Happy Blogiversary to Me and Happy Memorial Day to You!

Hello! I hope you all are having a wonderful start to your Holiday weekend! I was hoping to have a wonderful tutorial for all of you today, but unfortunately that isn't going to happen. My father-in-law is getting married today, so there is quite a lot to do, and writing up a tutorial just won't fit into the schedule. Sorry :)

Make sure you didn't miss any of our great guest posts or tutorials this week!

Here they are-

Monday- a Coffee Table Makeover from Pam of Simple Details

Tuesday-  Turning an Ugly Frame into a Modern Mirror from Me

Wednesday- Our Gallery Wall & How to Hang it Straight from Me

Thursday- Lamp Shade Makeover from Jennifer of Dimples & Tangles

Friday- How we can fight C.R.A.P. syndrome from Alyssa of Clever Nest

I also have some very exciting family news that I will share on Monday, once all the details are figured out. I can't wait to tell you all about it! It will definitely lead to a whole new realm of home decor projects for us! If you follow me on Pinterest you might have some idea what I'm talking about!

Happy Memorial Day Everyone!

Alyssa from Clever Nest

Today we have Alyssa here from Clever Nest, and I love what she chose to share about. Please take a minute to check out her blog. She is kind and funny, and you will love her! Here's Alyssa...

 ’Ello everybody : ). I’m Alyssa Wine of Clever Nest, and I was so excited when Lauren asked me to guest blog for her one year blogversary! I’m  a loyal fan of Lauren’s, I think she’s fantastic, and her entry way make over is the bomb. Lauren, thanks for letting me be part of the fun!

Now, it’s time to confess a dirty little secret of mine.

Self Diagnosis

I follow quite a few awesome DIY blogs (that’s not the confession). The confession is, some days when I’m reading the posts of my blogging friends and the wonderful things they’re up to, I feel… intimidated. Seeing picture after picture of beautiful homes, flawlessly executed crafts, and overly photogenic children I think, “how can I compete with this?”  Everybody but me obviously has perfect lives and spends their time smiling and painting chevrons on things all day long!

This is true for Pinterest as well.

I know I’m being dramatic, but, have you ever felt that way too? I look around my house and see my hubby’s dirty socks on the coffee table, my half finished craft sitting on the dining room table, and the baby smooshing crackers into the tile.

I have named this feeling. I call it,  Comparison Rage And Preoccupation syndrome. Otherwise known as, feeling like C.R.A.P.

Getting’ Real

The first thing I do when I start feeling this way is to remind myself that beautiful pictures show only one side of the room, er, story.

Here’s a real life example. I wrote a post revealing my little guy’s newly finished nursery (you can see the full post here). Before a camera got anywhere near that room,  I dusted, vacuumed, removed half Andrew’s diaper and wipe paraphernalia, fluffed blankets, and styled stuffed critters.  Here’s some of the pics I posted-

Now, here’s the pics I did not show anybody. If you had turned to the right, you’d see why I didn’t show the closet view.

Stunning. We haven’t exactly gotten around to installing closet doors. Thankfully Andrew is still young, and not yet old enough to know how he’s being neglected by his parents. And if you had turned to see the hallway, you’d find even more good stuff. 

Ye lovely Pile O’ Mess. I scooped up everything that wasn’t photo worthy and dumped it out of view! I just walked in the other room and took a picture of what the nursery looks like on a normal, blanket fluffing free day.

 My Andrew sign is wilting... 

That’s the plain, unphotogenic truth. I appreciate it so much when my favorite blogging ladies show their behind the scenes pictures! Their houses on a normal day, the untouched rooms with gloriously high stuff piles, even divulging their secret to making a bathroom towel look extra fluffy in the “after” shot. It reminds me that, they live real life too, just like me.

You Got This

The second thing I do to alleviate feeling like C.R.A.P. is to remember my triumphs. I definitely don’t always knock it out of the park (the time I hung a fish-turkey on the wall!),

but sweet comments by family, friends, and you guys remind me that sometimes I do get it right. We’re all trying to make our lives a little more awesome, and chances are, we underestimate how much what we do means to those around us!

Embrace the Fail

When all else fails, I stop blog surfing and type in this website. CraftFail. I discovered this site a while back and I always leave feeling better about my artsy endeavors (I was not paid to say this, I just think they’re awesome!). Here you can laugh along with fellow crafters who had their project fail hilariously and miserably. You can even see one of my very own flops on there, this lovely thing!

Holy Restickable Gluestick Batman. It wasn’t funny at the time, but now it is! : ) Sometimes a good laugh reminds me not to take it all too seriously.

Craftians, Unite!

Nobody paints chevrons all day, certainly not me. I know that, but sometimes a reminder is good for the soul! My house doesn’t look like a magazine cover 7 days a week, and that’s ok. My crafts sometimes are only fit to amuse. I’m a real human being with a stuff pile just as big as the one I’m sure my favorite bloggers have at their house too.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with cleaning up before you show off your space, or showing off our sweet craft ideas. We all like looking at pretty pictures! BUT-  what I’m saying is, let’s not let those glossy, white balanced, staged pictures fool us. Let them inspire and motivate us to be creative, never make us feel like second class uncraftians. Will you join me in fighting C.R.A.P.?  Pinky swear?

<3 Alyssa

www.myclevernest.com

(Sorry for saying C.R.A.P. so much, mom. It had the letters I needed.)


I know I am guilty of C.R.A.P. from time to time. I am also most definitely not living in a photo ready house in a moments notice. I often find myself taking pictures while trying to avoid a pile of laundry, or toys. I'm in Alyssa! How about the rest of you? 

Lampshade Makeover from Jennifer of Dimples & Tangles

I am so excited to have Jennifer here from dimples & tangles. She is super talented, and has amazing taste when it comes to interior design. She really doesn't need much of an introduction, so here's Jennifer...


Hello to all of you fellow a Commoner's Castle readers!  I have so enjoyed Lauren's blog and am thrilled that she invited me to share with you today.  I'm also a fairly new blogger and have been so blessed to become a part of this wonderfully supportive blogging community.


This is the very first project that I posted on my blog, and I thought I'd also share it with you.  I bought these lamps several years ago at Hobby Lobby for 80% off.  

Loved them as they were and they were the perfect size to flank my mantel...I love using lighting on the mantel!  I have enjoyed them but am gradually moving away from so much red in the family room, so I put them away for a while.  When the time came to pull them out and use them again (I have a big stash of accessories that I switch out all the time, do you?), I searched high and low for new shades.  Not an easy task, being that these shades are very tall and narrow. 


Usually I just recover a shade that I'm tired of, but this one had curvy lines that would have made it really difficult.  I couldn't walk into Ross or Target like I normally do and pick up a replacement.  I'm sure I could have found some online or from a fancy lighting store that would have been the right size, but I wasn't willing to shell out the big bucks that I knew I'd have to pay. 


I finally pulled out the scissors ready to snip off the old shade and try use it as a pattern to fashion some sort of new one, when a thought popped into my head.  Paint fixes everything, right?  Especially black paint!  Why not try painting them?  I was originally looking for a white shade, but knew that white wouldn't work over the red fabric.  I use a lot of black accents so I decided to try it.  


First, I snipped off the X cross pieces.  I didn't want to work around them.

I used a bottle of Fabric Medium from Hobby Lobby and mixed some with my black acrylic paint.  The medium helps the paint spread on more smoothly and evenly.

Using a foam brush, I applied the paint with a light touch as evenly as possible, being careful around the edges to get a clean line.  I did discover that if I pressed too firmly the paint soaked through to the white silk liner underneath. 

After the first coat I placed the shade back on the base with the light on and could still see the red showing through, so I painted a second coat.  

Perfect!  All it took was less than two dollars for the paint and about 20 minutes.

I think the darker shades add a touch of sophistication and 
are a nice contrast to the brick. 

In my opinion they look better than any replacement shade I might have found, and were much more budget-friendly!  Do you have an easy fix for tired lampshades?

  

Congratulations Lauren on your one year anniversary of blogging!  Keep up the good work!


Jennifer, Thanks so much for being a part of our blogiversary celebration, and for always being encouraging and inspiring.
I really hope you will all stop over to her site, and say hello! She has a beautiful home, and always has something amazing going on.

Finally! Some Art for the Living Room

I finally figured out how to get my new frames from last week, hung and they are all level! (at least for now!) I had a really hard time getting these up. They are the frames that have the two hooks on the back panel that holds the picture in, and let me tell you the are never the same from frame to frame(plus, they move around a lot.) I realize I could have just used the command strips, but they start to add up pretty quick, so this is what I did.

First, I gathered my supplies. The pictures here are pretty self explanatory. A hammer, a level, a measuring tape, 10 Large Sawtooth Picture Hangers (about 77 cents a pack at Wal-Mart) and Command Picture Hanging strips. 

Not pictured-  painters tape (this could be improvised with card stock or whatever you  have around the house), a piece of scrap cardboard or soft fabric to lay your frame on while hammering), and a nail with a fat head.

Then, I got to work! I held my hanger up to see where I wanted it. I measured, and the bottom line was at 1 1/8". I made to marks at this point.

I used my level as a straight edge to draw a line between the marks.

I also marked the center point of the frame.

I lined my picture hanger  up to the marks I made, and pressed by big nail into the holes to make a starting point for the tiny nails that are used to hang the hanger.

Because the nails are so tiny, I folded a piece of painters tape in half and poked the nail through. This gave me something to hold the nail with. I just ripped it off once the nail was secure.

Repeat those steps 8 times, or as many times as you need to depending on how many frames you have.

I didn't do them all at once, it was tedious and time consuming, so I did 2 or 3 when I had a minute.

Finally! Time to hang them. I put a piece of painters tape on my level, and marked the distance between my nails. I started on the right side, and measured up the wall about 5' for my first hole. Remember this will be where the center of you frame sits. I just kept lining up to my original mark, using the level. 

I wanted four inches between my top and bottom row so I added 4" to the length of the frame, and measured up from the top of the frame below it.

I used about 1 3/4" nails to hang the pictures. I hung the first one leveled it, then the second one. I then held the level above both to make sure they were level with each other.

I also checked that the lines were staying straight by holding my level across the top of three frames.

Just keep going until all your frames are hung. I had to adjust one of them, and move the nail up about an eighth of an inch, but other than that it all went really smoothly. 

I plan on adding a command strip to the bottom of each frame to help keep them secure and level. 

Mike and I are thrilled with how it looks. The size is perfect for the ginormous wall! 

Now, I just have to figure out what order I want them in. I like them the way they are, but I am thinking about doing it a few other ways.

What do you think? How would you arrange them?

Ugly Picture Frame to Modern Mirror

I am loving how this project ended up. It was totally random, and I just kind of went with it, and let it become what it was meant to be. Usually I have a pretty detailed plan laid out in my mind before I start a project. When I started this one I thought I knew what I was going to do, but then I was inspired, and the store I went to didn't have the right color paint, so I just winged it.

I found this frame at a garage sale over the weekend, and I figured for 50 cents it was worth a shot to see if I could make it over. I loved all the girly details, and I liked that it had that faux bamboo texture. 

This is what it looked like when I brought it home-

It's most definitely dated, but I was hoping some paint would mask it's ugly past.

I removed the back to see what I was working with. I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was very sturdy, and in great condition. All I needed to do was clean it up a little, and get to work. I washed it up, and peeled the "painting" off the particle board.

I started with two light/ thin coats of quick drying primer from SW, then I did another two light/ thin coats of Ivy Leaf by Krylon. It wasn't my first choice, but the hardware store that was open had a very poor selection. It must have been fate. :)

hmmm...
what to do for the art?

I thought and thought about it, and after a few minutes it came to me.
Maybe that's because I was checking out Land of Nod a few days ago, and saw this-

or maybe I'm a genius! I was thrilled at the idea. I measured the original glass, and it was exactly 12x12, that shouldn't be too hard to find. So the wheels started turning, as I tried to think of a place where I could find an inexpensive 12" mirror. 

Then I saw it, the builder basic mirror that I took down in our powder room. Maybe I could use a razor knife, and cut it up!

I decided to google it, and there were tons of tutorials.
I realized that I was going to need a glass cutter to get this done, so I picked one up for about $4 at the Hardware store. (the one with a very poor selection of spray paint colors)

All I did to cut the mirror was hold my straight edge up to the edge of the mirror, and make marks at the 12" mark then I lined the straight edge up to the marks, dipped my cutter into some oil and pulled it towards me. I did the same thing in the other direction, and I was done. This was my first time cutting glass, and it only took about 10 minutes. It wasn't perfect, at all, but the edges don't show, so it really doesn't matter. The same thing goes for the bevels, I was going to cut them off, but they are covered by the frame, so I left them. 

See how wavy that right side is? I'm sure if I wasn't in such a hurry it would've looked much nicer. My first cut was perfect, but that second one was pretty wonky. Oh well!

After I cut the mirror, I went to check on the frame, and it was still a little tacky, so I gave it a quick blow dry, and brought it in to put back together! So excited! 

Here's a before and after to show you just how much of a transformation it went through!

I'm thinking about highlighting the details with some light aqua paint, what do you think?

Pam from Simple Details is Here!

I am beyond thrilled to have Pam from Simple Details here to kick off our Blogiversary week! She is always so kind and supportive, and has amazing taste when it comes to interiors. Be sure to stop by and check out her amazing blog when you have a chance! Without further ado here's Pam...

Hi everyone, I'm Pam from Simple Details, I'm thrilled to be kicking off

Lauren's Blogiversary week!  Congrats on a fabulous year, Lauren! You couldn't be

 sweeter or more supportive and are a true delight to have in the blogging community! 

Today I'm sharing one of my favorite updates, our living room coffee table.

  I thought it was looking a little dark and heavy, and in my plan to update the living room

 that I started here, here, and here, I wanted to include a more neutral palette.

                                             So, I did what every diyer does - painted it!


                                                                       BEFORE

AFTER

                        

                                                                The Products:

Rustoleum Protective Enamel Oil Based - Gloss Almond

Anita's Metallic Craft Paint - Classic Gold

My Favorite Purdy Brush

Small Brush - from Kid's Art Kit

 The Price:

 Rustoleum Enamel - $9/ quart -  used about half

Metallic Paint - $3 - used about half

The Prep:

Per Rustoleum instructions, I gave it a light sand,

sprayed it down with water (squirt bottle) and dried. 

Taped off the fretwork and medallions I wanted to paint gold.

                                   

The Painting: 

I used 3 coats of Rustoleum Enamel,

allowing 24 hours drying time between coats.

After the 2nd coat I sanded lightly with 220 grit sandpaper

and then took my leaf blower to it

to get all the particles out of the thousands of crevices!

The Problems:

I wish I would have filled these little holes, and the area where the boards meet,

I did everything except pour the paint in them hoping they'd disappear, no luck.

This is the worst of them, and I'm sure it's one of those things only I notice. :)

                                                                    Patience!

                                     Each coat took almost two hours and the gold fretwork,
                              I lost track, I just kept at it whenever I had a few spare minutes,
                                                   the good news, it dried quickly! 

                        I love the high sheen lacquer finish ~ it was definitely worth the time!

If you like to check out my latest look for spring go here or stop by

Simple Details to see what's up with my latest projects. 

Thanks so much for inviting me over Lauren, wishing you another successful year!

Thanks so much Pam for sharing your gorgeous table makeover with us. I'm going to have to give the Rustoleum Protective Enamel a try, it looks wonderful! 

I am really excited about all the amazingly talented guest posters we have this week. 

I have some great project tutorials in the works as well, so stop back again, 

this week is sure to be jam packed full o' blogiversary goodness!