All Tied Up {Curtain Tie Backs}

Why hello there!

If you remember, many many weeks ago, I added our bedroom curtains to our living room. There they hung, a bit forgotten and incomplete. I realized during this project that I only ever had four panels, not the six I expected. So, assuming I would quickly head back to IKEA for another set, I left them alone until today. As I was cleaning and rearranging my office, I stumbled upon the pretty tie backs that the curtain packages included. We’ve never used them because the curtains have been closed for most of their time with us. I decided that using tie backs would make them a bit more polished and at least remind me to get my behind moving in buying the other pair.

Before: Just hanging around.

After: Ahhhh, it’s almost like the windows frame our gorgeous greenery outside. Definitely a perk of the neighborhood.

So this project cost about $8 for the hooks and mounting materials (found them all at Bed Bath and Beyond). Now I just need to get moving and pick up that last pair of curtains! I’ll let you know when this little, never ending project, is finally complete!

XOXO,

Ashley

A Little White Pop {Adding to Our Living Space}

Hey all,

For awhile, we’ve been living with a big hole in our lives. You know, we were sans couch table! After we got our much larger TV for the bedroom (to match the massive bed and massive art piece from this post), it needed a home. I moved our lovely IKEA console table up to the bedroom for the perfect fit. But this perfect fit left a perfectly large hole in our living room. Now, let’s have some honesty time. When I decided to move that table, I kidded myself thinking that we wouldn’t need anything behind the couch. This proved to be very wrong. Because of the layout of our house, and the minimal space for our formal living room, we can only have one side table with out couch. So if you want to rest your glass somewhere, or god forbid a plate (YES WE EAT ON THE COUCH), there isn’t space to do so without that lovely console table. So, while rummaging through my parents basement, I eyed this lovely little table.

Okay, so it needed some love. But it was acting as minimal storage in their unfinished part of their basement. I figured I would offer to take it off their hands.

Yes, it looks a bit sad. Yes, it’s not typically our style. It has these beautiful carvings on the the side and the legs are a bit more ornate than I would traditionally lean towards, but something grabbed me. Plus, I’m a sucker for family history and this piece was one of my great grandmother’s. Knowing this made me need to have it even more. I took it home, plopped it under our deck IMMEDIATELY, and got to work. And as a spray paint junkie, it shouldn’t be a surprise that I had not only two cans of primer for this little lady, but also a full can of white, matte paint. I originally thought that I would paint it black, or a glossy white, which makes it much easier to disguise the ugly notes and quickly revamp the piece. But you know what? The black would have been a mistake. We don’t have anything else painted black in that room and it would have looked like I was trying to hard to mask problems and match it to the existing pieces. The gloss also would have been off putting, making it stand out way more than we wanted it to.

Look at those legs! This is the perfect little table. So happy to have it.

So after the two coats primer and a good coating of the white, it was ready to go into its new home. And then I realized, maybe it was too big! Ah! Would I actually like it there? It was wider than I really expected. I left it there, let it grow on me, and just today accessorized the little lady. And we’re in love again. She’s just perfect.

I moved the lamp from the side table to the new table. Now our engagement scrapbook has a proper home and there is still plenty of room for several coasters for drinks. If you look really hard to you can see that I finally added the gold accents to those tile coasters. A little gold is always good.

 

So overall, a great decision. She’s happy, I’m happy, so we’re one happy household. So what have you been up to? Spray painting pieces? Accessorizing the house? Let me know!

 

XOXO,

Ashley

Green Thumb, Homegrown {Potted plants and garden update}

Hey ya’ll!

I must be on some sort of break to be posting in the middle of the week! I’ve recently been working with my grandmother on updating all the potted plants around our deck. They looked a little sad before, reminiscent of the commercial where the girl kills all her potted plants until she finds a certain potting soil. I had pots stacked in pots, old soil sitting and waiting for a new inhabitant, and then the very sad, burned up evergreen. It definitely wasn’t forever-green after our horribly hot summer last year. Many of my other potted friends didn’t make it through the summer, either. They have to be VERY hardy and take more than just full sun. Our deck is not only always sunny, but it takes in a ton of heat, so the flowers have to be okay with dry soil from time to time. My previous choices, with the exception of three plants, didn’t make the cut. I will spare you the pictures of the sad, dried up variety and only provide you with the happy, finished product ones! This is mostly to appease my own vanity, as I now can’t believe I left our deck looking so sad and dry when it looks so happy now.

 

 

Best plant in this picture: My great-grandmother’s rose bush is in the top, largest pot. This little lady has moved with us twice, but has lived at many other houses. She’s a resilient plant.

 

This is when a plant rack doubles as a little scenery diffuser. Our neighbors are very close and very cluttered. You know how I feel about clutter. By putting this many post (nine on the shelves, one on the stand and one on the ground), I’ve diffused that view from our back door. Thank goodness.

 

Well, townhouses are quite close to their neighbors, aren’t they? We have darling neighbors on this side, so no need for privacy there. Just one stand and two big guys on the ground.

 

And if some of these plant stands look familiar to you, it’s because we’ve used and reused them so many different times. They were originally purchased from Ikea as barstools in our first apartment. When we moved back to our hometown, we no longer had a bar that needed stools, but we did have a garden that needed stands! I painted them black and placed them in the garden. They moved to this house in their black form and even stayed that way for two years. But after several years of wear and tear, they needed a little love.

 

Yeah, that’s just not cutting it.

 

So, with lots of cleaning, elbow grease, and a left over can of spray paint. These two stools got a little love and a brand new life in bright green and bright blue. I actually like that they don’t match, because that leaves room for my old smoking table to also get a facelift.

 

This was from my great uncle’s house. We’re not smokers, nor do we need a “smoking table” in our home. But its strong metal base and larger top made it a perfect plant stand. After a winter outdoors it started to crumble, rust, and just look awful. It needed several coats of bright blue love, but it looks amazing now.

 

So our deck of flowers is really coming together! Just in time for spring to almost be over. Yikes, where does the time go? I still have plans for a few flower boxes on the railings of our deck and one more big pot to be filled and placed. I’ll have to update about my little garden next time. It has some work coming its way too!

 

XOXO,

Ashley

Old Jars Make Desk Storage {Rust Goes Beachy Chic}

Just a quick little post!

I recently picked up these two adorable jars at a vintage sale.

These jars are the cutest. They have great, thick glass.

They used to be jelly jars and they have a nice, rust to their tops.

I originally thought that I would cover up these rusted tops. I would pick the toppers and then spray the whole shabang. But then I realized…

 

Wouldn’t it be cool to embrace the rusty, vintage nature of the jars, rather than cover them up? And so I did. I also decided to go that way with the shells I glued on top. I must have tried four different pairings. Started with beautifully perfect shells, but it just seemed wrong. Then I moved to smaller, tulip conch shells, but they were too colorful and intact. This went on for awhile. So then I realized, I really needed to embrace the old, rustic charm. I plopped a piece of coral that was coming apart and another conch. This time the conch was covered in barnacles and age holes, pretty roughed up. They fit PERFECTLY. I couldn’t be happier with how these two little jars turned out. A little hot glue and drying time, and now I have two super cute jars.

What a great pair. I love the texture, age, and beauty of them both. They’re going to look awesome on my desk.

And what, you may ask, would even fit in these tiny jars that you fretted over? Well, I think they’re perfect for my tonnage of paperclips and binder clips.

 

See? They already look great on my desktop, holding exactly what I need.

 

So what do you think? This project was under $6 with the jars and the shells. I’m a sucker for office organization, containers, and shells, so this was right in my wheel house.

 

XOXO,

Ashley

Never Take Martha’s Name in Vain {Sea Shell Wreath}

I’m baaaaack!

This post is aptly named for one specific reason. I had wanted to make a beautiful seashell wreath for our front door, to enjoy during the summertime. I found a great, and seemingly simple, tutorial with a video on Martha Stewart’s website. It seemed straight forward enough. Seemed is the keyword in that sentence. Here is my interpretation of the steps required:

Step One: start with a metal filled, straw wreath base. This was my first mistake. I can see why it would help, in Martha’s tutorial, but for me it just made a huge mess. My straw wreath base left bits and pieces in its wake. I rarely have to vacuum post-crafting and I had to do it twice. This could have been the wreath that I purchased, as it seemed to molt as soon as it left its packaging. It did provide a great amount of support and flatter surface for the shells, though. So there’s that, right?

Step Two: using crafting tacky glue, begin placing your shells on the wreath form. Here’s where I lost it. I began this project the week before, creating a first layer of shells. It was a sticky mess and I lost interest pretty quick, considering that though tacky glue holds a bit more permanently than other types of glue, it also takes longer to dry. They aren’t immediately bonded to the wreath, so keeping them in one place and not sliding around or falling off was nearly impossible. I left the wreath half-completed, like the picture below, for a good week or so. I just didn’t have the willpower to glue and hold, while still trying to add more shells.

This is how the wreath stayed during that week, until I finally gave up with the tutorial directions and went out on my own!

Step Three: Try again a week later with failed results. Continue to try to add layers of shells on top of the original shells. Fill in the creases where you can. When I started out, I thought that maybe my patience level had returned and I could take on the sticky mess once again. But as I continued, I realized this wasn’t so. Which leads me to my next step in this tutorial.

Step Four: Take the good lady Martha’s name in vain. I should have never said it and I paid the price. I wrote a caption for the above picture, before continuing with the project. It doomed me. I said, “Dear Martha Stewart, I tried your way, and it’s a sticky mess. Now this sucker will be done my way.” And with several sticks of hot glue and my trusty hot glue gun, I did finally complete this project. It took several hours and there was something harmed in the process.

My poor thumb. 

 

This sucker stuck with me all week, what a frustrating place to burn yourself on your low-heat, hot glue gun. Right at the end of the project, I dripped a healthy gob of hot glue directly onto my finger. It hurt so badly, I realized immediately that it was dear Martha punishing me for speaking poorly of her tutorial. But there’s always a silver lining, right? The wreath did get finished, it is a million pounds heavier, and is just waiting for summer to be hung on our front door. What’s also funny is, that about the time I was finishing this project, a friend of mine was sending me some awesome info on a place to pick up some beachy items. She knows me so well!

Perfect summer door accessory.

 

So, overall, this project only cost me about $5 with the wreath form and the glue sticks. The shells are slowly decreasing my large collection that was going to waste. Was it worth my thumb being burned? I think so.

 

XOXO,

Ashley

 

 

Market Days and Fleas {Rummaging through MD and VA}

Hey all!

Just a quick post because I really should be getting back to my list of “to-do’s” for this week. I had a GREAT day on Saturday, full of searching and finding some gorgeous pieces that I wish I had the space for. I left a lot behind but got a lot of interesting ideas and my wish list continues to grow. We started our day at Chartreuse’s Market Days (you can find more pictures and information here). There were many tempting wares to feast our eyes on!

My mom asked why I would consider buying a big boy like this. Answer? Because it would look AWESOME in my beachy office. I didn’t end up buying him this time around but I keep thinking about him.

 

I’m a sucker for typography. This would be great on our fence for the backyard. I love the colors, the rust, and the font.

 

I’m just now re-reading the price tag on these iron pieces. I am now regretting leaving them there. They would have been great, painted in a bright color to match one of our rooms or black and put onto the wall going up the stairwell. And a vintage, one-of-a-kind pair for $18? Man, kicking myself.

 

I was immediately drawn to this large glass jar. The beauty of the color as well as the unusual size was AMAZING.

 

My mother thought this might be a solution for her kitchen nook problems. She walked away without it, though I still think it’s photo worthy. I loved the glass doors.

 

Hello, vintage! This guy was in the “project barn.” He’d be a great addition to a shelf collage or a birthday gift for the music aficionado.

 

For what it is, it may have been a bit expensive ($29). But I absolutely adore the color and the storage. If this is there next time, I’m snatching it up. The problem is, what you see once may be gone by the next time. I really have to get better about just buying sometimes!

 

MMM. Green glass. The little bubbles and the different shapes were super charming. Not quite the right green for our bedroom, though.

 

Future project alert! My lovely friend reminded me that I could quite easily get this look done on my own. So look out for a future rope wrapping tutorial! And you know what is so great? Sometimes, the best things that come out of these trips are the ideas and inspirations, not just the goodies purchased.

 

I’m a sucker for a good owl pun. This vendor hand paints all her window and glass pieces. They’re just fantastic. She also had several nautical versions, which may need to come home with me.

 

I had no room for these but I just couldn’t help taking a picture. These would be GREAT for someone with a “man cave” or bar. I can just see them leaning behind a bar. It’s such a shame that someone painted over the original Old Export Beer ad.

 

But this was a busy weekend, full of not only Chartreuse and Co’s market days, but also The Old Lucketts Store’s Design House! Again, so many beautiful things, not enough space to put them in my house!

 

The coral was just too beautiful to not sneak a picture. I can only hope to get a few pieces for my office or really anywhere in the house.

 

DRIFTWOOD BASKET! The best.

 

There was a much larger collection outside of Old Lucketts Store but I really liked this part of the group. The manicured bushes and cement planters are so classically beautiful, I just wish I had a larger yard.

 

One- I love cubbies, especially ones with history. Two- the color of these cubbies is just divine. I need them. I must have them.

 

I have an obsession with mirrors; this is something I cannot deny. But this cluster is great for a few reasons. One- each mirror is a different shape. Two- the odd number is pleasing to the eye (no really!). Three- don’t they remind you of…driftwood?

 

I did end up taking home two small candlesticks, but otherwise I left empty handed. I am now regretting that decision! So many beautiful options. Thanks Chartreuse and Co and Old Lucketts Store! You made a great Saturday search day!

 

XOXO,

Ashley

 

PS- What’s coming up next? A seashell wreath for our front door, rope wrapped home decor, and more framing projects. Stay tuned!

Tile Goes Practical {$2 Coasters}

Hey all,

I plan on posting tomorrow (hopefully) some awesome pictures and sights from a full day of rummaging. But for now, I give you a quick and dirty tutorial to make tile coasters.

I found these pack at our local Habitat for Humanity store. The idea of making ten, quick coasters for only two dollars was completely appealing. Plus, isn’t that blue just divine?

 

Dots or felt circles, you choose. Just whatever you choose, just make sure they’re level and will keep your furniture scratch free!

 

Square tiles are an easy, almost already made option. All you need is a few felt circles (which I already had) or some clear bumper dots. You don’t want your new tiles to leave scratches on your beautiful furniture. Place four dots at each of the corners and marvel at your work. I love the color of my coasters, but I am considering adding a bit. This is a really easy project to take up a notch.  You could use mod podge and glue down different papers, fabric, etc. You could use paint and sealer to add a bit of a design or free form on top. I think I will eventually edge mine in gold paint, giving them a little flair. Because they are unused tiles, the edges are raw and could use a little extra pizazz. Why not make it a little gold? So you head on down to a big box store (or a salvage shop like me) and get to work! Everyone needs coasters!

 
XOXO,

Ashley

 

Shelling Out For a New Project {Wall Letters}

Hello everyone!

Last night, while watching some old Walking Dead episodes, I decided to continue my shell-crafting binge. I picked up one of these paper mache letters at our local JoAnn’s just the other day ($4.50 with a 40% off coupon). I still have lots of project ideas for my future beachy office, so I figured why not start another! What I didn’t realize is that my obsessive side would seek absolute perfection and not allow any paper mache to show under the shells. This project took me about two Walking Dead episodes, which means it took about two hours total.

 

First, start with your empty letter.

So this is how it started. Seems easy enough, very straight forward.

 

Then, put out all the shells you intend to use. It’s easiest to sort them by size or shape, helps keep it organized. This way, when you have a space to fill, you can just quickly pick a larger or smaller shell to use.

 

Here are just a few of the shells I used. I set them out first, then started organizing.

 

Once you’re all organized and ready to go, heat up that glue gun and get to work! This is probably the hardest and most tedious part. I wanted to make sure that my letter wasn’t just adequately covered, but completely covered (except for the back so that I had a flat surface to mount it to a wall). I used a TON of hot glue. I mean really, I used a TON. This letter ended up being pretty hefty with the weight of the shells and the weight of the glue. I didn’t want any shells to fall off, so I used both glue on the shell directly and for some shells that were larger, I glued around the sides once it was already placed. And, after a couple hours and many zombies, I had a finished F.

 

There’s a joke in there somewhere, I’m just not sure where.

 

I’m going to leave it natural for now, but I may decide to spray it all one color for uniformity. We’ll see, I’m still not sure! Next up, a summer wreath with….you guessed it…shells!

 

XOXO,

Ashley

 

PS- Because of the coupon, and the fact that I already had the shells and the glue, this project cost me under $3. Total score.

Anatomy of an Entryway {Foyer Update}

Hey all,

I recently posted this picture of our entryway and new rug.

Wouldn’t you like to come over?

I figured, though, that I would give you a heads up into what it takes to MAKE an entryway. This is the first place people typically see in your home. You want to convey your personality, style, and give a little dose of excitement and whimsy too. But, it’s typically forgotten or overlooked. Just put a catch all piece there and move along because it’s not a room you stay in. I would argue, however, that it’s important to finish it off and make a welcoming entrance to your home! And so, I give you my anatomy of an entryway.

 

The mirror tutorial can be found here. I’ve collected those medallions over time, adding another mirror in a different color here and there.  The rummage sale, where I bought the green stool, can be found in this post. The desk was passed down to me after my uncle passed away. It is a sweet reminder of him every time we come into the house. The flooring, though it took forever, was well worth it. You can see what it started as here and the process it took to get it to what it is now. The owl umbrella stand was an under $20 purchase from our local Habitat for Humanity store. He was hidden away in their small section of housewares and I grabbed him as fast as I could. Most of owl umbrella stands I’ve found can price for $50+, so he was definitely a good find. The small coat rack is perfect for guests to hang their coats and not have to get into the hall closet, which can sometimes look like a hoarder’s dream. And the little antique chest, spray painted to match the room, is perfect for those strewn about shoes that never find a proper home.

But the capstone to this room is the new rug. I found the brand, Fab Rugs, at our local tag sale. Though I LOVED the rugs they had, neither was perfect for the room and I couldn’t pull the trigger. I came home that day and found the brand online. With a 20% off coupon, I was able to get this rug for $39. Plus, it’s made of plastic! It’s made out of recycled plastic, which makes my green little heart happy. Plus, since it’s plastic and we have a huge furry dog who tends to track in dirt, I can just hose it down outside if it ever gets dirty. It’s also reversible! If I decide that the blue is too much, I can turn it to the white side and have just a touch of blue. All in all, a great purchase.

So now, think about your foyer and what you can do to it to make it a welcoming, whimsical, fun spot to come into rather than the ignored space in your place!

 
XOXO,

Ashley

***Not pictured: On the wall opposite the mirrors is a framed print my mother did in college. It has all the colors picked up in the other objects. Also not pictured are my two brass ducks, sprayed to match the room.

 

On Display, On Display, On Display {Shadowboxes for the Office}

Why hello there!

Can it be? I’m posting multiple times in one week? Who would have thought. It must mean I’m on a break or something (Happy Passover/Easter!)…

Anyway, in my previous post I mentioned some tutorials for wall decor and art for a beachy office. By now you should have checked out my post on making metallic seashells (but if you haven’t, you can find it here). My next task is to show you how I made some awesome shadowboxes for a sea star, sand dollar, sea biscuit, and a couple urchins.

First things first, my supplies. Unfortunately, sea biscuits and other sea creatures are not made equally (or proportionally). I found several affordable shadowboxes at our local Michaels. They were originally $9.99 a piece, but marked down to 40% off. What I love about Michaels is that they STILL take your coupons on top of the already marked down price. I just happened to have a 25% off frame and shadowbox purchases, so I added that discount onto the already marked down prices. This means I ended up with three awesome shadowboxes for the price of one and a half (about $14). I was so happy with my purchase, but they came with meh black backgrounds. Typically, I love the black-white contrast, but with a beachy theme, it’s a bit too stark.

See? Loads of contrast. Too much for what I’m going for in the room, perfect for other places in our house. It needed to change.

The next supply necessary, if you so choose to change the background, is a fabric, paper, or background design you would like to add to your shadowbox. I chose a burlap. I thought it would be very easy to find some cheap burlap at our fabric store, but boy was I wrong. Apparently no one wants to wear scratchy, itchy burlap. Possibly because it may look like a sack? Who knows. What I did find, at a little bit higher of a price, were scrap-booking sheets of burlap that are intended to be page backgrounds. They were about $3 a page, but fortunately on sale for a little more than $2 a sheet. I bought three and also picked up some more shadowboxes. I quickly learned that one shadowbox may fit a flat sand dollar, or even a skinny sea star, but not a sea biscuit or armored sea star. Bummer. Why don’t the shadowbox companies PLAN for these things? Sheesh. So I picked up a few more shadowboxes, which also happened to be on sale at our local JoAnn’s.

After I pulled out my trusty glue gun, a pair of scissors, and my purchased supplies, I got to work. Some of you may have seen this lovely Vine video which included a quick cut of the process.

First, take apart the shadowbox, you can use the backing of the box to cut your burlap/paper. Cut around the edges, making sure that you don’t have TOO much extra around the sides. This will cause your burlap/paper to be wavy and not flat against the backing. That will make it just look messy and you don’t want to do that! Heat up the glue gun, it’s time to go to work. Glue each of the four corners directly to the backing, making sure to not leave room for waves, wrinkles, or the like. Then, center your object (if you so choose to have it centered), making sure it fits proportionally when the shadowbox is reassembled.

WILL IT FIT!?

For the items that had natural holes in the back, I used both push pins and tacks to hold it in place. I also used a liberal amount of hot glue to attach the objects to the burlap. Let it dry completely and if you’re a daredevil (as I am, obviously), give your backing with the object a gentle shake to make sure it’s fully attached. Worse case scenario, you’ve got a flying sea biscuit. Best case scenario, you’ve glued and anchored PERFECTLY and it will not fall in your awesome shadowbox. Once you’ve done this quick test, place the backing back onto the shadowbox, wiggle until you can anchor all of the back brackets and enjoy your hard work.

Why, hello there sea biscuit! You will be beautiful on my future office wall.

Seriously, this project should only take you about 10 minutes. I may have had some missteps (sorry pink urchin, you were a good one), but it took me less than 10 minutes to accomplish the whole project and I made 4.

On the left, a pencil sea star. On the right, a sea biscuit. Just a little detail shot.

The gang’s all here! Pencil sea star, urchins, sea biscuit, and sand dollar.

Fortunately, the things featured in the shadowbox were mostly free because they’re from nature (except for the urchin and the pencil sea star). The shadowboxes cost about $25 and the burlap around $8. Overall, I probably spent under $40 for this project and I still have one more shadowbox to fill. So, I call it a success and a step in the right, beachy-office direction!

XOXO,
Ashley