Change

Don't you just love when you realize something you've done isn't a good as something else you could do? It happens to me all the time. I find an idea I like, do it, then find another idea that I like better. It drives the hubs crazy. In my defense though, he only had to help hang the second idea ; )

So, remember this picture wall...

(pictures compliments of my sister, Kara Elaine)

And these Craig's list find chairs...

They look a bit different now...

I decided that I like Pattery Barn Holman shelves better that the previous picture collage. I also re-did the chairs with white paint and new fabric. I took pictures of all the work that went into the chairs, but the death of my last phone was also the death of those pictures. I will admit I had the help of my very talented Gma who not only sewed the front portions of the seat covers together (thanks,Gma!), but gave me tips throughout the whole process.

I actually am thinking of revamping the collage idea into another corner of the room using this picture as inpiration...

I went ahead purchased a few unique frames from the thrift store and spray painted them white to start my collection...let the fun begin!

And the Armoir!

Yes, the almost final piece (we still have a $25 Craig's List desk to paint black) to my sister's room makeover is looking oh-so-pretty with a fresh coat of gray paint. See...

But that's not all this lovely armoir is adorned with. Looks what's hiding inside...

Gray, floral, wrapping-paper-covered back walls (yes, the patterns are turned opposite directions, but it was easier to do it that way!). Did you notice the new knobs that I first mentioned here?

But seriously, the most important question regarding this armior is, "How did the chalkboard doors turn out?" Well, I am pleased to anounce that with a little bit of this...

(a $2.50 bottle of unsanded grout- pretty exciting huh?)
You too can have custom color chalkboard surfaces that work wonderfully!!!

Just to prove it, I had my sister send me a picture text of what she has written on them now (sorry, camera phone's aren't the greatest quality). If you look really close though you can see a Thank You Debra written; what a sweet sis!

In case you are wanting to make your own personalized color chalkboard, here is exactly what to do.

1. Pick a fun paint color and buy semi-gloss paint (satin may work too, but I was going for wipeable)
2. Go to local hardware store and purchase white, non-sanded gout (I found mine at ACE Hardware)
3. Mix 1 cup paint and 2 Tbsp non-sanded grout in old bowl (like on old cottage cheese container) until grout is pretty much smooth (mine still had small lumps but this came out while I was brushing it on)
***I only used a little less than half of this amoutn to paint all 4 doors of this armior***
4. Paint the surface you want painted with a nice thick layer (I used a sponge brush)
5. Wait 3 days for paint to dry (this may be more than necessary, but I didn't want to sand too soon)
6. Lightly sand surface with 150 grit sand paper for nice smooth look
7. Condition chalkboard by rubbing side of chalk all across surface then wiping it clean
(Thank you Martha Stewart for the recipe)

All in all, this project was QUICK, CHEAP, and WORKED GREAT.
So great, that I already bought a new color of paint for my own chalkboard painting addition to my own house...let the fun begin again...ha!

Dresser + Details

Yes, this gorgeous gray dresser didn't remain undecorated for long!

Remember this lovely free mirror from Brandon's Gma...

Well a couple coats of primer and black spray paint later, it was looking polish and crisp hanging over my sister's lovely dresser.

I added two free black frames from Gma Allen to balance the mirror out and a few choice accesories to top off the dresser. This was just another part of her surprise she got to come home to.

Just wait till you see the armior!

Border Blues

Have you ever tried to remove a border by yourself? I would highly NOT recommend it!!! It only took a whole bottle of this...

And 4 hours of scraping with this...

(Yes, Lynn. It's a pampered chef pan scrapper!)
And all this so that her new bedspread that I blogged about here wouldn't clash with my sister's purplish pink walls when I made over her room. I got to thinking those purplish walls weren't so bad after scraping off all that border to paint though...ha! But seriusly, this process wouldn't have taken half as long had I had someone to help me do it. This is because the DIF spray only works when it is wet. It kept drying on me before I would get to everything I had sprayed, so I would have to rewet it and wait 5 more minutes before pealing. Not so much fun.

I also sanded, primed, and painted this...

and used this stuff...

to do this...

(see inspirationg for pillowcases here, and directions here)

And all this was to make this surprise possible...

This is what Kara came home to after her basketball tournament in St. Louis last weekend; and it's not even half the fun! Can't wait to post some more pics soon...just gotta find a little more time.

Paint Party

Remember this Craig's list find dresser...

Well we had a little paint party Saturday.
See my sister Kara...

See my sister's BFF Maddie (practically my other sister)...

And now see the dresser after all the sanding, taping, and painting (two coats primer, two coats gray)...

Doesn't it look FABULOUS! She has got 9 whole drawers to organize her clothes into : ) I can't wait to see my sister's room start coming together. Just incase your wondering, the paint is Dutch Boy- Satin. The gray color is called Fired Steel from Color Place.

I wish the painting was done, but we still got more to go! The headboard will likely be finished up tonight, and then the armoir will hopefully be finished up this weekend (due to the chalkboard doors, which I will be sure to post about to tell you how they come out).

Monday FunDay

Just trying to make sure that Mondays are still FUN days for me ; )

Remember the dresser that I purchased off Craig's list for my sister, here. Wouldn't it look great with this lovely mirror (likely spray painted another color, even though it is lovely gold too) above it?!

Sorry, I took the picture sideways...

I scored this beauty for Brandon's Gma over the weekend because she found something she liked better to put in its place; gotta love Gma!

I also purchased a few pull knobs to replace Kara's old ones on her armoir for when we paint it gray as well. We still have yet to move it over here and paint it. When we finally do though, I plan on using this recipe to paint the doors with gray chalkboard paint!

Now if only I could get her to get everything our of her armoir ASAP and get this painting party started ; )

If you have a BETTER recipe for chalkboard paint, let me know...
If not, I will let you know how this ones turns out!

Something Up My Sleeve

Don't you just love doing a little something special for someone else? I decided to take on the tasks of helping my little sister furnish her future college apartment. Although she will be living in the dorms the first year, it is never too early to start collecting some fun furnishing a little at a time, right?! So far I have scooped up this bedspread for $36 from Urban Outfitters here. Teal is one of her favorite colors. I also got 10% off for creating a UO sign in account which helped cover some of the shipping costs...wahoo!

My next project is painting this $40 Craig's list dresser gray (no, that is not my gold shad carpet...hehe). I picked up a small can of Dutch Boy paint named "fire steel" and some hand sanders tonight...let the fun begin! If she is lucky I may even offer to paint the headboard she already own the same color too : )

I also scored 3 white ceramic vases of mismatched patterns and height along with an empty rectangular frame which I plan on turning into a jewelry holder to hang above her dresser for a grand total of $2.24 from my local thrift store. Since I got such a killer deal at the thrift store I splurged at WalMart and spent $9 on a few small white bowls/trays for her to organize her rings and bracelets on top on the dresser in. Trust me, I can't wait to reveal her new furnishings to her for her birthday this summer!

Where Has The Time Gone?

I have been busy. A little too busy.
I have missed blogging.
Every time I get on here to blog, I spend so much time reading all the other funny/inspiring blogs, I run out of time to blog myself.

If I would have found more time I would have shared about:

My grandparent's 50th wedding celebration- it was fun and funny...
My grandparent's don't have the typical lovey dovey relationship you picture in a couple married 50 years. In fact, if they were not Catholic, I think they would be divorced. But they are Catholic, so they are not divorced. And they have 6 kids. And they are funny. We still celebrated their 50 years together, and I am so glad we did. We have an amazing family who still knows how to have a good time no matter how many crazy ups and downs everyone faces.

My friend Emily coming into town for the weekend...

I knew the weekend was going to be good times as soon I I figured out I was heading to the wrong train station to pick her up! But we a good time. I made her eat with my in-laws. I made her put up with our dog licking her feet obsessively, and I made her spend most of Saturday on the lake fishing, only to catch one fish! She is probably glad we don't live closer so she doesn't have to go through all that more often ; ) But seriously, I am so glad she came to visit and see our new place.

The end of an amazing rotation...

My first rotation was at St. Luke's East. It is an amazingly nice hospital. Their staff is top notch. I now dream about returning their to work. I am contemplating doing a year residency, starting next summer, just to make this dream come true. I couldn't have asked for a better first rotation, even though they made me work my butt off. Now if only they like me as much as I liked them!

My 4th of July weekend....

It started with my sister's 18th birthday. I can't believe she is getting so old! She is such a gorgeous person inside and out. I hope she has an amazing senior year. If you have been following my blog, you may remember she is a talented sewer. She also is a talented, up-and-coming photographer. I can't wait to see where she goes in life. But enough about her, it was also my dad's birthday that weekend (hers is the 3rd his is the 4th). I got spend an afternoon with him. I helped him pick out his gift for Kara (an amazing ring I hope she likes) and bought him lunch at Olive Garden. Then we celebrated with firework at lake Viking and then firework at my niece and nephew's house. We blew a lot of stuff up. We ate a lot of food. I can't wait to do it all again next year.

Our new found friends...

Don't you just love when you meet people that you instantly connect with? There really isn't much to this story. Brandon made friends with a guy named Jeremy who started working for Honeywell this year. I made friends with his wife while we were watching the hubs's play softball together at corporate challenge. They are another young, newlywed couple like us. They are fun, and full of life. I have enjoyed each time we have hung out this summer. They even make home-made ice cream... who wouldn't like hanging out with them!

Hope I didn't bore you with the recap.

Maybe I will write another blog and show you the cute shoes I found online...give you a little eye candy to hold you over until I write again in another month...

(I intend for this to be a joke, but please forgive me if it becomes reality)

Sewing Skills

Check out my sister's latest creation with the sewing machine...super cute if you ask me! And the white belt she has on she found at a resale shop here in St. Louis when she was visiting me : ) So here it is from the front:

And from the back:

I am guessing she sent me these pics from the school locker room at school after sewing class- silly girl. Just wait till you see her next creation; it is a dress she is going to wear to banquet. I went with her to pick out the fabric last weekend- vibrant pink and black knock-out pattern! The dress is going to be gorgeous, especially on her. I will be sure to post pics as soon as it is done...

Basketball Debut

My little sister is a junior in high school. She did some praying over the summer, and received a testimony that she was to switch from public to private school. The private school she goes to, CPRS, is extremly small. She went from a class of over 300 to a class of under 30! Because the school is small, they encourage everyone to play sports. My sis has always been an avid volleyball player, but somehow she got talked into trying out for the basketball team after volleyball season was over. She must be a natural athlete, cuz she turned out to be pretty good : )

Here she is shooting a basket in her last basketball game of the season today...she made this one too!
And here she is doing a little "boxing out"...go #25

I would never have had the courage to go out for a sport like this; she is so brave! Just because I like to brag on my little sis, I also would like to mention she got 200/200 on her first research paper...wahooo! I didn't write my first research paper till I was a senior; she is already passing me up.