LOVE-ly Art

My den is really coming along!  And as I mentioned in the big new grey paint reveal post, it is time to add some pictures and art to the walls.  One of the first things I hung was a print I bought over the Summer, but waited to hang until now.  I bought a LOVE print from Made By Girl and decided to hang it over the kids' toy storage area.  I bought the Candy Steel Blue print and I absolutely love it. At just $25 I thought it was a great price for something super cute.  

I framed it with a black Ribba frame from IKEA (cost $20).  The print is 16x20 and this frame works perfectly for it.  I debated whether to go with a white or black frame, but felt black was a better choice, because I will do a family picture wall over the sectional and use black frames.  Here are a few more shots of the print in place!

seriously, it's like Where's Waldo with this cat ...

What do you think?  I love how the blue in the print is similar to, but still pops from, the wall color.  And what's the art situation over at your place?  Do you focus on photos? Art? Kids' artwork? A little bit of everything?  Please share!

See you swoon,

{Note: Made By Girl has not paid or comped me for this post today - I just think she's fab and adore her art and hope you do, too!}

A padded entry

Lots of pictures today and a little tutorial to boot!  I have a few projects lined up this weekend, finishing my front door being one of them.  I have been avoiding that project like the plague, I am not sure why, all I know is I am ready for this door to be done so I can stop thinking about it.  Shanna mentioned getting this out of the way before doing any other projects which I thought was a great plan...except I woke up this morning super early and wanted to work on something and the door was not it.

You may remember my entry bench that I bought at Target right after moving in? Here is another shot of it:

It came with three cushions that left a lot to be desired.  They were hard, a weird yellowish cream color, and were too small so they shifted around and fell off.  I knew this when I bought it because the bench had great reviews but the cushion situation was fully disclosed.  The bench was a great price and I knew I could replace the cushions so I bought it anyway.

The time has come to get this bench some clothes :)  This is half the tutorial, partly because I ran out of time and the other part was because I got scared of the tufting that I plan to do.  I need more time to focus so I don't screw it up.  I promise I will show you on Tuesday how I did the tufting and the finished cushion.

I went to Lowe's and bought some very inexpensive plywood.  No need for anything fancy since I am covering the whole thing.  Lowe's did the cutting for me which made starting this project super easy.

Even though I did not get the tufting done today, I did get the holes prepared that will be used for the needle to go through and secure the buttons.  I measured to the middle of the board and drew a dark circle and then I measured the length to get three evenly spaced holes.  I ended up just using the biggest drill bit I had so threading the needle was a little easier.

They didn't have to be pretty because the holes are covered on top and will be hidden on the bottom but you get he idea here:

Time for the foam.  I just went to my local Joann Fabric and picked up four foam pieces, I used my trusty Elmer's spray glue to secure the foam to the wood. 

Once the foam is stuck to the board you can flip the board over and use a regular serrated knife to cut off the excess.  You will be surprised at how easy the knife goes through the foam. 

Next comes the batting.  I used extra thick batting to make sure the bench was very soft.  Break out the staple gun and start securing the batting to the board and cut off any extra.

Yes my washer and dryer is my work bench right now, another project I need to add to the list!

After all the batting is secured it should look like this:

And now you can take it to the bench and stare at it, sit on it, and then stare at it some more :)

I guess I can give you a little sneak peak.  Here is the fabric I bought online, I love the color and texture, I highly recommend ordering swatches first.

I hope this helps any of you out there looking to make a cushion or bench seat.  If you have any questions let me know.  What do you have in store for this weekend?

See you swoon,

She Sells Seashells

Talk about an inexpensive and sweet little project!  Back in late Summer, I did a quick google search for "seashells in vase" or something and found this picture, which I immediately pinned on Pinterest:

via pinterest

I wanted something simple and pretty for my own home because I had a bag o' shells that I needed to do something with.  So, to recreate the look, I combined a $3 bag of mini shells that I got from the shore with a mason jar that I scored for $5 at the Pottery Barn Outlet back in January with Jamie to make an adorable little addition to our den bookcases, which are currently in desperate need of some accessories!

The seashells (which a cute little shop had in a huge bin and you could get as many as you wanted that would fit in a little brown bag for $3) fit perfectly in the mason jar.  Don't they look cute?

I've got a lot more work to do to the shelves, but this is the fun part!  What about you? Got any interesting accessories in your home?   

See you swoon,

Vintage Key Pottery Barn Knock Off

Who doesn't love a good knock off?  The whole idea behind the knock off is to save bundles but get he same look and I try and do this every chance I get with Pottery Barn decor.

Last trip to the outlets Shanna and I swung by the Christmas Tree shops, I think this place is now a regular stop in our route to the Pottery Barn outlet.  We bought a few things for Christmas and some picture frames and then hit the road.  As I am trying to think of ideas to fill my new frames that will go in the front entry way (you will see these soon) Shanna mentions vintage looking keys she had seen in the Christmas Tree Shop for $1.99 each, ummmm SCORE!!!!  I had been away at the time but she took pictures when she went back to the store so I could see them first.  I have to say they looked giant in the picture but I wanted to see them in person and for $1.99 a piece it was worth the risk. 

Now wouldn't you know, the keys are pretty much an exact replica of the Pottery Barn style Vintage keys!  Fancy that!!  OK well the only difference is that the PB keys are already distressed and aged looking and mine were bright silver so I had some work to do.

Here are the PB Vintage Keys:

This will be fun, kind of like a puzzle :)  Can you tell which keys match to the PB keys?

These are my keys, I admit I was a little too excited to spray paint them the oil rubbed bronze so I do not have a silver key picture but here they are painted.  It's actually pretty hard to capture the oil rubbed bronze effect through my camera so they look black here, I assure you they are very rustic looking.

Now to try and get that white paint distressed look.  I used a sponge brush to dab on Sherwin Williams Dover White and then had a paper towel handy to rub it off in certain spots.  It was helpful to have a wet cloth and dry cloth.  The dry sort of rubbed the paint in and the wet took it off in spots where I didn't want it at all.

I think I have a little work to do and I am still deciding if I want them all distressed with white or will just leave the one bumpy key distressed and the others will remain dark. 

This is what they will look like on the burlap once it is all set up in the frame.  It is not quite there yet and next time you see it, the frame will be hanging and looking beautiful but I wanted to give you the key/burlap effect (a sneak peak if you will!).

What do you think?  Anyone decorating with vintage keys?  What would you do, keep everything oil rubbed bronze, just a couple, or distress all three?  I am on the fence so I need your help!

See you swoon,





Wear It Again: Be There or Be Square and RSVP!

Hey all!

Well lookie-loo here! A very unorthodox late afternoon post from the Swoon girls :)  Just a few more bits of info to answer some recurring questions about our big Wear It Again event on January 28, 2012. 

* When should I sign up?  RSVP NOW!  The deadline to sign up for this super fun girls night out is December 18, 2011.  To register, simply click on the link above, which has very detailed instructions.  We hope to add a tab to the blog soon for even easier registration.

* Am I going to be the only one not wearing a wedding dress?  NO!  Don't worry if you don't have a wedding dress or feel funny about wearing yours.  While Jamie is donning her lovely gown, I decided to wear one of my favorite formal dresses that I haven't worn in ages.  I assure you: you will not be the only one not wearing a wedding gown! 

* Am I going to be the only one wearing a wedding dress? NO! Jamie will have hers on and we know of several women who are totally planning to wear their gowns.  We anticipate a pretty good mix of gowns that night.   And hello - cocktails.

* Will there be food?  NO!  We really wanted to offer something to eat, but it was beyond the budget.  Ticket prices would have been at least double the modest $45 they are now (and remember, that $45 is two hours open bar!).  This is why the event starts at 8 pm: eat a hearty meal and come ready to dance.  If you're really hungry, you can order food delivered to your posse right there in the ballroom.  :)

* What if it snows?  There is no Plan B if it snows.  Yes, the event is January in Philadelphia.  Honestly, the only reason we could get the price we did at the hotel and the talented professionals who are working with us was because it is their off season.  All of our amazing pros have either dramatically reduced or entirely waived their normal costs to support this cause.  

I hope this helps answer some questions.  Don't delay ... register today!

See you swoon,