Thrifty Attempts # 2: Table Runner Art

So a project I did this week, because, well what else is there to do when you have a full week off of school because of SNOW, is a simple art piece for our small hallway. The materials included: a table runner (bought in exchange for a sweater from Christmas that didn't fit at Coldwater Creek... so in my mind it was free!), a TV box (free), a curtain ($7 at Ross), a staple gun and some craft glue. Yes, this only cost me $7!

Again, I got the inspiration from the Thrifty Decor Chick.

We have this switch box in our hallway that is so gray and ugly! We've been trying to find the perfect piece to cover it up, without covering up the light switch. 

Ok, so I am HORRIBLE about taking pics along the way. This is the pile of things near the end of the project.

I'll try to explain what I did...

First, off, the table runner I got from Coldwater Creek wasn't quite wide enough to cover the gray box.

So, I had to figure out something else to go behind it or around it. I thought about making a frame for it, but when I went to Michael's, it was going to take a lot of time, cost more than I wanted, etc. etc. 

Since I became a pro at stapling fabric during my last project, I decided I would cut a piece of cardboard (how perfect it is that we had a new TV box we needed to get rid of!) , and then staple some fabric around it. This would serve as a background/border to the table runner. 

So, after cutting out the cardboard and then stapling the brown fabric around it, we mounted the table runner by using the staple gun. You can't tell by just glancing that we used a bazillion staples to secure it to the brown border. 

Yes, my mom rocks and helped me with this project, too! Then we used some craft glue along the edges to make sure it stayed. 

We let it dry for a couple minutes, and then hung it up! 

I think it's the perfect piece for that hallway!

Close up! I LOVE this table runner! The wooden pieces are so cool and rustic. 

 

Before...

After!

Thrifty Attempts # 1: DIY Headboard

So since we've gotten married and had our own place to decorate, I've kind of gotten into home decor and I follow a few blogs that like to do the same... under budget! In the past I wouldn't have considered myself a "thrifty" person, but it's becoming a game to see just how cheap I can make/buy something that looks just as nice as something you'd see in a store. Just last night I was bragging about a new lamp project I'm working on that cost me $7 (and the lamp shade came from Pottery Barn!)

Here is the first big DIY project. It ended up costing about $60... and that's with having to buy a staple gun.. a one time purchase.

DIY Headboard:

Our new condo has a 2nd bedroom :), but we didn't have a headboard for our bed. I knew we didn't want to make a huge investment in that room, so I found some blogs about making a headboard DIY! I used these blogs.. they rock! Thrifty Decor Chick and Centsational Girl.

I made this with my mom one day over Fall Break! It took us a good part of the day, but we had a blast and I LOVE the results!

I bought this piece of plywood at Home Depot for $6. I just got the cheapest one they had since it's not necessary for it to be sturdy. 

First we measured out where we wanted the buttons to go... I wanted a tufted look. I think we measured them about 10-12 in apart and about 15 in from the edges.

Oh yeah.. bring on the power tools! We then drilled a hole for each button which we'd use to sew the buttons on.

I felt SO cool using a power drill!

My mom rocks! I definitely couldn't have done this without her expertise!

Next, we used spray adhesive to coat the board.

Then we applied the foam (egg crate bedding) to that. I read in one of the blogs that egg crate bedding is much cheaper than the foam they sell at craft stores. It looks funny here, but it looks great in the end.

We stopped taking some pics, but after we put the foam on, we had to cut it to fit the board. Next, we took an old sheet, and used a staple gun to attach it to the plywood. This secures the foam and provides a smooth surface for the final layer of fabric.

Phase one complete!

  

After this, we took the board upstairs and stapled the fabric to it, just like we did with the sheet. I got the fabric at Hobby Lobby. It's a natural linen-like fabric. 

Next, we used a button covering kit and some extra fabric, to make buttons for the board.

I love how they turned out!

The next step was to sew the buttons on! This ended up being the hardest thing because it was hard to find the hole through all the foam! 

Luckily, Mom and Stephen were better at it than I was!

Yay, we got them!

... and here it is! Our finished headboard! 

I LOVE it!

Before...

After!

I love the natural color. It blends perfectly with the bedding and walls.

 Thanks, Mom, for the help!

December is here!!!!!

Wow, it's DECEMBER! I think 2010 has definitely been the quickest year of my life!! We are already in the Christmas spirit here in Nashville and have enjoyed decorating! Here are some pics of the condo:

Handmade bird ornaments (yes.. Hunter helped!)

Nativity painting from my mother-in-law and nativity from my mother!

Our cute Christmas tree!

Homemade "mod podge" scripture ornaments with excerpts from the Christmas story

Nativity from Bethlehem!

so excited it's Christmas!

A must read for the season.. How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Wishing you all a wonderful month of celebrating the birth of our Savior!

Our first home!!

Yes, it's been wayyy too long since I've posted! Maybe I can catch up in a few weeks when I have Fall Break!

Well, I finally took some pictures of our condo, so click on the link below to see them. We have really enjoyed setting up everything and are still working to make it our very own! I'll keep you posted as we continue making changes.

Enjoy!

Click here for pics of our first home!

We're still alive...

So yes, I know I haven't posted in well over a month. So much for trying to keep track of our Out West trip day by day. :)  We did have an AMAZING time and I hope to go into detail about it sometime. For now, I'm just wanting to update and say that although we've been busy busy lately, things are going well! Here are a few things that have been going on:

* Church Plant: Awesome. We are part of an amazing team of people with an incredible vision and we have felt nothing but welcomed since we got here. I has been such confirmation that this is what we're supposed to be doing. We had an initial cookout to go over the vision/mission of the church and were very encouraged by the turnout and energy from those interested in being a part of what we're doing. We don't even have a name yet, and there seem to be at least 10 committed families so far. God is doing so much more than we would have imagined at this point. You can follow the blog of our pastor, Jason at http://www.chroniclesofaplanter.com/.

* Condo: We love our new place. It is about a 5-10 minute drive to just about everywhere, including our jobs, which is so nice. We're still in the setting up process, but I will definitely dedicate an entire post to it when it's all set up.

* Jobs: Hunter started working at Laser One last week and is enjoying getting into the groove there. He's going to be doing financial/accounting stuff there, and I know he's fitting right in. I've been setting up my classroom the past week or so, and this Thursday is a half day with kids. I can't believe it's already time to start back, but I'm looking forward to the new year. I'm teaching at a Spanish Immersion school, which will be so fun, but that's also what I'm pretty nervous about! I know God has brought me to this school and will equip me with everything I need. Prayers are appreciated as we continue to adjust to our new jobs.

Life has been nothing short of exciting and crazy the past few months, but we are grateful for all of the incredible opportunities we've had and are having now. Thanks for your prayers and support. These next few weeks will be especially busy as school is starting up, so who knows when the next post will be!? Until then, grace and peace to you all.

PS: Here is a link to some of our favorite Israel/Out West pictures: click here to see pics

Out West Journey... Day 2

San Diego Zoo!

So yesterday we spent the day at the best zoo we've ever been to. It was so awesome! The best thing we did was took a 40 minute guided bus tour through the zoo to overlook everything. All the animals were out and ready for pictures. We saw so much! Even our guide, Vieve, was commenting on how unusual it was for so many of the animals to be hanging out. Since pictures are much better than words, I'll go ahead and quit talking and just show you the amazing things we saw on this quick slideshow! It is so neat to think about all the different qualities of God by looking at this animals: Strength, beauty, creativity, gracefulness. Enjoy!

Out West Journey... Day 1

So, I know I need to blog all about our Israel trip. That is coming! I promise! We had an amazing trip, to say the least, and God really opened our eyes to the need in Israel for Jesus. More of that to come.

A LOT has happened in the past 3 weeks. We went to Israel, came home for just a few days to pack up, and moved on up to Nashville! Our life feels like it is in fast forward, but we are loving every second. Now just when you think it's time for a break, time to get settled, we throw in another curve ball. We are now in California beginning our long-awaited trip out west. Hunter and I have been planning this since before we got married, and we're finally here! Here's a recap of our first day.

We woke up at about 4:45 to leave. Papa took us to the airport and we were off! "California, here we come!" We had a 45 min flight to St. Louis with a brief layover, and then a 3 1/2 hour flight to Los Angeles. We picked up our rental car and had a very nice surprise. They didn't have any larger cars available, so we got a free upgrade to a small SUV. It is so much larger than we expected. It's called a Dodge Journey, which we thought was a fitting name for our trip :)

For lunch, we stopped by In-N-Out Burger, a famous hamburger place in California. We then drove 405 South most of the way down to San Diego, but took a little detour when we saw the famous Hwy 1 signs! It was so cool to be driving so close to the coast. Oh, one thing I need to mention. It's a little bit colder here than we had expected. The high today was only 64. A drastic change from the 90s we've had down in the South.

We really enjoyed the drive from LA to San Diego. The terrain is so beautiful. Mountains on the left, Pacific ocean on the right. We also stopped at Del Mar beach for a few minutes to stick our feet in the ocean for a minute. It was cold! Still so beautiful though. When we arrived to our hotel, which we found with no problems at all, we were worn out! After about a 2 hour nap, we headed out for dinner in Old Town San Diego. This place was so cute and quaint! We ate at a Mexican restaurant called Cafe Coyote. They had delicious homemade tortillas and a nice outdoor atmosphere. After that, we just walked around a little bit and browsed the little shops around. One thing on my shopping list: a sweatshirt! :)

(I'll post pics from today sometime tomorrow)

Tomorrow's plan: San Diego Zoo! Hasta manana!