photos to canvas *giveaway*

i was contacted awhile ago to do a review on Easy Canvas Prints,

and turn my photos to canvas.

i've always wanted to get a canvas done, so i was super excited.

and of course i dreamed of the perfect picture i'd take of all the kids smiling/laughing/etc...

yeah, that was just not happening for me.

so i changed my thinking and decided i'd just pick a favorite of ONE of the kids and use it in their room.

i went with this one of reganne in an apple orchard at the pumpkin patch this fall.

and then i went with a 11x14 (i think).

i wanted to go bigger,

but i was worried about the picture quality. 

my camera really is NOT the best.

well, it turned out WAY BETTER than i even imagined.

i could have gone bigger.  much bigger.

(this picture just doesn't do it justice.)

i have plans to hang it in the girls' room.

(if i ever manage to finish painting-it's currently 3 different colors.  and has been since june...)

but for now it's sitting on their bookshelf, lovingly adored by me.  and reganne;).

i just love it.

i love the quality.

i love the coloring.

i love it.

and will be doing more photos to canvas.

with my canvas came $30 in gift cards.

i was totally going to be selfish and use them myself,

but seeing how behind i am on everything these days,

i know i won't use them by the end of the year when they expire.

so i'm offering them to one of my readers.

just leave a comment with your email or blog

and i'll pick a winner by monday night (12/12).

(i'll email the codes to the winner.)

and since i have very few readers, your chances are pretty good;).


***those reading this on facebook- please visit my blog (joeandkelsey.blogspot.com)
for the giveaway and leave a comment there with your email-only names on the blog post will be considered-thanks!***

but either way, you need to check out Easy Canvas Prints.

they offer great specials all the time.

currently, if you "like" them on facebook, 

you will get 50% off your next order, 

and free shipping as well.

so visit their site, upload your favorite photos, and have fun playing with all the options!

i was not paid to do this post, but did receive my canvas for free.  so worth it;).

xoxoxo

glass jars - michaels 
beads - hobby lobby
large letters - joanns (spray painted white)
doilies - target (idea from Lorajeans Magazine-she has TONS of great crafty ideas)

christmas recap

{The picture was blurry and they were sent out about 3 days after Christmas...}

 {The best part of this year's Christmas, a beautiful real tree...}

{Four coordinating stocking; two new, two old...} 

{Look what Santa brought...}

 {Yes, all in last year's Christmas jammies...}

{So excited about her bike, didn't mind that she didn't get the Belle dress she asked for too...}

coat closet take two. and three.

One of my biggest gripes with our home is our coat closet.  It is a very crucial area for us and all we get is a dinky closet.

My dreams are filled with large mudrooms...

So last year I thought about what I could do to maximize space in our tiny closet.  

First and foremost, we took off the door.  Didn't help it's cause when within an hour or two of arriving in our home (before the movers even showed up) a nice little hole was punched into it from the door to the garage opening and hitting it.  Nice design there.  {To see our home's layout, scroll to the bottom of this post, although it's backwards, but you'll get the point of our awkward garage entry way.}   I never filled in the hinge holes though, just painted them...can't decide if it's worth it or not....  Then I took down the standard white wire hanging shelf (that was too high for the kids to reach so their coats were constantly lining the floor), and I created 2 hanging hook racks for one side and searched high and low for the perfect shelf for the other side.  Well, when the closet is only a little wider than the door frame itself, it was very difficult.  So I made do with our old shoe rack and a couple baskets (one for hats, gloves and other *extras* and the other for the kids shoes).  This design worked out alright.  The girls could hang up and get their own coats and backpacks, but it still seemed like it could be better...especially when the kids dumped the basket to find their shoes...

 {These were all taken in August, back before all the winter coats were pulled out.}

So again I contemplated what could be done.

And then I took the plunge.  When to Home Depot and had some boards cut to size.  Two 6 inchers for hanging racks, two 12 inchers for shoe shelves and four smaller 1x2s for the brackets or ledges that the shelves would rest on.  Now, I'm fairly bright.  I know that a 2x4 is not actually 2 inches by 4 inches.  But for some reason, I didn't think that that would apply to the 1x12.  So when I got home with my boards all cut and ready to go, I realized that my brackets were about an inch longer than the shelves they were going to support...  So I had to pullout my little handsaw and sawed off an inch on all those myself.  Lesson learned.  Next I pulled out some leftover primer and primed.  Then I just used some of our glossy white trim touch up paint and did 2 coats.  I also painted just the shelves with some Min-Wax protective stuff I picked up at Wal-mart on clearance.  These would see more action, so I wanted to be sure they held up.  For awhile at least.  For the hanging rod rack, I pulled off the hooks from my other racks and attached them (plus an extra for each one) to my new ones to give 5 hooks for each one.  Everything was ready to be hung.  Almost.  I wanted to paint the actual closet first.  Since it sits directly across from my light/aqua blue with a chartreuse-like green accented bathroom/laundry room, I wanted to coordinate it somehow.  So I was thinking a deep eggplant like purple...  I know the *rules*, don't paint small rooms dark, they'll just look smaller...well, this wasn't exactly a room...and I wanted a dark color to help hid scuffs...and the white of all the wood would stand out more...plus, it's just a closet...  So I took the risk and picked up a gallon of Behr Premium Plus Ultra paint plus primer.  Now I've mentioned before, I usually head to Sherwin Williams for my paint, but I couldn't pass this up.  Why?  This is why. :)

It didn't even say what the color was, just a sample of it on top, but it was what I was looking for.  (I constantly check the oops paints now;).)  And after painting, I loved it.  The paint itself was really nice to work with, was thick, and still low VOC, which is why I buy Sherwin Williams Harmony paint (no VOCs).  

So with the closet painted, everything was ready to go in.

   

 {I love looking at my little color scheme I've got now.}

Then I needed another basket for hats and whatnot...  I kept looking for a natural tall round one.  Finally found an oval one.  Didn't fit (but that was okay, because I found another use for it;).  Then I remembered buying this bag thing (half off) at World Market.  I loved it, but at the time didn't really know what to use if for (too small for our recycling).  Well, turned out it was the perfect color and size.  Plus it had some of that green accent on it.  Nice.  

Joe makes fun of me because my favorite room in the house is the smallest *room*.

Honestly, it's my favorite spot because it is the only room in the house that is completely finished.

And so far it's working out great.  Well, as great as a coat closet can serve as a mudroom for a family of 6;).  

And just a little extra tidbit for you...I'm the only one in the family who doesn't have a pair of Converse shoes...I didn't realize this until I lined up everyone's shoes (and Joe has 2 pairs, he just happened to be wearing them at the time).

a favorite find

Ever used this Shur-Line paint tray before?

No?

Okay then.  Continue on.

Everyone (okay, everyone on HGTV) always says, 

"Paint, it's the cheapest improvement you can make to your house."

Well, it may be the cheapest, but for me, it's still not cheap.  

Sure, I like to spent more on the Sherwin Williams Harmony paint, but that's not what this blog post is about...

One of the added expenses for me is a new paint tray.

I know, I know, if I just clean it out I can reuse it blah, blah, blah.  But I don't know about you, but I HATE cleaning out the paint tray.  It's such a mess and seems to take f-o-r-e-v-e-r and never really gets clean.  So one day while picking up again, another paint tray at Lowes I found this baby.  And it was like a dream come true.

Check this out: 

Is that not amazing!?!  

I know, I need to get a life;).

So you paint.  And you let the paint just dry up in the tray.

Then you peel it off.  It's quite fun.  My kids love to do it too.

If any little bits remain, just a quick wash in the sink and they're gone.

No mess.  No hassle.  No waste.

This is the 4th time I've used this sucker.

(But yes, I bought another, just in case.)

It is coated with Teflon, but we're not eating out of it, so no harm, right?

Wondering what I was painting?  Nothing too exciting, but I'll share soon.

lamp re-do

Took some of this

Applied it to this

($2.00 at the Salvation Army)

To get this

To go with this

(a $7 clearance at Target)

Helpful tip: tape up everything (like the entire cord) that you don't want sprayed. 

an enchanting tea party

the invites

the decorations

the cupcakes

the treats

the little sisters

the party

We had so much fun with this party!!  I just wish I had started planning it a little earlier...

Found 11 matching teacups and saucers, the *creamer* and *sugar jar* at the Salvation Army, 1/2 off.

Found a coordinating teapot (no lid though) at Goodwill.

Little sister's tea set, clearance toys from Target a while back.

Made the tissue pom poms myself from tissue paper and floral wire from the Dollar Store.

Had the Happy Birthday banner (a Pottery Barn clearance a couple years ago).

Pink plates, cups, poka-dot napkins and table clothes from Target.  

Had pink lemonade with fresh sliced lemons and flower shaped ice cubes (Dollar Store).

Served PB&J *tea sandwiches*, strawberries, grapes, pretzels, cheese cubes and olives.

Cherry chip cupcakes with cherry frosting and pearl beads (Wilson).

The black poka-dot paper cups from Michaels.

Party gifts were cotton candy, bubble gum, more candy and bubbles, later all packaged in a clear little bag.

15 girls total (11 big, 4 little).

Made bracelets and played outside.

Enjoyed the decorating and planning...didn't do so hot with the hosting...;) 

Good thing some moms volunteered to help.

And didn't get all the photos I wanted.

In fact, ran out of time to even take the table photos, so I set it all up a couple days later to get them.  That's why my flowers are a little wilted.

And thanks to Grandma Jean, who took Christian for the whole day.