CUSTOMIZING IKEA CURTAINS AND A DIY INDUSTRIAL CURTAIN ROD

Most of the time I make my own draperies, but for Caleb's room it sure was nice to pick up a ready made pair at Ikea for next to nothing!  I chose the Lenda, two panels that are a really nice weight for just $19.99!  However, the 98" length was a little too short.  They come in a longer length but I knew I wanted to add some detail to them anyway so I saved about $10 by getting this length. I planned to add some stripes at the bottom, and wanted them to be more incorporated than just adding a piece of fabric to the bottom of the panel, so I did some cutting and piecing together.  I was going to give measurements for what I did, but since everyone's would be different I'll just give you the basic idea. First, I wanted to use ring clips instead of the tabs at the top, so with some sharp scissors I just cut those off very close to the seam.  Then, I decided where I wanted the bottom stripe to start, (my bottom stripe is about 3 1/2 inches up from the bottom hem),...

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A LITTLE HELP WHEN IT'S TIME FOR "THE TALK" WITH YOUR KIDS

This is most certainly primarily a decorating/DIY blog, but as a parent when I come across something I think you might like too, I love to share it! Fifth grade is a big year in our school system.  It's the last year of Elementary School, and the year when students participate in their first "Growth and Development" class.  Our school system does a very good job in the presentation of the materials, but we definitely don't want that to be the first time that our kids are exposed to those topics.  So, ready or not, near the end of 5th grade has been the time for us to have "the talk" with our kids. I'm not going to go into a lot of details, but I did want to share a resource that was very helpful to us.  It's a Christian-based cd/workbook program called Passport to Purity by Dennis and Barbara Rainey .  It focuses on God's plan for their lives as they strive to keep Him first and is designed to help parents in discussing love, sex, and relati...

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BEST OF THE NEST LINK PARTY {3}

Thank goodness it's Friday!  And, since it's the last Friday of the month, it's time to show off your best project from April! I think my favorite post from April was my Easter Tablescape in the Dining Room. My co-hosts were all hard at work this past month on their rooms for the One Room Challenge that they are participating in...completely transforming a room in 6 weeks!  Somehow, they managed to get some other projects accomplished as well.  Here's what they've been up to: Kris has added her gorgeous Dining Room to her House Tour: Kris @ Driven by Décor Blog  |  Pinterest  |  Facebook  |  Instagram  |  Bloglovin ' |  Twitter  |  Google+ Lisa has some crazy good DIY woodworking skills, and pieced a ready-made shelf with a few new parts to make a custom slim vanity for her daughter's room. Lisa @ Shine your Light  Blog  |  Pinterest  |  Facebook  |  Instagram  |  Bloglovin ' |  Twitter Pam showed us  how sh...

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NELL HILL'S IN KANSAS CITY - HOME DECOR PARADISE!

We visited Kansas City for a few days over our Spring Break last month.  I've been once before and was excited to get back to visit this fun town!  I had one stop that I knew I must make no matter what... Nell Hill's.  So, I dropped everyone else in the family off at the World War I Museum (which they said was fantastic!) and headed off for a few hours of uninterrupted shopping time.  Want to take a little tour with me? My first visit to Nell Hill's was 5 years ago so I knew what wonderful eye candy was in store, and I think it was even better this time!  Since I'm hoping to start my bedroom makeover soon, I couldn't get enough of all of the beautiful beds they had made up.  Although the photo is not the best, this one was my favorite.  I've loved the Xu Garden lattice fabric for a long time, and here it is in shams and a duvet cover!  Don't be surprised if the fabric shows up somewhere in my bedroom. #hinthint The colors and fabric combos were ri...

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HE WANTED TO BE BLUE

Hey friends!  I hope you all had a glorious Easter weekend.  Ours was full of lots of food, family, church fellowship, and fun!  We stayed busy so I'm just sharing a quick project today. Last week we had a rare Oklahoma day where not only was the weather gorgeous, but there was no wind.  So, my spray painting fingers were itching to do some work! I've had my eye on this guy for a while.  He was kind-of a dirty white, and I either wanted to make him brighter or try a bold color (like this cute one !).  I sent a little teaser out to my IG friends, and if you've read my blog for two seconds you can probably guess which choice won out. I've posted about how to spray paint ceramics in the past, so today I'll just show you the results.  I will say that this time I didn't use a spray primer.  I used Rustoleum's Glossy Enamel spray paint which is pretty sturdy stuff, so I'll see how this one holds up. When painting something with lots of curves and ...

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NOT ONE, BUT TWO EASTER TABLE SETTINGS!

This year we'll be hosting my family at our house for Easter, so I spent yesterday setting the tables so they would be all ready to go.  For the most part, I use what I have without buying anything special, so it's always a challenge to come up with something new! In the dining room, I wanted a fancy garden feel. I started with the large birdcage that I found at Goodwill several years ago and built around it.  I love this birdcage,  and wish that the bottom totally opened up so I could fill it with larger things or plants, but there's one tiny door that I was able to squeeze some candles through.  This look could easily be copied with any type of birdcage, or even a grouping of several smaller ones. As I started pulling other things to use, I thought a few blue and white pots would add a nice bit of color for the otherwise neutral setting.  I picked up the succulents at Ikea a few weeks ago.  I also ended up with some shine and mixed metals, and some added...

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