Post Mothers Day Sale!

I love being a mom, and I love when stuff is on sale!
 

Head over to my shop and buy yourself something on your wishlist.

 

Enter the coupon code "MOTHERSDAY13" during checkout

for $25 off any purchase over $75!

(this offer expires June 1, 2013)

 

Winner!

The winner of the Blue Eyed Beads giveaway is...

 

JBraswell10

 

Congrats! Thanks for entering. And seriously, if you didn't win- go buy a necklace from her shop. Then do a photo shoot. You wont reget it!

 

xoxo,

katie

Don't Forget!

Don't forget to comment on the original giveaway post to officially enter the giveaway!

Recap: Like Blue Eyed Beads on facebook, then comment HERE to be entered. Hope that's clear as mud. :)

Gracias, friends!
Katie

Blue Eyed Beads Giveaway!

My sister Nan's best friend Cassidi, of Blue Eyed Beads, sent me a couple necklaces from her shop for little Miss to wear. We took the opportunity to wear our fanciest dress, curl our hair, wear a little make-up like mommy and do a photo shoot!

We had a great time posing like a princess for the camera. And best of all, Cassidi is offering to give one of these adorable chunky beaded necklaces away to one of YOU! If you don't have a lucky bone in your body, just go purchase one! You won't regret it.

To enter the giveaway, just "like" her on facebook and tell her I sent ya. Then leave a comment on this post telling me you did! On April 12th, I'll choose a winner and contact you via email. Don't forget to leave your contact info in the comments!

Good Luck!

xoxo,

katie

Simple tips for easy, fuss-free decorating for the normal folk.

Sen pinterest lately? There's billions of gorgeous party photos! They're flawless, perfectly staged, and professionally photographed too.  But for those of us who don't have the innate talent or want to spend an outrageous amount of money, decorating isn't a lost cause! 

While my party decor doesn't have a professional photographer, or custom made cupcakes- in person, it comes across well put together, and most of all, looks like "me". And those glamorous pinterest photos? Use them for inspiration!

I put together a few simple tips for decorating for a party- without looking like you tried to hard, or broke the bank doing it.

 

1. Make a simple bunting/banner/pennant (whatever you want to call it). It can turn a pretty table setting into a reason for celebrating. I made this using twine, paper, and vinyl letters. But since most won't have vinyl letters on hand, just use a permanent marker and write your own. Use an informal, handwritten font, so an crooked or imperfect letters appear like you did it on purpose.

2. Use what you have, and work with YOUR look. My house is mostly decorated with neutrals, metallics, and wood tones. So, when I decorate for a party, I stick with colors that coordinate with my home. It looks more natural that way.

3. Fresh flowers go a long way. Those tulips for Easter were only $5.88 each when I bought them from Wal-Mart and transplanted them into some silver bowls. So for around twelve dollars, I got a pretty centerpiece that adds lots of life to the table. These pretty roses were $10 in the fall. They brought the perfect pop of color to my Thanksgiving table.

4. Condense your decor to one place. Usually, people aren't confined to one room at a party- it spreads all throughout the house. But when I decorate for a party, I don't decorate the whole house. When you do that, the decor tends to get "lost" in the rest of the space. Try decorating just one table, or just one room for maximum impact. my indoor room of choice happens to always be my dining room, because I use the food as part of the decor as well. Don't worry about the rest of the house. Put everything you've got into one space and you'll be far more pleased with the turn out.

5. Start collecting some things you'll use over and over again. In my case, this happens to be white dishes. When I serve everything on pretty dishes that have a common look, anything looks fancier. Its not. Its store bought food. Whatever. Try it! But in your own way. See #2.

These are just a couple tips I use when I want to decorate for a holiday, party, or event without breaking the bank or spending months of preparation time in advance. 

They work, try it! 

xoxo,

katie

The many faces of my kitchen.

Sometimes, when I look at pretty pictures, I find myself wishing, coveting, wanting, envying that space... forgetting all the hard work, behind the scenes errors, and the pretty staging it might have been through.

 

A perfect example is of our kitchen in Phoenix, and had to smile when I thought about all it has been through. Yes, it suited me then, but you should see what I put it through!

 

Here's a flashback of the many faces of our kitchen, newest to oldest. Laugh away!

 

Going through my minimalist and colorless phase here. I probably regressed a little from the photo below.

 

What the..?

(shudder)

My point is, sometimes it takes a while to carve out what you envision is your own masterpiece in a space. No matter how many times I've satisfied myself in the past with my design, I still doubt myself when I decorate a new space. We all do. Give yourself and break and let it come. Even if it takes time.

 

But one thing you can be sure of- stay away from Vinyl lettering above your kitchen cabinets.

and in German, no less! :)

 

xoxo,

katie

How to Glaze/Antique Furniture.

I realize there's lots of posts out there addressing this topic, but I don't think I've ever shown you my way of glazing or antiquing furniture.

 

I use Minwax's stain in Dark Walnut and a cheap brush. I think the pictures are self explanatory, but if you have any questions, let me know.

I'm losing it!

I miss my old house.

 

It had the most perfect natural lighting for me to photograph my latest projects.

 

Which reminds me, I haven't done a project like this chalkboard in a long time.

 

In fact, I feel like I've changed in that way. I used to be all creative, and thrifty. There wasn't much I liked more than yard sales and Goodwill. I didn't mind whipping out a paintbrush and using whatever color I had on hand to paint my latest masterpiece.

 

But the older I get, fact that we've moved, more OCD I become, the less interested I am in doing any of the projects I used to. I'm not referring to the big pieces of furniture (which all need a new coat, by the way) that will move with us wherever we go.

But the pieces that annoy me the most, are the little DIY accessories with tacky spray paint that never fully dried. I'm tired of chipped paint on old picture frames with no glass. It bugs me that I attempt to grow a plant in a vase with no drain holes just to have it die two weeks later. Ugh!

 

 I'm sealing my fate. I'm coming clean. I'm OCD and I'm this close to crazy, aren't I?

 

Is it just me, or is anyone else over the whole "DIY everything phase? Some things I'd rather just buy.

Know what I mean, Vern?

 

xoxo,

katie

How to paint bunk beds.

A friend emailed me recently asking if I'd explain how to go about painting bunk beds.

I didn't paint these bunks, I bought them. I didn't have any photos of bunks that I've painted. I do have photos of my punks picking their noses though. :)

 

If it were me, I would sand them, and then buy "liquid sandpaper". Pour some on an old rag and wipe it all over the wood.

Then spray them casually with some spray primer. (You don't have to be precise).

If you're going to paint them white, choose a white you like that's already available in spray paint. Spray some of it on a swatch at the hardware store. Then have them color match it. By doing so, you can apply a coat of spray paint before the latex paint to apply into the corners and hard to reach areas. I've also found that it sticks really well to the original finish. (If you're going to choose a custom color- disregard this step.)

Finally, I'd use Behr's Paint and Primer in One in a satin finish, applied with a good quality purdy brush (around $12-14). I used to roll everything, but now I use a brush as often as possible. If you are lucky enough (I'm not) to have a paint sprayer, use that!

Probably the most important part is letting the paint dry completely in between coats. Once you're done with all the coats, then let the paint cure (dry) for as long as you can before disturbing the beds. The longer they dry, the happier you'll be.

If you're going to apply a top coat, don't use a spray to do it.

Bunk beds aren't something you're going to want to paint often. That being said, I'd choose a color you'd be happy with for a long time and opt for being bolder with the bedding. For girls, white wood is always a good choice, but I'm loving grays, blues, and golds lately too. For boys, black, grays, red, navy, and even white can look good.

 

Hope that helps! Or at least gives you a starting point.

xoxo,

katie

Another set of favorite photos

Some of these photos are unsourced. Let me know if you know the sources to any of these photos. I'd love to credit them!

I love gold and white...and that chandelier is super glam. via

Good party set up inspiration.

I wish I would have thought of this arrangement back in the Clarendon House. Its a tight fit, but it works.

Love the muted colors here.

Love a gray kitchen with wood tones.

I could make this...

I'm in love with the color of the cabinets, the wall paper, and the burlap shade.

I need two leather chairs like this.

Cute corbels and barstools. Via

I'm not sure what intrigues me about this photo, but I could spend all day looking at it.

A gorgeous kitchen with white cabinets.

This vintagy, warm, lived in photo is good inspiration. I like the leather chairs and the curtains.

I like this idea- to paint a "rug" on your deck. Totally do-able.

Holly Mathis' home at Christmas. Love everything. via