Finger Knitted Succulents Wreath

I think of all the projects I undertake, making wreaths is among my most favorite.  With a little imagination, wreaths can be made with just about anything. 

For this wreath I tried something I hadn’t before, finger knitting.

Finger knitting can be learned in about 5 minutes and after about 20 minutes, you can finger knit watching TV without even looking.  I intend to do a couple more projects with finger knitting, one for Christmas, coming soon. 

Autumn Coffee Filter Wreath

My mother has been trying to score the Fall Coffee Filter Wreath I made a couple of years ago.  So this fall I decided to make one just for her.

I have to admit gluing the filters on is not my favorite job, but decorating it is!  I just love the way these coffee filter wreaths come together.

You can see my previous Fall Coffee Filter Wreath here and the Christmas version here.

I used a 12” foam wreath for this one… and a 14” wreath for the previous fall wreath.  I wouldn’t go any smaller than 12” or there won’t be much space in the center to work with.

Quick and Easy Sofa Shelf

Why is it, no matter where the builder puts floor vents they’re inevitably in the way?  This upstairs family room has two vents.  One is behind the loveseat in front of the large window, and one is right below the large sofa.   Our previous sofa had a little room underneath, enough to slip an extended vent deflector to direct the heat out the front.   This sofa is much lower to the ground and has to be moved away from the vent to allow for heat and a/c to get through.  A simple shelf was created to remedy this problem since it made no sense to spend money for a sofa table you wouldn’t see anyway.

This will be the quickest tutorial you’ll ever read.

Ugly Mantle Fix & Look, No Wires!

I know I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again.   I hate wires & cords.  What is a Cord Free Mantle? Just you wait and see…

In redoing the upstairs family room I knew when all was said and done, I didn’t want to see cable boxes, DVD players, Wii Consoles or cords. 

That being said, here is a look at what we started with.   Ever show a ‘before’ picture and be totally embarrassed about it?  Yup.

I present to you….. “Ugly Mantle”.

That missing piece of trim was ripped off about 4 months before we actually did this project.  I’m still not sure why.  The brass fireplace insert is still ugly I’m sorry to say…. but that will be a post for another day.

Do It Yourself – Rustic Coffee Table

Let me start by saying we’re not furniture makers by any means, but I must say that this coffee table turned out exactly as I had envisioned.

Once again Mr. Charming took an idea and brought it to life.

The bulk of this table was finished in a weekend.  I’d say you could whip up one of these in 3 – 4 days.

The Sad Family Room–Part 1–Cabinets

This house has been busy.  There’s always something going on, inside and out. 

Our house has a lovey second floor family room.  Well… it should be lovely, but it didn’t start out that way. What you see in the picture below is a step up from it’s original ugliness.  Not much better, I know.

The chair and tree aren’t usually in the middle of the room but these photos were taken (of course) just as I was moving things around to paint.  I didn’t mind the creamy yellow paint, but it needed a change for something a little warmer.

Refinish Your Stairs

When we moved to this house 6 years ago, the floors and stairs where the first things to get done.  The previous owners really USED the house…. lets say it was well worn.  Most of the finish on the hardwood floors and the stairs was worn right off.   This blog was created after most of that work was done, so I don’t have pictures of the major job that it was, but I did leave a little stairway at the side door unfinished until now.

This is what the main stairway looks like now.

Keep in mind, that the original staircase was all natural colour and the board and batten was not there.

What’s Old for Spring?

Well I guess it's finally here.  Sort of. 

Maybe.  

In my neck of the woods we still wake up to frost.. but it's getting better.

My yard is starting to turn green and I'm imagining it in full bloom.

At present, my tire planters are bare, but I can see them in pretty pinks or purples again this year.

You can see more of the hanging tire project below  HERE.

Tires have become a hot, artistic, recycled item lately.  Just recently I have seen interior furniture being constructed from left over tires.  Brilliant!

Here is a collection I put together over at Hometalk.   In case you haven’t been over there.. what are you waiting for ?   Hometalk is filled with home decorating tips and creations from some of the best bloggers and websites out there.

Take a look at this collection (and there are more)  at Hometalk.

Happy Recycling!   Oh and Happy Spring.

Valentine Pom Poms

All wreathed out lately?   Enthused about the recent pom pom craze ?  I love wreaths and I love making them.  But I didn’t want to make a Valentine Wreath this year. 

I admit, I don’t decorate for Valentine’s Day. But this project is just enough to bring a little welcoming love to the front door.

Welcome Home Ikea

A little while ago I was contacted by Ikea with a terrific opportunity to spend $100 on holiday decor.  As much as I am known for refurbishing older furniture I have to admit, Ikea is a weakness for me.  I can spend a day browsing down the arrowed aisles gathering ideas and new items for the house.

So let’s be honest shall we?  Did I stick to my $100 budget?… nahhhh.  Too many little seasonal items struck my fancy.

Start with this gorgeous lit red star STRÅLA.  This beautiful paper star lights up a dark corner of my room perfectly.  And at the end of the season, I can just fold it up and store it flat.

  

Sock Snowman & Santa

With so much to do in so little time I was looking for a simple craft to whip up this holiday season.

This craft is incredibly easy and really fun to do.  And with a very short list of supplies, you can round up what you need in a jiff.

I guess I should say, Sock Snowpeople. Cause our little Snowman has found himself a girl.

Coffee Table Challenge

If you’ve never visited Wayfair.com do it now! Well…read on and THEN RUSH OVER.  When they say, ‘ a zillion things home’  they aren’t kidding.

I was thrilled to be contacted by Wayfair to participate in the DIY Blogger Challenge.  The challenge had us take one of their products and transform it any way we wanted. We also received a gift card from Giftcards.com to cover the cost of supplies.

This is the coffee table we chose out of 3 different items.

Refined and Elegant Vintage

As Seen in the National Post

This beautiful dresser came to me through my cousin, who had it for years and now no longer had room for it.  Unlike so many discarded items I work with, this one was clean as a whistle inside.  The outside wasn’t actually in terrible shape, but it was in need of a little refreshing.

The dresser is solid wood and weighs just under a metric ton (ok, not that much, but it’s pretty darn heavy).

As with all pieces of this era, that shiny laminate type finish had to be sanded down to allow for new paint. 

I must admit that the top wasn’t in this kind of condition when I got it, but it’s been kicking around in the garage so long that well…. it acquired some battle scars.  Not to worry, I knew what I was going to do with it.

Fall Coffee Filter Wreath

Ever since I made the Christmas coffee filter wreath last year, I’ve been wanting to do one up for fall.  For this wreath I used the natural, unbleached filters. These filters can be found most anywhere.  I found them at Walmart, but most grocery stores carry them.

Not only is it pretty to look at, it smells wonderful !  The pine cones are cinnamon scented.

The full and complete instructions can be found here, but here are a few anyway.

Start off with foam wreath and about 200 coffee filters....

Autumn Kitchen Wreath

I wanted to make a rustic wreath for my kitchen this year and being a huge fan of Autumn and apple pie,  I combined the two.

I started with a few items from Michaels and one from Walmart.  A wire wreath, the wooden flat-sided rolling pin, a roll of loose woven burlap, a few fall sprigs and some apples came from Michaels.  The fabric I found at Walmart; inexpensive and perfect for this project.