LOTS OF PROJECTS STARTED...

It's been a little slow around the blog this week.  It's been cold, I've HAD a cold, and motivation has been low!  However, yesterday the wind was down and it was warm enough to spray paint and do some sanding, so I scurried around to get several things started.  I was trying to get everything finished that needed to be done outside before our next round of winter weather starts tomorrow, so now I have 4 or 5 things to finish up inside.  So, this weekend I have plenty to do to keep me busy! (Don't hate me...I'm saying farewell to the peacock blue on the dresser...) What are your weekend plans?  Are your projects at a standstill?  Hopefully I'll have at least one of these things ready to show you on Monday! I can't leave you without a pretty photo for the day, so here you go! Link from Pinterest broken...anyone have a source? ...

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BAR KEEPER'S FRIEND, MY NEW BEST FRIEND

Today I have a quick tip for you that's one of those "Duh, why didn't I already know that?" things, so I thought you might be interested in it too! The other night I was reading my Instagram feed and saw a beautiful old metal bowl that my friend Emily (IG elevengables) picked up.  Her photo showed the difference after she cleaned it up with some Bar Keeper's Friend.   Well, I've had BKF in my cabinet for years, but it's never occurred to me to use it to polish up brass or silver!  So, first thing the next morning, I pulled out my badly tarnished (not pretty tarnish anymore...just bad!) silver plated champagne bucket and gave it a try.   I was AMAZED at how quickly and easily it cleaned up!  I've used Brasso for brass pieces and silver polish on this one in the past and it took much more effort and time, and didn't do as good of a job.  It's still not perfect, but I didn't want it to look TOO clean and shiny. Then I pulled ...

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MOM'S GALLERY WALL AND RIBBON PHOTO MATS

In the past, I've shared with you how to do your own framing , how to cut your own mat , and how to make a custom fabric mat .  Today, I'm showing you one more option for a photo mat. This week I've been working to put together a new gallery wall in my Mom's kitchen.  They've recently re-painted and she was ready for some updated family photos in the spot where she's always had our pictures in the past.   She already had plenty of frames.  But often, especially with vintage or thrifted frames, the size can be slightly different than the standard print sizes these days.  It's especially aggravating when the frame opening is just  >>this much<<  too big for your photo.  So, here's how I like to solve that problem sometime.  With ribbon!   Granted, you can always cut a mat.  But depending on the size, sometimes to cut a mat that would be thick enough to not look wimpy you'd be covering up too much of your photo.  Here's an exa...

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STRIPES MAKE EVERYTHING BETTER

Thank you all so much for your kind words on my kitchen chairs makeover !  You guys seemed to love them as much as I do. Today's project is nothing earth shattering, but it made a difference in my space. I painted a basket. Our kitchen table ends up being command central, and about a year ago I bought this trunk style basket to keep in the corner to stash all of the computer chargers, cases, notebooks, devotionals, etc. that accumulate in that space. It's served it's purpose very well, but it was a little boring and totally blended into the space.  Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I thought it needed a little more personality. To accomplish the task, I used some leftover semi-gloss black paint and a small stiff brush, which got down into the crevices well. I followed the lines of where the material was woven.  It didn't always turn out completely straight, but for the big picture it turned out good enough.  I started with the large band arou...

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SPOTTED LOUIS STYLE CHAIRS

As I hinted at last week, I'm happy to show you my first project of the new year today!  You all were so kind about the Louis style chairs that I found at TJ Maxx when I shared how I darkened the finish on them.  So, how do you like them now?  This was a super easy project because I have a little secret...I didn't re-upholster anything!  Want to know how I did it?  With these little jewels... All along, I was happy with the upholstery on these chairs, but you know I couldn't leave well enough alone.  However, I didn't want to disassemble the back to add a fun fabric, so I thought these might work.  Glue dots are easily found at most craft stores, and I used the "Super Strength, Multi-Use" variety.  It stated on the box that they could be used with textiles, so I thought I'd give it a try. This was my method:  I used a piece of tissue paper to trace the back of the chair, and then used that for a pattern to cut out my fabric.  I tried to...

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WINTER MANTLE

First of all, I am SO excited to be at 6th Street Design School today sharing my home tour!  I feel completely out of place among the amazingly talented designers she's featured in the past.  Are you familiar with Kirsten's blog?  She is a super sweet highly talented designer, and I know I've shown you this photo of her living room several times as inspiration for my bedroom drapery.  I've got the fabric ready and waiting! 6th Street Design School If you're visiting from 6th Street, Welcome!  I'm so glad you're here and hope you enjoy looking around. * * * * * * * * * *  After the Christmas decorations came down and I lived with few accessories out for a few weeks, I'm slowly adding things back in. When I thought about how I wanted to put the mantle back together, I felt like I needed to switch out the lamps that I've had on there forever .  I wanted something taller, and knew that a tall thin buffet lamp was probably what I needed....

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THE BEST OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIES

You know my love of color, pattern, and black and white, so it should be no surprise that growing up I loved Mary Engelbreit designs...from the calendars, to note pads, to prints...I even subscribed to her magazine for a few years. Years ago, from one of those magazines, I clipped the best oatmeal raisin cookie recipe.  I haven't made them in a while, but yesterday was chilly and called for comfort food so I made a batch for the kids' after school snack. This is not a particularly "healthy" version, but a few changes could  be made to the recipe, like using whole wheat flour, adding flax seed, using whole oats, etc., to make it a little bit better. Mary Engelbreit Magazine Oatmeal Raisin Cookies 3 eggs, well beaten                          1 cup raisins 1 tsp. vanilla                                      1 cup butter, softened 1 1/3 c. brown sugar, packed        3/4 c. granulated sugar 2 1/2 c. flour                                     1 tsp. salt 1...

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