Space Savers Unite!

As much as I love my little home I can't stand the size of my kitchen. It definitely will not hold this family of five in a few years but right now I can only find simple solutions to having no space at all!

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of going to visit on my best friends in Northern Virginia. The bonus to that trip is that she lives about an hour from IKEA. I went into the trip to find a kitchen set for my daughter for Christmas and I came out with that and so much more! I found a huge space saver for my kitchen in the form of a spice rack. It doesn't go in your cabinet or on top of the counter....you hang it! I know, genius! Oh and this little piece of awesomeness only cost me about $15. Gotta love IKEA and their reasonably priced goods.

So I paired this hanging spice rack with a hanging basket that the lovely previous home owners left over three years ago. It has been hanging out in our laundry just collecting dust so I finally decided to put it to use.

It may not be the prettiest but it helps save so much cabinet and counter space. I love it! The space was very much welcomed!

Oh and you know me, I probably will end up spray painting the hanging basket at some point but right now I am just happy to have some space to work with!

Deck the Harts

I cannot begin to describe how amazing it feels to finally be done with school. Not only can I be home with my babies, but I can get back to my house! I can't wait to get started on my list but most of that will have to wait until after the new year. Christmas is a lot on its own to handle.

I know I am a bit late but here is a December decorating post! There is a bit of everything on here :)

So right at the beginning of December I decided that I wanted to make some of my own Christmas decorations to save money and it was a success! Here are some of my creations...

With a glue gun, one can make anything!

finished product...

I made a smaller one as well with green and white striped ribbon but for some reason I forgot to take a picture of that one. It turned out just as good as the one above.

Now on to the next project...

So I originally was going to make a wreath with these cinnamon sticks but decided against it. Since they were just laying around I decided to make some candle holders. I saved two picante sauce jars (why I have no clue) but they definitely came in handy. 

Once I hot glued them on the jar it felt like they were missing something....

Ahhhh....thats much better! I have learned to save wreaths from previous years because they can always be used for something on down the road. I made two of these and when a candle is lit up in there, it looks so pretty. 

Here is another reason to save wreaths!

I used this one for the centerpiece on my coffee table. Oh and there is one plus to having pine trees in the backyard....there are PINECONES every where! Another penny saved.

Here are a few more pictures of the inside my home.

I ended up putting the green and white striped ribbon around the sticks to pull the room together.

There are my two jars all decorated with a few reindeer.

 Oh and on a side note - see that green lantern thingy to the right? Yea that was my best find at Pier One ever! That baby was marked down from $65 to $15. I know right? Amazing! Ok back to the pictures...

Here are some pictures of my outside. I think less is more when it comes to decorating outside. I get that from my momma. These trees are on their third year and they are still going strong!

Here is my wreath on my front door. I used this wreath last year and I loved it so much, I decided to use it again. I added a new touch this year with the little silver "H." I got that little letter from Target for about $.50 on sale. You can't see it from the street but when you come up to the door it shines!

Oh and lets not forget the  most important decoration of all...

The Hart family Christmas tree.

Thats a big load of B.S.

Did the title draw you in! Oh get your mind out of the gutter and continue to read...

Lets see....how long have I been in college...oh just FOREVER! But now I can finally say that I am 100% done! I am officially done with school. I cannot even being to describe how amazingly good it feels to be able to say that. I finally have my B.S. in Interdisciplinary Studies! Which basically is a fancy way to say a degree in education! I don't care how old I am or how long it took me (11 years, but who is counting) because at least I finished. Oh and I put together a pretty awesome little family in between as well so I must say I have done pretty good!

But just not to have to worry about papers, observations or a portfolio any more makes this momma grin from ear to ear! So now I am back to the blogging world! I took an eight week hiatus so that I could concentrate on my student teaching but I am officially back.

I have so many different little projects that I can't wait to get started on. So of those nine people that actually follow and read my blog, thank you for always checking in on me to see where I have been and why I haven't written. It brings a smile to my face. Your wait is over :)

See you all in a few days!

Oh and I am sure the post doesn't live up to the title but I just couldn't resist!

Framed Out

So I found this picture on the lovely pinterest...

...and I fell head over heals in love with it. I knew that I wanted to recreate it but with different colors. So since we are home in Arkansas I decided to make a trip to Hobby Lobby, which by the way, is an amazing store! I walked into the store not knowing what colors I wanted to use but thought I would just walk around and look at what they had.

This is what I walked out with...

A cork board picture frame, two sheets of scrap book paper, and a big gold letter

I picked this paper out because the pattern resembled the look of the frame

I wanted something not so bright so I figured these colors would work good in our home. The next thing was to figure out how I was going to put everything together. I decided that a hot glue gun would be my best bet.

I took the back of the cork board off the picture frame and glued the edges of the paper to the cork board. Once it dried I put it back together. I was afraid that it would not stick but it held better than I had ever dreamed!

The next challenge consisted of getting the letter to stick to the paper. Well the hot glue gun came through again! This little project turned out better than I could have ever imagine! Here is the finish product.

It looks so much better in person! Cant wait to get home and find a place for it...



Gettin All Stripey on Ya!

Sooooo....after I won the seven year battle over wanting a coffee table instead of an ottoman, I had to convince my husband that it was finally time to tackle the vertical stripes that I have been begging for forever! Usually I do not have to ask my husband for help because I can handle decorating/painting on my own, but this was a bit hard for me.

My husband has the eye and by that I mean he can pretty much look at something for one second and tell it is not level. No need for levelers in our home, well that's not true. I have one tucked away just in case I decide to do something crazy when he is not home ;). So with all that being said I have been dreaming of vertical stripes on our accect/tv wall for some time now. I knew what a challenge it would be for my man to  have to measure the wall, draw all the lines and then put up tape. So needless to say I have been biting my tongue for some time now and finally the other day I pretty much begged him to do it for me! He said yes!

I was beyond excited. So here are a few photos to show you the process and then the final product. Oh and must I say....I am totally in love with my wall :)

Anthony drawing the lines

measuring

painting...

final product. weird light! its white stripes on a light brown wall.

Oh and just to mention we lost power half way through this project! Did that stop us? No way, we kept on at it until it was finished. So happy with the outcome! Oh and here is sneak peek into our hall bathroom makeover...

Seven Year Battle Ends!

The seven year battle for my coffee table is finally over! Since Anthony and I got married in 2004 I have begged and begged for a coffee table but have always been turned down. He loves his ottoman. So I patiently have been waiting until the day when the ottoman would just give out. Well ladies and gents, it finally happened! When you take a leather ottoman plus two dogs it was bound to happen and by golly I was over joyed when I saw that small rip. I know you must think I am crazy but I have longed for a coffee table and I knew that day was coming...

I stalked that ottoman every single day and watched the rip get slightly bigger and bigger. Oh and my smile grew wider and wider with each added inch. And no I did not rip it myself, although the thought did cross my mind sometimes ;)

So the day came when the rip finally reached the point of no return. My husband had hoped that it would just stay small but it didn't! Yes I could have fixed it but it was also ripping in other places as well. He knew that he was losing the battle and finally gave in....yipee!

Since we are some broke folks I knew that finding a coffee table might have been a bit challenging but I was wrong; thanks to the awesome and fantastic website known as craigslist! It never lets me down. It took me a few days to search through what was for sell but I finally landed on this beauty...

Okay I know most of you are wondering where the beauty is but I saw past every scratch and dent! I was in love and the best part....this baby only cost me $15. Yep you read right. I said fifteen smackaroos! Awesome, I know! I couldn't believe it myself. But first I had to see if it was even available and I needed to see if it was sturdy enough to make it through the tornado known as the Hart house.

It was available (obviously) and this sucker was ridiculously heavy! It took both Anthony and I to pick her up. I knew she would stand the test of time :). So now I had to think about what to do with her. I didn't want a fancy coffee table because fancy doesn't even fall in my vocabulary. I knew that it would get beat up in my house so whatever I did it needed to be thought out. Well if you know me, I do not like to think things out so I just went for it. I love love love the color red and when it is a deep red I am even more in love. So that was my plan. Sand, prime, and paint!

Well like I said before I didn't want a perfect paint job. I wanted something that would wear but look good. So I scratched the sanding and just went to cleaning. I wipe her down with a wet rag and then used this...paint thinner!

I read a few tutorials on painting without sanding and they all suggested cleaning with a paint thinner to get all the dirt and whatever else may be on it off. So that's what I did. Once that was dry I proceeded to paint.

I totally forgot to take "during" pictures. I wish that I did because the first coat looked awful and I was praying that it would turn out. Oh but it did and I was smiling from ear to ear. It isn't the perfect paint job and I know it will chip and wear but that's exactly what I want to happen! I love it in our den and I think it just adds so much!

Welcome coffee table, welcome!

And she has proved to be an awesome place of storage. I have since placed three baskets on the shelf hiding toys, books, diapers, and so much more. She definitely was worth the seven years of begging! I think my husband actually likes her too :)

Lucky Number 7

Pinning, pinning, and even some more pinning pretty much describes my addiction these days. It is amazing how one little social networking website just keeps drawing me in every day and I mean every day and sometimes a bit more than I am willing to admit! Its just that amazing!

I love interior design and this website just sparks that fire! My husband is wondering where I am getting all this energy and it is from Pinterest! There are so many wonderful ideas. I just cant get enough! I mean I seriously cant get enough of it. Its kinda sad when you think about it but for those few minutes a day it takes me away to my own special little paradise and it couldn't make me happier.

So there now that I have gotten that off my chest I feel so much better.....ahhhhhh!

This does tie into the title and our 7th anniversary, which by the way, it is today! I was browsing Pinterest today and found this beauty....

Seven years today :)

How adorable is that?!?! I mean talk about a cute little thing to do for any event. Wedding, birthday, or an anniversary. So easy and cheap to DIY! Maybe in the near future I may have to try this baby out.

So anyway I am off to prop my feet up on the couch and watch a movie with my love. What a great ending to an amazing day.

Blessed...

Since I was a little wee one I have always wanted to be a mommy. Carrying my dolls around and acting like their mother was not out of the ordinary for me. It was just a part of who I was and who I grew up to be. A mommy to me is something that no other feeling can compare to. It is just...amazing :). I never was one of those kids that dreamed of being famous. Of course I had my Debbie Gibson moments on our front porch, but that was it. That life never appealed to me. I loved the family that I grew up in and knew that one day I would have a family of my own. Family gatherings for birthdays and the holidays became my favorite thing to do. Just being with my family was special. Maybe because I had such an amazing one!

August 21, 2004 I married the love of my life and my new family had begun...


When I look at my little family of five (seven years later) I just smile :). I just cant help it! I never in my wildest dreams would have thought I would have been a mommy of three. Sometimes I have to pinch myself and wonder why God decided to bless me with this wonderful little life. I truly am blessed beyond words and I am so thankful.

My life revolves around my family and I would not have it any other way. Being able to stay at home with my babies is the most amazing thing. I love being here with my loves when they wake up until they put their sleepy little heads on their pillows at night. Not many families are able to do it so I know how fortunate we are. My momma was never able to stay at home. Her and my father both had to work to support our family. I must say they worked their booties off for my sister and I to have the life that we deserved. .

So here I am, 29 years young...a momma of three and a wife to wonderful (sexy) man who loves me more than words can even begin to describe. We may not be rich in money but we sure are rich in so many other ways.

Behrly Enough Paint!

The deck is finally finished! It only took us about three days to complete it but it felt like forever. This definitely was a project that was long over due. When we bought this house over three years ago the deck was on the top of the to do list.

You could tell that the previous owners had no idea what they were doing and just starting nailing boards together and they some how came up with a deck. But since getting decks torn down and rebuilt costs a fortune we decided to leave it as is and paint it at some point. Well that "some point" ended up being almost four years later! But honestly, now I see why we waited so long to do it.....I didn't know how many crevices this thing had! Once I started painting there was no looking back. Oh and did I mention that when the previous owners were putting this together they in no way measured the distance between each board on the floor of the deck. So that left us with major gaps between each one. So guess what we had to do? Yep that's right! We had to take a itsy bitsy tweeny weeny (haha) paint brush and paint in every crack. I was about to lose my mind after the first two! Here is what the deck looked like before its makeover...



this was after i cleaned it!

It definitely looked ten times better after I cleaned it but no where as good as it was going to look! So once I began painting I new this baby was going to look brand new. My excitement fed my energy and I was painting like a mad woman but then something happened. The worst thing that can happen to a painter, especially when they get on a roll...


i ran out of paint!!!

I was so mad! Look how close I was to the end! It about drove me crazy. Oh and if you look close you can see the cracks between each board. Yea that is what we had to paint because you can clearly see the old board color between each boards. You can see now why I was about to lose my mind!
Ok so after I had to run out to the store to get more paint I finally was finished! It felt so good to get this job done, crossed off the list! It will definitely work until we can build a new deck later on down the road. Here are a few pictures of the finished product!

It looks like a completely different deck! I actually enjoyed going out there and having people over. I used to be so embarrassed when people would come over but now I am so proud of my baby! If anyone is interested we used Behr premium weatherproofing deck paint semi-transparent and the color was sable. The paint was great and it only took one coat! We went for the semi-transparent paint because with old boards regular paint would have taken two or more coats, talk about some money! But we are so excited to finally have this done and we could not be happier.

Oh and remember those letters I made for Kate's room? Well I outlined them and love love love them! It definitely makes them pop off the wall a bit more. Here is a pic of the newly outlined letters...

Now on to finishing Kate's room! Thanks to all who suggested outlining the letters :)

She wore an itsy bitsy, teeny weeny, purple polka dot...letters?

Yeah I guess the title is kinda out there but that is all I kept singing when I was making the first piece of art work for Kate's new big girl room. I wanted letters for her room but since she already had white walls I wanted to do something that would stand out. I also wanted big letters, which were hard to find, but I did! And.....even before I painted them, I loved them! But since the wall they were to take residence on was white, I needed to spruce them up just a bit. So here they are just plain Jane...

Now I was on to figuring out what I wanted to do with them. I didn't just want to paint them solid so I decided to paint....you guessed it....polka dots! I didn't want those perfect dots, but something a little more hand drawn. So I free handed with a itsy bitsy, teeny weeny paint brush <------sorry I had too! It turned out....well....I'm not sure what to think about it. I promise the color is purple not black! So here is the finished product...

I love the way the circles look imperfect. That's what I was going for but I am not too sure how I feel about the finished letters hanging on the wall. So it will have to sit with me for just a little bit to see if by some chance I change how I feel. We will see! For now on to project number two for little bits room.

Dehinge or not dehinge?

So if you keep up with this little blog of mine you will know that last week I scratched two things off my almost four year old list. Amazing. I know! I am slowly getting things done. It feels like I have been pregnant for the last 3 years and now I can breath and get back to work on this lovely house we call home. The first thing I scratched off the list was removing our ugly storm door and the after shot is amazing. I still cant believe how much better it looks...here is a little picture to remind you!

And....once that was complete I began to spray paint every door knob in the house. They went from this...

To this...

Such a difference! You may not notice them when you walk in the door but I DO! So now the dilemma was figuring out how to make the hinges the similar color without having to take every door in this house off the hinges. I would have also had to recruit my husband to help and sometimes I just like to figure it out on my own and get the "I have an awesome wife" look when he gets home ;)

So I came to the conclusion that I was not going to be able to take the doors of the hinges by myself. So my little brain got to ticking and (BAM!) the idea smacked me right in the face...why not purchase paint that was similar to the color of the door knobs? So that's just what I did! It was extremely hard to find something that was exact but I figured the distanced between the hinge the door knob was enough to where no one would notice (unless you are reading this). So here are the hinges before...

inside hinge before

   

inside hinge after



outside hinge after (forgot to snap a before)

I was beyond excited that it actually worked. I mean it really worked! Even if you put them side by side you couldn't tell that they were two different colors. I must say that this little DIY project definitely turned out a million times better than I could have ever imagined!

Now onto finishing up Kate's new room! Lets hope the outcome there is just as exciting :)