Katie Stories {Scrapbook + Crafting Blog}: home decor

Showing posts with label home decor. Show all posts

Thursday, December 11, 2014

December Daily 2014 {Day 10}

Happy Thursday!

I've got some seriously fun plans today. I get to go to the DMV. Isn't that awesome?! I'm very excited ;)

I was going to go yesterday, but there was more snow, so I decided to do a few things around the house instead, including finally taking out all of the Spode (and making lots of hot chocolate!)

"I finally took out all of the Spode. I don't really have anywhere to put it here (unlike Mom who has hers all displayed in her beautiful china closet!) So right now it is all sitting on the dining room table. But that's okay since the table is giant and we only need to use two seats so there is lots of room for everything. Since we don't host Christmas here, I think its fun to use our "fancy" Christmas china for "regular" meals - or hot chocolate with whipped cream and sprinkles!"

PS. I edited the journaling after took the picture because I didn't like that I said "yesterday" since I actually took it out on Wednesday and only said yesterday because it was today when I was creating the layout!

What are you up to today? Its got to be better than what I'm doing!

The rest of December 2014: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Days 5 + 6 + 7 | Days 8 + 9

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

December Daily 2014 {Day 2}

Happy Wednesday!

I'm so excited, I am going to look at more houses today. Our house in Louisiana hasn't sold yet, so we aren't ready to put in an offer in New York, but I am really enjoying looking at all kinds of houses in all the different towns around here. I figure by the time we are ready to put in an offer on a house, I'll know what all of our options are!

I just keep my fingers crossed that I don't find a "perfect" house, because I would want to buy it right away, and that's not an option right now!

But I'm sure it will be fun, and I should have some interesting pictures to share tomorrow!

Yesterday I took a ton of pictures!

Waiting to cross the bridge on the way to the grocery store | Cold weather + an advisory for an ice storm | Blogging in the morning | Writing up a menu + grocery list | And buying groceries | One of our Nativity scenes, this one is near the tree | Finally getting the empty boxes off the dining room table | Setting up the advent wreath

After I was done grocery shopping and decorating, I was playing with my camera and taking pictures of the tree. I decided to try out this tutorial.

The pictures reminded me of looking at the tree without my glasses on - something I love to do, and something I'm always trying to convince AJ is pretty. He doesn't wear glasses and can never understand what I mean when I try to describe what anything without glasses looks like!

"I've tried to explain to AJ (who has perfect vision) why the tree looks so beautiful without your glasses on. He never got it, until I found a tutorial showing how to take photos like this. He was shocked that this is my world without my glasses!"

Do you wear glasses? Do you love to look at the tree without them like I do?

I'm linking up my Day 2 with Ali Edwards again today. And the rest of my album pages are here: Day 1 (and by rest, I mean the other one...because its only Day 2!)

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Scrapbook Room {Our First Home}

Happy Wednesday!

So, I planned to share this yesterday, but life happened. If you follow me on instagram, you probably already saw this.

AJ and I are moving back to New York! We are so excited to be going back home and being close to family again. And I don't think its been a big secret that we didn't love Louisiana.

But part of leaving is saying goodbye to this house, which does leave me feeling a little sad. We've only lived here for a few months,but it was our first house. So my goal before we leave is to photograph all the rooms so I don't forget them.

I started with my scrapbook room.

I love this room. All of my scrappy things are here, and when I'm mid project, I just shut the door and no one can see the mess. Its such a huge change from when my Expedit bookshelves were our tv stand and my desk was in the corner of the living room (where people put drinks on it during parties...don't even get me started on how much that drove me crazy!)

I'm really hoping we can continue to have a space for my scrap things, because having them (and all the clutter they create!) out of our main living area has been awesome!

Where do you keep your craft things?

Friday, September 19, 2014

Project Life 2014 {Week 26 + Week 27}

This week was a whirlwind - we had visitors, we were in New Orleans, I had the worst cough ever and lost my voice, I shared a new layout over at Julie's, and throughout it all, I was teaching

It was so amazing to see our friends though, it had been way too long now that we are all spread out all over the country!

I can't wait to get the pictures printed, but I'm trying to work chronologically, so I need to get through June and July and August first!

So that's what I worked on when I got home from work last night :)

Week 26 | June 23 - June 29

Things got a little stressful this week because it was the start of all of this drama. I chose not to journal about it here though. Instead, I focused on our impromptu overnight trip to New Orleans. We had a great time staying in the Garden District - it was the first time we visited there. And we got beignets, my absolute favorite!

And I also finished up my scrap room. Its a bit messy right now, as we had to turn it into a third bedroom while our friends were visiting, but I'm planning to clean it up this weekend and share pictures on Tuesday!

Week 27 | June 30 - July 6

Fourth of July week was pretty quiet around here. I basically only had pictures from 4th of July! So I decided to go all out with my Project Life page and my holiday kit. I am totally loving how it all came together. And I also love the top left pocket - it is see through with just a card in the middle. When it lines up with the pages behind it, you can see part of a baseball game and part of a vineyard.

I've been using see through spaces in the pockets more this year, and I'm really liking them! What are your go to design elements lately?

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Summer Goldfish Yarn Wreath {Home Decor}

Happy Wednesday!

This summer, I really wanted to make a goldfish wreath. It was partly inspired by goldfish crackers, and part by my new fish doormat from Target (that I totally forgot to photograph and now its dark outside and the bugs are there...so I'll try to add one after work when its light out!)

I actually started it in May, but then life happened and I got sidetracked.

So while my mom was here and I was hanging out on the couch, we finished sewing the fishies and stuffing them with polyfil!

I used matching thread for two of the fish, and contrasting thread for the third one. I like how simple it is, but from far away (like when I'm driving up to the house after work), it looks like the fishies are swimming on my door! And it makes me smile :)

Do you dress up your door for summer?

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Update + Some Around the House Decorations

Hi everyone!

How are you?! I know I've disappeared without any real explanation for a few weeks now. Things here were a little crazy, and I had to put away the computer + kindle fire + iphone for a little bit. Basically, anything that could get me on google had to be limited.

Let me explain why.

I had a little medical scare this summer. Not the whole fainting in church-wearing heart monitors for a ridiculously long time-finding out everything is okay scare. Another one. Its been a fun summer. (Actually, despite all this, it has been a fun summer!)

In a nut shell, I had to have a biopsy done on a tiny little lump. Fortunately, the results came back benign. Unfortunately, the tiny little lump still needs to be removed completely just to be sure its all okay. Which is actual real surgery. On Friday.

And that's why I needed to be away from google. As soon as I found out what type of lump it was, I started googling everything I could think of. I'd try to write a blog post, or answer emails, or go to bloglovin, and the next thing I knew, I'd have 85 tabs open about this instead. And I was driving myself crazy. So I just took a break from the internet all together.

And it helped.

But I missed all my blogging friends. So I've been on the internet for 17 minutes now, and not one thing has been googled, so I think I'm good to go! Right?!

While I was taking my internet break, I did a whole bunch of other things to keep myself busy though.

hanging out in New York | finally finishing our bar area with a picture collage and large mirror | making a set of shelves for the foyer | changing up the mantle from 4th of July to summer | wine tasting | seeing the Brooklyn Cyclones for the first time | {not pictured} remembering my snap.scrap.share post for Julie (although it took me over an hour longer to write than it should have thanks to google...)

Okay, I'm off to go clean up the house while I've got this great burst of energy, since that kind of didn't happen during my internet break either ;)

I'll be back on Friday with a Project Life layout and then next week I will resume my Tuesday layout + Friday Project Life + random projects and things from around the house when I have them to share on Wednesday schedule!

Yay!

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

4th of July {Decor + Recipe}

Can you believe that it is already July?!

One of my favorite things about July (aside from it being summer break!) is 4th of July. We usually barbecue, go to the beach or the pool or run around in the sprinkler, decorate the house and turn all the food I can red + white + blue.

Last year, we started with these flag toasts for breakfast. This year, we are starting with something a little bit sweeter...or maybe ending with it, because it is definitely dessert! But on holidays, you can have dessert for breakfast, right? ;)

Some of my favorite summer treats involve fruit, pound cake and cool whip. But I wanted to make it a little more special with cookie cutters + food coloring. Because I will use any excuse to use cookie cutters + food coloring!

For this year, I decided to try out two different ~~breakfasts~~ desserts. My original idea was to make kabobs with the stars and strawberries, and cover them in Cool Whip. But then I thought star sandwiches would be so much more fun (and easier to eat!)

In the end, I'm glad I tried it both ways, because I loved the little sandwiches best, but AJ liked the kabobs better! So on Friday, I'll just make both. They were definitely easy enough for that!

And the food isn't the only thing I decorate...just after we got home from vacation in June, I decked the house out in patriotic colors. And the best part was that everything came from my stash or from our "waiting to be recycled" pile.

the stars and stripes papers were all in a summer pack that I've had for years, the polka dot papers were from a paper pack I bought last year | the stars were cut from an old moving box and painted or covered in paper | the firecrackers are empty breadcrumb containers | the flag "canvas" is an old cheerios box that's been painted + covered with scrapbook paper

Oh man, I really can't wait to celebrate on Friday - we are just hanging out at home, cooking, eating and playing in the sprinkler! What are your plans?

Thursday, June 26, 2014

Make Your Own Vase Fillers with ThermoMorph {Review}

I was provided with this product free of charge for review purposes. All opinions posted here are my own.

Happy Weekend Eve!

While AJ and I were on vacation in South Carolina, Rizzi at ThermoMorph reached out to me and asked if I would review their product.

To be honest, I'd never heard of it before, but when I went on the website, the crafter + the chemistry teacher in me were totally intrigued by these polymorph molable plastic granules.

Basically, they are little white pellets, and when you put them in boiling water, they melt into moldable plastic, then they harden back into hard plastic. And you can buy them on Amazon in a giant tub (500g).

It was really easy to use. You boil some water and let it cool to around 150*F, drop the pellets into the water and wait two minutes for it to get clear. Then you can stretch, mold and play with the plastic.

When I started out, I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it.

I am not great with free hand molding of things, and I found that the material was hard to cut or trim into shapes with the scissors I have. So I tried a few different things, including making a "bowl" with my giant cupcake pan.

Fortunately, the plastic can be melted again and again, even after you've molded and hardened it. I loved that I could just "melt" my mistakes away! And trust me, I made a lot of ~~mistakes~~ creative attempts that didn't work out how I imagined.

When I'd had enough for that, I pulled out my molds. I tried out two different ones. The first one I tried was this red one. It is a soft silicone mold. It worked okay, but I found when I tried to squish the plastic into the mold, the mold squished with it, and so my pumpkin was a bit misshapen.

The second one I tried was this orange mold. I think its silicone too, but it is hard so it held up to my squishing!

These little plastic guys came out great! And a coat of orange + green paint made them look like real little pumpkins.

I ended up making this little piece of framed art with some of the pumpkins. {inspired by this pin} I can't wait to add this to my fall decor...in a few months!

Have you ever tried a product like this before? What would you use ThermoMorph for?

Friday, May 23, 2014

Project Life 2014 {Week 18}

Happy Friday!

Are you looking forward to the three day weekend? I am! We have lots of fun plans - a crawfish boil, a concert, some crafting and, of course, relaxing!

I'll be working on this wreath and of course Project Life! I'm all the way done through Week 18...now I just need to order the rest of the pictures so I can get moving on the next weeks!

Week 18 | April 28 -May 4, 2014

This was the first week back at school after Spring Break. We had Super Hero day at school - and I wore my neon pink tights (I didn't retouch that picture at all - they are THAT pink!) And the Mets played the Phillies, so we were able to wear our awesome 10.5 Phillies/Mets shirts (thanks T&J!) We also did some fun things around the house - like tapas date night, made a chalkboard burlap runner, sealed all the windows (okay, that wasn't so fun!) and relaxed with some Corona (that was fun!)

And I made a whole bunch of waffles to freeze for breakfasts later in the month (one is heating up as I type!) I love making waffles and bread and granola bars for us. It just makes me feel like I am doing something really really good for our little family. You see, I used to be the pickiest eater. And I'm so excited whenever I try something new (like homemade waffles vs. Eggo!)

But, I'm still a little bit picky. Like, I don't eat ground meat or seafood. I just don't like the texture. Usually, its not an issue, but I'm a little nervous about it this weekend. Remember how I said we were going to a crawfish boil. Well, I don't eat seafood.

So, usually I just quietly eat other things - like the potatoes and corn and desserts! - but sometimes people notice and some people make a huge deal that I don't eat seafood. And it kind of drives me crazy. And I never know what to say, because I don't want to be rude, so I just sit there and don't say anything at all. Or I apologize that my tastes aren't to their liking. But there has to be a better response!

Which leads me to a question for all of you...what do you do when someone comments on your eating habits?

Thursday, May 1, 2014

Chalkboard Banner Burlap Table Runner {Tutorial} Plus a BurlapFabric.com {Giveaway}

Happy Weekend Eve and Happy May!

I love May: the school year is winding down, my birthday is this month and its fun to start sprucing up the house now that spring is here. And you know, since the wedding, when I do some sprucing up, burlap is almost always involved!

As if they knew I was looking for something to decorate my new house, the lovely people at BurlapFabric.com reached out and asked if I'd be interested in creating a tutorial with some of their products + hosting a giveaway for my readers!

You bet I jumped all over that!

The hardest thing was deciding what I wanted to create a tutorial with. We just got our new table delivered, so I knew I wanted something to decorate our table. It was just a question of what?

There were so many table linens to chose from! I was pretty torn between place mats and a table runner. And then I got distracted by this tree skirt and almost went all Christmas on everyone!

Fortunately, AJ was home and I let him decide. And that's how I ended up with a burlap table runner :)

{Materials}

14x90 table runner
Cardstock or heavy paper (I had these index card dividers on hand)
Chalkboard paint - spray paint or paint on would work
Glue (I planned on using tacky glue, but ended up using a glue gun because it dries faster!)
Embroidery floss
Large needle

{Directions}

Step 1 | Decide how many banner shapes you want or can fit on your runner. This one fit 9.

Step 2 | Create your banner shapes. I started with a 4x6 rectangle (after I cut off that little index tab). Then, I cut a 2" triangle out of the bottom to make my pennant shape.

Step 3 | Paint the banners with the chalkboard paint. I used a little trick here and adhered them to the box with repositionable tape so they stayed still while I painted. It worked really well inside...but it was not strong enough to hold them down with the very windy conditions outside. And that's why I was painting in the guest bathroom.

I gave each banner three coat of paint so they were extra chalkboardy. Then I let them sit for 3 days, as per the directions.

Step 4 | Using the side of your chalk, cover each banner totally in chalk to prime the surface. Then wipe it clean.

Step 5 | Glue them down to your burlap runner. I ended up going with a glue gun, instead of tacky glue here. Either way, make sure you put something under the runner. It was a lot easier to separate the glue from this paper than it would have been from the floor!

Step 6 | This step is entirely optional. I used embroidery floss to stitch a banner ribbon at the top of each pennant. I just liked how it looked, but it is definitely not necessary!

Step 7 | Write a message and enjoy!

Step 8 | Enter the giveaway below for a chance to win a coupon code good for $30 off any purchase at BurlapFabric.com There are so many wonderful things to purchase - from lace ribbon and rolls of fabric to home decor items and bags. What would you buy with the $30?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Reception Decor: Centerpieces + Table Numbers {Wedding Recaps}

So you already know that I went crazy with burlap at the reception

But that wasn't the only thing we decorated with.

I also went a little crazy with mason jars.

Seriously, I have no idea how James, our maitre'd, understood everything I wanted for this wedding. I dropped off boxes and boxes of burlap and mason jars and chalkboards and a tree with three pages of hand written notes and he managed to make it look exactly like I imagined.

Photo Credit: Ruby Star Photography

I really didn't want flowers for our centerpieces. I had my heart set on mason jars filled with candles. And we used them everywhere. On the tables, in the bathroom, on the fireplaces. I loved how it made the room seem so romantic.

Photo Credit: Ruby Star Photography

Of course, the table numbers needed a little bit of burlap too. These were so easy - a bit of burlap, some paint, a stencil and $1 frames from Michael's. But they added a perfect pop of color to the room. We made them in three colors - this orange, a darker, more metallic rust and brown.

Photo Credit: Ruby Star Photography

We also found a lot of fun things from Pinterest for the tables. This "thank you" was one of the first things I pinned for the wedding. We printed it on the back of our menus, so one would be placed at every seat.

Photo Credit: Ruby Star Photography

The I Spy cards came from Pinterest too. We really wanted people to instagram pictures from the wedding, and thought this would be a fun way for people who weren't sure what to photograph to get in on the action!

Photo Credit: Ruby Star Photography

And these pumpkins...these pumpkins were one of my favorite crafts. Of course, I found the idea on Pinterest. They didn't just decorate the gift table, but their other appearance is a surprise for later :)

Is Pinterest one of your go to sources of inspiration too? Leave me your Pinterest profile name - I'm always looking for new people to follow!

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Reception Decor: Burlap Banners {Wedding Recaps}

For me, one of the most exciting things about wedding planning was the decor.

I had a really specific idea in mind for our reception decor, and it involved burlap banners.

Fortunately, before our engagement photo shoot, I perfected my technique for creating no sew burlap bunting.

And you know I put that good use for the wedding!

Photo Credit: Ruby Star Photography

Basically, you need:

burlap
felt
marker
iron on bonding
twine
iron + ironing board
kitchen towel
stencil
acrylic paint + paint brush

Once upon a time, I created a tutorial with pictures. This is just an updated version of it.

Trace a bunting shape onto your felt + cut it out.
Lay one felt bunting piece on your ironing board. Place a strip of Stitch Witchery along each side of the triangle.
Now is a great time to add the twine so it is “sewn” into the bunting. Just lay a piece across the top of your bunting. Be sure to leave enough to tie your bunting on one side, and enough to add the other bunting pieces on the other.
Carefully place a piece of burlap on top of the bunting. Be careful not to knock off the Stitch Witchery or twine! Iron as directed.
Cut out your bunting using the felt as a guide. Be very very very careful not to cut the twine!
Repeat until all of your pieces are cut out. Just keep lining them up along the same piece of twine, and when you get to the end. Trim so you have enough to tie your bunting on this side too.
Stencil on your phrase with the acrylic paint + sponge brush.
And then use the bunting everywhere you possibly can think of!

Photo Credit: Ruby Star Photography

Like for the card box. This Michael's crate got a coat of dark orange paint on the outside + two dowels + a banner for a quick and easy (and inexpensive!) card box!

Photo Credit: Ruby Star Photography

You can add burlap to the head table. Yeah, I know its backwards...but AJ is a lefty, so we sat "backwards" at our reception so we weren't banging into each other the whole time we tried to eat!

Photo Credit: Ruby Star Photography

And of course a fireplace needs a touch of burlap bunting. And the extra burlap fabric is perfect wrapped around potted mums, with a fall themed ribbon.

Do you ever create your own buntings or banners? What do you use them for?

Thursday, April 10, 2014

Easter Egg Wreath + Mantle {Home Decor}

Happy Thursday!

I am thrilled to report that this week is almost over! Not that its been a bad week, I'm just really looking forward to the weekend. AJ had to work the past two weekends, and last weekend I was in California, so it will be nice to have a regular weekend together!

Its also Palm Sunday weekend, which means that it is almost Easter!

Easter is the first "big" holiday that we've had the house, so I was really excited to decorate for it. Seriously, if I was this thrilled over Easter, Christmas is going to be insane!

I've never actually decorated for Easter before, so I started with making a wreath for our front door.

This one was super easy. I followed this tutorial pretty much exactly.

I had glue sticks and cardboard laying around, so all I needed were the eggs, which I got in a big giant bag from Target for $2. Oh, and the Easter grass. I had some, but it was blue and I wanted purple, so I got some of that at Target too.

I really wanted to create a pattern, so I laid everything out to make sure I had the right number of colors.

And then I started gluing everything down.

And before I knew it, we had a pretty new wreath for our front door.

And I had about a zillion eggs left over. So I decided to fill up my Ikea lanters + create an egg garland for the mantle. I love how cheerful it looks.

Now I just need to hold off on making the Easter baskets for another week. I've been dyyyying to make it for a while now, ever since I bought the candy for it!

Also, in an entirely unrelated to Easter comment, I just wanted to point out the artwork on the mantle. One of the things I love about it is that it was all handmade, and all give to us as gifts! The awesome monogram frame is from Jules, the maps were a bridal shower gift from a friend and the wedding frame was a Christmas gift made by my brother and his girlfriend!

Do you decorate for Easter, or do you just do a general spring theme? I am going to switch everything over to spring during my spring break!

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Escort Cards {Wedding Recaps}

Right next to the failed guest book, we had our escort cards.

The original idea for the escort cards was a bit crazy.

We were going to use branches to make a tree, then tie the leaf escort cards to the tree, and people would take them off of the tree.

Until we actually tried to do that. And realized that someone was going to get the whole thing knocked down on them trying to untie it!

So we went a bit of a different way with it.

We decided that the leaves fell off of the tree. Because its the fall, you know?