Over at The 36th Avenue

I am so excited to be sharing my Old Window Pot Rack at

The 36th Avenue today!!

The 36th Avenue is one of my absolute favorite blogs!!  

You can find amazing recipes, fun crafts, beautiful room makeovers

and just gorgeous, inspiring pictures!

Thanks so much, Desiree, for allowing me to visit today!

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Spring Trend {Bright Lips}

I walked into my closet today and realized that all that I have been wearing

for the past few months is black.....well, black, gray and sometimes brown.

C-razy....I know...I'm a very boring winter dress-er.

  So, as spring approaches, I start dreaming about color.  

I recently even bought a t-shirt at JCPenney to refashion that was.....ORANGE!

I also start dreaming about new colors for my makeup.

A while ago I saw Kristie from blushing basics featured on tatortots and jello.

Since then I have really enjoyed following all of her hair and makeup tutorials.

In fact, I had my daughter's hair in a Lauren Conrad inspired braid 

today after watching Kristie's tutorial!

I was thrilled when Kristie offered to give us some advice from

blushing basics for fresh spring lips.....

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this spring, many makeup companies are introducing lots of bright colors to incorporate into our makeup routine. one of the easiest ways to incorporate a bright color is through lipstick because bright eyeshadow can be a bit intimidating.


here's an easy step-by-step makeup tutorial explaining how to best apply that bright shade to your lips.

for this tutorial i am using my Vincent Longo cosmetics

start with your essential tools for lipcolor: a lipstain, a lipliner and a lipgloss.

1. begin with your (exfoliated!) bare lips.
2. apply lipstain. this ensures that your lips won't look wonky once your lipgloss or lipliner wear off. the stain will keep lips looking bright.
3. follow with a lipliner. apply lipliner along outer edge of your lips (for fuller lips) and lightly smudge with your finger tip so that there are no harsh lines.
4. finish with your bright lipgloss. break out your smile and enjoy!

here's a video tutorial if you're interested in achieving a more pouty lip.

xo,

kristie

www.blushingbasics.com

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Thanks for sharing, Kristie!

Here are some of my other favorite tutorials....

Braided Headband Tutorial

All Day Curls

Eye Makeup Tutorial

DIY Manicure

Will you have bright lips this spring?

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Winners of Beauty and the Beast Within....

Oh my....I'm late in announcing the winners...so sorry!

I've just been incredibly sick and still don't feel terrific....I'm trying to get an appointment

with the Doctor, but he's booked up with other sick people this evening!  

UGH!  What I would give for an antibiotic right now....

Here are the winners of Dee's book, Beauty and the Beast Within...

#6  Cheri who said, "I was just sitting here kicking myself for only losing 1 lb on weigh-in day yesterday when I stumbled across your blog. Isn't it amazing when God puts WHAT you need WHERE you need WHEN you need it? Thanks for the encouragement!"

#8 Virginia who said, "Oh do I ever need this book ......I have 3 weddings to go to this year and refuse to go with this body !!!!!!"

#10 Amy in Iowa who said, "I would love to read this, as it's a struggle every day."

Please contact me via email and I'll tell you how to get your free download!

For those of you who are interested, you can still use the discount code

tamethebeast to get 50% off purchase of the book!

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Guest Post. . . . .Chalkboard Door

I want to thank Nicole for inviting me here to offer up a guest post.  I thought that I'd share with you today the project that kick-started my blogging career.


The on-the-cheap, make your own chalkboard door!





My home is filled with those cheap, hollow, faux wood manufactured doors, including the basement access door in our kitchen which previously looked this!





What I really coveted in the kitchen was this¦

Sources:  Country Living & Domino

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These doors can range anywhere from $400 to upwards of a few thousand.  Way beyond my budget.  Not to mention the additional costs for hardware and installation ...


So I put on my thinking cap and came up with an idea to turn our ugly builder grade door into something both beautiful and practical for a mere $30.00.


I started by gathering my supplies:





I had most of these on-hand.  I only needed to purchase the chalkboard paint (from JoAnne's for $5.00); the black foam core (from Office Depot for $10.00 for two 30' x 40' boards); and the 1 3/8' x 3/8' trim (from the Home Depot for $.79/foot). 


The foam core worked perfectly as the blackboard base because it's substantial, yet lightweight, yet not too thick that when framed out with trim would make the panels look built-in ...


Step 1:  Use the X-Acto knife to cut your foam core to size ...





Step 2:  Apply two coats of the chalkboard paint to the foam core panels.  (Since they're porous, the foam core started to curve upwards at the edges. I solved that problem by turning them over and applying a coat of paint to the back sides ... once dry, they sat perfectly flat).


Step 3:  Use the miter box to cut the trim pieces. I used simple joint corners versus the more fancy mitered ...



Step 4: Give the trim two coats of paint that matches your door. (I used Benjamin Moore white semi-gloss).


Step 5:  Apply the Power Grab to the back of the foam core and attach to the door.  Use your level to make sure they are, well, level.  Hold in place for 3-to-5 minutes to make sure contact is made.  If you use painter's tape to hold the foam core chalkboard in place it may damage your chalkboard like this:



Step 5:  Apply the Power Grab to your trim pieces and affix to the door.  Use painter's tape to hold in place while it dries.  Just be sure not to attach the painters tape to the foam core board.



Step 6:  Caulk along the outside edge and corners and touch up with the semi-gloss ...



In the end you'll turn a previously boring door into something both beautiful and functional!






I loved it so much that I re-created it on the powder room door!

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As soon as I saw this project, I pinned it.....I just LOVE it!  

Here are some of Linda's other amazing projects over at It All Started With Paint!

{Entryway Before and After}

{Painted Porch Rug}

{Gorgeous kitchen before/after}

Linda is also running a great link-up this month...

<a border="0" href="http://itallstartedwithpaint.blogspot.com/2012/01/mission-impossibilities.html" target="_blank"><img src=https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4eNmdVpYkLqIFGPwR9kxAWxZkS25vzFLmFcvAnqHqLXbgydzKh3o3SwR7W0rLo-eJVXK4aAMabRqmSV4cTSiChufHHDjBbCVZqZf6wxCayIHr7htQ7OcckVKW-erCclebIJDE_0YXnH4/s1600/itic+Final +5.png></a>

Is there a project that just seems impossible?? For me, it was painting my stairwell last year! Go over and link your "impossible" project and Imagine the Impossibilities!

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Camera Strap Tutorial. . . .

We spent the past week in the Pocono Mountains enjoying 

fall's amazing colors and spending some quality family time.......

We took school on the road...

hiked in a boulder field.......

enjoyed gorgeous waterfalls...

and drank caramel hot chocolate....

I was also determined to learn how to use my camera to take better pictures....

We've had our Nikon for almost 1 year now and I still have SO much to learn!  But taking excellent pictures is critical to blogging.....

One thing that I have noticed is that many bloggers have these adorable camera straps for their cameras......after taking pictures all week, I was definitely getting "strap burn" around my neck!  Now, I know, that these strap covers are also functional!

Laura Beth From A Step in the Journey linked a wonderful tutorial for a homemade camera strap to this week's Thrifty Thursday....  

I've seen them to purchase all over the place, but this is the first tutorial that I've seen explaining how to make it....(and she made it from an old dog bed!!)

What I love about Laura Beth's tutorial is that she includes lots of PICTURES so that I know what I am doing!!  I need pictures or I just don't follow really well!

So for the complete TUTORIAL for how to make your own, head over to A Step in the Journey!

I've just got to figure out a way to make a manly-looking, but cute strap since my husband and I share the camera.....

Any suggestions???

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Recycle Buttons into Magnets . . . .

Hi everyone! I’m Taryn from Design, Dining + Diapers and I’m so excited to be visiting Thrifty Decorating today. When it comes to my living space, I am a complete neat freak. I hate clutter and I like everything put away in its place (just don't look behind the closed doors, something might jump out at you. I have to put all our stuff somewhere :P ). Because I like things so orderly, I'm not a big fan of pinning things to the fridge. HOWEVER, there are some things that just need to be on there, like the grocery list and the adorable birth announcements and Save-the-Date cards that accumulate each year.

Recently, the collection of magnets on my fridge has really been getting to me and I've been looking for something with a little more style. Call it fate if you will, but I was at a craft fair a few weeks back and stumbled upon old buttons that were turned into magnets. I was completely inspired and decided to make some myself.

First, I pulled out my button collection (Correction: It's actually BOTH my mom's AND my collection that currently resides at my house. Although, she will tell you that I stole it hehe). There are hundreds of buttons in there and they date back to probably the 1930's. I love looking at all of the colors and character that each one holds.



Because our kitchen blends into our family room, I choose colors that will go with my new family room design.



Next, I picked up this pack of magnets at my local craft store for a mere $1.99.



Then, I hot glued the magnet directly onto the back of the button.





To add a little variety, I stacked some of the buttons in unique designs. I love how they turned out and they definitely add a new look to the fridge :)







My total cost for the project: $1.99

So here's my tip. Never throw away those extra buttons that come on your clothes, you never know what you might need them for in the future :)

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Thanks, Taryn, for visiting today!  Taryn also made this beautiful book page wreath!

You can head over to Design, Dining + Diapers to check out Taryn's other great ideas!

We're hanging in the Pocono Mountains today, so I'll share what we're up to later!

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Gorgeous Gallery Wall . . .

Hello there, Thrifty Decorator Ladies!  My name is Cailan from Everyday Lovely where I share simple ways to make and find the lovely in everyday living.

Today I'm sharing with you a problem you might have to: I take a lot of pictures of my kiddos and I wanted a way to display current photos and be able to change them out easily.  But, I did not want to be continually taking off the backs of frames and centering pics, cleaning glass, etc.  

My solution was this Quick Change-it-Out Photo Gallery.

To begin, I dug out all the dusty frames I could find.  I wanted an eclectic look, so I collected both gold and silver with bronzy ones for some color depth.  If you had a really odd assortment it would be easy to paint them all black or a fun color for a unified look. 

I took off the cardboard backs, took out the glass and hung them up like so. 

Since the frames are just balancing on a nail (unless you want to add a sawtooth hook to the backs) I added some tacky gum (from Hobby Lobby) to make them stable.

When printing out your photos it makes all the difference if you add a white border.  You can do this with Picnik or at Walgreens online (called a "Studio" border at Walgreens).  This helps give the idea of a mat on the picture and makes for a more finished look.  I also ordered some 5x7 as well as 4x6's to add some variety as to size.

Because I had a lot of frames around (and they are pretty easy to find cheap at thrift stores), this project was really only the cost of the pictures and the $1.99 tacky gum.  I love being able to put new pictures up as soon as I get a fresh batch printed...which reminds me I need to take some fall pictures quick!

Thanks so much for having me Nikki - can't wait to see that basement!


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Cailan, thanks so much for visiting!

I just love Caillan's blog!  And right now she's running a giveaway!  So head over and follow Everyday Lovely for a chance to win some of this Lollia Handcreme!

And we (well, my lovely dad!) are (is) routing the trim today for the beadboard in our "new" basement!!


There are Target coupons available for all of these supplies.

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