A Bit Shady

One of the easiest and cheapest ways to change the look of a room is to change the lamps. You've seen me take an ugly thrift store lamp and give it new life by spray painting it. I've been known to move lamps from room to room just to switch things up. Recently I found this lamp on clearance. It was love at first sight. Look at how the simple change of a lamp and accessories gave a fresh look to a tired spot.An even cheaper way to make a change is by switching out the shades on your existing lamps. I'm always on the look out for shades on clearance and at the thrift store. Recently I was lucky enough to find two shades while thrifting. My lamps that looked like this, now look like this.Am I always lucky enough to find two matching shades? No. Sometimes it takes months. About nine months ago I found a great shade at the thrift store and used it on a lamp in my kitchen. Then last week I found a second and was sure that it's mate was waiting at home. For two dollars it was worth the risk to see if they matched and fortunately they did!I love it when small changes can make a big impact.

A Little Christmas Craft

How about a little Christmas craft today?All you need is a dozen clothespins, an embroidery hoop, wide ribbon, scrapbook paper, mod podge and a hot glue gun.Simply cut the scrapbook paper into strips wide enough to cover the top of the clothespin. Apply the paper to the pin using mod podge. If you'd like, you can sand and distress the edges of the paper.Hot glue the clothes pins onto the hoop varying the direction.
Tie on the ribbon to hang the hoop.Now you have a pretty little display for those Christmas cards that will soon be arriving in your mailbox.

Hooray and Display

I am so happy to announce the winners of
the Belvedere Designs giveaway!
The random generator selected:

Monogram winner:

Desiree said...

Oh how I love monograms. PLEASE pick me.

November 2, 2009 3:55 PM

Gift Certificate winner:

Natalie said...

I would love to get the gift certificate! I do love the laundry room quote, but I don't have a real laundry room. Thanks for the chance to win!

November 3, 2009 10:36 AM

Laundry winner:

Andrea said...

I'm lovin' the Laundry sign!

November 3, 2009 7:59 AM

Jordan and Raelene, owners of Belvedere Designs, are some of the most generous people I've met. They've decided to add one more prize for their favorite saying.

Bonus $35 Gift Certificate winner:

Aubree @ The Weathered Cottage said...

wow! i would love to win a gift certificate. I love the saying, "The Laundry Room, Loads and Load of Fun" and also "Let him sleep for when he wakes he will move mountains"- Napoleon for my little boy's room!

November 2, 2009 11:55 AM

The winners can contact Belvedere Designs to claim their prizes.

Let me show you what I did with my monogram from Belvedere.
I'm sure you know that I thrive on constantly changing things in my home. Because I'm afraid to commit to having anything stay on my walls, I came up with this idea for my monogram.
Months ago I showed you a huge frame that I found at the thrift store.I popped out the painting (storing it in the garage), painted the frame and propped it up against the wall. I enjoyed that look for a few months and then leaned the frame above my sideboard. It eventually was actually hung on the wall.When my monogram arrived I was so excited to find that it would fit perfectly inside the frame. And I was happy that I hadn't thrown away the original picture!
I thought about spray painting the picture but then I remembered that I had a roll of wall paper that I picked up at the thrift store. This wall paper is fantastic! It looks like old tarnished, scratched metal.I applied the wall paper directly to the painting. The burnishing tool that came with my design was handy for applying the wallpaper and the monogram.When the paper was dry my hubby helped me line up the monogram.
Belvedere Designs websight shows just how to apply their designs.With a design this big it really helps to have another set of hands.
Thanks hubby! All that was left was to pop the newly covered picture back into frame, adhere it with a little hot glue, and hang it back on the wall. I love my new monogram! I am incredibly impressed with Belvedere Designs products and their customer service! If you haven't already seen all that they have to offer, take some time to visit them now.

Fall From Me

I am so thrilled to find out that I am not alone in my effort to hold on to fall as long as possible. So for those of you who are still enjoying the signs of fall here's a few more from my house to yours.***REMEMBER, YOU ONLY HAVE UNTIL SATURDAY NIGHT
TO ENTER TO WIN THE BELVEDERE DESIGNS GIVE AWAY!!!***

Holdin' On

While many in the retail industry and blog world are rushing into Christmas decorating I am holding on dearly to fall.

I love the fall! I enjoy taking down the scary Halloween decor and replacing it with

the bounties of the season.

A few years back I bought these pumpkins. I grew tired of their color almost immediately.
They looked old and dirty.
This year I decided to change their appearance.
I desired the muted green of the real pumpkins I adore.
I sprayed them leafy green. Then washed them with a greenish white.I love their new makeover! They're the perfect bright spot of color in
my little pumpkin patch.

***If you haven't already entered the Belvedere Design giveaway,
Now's your chance!***

Let Your Fingers Do The Pushing

I recently had the opportunity to help a sweet woman redesign the look of her living room. When we first met we discussed her concerns and desires. One concern was the room arrangement. I told her that I had some ideas and that it would be best if we measured everything first and then I would get back to her. We carefully measured the room as well as each of the larger pieces of furniture.
At home I took out my trusty graph paper and measured one square for each six inches of furniture and room footage. After cutting out the diagrams of the major pieces of furniture I began to arrange the room. It was fun---like playing house! It was much more fun moving items on paper than it would have been to move large furniture pieces in a small room.There are several computer sites that offer room arranging programs too but I find it very rewarding doing it the old fashion way. I came up with four different room designs. When we met again she picked the design she liked best and we were able to quickly move the furniture into an arrangement she had never tried in the several years she had lived there. She was thrilled with the new look and I was happy that I had let my fingers do the pushing instead of my back.

***Don't forget to enter for the Belvedere Design giveaway on the previous post.

Belvedere Design Giveaway

I am so excited to introduce you to Belvedere Designs! If you are interested in adding that little touch of personality to help make your home, or even your car, unique to you and your family, you need to visit my friends Jordan and Raelene.
They offer an incredible variety of custom wall letters, vinyl words and wall quotes, family stickers, wall art, graphic design and more. I'm warning you right now, they offer so many wonderful designs that you'll have a hard time picking just one or two! I know because they let me pick two designs to give away and it was a very hard choice!
I picked this wonderful headboard design for myself. I have a fun idea for it that I'll have to show you in a later post.

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You know how I love a great monogram design! Yep, I love monograms so much that I picked this one to give away to one lucky winner!

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Can't you just imagine this beauty above your bed! Or how about in the entry or living room of your home surrounded by photos of your family.

I really wanted this design for my laundry room but I don't have the wall space for it.

Hopefully you do though because we're giving it away!

And if that isn't enough, Belvedere Designs is also letting me give away a gift certificate. The winner of this will be able to pick any item, up to $50 in value, from their site! Ooohhhh so many choices! And they've even added 18 new colors like olive, lipstick, buttercream, celdon, and bubblegum, to name just a few.

Belvedere even has a blog where you can see lots of new ideas. And they have a monthly drawing for a $50 gift certificate from their customer-submitted photos.

I'm sure that you're anxious to enter this giveaway! Here's all you need to do: leave me a comment telling me which of the three choices (monogram, laundry sign, gift certificate) you would love to win. If you want another entry then post about this giveaway on your blog, twitter or facebook. And for a third chance to win, leave a favorite quote that you'd love to see Belvedere Designs make---one that they don't already offer (this might be tough because they offer a ton of great quotes already).

This giveaway will be open until Saturday at midnight (MST) I'll anounce the three lucky winners next Monday. GOOD LUCK!