$8 Chippendale Chairs

I must say it has been a very long time that I have been wanting these chairs by Jonathan Adler. They are absolutely GORGEOUS! I love the bamboo look. So, first I saw them on Jonathan Adler's website for a mere $550 per chair. Then I saw them at Ballard Designs here for $200 per chair which is alot less, but still that's alot. sigh.

I popped into the Salvation Army the other day and saw these dirty, old, ugly chairs. But, they are solid wood chairs with the most beautiful design. I purchased them for $8 per chair. Yeah, they were kinda gross, but nothing a little cleaning and some spray paint couldn't fix!

I wasn't sure which fabric I should choose. These are just more occasional seating chairs, so I needed a fabric that went well with my living room......mostly whites, chocolates, and blues. So, right after I bought the chairs, I found a Dwell Studio table cloth on clearance at Target for only $12. It was a large table cloth and enough fabric to cover 5 chairs! Here is the finished product!

Check out the detail of these chairs and then compare them to the ones at ballard. They are quite similar. Mine definitely aren't as cute, but for only 8 bucks, I am happy with the results!

WHO DOESN'T LOVE A PORCH?

I'm joining JILL at GYPSY BROCANTE
for her first meeting of THE PORCH CLUB. If you haven't heard about it yet just click HERE or on her button on my sidebar. I had the pleasure of meeting JILL in the fall at the blogger party during Antiques Week in Texas. She is one cool junkin' chick and has fabulous style!

Love ya Jill!

So on to the porch meeting. Don't we all love a porch? Big, small and everywhere in between there's nothing better than whiling away the hours with a cup of tea or a glass of wine and a good friend to share a little chit chat.

Today I am sharing the petite porch on the front of my garden cottage.











Elements like old porch posts and architectural brackets give it sweet chippy charm.

Click HERE to see the inside of the cottage.

Please be sure and stop by JILL'S and visit all of the other beautiful porches!

GO STEELERS!

And the winner is...

The winner for the Damn French Desserts giveaway is #47 Carrie Miller. Carrie, email me your address and the ladies at DFD will send your package.

a sweet reminder

I am a sentimental fool! My good friends know that about me. I have saved almost every note or letter I have received from family and friends. And we are talking notes saved since the 3rd grade. EVERY. NOTE. So, you can imagine how many bins and bins of cards I have. I have always been that way. I even have the teeny tiny little notes passed back and forth in math class with my high school BF. I still will go through my notes and am instantly taken back to that time and memory. I love it.

I try to take special things to me and incorporate them into my home. Take this brazilian nut for example! I went to Brazil last June for a missions trip and had a life changing experience. Then my husband had the oppurtunity to go a few weeks ago. He too was blown away by the experience and loved getting to spend time with the people there. He brought back this brazilian nut. He knows me too well. He knew it wouldn't just sit in a closet somewhere. I put it in my bathroom and filled it with my rings. No one would notice it or think it's pretty, but every morning when I go into my bathroom now, I remember that week and it reminds me to pray for the people there.

This past November, I went to Italy for my 30th birthday. I had one of the best weeks of my life with my mom, sisters, and dear friends. On my actual birthday, we ate here. It was amazing; a night I will never forget. We brought home some wine from the restaurant and I don't know if I can drink it! But, if we do decide to open it, I will save the bottle and NEVER throw it away! I will keep it forever. And I won't put it away. I will maybe put it in a powder room with some fresh flowers in it.

One of my favorite nights leading up to my wedding was when Brad and I went to Crate and Barrel to register. We had a blast. We were two kids running around the store with our "gun" and hitting every pretty object we saw. What a great night that was! For as long as I can remember, I will never forget that night. I remember we registered for these beautiful high ball glasses. I don't know why I did that because they don't go in the dish washer and it's embarrassing to say that I have never used them once! ( I was also only 21 when we registered and didn't realize how impractical those glasses would be) But, I still think they are pretty. So, I have one out and I keep my make up brushes in it.

So, whether it be a fabulous trip you took, the day you fell in love, or a great day with a friend, use those things and incorporate them into your home! That way you can always remember those sweet times.

Five-A-Month: January's Review, February's Goals

This year, in an effort to stay motivated and forward-moving, I decided to try to set monthly goals, and I'm inviting you to join with me. Many of you did. So let's do our January month-in-review (just cut and paste your goals w/ comments & updates about them), and then at the bottom, list your February Five-a-Month goals.

For January 2011, here were my Five-a-Month goals:

1. I will read or listen to Scripture every day. I missed about 5 days throughout the month. But I did get through most of Romans, and listened to Hebrews.
2. I will visit two neighbors and get back in the groove of speaking Turkish more frequently. I visited at length with one neighbor (3+ hours), and spent time looking for apartments (remember the mold problem I mentioned?), so I probably spent an additional 10 hours last week speaking Turkish.
3. I will read one book about pattern making/clothing design (something I've been wanting to learn about, but haven't made time to read the books yet...). I'm nearly finished. Haven't had time to put what I read to use, though.
4. I will continue faithfully doing the "No S Diet". I have been doing this, faithfully. Last time I checked, I was down 4 pounds, and Doug says the results are visible to him. He's the expert on my body, so I'll trust his opinion. :)
5. I will take the kids to at least one cultural/arts activity (I'm currently trying to decide between an art exhibit and a classical music concert...) during this month. We went to an exhibit of works by Frida Kahlo & Diego Rivera, and also saw Turkish ceramics, Russian impressionist paintings, and a collection of ancient weights & measures. It was a great experience, and we had a good time introducing the kids to various themes & ideas in art history.

For February 2011, here are my Five-a-Month goals:

1. I will read or listen to Scripture every day.
2. I will read out loud to my kids every day.
3. I will keep doing the No S Diet faithfully.
4. I will sort through all of our books in anticipation of our need to pack up our apartment, and decide what books we'll take back to storage in the US, which books we'll keep out, and which books need to be sold/given away.
5. I will pull out and sort through all of my clothes... all seasons, all sizes, pregnant/normal, etc., and pitch/give away what I need to, and pare down what I have, in anticipation of going back to the US. I will encourage Doug to do the same with his clothes.

What goals are you setting for this month? Please join us. It's nice to have accountability and it's nice to have a sense of togetherness. Big or small, set 5 specific & measurable goals and let them motivate you throughout the month of February!

Be Mine Bonanza: Day 2-Painted Muslin Hearts

Hey! I'm Gwen from Gwenny Penny, and I'm so excited to be here today to share my tutorial as part of Kindra's Be Mine Bonanza. I love to sew, so today I'm going to show you how to make painted muslin hearts.

They have many decorative uses and are really easy to make. Let's get started!

Materials and supplies needed:

muslin

batting

thread

red acrylic craft paint

foam paintbrush

optional embellishments: buttons, twine, rubber stamps, permanent fabric marker, glue

Instructions:

Create a heart template. I drew mine in Word and printed it on a piece of freezer paper, but you can also draw a heart by hand on a piece of paper or cardboard and cut it out. My template was 6" tall and 5" wide.

Using your template, cut out two hearts from muslin and one from batting.

Pin your three layers together in this order... batting, muslin, muslin. I used a water soluble fabric pen to draw an outline around my outer piece of muslin about 1/4" from the edge. It's not necessary, but it makes it easier to sew evenly around both curves of the heart.

Sew around your layered heart about 1/4" from the outside edge. Leave a 2-3" gap along one straight edge for turning. Clip the point and curves of the heart, and turn it right side out.

Press the heart, making sure to press in the raw edges of the opening.

Topstitch around your heart about 1/8" from the outside edge.

Now it's time to paint! I used plain old acrylic craft paint that I had in my stash.

Use a foam brush to paint one side and the edges of your heart. Make sure you get everything covered with the first coat. Maybe it was just my paint, but any areas that got paint on them after the first coat dried looked uneven. Once the first side and edges dry, turn it over and paint the other side of your heart.

Now it's time to embellish. I decided to add a message to my heart. I took a scrap of muslin and sewed a rectangle on it. Then I trimmed the edges of the fabric to about 1/8" from the outside edges of my stitches, and I frayed the edges of the fabric.

Next I got out my rubber stamps. I bought a set of letter stamps for $1 at Michael's a while back, and I've gotten a lot of use out of it. When I stamp on fabric, I use a permanent, waterproof pen to coat each letter stamp. I feel like I have better control over the ink on the stamp when I use this method.

To finish off my heart, I glued my "love" tag onto the front and then glued a small button on top of that.

I made another patch for a second heart using my letter stamps and a little matryoshka doll stamp.

Now you've got this cute little heart that you can use in several different ways. You can glue a loop of twine on the back and hang it on a door or on the wall.

You can add it to a wreath.

Or you can make a couple of hearts and use them as bowl fillers, which is how I plan to use mine.

These hearts are so versatile, and I'd love to see all the creative ways that people embellish them and use them to decorate their homes. If you liked this tutorial, I hope you'll stop by Gwenny Penny and check out some of my other projects. Have a Happy Valentine's Day, and thanks for having me Kindra!

I can picture these hearts used as ornaments on a mini tree or even attach one to a Valentine gift. So cute!!  I was so priviledged to be a part of Gwen's Haul Out the Holly event this past Christmas. It inspired me to create the Be Mine Bonanza event! And I know you will feel inspired after seeing Gwen's projects! Also, go check out her new sewing closet! Wow! It makes me want to tackle my work space and make it pretty again! Thank you so much, Gwen, for sharing your Painted Muslin Hearts with us today!

The Sartorialist's Barber

You must watch the first 2 minutes of this documentary on The Sartorialist (just the most well known street fashion photographer and blogger) for the shots of his barber and barbershop. It's straight out of Victorian New York.



Some digging reveals that the barber shop is FSC Barber in New York. There are some more images at both the New York Times and New York Magazine.

Be Mine Bonanza: Day 1-I Love My Husband Shirt

Welcome to the 1st day of Be Mine Bonanza! For the next 7 days, 7 fun Valentine Themed Tutorials will be featured here at At Home With K. I just want to thank the 6 other guest bloggers for joining me on this event! I really appreciate you sharing your time and talent with us!

I hope we all will inspire you to CREATE!

Today, I'll be showing you how to make a personalized t-shirt-love style.

I actually got this idea from a friend couple of ours. They both have shirts that say "I love my husband/wife" They're cute and I have always wanted one for myself to 'display' my love for my hubby. I saw hubby's face light up when I told him what I was making for the Be Mine Bonanza. So I know he appreciates it!

What you need:

1. Freezer Paper

2. Exacto Knife (unless you have a cricut or silhouette machine...lucky you)

3. cutting mat

4.cardboard

5. Acrylic craft paint-any color

6. Textile Medium

7. Stencil Brush

8. Iron

9. Pre-Washed t-shirt

First, you print off what you want your t-shirt to say.

I recommend:

I love my husband.

I love my wife.

I love my boyfriend.

I love my girlfriend.

You can easily print this off your computer in any font/size.

Then place a piece of freezer paper right over the print out and start cutting out the letters with the exacto knife. The freezer paper is kind of transparent for easy cutting or tracing. Make sure to have your cutting mat or a piece of cardboard underneath to protect your surface.

After you have it all cut out, iron down the the freezer paper (slick side down) on the area of your shirt where you want your saying to be. Make sure to iron down the letter edges well so the paint does not bleed under the stencil.

When you are cutting, you will notice that you will have to keep the inside areas of some letters. Like the b,a,d shown in the below picture. Just don't lose them while you are cutting. After ironing down the main stencil, go back and place these small pieces inside the letters and iron them down as well (just make sure sticky side down).

You can use fabric paint if you have it on hand. But for this tutorial, I used what I got.  I have lots of craft paint and in order for me to paint on fabric, I need to use a Textile Medium to make it into a "fabric paint". You mix 2 parts craft paint to 1 part textile medium. I found this small bottle for $1.50 at Hobby Lobby (can get it cheaper with a 40% off coupon). It can be found in the craft paint area.

After I mixed my paint and textile medium, then I'm ready to stencil.

Place a small piece of cardboard between the front and back of the shirt...to prevent the paint from bleeding to the opposite side of your shirt.

A little paint goes a long way when stenciling. After you dab your paint brush into the paint, take off the excess paint by pouncing the bristles onto a scrap piece of paper. You don't want the paint to bleed under the stencil. You can always go back for a second coat if you don't think it's enough.

After it's dry, you peel back your stencil. Heat set the paint by going over it lightly with an iron. This will make it permanent.

There you have it, a fun little project to show the one you love that you care!

I love you, hubby!

Make sure to come back each day this week for more fun Valentine project ideas!

I'm linking up with a few of these linky parties this week.

CSN Giveaway Winner!

Happy Saturday!

It's that time to pick a winner of the CSN $35 Gift Certificate Giveaway! I used the random number generator and it picked:

#35 Elisabeth from Lambie-Pie

Congratulations Elisabeth! Please email me so I can give you your prize!

Thanks for everyone else that entered. I am getting closer to 300 followers so that means another giveaway soon!

Be back tomorrow for Day 1 of Be Mine Bonanza!

mix and match

This is my family room. I wanted it to feel happy and cheerful since this is where we basically spend all of our time. I wanted it to be contemporary, but also feel warm. I like mixing furniture. Anyone can go into a showroom or a furniture store and say, "I want this whole set." But really, where is the fun in that? Now, I do totally get it if you hate furniture and home decor shopping. You just want to be done with it. That's like me and cooking. I would much rather just order take out, but to someone who loves cooking, that is their "art." So, yes, I get it.

But, this is your home. This is where you spend your time. It is your sanctuary. Finding fun pieces with a story is just so great. I like mixing modern, antique, rustic, traditional, etc. My family room for example has a modern table and art print with very traditional couches. I also don't think you necessarilly have to match woods either. It depends on the room I suppose. Pillows also don't have to match. I have lots of different prints going on here, but I think it still works.

I purchased this piece at IKEA and my favorite thing about it was the price. :) But, I like that I can display my colorful dishes. It's also fantastic storage.

I have about 50 Mason jars of all colors, shapes, and sizes in my garage. I'm not kidding. I like to do different displays on my tables for dinner parties, etc. The Salvation Army in Leesburg (I mentioned them before) always has lots of mason jars and they are always only 50 cents, no matter the size. I pulled this out one out of the garage and filled it with $5 carnations I grabbed at the grocery store last night. The pop of pink made me smile, and when I bring home flowers and display them, my daughter says, "It is just so magical in here!" She is a girl after my own heart!

Happy Weekend!