nursery decor : finola's gallery wall

I knew when I started decorating this nursery - before I knew whether I was having a boy or a girl - that I wanted a little gallery wall above the crib.

Something pretty simple.

So I gave this 11x14 inch framed chalkboard center stage (made simply by using chalkboard paint on plywood and a frame found at a thrift shop) and with hubby's help just arranged my other choices around it.

(Hubby hung them all - otherwise it would look a mess.)

Thought I would share some of the details here...

This frame I found at my parent's house, leftover from their garage sale.

It was silver so I painted it with turquoise spray paint.

The adorable 'You Are So Loved' print can be purchase here.

I painted this frame, found at a thrift shop, as well as the chalkboard frame, with the same paint we used for the trim throughout our house.  I love it because it is super bright!  The 'oh, hello dear' print is actually a greeting card purchased at this cute shop.  It didn't fit the frame so I simply put brown kraft paper behind it.  I find if you are trying to decorate inexpensively and want to fill a cute frame you can find creative ways to do it!

The photo of baby Fin was one I took when she was one month. (pardon the glare off the glass!!!)  I really like it and used it because she is wearing pink and I wanted to bring a little more girlish pink to the display.  The Jesus Loves Me plaque was given to us at Cormac's baby shower and I thought the color went well and that it added something different amongst all the frames.  Plus, we sing it every night before bed.

Here is another frame with some interesting detail to it that I found amongst the rejects of my parents' garage sale.  Again I spray-painted the heck out of that baby, added some picture hanging wire and baby clothespins (since it had no glass or backing) and voila!  A spot for a pic of me - super preggo with the little one.

The 'Keep Calm' print is a greeting card framed in a very inexpensive white ikea frame.  Then I put my favorite ultrasound picture of Finola inside another glassless frame I had for forever that I painted turquoise.  The turquoise owl print is (also in an Ikea frame) is from this Etsy shop and was purchased before I had Cormac.

So there you have it!  I have more projects going on in her nursery - which I think will always be a work in progress - and I will share more soon!

Hope everyone is having a beautiful week!

g

ikea kiddo table redo!

When I saw this Ikea table "hack" I knew I had to do one for little Cormac's toddler room!

The 'Latt' table and chairs from Ikea are only 19.99, and come unfinished so you can paint them to your little heart's desire.  I love that Ikea started carrying a lot of unfinished products...since I bet a lot of customers got sick of trying to paint the laminate! 

*waves hand wildly and points to self*

Anyway, I wanted him to have a little table for his room, and this fit the bill.  I painted the table with Valspar "Classic Navy" which I bought a sample of, the table top with chalkboard paint that I already had, and the chairs are "Proper Gray," which I also had already.

So the project cost about $22.

And he had fun 'helping' me. 

:)

Please ignore his messy room.  It is currently having an identity crisis as to whether it is a toddler room or a nursery.  And really, the room will be neither.  (In the end, it will be our master bathroom.)  The color schemes are at odds with each other, made worse by the green tiled fireplace.

Buuuuut he looks like he is enjoying himself, anyway.  :)

g

the drop leaf table: {inspirations}

Growing up we had a drop-leaf table in our home.  For a good long while it was in our laundry room, acting as a folding table, painted yellow, with a dog crate housing a very angry lhasa apso named Buffy underneath.

Then, when I was a teenager, it was painted cream and placed in my bedroom.  It became a writing desk.  I had a typewriter {yeah, well, I was old-school.}  I had big dreams sitting at that drop-leaf table. Writing dreams, including novels.  Oh, and I did homework there, too...when I wasn't distracted by my writing dreams.

Now it is my older sister's drop leaf table.  She painted it again, and it looks absolutely lovely in her home, with a pretty Eiffel Tower lamp placed upon it. 

A couple years ago I began thinking about that table.  Imagining one of my very own.  Then, recently, I began actually looking for a table just like it.   Pretty easy to find on Craig's List, it turns out.   So I plucked down $35 bucks and began dreaming.

Here are a few of my inspirations, via Pinterest...

Source: lillablanka.blogspot.com via Greta on Pinterest

Source: sweetpickinsfurniture.com via Greta on Pinterest

Source: stores.ebay.com via Camille on Pinterest

Source: apartmenttherapy.com via Greta on Pinterest

Source: cherpeace.tumblr.com via Greta on Pinterest

I know the last beauty isn't a drop leaf...but it inspired me nonetheless.

I have already painted the legs and the bottom...now I am just trying to get the top right.  Needless to say, I am experiencing a major learning curve when it comes to using power sanders.  Or, in fact, any type of sanding.  Eek.

Reveal to come soon!

 g

thrifty find: burlap lamp shades

Right now I am loving the natural fiber of burlap -- and apparently so is Pottery Barn and the rest of the world!  :D  

While flipping through my PB catalog for design inspiration I was completely drawn to their new burlap lampshades. 

{pb}

But sigh, I cannot pay $70 for a lampshade.

This is when I turn to Target, who has a similar product {okay, so not as luxe} for only $19.  

{target}

So I snagged the large version to replace the broken shade on the Eiffel Tower lamp in our living room.

Of course, Hubby still thought $19 was expensive "for a lampshade."  

:)

g

vintage finds: the whole kit and 'caboodle'

One of the things I did while visiting my parents in Minnesota was acquire a beautiful booty of old stuff.

Some from the local Salvation Army.

Some from the antique mall in town. {"in town" is what the country folk call the small city nearby}

Some from the storage space in the old 'grainery-turned-Dad's-man cave'   These are things he was instructed to throw away but pheeeeeeeeew thank God he didn't!  It was like a treasure hunt.

Here are a few photographs of my finds...

Completely adorable picnic basket.  .

One of my old Caboodles.  These are considered 'vintage' now.  Wow, that doesn't make me feel old or anything.  Instead of makeup I stored a mish-mash of items such as pennies flattened on railroad tracks, notes from dear friends, post cards and admission bracelets to amusement parks.  Even now I can't bear to toss them...

Some pretty frames and a tie rack.

A stool which also has butcher block-top table that I plan to repaint and use as a play table in a toddler room someday, perhaps.

Old suitcases?  Yes, please.

One was actually in perfect condition, the other not-so-much but it was my dad's work briefcase for years and years so it has purely sentimental value.  

Another thing I found in my Caboodle...a plastic photo holder holding all photos of none other than...

Joey-Joe McIntyre from the New Kids!  Wow.  Just wow.

One of my favorite finds while thrifting in town...a beautiful old copy of Wuthering Heights:

An old camera with leather case for $14...and a $3 photography book from the 1950's just for fun.

Of course there are the obligatory mason jars...who can pass up their cuteness {and cheapness} for only $1 a piece?  Surely I can find a use for three more...???

And finally, the cake stand.  I wanted a smaller one than the one I have, and this little scalloped beauty fit the bill.  For only five bills.

One HUGE thank you to my mama for a wonderful morning thrifting and antiquing with me -

and for marrying a man who doesn't throw anything away.

Love you both.

g

{cork trivet}

Anyone else have about a million wine corks being saved, 

waiting for the perfect project to use them for?

Well, if you know me, you know I drink a lot of wine,

and I started saving my corks from the very beginning.

Let's just say ' a while ago. '

Anyway, my mother-in-law gave me a Christmas gift this year which 

gave me the perfect excuse to use some of my corks...

...a corkboard trivet kit!

This one, by Oenophilia, can be found at wine shops, party stores, and {here.}

OR...you could make your own using:

• a small frame with sturdy backing
• glue
• corks

Um, easy, right?

So I recently looked through every single one of my corks and picked out the ones I loved - either because they were from a bottle we drank on a special occasion or had visited the winery, had a cute saying or design, or just were a favorite wine.

I had some 'help' doing the picking and arranging.

Once I'd chosen the corks, I had to design my trivet.

I went for a fairly simple 'brick' pattern.

Then I simply glued them onto the backing of the frame and let them dry!

The finished product:  love!

Made a lovely addition & conversation piece 

to the table of our dinner party that night!

Happy, happy Tuesday!

g

be our guest : guest room redo

No matter how small your house is, it is important to have a place for guests to stay 

and feel cozy and comfortable.

Before having our baby, we had a guest suite...which, being the largest bedroom, then became the master suite with the arrival of Baby Mac.  

So we were left with only the pullout sofa bed to accomodate visiting loved ones.  Hubby thought this was acceptable...particularly since we don't have frequent overnight guests. Me? Not so much.  I adore having a guest room in my home.  I don't care if it only gets used once a year...still totally worth it.

Plus, in October both my mother and sister were coming to visit.  

Joy! Wait - panic!  

Where would they sleep?

So, I had to get creative.  

We currently only have 3 bedrooms - 1 master, 1 nursery, 1 office.

Obviously, the office was my only choice.

So now we have an office/guest suite.

This works really well actually...the room has an attached full bathroom that hardly gets used.

I just ditched my own desk space to make room for a comfy daybed.

No biggie, my Mac is portable! :)

Here is the room {before}when we first moved in:

Here it is {after}my quickie recent redo:

 Changes I made were: 

- new window panels {Ikea} -- white brightened up the space!
- lavender-gray walls {Valpsar - London Coach}
- black iron daybed {Ikea - found on clearance for $59!!}
- gray throw {West Elm}
- white bedding {Ikea and West Elm}
- gray and white rug {Ikea - $19!}

{before}

hubby's office space {before}

and {after}

{before}

{after}

So to conclude my guest room tale, 

the visits from my mom and my sister went grandly.

They had a comfy place to lay their heads...

and I have a guest room again!

Does anyone else feel me on the need to have a guest room?

Much love -

g