I really liked them but for some reason the gold was a bit much for me.  I grabbed my silver leaf pen (doesn’t everyone have one on standby?) and quickly went over the gold on the handle and rim to give it a bit of contrast.

I had picked up two of these unfinished branch slices at Hobby Lobby and drilled two little holes in them to attach to the baskets.

I then used PicMonkey to make little monograms for each boy and simply modpodged them right on!

Add some cute camo shredded fill and TaDa! Ready for the Easter Bunny to fill with goodies!

Pin and Share here!

I hope y’all have a wonderful weekend and Easter!

xoxo

B

The post Neutral Easter Baskets appeared first on Windgate Lane.

I recently saw this painted lamp by Jana Bek and fell completely in LOVE! It’s so simple, yet a show stopper in my eyes!  New Lamp + Painting = YES.

The price however left a single tear running down my cheek… $400.

But imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, yes?  So I have kept an eye out for something in a similar shape for quite awhile but only recently saw one that I decided to try it out on!  A smaller version for my little guy who loves anything and everything art related:)

There was an incident awhile ago that caused the lamp in his room to be ‘retired’ so I could even classify this project as a need!  Can you hear the justifications just running through my mind?

I found this lamp at Hobby Lobby (on sale of course) for $12.  Nice shape and not to bulky for his dresser.  Wrong color, but that’s what paint is for!

I painted it with Annie Sloan Pure White about three times.  I kept trying to decide if I should just spray paint it, but was afraid I wouldn’t get the brushstroke look with the navy to look right over it.  Don’t forget… it always looks worse before it gets better!:)

After it was fully coated, I sanded it down just a little and wiped it off- then nervously took a paint brush and just went to town painting haphazard swirls in Annie Sloan Aubusson Blue! I didn’t want to many because it is a smaller version and I wanted the pattern to stay simple.  I then put on a coat of Mod Podge Dimensional Top Coat (affiliate link) – this stuff is awesome and gives a really pretty, glossy top coat- I also used it on my Faux Agate Bookends.

So are you ready? yes, of course you are… you have probably already scrolled past my babbling… Here it is!

Clearly it isn’t in my 5yr old’s room in these photos but there are few more things I wanted to finish in there before I showed it all off:)  But now that I am seeing it here… I want them everywhere!!

I really do love finding such lovely inspiration and am now a huge fan of Bek Designs! Mine may not be the real deal, but I do love it and so does my boy, so win win:)

And who doesn’t love a good before and after?!

Hope you are having a wonderful day!

xoxo

B

Linking too:

Think and Make Thursdays

Pretty Preppy Party

The post Brushstroke Painted Lamp Make-Over appeared first on Windgate Lane.

Agate has become a very popular part of decorating this year.  I haven’t gotten on the band wagon due to not finding the wagon at a price I could swallow.

You know where this is going, right? I decided to try and make my own out of polymer clay!

First step was to pick my colors-

Second Step was cut out the shapes I wanted the Agate to resemble out of foam board.

Then cut out tabs so that they can be free standing.

The third step was to cut all of the clay in half and then flatten each color out and pile them up.  Then roll the stack like a burrito and cut that into halves.

Flatten those out and then cut one in half- this will be the separation of the two ends.

Follow instructions on your clay and bake as directed.  Mine was 300 Degrees for 10 minutes.  I then let dry and decided I wanted them to have a more aged look.

I wiped on some dark wax and quickly wiped it off and then painted some navy craft paint around the edges and outlined some of the spots to show delineation.

At this point I put Mod Podge Dimensional Magic all over them to add shine and dimension (duh) and let dry for about an hour.  Then used Super Glue to attach them to the foam board.

Are they perfect- I don’t know- but agate isn’t perfect either- so I am pleased:)
Now just wondering what else I can make with clay!

Hope you have a wonderful day!!
xoxo
B

Linking to:
DIYShowOff 
The Makers Link Party

Share It Sunday

Awesome Things Tuesday

The post Faux Agate Bookends appeared first on Windgate Lane.

If you are popping over from Jen at The Chronicles of Home, welcome!

I was the lucky recipient of her thrifting find in this fun
blog swap!

A couple of my fabulous blogging friends came up with a fun idea to pass our thriftiness around and challenge each other!
So we were all given a medium (wood, metal, or glass) and we had to find something thrifted and under $15 to send to the next person in our order.

Jen sent me something that I loved so much I hated to do too much to it! This awesome metal tray arrived and my brain went in about 20 different directions on what to do with it! At first I was going to hang it on the wall and make magnets to clip up notes on it-  I thought about making it a clock too.

My inspiration finally struck though because of a summer party and the tray’s original purpose:)  I wanted to make it versatile though- so I found some different fabrics I had and settled on the black and white I was given by the Online Fabric Store last year at the Haven conference (you can read about that here).

I love it and and want to incorporate more black and white in our home so it was perfect.

Tutorial:
I traced around the tray on the fabric and then cut out the circle.  I then covered the front with Mod Podge and after it dried, I did the same on the back.  I wanted it to hold its shape and then be able to spray it with a water proof sealant so that it would be fine if it got wet.  What I love is that I can change it out whenever I want to go with whatever party theme we are having! And it made my little unused plant table into a tray table/ bar cart.
I also taped off the legs and painted them a fun English Yellow by Annie Sloan and then taped off a square pattern for interest on the bottom shelf using a gorgeous mint green (Cosmopolitan) by Velvet Finishes.

Happy Summer!! Hop on over to Jess at Gourley Girl and Guy to see what fun surprises she got from me!

And here is the whole list of lovely ladies participating- so make sure you check them all out!

• Jessica at Gourley Girl and Guy
• Charlotte at Ciburbanity
• Christina at Homemade Ocean
• Bee at Windgate Lane
• Dena at Hearts and Sharts
• Danielle at Two Little Superheroes
• Jen at Chronicles of Home
• Melody at My Passion For Décor
• Lindsay at The White Buffalo Styling Co.
• Jessica at Decor Adventures

xoxo
B

The post Thrift Store Make-Overs appeared first on Windgate Lane.

After I painted the candy corn stripes on, I went ahead and added my favorite fall slogan- gotta have a Happy Fall Y’all! And then hot glued around 2 of the 3 sides leaving an opening to stuff a bit of the left over burlap in to give it some dimension.

and hot glue up the last side and you are all set! I decided to just make it a simple wreath and wrapped orange burlap around a wire wreath form and then attach the candy corn with some floral wire.  I added a black bow to hang it from and then patted my self on the back as I was finally on the Burlap Wagon!

 Is everybody ready for Halloween? We have costumes ready to go and I even bought our candy today so we are all set! Trick or Treat!
xoxo
B

Linking to:
Hi Sugarplum
Home Stories A to Z

The post Burlap Wreath Mania appeared first on Windgate Lane.

Yes, you read that right- mod podging foil on furniture.  The word sketchy instantly came to mind and I had to see pictures immediately and then had to see it in person as well! And a believer I became!
Now this one sat in my head for awhile- I was itching to try it but didn’t have anything to try it on.  Until one day I was working in my office and while completely focusing on the task at hand I started mentally redoing my office.  It is a combination of a lot of black furniture… blah.  Now all of the furniture is nice and functional so that does not equal me getting anything new in there- but what if we could repurpose some of it…. and the wheels started turning! Or as the hubs might refer to it… chaos started happening…. whatev.
The desk.  It’s a nice desk and when I tell you where I got it you are probably going to have some pretty strong reactions to me touching it but I decided I knew what was best… not ahem… Pottery Barn.
Here she is…

Yes, that’s right… but we bought it as a floor model and it had dings in it already so I didn’t feel as bad doing my own thing to it- and we’ve had it for like five years so that’s a long time for me not to mess with something- so all of my rationalizations added up and I ran off to Walmart for some tin foil!My lovely friend gave me some tips:
Tear your pieces before you start so that you can just keep on going
Crumple some pieces up and then carefully smooth out to have some interest in the foil
Prepare to be covered in Mod Podge
Overlap each piece of foil
This isn’t supposed to look perfect and smooth so don’t kill yourself over any one piece

Now this isn’t meant to be done on a highly used piece of furniture- it isn’t fragile but you would want to be a bit more careful with it- which is why I decided not to do the top of the desk- just the base.
Once I was done with the foil and peeling off the mod podge from my hands- I started rubbing a thin layer of dark stain and then wiping it off almost immediately which gave it a darker gold/silver look.
I then brushed on a light layer of Minwax water based poly.
I also spray painted the hardware a soft gold for more contrast because it was just a silver before.
Best tip I can give for painting hardware is to put them out on paper plates or a big piece of cardboard and put the screws directly into it so you can spray them upright.

I was too impatient to completely clean off my desk and do an amazing photo shoot so…. tada…. my version of industrial chic!

Before you get too critical- I am going to take better photos of it when the whole office is done later but  it really doesn’t photograph well- hard to see the depth of it.  But, I love it- so much more interesting than all the black- and it is giving me some more inspiration for the room but you will just have to wait and see…Have a great one!
B:)

Linking to:

and

Beneath My Heart 

The post Foil on Furniture…seriously. appeared first on Windgate Lane.

To this (and you can read all about it here)

That was a first major step in bringing in the Maroon and Brown and animal print!
Today I am going to show you some of the smaller touches that I brought into the room to add a personal touch and also the inspiration that I found prior to starting the Room to help give the homeowner an idea of where my crazy mind was going!

Got most of these accessories at HomeGoods… gottta love it… isn’t the inside of this lampshade to die for!?! and at $40… Shut the Front Door!!

Assorted boxes to let little fingers put little treasures in with paints and fabrics to customize them!

a little whimsy with this oversized alarm clock… and fabric inspirations with our room colors- for recovering existing couch pillows

to be honest I would have bought this no matter what I was doing in this room! So awesome- and what you can’t totally see is that it is hanging with a chain- so my plan is to hang it from the ceiling with a plant hook over the reading nook:)

And an affordable rug (8×10) in either a zebra or giraffe print like this one…

So- that was the long version of my mood board.
and today’s sneak peak will be the cute boxes and Read sign that I coordinated and made to place in the reading nook area- basically I just painted them and stenciled either numbers or letters on them- and the two zebra print ones were mod podged with fabric before the stencil.  The Read sign with stars on it was painted and then wood glued to a scrap piece of wood and then I mod podged over the whole thing to give it a nice shine-

Coming right along!
xoxo
B

Linking up to:
Savvy Southern Style
Thrifty Decorating
Simple Home Life
Remodelaholic
Social Salutations
Beneath My Heart

The post Playroom Inspiration and a Sneak Peak! appeared first on Windgate Lane.

 No… I am not singing a Justin Beiber song… well maybe a little bit now… Anyhoo! My big kitchen reveal needs a couple more days- still need to take after pics but my whole weekend was hijacked by this rediculous TX wind and it blowing our fence down! yikes!

So the Hubs and I tackled it on our own to try to save a dime (big shocker there) and it actually went pretty well all things considered.  And by all things, I mean the toddlers who were our lead foremen.

But hey- some digging, some cement, three new pretty posts and a bunch of screws and we were back in business… by Sunday afternoon… sigh.. oh well- had to be done!

If you want a rebuilding a fence tutorial let me know….

So- pretty new/old fence= no bloggy, bloggy.

And to push back the kitchen even further are the multiple additions coming into our lives lately!

Lots of new babies this spring- some for old friends, some new, and a little pink bundle coming to my Sis at the end of the summer!

I wanted to make them some cute little wall plaques with the baby’s initials on them- so I asked what the nursery’s themes were and walked around the craft store for inspiration.

Now I would love to tell you that these ideas come to me and then I execute them perfectly- just like the drawn out architectural plans I have for them… but they don’t.  I used their themes and then just went off the cuff!

A few sheets of cute paper- a cute owl on a gift bag- a couple wood cut outs- and a three pack of 8×10 canvases- throw in some Mod Podge and feast your eyes on these!

Baby #1– Nursery Theme- Alligators and Golf- how cute is that?!  I know that this nursery if Full of color so I tried to layer several fun craft papers and give it some texture- and then the Alligator will be what I hot glue ribbon on to hang it from.  All just laid out and Mod Podged!

Baby #2– Animals- and I threw in some camo paper because I know the Daddy loves him some hunting! and the baby owl was so cute on it’s own that I didn’t want to make it too busy for their room.  But looking at it again I think I might find a friend for him…

Baby #3– Dr. Seuss/ Baby Girl-  For my newest niece I wanted to use one of my favorite Seuss quotes- Oh the Places You Will Go- also because her father is in the military I found it fitting with them having to relocate-  So I used some map paper and mod podged it onto the letter C (initial of her first name) and painted a very casual Chevron print in a color I hope will coordinate with her bedding-  Added some cute ribbon and the little pink paw prints (they are big dog lovers) and voila!

I hope they like them! If not… well I am sure they have some closet wall space or circular storage to put them in:)

Good night to All and pray that our fence holds up- the winds are howling again!!

B

Linking to: My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia Tuesday’s Treasures
Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style
Goodbye City Hello Suburbs
Thrifty Thursdays!
Saved By Love Creations

The post Baby, Baby, Baby!! appeared first on Windgate Lane.