Happy Halloween!

I hope everyone has a fun and safe Halloween.  I've enjoyed seeing all the costume and decorating pictures posted during the last several days.  My kids have outgrown the trick or treating and haunted house fun so I get to enjoy it through everybody else's pictures and stories of their kids.  Thank you for sharing!

In the words of Jeff Probst from the TV show, Survivor, "I've got nothing for ya".  No projects to share, no yummy recipes, no decorating ideas...nada.  I've had to put a hold on my crafty ways and just be a mom this weekend.  Mom/nurse/slave, that is, to my teenage son who just had surgery for a broken wrist. 


I am SO ready to bust out the Christmas decorations!  I promised myself I would wait until Halloween is over before I "decked the halls".  It's killing me.  Have you seen all the Christmas decor in the stores already?  So guess what I will be doing on Tuesday?


But first, one last "hurrah" for Halloween.  Here are some of my favorite pictures from Pinterest.


The cutest picture ever:

A great way to serve guacamole at your next party:

And an idea for decorating your entryway.  Everybody loves a drunk pumpkin.

Have a great Halloween everybody!

Another day of magazines

Today was another day of sitting in a waiting room looking at magazines.  This time it was a hospital waiting room and I was waiting for my teenage son to have surgery on his broken wrist.  


I distracted myself by looking at beautiful magazine pictures like these (all from marthastewart.com).

pumpkin chandelier

cranberry vase

pinecone lamp finials

pumpkin spice cake

The pumpkin spice cake recipe can be found here.  It's my teenage son's favorite and I may be making it for him this weekend.  

Speaking of my son, here he is right before they took him back for surgery.  He's hiding his face because he doesn't want me to take his picture.  Notice he is still texting with his cell phone.  I think that thing is attached to his hand, lol.

And here is his arm after the surgery.  I saved the not-so-pretty picture for last.

Feel free to show this picture to scare your kids....tell  them "this is what can happen to you when you go too fast on your________. (fill in the blank - in my son's case it was a motorcycle).  I told the teenager that he now has his scary Halloween costume.  He didn't think that was funny (insert teenager rolling his eyes).

Painting...Harlequin Style

About a week ago, I wrote a post about changing my kitchen in a very cheap way.  I wanted to paint a backsplash on my kitchen wall between the top and bottom cabinets but couldn't decide how to do it.  I asked for your suggestions and received some really great ideas!  Thanks!


I have decided to do a harlequin pattern.  I'm so ready to get started but we have some "medical drama" going on in our house right now and I have to wait until it settles down.  Meanwhile, I've been "practicing" painting techniques.  I decided to practice a faux textured harlequin pattern on an old drawer front.  It was a raised panel drawer front with rough, "chippy" edges and had several layers of off-white paint on it.  I decided to use pink and brown paint because I love pink and chocolate!  

the dark "splotches" are shadows from the knobs

I painted it using my acrylic craft paints.  I like to use those so I can mix them to make new colors.   I used brown, pink and white paint.  I used the white paint to mix with the pink to make another, lighter shade of pink.  


I taped the center of the board to make a harlequin criss-cross pattern.  I painted it using the 2 shades of pink paint and the brown paint.  When that part was dry, I slightly watered down the brown paint and painted it in a "streak" pattern in what would have been the direction of the wood grain.  I wanted some of the background color (off-white) to show through.


I wanted to add a "textured" look to the pink harlequin pattern so I watered down the brown paint more (50/50 "glaze") and brushed it over the middle harlequin section.  Then I took a regular household sponge and blotted off some of the brown paint.  The brown "glaze" toned down the pink color which I liked much better than the "bubble gum" pink that it was.  It also added the nice "textured" look that I was going for.  

I drilled 4 holes in the board and added 4 small glass knobs for hanging jewelry or scarves on.

I plan to seal it with polycrylic when it has dried for at least 24 hours.


I am so ready to paint my kitchen backsplash now!  Of course, I'll be talking all about it when I get it done :)

Linking up to:

French Country Cottage Feathered Nest Friday

My Repurposed Life Catch As Catch Can

In My Own Style Tricks and Tips Link Party

Home Savvy A to Z Freshman Friday

Happy Hour Projects Freestyle Friday

The Shabby Nest Frugal Friday

Making Lemonade Refresh Your Nest Friday

Naptime Crafters Friday Favs Party

Addicted 2 Decorating Addicts (not so) Anonymous

The DIY Showoff DIY Project Parade

A World of Crafts Make It Monday Linky Party

KdBuggie Boutique Mingle Monday

Under the Table and Dreaming Sunday Showcase Party

You Are Talking Too Much Meet Me Monday

Homemaker on a Dime Creative Bloggers Party Hop

Versatile Blogger Award

A couple of weeks ago, Amanda at betweentherafters.blogspot.com, awarded me the "Versatile Blogger Award".  How cool is that?

As part of the award, I will share 7 things about myself. OK, so here goes.


1.  I'd rather clean my house than cook.
2.  If I drop a piece of popcorn on the floor, I still eat it.
3.  I own too many purses.
4.  I don't like to wear shoes.
5.  I am a homebody.
6.  I love to take naps during the day.
7.  I can't "carry a tune" but I sing to my youngest son every day and I don't care who hears it.


There are some really nice people in blogland and I'm happy to be a part of it.  I'm going to spread some Versatile Blogger love to my fellow bloggers soon.  Thanks for the award, Amanda!

It's a Wrap

I had a long day yesterday.  I spent most of the day sitting in doctor waiting rooms while my teenage son was x-rayed, examined and x-rayed some more.  It seems that his dirtbike accident on Friday caused more problems than we initially thought.  He crushed several bones in his right wrist and will have surgery this Friday.


As I sat in one waiting room after another, I looked at and drooled over many of my favorite magazines...Country Living, House Beautiful and Southern Living.  The decorating and crafting ideas were numerous and I thought my head would explode with ideas.  I usually look at Pinterest for inspiration and ideas but a day with printed magazine pictures was wonderful and kept my mind off of what was going on with my son.  I was so tempted to rip pictures out of those magazines to bring home to my inspiration board.  Instead, I wrote down ideas and website addresses. 


When I got home I was still anxious about the day's events and decided to make something I'd seen in a magazine to keep my hands busy.  When I get stressed, I can't sit still and it helps to keep my hands busy doing something.


I had saved a few empty beer bottles from our weekend of entertaining guests so I decided to cover them somehow and use them as cheap vases.  One of the things I saw in the magazines were bottles covered with everything from rubber bands to ribbons.  They turned out so cute and were displayed with a single flower in them.  So simple.


I've had this obsession with ruffles lately so I decided to cover a bottle with ruffles.   I saw a picture on pinterest of a ruffled streamer made out of a cheap plastic tablecloth (usually used to cover tables at parties).  I cut 1 inch strips of plastic from a white plastic tablecloth from the dollar store. 


 I ruffled one edge of the strip by pulling it with my fingers...each set of fingers (about 1 in. apart) holding the edge.  The end result was a "lettuce edge" ruffle.  This is really hard to photograph (I need a third hand) but the idea is that thin plastic tends to "ruffle" when stretched.


After "ruffling" one edge of each strip.  I glued the straight, un-stretched edge in circular layers around the outside of the bottle.  I used Elmer's white glue to do this.  

I also decided to wrap a bottle with some jute twine that I got at the dollar store.  This took a little longer since it was thin.  It was easy, though, and I did it while watching an episode of Hawaii 5-0.

I may have messed up a little at the end of the hour when Alex O'Loughlin (who plays Steve McGarrett) took of his shirt for a few scenes.  My attention was not 100% on the twine wrapping at that point.  You'll understand if you watch last night's episode (on CBS.com).  It wasn't my fault.

Linking to:

Savvy Southern Style Wow Us Wednesdays

Primp Your Stuff Wednesday Linky Party

Faded Charm White Wednesday

Handy Man, Crafty Woman Wicked Awesome Wednesdays

Crafty, Scrappy, Happy me Thursday

The 36th Avenue

Sweet & Salty Snacks

Today, I prepared two of my favorite Sunday afternoon snacks.  You do know what Sunday afternoons are for, huh?  

FOOTBALL!!!!!!!!!


Yes, believe it or not, I am a wife/mom that LOVES to watch football games.  Preferably NFL football games.  Since I am from the South, I am a BIG fan of the New Orleans Saints.  I live 60 miles northeast of New Orleans.  When the Saints aren't playing, I'm glued to the television watching other NFL games.  For almost 11 hours on Sunday, I watch football games.  It's my favorite day of the week (from Aug. to Jan.).


On Sundays, I have to snack on junk food all day.  Football food.  My favorite snacks are sweet and salty.


Today I made one of my favorites, pretzels and chocolate bites.  It's simply a small salted pretzel with a Hershey kiss on top.  I put them in the oven on high heat (450 degrees) for 3-4 minutes just to melt the chocolate.  It comes out of the oven so good.  The Hershey kiss is melted but still holds it's shape.  You can top the melted chocolate with other candy to decorate them for holidays or parties but I like them with just plain chocolate.  Hershey's chocolate to be specific.

Of course, I have to have popcorn to snack on during a game. But, I always eat buttered popcorn with chocolate.  Today, I chose M&M's with my popcorn but I also like to combine it with Hershey Kisses, Snicker's candy bars and well, anything with chocolate.  Can you tell I'm a junk food/chocoholic?  

Geaux Saints! Who Dat! 

I apologize to all the football widows reading this.  I understand...really.  My husband is a football widower.  I live in a house full of boys and I'm the only one that likes to watch football.  Go figure.

DIY Storage Boxes

Today I made some storage boxes for my future craft room.  I have alot of craft stuff and needed a pretty way to store it.  Right now, it's all in cardboard boxes and is not very appealing.  Everything is so disorganized.  Today, it took me an hour to find a certain type of ribbon.  My favorite saying is "I'll find it...it's somewhere in this house".  Narrows it down, huh? 


Earlier I posted, here, about how I made chalkboard labels for some plastic bins I plan on using in my craft room.  I desperately need some organization in my "dream" craft room.  So, on to some cheap, diy storage!


I got some round paper mache boxes from Hobby Lobby.  These are sold in craft stores everywhere and come in three stackable sizes.  I decided to cover them with scrapbook paper and chose double sided sheets that had similar colors but different patterns.  I used hot glue to attach them to the box and lid.  Here they are:  

I painted the rims of each box with craft paint in coordinating colors.  I still want to add some kind of trim (ribbon or cord) to the lid but I have to find something to match.


Next, I made a "ruffled box" that took alot more time.  I started out with my teenager's Nike shoe box.  It was larger than the average shoe box but the perfect size for what I needed.

I have seen lots of crafts using coffee filters...flowers, wreaths, etc... so I knew I wanted to use them in some way to decorate my storage box.  I got a package of 100 coffee filters at the dollar store and "dyed" them with leftover coffee.  I was going for the "tea stained" look.  I didn't have tea so I used coffee...use what you have.  This is how I did it:


Add each coffee filter to a pan of cold coffee (or tea).  I soaked about 40 filters at a time.

Let them soak in the coffee (or tea) for 2 minutes.  If you want them darker, add more time.  I wanted mine a  very light beige color.

After 2 minutes, I laid each filter out in the sun to dry.  This took about 15 minutes.

Once dry, I cut each filter in half.

Then folded each half in half again.

I took the curved edge of that and folded it in half again.

Finally, I had one of my ruffles.  I used hot glue at the top (straight edge) of each folded, half filter to glue it onto the box.  I glued each "ruffle" in a line and varied the length of each filter (just cut the "ruffle" at the straight end to make it shorter).  Clear as mud?

After gluing about 30- 40 filters onto the box, it looked like this:

I finished off the top edge of the box with an aqua ribbon that had small French script printed on it.  I got the ribbon on ebay.  

I'm keeping my box open but you can decorate the lid also if you want to use one.  The color of my filters is very light but soaking them in the coffee (or tea) longer will give them a beautiful darker color.  I used approx. 60-70 coffee filters on my box (large size shoe box).  

The best part of this project?  The looks I got from my husband and teenager as I was laying out the wet coffee filters to dry.  They just rolled their eyes, wondering what I was up to this time, lol.  Love it!

P.S.  Check out the ruffled box that Jamie at lifeasapepin.blogspot.com did.  You can see it here.  She used "natural" coffee filters and the color is awesome!

Linking to:

C.R.A.F.T. for Making Monday Marvelous

The DIY Showoff for DIY Project Parade

KdBuggie Boutique for Mingle Monday

Homemaker on a Dime for Creative Bloggers Party

Debbiedoos Blogging and Blabbing Newbie Party

Under the Table and Dreaming for Sunday Showcase Party

You're Talking Too Much for Meet Me Monday

Craft-O-Maniac Monday Link Party

Dittle Dattle Amaze Me Monday

A World Of Crafts Make It Monday Linky Party

Artful Rising Link Party

Is It Monday Yet?

Yes, I said Monday.  So far, my weekend is not looking so good...and it's only Friday.  My guests for the weekend arrived today and just as they were getting "settled in", my teenage son gets home from school and takes a "quick ride" on his dirtbike.  Thirty minutes later, he comes home covered with dirt telling us how he "caught some major air" on a jump and, oh by the way, 
'"I think I did something to my wrist when I crashed".


What?!!!!!  Crashed?!!!!


Long story short, he broke his wrist and is now in a temporary cast and loaded with pain pills for the weekend.  He has to see the bone doc on Monday.  Is it just me or do kids always get sick on Friday afternoons?  


Before this chaos happened, I actually finished a project that I've been wanting to do for my future mom cave/craft room.  I wanted to have an inspiration board in it.  I saved this small, white shadow box from my guest bath remodel just for this project.  It held beach themed knick knacks (the former decor theme of the bathroom).  I ripped it down to its bare bones and spray painted it with a fresh coat of white paint.  I then glued fabric covered corkboad into each section.  I decided to glue a paint chip sample in the skinny middle section.  I love collecting paint chips and this one matched the fabric that I used.  Since this section was so small, I couldn't use it to hold things so I used it as my "sign".  Using a black permanent marker, I wrote the word 'inspiration' on the paint chip.  

I actually started another project but that abruptly ended with the teenage drama.  I'll finish it tomorrow and show you.  


I'm off to bed...got to get up early.  Early breakfast for the guests.  And more pain meds for the teenager.  Is it Monday yet?

Linking to:

Nap Time Crafters

Making Lemonade

The Shabby Nest

French Country Cottage

My Repurposed Life

Serenity Now

A rescue in progress

I finally got some computer time!  I have been cleaning my house top to bottom today.  We have guests coming tomorrow and, of course, I waited until the last minute to get my house ready.  I had to ban myself from my computer to get anything done today.  That was really hard.


My incredible mom brought me "something to paint".  That something is FAB-U-LOUS!  She got a cute little chair from a garage sale and she brought it to me!  I told you she was awesome, huh? (awesome mom story here).


That sweet little chair had awesome bones but someone had abused her.  Here is a "before" picture.  When I got her, she had some hideous red velvet on her.  A small round seat cushion and an even smaller cushion at the top.  It was revolting and dirty.  I quickly ripped it off, forgetting to take a picture first.  So here she is right after I ripped off her cushions.  There is a hole in the seat of the chair and someone had rigged up a board with a handmade cushion on it to cover the hole.  For some reason, they felt compelled to put a cushion at the top of the back of the chair.  You can still see strands of red material hanging from both places.

(that weird object in the upper left corner is my 'bottle tree')

Have you noticed the worst part?  The little white squares you see are tape remnants.  There was foam taped to the wood, then covered with red fabric.  The cushions were trimmed with red braided ribbon then attached to the chair with alot of small nails.  Poor, poor little girl :(

I'm dying to pull those nails out, clean her up and give her a fresh new finish but I have to wait until the weekend is over and my guests are gone.  Don't you know that it's going to kill me to have to wait. Aarrgghh.  

I'll post pictures of the "new her" when I can.  Meanwhile, I'm thinking of doing some small crafty projects this weekend to keep my mind off of it.  I hear her calling "help me, make me pretty.  Be patient, I'm coming.

Super Cheap Kitchen Makeover (and a request for design help)

How cheap?  I had $6.00 to spend to "remodel" my kitchen.  That's it.  


I had been seeing so many kitchen makeovers in blogland that I was itching to do mine.  But with not much money, all I could come up with is "paint".  As is often said, "Paint is the cheapest way to change a room when you want to get a lot of bang for your buck".


I would love to paint my cabinets, like so many others have done, but 3 things stopped me:
     1.  I actually like my cabinets the way they are.  They're custom natural maple cabinets and I spent a fortune on them.
     2.  I don't have enough money to afford all that paint.
     3.  It would take too much time and my family would kill me. 


Instead of painting the cabinets, I decided to paint the hardware.  When I built my house, I selected the cheapest cabinet pulls and knobs I could find.  I was spending so much on custom cabinets that I thought "I'll just change the hardware after I move in".  Well, that never happened.  Do you know how expensive the "pretty" ones are?   So, I've been looking at the same ugly cabinet pulls and knobs for 11+ years.  Here is what it looked like, in all of it's brassy gold glory:

upper cabinets

lower large drawers

bottom cabinets (with bad lighting, oops)

I was lucky enough to already have a can of Krylon's "oil rubbed bronze" spray paint, so I used that (i.e. free).  After removing all the hardware, I took it outside to my wonderful outdoor painting place.  An old wooden picnic table.  Here is my setup:  

Isn't it lovely?  The water bottles are "weights" to keep the paper from blowing away.  Don't laugh.  It works.  

Here are my "after" pictures:

upper cabinets

lower cabinets

lower large drawers

I like that much better but I still wanted more change.  New countertops or flooring?  Haha, not on a $6.00 budget.  My next thought was a backsplash (since I didn't have one).  There was no way I was going to be able to afford tile.  But I loved the mosaic tile look that I was seeing everywhere.  My backsplash area is pretty small, but still.... What to do?  Paint, of course.  I even scored an awesome deal on some Benjamin Moore paint sample pots at a salvage store.  For 80% off of 3.99!  That's 80 cents each, people! I scooped up 6 of them (there went my budget).

Now here's where I got stuck.  I haven't done it yet because I can't make up my mind on the pattern and color I want.  I need your help.  You've seen my kitchen colors:  natural maple cabinets, gold wall color, tan, speckled formica countertops and light beige ceramic tile flooring.  It all just blends together.  I want to break it up. 


 I recently added some open shelves to the kitchen walls.  I painted them in Annie Sloan's chalk paint, 
"Chateau Grey".  It kinda looks like a dark sage green color and I love it.  I have a color similar to it in my den.  Here it is in a previous post: 

'Chateau Grey' painted shelf

So, maybe with that shade of green.  Here is what I have for inspiration.  These two small wall pictures have the "antiqued look" and colors I love.  They hang on my "backsplash" wall now.

I also love this garden flag that my sis-in-law gave me. I'm a huge fan of harlequin and fluer-de-lis patterns. 

I know both pictures have the same colors as my kitchen does now.  That's why I was thinking of the "chateau grey" green color.  But how?  Suggestions? 

I'll be back with a  post about it when I finish it.  Until then, I'm off to Pinterest to look for ideas.

Linking to:

Savvy Southern Style

A Silly Little Sparrow

Coastal Charm

Domestically Speaking

House of Grace

Tip Junkie

Handy Man, Crafty Woman

Crafty, Scrappy, Happy

Designer Garden

The Shabby Nest

My Repurposed Life

The source of my creativity

I have always liked to create, decorate and change things.  So did my Mom.  I believe she is the source of my creativity.  She is the most resourceful and creative person I know.  She constantly amazes me (and others) with what she can do.  She is my inspiration.

source: Pinterest

Let me explain how lucky I am to have her as a mother. When I was a kid, I had the BEST birthday parties.  She planned everything and there was always a theme...a dress-up party, a May Day celebration with a May-pole (my birthday is in May) and a really cool scavenger hunt.  There were so many more.  She did it for my brother too.  


I read alot of blogs out there.  So many of you are doing the same thing for your kids...giving them elaborate birthday parties and special lunches (I'm thinking of you, Mindy).  I'm here to tell you that even though they don't show it, your kids appreciate what you have done.  Like me, they probably didn't realize how much time and hard work it took.  One day, they'll be parents and they will understand.  They will remember.


She put up with my crazy teenage ways too.  I always wanted to rearrange my bedroom furniture and she always let me.  When I wanted to switch rooms with my little sister, she not only OK'd it but helped me 'move'.  One crazy day, I decided to turn my closet into my own little hidden 'nook'.  I cleared out all of my clothes and moved in there with my boom box and favorite magazines (Seventeen and Tiger Beat, lol).  She probably should have had my head examined but instead she helped me decorate it.  She really had patience with me! 

source:  Pinterest

 I still rearrange things. It just happens in my own home now and my husband and kids have to put up with it.  They're not as patient!  But my Mom still understands. Thanks Mom, I love you.

Bathroom Makeover

Today I want to show you my guest bathroom.  Well, it's really a guest/teenage son bathroom.  My son claims it as his but I call it "the guest bathroom". 

I don't have "before" pictures (another project done before I started this blog) but picture this:  a plain jane, builder grade, beige walled, white fixtured bathroom that has been used by a teenage boy for years.  Yep, ugly and dirty... This was one of those many things that I promised myself to change once I moved into my house.  Eleven years ago.  I finally did it this summer.  How's that for procrastination?  

After a good scrubbing,  I added some color.  I was going for a "green, black and white" color scheme.  I painted the walls "asparagus" green by Behr and framed out the builder grade mirror with molding (painted black).  Just those two things made a HUGE impact!

I used a vinyl tree sticker on a white plate to use as wall decor.  I have a slight addiction for vinyl stickers as I wrote about here.  

And here's another one, a tree on the blank wall opposite from the toilet.

right side view from the door

towel rack above toilet 

You can see the edge of the shower (white fiberglass unit) in the background.  Leaning against the side is white quarter round molding that I added.  I did it to hide a bad caulking job between the wall and shower.  

In all of the above pictures, the wall color is actually the same.  It looks different in the three pictures because of lighting problems.

What you don't see in the picture above is the clear, generic, vinyl shower curtain.  I had plans for a black and white cotton shower curtain to "hide" the shower but.....the teenager refused to let me hang it in "his" bathroom.  He just doesn't see that it would make the room look so much better.  All he sees is the function of things, not design.  Boys!  

Another thing that you don't see is the vanity.  It is a white marble top on an oak cabinet (one door).  The white marble top (counter and sink are one unit) has yellowed from abuse from the teenager and the cabinet is just plain ugly.  I wanted to rip the whole thing out and replace it with a pedestal sink but the hubby said "No, this one works fine".  Boys...see what I mean?  So, my plan is to paint the ugly oak cabinet black and try get the yellow stain out of the marble (any suggestions?).  When I finally get that done then I'll post those pictures.  It's just too embarrassing right now.

I've still got some of the "asparagus" green paint left so I'm thinking of using it to paint my laundry room.  Another green, black and white room but more "girly" this time.  As I've been told by all the boys in my house, it's a "mom room".  How rude!

Linking to:

The DIY Showoff

C.R.A.F.T.

Debbiedoos Blogging and Babbling

Homemaker on a Dime

Under the Table and Dreaming

You're Talking Too Much

Be Colorful Motivated Monday

Boogieboard Cottage

Homework:  The Inspiration Board

A Creative Princess