Thrifted Wood Blocks - Quick Fix

I bought these fun wood countdown blocks at a thrift store for $1.50. I had been wanting some and this was more than worth it for the price of cut wood alone. 

 Since they already had vinyl numbers and lettering on them that I liked, I decided to just get a small craft brush and paint around them. It worked great!

I decided to go with neutral colors so they could be used for anything - vacation, birthdays, holidays, whatever we want. I already had the paint and brushes so the total cost for this project was $1.50 for the blocks set.

And there you have it. I love my "new" countdown blocks!

Make Your Own Custom Curtain Rod For Very Little Money

Now that I've shown you my living room, I will share how I made the custom curtain rod over the large front window.

For this project, I basically just followed the directions I found HERE, with the help of my handy hubby. 

To make this, you will need:

• 1/2" electrical metal tubing conduit
• 2 or 3 L brackets depending on the length if you need one in the middle or not
• 1/2" conduit straps for each bracket
• nuts and bolts for each bracket
• finials
• spray paint
• tools

I purchased all these things at Ace Hardware, except for the finials which were a lucky hand me down from my awesome S-I-L. Thanks sis :) If you need any help, just ask the store employees, they will know what you are talking about even if you don't! They can also cut the tubing for you so make sure you measure before hand. It just so happened that the length it came in was perfect for our big front window so no cutting was necessary for this one.

First I sanded the tubing. This takes just a minute to quickly go over then wipe down.

We then hung the tubing with string from a clothesline in the backyard so I could easily spray paint it. For this step, use whatever genius idea you can come up with to spray it!

I also stuck my finials in a cardboard box and sprayed them as well. Do the same with all the brackets, nuts and bolts, etc.

Then attach the straps to the brackets and measure, mark, and screw in the brackets to the wall.

I then had to put the curtains on the rod first because they wouldn't fit over the finials. Then I hot glued the finials into the rod.

Then hang it up, step back, and enjoy your terrific handiwork!

We LOVE how this turned out and it was so easy and cost less than $10 for a huge custom curtain rod.

linked to:
http://romantichome.blogspot.com/2012/07/show-and-tell-friday_7440.html
http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/2012/07/feathered-nest-friday_19.html
http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com/2012/07/open-house-party_18.html

My Summer 2012 Living Room Decor

Here is a tour of my current living room as promised! It has been really fun adding a new color that I've never used before and incorporating my summer vacation souviners.

Make sure you look all the way through for a list of sources for things found in this room.

When you first walk in, this is what you see.

This is the coffee filter wreath I made last year and I just switch out the ribbon every holiday/season.

This is another bigger coffee filter wreath I made this week specifically for this space. These curtains were not here during my spring tour, I will post later how we made this extra long curtain rod from scratch! These adorable pillows were the start of it all as far as adding more color into my living room. I'm just loving this pop of aqua!

Added this aqua stripe frame using an old wood craft frame and recovering it with scrapbook paper.

This is where most of my vacation shopping went. Found these lovely blue Ball canning jars, fish plate, votive holders, bowl, and boxwood ball all in one successful trip!

Here are my sand and seashell souviners I collected at a fraction of the Pottery Barn cost.

Standing at the other end of the room, this is what you see.

Here is the funny "nook/ledge/space" I never know what to do with.

Covered decorative balls with aqua tissue paper.

More ribbon to pull in the color.

And lastly, more beautiful sand, seashell, and driftwood souviners from the ocean.

GET THE LOOK: Click on each item below for buying information.

Tonal Geo Grosgrain Ribbon in Blue

Louis Betts Mid-Winter, Coronado oil on canvas

4"-5" Real Bleached White Starfish like this one on Ebay

Pillows in Waverly Lattice Lagoon fabric

Frame covered in Robin's Egg Tiny Dot reversible paper by Echo Park Paper Co

Blue Ball Canning Jars and Fish Plate - thrifted

Crate and Barrel Pop Turquoise Candleholders 

Crate and Barrel Parker Light Blue Mini Bowl (both tealight holders and bowls on sale right now!)

National Geographic World Map

Decorative Seashells

To see my Coffee Filter Wreath tutorial click here

To see my tutorial on mod-podging scrapbook paper to wood go here

To see where I got the beach sand and driftwood look here or for the inspiration look here or here

To see how my living room has changed since Spring enjoy here

Pottery Barn Summer 2012 Love

Now that I have my collection of shells, sand and driftwood, I am ready to incorporate some fun sea and PB inspired decor into my home this Summer season.
While on vacation I HAD to visit my local PB store (4 times!) and enjoy the view, check the sales, and gather some inspiration. I have been debating about painting a navy blue accent wall in the master bedroom and this PB showroom floor in Benjamin Moore's Hale Navy definitely stood out! I just love it! And all the decor of course. I love to take my own pics to give me ideas.
Check back this week to see my seasonal transformation in the living room. I'm adding some pops of aqua and it's going to be fun! For now, enjoy this lovely eye candy :)

Oceanside Therapy and Pottery Barn Decorative Accents

If you haven't noticed, Rebecca's Roundup is on a little vacation. I thoroughly enjoyed this afternoon at the beach. It was everything it should be. The sun on my face, breathing in deeply the fresh ocean air, and spending time with my kids and watching them experience it themselves.
In true RR fashion, I even collected a bag of sand and driftwood to add to my summer season decor so I didnt have to buy it from Pottery barn for $15-$23. And now too, I'll always have a little reminder of this fun beach day.

New Floppy Sun Hat {one dollar!}

After I fried my scalp from being in the sun all Memorial weekend, I realized I needed a hat to wear in the sun. I wanted something cute and trendy but didnt want to spend alot.
I saw one at H&M for $15, one at Target too, but knew I could get it cheaper.
Today when I walked into The Dollar Tree I just happened to spy this. At first I thought it was kid size or would look goofy but I tried it on and whaddya know?
A cute, trendy, floppy sun hat for one dollar!

What I've been up to {summer 2012 has officially started!}

Memorial Day BBQ and Bday Party for the hubby (Thanks to all the 30+ friends and fam for coming and making it special!)

New lovely pillows for the sofa in Waverly's Lattice Lagoon. {LOVE} Trying to incorporate more CoLoR and I am loving this! Especially for summer. Really feeling a need for some sand and starfish to go with it!

Happy Bday to a wonderful Mother in Law and thanks so much to wonderful sis in law for the most yummy quiche brunch I've ever had and fun times shopping at H&M and Pottery Barn for much needed retail therapy!

And happy, happy birthday to Big Grandpa and thanks to my awesome in-laws for always willing to get the party started!!!