Random Inspirations~

Happy April Fool's Day! I'm not clever when it comes to things like April Fool's Day...so here is a non-foolish, normal old post. But it IS inspirational~

I love everything about this little office nook. We have a closet that I use as my home office. We are going to make it into a built in desk with shelves. But this little closet office makes me think we might not need to do that. I love the simple table and the mirror to enlarge the space. And check out the fabulous wire baskets to store odds and ends. Divine!

I just love the blue in this photo...this color blue is the accent color for my Master Bedroom redo. I am drawn to it. Calm and serene...just what a bedroom should be.

These next two photos have gorgeous beadboard walls. I plan to do an accent wall in beadboard in the bedroom. Love the white on white in these rooms as well.

All photos from BHG


I hope you all got a little inspiration out of these rooms as well.

I have a little surprise in store tomorrow, so make sure and drop in (this is NOT an April Fool's Joke...I'm not clever that way, remember?)

Have a great day~

Inspire-Me Tuesday ( Backwards)~

I found this image on the Ballard Designs website AFTER I had completed the following project...and they reminded me enough of one another that I decided to share my project with you for Inspire-Me Tuesday (Backwards). In other words, make the project, then find a photo that looks like it could have inspired the project. HA!

Photo from Ballard Designs

So here's my little project...

I have had these frames for a while, but decided that they needed a little pick me up. I found this gorgeous scrapbook paper by Anna Griffin, and thought it was just the thing I needed. So I wrapped the mattes with the scrapbook paper...a simple, easy, and inexpensive project.
Here are the details...

1. I started by laying the matte - bevelled edge down - on the wrong side of the paper (this paper happens to be 12x12 and the mattes happen to be 10x10. This was luck. You may have to use wrapping paper or other larger sheets of paper should you decide to try this project with a larger matte).

NOTE: I made sure to do this project so that I could use the mattes again once I got tired of the new look. So I put the bevelled edge down - the bevel is the angled cut around the opening of the matte that makes it look "fancier" on the front than the back.

2. Then I used my xacto knife to cut an "x" in the opening. The corners of the "x" should meet the corners of the opening.

3. Fold the paper through the opening and affix to the back of the matte with stick glue.

4. Cut out the corners of the paper as seen below.

5. Fold the edges of the paper over and glue to the back of the matte.

6. VIOLA! "New" custom-looking mattes.

I filled mine with three of my little drawings. So springy and pretty. Love it!

This little guy is my newest creation....you'll see him gracing some projects soon in my Etsy.

Now, go forth, inspire and be inspired~

OMG!!!! (Squealing like a 13-year-old girl!)

THEY. ARE. COMING.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!

Finally the day has arrived!

Yes, I squealed. Blew out my hubby's eardrums.

My girlfriends and I are already planning how we are going to purchase the front row seats.

Who do we know? Who can we bribe? Who can we steal borrow from?

We will get them. Oh yes, we will.

OK. Done. Back to our scheduled programming. Check out my five dollar projects below.

Squeal!

UPDATE: Tickets are secured by a very-powerful-distant-cousin-of-best-friend-and-coworker-of-my-sister person.

We don't know where we will be sitting but this guy has connections around here I am confident he will hook us up!!

Awww yeah!!

Double squeal!

Do Something That Makes You Smile

I am a firm believer that every day you should do a little something that makes you smile. If I am happy there is more of me to give to my family and others. But, sometimes, in an effort to do things that make me smile I fall into a rut. Am I the only person who does this? Let me give you a personal example. I find it very easy to decorate the more public areas of my home. That makes me smile. But, every morning I wake up in a bland and cluttered bedroom. In my rut I think nothing of this---my thoughts are, "I spend most of my time in that room with my eyes closed, so it doesn't matter." But in reality it DOES matter. This is something in my life that isn't consistent with what I desire for myself and my family. And because of that, my life feels out of balance. So, this weekend I tackled the task of finding balance, as well as doing something that makes me smile. In the midst of organizing my office closet, I began another task (can you say, "Attention Deficit"?). I decided to take one corner of my bedroom and do just a little something that would make me smile. I didn't run out and buy a lot of stuff. I used what I had. I used my trusty black spray paint to update the two shelves. And I treated myself and my hubby to some inexpensive fresh flowers. Now I have something that makes me smile every time I walk by.What little thing can you do today to get you out of a rut and make you smile? It doesn't have to be decorating your house, maybe it's just adding a little something extra to your recipe for dinner tonight. Or lighting that beautiful candle you've been saving all these months. Or how about wearing fancy earrings while you're cleaning the toilet? Go ahead! Do something that makes you smile!

OH! another thing that makes me smile....reading all the comments you left on my giveaway post. You are all so sweet!And now I'm really smiling because I get to announce the winners....
PRIZE A- the burlap monogram goes to Tammy at Tinsel & Co.
PRIZE B- the chalkboard was won by Carlie at The Bird Nest
PRIZE C- CJ's Mommy*Kimberly gets her choice of two prizes
Ladies, send me an email at joysofhome@gmail.com. I need your color choices and addresses.

I really wish I could have made a prize for each and every one of you! My hubby says that's because I'm Obsessive Compulsive. Oh my! I'm ADD and OCD---no wonder I have to find something to make me smile every day!

Laughing Deeply

I'll keep this short and sweet. Getting close to midnight here.

I like this sketch of Claudia's for the Friday Sketchers #45 challenge. Any sketch with a circle gives me a chance to put a sitting Tilda in it. Haven't had a chance to use this stamp before. I got this stamp because whenever I give a card to a close friend or relative, I sign it off with "lots of love and laughter"--don't you just love the alliteration? That's become my signature sign-off. This Tilda image is just perfect. And I found a set of clear stamps with quotes on laughter (and fun)--also perfect.

Hope you like the card.

Stamps: Magnolia #285 Giggling Tilda, Inkadinkado #98170-K, Fiskars Cloud 9 Design Clear Stamps Simple Thoughts - Laughter
Designer Papers: Chatterbox Rosey Nook Blossoms and Peppermint Stripe

What I did on my Day Off~

Now, I must start this post off in the interest of full disclosure. Yes, I was unplugged on Friday....BUT it was only from the Land of Blog. You see, my dear readers, I have this job. That pays me money. (oh yeah, one of those...hee hee!) I work part-time from home as an editorial assistant...now that I've said that, please don't scrutinize my blog....I don't follow any sort of grammar rules, or anything like that when I blog.

Anyhoo, since I work from home, I am required to be on-line. That said, it made staying away from my blog (and everyone else's wonderful blogs) excruciatingly difficult. But I did it. And it forced me to admit to myself, that I spend a lot of time reading blogs. Not that that is bad. It's just something that I have to keep in check, so that the other important things in my life don't get pushed to the back.


So, what did I do with all that extra time that wasn't spent in blogland? I was very productive. I helped to redecorate an entire home! Top to bottom. Not only did we redecorate, but we even got the clients (and their pet) moved back in... all in one day! AMAZING! And boy do they love their new digs. I took some pics so you all could see my amazing one day makeover...check it out.

And since we had a little extra time, we built a high-rise condo next door. The new neighbors look pretty friendly, wouldn't you say?

I have some fun things lined up for this week...hope to see you all tomorrow~

Five dollar Spring projects!

Hope your weekend was GREAT! It snowed here today. Ugh. So it was fitting that I worked on Spring projects, eh?

I'm joining Lindsay over at Living with Lindsay for her Five Dollar Challenge -- check out her site, so much fun!

Money doesn't grow on trees?? No one sent me that memo. I should clarify -- one of these projects was FREE and one was only two bucks.

Just sayin'.

Let's start with one of the cutie moss bunnies at Pier One. I've picked these up about four times in the past month or so, but couldn't figure out what to do with them. Last week, it hit me:

A pot I already had, along with foam and moss I already had. Add in a $2 mossy bunny:
ACK! Adorable! Stuff the foam in, stuff the moss on top, stuff in the bunny. You are DONE.

My other project was one I'm really excited about -- because I know you already have half of it in your cabinet:

If you are the ONE person on earth who does not have the generic glass vase that comes with all flowers, then just get your booty over to Goodwill -- they've got about 25 waiting for you.

I used my jute twine (correction from this post -- I thought it was sisal but turns out jute has a slightly darker look that I like better than the sisal) and wrapped it around and glued it like I did the bottles.

I. love. it. It screams Spring to me. I threw in the "faux" flowers till I splurge on some white tulips. (When did tulips get so expensive??):

And I have to show my under $5 projects from last week as well -- you can find them here. My son's art caddy:
Little container for little toys:
Four custom tags for under $2:
Fun little magnets:
Head over to Lindsay's to see more fun projects! And keep linking up your spray painting projects here -- so much inspiration!

Totebag + pillow =

A no-sew new pillow!

Don't overlook the beauty of what an adorable totebag of your personal taste can do for you.

Totebags are versatile! You can hang them up with a plant or flowers spilling over an edge. I could have morphed the fabric on this one into an adorable little bulletin board. (I still can!) But for today, it's a casual new pillow. (that I didn't have to sew!!)

__________________________________________

Join Kimm at Reinvented for her

Trash to Treasure Tuesday April 14 2009 edition for other creative ideas!

http://www.reinventedkb.com/2009/04/trash-to-treasure-tuesday-reinvented-on.html

and

over HERE for more more more fab ideas for homemade gifts!

The beauty in simple numbers

I LOVE typography on things. But simple numbers really speak to me.



Isn't this door awesome? I think I found it at My Sweet Savannah. The numbers are so simple yet soooo elegant on black. I think I'm going to paint my door black this summer...

Thanks My Sweet Savannah! Loving these pots! http://mysweetsavannah.blogspot.com/2009/03/spring-etsy-finds.html

I want them all! These are at The Shabby Nest's Etsy shop at

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=22500085

This is from my own mantle. I love the numbers on the old Medalta pots.

Layla and Kevin at The Lettered Cottage created a really fun way to tweek their kitchen cabinets by framing a ruler with moulding. LOVE IT!http://theletteredcottage.blogspot.com/2009/03/guest-post-by-mr-lettered-cottage.html

And this is also Layla's claim to awesome. She hand painted the number on her rustic stool.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wmc3cgAjw0k/SbQEgMN9kEI/AAAAAAAAC7Q/e_g0m0ghQCs/s400/Stool+and+Thyme.jpg

Not sure what my thang with numbers is all about, but I'm crazy about them. Such a simple thing, but placed in the right areas, they really lend a fun whimsical feel to whatever they're on.

One day at a used goods place, I nearly came home with an entire box of old brass house numbers. When the price didn't agree with me, I left them all. I might have to go back and pick up just a few. I have this great old distressed black chest begging for a number or three...