Nursery Project: Chandelier

Although I had originally intended to post my nursery projects as I was doing them clearly that did not happen :)  BUT I still have the pictures on my computer so it seems silly for me not to go ahead with them.  Today I'm going to show one of the easiest (and most fun) projects I completed for D's room, the chandelier.

I debated whether or not to do a fun color on the light fixture or whether I should do something more neutral (like silver) for when we go to resell the house.  In the end I decided that I live here now and I might as well enjoy where I live, so I picked up a can of kelly green spray paint and went to town!  I found this little chandelier at the ReStore (I LOVE the ReStore) for $10.  Total this project cost around $15.

This is what I started with:

As you can see one of the white plastic 'candle' sleeves was missing.  So I guess I did spend a little more on this project because I bought all new sleeves at Lowe's, I don't remember specifically how much they were (such it is when you're posting this 9 months after the fact...) but I remember that they came in packs of two and were in the lighting department under the ceiling fans (in case you're on the hunt as well). 

Before I started spray painting I wiped the chandelier down with a damp rag and then lightly sanded the entire fixture.  After I sanded I did another wipe down and then taped off all of the bulb holes (not sure what the technical term for that is!) and the end wires. 

As you can see I chose a bright green Krylon fusion paint.  It worked wonderful.  Here is a picture after (I believe) 1 coat:

After another 2 thin coats I slipped the new sleeves on it and the hubster installed it in our nursery!

Here's the finished product in (almost) all his glory (since he's missing a bulb - oops!):



I am SO glad that I ended up doing the green on this fixture.  Everytime I look up at it it makes me smile.  I often catch my little dude looking up at it too (I'm sure he's just checking out the shape and the contrast against the ceiling) and that makes me happy.  One thing I have decided (and I'm not sure why I didn't think of this before) is when it comes time to change out the bulbs I'm going to switch them out for round vanity bulbs instead of the candle ones that are in there now.  I think it will just make it a bit more mod and whimsical.

I'll be back later with more of our nursery projects and then once those have all been shown I'll showcase the finished product (which means I need to finish one more thing and take some more pictures - it never ends!).

Hope you're all having a great day!





Hello old friend...

It's a bit dusty on this old blog!  So much has happened since the last time I was here.  Mainly I had a baby.  What I've come to learn is that having a baby means that (at least in the beginning) everything happens day to day.  It's good to have intentions to do something, but often those don't come to fruition.  So while I had planned on doing lots and lots of blogging a lot of other things came before this old blog.  These days my daily goals (outside of taking care of my son) include getting dressed (who would have thought that would be an accomplishment?), maintaining a somewhat clean supply of clothing for our family, and making sure we eat.  Outside of that everything else is a bonus.  (Maybe I'll come back another day and share my goals for this year...hmm)



I've thought of just letting this blog go by the wayside but despite it's lack of readership, I like it.  Heck, I love blogging.  I have lots of projects, redo's, and misc material that in my mind I think I'll post, but in reality that may not happen.  In reality this may become a space that is filled with ramblings of an overtired mama.  (Oh yeah, my son can now say ma-ma!)  I'm not sure what this blog is going to look like in the future, or the frequency of which I'll visit it,  but for now it's staying put in it's small little corner of the internet. 

Breakfast at Tiffany's Baby Shower

Remember me telling you that Sarah was throwing me a Breakfast at Tiffany's baby shower?  Well it turned out fabulous! 

(For those of you not in the know, Holly Golightly, the main character in Breakfast at Tiffany's keeps her telephone in a suitcase to muffle the sound.  So the little set up above is just perfect!)

To see the full run down on the shower check out the CES blog for lots of eye candy and inspiration!  (And make sure to check back on Thursday for the second half of the shower pics)

A little bit of early birthday fancy

Today marks 28 years of my husband being alive.
My husband is no stranger to this blog, I'm sure to his dismay he is often mentioned and has been pictured numerous times (as well as having permanent photos on the side bar).  I link to his blog nearly every time I mention him.  Each year I write a short blog post wishing him a happy birthday and this year is no different.  Although this year's post may be a bit sappier than in years past...sorry - it's my blog.

Christopher I am so glad you are my husband.  I am SO looking forward to seeing you be a dad to our little guy.  You have a generous spirit and a genuine caring for others.  You love me more than I ever could have wished for someone to.  I love your film reviews and even the tacky stuff you want us to buy for our house (I think you can picture your most recent purchase).  Our house is lonely when you are not home and I always look forward to 4:30 when you walk through the door. 

On your birthday remember that you are loved and feel special, important, blessed beyond measure, and grateful for the many good things in your life. 

This morning to celebrate Chris's birthday we had an early morning birthday breakfast.  Chris requested a coffee cake.  I'd never made a coffee cake.  It was surprisingly simple (and super yummy) - but it made for A LOT of cake!  Hopefully his co-workers like coffee cake!  Since I do like to bring a little bit of fancy to our everyday life I couldn't pass up the opportunity to do a special little birthday set up to start the day.  Chris is a big Royals fan so I went with a Royals theme and snatched up a few royal blue plates for just $0.88 cents each (the only expense outside of the cake supplies and the gift).  The rest of the items were items from around the house. So here's a quick pic:

Happy birthday Christopher!

A Couple of Favorite Blog Links

It is hard to say this outloud, but I spend WAAAY to much time reading blogs.  I don't know why but I am really addicted to blogging in general.  I mainly read party planning/wedding, photography blogs, & home decor blogs although there are a good dose of misc and other personal interest blogs that I follow pretty regularly too (like my husbands).  Today I thought I'd share a couple of blogs that I find interesting, inspiring, or that I just plain like.  For those familiar with the blog world, some of these are pretty common so you'll likely see some of your favorites too!

• BY FAR my favorite photographer, Jasmine Star (j*).  If you like photography and sass you've got to start following her.  Not to mention she's flat out amazing.
• Hostess With the Mostess - great blog/website for finding inspiration while planning your own small events.  Modern, fun, and colorful usually sum up the events featured on this site.
• Southern Weddings Magazine - This blog is written by the editors of Southern Weddings Magazine.  Tons of just gorgeous weddings, ettiquette advice (which I love), give aways, etc.
• Kara's Party Ideas -   A new blog for me, but a pretty easy one to check in on and do a quick image scan on.  There are tons of real party features to get inspiration from.
• Young House Love - John & Sherry tackle tons of home improvement and DIY projects and along with making it extremely personal.  Most of the time it feels as if they've invited you into their home and you're doing the projects with them.  Great design along with very user friend DIY projects - a WIN in my book!
• Frugal Coupon Living - For any cheapskates out there you've got to check out this daily couponing blog.  Tons of deals for deals online and in the stores.
• Nesting Place - A home decor blog dedicated to making easy, fun, design accessible to anyone. 
• House Tweaking - Another newer blog for me, but one that is quickly becoming a favorite.  Just a woman writing about her home, her projects, stuff she likes and stuff that's worked for her. 
• Rage Against the Minivan - This blog is hard to catagorize as it covers a lot of personal stories, social issues, reader submissions, etc.  Overall just a good, humorous, sarcastic, informative blog.
• Creative Event Studio - So what if I help write this blog?  If you like photography, party planning, and want to help support two gals living a dream check it out!

And since this list is getting a bit long I'm going to end it there, although it's just a smidge of some of my favorites.  How many blogs do you follow?

Pictures From a Spring Day

The weather today is so wonderful.  I was hoping that by the time I got home from work it would still be nice so I could go on a little walk with my camera.  When I got home I loaded up the camera and put the leash on the dog to set out for a walk.  What I didn't realize is that the dog + camera + leisurly stroll do not equal happiness for me.  It was really nice to get out of the house and wander my neighborhood on my own time at my (nearly) own pace, but the dog made picture taking a little more difficult than I had imagined, so our walk ended a little sooner than I had expected.  Even so here are a couple of shots Tink & I managed to take:

And for the last picture of the day - Tink, after her near meltdown, happily realizing we are very close to home after an apparently stressful walk (for both of us).  Stinkin' dog.

Using furniture for decor

I was going through some of my saved 'idea' photos on my flash drive and found the photo below.  Oh how I LOVE those blue chairs - what a punch of color and drama to an otherwise neutral tabletop!

Love 'em!

Just a personal post to show off some cutie patootie shoes I got for my little mister.  He's going to be pretty dang cute in these kicks.

It's hard to tell in these pictures but they are blue and orange plaid, not black and orange. 

And in like a year and a half he can wear 'em.  :)

My husband's famous!

Check it out!

Sewing SUCCESS!!!!

After our first sewing day didn't go so well Gail ended up taking some of the fabrics home and starting on the linens herself (amazing).  A few days later she returned with her sewing machine in tow to let me borrow it.  It is amazing what a difference a working machine is!  A brief lesson from Gail has turned me into a very novice, but excited seamstress!

Here I am successfully working with some scrap fabric!

To date I've nearly completed all 4 curtain panels and the crib skirt.  There is still more to do, but until the nursery gets a little further along I'm at a bit of a standstill as to how to finish off the curtains.  I also need to pick up the last bit needed for the bumper that Gail started.  Her bumper looks way better than anything I've done so far (the crib skirt looks pretty rough folks), but it's been pretty fun learning! 

Sarah was also in attendance this day, but alas someone has to take the pictures.  :) I can't wait until I can show off some of the completed projects.  It's great to have talented friends!