Valentine's Day Decor 2014

Valentine's Day Decor 2014

So I've never been big on Valentine's Day Decor, but this year is different. Thanks to all the bloggers I now follow and all their inspiring ideas, somehow making Valentine Day decor seemed really fun.
So here are some of the things I've made/done:


I wanted to make something out of wood, and saw an idea that inspired me at Ontheavenue.blogspot.com. I thought, "Hey, I have tons of scrap wood laying around, surely I can come up with something fairly cute"......

So, here's what I came up with from the scrap wood I have.

Then with a little tweeking, adding the burlap and dried roses. I think it turned out really cool!

This pillow I made from drop cloth and an old red shirt I hadn't worn in year.

Hydrangeas I purchased yesterday at Lowes. I'm so ready for Spring and I LOVE hydrangeas!
How do you like the little yorkipoo looking at me through the window? That's Spike. Too cute!

Sorry about the dirty porch, but the weather has been nasty and until it warms up and dries up a little no point in washing it, as it will look like crap again in 15 min or less. Anyway, new signs from old barn wood I made for the porch. They are the same ones I used for Christmas just flipped around. Two-way signs. Cool!

New Hydrangeas and a repurposed heart basket I painted white and distressed. The petals in the basket are from the beautiful Camilla's we have growing in our yard that had fallen to the ground and were under the

And in watercolor.....

I love this app for the iphone and ipad. It's called Waterlogue and it is the bomb! Take any photo you like and turn it into a pic of a watercolor painting

Have awesome day and thanks for stopping by!

Lori

Holidays 2013

So I'm really getting into this shabby chic decorating style and have been so incredibly inspired by so many bloggers. To name a few: 
@town-n-country-living.com, 
@missmustardseed.com
@cedarhillfarmhouse.com, 
@chateau-chic.blogspot.com/, 
@bucketsofburlap.blogspot.com, 
www.funkyjunkinteriors.net, 
@organizedclutterqueen.blogspot.com,
www.hometalk.com, 
@shabbychicgirls.blogspot.com, and many, many others. Thank you! I feel pretty lame at this blogging thing, but I'm hanging with it. I know my photography skills need a lot of help too, but I'm a total newbie at this!

Since we moved to this bigger house last Nov. 2012, my former Christmas ornaments seemed boring and out-dated. But being that I love to re-purpose old stuff, junk and other-wise, I've had an amazing time coming up with "new" Christmas decor from old stuff I've found lying around this ten acres with two old barns, etc. on it.

And check out @burlapfabric.com. They have AWESOME stuff, including all the burlap ribbon on my Christmas tree and wreaths.

Here are some pics from my Christmas decorating frenzy:

 Pallet Christmas tree, and signs made from pallet wood. Yay for old pallets!!!  I love them!

 Noel sign I stenciled on from old wood out in the barn. Bench was found laying around and I repainted (it was a distressed red and I wanted distressed white). Old rusted tin bucket with holes in the bottom. I added cedar clippings, pine cones, florida holly berries and some whole walnuts.

 Two more signs I made with old barn wood. Wood basket a neighbor's throw-away I painted. Charlie-Brown Christmas tree I dug up out of the yard and re-potted. Old primitive chair I did purchase for cheap at an estate sale shop. The star was from an outdated Christmas ornament that was red and I repainted white. Next after-Christmas project is painting the porch rockers white :).

Momma's helpers, Spooby (the black one) and Spike. My beloved yorkipoos.

Basket with antique linens. I added a small pillow and filled her with ornaments.

Stairs are being repainted after the first of the year. There was blue-green carpet before.

 Sorry about the stuff on the floor. WE LIVE HERE!

 Got this idea from @Chateau-Chic.blogspot.com. I already had the frame laying around with no clue what to do with it. Thank you, Mary Alice!!!

Wreath I made. Well not the green part. I bought it years ago from somewhere. Bow is made from torn drop cloth.

 A Dollar General special I purchased last year and spiffied up a bit.

Painting on my torn drop cloth I'm using for the bow on my tree. Lots of help from two little helpers :)

 Love this painting on drop-cloth thing. The possibilities are endless! Made the Noel sign and Christmas tree topper from same piece.

 Old burlap coffee bags for a tree skirt. Not fancy, but cheap :).

Original farmhouse

So I moved to my little country farmhouse, which I absolutely adore,  in November 2012. While it was well maintained by the former owners, it had been modernized in many ways. My goal is to restore the house to a more original farmhouse look. One of the first things I've done is rip up the beige carpet and expose the gorgeous original heart pine floors in the master bedroom. The carpet ripping part wasn't too difficult, it was jacking up the particle board that had been nailed down over the wood flooring. Sounds terrible, but it was actually a blessing because it protected the floors from any water damage from spilled things over the years and kept the nail holes to a minimum.

Old farmhouse built in 1937 on ten acres. This is what it looked like when we moved in.

  

Master bedroom with paneling painted in sage green. Not bad, just not "me".

So I decided to put up 6" and some random 8" 5mm utility paneling I had cut at Lowes to give it a vertical board look.



Master bedroom with 6" strips of utility plywood before whitewashing
"Before" comforter and bed.



 After whitewashing. I love the way it looks. 

                                     
                                         Door trimmed in 1x4 white pine. I did this myself.
   
                                      

Bed I built to go with old doors 

Old door (1 of 2) I stripped, repainted & antiqued to use as a headboard
These were already on the property which was really cool.

Old doors used as a headboard from the barn. Lampshade courtesy of Donna at FunkyJunkInteriors.com

Pardon the extension cord on the floor. It's a work in progress for sure.That's my yorkiepoo, Spike on the little rug there. One of my little helpers. 

New closet doors I built. I love them!

Old antique deacons bench I've had for years that I'm painting white

Old bench painted white. I think it looks fantabulous!