Lighten Up! (Your lamps, that is)

You probably know by now I'm a *tad* bit obsessed with upcycling/repurposing/reusing my things. Love it all. Nothing makes me happier than getting ready to throw something out and realizing a quick coat of spray paint could make it rockin' again. That's what I've been doing with quite a lot of lamps around here these days.

We haven't gotten our under-cabinet lighting put in yet, so I always keep an itty-bitty lamp on my kitchen counter. You know, those $8 guys you can pick up anywhere? I've always loved the soft glow on the counter - while I'm getting dinner ready, or after the kids are in bed and "the kitchen is closed" (man, can I remember my parents using that line when I was a kid! And now I use it on my own!). But the little lamp was black. If you've been following ND, you know NOTHING is black in our kitchen or dining room anymore. So obviously it couldn't stay on the countertop anymore...

...or could it?!

Yes, of course it can! Just had to bust out my favorite spray paint shade these days, Krylon Blue Ocean Breeze, and get to work. I taped it up a little, gave it a few quick coats, and...

5 minutes later (seriously people, a few quick sprays and this is DONE!) now we have this cute little guy, that matches our kitchen perfectly:

All I needed to pick up was a little white shade at Lowes, and now I can use it again in the updated kitchen!

And I super love it at night....

It's not exactly the underhead-cabinet lighting that I'm dying for, but it does the job;). And it really shows off the beadboard wallpaper backsplash, which I love.

While we're at it, here are a couple more quick makeovers I've done on some lamps around here...

So next time you're about to spend money on a new lamp, grab that can of spray paint first! :)

A 'Real' Glimpse Inside the Naptime Decorator's House...

If you would like to continue thinking bloggers' homes actually look like they do in the lovely photographs we post, you might not want to stop reading. Ok, maybe there are some bloggers who do live that way, but not those with a 3, 4, and 5 year old. ;)

If you follow my Facebook page, you've probably seen my "keepin' it real" photos. First, I posted my lovely dining room, in all it's messy glory. The response from you awesome followers of mine was overwhelming. You thoroughly enjoyed seeing my imperfect house, and SO many left comments, like "Thank GOD!!" or "this makes me so happy" or "wow, you're normal like the rest of us!" or "you have no idea how good this makes me feel, to know your house isn't perfect." And it felt so good to know that people felt better about themselves, and their homes, by seeing mine in its reality. So I thought I'd devote an entire post to the real ND house. If I can make people feel better by airing my dirty laundry (literally!), then by all means, I will do it!

You see, the truth is, when I take these pretty photographs, like this one here...

I have spent time straightening, aka throwing all the kids' coloring books, lego masterpieces, dressups, etc. into a massive pile in the kitchen. I have dusted and vacuumed, and made sure everything is just so. I spend a lot of time working on these projects, and I want it to come across as pretty as it can be. I want to show my readers some lovely pictures.

But fast forward 5 minutes, after the camera clicking is done, and here's what you would see...

Yep. There she is. Is it pretty? Nope. Clean? No way. (Those are SHOES on the dining room table, in case you missed that). Is it real? 100%. I used to mirror Monica Gellar (any Friends fans out there?) in her freakishly clean ways. Then I had a kid. Then I had another kid. Then I had another. And with each kid, I let go more and more. I realized it was more important to play and let them enjoy being kids than to follow them around the house picking up every crumb that fell, and dusting every finger print that appeared on the coffee table (oh man, that would have been a never-ending battle!). The former me wouldn't have dreamed of leaving the bed un-made, or a load of laundry just sitting there.

But you know what's sitting at the foot of my bed at this very moment?

And better yet, let's take a look at the bed too while we're at it.

And my family room pretty much NEVER looks like this...

But a whole lot more like this...

And the perfectly spotless kitchen island?

Is usually covered with sippy cups, half-eaten bowls of goldfish crackers, playdough, school forms...you name it, it likes to find a comfy little spot on this top.

And yes, that was taken at Easter time, hence the plastic eggs and bunny paper bag. I must have foreseen this post back then;). Although, now that I think about it, it wouldn't seem the least bit odd for this house, to have Easter things sitting out in July...

So now it's out there. What our home really looks like, the other 99% of the time. A home that's lived in, that's real, that's us. I hope that "makes your heart happy" (as one of my readers commented on my messy dining room picture)! Next time you're looking at one of my 'new room reveals,' you can chuckle, knowing darn well behind the camera's view is one massive pile of STUFF thrown into a room full of desperately-needing-to-be-dusted furniture, which sits on a horribly-in-need-of-a-vacuum rug.

All too quickly, the day will come when this house is straight and neat all the time once again. So in the meantime, my inner Monica will have to shut up and deal...because I know that the reasons we have this messy house are my life's greatest blessings. And one look at these monkeys of mine is all it takes to make me so very thankful it's this way. It may not be 'magazine picture perfect,' but it's pretty close to perfect to me.

No-Sew-15 Minute-Thriftiest-Easiest-Table Runner. Ever.

Wow, now that's a title! I sat down to write this post and tried to think of something to sum this up. Burlap Runner just didn't cut it;) This is CRAZY easy, sooo inexpensive, hardly involves any materials other than the burlap, and takes no time at all to make. Hence, my wacky title;) I've been wanting to make a burlap runner since even way before the dining room makeover. I always thought about making a hemmed one, like the curtains I made for the room forever ago (using my trusty Stitch Witchery of course - we know sewing machines and I are not BFFs). But I love the whole rustic-y look right now, and the thought of leaving the edges alone was just waaayy too easy to pass up;)

I'm pretty wacky myself, so this title seems just right.;)

Are you ready for the materials you will need? It's QUITE the list. Get your pencils ready. Here we go:
1. burlap
2. scissors

WHEW! I'm exhausted.

And are you ready for the complicated instructions? I'll walk you through it, I promise.

1. Buy burlap. (Know how much you need so you can buy accordingly. I bought mine at JoAnn's, used my coupon, so my total was $6 for 3 yards!! Told ya it was a thrifty project!)

2. Cut it the length and width you'd like for your table.
3. Pull a thread from one of the sides.

4. Keep pulling until the frayed edges are as long as you want.

5. Trim some off if you've gone fray-crazy!
6. Repeat on all 4 sides.
7. Bask in your craftiness at making your own table runner!

Can you handle all those difficult steps?! hehehe;)

The frayed sides aren't going anywhere so far, but if you like, apply some Fray Check to the edges to keep it in place. Also, I've heard Mod Podge also works to keep it from fraying more. And dries clear!

Oh, and here's a Fun fact: Pottery Barn makes (or at least used to) a Halloween inspired burlap runner with black spooky images all over it - so you can jazz this bad boy up any which way you like! Or perhaps some words on it, in white or red for a Christmas-y one (joy, peace, etc)...Have fun with it! I mean, at six bucks a pop and mere minutes to make, you could make one for any occasion!

Girls Night #7: Canvas Art

We've had this project on our list for many months now, and FINALLY the girls and I made us some cutie canvas masterpieces last night!

Yay! I think they turned out so cute! We'd been seeing this idea on Pinterest so much, like this oh-so-pretty one from It's Doable...Crafts, Food and Life:

and one using toddler art (ADORABLE idea!) here, from Squash Blossom Babies:

Great use for all those kiddie masterpieces, right!?

The gals and I thought it would make a great Craft Night (aka  'Hanging Out in Our Pjs/Drinking Wine/Discussing Important Life Topics, Such as Christian Grey and Magic Mike/Stuffing Our Faces with Deliciousness While We, um, Make Something Crafty Night!') project. Here's what you need:
-a canvas (any size you want)
-scrapbook paper/toddler art/fabric - whatever you want to use for the petals
-Mod Podge
-foam brush to apply the MP
-scissors
-spray paint (optional)

Some of the girls kept their canvases white, and some spray painted ahead of time (needs to be dry before you apply the design!). I opted to spray mine. I took my 16x20 canvas outside and used some Krylon Pebble spray paint on it. Wasn't sure just where I'd end up hanging it, and this is a nice neutral gray/beige-y color so I went with that.

A few coats will do - just have to make sure you can't see through it, then you're good;)

Then I sketched out a pattern to use, just to have an idea...

I apologize in advance for these pictures - my basement is not the best environment for taking great pics! ;)

Then I just started cutting out some petals - a mix of large and small ones. I had a bunch of scraps of scrapbook paper (ha!), so I just went with those. I cut a circle for the center and started laying them on the canvas (and didn't mod podge anything until I knew how it was going to turn out!)...

As you're laying out your design, see where you have empty space to fill and cut accordingly.

When you're satisfied with the design, use your foam brush to brush the Mod Podge on the back, lay it on the canvas, and brush again over it. That's it! When you're all finished, you'll want to brush over the entire canvas (even the plain sections) with Mod Podge, because even using matte finish, there's a slight sheen on the spaces around the petals. You can only see it at certain angles, but still. Gives it a nice, finished look.

Ames in action, gettin' her mod podge on.

One of my friends thought a little outside the box and decided to create a map of the United States on a large canvas, for her boys' room. She brought a kids' puzzle to help her trace the shape of each state! She didn't get to finish last night, but it's going to be SO SO cute, right?! I might have to make one of these for the playroom!

Here are some more pics of the different projects...

Super cute, right!?

Here's how mine turned out...

So that was this month's project! I don't think this one will be the last canvas art I make! I think they're so fun, and you can be so creative - the possibilities are endless. Between the colors you choose, the size, the design...you could make them a zillion different ways. What a great idea!

Dining Room Budget Makeover: The Reveal!

Can I just tell you how happy I am to have the dining room complete?!! For two reasons actually. 1) I've never painted so stinkin' much in my entire life and 2) It is BEYOND drastic - in a great way! So much brighter I can hardly believe it, and I am being totally serious when I say I walk in there and just feel giddy. I hadn't planned on even tackling this room any time soon, but once I did the kitchen makeover, you'll see in these pics that the two rooms bleed into one another. And I simply could not have my bright and happy white kitchen looking into dark gold walls and nothing but black furniture. It was like two worlds colliding. Let me preface all of this with this: I LOVE black furniture - there is not one bone in my body that objects to it, but I'm going through this lightening-every-blessed-thing-in-this-house phase at the moment, so all that black furniture got painted. Emphasis on ALL. Told ya there was a heckuva lot of paintin' going on for quite a few naptimes;)

I love this makeover for another reason too. I realized yet again, how little you have to spend to make a space feel completely different. Other than paint, I spent very little.

Would I have loved a new farmhouse table, chairs, a bench? Oh absolutely. I dream of that rustic rectangular table, looking so worn and loved...with a long bench for my kids to hop on for dinner. But when you spring a makeover on your husband on a "just fine" room, you (or at least I!) don't get a monstrous budget to work with. So what's a girl to do who is itching for a brighter space with a limited budget? Two words: Craigslist and PAINT! Sold my curtains. Sold my rug. Painted every. other. thing. you see in this room:

That was then. This is now.

Before I go nuts with the pics, let me summarize what I did:
1. Painted the walls Valspar Crafted White. It's a lovely neutral. Some parts of the day it's so creamy white, some parts it's almost a soft soft yellow. I love it.
2. I painted the hutch with the homemade chalk paint recipe. Mix of paint and plaster of paris. (If you missed the post, the details are all right here).
3. I used the same recipe for chalk paint for EVERYTHING. Chairs (made a goal - one per naptime!), table (base only), buffet table. ALL white chalk paint.
4. I spray painted the black mirror with white gloss spray paint. I can't even tell you what a difference that made when I hung that bad boy up in it's new look. Brightened the dining room 1000%.
5. Moved the bench we had at the "fake entry" (technically it's the dining room, but since we don't have a large foyer/entry, that's what we use. In it's place, I took a bookcase from my daughter's room (don't worry, we had a spare!;), and lined it with contact paper. That post can be read here.
6. Sold the rug, and bought a new one for not a whole lot more than we sold the old one for! Wasn't a huge expense by any means, since we had money from the old rug! (Seagrass rug from Overstock).
7. Sold the old dark curtains, made my own burlap ones (actually, did that as an update even before the big makeover began), but I added decorative tape to the trim. DIY No-sew Burlap curtains post can be read here. And trimming them with tape post here.
8. Spray painted even the freaking curtain rods white. And rings. Yes, yes I did.
9. Gave the gingham lamp shades to a friend and bought new white ones. Better Homes and Gardens line at Walmart - $2.86 a piece.
10. Made a runner from a piece of burlap (tutorial post to come very soon). $6.
11. Painted black oval mirror with white chalk paint to hang above the entry bookcase.
12. Spray painted black lamp in aqua for the bookcase.

So you get the point - paint, paint, and more paint. A few inexpensive accessories and voila! A pretty budget makeover;)

Now let's get to the fun part - the PICTURES!

Here's the old buffet table:

Here it is now:

Those baskets were 60% off at JoAnn's - got them for $16 total. Perfect for housing all my cookbooks!

Ok, here's the entry before and after:

(That would be the bookcase I stole from Reag's room;)

The china cabinet before and after:

LOVE that blue!! I used a sample of Olympic Kingston Aqua, mixed with some white satin paint, and the plaster of paris to create the chalk paint. If you're not familiar with chalk paint, YOU SHOULD BE! lol;) but in all seriousness, it's amazing stuff, because there's no need to sand, prime - nothin'. Goes on like a dream, waxed when I was done and it's amazing!

I love how I can look into the dining room from the kitchen and just see it all so bright and cheerful now. Matches the happy mood of the kitchen to a T;) See what I mean?

And here are just some random pics just for fun;)...

And one more look at the room...

I am just so happy with it! Paint is some powerful stuff, huh?!