Owls are cute... but these ones needed help!

Like many crafty folks I'm sure, hitting up the thrift store for unique finds isn't uncommon.  On this particular day, I was on the hunt for various picture frames for a project, when I came across this 70's throwback...

I'm not kidding about the 70's thing... I swear there was enough grease and grime build up on this thing to date it that far back.  Icky!  At least it was only $1.00!

Dismantled the clock from the plastic owls and into the sink it went.  The eyes kept staring at me....

I scrubbed so hard I took off the finish lol.  Better then having that sticky layer of grime on my soon to be cute owls though!

One poor little guy was missing an eye... so I gave him a brand new set of eyes using a set of extra buttons I had laying around.

A new backing for the clock face cut out and ready to go.... a few coats of primer and Krylons Ivory spray paint......

...and you have a happy family of CUTE owls which will hang peacefully on my wall :)  The lesson?  Don't pass by seemingly ugly woodland critters and nocturnal birds on your hunt for treasures.  Spray paint can fix almost anything!

Hoot!

Staircase makeover on a budget

When we moved into our (resale) home, we inherited the existing carpeting that stretched from the bottom of the staircase all the way up and throughout the entire second floor.  Blah.  I love area rugs for softness and warmth... but wall to wall carpeting... no.  Obviously redoing the flooring in your home can be very expensive, so we decided to start with the staircase and did it in a pretty cost effective way.  Yay!

The carpeting even went on the raised landing (it's already ripped up in this picture), and stretched into the closet.  Silly place for carpeting if you ask me!  It was the first spot to go... and.... boo... PLYWOOD :(

However, the treads on the steps (which were existing from the build of the house) were in pretty decent shape and were NOT made of plywood, which meant, totally stain-able!  The spindles and railing came off and the steps got a good sanding

The spindles, risers and the side of the stringer all got a few coats of fresh white paint.  The stairs were stained (which included varathane) and the handrail and newel post got a coat of stain so they would match the treads a little better.

Besides paint, stain and some sandpaper, the only big purchase we had to make was one package of bamboo flooring for the landing (the plywood part) and a little trim to finish the edge.  The whole staircase was done for under $120.00!  That's including all the supplies.  Kind of makes you rethink what's under that carpet doesn't it!

Get the Dish...

Here is another quick project for you.  Make yourself a pretty decorative bowl.  All you need is some paper, Mod Podge, and a clear glass bowl of your choice.  Check it out!

Make It: Fabric Wrapped Hangers

We're going to do a 'pretty it up' project today and wrap some boring plastic hangers with fabric.  Sounds simple enough, right?  Well it is!  And the results are quite lovely!  Follow along with these easy steps to make your own.

Never underestimate the value of a Grandmother.

In my opinion, it's too often that we can't see through all the filters we put over our eyes in day to day life, the value, worth and importance of our own family.  So, I felt it was time for a family oriented post!  Yesterday was my Mother's birthday :)  And although there wasn't the means to do a big celebration, we celebrated 'Mom' none the less!

Grandma showing Foster how it's done for his birthday next month!

Foster excitedly playing with Grandma's birthday balloons!  I'm happy to report, they survived!

What do you think?  It's my first attempt at a four layer cake!  I call it, 'Pink Lemonade Cake'.  Ok... so it's a box of Duncan Hines white cake mix with the rind of one lemon added in, and some food colouring :).  Oh... and buttercream frosting with some fresh lemon zest on top.  And blueberries!

Plain white gift bag and envelope for the card were stamped and a little phrase added along side.

Foster knows Grandma likes notebooks, so he made this one a little extra special by putting his footprint on the inside cover so she would always remember it was from him.

I love my Mom.  She is a wonderful, warm and selfless person, almost to a fault.  The world, or at least, mine, wouldn't be nearly as great without her.  Through all the years of growing up, she always made things interesting and fun.  She encouraged my creativity no matter what it was, how messy, or how short lived!  I'm happy that my little boy Foster gets to share in a part of that with her too. 

Thanks Mom :)  Happy Birthday! xo

Chairs - Before & After

Just wanted to share a quick before and after with you!  Chairs.  We all have them.  Some we love, some we don't!  They were free, but a definite 'don't'...

Now, they are a 'do'.....

Ikea fabric, some spray paint (classic grey) and the staple gun to the rescue!  I must take this opportunity to express my love for spray paint, again!.....and the staple gun. 

It took me 10 minutes to do two chairs.  And that's only because I had some 'issues' with the staple gun in the beginning.  I'll just say I ended up with a blister or two!

Go staple something... just not, someone.

I heart bunting banners!

Bunting (or flag banners) have long been a staple in party decor, but they have been increasingly more popular, or at least, visibly popular thanks to sites like Pinterest, Etsy and in the world of scrapbooking.

I've seen sooo many adorable, sweet and creative styles, paper, fabric and crocheted, I decided to incorporate bunting into Fosters 1st birthday decor.  The above image is a little peek at mine, made of paper.  Check out these other inspiring ideas for bunting banners.

1st Birthday Party Invites - Free Printables

I've been slowly making all the elements for Fosters speedily approaching first birthday.  Invites were up next!  I know, they are more for me to be a keepsake, but they will go to at least a few people!

Once I was done, I thought perhaps some of you might be interested in the final image for your own little ones first birthday celebration.  So how bout a freebie?  I've done the same invite with three different backgrounds and different feature word.  There are four, postcard style invites per sheet, to be printed out on standard 8.5x11 paper.  I would recommend card stock.  Then, simply cut them down to the individual cards!  Use pinking shears or the wavy blade for your rotary cutter to give the edges more interest if you have either of those tools.

If you'd like, you may also print the very subtle background image I've supplied to give some interest to the reverse side of the cards.  Just print it on the back of the card stock you printed the invite image on before you cut down the cards.

Click here to get the full printable 4up sheet of each style above, as well as the background.  But you'll need the password which is 'candle'.

Enjoy!

Linked to;

Trash Table - Before & After

On the eve of garbage day, sometimes I take a tour of the neighbourhood looking for useful things.  I call it the 'garbage crawl'.  Lately, I've had a thing for stealing hardware from furniture.  So if you're behind me doing your own trash walk wondering where the other two drawers are for that dresser you were hoping to snatch up... well I probably took them because I forgot my screwdriver that night so I couldn't take just the handles *teehee...sorry!*.

This one day, we (my husband and I) went down sooo many streets and found nothing.  It wasn't until we pulled into our own driveway that I saw this sitting a few doors down among my neighbours trash.  My husband plucked it out of the pile and it came home with us.  It's an old sewing table minus the sewing machine.

A little beaten, but that's ok.  It got an awesome new 'bright' lease on life thanks to Krylon's Sun Yellow spray paint.  I also kept the existing hardware.

And now it's got a new home.  Awe... happy table!

Have trash find transformations of your own?  I would love to see and share it with SaltTree readers!  Send me an email at salttreeblog@hotmail.com with your before and after pics as well as an adequate description of your project and it might just become part of an upcoming B&A post.

PS.  I love my sun yellow table!

Sometimes it's the simplest things...

The simple little things we can do to change something in our home.  And this one is super simple.  You need a  picture frame;  new, old, recycled, homemade... whatever style you fancy.

One switch plate cover, electrical receptacle, thermostat or alarm panel ... basically, one of those ugly things that is stuck to your wall that you can't really do to much about moving without a permit or a professional.

Then do this. Quick and simple!  Doesn't it look more interesting now?  I think it would work really well if you had a switch plate or the likes framed such as above, incorporated it into a larger display of framed photos.  The switch plate would become less immediately visible and tend to become part of the wall of artwork.

3M Command Picture Hanging Strips or something similar are ideal for attaching your frame to the wall.  They hold really well and if you get tired of the frame or want to swap it out, you can easily take it down without damaging your walls.

I know, you're ready to get up and tour around your home to see what you can stick a frame around now aren't you.... I think I'll do one for my little guys room next :)

I'm back!

A vacation in a hot and ridiculously humid Mexico all soaked in :)  I wont make this into an overly drawn out 'slide show', so I'll just keep it to a few snaps of our first family vacation with Foster.  And by the way, he did pretty darn good I must say!

 Relaxing.  The beach was beautiful.  The sand was white and course (which will smooth anyones dry rough feet :) and the water was warm and blue.  I love the smell of the ocean!

We went into town for a change of scenery to a place called Playa Del Carmen.  Even though it was very touristy, it was nice to see some local shops and interesting buildings and such.

More relaxing... Foster slept sounder then ever on the beach.  But then again... so did Daddy!

We visited the ruins of Tulum.  It was 37 degrees that day, before factoring in the 90% humidity.  It was disgusting!  Wait, let me reword that.  WE were disgusting... after the tour!  

Everyone was drenched with sweat from head to toe!  You probably can't really tell in this picture, but my shirt sopping wet.  It is a very cool site to see though and it's right on the ocean which was beautiful.

Daddy and Foster playing around :).  Baby playing in the pool... he loved the pool so much, and Foster and I having fun at the beach.  I know, I'm so super stylin' with my visor on.  I know you want one.  I wish I'd had time to attach some rolled fabric flowers to it before we went to make it prettier.  THEN you'd really want one :p

All of the shops were full of colourful souvenirs and kitschy stuff that I couldn't resist snapping a pic of this wall of skulls.

Finally, what would a trip to Mexico be without taking a few pics of the huge iguanas lounging around, baking in the sun?  They were everywhere!

I'll leave it at that!  There are way to many pics to share them all and if I don't stop here this post will just take on a life of it's own lol.  Keep an eye out this week,  I have a few things to share!

Some Much Needed R&R

Image courtesy of coolcanucks.ca

Hey everyone!  I'm sorry to say, posting will be NA this coming week.  Hubby, baby & I are taking our first family vacation and heading south to sunny Mexico!  So really... I don't feel THAT bad about not posting lol.  I've never travelled to Mexico before, so needless to say, I'm super excited!  Sunscreen, bathing suits, passports.......and diapers... check!  I'll be sure to share some snapshots when we return :)

Hasta luego!