Maybe I'm just super nosey but I love seeing what people create out of their thrift store finds even if it's not tutorial worthy.  I showed you some urns that I bought for a couple of dollars last month but didn't show any updates so I thought today would be the perfect day for that.

All it took was a little black spray paint and I have 3 herb pots.  I stuck them on the little porch right outside the front door so that the lovely fragrance will distract visitors from the fact that I desperately need to give the black door a fresh coat of paint.

Yesterday my blog buddy Heather at Simply Heather passed on a blog award to me.  How sweet is that?  My first blog award.  Thanks Heather!

The Rules

So now it's my turn.  I get to chose and award 3 blogs that I like as long as they have less than 300 followers.  I will admit this makes the selections process much easier since I hate chosing favourites.  Many of you have more than 300 and some of you have no number total so I guess you can't be included.    

3 Blogs I Love

Kelle Dame

Interior Groupie

Decor and The Dog

Happy Friday and I hope you have something fabulous planned for the weekend.  If you've been up all hours watching the royal wedding you may be having an early night tonight.

My Bad Client

I have one client that I hate working with.  She is incapable of making a decision and sticking with it.  She is unable to define her own style or design preferences.  One day she's a modern gal and the next she's a little bohemian but all the while with a penchant for Louis XV.  She has champagne taste on a beer budget and she has even been known to wake me up in the middle of the night with a design related question.  In case you haven't yet deduced, the client is me.

When I work with "other" clients I am concise, organized and very efficient.  Not so much when I'm working for myself.  Case in point.  I am trying to redecorate our living room.  Nothing big. No structural work or large furniture purchases.  Just some simple fabric selections, a lick of paint and a few additional accessories.  So what's the problem?  Largely and primarily I can't decide on a colour scheme and stick with it.  Here are a few examples of palettes that have struck my fancy lately.

So while it's clear that I'm in a blue state of mind, it's the exact blue and the accent colour that changes hourly.

Today I came across this amazing wallpaper company and I fell instantly in love with this wallpaper.

and I thought about how great would look with this fabric.  I actually found this fabric today at our crumby Fabricland but I see that I can buy the pillows already made at a cute etsy shop

and this fantastic ikat pillow that I won last month from Lisa's blog.  You'll see all the goodies I won when my living room is finished.

Since our entire main floor has coved ceilings, it's not really possible to wallpaper walls and it's kind of a good thing since this wallpaper retails for over $100 per roll (again with the champagne taste!).  I was planning to use the wallpaper for creating a back to a currently backless display unit.  After reflecting on its loveliness I have decided that the effect of the paper would be completely lost with all the display items stacked in front of it and have decided instead on this.

So, guess where I am?  Right back at square one with my mad love for blue and nowhere else to go with it.

Create More Storage

Over the years I've had kitchens that I would call teeny tiny, one that was huge and a couple in between. Our current kitchen is underwhelming in every way including it's storage capacity. We have a 3-shelf open cabinet that I use for storing cereal, kids snacks and plastic lunch containers.  I felt like I could probably use an extra shelf so rather than scrapping the cabinet and getting a new one I thought I'd add a shelf.

These old concrete things were found behind our house.  I have no clue what they're actually for but I love the shape of them.

This is an old shelf that was not being used.

They both got primed and spray painted.  The concrete block is navy blue and the shelf is white.  Wow, does concrete soak up the paint.  I must have used 10 coats on those bricks.

I pulled out all the Ikea glass jars I had hidden in the cupboards.  I gave them a tag using a 2" punch, some card stock I had lying around and my most coveted label maker (oh, it's love!) along with a little jute to attach them to each jar.  Underneath the shelf I have more snacks because apparently there is not enough food in the universe for a 13-year-old boy.  I didn't bother to label those since snacks change on a regular basis.

While this doesn't seem to be a significant offering in terms of storage it has freed up a ton of room in our severely lacking cupboard space.  I'd show you a photo of the empty shelves but that would be downright boring.

Since the blocks are so significant they could support quite a bit of weight and I could probably add another shelf if I decided to but for now I'm a happy camper.

I'm on an organizational rampage so I'll be posting more ideas shortly.

Making an Easter Arrangement

Yesterday I showed you a really cute flower arrangement in a festive Easter theme that I wanted to copy.  Well mine didn't turn out nearly as cute and I didn't want to show it to you at all.  I am doing it though because I figure if you decide to tackle it you can learn from my mistakes so here goes.

Supplies

- 2 square vases.  They can be any size as long as one fits inside the oher.
- flowers of your choice
- jellybeans
- peeps

Cut flowers to fit inside the small vase and fill.  Place the small vase inside the large.  The spaces in between the 2 vases are what you will fill with your jelly beans and peeps.

So here's what went wrong for me.

- The inside vase is about 2" shorter than the outside one which means that the flowers don't flow over the side like I wanted.  Instead they stand up because they're being supported by the 2" outer wall.  If I was to do it again I would look for another vase that is thinner but exactly or almost exactly the same height.

- The peeps that I bought are too chubby for the space so I couldn't use them.  It still looks cute with just jelly beans but I really love the way the peeps give it a whimsical quality.

Aside from that, the biggest problem I foresee with this arrangement is dealing with the mysterious disappearing jellybeans.  "Who ate those" I'll scream.  "Not me."  "Not me".  "Not me" they will all lie.  Musta been the Easter Bunny.

Good Friday is a school holiday so we are officially on a nice 4-day break.  We have no big dinner plans as we have no family here...sniff!  We will be tackling our overgrown weed garden as well as doing some outdoor projects, going for a hike, hanging out with friends, enjoying some delicious wine and overall just loving the relaxing weekend.  Happy Easter everyone!

Easter in Blogland

I don't do much in the way of Easter decorating but there are some out there who are doing amazing things. Here's a little peek at my most favourite of them all.

Tulips and daffodils are quite perfect on their own but the addition of this "bird's nest" makes it so great for a special Easter table.

I love these non-traditional coloured eggs.  They would look great just sitting on a counter in the kitchen just as they are, in their cardboard container

This colourful banner was made from paint chips.  How resourceful.

I will be making this because it's so darn cute.  Look for my copycat version tomorrow.

Add some rolled fondant and attach to an Easter egg and you have instant cuteness with Mr. & Mrs. chocolately potato head.

I love the simplicity of these baskets filled with Easter goodies.

Okay, I know this is an oldie but it makes me chuckle.

See you tomorrow with my petite version of Easter decorating.

All images via Pinterest

Create a Necklace Holder

I have a thing for necklaces but not dainty little necklaces on teensy chains but chunky ones and long, dangly ones.  That means that keeping them organized is a bit problematic.  I've looked at all the commercial necklace holders but really they're not a solution for chunky necklaces.  So what does a crazy diy'er do when there is nothing available in the marketplace?  Make one, or maybe two.

We've been in our current house over a year now and this is where my necklaces have been hanging until today.  It was like our own little wind chime in the bedroom every time someone came or went.  My husband has been begging me to solve the problem.  

I purchased 2 picture frames from the thrift store and sprayed them black.  Here's a little tip...since this project doesn't require glass, look for frames without. They're much cheaper.

I used 12" x 12" cork sheets and cut them to fit the frame.  You don't need to be neat since they're being covered.

I attached the cork pieces together with electrical tape.  If you're using lightweight fabric you'll have to use clear packing tape.

Lay the fabric face down, lay the cork on top and wrap like a present.  Tape all the edges down and insert back into frame and reattach back.

Add a couple of cute pins to the board and voila, instant jewelry holder to match your decor. Currently my rings and bracelets are well stored but I like this so much I may give them their own frames.

Make a Cake Plate

A while ago I showed you a cake plate that I had made from thrifted items but didn't post a tutorial to go along with it.

A friend asked me to tell her what I used so I thought I would turn the instructions into a post.  I hit the thrift store hoping to find something cute and believe it or not, I found exactly the same metal flower that I had originally used.  Tomorrow I'm going to hit the corner store looking for the winning lottery ticket!

Supplies
Candle Stick with a flat top
Plate
Primer (optional)
Spray paint in your desired colour
Spray varathane

Give the plate and candle stick a coat of the spray primer followed by 2 light coats of spray paint.  Remember, light hand.  It's hard to get rid of drips when you're using spray paint.  Let it dry for 24 hours and then give it a coat of polyurethane to seal and protect it.

How easy was that?  

Any household adhesive will work just fine for attaching the pieces together.  This is the brand I own but they'll all do the job.  I actually didn't attach either of mine for a couple of reasons.  I like the look of the plate without the stand so this way I can occasionally chose to go without.  Since space in my kitchen is at a premium I have decided that storing these plates on the wall works best until they are needed

It even serves as a magnet board because it's metal and I can hang all the lovely little notes and drawings that my daughter makes me.

I definitely see this on our Easter table next weekend.