Did Anyone Make It To A Good Arts And Crafts Fair Yet This Year?

I am very disappointed to say that I did not get a chance to go to this year's art fair in Ann Arbor, MI.  I was totally planning on it but that week the average temperature was in the high nineties and I couldn't bring myself to walk around in that heat.

There are still a couple of smaller fairs that I hope to hit this Summer so all is not lost...hopefully.  Even if I don't  get out to a fair though, I absolutely love seeing all of the great arts and crafts for sale on Etsy.  It's good to know that I can do some on-line shopping whenever I want, even if I can't get that instant gratitude of walking away with my new treasure!

Oh..and yes I do sell some of my crafts on Etsy.  But, no that wasn't really a shameless plug.  I only have about a dozen items currently.  My main objective is to provide tutorials.  However, someday I may get serious about selling.  When there are about twenty days in a week!!

If you did get to a fair, where did you go and what did you buy?  I would love to hear about your experience!

This Week's Vintage Find...Antique Cowbells!

I was so excited to find these antique cowbells, for just pennies, at a shop in Pentwater, MI this past weekend:

This was not something I was actively going out to search for.  In fact, I didn't even know what kind of bells these were until I got home and researched them on the Internet.  I just knew when I saw them that they would be a great accessory in a future project.

Now, I am putting my thinking cap on.  A Christmas project comes to mind but I would love to be able to use them all year round so I'm going to think on that a little while longer.  What do you think?  Does a vision come to your mind?

I could always make collars for my son and my cat so that can't sneak up on me..haha!  As soon as I come up with something I will be posting it on my website, so stay tuned for that....

Before And After Pictures Of Home Office Makeover

I am happy to say that I am finally done with my office makeover.  Or at least as done as I am going to be for now.  I'm sure I will be adding more, especially when I am ready to pound nails into the walls once again!

Once you go through the agony of filling in nail holes and large screw holes and holes that came from who knows what, you definitely feel a little leery of once again pounding anything metal into drywall.

The room I made over used to be a playroom/game room and then mom and kid office.  It was a brilliant color of lime green that only teens could really appreciate!

Here are some before pictures:

I guess you could say it was energetic but I wanted something a tad bit more relaxing.  So once two thirds of my kids moved out and I remodeled one of the bedrooms into a new gaming room for my son, I tore the room apart and started over.

Here are the picture of the newly remodeled office:

I changed the look of the couch by covering it with an old quilt and holding it in place with upholstery tacks.  I used the throw pillows that I had from the old bed and added a new burlap throw pillow to the mix.  My end table was a thrift store rescue that I refinished in a soft mochachino color.  You can see that project at my Rustic Crafts website.  I switched out the curtains for some simple soft white cotton panels with some detailed stitching at the bottom.  Originally, I was thinking about painting the wood on the sofa, but in the end decided not to.

I used the same desk but switched out the chair and added a floral cushion to coordinate with the sofa pillows.  I also added burlap tie backs for a fun look.

The green bulletin board that you can see resting on the floor in the first picture has now been painted and put on an easel.

The styling of the whole office is very simple and serene.  I feel that I can now relax and think clearly.  It is so nice to have my own space to go to and work.  I just love it!

Office Makeover Begins - Painting Is Complete!

It took me a while to decide on a wall color but I wasn't in a hurry and that was a good thing.  My initial thought was to go with a soft blue and I was on the search for the right fabric to recover my sofa cushions until.....I was cleaning out some boxes in our bonus room. ?????

I may have mentioned before that my plan is to have a comfortable shabby chic style office.  Well, I pulled out a quilt that had been on my daughter's bed when she was home.  It had a Waverly flower pattern in deep rose on one side and rose checks on the other.  I had always loved that quilt!  And, I loved the colors.  This was now my inspiration for the office.

I decided to use it as somewhat of a slip cover for my sofa.  I used the checked side and simply draped it over the cushions and used upholstery tacks to hold it in place.  The flower throw pillows add a nice pattern and work well for a shabby chic style.

Now, I had to decide if I wanted to go with red, pink or neutral walls.  A dusty pink was out.  That would just be silly since I just painted my daughter's old dusty pink room brown for my son.  We could have easily made that my office and given him the room I am working on now! 

I considered a deep rose for a little while but I already have a red dining room and a deep burgundy family room plus I was afraid it would be a little to stimulating for a place I wanted to be comfy and relaxing.

I'm glad I finally decided on the more neutral "Garden Wall" which I picked up from the leaf color in the throw pillows:

This is just a little peak at the paint color.  I have a little more work to do around the trim where the paint bled through the tape----aargh!!!!!  As I was dozing off a little, watching the news last night, I heard an info-merical voice saying "just when you thought your paint job was over, you notice that paint bled through your tape----you should have used frog tape..."  How did he know???  And, why was he being so sarcastic?

Too Much Summer Fun!

So far this Summer has been great!  I've gone golfing, canoeing and kayaking.  I have enjoyed my time up at our cabin and have had some fun events at home.

Unfortunately, I have spent less time doing home decorating and keeping up with this blog.  I have started a room makeover project but it is slow going.

I have, however, been adding craft tutorials, recipes and other fun posts to my website, Rustic Crafts.  The crafts featured use mainly natural elements or recycled materials.  Most of the projects fit in well with rustic or shabby chic decor.  I would love to have you join me there!

I will still be posting to this blog but it will be a little sporadic for the Summer.