Quick & Easy Halloween Decor

Annnnddd we're back. You guys, I've been so busy launching Fresh Bib, I've totally neglected my first baby and her followers. I'm so sorry. So how have things been in blog world? Anything earth shattering that I need to know about? I trust you'll tell me if so.

So what have I been up to lately, besides working my tail off for Fresh BiB? Well, decorating the house for Fall/Halloween for one. I wasn't going to do a thing, but then my boys begged with little puppy dog eyes and I couldn't resist. Oddly, I have lost most of our halloween decor so I was forced to create a few new things. Inspired by where else but Pinterest? I created a few new banners that took me less than 30 minutes for both! I had some stiff felt in black and sticky back felt in white left over from some other craft projects; both were perfect for what I wanted to create.

A Beautiful Mess created this fun "Boo" banner a while back; I've always loved it and thought I'd finally try making my own...

Y'all, it was so easy. I simply cut the banner out of the sheet of stiff felt and punched holes in the corners for my yarn. Then I traced the word "BOO" onto the sticky back white felt, cut it out, peeled off the backing and stuck my letters onto the banner. Done!  How easy is that? The pumpkin and black cat cutouts above are actually old Halloween cards that my aunt sent my boys two years ago. Old cards are such a simple way to decorate. I perched these atop vintage spools, but they also look great framed.

Since our fireplace is in the boys' playroom, I wanted their decor to be playful, not scary! I'm not big on the scary side of Halloween. Plus, my boys have been having nightmares lately and are sleeping with their bedside lights on. This pacman garland from Minieco was perfect for them! Using my stiff felt, I traced circles (using chalk so that it would show up) and ghosts. After cutting out the triangle for pacman's mouth, I added googly eyes with my hot glue gun to the ghosts. The finishing touch...hot glueing my pieces to a string of bakers twine that I had on hand, followed by hanging above the fireplace, adorned with candles, owl, pipecleaner pumpkins and egg crate spiders. Done.

So easy right? Tell me, do you do the scary decor thing for Halloween? It's good to be back. I've missed y'all! xo

Around the House: Painted Front Doors

Hello Monday. I'm greeting you with a freshly painted front door. It finally happened... the goodness of mint is covering my entryway. I hope to snap some pics today so that I can show the big reveal sometime this week. In the meantime, here are some amazing painted doors that show just why I feel in love with greeting guests in color!

yellow via

orange via

pink via

 robin's egg blue via

dual-tone via

orange via

I rest my case. Color glorious color! Hope this brightens your Monday after the long holiday weekend. xo

top image via plastolux

Around the House: Homestead Seattle (and The Chore I've Put Off For Years)

Just when I thought inspiration had flown the coop and there was nothing left to blog about I found Homestead Seattle via Instagram. Oh my heavens. Not only does this amazing team, Michele and Ryan, have incredible style, their finds are sold online and displayed in their showroom (which they happen to live above). It is a feast for the senses. Leather. Wool. Tapestries. Wood. Most of it second-hand and shown in a way that send send chills up my spine. Seriously, it's that good.

Seeing all of this amazingness has inspired me to rearrange/redecorate (with items I already own) and do a bit of much needed cleaning along the way. Maybe that's what finally got me to do this... I have been putting off the daunting task of cleaning my washing machine out with bleach and a scrub brush, but now that's it's done I wonder what took me so long? I'm a huge procrastinator and cleaning gross things causes my gag reflexes to get excited. Happy clean-ish Monday. So, are you a procrastinator? Please let me know I'm not alone. xo

Around the House: Studio Days

I've been spending a lot of time in my upstairs studio lately. Last minute tweaks and revisions are happening and it's almost time for me to spill the beans about why I've been so absent around these parts lately. There is a hint in the image above. I shall say nothing more - mum is the word.

I'm so grateful for my studio. The sunlight pours in and it's large enough to accommodate a wrestling mat for my crazy boys. Gotta keep it real y'all. Boys will be boys and as much as I'd love for them to sit down with me and "make something", they would so much rather be wrestling or throwing the basketball off the balcony in hopes of it swishing through the net. Their giggles keep me company and I wouldn't have it any other way. (most of the time)

Thanks for sticking around and being patient while I sporadically pop in and out. Happy Summer Monday. xo

Around the House: Plant Vibes

I'm crushing pretty hard on the whole 70's plant vibe that's so trendy right now. So much so, I was inspired to redecorate a bit. I like change...in the home. Home decor, that is. Adding a bit of greenery just seems to make things more cozy and inviting. Now I don't want to turn into a crazy plant lady where you walk into my home and think, "whoa, welcome to the jungle." But a nice mix here and there seems to breathe just the right amount of laid back hippie vibes into our home for the summer.

 via studded rose

 via breanna rose

 via design sponge

via vtwonen

After all, isn't that exactly what summer is supposed to be? Laid back. Welcoming. Inviting. I don't want to feel rushed, anxious or stuffy when I'm at home. It's my sanctuary and I'm there almost all day, everyday. I needed some summer calm in my home decor. xo

top image via local milk

Around the House: The New Old Desk

That right there friends is my most recent roadside score. Apparently my neighbors had a garage sale a few weeks back and this desk didn't sale. It was then put to the curb in hopes that someone would provide a new home. Hello desk. Wanna come home with me? Uh-huh.

Right here is when I came to understand why no one had purchased this dreamy desk of awesomeness. Heavy. Back pulling, hernia inducing, heavy. Oh my mercy. All I could grab on my own were the drawers. Then the hubs and I had to take the guts and the top off in order to get it into my studio. Was it worth it? Hellz yes! This baby is a sewer's delight.

After wiping down every inch of the desk, I sanded the varnish off and stained the wood with an ebony stain that we had in the garage. (I couldn't stand the orange-y hue of the original stain. Yuckers.) Once the stain was dry, we put the top back on and bolted her down tight. We had to recruit some help (thanks sister and BIL) for getting the guts back in. You must be asking... "guts?" "What the heck is she talking about?" Only the absolute best part of this desk. The door on the lefthand side opens to reveal another "desk" that pulls out and pops up. Perfect for a serger. I KNOW! Sewers' dream. I die. I think it was originally intended for a 10 key or something. Not anymore baby.

After cleaning out the drawers, I lined all of them with some old wallpaper that I scored a long time ago at a thrift store. And then I replaced all the pulls, which was crazy difficult because 4" centered pulls are not the easiest thing to find. Especially if you want the pulls to actually look good. I finally found these amazing bronze beauties on myknobs.com. 

You guys, this desk is a total game changer. I can sew, serge and work on my computer, all with the swivel of my chair. Whaaaaat? Did someone say, "heaven." Amen sistah. In the end, my new old desk ended up costing my $31.00. It is by far the best thing I have ever scored in bulk trash. I love it so much it's kinda sick. Sometimes I go up to my studio to just sit at my desk and look around. All the natural light, white and tree top views makes my heart go pitter-patter. I want to sew all the time now. Praising God for the little ways He blesses us.

I hope your Mother's Days were amazing. Just like each of you. Happy Monday. xo

Around the House: Updating An Ikea Classic

Ikea is a staple in our house. Clean lines. Affordable prices. Check and check. My hubs bought these old Ikea barstools a long time ago for location shoots because they are lightweight and were extremely inexpensive. While the stools aren't bad, the bolts come loose really easily and require a bit of TLC every now and again to make them sturdy. (That's probably why they don't sell them anymore.) Unfortunately, it's currently not in our budget to buy new stools. So I gave our old grey stools a quick makeover with some spray paint and twine. Who doesn't love a good Ikea hack?

Oh, and my boys think popping off this black foot rest is a sport (annoying), so I happily discarded that piece in the makeover.

 I taped off the feet and the base of each leg on the underside of the stool with painters' tape...

Once a few coats of Rustoleum and a clear coat finish were dry, I brought the stools in and wrapped the footrest bar in twine. The twine I had on hand was pretty fuzzy, so I trimmed any long stragglers and applied a coat of Mod Podge so that the twine wouldn't unravel.

I love how they turned out. This should hold us over for a few more years. Hopefully. When the white seats get dirty, I just clean them off with my favorite sponge - the Magic Eraser.

And if I get sick of the mint green or twine... I'll just cut off the twine and grab a new color of spray paint. This project was really easy and cost me $0 since I already had everything I needed in my garage. Bam. My heart explodes with joy when that happens and I may or may not have done a happy dance around my kitchen.

What have you spray painted lately?