PearDownLiving

Bus Roll/Subway Sign Project - Check

noreply@blogger.com (H Young) — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 16:16:00 +0000

The Young Family Bus Roll

Step 1: My mom adding another gesso layer to large canvas.

Step 2: Layering cream, yellow and white on the canvas with a whisk brush for a linen affect.

Hard to see in photo, but the layered colors add more dimension
than the plain white background of an unfinished canvas.

Step 3: Carefully transfer vinyl graphics to canvas. (Vinyl Graphics were professionally made by a local graphics shop. Jody from JJ Graphics did a perfect job with the requested fonts, spacing and sizing that I had outlined)!

Note: I did not photograph the platform built behind the canvas to provide support, preventing the canvas from "sagging" when pressing the letters down with squeegie.

Step 4: Painted over canvas with Daniel Smith's Ultimate Acrylic: Lamp Black. This is a thick, slow drying paint with great brushing properties. I really wanted an unpolished visible brush stroke look.

I didn't finish all of the edges. Wanted an aged, torn look.

Step 5: The fun part, carefully removing the vinyl letters. Use an exacto knife. Notoriously impatient, I didn't even wait for the paint to dry. This made my work twice as hard as I had to be very careful to not get wet paint on the white space.
Aggressive squeegie technique paid off with crisp white lettering, just had I had hoped!

It feels like it has been months for me to get to and complete this project. It was so worth the wait. I probably skipped many of important steps but I didn't want to bore you with too many details. If you need more information on how to complete your own family bus roll/sub way sign, please email me directly:
heather.runners@gmail.com. I would love to answer any questions you may have.

Just to recap, the gorgeous bus roll signs in this size (30" x 48) at Restoration Hardware would have set me back $750.00. My personalized version cost just over $100.

Canvas: used a 50% off coupon from Aaron Bros. and purchased for $34
Graphics: $50, purchased from local graphic shop
Paint: $18 from Daniel Smith

Anthro Inspired

noreply@blogger.com (H Young) — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 16:10:00 +0000

The June 2011 anthropologie catalog arrived a few weeks ago. To say I was inspired and obsessed would be an understatement. The styling on their catalog is so effortlessly perfect with the unexpected mix of patterns, colors and graphics. Love!

You may remember a post about my garden from a year or so ago. We have this lovely stamped concrete patio that has a huge curved planter bed below the edge. In the past it has looked like this:

Today it looks like this:

Motivated by the gorgeous mix of colors in recent Anthropologie catalogs, I decided to redo the entire planter and fill it with the unexpected.

Hot Pink and Orange, you bet:

Imaginings Scarf

Yellows, Blues, Greens Top it Off

Texture, color, form and movement, without adhering to typical gardening rules. Soon hot pink "Dolce Flambe" petunias will be spilling down the walls of the planter with tall swaying grasses as a backdrop. I will have to post another photo once it begins to fill in.

Lemon Favorites!

noreply@blogger.com (H Young) — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 19:21:00 +0000

JR Watkins Lemon Creme

Pala by Patriece

Quick post about one of my current obsessions: lotion. Add another layer to that = lemon scented lotions.

I'm not talking about scrub the floor, clean the toilets, pine scented lemons lotions. This is creamy, lemon meringue, fresh baked lemon bars scent.

I just discovered the delicious JR Watkins Lemon Creme hand and body lotion at our local PCC:

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate Free
Sodium Laureth Sulfate Free
Paraben Free
Phthalate Free
Mineral Oil, Petrolatum free
Dye Free

I have always been a fan of this Etsy Shop by Patriece. All of her rich ingredients are:

Certified Organic
Certified vegan
No petroleum by products
No mineral oils
No Synthetic Fragrances

What's your favorite lotion? Are your favorite lotion scents dependent on the season?

Skagit Valley Tulip Festival

noreply@blogger.com (H Young) — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 18:59:00 +0000

TulipFest 2011 Poster

Lots of Old Barns in the Area

Dahlia Bulbs & Fuschias From Christiansons

Diana - Birthday Gal

Bringing Home Bunches

Tabletop Tulips

One of the great perks of living in the NW is being able to enjoy the world reknown annual Tulip Festival in Skagit Valley. Located about an hour away, the Tulip Fest is a showcase of thousands of acres of blooming daffodils, tulips and irises set in scenic Mt. Vernon, WA. Weather plays the biggest role in what you will see when visiting the fields, however, there area offers much more than the incredible scenery.

Last week, after a three years hiatus on the annual Tulip trek, we gathered a group and set out for the day. The day was planned with pot luck lunch items, rain boots and lots of layers. It was so much fun to leave town for the day, have a change of pace and a change of scenery.

Here are a couple of must stops in my opinion:

Roozen Gaarde - Gorgeous specialty display garden with picnic benches for lunch and relaxing
Christiansons Nursery - Rustic Nursery with wonderful plant and gift selections
Snow Goose Produce - Giant, homemade waffle cones with your choice of specialty ice cream (HUGE)

I hope you enjoy some of the photos from our outing!

BGGF

noreply@blogger.com (H Young) — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 16:38:00 +0000

Best Garden Girl Friend

Arrange Selections, Step Back and Evaluate

Copy Nursery Display Containers

Love the Color Contrast

New Use for Tires

Smaller Pots = Better, Less $

We Mean Business!

Ah, Spring!

I usually consider myself very lucky to live in the NW. Our weather allows us the option to grow so many amazing plants and edibles. After last nights' snow in April, forget it! I would like to move now please!

That won't be happening though, instead, here's a trip down gardening lane, photos from a trip to Wells Medina Nursery last spring. Something I hope to be doing again very shortly.

I have a BGGF: Best Gardening Girl Friend. They are good to have, I tell her to put stuff back and she tells me that my container combinations are not so hot. We make a good team, sifting through our favorite nurseries, finding our favorite plants and bringing a little spring home.

Here are some of our tips:

Make a list the containers you need to fill, the glee of plants galore can easily lead to overbuying. If you don't make a list bring a practical/mean friend like me that will say: "STOP".
Call the nursery ahead of time to see when their shipments come in. You want first dibs on the newest, healthiest plants.
Gather up the plants that catch your eye and arrange them on your cart to visualize how they would look in your container. Go for big impact, lots of contrast! If you are uninspired, just copy the nursery containers. No one will know and your containers will look genius!
Always pick the smaller, less expensive plants. They are happier, easier to plant and will grow to the size of the bigger plants quickly.

I always look forward to our nursery outings. The exchange of ideas, inspirations and creativity mixed with the anticipation of warmer days just makes me giddy with happiness. Thanks BGGF!

Do you have any other container gardening tips for the spring season? Who else has a BGGF?

The Story of Stuff

noreply@blogger.com (H Young) — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 18:07:00 +0000

Have you ever seen this video or heard of the Story of Stuff Project? It's really worthwhile to spend a few minutes watching the video in its entirety. Pour a cup of coffee or glass of wine (depending on time of day, or not) and just watch, it will change your view on "stuff".

Now I enjoy, have and buy a bunch of "stuff". I am not proud of some of my attachments to stuff and thus I am continually streamlining. I hate the idea that:

Thinking of time brought me back in time, college days to be exact. Here's my story of "stuff":

College Student-Athlete meets another College Student-Athlete, fell in love. We had no money, we had no "stuff", we were (and still are) so happy:

Love This Guy

We lived in an adorable 500 sq.ft Mother in Law house in the Los Feliz area of Los Angeles. It looked kind of like this:

Adorable!

Beatrice and her husband owned the front home. They had a huge canary aviary window that we would pass on the way to our unit each day. I think she had over 50 birds:

Hello to Yellow Every Day

For some strange reason, Beatrice also had 2 pet tortoises that lived in a dog house behind our unit:

Tortoises as Pets?

She also had a lovely fountain in her garden that sat right outside our front entry:

The Sound of Water

I will always remember our simple life at 3630 1/2 Seneca. We had a lot on our plates as full time student athletes putting ourselves through college. But we also had a lot of time to enjoy:

Dates at the Par 3 down the street,
Runs in Griffith park
Afternoons in Long Beach
Day trips down to San Clemente or up to San Luis Obispo
Time with great friends in our teeny backyard (with the tortoises)

Married with children has added more demands to our time, but I try to remember and emulate the bliss of the simple days we had. Our lack of "stuff" did not amount to lack of quality of life. Because we had no money we never spent time searching, shopping or accumulating stuff. How archaic!

What's your story of "stuff"? I would really love to know!

Thanks for visiting and thank you for commenting!

Take the Plunge?

noreply@blogger.com (H Young) — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 16:35:00 +0000

Distressed Pine Dresser - Grey Patina

Danish Industrial - Salvage Wood Coffee Table

Grey Washed Wood

Living Room/Coffee Table Current

Lots of Crevices and Bad Knobs

Coffee Rings Everywhere - Thanks Daughter!

I have been contemplating this coffee table project for months. It involves taking the plunge which might literally have me also taking a dive....off a bridge, into some icy waters where I would be saved from stripping/sanding.

The good:

solidly constructed
giant and utilitarian
drawers to hold games, knick knacks
perfect size for our living room
we own it

The bad and the ugly:

the color
the knobs
the coffee rings

The inspiration:

I have been obsessed with the grey washed patinas seen in recent months in catalogs (restoration, room and board) and shown in above photographs. This is a classic wash that can looked weathered yet clean. Light but not white.

The problem:

Stripping and sanding. Need I say more. Once I start, I have to finish. There are details, crevices and mouldings all over this piece. It won't be easy.

Shall I take the plunge? Any thoughts on this distressed grey washed patina?

White Denim is Always In

noreply@blogger.com (H Young) — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 20:38:00 +0000

2 Ugly & Armless Club Chairs

After White Denim SlipCover Treatment

Yes, this is bad. The frequency of my posts have matched the frequency of the appearance of sunshine in the NW. It's been a brutal start to spring with more on its way. Yikes!

Slipcovering is a great rainy day project. I actually wish it took me longer than it does to finish slipcovering chairs because the rain is still here. Anyway, my husband and I came across these "cute in and ugly way" chairs at an antique auction. They were roughly $60 for the pair. I invested another $60 in white cotton denim and piping. I love the way the crisp white denim looks. These 2 smaller chairs replaced the larger similar one:

Now in Upstairs Guest Room

Can you spot the partridges in the after photos?

I am now itching to recover my large sofa now too. The California gal in me is ready for a summer beach look to compete with the gray rain outside.

What do you think? And also, thanks for visiting even though I haven't posted in so long!

Rainy Days and the Anthropologie Catalog

noreply@blogger.com (H Young) — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 23:47:00 +0000

Anthro Inspired Peacock

Pavo Bedding - Anthropologie

Rainy days and the always artistically inspiring Anthropologie catalog have transformed my dining room chalkboard.

I love getting the Anthro catalog in my mailbox. Their artistic direction always reminds me to think outside of the box.

I guess the peacock is here to stay until further inspired or until urgent to dos need to take center stage.

Just thought I would share, thanks for checking it out.

Mini Guest Room

noreply@blogger.com (H Young) — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 19:51:00 +0000

Mini Guest Room

Notice "Lola Van Gogh" by Grammy Brookes

Office Area in Mini Guest Room

White Faux Leather Chair - $130 at Marshalls

White Faux Leather Chair - $249 ZGallerie

The Mini Guest Room (twin bed only): good for teenage sleep overs, nights when your husband is coughing too much, and for Zoe, the cat, to lounge in the sunny window. We do have another regular guest room downstairs that can be used while son is away at college.

A little background on this room that used to be my daughters': picture 500 tiny tack and nail holes everywhere, tape, stickers and nail polish on the windows and window sills as well as dinged and damaged baseboards. (There are no before pictures because it was too hideous). She has since moved to her brothers old room, which is now undergoing similar treatment. For the new mini guest room, my husband and I cleared out, patched, repainted and installed new trim.

We used the twin bed we already had although it would be more practical to have a full. On the opposite side of this long, narrow room is the computer desk/chair. I have tried to keep this room very clean, streamlined and simple, in furniture and color choices.

What do you think? Any thoughts on the "accent" wall. (Not my favorite but I had the paint).

Found Art

noreply@blogger.com (H Young) — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 19:01:00 +0000

Watercolor - Possibly Portugal Scene?

Coordinating Fabric

Fabric

Unframed Oil on Canvas

On a recent trip to Langley, WA (where my folks reside), my friend Ann and I went on our usual thrift store digs. There are some wonderful thrift stores on the island and although we don't always find items to bring home, this visit was a slam dunk.

I love to rummage through the art area, grabbing anything that catches my eye. With Ann and/or my mom in tow, I can benefit from their discerning eye(s).

How do you like my recent finds? A beautiful framed watercolor, possibly a scene from Portugal ($14.00). As well as an unframed oil painting on canvas ($10.00). This painting is in great condition. A gentle cleaning to remove the dust and it was ready to hang.

As an added bonus, we stopped by a fantastic fabric store: Wholesale Decorator Fabrics in Freeland. The owner, Ann Flynn, stocks high end upholstery and decorator fabrics at rock bottom prices. Her selection is beautiful, unique and affordable. I couldn't resist the striped canvas and coordinating twill. Not sure what I will make yet, but how great do they coordinate with the colors in the painting?

What art treasures have you scored at thrift stores?

A Box For Everything and Everything Has a Box

noreply@blogger.com (H Young) — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 21:28:00 +0000

After - Clean & ClutterFree

5.95 Ikea Caddy (found in Kitchen Dept)

Our Friend, Spraypaint

Before- Messy Command Central (don't look too closely)

High Gloss Caddy

Love!

You know the saying: "a place for everything and everything has its' place", I have adapted it for boxes. I can always find a use for boxes / storage containers, anywhere and everywhere.

Before I go on, let me just acknowledge the elephant in the room. Did you notice that I started with the after? Yes, once uploaded, I did realize that the "before" photo prominently displays a box of tampons. Generic ones nonetheless! And yes, I am too lazy to recreate the "before" mess and photograph sans feminine hygiene products, for this I apologize.

Moving on. We all have a little command central in our kitchens. I like to keep mine to a min. but the area quickly self detonates during busy weeks. During one of my many blog crawls, I saw this project. I feel bad that I didn't note the blog/creative genius down. This is pretty much a complete copy of said forgotten bloggers project. (If I find the post, I promise to give credit).

Details on this very easy project:

Ikea Caddy - 5.95, found in kitchen dept.
Drill hole for phone charger to thread through
Spray paint entire caddy with paint/gloss of choice. I wasn't sure about this goldenrod color but it's growing on me.
For added touch, modge podge decorative paper on the bottom. Personally, I think this is key to the finished product.
Once dry, reorganize, reevaluate command central and voila! Excellent caddy for just a few items.

Hope you enjoy this inspiration. Thanks!

Little Sisters

noreply@blogger.com (H Young) — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 18:18:00 +0000

Lisabeth and I - Mom help, what year was this?

My younger sister has had a rough week. I am happy that she has reached out to her family for support and guidance. And although we can't stand in her shoes and make decisions for her, we can stand beside her, and offer perspective and love.

I can't remember what year this photo was taken, my memory bank is horribly deficient (I am going to guess, 1976). But I can always remember endless days with my sidekick, Li. The baby of the family, she was happy to let me "mother" her: make her breakfast, lunch and clean our room. Smooth sailing unless she decided that she wanted something different, you wouldn't believe the defiance and sparks that could fly from this cute, freckled face midget. My mothering ways could not withstand her category 5 lashings and I would have to submit to her will.

I hope she can tap into her strengths: intelligence, tenacity, guts and gusto and know that everything will be as she needs/wants it to be.

"All conditions are temporary. Nothing stays the same, nothing remains static. Which way a thing changes depends on you." Neale Donald Walsch

From Mom, with Love

noreply@blogger.com (H Young) — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 01:41:00 +0000

Care Package Goodies

Going to This One at College

Maybe I felt like doing this for Valentine's but probaby just because. Just because winter can get you down and everyone needs a little pick up, just because college can be difficult and it's nice to get an unexpected surprise, just because I think of my kids all the time and want them to know that, just because it's nice to do something nice. Missing my kid who is working hard and trying (I hope) to dig deep and keep focused at school, as a student and an athlete.

It was fun putting this together and my reward was an excellent text (yes, that's usually all we can ask for):
"Mom, this is the best care package EVER. Thanks so much. Love and miss you guys tons."

Just because I wanted a gift back too....I got what I wanted.

Horses!

noreply@blogger.com (H Young) — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 16:31:00 +0000

Thrift Store Horses Before

After Some High Gloss White Spray

I love seeing before/afters from others who were inspired by a project. My awesome friend, Karen, jumped on the High Gloss Spray Paint project within days of my post. Queen of thrift store scavenging, Karen has a knack for finding the coolest things. I love these horse book ends and in white paint! they look fabulous. Note the excellent vintage red books, perfect for a bookshelf, credenza or side table.

Just for comparison, this White Horse Bust from Z Gallerie is $199.00:

I think that Karen spent under $10 total for her white horses!

If you've found a great object or two and glossed it up with spray paint, please send my way. I'd love to see the results.

Tomato Soup - I Think I've Got it!

noreply@blogger.com (H Young) — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 23:40:00 +0000

Safeway Tuscan Tomato & Basil Soup

Hot tomato soup and buttery, cheesy grilled cheese sandwiches, a perfect cold weather dinner combo. I love tomato soup done right and Safeway has a delicious Tuscan Tomato/Basil Soup with just the right amount of "kick". It's so good and a definite winner in our house. But I like homemade soup where I can add my favorite ingredients and more moderate amounts of cream (this soup from Safeway is very creamy). Anyway, I have been adjusting my tomato soup recipe for a while now and I think I've got it! Better than Safeways!

I hope you enjoy it as much as we do:

Ingredients:
3/4 cup of dry tiny star pasta
1T olive oil
1 T butter
1 large carrot, chopped
1 celery stock, chopped
1 med onion finely chopped
1 can tomato sauce
1 can Italian style diced tomatoes
2 - 3 cups chicken broth
dash of cayenne pepper
dash of white pepper
additional fresh basil leaves (optional)
Half-n-Half
Heavy Cream

1. Melt butter with olive oil over med heat, once foamy, add carrot, celery and onion. Cook on med. heat for 5-7 min. stirring often, until soft. (Don't brown the veggies).
2. Empty Italian Style diced tomatoes into a bowl. Using a cuisinart or blending wand, break down the size of the tomatoes until they are just slightly chunky. This is to your preference. We like a little bit of tomato texture in the soup.
3. Add both the tomato sauce, the slightly pureed Italian tomatoes and approx 2 cups of chicken broth. Stir soup, turn heat to low, cover partially and let simmer for 45 min. Check and stir every 15 min. or so.
4. In a separate small pot, bring water to boil. Once boiling, add some salt and the tiny star pastas. Cook the pastas for 3 min. Drain and set aside. You are trying to slightly undercook the pasta stars.
5. Turn heat off under the soup. Add dash(es) of cayenne and white pepper according to taste. You may also want to add more broth at this point too.
6. Let the soup cool for approx. 20 min. We are letting the soup cool so that when we add the cream and half-n-half, they won't curdle when met with the piping hot soup. (I have learned this the hard way, many pots of curdly looking soup).
7. Once the soup is cool, ladle some of the soup into a bowl. Add 1/4 cup of cream and 1/4 cup of half-n-half. Stir this mixture and then add to pot of soup. (Sounds like an unnecessary step, but it's worthwhile. Goal is to slowly introduce cream products to the soup without curdling). Also, you can adjust amounts of cream/half-n-half to your taste.
8. Finally add your pasta stars and turn heat to low on a low burner.

Enjoy with crunchy bread or soft, chewy grilled cheese sandwiches.
Let me know if you try it and how it tasted!

New Recycling - CFL and Bottle Caps

noreply@blogger.com (H Young) — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 17:39:00 +0000

This subject isn't necessarily glamorous or design worthy, but it does add to a conscientious home philosophy.

I feel so fortunate to live in an area with great advancements in recycling and composting. Through the efforts of our city and within our home, our weekly garbage pick-up is minimal. And as is typical in our home, it's become a competition to lessen the amount of trash each week. We are able to compost kitchen scraps, pizza boxes, meat and fish bones, and more in the yard waste container. Cardboard, plastics, paper, glass, etc. all go in our recycling bin.

Recently I've found 2 more ways to recycle:

1. Many Bartell locations have free CFL (compact flourescents) recycling. CFL bulbs should not be placed in your regular trash due to the mercury in the bulbs. My bulb bin in the garage usually awaits the quarterly "hazardous waste dump days". Now these items can be taken directly to Bartells. For more info:

http://www.bartelldrugs.com/press/CFLRecycling.html

Or google "CFL recycling in your area".

2. Aveda will recycle plastic caps! Now I know it seems that we need a set of instructions for mindful recycling these days. And one of the rules of recycling is that plastic lids on items need to be removed. Many of those lids now have a place to go: AVEDA!

For more info:

http://www.aveda.com/aboutaveda/caps.tmpl?ngextredir=1

Be sure to print the cap collection guide for easy reference.

And if competitiveness doesn't inspire you to ramp up your recycling, simply envision "THE VORTEX":

Do you have any other recycling tips? Does your community offer great ways to recycle? I would love to hear more! Thanks for stopping by.

High Gloss

noreply@blogger.com (H Young) — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 21:31:00 +0000

Ceramic Elephant Before

After

Krylon High Gloss Paint (I used white)

Wendy recently turned me on to a great blog: Three Men and a Lady. Check it out! And in particular, tour her home. Are you drawn to the high gloss painted knick knacks tucked away here and there? Now, I am not much for knick knacks. Streamlined, clean and simple is my usual arrangement. But every now and then, a shelf, a stack of books or the coffee table, need some new life. Vignettes can be updated, changed or rearranged.

A can of high gloss white spray paint (or color of choice), a couple of thrift store finds, and you are ready to go. I found this awfully awesome ceramic elephant for $2. Doesn't it look great in white?

Just a couple of major tips:

Clean and dry your items thoroughly
Wait until it is at least 50 degrees out, cold paint and / or cold items do not take paint well
A cardboard box is the perfect work station for spray painting
Invest the $2.50 in the snap on handle that makes the job easier

I'll soon post before / afters of the 2 brass quail that I found. They are awaiting another coat or two and it's too cold today.

Hope you enjoy and have a great day!

Cheese Paper

noreply@blogger.com (H Young) — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 21:45:00 +0000

Formaticum Cheese Papers

Dark winter nights in the NW have me regularly rustling up a small appetizer plate prior to dinner. My current favorite pre dinner nosh is English Blue Stilton and Pinot Noir salami slices from Trader Joes. The stilton cheese is creamy, slightly sharp and absolutely delicious.

Storing this cheese for optimal taste has always been an issue for me. It hardly works to dump leftovers in a plastic baggie. Tupperware containers leave too much air around the cheese, possibly drying it out. Cheese papers to the rescue!

I may be the last to know about these papers, but I will still share. A local kitchen shop sells Formaticum Cheese Papers for 6.95 pack (12 sheets and stickers). Each sheet can wrap 2 wedges of cheese. You can note the type(s) of cheese with the adhesive labels that are included. I enjoy a variety of cheeses, especially during these darker winter days, and I'm glad to find a way to store them appropriately.

What's your favorite cheese? Where do you shop for your favorites?

Felted Soap

noreply@blogger.com (H Young) — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 17:54:00 +0000

Fiat Luxe Felted Soaps - Anthropologie

These felted soaps at Anthropologie have always caught my eye. Have you been to their store to see the huge basket filled with these beautifully colored soaps covered in felted wool? They would add such a unique touch to a guest bathroom: a couple of them on top of a basket of white towels?

Etsy.com, search felted soap for a large selection of these handcrafted items.

I have always wondered how they were crafted. On YouTube, I found this:

This project seems easy enough. With some nice bars of soap, colorful wool batting and a washboard, you can make your own? Anyone know where I can find a washboard?

Have you ever made any felted wool items, i.e. ornaments, scarves, pillows, or even felted wool soaps? Please share the details, I would love to know more. Thanks so much!

Address Front and Center

noreply@blogger.com (H Young) — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 19:37:00 +0000

I've always thought that a little front door re-do is one of the easiest ways to highlight your home. After a previous post on this subject, a friend asked me to help her with her front door/entry.

Before:

After:

Her house numbers were hidden most months of the year by a beautiful maple. The front door is the front and center focal point of her porch. Thus we ordered vinyl lettering from Etsy shop: Allie000 . Best $10 transformation I have seen.

Also, the door mat was so small considering the space on the porch. Most of the area is covered by an overhang so it made sense so purchase an all weather rug from Frontgate.com that filled the area.

One thing we considered while looking for an outdoor rug was how it would look with the existing flooring inside the home. I love how this rug feels like an extension of the tiles inside the home.

Thanks for visiting and be sure to let me know if you have any questions. I had taken a ton of step by step photos detailing the application of the vinyl numbers. Unfortunately, something terrible happened in the uploading process and all of my images disappeared! Yes, they are gone!

Chalkboard Before/After

noreply@blogger.com (H Young) — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 19:58:00 +0000

$30 Restaurant Chalkboard from 2ndUse

$12.98 Tintable Chalkboard Paint Home Depot

6 Coats of Paint

Random Notes

For months, I had my eye on a large restaurant chalkboard catalogued in 2nd Uses' online inventory. I finally made it to their warehouse and finding it in stock. A bit of negotiating and cramming into my car and my new purchase was home with me.

This project couldn't be easier, especially considering the varieties of chalkboard paint available today. There are many colors you can select with the tintable chalkboard paint. I went with a dark charcoal gray. I ended up painting 6 coats to ensure coverage. For optimal outcome, allow 24 hours between coats.

I delayed posting about this chalkboard project because I envisioned having a beautiful drawing or some great inspiring quote on the board before photographing. And here you have it... a Mom list left by college boy, a note from our neighbor, cross country meet score and my attempts at an inspiring quote along with a stick figure drawing. This dining room chalkboard will never be perfectly "coiffed" but it will always perfectly depict life at home.

Subway Art Revisited

noreply@blogger.com (H Young) — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 18:53:00 +0000

I haven't forgotten about the number one project on my list:

Large Subway Art Sign

I am actually obsessed with finding out the best and least expensive way of reaching project completion. Chris from http://subwaysign.etsy.com/ has provided me with great advice and a link to his phenomenal subway signs that can be custom ordered. You can select printed canvas or printed paper signs for more than reasonable prices. Unfortunately, I am looking at a very specific size for my living room.

Thus I continued on with practicing with my original plan:

Print lettering off word doc.,transfer to contact paper.

Cut out with exacto knife.

Transfer to painted canvas, spray paint black and peel off contact paper.

Display Hard Earned Effort

noreply@blogger.com (H Young) — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 21:22:00 +0000

With active cross country and track athletes like these:

We were bound to amass a lot of these:

Using an existing frame that had a thin shelf insert:

A piece of foam core board cut to size:

Ironed on white cotton twill using steam seaming:

Cut down a few black headed straight pins:

Trimmed off ribbons, played with arrangement of medals, tacked down with pins, voila!:

A look at the framed medals hung:

As I looked at the pile of medals on closet hooks, in boxes, etc. I was inspired by the my dad's Naval career medals and the professional display case he has them in. This was a great hour long project. Now our college student has his medals framed instead of hanging all over his closet.

Same House, Different Quick Fix

noreply@blogger.com (H Young) — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 20:10:00 +0000

Bookshelf before:

Bookshelf After:

Before I even saw the fireplace at my friend's home, I saw the gorgeous wall to wall bank of built in bookshelves with storage below. Let me paint the picture of this cozy family room: comfy couches, soft carpet, huge gabled window to the outside that frames a beautiful maple, large fireplace, piano, books, games and throw blankets. I can imagine how much quality family time this room enjoys, it's the perfect setting.

To start, the bookshelf was great, filled with photos, memorabilia, books and book collections. I loved the large black and white photos covering the backboard. Said friend and I started tinkering (well, mostly me with her wondering why I continually get sidetracked), and realized that there was just a lot of stuff on the shelves. The first thing you see when you walk in the room are the shelves, and while it was family friendly and family filled, there was too much.

I suggested that she limit the palette of the pottery pieces on the shelves, rearrange the books and streamline the memorabilia. She did this all in one day all on her own and I think it looks fantastic! The pottery, photos and memorabilia she left on the shelves stand out and have more space for viewing and touching. The books look so organized in an effortless manner.

Other tips:

arrange books in order of height
bring book spines close to the edge
give items space

Take a look at your bookshelves or display shelves, do you need a friendly opinion on how they might be improved? Better yet, send me a picture and we can blog about it!