Adam and I spent a great Easter weekend in Massachusetts visiting my extended family. Since we were away all weekend, I took the day off on Tuesday to recover from the long drive and do a few things around the house.

You may remember that our living room sofa (a $200 Kijiji find) used to look like this:

Not bad, but I didn't like the way the wood trim stood out against the black and tan rug. To help it blend in, I decided to paint it black. I put a piece of cardboad under each of the sofa's feet to protect the rug and floor, roughed up the wood with 100 grit sandpaper, and brushed on two coats of black acrylic paint. The whole project took about 15 minutes, including drying time between coats. Still, it was a dramatic transformation.

And to complete the sofa's new look, I also whipped up a few pillows using some fun, new fabric I picked up last week (it was a buy 1 metre, get 2 free deal). I'm so happy with how this quick and inexpensive project turned out - the black frame ties the couch in with the rug, and along with the new pillows, it gives the couch a much more contemporary feel that really works in our eclectic space.

There is a certain clothing company that hails from the land of prime ministers and "they're getting married this weekend!".
I love their kids clothes (and adults too), and when I saw this little t-shirt then I knew I must try and reproduce it for my boys since I could not justify spending the $$$ for it. They happen to love fish, sharks and the like and were ever so pleased that mommy was going to "make" them a shirt.

My Inspiration

I started by blowing up the image a little on Paint.net and then tracing it off my computer onto normal paper (yes it took more than one piece of paper, I just pieced them together). Could I have printed it off? Yes No, because my printer quit on me and I need to buy a new one.
I then cut out the pieces, one by one...

I also got out my supplies. I was making two shirts so ignore the doubles.

I used my scraps of fabric and my HeatNBond to start my masterpiece. (just cut the fabric to the general size of each piece of the template and iron to the HeatNBond)
After it was all adhered then I used my templates to trace the shapes onto the HeatNBond paper and cut them out. Ending up with a bunch of these...

Next to start building. The biggest thing here is to lay it on there and make sure it all fits right.

With every piece you lay, make sure it will all fit together again, then iron on that piece.

Peel off your backing and lay it all on there again to check it....one more time.

Almost there... you get the idea though. After it was all said and done ironed on, I took my handy dandy sewing machine and went around all the edges, changing out the thread for each color of fabric.

So at the end of the day your shark should look like, a shark, and your kids should look like this...

My other son was just as pleased but since he was asleep, I saw no reason to awaken a shark and try to take its picture without it biting me.

(by the way, the camo I used was just handkerchiefs/bandanna's I bought from Hobby Lobby)

For those that have asked... I have progressed to a very large size. This photo was taken about a week and a half ago. The good thing is that I only have a few short weeks left now!! I am ready to have this child that I am sure has 15 feet, all of them in the upper right corner of my stomach. Loving it. (for real, but also ready to meet the 15 feet:-)

 

I shared the other day that I had attended a small Garden Party hosted by two of my friends.

It was a beautiful day and the girls had done a wonderful job making it so special for the rest of us.

We each brought a gift that was either handmade or second hand. I brought home that primitive wood votive holder, potted with succulents.

We also each brought a salad or dip to add to some sandwiches they had made. The food was amazing of course and the desert added pounds to my weigh in at the doctors this week;-)
Thanks to the girls who hosted! It was a great time!

Enjoy your weekend!

Would you take a guess at something?
Do you think these are fake or real?

I'm sorely tempted to order myself one. Ya know why? Cause they are fake as can be and that's what my brown thumb handles best.
Check out The Foundary for more greatness.

In other news...
Congratulations to Stephanie from The Cozy Old Farmhouse! She was voted number 1 with her Edison Lamp copy.

She wins a hat of her choice from the Etsy store HaleyAbigail!

Thanks to all who entered and voted! Remember, if you have an Etsy store and would like to sponsor a We Can Do It Cheaper party, then just send me an email (jvc80@yahoo.com).

Sometimes I can't think of very good titles. Today was one of those days. But that really is what this post is about.

Let us start with the chair. This last weekend was the twice a year event of Antique Alley. I loaded up my boys and my belly on Friday and traversed out into 50 mph wind gusts to take in the sights of Antique Alley. Wow was it ever windy!
I didn't have much in mind that I wanted to buy except for a bench for my dining room table. A friend of mine found me a darling white one for $20 about five minutes after we got there, one problem though....it was sold. I blew around the rest of Antique Alley and ended up with this chair for just $10. I was happy. I went home.

I still had one problem though. I had found no bench. This would have been no big deal except that I was having a yard sale at a friends house the next day and I was planning on selling all my current dining room chairs (they sold!). I needed something for my kids to sit on.
When I got home from Antique Alley then I my eyes fell upon my pile of scrap lumber. My hands starting twitching as I they reached for two sawed off cedar beams and a large board. A few hours later I had my bench.

Hmmm, not quite what I had dreamed of. The cedar beams were very convenient but not as stable as I had hoped. My four year old almost crushed his toes after he knocked it over... five minutes after I brought it into the house.

I had to add some funky little feet to keep it from tipping. Oh well. The whole thing cost me a whopping $0, and I'll keep hunting for that super cute bench that is out there somewhere.

Meanwhile, the boys are having fun telling secrets on it.

I attended a small garden party this week where we had to bring something second hand or homemade. All the girls outdid themselves with the things they made. It was so much fun! This was my contribution, a dropcloth pillow with french ticking stripes painted on it.
I'll share more pictures of the party later.

One more day left to vote on your favorite We Can Do It Cheaper project!

Hi guys,

You've probably noticed that I haven't posted anything in awhile. There's a lot going on in my personal life right now, so I've had to take a short break from blogging. The reality of having a full-time job and a part-time volunteer gig means that I can't post here as often as I'd like (and I can't transform my house that quickly either). The good news is that I've got lots of DIY home improvement projects on the go, which means that I'll have lots of updates to share with you soon. So please bear with me as I figure out how to fit this whole blogging thing into the rest of my life.

Love,

Amelia xox

I love old doors. My house, being that it is your normal, everyday, average kind of house, needs help in the texture department. (and I don't mean the nubby popcorn type)
At some point I want to paint my main walls a soft white or cream, but I don't feel like it right now, so I have found that old doors/shutters are a great way to add some architectural elements and texture to a room.

I found this one in Round Top for a great deal. I love the old paper stuck to the door.

If you look really closely then you can still see old advertisements imprinted on the door, even though the actual paper was gone long ago.

This corner of my living room needed both height and interest. The door was just the perfect thing. I added the hanging light (a 50 cent find from last Antique Alley) so that I could remove the floor lamp (it was too distracting) and for the light that it brings to that spot since this spot doubles as my sewing "room".

I also picked up the vintage fan in Round Top for less than a meal at McDonald's. It doesn't work but I wanted it purely for it's rusty face and industrial leg. I'm shallow like that.

I have lots to show you this week, so stick around for the fun! I also listed new stuff on Etsy, so stop by and take a look when you have a chance.

You still have time to vote for your favorite from this months We Can Do It Cheaper!

Welcome to another month of copies and recreations from the land of We Can Do It Cheaper!
I have chosen my top 5 out of the links. I have to be honest, there weren't that many qualified entries since this does need to be a copy of something you have seen. I do appreciate all of the ones that did link that were qualified though and it is always difficult to pick out the ones I like best!

Without further mess and nonsense though.. (in no particular order)

No. 1) From Brassy Apple comes her recreation of Pottery Barns Egg-A-Labra.

No. 2) Lisa from Fern Creek Cottage linked up her copy of Pottery Barn lamps.

No. 3) Richmond Thrifter (Yeehaw for my home town!) made her own version of a cute little Anthropoligie table.

No. 4) This amazing West Elm headboard copy was linked up by Budget Wise Home.

No. 5) Last but not least, The Cozy Old Farmhouse made her own copy of this old fashioned lamp.

I also have one honorary mention because her kitchen has turned out so beautiful! The only reason I didn't pick it was that I didn't feel it was exactly a "copy" of something (though she did show her wonderful inspiration books). I love it though!!

So... Honorary Mention: Sara from All Things Vintage linked up her brand new redone kitchen.

So there you have it! Now it's your turn to leave a comment with your number 1 pick!
The winner will be announced next Thursday and will win a hat of their choice to the lovely HaleyAbigail Etsy Store!

Good luck to all!