House Remodel Post 3 - Painting and Stripes Done

As promised yesterday here are the photo of the finished "Banana Split" yellow painted walls.  The color came out just the way I wanted and I am so happy.

And now for the Striped Wall. This is the wall that the bed be setup against.  The yellow strip is the same color as the other three walls.  Theese photos were taken in the daylight.

 

Once I pick out the hardwood floors I will share more remodel phots.

House Remodel - Post #2 - Paint

Remember when you were little and went to the convenience store to buy penny candy (yes a long time ago candy was a penny) and there were so many choices that you just could not decide what to buy.  Well picking out paint brought back those memories.  Why do we need 50 + difference shades of yellow???? 

I went to Home Depot and picked out 4 colors -  put the samples on the wall. Sound simple enough...well it was not.  I picked out a color for the mater bath "Moonlit Yellow" and for the master bedroom "Pale Daffodil".  The bath looks fabulous!!!!! Just the right shade of yellow. Next step was to was to start of the bedroom. Decided to do the closets first since it was getting late in the day.  When I came back in to see how it looked I was shock, it had a GREEN tint.  My painter said just by the look on my face "you do not like this color do you?".  I decided to let him finish thinking that when it dried it would look different.  IT DID NOT LOOK BETTER! 

 

I thought my cloths would run out of the closet when they saw this color.

 



Next step was to tried some of the colors I bought the first time, but none were right. Back to the Home Depot to check through the 50 + colors.  I did found one I liked and bought a sample. Came home and put it on the wall and new right way it was the one.  "Bananna Split".

Here is how the walls looked as I was trying to pick a color

I used painters tap to write the color name next to the sample

Tomorrow Photos of the finsh room.

House Remodel - Post #1

Let me just start by saying that I am excited to see how my house will look with a fresh coat of paint and new hardwood floors.  I have been wanting to start this project for a while now, but it looks a lot easier when they do it on HGTV.  The whole house is done in an hour.  My time schedule is going to be somewhat longer....since I am having issues picking out paint and floor colors.

I am starting with the Master Bedroom and Bath.  The bath is coming along great.  The floor has tile but the grout was looking dull. While I was out surfing blogs I found a great post on a product called Grout Refres by Mapei.  From the photos she posted I thought it was worth a try.  And I love how it turned out.  Take a look and let me know what you think.

Before

During

 

 

After

 



New Items

Hi - I have added 3 new sections to my Blog.  They can be found on the left side of the page. 

• Whats on my Nook - books I am currently reading and a link to the author's website.
• My Cricut Carts - a list of all my Cricut Carts. 
• My Spellbinders - a list of all my Spellbinder Cut*Emboss*Stencils.

For anyone living close to me you are welcome to borrow any Carts or Spellbinders. I will update the list as I purchase additional items.

Be on the lookout for the next new section - CuttleBug Embossing Folders.

2012 Tool Time Tuesday #2

Happy Tuesday - Today's post is a continuation of last weeks Tool Time Tuesday.  More "cheap and cheerful" ideas. 

Turn your muffin pan upside down, bake cookie-dough
Over the top and voila, you have cookie bowls for fruit
Or ice-cream.

Store shoes inside shower caps to stop dirty
Soles rubbing on your clothes. And you can
Find them in just about every hotel. 

Find tiny lost items like earrings by putting a
Stocking over the vacuum hose.

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Be Smarter then the Average Bear - Picnik

Take it from Yogy Bear and Boo-Boo a Picnik is always a good idea.

Found this great site called Picnik. Just upload your favorite photo or one you are not to crazy about and edit away.  Many options including Text, Stickers and Frames (see example below) can be found on Picnik.  I started out with the free version and now have upgraded to the premium version ($24.95 a year). They have monthly and 6 months options also. Example below was all done with items offered with the free version. 

2012 TOOL TIME TUESDAY #1

Today is the 1st Tool Time Tuesday of 2012. I received an e-mail from my friend Sandy that shows "cheap and cheerful" ideas to make life easier and wanted to share some.  Enjoy and check back next week for more ideas.

Hull strawberries easily using a straw.

Pump up the volume by placing your iPhone & iPod
In a bowl. The concave shape amplifies the music.

Use wire to make a space to store gift wrap rolls
Against the ceiling, rather than cluttering up the
Floor.

 

TOOL TIME TUESDAY #2

Today is the 2^nd Tool Time Tuesday on A Red Bike and Khaki Shorts.  This week’s tool is Scissors.  Not just any Scissor, but the Cutter Bee Scissor! Tune in every Tuesday and Enjoy.

#2

Cutter Bee Scissors

When asking my Mom if I could use her scissors the answer was always “Not My Good Ones”. At the time I did not understand, to me scissor were scissors did it really matter what you were cutting?  As it turns out it does matter.  Today I have several different types of scissors and yes they are used to cut different things. And just as my Mom did, when someone asked if they can use my scissors I answer “Not My Good Ones”.

Cutter Bee Scissors are very sharp and a fundamental item in my Scrapbook tool kit.  They are prefect for cutting small intricate items.  The comfort grip and safety cover are another significant selling point.  Come in several colors and cost around $10.  For anyone just starting to collect Scrapbook tools I would highly recommend investing in a pair of Cutter Bee Scissors.

Cutter Bee Scissors

TOOL TIME TUESDAY #1

Today is the 1^st Tool Time Tuesday on A Red Bike and Khaki Shorts.  The plan is to profile a great tool each week.  These tools maybe for Crafting, Gardening, Organizing or just for LIFE in general.  If you have a favorite tool that you cannot live without please share.  Tune in every Tuesday and Enjoy.

#1

Curling/Flat Iron

Now those who know me well will tell you that spending a lot of time on my hair is just not my thing.  So you may ask: What is she doing with a Curling/Flat Iron?  Every now and then I think to myself “Self you should do something different with your hair”.  By now I should know better and just stop myself when these thought enter my mind. They never amount to much.  In this case my new Curling/Flat Iron did not last long in the bathroom so it moved to my craft room.  

It all started years ago when my Mom was unpacking the Christmas decorations and the fancy bows she used to decorate were “flattened”.  Not the look she was going for. As was expected, my Mom came up with a bright idea! Use a curling iron to fluff the bows back into their original shape. It worked like a charm.

To be Green I save ribbon that comes with different packaging. Fancy dips and store packaging, presents, just to name a few.  The only problem when you untie them they are so wrinkled….like the linen skirt that was so pretty when you put it on fresh from the dry cleaner but when you get out the car to go into the office…. You know the rest.  That is where the Curling/Flat Iron comes handy.  Just plug it in, let it heat up and run the ribbon through the barrel.  Below is a photo of two different ribbons – the blue was run through the curling iron and the green was run through the flat iron to show that each works the same.

**WARNING** The Curling/Flat Iron is HOT!!!!!!!!! Watch you finger tips. 

Hat Box Tags

I have been searching for a China Cabinet that jumps out at me. Since that has not occurred hat boxes are used to store my dishes.  This worked well when I only had two boxes but now that I have four it was hard to remember what was in each box.  While perusing my favorite blog BNOTP I saw she had made cute tags for her office baskets.  Using that as inspiration I made a tag for each hat box.  Now I can tell at a glance where the dishes are stored.

Steps

• Removed the pink ribbon from the chip board tags. (pink did not go with my décor)
• Cut out the letters using Wild Card and white vinyl.
• Affixed letters to tags.
• Added ribbon to tags
• Tied tags to appropriate boxes.

Supplies

Vinyl – White (ETSY)

Transfer Tape – (ETSY)

Chip Board Tags – (Michael’s dollar bin)

Ribbon – Black sheer w/ White dots

Tools

Cricut – Wild Card

Cricut Design Studio

Ink Roller

Tweezers

Scissors

Garden Hose Wreath

The same basket of geraniums have been hanging on the front door for several years and though they are still in good shape, I was ready for a change.  While reading my favorite blog "Between Naps of the Porch" I can across a link to another cool blog. Well, truth be told I have come across several other cool blogs from BNOTP!  One blog had a wreath made from a garden hose.  From there I Googled images of hose wreaths and found pages of different wreath all using the hose as the base. These images made my creative juices to flow.  Enjoy

Supplies:

6ft Garden Hose (Home Depot)

1 pair Garden Gloves (Dollar tree)

2 Flower Seed Packs (Dollar tree)

3 Sprigs of Small Flowers (Dollar tree)

Green Raffia (Hobby Lobby)

Wire (Michaels)

Tools:

Glue Gun

Craft Knife

Wire Snipers

Tweezers

Large Needle

Scissors

Rubber Stamp Storage

As the before photo shows the rubber stamps were stuffed into a small box. A pretty box but not functional. Needed a better way to store the stamps so you can tell what was available at a glance.

Along comes Kelli with the solution.  The 13 1/8" x 9" clear 6 compartment box from the container store. Purchase price $14.99 but worth every penny. 

Cleaning Cricut Cutting Matts

Here is a tip I found on the Cricut message board. I have tried this and found it works great.

Items Needed

Old Rag
91% Alcohol
ZIG 2 Way Glue - Jumbo Tip

Using an old rag and alcohol, rub mat until all sticky is removed. Very easy process! Rinse with warm water - let dry completely. Finish by applying ZIG 2 Way Glue to entire mat. Whip away any glue on the green outside edge. When glue turns white (clear) replace protective sheet. The mat is now sticky and ready to use.

Gift Card Holders

Gift cards, everyone love getting them! Here is a way to make them more personal and they can be used over and over again.

Chip board sheets

Scraps of paper

Ink

Embelshments

Adhesive

Glue Dots

Ink the edge of the chip board. This will give a pretty edge. (in photo 4 x 6 1/2 chip board sheets that were trimmed in gold)

Cut paper to the size of your chip board. Use adhesive to attache paper to chip board. Cut another piece of paper 1/2" larger then your Gift Card and place on chip board sheet.

Embellish according to your event/theme

Use the Glue Dots to adhere the Gift Card to the holder. Using the Glue Dots will allow the Gift Card to be removed without damaging the holder. This also allows for the holder to be used again.

Showing Birthday and Christmas Gift Card Holders.

Scraps - Scraps - Scraps

Scraps , we all have them and want to keep them for use later. A photo box (shoebox) is a great way house scraps but when scraps are from a paper pack I want to keep them together. Try this tip to keep like papers together.

Take a page protector (12x12, 8x8, 6x6) the size of your paper pack and trim off the side with holes. Then place scraps inside. The page protector will now fit inside the paper pack and you can find your matching scraps in a minute.

Thanksgiving Card

Happy Thanksgiving to all! I am thankful for many things but Family and Friends are at the top of the list!!!!

Here is this years Thanksgiving card, and hopefully they did better in the mail this year. Last year we had some envelop issues.

I used the Cricut Thanksgiving Seasonal cartridge to make the Pilgrim Hat. The inside was stamped and embossed with gold powder.

Wishing everyone a Safe and Happy Thanksgiving.

Halloween Card

Halloween Card. Used Jasmine cartridge to cut out the "Boo". When adding quotes to cards -Avery (or store brand) Business cards are the perfect size. Great for one card or multiple. Use MS Word - tools - envelopes/label. This will give you the ability to choose different fonts and colors. Once you are done just click to print.

Happy Halloween

With Halloween just a couple of weeks away I decided to add some embelishments to my pumkins.

Black shinny vinyl

Cricut Wild Card cartridge

Settings:

Speed 3 medium

Pressure 3 medium

Blade 3 medium

*These setting will cut throught the vinyl but not completely throught the backing.

Sushi Anyone

Sushi - it's not just for dinner.

Let me start from the beginning. One day I was out to dinner with my friend Melissa eating Sushi. When our plates arrived green plastic grass was sticking out of the wasabi. That is not new it is always served that way. Then,Melissa says "save that, it would be good for scraping". Now you have to understand Melissa does not scrap, has no desire to scrap and used to make fun of me for scrapping. (that was before I started her an album) So from then on whenever we eat Sushi the grass goes home with me. Advise you wash it to remove any Sushi/wasabi that may linger.

Here is a Easter layout by Kelli Gordon where she used Sushi grass.