Too Much time on my hands: January 2012

Snazzy Little High Chair

I feel like I spend weeks and weeks on pinterest collecting ideas and then for one random week I go crazy copying ideas. Check out this little number I found a few weeks ago!

I KNOW!

It is so so so cool, unique, and fun!

So look what I did with that inspiration.

I apologize for less than stellar photos. I completed this one during my maniacal race to get a truckload full of "stuff" to take up to Trina Rose Boutique before their store opening. And it had just snowed...obviously.

This is what I started with.

It was a bit rickety so I tightened it all up and used some wood glue to secure all the joints. Then I busted out some of my scrap booking stickers (which I know I will never use) and stuck them on the untouched wood in a fun pattern.

Next, I used my homemade white chalk paint to paint the whole chair with 2 coats.

I was super worried when I saw the stickers lifting and puckering, but was in it this far so just went along for the ride.

The stickers were soaked through and really a pain to peel off.

(I should have waited to peel them off till after I painted the gray stripes-but apparently I enjoy making more work for myself:)

Check out this mess of leaked paint blobs...super...more work again.

The paring knife worked the best for me when I was scraping little tiny bits of sticker and paint from the inside edges of the flowers. The scraping went better than I thought it would and didn't take too long.

Much better! Since I knew I would be distressing the whole chair I wasn't super picky about perfectly clean edges. I taped off my stripes next.

I used Americana craft paint for the stripes because it was what was right next to me while I was working.

After it dried, I distressed and sanded the whole chair. I got most of the gray paint off of my designs, but left just a bit behind.

Then I used Annie Sloan clear and dark wax to finish 'er up.

I am pretty happy with how it turned out!

It took a long time though.

I think it would look cute as a "table" in the bathroom too.

Thanks for hanging out ! This ends today's regularly scheduled programming.

Labels: furniture, projects, tutorials

An ABC Wall - My Way

Our good friends, Eric and Christen, recently had a beautiful baby boy, Alex.

While Christen was pregnant, she came upon this photo and fell in love.

source

However, she was definitely NOT in love with the price tags of the cute ready made letters she was finding. She asked me if I thought I could help her DIY it and I said, let me do it for you as our gift to welcome little Alex into the world! I feel like she was so generous to let me do it because while it was a ton of work it was super fun to get crazy creative.

She sent me all the photos she loved, and some specific styles she wanted to include, but otherwise she let me go crazy and this is what we came up with!

That little "P" is wearing a pirate hat and he is my favorite!

I haven't been over there to take pictures since the letter were hung, but Christen sent me these to appease my intense curiosity about how they looked!

Now I know why people charge and arm and a leg for a complete set like this. It was a big job! But totally worth it for our friends!

Labels: crafts, projects

Good Morning Sunshine!

Wanna know what that sneaky blogger has been up to this weekend?

He has been protecting 130 out of my 280 posts and will not relinquish them to Wordpress. Now, Blogger, I do so appreciate the lengths you are going to to protect my little posts from getting into the wrong hands, but please, just say goodbye...let Wordpress pry the posts out of your strong grasp...it will be o.k...promise.

Now that I have said my peace let's get on to some Monday morning sunshine to start our week's off on the right foot!

My kids could eat granola bars for every meal. This recipe from

Shopgirl

for homemade raisin granola bars is just what I need!

These cutsey drawers turned shelves from

My Champagne Taste

are so stinkin cute!

This little dog bed from

Crafted Niche

was quick and easy...and just look at how happy Roxy is!

I am pretty much in love with everything Kristina at

ReMade Simple 

creates, and this one really blew me away!

I would never have the nerve to do what

5 Days 5 Ways

accomplished in her AMAZING kitchen redo-but I so so so love it

I wish I had the talent, energy, and time to create these shelves from

{aka} designs

A super Restoration Hardware knockoff!

Polymer clay + Christmas lights =

Funkytime's

awesome lit flower garland

A handy and cute blog planner with a bunch of free printables from Courtney at

Between U & Me

will definitely helping me get organized this year!

When I was pregnant with my first child I became ADDICTED to Oreos. Like I have eaten them almost every day for 5 years now and it is officially a "problem."

While He Was Napping

shared an Oreo whoopie pie recipe that I can't wait to try!

Ahhh, how I wish I had sheet music left.

i craft with love

made a lovely heart garland
(maybe I can use my old phone books-you know-"I Just called To Say I Love You" inspired)

Well, jeeze, I have like so much work to do with all that inspiration floating around in my head!
Toodles...

Labels: good morning sunshine

Get Schooled Saturday #6

Hello, hello

How is everyone doing this evening?

All well, I hope.

It is the weekend and I am so glad you stopped by for

I have had a stressful week and I haven't even been doing anything!

Blogelina is trying to get me all set up over at Wordpress with my own domain and everything (how grown up and official?)

My new address will be

www.too-much-time.com

I am so worried about losing all the wonderful and supportive people who have been following me! I try to do most of this bloggy design and even html stuff myself, but this was too big and too scary for me to undertake. I would have like lost every post I ever wrote and made blogger explode or something, so I figured this is a job best kept to the professionals.

So, if I somehow disappear into cyberspace-come looking for me...kay?

Onto the most viewed links from last week's party! If I featured you do please
grab a fun little button:)
I have 36 or something like that for you to choose from.

I have to admit, this was one of my faves of every link party I visitied!

ReMade Simple

used pallets to create a fun photo display

A Crate & Barrel knockoff from

Gardners to Bergers

Loving that mercury glass on a lamp!

These free terrariums from

Small Garden Love

have me dreaming of spring and bringing more green into the house.

Boy, I love me some junk!

Creatively Living

used "junk" to create amazing wall decor!

I can't wait to try this!

4 You With Love

has the best static reducer trick...EVER!

AND, the most viewed link last week was this amazing room reveal from(again!)
Creatively Living
This is awesome and it was even on a strict budget!

Alright all you hooligans, link it up baby!

Anything you feel like sharing is fair game. 

A recipe, a mishap, a photo, a project or craft, an important piece of advice that I should know about about switching to Wordpress...oh wait you can just e-mail me that last one-heehee

You don't even have to follow me, or display my button, or even like me for that matter. But if you do (like me), you can follow if you're feelin it, and if you still do (like me) you could spread the love and plop this little button on your blog somewhere:)

Hope you all have a nice weekend! I am off to stay at The Ritz Carlton in Vail for the weekend (don't be jealous:) We are more the Motel 6 type, but we have some visitors in town and will be throwin down like high rollers for once.

So check ya Monday!

Labels: get schooled saturday

Earth Day Thursday- Old Fence or Amazing Headboard?

"That wood? Right there? With all the splinters and rusty broken nails sticking out of it? You are going to use that for a headboard?"

Um, yeah...

"I don't think that's what you want to use for a headboard."

Tell me I can't do something and look at what happens!

I even mounted our bedside wall lights onto that no good old wood that some crazy person gave me for free.

I had this to start off.

Then I saw this photo on Pinterest and it became my mission and all I thought about until I finished the project.

I love everything about this bed, the colors, the materials, the rustic vibe. I also like how grand it is, but I was just going to stick with my basic upholstered piece, because I honestly didn't want to spend any money and this was a total whim. Check out all of my inspiration photos here.

I ripped that shelf off of the wall and had my blank canvas.

I gloved up and pulled all of those rusty, bent, and broken nails out of a bunch of boards.

and started measuring and cutting.

Meet Mr. Handsome...my new miter saw.

I am not the measuring or planning ahead sort so I was nervous it was going to be a bear to get everything lined up and even and all that. But really it worked out pretty well and the

ENTIRE PROJECT TOOK 2 HOURS
I swear-start to finish it was fabulous and easy.

I cut the boards in the garage and hauled them up to my bedroom. I just drilled 'em in and since the boards were so old and worn out the screws went in super easy. I was careful to be sure that the edges were all varied so it looked haphazard and not all lined up.