Easy Chair Redo {on the cheap}

My sister picked up this cute little seat (is it a chair or a bench?) at an estate sale recently.  She really liked the lines but wasn't crazy about the fabric it was covered in.

Not being much into diy, she asked for my help recovering it.  Of course I said, "Yes!"  Just give me a reason to pull out my staple and glue guns, and I'm all over it.  So anyway, her style is a little global, Pier 1/World Market-ish.  For some reason rag rugs popped into my head and the next thing I knew Michelle was at Wally World picking up one of these beauties for under $5.00!

I stopped by her house with my supplies between running kids to summer activities, and in around 30 minutes she had this refreshed little accent piece.

We were both pretty happy with the way it turned out.  The rug seat will be super durable and the colors and texture lend itself well to her global aesthetic.

Now I'm seriously thinking of what else I can recover in a rag rug.

Tootles,

DIY Bunny Art

Hi All! First, I want to say thank you so much for all the wonderful comments you all left from the One Room Challenge.  What a fun experience that was!  Today I'm sharing a quick and easy art project I did for Teddie's nursery.

When I started thinking about decorating for our new baby girl I knew I wanted to include a print from The Animal Print Shop.  There are so many adorable images to choose from but to be honest, they are a little pricey for me.  The 8 x 10 prints are very reasonably priced at $25 I believe, but I wanted something larger than that.  The larger size options are limited edition prints that are priced into the hundreds, which is also a reasonable price for a limited edition fine art print.  I'm just not willing to sink that kind of money into art for a baby's room.

I looked all over online for something similar to no avail.  Enter H & M.  Yes!  I stumbled across these wall decals at H & M online while I was shopping for pillow covers.  I grabbed a frame and mat board from Michael's and had myself a cute little knock-off in no time!

Cut out decal~

Center it on mat~

Apply decal~

Smooth out air bubbles~ 

Voila!

That's a pretty nice savings for a similar effect I'd say!  The great part is I still have a cat and dog decal that will probably find homes in Norah and Isaac's rooms.  Three pieces of art for less than half of the price of one sounds like a great deal to me!

Tootles,

Pillows

I mentioned awhile back that I had ordered some new pillows to freshen things up in the living room.  I've had them for weeks now and just realized I hadn't shared them with you!  So, here they are ~

I've been trying to incorporate a little more color in this room and I think the coral and navy/indigo do the trick.   This is what I've had for the past two or three years ~

And here it is now with a little more color and pattern ~

Ah, pillows.... a girl's best friend.  Have a great week everyone!
Tootles,
Sarah

**I'm linking up at some of these great blogs...

Spring/Easter Wreath Roundup

Hi all! Well, now that St. Patrick's Day is behind us it's time to start thinking Easter/Spring! I've rounded up some wreaths that caught my eye while I was looking for inspiration. Take a look ~
(**Edited**click caption below image to go to source...)

 According to Laura at Top This Top That, this is the easiest burlap wreath you'll ever make~

Top This Top That

An elegant tea stained coffee filter wreath from Design Dining and Diapers~

Design Dining and Diapers

Check out this recycled spring wreath from Cheap Crafty Mama.  See the flowers?  Those are recycled cans!

This wreath from Corner House just screams spring with its fresh colors~

Corner House

A fun, non-traditional rectangular shaped wreath from Delightfully Noted~

Delightfully Noted

I love, LOVE this chocolate bunny wreath from The Baker's Daughter~

The Baker's Daughter

Nothing says spring like moss, eggs, and burlap. A sweet simple wreath from Butterfly Above~

Butterfly Above

Such a fresh look with the eggs and grass from A Diamond in the Stuff~

A Diamond in the Stuff

Love the fuzzy little chicks used to make this wreath from Design Editor~

Design Editor

A sweet bunny wreath from Everblooming Original~

Everblooming Originals

Could this wreath from Fake-it Frugal be any cuter? I think not! It's inspired by Mr. McGregor's vegetable garden from the story 'Peter Rabbit.' The veggies are made from coffee filters~ 

Fake it Frugal

I love the message on this 'Hybrid' wreath from Rhonna Designs~ 

Rhonna Designs

I am constantly amazed by all the creativity and talent that can be found here in bloggy land and on Etsy!  Which one is your favorite?

Tootles,
Sarah

Decorative Serving Tray

Hi Everyone!  Today I'm sharing how I transformed an old wood tray into a customizable decorative serving tray.  When I bought the tray (years ago) it was a cherry color wood with silver handles.  Unfortunately I don't have a true before picture because I sprayed it white before I started this blog.  This is how it's looked for the past few months ~

I thought it needed to be warmed up a little...the bright white paint just looked like primer to me. I also didn't love the way the silver handles looked with the white.  As you can see I just had a scrap of fabric in the bottom which wasn't very functional.

So I sprayed the handles with my new favorite spray paint ~

It's Rust-Oleum metallic brass.

The tray itself also got a fresh coat of paint in a warmer heirloom white. I wanted to add some color or pattern to the inside of the tray but I also like to be able to change things up depending on the season, holiday...or my mood. So instead of painting or decoupaging, I picked up some scrapbook paper and cut a piece of glass to size.

Now I'm able to easily change the look of the tray just by switching out the the decorative paper ~

The glass protects the paper, is easy to wipe clean, and gives it a nice finished look.  You can pick up a piece of glass very inexpensively from your local frame shop or hardware store.  Just make sure the measurement you give them is around 1/8" to 1/4" smaller than the actual opening so that you can get the glass in and out without any hassle, and to avoid scraping up your paint job.

And there you go ~ a decorative serving tray that is completely customizable! A super easy way to bring different accent colors and pattern into your room whenever the season, holiday, or your mood changes!

I hope your week is off to a great start! We are loving this taste of spring we've had here in the Midwest this week, it's been wonderful!

Tootles,

Sarah

*I'm linking this project up to some of these great blogs... 

Fun With Spray Paint

Last week I picked up these little wiener dog figurines at Hobby Lobby (yes, I know they're called daschands but it's more fun to say wiener).  I thought they'd make cute book ends for Isaac's room, but they needed to be brightened up.  So out came the spray paint ~

I figured while I was at it, I might as well spray some other stuff too, so I rounded up some
plastic animals ~

And went to town spraying ~

Sweet set-up right?  I have to admit, I had a theme song of "I'm Ghetto and I Know It"  to the tune of LMFAO's "Sexy and I Know It"  running through my head the entire time.

The "ugly guy" lives in Jack's room and the elephants are in the living room.  You can catch a glimpse of one elephant here.  I sprayed them bronze and I Love, Love how they turned out!  Even Matt was impressed, he thought they were metal until he picked one up.

I'm also pretty happy with my new bookends.  Here they are ~

 

And some colorful little friends ~

It's the small things that make me happy ~

Tootles,

Sarah

I'm linking up at some of these swell places..

faux bois

Doesn't that sound so fancy? .... faux bois .... Kinda fun to say too!  Anyway, this is the faux bois rug I put in Isaac's room.   It's Martha Stewart for Home Decorators.

You can see a little bit of it in this view of the room.

I like that it's graphic but still subtle, and I think it will work well with any other pattern or color that I may bring into the room.  This diy faux bois painted chest of drawers at MarthaStewart.com has me inspired to try this technique on a little chest of mine that has been patiently waiting in my basement for some love.

Here are a few more faux bois products that have caught my eye ~

pillow from Z Gallerie

hurricane from Z Gallerie

planters from MarthaStewart.com

notebook from rockscissorpaper.com

Kate over at Centsational Girl has a great tutorial for some diy faux bois vases.  Looks quick and easy, check it out!

So, what do you think?  Are you a fan of the "false wood" look? 

Have a super day!
Tootles,