges to make sure there were no gaps at the top and bottom. When this dries, go around and finish edges. I used spray adhesive but then I went back and used the trim pieces that I ripped off of the original cover to finish the edges.

Finally, I added different trims to hide the messy edges and to give it personality.

Happy hump day!

Stephanie

Happy 2010!!

2010-01-09T20:42:00.000-08:00

Happy 2010 everyone!

I've been MIA because my imac decided to crash Christmas Eve and I just got it back last night. If this has ever happened to you, you know how upsetting it can be knowing that you probably lost all of your stuff, including years of precious photos. Luckily, I sent it off to a data retrieval company and for a mere $80 they found everything and put it on a new hard drive for me. What a huge relief! The first thing that I did today was to go over to the MAC store and purchased a back- up hard drive.

So if you haven't done it lately.......back-up everything on your computer!

Have a Happy Sunday

Stephanie

Holiday Helper

2009-12-23T08:03:00.000-08:00

I received this little book last year as a Christmas present from a friend. I got such a kick out of it. It's full of vintage photos, vintage gift ideas, and drink recipes to get you through the holidays... all added with a bit of humor. If your looking for a last minute holiday gift, this would be a great one.

Merry Christmas!

Stephanie

Scraps and Glitter

2009-12-18T05:55:00.000-08:00

I made a few tags/door hangers/wine bottle charms out of mostly scraps and bits-n-pieces of things that I have collected over the years . They are super easy and fun to make!

Have a great weekend!

Stephanie

Christmas

2009-12-16T05:31:00.000-08:00

Here are a few random photos from around my home.

A tree filled with vintage ornaments.

Old ornaments and postcards tucked in everywhere.

This is the Christmas house my mother gave me after my Grandma passed away. I remember loving it so much when I was little (and I still do).

I replaced the orange and black photo in here to a cheery Christmas one. A vintage postcard and scrapbooking supplies and walla!

I also use sprigs of pine, boxwood, and cypress everywhere.

My front door x2 (I have double doors)

Happy decorating

More Glitter Houses

2009-12-13T18:53:00.000-08:00

Here are a few houses for sale at the Mercantile Mall. If your in Milford, stop by and say hello.
Happy Holidays,
Stephanie

Here are a few of the houses for sale at the Mercantile Mall

Vintage Santa Collection

2009-12-09T09:16:00.000-08:00

I love my vintage santa collection. It is one of my favorite things to get out and display at Christmas time. I've picked them up here and there but two of them are definitely my favorites. My Grandmother gave them to me a few years back. They were gifts to my Grandma from my Dad when he was little. She kept every gift ever given to her and marked each one with the date and the name of who gave it to her. In her last few years, she gave these gifts back to her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.

Happy Hump Day!!!

Stephanie

Glitter Christmas House

2009-12-07T06:32:00.000-08:00

I've listed my glitter house on Etsy.......more to come.

Furniture Friday Makeover

2009-11-20T06:51:00.000-08:00

Have you ever wondered how to make a painted piece of funiture look old?

I'm going to show the cheapeast, easiest way to do it.

The first thing that I did was to spray paint the table. Then I took a piece of sandpaper and gave it a quick sanding, paying close attention the the edges.

After wiping the piece down, I rub a little brown acrylic paint mixed with a little bit of water all over it. I work in small sections. About the size of half of the top of the table. Then I wipe most of it off, trying to use long straight strokes. If you wipe in a circular motion on the large flat surface, it may show up. You don't have to be so neat anywhere else..

O.k. So it doesn't look like I used long, straight strokes. But on the final time around, I really did.

You may need to add a little water to your rag.

It didn't really show up on the photo as well as I hoped it would.

The final step is so easy. I use floor wax/paste to give it a little extra protection and shine.

You rub it all over the piece, let it sit a minute or two, then you wipe it off.

Give it a little time to dry before handling it.

I hope that made sense. I'm not sure how everyone else antiques furniture but this is how I have done it for years. If anyone has any distressing tips...please comment here. I would love to here them.

Have a great weekend and be sure to stop by Miss Mustard Seeds blog to find more great furniture makeovers.

Stephanie

Furniture Friday Makeover

2009-11-13T19:55:00.000-08:00

This weeks makeover not only consists of painting an old piece but I also added several pieces together to make it look like one big piece of furniture. I found the buffet at my local St. Vincent DePaul. It was dark and beat up. I added a several coats of white paint and wax. (I always add floor wax to my painted pieces. I like the finish it creates and it helps protect it.) In my process of decorating, I noticed that the mirror was the perfect size. One idea led to another and the next thing you know, I'm adding a shelf and brackets. It has turned out to be a great piece for displaying Holiday items.

Stop by Miss Mustard Seeds blog to find more great furniture makeovers.

Have a great weekend,

Stephanie

Parisian Message Board

2009-11-11T22:25:00.000-08:00

Pink and Black Parisian Message Board

I found this frame curbside and once again I forgot to get a before photo. I'm sure all of you have seen a frame like this one before...offwhite and gold. I gave it a quick coat of black glossy spray paint.

I wasn't able to use my favorite tool ( a staple gun) because of the thickness so I used my second favorite (a glue gun) to attach the fabric to a piece of foam core board that was covered with several pieces of thick , felt- like fabric. Be sure to cut the final, decorative fabric an inch or two bigger than the cutout. You'll need to wrap the final layer around the edge and glue on the back. This way you will hide all of the layers, you won't see the glue thru the fabric, and it gives it a more finished look.

For the trim pieces, I simply glued them on each end to the back. I glued vintage buttons at the criss cross to finish it off.

I found hot glue works great on fabric... no special glue needed.

(I have trim glued on chairs seats that have lasted for years.)

Happy Thursday

Stephanie

Scarecrow

2009-11-10T05:12:00.000-08:00

Happy Tuesday!

I know this is a little late but this was Rowan's costume this year. It is my all time favorite. Almost everything came from the thrift store and everything else except for the straw came from home. She was comfy and warm except for the crow occasionally poking her in the cheek.

Have a great week!

Stephanie

Furniture Feature Friday

2009-10-30T18:30:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday!
This is one of my favorite makeover projects. This was the ugliest china cabinet ever. The previous owner wanted to just throw it away but I talked her into giving it to me . I painted it a mustard yellow and added a few knobs from Anthropologie and Walla!!!! I love the way it turned out. But, I am so bummed out that I didn't take a before picture.

Stop by Miss Mustard Seeds blog to check out more Fabulous Friday Makeovers!!

I hope everyone has a safe and fun Halloween!

Stephanie

Halloween Costume Ideas

2009-10-15T22:35:00.000-07:00

If you are like me you're probably scrambling to find a cute last minute Halloween costume. Here are a few that we came up with over the years. Some are store bought, some are homemade, and some are a little of both.

This is probably my favorite costume of all time.

Rowan loves animals, all animals and she loves her webkinz.

So, I made her this cute little puppy costume.

The little prize button on her chest reads "Pick of the litter."

This was very easy to make. The top is a white hooded sweatshirt

with patches of white and brown fur sewn on. I made the ears from

white and brown fur that I sewed together

like you would if you were making a pillow. I added a few pipe

cleaners to the ears to make them stiff

and I added them to the hood with a few stitches.

The bottom is just brown sweats and brown fuzzy slippers.

This costume is not only cute but also comfy, warm,

and easy to run around in collecting candy.

Hippie

This was an easy one too because we had

everything at home except the glasses and the peace necklace.

Zoe is so creative....that is a belt around her head!

Of coarse, a pirate.

We had the dresses but I can't remember where we got them.

I do remember going to World Plus Market and getting the umbrella,

shoes, and chop sticks for their hair.

Adding black eyeliner and bright lips finished it off.

Too cute

Don't forget little details like painting on a little black nose or whiskers.

I just used my eyeliner. I think it stays on better.

Zoe was mad this year because everyone kept telling

how pretty she looked and she wanted to look scary.

They made themselves look like BOYS.

I love the attitude they used to pull off the look

Rowan wore her sisters cheerleading uniform.

An ipod

This is my second favorite costume but I don't have any photos to show you.

Zoe and a group of her friends made these together.

Each one of them was a different color ipod.

We made sandwich boards by adding elastic straps.

Hint: make sure you don't put them too far apart or they slip off of their shoulders.

Finish the look off with white turtlenecks and leggings.

I thought that I would add in this little cute little Halloween craft

idea that my daughter did at her school last year.

They had tons of white sheets and white cotton fabric ripped up.

The kids glued them on, added black marks and eyes.

Easy and cute!

I hope I gave you a few ideas for Halloween or at least inspired you to create something at home yourself. I had fun looking through my old photos, seeing how cute my girls looked when they were little, and seeing how much they have changed over the years. (sniff, sniff) They grow up too fast.

Have a safe and fun weekend,

Stephanie

Before and After

2009-10-13T07:19:00.000-07:00

After four long years we finally finished our "to do" list on the front of our house. When we moved in, the amount of work needed to be done was overwhelming. We bought the worst house on the street, knowing that it needed a lot of work. Although we still have a ton to do inside, I feel relieved to get the outside finished.

Our old garage door no longer worked. It was stuck in the down position!
We even had to take the lawnmower out the front door. Ugh!

The front garden was overgrown everywhere and ivy had taken over.

The sidewalk and the driveway were cracked and crumbling.
Really, they looked way worse in person.

Thanks to the September wind storm, we were able to get a new roof.
And yesterday, we had our new carriage style garage door installed.
I couldn't be happier.

We added a paver, rounded front step and an extra wide sidewalk.

Under the large tree we planted many different types of hydrangeas.
Hopefully all will grow the way that I planned.

Thank you for taking the time in your busy day to visit my blog. I appreciate every comment, follower, and visitor.
Stephanie

Glittery Halloween

2009-10-08T02:45:00.000-07:00

This post wasn't viewable to some so I deleted two photos and tried again. I thought maybe it was too long... but it wasn't. It turns out that I accidentally added a "page break" at the top of my post so it pushed everything to a different page. Go figure. It took me forever to figure that out.

Happy Thursday everyone!! Well, Friday now...

Here are a few pics of my Halloween displays in my living and dining rooms. Have you ever noticed that some displays are extremely hard to photograph no matter how much you try? I tried taking them in the a.m. and p.m., with flash on, with flash off, and every other way I could think of. I think having the glass domes and the mirrors make it difficult because of the glare. So, if anyone knows any good tips on how to photograph around mirrors and glass domes, let me know. I could really use the help.

Well, here's what I ended up with.

Take care,
Stephanie

Glitter Pumpkins

2009-10-03T21:47:00.000-07:00

Here is a quick little Halloween decorating project for you. I know glittery pumpkins are nothing new but I wanted to show how easy it really is. It literally took me 4 mins. to complete (not including drying time). Have all of your supplies ready before you start.

Pour some Elmer's glue into a container and add a little water to thin.

As quick as you can, put the glue over the entire pumpkin. Work quickly because the thinned glue will sometimes dry fast.

You don't want to do it in sections because the glitter will clump up and you won't get a smooth finish. (I like Martha Stewart's glitter.)

Add a little glitter to the bottom of your tray( so when you sit the pumpkin down, the base of it gets covered instead of smeared) Then, starting from the top add glitter moving in a circle all the way to the bottom. Allow plenty of drying time. Especially if you are putting it under a glass dome. It will fog up the glass if still wet.

There you go! Now your glittery pumpkin is ready for display.

Happy decorating,
Stephanie

Mercantile Monday

2009-09-28T09:37:00.000-07:00

Here are a few recent pics of the Mercantile Mall. We have a few new vendors, so the shop is jammed full of goodies. The Halloween items are trickling in so I hope to get a few photos to share with you later in the week.

If your ever in Milford, stop in and say "hello".
Stephanie

100 & 104 Main Street
Milford, Ohio 45150
Phone: (513) 248-0350
Store Hours:
Sunday ~ 12pm-5pm
Monday ~ Closed
Tuesday - Friday ~ 11pm-5pm
Saturday ~ 10pm-5pm

Another Fun Website!

2009-09-24T16:50:00.000-07:00

I have a new website to share. Well, atleast it's new to me. I found it a few weeks ago and love it. It's HOUZZ. It's an online photo album of homes, inside and out. I love it because it's pretty much just photos.... no advertising! Here's what you can do...

1. Browse over 15,000 photos from top designers around the world. Use the left side bar to browse by style, space or metro area.

2. Click on the "add to ideabook" button next to the photos that inspire you.

3. When finished adding photos, go to "My Houzz" to view your ideabook. You can share your ideabook with professionals, family, friends and with the houzz community.

It is so easy to navigate thru and you can upload a few of your own. So, for you next remodeling project... create an idea book.

Here is a small sampling of my favorite photos.

My Daily Visitor

2009-09-22T08:20:00.000-07:00

This little White Tail Deer and his sibling have been visiting our house on a daily basis. We have a crab apple tree by our driveway that must be quite tasty because they don't seem to notice the world around them. Kind of like a good double chocolate cake for us. The two little ones don't seem to mind people, cars, or my dogs. I sat down on the driveway about 10 feet away, then I got up and went in to get my camera. I came back out, sat back down and took a bunch of photos and they didn't even flinch.

I hope everyone has a fantastic week!
Stephanie

The Country Living Fair!

2009-09-20T20:00:00.000-07:00

It was a fantastic weekend to be at The Country Living Fair!

I loved absolutely everything in this vendors booth. The colors, the displays, the whimsey....they just drew me in to take a closer look.

I hope to get more photos on this week.

Weekend Finds

2009-09-14T17:57:00.000-07:00

Brenda and I went to Mechelle's pre-garage sale Friday night. She was kind enough to invite us over even though they were busy trying to move and get ready for the garage sale. She had a ton of awesome things that she wanted to get rid of before she moved to the new house. Here are just some of the great things that I got from her. Brenda got a lot of great stuff too.

Thanks Mechelle!

The photo doesn't show it but there are a ton of linens, fabrics scraps, pillow covers, etc.

I love all of the white frames.
Two are mirrored and one is going to be turned into a jewelry display.

Happy Tuesday!
Stephanie