PB Inspired Nursery Mural Revealed

Well, I finally have an explanation for why I've been feeling poorly for about a month. I have a sinus infection and bronchitis! So, I'm now on the antibiotics & codeine and should be feeling much better in a couple of days. I was in the spray booth today, anyway, and have a lot of fun things in the works. But first, I have been promising pictures of the Pottery Barn inspired mural that I completed over a week ago and I am now coming good on that promise.
I absolutely love how it turned out and it makes me wish I had a little girl, so I could do this in my own home. My client is currently pregnant with her third baby (a bit of a surprise) and she wanted to do something feminine and simple in the nursery. She knew she wanted pink & brown, but beyond that she really wasn't sure. I sent her some inspiration pictures and she chose a mural from the Pottery Barn Baby + Kids catalog.

This mural is very graphic, but sweet and classic at the same time. I love the mother bird flying to her babies perched in the nest and the whimsical style of the tree & leaves.

Once I started painting, I realized I should have made the nest slightly larger in order to fit three babies in there (one for each of her children), but it was too late to change it.

If there's a new or soon-to-be mom out there who is in love with this, it was a very simple mural. Especially for someone who's comfortable with a brush. The tree is very basic and the leaves are just a tear drop shape. If you lack confidence that your bird will...well, look like a bird, you could use a stencil or an image and transfer paper. Give it a try! This is a high-impact mural that is in a very forgiving style.

On the wall above where the crib will be, I added her name flanked by two more birds.

My client chose this font out of MS Word and I freehanded it on the wall. I just marked a level and plum line with a pencil to make sure everything was straight and centered. (Let's hope Abigail doesn't turn out to be a boy! That does happen on a rare occasion. )

I'm sorry these pictures don't include the full view of the room and how the mural looks with everything in place, but currently the room is full of gift bags, diapers, little dresses with the tags on, fuzzy blankets, a changing table, a rocking chair, and... ...a diaper cake. Such a cute gift.

I noticed this little stuffed animal and I thought a pink camel was a weird gift for a baby girl. My client pointed it out and said it was from Abigail's dad, who is currently serving in Afghanistan. He bought it for her over there. Such a special gift that I am sure will be treasured.

I promise I'll take pictures when the room is finished. I just couldn't wait any longer to share the mural.

Furniture Feature Friday Link Party & Giveaway

Welcome to my Furniture Feature Friday link party, feature and giveaway! I know I blow the horn of my sponsor every week, but how can I not? This week will not break that trend. For those of you who haven't met her, I'd like to introduce you to Caroline from Caroline Joy Home. I often get compliments for my sewing and slipcovers, but I am really just pretending to be someone like Caroline. This girl must sew like the wind blows and I bet she's burned out a few machines along the way. She makes the most adorable, frilly aprons, like this one...

She sold out of these gorgeous tea towels that she made with an iron on transfer....

And I love her embellished cardigan sweaters that are for sale in her Etsy Store. Very classic and chic.

Clothing isn't all this girl "dresses." Caroline gave these bushel baskets a liner and ruffled skirt to be used as a stylish storage solution.

She is also the ultimate recycler. She uses every little teeny tiny scrap of fabric and makes it into something creative, beautiful, and functional. These are "card cozies" that she made just in time for the holidays. The winner of this week's Furniture Feature Friday gets this oh so girly "Scarlet Apron" made out of a popular Waverly print on cotton. As an unprecedented move, I have declared a winner before the link party even opens. It's me. Just kidding, but I may have to buy one for myself (and I'll take the waistline pictured as well!)

Make sure you visit Caroline's blog and Etsy Store for great inspiration and one-of-a-kind hand made things you can buy for special ladies on your Christmas list. Thank you so much, Caroline, for sharing your talent with us and being so generous with this giveaway.

The furniture feature for this week is a desk-turned-pet station by Kristi from Addicted to Decorating. When I originally saw this, I left a comment encouraging her to share this at FFF this week. I kept thinking about it and decided to take matters into my own hands and make her piece the feature. Kristi lives in a tiny place and was inspired by another blog to maximize her space and make a pet station for her cats. (In the amount of floor space it takes to lay out a couple of food bowls, you can fit an entire piece of furniture, right?) She was going to pitch this freebie desk in order to make room for the pet station when it occurred to her that she could use the desk for the pet station! Here's the plan...
And here's the result. I love the colors and finishes she chose for this piece.

It passes the most important test of all - will the cats use it? They obviously like their new home and it looks so much better than those rope and carpet monstrosities from a pet store.

Gorgeous job, Kristi! This is a very special piece.


So, what do you have to share with us this week? Here are the rules...

1.) Your post has to be about furniture or home furnishings (this includes accessories.) You can share makeovers, thrifty finds, favorite furniture pieces, or great arrangements.
2.) Post a permalink, not the link to your blog.
3.) The link party closes Friday at midnight PST and I will choose my favorite to win Caroline's Scarlet Apron.
4.) It's not required, but please grab a button and link back to spread the word.

One last note...Deb from Proper Prim paid me a wonderful compliment today and listed me as one of her blog friends. She does some unique and creative transformations, so you should check out her blog! Thanks, Deb. It's nice to know I have a friend in Ontario.

Shoe Forms & Trim

I am excited to share that I am the guest blogger for Thrifty Thursday over at Tales from Bloggeritaville . Make sure you go check it out and link up any thrifty finds.

Last week, I made the 45 minute trek out to Goodwill & Hobby Lobby to see what I could find. I didn't find anything that was super exciting at Goodwill, but I did purchase these vintage shoe forms for $1.97 each. I mean, who donates something like this to Goodwill? I love the mix of the mellow patina of the old wood and the cool metal.

And this piece with the holes in the toe is really interesting. I like old show forms, but I think I'm going to let these go and sell them in the shop.

Hobby Lobby coughed up some thrifty finds as well. This trim was on clearance for...

...$2.86. The way it was labeled was really weired, so they gave me the lower of the 2 prices. I love it when that happens!

I also found this trim, which has some variations in the color, but a little bleach or a tea stain will remedy that.

I paid $7.92 for the entire bolt.

Be sure to come back for Furniture Feature Friday tonight and tomorrow. It is posting tonight at 10:00pm through Friday at midnight. I hope to see you there!

I've posted this to Frugalicious Friday over at Finding Fabulous! Check it out.

Mod Podge Table

OK, I'm hooked on Mod Podge. I used it for the very first time on my shelf makeover and decided to try it on a table. Why not?I purchased this table at a yard sale for...I think $2.00. I bought 3 tables that all looked very similar, so I forgot which one I bought where. This is a before picture of one of the similar tables. Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture of the one I'm featuring in this post. Darn it! I primed it (this is the other similar table, not the actual one) and painted it in a vibrant blue from Sherwin Williams called Open Seas.

Here's the actual table, all painted up and ready for the creative step. I really wasn't sure what I was going to do with this, but after the success on my Mod Podge shelf, I decided to try it on a table.

I chose two complimenting scrapbook papers, one for the top and one for the bottom shelf.

I took some advice from Shari at Poplar Porch and dampened the paper to reduce bubbling when applying the Mod Podge. (Thanks Shari. It really did help!)

I glued it on and applied 2 top coats of Mod Podge. Isn't this fun? I have not decided, yet, if I'm going to add any decorative painting.

I think this would look awesome in a graphic black & white as well. (I think I'm going to give that a try!)

This table was really dated and now it has a new life. Don't forget to join me 10 pm Thursday night through Friday at midnight for Furniture Feature Friday! I have an awesome giveaway lined up, so you don't want to miss it. Feel free to link any furniture related posts in addition to any home furnishings (such as accessories.) See you there!

I am posting this to Transformation Thursday at The Shabby Chic Cottage.

Make A Wish

I mentioned in my last post that I bought $50.00 worth of vintage German glass glitter. I received it in the mail yesterday and was so excited to try it out. These pictures really do not do this glitter justice...Comparing it to the banner I did a few weeks ago with spray glitter...well, it really doesn't even compare. The spray glitter is only shiny and flat. The vintage German glass glitter sparkles and adds dimension to these letter. I am going to glitter everything!

The downside to this glitter is it's expensive and it's real glass. This means it looks gorgeous, but you have to be very careful when working with it and it's not for kid's crafts.

I had some Cricut difficulties (and they're sending me a new housing for my deep cut blade), so I couldn't cut through the chipboard I purchased to give the letters stability. It was too thick and my blade wasn't cutting deep enough. I needed thinner chipboard. The problem is, I live in a town with 2 street lights and about 30-45 minutes away from a craft store and I NEEDED to do this project right away! So, I read that cereal boxes are a good substitute...bring out the cereal boxes! (They actually look pretty cool and graphic in this picture. They'd be fun for a birthday banner or something...)

I spray painted them white, applied Elmer's Glue with a sponge brush, and then spooned the glitter on the letters over a metal baking pan. I gave them about an hour to dry before I threaded the ribbon on.

I am in love. If you're smitten as well, you can purchase this from Meyer Imports.

This was a test run, but I will soon post a full tutorial along with some suggestions on how to make these if you do not own a Cricut. My mind is also whirling with all of the things I am going to do with this glitter!

I have been putting some time in on my Craig's List dresser, I custom painted a mailbox for a client and used Mod Podge on a side table for the shop, so I have a lot of things to share... Stay tuned.

PS - To answer some questions about the glitter - I used Silver in the picture, but I also purchased pale blue. I bought 1 lb of each at the wholesale price (because I own my own business and will sell the things I make with it), but you can purchase the glitter in 1 oz portions for only a few dollars. A small amount can go a long way, so I would encourage you to give it a try.