Bathroom faucets bought

I can't believe it.  A major overwhelming accomplishment for me.  I don't know why, but it overwhelmed me.   Surprisingly I found everything on overstock.com, even though I said it was impossible, hmmm!  Maybe I don't know everything, just saying..

So on with the show,


For the tub

 

For the sinks:

A little off, but they look close enough for me.

and finally the shower, tub.  Ours are seperate, so I'm wondering if I am missing something

All from the same line so the colors will be the same, and if anything is wrong returnable.  Here's hoping I'll get these suckers installed and then we can move on to other projects.  I'm pretty tired of this one.

a new spring outfit

I have two beautiful nieces around the same age.  One is 4 and lives by me, but the other is 5 and lives a few states away.  Every once in a while my sister comes to visit and it is a girlypalooza at my house.  So fun.  Anyways I made this little spring outfit for both nieces.  They love to match, even if they don't live by each other.  They are so sweet together.

 

My sweet niece has a preschool musical this week and I wanted her to have a little birdie set because she is such a sweet song bird.  Very shy in person, but a complete ham on stage.  I'm so excited to see her sing tomorrow night.  

I will be listing this outfit in my etsy shop also.

Linking to whipperberry 

fingerprints on the fridge

tatertots and jello 

craftomaniac 

csi

Learning from my mistakes and an etsy listing

Rule number one of bathroom diy:  Never, ever change the fixtures to a different color unless you have to, especially in a master bathroom.

We are redoing our master bathroom.  It all started with a leaky, poorly built shower.  It's actually what my first blog post was about. Well 6 mths later and we are still working on that last 10 percent of the remodel.  Not because we are slowgoing or lazy, it's all financial.  We switched from gold to oil rubbed bronze.  I don't know why, it seemed like a good idea at the time.  The rest of our bathrooms are silver, I didn't like the gold and our shower was going to be redone so why not do what I want?

Good idea?

Maybe.

  Because it's a master bathroom there are 4 faucets to deal with, two sinks, the shower and the tub.  Plus the closet doors are glass sliders and they have a gold metal bar around them.  Today we replaced that and just for the bars it was $350.00.  We shopped around it was the best price.

  Now onto the faucets.  The problem is that I can't find any amazing deals on overstock.com or amazon because I need 4 and I need them to match.  The cheapest possible scenario is going to be at least 500 bucks and that is for very low end, not what I was invisioning at the beginning of this process.  So just a word to the wise to realize these things before starting.  We want to redo our guest bath after this and it will be so much easier because there is only one faucet and everything is so small. 

I will show pictures of the remodel in a week or two when we are finished.  I was going to today, but my roomba knocked over my camera and the two great loves of my life battled it out to the death and my camera lost.  My canon 18 55 lens died a violent death and I only have a very lowend portrait lens to use till I can replace it. 

Here is my latest etsy listings.  Both were old fashioned painted wood decorations and I simply painted over them with chalkboard paint.  The pig I felt needed some dressing up. 

Just a quick craft idea if you have dated decor you want to make a little more modern.  Or if you want it but don't want to do it yourself, visit my etsy shop and I'll have them listed later tonight.

Linking to craftomaniac

Taking a chance

I wanted to talk to the people out there who are where I was a few months ago.  Not really doing what they wanted, trolling the blogs looking for good furniture redos.  Always wanting to do it but not feeling very confident about taking the plunge.

Before I started to sell (remember I'm an expert now because I have sold one whole piece of furniture;)  So please give this blog post the respect it deserves.  Seriously though it is tough to take a chance especially if it involves your family finances.  I was very concerned about the financial aspects of starting a business. I decided that I wouldn't do any antique malls or flea markets because it was too much money up front. Where I live antique malls want $250 a month for 6 months upfront.  Way too much risk for me.  Flea markets want $70 for a weekend and you have to be outside all weekend manning your booth, also not interested. 

But I found that consignment shops love to take hand painted furniture.  You set the price and they take 1/2 when it sells.  I had to think about it for awhile because at first that didn't work for me. But I soon realized it was the perfect solution, very low risk and I don't have to man the booth.  If I only buy reasonably priced garage sale finds then I still have alot of profit.  I also decided that I would use the paint that I already had to start out.  The only thing I needed to buy for this was a little pot of the onyx stain. So think about going for it if you want to, I have no idea if this will continue or not, but if I decided tomorrow I hate it or I need to concentrate on something else I can stop and I haven't really lost anything except a few hrs and $5 bucks.  But if I continue to love it then I continue to use my profits to buy new furniture and eventually a paint sprayer, be still my heart.

2nd furniture sale

My first piece sold!  Hallelujah!  So I now have the courage to go for it again.  This is a dresser that I got at a garage sale for $5.  It had cigarette burns on the top and was not in great shape.  And because I wasn't thinking clearly I didn't take a before picture. Sorry.

 

I painted it laura ashley sterling, in satin finish and then distressed it a bit, then did a glaze with ebony minwax stain and quickly rubbed it off.  After doing that I thought it needed some more detail so I taped off the diamond and did a quick white wash with primer and then restained.  Then a final coat of poly.   

I am going to let this sit over the weekend and then take it into the store and see if it sells or not.  I can also buy more garage sale finds because I have finished painting all my furniture that was piling up.  I have to make little deals with myself like that or I would be guest starring on hoarders. 

  

whipperberry

Linking to miss mustard seed and tatertots and jello. 

craftomaniac

pomander kissing ball #2

My plan is to make 3 to hang at varying heights from my daughters room.  So here is the 2nd.

I love this one.  The first kissing ball I used 2 layers of tulle and two layers of paper.  But for this one it was too overpowering, so I started over.  It  just has one layer of tulle (sparkly white) that is cut into a square just a bit bigger then the star.  Then a star punched out of white glitter paper.  So one layer of each with a pin through the center and then you just place it in the styrofoam ball where you want it.

Here are the materials:

 

Even though I own a cricut and could easily do this using it.  I don't like using glitter paper in my cricut, because the glitter gets everywhere and I'm afraid it will ruin my machine.  So all the stars are punched.

Here are the two together.

I am doing one more, it will be bigger and purple glitter with netting butterflies.  So I will show them all once I have that done.

linking to the csi project

craftomaniac

Winner of $50 target gift card

Is...............................................................................



Twin wood carving picked by random number generator

Congratulations!  Please contact me at biedebach@sbcglobal.net to claim your prize and let me know your address.

pomander kissing ball

I originally saw something very similar to this on whipperberry.  I wanted to add some tulle and glitter because that is what floats my boat.  It was a very simple project. 

Here is what you need:

 

Any floral punch would work.  You need 2 per set, 1 to lay flat and one to fold the ends up.

straight pins

netting, I used two layers on this also cut into squares just a bit bigger then the flowers

glitter cardstock

This shows the process.  I took the two papers and stuck a pin through the center.  I found it was easiest to do them each one at a time.  Then put the two layers of tulle underneath and placed it where I wanted and pocked the pin in.  It stays in place very nicely.  I then bent up the petals on the top flower and left the bottom laying flat.  The tulle overlapped a little and just adds to the softness.

I am planning on hanging this from the ceiling in my daughters room, but I think it would be beautiful in a nursery or decorations for a shower or wedding.  

I will be linking this to tatertots and jello tonight.

craftomaniac

blog thank yous

Today I sold my first piece.  The little grey side table with drawers.  $150.  My first piece ever.  I think I need to say some thank yous:

Thank you miss mustard seed, Thank you primitive and proper , thank you life in the fun lane.  These ladies without knowing it have taught me quite a bit about a proper furniture redo.  Wonderful tutorials, paint recipes, lots of before and after pic.  They don't need my links, but they are the people who taught me well.  Thanks for all the advice and tutorials.  You don't know me but you have made my way easier.  Today the shop that bought my side table said that the quality was outstanding.  Amazing!  Last year I wouldn't have even known what to look for, but I do now thanks to these blogs and anyone who posts on them.

thank you!
My husband would like everyone to know that even though he is mystified by all things shabby chic and that anyone would pay money for it, he is happy to be the muscle that moves my furniture for me, especially now that I'm making money at it.  All day he has asked me if the "artist" needs anything, so sweet



 

signs of spring

I thought my northern friends might need a little reminder that spring is getting here!

It's suppose to be a japanese maple, but it's not.  If you know what it is leave a comment and put yourself in the running for a $50 target card.  If your not a follower, become one first.

 

My sweet bunny planter, usually overflowing with geraniums, but got a little weedy this winter.

 

My old family dough bowl filled with target moss eggs and birds nests.

My favorite usa planter filled with bird eggs, for summer it will be shells.

I hope spring reaches you soon.

spring wall reveal

Before I show the new family wall, let me show the previous versions. 

This is the fall version.

Here is the Christmas wall

For some reason I didn't change the kid's pictures on this wall, but it is christmas.

Here is valentine's day

 

and now Spring

 

It's changed up a bit, not completely how I want it but not bad.  

Basically I change the paper in the B frame, the paper behind the cross, the plate on the plate rack, what's on the shelf and what is on the upper right hand shelf.  Usually I have everything in my stash, and this time I didn't need to buy the papers, so the only cost was getting my kids 8x10 printed.  But next year I will reuse the prints, so it will be absolutely free.  

This new family wall I really like the most.  The colors are very soothing and muted, but still spring. I'm not really a pink person, so I tried to go more blue, green and a vintagey yellow.  

I have one more wall to do for summer and then I just recycle everything again, changing up whatever I wasn't in love with. 

tin cross tutorial

I used my leftover tin from my heart project and cut out a cross today.  Cutting out the heart was pretty easy but with the cross I tried to get tricky and cut on the diagonal.  I don't suggest this.  It was more difficult and not worth it.  If you cut with the lines it is pretty easy though.

I used a sharpie and put the shape I wanted and then cut it out.  Like I said before not smart to go against the stripes.  

Then I used a can of yellow spray paint that I had and did a coat over the whole cross.

I noticed that if I stayed pretty close to the tin, about 4 to 5 inches away that I could spray a pretty stable line and didn't need to tape off the stripes.  I didn't even wait more then a few minutes to do the second color.  It's a very forgiving project.

Then just because I was feeling a little tricky I decided to splatter some pink.  I used a paper plate and sprayed the paint on the paint and then dipped a paint brush into the paint and splattered it across the top.

Just like with the heart, I took a nail and hammer and hammered the nail through the top to make a hole to put the string through.  I would suggest putting a piece of wood behind the tin.  

Then I strung a strand of beads and tied it in the back.

 

There it is, all done and on my front door. 

The tin is sold in home improvement stores with the wood and it costs around $9 dollars a sheet, with that sheet I have made 4 hearts and then this cross.  So you get alot out of it.  

You need tin snips to cut the tin and I would suggest gloves, especially if you try to be tricky and cut on the diagonal.

I also put little felt circles on the back so it doesn't bump against the door in the wind.  

I am linking to the shabby chic cottage 

Just a girl and whipperberrry 

tatertots and jello

new lamps

I have been working on our master bedroom for awhile now.  It's really endless.  

Don't you hate the last 10 percent of a project, all the fun Ahhh moments are done and now it's just the

details that aren't quite as fun.  

About a month ago I bought these beautiful faux acrylic lamps and shades at target.

They were pretty perfect, but I wanted to add a grey stripe around the shades.

Usually I use this stuff to attach any trims and it always works like a charm.

 

But not this time.  See if you can tell which lampshade I used this on?

 

Yep, you are so smart, the left shade.  I have used this stuff on lampshade trim and even pillows

and it usually works beautifully, but I think because the ribbon was thinner, it just showed 

all the flaws.

BLECH!

I was stumped because if this didn't work then what would I use?

I knew a glue gun would leave the same telltale smudgies and so would glue.  Then I

had a thought of decorating brilliance!  

 

I'm feeling a little smug right now.  I'm sure others have thought of this before me.

But I liked that I thought of it myself.  So I used it and waited a few weeks to make sure the 

ribbon stayed in place.  I did not want to steer you in the wrong direction.  It lasted!

So now I can let you in on my secret.  The beauty part is that it is repositionable if you 

step back and decide the line is crooked.  

I personally am not much of a perfectionist, so crooked lines are okay with me , but I 

think you will agree the double sided tape works alot better.

Not perfect, but better.  

p.s  If I cared I could make it pretty perfect, in case my little squiggles makes you think it won't work.