I'm a very busy girl these days!  I'll be back soon - I promise! 

Counterstool Re-do

In my effort to fix up a kitchen island with seating for two for the least amount of money possible - because that's a thrifty and fun game - I finally ended up with a set of stools like these from Target.  

It's not bad, it's just not what I really wanted for my kitchen!  It needs to be turned up a notch.  

  Demolition time :)

Cushion removed!  It was so easy.  The cushions just screwed out from underneath.  And while the cushion was removed, I spray painted it this really pretty brushed nickel spray paint I picked up at HomeDepot to match my appliances...and because it was pretty ;)

Take said cushion and place on your cloth.  I purchased mine online at Oilcloth Alley.  They seemed to have the best prices.  I left about four inches or so all the way around so I would have plenty to grab and staple.  Once I was doing it, however, it seemed a little excessive.

Center and stretch the fabric all the way around.  I do it like I'm stretching canvas for painting.  Go from one side to the opposite, then go to the other side at 90degrees and do it's opposite. Work your way around that way back and forth pulling tight, stapling, and trying to pull out as many creases and folds as you can.  Was that as clear as mud? 

Nice and tight :) 

I trimmed and stapled down the cloth and then I grabbed some felt and stapled a round piece down  to clean it up nice and pretty :) 

Before...

Much better :) 

Progress Report

Thank you, OLFA Chenille Cutter, for making this possible! You are completely worth every blessed penny.

New 'Do!

I got my hair fixed up today! I love it! it's been long overdue. I got a fun fiery copper color and feathers!! I am anxious to see how long they last :) Fun! Fun!

No Squeeze Headband!

I have short hair.  I love accessories.  I love to mix the two.

Clips are great!  Bobby pins are great!  Scarves are, well, 'eh.'  I don't love how they make the back of my short hair stick out funny - maybe I'm crazy - okay, I probably am.  I wear them when I spike up my hair all over to cover up that goofiness.

However.

Ever since my car wreck a few years ago, I have a really hard time wearing headbands!  Headbands squeeze my brain!  They give me annoying headaches. And there are so many amazing, beautiful, creative headbands out there these days! I'm so bummed out.  It limits my creative accessorizing to my head.

Until I solved my problem!  I realized that I need to make my own headband, bypassing the pressure points that cause me so much trouble.

Here's round number one!  I'm pretty excited about it!

Ps - I get a hair cut next week!  I'm so shaggy!

Guestroom Dogwood Tree

Ugh.  I am so sick.  So incredibly sick.  I am a mom - I'm not supposed to get sick...right? I've been stuck in my bed for two days!  It's been terrible!

But onto other, more exciting things...

I painted another tree last week in my aunt's guestroom.  This time it was a dogwood tree.  It is one of my favorite trees and  I enjoyed painting it very much!  Dogwoods are a sign of life after a long winter and they make me think of my grandma :) She loves them and has one that desperately needs cut down because of termite damage, but can't bring herself to cut it - one more season of bloom, maybe.  I can't blame her. It's huge and it's pink.  Beautiful.

Anyways, my aunt wanted a white dogwood, so I painted this white dogwood on a light blue wall.  I like it a lot, but I don't love that the blooms don't pop off the wall as much as I wanted them too.  Oh well.  She's happy, I'm happy.

Here's how it went!

ps - sorry about the sideways pictures.  I don't know what the deal is and I wish I could rotate them!

Finial Fun!

 I wish I could remember where I came across this idea. Just know that it's not original to me and I'd love to give credit where it's due...but can't!  I usually bookmark stuff like this, but didn't this time...sorry!

**Found it!!  I got the inspiration HERE**

Anyways, here's how I turned four tennis balls into curtain rod finials! 

Hello Wilson! 

Sorry to do this to you, but...

Slice an 'X' into it!

I used probably and 8-9 inch square of interior decor fabric that matched the bottom of my curtains.  (Enough to wrap around it completely and tuck snugly into the center.) As I was going this, I decided that a pencil, a crochet hook, a Barbie leg, anything would have felt better doing this than my thumb.  It hurt after the first ball, but I was way too into what I was doing to get up and get a useful tool for the project! 

You should end up with a lovely little ball like this! 

Take the above ball and stick it onto your curtain rod!  

Yay!  No more curtains slipping off the ends!

My curtain rod in my living room is a piece of conduit pipe - it cost me just a few dollars and fits perfectly above my 9 ft wide window!  If I were to purchase an actual curtain rod, I'd be spending WAY too much money on one that size that I probably wouldn't like that well anyway because I'm hanging decked out shower curtains that I got a great deal on and added fabric to the bottom for length but that's another post, so why when I'm on a thrifty-roll would I blow it on a boring rod? 

*deep breath in* 

Eventually I'll paint the rod so it's not so silver in my earthy room....

(I hate this picture.  It's late and the lighting is terrible.  Maybe I'll post a better one tomorrow.)

  

Joeli's Tree

I'm not a one-trick-pony, I swear!  I really can paint other things besides trees! I just have always loved them so much and have such a connection to them (I have been known to hug a tree now and then), it's natural and easy for me.  I enjoy it very much.  

This particular tree was painted today in my nieces nursery.  She totally would have loved a blooming pink tree, but she is the first born and this nursery will be used again and a little brother may not appreciate it quite as much. ;)  So we decided that a simple leafy green tree would be just as lovely and sweet.  

You can click on a picture for a larger, fuller screen image :) 

They are going to put shelves on three of the branches that I made extra level - well, as level as I could do free-handed! 

Add in some pretty vinyl butterfly decals and you're all set!   

Aunt Jessie loves you Joeli!  I hope you really enjoy your new tree!  You can tell me later...you can work on napping during the day and holding your head up on your own first :) 

Ooopsy - Spring! Sorry about your timing...

So, I was in a funk this spring and never posted about my Spring Blossom tree!  Now, I've moved onto summer without sharing with you my pretty tree at all...so here's some pictures!

Here's the links again to the other seasons:
Fall Leaves Tree
Winter Snowball Tree
Summer Apple Tree

And here's a brief how-to...I'm not a teacher by nature and don't do this sort of thing well!

Don't sit under the apple tree...

With anyone else but me...
I am WAY behind on my seasonal hall tree!  But I finally got it up-to-date by grabbing my cousin who was in from out of town to help me.  She is an aspiring artist, so I could totally trust her and she did great!  I cut out all the pieces, made the starch concoction, gave her a brief how-to and let her do it!
Here's how it turned out :)

I think it's really cute, very happy, and will last me through most of the fall! Yay for apple trees!

Here's the links to my
Winter Snowball tree
Fall Leaves tree

I just realized I never posted my Spring Blossom tree - well...stay tuned!