Going Crunchy...from Conventional to Whole

Vitamama {who is my friend IRL} is doing a series on how to go "crunchy." This girl knows her stuff...from What to Eat, What you Breathe {including cleaning products} and What you put on your Skin.

Don't get overwhelmed like I did at first. She has told me to take baby steps. So slowly, we've been trying to eat organic. I spend about the same amount at Trader Joe's as I would at Walmart, but I'm not buying all the processed stuff. I've slowly switched my toothpaste to Tom's of Maine. I bought some deodorant without aluminum from Bunny Butt Apothecary. I actually found some shampoo and conditioner at Walmart that is paraben free and sulfate free. I do the best that I can with what I've got and make changes as needed when I'm able to. I don't want to shock my family...so I've slowly integrated things in...and I'm still working at it.

Ummm..NOT to say I didn't eat a pack of Ranch Doritos yesterday with my turkey wrap and down a coke. Every once in awhile you just need to drink a coke! and eat some doritos. and have dark chocolate M&M's for dessert.


Go visit my friend, Vita Mama and read all about her story...ask her questions. She's super helpful and very friendly and she likes red wine and Twilight. That's all.

Guest Room Q & A

You guys are so encouraging and inquisitive! I got a ton of questions about my guest space...so I wanted to answer them. So here goes...First this bed is in my studio. On the other side of this camera is a zoo of fabric and machines and mayhem. Of course, I organized and cleaned the room suitable to house my guests.

1) Door ~ FREE from Habitat for Humanity (I just got another FREE door from Habitat that I'm going to make into a Headboard for my bed)
Rose Painting ~ Thrift store in Florida

2) Euro Pillow Sham made by me from 2 tea towels with a ruffle of muslin

3) Simply Shabby Chic Matelasse Coverlet and Shams (bought on clearance at Target)

4) Small Boudoir Pillow from the thrift store

5) Old, White Chenille Bedspread from the thrift store
4 Sets of fluffy white towels from JCPenney (bought with gift card AND they were on sale)

6) Queen size Blue and White Striped Bed skirt from the thrift store (the tag said it was King, but it wasn't. I just folded it in half to double the skirt so you couldn't see the trundle underneath)

7) Side Table from Estate Sale
Lamp from Thrift store (I recovered the lamp shade with burlap and hot glue)
Water Pitcher with glass from Pier One
Magazines bought in England when I visited a few years ago (I have an unhealthy obsession with magazines...some would call it hoarding...I call it collecting)

We bought the Daybed on craigslist and the mattresses brand new from BJ's. (I draw the line at sleeping on used mattresses. Only NEW for me.) It has a pop up trundle to make into a King bed. One of my favorite purchases!

Someone asked me about the paint color in this room. I did not paint this room, it was actually this color when we moved in. So, I don't know what color it is...but it looks very similar to one of the color's in my girl's rooms called "Summer Sorbet" from Lowes Seaside collection.

If you buy what you love, it really does...ALL come together! What treasures have you found thrifting lately?

Friday's Featured Slipcovers

Slipcover Chic made this gorgeous mattelasse sofa slip!


Cottage and Cabin's lovely crumpled linen dining slipcovers! The buttons are such a cute detail!


Check out the darling scallops on this chair and ottoman by McMaster and Storm!


And for fun...this cute kicky kickboard slipcover from Craft Gossip!

Don' forget to grab yourself a featured button! Happy Weekend!

Enjoying your Guests

We've been enjoying our guests this week. Besides going to the beach, visiting the museum and the Capital, I've required them to cook all kinds of Asian and Filipino foods for me. It's a requirement that you cook your local food for me as a payment for room and board. So, I've enjoyed Chicken Katsu, Bok Choy, Chicken Adobo and of course sticky rice! And next week, I will need to re-introduce myself to Jillian Michaels.

Preparing for Guests

Make sure there is a cozy place to sleep with fresh towels. I want the bed to be as comfy as possible!


I love for my guests to feel like they're staying in a bed & breakfast.


Include a bed side table with a lamp, water pitcher, stuff to read and a box of tissues.


Cozy guest spot for sleeping and then in the morning...


Make sure to serve a yummy breakfast of Multi-grain Belgian waffles with strawberries, blueberries and whipped cream.

For more guest room re-do's, visit The Lettered Cottage.

Friday's Featured Slipcovers

Kelly from Much to do with Nothing created this gorgeous masterpiece! Love the pleats and the little ties in back! There's a matching ottoman too!


Maradith from Strictly Homemade should go into business...this slip is so professional looking!


Kormondy says "Don't judge me on this fabric" BUT I will judge her on her mad slipping skillz! Fabulous job!


And if this isn't the be all...end all...a slipcover for your water hose from Dirt Couture! If you're a gardener {i'm not}, then why not slip your water hose and be all super chic with this fun, green fabric! They even have a leopard version...which reminds me too much of a snake! See, you can slip anything!

*Don't forget to grab a button if you've been featured!

Fake your wood floors...again!

Can you see where the fake wood meets the real wood?

Just follow the arrow. There is a bit of a drop off, so I still need to buy a reducer thingy to kinda level it off so everyone's not tripping. My husband said, "Wow, it looks much nicer than I anticipated!" I keep reminding him it's a temporary solution for now. He likes it. For the how to...see this post on How to Fake your wood floors.

Has anyone else ripped up their nasty carpet and faked a wood floor or painted the subfloor?

Slipcover Reveal

We have friends coming this weekend to stay for a bit! One of my best friends from Hawaii. We were roomates when I lived in Hawaii for my brief 2 year stint. There were 5 of us and a baby in a 2 bedroom apartment. Those were THE BEST times! I haven't seen her in about 7 years...since my last visit to Hawaii, but she's one of those friends that you can pick back up with as soon as you get on the phone with each other. Like no time lapsed at all! So I've been trying to finish some projects around the house and get cleaned up for them. Although, they could care less...she said, "I just want to be with you" in our last conversation. I did finish my living room floor and my slipcover. I'll show more of the floor later, but you can see a smidge of it in this pic. I used the same vinyl planks that I used in the kitchen in our old house. I think they match perfectly! Next, I want to paint the stairs...after my room and my daughter's rooms...so many projects.

Before

After

With some basic sewing skills, you too, can make your very own slipcover. Just click on the button above to download the ebook for $10!

Anniversary!

Fourteen years ago today, this man chose me! I'm thankful he puts up with me and my shenanigan's! I love you honey and would do it all over again!

Friday's Featured Slipcovers

33 Shades of Green slipped her patio chairs...LOVE them! Go see the before.


I told ya...you could slipcover almost anything. Just Beachy slipped her lampshade...adorable!


Miss Mustard Seed's Grain Sack Ottoman is oh so french!


First a Dream slipped her rocking chair! What a great idea!

I'm working on my sofa slip right now! Grab a button if you've been featured and if anyone wants to be featured, please let me know! I would love to feature your slip! Happy weekend!

How to Make a Monogrammed Beach Towel

I made a few of these for teacher gifts. This is my go to for a quick summer time birthday gift and they are oh so simple! You can download the pdf here.

Fluffy Flowers {Re-Post}

This is a great idea for a teacher's gift or to add to a teacher's gift! We made some of these cute fluffy flowers for Teacher Appreciation! I found the tutorial here.

Fake your wood floors...again!

Hydrangea's brought from my friend...when she came over to help rip up my carpet.

Remember this post...where I was so excited to paint my subfloor something cute-sy and fabulous?


This weekend I enlisted some true friends to come over and help me rip up my carpet. Didn't take long at all! I did, actually do more than take photos.


When we ripped it up, it looked like this! It was OSB subfloor, NOT plywood. OSB looks like someone took a bunch of wood, put it in a wood chopper and then pressed it all together. It's chippy and flaky and un-paintable! So, as much as I hate when people try to match fake hardwoods with real hardwoods...that's what I did. Doesn't look as bad as I thought. I keep reminding myself that it's a temporary solution until we can get the real hardwoods for our living room. I will not go into debt for hardwoods! I will give you more detail and how to's later. Until then here's what I did to the kitchen floor of our old house.

Friday's Featured Slipcovers

The Brick Path Studio never disappoints with the flirty little slip over a french armchair...so chic!



Beach Vintage made this thrifty ottoman slip from an old sheet and a vintage garment bag. Cute!


Handmade Mommy made this calming blue toile slipcover...precious.

Grab a button if you've been featured and have a great weekend. I'm going to start ripping up my carpet in about 10 minutes.

Master Bedroom inspiration

photo credit

My bedroom looks like a laundry room inside a bowl of green pea soup! Even the closet is painted green pea. I can't stand it...it's way too dark for my liking, but I've been living with it for a year now. So it's time to do something and I've been gathering inspiration. I don't want to spend any money. So I have come up with some ideas. First the inspiration:

photo credit

Laurie Annas

Nesting Instincts

photo credit

photo credit

My plan:

• Paint with paint I already have {Seagull Gray}.

• I got 2 doors for free from Habitat for Humanity...that I'm somehow going to make into a headboard.

• A friend is giving me a dresser and chest of drawers that I will probably paint or refinish.

• Re-paint TV armoire Gray or White {paint in garage}.

• Re-paint bedside dressers Gray or White {paint in garage}.

• Hang my beach pictures, that I've been collecting, over the bed.

I think that all I will need to buy is a couple of paint rollers and maybe some drawer knobs. I'm going for a beachy casual look. I can't wait to get started! What have you been living with and putting off? Let's do something about it!

Ugly Sofa Winner and a Discount Code

The winner is "Pukey Plaid" from Caffeinated Blessings! Emily entered this sofa...compliments of the Teachers' Lounge where she works. Really! She and the other teacher's should not have to look at this thing for another moment! Thanks to everyone who participated in linking their ugly sofa and everyone who voted! This was so much fun...that I'm sure we'll do it again.





And because of all your participation and I'm just feeling kinda generous, I've decided to have a Special Discount today for 'The Lazy Girl's Guide to Custom Slipcovers.' TODAY only...you can purchase the ebook with a discount of 20% off {that's only $8}. Just click on the button and enter the discount code. This discount is only good until midnight eastern time. Happy Slipping!

Discount code: uglysofa