fall party decor

My cousin got married a few weekends ago and my aunt put on one of the best rehearsal dinners I have ever been to. It was so well thought out and perfectly decorated. I thought I'd share some of these handmade decorations since they would work for more than just a rehearsal dinner. They could be the perfect decoration for your fall table, Thanksgiving dinner place settings and much more. Enjoy :)

[p.s. this post may be linked to any number of these blogs]

advice to ikea shoppers

IKEA. We love the place.  Where else can you get shoe storage, a kitchen faucet & swedish meatballs?
As we prepared for our bathroom remodel we kept coming back to the items we loved at Ikea. They were our style, they fit our space and they most importantly fit into our budget. We looked for reasons why we should choose something else, but in the end concluded that for us, they were the perfect choice.

Here are the steps we took in finding & buying the stuff we needed to complete our bathroom remodel at Ikea:

1] WE DID OUR RESEARCH

We looked... and looked... and looked. We looked for vanities, storage units and ideas for almost a year while we saved up the money to complete the project. For me, I like knowing that I've seen what's available and make the best choice for our space. On one of our many trips to Ikea, we thoroughly checked out the pieces we were considering. We checked out the sizes, finish and overall stability of the pieces. Once we had gathered that information, we came home and remeasured our space to get a feel for how those particular pieces would fit into our bathroom.

2] WE PURCHASED

Once our minds were made up, we weren't hesitant at all to swipe our credit card. We had done our research and knew we were happy with our decisions. Here are my suggestions for making a big purchase at Ikea (especially on a busy day like Saturday or Sunday).

• Before you even leave the house, make a list of everything that you need to buy. Include the article # of the item (which can be found online). An Ikea employee can use this article number to bring up that exact item in their system. They compile a "Self Serve" list and a "C&C Full Service" list and print them out for you. From there, you gather your "Self Serve" items while they gather your "C&C Full Service items." It was very simple to do since we came prepared with the article numbers.

3] WE ASSEMBLED Dare I say this was the fun part? Ha! Once we were home it was time to put everything together. My advice? Clear a nice, clean space to work... put on a movie... make sure you have all of the parts and pieces you're supposed to... and follow the directions. Ikea assembly can be slightly tricky sometimes, so just take your time and have a little fun with it.

[p.s. this post may be linked to any number of these blogs]

diy advice from diy bloggers

When you're doing a remodel, it seems to be the only thing you think about. One day, while thinking about our bathroom remodel I thought it would be fun to get advice from other people who are all too familiar with DIYing. Below you'll find advice from some of my fellow bloggers about renovations, how to stay on a budget, how to pin down your style & even tips on what to cook/eat while you're life is consumed with dust and power tools. Seriously... these people are awesome. I can't thank them enough for their input. Happy reading!

[1]

Cassity | Remodelaholic

"If possible, before starting a renovation I really like to live in the space for as long as I can stand it. This is a great time to save up some cash! This also gives me a first-hand knowledge of how my family uses the space, what problems there are, and what great features the space has. Next I start looking for  inspiration. Obviously with Pinterest around it is a little easier to plan out a project. Collect images that you love, then break down the images part by part, and ask yourself what you like about the image. Do you like the wall color? the texture? Make a list of the things that keep reoccurring in the inspiration images. If you are on a tight budget, pick one or two things that you cannot live without, and work your room around those star features. Then get to work! (P.S. Be sure you have a refuge in your home from the exhaustion and mess that inevitably come with remodeling!)"

[2]

Julie | Pocketful Of Joules

"We did a mini version of a bathroom renovation, but kept things as simple (and inexpensive) as possible. My advice is not to be afraid to work with what you have. In an ideal world, we would have ripped out our ugly green bathtub and also replaced the floor (which is a bit dated, but in really great shape)... but we looked at our budget and attacked just what we could in order to get the most bang for our buck. I think it turned out pretty great for spending around $600!"

[3]

Cassie | Primitive and Proper

"Hi there!  I am Cassie and I blog at Primitive and Proper.  I am so happy to be here sharing a tip about DIY Reno.  Now, I will start by saying that I am not the handiest with power tools, and I know my limitations.  Things like say, knocking down walls, need to be left to the professionals in my house.  We recently began a kitchen reno, contracting out the major electric work, and construction elements, like wall removal.  But, in order to save money and time, I painted my kitchen cabinets.  Painting cabinets is a great way to save money, and update the look of your space!  Here is a glimpse of what my 1970's cabinets look like painted....

Tackling this part of it myself, and salvaging the existing cabinets was a great way for us to save a lot of money!"

[4]

JB | Building Moxie

"Having read Shannon’s post on Prepping for a Bathroom Remodel, I have to say, she (and her husband Adam) look locked in and ready to go.  Shannon, it appears, and as I am just learning, has a leg up - working in a professional design role.  This gives even more weight to the tips she provides.  So heed her advice.  But now she has asked me for my million dollar remodeling tips, I mean – I have done a few myself, but really, what could I add?

Well, okay … I’ll give you three.

Looking passed the possibility that Shannon and Adam may be addressing the only bathroom in their home, and the disruption that that would create – I say, stay on it and do it till it’s done … and done.  When I DIY I have a tendency to say, “Oh well, I’ll get to that later.”  And sure I will, and do, but most of the time it ends up being much, much later.  Use sick time, vacation time, lunch time … on consecutive days until every inch of that punch list (and barring maybe some décor touches) is licked.

If you are doing a gut of any room, take time to think about what is above, below and on the other side of every wall.  I am not talking about the risk of potentially knocking wall hangings from their place (though that’s valid too), I am talking about … the (foreseeable) future. What could you, or might you, do in any of the adjacent spaces?  We remodeled a hall bath a few years back, and though we hired it out, I took the time to run wiring for an electrical sub panel, as well as cable and phone, from my basement to the attic.  It was only a few months later that I added an outlet to our youngest daughters’ room.  Taking the time when the walls were open made it much, much easier.

And lastly, anoint a project manager.  And let’s face it guys, in almost any traditional relationship and for any shared space – that means the Mrs.!  Shannon and Adam appear to be doing a great job of communicating, but when push comes to shove, and it usually does – get out of the better half’s way. This is especially valuable when it comes to finishes, shut up and just do what she says.  The one lone exception to this, and barring a stay-at-home dad situation – is with a kitchen remodel and where you are the primary cook.  Some of my best, as in – most enjoyable, remodels were accomplished this way.

That’s it and happy remodeling."

[5]

Lori | The Stonybrook House

"When I begin to tackle a DIY renovation, the first thing I do is… Think about it.  I know that sounds so obvious, but it’s a very important stage. I will sit in the room we want to work on and think and write.  I write down dreams, creative ideas, and any details.  This gives me something to look back on.  Then I talk about it, first of all to my hubby, then family and friends. Hubby and I will discuss it at length, and we’ll look at pictures in magazines or Pinterest for inspiration.  We’re trying to get a feel for the room. The next thing we do is something I learned at a blogging conference, that has really revolutionized our process of renovating and decorating.  We chose 5 to 7 words that describe how we want that room to make us feel.  We narrow down the top 3 and use them as a gauge for everything we do in that room.  This process has become a key tool for us.  You can see how we used this process in our Powder Room Inspiration." 

[6]

Shauna | The Best Blog Recipes

"Hi everyone, I’m Shauna and I blog over at The Best Blog Recipes!  Shannon recently asked me if I had any experience remodeling and if I could share some of my meal preparation tips for those of you that are getting ready to tackle your next project.  At first I had to laugh, because I started thinking about our last big project. It was a nightmare!  We weren’t even planning on doing a remodel and hadn’t even talked about it.  It all started when my hubby bought a new bathroom door on clearance at Lowe’s, brought it home and installed it.  Just to realize that it opened on the wrong side.  We thought we’d just quickly move the light switch to the other side of the bathroom door and then we’d be done. So wrong.  We ran into problem after problem.  That’s what we should have expected from a 1940’s house.  It was 2 weeks before Christmas and I was getting ready to deliver our son in 4 weeks.  Yes, only 4 weeks till he arrived and we decided to rip the whole bathroom out and start from scratch.  What were we thinking?  I don’t know.  We’re crazy! 

So, for those of you in the process of a remodel, or if you’re getting ready to start your project keep these tips in mind:

1.        You don’t have to cook gourmet meals!  Easy and simple is better.  Chances are that you’ll be overwhelmed and exhausted by the remodel itself.  Cook as simply and healthy as you can!  Casseroles are a perfect dish because they’ll give you leftovers for the next day which really come in handy for lunches! 

2.       Get your crock pot out and put it to work!   Crockpot meals are simple since you just dump everything in when you wake up and dinner is ready when you’re just about too tired to eat after working hard all day long. 

3.       It’s ok if you don’t cook a hot meal every night during a remodel!   Sandwiches are a really easy way to feed the family when everyone is hungry.  Spice it up a little bit so your family doesn’t get bored.  Buy cheeses and meats that you don’t usually get that are easy and quick to throw together.  You can use the extra cheeses and meat the next night to make a chef salad which is very filling and goes a long way too!

4.       Buy bananas, grapes, cheese sticks, crackers, granola bars and anything else that’s easy for you to grab and go!  You’ll want to keep refueling your body as you work throughout the day!

So just remember…. cooking during a remodel doesn’t have to be hard and time consuming.  Make a menu plan at the start of your project so you can lump all of your grocery shopping into one or two trips which will help save you time & money!"

[7]

Darlene | My Honey Bunch

"Starting a new project is always exciting and filled with visions and creative juices flowing.  Once it all gets rolling we always seem to hit some crossroads… Do you really like that color we chose? This doesn’t fit like we planned.. I saw something else-what do you think?

My biggest advice to anyone planning a makeover or remodel is to be flexible and have an open mind to change.  Some may debate me on that statement by saying that your project should be planned out to the very last detail to avoid any problems.  Most of us that are doing DIY makeovers are not professional designers, builders, architects, engineers, etc., therefore making it difficult to produce a detailed plan.

When doing our Kitchen remodel, we purchased used cabinets and had to work with what we had in terms of cabinet sizes and placement.  We moved and changed until we came up with a layout that we were pleased with. We also didn’t plan on the extra expense of the corbels on the stove hood either.  These were a bit pricey but we felt they were worth adding.  

As the project moved forward we added, changed, removed and tweeked until it was finished.  Moving the basement stairs from the middle of the room to the end was not in the original plan either!  This turned out to be an excellent change from the original plan and where flexibility was key in our remodel."

how we prepared for our bathroom remodel

When doing any home renovation, preparation is KEY! We knew we were getting ourselves into a huge project when we decided to DIY our 1950's bathroom. For us, a renovation was a necessity - we have duct tape in the shower holding up the old tile for crying out loud! With a solid plan of attack (and a lot of love & teamwork) we knew that we'd someday have a bathroom we could be proud of. 

Here is how we tackled planning our bathroom remodel. 

1) WE BUDGETED

We first sat down and figured out how much money we could spend. This is never the fun part but it needs to be addressed BEFORE making any big decisions. Once we had a figure in mind, it helped us look reasonably at the choices we had to make. We were pretty much gutting the bathroom and knew that we'd need to replace everything from the bathtub down to the toilet paper holder. Being realistic with money helped us put the renovation in perspective.

Our helpful tip for this step: get a folder, zippered bag or envelope to keep all of your "renovation receipts" in. It helps to keep them all in one spot for easy access.

We also find it helpful to make a spreadsheet. Make a column for items that need to be purchased. In the next column, put your "best guess" or "budgeted" amount next to that item. After you've made the purchase, fill in the actual amount you spent in the 3rd column. This will help you see how close you're staying to your original budget.

2) WE FIGURED OUT THE BIG IMPORTANT STUFF

Here is what we absolutely knew:

• We needed/wanted to replace the old peachy pink bathtub. It was ugly and it was super slippery because it was smooth on the bottom. We looked into getting it recoated but decided that it wasn't a route we wanted to take. With the tightness of the hallway, we were unable to get a full fiberglass unit in so we opted for a new cast iron tub with new tile on the walls.
• We absolutely hated how cramped the overall room was and decided that the closet had to go to create more space (physically & visually). We knew that we'd need to find a secondary storage option in the bathroom to make up for no closet.
• We had to (and I mean HAD to) keep the laundry shoot that we've grown to love. Having laundry in the basement is not fun, but having a laundry shoot makes it SO much better. Plus, when Adam's in the basement and I'm upstairs it's our way of communication. It had to stay!
• We knew we were going to tile the floors. I work in a flooring & design store so I knew I could get us a pretty good deal on tile ;)

Our helpful tip for this step: Really think about what's important and will help your space function the way it needs to for your family. Each project is different.

3) WE HAD A LITTLE FUN WITH THE DESIGN

Once we knew what had to stay/go/change/adjust we moved onto the fun part of the renovation... DESIGN!! We talked so much about design that I swore I would see the new bathroom finished when we turned the lights on at night to brush our teeth. I could see the finished product in my head and had to get it down on paper (or computer). Using a free program called SketchUp, I came up with these basic design ideas to help us visualize the space. 

Our helpful tip for this step: If you're not into drawing, find inspiration on Pinterest, Houzz or in magazines. I always tell my clients to just start saving images they like - usually when you look back through those images you find reoccurring themes that you might not notice when first looking at an image (i.e. contemporary lines, color themes, etc). Look look look... you're bound to find a ton of inspiration no matter where you search.

At this point, we weren't sure what vanity we were going to use (although we had looked a bit) and we had NO idea what we were going to replace the closet with. We wanted something that would have a lot of storage and would also accommodate our beloved laundry shoot. At this point we knew it was time to start making some decisions...

4) WE STARTED SEARCHING FOR THE GOODS

Tile was probably the easiest decision we made. My discount at work scored us some nice, neutral 12x12 floor tiles and pretty white gloss 8x8 wall tiles for the shower. Both were very budget friendly and went along with the clean design we had planned. We knew we could spice them up a bit with the right pattern & grout color. 

With our tile in hand, our next 3 big ticket items were a new bathtub, a vanity & a storage unit to replace the closet. Here is what we came up with:

Vanity: Ikea Godmorgan/Odensvic Toilet: keeping the one we put in 2 years ago :) Wall cabinet: Ikea Godmorgan Mirrors: Ikea Godmorgan Faucet: Ikea Dalskar Bath tub: Kohler Bellwether cast iron (not pictured) Storage unit: Ikea Borgsjo with drawers & glass doors We are definitely "Ikea Hacking" this to fit our laundry shoot... stay tuned!
5) WE CLOSED OUR EYES AND SWIPED OUR CREDIT CARD Once we did our research and figured out what we wanted, we felt very comfortable making the purchases. We took a trip to Ikea and got everything we needed. We also ordered the bathtub. Keep an eye out for a separate post about our trip to Ikea and why we chose the items we did.
So here we are... all planned and ready to go. Since this isn't our first reno, we know there are unexpected surprises bound to pop up during the process. It's time to get our safety glasses & sledge hammers and get to work. Stay tuned! [p.s. this post may be linked to any number of these blogs]

guest post: small decor projects for the home

Hi I am Jessica Christian and I am really thankful to Shannon for letting me do this guest-post. It is all about creating small home decor projects which will brighten up your home. Enjoy!

We all want a beautiful home, but few of us can afford to walk into a furniture store and simply order a full room's worth of furniture; soft furnishings and accessories all in one go. However, with a little forethought and planning, not to mention a significant input of time and a reasonable budget; it is possible to have beautifully put together rooms. The following small projects do not cost a lot, and can help you get the rooms your desire.

Learn to Upholster

Upholster your plain furniture with leftover curtain fabric to bring it into harmony with the room as a whole. A plain wooden bedside cabinet can be improved very simply. First of all, measure the area that you want to cover. It does not have to be the entire cupboard door, sometimes there are panels that make a 'ready-to-use' space, otherwise you can simply measure an area in the middle of the door or panel. Experiment a little until you find a look that works for the room. Then carefully cut a piece of thin foam and glue it in place. Next cut and hem the fabric that will go over the panel, taking great care to make the corners exact right angles – any variation will show glaringly and make the piece of furniture look 'home-made' and awkward. Finally glue or staple the fabric cover in place, starting at the top and smoothing it tightly over the foam as you work for a fabulous padded motif. If you add these marvellous panels to your bedroom furniture, you can match it to the wonderful bedding available from yorkshirelinen.com – they have such a wide variety that you are sure to find the perfect bedding set for your ideal bedroom!

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You Can Never Have Too Many Cushions…

Use remnants of curtain fabric or buy contrasting or toning fabric to make a set of cushions. If you are not a brave seamstress use the simplest possible design, if you are skilled at sewing you could try something a bit more daring! Cut out large squares – slightly bigger than the size cushions you want. Place two squares, right sides together and sew around three sides. The fourth side needs to be left just open enough for you to get your hand, filled with stuffing, inside. Fill the cushion to the desired size – more stuffing makes a firm rounded cushion, less makes a floppier, less rigid one – then carefully hand-sew the opening shut, using invisible stitching. You will be amazed at the difference that perfectly matching cushions can make in drawing the décor of the room together – and at how little it cost to make them! A lot of variety of cushions is available at:  cushionsonline.co.uk

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Put up Some Defenses!

If you have a large open, but clutter-filled unit do not be afraid to literally draw a veil over it! Use curtains to hide clutter and create serenity in any room. It is a simple matter to screw in an eyelet at each end of the top of a bookcase, wall unit or similar piece of furniture (even a table, if you have lots of things tucked underneath it!) and run a piece of curtain wire between the two. Choose the fabric for the curtain to go with the general décor, perhaps even using fabric that is leftover from the curtains, or go for something different to create a focal point in the room! You can use many yards of light fabric gathered to create a pretty frilly look, or you can opt for an elegance heavy fabric that will fall straight, without any pleats or gathers. Once your cluttered shelves and half-completed projects are hidden from view the room will immediately look cool and well put-together – perfect for impressing guests!

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When in Doubt – Go Up!

Use the full height of the walls in every room, to free up the maximum amount of floor space. When choosing a wall unit or bookcase, always pick the tallest one that you can. Be sure to use the wall fixings for tall furniture as you do not want it to topple onto the floor, or worse, a person passing by… If you furniture is standard height and you have over a metre of 'wasted' space between the top of the unit and the ceiling, you can install some shelves. If you have an idea of what you want to store up there you can measure the distance between the shelves to suit. Once you have installed the shelves and have packed away items that are seldom used, but that are still necessary, you will be amazed at the transformation 'on ground level' so to speak!

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These four projects require some time and patience, but can help you to transform your house into a thing of beauty and elegance with a place for everything. Once you begin to enjoy using your hands to create useful objects for the home you will find it hard to stop until your home is the haven of beauty that you have always wanted!

before & after: my $1 stool

One of the many reason I love summer is because of the fact that I can go outside and SPRAY PAINT! Hot dang I love to spray paint! When I picked this stool up for $1 at a yard sale last summer I knew it needed a major overhaul. The seat was ripped and the frame had seen a better day. It was just so... blah looking.

For a year, it's been living in our basement (I had good intentions of finishing it). Last week, I picked up a few cans of spray paint, recovered the seat with a piece of fabric from my stash and now I have a bright & cheery new stool. I love it's yellow & white-ness :) It's so much better than what it used to be.

... a few tips about spray painting almost anything ...
1) Make sure your object is nice & clean. Get rid of any dust, dirt, grease or gunk. This will help the paint stick better. 2) I usually skip the "priming" step and buy a spray paint that has primer built in. Make sure it is meant for the material that you are painting (in my case: metal). 3) Do 3-4 very light, even coats of paint instead of 1-2 thick gloppy ones. This will prevent runs and will give your piece a nice durable finish. 4) Don't be afraid! In this case, all I had to loose was the $1 that I spent on this stool. What's the worst that can happen? Happy spray painting! What have you spray painted lately? [p.s. this post may be linked to any number of these blogs]

[SIDE NOTE:  To recover the seat, I removed the ripped vinyl/leather to find a thick piece of foam & a wood disc (which the base had been screwed in to). I added another thin layer of foam (for added "cush") and pulled & stapled my fabric around the cushion to the bottom of the wood disc. This is a similar process as you'd do to recover a dining chair. It didn't maintain its exact shape (since it was almost a boxy circle... If that makes any sense), but the added foam made it a lot softer and more comfortable. It was really just a trial & error process since I had never recovered anything like this before.]

yearly cards

I am the person that is always stopping at Walgreens or Target on the day of someone's birthday to pick up a card. Why do I do this to myself? In an effort to simplify my life, I am making a push to get more organized. Today, I'm sharing how I plan to reach my goal of never sending a "belated birthday card" ever again.

I was talking with my dear friend Molly the other day about how nice it would be to keep a few birthday, anniversary, sympathy (etc.) cards on hand for when I need them. She mentioned how great it would be to buy all of your cards for a year at once and have them ready for when you need them. HOW BRILLIANT! I started working on it immediately. I constructed a list of birthdays and anniversaries and then went out shopping.

 ... what I bought ... 1) an Avery mini binder (I couldn't resist the smaller size) 2) mini binder page protectors (pack of 15) 3) mini sticky notes (I usually have these on hand but I ran out) 4) a BUNCH of cards (mainly birthday & anniversary)
... making my card binder ... I made individual labels for each month with the persons name & birthday on it. I stuck this sticky note to the bottom of each page protecter. I then labeled each card for who it was meant for and slid the cards into their monthly sleeves (this took up 12 of my 15 sleeves).

Next I made a sleeve for anniversary cards & sympathy cards. My final sleeve was used for niece/nephew birthday cards. These are also labeled with names and already have cash in them for when we go to their birthday parties. This will also eliminate a trip to the bank to get cash on the day of the party.
Once everything was organized, I made a little cover with my rubber stamps and a leftover paint swatch.

I slid my card binder into my "mail center" (the top right cubby of our Ikea Stall - which is meant for shoe storage) and did a little happy dance.

All in all, I'm feeling so organized already. I still have a few cards to pick up (since I'm stock piling cards for the rest of this year and all of next year). Here's hoping I'll never send another late card again!

[p.s. this post may be linked to any number of these blogs]