Kid's Craft ~ Look at the pretty bird

I live with my niece and nephew and they are energetic kids! Sometimes before bed they have a hard time settling down {as I would imagine most kids do} so I thought it might be a good idea to have them do a craft to get their minds and bodies to calm down before bed. I generally make a template of what I am shooting for and let them go crazy from there! This probably comes from my years working in a daycare center and planning crafts and lessons for the kids.

I made a template last night for a bird craft that I am going to have them do tonight before bed. I got this idea from one of those packages of crafts at JoAnn's and thought I wanted it to be a little different from the example and I could probably do it for cheaper! The package was at least $5 and was only for one bird. So it was going to cost me at least $10 to make with Madison and Ryan.

I started out by making a template on regular paper so it was easier to trace and cut out on the foam.

I bought this foam piece from JoAnn's for a couple dollars and it was big enough to make 3 birds

Trace the template as many times as will fit on the foam. It was convenient that the birds fit together so well to save some space!

Then cut them out. Pretty self-explanatory!

Mark where you want the wing to start on the body and poke a hole with scissors.

Take a piece of tissue paper, cut out a small piece and crinkle to your desired look and push the end through the hole. There will be enough tissue paper on the backside of the foam that it should stay, but if you want you could put a piece of tape over the end to hold it in place

Here is my final result! I think he's pretty cute! He could use some more color or decoration, but I will leave that up to the little ones to do!

Do you have bored kids at home this summer and need some craft ideas? Stay tuned and I will try to update you on things that I try with the little ones in our house!

Got extra fabric you don't know what to do with?

If you are at all like me, you have random bits of fabric laying around the house that you aren't sure what to do with. I always have these grand ideas about craft projects that I want to do, but somehow, for one reason or another, they go undone many times. I'm usually too busy to get things done right away and then I get distracted. {Doing this blog has really helped me become better at that!}

So I had some scraps of pretty silky fabric that I was planning on making into a scarf or something, but I never got around to it. I also have an abundance of silver, antique looking frames that I collect and then I'm not sure what to do with! I saw this idea on some other blog or something and I was inspired! It's a pretty simple project. It took me about 5 minutes!

Here are the supplies I used:

I love this kind of frame. I probably have at least 5 like this! Sometimes I think I may use them as table numbers when I get married, but that's a long ways down the road, so we'll see when the time comes!

I fell in love with this fabric when I saw it at JoAnn's!! I love the vibrant colors on the dark background. I am a big fan of deep, rich, saturated color. Pastels just don't cut it like a deep gem tone does!

Double sided tape is great for this project because it's not permanent but will hold up well.

Here is how I put it together:

I took the glass out of the frame and used it as a template to cut a good size for the frame. I left about a half an inch extra fabric so you don't see the frayed edges in the frame.

This is what I did with the extra half an inch. I used the cardboard that was already in the frame and just wrapped the fabric around it to make a cleaner look in the glass.

And the final product!!!

I think this is to die for!! I didn't plan what section of the fabric would show in the frame, but it turned out perfectly!! I love the big blue flower in the bottom corner and that it is off-set by the smaller pink and green flowers around it!

This will be going in my new room somewhere for sure!!

Do you have leftover fabric and a picture frame that is lacking color and inspiration laying around your house? This is an easy and cheap way to dress it up!

Money and Design

Let's be honest, I'm a recent post-grad in an entry level job of a dying industry, so I don't have a lot of money to spend on design! It's sad for me sometimes to walk through a store and see things I fall in love with until I see the price tag. Then I walk away sad and want to curl up in a corner and cry!! So I am going to keep a running list of the things I buy and what I paid for them to see if I can decorate a room, bathroom and living room.

What I have so far:
I am taking my bed from my parents' house
I have sheets and pillows
A night stand
Desk and chair
Small TV for bedroom
Mirrors
etc.

Things I have bought:
Couch $100 (my parents actually bought it for me from one of their friends)
Comforter set $130 (originally $420 from Kohl's!!)
Decorative pillow $17
Vintage mailbox $25
Mustard yellow chair $25
Clock $4
Wicker Milk Crate Basket $20
Fabric to make 2 pillows $12
Vanity $50 (donated by my parents)
Kitchen chair $10
Shutters $10

It's not impossible to decorate on a small budget, it's just more difficult. I love searching for thrifty, strange things in some interesting places! Design on a limited budget takes more patience and time! Are you willing to accept the challenge?

The ugly and unlovable in design

My mom makes fun of me because she says I am a lover of the ugly and unlovable things in life! This mainly applies to used furniture and other home decor and sometimes plants, but doesn't extend much beyond that! When I see a discarded plate or coffee mug in my local Salvation Army, I'm always going to want to take it home with me. I recently spotted a mustard yellow armchair a few weeks ago from across the Salvation Army and knew it would be coming to live with me! I buy old kitchen chairs that don't match anything, sand them down and paint them up to look beautiful again. I do the same with shutters or desks or any other random thing that happens to catch my eye! Whenever I come home with something new my family just rolls their eyes and says "Oh Ashley, that is so you!" I'm not sure if I should take offense to that or not!!

Here are a few examples of my love of ugly and unlovable things:

I already have another chair that I stripped and repainted last summer. I am starting a little collection!

I spotted this and it was love at first sight! And when I sat in it I knew for sure!

An old mailbox for my mail so it doesn't get lost in the shuffle!

I bought these for $10 (total) at a community garage sale not long ago! It was like a jigsaw puzzle getting them to fit in my mom's tiny car, but my determination paid off!

The tale of an ugly bathroom

The house that we are moving into has a huge bedroom and a full bathroom in the basement all for me!! I think the bedroom is already cute, but is going to be a lot cuter once I get to make it my style! The bathroom on the other hand, it's UGLY! It has painted cement floors (makes for cold piggies!) and sponge painted walls in the same hideous color! And I just don't understand some of the choices they made in decorations! But it has a new looking shower stall that will be nice all to myself!

Bad picture, but you still get a good idea of how ugly it is! And I don't understand that ugly shelf.

So many things wrong with the subject matter of this picture! The splash guard, the weird towel bar placement, the truck stop sink attached to the wall, the shelf again.

Why would someone do this to a poor, innocent bathroom? What did it ever do to you? I have a dream of making this bathroom beautiful again. We got a sink and cabinet to replace the truck stop sink hooked to the wall. The towel bar and shelf are coming down asap. The walls will not look like a color blind person picked it out. The floor will actually have tile. And It will not be visually sickening anymore!

TO BE CONTINUED..........

The good ~ The bad ~ and The ugly in design

 I am a lover of all things forgotten and unwanted. It's the way I've always been. I don't know why. I haven't psycho-analyzed myself in order to figure out the reason behind this, but I'm sure it has something to do with my father or my mother... don't all psychological flaws come back to them in some way?? hahaha! So any way, I love the things that other people consider random, ugly crap!

Here is a collection of things that I have fallen in love with for this decorating project. I love old things because they have a history and a story behind them. I prefer history and likely American made craftsmanship over mass produced foreign items.

I saw this chair and fell head over heels, big time!! All you have to do is sit in it and you would be won over! It is the most comfortable chair and it was only $25 at the Salvation Army!

I found this clock on a random end cap shelf at the Salvation Army! It was $3.99 and it works! Can't beat that!

My wonderful parents bought this for me from some of their friends. The friends bought it new for some large amount of money and sold it to my parents for $100! I love a deal! I also like that we know the people and how they live. It's not my favorite color, but it was free for me so you won't hear this girl complaining!! (P.S. the blue and white bed rails sitting on the back are not part of it!!)

***UPDATE*** on my bedroom renovation

In case I have been lacking in my updating you about the progress of the house: WE GOT IT!!!!! As long as all the last minute things go according to plan we should close the end of June!! We went over to look at the house again and get some measurements, so I thought it would be a good idea to take some pictures and update you all on the progress!

I love feedback, so feel free to leave your comments on any ideas you may have to make this space feel less like a basement bedroom and more like a cozy, inviting home!

I love the concept of this wall! I wondered in amazement at how they got the lines so perfectly straight. When I got up close, the wall is actually wood paneled and they just painted the slats of wood! Genius! While I love the concept, I hate the colors! Browns and tans are not my colors. This wall will eventually be dark gray, light gray, white and a navy blue. This wall will be behind my headboard.

I am in love with this space! It will eventually serve as a reading nook. I picture it with book shelves all the way around and a comfy chair in the middle with a side table!

This is the third wall in my room with my big closet!! I'm pretty excited about that closet!! I have even considered painting the inside of the closet a bright lively color, but we'll see about that!!

This is the view from the big window in my bedroom! Just past those trees there is a body of water of some kind! I love water!

Almost as good as Starbucks!

  

I am a lover of coffee, so I was excited to see a home

that has a legit coffee bar in the dining room/kitchen! 

But I think it would be really cool to have a hidden coffee bar that's kind of a surprise! So I would combine the top 2 pictures and make a coffee cabinet that can be closed up. But my coffee cabinet could not be in just any old cabinet! It would have to be in a fancy, rustic cabinet like the 2nd picture!

The 3rd picture reminds me of the bench seat table that I spent many hours in at the local Starbucks where I went to college. That bench seat got me through a lot of long hours studying for tests, reading and coming up with lessons for Bible studies! I would be over joyed to have this in my house some day! I also love how the natural light is illuminating the room. 

I found all of these pictures on Pintrest. Follow me for more inspiration!

"Tale as Old as Time"

I have always wanted one of those bookshelves that had a secret passage hidden behind it where I could escape. Maybe this comes from a rough childhood, or maybe it's just in my nature to seek out solitude for a while in my day, either way I think it would be really cool to have!
I am also an avid reader, so being surrounded by books is strangely peaceful for me. Having tons of books on shelves reminds me of libraries and the calm, quiet atmosphere they have. So in honor of my love of books and book shelves, here are some fun and funky bookshelf ideas that I found online!

Love the color coding!!

 

Beauty and the Beast? Anyone? Even as a child I loved this room in the movie!

 

Are you inspired? I know I am!!!

Kitchen inspiration

I really like the look of classic simple kitchens and that is why I am really inspired by these pictures below. The only thing I would change is that I would add a pop of color here and there to put a little more of my personality into the space!

Not so Nautical Navy

 I think I picked a color palette and this morning I found the colors on another blog that I check out every once in a while! I'm not sure how much I will use the lime green, but the other 2 colors will be prevalent in my bedroom!


I want to paint at least one wall navy blue and I have a night stand that is pretty much this exact color already! My bedspread is a dark gray color that I hope will fade into the background a bit. I'm not sure about the rest of the decor in my bedroom, but I love this color scheme! It's warm without being brown or burgundy but also hip and vibrant without being overwhelming. I think the navy grounds the bright colors nicely!

What color palette would you love? Is your style a bit more modern or vintage? Maybe it's more muted colors or even neon colors! Either way, if you love it that is all that matters!


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Favorite places for decorating spaces

As you probably know if you have read any of my blogs so far, I love things that are a bit off the beaten path when it comes to decoration and design. In order to help you see where I get my design ideas and find inspiration for decoration I wanted to devote this blog to the blogs, online merchants, and ideas of where to find these random treasures for yourself!

First of all, I just discovered this website the other day. It is a company that started at a family's kitchen table and is now an online presence as well as a store in Texas. Wisteria is that store/website. They have so many things that are inspired from places around the world. They have the kind of pieces that not everyone will have but everyone will want! I was skeptical at first. I expected their prices to be outrageous, as most of these interesting places are, but I was pleasantly surprised. They make "off the beaten path" designs affordable and add an extra layer of intrigue to any room! I will definitely be order from them in the future. Check them out at the link above! You won't be disappointed!

I also admire young designers that are bold about what they like and don't care if other people are gonna hate on what she does. I found a blogger/designer who embodies that! The website is Mr. Kate and I think she has a really cute and quirky kind of style that a braver me would totally be! She has a wide range of design ideas from room decor to fashion and even nails and phone cases and tattoos! Check out her blog for a refreshing, youthful style.

One of my favorite stores that I find myself wandering around when I need some style inspiration is Anthropologie. It has this cool bohemian vintage style about it with a rustic twist! It's basically a big store of awesome! It's a bit on the expensive side for some things, but nothing too extravagant or anything. The average person could shop there and spend a little more than they would at other stores, but not totally break the bank! But it is worth the extra for sure! Sometimes I just walk around the store and look at how they have decorated and forget to look at the merchandise! I love places like that! They sell a little bit of everything there! Clothes, shoes, accessories, books, notebooks, bedding, decor, plates, silverware, aprons, coffee cups and much more!!! I love it!

I also frequent local salvation army stores, antique shops, and garage sales to find interesting things to decorate with/wear/get inspiration from! My latest item was actually found by my 60 something year old aunt at a garage sale for $4, photos to come! Inspiration can be found in the strangest places, you just have to take the time to look! Follow me on Pintrest too for more inspirations and funny things! "Ashleyry"


What are some places that inspire you?

What's your favorite precious metal? Gold of course!

I have always been more of a silver or white gold fan, but I have to admit that these inspirations for gold decor may be challenging me to step outside that box and go for the gold!

Intricate gold wall stenciling

 

Gorgeous gold wall stenciling is a luxurious backdrop in this comfy space.  Several different patterns are used together  successfully – there’s the wall, the bed pillows, the bed coverings, even the texture of the silver floor pillow.  The soft, gauzy drapes are a good complement to the wide, gold baseboards.


When you look at home furnishings both vintage and modern you can find a wide array of gold furnishings that would look great in that special room that you want to class up a bit!





wall stencil
Gold Rush
lamp