Flower Lampshade Project

It all started when Lauren and I saw this lampshade covered with flowers at Pottery Barn Kids.  We both loved it and knew it would be perfect in her room.  She already had this sweet, simple white lamp base.  (I bent over to tuck her in one night with a paintbrush in my teeth and got paint on the old lampshade.  I owed her one!)  Then I saw the price tag - $65.00 - and gently put it back.  Are you kidding me?!  

We then went and bought the supplies to make our own.  This plain barrel lampshade came from Lowe's for about $10.00.  The craft glue came fro Michael's for about $4.00.  I did not use a hot glue gun because the glue would heat up from the bulb and the flowers fall off.

We bought pale aqua and white gerber daisies for about $20.00 at Michael's, too.  They were on sale and would probably had been more like $30-$35 if not.  However, Michaels's always has great coupons.  The gerber daisies work well for this project because they are flat and cover a lot of space.  Take them off of their stems and trim and extra plastic off of the back of the flower.  The flatter the better!

The rest is pretty simple.  You just have to be patient and let each section dry.  This is not a quick project, but it is easy!  Put a good glob of glue under each flower in a section of the lampshade and clip it with clothespins.  It needs to completely dry before you turn it and do another section.  The waiting is the only hard part!  Do a complete row all the way around the top and bottom first and then fill in the middle row.

Here's what it looks like all finished and lit up.  So pretty and costs a lot less than the Pottery Barn version!  

Show Us Your Life Series - Kitchens

Today I am participating in Kelly's Korner's Show Us you Life Series and she is featuring kitchens.  I love that my kitchen is totally open to the rest of the house.  Lots of times it is more of a walk way than a room!  We have been here about three months and I'm still getting used to it.  I've never had recessed lighting before.  It is now my favorite thing and I am infatuated with the dimmer!

Here's where eat all of that good food!  The small hallway to the laundry room, our bedroom, and the stairs to the bonus room is between this area and the kitchen.

Here's my view most of the time!  I like that I can stand here and watch the living room TV and keep an eye on the kids, too.  We did not build this house.  The cream sink looks good, but is a pain to keep clean!

This is the far wall of the kitchen and it houses this little cabinet and the doorway to what is designed to be a dining room.  I use that room as my studio/office.  I love soft lamplight...maybe that's why I'm obsessed with my dimmers!

Here's where the cooking takes place.  I am still mastering the gas stove!

I didn't want the top of the cabinets completely full.  As you can see, I like to keep things pretty simple.  However, it needed a little something.  I found this pretty berry garland, added an old clock, and a touch of blue with the mosaic finial and bowl.

Thanks for visiting my kitchen!  I can't wait to go and tour all of yours!

Appreciation Photos

Etsy has this cool feature that allows your customers to leave an appreciation photo.  This gives the artist an opportunity to see their work in action!  I love it!  Anytime I am really impressed with something I've purchased on etsy, I try to leave a photo or at least blog about that shop.  

 I've recently had two appreciation photos left for my etsy shop.  The first one was this quote ordered by Lyndsey for her maternity photo shoot.  I knew she needed by a certain date for this purpose and was so excited that she found the time to share the finished product.  This is a great idea and so cute!

I do have her permission to blog about it and share the photos with you all, too!  You can see the canvas when I first blogged about it here.

The second photo came from Heather who ordered this taupe and blue zebra print birth announcement canvas for her new son, Gavin.  I am always saying how great these canvases look in a wreath and here's proof!  I don't know where she got this wreath, but they go together perfectly!  Here's this canvas when I blogged about it earlier.

Whether you ordered from etsy, facebook, email, or Et Cetera, I would love to see your appreciation photos.  Your artwork in action helps others with their ideas and inspiration.  Plus, it just makes me happy!  Send them on in!

Favorite Verses

Do you have a favorite Bible verse?  I certainly do.  I think we all have those special verses that we can quote, that we've read many times, that we turn to on good days and bad.

 

Camille Brown chose these two verses to give as gifts to a couple of special women in her life.  Not only do I love the colors combinations she chose, I love the verses, too.  It's wonderful to have a little reminder or inspiration when you need it most.

Thank you, Camille.  I hope they loved their gifts!

Play It Where It Lies

I'd always heard that little saying, but never really knew where it came from.  Allison Eubanks wanted this Bobby Jones quote to hang in her son's room.  She requested blue and yellow and wanted to keep it simple and classic.

I did the lettering in a nice chocolate brown and added a bit of detailing along the border to tie it all together.  I love how this one turned out.  I think it is simple and neat and will never go out of style...just like the quote.

Show Us Your Life - Living Rooms

What does a teacher on summer break do with her Friday morning?  Well, today I cleaned my living room and took pictures (as proof!  haha!) for Kelly's Korner's Show Us Your Life Home Series.  As many of you know, we just moved into our new house about two months ago.  This living room is not complete yet!  What to do with that mantle?

The two shell wall valances are new and so pretty!  They give the room a little beach feel.  They came from this etsy shop.  They were so nice, easy to work with, and made sure that I got just what I wanted!

This is my little corner of the room.  This is the softest, most comfortable chair ever.  I love that it is completely slip covered and can be easily washed.  I picked it out when Lauren was a newborn and Carter was a toddler.  

Okay, so this is the incomplete part that I mentioned.  All of these cords are driving me crazy!  We were so excited to get a new TV and get it mounted that we just slapped the cords everywhere.  Now it is my husband's project to hide the cords.  I've bought a couple of those covers that you paint your wall color and am anxious to see how they work.  If you've got any other suggestions, I'd love to hear them!

Probably my favorite part of the living room is this set of windows and french doors that go out to the deck.  We have plantation shutters and they are just so nice.  The wide trim is painted in a cream enamel that I love, too.  It just frames the room!  

Since it is a lazy Friday morning here at the Mansfield house, we are still in our jammies and taking it easy.  This little sweetheart was on the couch the whole time I was taking pictures.  Yes, that is "Shake It Up" on the TV!

Hope you enjoyed the visit!  Thank you, Kelly, for the motivation to get this room cleaned.  Now I'm off to look for some cord and mantle inspiration!

Only An Aunt...

...can give hugs like a mother, keep secrets like a sister, and share love like a friend.  I know I've done this one before and I did about three around Mother's Day.  This is also one of the most popular/most viewed canvases on etsy.  There are a lot of special aunts out there!

Both of these shipped directly to the aunts.  I was happy to include a small card.  Keep this service in mind when ordering gifts for those who live far away.