DIY Herringbone Wall Art Using Wood Shims

I'm in the middle of redecorating a room and desperately needed some cheap and big wall art. I'm sort in a love affair with herringbone pattern right now. I don't know what it is, but I can't stop myself from wanting to buy anything that has the pattern on it. Or from making anything :)

I've also been eying the wood shims they have at Home Depot for awhile now knowing that something great could come out of something so dull. I decided to give this project a try with the shims. Now the shims are wedged shaped on one end so it gave a different more textural look than what I initially was going for, but I love how it turned out.

Here's the supply list:
Foam board for backing (choose black in case the board peeps through a bit)
Wood shims
Stain (if you want)
Hot glue/gun
Framing pieces (I used 1x3s, you can use molding too for a more finished look)
Wood glue
Jigsaw
Paint for framing pieces
Ribbon
Jute and staple gun for hanging

6 Tips For Sharing an Office and Guest room

I'm once again I'm in the process of redoing my office and guest room, so I thought this would be a perfect time to remind myself and let you guys know my thoughts that go in to making a perfect sanctuary for your guests and completely functional home office for yourself :)

1. Overdo the guest room portion and underdo the office.  I know this may be hard if your guest room office combo is mainly an office 99% of the year, but this can easily be accomplished, or 'faked'. Storage and hidden storage are your friends. Hide gadgets and pens and paper in cute little baskets or boxes. Hide files in cabinets or drawers. If you have more office stuff than you think you can hide, incorporate it into your design or hide it on shelves behind curtains or doors. Incorporate the design of the office easily into the design of the guest room, then it won't feel like you are giving away your office to the guest room.

2. Have a place for guests to put their belongings, perhaps hang or fold their clothes. This can easily be fulfilled by making sure you keep a portion of the closet for guests. But, if you are like me and need all the storage you have for the office, simply remove items from a nightstand or dresser or shelf when guests arrive and offer those locations to them for their clothes and belongings.

3. Multifunction is your friend in tight spaces, especially when you are trying to get two main functions out of one room. An armoir can easily act as a desk for you when opened, with all your computer and cords and files hidden inside when shut and the the drawers below can be used for a guests use.  Or you can use a larger nightstand/table for your office desk when guests are vacant, but when they arrive simply remove your computer and your desk becomes a cute nightstand.

4.Try not to overcrowd. Try to go minimal with your design and accessorizing. You don't want to pack too much into one space that it suffocates you or your guests.

5. You need to have a good organizing system. Home offices can quickly get cluttered. Keep it easy on yourself and organize as you go rather than waiting until a guest arrives and you spend an all nighter trying to get ready for them :)

6. Incorporate the guest room design into the office and vice versa. Make the room look like it goes together, matching furniture styles and finishings. You don't want to look in the room and be able to delineate where the office starts and the guest room starts. If it is all designed together, the flow will be less noticeable and more comfortable for your guests.

Spring Parade of Homes House Tour

Welcome to the Spring Parade of Homes Tour! I'm super excited to be kicking this off...and super excited that it is finally Spring :) ...of course the weather feeling a little bit more Spring-like would much appreciated lol. I'm over the snow. I was over the snow in November, so that shows you how much I love it :)

I love going to model homes and open houses and looking at how they are decorated. I also love blogs in general because you get to see into a ton of homes while staying in your jammies and not moving your butt off the couch :) We have pulled together 14 wonderful bloggers to show off their homes to you this week! So be sure to check out the bottom of this post for the links to their tours...and if they haven't happened yet, I'll be updating the links daily so be sure to check back..I promise, you will not be disappointed and you'll have plenty of eye candy :) ....and probably plenty of items to make your DIY list full for the next year.

So, if you are new here...or simply have forgotten :) ...I bought this home back in 2009 brand new. But, it wasn't quite what I had envisioned for my home. I love it, don't get me wrong...but it was way way way too building grade-y for me. I've been in a process of decorating and redecorating and trying to add character to it the past 5 years. It's a work in progress, but I've been getting there wall by wall :)

First off, is my front room. I have a love-hate relationship with this room. I am currently in a love relationship. This room was Booooring with a capital B and lots of 'o's :) Super beige and nothing going for it. I added this white planked wall and moved around and added some new furniture plus added some gallery walls and now I love it. That coffee table is made from tree stumps which I think definitely adds some interest. Most of the things in this room have either been handmade or refurbished. Let's see how long this love relationship will last now ;)...I get bored with things quickly, so it's probably safe to hold your breath cuz I'm sure it won't be long lol

As you walk down the hall a little bit, you'll come into our living room. As you can probably tell, I love white and bright spaces. It drives me husband nuts cuz he likes dark and cozy spaces...I tell him daily "then you married the wrong girl". But I guess opposites attract :)

 Sometimes I actually do have color in my home..sometimes :) But this Spring I decided to do an all neutral white and cream theme in here. It just feels so fresh to me.

 This room is two stories, so it brings in a ton of light and is bordered by arches. It also opens up into the dining room and kitchen. The perfect great room but with enough of a division to make them all separate.

 Welcome to my dining room :) This room doesn't change much so this picture is a little old but everything is practically the same. The cedar planked wall is an addition in attempt to add some character. I really made such a big difference, I love it in here.

 Now for my master bedroom. This place is like waking up on a cloud. I love it. It's one of my most recently made over spaces but soon to get another big upgrade :) You'll have to stay tuned for that.

Mostly everything in this room was handmade or refurbished also. This room was originally done for $100 but with the added rug and bedspread that went up a little :)

 Here's my master bathroom. It's just been slightly changed, this room will be on my 'update' list for awhile with lots of projects in the works :) ...'in the works' aka 'lots of projects in my mind'

 One of my favorite rooms is the nursery. The babe is a little older now but this room remains pretty much the same....minus the lamppost of course. And blackout curtains...learned my lesson on that :)

Here's the guest bathroom. This bathroom was completely made over for just $60. It was super dark, but I added some board and batten and accessories to brighten it up.

 This guest bedroom is also my office. It's actually more my office than anything since no guest has really ever stayed in it. This room is currently under going a big amount of change. I'm super excited to show you all!

 Here's the office portion of the same room. Once again, pretty much everything in this room was a DIY project or refurbished.

Now for the room that I don't show anybody :) It's a thorn in my side. I love it but I hate it and I can't decide what to do about it. So, there are a few projects also in the works here. I guess my whole house is an ongoing project truthfully :) ...even if it doesn't need to be, I find ways to make it be. Here's my kitchen...I can't decide whether or not to paint the cabinets or not. The are knotty alder and beautiful but just not my style. I can't seem to find any strength in me to actually paint over them. So there lies a conundrum. I want this kitchen to be brighter and lighter...and white :) But don't want to paint the cabinets lol. This will be my main focus this year on projects in hopes to get this kitchen looking the way I want :) As you can see, it does not match the rest of my house...at all.

So, your thoughts. To paint the cabinets or to not paint them? They will be a pain since they are knotty alder and will require a ton and ton of sanding and hole filling :)

Well, I hope you enjoyed my house tour! Now's your chance to lick your chops on some other wonderful homes :) Once again, these links will be updated daily as they get posted!

Monday Thrifty and Chic / Lovely Etc. / Making Home Base

Tuesday The Happy Housie / House by Hoff / The Blissful Bee

Wednesday Bigger Than the Three of Us / Cuckoo4Design / Just a Girl and Her Blog

Thursday Rain on a Tin Roof / May Richer Fuller Be

Friday An Inviting Home / Primitive and Proper / Place of My Taste

Master Bedroom Makeover

I admit it, my bedroom wasn't that bad to begin with, but when you don't ever want to clean it, it probably means that it's time for a little refreshing and some redecorating. It came to a point that my bedroom hadn't been really cleaned for like months...serious. Months. I may have made the bed haphazardly a few times but that's it. So, I always say, if you have no desire to clean your room...ever. It's time to redecorate :) So, that's what happened here. I still have one big project that I want to do in this room that will make it perfect. But, I don't know when that's going to happen and I couldn't wait to show you this any longer. :)..it's literally been redecorated like this for months..

 Here's the before. Not too bad. I actually miss those curtains but I'm sure I'll find a place somewhere else for them. Not a lot of changes, but just enough to make a difference. Mind you, my room hasn't looked this good in over a year. Just image crap everywhere and you'll get the idea :) I'm not saying this was bad, I'm just saying I needed something new.

I decided to change up the chairs to something a little bit more curvy and not so in your face. It helps that they have see through backs. I got these chairs a facebook yard sale group for $5. You can see how they use to look here. I also got that cute lantern for like $8 on clearance from Gordmans.

I bought the lamps at Target. I was going back and forth on these for awhile now and tried a few different lamps but decided I liked these the best. And that owl was $6 from Gordmans. ...serious, if you are lucky to have that store in your area you need to visit it. It has great deals sometimes :)

And if you remember one my last posts about faking a clean house, you may wonder what's really in this little basket ;) ...I assure you, it really is just blankets this time.

 As for this comforter and those pillows. I got those from Joss and Main I believe. But as you know, those deals don't last. But I found the exact one on Amazon. I love this thing. I especially love the look of it folded at the foot of the bed. You can see the one from Amazon here.

My husband's first reaction...albeit weeks and weeks after I got the comforter :) (I'm actually surprise he even noticed it at all..anyway.) ...was "I didn't ever take you for a ruffle girl". I'm not sure how I should feel about that. I guess I never thought of myself as a ruffle girl either but I really really like this!

 The artwork next to the windows is the stenciled burlap canvas I did a few weeks ago. I love it right there, so much better than that darn sconce that was there for years and years.

 Last but definitely not least, and probably one of the biggest impacts is this rug. I can't tell you how much this actually pulls the room together and adds just the right amount of pattern. And it's oh so soft.

Here's the breakdown for these updates:
Rug got on sale: $149
Comforter: $99
Lamps: $60 for both on sale including shades
Curtains: $30
Chairs: $10
Random new accessories: approx $20
So about $370. Kind of a lot now that I add it up considering I did the whole room before for $100. But! I'd say the additions are well worth it. I'm so happy in here now and I actually make the bed like 95% of the time. I don't think that that has ever happened...ever. And waking up to an almost all white bedroom is like waking up on a cloud. It's wonderful :)

On Monday I'll be hosting a Spring Parade of Homes that will feature my house and 13 other bloggers houses. So, if you like snooping into model homes and open houses...here's a virtual way to look at 14 of them :) It kicks off on Monday and goes throughout the week!

 

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising." 

Clearance Napkins Made Into Cute Art

Spring is here and that means that it's time to brighten up the place. Which also means that yellow seems to make it's appearance in my house. A small, usually short appearance. But either way, it shows up. Last year it showed up in a way of pillows. This year, it's showing up in some artwork. Artwork made from napkins I bought on clearance from Target :) I hate to admit it, but I stroll the hidden end caps like a hawk every week to see what new went on clearance. It's a guilty pleasure of mine. Probably a bad habit too since half the time I find things I didn't even need...but how can you pass stuff up when it's sooo cute and such a good deal? You just can't....well, I can't :)

So, I found these cute napkins on one of those end caps with a beautiful red clearance sticker on them :) Botanical prints are once again on trend again, so I decided to put this cute grey and yellow print to work on my wall and bring a little bit of color into my house.

This was super easy to do, I just cut the fabric to the size of the frame and stuck it in there like a picture.

I do have to admit that I was rather hesitant to cut these things because I think they would look so beautiful as napkins or placements. But then again, I can always run back to Target and hope to find more on clearance.

These were a couple of bucks and I had the frames on hand already. I love cheap, high impact wall art :) Plus, doesn't this wall lend beautifully to the botanical prints?...the orchid helps a lot too :)

And of course, I love finding new uses for old things...in this case...clearanced things ;) And since it is that time again for the Repurpose, Reuse, Recycle Series, here are a whole bunch of other awesome of ideas of repurposing things!

Old Book Turned Trinket Box from Lovely, Etc.

Reusable Produce Bags from T-Shirts & Onesies from All Things G&D

Tile Top Table from Planter Stand from Bigger Than The Three of Us

Gold Dinosaur Necklace from It All Started with Paint