The Big Sunroom Makeover Reveal!

Whooo-hoo!!! Today's the "Big Reveal" for the Sunroom Makeover!

Above is the before pic, and below are LOTS of afters!! :)
(And I'm apologizing for the icky quality of the pics, it's just so overcast outside!)

"After...." (click on pics to enlarge, if you wish :)

Hubby lovingly painted the sunroom in Duron's Tobacco Road.
I had heard so many amazing things about it from Nester and others on the web, that I had to try it out! I'll admit that I freaked out at first, then wondered if I should go down a step to Plantation Beige, but now we really love it!

The new white slipcovers, yea!
And pillows that I made myself!!

Y'all were so interested in my antique French key, I added some more pics! It is the key to my "secret garden"!! This is my "garden room" after all!! :)

It's hanging from an old scale!!

My newly spray-painted barn star!!

I love chalkboards, and these are some of my favorites!
The "menu" one below I got from JunkMarket tour at the Kane County Flea Market several years ago!
The menu hasn't changed in a couple years, it reminds me of the outdoor movie festivals we would host each year!!

My floral frog collection :)

The pillow fronts are the most gorgeous Martha Stewart Signature fabric. I got this as a remnant at a fabric store. There wasn't enough for the pillows, so I got some complementary sagey-mossy green fabric for the backs. It matches the "leaf" color in the fabric fronts, and also matches the distressed painted color of the coffee table and sisal rug border!

Look how the white is crisply set off by the rich neutral Tobacco Road paint color!

Sadie likes her "new room"! :) LOL

( We really wanted to put up bamboo roman shades as well, if you remember, but our windows would require a special order width, and since we plan to sell the house this year we decided to put that on hold. Painting was a LOT cheaper! )

I really hope that y'all like the makeover! We are enjoying it so much!!
Thanks for visiting :), leave me a little comment to say "hello"!!!

Family Room Mistreatments

I finally did my family room mistreatments!!

It really couldn't have been any easier! I actually found ready-made valances at Wal-Mart. By Better Homes & Gardens no less! And with the prettiest trim already on there!! But I don't care for the 80's valance look with the ruffle at the top. I wanted a cleaner, more updated look!

Here comes the mistreatment:

Got some 1x4's that were 2 inches longer than my window frame.

Attached valance with a staple-gun on the top. (Lining up the stiched seam with the front edge of the board. This still allowed a 14inch drop for the mistreatment!)

Wrapped valance around the side of the board and did a staple in the back.

Trimmed the excess so it would fit neatly by the window frame.

Attached L-brackets to wall.

Placed mistreatment on top. (I didn't even bother to attach them to the L-brackets!)

And that's it! So super-easy!!

These were done in a matter of minutes!! Yay! :)

I'm going to be working on some more mistreatments in my home, and also finishing up the sunroom so I can reveal it to you on Friday!!!
Have a great day!

A Sneak Peek!

Here's a little preview of my almost finished SUNROOM, y'all! :)

I'll be sharing the rest of it with you later this week!!

Have a fabulously BLESSED Monday!

My Junk Drawer Secret

Silverware drawer organizers can be used to organize LOTS of other things in your home.

But my favorite use for them??

Organizing the Junk Drawer!!

You know, the drawer in the kitchen where everything little but necessary gets shoved? The drawer that turns into the Bermuda Triangle -- stuff gets put in there, never to be seen again?!
That jumbled mess of JUNK?!!

Well, no more!! :)

*Ahhhhhhhh* (heavenly angels sing)

Using a silverware organizer helps keep your Junk Drawer neat and under control!
Everything has a place.

I use a section for various keys. One for "office supplies" like pens, pencils, scissors & tape. Another section is used for dry erase markers and chip clips. Ipod & phone charger cords in another. Notepads and a calculator. Emergency flashlights have room in there, too!

It's amazing how much stuff these organizers can hold!

Everything is SO easy to find, and put back when you're done. Even my kids do it right every time, and if you saw the toys strewn upstairs, that's really saying something! LOL!!

Find these drawer organizers most anywhere!
Use them to organize most anything!

In the Kitchen:
Junk Drawer
Large Cooking Utensils & Measuring Spoons
Teas
Spices
Silverware

In the Bathroom:
Toothbrush & Paste
Nail Polish
Makeup
Brush
Hair Clips

In the Family Room:
Hide in TV Cabinet w/ Remotes & TV Guide

In Craft Area:
Buttons
Threads
Glue Gun
Glitters
Scissors
Staple Gun
Scrapbooking Supplies

In the Bedroom:
Jewelry Organizer
In the Nightstand for Paper & Pen,
Glasses, Hold Rings, Wallet for Guys, etc.

There are SO many uses for this inexpensive organizational item!!

What do you think?? If you use any of these ideas, or have any more great ideas, send me a picture & I'll post it on my blog!

Easy Accent Table Makeover

Here is a super easy project I just did recently! It's an accent table in my library (what we call our living room).

I used a particleboard table, you know the ones...find them most anywhere. But this would work on lots of smaller tables!

And I'm not one to waste good storage space -- this vintage apple basket holds current catalogs!

The fabric I used is actually a drapery panel that I got on SALE at LinensNThings closeout time! Just drape it around the table, and fold over the excess neatly on the top (I didn't want to cut it, cause I might use it in a different way in the future!). I love this, cause it's already hemmed and lined for extra ooomph! This is silk fabric, so I let it puddle slightly at the bottom too!
See the little folds? No problem. Cover them up with your accessories! :) I got the lamp at HomeGoods, and the plant is a FAKE one (that needs serious dusting, I know -- I just pulled it out of storage!) that I just don't care is fake, and the picture is of my girls and my nephew in a Target frame!

I got an even better deal on the lamp because the finial is missing -- betcha never noticed till I pointed it out!

2 lessons there: It never hurts to ask a store manager for an extra discount on "damaged" merchandise,
and stop pointing out all of the faults in your home. Others rarely notice "problems" until you show them! Enjoy what you have and stop apologizing for what you don't!! :)

See? Cute lamp anyway, right? At some point I'll put something there, but it's not a priority!

Ta-daaaa!! And there you have a fabulous looking accent table, at a great price, and with no sewing involved! This is just the kind of project I like! :)

I'm still working on clearing the clutter, my sunroom (which I plan to reveal next week), mistreating lots of windows, and.....
coming up with an amazing giveaway for my soon-to-be 100th post!!!

Have a great day today!!

A Snow Day!

Guess what we woke up to this morning!!! In North Carolina, no less! SNOW DAY!!!

Poor Sadie had never seen snow before! She just wanted to look around and eat some of the snow!

It truly looks like a Winter Wonderland out there!

And since this family is from the Midwest, I think my kids will be the only ones who actually have snowpants and boots to play in the snow with!! Yup, only around 4 inches or so, but school was cancelled last night :)! Crazy!

I really hope that y'all have a wonderfully blessed day today!!! I'm off to get ready to PLAY!

Ready...Set...Go!

Wanna know how to get the whole family to help keep clutter under control??

Do what we have started doing....10 Minute Clutter Cleaning!

We aim for 7:30 every night to do our Family Clutter Cleaning. I set a timer, and all 4 of us spring into action! It's amazing how much you can do in 10 minutes!!

Fold a load of laundry, load the dishwasher, pick up toys, put belongings in their rightful place, clean your powder room, vaccum the carpet, wipe down your kitchen counters, throw away art project scraps, etc!!!

It seems like a fast, fun game for the kids and for us adults, too! The kids gain a sense of family responsibility as they help out, and learn how to do new skills (folding laundry, for example!) that will help them be responsible adults. My Hubby and I feel so much more relaxed having accomplished a task or 3. It feels good to be productive, and our home feels much more PEACE-ful!

Feel like giving this a try? What could your family accomplish in 10 Minutes of Clutter Cleaning?

Hello, Again!

Remember me? It seems like I've been gone a lot from my blog lately, doesn't it? I have really missed visiting with you! I've been super busy, and here's some of what I've been up to:

• I spent a week with my Mom in Florida! I went to help her decorate my parents' new home there -- talk about right up my alley!! Yeah! I got to help choose furniture, rugs, wall colors and papers, fabrics, etc, etc... We had a blast together, and worked all day every day from breakfast till after midnight. No beach or pool time this trip! But I had the MOST FUN!!! Of course I lugged my computer and camera there on the airplane, but my camera died the 1st day, and I was so exhausted to boot that blogging just didn't happen.
• When I came back home my daughter was sick with a sinus infection :(.
  
• I've been on a major mission to get things cleaned out, decluttered, decorated, and done around here. It seems that chaos and stress is swirling around as I'm on my way to a more "Peace"ful life! I'll be sharing more on that with you as time goes on.
  

I will be back to share more with you tomorrow!!!