Ready, Set, GOOOO!!!!!

You can see the original Pinterest Challenge here!

Allison and I both have a "healthy" addiction to Pinterest, but lets be real, you couldn't really make everything you "pin".  I mean that would be way more then a full time job!  So when we saw the opportunity to participate in the Pinterest Challenge, we figured what better way to motivate us to do something from our pin boards.

BUT...we want you to participate too!!!!  So we are asking our fellow DIY'ers to get your thinking caps on and creative juices flowing.  Here's the plan, pick an inspiration from Pinterest and re-create it with your own twist.  Then, next Wednesday the 2nd we will have a show & tell party here and here.  Just hop on over to YHL & Bower Power and share your love!

Allison and I are both on our way to Michaels today to pick up our goodies. We can't wait to see what everyone comes up with on the 2nd!

~SCS~


*We are not sponsored by Michaels and do not receive benefits from mentioning them in this post.*

Wall Gallery

I finally get to start my Wall Gallery!! This is a huge accomplishment for the Sparks household. Let me give you a little bit of background on the living room, you see my husband is a hunter and my living room looked a little bit (a lot) like a hunting lodge, and we're not talking like Bass Pro Shop hunting lodge, we're talking 3 guys-used-to-live -here bachelor pad hunting lodge. So it took a little bit of persuasion and batting of the eyes to get the deer heads off of the walls (I spared you from the before pictures) in the living room.


Here is the look I am hoping for but maybe with a little bit more color.

Pinterest

Below is the start of my gallery,  it's a SLOW start but atleast it's a start.  I am contstantly looking for things to add and will hang stuff as I find it.  For right now I have the lyrics to a song that was played at our wedding, the number 13 which is the day we were married and the letter "S" for our last name. The thing I love about the wall gallery is you can change out the items in the frames and get a whole new look anytime you want! I really didn't measure things out or do anything technical, I just hung the stuff up how I thought it looked best and will continue to add to it. (I'll keep you updated as I add stuff).


At least it's a start!

**UPDATE** Below is the picture I promised of the silverware art I did for our living room, I'm pretty pleased with the turnout.





Finished and framed silverware art!



Buttons & Bobby Pins

So, I will be the first to admit "My name is Sara, and I'm a Pinterest addict". I resisted joining Pinterest for a while after my sister told me about it, I didn't think I needed another "site" to join.  Well, I caved, and I'm so glad I did!  I LOVE Pinterest!

Anyhow, the point of confessing my love for Pinterest is because I realize how many people think and have the same ideas that I do.  Plus, I get so stalk other creative and talented people!  The other day I came across an idea I thought was amazing and knew I had to do it.

I have had this tub of old buttons for years now, actually they were my mom's and I had been holding on to them.  I have know idea what my mom had in mind when she bought them and I wasn't sure what I was going to do with them, but they were so beautiful I couldn't get rid of them.  When I saw this idea the other day it was like a light went off, all thanks to Pinterest and this blog.

I grabbed my tub of buttons and picked my favorites, that was no easy task because I loved so many of them.  I had the bobby pins already and of course my trusty hot glue gun.  After I settled on my favorite buttons I was off to create my new favorite "Button Bobby's".  Some of the buttons had large enough thread holes that I could just slip the bobby pin through the hole and then glue in place, the buttons that didn't have large openings I glued to the top of the bobby pin. 

I have worn one in my hair everyday since, I love them!!!

Picking my favorite buttons was the hardest part

My final selection

Hot glued them in place





Love them!



~SCS~

Art for Where You Eat!

Coming up next....

See how this old silverware can be turned into wall art in your kitchen/dining area.

Not Just For Lamps Anymore

Apparently, I have been picking on my light fixtures lately because this is the second one I have given the big heave ho in the last week.   I guess I  figured it was time for a change!

I recently updated a recessed light in our kitchen that you can see here.  Then I decided it was on to the dining room light, I have planned to change this light for quite some time but never got around to it.  You know, that thing called “life” gets in the way sometimes.  Our dining room is connected to our living room, though the previous home owners didn’t use the dining room as such.  They used it as a “play room”; therefore the light fixture wasn’t what most would consider a “typical” dining room light.  Now, we are not formal people so the dining room gets used oh, maybe 3 times a year.  I guess you can see why it wasn’t necessarily at the top of my priority list.



Original light fixture



Keep in mind that we are not “formal” people, transitioning to a big chandelier just didn’t seem to fit our personality or the personality of our home.  So I decided an easy fix would be to convert our current light fixture to something a little more fun.  I love the look of the modern pendant light, however I don’t love there price tags. 

So here is my DIY solution, convert a lamp shade into a pendant light fixture.  Here is how I did it and how you can do it too!!



Original light fixture again

The first step is to measure the base (part against the ceiling) of the existing light fixture, this is how you will know what size lamp shade you will require.  I ended up using a 14 inch shade.  Once you have your dimensions then it's time to hunt down that perfect lamp shade.




If you're like me, then that perfect shade doesn't exist and you have to create it.  So, I set off to Joann Fabric to find the perfect fabric to cover my lamp shade.  This is relatively easy to do, I covered a lamp shade for my daughter's room a few years ago.  All you need is the lamp shade, fabric and a hot glue gun.  Keep in mind the darker the fabric the less light will shine through.  Cut the fabric to fit your lamp shade but leave 3 to 4 inches of "wiggle" room on each side.  Using the natural seam of the shade you will attach one side of your fabric along the seam, this will act as your anchor.  Work your way around the shade, pulling the fabric tight and gluing it down with your glue gun. You will do this on both ends and leave an inch or so of extra fabric. 



Attaching the fabric to the shade



Creating that clean line

Once the fabric is completely attached the way you want it, you can go back and fold the fabric (that extra inch or so) under to create a nice clean seam and glue that down.







Finished lampshade!

 
To hang the lamp shade you will remove the finial and the glass bowl from your light fixture. You should be left with an existing rod that the bowl slid on and the finial screwed on.  You can slid your new lamp shade on the rod and use the finial (from the previous fixture) to secure the lamp shade in place.



Finished Product



Woohoo!!

So, do you have any light fixtures you are ready to tackle and give a custom look?  You can do it!

Here's to LOVE, LAUGHTER & HAPPILY ever after!!

~SCS~

Let There Be Light

I have lived in my house now for 5 1/2 years and have wanted to do a kitchen overhaul since the day we moved in. However 5 years later all that has been accomplished is new stainless steel appliances and cabinet hardware.  So this fall/ winter it's ON!!!!

The entire process will be done in phases, one of which I completed last night.  A new light!!  There was a recessed light directly above my kitchen sink; I have wanted to convert it to a pendant light for quite some time.  I prefer a pendant light over a recessed light, I think it gives a warmer feel and looks less sterile.  The great thing is they make recessed lighting conversion kits; they can be found at most home improvement stores.  No re-wiring necessary!!

Now, most of the boxes for the conversion kits say "as easy as screwing in a light bulb".  Let me just say this was not the case for me.  I even had my husband ready to box it up and return it to Lowe's asap.  I refused to give up (I'm stubborn like that) and finally got it to cooperate.

So here are a few pictures, I would recommend allowing a little more time than just screwing in a light bulb but it's definitely a DIY project!

I also FINALLY got rid of that hideous scalloped, wood molding piece above the sink as well!!

BEFORE
(Note the hideous scalloped wood piece)



Bye Bye Scalloped Wood Piece
(I still need to remove the wood molding across the top)





AFTER
Love pendant lights!

 Here's to LOVE, LAUGHTER & HAPPILY ever after!!
~SCS~

Who? What? When? Where?

Let us introduce ourselves! We are Sara and Allison, were sisters who consider ourselves "Do It Yourself(ers)".  Over the years we have learned many ways to take our "expensive" taste and make it happen on a dime.  Recently we were talking and realized how much stuff we have actually re-created using our DIY techniques.  So, we figured , why not share them with everyone else? 

Here's the thing, if WE can do this then you can do it too!  We hope you will join us on our DIY journey...and hopefully learn some tricks and get ideas that you can use to make your house a home!!!

Here's to LOVE, LAUGHTER & HAPPILY ever after!!
~SCS~