Chalkboard much?

A while back (cough* 3 years *cough) I did a post about chalkboards.  This is my kitchen vinyl chalkboard that we use as a note pad, calendar, and all round organizer.  I love it.

I have had this little (fake) silver tray painted with chalkboard paint in my kitchen for quite a few years as well.  Usually it just says 'Welcome' but here it is being all festive.  I always meant to hang it on the wall but never did.  Lazy you ask?  Yes, yes I am.

I somehow made this framed chalkboard also, quite a while ago.  I can't even remember where I got it.  I definitely painted the frame myself.  I can't quite recall if I painted the chalkboard part myself too, but I think it came that way.  From my mom? Thrifted? Not sure, but boy has it been put to good use.

Behold a few examples of chalkboard usage in my house

Winter fun

A verse in the fall

Same verse different accessories

For a baby shower

Christmas photo prop

Christmas decor

Birthday decor

More birthday decor

For a wedding celebration

For Halloween

Song lyrics at Christmas

Another verse

And here is the most recent version: a saying I read on pinterest that was originally on a t shirt.  It made me laugh so I wrote it up on the chalkboard.  Quite frankly I still laugh to myself every time a pass by and it has been a few weeks.  Easily amused I am.

 I haven't really written because I haven't been sure where to start.  I guess I'll just jump back into it and not think too much.  Decor is as good a place to start as any! So here are our Halloween decorations so far. 

Pumpkins:

 A little chalkboard art:

 Garbage bag spider webs:

And a few knick knacks here and there:

Happy Halloween!

Pinspiration- Succulents

 A while ago I saw some cute succulents on pinterest.  It reminded me of something they did on the blog YoungHouseLove as well.  L and I had a bit of an adventure at Value Village one day and came home with three white containers.  I tried to buy the succulents at IKEA, as they did on YoungHouseLove, but there were only a few left by that time and they were sad, sad specimens.  Instead we dropped in Home Depot and bought them there.

the summer mantel

Hopefully these are plants I can't kill.  But they are looking a bit sad... I hear that fake succulents are nice too...

New Old Buffet

This buffet has been in my parents house as long as I can remember.  My mom also acquired another beautiful wooden buffet with carved handles, it is so lovely.  Anyway, this buffet had to go to make room for a new skinny and tall buffet with a hutch.  And we all know what happens to nice wooden furniture when my mom is done with it... it comes to live with me.  See my living room bench and coffee table for previous examples.

Buffet in its previous home,  my mom's dining room

But this is so beautiful I couldn't paint it like the antique coffee table.  Although if you are wondering I stand by that decision 100%.  No, I kinda wanted this to stay wood but I needed to give it a twist.  

A. and I agreed that painting the inside turquoise would be an acceptable compromise.  Turns out we still couldn't get over painting even the inside (wusses) so A. cut some particle board he had lying around (a great use for old destroyed IKEA drawers) and I painted that.  No one could object to painted particleboard, I mean no one.

I used a bunch of other inherited things to fill and decorate the top and inside of my newly revived buffet.  Finally, a place for my clock collection!

 And here it is!

 It needs something on the wall like a mirror or picture and the lamps aren't great, I know but I am thinking that over.  Maybe pinterest will have an idea for my on that front.

But for now, thanks to my mom for the silver, some of the clocks and of course the buffet. Thanks to A's grandparents for the chairs and his other grandma that left us the clocks and crystal.  And thanks to our wedding guests from 12 years ago for giving us everything blue you see in there!

Pinspiration- 'Milk Bottles'

I feel like I don't really have any creative thoughts lately that aren't pinterest inspired.

Here are some bottles that are like 'vintage milk bottles' and I got the idea from you know where.

Basically, I bought a whole flat of bottled SB frappuccinos from Costco.  I drank some of them, wow they are strong!  I poured some out into containers and froze them thinking they would be good as smoothies (diluted with milk? fruit?) if it ever gets hot here.  The label is a sticker, it came off pretty easily with hot water.  I might have scrubbed a bit with oil to get the last of the stickies off, can't quite remember.

 Then, I painted a few of the lids with left over craft paint.  Cute, huh?

Pinspiration- TOM's update

TOM's are everything everyone says they are.  They're cute, comfortable, for a good cause, and they easily get a hole in the toe.  Just like everyone says.  I got my TOM's last year and wore them frequently until the holes got bad.  They have been sitting dusty on a shelf in the mudroom ever since.  

Enter the source of all ideas on the planet, Pinterest!

 I read and pinned a few different tutorials on covering up that silly hole.  So, with nothing to lose, I gathered some things I had on hand and tried it.

Patch the holes with iron on patches to prevent the problem from reoccurring immediately.

 Then use a scrap of fabric and a ton of fabric glue and to for it.  In this case the fabric was the bottom of a pair of pants that became shorts last summer so that was also free.

TADA!  I think they turned out just fine.  Totally neat and presentable and a little colour blocking to up the trendiness factor.  Yeah for pinterest once again!

In our Easter Best

R's bow tie is a bit floppy because I made the strap a bit too long.. too bad. But still cute!

Pinspiration- Bow Ties for Easter

I have a cute little dress (actually two) for my daughter for Easter, but the boys have fewer options. My hubby vetoed sweater vests, so I was trying to think of something fun they could wear besides a button up shirt and kakkis. Then I remembered I had pinned a few different tutorials for little bow ties on pinterest.

bow ties for my boys

After clearing the idea with R and K, I let them pick from a few different scraps I had in my sewing box. The tutorial was straight forward, I made both in about an hour. The hardest part was turning the long skinny strap inside out. It took forever. I still have to add the fasteners (velcro or hook and eyes) but that requires the boys actually wearing their shirts in order to measure.

tutorial from Papernstitch

Oh and I didn't use interfacing. I wanted to make them right away and I couldn't find any interfacing in my stash, so I went rogue. Just call me the Sarah Palin of sewing. And don't tell my friends who actually know how to sew!

Chevron Pillows

Not long ago I saw these amazing pillows on a trip to the grocery store. As an aside I love all the other junk that they sell at the grocery store. It is a great reward during the chore of picking out cereal and toilet paper to be able to browse cheap clothes, housewares and books.

Initially the pillows I saw were only in a taupe/brown colour which I am trying to phase out of my house. But I couldn't stop thinking about the reasonable price and the on trend pattern so the next shopping trip was to the Superstore on the other side of the hill. And there they were. Turquoise, embroidered, and beautiful.

It's little details like this that make the whole house feel fresh and bright.

IKEA is copying me!

Look at what I found at IKEA.com when I was browsing the other day...

Hmm. Remind you of anything???

Yep. They must have seen my post and then went and found a round, curvy legged coffee table to paint grey.

Tricky, tricky IKEA.

Science Party

My creative energy for the last two or three weeks has been focused on throwing the best 6 year old science birthday possible. You can click over to my other blog to check out more pictures!