Update to Kitchen Plate Wall Update

If you know me at all, you know that I am constantly changing things around our house.  You remember the plate wall I did a few months back...

I decided it needed a little something extra.  I was actually inspired by the kitchen in Modern Family.  Love that show!

So my kitchen doesn't look quite that amazing, but I love my new plate additions!

And the good news is they were only a couple dollars each from Bed Bath and Beyond and Walmart!

Chenille Burpcloths, washcloths and oneside to match!

One of my favorite things to make are baby gifts!!  My sister in law had a little girl this past week named Ella.  Such a sweet name.  I made her a chenille burpcloth, a few washcloths and a matching onesie of course!

You can read about how to do the applique and embroidery in a previous post here. 

I just recently learned how to make these chenille burpcloths and washcloths.  I didn't use the standard measurements.  I actually made these for a few different people so I measured the fabric and figured out how I could get the most out of the yard.  Chenille is a little pricey so I didn't want to waste any.  I actually used an excel spreadsheet to figure out the dimensions!  ha!

First, cut out your pieces.  One way to make sure your pieces match up perfectly is to use the floral piece face down on the chenille fabric and cut using the first as a pattern.  I unfortunately did not use this technique and my pieces didn't match up perfectly.

 
Sew three edges and an inch or so on either side of the fourth edge.  Flip inside out and sew around the entire edge.  This makes the edges lay nicer.

Voila!  So super easy and so cute!  It took me one day of naps to finish all of it and clean up!  Not too bad!

Jute Pear

I've wanted one of these for a while now and I finally got around to it!  I first saw these from Ballard. Love!

This little pear has been sitting on my nightstand totally naked until now!

I bought the pear from hobby lobby when it was 40% off.  It was maybe a couple dollars.  I had the jute left over from another project just waiting to be used!!

I started wrapping at the top and tucked the end so it would be covered.

I put a thin line of hot glue around the entire pear then wrapped the jute and held it firmly in place.

I put a pea size amount of hot glue on the bottom and cut the end to lay flat.

It's the perfect little accessory to a stack of books!

A few new Pictures...

Right now I have an obsession with black and white picture frames.  I bought 7 new ones from Walmart the other day!  They were a really good price and I had a few different places I thought I could put them.  The first was over our bed.  I absolutely LOVE this look, but I didn't have anywhere to put the vintage ceiling tiles and frames I currently have over the bed.

So... I ended up putting the ceiling tiles and frames back over the bed and took my new frames to the office!  The office has been one place that's been pretty neglected lately.  I was too busy with the rest of the house to really spend a lot of time in here.  My hubby picked out this paint color and I have always really liked it!

I've looked everywhere for good (and inexpensive) prints for pictures, with no luck.  So, although I'm sure it's not an original idea, I was pretty excited when this light bulb went off in my head...

Style by Saladino is one of my favorite interior design books.  LOVE it!

The pictures in here are ah-mazing!!  Seriously...  I've always had this book laying out on a table and look through it quite a bit.  But I thought why not frame some of the pictures??  This way I can enjoy them all the time!  So, that's what I did...

I took out my handy dandy cutter and cut out a few of my favorite pics

Beautiful and so much less expensive than buying individual prints or photographs! 

They add so much sophistication to the room!

I also got a new lamp shade.  It's amazing what a different a new lamp shade can make!  Check out the before and after!

4th of July!

It's been a while since I've done a post!  Hopefully it won't be as long until the next one.  I have so many projects I want to get done around the house, but this summer has been crazy busy!

We had some good friends over for the 4th of July and a party isn't a party without a few decorations!

Here are some of the pics:

I purchased these stars last year from Michael's.  They were ridiculously cheap - I think 80% off when I bought them.  My favorite time to shop for seasonal decorations is after the holiday is over.  You get such great deals!  I use these for the 4th, and sometimes on our tree at Christmas!

I purchased a few mini Christmas ornaments from the dollar store.  They were all 50% off.  Such a steal!  I knew I'd use these throughout the year for centerpieces. 

I found this awesome printable at Landee See Landee Do.  She has such cute ideas!!  And what's more all American than chocolate chip cookies???  They're a staple in my family's diet!  haha

I love these glass vases.  I've seen them everywhere and decided I needed some of my own. 

You can find super cheap glass vases and candlesticks. I think I paid .25 each for the candlesticks.  I already had the vases lying around. Perfect!

To glue the vases I used premium waterproof silicon.  This stuff is absolutely amazing!  There is no getting these apart once their glued (trust me I tried!!).  This is an absolute must when gluing glass!  You can find it at any hardware store - usually in the plumbing section.

Here's a plain pic of the vases.  Nothing too exciting here, just wanted you to see how I used a variety of candlesticks and vases that didn't necessarily match.

My good friend Leslie made some cupcakes in a jar.  You can find a tutorial here!  Such a cute idea and great to travel with!

We had such a fun 4th of July!  Can't wait til next year!