Bryce's Board

My sister-in-law and her family moved into a new house recently, and I wanted to give Bryce something special for his new room. But what? 

I saw this idea on Pinterest:

Source: Uploaded by user via Allison on Pinterest

But it wasn't very boy-ish. Then I saw this idea:

Source: witandwhistle.com via Allison on Pinterest

And I realized I could combine them!

Chris already had chalkboard paint from his laundry room redo so all I needed was high-gloss white spray paint. 

I took an older cookie sheet and sprayed it with the white paint. After it was dry (I helped it out with the hair dryer.) I painted the inside of the pan with the chalkboard paint. 

It's difficult to see, but I printed out the letters of Bryce and cut them out. I placed them at the bottom on the tray and painted over them with the chalkboard paint. 

When it was all dry, I brushed a piece of chalk over the letters and they really popped out. 

I made magnets from some coke bottle tops. 

I hot glued white grosgrain ribbon to make a hanger. 

And done! 

I thought it needed one more thing so I glued a magnet onto a clothespin for an added touch. 

I think Bryce liked it because we hung it in his new room right after he opened it. 

Happy new house, Bryce!

Redesigned chandelier shades

With the little upgrades to our living room, I didn't want the dining room to feel left out. 

Here's a before photo of our chandelier in the living room. 

The shades are black, and they look like this when lit. 

When they aren't lit, they look...well...pretty black. 

Recently, I received the latest Ballard Designs catalog, and I saw these seagrass chandelier shades: 

Cute, right? But a little pricey. I had recently purchased some rope for another upcoming project, and I had an idea. 

I'd just remake our shades!

So not exactly like the Ballard Designs ones, but I assure you they were much more affordable, and they definitely lighten the room, which was my goal.

And, if you peer into my living room again, you'll see a lamp from my in-laws with a seagrass shade.

So both rooms tie together a bit. 

Yay for an easy house project!

My woodworker and my new screened door

Look! I've got a screened door!

Pretty stain and hardware. 

Chris built it from scratch....well from pieces of wood. We're currently using it all the time because we know any day now it will be too hot. 

This is the view from inside the house. 

It never fails that Grace wants inside and Porter wants outside. 

Chris knew that Porter would take any opportunity he could find to explore the outdoors, and Chris installed this nice lock to keep Porter in. 

Our animals each in deep thought about their lots in life. 

I even helped with the staining part, i.e. the easy part. 

Here's to spring and a new door!