Bedroom Help!

Ok...so my bedroom needs some serious help..as in....I'm not even putting up a pic until I get it looking better and have before and after pics. Anyway, I did pick up these two very cute tables at a yard sale Sat. to use as tables on either side of the bed.

I am thinking about putting a large piece of tile on the tops of these just for something different. I found a few cute ideas online although I think I will probably stick to a more neutral colored tile but I still like these. 

Any other suggestions on my great tables?

Spray Paint Wonders

I am a spray paint junkie and believe it can be used on just about anything! Like the father in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" who thinks Windex is the solver of all the world's problems. :) I have used it on furniture, my AC vents, metal, wood etc. etc. etc. I even spray painted my scary looking refrigerator! :)  You can get appliance spray paint and then sand your frig front and believe me, it will look amazing! I am not quite done with my frig. since I started it while I was pregnant and realized about halfway through that the fumes could not be good for the baby since I couldn't open all the windows in the house because it was 3 degrees outside...so I left the house while it aired out...I'm too impatient to get things done. :) Anyway, a while back Emily at Emily A. Clark posted a couple of blogs that had great spray painting advice so I thought I would share them too since I learned so much from them.

The first is Bryn from Bryn Alexandra ( don't you just love that name? :))

You have got to go to her blog and see what this desk looked like before she painted it. She also gives detailed instructions on exactly how she got this piece to look this way. 

Secondly, over at Censational Girl, Kate gives great FAQ's about spray painting.

 Have a great day and go spray paint something! It does wonders for a room!

Second Life Shopping...

This morning I went out with my 3 month old son Evan (we don't get out much at this age :)) to wash my car, go to the post office and Dunkin Donuts- had to have my fix of iced coffee for the day. :) While we were out I just HAD to stop by one of my favorite second hand shops called "Second Life". It was started for the sole purpose of supporting a Christian school in our area, so I feel good about buying things there knowing my money is going towards a good cause. Anyway, I found the cutest mirrors and I'm not sure where they are going just yet, but they are perfect. They were marked down because they were missing some of their "gems" but I can easily replace these or change the color of them all.
I need some ideas for what to do with them. I'm hoping to move soon, so maybe they could go on my new fireplace mantel or on a entryway table.

What can I say...it always pays to make a quick stop at the second hand store...:)

Handprinted Fabric

I was looking today for ideas on designing my own fabric and came across a post at Design Sponge that gives a tutorial by Yellow Owl Workshop on how to hand stamp your own fabric. Has anyone tried this? Please tell me how it turned out for you. It is so cool and doesn't look too complicated, although DIY videos always seem to look so easy until you start doing it yourself, :) but I am going to try it! I will  post my new fabric when it's done- that is if it looks good enough...ha!

Giveaway!

I have a giveaway going on at two different blogs! Increase your chances of winning....go to http://diana212m.blogspot.com/2011/06/monday-giveaway.html  and http://www.igoyougoblog.com/  to win this cover...

Good Luck!! :)

Fabric Resources

I often have people ask me where I get most of my fabric...the answer is...everywhere! I have spent countless hours browsing the web in search of new fabrics that I like. Here are a few of my favorites...

         

 These are outdoor fabrics from www.tonicliving.com - a site based in Canada. If you live in the U.S., the shipping can get expensive, but they have great choices!

Next is www.fabric.com - I buy most of my fabric from here because they have by far the best prices and shipping is FREE when your order is over $35. Here is the infamous and beautimous :) Robert Allen Dwell Studio they carry.

Lastly but definitely not least is www.premierprintfabric.com

 

There are many others, these are just a few of my favorites.

A bench- at the foot of the bed...

I've been wanting for a long time to put a bench at the foot of my bed. I haven't actively looked for one, but I had a great idea today of using the behind the couch table in my living room and adding a cushion to the top of it. My bed is quite high off the ground so I think it would be perfect. Here are some that I really like...

 I am in love with this next one!

These next two are actually mud room benches, but with a small space, I like to use every decorative thing as an organizational tool.

It's been a While...

Wow! What a hectic two months! I now have a 2 month old adorable baby boy Evan Michael! He is wonderful! In the mean time I have started a new website www.elisabethmichael.com and am loving being at home full time. Back to bargain finding now that it's getting warmer. I recently found the cutest lamps ever that I incorporated into my bedroom. I'll post pics later when I have some time...who can find time with a 2 month old! ha! :)

Nesting Instinct

So, I am now 38 weeks pregnant and they say you have this nesting instinct right before you go into labor, but I've been in the nesting instinct for the past month! My whole house could not be more organized nor have I ever been this content to just stay at home. Anyways, I thought I would share my nursery pics.

Emily A. Clark posted a great lesson on her blog quite a while back about painting stripes in her foyer so I tried it and it turned out great! My husband hates to paint, but he did a wonderful job....

 I was trying my best to save money with all this, and I found this beautiful crib on craigslist for $80 with mattress.

I made the crib bumper, drapes, diaper stacker and lamp shade and  got the cute decals from an adorable etsy shop- www.elephannie.etsy.com who did a custom listing for me and was great to work with!

The paper lanterns I picked up at Pier One and used White ribbon and a push pin to put them in the ceiling. I love these!

I also added some matching fabric to the inside of these fabric bins I got at Target just to help pull it all together.

Got this rug at TJ Maxx quite a while back already knowing the colors I wanted for this room.

And last but not least, "Me" at 7 months before I got "fat". Of course this is baby fat, but I will be on serious workout program after this baby! lol

Laundry Room Reorganization!

So today, I have had enough of my messy laundry room. I got up when my husband went to school and off to Target to get a couple of grocery items and something to organize this mess of a space! I ended up buying this Re-Organize Wire Shelving unit for $42.99 and it worked like a charm.  I would love to put up before and after pics, but I honestly can't show the "before" pics- they are hideous and embarrassing! LOL :) I feel much better after getting this all fixed and on top of that I got to shop at my favorite time- early in the morning when there is practically no one in Target. :)

Lastly, I want to encourage all of you out there that live in a small house and tight spaces that organization is possible! My house (should I tell you?) is only 975 Sq. Ft. but I have found lots of new ways to organize in small spaces. I will post some other things I have done recently to clean up and make things more compact in the future...Have a great Day!

Before and After Dresser

Good morning everyone! There is a giveaway going on at www.emilyaclark.blogspot.com.  It's snowing here at my house and I am staying nice and warm inside my cozy little house. I love this time of year- if of course I don't have to get outside too much. :) Today I am posting a few pics of my work in progress dresser in my bedroom. I have slowly been looking for things to dress it up and it has taken time. Not to mention, I'm not supposed to be spending money but I sort of went on a shopping spree last night while my husband was coaching basketball. Does this happen to anyone else? I love to shop and about every 6 months I just get in this mood where I don't care how much I spend or what I buy, I just want to buy! It's like that movie- I can't think of the name of it- something like "Confessions of a Shopaholic" I think where the green scarf and the window displays talk to the girl in the movie? That's me. Not all the time luckily or I would be in debt up to my eyeballs, but every once in a while I just get this urge- good thing my husband is a patient man and doesn't get upset. Ok, enough rambling, :) on to the pics.

Mentionable: I originally got this dresser from a Goodwill near my house that receives all of Target's salvage items including online returns to the store. It had a broken panel in it before I put it together so I called the number in the box and they sent me the missing piece for free. I paid $40.00 dollars for the dresser since it was marked half of Target's price and it was half off day at Goodwill! Great deal and in perfect condition.

 The mirror I got for $7.00 at a garage sale and painted white when I got it home. It was a disgusting brown color. I wasn't dressed for the day when I took these pics, hence my arm sticking out taking the pic in the mirror. :) The lamp I got at a garage sale too. Perfect condition.

Next I added a large vase and sprigs to the corner that I found at T.J. Maxx (one of my all time favorite stores) and then printed off the black and white umbrella off the computer and put it in a frame I already had.

Last night, while on my shopping spree I found these decorative balls for $1.98 at Pier One Imports and the bowl at T.J. Maxx.  I love the look now but felt it still need a little something.

I added this Christmas tree made of red holly berries to add a little color and fill in the rest. And just for effect, here is a final before and after. I may end up rearranging it again, but for now, it's staying this way.  :)


Before:

After:

 

Have a great day!!!! :)

Winner!

And the winner is..... Christina C. Christina chose the beautiful warm spring colors pillow cover.
--Christina, please email me at egcook1@gmail.com so I can get your address etc. to send you your prize. 
 Everyone else- stay posted for the next giveaway for December!

Have a great 3 weeks of shopping for Christmas! I will be posting a gift guide shortly when I can find the time to post and not sew! :)

Black Friday Sale and Giveaway!

Ok- It's black Friday - Have you been up all night? I have to say I have not, but I am 6 months pregnant- that may have something to do with it. :) I am offering 10% off any item in my shop today using the coupon code "NOV10". Also, along with that, you can enter to win a giveaway of your choice from the shop.

To ENTER:
1. Become a follower of this blog.
2. Visit www.purplepajamas.etsy.com and leave a comment here telling you favorite item from the shop.
Giveaway ends at 12AM Midnight 11-26-10. Winner will be randomly chosen on Saturday morning 11-27-10.

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Happy Shopping!!!! :)

Mad About Color

In light of the fact that I am expecting my first baby and I am finding out this coming Wednesay if I'm having a girl or a boy, I couldn't resist posting about this lovely ETSY shop I found! Mad About Color has lots of sales and I can see why! All so cute!

Gorgeous, Luxurious Fabric

With my shop "Purple Pajamas", I purchase a whole lot of fabric and have found it all at lots of different places, but one of my favorites and next fabric to purchase is from a place called "Serena and Lily."  They have some of the most "clean crisp" fabric that is amazing quality and beautiful!!!! Here are a few of my favorite fabrics and collections......