Button-Up Style

On today's "Craft of the Day" email I received, Martha showed a Window Shade with Button Up Style. I secretly have so much fabric tucked away and want to use it. I have wanted to make Roman Shades for so long but the whole shade mechanismn & the loops are quite scary to me. What a great way to update my windows! Materials: French ticking, Raw linen, Twill tape, & Buttons Click on the link below to be directed to the instructions.

http://www.marthastewart.com/good-things/button-up-window-shade?xsc=eml_crd_2009_03_05#conversation-container

Trunks, Trunks Everywhere!

A girlfriend and I did a little bit of browsing at a few antique shops around town last week and had a blast. One hot decor item right now is the "Trunk". I love this look and happened to pick one up a few years ago at a yard sale for drum roll please...........$10. Below is photo of the beauty in my living room.

I see these in Pottery Barn for quite a bit more that ten dollars. However, if you find one of these antiques for a great price buy it and run! These are hot!

Refinishing your old trunk

1. You can use a slightly damp cloth but let it dry for 24 hrs before moving to step 2.
2. Repaint any sections that you want to touch up with Acrylic paint. Black is a great accent on these old beauties. Let dry another 24 hrs.
3. Spray entire trunk with an acrylic varnish. I like a Satin finish. Let dry 24 hours and your trunk restoration is complete.

Trendy Cowhide!

I have always loved cowhide and it's hot right now! So I've been doing some research and this is what I found out.

Pottery Barn's new magazine has a cowhide pillow on the cover but it is $99. I knew if I looked hard enough I could find exactly what I wanted at probably half the price. Here is what I found.........................

http://www.thecowhidestore.com/ (Don't forget to check out the clearance section) Cowhide comes in a so many varieties that it is hard to choose which one to go with. They range from exotics to value pieces. The average Rugs are 6 ft X 5ft and the extra large ones are 7.5ft X 7ft. That's a lot of floor space.

I have categorized them based on your decor style and this is what I came up with.

Shabby Chic.....which are Salt & Peppered or Longhorn

Modern & Bold.......created pattern & dyed

Romantic & Warm.......Holstein, Exotic and Tri-Colored.

This is what I have decided on for my family room. It is going to look so beautiful and at $179, who can beat that? It will be here in 2-3 weeks. (CAN'T WAIT) I will post new photos when it gets in.

Etched Glass Look

Let's face it the facts; etching glass can be expensive and very time consuming. I have found an alternative with Uppercase Living?

They recently introduced a new "Etched Glass" vinyl. It is stunning and under $20 or less.

Here is a photo of a Monogrammed piece. To check out their website, click on the link to the right.

Melt My Heart

I found this fun craft article in the Wondertime Magazine last week and wanted to share it with you. I have two older daughters, 12 & 8 who love to do anything crafty with me. So I thought we could make these Wax Heart pendants up this weekend, just in time for Valentine's Day. If we have extras left over they will be gifts for Grandma & Friends.

All you need are crayon scraps (like who doesn't have those?), foil muffin cups, muffin pans, scewers, heart shaped cookie cutters & satin ribbon. Below you will find the link to the article from Wondertime.

http://wondertime.go.com/create-and-play/crafts/valentines-crayon-necklace.html

Below are the valentines pendants we made on Saturday! This kids really had fun coming up with new color combinations! Most of all we had a good time together!

When I grow up...

Have you heard of Annie Brahler? Well, let me say...."She is fabulous!" I only wish that someday when I'm all grown up.....My house will look like hers. For starters she lives in a 6 bedroom Beaux Arts Home. Secondly, she travels all over Europe looking for vintage treasures and Dutch Decor. Thirdly, she is making a living doing what she loves. Euro Trash is the name of her European Import Business. Here is some of her work and photos of her home.

And Another One's Gone.......

"What is the deal with all of the great

Magazines closing up shop?"

The first heart crusher was Cottage Living. What are we all to do without new inspiration from Heather Chadduck? Second, Country Home stops publication. I went to click on Mary Englebright's Home Companion and the website is gone......"We're sorry to inform you that we are no longer publishing this magazine." Guess who else...Domino. I really thought that one whould stay. Who's next? I can't begin to tell you how much inspiration I gained from thumbing through those magazines. I could waste countless hours flipping from page to page and dreaming about my next project or ten. To me this is heart wrenching. I'd like to find something equivalent but who knows what is left. I'd love to hear what you think.

Craigslist Treasure

I recently started looking for unique pieces of furniture on Craiglist. Wow, it feels like the theme park of tattered treasures. On my first day, I found this vintage two piece Hutch that had been collecting dust in a garage for four years. Yes I said 4 years! I was able to pick up this beauty for $100 bucks. I can't wait to pick it up on Monday! Of course I will have to put a cottage twist on it, little bit o'paint, some sanding, some stain & yep...it will be my new tattered treasure. Keep checking back to see the different phases of my Hutch's transformation into a cottage beauty.

Why Cottage?

I never really quite knew how to sum up my style. I'm not totally Shabby Chic, Country, Simple, Romantic, Bold, Modern, Antique or Classical. I like a variety of things from all types of Home Decor. Being that I am self taught on what I like, I guess my realization of the whole thing started with a Cottage Living Magazine. I opened the pages to discover that I had found what I had been looking for. I was so inspired by Heather Chadduck's cottage and loved that she combined the unexpected. My style has morphed into the "Urban Cottage" look that is 100% family friendly & sytlish. I hope you enjoy this bloggin' journey as it is all new to me!