Entry Way

We are in the process of turning our house into a home and they say first impressions matter.Well, this was the first impression you get when you walk into our house

Big M doesn't want to be a part of this

Foyer table and mirror

It’s not really the worst entry way I've seen but it wasn't something we were completely pleased with.

We purchased some frames after Ty saw a TV show where they showed a famous quarterback with a table of pictures. Our friend was in town and suggested we get a vase to put by the table and this is (was) the final product.

Little M is such a poser

We had this gold beauty for a few days until my Big M got so excited when his “Uncle” came to visit that he broke it.

We decided to get something that was made from metal just in case a similar accident happens again and to make it more family friendly in general. Ty suggested that in the spirit of DIY, we get something and spray it with glitter paint.

We got this giraffe print vase for a third of the price of the ceramic gold vase at one of my favorite stores. 

I tried to make it work but it doesn't really "pop"

So off it went to the work space aka the garage to get transformed. Ty actually did all the work while I went to run some errands. 

In the garage ready to be sprayed

We got gold spray for the base just in case we miss a few spots and glitter spray to go over the top.

Krylon is amazing

Ty sprayed a few coats of gold paint 

A few coats of glitter spray later

We let it dry for a couple of hours while we went to pick up some flowers to put in it. 

Looks better already

We added a place to hang coats to the Foyer. I got the idea of putting the letter from Pinterest. Most people have a capital letter but this little a looks so cute.

Coat Hanger/Shelf

We added some red flowers to the vase (the white ones are in a vase in the dining area) and more frames to the table. 

 The A family Foyer/Entry Way

We are very happy with the end result and I am really excited about making our home a beautiful, cozy place that we will always be proud to show off. 

Master Bedroom

One of the things I wanted done before we moved into our Master Bedroom was to paint an accent wall. Ty was not a fan of painting the walls yet but I absolutely refuse to have our sanctuary be painted with just boring beige paint.

So we decided to use a darker shade of brown on the walls. I looked up ideas online and Pinterest and decided to paint the 2 opposite walls the darker brown to give the room more depth.

In the pictures below, the room initially looks very small but after we put in the King bed and furniture, there is actually a lot of room and we are absolutely in love with the way we painted.

Wall #1

Wall #2

My Big M loves looking out the window

It Started getting dark by the time we were done prepping the walls but we kept going like the little Engine that could.... Choo Choo !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wall #2 with Painter's tape over crown molding and base boards

Wall #1 with Painter's tape on crown molding/base boards, windows and over the electric sockets

The Paint we used, too bad I don't remember the name but it may have to  do with coffee  

Wall #1 

Wall #2

Measuring out our headboard

 The search for a bed was a HUGE deal. I really wanted a padded headboard that would be the focal point of our room. After countless trips to pretty much ALL the furniture stores in town, we finally settled on a bed. I thank God we got this bed for less than a third of its original price. MAJOR WIN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bed with curtains drawn and lights on

Without the curtains 

 Here is a picture of the other side of the room with the dresser and laundry hampers.

I was too lazy to use the timer so you get a glimpse of me 

So there you have it our Master Bedroom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

12/12/12

Since today is a once in a century date, I just had to post something.

We’ve been doing a lot of home decorating lately and reorganizing things around the house and our home is coming together nicely if I do say so myself.

This Christmas is going to be an extra special one because it will be my first Christmas as a wife, my 6 month old nephew’s first Christmas and my little puppy’s first Christmas.

I am so happy to be alive on this special date and I hope you are too !!!!!!!!!!!!

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

 

Pictures of Operation Christmas Child Boxes

Here are the pictures of the 4 boxes I prepared and sent off to Samaritan’s Purse through my church

Girl Age 10-14 Contents

Girl Age 10-14 Finished Box

Boy Age 10-14 Contents

Boy Age 10-14 Finished Box

Girl Age 5-9 Contents

Girl Age 5-9 Finished Box

Boy Age 5-9 Contents

Boy Age 5-9 Finished Box

Finished Boxes Labelled & Ready to go

Finished Boxes

And guess who was pretending to be ignoring me while his little brother was no where to be found

M-Big Doggie

It was fun to go shopping for these boxes and I pray that as each year goes by I will be able to do more and more and continue to bless others in appreciation of how much God has blessed me.

Turkey Blitz 2011 - Sanctuary Tulsa

This evening the hubs and I had the opportunity to go to church to help prepare Thanksgiving dinner baskets for needy families.

It seemed like we had almost 200 people there and we assembled somewhere around 230 baskets of roasting pans, pie tins, pumpkin, milk, jello, cranberries, cherry pie, chicken broth and so many other canned goodies.

I am all about giving to those in need especially this time of the year and I am in awe of how willing people, and especially families with small children in my church community, are to serve.

Here is a video I found online of Sanctuary’s Turkey Blitz 2011. I had such a great time and I am so blessed and thankful to be part of such a giving community like Sanctuary.

And did I mention we had dinner first at 7PM and we were able to finish packing all 230 baskets before 8PM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Operation Christmas Child & Being Thankful

One of my absolute favorite things about Christmas since last year has been Operation Christmas Child. I have a desire in my heart for Children’s Ministry. Right now though I prefer working with children under the age of 2 that cannot really speak yet but that’s a story for another day.

I was able to purchase items for 4 children – 1 boy and 1 girl Age 5-9 and 1 boy and 1 girl age 10-14 at the dollar store.

I am so blessed by God and it is a good thing to be able to help out children in need. I specifically decided not to get things for children under 5 because so many people focus on the younger children and I believe that older children need something for Christmas too.

If you can, I would encourage you to do something for someone in need of hope and love especially this holiday season. It may be donating a few dollars to a local homeless shelter to feed people during Thanksgiving and Christmas, Operation Christmas Child, saying a little prayer for the less privileged in the world or anything that you want to do.

I will post pictures of my gift boxes and a list of items I put in each box in a separate post.

Just remember in everything give thanks and appreciate the people in your life because they are worth way more than material things.

What I've been up to

I cannot believe the last time I posted anything was in April. Seems like a bazillion years ago!!!! Life has been pretty busy; there have been bridal showers, weddings, changes on the job, a new nephew and a new puppy. I have also traveled to Lagos (Nigeria), Branson, Houston, Dallas & Atlanta.

Though I’m still not 100 percent sure about the direction of my blog, I plan on posting more random things and more frequently.

There are a number of blogs I love that have different themes for each day of the week and that may be something to consider. I really want my blog to be somewhat of an edited online diary where I share my thoughts, ideas, projects and whatever else.

 Blogging can be a lot of work but it is also a great way to make friends online and become an “author” in my own right.

 Here is a picture of my doggie babies. Aren't they the most adorable pups in the world !!!!

XOXOX

Guest Rooms Reveal

Here are pictures of the rooms after the Headboard and Side Tables DIY. Thanks to CB and his great sense of style, we picked out lamps, bedding and artwork. Knowing myself I will probably change something before the year runs out but for now enjoy the pictures of the rooms.

I will also use this blog as an opportunity to improve my photography skills :)

Padded Headboard

I got tired of my old headboard from college and wanted to do something about it. It’s been 7 years since I bought that headboard and by the way, I got a great deal on it with 2 side tables and a chest of drawers; they served me well. I decided to give someone else an opportunity to enjoy the headboard and get a more “modern” headboard for one of the “soon to be” guest rooms.

Thanks to HGTV and numerous blog searches, I came across an idea that I liked for a queen headboard

Here is a picture of my old faithful headboard (the side table didn't make it into the picture and the chest of drawers already found a new home J)

The list of materials needed for this project:

· 64 X 44 inch, ¾ inch thick pine sheet

· 2-64 inches wide pieces of 2” high density foam

· Low Loft Batting

· Felt cloth for Backing

· Fabric for headboard cover

· Tacky spray adhesive

· 3-inch wide, 1 inch thick pine planks cut into

• 1-57 inch piece
• 1-49 inch piece
• 2-53 inch pieces
• 1-29 inch piece
• 2-16 inch pieces

Below is a schematic of the design CB and I came up with

In addition to the materials, we needed nails, power drill, staple/nail gun, hammer, and screwdriver

The first step was laying out the headboard to make sure the pieces fit properly. Because the width of the pine plank was not exactly 3-inches, we had to do some “engineering calculations” to set-up the headboard body and frame.

64 X 44 inch, ¾ inch thick pine sheet

Laying the pine planks for the frame

The second step: attach the pieces of wood that form the frame to the pine sheet using 1” screws. We used 3-5 nails per piece of wood depending on the strength (we used 3 on frame side and 2 on the other side)

1" screw on frame side

Screws going in on plank side to reinforce frame

Leg Reinforced

Headboard looking strong

Third step: cut the 2” HD foam to size using a knife, no one will see the rough edges once we put the padding (CB didn’t see the need to buy an electric knife because of the high density foam)

We cut the foam on the right to match the length of the headboard (Doggie found the high density foam comfortable)

Fourth step: glue the HD foam to the headboard using the tacky spray glue. We waited 30-45 minutes and played with the doggie while this dried.

Once we were satisfied with the drying, we pulled the batting tight over foam and went crazy with the staple gun setting it in place. It is good to have one person pulling tight and the other stapling so you don’t have folds and kinks in the batting.

HD foam wrapped in batting

CB and I repeated the process for the gold fabric we choose. We plan on doing a dark chocolate brown accent wall sometime in the “not so near” future so that the gold fabric will pop against the accent wall.

Headboard 80% ready

We brought out the metal frames to make sure our design was right and drilled holes to attach metal frames

Final step: cover the frame and the back with some cheap felt fabric so the wood and nails aren’t scratching the wall and so the back looks pretty too

Back of headboard covered (doesn't have to look extra pretty)

We stained the leg of the head board to match the side tables we made

My next post will be the big reveal of the two rooms with a few accents. Can’t wait to share pictures of the rooms that will be the future guest rooms in the CB & Jumi house J