Crappy Makes Me Happy

We painted our master bathroom over the weekend. But just like the bedroom that it matches from a few weeks back, it was only the top of the walls. And the ceiling. Oh the ceiling. It was bad. A fresh coat of white paint does wonders for a space. And a soul.

It had been over 6 years since we’d re-done the bathroom. Our lack of painting experience caused us to do a very bad cutting in at the ceiling job. How come we live so long with something ugly and done wrong?

Too busy to notice? I’ve noticed! 

We just get used to it?

Whatever it is, I’m glad the ugly and done wrong is finally covered up. I could sit in the bathroom for hours and just stare at the phenominal cut in job. This is where I’m really stinkin’ proud of myself  because I cut in at the ceiling. Awesome I tell you! I’m kind of like a rock star in my own home. Don’t worry, they know me here.

Last summer we had tossed the old blinds that had hung at the window since we moved in almost 10 years ago and finally got around to replacing them this weekend. All white! No grime! And the fantabulous new shower caddy! Who knew a shower caddy could have such an impact on a person? $40.00 spent at Wally world on the bronzed shower caddy that matches all of our existing hardware was money well spent!

I’ve never been too big on hanging a bunch of stuff on the walls in a bathroom, but two of the three pictures I did have in there, pre-paint, had served their purpose. They are now in my “craigslist” pile waiting on a call from their new owner.

Earlier last week I had gone to a thrift store…..I know, I know, such a shock! And I saw this mirror resting on a shelf leaning against the wall. I must have stared at it for a good 2-3 minutes. I liked it. ALOT! But, I had already purchased a mirror for the bedroom a few weeks back and I didn’t think having two in there was what I wanted. So, I left it there.

As Bryan and I were finishing up the paint I was telling him about the mirror, now thinking it might be perfect for the bathroom. He said, “Well tomorrow we should head over to the thrift store!”

Which is exactly what we did. Sunday afternoon, parking lot bare, we walk in and I see everything is on sale for 50% off. I walk, with purpose, to the very spot I had seen the mirror before. It was not only still there, but more perfect than I had originally thought! And for $7.49 because of the sale. Raise your hand if you love a bargain? Me too!

 It looks to be the style of mirror that, at one time, had been attached to a dresser. It’s painted white, but really badly. The paint is chipped all over the place. The frame itself is cracked in a few spots…….

The mirror itself looks scratched from years of cleaning and wiping back and forth. And it’s foggy too. After Bryan hung it I asked him what he thought, he said, “It’s crappy!” Perfect!

Here are some other “crappy” items we’ve brought into the home in the last year……..

This low to the ground shelf was free off craigslist last summer. Just the right height to get my plants up off the floor and into the sunshine. My plants are like me…..we love us some sunshine!

This chair was a fun surprise Bryan brought home to me last year after cleaning out a storage unit. The guy said, throw it all out or keep whatever you want. Bryan knew I would want this old chair with layers of varied colors of paint all chipped up.

And finally the second door I purchased along with the one I hung in our bedroom horizontally over the bed. At $30 a piece it was a steal! If you aren’t aware, these crappy items ain’t cheap.

Thanks for taking time out of your day to read about my crappy stuff! Do you have any crappy stuff you love?

Until next time……continue celebrating your heart & home!

Chalk It Up

This is not my idea, nor do I have any pictures of this from my house. Yet.

It won’t be a great idea for those who don’t own their homes, sorry.

I found it on Pinterest and the moment I did, I knew….I just KNEW it had to be done in my home.

Sometimes all I need is a creative push to get me goin’. This idea is chalk full of them. Emphasis on chalk. And yes, I know I spelled it wrong. I did that on purpose. You’ll see.

Pick a wall. Any wall you wish. It’s your house. It’s supposed to reflect you and your life, not a perfect magazine’s.

Are you ready for the picture? Oh dear Lord help me. Are you sure. Okay, here it is. Wait.

.

.

.

Breathe.

Okay:

 

Chalkboard paint, a piece of chalk and you’ll be encouraged daily!

SHUT UP!

I know, right?!?!?!

I’ve been a sucker for inspirational and encouraging quotes all my life! I’ve had them posted on my kitchen cupboards, refrigerator, bathroom mirror, and bulletin boards at work, when I had work. On post-it’s, flourescent 3×5 cards and even printed off the computer. But now, oh but now……look at that thing of beauty up there, would ya?

The possibilities are as endless as your imagination. Here’s a few I came up with:

~ If you have children, leave a space open at the bottom just for them. Obviously making it clear they can only draw on the “black” wall.

~ Create a small box with fancy duct tape or another paint color within all the writing to keep for something specific; holiday, birthday, or any sort of celebration. Or maybe you’re facing something particular in a specific season and you need to focus on that. Well the box within can be uplifting to that one thing. While the quotes around it are your favorites, or in general.

~ Colored chalk anyone?!?!?!

I’ve never used chalkboard paint, but have seen it used on some home decorating shows. I’m only assuming it wouldn’t be hard OR expensive. Which, by the way, is right up my alley!

~ Bible verses

~ Inspirational quotes

~ Messages of love and encouragement to anyone in the house.

~ NO to-do lists

~ NO reminders of chores or bill due dates.

~ Just fun and love!

Enjoy!

Until next time……continue celebrating your heart & home!

I Kind Of Laughed

Last week I received, in the mail, a Lowe’s Creative Ideas magazine. It’s free, you just have to go to their website and request it. As I flipped through the pages an article title caught my eye:  “Small Budget Kitchen Re-do”

I looked at the “before” picture then the “after” picture. And back again. My eyes couldn’t stop flitting back and forth between these 2, obviously different, photographs. Small budget? How did they get such a fantastic “after” with a small budget? I guess small is in the eye of the beholder! I turned the page to find the cost breakdown. I grabbed my calculator to do the math for me. Their small budget re-do cost just over $10,000.

I kind of laughed.

I don’t know about you, but in my world, that’s not even close to small.

This post is about a small budget bedroom re-do. The list of things I wanted to do but couldn’t is short:

~ Scrape icky popcorn, or acoustic ceiling.

~ Rip up and replace the carpet I’ve never liked.

My small budget didn’t cover those. 

 About 7 or 8 years ago we painted the bedroom and my husband added the chair rail, red on the bottom. I chose to keep the red, it never gets old! Only painting the top of the walls, soothing green tea. The color brings a freshness, a brightness, and a life to the walls that emulates our new reality.

I wanted to decorate the walls with something vintage. My tastes have changed over the years and I wanted to make sure I decorated with something that didn’t push my husband out with too much  femininity.

I started searching. One thing I found was a large picture at Bed, Bath and Beyond. It wasn’t vintage, but crazy colorful, and I was being impatient. $100. What? For ONE picture to hang on the wall? I don’t think so.

It would be at a thirft store I would find the mirror. It was 50% off day for seniors and my mom was with me. I spent a total of $6.50 on the mirror. Is that against the rules? To have my mom purchase something for me with her discount? I’m pretty sure I’m not too awful concerned about it. Me and rules have never gotten along.

Another thrift store would be the place to find the whimsical candle holder. It had old cruddy candles in it, all I had to do was stick it in the freezer to loosen them up. The red gems and flowers I already had, stuck in a baggie in a closet. Total cost? $1.99. Ha ha ha! I kind of laughed.

This was all about me, not a real manly purchase for the man I share this room with.

I also found some sticker wall art. Have you seen these new and trendy items? You can find them at Target, Hobby Lobby and Kohl’s. I got mine at Kohl’s, 50% off, so it was just over $10.00. Poppies are my absolute FAVORITE! And the ease with which these are put up, I would encourage you to go get some for your own house, STAT! Not now though, you should finish reading this first.

I was thinking I might want some kind of vintage or shabby chic fence gate for the wall above the bed. A statement maker. Saturday morning I got onto craigslist and did a search for one. Came up flat. Decided to do a more general search of “vintage” and I saw something that I wasn’ so sure of initially, until my creative juices started.

If it weren’t for my husband and his incredible skill at the mechanics of, well, most things, I wouldn’t be able to follow through with half my ideas! Yesterday, when it was all said and done I told him, “You’re kind of the $hit! Thank you so much!”

He kind of laughed.

It’s the coolest, most awesomest thing EVER.

An old door, hung horizontal, with a wreath I already had. How much? $30.00.

I kind of laughed.

The total was less than $100, including paint. Now THAT’S a small budget!

There’s more to the story, but it will have to wait for another post. Maybe tomorrow.

Until next time, continue celebrating your heart & home!

Spray Paint ~ Not Just For Taggin’ Anymore!

I can’t believe it’s been a month since I’ve written here! Well, as they say, “time flies when you’re havin’ fun!” Though, I don’t know who “they” are……and I’m also not so certain that it’s “fun” I’ve been having either.  But that’s not what I’m here to discuss. Shall we begin?

When I was married, way back in ancient times, I would get photos developed (yes, I just said developed) and I had alot of them framed. As the years strolled along, a handful of moves took place, and my decorating tastes changed, those framed pictures wound up in a box stuffed in some closet somewhere.

A few years back I thought it would be nice to put together a family wall in our stairwell/hallway. Since we have two grown daughters, a son-in-law and a few years under our marital belt, I imagined our family wall telling a story of our history. I love stories. However, I’ve never been a big history buff, but you get my point.

There was a dilemma (isn’t there always?), we had since entered the 21st century and my pictures were in frames that were old, dated, and, ahem……ugly. Yeah, I said it…..ugly! Since they were mine I can say that, it’s okay. I had this idea, see, I wanted all my frames to match. And they all were going to be black. Wouldn’t that look simply magnificent?

Oh. Wait. “What about the cost to frame your 20+ year family history? Did ya think of that?” No, I usually don’t. I had become very accustomed to paying with plastic and learning to live on cash is still a new way of life for me. I’m impatient, I want what I want when I want it. Ask anyone who knows me. No scratch that…..please don’t, just take my word for it.

I honestly don’t recall if it was my idea or my husband’s, but all the frames I did have could be spray painted black. Easy fix. Cheap fix. But what about all those years I hadn’t framed anything? What about all the pictures that were no longer being developed, but uploaded onto our computer? How do I get frames for those without taking out a second mortgage?

A-ha. Ding-ding-ding. The light bulb goes on.

I’m a thrift store freak.  A total FREAK I tell you. I could find more frames at the local thrift stores with no concern as to their color because I was going to spray paint them all black anyway. Genius!!

Spray paint, it’s not just for taggin’ anymore!

 

 

Until next time……continue celebrating your heart & home!

STOP! Don’t box them lights up just yet!

Have you ever heard the song Redneck Woman by Gretchen Wilson? She has a lyric that goes like this:

And I keep my Christmas lights on
On my front porch all year long

Those lyrics came to me today as I pondered this post. And though I’m not going to suggest you keeping your Christmas lights on your front porch all year long, in redneck style, you are absolutely free to do so! Just don’t give your neighbors or HOA my name.

I can’t tell you how it came about, nor do I recall when it started, but over 10 years ago I had placed, half hazardly and whimsically, a string of clear/white mini Christmas lights on the top of my favorite piece of furniture, my armoire. At the time we were living in a rented townhome with 2 story ceilings in the living room. The massive armoire fit perfectly in the space and the lights put off a warm glow while we watched television in the evenings. All these years later I still have lights on top it. I apologize for the blurry photo. You get the jist though.

There is an apartment community I drive by when I take the shortcut to keep off the major roads near my house, and there’s one apartment that has strings of clear/white mini lights year round on their fireplace mantle, and from what my peeping tom eyes can see, the open space above their kitchen cabinets. Anytime I drive by at night my eyes are drawn to it and I want to go knock on her door, assuming it’s a woman, and introduce myself. I’m guessing we would have similar personalities and/or views of our home.

I’m thinking if you like candles and the glow they give off, especially in the dark of winter, you would appreciate the glow these strings of lights give off. From the post on removing cabinet doors, you might have seen the strings of lights weaving in and through my decor, it was just another way to get those danged cute things in my kitchen. I absolutely ADORE how they make my whole kitchen glow once dinner is all cleaned up and my work in there is done for the night.

 

My mom has a string of these lights tacked up underneath the length of her kitchen cabinets, and plugged in at the convenient height of the electrical outlets. It’s a fun way to make being in your kitchen bearable. The lights make a HUGE difference to her work space on the countertop with no construction, remodel or additional expense.

Have I kick started your creative juices yet? What’s rummaging through your head right now? Where could you place some of these lights in your home? It’s all about you deciding to do something outside the box. Unexpected. Funky.

I have strings all over the place……..

I’m thinking Santa should have brought me a new camera. Ha ha. More apologies for the bad picture, but you get the idea. I love my plants and this schefflera has a good solid stem to wrap the string around.

For a time that divider was used flat against the wall behind our guest bed as a “head board”. I’m not one to have the same thing going on for too long, I soon tired of that and it was in our crawl space for maybe 2 years. I pulled it out last winter to sell on craigslist. When I was taking pictures I was like, “Hey, that’s a really cool piece!” So I didn’t sell it. Wrapping the strings of lights around the whole thing is definitely a test in patience, one I normally fail. That’s 3 strings. 

You can use these lights any way your little heart desires!! Hang them all dangly and whimsical. Tack them straight and taught. It’s your house remember….do whatever you want! There aren’t any rules! I love no rules!

Maybe you hang them around the interior of your patio door? Or you string them from one corner to the other at the ceiling? Or weave them around a shelf you have your photo collection on? The options really are endless!

Enjoy!

Until next time…..keep celebrating your heart & home!

Doors? I Don’t Need No Stinking Doors!

There was a time in my life I wasn’t sure if I’d EVER live in a house. My husband and I, along with our daughters, lived in an apartment for nearly 14 years before we finally purchased the home we are currently in. That is one reason there is only one white wall in our house and that’s in the hallway and it’s only half the hallway. All those years living in white walled apartments, once I got the taste of color, I ran with it! I’m still running! Wait till I post pictures when we’re done painting our bedroom! I. Can’t. Wait.

Anyhoo, I say all that because I understand, very well, the limitations you have when you live in an apartment. And over the course of writing and posting and sharing here, I will keep that in mind. This post is something you could do whether you own or rent.

This past summer my husband did some remodel work for a couple and I would be called in for detail help and things that were just too time consuming for him. Taping off, painting trim, clean-up, etc. I am one heckuva cleaner! And over the handful of houses we flipped together I got dang good at taping off for painting, which I also did. The house had a much larger kitchen and more detailed, custom cabinetry. One day I was standing there taking it all in…..it’s what I do…..and I see these open cabinet spaces where she has placed decoration type items. When I think to myself, “I want that in my house!”

I’ve been learning, partly by choice and partly by circumstances, how to be content with what I have. I didn’t want to want those kind of cabinets, not be able to have it, then get resentful (that NEVER helps anything!).  Later that day I came home with those cabinets still on my mind and the light bulb goes off in my mind……..

Take some cabinet doors off and make your own “custom” cabinets.

We don’t have a big kitchen with storage galor, but I also don’t have alot of stuff, I’ve never had the opportunity or space to have that much.

So I started with the small cabinet most kitchens have above their refrigerator, I didn’t have much in there plus it isn’t really accessible for everyday use. 

It was a matter of removing a few screws and storing the cabinet doors in a bedroom closet. I rummaged through my closets, under beds, in drawers and came up with some kitcheny type knick-knacks. Those glass jars are a set of 4 I’ve had for probably 20 years, filled with decorative purposes only pasta, which is just as old. I love the jars the same today as the day I bought them.

Once I had this done I wanted more! Ha ha ha! I’m like that. It’s my addictive personality. I decide to go for the same small cabinets I have over my sink. It was full of cookbooks and most of them I wasn’t using. Re-arranging or re-decorating is always a great time to get rid of things you no longer use or need. Organizing is another passion of mine!  I think it stems from all the years the 4 of us spent in a tiny apartment. Everything has a place and everything in its place. Otherwise you’re crawling all over it. But I digress.

The cookbooks I do use I kept and added some pottery pieces my mom has handed down to me over the years. And who doesn’t love candles placed ANYWHERE?

The strings of lights you may or may not have noticed in the pictures are for another post, maybe tomorrow. They aren’t just for Christmastime ’round these parts.

It makes my kitchen a little bit more fun, unexpected and the best part….. it didn’t cost a dime!

Until next time…….celebrate your heart & home!

Bringin’ The Outdoors In

I must start off with giving credit where credit is due…..

This post was all my husband’s idea and doing.

Thanks Bryan, our home wouldn’t be what it is without your input, or your willingness to let me roam free creatively!

Okay, now I can move on.

Are you a lover of the outdoors? Do you like the way an old mountain cabin feels?

Me too!

4 years ago we were finally empty nesters! After our youngest had moved out we had this extra room painted bubble gum pink and purple, which is fine if you’re a high schooler girl, but not when they’re now gone. Hangin’ out one evening staring at the wall that kept the two rooms separated, my wheels starting spinning. Which usually means my husband is going to have to help with some kind of construction. After all the years we’ve been together, he knows this.

I wanted to knock a hole in the wall put in a set of french doors, opening it to the room and the south facing windows, and make it a den. His den. Where he can hang his animals and they won’t be so darn close to me while I watch t.v. 

And the adventure began….

The french doors were a craigslist find and it made me giddy to save hundreds of dollars. While Bryan was putting them in he had an idea. Instead of using regular ol’ trim to trim the doors out on the inside of the den, he would use old fence posts.

Yeah, you read that right. Old fence posts. We had had a section of fence fall down nearly 10 years ago when we first moved in and he fixed it, but kept the old pickets. He’s somewhat of a hoarder that way, but it sure has come in handy! They’re the old cedar fence posts that only get more rustic as time goes by and seasons change.

PLUS…..they were free!!! See, now you’re gettin’ an idea of how we think around these parts! There is a trimmed fence post on both sides of the french door and it’s the perfect addition to this man’s hunting den slash office. With no additional cost to us as we remodeled this room.

Now, our home is a tri-level and so our downstairs is more like garden level. Not a basement. In this room we had a short wall with a small shelf from the home’s foundation. Bryan had another idea. He would frame that shelf out in fence posts and make 2 additional shelves out of the fence material above it. Shelves are always good for decorative purposes! It’s a den, we don’t need storage! Decorate. Decorate. Decorate.

The long shelf on the bottom is the one he framed out on the existing shelf from the foundation. The shorter shelves above he made. Don’t ask me how. He has his talents. I have mine. And God brought us together and melded them in a way that makes our home a perfect blend of the two of us.

I apologize if you’re an animal activist and the idea of having dead animal heads hanging in the house bothers you. It’s not a sport for Bryan. It’s one of the ways he provides for our family.

So there you have it. One way we have brought the outdoors in! Have you done something similar? Do you have something sitting out in your backyard right now that you could bring in and use? As a plant stand? Or maybe you’ve got some power tool skills and you want to make some fence post shelves now too. Great! Happy creating!

Until next time……celebrate your heart & home!

Unexpected Whimsy

For a few years now I’ve had this strange obsession with hanging random things in random places. Thinking outside the box helps me be more creative. It could be the financial limits? Or it could be boredom. If you asked my husband he would tell you…….”There are evenings we are relaxing and watching television when Rebekah gets up off the couch to move something, hang something, or use something for an entirely different purpose.”

I’ve been known to be compulsive with my thoughts and actions, so when the thought enters my mind, I hop to it. Please tell me some of you are the same way. Please.

First I’ll start off with a picture of a decorative room divider we purchased from an apartment community, they were eliminating their model apartment with an auction of the furniture and decor. You’d flip if you knew how much we paid for this thing. When it’s folded and I drag it, I can barely move it it’s so heavy.

Do you see all the random things hanging on it? Mostly stars because I have a thing for them. But there is a Christmas tree and a santa shaped like a moon. Okay, maybe I have a thing for celestial things…..stars, suns and moons. Yeah, that’s more like it.

Oh and the price. Are you ready? You should probably sit down first.

Okay.

$5.00…..ha ha ha!!

Now for a little heart shaped charm with a bell that says, “follow your passion”. I purchased it at a craft fair in Steamboat Springs, Colorado the summer of 2007. It hangs on a tall plant I have.

 

I like the little surprise your eyes get when you catch a glimpse of something unexpected. The close-up of that picture tells me plant leaf dusting is in my future.  

Anything efficient and organized appeals to me. Wasting time looking for something is not the best way to spend any of our days. A few weeks back as I was pulling my winter and fun scarves out of the archives, I wondered what I could do to get to them easier. I purchased an over-the-door hook at Wal-Mart for $8.97. Now I know exactly where to look for my scarves. Efficient, organized, cheap AND decorative. Right up my alley!

If that is something you’re interested in doing, Wal-Mart has smaller hooks for even less! I went for the biggest one in hopes of purchasing more scarves. That’s me…..always thinkin’! A trait my husband isn’t a big fan of, for obvious reasons.

When I was tearing down the summer patio, with all of its windchimes, there was one I didn’t want to part with and box up, so…….

 

Who say’s windchimes are only for outside in the wind? I hung it on a hook that is on my island in my kitchen, which in itself is a whole ‘nutha story! The silverware and funky green beads add whimsy and chimes when I’m stirring my cookies.

That’s the thing about decorating. You do whatever you want with whatever you want. Don’t play it directly out of a magazine, that’s someone else’s ideas. Use your own.

Do you have some Christmas ornaments that are too heavy or large for the branches? Find a hook….

a door knob…..

a lamp….

or a figurine….

and hang away!

 

 

 

 

I hope you find some time this weekend to enjoy decorating outside the box with creativity, whimsy and unexpected surprise.

If you want to share what you’ve done in the past or after reading this post, I love your comments!

Until next time…..celebrate your heart & home!

 

Heart & Home

“And each heart is heard whispering, “Home, home at last!”

I saw that quote on a mug or some such thing while I was out shopping last week. The words resonated deep within me.

Two of my favorite Christmas song are Kenny Loggins “Celebrate me home” and anyone’s version of “I’ll be home for Christmas”.

I’m the passenger in the evening car ride home from dinner, movie, or a quick jaunt to 7-11, who enjoys peering through the lit windows of houses as we pass by. Always so curious to see how people live!

Recently as I was driving alone, I caught glimpse of a home on a hill that had such a strong pull in my heart if I’d given into it I would have wrecked. The entire backside was windows, all blinds open and you could see the glow of ambiance within. I was giddy.

This is me. It’s who I am. Have been. All my life.

Welcome to my heart & home!

My husband and I (our two daughters have long left the nest) purchased our first real Christmas tree in quite a few years and I just finished it last night.

Some store bought ornaments that each of us have chosen over the years, but mostly our daughter’s homemade ornaments hang on branches giving way to seeing our family history unfolding right there on the freshly scented pine boughs! I chose a huge $2.00 bag of  raffia to use as garland, to match the rustic feel of our family room. There is no need to spend money on fancy tree skirts, use whatever you have. Mine is a lap quilt I’ve had for years gathered under the tree.

I would love to hear all about your Christmas tree and your traditions. You can comment below.