Summer Mantel + Garage Sale Find

Hey peeps.

Seeing as how it's summer and all,

I thought our house needed to reflect 

this glorious fact a little bit.

And so, without further ado,

this is how our "mantel" currently looks:

I left the main structures the same as they had been-

the spray painted frames and the wreath in the middle.

I got the plant at a garage sale (thanks mom!). 

The plate was a plain white plate 

that I added the bicycle vinyl

to using my handy dandy Silhouette machine.

I had everything else on hand.

I added the little pennant banners to the frames,

and you can't see it well in these pictures,

but each pennant has a letter on it,

spelling the words 

"summer breeze."

I'm still deciding if I think this arrangement

is too busy because I'm

really liking some of the more

simple mantel arrangements

I'm seeing.

But for now, I think I'll keep it around.

I also wanted to show you this little beauty:

{The dresser is the "little beauty" in case you 

weren't sure which item I was referring too :) }

I got her at a garage sale for 

the small price of $15!

Sadly, she was only marked for $10,

but I was deciding if I for sure

wanted her and when I went back

to buy her someone else was just

loading her into their truck.

Luckily, I knew the new owner,

and she said she would sell

this green beauty to me for $15,

so I jumped on it.

The knobs were plain white,

and I added vinyl numbers to them,

again using my wonderful Silhouette.

She has some marks and scuffs on her,

but I just think they add character.

Best of all, she provides some great,

much needed storage space for blankets,

games, coloring books, and 

who knows what else.

For now she's in our living room,

but I could see her migrating to

a child's bedroom someday.

What great garage sale finds have you gotten

this summer?

Besides garage sale-ing and manteling

(pretty sure I just invented a new word!)

here's a few pics of what we've been

up to this past week:

Out to dinner to celebrate summer birthdays with my side of the fam

Our little firecracker showing off her "seafood" :)

Wes and his dad working on Claire's new swing set

Claire snuggling with Ellie (aka squeezing the crap out of her neck)

Splash Pad fun

More splash pad fun, with Miss Haley

Blessing to you,
and happy nesting!

Spring "Mantel" Redo

Welcome to Friday!

Normally, this would be a VERY happy thought for me,

but today, it means that my spring break is almost over. 

{Pout}

Moving on, I'm excited to introduce you

to two of my new best friends:

Meet New Avocado and Churchill Hotel Vanilla.

Both are Valspar spray paints, and they are like MAGIC!

How do I know this, you ask?

Well, you see these dirty old frames?

{They were dirtier than this... this was after a good ol' soap and water treatment}

These frames went from looking like this,

to looking like this:

Yay! I love my new "mantel"!

Ok, it's really just a plain old shelf, but when you have no fireplace,

you have to compromise sometimes.

Here are some more views:

{My sis-in-law Emily made me those fun button candles. Thanks Em!}

{I love love love this little bunny I snagged at Target}

{Frontal view, with an antique tint. I can't help myself with the IPhoto

editing options sometimes}

{In the context of our living room. I have to say that the "mantel"

looks better in real life, but I have no way of proving that to you,

so I guess you'll have to take my word for it!}

Thank you New Avocado and Churchill Hotel Vanilla for enhancing my living room!

I am literally looking around my home for more things I can use you

to spray onto.  I have already sprayed one additional item

with New Avocado, so readers (all 8 of you), stay tuned

later this week for one more fun addition

to our living room/entry area :).

P.S. You may recognize the wreath on the mantel as the wreath

I did have hanging on our front door. There is now a new front door

wreath in town. I'll show him to you later this week as well!

P.P.S.  (Or is it P.S.S.???) I'm thinking more than 8 of you read this blog...

reveal yourself please! I'd love to know who you are!

Linking to:
tatertots and jello

Happy nesting!

Goodbye Winter- Fresh Ideas for Spring Decor!

I am so done with winter.

The snow was pretty back in December,

but now I am REALLY longing for some green.

{Those of you from the midwest, can I get an amen?}

Time to get rid of this:

{and this}

{and this}

Good bye, and good riddance!

{until November}

Longer daylight hours, melting snow, and 40 degree temps

have me psyched about 

all of the fresh spring/summer

decorating ideas that I'm seeing

plastered all over blogland.

Here are a few that inspire me...

{Love this! It would look great in the entryway makeover that I'm planning, dontcha thing?

Check out how the talented Alison from Oopsy Daisy

made this adorable wall art here}

How FUN is this springy wreath?!?!

Add this to my to-do list...

{See how to make it here at Kiki Creates}

No, I don't have a new nursery to decorate, but if I did, you can bet I'd be making these

bright and cheery personalized nursery canvases...

{Positively Splendid}

There is much to love about this spring-ified entryway 

{@ Ms Smarty Pants}

I've been thinking about a big 'G' for our entryway makeover...

maybe a fabric-covered letter would be the way to go?

{Away We Go}

Aha! This is sort of what I'm envisioning for our entryway!

{Natty by Design}

I could go on and on, but these are a few things 

that struck my eye this week!

I hope you've been inspired!

This week, I'm excited about an upcoming craft night

with my friend Becky and my sister,

as well as Claire's 1st birthday party next weekend!

{pics of both to come}

As for Claire, I think she is ready for warmer temps too,

so that she can play on the new swing set she is getting (shh, don't tell!)

What do you think?

Happy nesting!