Pallet for Home

I was in a Valentine-y mood this weekend, so I decided to create a great BIG Valentine sign for my family.  What does one use to create a great BIG Valentine sign?   Well, in my case I decided to repurpose a pallet.





The pallet used to be art in the boys' bedroom with a cardboard deer head hanging on it.  But when I updated the antlers I received from my mom, they ended up in the boys' room.

In yesterday's kitchen update reveal, you may have noticed the E-A-T letters above our cabinets.  (Or you may not have - they are kind of small in the photo.)  Today, I wanted to share with you how I created our "EAT" sign.  You've probably seen similar letters all over blogland.  They couldn't be easier to create, and they make a perfect focal point for any empty wall space in your kitchen.

Last week I showed you this pile of wood.  And asked you what you "wood" do with it...





I also promised to show you what I did with it.

So here's what I did...


I used the wood to create this beautiful piece of art for the Loft Bedroom.  And when I say I created the art, what I really mean is that it was a collaborative effort between my Papa, the Hubby and me.  I came up with the initial

Last Thursday, I had the opportunity to appear on Studio 5  where I talked about actually making some of those projects I've been pinning on Pinterest .  



My completed Pinterest-inspired project



As you can tell from this photo, I have had these black saddle-style bar stools for quite a while.

More after the jump...









You may remember that I added vinyl numbers to them when we lived

Today I'm sharing another treasure I received from my parents - a set of vintage deer antlers!




I was so excited to get these from them, but I wasn't jazzed with the way they were mounted. The highly varnished wood plaque and the red velvet just wasn't cutting it for me. So I decided to give the whole thing a bit of a facelift.

I started by sanding and painting over the plaque with a coat

Thanks so much to Bonbon Break for sharing our table.  I happened to hop on Craiglist the other day, and I had not been on there is a while. Usually there is not much for sale of interest where we live. But, on Friday I saw some preschool tables and chairs being sold at a church near by.

I couldn't pass up the table for twenty bucks and some chairs to go with it.  The table and chairs are both over 50 years old according to the director of the school.

This tutorial was originally posted on The Shabby Nest on December 3, 2009.  It's an old-y, but a goody!  Enjoy!!

When I saw this page in the Pottery Barn catalog, my heart skipped a beat. Yes, the bedding is lovely, and the windows are pretty, but it was those wreaths that I fell in love with. Amazing!! So, of course, I decided I had to make me one of those "bookish" wreaths.




Photo from

This year, stars have taken over the decor scene. They are everywhere, especially right now, around the holiday season. There are so many alternatives out there. Stars add a sparkle to any holiday interior but they are not limited to the holiday season and can be used year-round around the house, thanks so shops such as Le RepèRe des BeletTes that offers a variety of stars on their website - and they deliver all over the world, hooray! - so your interior can sparkle all year round!

Cette année, on voit des étoiles partout dans la déco. Surtout en ce moment, à la saison des fêtes. L'avantage, c'est qu'il y a tellement d'options qu'on peut en mettre quel que soit le style de son intérieur. Les étoiles font scintiller en un clin d'oeil un intérieur, mais elles ne se limitent pas uniquement à la période des fêtes. On peut en avoir dans son intérieur toute l'année grâce au RepèRe des BeletTes, qui en propose une belle sélection sur leur site [et qui livre dans le monde entier, wizzz!] pour que votre maison scintille toute l'année!

Sources : 1. 2

Sources: 1. 2

All images Le RepèRe des BeletTes © - [clockwise] : 1. 2. 3. 4

When Belgian photographer Sven Everaert sent me these pics of his own DIY christmas tree, I immediately knew I had to share these with you. Styled by his wife, Evelien Vanherck - who's a journalist/stylist for European magazines such as Vårt Nya Hem or Casa da Abitare - this Xmas tree idea is another great example that you don't need to splurge to get a "va-va'voum" effect. I love the color, the unexpected "upside down" effect, and the simplicity of the idea. Merci Sven and Evelien and joyeux Noël!

Photo Credit : Sven Everaert - Styling Credit : Evelien Vanherck

Here are a few fun and easy DIY Xmas decor projects that are on my to-do list. What a fun way to add color to Xmas!

Voici quelques projets DIY [bricolage à faire soi-même] qui sont sur ma liste. Quelle façon originale de rajouter de la couleur à une déco de Noel!

Sources [clockwise]  : 1. 2. 3. 4

I have seen so many beautiful variations of DIY tree skirts on Pinterest.  I had about twenty minutes to burn during nap time the other day, and I decided to tackle my own version.

I had purchased a drop cloth several months ago at Lowe's hoping to come up with a project later one. I simply cut it in the shape of a square. I know most are round, but I am awful at cutting circles.  I then used some fabric in a similar color to crate a ruffled edge using a glue gun.  Then I simply added some self adhesive stars around the top of the ruffle.  All together this project cost around ten dollars.  Pretty inexpensive and easy to make.  I just used some velcro to attach it together in the back of the tree.