New Roomate

I have learned that renovating your house means making room for ALL the tools that go along with it! My husband has been working very hard on our stairs... Goodbye ugly yellow carpet! Now we have the table saw ready for laying down our new hardwood floors in the guest bedroom and office! All these wonderful changes means dealing with all the tools that go along with it. Here are just a few pictures of what living with renovations is like!

These are all the parts for the stairs

Getting VERY crowded

I couldn't use these stairs for a few weeks!

Time to get organized!

Here is our new roommate, the table saw. "He" will be with us for an extended period of time.

So, it's been exciting! I can't wait to reveal the before and after pictures of the stairs. We are taking advantage of the winter months. In the above picture on the floor, my newest project is in the works!

Calling All Beach Goers!!

On a nice warm weekend morning, Eric and I can be found walking the beach looking for driftwood and shells. There are several projects we have going on with the driftwood, but the shells have one purpose right now... and that is finding a new home in our driveway. We collect bags full of shells... pour them in our driveway and then our cars crush the shells down into a very small white/purple pieces. We just feel this adds to our beach bungalow! It's free and makes for a fun DIY project!

These shells came from Maine

I just toss them around the driveway

I step on the shells that are big and may not crush easily

We have been doing this for awhile... these are some older crushed shells

I hope this inspires some ideas for you!!

Loft: before and after

This is our loft area that we decided to make a guest bedroom. Here is the before and after pictures! The "before" picture was the previous owners things, before we moved in.

Before

After

The upstairs loft is still a work in progress, but as you can see it has come a long way already! The bed fits perfectly... and we can't wait to rip up that carpet! I am on the hunt for a desk that I can stress a little bit and some (self created) artwork to put on that big open wall. The quilt on the bed was a gift from my mom and dad... it was made in the 1800's and in very good condition!

This view is from standing by the window, you can get a better idea of the bungalow styling of the house. The framed artwork is a Bob Marley quote with all our families best wishes from our wedding : ) It's a nice reminder walking by it everyday. We are trying to stay a little festive with our lights around the railing!

Look-A-Like

I am always on the hunt for household items that look unique. When I found my glass lamp I was ecstatic! I knew it was similar to a pottery barn lamp that I had seen (pictured below). The cost of the lamp below is between $184-$229, the high cost is due to the crystal.

BUT... if you do not care about the crystal and want a similar look. I found this slightly smaller glass lamp for $20! I like the size because it is my bedside table lamp and it will go with any changes I make in the future!
So... always be on the hunt for what strikes you as something you might enjoy in your own house. I just like to compare my finds to high end merchandise. I always ask myself... how can I recreate that and make it my own? Happy Hunting!

Make Your Own Gift!

This year I decided to make my gifts for some co-workers and friends. While downtown in my favorite store I saw these beautiful starfish for sale with a very fine glitter on them. I examined the price tag... 9.00 each! So then I examined the starfish more closely to see if I could replicate it. I had to order the starfish from an online store, they were White Finger Starfish. Once I got the starfish and made a visit to my local Michael's I was all set to go!

Step 1. Purchase your starfish. These are 3-4 inch starfish.

Step 2. Using Crazy glue, attach the string to one of the "arms" of the starfish.

Step 3. Using Tacky Spray, completely cover the front of the star fish.

Step 4. I put my glitter in a bowl and then placed the sticky side down into the glitter. Make sure all the glue is covered up with glitter. I used "Recollections, Extra Fine Glitter, Blanc Rose"

Step 5. Set aside the starfish on newspaper to dry. Feel free to cover the other side as well, I did not do this.

Step 6. Using a CLEAR sealer, spray the starfish with the spray. This keeps the glitter on longer. You do not have to do this, but it does seal the glitter better. Do not spray too close, the aerosol will take off the glitter! Let them dry for about 10-15 minutes before wrapping or hanging. Now you are done!!!

I did make 25 of these starfish and with the cost of materials, these starfish worked out to be about 80% cheaper than the ones I saw in the store!

I did find some nice tissue paper and antique white ribbon and wrapped up my gifts for all my wonderful coworkers and friends!

Let me know if you need any other information about how to make these! They are fun and easy to make and they are made by you! I think I might make a deal with that store next year and sell them MUCH cheaper and still make a profit!

Onion Lamps

During hurricane Irene we lost power for 7 days. Eric and I actually did not mind the power outage and actually enjoyed our nights spent talking by candle light (OoOoO). What really lit up our living room were our onion lamps. The onion lamp is a traditional lamp that was originally made out of tin and mica for the glass. The purpose of the lamps were initially designed as a light to burn whale oil around the 19th century and were used by railroads and shipping companies. Back in the 19th century the lamp actually did not give off that much light! However, the 7 nights we used our lamps they actually gave off plenty of light. The onion lamps still hang in our living room ready for another power outage! We liked the "nautical" look and it is better than having an empty hook!

Free is always good

The previous owner left lots of items behind for us. When talking over coffee one morning with my husband, I was explaining to him that I wanted some real nautical items and not just reproduction. My husband then said that he saw an old anchor in the basement. I was very excited to hear this and requested for him to bring it up right away!! Next thing I knew I was staring at an old anchor. Eric suggested to clean it up and paint it white, but I loved the old salt staining on it... that gave it that old used feeling that I love. So, I placed the anchor in the corner of our living room. Although it looks lonely in the picture, it ties in perfectly into the room and often people over look it! Also what I love is that is was free! So, look through your old basements, sheds, crawl spaces.. you may find something worth using!