Why I Love David Bromstad

One of my favorite shows on HGTV is Color Splash. As someone who is in love with color, this makes sense. I am a HUGE fan of David Bromstad. I would kill to have him make me a painting :) Even Aidan likes Color Splash! He, like me, just can't understand why Chad won't let us paint a room bright magenta?!?! David did it! It looks cool, Mom! I know. Sheesh, Aidan sees it! Baby steps. So since I am way busy at work and have a ton of photos from Thanksgiving I still need to get off my camera, I am sharing my 6 reasons why I love David AKA Some super fabulous before-and-afters from Mr. Bromstad:

Before:After:

Before:

After:

That is probably one of my favorite rooms. I am a big ol' fan of Old World style and this is an excellent way to execute it!


Before: BLAH...

After:

Before:

Booooorrrrrinng....

After:

Sexy and adorable!! Hehe.

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

I love the teal walls. I cannot believe I love this as much as I do given the mid-century modern chairs because let's face it, MCM is my arch nemesis. Nothing I probably hate more, but I LOVE what David did there. See? David is amazing.

After David, I actually LOVE Donna Decorates Dallas. I know people either love what she does or think that it's over the top Jerseylicious, but I am on the love side of that. I love oversized, plush and blingy. Give me Donna any day!

What's your style? Who do you love (well besides me of course!)??

TV Disguise

Do you have a TV over your mantle? We do. I really wish they would make TVs in different colors so the big ol' black eye sore wasn't so bad. Hmmm, that's a great idea. We could be millionaires with the colored TV idea...riiiiight. Anyhoo. I read a blog, Gus & Lula, and she has a GREAT TRICK. Seriously, look at her living room: See that pretty picture?? That is their TV. I MEAN REALLY. How awesome is that??? She has the tutorial on how to do that on their blog: HERE . All it takes is some moulding, paint and some elbow grease. Easy peasy.

Thanksgiving Break

I am going to pretend I am back in college and am taking a Thanksgiving break from the ol' blog this week. It's a short work week so that means I will be extra busy! We had a busy busy weekend with the family so I have a lot of work to do to get our house ready for all the visitors this week!!

Run down of the weekend for those of you who are curious as to what we did:
1. Saw Breaking Dawn with the girls...ahhhh it was fabulous and went out to dinner
2. Bass Pro and lunch with the whole crew on Saturday (very thrilling)
3. My parents came to hang out after getting home from their vacation on Sunday

See? Thrilling. Actually we had a lovely time with the family. The kids played like crazy. I took absolutely no pictures I discovered. So yes, time for a break!

See you next week!
Happy Thanksgiving!!

Roman Shades

Yesterday I had to hang around the house to watch paint dry. No seriously. I did. We had painters at the house doing touch ups. I was supervising. So with all the "free" time I had while supervising I decided to finish up the roman shade project I had started Sunday when Elin decided to go pukey on us. I had never done this before. I found a tutorial on Pinterest, read it once and decided I could try it out. I kind of did things my own way after reading it. I figured I could figure it out somehow :) So here is what I learned:

1. Buy SUPER CHEAPO mini blinds. Mine were $3.50 at Big Lots. They were already the size I needed for the window. Easy peasy.

2. Do not have a sick child while attempting this project

3. No for reals, I went ahead and put up the mounting brackets now before I lost them. You will have a lot of spare parts because you really don't need them all after the blinds are done. You won't need the little twisty-wand-stick thing they give you because you will not be opening the blinds like mini-blinds

4. Next, open the blinds up all the way. Extend them as long as they go (sorry I didn't get a picture of this). Now you are going to go thru and cut the ladder string off. DO NOT CUT THE THICKER STRING. This is the one that raises and lowers the blinds. You NEED THAT ONE. See? The LADDER STRING = SNIP SNIP
Once you have done that, all the blind slats will move freely. Also? I am not numbering these directions anymore LOL. Just follow along.

You need to know how tall your window is. Mine was a 23 inche wide window that was about 34 inches tall roughly. You are going to remove all excess slats so this information is important. You have to do a little math to figure out how many you need. I have my slats spaced 6 inches apart (the tutorial I read said that smaller windows look best with a 6-8 inch spacing). So, the math:

6 inch spacing
34 inch window (I made the math for 36 inches to make it easier)
I would need 5 slats, plus the end one to make it 6! (duh)

Once you know your numbers, you must remove the extra slats. This is easy.
On the bottom of the blind is the little plug thingy. Remove it, untie the knot and slide off the slats until you have what you need:
Plug removed:

Slide all the unneeded slats off:

Once they are removed, spread your fabric out on a flat surface. Leave about an inch in either side of the slats to fold over. Also leave enough at the top and bottom to cover the mounting portion and the bottom slat. Cut off excess. Make sure your blinds are face down. Remember what side you want the fabric on.
Next step, space out the slats.

Go along each one with tacky glue. I used just some fabric glue I had from Joanne's. Glue the slats to the fabric and press firmly on each one for few minutes. My glue didn't take long to adhere and stay put. I put some books on the completed ones as I went down the blind:
Once all the slats are attached, you have to do your edges. Super easy. Just dab some glue on the edges and fold over like the photo below:You basically do the same thing with the top mounting portion and the bottom slat. I didn't get pictures of those (sorry!). Just make sure to not have a ton of excess fabric at the top where it mounts. The blind has to fit into the brackets.

Once it dries, you are good to go!

That was a fabric I had a home that was a really light weight. It is a little see through, but for $3.50 total, I DO NOT CARE.
I also tried it in our master bathroom with a heavier, upholstery fabric. Works just as easy for the heavier fabric as well:

This is SO EASY. If you are like me, you will get sticky and covered in glue. I am not the cleanest crafter. These are so easy that when I get tired of them, I can just do new ones without having to put different holes in the wall!!!

Super Easy Window Fix

We have a big ol' window over our tub in our bathroom. It was naked. The window, not me. I have been trying to figure out what to do in there without spending a fortune. I decided that it definitely had to be something pre-made, no custom budget for me! I was perusing Wayfair and came across this:

It is a solid khaki color. They call it linen. It was $29. I also had some reward dollars banked up there and so it cost $10 (shipping and everything). I figured I could make it work somehow. Our window is 48 inches wide and 40 inches tall. Before we go any further, I want to advise that there are only a couple of very non-helpful photos for this process because I didn't think about it until I was done and also, this is so easy you really don't need pics :)

I already own a glue gun (duh) and had some ribbon trim in my stock pile. So my valance arrives and I break out the supplies. I ironed the valance first (well a very half-assed approach at ironing...I had a short time frame to be able to complete this whole project so ironing was the least of my worries--story of my life!). I got my ribbon trim and measured out the amount needed for each of the "tie ups" And then, the very difficult task of gluing the ribbon to the valance, following the tie up:

Um yeah, Aidan could have done this. SUPER easy. But it did the trick. The valance hangs down about 18 inches so I had the hubs mount my rod above the window about 8 inches. Easy peasy. After it was hung it took a little adjusting to get everything evened up and poufing just right so be kind with this picture:It is perfect for what I need and cost $10. SWEET.

Lessons Learned

We had a weekend that was jam packed! It was opening deer season so Chad was clearly MIA for most of it :) Friday night Aidan and I had date night to see Puss N Boots...totally adorable (if you liked the Shrek movies). He fell asleep on the way home. Lesson #1: 7:15 movies are not great for little people if you want them to stay awake on the say home! He had a blast so that was all that mattered!

Saturday we were going to have a BIG day. First, take Aidan to the Ballers practice. Well. Lesson #2...don't sign up for random sports teams that you really don't know a whole lot about. We got there at our appointed time. We were the only car in the area. Mind you, this "arena" was near a place that was just closed down for prostitution and gang banging (AWESOME) and we were the only people within a 2 block ratio...also? The front door has plywood over it where it was busted out. You know I was all over that right?!?! UM NO. I called Chad to politely tell him we were aborting this mission. He laughed and said that he had a bad feeling already about it and was on his way to meet us because he didn't want us to go alone. Awwww. So needless to say we left for St. Louis a bit earlier than planned. Aidan was just pumped I let him wear his "basketball" shoes all day. Easy to please!

We met Sarah, Natalie and little Lexi at Incredible Pizza and the kiddos had a blast. I have lots of pics I just need to download. Aidan and Natalie were PUMPED that they could drive bumper cars by themselves. Pretty sure that is all he will do next time :)


For now, here is the basic gist of that adventure:

It was great. We were able to go hang out at their house and see the new puppy Rudy. ADORABLE. Aidan now realizes what a youngy puppy does hehe. They have a lot of energy apparently (GASP! SHOCK! How did he not know this!?).

Before heading home I took Aidan and E to see their cousins Michael and Preston. The kids played like crazy. They loooove their cousins. It was great to see them play. We loaded up (with the additon of one GINORMOUS teddy bear) and made the trek home. It was such a wonderful weekend. Lesson #3: Always have room in case you inherit a teddy bear that is larger than your 5 year old and need to drive him home.

Until Sunday. Ugh. Well we had to make the ol' Walmart run since you know, our home had nothing to eat unless you have a recipe using Boy Scout popcorn that I need to know about. So we went to eat at my secret pleasure, Golden Corral. Yup. I said it. That place it trashtastically awesome (seriously, on a sidenote, one time on a date night, Chad and I went to Bass Pro AND Golden Corral...I will wait while you compose yourself.). So we did the GC and Walmart. Hilarious. We headed home because Aidan and Chad were going hunting and Elin was getting crabby. She was sniffly all weekend and just didn't look great. Well, the boys went hunting, Elin was playing and I began my project of making some Roman Shades. This is as far as I got:I opened the package and Elin went bananas. She was so pissed at all the snot. I know. I hate that! It gagged her and make her puke all night. Sorry, I know you really wanted to know that. So we had a really long night of nose blowing, thus I have no project or pictures downloaded. But, ol' girl is just fine now and hopefully I can get some things accomplished now!!!
Lesson #4: it is NOT Golden Corral's fault Elin got sick, CHAD. Don't hate on GC. The sniffles suck. That is Lesson #4 :)
I have adorable pics of Aidan and Chad hunting but for some reason they will only load upside down. Huh. So I am figuring that out today too :)

Bike Chains

I read a blog by the fabulous Abbe Fenimore at Studio Ten 25. She does really amazing work. Well I about died when I saw what she is working on currently: a place that has bike chain chandeliers. They are amazing. They are made by Carolina Fontoura and seriously, crazy.

I mean really, look at this:

All images are from StudioTen25's amazing installation...

I wish I had somewhere for these!! Abbe's blog has lots of amazing inspiration and she also has a shop. She sells lots of the things she uses in her designs. It's fabulous. That's what I've got for today :) A little weekend inspiration...

Don't worry, I will not be attempting a DIY version of Bike Chain Chandeliers...your Huffys are safe.

Huntin' Time!

Okay so technically I believe "huntin' time" is officially on Saturday, but clearly Aidan CANNOT WAIT. This has been his regular attire each evening after school. This kid is ready. Too bad he can't ACTUALLY kill a deer himself this year! Next year! He is ready to go sit with dad though!! Watch out Bambi! I know, not actually Bambis, more like Bambis big ol' sassy dad. That's right. I just called Chad's future big buck, "sassy." I love you too dear :)

Amazing Dresser

See that dresser? Yeah, someone made that. Like, a regular (well fabulous, but regular) person. AND??? IT IS NOT EVEN HARD to make your own! Seriously. I am all over this. Check it out on Lindauer Design's blog: HERE

TOLD YOU! Amazeballs. I have to get my hands on some furniture to try this out on now!!!

Elin 18 Months

Elin had her 18 month check up. Our shorty is measuring up at 31.5 inches tall (25th percentile if you would like to know) and 26 pounds (50th percentile). On par for my kiddos, her head is off the charts. What can I say? We make babies with big heads :)

What is she up to these days?
Very independent...you want help with that, E? HELLS NO. Stubborn like her daddy (you didn't think I was going to say like her momma did you??)
Loves her babies...she is such a little momma. Unlike THIS momma, Elin's babies have to be naked. Yup. She only wants her babies au naturel. Lovely. At least she leaves her own clothes on!
Has crazy curly blonde hair, like CRAZY. Mornings? She looks like Bob Ross. I have learned the value of No More Tangles
She wants to do whatever Aidan is doing and she wants to play with whatever he has
She loves to color
Sings along to any song in her own way of course
Will show you her "muscles"
Dances to the tunes in the car
Gives you "the hand" if she doesn't want you to talk (or look at) her :)..clearly has a gentle temper like her mother

Baby girl is growing up! Aidan loves that she actually plays with him now :) They are too adorable hanging out together.

Easy Pillows

I got my fabric that I ordered this past week so I thought I try out my skills with pillow covers. I actually ordered the fabric for some art, but I had extra so I thought I would test them out. I do not own a sewing machine. I KNOW. I would really like one. I would also like some sewing skills. Ha. But I do know you can make no-sew pillows. So I attempted them. I am actually pretty impressed with myself! They turned out pretty fantastic, besides the first one. It actually looks pretty uh "home made" on one seam, but LESSON LEARNED. The final seam to close up the pillow is tricky!! But if I can do this, anyone can. So let's see!

Get your fabric out and iron all the creases out. Measure the amount you need for the pillow you are covering (duh) I used this for my seams:
I also had a 40% coupon for that so it was like almost free!
After the fabric is all ironed, I folded mine over (making the folded side one of the seams...one less place for me to "sew")...FOLD IT OVER INSIDE OUT
Lay the hem tape where you need your next seam

in between the two layers. Then take your iron and hold on the fabric for about 5 seconds. Do this all along the seam. Voila! You just sewed a seam!! Repeat that on one other side to create a pocket for your pillow. Then turn your creation right side out:

Ta da! That was super easy! Next, put your pillow in your cover
This is where I had trouble the first time. I did not leave enough fabric for this seam. For the ironing part, it is very tricky if you don't have enough fabric

Fold the edges in, press them to make a crease like this:

Then put the hem tape on one side like this:

And PRESS. You will have to hold here a bit longer because there is more fabric. It's not actually difficult, but can be frustrating until you figure it out.
When you are done with that, you are done with your covers!

Hurray! I was so PROUD of myself :)
I did all these Saturday night:

Yes, I said Saturday night. We are clearly a bunch of party animals at my house. After that I knit a sweater and played bridge. Not really.

I was pumped that I got snappy new pillows for close to nothing and Chad was happy that I didn't go buy a bunch of new pillows :) WIN WIN SITUATION!

Like A Fish

We have Aidan back in swim lessons. We attempted lessons a few years ago and frankly it did not go so well. He was NOT interested in learning at all. So we took a break. Well SO glad we did because now he is all over it. He has his goggles and he pays attention to the instructor, NOT his parents watching :) My little Michael Phelps: We are stoked because he will actually put his face in and go under. Before this was like death to him. NO WAY was that happening! But now, he does whatever he is told and tries really hard. We are so proud of him!

We go after work so Elin is with us too. Obviously she is so patient and can sit so still for the 30 minutes we are there...um no. Chad ended up at the humane society with her this day. Apparently puppies and kittens are way more entertaining than watching her brother swim. Sheesh!

Aidan is a rockstar with his swimming and next weekend we start basketball. I can't wait to watch little boys (maybe girls too? I have no idea what exactly I have signed him up for except that they are called Itty Bitty Ballers...seriously, how adorable...half the reason I wanted him to do it hehe) run around with the basketball!! Cuteness overload.

On a house note, my fabric has arrived! I am thinking of attempting some no-sew pillows as well. We shall see how this goes :)

Excellent Pricing on Adequate Floor Coverings

The title was actually just "Rugs," but my crazy post font made it look like a relative of a dirty word and it totally bothered me. So there. Needing an area rug?? Best place ever for snazzy rugs at my kind of prices...Rugs USA. And if you don't live in NY, no sales tax! I have been looking for a chevron rug for our kitchen for awhile and haven't bought one because I am cheap :) Did you read that Chaddie??? I said I was cheap! We can all wait for a moment while he composes himself.




......................................



Okay then. So I was looking and this is my favorite rug:


But at $100 for just a 3 x 5 this was not going to work. 1) It is way too small and 2) Way too expensive. After a little searching I found this one:
5 x 7 rug from Rugs USA for $109. BUT that is not even the best part! Free shipping and also an additonal 30% off! This beauty is only $76!! If that isn't the buy of my life I don't know what is!!
Now quick, find a reason to need a rug. Stat! I know I did...hehe.