**Note, this was written originally on March 6th!**

Ah, the joys of modern technology. I’m currently sitting in our camp trailer/RV in an RV park in a little town about 40 miles from Likely. And I’m on my laptop, clicking away while my daughter naps…my husband is at the local high school gym getting ready for his basketball game that starts in half an hour. And I’m admiring the new floor my husband just installed in our little trailer, and it makes me cringe at the decor in the rest of it!! It’s not bad – the trailer is only a few years old – but if any house was decorated like this it would be considered so dated and HIDEOUS! So why is it okay to decorate a new camp trailer like we’re in 1988?? Blue and tan florals with oak cabinetry, brass hardware and faux sponge painted walls…I’m very tempted. And these are a few photos that inspire me…

Via Madison Ave Baby

Via Madison Ave Baby

Not necessarily exactly how I’d want to do the trailer, but I love the customization!

Via Shelterpop

Via Shelterpop

I want modern patterns, colors and new metals! And I think I could do a lot of it myself…well, with me and a staple gun and a power drill! The sewing I’d need help with…

And I think I didn’t finish this post when I first started it because I really can’t find any more good inspiration images. I feel like I’ve scoured the entire internet, so I’m just going to have to do it all myself! Please let me know if you find anything good out there!!

Our woodstove has a crack.  It’s an Earth Stove, but that’s all I know.  My husband thinks it can be fixed by welding it, and I’m crossing my fingers that it can because 1) wood stoves are expensive, 2) it is our main source of heat and 3) I like the way it looks.  It’s scalloped edges are so cute.  And it works awesome.

Old picture, but the only one that’s handy at the moment.  And yes, we’re still using it, even though it has a crack.  We do have a carbon monoxide detector, so we can sleep peacefully about it.  But not too peacefully… Anyway, we’re taking the proper precautions to make sure we’re safe, but we’re both anxious to get it fixed.  Hopefully it can be welded (as long as it’s not made of cast iron, which Glenn thinks it’s not).  But that will be a process because it obviously can’t be welded in our house and it’s heavy…we’ll see how it goes.  Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

So you’ve probably already figured it out…we didn’t finish painting this weekend. But we had a good excuse! Glenn’s sister has moved into a new rental and we were there most of the day Saturday helping her unpack and rearrange. Glenn started priming the exteriors of the windows on Sunday, which led him to working on all sorts of other outdoor chores. I was inside cleaning, taking care of the little one, and working on picking paint for a client. Excuses, excuses, right?

So what we did this weekend brings me to what I’ll talk about today: how to take care of ugly tile without a crowbar. I guess ugly is a matter of opinion, but please just take a look at my sister-in-law’s new rental and her {lovely} kitchen that she has to work around. She has free reign with painting and colors, but the kitchen is something that you just can’t ignore. The kitchen itself is nice and big and has nice cabinets, but there are a few interesting design choices that she just can’t change.

They had to do A LOT of cleaning prior to actually living here!

My first thought is something that I’ve seen all over the interwebs: tile tattoos. Heard of ‘em? They’re pretty much just a decal that sticks right over your tile. The brand I’ve seen comes in 4″ x 4″, 6″ x 6″ and 6″ x 3″ subway size to cover any standard tile sizes and they don’t leave a sticky residue when you try to remove them. Great for renters, right? You can find them with transparent backgrounds, so that the tile color shows through, or with opaque backgrounds to cover the entire tile. Which is what we’d need in this case!

Glenn cleaning the glass over the light above the sink.  What a nice brother!

As you can see, there are some beautiful flowers painted onto their backsplash (I’m not quite sure if it’s painted on or if it’s how the tile came).  Not so beautiful for the backsplashes, though…flowers belong in vases!  The flower patterns are in increments of 3 or 6 tiles wide, so if we use these I think we’d just make stripes, but with these cute-as-a-button tile tattoo patterns I’ve found it would look great!

The most available brand online is called Mibo, and can be found at many online retailers such as 2Jane and Target and are sold in packs of 6 (all photos linked to shopping source!).  They range from about $13/pack to $18/pack, depending on the size you need.  Here are some of my favorite designs:

Chessel Black on White background (2Jane)

Loverstone Black on White Background (2Jane)

Ventor Red on White Background (2Jane)

Shanklin Taupe on White Background (2Jane)

Ventor Black on Clear Subway Size (2Jane)

I really love the retro designs, and they would be perfect for my sister-in-law’s taste and style.  Just do a Google search for ’tile tattoos’ and you’ll find tons of places to snag some of these for your kitchen or bathroom.  Or anywhere you need some waterproof decor!

I also found this set on Etsy {seller enna}, but that’s the only one I could see that were made for the purpose of sticking to tiles.  The woodland creatures would be cute in a kids’ bathroom.  Any screen printers out there?  I bet these would be a big hit on Etsy!  You can also request custom sizes and colors from other sellers, so that is another option as well.

The online store, 2Jane, where you can buy the entire Mibo line, also has a blog where they showcased a customer’s Mibo tile job, which is nice to see how it turned out for a customer (instead of just seeing the marketing photos).  I think it turned out pretty cute!

{Before}

{After}

What do you think of Tile Tattoos? Yay? Nay? Are there any other brands out there that you can find?

My opinion is that if you own and can change up your tile then go for it (get something you really love), but this would be a good temporary option, or something you could do to customize your kitchen if you can’t change it!  I’ll be sure to post pics if this is what my sister-in-law goes for!

Happy Monday and have a great week!  xo, L.

…and unfortunately, style comes second in this case.  Last week we ordered a hearth gate to surround our wood stove because our little Harper LOVES to climb on the hearth, and she is fascinated by the ceramic medallion on the wood stove.  It’s been alright during the warmer months, but now that we’re burning fires we knew we had to protect her.  It isn’t the prettiest thing (I actually really like the look of our stove and hearth), but it is necessary, and we knew it would just be a matter of time before she fell on the hearth or before she snuck past us and got burned.  Not something that a parent wants to think about!

Adjusting the gate angles.

What we purchased is a KidCo Fireplace Hearth Gate, and I bought it on eBay. I love a good eBay deal!  It is nice because it is made to fit around a standard 2′ x 6′ rectangular hearth with 5 – 2-foot sections and a gate in the middle, but if you need extensions you can find them in many different sizes.  The standard 10′ gate set made a nice semi-circle around our corner hearth, and Glenn got it assembled in about half an hour…with me looking on as supervisor, of course!

Still adjusting…

The 2′ gate sections are adjustable to any angle, and it comes with all of the required hardware to attach it to the walls, and secure it to the floor if needed so that it can’t be moved. The gate is very easy to open, if you’re not a baby of course.

Attached, but testing out the gate!

We simply popped the caps off of the end bars, slid on the mounting plates and then screwed them to the wall. There were 4 plates (2 for each end bar). Then you just pop the caps back on, and there are also screws included to attach the gate to the floor.

We had to play with the angles a little to get the gate centered in front of the wood stove, and I was worried that we’d need some extensions when I bought it, but after a little manipulation we got it to work.

And as you can see it’s already doing it’s job!

Let me in!

The gate itself is far enough away, which is made of steel and in a heat resistant finish, so that it won’t heat up hot enough to burn when touched. You can also use these for pets, or to guard a barbecue outdoors. Read more information on the KidCo website here.

Mommy doesn’t have to worry anymore!

Nice Halloween decorations in the background, right?   I’m sure Harper will find them scary next Halloween, but for now she thinks they’re funny and gives them kisses!

While browsing the current Pottery Barn Bed & Bath catalog that came in the mail, I noticed a handy little product that I forgot about that will make switching out my “retro” light fixtures cheap and easy. Does anyone else have these *awesome* ceiling lights in their house? They’re so old, they’re *almost* cool again. The photos below are showing the ceiling fixtures I’m itching to change up in my house — they’re in the bedrooms, hallways and laundry room. Sexy, right?

Fortunately I have been able to change out our dining room pendant, and the ceiling fans in the living room, but I cannot wait to do something with these lights and I think that a quick change can be found in……clip-on shades! Have bare bulbs? These will help. Here is a round-up of some cool (and not so cool) ones that I’ve found.

First is the one that started my search: the Star Ceiling Clip Shade at Pottery Barn.  I love the linen fabric, which would diffuse the light oh-so-softly.

Sorry, no picture for this one, but check out this “Spiral Clip On Shade” I found over on eBay.  $5.99 each with $5.00 shipping and lots of them available!  I could switch out all the lights I need to for $56.00!  But what is the fun if they’re all the same…??

And again, sorry for the teaser, but this one is no longer available but I had to include it!  Please let me know if you find one like it because I love them!  The Ceiling Drum Clip Shade (again — from Pottery Barn).

This one is a little more decorative, but I like the rounded shape and it’s only $10.  This is the Clip-On Ceiling Shade from Plow and Hearth.

Here is an Asian parasol version, and it comes with attachments so you can hang it all different ways — gotta love versatility in function and form!  This is the Parasol Lamp Shade from Shoji Decor.  I like the black version instead of the colors.

And last, but DEFINITELY not least — my favorite of the bunch is the Butter Lunette Clip-On Shade from Relish.  Mmmm…pretty amazing, right??  The most expensive at $39 but still – $39 is pretty pocketbook friendly!

Here is a better photo of it:

What do you think of clip-on shades?  Yay…nay?  I love the texture that they’d add to the room, and with a 3-D shape they’d definitely bring your eyes up to actually check out the lighting.  And lighting is like the jewelry of the room — a room isn’t finished without nice lighting and it can make or break your decor.  Add a little sparkle and don’t neglect the lighting!

Are there any other gorgeous clip-on shades that I’ve missed out there?  And has anyone used them on CFL’s?  I’d assume they’d still work but that’s all I have in my house so we’ll have to test it out!  xo, L.