The Wild Side

Let me say I love it when I find out I was ahead of the trends.

Case in point are my birds.

I started a love for birds before I even knew they were popular (pre-blogging).

I didn't know when I painted Annabel's room this bright pink (I thought was azalea)

that it would offer me a chance to enter The CSI Project.

But I'll name it Honeysuckle and join the party!!

Have you ever had visions for a room,

put it together piece by piece then once you were done

realized you created a hot mess?

That's pretty much what happened with daughter #2's room.

I knew I didn't love it.

It was way too busy and way too pink.

Then I published this picture:

Two words: hot. mess.

I had an idea and I had a whim.

So at Target I decided to buck up and spend the $75 on some new bedding.

I made curtains out of really cheap white fabric and added the zebra stripe out of an extra sheet that I purchased. I was going to do a canopy over the bed but I just couldn't see that play out well in my head so I opted for the "artwork."

I had planned put black and white pictures in the frames, but once I hung them on the wall, I kind of liked them blank.

Yes, this artwork is a mixture of some other things you have seen on "Toile in the Family."

It is a little "Ode to A'ish" and I have found yet another way to use some buttons.

(You're hoping I'll run out of those soon aren't you?!)

I love it. You would think the black would be overwhelming, but there is just something about focusing on two colors that makes it much more pleasant to look at.

Let's see the before and after again shall we?

Hot Mess Before:

The AHHHH-After:

I'm joining the million of link ups over at Thrifty Decor Chick for her February Before and After Party. If you have a few minutes, come by and check out some other fun before and afters. I can't guarantee they will all be hot mess transformations, but there are lots of cool ideas over there!

This is another favorite room redo of 2011. I'm linking up with Addicted 2 Decorating. Come see some great room redos!

You can see the other two kids rooms here, just know that I already have some plans for little man's room. Don't go thinking I am discontent. I'm just creative, that's it, creative.

W is for Wages

As soon as the temperature hits anything above 40 degrees my kids BEG to have a lemonade stand.
It drives me a little crazy.
But now that they are older and can take more initiative and responsibility they don't need as much assistance from me to go into business.

What gets a little hairy is the making of the signs, the hauling of the "princess folding table" and chairs, and of course the mixing of the lemonade.
It just creates a huge mess that I am left to either pick up
or endure the whining of "I'm too tired to pick it up now."

Disclosure: I am notorious for doing a project and leaving the mess for my sweet hubby to clean up. By the time I finish a project I am usually impatient and done and want to get the heck out of Dodge. So I really can't fault my kids, I just try to teach them better habits and follow through than I have.
Anyway, one day at my favorite flea market we saw a super cute lemonade stand. It had wheels and a cute little canopy over the top.
Alas, it was already sold.
But that got hubby's wheels turning. He had plans to make one.

Fast forward a few months (and a few princess table lemonade stand days later) and we were at yet another auction.
A microwave cart came up and before I could say "Bob's your uncle" hubby was bidding on it.
I proceeded to respond with "What are you doing?" (add appropriate shocked tone here) He said "I think that would make a good lemonade stand."
I was shut up pretty quick, because I could see he was onto something.

Here is the before (sort of). We still haven't gotten the hang of taking "before" pictures.
He had already removed the doors and added the picture molding around the edges.
I bet you all know where I am going with this.

I spray painted it white (to prime it) and then let the girls and a neighbor paint it white with brushes.
My decorating nazi side just had to find something else to do while they were painting
(luckily we had a yard sale coming up so I had plenty to do.)
When they said they were done I stepped in and smoothed out the puddles of paint and the run marks (there was so much excess paint it didn't even qualify as drip marks).
Here is A #1 putting some artistic touches on it:

Here is the other side:
I painted the front with chalkboard paint and then wrote our "menu" on it with my new liquid chalk markers.
I love these things!
I have another project I am anxious to show you (and the reason I got them in the first place) but that is probably going to be another couple weeks, sorry!

Here is the final result and her debut at the yard sale!
The kids had a ball with it and they made over $30!!

Makes you thirsty just looking at it doesn't it?

I'm sharing this with:

Just a Girl Show and Share Day

Beyond the Picket Fence Under $100 Party

Miss Mustard Seed Furniture Friday

A very important P.S.

I told you about this earlier, but it really needs to be said again.

Sarah at Thrifty Decor Chick

is giving away a Silhouette!!

What is a Silhouette?

A Silhouette is very similar to a Cricut, except you don't have to buy cartridges for it.

You can download all kinds of cutie things off their website for very, very little money!

I know I told you before that you shouldn't go HERE to enter for yourself.

How about you go HERE and just tell Mrs. TDC that

your friend Molly REALLY needs one.

That sounds like a plan to me, go tell her. Go on. I'm waiting.

W is for Windows-Part 1

Home stretch people!
"W" week and I have so many things to show you all.
I decided to put my "windows" in multiple parts because, well because I use ALOT of windows in my decorating.
I don't really know why.
I guess I am just drawn to them.
Just when I think I am a little over using windows I will come across ANOTHER really cool window. You will see some of those later in the week. For this post I am going to start with a window that started pretty bland, but I think it (they) turned out pretty stinkin cute.

It started with an obscure window I got at the local flea market:


Before I go any farther, the pictures from this tutorial will not match up with the "after." The windows are different and the decoration on them is different, but the steps are the same. Perhaps you can forgive me for the discrepancies??

Anyway, it all started with a window. Seeing that clear glass got my wheels spinning. Caught up in those wheels were visions of birds and frosted glass spray paint.
Big shock huh?

I have written a more in depth tutorial of how I use the frosted glass spray paint here so I will just give you the shortened version, with pictures:

Here is the contact paper being measured and cut to fit the window panes.


Here is where I draw out the design that I want on the windows. I "image googled" vinyl bird art and pick something for inspiration.


Next step is to cut out the parts that I want to be painted

Then you spray paint the window with the trusty Rustoleum Frosted Glass spray paint.

Here is the set of windows I did using this technique. One window has two birds (to represent hubby and I) and the other set has three birds (to represent the kiddos). I hung them in front of the screens on my screened in porch.
Oooh, there's a little peek. See the window?? Okay, I'll give you a better shot. or two. okay maybe three.
There are the "love birds"


There are the "kidlet birds"


Here is a shot of both of them hanging between the frames.

I am linking this up with The CSI Project. This week is "Frames, Art and Wall Decor." Come by and check it out!!

So did you see how I HAND DREW that bird design. And I had to do a little research to find the design that I liked?

Well, Sarah at Thrifty Decor Chic could provide the answer to my woes.

She is giving away a Silhouette!! Oh and it comes with all kinds of stuff!! Now I am SUPPOSED to tell you to go to her site and check it out and enter for yourself.

I don't want to do that. I want it for myself. So, don't go. It's not that great.

But it really is.

Also joining in with:

Jenny Matlock: Alphabe-Thursday

Just a Girl Show and Share Day

Voila!! Polka Dot Bulletin Board

This is an old post, but I saw Donna was having a picture frame SNS tonight and I wanted to join up. I have been out of the blogging loop for awhile and this would be a great kick start! Come over to Donna's and see all the other neat things she (and others) have to offer!!!

It's still "V" week!

It was a stretch, but I managed to fit this post into my Decorating Nazi ways and incorporate into my theme!!

I got the itch to join up with The CSI Project. Come by and see what the others did.

This week's project was the "Dollar Store Challenge."
I wasn't going to participate, but I was needing to create a bulletin board for A #1's room for all her ribbons.
I had the night to myself (WHOO HOO!!) and thought I would go see if Dollar Tree had a bulletin board I could do something with.
They didn't have a bulletin board, but I did find a super cute placemat
and some foamcore:
Also in the picture are some glue dots I got at Big Lots for $1.

I had some old frames (they were 11x14) so I measured the size and cut the foam core and placemats to size.
I tried to use the glue dots to hold the placemats on the foam core but it didn't hold...at all.
I got my trusty glue gun and just glued it down.

I repainted the frames white, slipped in the foam core/placemat and VOILA!!






A #1 returns from church camp today. She is going to be so pleased to have someplace to put all her ribbons she has won this year!

Thanks for stopping by. Take some time and go wander around the Dollar Tree, you are sure to find something to get creative with!

S is for Spray Paint

Getting closer to the end.

I'm not really sure what I will do after the letter Z.

It will probably be all random and scattered and I will lose every follower and faithful reader I ever had.

Oh well, at least I'll have you guys for a few more weeks.

Here we are week "S." This post is actually going to kill two birds with one stone. Not any of these birds, mind you, but some random pesky birds that pooped on your car or something.

I am going to keep up with my plan and follow through with "S" week. But I am also participating in the "CSI Project." It is going to be so fun! You should check it out, you will probably want to play too!

For those of you who follow me fairly regularly, you probably know how much I love to spray paint. On a nice day, I could go through about 5 cans of spray paint.
I have some favorites, Heirloom White, Canyon Black, Oil Rubbed Bronze. Those are my standard go-to's.
I am going to try to branch out with a gray and blue color. I'll have to let you know how that goes.
Today's post; however, is about a color that you may have seen but aren't sure of:

This paint creates the look of frosted glass.
Okay, that was a little obvious, you all can read. Sorry.
Anyway. I have some really nice sidelights by my front doors. I liked them, but it kind of creeped me out that people could see inside them at night.
Yea, I could have put shades or curtains up, but they are kind of skinny and I just didn't like that idea very much. Plus, that would have been WAY TOO EASY.

Here was my solution:

I bought a big stencil and traced the design onto contact paper that I had cut to the size of the window and then put the contact paper onto the window:
Here it is on the window.
That was the easy part.
All those nice swirls had to be cut out.
With an exacto knife.
With a pretty steady hand.
There were TWO windows.
I am VERY impatient.

Hubby stepped in and cut them all out for me. I am sure there was some whining and bottom lip sticking out (on my part) going on, but he did it cause he is sweet that way.

Oh, and let me mention, that I wanted most of the window to be frosted so the bulk of the contact paper had to be cut out, leaving the cute swirls.

Anyway, from there I shook up my neato can of Rust-oleum paint and started painting the window.
Two tips: (1)try to block the area that you are painting (I used cardboard) because frost shrapnel kind of gets everywhere and (2) ventilate the area.
This is pretty stout stuff and I may have had a few hallucinations during this process.

When you take the contact paper off, be very careful because some of the frost might come off. Hubby cut around all those swirls before we took them off (again, there may have been more pouting and lip sticking out, but he did it because he is sweet that way). I have since learned (with some other frost projects I will share later) that if you use an exacto to help pull off the contact paper it does better.

Anyway, here is the after all dressed up for Christmas (I have Tom the peepers no more!)

I am more than pleased with the results. The look is really subtle during the day.

Like I said before, I am joining up with The CSI project. This week's challenge is "Paint."
Come by and see, you might want to join the fun!!