Just for Fun Photos...happy happy spring!

Step....hop....Step....hop....Step.....

No, we're not playing leapfrog over here....well, maybe we are!

After finally getting all the nasty aweful dirty carpet off the steps, it's been paint time.  We use these stairs for daily entrance to the house since the door at the bottom goes to the garage.  Not wanted to disrupt us too much, I decided to paint every other step each day.  Yes, it's taking longer that way.  But it allows us to continue to use the garage and steps as usual....if not normally.

I wondered how to mark with steps were wet, and when, until I thought of the post-its.  If there is a post it on the step, it's not wet.  If the post-its are out, something is wet.  It's that simple. 

Step-hop-step-hop-step-hop until you get to the top....or bottom.  So far it's working.  No one has tracked paint in or out.   And after the carpet, I think it is much improved just with the primer!

Fortunately the primer is drying fast also, so if I can get a coat on in the morning, it's dry by afternoon. 

Next step: actual paint.  And yes, there is a paint for that.  I plan to use Sherwin Williams Porch and Floor Enamel in a color to blend with our cork floors.  I am painting the treads to match the cork (something in the brown family), and the risers white.  Carter has ideas of some "Go team" type of lettering on the risers, readable as you go up the steps....I think that would be fun too!

So for another few days we'll be hopping up the steps like bunnies.....just in time for Easter!

Have you read "The Happiness Project"?

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin is a book I've just started; it just came on my radar, and captured my attention with the byline: "Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun".

OK Gretchen, you had me at "clean my closets". 

I said to a friends a few months ago that my goal for my house was to have an empty shelf in every closet in the house.  She seriously looked at me and said simply, "Why?"  As clueless as she was to my joy of empty shelves, I was clueless as to why anyone would not want to do this!  In talking to her friends, Gretchen had one that stated she kept an empty shelf in hr house....completely empty. 

Lack of clutter of "stuff" equates to lack of clutter in my mind.  I want less.  Organizing starts with less; finding things starts with less;  I'm not a hoarder; I've been known to make my family nervous when I load the car with bags to go to Goodwill.  Gosh knows, I do like to shop for a new pair of shoes though, so I'm not totally immune to having nice things!  But I just want less stuff in most areas of my life. 

She states in chapter two: "One study suggested that eliminating clutter would cut down the amount of housework in the average home by 40 percent".  Now, if that isn't motivation to clean out clutter, I don't know what would be!

I had not heard much about this book, but sometimes things come into your life at interesting times....this during my month of "managing the madness",  to which I have not been very faithful!

Now, having said that I am not a hoarder, you are right to think I don't have piles of papers lying around, old magazines, tons of unused clothing or piles in the corners of my rooms.

But....there is still so much stuff! 

So yesterday I focused on my shelves in the living room.  First, a note about reading.  I love to read. I read almost every day.  I used to buy "real" books, but not I'm addicted to my Kindle (instant gratification, no clutter).  But on my shelves are books going back to high school...many years.  And I don't re-read books.  There are too many new ones to get too to waste time rereading! 

I decided to take a look at my shelves. I love these shelves: I had them built after we move into this house (now I know I could have done it myself!). Anyway, it's not horrible. But at the top of the shelf are books I read in high school, and haven't touched since. But I've moved them 4 times. I will never reread them. I kept one or two for memory sake. 

Gardening books: They are keepers. They will never go, but I'd love to have more space to stand the nicer ones up and see them better (yay for new spaces!).  Getting rid of the books I'll never read again is making way for the ones I love!

Elephants: They all stay.  But I look forward to having more space to display them.  This is my one (sort of) hoarder tendency, or at least one that leans away from my anti-stuff personality.  When I was very young, my sister nicknamed me "elephant".  Yep.  She was 7 years older than I was, and when she went away to college, her friends thought I must be huge.  I wasn't.  It's that my initials were "L-F-N", and somehow, she realized that by adding a "t" at the end would say "elephant".  It stuck.  There are still people I could run into today from my early childhood that would call me that.  Seriously.  Little known fact. 

A funny thing happened: With the nickname came a lot of elephants over the years.....and a love for the animal itself.   Stuffed ones back then, then nicer ones, and I still get the occasional Christmas gift from my husband of a really unique or interesting one.   The point is making space for the things we love, that are meaningful, and getting rid of the things that are useless. 

So anyway: there are a lot of elephants around, some in the attic.  I hope by clearing out shelves I can spotlight the ones that have special meaning and give them a place in my home that I can enjoy them.  By weeding through old paperbacks that I will never use again, I can find a home for things that mean something to me.  But until I have empty space to work with, they would remain crammed in, packed away, tossed aside.  Empty shelves: Possibilities.

Anyway.....as I've said before, it doesn't take long.  After 15 minutes of sorting, I had this;

These two bags grew into four, and off to Goodwill they went.  Puppy was worried, but no, I didn't give her away.

I'm glad I started this book "The Happiness Project".  I'm just barely in, but so far it's motivated me. I'll keep you posted as I keep reading....and uncluttering! 

As March comes to an end I have managed the mayhem a bit; I want to do more!  I hope you do too!

Still need help getting started? Gretchen mentions a blog I had not heard of before: Unclutterer!  I can't wait to check it out!

ps: amomwithnails.com is not affiliated in any way with
The Happiness Project, by Gretchen Rubin
Harper Collins eBooks

Uh oh.....

I've been frequenting our Joann Fabric Store recently.  It's moving a few feet down the shopping center, and in the meantime, is clearing out everything in the current store.  I have my eye on some outdoor fabric for our porch furniture: it's normally $20 a yard (and I need a bunch of yards!); it's finally down to 50% off, but I'm patiently waiting for it to go just a tad further!  I really don't care which print/stripe I get, so I can be patient. 

The uh oh part? Oh my.....next to Lowe's, I love a good fabric store. 

Yesterday, I couldn't pass this up: a soft flannel fabric full of baseballs for a baseball lovin' kid!  I think I will make a simple blanket/quilt for him; add that to the "to-do" list.  

And if I have to stalk that outdoor fabric for much longer, who knows what else I'll end up with! 

I did get a great deal on these: brightly colored thread and zippers that might match an outdoor fabric I hope to eventually own! 

Gotta run....off to Lowe's for a few items....and maybe a quick peak in the window of the fabric store....it's really close....

Loving my new paint!

I love my new paint color! I loved it so much in the family room, I decided to continue it through the foyer and into the dining room....it's lovely! Such a warm neutral backdrop for the color I love to use to decorate.

  Here is the before:

And the after:

There is only one problem: I'm loving these newly painted walls so much....

(yes, the outlets will be updated to white!)

....that I don't want to hang anything on them!  I left hangers up for the few pieces I knew I wanted in place, but the others I had him patch and sand, and it looks so new and fresh I don't want to mess it up!

So for now, my dining room table looks like this:

I will rehang all of these, but I'm not committed to where, and the way I make decisions, it could be a while. 

The rest of my to-do list in the dining room ?

• sand and re stain the table top;
• paint and re-upholster the chairs;
• hang pictures;
• build cabinets along the wall (permanent, to replace the temp one)

I think that should do it.  And yes, I plan to teach myself to build cabinets.  I already bought a cool new tool that I am learning about, and have a test project to try to see exactly what goes into building a cabinet.  More on that...sometime....

And the to-do list from last week? I'm making progress.  Need to get on that now.

How is your to-do list coming?  Have you tried a new gadget or tool lately?

Do you love a Nana, Memaw, Gigi, or gramma?

Check out my new page "Personalized Jewelry" to see new designs from my handstamped collection! 

Also, visit my facebook page at lauraGdesigns and "like" it ... once I hit 100 "likes", one lucky "liker" will win a necklace or bracelet of their choice. 

Laura, amomwithnails

Heat bond tape vs sewing: My experience.....

My projects list included painting (but not in my house!), sewing, trying to get things back together after the painting and more.   Can you tell it rained? Yep, it rained, a lot, and we were inside much more than planned.  No baseball in that list...we were bummed, but had a fun time anyway.  And of course there was (isn't there always?) laundry and such going on, but that's not fun to post about. Or read about.

So on to the update: Curtains.  We have a large bay window in the living room, and our house faces due west.  I've tried to get pictures in there, but the glare is so ferocious, it just doesn't work.  Well, it doesn't work well, I should say. 

I bought two panets from www.bedbathandbeyond.com almost a year ago.  I liked them, but they weren't quite wide enough. 

It looked horrible....see?

Anyway, it was ugly.  Don't say I didn't warn you!

We just couldn't get by with curtains for looks, we needed these guys to do the job.  I looked high and low for panels that were wide enough with no luck.   I considered making them myself, but buying fabric+lining+labor really was not cost effective.


I finally bought two more panels, and see what I could do about putting them together.  I was either going to use heat bond tape, or sew them.  I decided to jump in and try the heat bong tape. 

The way the top was made with the grommets, there was no way to open up that seam at the top.  I simply placed the two panels on top of each other and used the heat tape to bond them together.  This way leaves an overlap that you can see when the curtains are closed, but I don't mind it.  Whatever I did (even if I bought fabric), there was going to be a seam there, so it wasn't the worst thing.

The thickness of these two ends going together made using the heat bond tape a little difficult.  To get it to bond, I had to go over the seam for a lot longer than the instructions stated; I don't think it was made for thickiness like this, but it get get sticky finally; I then just let it sit and it bonded in a minute or so.  The bond at this point was pretty tight. 

The next week and a half was spend looking at the curtains hanging, unhemmed and too long.  I hate hemming!  I put it off for a long time, and finally got sick of staring at it. 

On curtains panel set number one, I used the heat tape.  Again, this fabric is heavy with a heavy liner.  It was tricky to get the iron hot enough to make the tape stick without scorching the liner.  I got the hang of it after a while, but it was tedious. 

At this point I ran out of tape....and my local craft/sewing store is moving, so they are out of stock of most things....no more heat bond tape.  I was left to lug the sewing machine downstairs and sew the second pair of panels.  Then, to make them match, I sewed a seam on the bonded side. 

One note about hemming: Once I had the panels together, I rehung them.  Them I hem while they are still hanging on the rod.  I fold and pin to the floor lenght, then iron and sew. 

You can see how much the curtains really block the glare (and more if they were completely closed.  i hung the rod higher than the trim and wider than the window, so when they are open, the curtains do not block the frame of the window at all.   (but it's still hard to get a good photo!)

  My little reading corner is finally complete, with no more hems dragging the floor and no more pins to avoid. 

So my review and advice on heat bond tape?  Yes, and no.

• If you sew and the fabric is heavy: I think it's easier just to use the machine.

• If you sew and are using lightweight fabric: I would use it again. I think it could be a great quick option.  I was happy with how the tape applied and looked from the finished side. 

  

• If you don't sew, it's a good option; just use lighter fabrics, and be sure to test it and get used to using it on that fabric before using it on your finished project. 

So what are you up to on this Monday? Have you ever used the heat bond tape? How did it turn out?

Do you need new Easter shoes?

Or a new little bunny hat??  I have mine ordered (so glad to have a new little girl in the family!) and if you want your own hat or new shows, check out my friend's facebook page at   JensCreativeCrochet.  You'll be glad you did!

Friday faves.....

This has been a good week.  Beautiful weather; baseball practice; baseball game; baseball practice (seeing a trend?); lots of outside time; a newly (almost) finished downstairs paint color that I'm loving; Friday itself is a fave; a very quick trip between bus times to see my mom and get in a little shopping (but not enough); a to-do list that didn't get done, but progressed; a puppy sleeping on my feet. 

wow....this one was almost as deep as I am!

So I went to Crate and Barrel today to check out sectional sofas for our (empty) basement room. We sat on them all. They were very comfy, almost too much. So I didn't fall in love with a sofa, but did check out these cool items:

cool.

p

cute cube

And how awesome is this little table??  I just love it!  So no sectional yet, but tons of great ideas for the basement.  And the little storage stool cube? Persimmon.  Yep...close enough to orange for me. 

And from this month's Better Homes and Gardens: Designer Anne Fox picked these lovely colors, which just solidifies the colors I want in my living room.  Yay!  Love this. 

Another favorite for this week is Kate's Spring projects linky party over at www.centsationalgirl.com : check out the hundreds of projects to get you in the springy mood!  There are just so many creative ladies around the blogosphere. 



Oh...one more favorite! A picture of what I want our basment to look like one day:

I found this originally on the Sherwin Williams website, which was was inspiration for the paint color.  I love everything about it!  So far I have the color, the floors....and.... that's about it. But it's nice to see an idea of what it can be one day.

This weekend I will update my weekly to-do list progress and show you the most exciting progress I made (and the messiest-to-cleanest winner!) and what still needs to be done.

And if spring hasn't made it to your "neck of the woods" yet, I hope it's on it's way soon....it's really quite lovely. Until then, Happy Weekend!

Guess what we have on the agenda? Baseball ... Surprise!
**amomwithnails is not affiliated with Crate and Barrel or Better Homes and Gardens.

To do (list) or not to do (list).....

...that is the question. The answer? A little of both.  And I'm linking up with Centsationalgirl.com today .... go visit her and check out her and other many amazing spring crafting ideas!www.centsationalgirl.com

On my to-do list, I did work on some quarter-round trimming in the basement.  Check.
Today, I am working on another to-do list project (more on that tomorrow). Check

On the ever distracting other front, I did a quick fun craft yesterday that I wanted to share.  I've been seeing cute colored vases in the stores, but for ridiculous prices.  Since I was cleaning out the craft/office/project room (part of the mayhem management project!), I came across some vases from the Dollar Tree and a collection of paints.

Some were my living room colors, and some were more like Easter. 

Simply put, I squirted paint into the vase, and swirled! 

At the end, I turned it upside down in the sink (the paints are all water-based, so no sinks were harmed in this process)....and let the swirling continue. 

It's really hit or miss what you end up with, but I ended up with these two vases.  I like the way the colors were less mixed in the smaller vase and create more interest.  In that one, I swirled really quickly and didn't let the paints sit too long.  In the taller one, I squirted all of them into one space and ended up with them mostly creating one color, but with a bit of interest towards the top.

I tired a bunch of techniques, but the best? Squirt paint in: squirt into different locations in the vase, and use each color multiple times to create more interest. 

So Voila...for $2 in vases (that I already owned) and some $.49 paints (already owned too!), I have two new Easter vases for the mantel. 

I also made one with my living room colors, and will bring that one out soon. 

Enjoy!  Paint a vase!

I love my new paint color so much....

....that I decided to continue it through the foyer and into the dining room.

You're absolutely right....that's not the dining room.  That's the living room.  With the dining room table int he middle.  And lots of other stuff. 

And here is one last "before" shot of the red color under the chair rail. 

Bye bye red! I love ya', but it's too much.  I have enough color in my rooms that I need a neutral canvas in here.   

So instead of working on my to-do list from Friday, I spent the morning moving furniture and spring cleaning.  Yuck...there were a lot of dust bunnies behind things that haven't been moved in a while! 

Hopefully the to-do list will still be there for me tomorrow.  Oh yeah...it will.  It's like dirty laundry...it's not going anywhere, right?

Just so I don't forget: My to do list for this week remains:

Finish the trim in the basement;

Finish tearing up the carpet on the steps;

Finish hemming the curtains: one hemmed and one not is not a good look;

Finish painting the cabinet in the living room;

Finish the drawers for the hutch;

Finish backing the hutch.

Wow...maybe I should change "finish" to "make progress". 

Paint Chip art

Sherry@www.younghouselove.com

Have you seen it? If you are on Pinterest, you've probably seen many posts and ideas for paint chip art.  I first saw the idea on Young House Love and fell in love with the idea.  I've played around with a few ideas using the colors in my rooms, but haven't finalized anything yet....I'm still playing around....but with no real finished product yet that I like.

So last week I did the next best thing: I loaded up my paint chips, and took them to our MOPS meeting and handed them to some very creative ladies there....they are awesome!  And of course, they had some lovely creations that were unlike any I've seen so far. 

So I'm sharing their creativity, and hopefully kick-starting my creative-paintchip-juices...and maybe yours too!

my colors....unfinished....

love this!!

and you have to "heart" this!

heart!

Just another reminder that creating art for your home doesn't have to be expensive or time consuming!  Just have fun!