Anthropologie Lampshade

I’ve been working on re-vamping my master bedroom. So far, it has taken me 7 years. I should be done pretty soon. I purchased a lamp for it, and it has sat on my side table (with the tags still on it!) for two months. I wanted to “fanicify” the shade somehow, and I just couldn’t make up my mind how to do it. But then…I saw this.

{$88.00}

However, I didn’t really see it until I saw this. That’s it! That’s how it needed to be fancified! Thank you, Terra from Mama Says Sew. She gives fantastic directions, but I’ll give you the low-down here as well.

I purchased 1 1/2 yards of burlap for $2.99. Because the shade was so similar in color, I didn’t wrap it beforehand. Looking back now, I wish I would have, but it’s not a big deal. Not that many people tour my master bedroom anyway. :)

I folded the burlap in half and used my rotary cutter to cut the strips. Don’t let the ruler fool you. I didn’t measure anything. I just kind of “eyed” each strip, but I did use the ruler to make a straight line. I think they ended up being about 2 1/2 inches.

Per Tessa’s directions, fold the strips in half and iron them down. You will line the folded edge with hot glue and place it on the shade in a squiggly manner.

Do this for about three days, burn your fingers five times, and itch for hours because of all the messy burlap residue.

Once you’re done, you’ll have something like this!

Unfortunately, I don’t think the base is staying this color, but it certainly is pretty! It was just the texture I was looking for, and it only cost $2.99 to do it. Inspiration abounds in blogland, doesn’t it?

SAS Day and “Normal”

I’m on mid-winter break this week, so I decided to gut the kids’ bedrooms. As I approached the rooms with my hazmat suit, I found it funny how differently they seem to play. Case in point--

He’s the “typical” boy with his arsenal of weapons and the ultimate Star Wars battle.

Then, there’s my daughter. She has her books lined up for her “students” and has written her very own Santa book.

No girl’s room is complete without a plethora of jewelry, some ultra-cute writing utensils, and the ever classic chick flick “Aquamarine”.

Of course, no cleaning day would be complete without finding this on her work desk.

Apparently, after a tough round of tic-tac-toe, a cup of jo just won’t take the edge off.  My little 8-year old has realized that she needed something just a little stronger. That can’t be normal, right? Do you find this stuff in your kids’ rooms?

Can’t Be Me Without Them

I think there’s no doubt that blogging can be expensive. Projects, crafts, DIY’ing, and decorating can financially take its toll on even the most frugal of bloggers, so I am VERY thankful to all of my generous sponsors for having faith in JaG to do right by them.

I hope to get the word out about their sites and products. Just in case you haven’t clicked on their ads yet, I thought I’d show you a snippet of what you’re missing out on. Please go visit them. They certainly deserve it! (Their ads will serve as the link.)

 

 

 

    

Thank you!!

Brooch Magnets

Some time ago I had written that my grandparents moved in with my mom and told me they wanted me to take anything valuable.  Being the sentimental sap that I am, I quickly took anything and everything that had meaning to me--namely, my grandmother’s brooches.

I thought it was such a personal item that I would cherish for years. Her brooches and my grandfather’s collection of fedora hats have always intrigued me. It’s a tangible reminder of a more formal time period that doesn’t seem to exist anymore.

                     

           

Trying to figure out what to do with them/how to display them/how to do them justice, I simply did nothing for months. But THEN…I came up with an idea.

Why not turn this little $7.00 beauty into a framing piece for the brooches, yet still be reminded of my grandmother while using them? Brilliant, Chris.

Want a tutorial? Good “cause I’m gonna give one. I went to Lowes and purchased a piece of sheet metal in the plumbing department. I laid the frame backing over it and cut the measurements with a utility knife. They have fancy schmancy scissors that cut sheet metal, but I used an old pair of scissors I had around the house. It worked perfectly.

It was a scary moment, but I took some wire cutters and cut the backs off of each pin. No going back now.

They offer a wide variety of magnets in craft stores, but NONE of them work like the ones below. Trust me—I’ve wasted some money figuring that out. These babies are strong! I glued them on with some E-6000 glue. Also very strong!

Spray painting the sheet metal black helps the brooches show off their color better (I think), and it turned out beautifully.

Another treasure that came with me was my grandmother’s recipe box. It’s full of hand-written family recipes, and I just love it! There’s just something about hand-written items.

I paired it with a couple of my favorite pictures of them called it good. I love neutrals, but the color in this project has me smitten.

The moral of this story? Don’t be afraid to show off family treasures in a non-traditional way. I think about how long these beauties remained hidden simply because I wasn’t thinking “out of the box”, and it’s so disappointing. So go forth and rethink those heirlooms that have been stored away for too long.