Heart Banner

Remember when I won this heart banner from Amy's giveaway on Design-Aholic?

I received it in the mail yesterday!

And here's where I hung it up.

On my dining room mirror.

Look at those cute paper-covered hearts.

I think it looks perfect with my little Valentine's Day-themed tray on my sideboard.

Thanks again, Amy! I love it!

Future Desk Project

A project is never done. You have all seen my new craft room and the desk I scored for free. Well, as soon as the weather gets warmer outside I want to paint it and change the hardware. I am still decided whether I want to paint it white (which would be more versitile in the future if I want to change up the decor) or to paint it a bright color (which would really pop against my current craft room colors).

But here is an example of what it could look like in white. Holly from Life in the Fun Lane re-finished a desk identical to mine. I absolutely LOVE how it turned out. She did such a great job.

Closet Craft Room

So my 1 bedroom apartment is teeny tiny. However, that doesn't mean you can't get creative with the space.

We have a great semi-walk-in closet off our living room and it offers an opportunity for a craft closet. Here's what it used to look like:

I had seen many photos online where people have converted closet spaces into offices or craft rooms and here is mine:

The desk was free and the rest of the accessories are from Ikea so you know that this project cost close to nothing!

The desk was my husband's when he was little and we rescued it from his grandma's basement. I would eventually like to paint it white or a bright color and to swap out the hardware. The chair is from Ikea and was only $10!

This is a plant pot from Ikea that holds some of my sewing tools.

These are cork boards I found at Hobby Lobby and covered in fabric from Ikea. I used spray adhesive to attach it and then lined the edges with some ribbon.

The boxes and magazine holders are also from Ikea.

Cute little mini frames from Michael's, found in the dollar section. Not quite sure what to put in them yet.

Wall shelving flanks both sides of my desk but I hung Ikea curtains up to conceal them.

Since we are renters, I hung the curtains up with tension shower curtain rods so that they could easily be taken down without holes left in the wall.

And that's my closet craft room.

Now I have no excuses to not make something!

Getting Ready for Valentine's Day

A little Valentine's Day vignette.

The vignette sits on a pretty tray on my dining room sideboard.

Some vintage hankies.

A pinecone candle.

Some serving utensils wrapped up in a red ribbon.

A vintage plaid lunchbox I recently found at an antique store.

A rose candle votive.

Red plates and red and gray plaid napkins.

Lots of love :)

I'm a Winner, I'm a Winner!!!

I have won my first giveaway! And it came at the perfect time- yesterday was my birthday :)

Amy, from Design-Aholic, has just reached her 100th blog post. And in celebration she was giving away this adorable heart banner she made for Valentine's Day.

Thank you so much Amy! I am so excited to hang this up in my house and I will be sure to share the pictures with you guys.

Check out Amy's blog. She is so crafty and really inspires me to do more projects myself. My favorite post is her living room makeover.

Sewing Notions

I'm starting to get really excited for my sewing class.

Here are some inspiring photos I found on Flickr.

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I'll be heading to Ikea on Friday to get the finishing touches to my sewing/craft room (photos to come). And then I'll be heading to the antique mall with my mom, hoping to find some vintage sewing notions of my own :)

It's Sew 2010

One of my new year's resolutions is to learn to sew. My godmother gave me her sewing machine to use so I already have a jump start. I now just need to learn how to use it! So I will be signing up to take a beginning sewing class at The Needle Shop in Chicago. I have heard really great things about them and am excited to get started!

My goal is to be able to make my own purses and things for my apartment- like curtains and pillows.

While browsing some items on Etsy, I came across some things that I would love to make myself.

I am obsessed with anything that has ruffles. How cute is this little wristlet??

(Etsy shop murwati)

Or this throw pillow??

(Etsy shop TheHomeCentric)

Or this tote??

(Etsy shop mojospastyle)

And I really want to make some cafe curtains for the window above my kitchen sink.

(Etsy shop Custom Threadlines)

Wintery Tablescape

It's Tablescape Thursday, hosted by Between Naps on the Porch.

This week's theme is wintery cabin. I used lots of browns and golds along with red.

I'm using my Xmas gift from my mom- a retro tiered serving tray.

Another Xmas gift from last year- snowman mugs from Williams-Sonoma.

I'm re-using the candlesticks from last week's tablescape but swapped out the silver candles for gold ones.

I found these cute napkins on sale after Xmas at Target.

My Crate & Barrel white dishes are paired with a bright red plate from HomeGoods. And they all sit on top of my rattan chargers from WalMart.

A pair of pinecone candles.

Some left-over pinecone ornaments.

Murphy, in the background, is watching the snow fall outside.

It is currently snowing and we're expected to get up to 12 inches by tonight.

So take a nap...

...under your favorite blanket...

...and stay warm :)