Ok, so I’ve semi-decided on a name. Thanks to my b.f.f. Jamie. What do you think? Corny? Cool? Whatever?

Ok so I really am having a difficult time coming up with idea’s on things for the house. This is probably why in the past year and a half our house is still not decorated. I can bookmark and pin like it’s mah job. But executing is impossible.

So this week’s idea was tweeted to me (but I can’t remember by who because twitter is a beast and totally not helpful with the searching ability). What’s ironic is I already had this bookmarked from when were waiting to move into the house. So I took it as a sign! If you haven’t checked out Starter Home to Dream Home, you are missing out. She doesn’t really blog anymore (Which is a shame) but I painted our living room the same color as hers because I loved it so much. If she would just come and help me with this series my home would be amazing in no time flat! Go check out her awesome home!

This is our super easy & inexpensive project for the week.  Simplicity is key around here, and this one hit the nail on the head!

I didn’t have any black frames laying around, so I did have to spend money.  Not a totally free project.  But a can of spray paint was around 4 bucks.  And a 4 dollar project is exactly up my alley!!

First I spray painted the frames (at the time I had every intention of hanging two), I am not the best spray painter in the world.  In fact I’m really not that great.  Next time I’d probably go buy black frames.  Frames are really inexpensive and at Hobby Lobby they are half off all the time!

Bathroom DIY project

So far so good. I should have stopped while I was ahead on this part.

As they were doing the drying thing they do I searched high and low for clip art.  I really wanted to do a sink and a tub (even though I absolutely have a deep hatred of claw foot tubs.  Regular tubs wouldn’t have the same effect).  But sink clip art is hard to come by.  After finding things that would do I printed them out and started “sketch tracing”.

DIY Bathroom project

I don't know why my sketch looks so light here.

DIY Bathroom Project

'Look Ma'! I shadowed!'

The rest is just easy peasy.  Frame and hang.  And all done….

But poor planning caught me red handed.  And once I had finished both, there was only room for one!  I guess the good thing is, I don’t have a picture of a toilet in my bathroom, and I can use the frame that looked better post-spray-paint.

So here’s what it looks like all in place.

DIY Bathroom Project

Not too shabby.

DIY Bathroom Project

Another project down...only many more to go!

I guess if anyone wants an Original-Alena-trace-sketch….let me know. I have one of a toilet sitting here waiting to be put to good use!

These last two projects have been so easy, and SO quick.  It almost makes me feel bad for not doing it sooner!

I have a couple specific projects I want to do, and have been hitting the thrift stores weekly hoping to find what I need.  I’m currently in the hunt for a cake mold, and a large square framed picture.  As soon as I find either one of these two items we will return to the kitchen, since there’s still walls to work with!

Do you want to see where I want to take on this week?  This wall right here:

living room wall art project

This is a horrible picture. The lighting in my living room leaves much to be desired. But you can see the space limitations here thanks to the hideous door bell box thing as well as the thermostat. I believe that painting is 24"x24". And the center isn't lighter like that, it's from the flash. Remember. Bad livingroom lighting.

Technically it’s not empty.  But I am NOT a fan of this painting, and it’s not the colors I’ve decided I want in the living room.  I have an idea that I can do.  But I don’t have anything set in stone.  As for what colors we’re wanting to bring into the living room.  I’m thinking blue and orange.  Not Auburn blue & orange (but WAR EAGLE, another win this weekend!).  But more like the orange and blue found in these pillow covers over at Life’s Candy (does anyone want to buy me these btw?!!)

Life's Candy

Everyone should go check out Life's Candy on Etsy. Now. Do it.

So now you know the colors, and the wall that is in need of help.  What are your ideas?!!  Share with me oh wise people of the internet!  {Oh and I’ve actually set a budget for this weeks project of $30 bucks!! Big Money!}

Did you do any house projects this week?  Let me see!!

What do you think about the easy bathroom art this week??

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I spent the week last week playing Nurse Mommy to Sophia. It is nearly impossible to have the sanity to do anything crafty or thrifty while taking care of a sick toddler. At least for me. So I just took the week off. The great thing about a blogger? They can do that.

The problem was the weekend came and I still hadn’t found everything I needed for what I wanted to do in my kitchen. Each week I want to do one smallish project, nothing huge and intimidating. But a little wall here, a project there. Just so week by week there’s progress.

I had two small parts of the kitchen I wanted to work on. The wall between our fridge & backdoor & above the pantry.

And like any well thought out Alena-plan…this one hit a road block. Thirfting. See I am doing all these projects on a budget. My goal is that everything has to come from a craft store or thrift store (I should add that in the future I may have to incorporate hand made shops to this because my craftiness may lack in some areas!).

I couldn’t find a key item. I needed two cake molds, and I couldn’t find any. So this weeks’ project is even smaller than I had planned because I just did one. Which is the point of this series, to work with the time and resources you have.

I did have this wall I needed to do something with.

Awkward Empty Wall.

I saw this on pinterest and knew I wanted to do something similar.  But silver wouldn’t work.  So red it was!

I didn’t want it to be bright, I wanted it to have a diner, aged feel.  I picked up these letters at Hobby Lobby for 2.50 each.  They are light weight and cardboard.  I also picked up some black paint and red paint.  .99 cents each.  This makes this one of the cheapest projects possible!

I painted the letters all black and “dry brushed” the top with red.  I love the feel and look and it gives something to the wall with out breaking the bank (or schedule!)

What do you think?

Now for Next Week:

Our bathroom is BLAH-BORING.  The walls are a warm gray/khaki color.  We installed a black cabinet and put in new brushed nickle hardware.  But we have two walls that need SOMETHING!   I’d like to keep it a black/white/gray color scheme.

Link up your ideas, from Pinterest, from Google, from a decorating message board. Show me what you would do in a small bathroom and I’ll use your idea’s to figure something out!

Also, if you did a project this week for the Decorating Monday post (even though it’s tuesday!)….link me! I want to see what you’ve done this week!!!  (And maybe if you have a name for this series you could share that too!!)

Note: My camera settings on my real camera are messed up.  Is there anything MORE that can go wrong with this series this week?!  So I used the camera on my phone.  What a week right?! :)

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I’m back. And in need of suggestions.

July 26, 2010

I need suggestions.  Words of wisdom on WHAT IN THE WORLD TO DO HERE.  I am so close to getting everything hung in Sophia’s room.  And as soon as we find a bookshelf we love and a toy box…we will be DONE.  Oh and a rug.  Ok so maybe we aren’t that close to being [...]

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It wouldn’t be a DIY project with out an issue?

March 30, 2010

I posted about how we were working on the bathroom. And I’ve been asked for pictures. Well here’s the issue we’ve run into (the reason we haven’t posted any pictres). When we were installing the new light fixture we ran into an issue. The box that is in the wall, the one where the wires [...]

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So much painting has happened!

March 27, 2010

And I haven’t shared any pictures. I know…whats the point of this blog if I’m not going to keep up with our progress? Well it’s been busy. We hired a painter to tackle our living room and master bedroom. He did a great job, but we won’t be needing a painter ever again. We watched [...]

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Wow, what a little color can do.

March 21, 2010

First let me say paying someone to paint our living room was the smartest thing we’ve ever ever ever done before. Best money ever spent. Worth every penny. And every other smart spending saying out there. Lets review here’s the living room’s before pictures. (It’s pretty much necessary to view these first if you haven’t [...]

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Weekend Projects

March 20, 2010

They aren’t all HGTV makes them out to be. Which is probably due to the fact they condense all that work into an hour, sometimes 30 minutes. And you get to sick back and watch a whole team of people (at least 4 but up to a few dozen!) work on a room or a [...]

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Watch out bathroom….

March 13, 2010

We are about to rock your world! The bathroom is needing some serious overhaul. The painter we have hired for the living room is also going to do the bedroom. So we don’t have to mess around with that. But the bathroom….the bathroom is all us. And I am going to take a sick satisfaction [...]

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Let the painting begin!

March 12, 2010

Our living room is a deep shade of….of…a brownish green, olive maybe? Either way it isn’t something we love. But we’ve watched enough HGTV to know to never hold wall colors against a house. So we looked past it and I started searching. We knew we needed to find new colors for every room. I [...]

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The Pantry is Complete.

March 5, 2010

Functionally complete. We’ve got some other things that we’re doing that will add some finishing touches. But for now, the project as we currently had it planned is complete. There used to be a washer and drier area in the kitchen. The previous owners had a great laundry area built in the basement. They had [...]

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