Linky Love: Colorful Dining Room Chairs Edition

Those of you who know me personally know that my dining room has been under "construction" since early November.  Yeah.  Like six months.  I just cannot seem to finish this project (though truthfully my husband has done the majority of the work)!  In order to inspire me for the big reveal (don't hold your breath) I have been gathering inspiration from other {COMPLETED} colorful dining room sets.

(It just so happens that Sharon shared her awesome table and chair makeover this week.  Purely coincidental, folks.  It is crazy how we stay on the same wavelength without even trying.)

I'll first start with the dining room that inspired my transformation.  Apartment Therapy always provides thought-provoking ideas and this dining room is no exception.

Brooke of All Things Thrifty has two beautiful and colorful dining sets displayed on her site.


This one is her dining area.

 

This one is a fixer-upper that Brook and her husband reluctantly sold.

I love this Quaint Vintage Kitchen by All You Magazine.  When you choose a "vintage" theme, you really open yourself up to a lot of thrifty possibilities.  The blues and yellows in this room are SO cheerful!

And just for fun how about these funky colorful chairs at a wedding?  I love the spunk they have while remaining uniform. 

So, I'm off to go finish my dining room project!  (And by "finish my dining room project" I really mean "procrastinate".)

Happy Saturday,

Linky Love: Shutters

I secretly have an obsession for shutters. I have never owned any, but I admire them in pictures when they are creatively used in the home. They have such a vintage, rustic warmness to them. (So many good words in one sentence.) And even though they are just worn, overlooked, old shutters; in a beautifully decorated space they create a sense of whimsical wonderment.

Let's take a look at all the innovative ways to use old shutters as decor and also some creative DIY projects...

 

Old world, rustic charm. Sigh. It's the perfect backdrop to both of these garden vignettes. 

Bringing the exterior into the interior. Gorgeous.

Make a headboard out of old shutters! I love the beach cottage feel. 

Shutters make everything more homey, don't you think?

The Nester from Nesting Place has beautiful robins egg blue shutters decorating her mantel above their cozy fireplace. It's a beautiful pop of color, and you don't need a single other thing up there.

Now for some DIY shutter projects:

The girls over at The Tortoise And The Hare created this useful and eye-catching  

Window Shutter Wall Display.They used glaze and some sanding to give it that antique look that I'm so in love with. Go check out their full tutorial here.

Gail from My (Re)purposed Life came up with the idea for this charming garden shutter bench. It's perfect!

This beach cottage peg board was the genius idea of Chania over at Razmataz. 

Find out how she transformed this old window shutter into something amazing.

Maybe you're brave enough to tackle a whole wall. 

Check out this incredible shutter wall made by Olive and Love. It's dynamite.

One of these days I will find the perfect old shutters and fix them up and find the perfect home for them. 

Until then, I'll just keep admiring pictures of them. :)

Do you have shutters in your home? If not, how would you choose to use them?

xoxo,

Linky Love: Last Minute Hairbow Edition

Easter's only a day away--are you ready?  I'm almost ready.

Almost.

One of the things that I just checked off my last-minute list was making a hairbow to match the Easter dress that I made for Junebug.  I'll share it soon.  If you're down to the wire and looking for inspiration, here ya go!

Miswestern Moms has an easy tutorial for a boutique-style hairbow.  This is the tutorial I used for Junebug's hairbow and I am ecstatic about the results.

 

Craft Snob created a cuh-yoot chick clip for her daughter.  What a great way to use some of the felt scraps that you may have lying about.

Jessica of Sew Homegrown guest posts on Prudent Baby with a fabulous tutorial of how to make Anthropologie-inspired fabric hairbows.  

The Purl Bee offers a printable template to make a sweet Rose Barrette out of felt.  I have made a bazillion of these (and by bazillion I mean a dozen) and am satisfied every time!

So, if your little one is lacking a bow to match her fancy-schmancy Easter dress, you'd better get craftin'!

Linky Love: Sweet, Simple Surprises

Sometimes the smallest and simplest ideas astound me. 

Projects don't have to be difficult to make a statement.

Fashionable DIY Leather bow cuff bracelet by Clemence from Oh the lovely things. 

Inexpensive and festive Paint chip egg garland from The SoHo.

Elegant Tea Cup Candle by Domestiquette.

Precious DIY Button Clock by Jess from Epheriell Designs.

Useful and adorable reversible coffee cup sleeve by Crafty Staci.

 Break out your crafting supplies and jump right into a short and sweet weekend DIY project.

And remember, keep it simple. :)

Linky Love: DIY Dresses Edition

Here in Florida, spring is in full swing--so summer is only a few weeks away!  Yeah, I know what the calendar says, but let me just tell ya that we're a little different down here close to the equator!  My mind has already shifted to start thinking about my summer wardrobe--which always includes plenty of light and airy summer dresses.  The blogosphere offers a wide variety of *free* tutorials about making your own dresses and dresses for your little ones, so here are a few of my favorites!

These simple dresses made from a t-shirt and fabric are a favorite seamstresses of all skill levels.  Talk 2 the Trees has a very simple tutorial to follow.

Jessica of Sew Homegrown also  has a similar tutorial.  Her technique involves a bit more tailoring than the aforementioned tutorial and the results are worth the extra effort!  Didn't she choose an awesome t-shirt/fabric combo?

This knock-off dress from Maybe Matilda is a variation on the previous two dresses with a few extra details.  For instance, she leaves the gathers in the front and not on the sides so that those of us with hips (yeah, that's me!) don't look super hippy and puffed out like the Michelin man.  She even includes pockets in her dress.  Since I had sweet Junebug, I looove pockets in my dresses.  Seriously--it's something I get excited about!

Leave it to Prudent Baby to set the bar even higher--Jaime created this Modern Prairie dress by tracing an existing one that she liked.  Using her technique, you can recreate your favorites, too.  I won't lie, I'm still intimidated by the shirring technique. 

I have two dresses in the works for Junebug right now, too.  The first is the Charlotte dress from Craftiness is not Optional that I'm using for her Easter dress.  It's so classically beautiful and it'll be my first invisible zipper.  I'm not to that step yet, so wish me luck!

The next is the snappy toddler dress from Prudent Baby.  Not only does Jaime make awesome clothing for herself, but her daughter gets to rock some pretty awesome garments, too.  I hope the one I make for Junebug is this precious.

Even if you're snowed in somewhere up north, you can bring a little sunshine to your day by making one of these awesome summer dresses in preparation for the season.

Or you could move to Florida.  Just sayin'.

Spring Is Heeere!

Well folks, Spring is finally here. (It's April already. What? Where has this year gone??) For some of us it doesn't feel like it at all. Some people are still getting frigid, Winter weather. And some of us are fighting heat strokes when we walk out the door. (All my Floridians say "yeah-yuh"!)

But no matter what the weather is like where you are - it's Spring. My favorite season. I find it very difficult to muster up motivation to decorate for a holiday that will come suddenly and then abruptly pass us by. (Tristin says I'm a holiday Grinch.) But I can decorate for Spring. It's a whole season! And maybe I'll nestle in some little Easter decor in there somewhere. :)

Here's some inspiration for your Spring/Easter decorating.

 

Check out this gorgey mantle from Dwellings By DeVore. She says most of these items are from Goodwill. You know I love me some smart and beautiful Goodwill purchases! I just love how all of the elements are simple, but together they create a bold statement that screams "Spring"!

 

Learn how to make a DIY Hydrangea Egg with Trisha from The Sweet Survival. They are so lovely!! I am a BIG fan of topiary-type decorations and a HUGE fan of hydrangeas. Ok, any flower, really. Flowers are an easy way to bring Spring into your home. Plus, they always make a space look beautiful.

 

Thrifty Decor Chick created this beautiful, Spring-y Vignette. Love it! 

Learn how to make her mossy letter here.

 Some of you who know me know that I am obsessed with eggs, nests, and birds. Yes, I know it's a popular fad going on right now, but I liked them way before you guys got here! ;) Vivienne from The V Spot has a great way to create perfectly beautiful robins eggs from those well known (and icky) plastic eggs. Get her tutorial here. I love these! I just might have to make some.

 

The Inspired Room pieced together this refreshing mantel. 

It's bright, and it's beautiful. And baby, that's what Spring is! :)

So have you started decorating your home for Springtime? What are you doing to decorate?

Happy Weekend! :)

Linky Love: {Semi-Crafty} Fun Food for Kiddos

I see SO many cute food ideas for kiddos out in the blogosphere and although they may not be super-crafty in the regular sense, they're still worth mentioning since we all have to eat!  A lot of people try to be sneaky with kiddos' food and add veggies in here and there, but these are not really those types of foods.  Most of the links I have included are treats and meals most kids would consume, regardless of whether or not they're a picky eater.

On a personal note, Junebug seems to have outgrown the short-lived picky phase she went through.  We ignored her pickiness for the most part and made very few concessions, and she seems to have adapted.  The foods that she loves shock me--she'll snub scrambled eggs but when I made Thai Coconut-Curry shrimp this week (with this recipe from Skinny Taste) she ate it like it was candy.  Kids are amazing creatures.

On with the show...

Since Spring is around the corner, it's appropriate to start with these sweet little birdies!  Sun Scholars offers a great recipe with pictures to make your own.

The previous treats would be perfect dessert after having this lover-ly pasta nest for dinner courtesy of Crafty Moods.  Isn't it so appealing?

This Cute Cheesy Sunflower is also from Crafty Moods.  What a simple way to make a memorable yet healthy snack!

Gourmet Mom on-the-go came up with this awesome Very Hungry Caterpillar snack.  Wouldn't your kiddo be "very hungry" for this plate?  Mine sure would.

This Bunny Bisque is also a creation of Gourmet Mom on-the-go.  Brilliant.  Just brilliant.

These Babybel kids from Cute Food for Kids really stand out to me 'cause I love Babybel cheese--probably because each wheel is encased in wax and it makes me feel "special".   This method makes them even more special!

Veggie fried rice is a common side dish in our home but I have never thought to serve it like this.  Thanks to Cute Food for Kids, Junebug will enjoy hers in a nice bear shape the next time it's on the menu.

Weren't those such cute ideas?  Makes me want to cute-ify food for my kiddo more often.  I think she'd appreciate it!  But who wouldn't?

Linky Love: Chalkboard Paint!

Chalkboard paint is everywhere. I mean everywhere. It's on walls, tables, pantry doors, cars. Ok, so it hasn't made it to cars yet, but I fear it will very soon take over the world. (Sometimes I like to be a little over-dramatic.) Nevertheless, chalkboard paint is awesome! Maybe that's why people are putting it on every object they own. Anyways, here are some neato ideas you can do with chalkboard paint.

Chalkboard calendar painted directly onto the wall. Photo courtesy of Martha Stewart.

Chalkboard up your herb garden by adding chalkboard paint to your pots.

Your child will love these chalkboard wall decals by Modern Dose.

Heidi from Budget Wise Home created these awesome customizable chairs. 

Create a customized buffet table by using chalkboard paint on the drawer fronts. 

Image courtesy of Homelife.com

I'm in love with this adorable chalkboard paint table from Design Sponge.

One of the most common uses for chalkboard paint - labeling jars. Get the tute from Chickiedee.

We can't talk about chalkboard paint without addressing the infamous chalkboard globe. I thought the idea was a bit odd at first, but it is definitely growing on me. I may even love it now. 

Photo courtesy of Pottery Barn.

And of course, Tristin's chalkboard table she refinished for her Junebug. So, so adorable!

Chalkboard paint is relatively cheap and extremely fun to play with. I mean, look at all the unique things you can do with it! It's useful for labeling containers and displaying dinner menus or it can be a fun surface for the kids to play on. Either way, I don't see how you could go wrong! Pick it up at your local paint store and start your own chalkboard adventures today.