DIY Canvas Gifts

My daughter just got married and I made her a canvas with wood letters -this was my inspiration

I took a picture of the one I made...but can't find the picture. Anyway the hardest part was finding the wood letters, but between Michaels and Joanne Shop I found them. I had left over letters and was going to my niece's baby shower the day after the wedding (this all took place in Burlington, VT) so I made this canvas for her pirate themed nursery.

I put the letters in a zip lock bag with white paint and smooshed them around till they were covered. Then I went to her registry so I could see what little things to paint on the canvas-whale, compass, and sailboats. I just copied them from the nursery bedding. She sent me this picture of it hung up in the room.
I just saw one on a blog that had the words to "You are my sunshine song" (sorry I can't remember what blog it was)it was in her hallway on three canvases and it looked great ! Have a blessed day.
Chris

More Great Inspirations

How could I forget this beauty from Sarah Richardson ?

Or this great bedroom from Something's Gotta Give (from the blog Hooked On Houses)






Yeah-I think this is the direction I am going in !
Chris

Starting Over

Well I read blogs...I mean lots of them. I have started this blog and stopped several times. Well here I go again, this time I have my pins. Pinterest is where I spend a lot of time too. So my current thoughts are on my bedroom. We have been living with a pretty disgusting carpet for a LONG time due to our old westie Mac. She recently passed away at the ripe age of 16 and now we can put a new carpet in the bedroom-and paint-and get or make a headboard. I am ready for something in the blue grey family( I currently have a cafe au lait color on the wall)
Or maybe like this (From Benjamin Moore Paint color Silver Crest)

Or Something like this (From Cote De Texas)Okay I know the walls on this one are more like what I have now-but I love the colorccombination and the sconces on the old doors.

Changes are a comin'...

I am leaving my job at Stevens World of Flooring to go teach preschool in two weeks. I am looking forward to my new adventure (which is really just picking up on something I use to be)as a preschool teacher. I love working with children, especially three and four year olds. I will be blogging from here and no longer doing my Stevens Blog. So what are these pictures doing in this blog? I don't know...they just make me feel good!!

How to Strip Wallpaper

I went to Burlington this week to strip the 1980's mauve and blue wallpaper off the bathroom walls of my daughter's condo. It came off easily with Dif(well except for those few stupid spots that made the project so aggravating!). The girl at Lowes swears by fabric softener and hot water-much better then Dif she said and not all the chemicals! Chemicals? I was in that 5 x 5 room breathing in chemicals?

Well, after a day of stripping-I had a couple glasses of wine-fell asleep and got up early to start the painting process. Allison wanted green (she had a blue plaid shower curtain?)so I bought a green I thought would be okay(not my favorite wall color) and painted the first coat-ugh! I went to Home Goods and bought a new shower curtain (white with green ribbon sewn on) a new green bath mat and a green toothbrush holder. I also found a picture that would tie in the burgundy vanity top with the new green walls.

Came back and gave it that second coat...okay now it had some depth to it and wasn't so bad. It looks fresh and more open...check out the floor though...my next project!

Natural Rugs for your Floors

I sell flooring and in the Northeast and we are still taking the "old shag" out of homes! We don't have many people putting in natural rugs (seagrass,jute,sisal) but they do want the look. I love the look too-and can point them in the direction of wool, synthetic or even the real thing. I loved this article Pure Style Home. She has the lowdown on natural rugs. This photo is a Tuftex rug called Diamond Reef.

All Beiges Are Not The Same

I have a room in my house that my husband picked out the color and painted. He went to the paint store and choose his beige...all by himself. Once painted, I couldn't help but "gag" at the pink undertone of the beige. I didn't tell him how "pink" the beige was...he would not have seen it anyway...and have lived with that room for around 5 years. It is an upstairs room the girls used as a den-so I didn't have to look at it too often. Recently, since my girls are off to college ( and one is out of school and living in Vermont) I changed the room around and put a twin bed in the room. I put a pink comforter on the bed and the wall color looked "good"! Maria Kilam of the blog Colour Me Happy has lots to say about beige with pink undertones-and definitely worth reading.

The point is whether it is carpet or paint-this undertone will be important when you get your carpet down and find out it looks awful with your beige and floral sofa.

If you have trouble seeing the undertones yourself-ask the salesperson for help...bring the sample home and put it in your own lighting...you are going to have that carpet for a long time!