Decorative DIY Door Knocker - Home Decor

We moved to a new house and my in-laws kindly gifted us this beautiful door knocker. One of the many blessings of this new house is that it came with new windows and new doors. I called the company and asked if we installed the door knocker on our door would that impact our warranty? Sure enough, it would, actually it would completely cancel our warranty. I am so glad that I asked! A friend suggested that we attach it to the outside of the house, near the door, but we didn't want to possibly ruin the siding as replacing that is not in the budget right now.

During Christmas vacation together we all talked about doing the 23andMe DNA test. On a whim, we all purchased them and did it and were surprised when my results came back to show that I am 32% Irish. My family has NEVER talked about being Irish so this was a big surprise. After many hours of research on Ancestry.com, I discovered where my Irish heritage came from and I love that my in-laws thought of incorporating this into our housewarming gift. I was determined to find a way to incorporate this door knocker into our home.

I purchased a piece of thin wood at Michael's craft store and first painted it a teal color that is used in our living room decor. I wanted it to have a bit more depth so once the teal color was dry, I then painted a darker blue on top by tapping the paint brush up and down on the board rather than coating the paint on the board. This simple technique pulls the color up and shows the teal through the blue ever so slightly.

Using my Cricut Maker I cut out the word Fáilte (which means Welcome in Irish) and a clover in vinyl and attached it to the board. I chose to superglue the knocker to the board using Gorilla Glue and then attached the board to the wall using 3M strips. I love how it has turned out and every day we think of my mother and father-in-law as we leave the house.

Makeover your Bathroom Tile Without Breaking the Bank!

I have tried everything to clean this floor. We inherited the look of this tile when we bought the house, the tile is original to the house actually. I have purchased so many products that claim they will renew grout back to its original glory and they have all failed miserably. I have even been on my hands and knees with a toothbrush and straight bleach trying to clean this floor. Nothing worked.

It left us thinking that we needed to redo the bathroom and had contractors out to give us a price estimate on flooring, tile in the tub area, light fixtures and all the other little things that you need but don't think of costing money like installing a towel bar. Both contractors put us in the 5-7 thousand dollar range to do everything! On a yoga teacher's salary, that is not in the budget!

So I spent several hours watching youtube videos and reading up on how to regrout your floor. And determined that it was too messy and involved purchasing tools I didn't already own which resulted in a bigger expense. Then thanks to the Pinterest-algorithm Gods this product, Grout Renew, came up in my feed. I was immediately interested, painting grout? I can totally do that! I read several other blog reviews that showed amazing before and after pictures and I was willing to give it a go.

When I told people I was doing this they gave me a look that clearly said they thought I had completely lost my mind. For $14, I was willing to try it. I set up my Ipad and would watch/listen to a show while on my hands and knees perched on a pillow with my little paintbrush painting the grout around each square and rectangle. I took my time, I didn't consistently do it for hours on end. I'd do about 45 minutes and then be done for the day. I wouldn't get to it every day but several times a week I'd be perched on my pillow in a meditative state painting the floor. It was rather quite pleasant. 

Our floor was in really bad shape and it took two coats to cover the aging dark grout. It was faster the second time around as I had gained confidence in painting. After the painting was done I cleaned the floor and then put an additional sealant on top. All of the products I purchased at Home Depot because that is what is closest to my house. In the midst of painting the floor, I decided to paint the whole bathroom which really brightened up the room. I am loving how it turned out. And the entire project cost a little less than $100!   

Creating a Personal Oasis

When we told our friends who have kids that we were going to adopt an older child from foster care several thought we were crazy. Not because they thought that we shouldn't actually adopt a child but because they were envious of our current custody schedule for our two biological kids, L and Z. Having an entire week alone, just the two of us, without kids seemed like a dream to our friends with kids. By adopting, all of that would change. 

We share custody of L and Z and have a schedule of one week with us and one week with their other parent, we divide the month equally in half between the two houses. Although it's been years since their father and I divorced I still feel sad in my heart on the transfer day when the children leave. I would much rather have them all the time than be without them for a week. But like most things the more you do it, the more use to it you become and it morphs into your new "normal". During the weeks when it was just my wife and I our schedules didn't change all that much; I still teach yoga in the evenings, we still have dinner at home and walk the dogs. Not really all that much changes in our day to day life except that it would just be the two of us. 

Right now in the midst of our adoption from foster care journey we now have a kid with us all the time...I miss my wife. I miss the time that we had just the two of us, totally uninterrupted. The freedom to have conversations without having to sensor ourselves because another set of ears are nearby. I miss reaching out to hold her hand and not having to share her with anyone else. I am mourning the loss of our time together that we once had but I'm also extremely grateful that we had so many years in the beginning of our marriage to have that time together to form our relationship. I know that we will always truly cherish that period of time.

Like many parents bedrooms ours has become the "catch all" room. It is the place where stuff just ends up; the kid shirt that needs a button sewn on, the laundry in the basket that needs folding. With the dog crate in the corner and the ironing board propped against the wall behind the door the room is not the romantic setting seen in movies. And what my wife and I need right now is a personal oasis, just for us, to retreat to without kids to interrupt. 

We've lived in this house for three years and it's the last room to be decorated. I need it to become our sanctuary. Our retreat. The space that is only ours. We put a bright, cheery yellow paint on the accent wall to remind us to live a happy life. Quilt and accent pillows were purchased and then I saw a dear friend posted these frames on Freecycle stating the color and that they did not come with glass or backings- perfect! Exactly what I had in mind to create an artistic piece over our headboard without having to spend any more money. My wife had the "you and me" made by an artist from Etsy years ago, it is the title of a song that we love by P!nk. 

Now I love walking into the room and seeing the turquoise frames on the bright yellow wall. It simply makes me happy and I need happy right now.

Halloween Pumpkin Luminaries

We are getting ready for Halloween at the Bee Yoga Fusion yoga studio and the yoga kids celebrated today by making pumpkin luminaries.

Supplies needed:

• orange and black construction paper
• Elmer's glue
• craft foam paint brush (something like this: http://www.amazon.com/Value-Pack-10-Pc-Foam-Paint-Brush/dp/B003UHJDAS)
• scissors
• canning jars
• Finishing spray sealer (something like this: http://www.michaels.com/mod-podge-clear-acrylic-sealer-matte/10194372.html)
• battery candle lights to put inside the jar when finished

I had the yoga kids rip the orange construction paper into small pieces and then glue each piece onto the wide mouth canning jar using a craft foam paint brush. I instructed them to use just a little bit of glue, which was hard for the wee ones to resist gooping it on. Then with scissors they cut out their eyes and mouths using black construction paper. After they were finished I went back and glued down and pieces that were sticking up and smoothed the surface with my fingers. Once the glue was dry I sprayed each one with a glossy finishing spray and put a battery candle light in the jar. 

It's a wonderful craft for the kids to make and feel as though they are contributing to the fall decor in your house or in their room. This also makes a great gift for the grandparents!

Review: Benjamin Moore Chalkboard Paint

We recently bought a house and converted the basement into a yoga studio. Previously I traveled to various locations to teach yoga and now I just have to walk down a few steps in my home. It's glorious! I wanted the studio to be light and bright and a place where both kids and adults enjoyed coming to and taking yoga classes.

The Yoga Studio Website: http://www.beeyogafusion.com

Using the colors from the website and the Bee Yoga Fusion logo, I painted the far wall of the studio a dark pink with Benjamin Moore chalkboard paint. I anticipated it to take a lot of paint and over purchased but it's always best to have too much than not enough right? FYI: the paint only comes in quart size and this wall (roughly 8 feet x 6 feet) took two quarts.

Following the advice that I read from other bloggers I first applied the Benjamin Moore primer that was tinted to match the pink color that I chose. The chalkboard paint can be any color that you would like but darker colors work best in allowing the actual chalk to show up. After the primer I applied 5 coats of chalkboard paint. Allowing each coat to dry for several hours before reapplying. When the final coat was dry I allowed the paint to "cure", as per the directions on the can for three days. Before the initial use I took a piece of sidewalk chalk on the long side and rubbed it over the entire wall which several bloggers recommended to do as well.

The yoga kids are loving it! And the adults enjoy the quotes and words of inspiration that are posted before class. The wall is easy to clean with just a wet rag and looks great even when it is left blank. I think a chalkboard wall would be a wonderful addition to any kitchen or mudroom to write messages to various family members or to post to-do lists and grocery lists. The possibilities are endless!
  

Crochet Dog Bowl Mat

My dogs needed a mat under their water bowl and instead of buying an overpriced mat at the pet store I  pulled out the crochet hook and got to work. Using cotton yarn I single crocheted a large rectangle, super easy.
Easy to clean I simply throw it in the washer and dryer and the cotton is absorbent for spilled water from my dogs tongues. Do your dogs or cats need a fashionable mat under their food bowls?

Alternative Storage Spaces

We live in a small house, we have a tiny kitchen and each square inch is held sacred. Recently we decided to think of alternative ways to store our spices. An Ikea shelf and recycled mason jars makes our storage problems a thing of the past. Have you thought of placing a shelf over a window? It could work in a bedroom to store books or a bathroom to store additional linens. Share your alternative storage ideas in the comments.

Family Motto- Do Something Amazing

Does your family have a motto or mission statement? Something that is original to your family?
When you leave our house, right above the front door is our family motto. A reminder each and everyday to "Do Something Amazing".

Sit down with your family and discuss ideas for a family motto and then create a sign, print it out and frame it in a location in your house that everyone will see it on a daily basis. Or like I did, use scrapbooking stickers to adhere it to the wall. I personally like that ours is in a location where you see it everyday but you also forget that it is there. Someone new will come over to the house and ask about it and it will remind us again to look at it as we leave the house.
It reminds us to reflect and go out into the world and to Do Something Amazing today.

Bike Wheel Wall Decor

My wife and I were looking for a creative way to display cards and pictures that we receive from friends and family throughout the year. The yearbook pictures, the Christmas cards, the drawing our son made at school…all of it was living on the front of our fridge. We grew tired of the cluttered looking, overcrowded fridge and yearned for a different solution.

My wife and I enjoy going on long bicycle rides, so it seemed a perfect solution to use a bicycle wheel to adorn our wall. I spray painted the wheel a fun blue and we attach the pictures to the spokes using silver binder clips. It has been the best conversation piece when people are over for dinner.

Upcycle a bike wheel for your house!

UPDATE:
I've received a few emails asking how I attached the bike wheel to the wall. It was really simple! I used anchors and two screws. I'm a big fan of EZ Anchors, that is what I used for this project. Here is a close up of the bike wheel on the wall.

Christmas Stockings

Christmas will be here before you know it! Have you had a Christmas craft to-do list that gets bigger and bigger each year, like I do? I made this Christmas Tree Skirt last year and I've been saving the leftover fabric in order to make matching stockings. This year I am ready!

I simply traced the current store bought stockings that we had because I knew they were the perfect size and used fleece red fabric, mainly because it will hold heavy items and also because I wouldn't have to line the whole stocking!

Do the stockings match perfectly? No. Was that on purpose? I'd be lying if I said yes.

Embrace the simple! Let go of the expectation to live up to Martha Stewart standards and just cross the item off your to-do list. In the end they are your stockings, aren't they?

Go ahead- pull out your fabric and get to work!

Gift for a Teenager

Gifts for teenagers don't have to overpriced purchases from Hollister and Abercrombie. Take note of their bedroom decor and make a personalized gift that will enhance their sacred space.

This is the throw pillow that I made for my teenaged niece. Her bedroom colors are black, red and white and I knew she'd love this printed fabric. It's sophisticated and not too girly. I cut the fabric in triangles and then sewed them together to make squares and then pieced it together in a pleasing pattern.