Loving Lavendar

I'm on a bit of a lavender kick lately.  It all started when my friend Ashley got me hooked on this lavender syrup

It's delicious, but a little on the pricey side.  So, my DIY instinct kicked in and I decided to try to make it.  I found this great recipe here and figured I had nothing to lose.  Sounds a little weird, but don't knock it till you try it, you just might love it as much as I do.

Ingredients

• 2 cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons dried or 1/4 cup fresh lavender blossoms (I got mine from Fresh Market)
• 1 cup water

Preparation

• Bring all ingredients to a simmer in a saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat, and cool. Cover and store in refrigerator.
• Lavender Iced Tea: Stir 2 tablespoons Lavender Syrup into a 12-ounce glass of iced tea.
• Lavender Lemonade: Stir 2 tablespoons Lavender Syrup into a 12-ounce glass of lemonade.

I add mine to a glass of sparkling lemonade for a refreshing summertime treat.  At first I thought it might taste like a potpouri sachet, but nothing could be farther from the truth.  It's refreshing and delicious!  I've even gotten my sister hooked on it.

I bottled mine up in a thrift store bottle and labeled it with this label from the graphics fairy just for fun...

I even made it for a recent bridal shower...(check out my $8 drink dispenser from Walmart)

Not only do I love it in my lemonade, I also love it in my decor.  If lavender is the color of the year for 2012, I'm totally taking credit for it ;)  

This room has me inspired to redo my office, stay tuned for more on that...

images via casasugar

Frog Tape

I'm a lover of Frog tape.  I've used it on so many projects with great success.  I was so excited when the people at Frog tape contacted me about an exciting contest.  My wheels are already turning with all the projects I can do to enter.  There aren't enough hours in the day!!  So, I thought I might share it with you in case some of your are interested in entering. 

Here are some of the details:

DIY’ers are being challenged to show us their most impressive painting project, whether stripes, geometric shapes or bold colors

First Prize: $5,000, Second Prize: $2,500, Third Prize: $1,000

Entry Period: 4/1/11 – 6/30/11

All entries go through an approval process before being displayed in the Earn Your Stripes Gallery

and this is the best part, everybody gets something!! :), for each approved entry we will be giving one FrogTape Gift Bag, which includes two rolls of FrogTape, a reusable FrogTape bag and a cool FrogTape t-shirt. 

Visit the contest page for more details.

O Happy Day!

I've been scouring craigslist for weeks looking for one of these gorgeous hutches.  Then, last Friday I stopped by Goodwill for a quick run through after work and there she was and only $49, not too shabby.  Sure, it needs a little work but the lines are perfect and the size is just right too.  I plan to use it as a bookcase in our office instead of the ordinary MDF one we have now.  I primed it this weekend and it already looks a thousand times better.  Stay tuned for the full reveal!

It reminds me of these beauties I've had saved in my inspiration file, some of these have pull out desks but it's a similar concept and feel.

image via Eddie Ross

via decorpad

via decorpad

via decorpad

Seltzer Soap Pump

So today I need your help, thoughts, input on this little seltzer bottle I found.  I actually bought several because they were such an amazing deal and sold the rest in my booth.  I kept this one because I loved it so much and had grand intentions of turning it into a soap dispenser.  Anyone know how I can do this?  I know I could just replace the top with a average soap pump handle but part of what makes this so cool is the pump at the top.  Any ideas???

it's from 1948, I just love old treasures like this...

by the way I got this at Tuesday Morning, who would of thought?

Keep Calm and Wear a Bandaid

Maybe you're over this slogan, but I still think it's cute.  I found these at Zgallerie and thought they were adorable and what better slogan for when you are hurt than, "Keep Calm and Carry On."  

I guess it's a good thing that I haven't needed one yet, but the next time I have a need I'm surely going to reach for one of these!

Bathroom-Full Reveal

OK, drumroll please....Time for the final reveal of the guest bathroom.  As I've taken you step by step through all the projects in the bathroom you've pretty much seen the whole thing, but I will compile all the pictures here, along with a few others.  Now, to answer few questions that I've been asked so far.  The color of the bathroom is black, just black.  I asked the Sherwin Williams paint man for a gallon of black eggshell paint and this is what I got.  Doesn't sound super fancy or anything but it was just what I was looking for. :)  As for the color of the stripes on the shower curtain, I wish I could tell you.  It was leftover paint from a project my mom had done (which means it was free to me, no complaints here) and there is no label or anything on the can.  The paint for the mirror is Rustoleum Gold Metallic spraypaint.  I love this stuff.  The coverage is amazing and it dries in no time flat.  Please feel free to leave any additional questions in the comments section and I will do my best to answer them!

Onto the pictures...

A few before pics...

First it looked like this...

then this...

 now it looks like this...

Quatrefoil Bag

I had some great before pictures of this bag, but they are somewhere on my old iphone that so sadly got broken.  Just picture black, plain, kind of worn out, etc.  It needed some "oomph."  I wanted something I could take to client's homes to house my ipad and other design tools.  This was my husband's old laptop bag and it was on it's way to Goodwill so if I messed it up no big deal.  So I used a little wonder under....

source

Then, I cut the fabric to size and ironed it on my bag.  It worked perfectly!  I wanted to make it a little more personalized so I added these iron on embroidery letters from Hobby Lobby.  (The fabric is from Hobby Lobby as well)

it may not last forever, but it has done great so far and I love it!

Striped Shower Curtain DIY style

Back to the guest bathroom today.  I decided to DIY the shower curtain because I just couldn't find what I wanted.  I wanted something that would bring out the coral color in the room and I also wanted it to be a little longer than an average shower curtain for some drama.  I searched and searched to no avail.  So, I found these curtain panels at IKEA for $15 for the pair.  They were extra long and canvas so it would work perfectly for what I had in mind.  I sewed the two panels together and then sewed two additional seams to make the seams look more intentional, not just like two panels sewed together.

Then, I laid a large tarp in our driveway, this is the only place I could fit it because this thing is HUGE!

Then, I laid out the curtain and taped off my stripes with frog tape.

I painted two coats of regular paint from home depot and let it dry.  I removed the tape and voila!  Extra long shower curtain custom made for my bathroom!  It's hard to tell from the picture but it's really tall, 98 inches to be exact.  I tried really hard to get a good picture of the curtain, but this bathroom is pretty tiny so it's hard to get it all in.  The color reads more coral than terra cotta in person.  My husband says it's the biggest shower curtain he's ever seen but I love it!

 This project was inspired by KFD designs striped shower curtain.  Check her's out and her great tutorial!

Newfound Hobby

I've stumbled upon a new hobby (not like I need one more).  It's jewelry making or at least making necklaces.  I found these vintage broaches at an estate sale and I guess you could say that's what started it all.  I was so intrigued by them, all so different and cool and they were only $1 each!  Before I knew it I had gathered over twenty broaches and necklaces!  The sweet lady gave them all to me for $20.  I'm all about the statement necklaces right now and I knew a collection of these on a necklace would definitely make a statement.  Pair it with some jeans and a tank and you've got a put together look!

So, I laid them out and played with the arrangement until I got it just right.  I layered some and added some beads to others and this is what I came up with.

This is the first one I've made, but I hope to make many more and even start selling them soon!

The rest of the jewelry I purchased that day

p.s.-I promise the full "official" reveal of the guest bathroom is coming soon, just waiting on a sunny day to take some pretty pictures.