Painting 101 / Over 40 Tips & Tricks for a Beautiful Paint Job

   Painting is fun for some and not a favorite chore for others, but either way if you are about to take on a painting project no matter if big or small you will need these pointers!!! Over 40 tips for a smooth paint application, how to never ever have to wash another paint pan again, inexpensive up cycled alternatives to the more expensive paint accessories sold at your hardware stores, and more!

   I found this list on a site and I had to share it!!! Just great idea after great idea all in one list!! Hope it's a useful to others as it is for me!! 

http://www.buzzfeed.com/peggy/paint-hacks?s=mobile

DIY King Headboard / Total King Size Bed Makeover For $82

I am so excited about this project! It is a total redo of our king size bed. A DIY headboard, platform bed concept from up cycled pallets, and a bed skirt! Really a total overhaul of our master bed! 

As you will see below, in the end, I went on and wrapped up the project and pitures without the bedskirt, but  I plan to add a bedskirt that starts at the top of the box spring and drops to the floor. So in the end The actual pallet platform will be pretty much covered by a straight pleated tan colored bedskirt to tie it all together. This is a project I will go to Hobby Lobby for and then sew to my needed dimensions. :)

 

As you will see I am starting from the floor up with a new base for the bed (bye bye old frame) and I will be using up cycled pallets. You need four pallets to make the king size base for your bed or eight if you want more height. If you add four more to make a stack of eight they just stack on the other four. It probably would be a good idea to secure the stacks of four on top of the base four to each other somehow so that they are sturdy and in no way wobbly or dangerous. Just ensure your dimensions are the same or super close on all four pallets especially height! Regarding the color of the pallets we debated between staining the pallets and painting them white. White paint won because I really liked the brightness of it on the pallets and we had that already lying around the house :) We just put the pallets outside and used a super fabulous electric spray painter and before you knew two beautiful layers of white paint were on all four pallets. As soon as they were dry they were in the bedroom and laid out to the dimensions of the box spring.... Rewind..... So the pallets went into the bedroom and I found out that some of my measurements were off! It happens sometimes... :) oh well so out the pallets went. A few cuts to slightly reduce width and length and then I pulled the nails out of the side support boards where we cut off some length and moved those in attaching again this time with screws instead of the nails that were originally in the pallets. This was just for ease and took only a couple of hours to correct. Measurements fixed! We secured the pallets together and the base of bed is done! Cost...... FREE. (Often your local hardware stores or anywhere that receives large amounts of palletized shipments will just give these away if asked. That was what I was able to do! Yay!)

Box springs and mattresses were put in place and now we move on to the upholstered headboard! I decided I wanted an odd number of square upholstered boards set side by side as a floating headboard. I had seen various ideas and decided I loved the odd number of three large squares mounted behind bed as the headboard. The size of each square needed to be between 24-26" to extend the full width of the king size mattress when side by side. When I went shopping for my boards I figured I would have to buy a large single sheet of plywood, but was so excited to find pre-cut boards already measuring 24x24 at $6.00 each.

This just made it easier for me because I could just start upholstering and did not need to worry about cutting boards etc. I purchased foam sheet (pictures below with dimensions) from Hobby Lobby along with my fabric. Used 40% off coupon and fabric was $47.00

Foam was $11 total for all boards.

Love Hobby Lobby!!!!! I didn't get batting after a long conversation debating it with my very sweet and patient mom and with the Hobby Lobby lady who also went over the whole project concept with us. My fabric is nice and thick and I cut foam to slightly overlap the boards for a more fluffy / less straight lined look. I wanted it to look comfy and inviting! So my roll of foam was 2 x 27 x 76 and I cut three pieces if foam to the measurement of 25x25 to overlap the 24x24 boards.

When cutting my fabric I allowed 6" of length beyond the 25x25 measurement so that I had no issues getting a sufficient amount of fabric to staple to my board. I was scared of that and I definitely didn't want to shred my fabric on the back of the board for it to just loosen and come off after all of this work.

I folded my ends under and stapled into that to give more support for the fabric under the staples.

Took me a few hours to upholster all three boards and then it was done!!!

Made a couple of pillows with left over fabric from the headboard as you can see in pictures below. Also, I will probably pick a couple of brighter colored throw pillows to put on the bed also for additional spice :) 

I purchased hardware to attach my upholstered boards to my wall and screws with anchors in case I had to mount them to the wall in between studs in some places. I really wanted these sturdy and not a risk of falling or slipping. I wanted them mounted securely. The hardware total was about $6.00. Total cost of new headboard $82.00!!!! I'm very happy with this project. Super thrilled to have the bedroom redone and at such a great price! Also, this was my first upholstery project so it's not a gorgeous picture of the back of the upholstered headboard pieces, but it's not that bad for a first time either! I'm so excited and now I am trying to figure out more projects with upholstery to do around the house!!! Hope this is helpful and inspires you to remake a space in your home as well. :D 

New Daisy Coaster Crochet Project! ( Free Pattern Included )

   I am so excited about this new pattern I learned. My mom found, shared with me, and since we've made dozens. They are fast and not difficult once you get through one or two of them. 

   We added cork to the bottoms of ours to make a more efficient coaster and we really love them! 

Link for free pattern shown below :) 

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/daisy-coasters

    

Mommy Moment / For the Parents

   There is nothing more special than a sweet little one in your life. No blessing quite like them and no love so honest and deep as the one they give! I'm such a blessed and thankful mommy. I just pray I can do the best I possibly am able for him every moment of every day. It is an honor to be his mommy and I always want him to know I am here for him with all of my heart. 

   There is a wonderful site I follow and have mentioned on here before (ChristianPF.com) that offers advice and information on a wide range of topics, but I specifically really enjoyed this post that I will give a link for below. Moms and dads offering their advice and knowledge for a new parent as per requested by a new dad. There were so many strong and smart things people listed for the new daddy who posted for helpful advice and tips from his audience. I really found it a great thing to read and a wonderful reminder as a parent and wife. 

http://christianpf.com/advice-for-new-parents/

   My little one is just now one and a half years old. He is our first and currently only little one. So I feel I am so new at so much! I feel badly he has to experience me learning as I go, but I know we all do it. My time to pray and my mom and dad's advice is our rock as we experience all of these new things. As long as we learn as we go with every bit of love in our hearts for them we are doing the best thing we possibly can for them and they will know that (Now as parents we need to remember that as well for the moments we feel we fall short. As long as we are offering them all we can we are doing our very best and need to remember that is the most we can do and it's definitely a great start :D) Cherish every moment with your children as I cannot even figure out where time went in just this past year and a half. He's so grown up and big now! So expressive and such a big little adult is the best way I can explain it. He's the most loving little guy and an absolute blessing every second. My husband and I just want to teach him and guide him to follow the Lord and be the person through out his whole life that we already see so impressively in him now. 

   Hold your little ones every moment you are with them. Love them as if they are a gift of the most priceless value because they are absolutely just that. Learn who they are and listen to what they want to share with you. Don't miss time and moments because of things that can wait. They are the most important thing. Involve them in the activities you know you need to do and they will learn to be responsible and helpful. Always be kind and patient. Step back and rethink before you ever respond with anger as that only teaches them how to respond as well. No one is perfect, but if we try with every bit of us they will know that and all will be okay! Just remember they are such perfectly precious gifts from God! Children are the bright sunshine in our every moment offering true love, honesty, faith, innocence, entertainment, and joy like nothing else. If only we could harness and keep hold of every one of their characteristics as adults. This world would be a totally different place. Cherish their presence in your life. :D 

   I also wish the best to the gentleman and his family who posted the blog link listed above that really enriched my evening and made me write this "Mommy Moment post". 

Learning Something New / Crocheting!

   Something new on my plate is crocheting! I'm enjoying it very much and trying to really get the hang of reading patterns and learning terms.

   My mom is really my rock during this process because she learned some basic stitches (maybe that's not what they are referred to in crochet but it conveys my point) from my Nana and then ran with it and googled herself to a professional! She's very impressive and the only reason I didn't stop on my first project I'm sure is because she talked me through the confusion haha! 

   My first project was a blanket for my first little one and then from there I didn't really do anything but work to complete my sweet little boys blanket for memories. We wrapped him in it the day he left the hospital. Funny thing is that blanket it cockeyed and made from a stitch that apparently doesn't exist. Haha I was learning. Oh well, but it's special because it was for my little guy and it snuggled him when he came home from the hospital so I will always love that blanket. 

   Since then (just over the last month or two) I've learned a few new stitches, but with no projects to show for it. Just trying to learn some basics. Lately I have tried to pick projects and learn how to really do this!

   My current project is making cotton dish clothes and the link is shared below for a beautiful free pattern courtesy of tangledyarns.ca. I finished my first one just today and I'm very excited. It's actually shaped as it should be and the stitches count out correctly from beginning to end so YAY for not messing it up! It's very absorbent and pretty as well. I'll be making more in this stitch and hopefully other stitches as I go along. It's pretty easy so it was great for a beginner project. 

   I plan to post as I find links and useful sites for crochet hints, tips, tutorials, and free stuff. 

Note I chained 32 instead of 26 to make a slightly larger dishcloth, but both are very nice sizes. I just wanted something larger than 26 once I saw the size it would be.

http://www.tangledyarns.ca/crochet/2009/6/11/free-crochet-pattern-nubby-dishcloth.html

Also AllFreeCrochet.com is a great site for free patterns and more as the name says! This was my moms find and it's awesome! 

Mommy Moment #1

   I plan to just start sharing special moments or happenings with my little one. Experiences, sentimental moments, funny events, and things I learn along the way. I hope they reach others as well to really show how blessed we are to be parents and how we never stop learning along the way which I'm sure our little ones appreciate. :) 

   All that was said to me before becoming a mommy was true. Having a sweet blessing of a child or children is life altering in th best of ways! My little one lights up my days and the snuggle time we share means so much to me. Each hug, kiss, and nap together is precious and even more so when totally initiated by their sweetness. I'm snuggling my little one right now and I would not trade these moments for the world. He will grow up all too fast and the time spent just totally snuggled in with him as my sole focus is just priceless. I love my sweet angel. 

Wedding DIY Details Continued: Ceremony Décor

~~~Our Vows~~~ 

   The plan was for us to write our vows to each other, but we found vows that we felt were perfect for us and used those instead. In regards to reciting our vows to each other, we were both so nervous we held little booklets with our vows typed and posted inside though the original plan was to have them memorized. We  knew we would stand up there and our minds would go blank. The little booklets are a wonderful little keepsake as well. Worked perfectly for us. 

~~~The Glow~~~

   Not as much of a DIY project on my part, but still completely handmade pieces, were our unity candle and candles for decor around the entire wedding site. These came from a special candle store that has the most gorgeous hand carved candles! They handmade and personalized every single piece to display our invitation, match our wedding colors, and compliment our theme. They were just stunning additions to our special day! The store is called The Candle Carvers and they are a family ran business in Tennessee. They make the most gorgeous pieces and are very worth visiting!! Pictures to follow. 

www.TheCandleCarvers.com

~~~The Flower Bouquets~~~

   A close friend of our family, my mom, my sisters, and a few close girlfriends of mine all handmade every single one of our bouquets and floral arrangements for the wedding decor, bridesmaids bouquets, and my bouquet. This was definitely budget friendly, but more importantly it was so special because we created a lot of memories making those pieces together and we all were able to keep those memories forever as well! 

Below is a close up of one of the center pieces. Displayed in my house today :) 

Below is a black and white of my bouquet. I will get a closer, clearer photo and upload later. 

We dropped ribbons and detailing from the bouquet and tied little knots for love knots in the thinner ribbons. The stems were wrapped in a braided design with ribbon. More detailed notes below... 

Below are a few pictures of the maid of honor and bridesmaid arrangements :)

The girls all had matching navy chiffon dresses! We sale shopped though these were more expensive, but we fell in love. There are a lot of options though including just visiting your local department store and finding matching sun dresses or more formal designed dresses right there in store. Just make a special evening of it and gather all of the girls together and go shopping! ;D 

In the pictures below our sweet and wonderful photographer (family friend) had the groomsmen put their coats on the bridesmaids for some really great photos. Loved our wedding photos and it was so amazing that he came and did them all for us! 

Below was my little, sweet sisters flower girl basket. We found an all white pretty yet basic basket and finished it off with little buds of the flowers we used in the larger bouquets. Also for rose petals to throw while going down the isle we just went to Kroger and asked for their extra petals. If you choose a specific color it's more, but if you take all colors (That it what we chose and I preferred it. Beautiful!) then it's much cheaper. Was less than $7 for a bucket full of petals to cover all tables, flower girl to use, and add pretty flower petal touches around where ever needed. We had plenty. 

   Where to go for the flowers? Hobby Lobby definitely! We went to a combination of retail stores and suppliers to look and grab little things, but the place we found the bulk of our floral supplies was Hobby Lobby. The floral options are awesome, the flowers look real, and their prices were wonderful! You couldn't tell for a second at any distance these pieces were not real. The colors in our wedding were soft yellow and blue primarily. Our flowers were focused on roses and hydrangea with other small detail flowers and greenery that we thought mingled well with each piece. It all comes down to personal preference when picking these types of things and the tiny filler details become a thing we really chose as we shopped. We used some ivy and small detail pearls as well. All of the bouquet stems were wrapped in a braided detail with ribbon allowing the bottom of the green stems to still show through. All of my flower girls had a ribbon style, my MOH (Maid of Honor :D) another style,  and then mine was different ribbon in addition to more little ribbons with knots made in them to symbolize love knots. They were perfect! 

http://shop.hobbylobby.com/wedding-and-floral/

 (Tip: Make a plan to purchase your DIY supplies at times when those sections are on sale at Hobby Lobby. Their floral department was having their standard 50% off sale when we planned our trip for floral pieces. Same tip applies to any department within this retailer. Theyrun wonderful sales regularly throughout all departments.) 

~~~Details of the Isle~~~

   We found 4' shepherds hooks at an excellent price at a local tool shop and purchased a couple dozen of those. (If I recall correctly they were just a few dollars a piece.) These were all placed to line the inside of the isle we would walk down on either side with decorative ribbon running down them and mason jars hanging from them with little bits of ivy and fresh flowers to match our colors. We used daisies (the flowers in my parents wedding so that was a special link). The jars were hung simply by attaching ribbons (wrap the ribbon around the metal rim top for secure attachment) with hot glue to the jar's metal lid rims only and then we screwed those down onto the mason jar tightly. This secured the ribbon as the hanger and left the opening for the flowers to set. So just remembering to pull your center lid insert out of your canning jars and just use the lid rim to create basically small hanging vases for little floral arrangements to line your wedding isle. They were lovely details on either side of the isle. Just beautiful.  

~~~Perfect day!!~~~