still me

ta da!!

Here it is.  Ta Da!! …. I quite love it!  having it all ‘fixed up’ has done a few things:

1. makes me want to keep it clean, cause it looks so cute!

2.   I did some re-organizing, so everything has it’s place! Easier to put stuff away

3.  it also makes me want to create stuff.. it feels inspiring to me!

4.  I’m ready to film some new videos

 

it’s way small, but it’s super functional. Probably more functional than any of my other spaces as far as the places I put things for easy access, and removing the things that I just don’t need at my fingertips.  I am happy!

 

spray painting TIPS!

so i have had a bunch of emails about what kind of paint i used, and so i thought i'd share a few of my little tips, and what i have learned...

1. i like the selection of the colors of spray paint at Hobby Lobby best! the colors are awesome- they even carry the Krylon mini cans of spray paints. 

2. i had the best results when i put on a primer first- the primer sticks to almost anything, and provides a great surface. i used it on ceramic, glass, plastic, wood, painted wood, slick painted wood, baskets.

3. WAIT until the primer is totally dry. i am SO not good at waiting, so i sprayed EVERYTHING with the primer and then went to bed, so it would dry overnight.

4. apply the paint on thin- and layer it rather than really thick layers that will drip -- move your hand slowly as you apply the paint.

5. allow time between coats.

6. play with different types of finishes: flat vs. glossy

i just layed down some cardboard in my back patio... if you put it on the grass (not wet), at least you can mow the color from over-spray off! it's so fun to see a little spray paint breathe new life into just about anything!

HAVE FUN!

re-colorizing stuff

so i had a clock, frames, jars, bowls and drawers that needed a facelift...i sprayed everything in sight!

i transformed the clock with matte black spray... and the dawers with a color called "watermelon"

who would have thought you could spray paint glass bowls? this little pink bowl is so cute, and i like to keep my MOST used stamps in there- easy access... and so i kept the inside pink, but  sprayed the outside the perfect 'sea mist' color!
 

i painted the lid to the jar the same color as the drawers... the glass plate there to the left, i bought in New York like 7 years ago- and it's been in a drawer for the last 2 years... i LOVE it, and was so excited when i remembered it, and found it, and it was the perfect color!

this oval frame was black, and i had put gold 'rub n buff' on it the last time it had a home- so i sprayed it white, and added touches of turquoise paint...  the sheves definately became a showcase of some of my favorite things- my New York City snow globe became a book end... i love it there!
 

the lamp was the last thing i bought... i debated back and forth, and tried to make several lamps that i already had work... but i was in LOVE with the square shape of the black shade... and turns out, the swirly pattern was just the perfect touch. love it. got it for 50% off at Hobby Lobby. woot!


these colors are making me so happy! ok... i think that i have kept you in suspense long enough... i'll show off the final result tomorrow! i need to photograph it all put together!

just add color!

the next step… COLOR…

I wanted to brighten up my little area… my ‘scrapbook studio’ is a loft area on the 2^nd floor, right outside the bedrooms of all the kids- it’s also overlooking the family room, and kitchen- which gives me a good bird’s eye view of everything going on at all times! And I am still ‘in the conversation’ even when I am up working.

 

I wanted a fresh looking color- and opted for the Martha Stewart “Sea Glass” color… it’s both soothing and refreshing. It’s perfect!  I only painted ½ the wall so it was about a 40 minute project, with tape!~

 

My plan would be to hang my big huge frame on the wall… so I had  eric help me measure the inside dimensions of the frame, and I painted it a slightly darker color for a bit of contrast… (forgive the kinda blurryness...)

 

you may notice that some of my 'accessories' are looking like they got a little facelift... i did get a shot of all the extra stuff that i have hanging around my space...

tomorrow i'll share how each of these little guys got transformed!

ikea additions

ok, just as a reminder, this is what my room looked like when i decided that i needed an intervention... i wanted more storage- i already had those cropper hopper cubes on the left side of the room- but only 1/2 way up the wall- i did use it as a place for my sewing machine-- i also wondered if i could find something that would fit on the outside of my island where i have about a 8" overhang-maybe some shelves?

 

There is an Ikea 15 min from my house, maybe closer. I love it.  I love to wander around looking at the different products and envisioning something I could DO with them… something to alter, or change… personalize. But this time, I was looking for specific function… I needed to add storage, and give myself some extra space… I moved some of my storage boxes around, and determined that I wanted a tall shelf unit.  I only had about an hour before I had to be somewhere, so it was power-shopping-ikea at it’s best… I was moving fast… I was trying to decide if I should get white or black… my existing cabinets are brown and the counter top is like a speckly-tanish-cream, so I was definitely going for contrast… I decided on white…these were my purchases:

On one side of my island, I have about a 7” overhang, and I thought that maybe I could find a narrow shelf unit that would back right up to my island, and give me some storage. Ikea, of course, is the small space master- and this  ‘shoe cabinet’ caught my eye… it’s quite a narrow unit- only 6” from the wall- and it’s designed to actually mount on the wall. The compartments open out to about a 60 Degree angle- I measured it and BINGO- totally fits 12x12 paper perfectly! it's actually mounted right to the back of my island! (fabulous)

this thing is my FAVORITE FIND... it's PERFECT!!

 

 

blueberries, anyone?

 So, I am 39, and I just discovered that I love blueberries! I had no idea that they were so sweet and delicious… they are making me want to eat breakfast, which is a good thing! 

my take...

we had such a busy last 24 hours, and i got a chance to sit down while everyone was decompressing...i decided to surf the rest of the blog hop stops..it took me awhile to enjoy all the different blogs, and snag all the freebies, and ENJOY the inspiration. i was feeling so inspired by all the elements, papers and quick pages, that i even put a couple of my own together. i have to admit that Carina Gardner's kit was my fav, and i LOVE it all!! i made this page with her kit and some stuff from the admit kit as well...

she is 4 (for about another month)... so i thought it would be perfect!  i just took these 2 photos today... so cute. 

  there are a whole bunch of quick pages....i love this one! it's by Antonia Krajicek

the blog hop only goes until SUNDAY NIGHT at 10pm Eastern time... so take a few minutes, and enjoy the inspiration!

my favorite part of morning...

I am not a morning person- I really wish that I was… but it’s hard for me to get moving in the morning… however, I think that it might be my favorite part of the day- just about every morning when I wake up, I find this little guy snuggled in between eric and I, sleeping so peacefully- I am not sure what time he comes in to our room- maybe as early as 5:30 or as late as 7. (my alarm goes off at 7:20a). I am a heavy sleeper- so nothing really wakes me up. I think I can sleep through just about anything.  I know that you shouldn’t let your kids sleep in your bed, and none of them ever have… I guess because he is my last,  and my baby… I love it. I love waking up to his sweet little sleeping face…

 

the blog hop has begun!

 

hope you were able to collect all the freebies... thanks JESSICA and EVERYONE involved in the hoppin!

start here... and REMEMBER ... that is 10pm Eastern Time...

47 freebies... let me say that one more time: 47  freebies

the JS bloghop... get ready!

Ok, heads up everyone… this is the weekend for the huge Jessica Sprague blog hop! Have you ever followed a blog hop?? It’s so cool!  And this one is just super OVER-the-top! If you follow this blog hop… you can collect a total of 47 freebies!  And the cool thing- is that there is a color scheme as well as a theme, that is just perfect for this time of the year- everyone will have a little different take on it- I haven’t seen them all… I am really looking forward to see what everyone came up with!! because I have been an official teacher at JessicaSprague.com, I contributed to a kit from the ‘admin’ team… this set kicks off the HOP, and sends you on your way- you start on Jessica Spragues’ blog… and then as you follow each link it will take you through to each designer… where you can download each freebie! There is a game that goes along with it- you can read about it below… the Blog hop goes from 10PM EASTERN TIME on Friday night June 24^th. (tomorrow night) … I thought I’d share my little contribution... the theme was " 4EVER"... to celebrate the 4th bday of JessicaSprague.com

 

this is a little preveiw of the whole kit from me & the JS admin... loving those papers! and those splatters...  

 head over to the BRAND NEW home page at JessicaSprague.com, and check out her new VIDEO, and register for a FREE class... check it out, and as she says...'grow your skills'... i have personally learned so muhc from jessica.. i love working with her, and the AMAZING team that she has on board. i have now team-taught 3 classes with Jessica, and i am excited to do more...