MIA

I've been a little quiet lately but don't worry, I haven't forgotten about you! Things have been busy here and I've been a little under the weather, not to mention Hurricane Tropical Storm Frankenstorm Sandy. My family comes first, without question and I know that this little blog will be waiting for me. I don't want this to feel like another obligation, but rather something that I use as a platform to share my ideas and hopefully inspire others. I was offline for two days straight and it felt so GOOD! Yes, it meant a ton of catch up, but it was totally worth it. I highly recommend unplugging every now and then. And my apologies for the delay in responding to comments and emails.

In the meantime, please check out and like my (very) new facebook page.

As you can see, there's not much on it now, but I'm going to try to be more active. Lots of love to those of you who already have. And if you don't want to miss a post, simply subscribe by RSS or email on the right of the page.

Be back soon!!

Privacy Window Film Tutorial

My sister recently bought a new house (full tour to come soon) and they are slowly working on making it "theirs." The other day I drove up for a visit and noticed that you could see all the clothes hanging in her laundry room from outside the house. Uh, not what she wants the whole neighborhood to see! I told her that they make privacy window film that would still let light come in, but prevent her neighbors from seeing their laundry. She didn't hesitate to have me to work on this project for her.

She had already taken down her laundry before I took this shot, but you can get a little peek inside the arched window. (Sorry for all the phone pics, I forgot to bring my good camera.)

This is the view from inside the laundry room.

I pretty much followed Young House Love's directions from when they used a similar product on their first house's basement windows and door. My brother-in-law picked up a plain frosted film and a textured film. We decided to use the plain one on the window and we'll use the textured one on the sidelights of the front door at a later time.

First thing to do is trace around the window and cut out a piece of the film, about an inch or two wider all around.

Next, spray the window with a solution of water and a little dishwashing detergent. I had a GILA Window Film Kit from when I had done this to a window in my own home so that is what I used. Spray liberally!

I couldn't get a picture of the next step, but you just peel back the paper from the film and place it over the window. Because you cut it bigger, it doesn't need to be lined up perfectly, because you will trim the excess anyway. Just do your best to center it and you should be fine.

Use the "squeegie" from the kit or any old credit card will do, and starting from the center, smooth it across to the outer edges to get out all the air bubbles. Don't worry if the edges aren't completely flat yet.

After the film is smooth, use a razor blade (your own or from the kit), and get in real close to the window frame. Get in to the space right where the glass meets the frame and carefully slide your razor blade and slice off the excess.

After: privacy + light!

It's not totally opaque so you can see shadows when something is directly in front of the window, but all least her neighbors won't get a free show anymore!

And since we all love a good before and after:

Another quick and easy project with lots of impact!

p.s. I'll be linking up with Sherry, Katie, Sarah and Carmel as part of the Fall Pinterest Party.



Linking up:
Home Stories A to Z | House on the Way | House of Hepworths | At the Picket Fence |

Indian Summer

We've been having an Indian Summer here and the kids are loving it! Temps were up in the 80s today - I can definitely get used to this! The other day I took the kids to a local arboretum and we took a little hike through some woods. It's kid-friendly and the path is a circle so you don't have to worry about walking all the way back to the beginning once you've reached the end.

I took a picture of them in a gazebo and told the kids to make each other laugh. The little guy started tickling his big sister - that's one way to do it! :-)

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Here they are fascinated with a tiny bug. Actually, it may have been a caterpillar. Either way, I thought it was so cute!

Is anyone else not looking forward to the cold that's coming? Don't get me wrong, I love that we get all four seasons, but in the winter I like to snuggle up under a warm blanket with hot chocolate and avoid going outside when possible!!

Easiest DIY Hair Clip

Okay guys, this is hands down the easiest hair clip you will ever make. You don't need to cut, sew, heck you don't even need glue!

Check out these organza beauties that I got at Michael's for less than $2.50 (with the 40% off coupon)! The only other thing you'll need is some plain clips. I got these at Michael's also, a while back, so I don't remember exactly how much they cost, but it wasn't more than a few dollars.

When you remove the backing from them, you'll see they are attached with a twist-tie that goes through two small slits in the felt.

Simply slide the clip through those same slits and you're done!

Find a cute girl to model them :-)

It doesn't get any easier than that, does it??

Linking up:
Home Stories A to Z | A Bowl Full of Lemons | House on the Way | Not Just a Housewife | House of Hepworths | At the Picket Fence | Craftionary | Remodelaholic | Serenity Now | DIY Showoff | Creative Jewish Mom |

Simple Ways to Update Any Room (Part 6)

We are back to part six of the the "Simple Ways to Update any Room" series, inspired by House Beautiful. If you've missed any of the previous posts, check them out (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5).

Please remember to pin the original source!

• Create your own lantern: Fill a bamboo or wood birdcage with LED pillar candles of different heights.

These are all so beautiful and easy to implement. Birdcages are not too hard to find at thrift and antique stores and they make such a great statement centerpiece.

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• If your kitchen is cramped, remove your upper cabinets and install open shelving. Just as much storage space, but without the bulk.

Ahh, one day... My 80s laminate cabinets are (unfortunately) not going anywhere anytime soon, but in the kitchen of my dreams, there will definitely be open shelving. It's great for opening up the room and adds so much convenience, not to mention a perfect way to display some of your lovelies. If demo isn't in your future, consider just removing the doors of some of your cabinets.

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• Make a slipcover for your headboard, even if it's wood. Ever consider shocking pink?

There are so many ways to DIY a headboard and so many ways to make yours unique. From old doors to upholstered headboards, and anything in between. One quick search on pinterest can give so many ideas. The great thing with making a slipcover is that you can change it every season or just whenever it strikes your fancy! Shocking pink may not be your cup of tea, but in a neutral room, it would definitely be a great focal point.

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• Paint the ceiling of a white room a pale, pale blue or gray. It will feel as if there's no ceiling at all.

These rooms are all gorgeous for so many reasons, but ultimately it reminds us to not ignore the "fifth wall" of a room because painting it can make a big impact.

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• If you have a room with a low ceiling, put up striped wallpaper or curtains — it will feel a foot taller.

This is an optical illusion that really works wonders. As we all know that horizontal stripes on clothes can make us look fatter, vertical stripes in a room, make the ceilings feel higher.

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Which of these ideas have you added or do you plan to add to any room in your home?

Linking up:
At the Picket Fence | Serenity Now |

Updated Exposed Wood Shelf

This is a little project that is pretty quick and easy, yet makes such a big difference.

My laundry "room" is nothing more than the laundry stuff behind two sets of bi-fold doors. It's in the mudroom hallway, directly opposite of these hooks. When we first moved in, my dad helped me hang up this melamine shelf that I had hanging around to put my laundry essentials. I didn't get a wider shot, but directly to the right of the shelf is a window so there's no place to hang a cabinet. That's why I had to make do with just a shelf. Not to mention, that it would be hard to get to anything that would be on an upper shelf.

Anyway, even though I'm the only one who uses this room and the doors stay closed when I'm not actively putting clothes in/out of the washer or dryer, I still wanted to do something about the exposed edges of the shelf. I know they make some kind of tape you can iron on, but I wanted to do something prettier.

I first cleared everything off the shelf and purged and organized.  I filled up a mason jar with oxyclean so I wouldn't have that big box to pull down every time I needed it. Got rid of stuff I didn't use anymore, and put all the free samples into a little container.
 

Then I went off to Home Depot and got some nice, but not too thick, moulding. I'm still getting over my fear of power tools, so I got out my handy miter box and cut two pieces to size. Each piece had a straight edge that would sit flush with the wall, and a 45 degree angle edge where they would meet at the corner.

Just squeeze a strip of liquid nails across the whole piece and put it up.

I held them both in place for a few minutes and then used painter's tape to hold it in place until it was dry.

Here's a view from underneath, but I think only my kids are at a height where they could see it.

There was still a tiny gap between the shelf and moulding and the corners did not meet up perfectly, so I used a little caulk to close the seam.

Much better!

You will notice that the big tide on the left has one of the cups that you pour into. I've been keeping it in a bowl since for some reason the sides of it always get sticky, but a styrofoam bowl did not fit with my new plan.

I then remembered that we had some old tiles in the basement that the previous owners had left us...

Perfect! I cut up a felt pad (that's mean do go under furniture) and put a quarter in each corner.

Much better! Since we all love a good before and after:

There you have it - an easy and inexpensive project that makes a big impact. What have you been working on this weekend?

Linking up:
Home Stories A2Z | House on the Way | At the Picket Fence | DIY Showoff | Beneath My Heart | Thrifty Decor Chick |