Sunday, October 31, 2010

Caroline's Room

I'm not an interior designer.

Whew...glad we got that out of the way!

I've been working (in my mind) on some ideas for Caroline's room re-design, and I've gotten carried away with Joel Dewberry's fabric Dogwood Bloom in pink, maple and grass.

Here's my (amateur) version of a design board as a jumping off place.

She already has the bed, brown comforter, and lamp in her current room design, as well as a matching white night stand and dresser.  I think it will be an easy upgrade. 

But do you think a 5 year old would like it?

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Happy Birthday to my Mother in Law!


So, my glass etching didn't turn out PERFECTLY, so my MIL is just getting the pitcher.  The glasses were a little less uniform.  I hope she'll be pleased.  I also added my newest craft craze...satin flower pins, as the "wrapping" for the pitcher.  I've been making these like crazy.  Here are a couple that I whipped up to wear to a Fall Harvest Festival on Friday:
You can find the flower tutorial here.

Blessings,  Michelle

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

glass etching

Quite a while ago, I found this tutorial for glass etching at Create Studio.
So I decided to give it a try and make a gift for my MIL...oh, for last Mother's Day.  I didn't get to it as quickly as I would have liked, and on the first go-round, I messed up the pitcher a little.  Good thing she and I share the same last initial, because I have a new pitcher with a slightly messed up "H" etched on it!

So the gift has been put off 6 months, and now her birthday is around the corner, and I'm determined to get to it again.
So, I'm going to give my hand at a pitcher (straight sides this time!) and 4 drinking glasses.  I can't decide if I want to etch all the pieces with the same "H", or if I want to use a different font for each glass.  My thought was, that if each glass was different, then you would never get confused as to which glass was yours!  I narrowed it down to 6 choices.

Here's what you (and I) need to remember:
-etching cream is EXPENSIVE, but also REUSABLE.  Be prepared to do LOTS of projects.
-pick a glass item with straight sides.  Cylindrical is ok...but not rounded or bulbous.
-be prepared for a little imperfection!
-check Create Studio for all her other tips as posts about etching.

I'll post some pictures when I'm finished.

fit for a king

Right now, my husband and I share a queen size bed.  It's SO comfy and a beautiful sleigh bed, but I'm ready for an upgrade!  Whenever we stay in hotels that have a king size bed, that extra space is very nice!

So, I think we may spring for a king size bed of our own (for a new house).  It may end up being a late anniversary present, although I don't think the gift for 8 years of marriage is "beds"!

{ok...I checked.  The anniversary gift for 8 years is bronze.  Or pottery, appliances, or linen}

So, here are just some design ideas to get me started.

First up: a bronze bed!  I probably wouldn't buy it, but since it's the 8 year gift and all...

 ...and from JC Penny...

 overstock.com...
 pottery barn....
 restoration hardware...


 and urban home...
I think I'm leaning towards something wooden.  I admit I'm drawn to a lot of upholstered headboards, but I just don't think they would last long with little kids around.  Grimy finger and all...  Wood is just easier to keep up.  But I did throw in that leather one as a compromise!  I also seem to be going for beds with low footboards. 

Here's hoping we find something WONDERFUL and at a great PRICE when the time comes.

Monday, October 25, 2010

A home in brown and white

Is is possible to design an entire home around white walls and brown furniture?  What if I throw in a little color for accents?  Well, this is the direction I'm heading for our new home.  Here are a few of my inspiration photos.