Fun @ the lake and a DIY cottage sign

 

Well ya gotta love a man who will carry your “treasure” several miles to the car for you so you can paint it and call it “home decor”! He saw me scavenging the rocks for driftwood by the lake we were visiting, and found the one he’s carrying…he was pretty proud of it when he showed me! :)

We spent two days hiking and chillin’ by the gorgeous Lake Ontario! Reminded me of Washington a bit…except there were no ferry boats passing or sea lions playing in the water! Nonetheless, it was two beautiful days of sunshine and the water was clear and comfortable once you got pass the hypothermic stage it was pleasant to swim in!

“Nope mom, we don’t care if our lips are blue we love swimmin’ at the lake!”

 

This is my eleven yr old…Isn’t she beautiful? My tomboy actually wore pearls to the lake! hmmmm….

 

My twelve yr old soon to be 13! Where does the time go? He keeps us rolling …he’s quite the comedian!  My 14 yr old….He is such the big brother you dreamed of having growing up! :)

My 8 yr old soon to be 9 in a couple weeks. She’s a mommy’s girl! how can you say no to this! ;)…and she’s still the sweetest thing!

 

Haleigh passed out after her swim!

 Oh yeah….back to that piece of driftwood my hubby was toting for three miles….I added some paint here and there to lighten it up and then wrote my sign….I added the starfish…not sure if I like it or not…what do you think?  Anyway it serves as a piece of memory that we will treasure thinking back to our beautiful days in NY. 

Right now it’s on my foyer table!

Hope you are enjoying your weekend!

Aubrey xo

Shabby chic lamp

 

I saw ball covered in flowers in a Pottery Barn catalog…I really can’t remember it was so long ago, but I wanted to copy it onto a lamp shade and save myself a ton of money!! :)

I finished this adorable shade yesterday….my “simple” idea took longer than I thought.  But I so love how it turned out and so does Genevieve!! I still need to add some more pearls…I ran out:(

I initially wanted to make roses, but it just wasn’t developing into the look I wanted…so I made “petals”. 

1. First I cut two different size circles, one bigger than the other.  I also cut a smaller circle out of this sheer fabric. The pink is satin.  Then I added the three pearls for the center. Sorry the lighting isn’t the greatest in the photo…I purposely made the circle uneven as it gives a real natural look to the petals.

2.  I took the two circles, stacked them, folded them in half, and then in half again to sorta make a triangle and then stitched at the very edge of the end of the fold where it makes a point. This stitch causes the fabric or flower to sorta stand out 3-D ish on the shade so it looks very much like a flower. 

 

3. Hot glue flowers in four rows around the shade, then add sheer circle and pearls!

The lamp base was a bronze and red I picked up from Dollar General last year…it had a raised design so I knew it would look super cute distressed in white for that perfect shabby chic look! :)

You all have a safe and happy 4th of July!! We have a fun-filled weekend planned!! Check out our vintage 4th of July ceremony we had a couple weekends ago for inspiration here and here. :)

I’m linking up to this lady for frugal friday inspiration! ;)

beach cottage bedroom

 

Remember my bedroom looking like this? well, the dark colors were getting to me….I needed a summery, beachy look…I needed a breath of fresh air in there.  I was starting to feel claustrophobic!

I love WHITE…it makes everything look clean…kinda how you notice how green grass is after a good rain! :) The bedding is from Ikea….I was inspired to use books as usual for my decor…and guess what? you turn them around and you get another layer of white-ish. :)  And who said you can’t hang plates in your bedroom…(hubby thinks he needs a fridge in there now).

 

I found this frame at a yard sale and wrote these words in each frame for instant beach charm! :)

 

 

you’re wondering what in the world those white things are hanging from the ceiling???…those are sheer curtains that I need to buy in longer lengths…so it will touch the floor.  I think it makes the room feel so……beachy! yes…no?

 

Thanks for checking out my cottage!! :)

Aubrey xo

Cottage Kitchens

Recently I have spring cleaned my house…I know I’m a little late!  But seriously it was starting to look like “a rainbow threw up in my house”! It was time to put away the dark colors of winter anyway, and freshen up with a coastal cottage look…white is sooooo summery and everything feels so clean…I promise to reveal pics soon.  

I stumbled across these enchanting cottage kitchens….I love the cozy feel to them….the best part is that you can affordably and probably DIY these ideas easily! :P These are all from here.

I ADORE these shelves and the Mantel…Gee I never thought of putting up a mantel in the kitchen, but how easy would that be???!!! See the tea cups hanging off the shelves….drroooollliiinnnggg! I’ve decided the next house I buy, I’m totally yanking the top cupboards out the wall and hanging shelves! Yep!

 I want a red stove! I love the exposed beams…  and the curtain….and the cupboards …..and the sink!! 

See the shelves again!!! I’m pretty sure I could put them shelves together…uh huh!

 

so into yellow recently…  Looky there another mantel/shelf above that stove I love that the breakfast bar hangs out so far, so that you can actually sit comfortably and not sit sideways to eat your bagel! :)

I SUPER DUPER love this awesome brick archway…look at all the goodies on that pot rack! Not crazy about the tile…reminds me of my kitchen a few days ago!

  Here we go with these adorable cottage shelves… I love the stack of cookbooks on them! And who doesn’t love geraniums….and even cuter in their kitchen window…I love the antique scale!! I love the wood counter tops, but with an eleven yr old who takes a shower while doing dishes, these would be buckled up in a week and splittin’ boards.

Here’s another one with brick….love the shelves on the side.

And you gotta have those window doors on the cupboards in a real cottage kitchen!! I adore this island….I don’t particularly care for the black tile…it’s a little to modern I think for this kitchen!I.Love. These. White-washed. Cupboards!!!   Oh and the old antique wine jar….and the exposed shelves….and yes, one can NEVER have tooo many bowls in a cottage kitchen. :)

I hope you were inspired as much as I was!!! My creative juices are flowing and I’m back to work doing my thang…..

Enjoy your weekend…I’m off to church!

Aubrey xo

lil girl's slouchy hat

Another blizzard today.....ugh....

I stayed indoors and crocheted this slouchy hat for Genevieve's little friend who is having a birthday this weekend!

I have a busy busy weekend~ to include a birthday party, a much needed hair appointment, and an army girl's night out for a fellow army wife is moving. :(

Goodnight~ Aubrey

another PB DIY table runner!

Decided to "get my craft on" for Kim's Today's Creative Blog.
I'm always inspired when I visit her blog.

I was REALLY coveting this table runner in my PB catalog! BUT....
30 bucks was a little much in my opinion for it! So I "got my craft
on" and went to work using what I had. The muslim was a curtain
I got at a thrift store bag sale, the rest was fabric
remnants that I had, except the orangefabric that jess gave me!

I was going for a primitive country look! I love the simplicity
of it! Which PB is really good at doing!!! I tried my hand at some
primitive county embroidery...I also added touches of embroidery to
my leaves and pumpkins.

Eat your heart out Pottery Barn, cuz I'm totally lovin' my new fall
table runner and it was Frrr-ee-ee-ee!!! :)