Free Chalkboard Nameplate Printable

I made some chalkboard nameplates for above the kids' coat hooks. I designed them in photoshop using a few free resources. Here is a blank nameplate for your personalizing pleasure:

Download the nameplate I created here.

I liked it so much, I used the same basic design for a new blog header. 

To make your own, download the original above, open it in a word processing program (I use Photoshop Elements) and add a text box on top and add whatever words or names you want. I made 4 of these with my kids names. 

The original contains freebies from the following:

Frame link here (it is actually a font with a whole bunch of cool frames).

Paper background link here (awesome blog with lots of freebies).

This is one of the nameplates I created for my oldest daughter:

The free fonts are from Dafont.com:

Grutch Shaded

Jennifer Lynne

I printed these out on cardstock and then laminated.

I have been working on our back entry-way, spiffing it up and making it more practical. Coming and going with 6 people and all their winter-wear and footwear is a logistical hazard. I try to keep our "stuff" to a minimum, but wow, it gets messy fast.

Realizing that this messy area, along with running late, is one of my mad-mama triggers, I knew I really needed to make some changes so we could keep it picked-up easily. Getting rid of a bunch of stuff helped. Adding more hooks was also a nice addition. The light in that area was really dim, so I had the handyman install a new, bright light. We also got a new door so that it could close easily and quietly without repeated slamming (may have contributed to my frustration just a touch). Then I painted the walls from mint green to lovely grayish/beigeish -- wall color may not be a mood effecter for some, but it is for me. 

Love this new peaceful color. Love.

Here is a before of the mint medley mudroom... Mmmmm....

This is just a regular chalkboard that I got at a garage sale and I used this technique to write the verse.

I'm pretty happy with how my chalkboard nameplates turned out. I hope you are inspired to combine form and function in your home as well!

Better Off Desk

I was searching for a small desk for Mandy. It HAD to have drawers. Emma's desk has drawers and so Mandy needed drawers. I took pity on her little-sister woes (I'm a little sister myself).

Finding a small desk (with drawers) for a small price didn't seem like a tall order.

I kept my eye out all summer at our frequent garage sale adventures, but no luck.

I was looking for something like the desk above (it's $300 from ikea).

I didn't mind a fixer-upper and my budget was under $20.

I found several that fit the bill for $40 at a consignment shop, but they would still need paint. I knew we could do better and we finally found the gem in this beauty.....

I truly wish I had a picture of my husband's face when he saw it.

He said, "You paid money for that?"

I did actually, I paid $7.50 at a local thrift store. The guy taking my money looked a little guilty about the price so I was able to talk him down from $10.

It's solid and perfectly functional, so it just needed a little TLC. The contact paper came off pretty easy and then I sanded, primed and painted. And some paint that I found on the "oops" shelf for $3.

And look, it's a drawer (x4)!

Mandy is happy and only had to ask about her desk for roughly 8 months.

The drawers are currently full of paper and craft supplies, she's quite the little busy worker.

Basement: in progress

It's here: an updated picture of the basement. New windows, subfloor, carpet, and paint. I'm enamored with all the improvements and can't decide which is my favorite. Natural light, warm floor, soft carpet, or clean, earthy paint color.... all totally awesome. Also awesome is my hardworking husband who works tirelessly to make me happy.

I mixed together 7 partial gallons of paint to come up with this sagy green color. I love how it turned out. I poured over greenish paint chips for a few weeks until my husband encouraged me to just mix my own. I love to paint, it is one home improvement project I can do without my man's expertise. So, I have a lot of paint and most of it is in the natural shades. 

There was one scary point when I had about 3 gallons total mixed and the color was MINT. In a panic, I called my interior decorator grandma and pleaded for help. She recommended mixing in some red and dark brown and I was back to the earthy tones I crave. She also suggested working with a small amount in a cup and keeping track of the ratios I added so I didn't end up with a 5 gallon "oops." Brilliant woman.

And now I need a little design help. I am purchasing fabric for slip-cover for a couch that I got for nearly free. The whole fabric series is on clearance, so time is a-tickin away.

Paisley

Stripe

Geometric

Dot

I also want to do something on the 4 small windows, maybe a roller shade. It's easy to snoop in basement windows, so I would like to be able to cover them when we aren't playing down there.

My first thought is paisley for the couch, stripe for the windows. That's the safe bet, but is boring.

I'm drawn to the playfulness of the polka dot and that groovy geometric print. Leave me a comment with your input! You will save me from asking my husband one more time for his opinion and getting that glazed-over "Please don't ask me about decorating" look.

PS All the fabrics are medium upholstery weight and are the same clearance price.

The office: reveal

The office has been done and functional for quite some time. But you know me, form is just as important. I put together some more of the details and finally want to show it off.

The curtains were a big purchase for me, but one I am so happy with. The walls and rug are taupe and the existing desk color is gray. I was concerned that the mix of cool and warm tones would give me hives. 

Then, I saw these curtains at Ikea. A prefect blend of cool and warm and a happy print.

The table was a garage sale find with "the" West Elm burlap panel used temporarily as a table cloth.

Curious about the roll-up shade? It is a rug I got in Africa for pennies and liked that the blue'-ish striped matched the curtains and that the yellow added an unexpected flare. The yellow also ties in a few other things in the room like my pictures on the next wall....

Picture frame: an old wood frame window I cleaned up and stuck some random prints in.

Shelf: Jeff made in shop class and was going to give it away when I realized it would work perfect in the office.

Blue ceramic pot: my Grammy painted it and I wanted to give it a place of honor. The branch thing is actually living.

Fan: found it in the basement when we moved in.

Jars: My sewing accessories are stored in these 1/2 gallon jars.

I asked for a label maker for my birthday. It has been so much fun! I think I'm a bit addicted.

I should have taken a "before" picture here. It was just SO awful. Every shelf was stuffed with random papers and junk. This was the project Season and I tackled when she came to help me organize. It was helpful when she asked questions like, "What do you need the purpose of this space to be?" "How often do you use this stuff?" I realized that much of my space was taken up with scrap-booking items and I haven't used it in 3 years. Those things went to a less convenient spot in the closet where I can still get to it, but isn't taking up valuable real-estate.

I now have my basic crafting supplies front and center and I find I'm using them all the time. Adhesive? I can find it. Cutting tools? They are all right there (including a pair of scissors that does not leave the box). Paper? It is all in an easy to carry tote that moves to the desk and back into the closet again when I am through. It is organized, but not micro-organized where it takes too much time to put it away right (i.e it doesn't get put away right and then is shoved back in the cupboard so we can organize it again in 2 months). The tote system, with NO LIDS, is a great idea. Thanks Season!

On top of the cupboard is my piano music. I found 2 large boxes of music in the back of the closet and I whittled my entire collection down to about 1/20th of where I started. I kept what I wanted to actually play again or could use to teach my own kids. There were a few sentimental pieces and I kept those too, but I put them on display in my living room (framed on top of a piece of burlap... am I obsessed with this cheap fabric, or what?). Nate Berkus says, "If it is important to you, put it out so you can be reminded and enjoy it. If it isn't important, get rid of it." 

The large glass jar is now holding my yarns. I got the jar at an auction for $6. Jeff was really confused that I wanted it, but I told him Pottery Barn sold them for $69 and he totally understood.

Potty Barn's glass jar version and it doesn't even have a lid!

My original plan was to have this desk service crafting, schooling, sewing AND the computer. Several people told me that was a bit much for one desk (I think "ridiculous" was the word used). The computer is across the room. We are using this desk all the time now and loving it. It was a free find from many years ago and I painted it what I thought would be a steel gray, but turned out blue. 

Thank you IKEA curtains for pulling it all together.

The "art" on the window wall is brought to you by my children. I stretched twine between screws in the wall and clip their latest creations up with clothes pins.

On the left on the desk are current school books the girls are working in. Ikea's magazine boxes work perfectly for containing this kind of stuff. I have the boxes all around the office, $5 for 4.

And finally, the computer desk. If you remember, it was in the kitchen. The central location was great, but it was TOO present in my life. In an effort to use my time more wisely, I needed to have the computer in another room so that using it would be intentional. It is working! 

I can keep  the girls entertained in this room now and we also do school here. It functions beautifully and cleans up fast because we don't have too much of anything any more. And the best part is, if it doesn't get cleaned up right away, I can close the door.

Thanks for coming on a tour of my space with me. All 100 square feet of it. :)

$1 Bulletin Board

BHG inspired me with this picture of framed bulletin boards.

I've been thinking about it for more than a year, looking for a good frame and throwing ideas around in my head about what would work for the backing.

The frame is another second-hand find.

$1.

I used two layers of cardboard for the "bulletin board" backing.

I still had lots of the old burlap that Jeff found in the barn and I used it to cover the cardboard.

Hot glue came through for me again. 

Gluing right along the edge first and then folding the fabric in made a finished edge. Just in case anyone is looking at the back of my frame.

I stuffed the covered cardboard (which was even sturdier than I thought) into the back of the frame. A little glue really holds it in place.

I think my office is as done as it going to get, so look forward to a reveal tomorrow.

Re-purpose? And giveaway.

I was shopping at my favorite store, a local thrift shop called H2O, and as usual I was determined to find a treasure. This place has lots of junk at really cheap prices. What's not to love?

I was almost done combing through the bargain basement when I saw a smooth and elegant piece of fabric shoved in the piles of yucky 1980's pilled sheet sets. I pulled out the fabric to investigate and found what appeared to be a curtain panel, about 40" by 108." The tag said "West Elm," so you know I bought it even though it was pricy at one whole dollar.

It appears to be brand new with packing creases still intact. I looked on West Elm's website, but this particular curtain is no long available. Their similar panels are $60 and up for one.

The fabric is a smooth, sheer burlap and the edges are bound in satin. Really a dramatic and lovely piece.

I'm a fan of West Elm for their sophisticated, modern country decor. Rustic finishes made chic with polished accessories. But wow, is their stuff expensive!

But now my question is.... what do I do with my amazing curtain panel?

My earlier shirt-turned-pillow inspiration tapped out my genius. I'm at a loss.

I don't have any single windows in the house where this panel could go, so it needs to be re-purposed.  Please, please leave a comment with your ideas. 

If I use your suggestion, I'll send you a Starbuck's gift card.

Thanks in advance for your help!

A deal I couldn't pass up.

I have a hard time paying full price. A good deal is a rush. I was at Old Navy and found a clearance shirt for really cheap. Really, really cheap.

Marked down to $1.47

The problem was my new mantra: if you don't need it, don't buy it!

I tried the shirt on, a nice white button-down, and I looked like a waitress. 

But it is $1.47!

You will never wear the shirt and it will be a $1.47 mistake.

But it is SO cheap.

Don't buy something you have no purpose for.....

Thinking of re-purposing the shirt made my head spin. What could the shirt be in another life?

Remember this post about the jammies turned pillow?

I wanted to make a couple of pillows out of the remaining fabric from my curtains.

I decided to use the shirt front as the back of the pillow where I would need to make a closure anyway.... buttons and placket saving me the work. And the plain back of the shirt would be the lining under the curtain fabric.

I used a pillow form I had from a time gone by.

And drew a square on the front of the shirt 1/2 inch larger than the pillow form to allow for 1/4" seams.

Thank you Fellowship of Christian Farmers for the free ruler. It was a great help in my project.

This guy was a helper too. Need a ruler, pen, measuring tape, or scissors? He'll run off with them on the double. I'm hoping this is the beginning of a servant nature.... not just a naughty nature.

Still the project took only 30 minutes.

I used a seam-ripper to take off the pocket.

This is the curtain fabric. I just cut it the same size as the shirt/square and pinned the lining to the front so I wouldn't get confused.

Right sides together with the left-over tab tops from the curtain sewn in the corner. It was a design gamble, but I am happy with how it turn out. Very shabby-chic.

I unbuttoned the back of the pillow (the front of the shirt) and inserted the pillow form.

And the back:

Thanks to the old-navy shirt for making a cute pillow possible!

I found this picture of some beautiful bedding from Ethan Allen:

Take a gander at the price of the throw pillow pictured on the middle of the bed....

$119.00

$1.47 plus a few scraps. I love a good deal.