Right Up My {Sad Little} Alley
Oh man…thank goodness for my handy dandy husband – otherwise nothing would get done (or done correctly!) around here. We make a good team, but he is the yin to my yang, the peanut butter to my jelly, the hmm…I’m sure you get the picture. And I’ve blogged about my “Rookie Moves” and “Mis-Adventures in Saving the Planet” here, so when I was catching up on my Young House Love obsession today I was so excited to see that 1) they’ve been chosen to be part of the True Value DIY Blog Squad and 2) that True Value is holding a DIY Drama Contest! You can win $5,000 in True Value merchandise – and what do you have to do? Talk about your DIY Drama or mis-adventures in home improvement!! Right up my alley, right? Maybe I’ll have to get my hands dirty and make some trouble of my own because (thank goodness) Glenn has saved me from too much DIY drama in my life. I need to learn somehow, though, right?
And to those of you who are too scared to try to tackle a project on your own – here is your chance!! Who cares if you screw it up? True Value will help you fix it!! Just be sure to document your adventures with a short essay and photos and/or videos. 
I’ll be sure to keep you updated if/when I submit my entry…muah ahahahaha!! This could be interesting…
Entries must be received by November 2nd, so click on over to check out the DIY fun and get workin’!!!!
And P.S. – If you want to show off a project that did not go awry (pleasantly surprised, maybe??) then feel free to submit it to me and I’ll post it on here for the world (or the 23 of you who read my blog – I kid, I kid!!) to check out and ‘ooh and ahh’ over!! Or copy. You can e-mail me a lindsay{!at}lindsaychristensendesign.com.
{Show & Tell}
Have you entered Serena & Lily’s Show and Tell Contest for October?? Good things might happen if you do!! I was completely shocked when I found out that I won their September contest by entering Harper’s room – and getting to spend $250 on their website was a dream come true! I rarely have a spare $250 burning a hole in my pocket, so as a treat to myself I splurged a little – and I thought I’d “Show and Tell” what I bought! I’m so excited, but I have to ask – is it wrong that I spent $250 at a baby boutique but didn’t buy anything for my baby? Hehehe…she really doesn’t need anything new for her room and that’s what I’m sticking to!!
The one thing that has been on my shopping list for a long, long time from S&L is their design book, “Nursery Style.” So I had to make sure to include that and add it to my design book library. The photos and design tips inside are amazing – I’m loving all of the eye candy and so, so glad that I got it.
I also couldn’t get those “Everything Bins” out of my mind, mostly because of the great prints that they come in! I ended up getting the Desk Caddy in Spring Green Florentine and I love it. It was so hard to choose which design to get, but I knew I wanted it in my office, and you can never go wrong with green in a great graphic pattern. Now this purchase really surprised me when it got here – not only is the signature S&L print so stinkin’ cute, but the bin itself is very heavy, the printed coat is nice and glossy and the galvanized interior is shiny and fun, too! And how fun do my Prismacolor markers look in it?
And with the rest of my gift card (and a little out of my pocket for shipping costs) I just couldn’t leave their site without picking up the Peacock Gypsy Tote for myself. I wanted the matching clutch as well, but I might have to wait for Santa to bring it to me. How great is this bag?? I love big bags – I’m not a little bag girl. This can function as a diaper bag, but I love that I can use it as a regular purse because it doesn’t look like a diaper bag. It fits well, the embroidery is GORGEOUS, there are sweet little details all over it, and the interior is roomy and cleanable. PERFECT!! It even has elastic pockets for bottles/waterbottles, etc.
I know some people spend a lot on bags. I’m not one of them. I don’t think I’ve ever owned a purse that cost almost as much as say, my car payment. But I just couldn’t help myself here – the last time I bought a purse Harper was a newborn, still in the hospital. That’s how often I change bags. It was time for a new one and this one was calling my name. And then when S&L posted a picture of Halle Berry toting her Gypsy Tote around on their Facebook page, that put the icing on the cake for me and I had to have it, ha!
And speaking of Facebook – have you checked out my Facebook page for Likely Design? I’m sure a lot of you are already fans (and that is how you got here) but if you’re not – check it out!!
I photographed these in my in-progress office, which is a room that I haven’t posted on here yet. It’s nice and organized right now but it needs to be “finished.” It’s not pretty – simply functional right now. I am excited to paint furniture, switch out knobs, add some art…and then I’ll show it to you. For now, you just get a peek. Enjoy!
I Just Couldn’t Help Myself!
These crack me up! Did you ever “Elf Yourself” on the Staples (I think it was Staples?) website for Christmas? All your friends do a little elf dance. Kills me – I laughed for HOURS!! And when I saw that JibJab had a free Halloween Monster Mash dance I just had to go for it. This is me (the mad scientist), Glenn (the vampire), Harper (the Frankenstein monster), Erin (Glenn’s sister – the bride of Frankenstein) and Ben (Erin’s fiance, the werewolf). And I just had to share. Maybe I should have added John & Sherry Petersik from Young House Love, ha!! Oh well, maybe next time.
Enjoy!!
Boo!
Aren’t we scary?? Halloween 2007 at Glenn’s sister’s Halloween party – I was a {sexy} French Maid, but…I decided to be dead. I always like to do that (probably because I’m so good at the makeup by now!) – whatever I am, I’m dead, or at least make myself look dead for Halloween, ha! And Glenn actually wore eyeliner for his Johnny Depp/Captain Jack Sparrow costume. I was amazed.
I’m breaking out the Halloween decorations this week, but as I’ve been getting into my storage boxes I realized that I forgot that I donated a lot of my decorations when I moved last year! They were a little on the cheesy side and I’m looking for more of a “Martha Stewart/Pottery Barn” Halloween look now. I know, I know, don’t judge! It’s all so pretty, though!! I was really inspired and excited after watching the Martha Stewart show today – their set is decorated with the most adorable and crafty Halloween decorations!! Here are a few of my favorites from their website, and hopefully I can try a few of them out this year:
Hehe…“Head-Waiter Tray.” This is made out of a foam head and gauze dyed with brewed coffee. And the reviewers say that theirs are still holding up from last year.
Hanging vellum lanterns – an inexpensive to make project, but would make a big impact with a lot of them! They also show them with these more sophisticated scrolling snake and frog designs:
You can print out these “Spooky Candy Jar Labels” right from the site. They say things such as Rotten Sweets, Deadly Morsels, Dreadful Edibles, Witch’s Sticks, Twisted Treats, and Devilish Delights. Pretty cute, right? I’d also like to make my own wine labels in a similar style.
I really like these outdoor Graveyard Ghosts. They make the heads with pumpkins, and I love their glowing eyes – but I really love the billowy fabric for their bodies! And those white pumpkins on the ground are gorgeous!
This Funkin’ Scarecrow is pretty cute, too! I’m sure I could find some clothes for him to wear and the few trick-or-treaters we do have would get a kick out of him!
I really love this Autumn Wreath Pumpkin Chandelier. Unfortunately there is now “how-to” for this one, but I’m sure you could figure it out if you really wanted to make it! It’s a grapevine wreath with real leaves and little pumpkin candles attached, suspended from a ceiling hook. Theirs is outside, but it would be pretty indoors, too!
This Black Silk Flower Wreath is a great idea for Halloween and would be simple (and cheap) to make! As long as you have access to the materials…always my problem living in Likely!!
Now this is a pumpkin that I could carve!! I’m waaayyy too impatient to make a fancy-schmancy jack-o-lantern like some intricate ones out there, but I love this one!! Imagine how this “Mouse Motel” would look at night, all lit up! Maybe it would scare the real mice that are out here away…
I loved the way this one looked – and it’s backdrop! What do you think of this Pumpkin Lollipop Holder? I need a broom like that. I also really need a big, beautiful porch for all of this fun stuff! Mine is too dinky so I guess I’d have to use the lawn.
Yes, Martha, great job on the glittery skulls! These are so pretty! I’ll have to search for inexpensive skulls for this one.
Hmmm…I still need a coffee table. What do you think?? A Coffin Table stand-in until then?
And I need to make about a hundred of these. Fun! Glittered Spiderweb Hurricanes. I also saw a tutorial for a Halloween candle jar using tissue paper, a mason jar and Modge Podge that you should check out!
Did you know that window cleaner will completely remove stamp pad ink from glass? Then go crazy with a spider stamp like this:
Garland is a great piece of holiday decor that can go a long way – use it over doorways, on mantles, in windows – I would use it everywhere if I had enough!! MS has tutorials for garlands made out of paper, real leaves, teeny tiny gourds and more. I love the ones that have natural (or faux natural) materials in them – leaves, pine cones, pumpkins, etc. Click on the images to link over to the how-to’s!
Not into hand-crafting your own holiday decorations? I love how places like Pottery Barn offer a lot of free shipping on holiday items!! Love these!! Click to shop.
This is the kind of garland I need. And how great is that black door?? They don’t seem to sell the garland or wreaths, but it might be a fun project to DIY or keep shopping around for.
I love their tablescapes. Catalogs are great for studying to learn styling tips!
Anyway – what are you doing for Halloween decor? Any cool DIY projects you’d like to share? Do you have any other good sources for products or ideas? Then leave a comment and share, share, share!!
Read MoreWe’re famous! And we have new stovepipe.
You might have seen this video before, but after I shared it with the folks over at Way Basics they asked for permission to use it for marketing purposes. And I said ‘sure!’ Just like that. Anyway, one of the Way Basics guys contacted me through Facebook and sent me a link to a recent article on the Orange County Register’s website featuring a few WB videos…but guess which one is his favorite?? The one with the cute baby scurrying around while mama puts together a new bookshelf, of course!!
Very exciting stuff, right? My dad thinks I should be compensated…which I’m not, but that’s alright. It’s fun seeing the video, even though it’s just me in my workout clothes and Harper in a diaper (a cloth one at that – it was hot!!).
Well, I made a new video this weekend, just for fun – I should have started it way before I did so you could see the entire process but it took me awhile to remember how to work the time-lapse program like I wanted. Hopefully I won’t forget again. But this is just of Glenn putting the finishing touches on the new stovepipe he installed for our wood-stove. And I’m looking on as supervisor – that’s a wife’s job, right?? The old stuff was rusty and dirty, so after 2 trips to the hardware store and 2 trips to Glenn’s work to use the correct cutting tools (the straight part had to be shortened), we have new stovepipe. Which is great because it snowed here this weekend and it was COLD!! The wood-stove is our main source of heat here and our stove works GREAT! Plus it’s kinda cute with its scalloped trim and ceramic medallion. We also use small space heaters around the house if needed. I hope you enjoy a typical weekend in the Christensen household! Don’t you love a man who vacuums? Too bad he’s taken, ladies!!
Update: Coming up soon, our new windows will be here on Wednesday, so I’m excited to see how that goes (brick house + removing old windows = bound to be some issues!!). Our handyman is going to frame out the new windows with trim, so it should look really nice when it’s done! Plus my Stampin’ Up party order should be in tomorrow and I’m so excited to starting stamping and making some cards!! Fun!! Happy Monday!!
Read More
About Me
I'm an interior designer and a draftsperson, but I live in the country. I like it that way. I'm also a firefighter's wife, mom to 2 cute kids, and a homeowner and I like that even better. But right after that is a pretty and affordable space...and I mean a REALLY affordable space. Because I believe good design can be for EVERYONE!
Subscribe Here
Links
Overheard…