Going Neutral

A big "thank you!" to everyone that sent their kind words when I dropped the news about the baby on the way. We are so excited and I can't wait to share all of the fun things that this new chapter will bring!



We have decided that we are not going to find out the gender of our little nugget before his or her arrival. For the control freak planner in me this is going to be a little tricky, but I never walk away from a challenge :) Alas, people have done it for millions of years, and I don't think my baby will be any less bombarded with colorful and (probably) unnecessary accessories than the next on the block.

 

Honestly, I didn't really have to think twice about not finding out the sex of the baby. I just remember listening to the story of when I was born and how exciting it was for my parents when the doctor called out, "Its a girl!". My parents had been convinced I was a boy as they already had my brother and there had been a long string of boy cousins all born in a row. So when they realized that a tidal wave of pink and sparkles had just entered their life they were shocked and excited (or so they say...). I just want that same feeling when our own baby arrives!

 

 

Here are the challenges that I am going to be working with in the soon-to-be baby's room:

 

 

#1. It has to be a fully functional guest room as well as baby's room. My mom and sis are going to come and stay once the baby comes and I want it to be totally comfortable for them. Not like they are sleeping in a Toys-R-Us.

 

#2. We are on a VERY tight budget and I am determined to do this room for as close to $500 as I can get.

 

#3. Storage is a huge issue. Our closet in the guest room is already 3/4 full and we have no additional storage in our apartment or building. When it comes to "baby gear" we are going bare bone style. Like, "does a baby really need a crib?" bare bones style...

 

#4.  Since we won't know the gender, the color pallet needs to appeal to both a boy or girl. It can be somewhat adapted later, but I would like all the main components to be in place before I'm working on 2 hours of sleep a night.

 

#5. I already have some of the components of the room in place because it was already a functioning guest room (light gray walls, rug, chair, drapes, comforter, bookcases) so whatever I do needs to be in line with those elements. I really don't want to buy anything new if we already have something that is in good shape.

 

 

Below is the inspiration board that I am going to be working from. I am sure some things will change but so far I am loving the look!

 

The color pallet will be tan, cream, white, and pale blue. I will add in pops of pink if the nugget ends up being a girl, but I think that baby will be happy with the room no matter what!

 

Crib / Rug / Lamp / Dresser / Basket / Fabric / Chair

 

XOXO Katie

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Getting Back into the Groove

Happy Monday, All! I hope your weekends were fun filled and you welcomed the official beginning of fall with open arms. This is by far my favorite time of year with its scarves, boots, and vests all screaming my name.

This weekend was a little slow on my end with a husband who was MIA from working over 48 hours straight. So I spent my time doing the laundry and cleaning that I've been putting off since our return from our Labor Day trip (bad, I know). I did pat myself on the back for pounding out 9 loads of laundry in just under 3.5 hours. It's the small things that keep me going :)

But I was thinking about I have been slacking in one category of my blogging endeavor- my DIY projects. This summer was such a whirlwind with travel, weddings, work, and general life stresses, that I have totally neglected my love for doing DIYs. So I am going to really make an effort to get back in the swing of things with my projects.

I have been compiling a few ideas that you will hopefully see in the future from little ole' me, and I just cross my fingers that I will get around to doing at least 1/3 of what I set out to do. So here at the thoughts that are swimming around in my head at the moment.

 

Make a pouf / ottoman to go with my new chair in my bedroom:

 

via Decorpad, source: Turquoise LA

 

Try etching on glassware- maybe a vase for my guest bathroom:

 

via Social Graces
 
 

Make cute seat cushions for our plain white bar stools:

 

via Ballard Design

 

Do something with the 30+ brooch/clip on earring pieces that my Mom gave me:



via AmoreTreasure on Etsy

Anyone else have any upcoming projects that you are excited about?!

 

 

 

XOXO Katie

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Button Up

I realized after yesterday's post about my cardi face lift that I took for granted my 15+ years of sewing experience, and didn't show you how to sew on a button! I found this great website with amazing photos of the exact step by step process. So check out Wikihow.com for a great tutorial on how to sew on a standard button (4 holes). I swear it is super simple and a quick way to update your old pieces.



via Wikihow.com

 

I actually used a button with a shank (a small loop on the back of the button instead of four holes) so here is a great tutorial from AngelaOborne.com. She takes you step by step with close up pictures on how to sew on this style of button.

 

via Angelaosborne.com 

 

I would have done the tutorials myself but I am flying back to Chicago today WITH my hubs!! This will be the first trip back home together in 8 months so this is a long time coming. Our extended Labor Day will be full of family, friends, weddings, and BBQs. I can not even express how pumped I am!!

 

XOXO Katie

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Cardi Face Lift

It still feels wrong that I am starting to sort through my fall sweaters and see what I want to keep and what to give away before the season starts.

I have this pretty simple sweater for American Eagle that is pretty basic, but a great color for this fall- Coral! As I have mentioned before, coral is a great transitional color for this cooler season and I think with a little face lift this sweater will be a great option.
 

 

The buttons were a little drab for my taste so I wanted to jazz up up with some bling. I scoured Ebay for gold buttons and I landed on these gold and rhinestone 1" buttons. And at $3.99+shipping the would a steal. If I had gone to Jo Ann's it would have been that price for two, and I got eight for less than $6 total.

                                                                                                                                                       

I also decided to go with plastic vs. metal because with the sweater being on the lighter side, I was concerned that a heavy metal button would weigh it down. If this were a coat I would have definitely gone for the metal though.

 

 

I grabbed my trusty needle and thread and whipped those suckers on in about 10 minutes.

Total upgrade!

 

I think I can milk at least another 2-3 weeks out of my summer wardrobe if the weather keeps cooperating, but I will be excited to have this "new" cardigan in my arsenal of fall layering pieces.

XOXO Katie

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Di-Cupcakeification

I finally got the black Jill Stewart dress that I had ordered from Ebay and loved it! The top was super cute with its strapless, large bow detail.

But the one problem is that I kind of looking like...well...a cupcake going to a funeral :(

The bottom was super poofy and no matter now much I tried to tame the beast it was a losing battle. The tulle that was attached to the lining giving it its body just had to go.

Thankfully, it was a quick fix. I broke out my stitch ripper and went to town removing the tulle stitch by stitch.

It only took 5 minutes and the result was pretty dramatic.

No more cupcake gone wild- This dress is ready to party! For a $30 Ebay purchase I am pretty happy with the end product:)

XOXO Katie

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Mid Mod Makeover

I just can't do it....I just can't resist a good furniture flip!

Especially when the piece has a mid century modern vibe to it. If you remember a few months ago I redid this mod dresser that is now doing its duty as a storage unit in our made over closet for Joey's bizillion pairs of scrubs. Pieces from this era are pretty popular in the city so when I spot one with good bones I nab it up, refurbish it, and then sell it on Craigslist for a little cash.

I picked up this side table at the local thrift shop for a whopping $15. It was solid wood, but the top was looking a little tired, but the 60's styles legs were in great shape so I could not resist.

I gave it a quick sanding with my new palm sander (thanks Mom!),  and it was prepped for primer is less than 10 minutes. And yes, I do sand in the middle of my guest room :) Geez, I need a garage ASAP. I never thought that the top item on my future house wish list would be a garage or basement that I can make a mess...

Two coats of primer later and it was ready to go...

I used Benjamin Moore basic white in a semi gloss finish. The roller worked best for a smooth and even finish. Since the lines were straight and simple, it took only about an hour to do two coats.

I left the drawer in the natural wood finish because it was the only part that was still in great shape, so I just gave it a good cleaning to shine it up.

All done!

XOXO Katie

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Topiary Facelift

You all know I am a huge advocate for Pier 1, and I mentioned before their sales are pretty redic. I nabbed these two 12" topiaries for less than $12 TOTAL when at full price they would have been nearly $50 for the pair. Love those kinds of finds- totally worth the quick store pop in and when I see shelves full of items with tiny red clearance stickers my heart skips a beat!

The topiaries were in good shape, but I did want to jazz up the pot a bit since drab
 brown what not really doing it for me.

I whipped out the high gloss black paint and gave them a quick once over.

With a ruler and pencil, I marked 2" from the bottom of the pot all the way around and the used painters tape to ensure my line would be crisp. I broke out my trusty gold leaf paint and painted the bottom half of the pot.

It was as simple as that! Just a few hours to fully dry and these were ready to pop on the mantle.

For a less than the cost of one lunch out I was able to dress up out mantle with a little greenery. I still need to find something to go in the center opening, but at least I am now one step closer to a completion!

XOXO Katie

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Framing It Up!

Monday came a little quick, eh? Well, hopefully you had a wonderful weekend where ever you are. I can't believe it already June 18th- This summer is flying by!

My weekend was a relaxing one spent at home with the hubs- he was on call but it seems all of Boston likes to spend their weekends out on their boats and not in the hospital. Fine by me!

I wanted to give a little shout out for two important events that happened on Sunday- Fathers Day & my parent's 34th wedding anniversary! Such a great day, I only wish I had been in Chicago to celebrate. Love you both!

And now back to the reveal of my bedroom art project. As I mentioned before I purchased a map from Paper Source that is technically supposed to be wrapping paper. But for a mere $3.95 I decided to frame it up and put it above my dresser. I find it crazy that someone would used this to wrap and gift and then throw it away but to each his own I guess!

I painted an Ikea Ribba frame a pale blue color and then used gold paint to add as little detail to the inner edge (shown the 2nd pic). I love the way it turned out and it ties all the colors of the room together. What do you think?!

There were some stunning paper options at that store. Honestly, I could have spent hours drooling over the amazing variety, and would have if I had not been on a time crunch. Totally like a kid in a candy store in there!

Anyone else frame up some Paper Source goodies? How did you ever choose just one??

XOXO Katie

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Filling the Void

After my trial and error art project last week, I have been brainstorming on where I can get a cool piece to fill the depressing void above my bedroom dresser. The IKEA frame that I have is a nice scale and has a 19"x27" matte so I need something large and in charge. The colors is my room are a seafoam-ish blue, ivory, and a pop of pink so I wanted to try to tie all of that into one image.

So its official, I think I am going to jump on the map bandwagon.

I have not decided between these two Cavallini options from Paper Source yet, so today I am planning a trip to one of their stores to scout them out in person. These were my top pics from the website and at $3.95 a pop I will just buy a few and see how they look.

I also spotted these stunning options that I am dying to see up close. I don't really think they go with my color scheme, but I am willing to keep my options open.

With beige walls, a splash of color is desperately needed and hopefully this will help. And of course I am thinking that I will use my fave gold leaf paint to jazz up the frame. Who would have ever guessed that? Not me....no never....

Which Cavallini map do you like??

Stay tuned to see how it turns out :)

XOXO Katie

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My Little Pony

As you know, I make frequent pit stops at my local thrift store to see if there is anything screaming out for a makeover. I keep an open mind because even if I don't need something for our place, I can always give a piece a new life and then sell it on Craigslist or Ebay.

My project this weekend was clearly not for us to keep. Unless you want to see a 6'2" 180 lb man having a flash back to his lost cowboy dreams. I tried to get Joey to just pretend to ride it...no luck. Too bad- I know a few of his brothers would have paid big bucks to see that! 

Meet my little pony:

At $9.99 I figured it would be a good project for a rainy day (and as I said yesterday we are having plenty of those) and I was excited to makeover something that would be on the more playful and on the girly side.

First, I removed the seat that was just tacked on with nail heads. Luckily the foam was in pretty good shape so I decided to reuse it later.

Time for a light sanding and a quick coat of all purpose primer.

The tail was a little discolored and grimy so that had to go. I felt like a surgeon trying to get the tail to wiggle loose as it was glued and and nailed inside. After a little muscle action I got it to come out.

After the primer was nice and dry I gave it a few coats of standard white semi-gloss paint and the put the foam seat back on with a hot glue gun.

The padding was cushy, but I thought it could use a little more batting to make it a soft ride for a toddler tushy. I simply tacked that on with a staple gun. Needless to say a standard staple gun is child's play compared to the one I used in my upholstery class, but it will have to do for the time being.

After a quick trim of the excess batting, I repeated this step with my fabric, but I stapled close to the bottom edge of the seat so that I could later cover it with my trimming.

And now for some girly action- pom pom trim! I used the hot glue gun to attach that along the bottom of the seat to cover all the visible staples.

I made a quick trip to the Deep (aka Home Depot) for a new tail and new handle bar for this girl. The tail is just industrial rope that they can cut to what ever length you need, and handle bar was a 5/8" dowel that I cut to size.

This pony is finally ready for a ride!

I just hope that the little girl that is lucky enough to take this home will appreciate that any ugly duckling has the potential to become a beautiful swan.

XOXO Katie

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