$50 Gift Card GIVEAWAY!!!

I'm giving away a $50 gift card for Lavish!

To get your name in the hat, just like me on Facebook. And if you share or report the giveaway on your page or blog, you can get two entries!

You can use the money towards anything on Lavish or on Facebook - which I will start posting pictures of new items for sale in an album on the Facebook page. You can also use it for a custom order or at Dazzle Daze show (if you are in Central AR.)

Get to liking and sharing so you can win! Good luck!

New Gear

Sorry for the week long delay. I am still around, just not posting lately. Shame on me! But I do have a good excuse...this:

Yep, I got a new computer and haven't mastered it yet. I am working on it, and it is so hard to play on a new computer...let me tell ya. *wink*  Even Paris can hardly stay awake.

The problem is that I haven't transferred my pictures over so I can't share any projects. I will get this done asap. Anyways, I need some advice on apps. What do you like, use, love, etc.? I'm open to any suggestions!

Happy Fall Y'all

The first day of fall might not be until the 23rd, but I decided to finally be early on something and get my mantel looking a little more fall-ish...especially since it was still decorated in spring decor. Actually, it was a mixture of spring and summer. But that is no excuse, it looked not-put-together and was in need of serious attention. So I took 5 minutes to make it presentable.

I didn't want to go with traditional fall colors, pumpkins, or leaves. I did the traditional fall decor last year, so I thought a change was needed. This year I went with a neutral color palette with touches of warm, rustic colors.  Here is what I managed to rummage from the house:

The decor is simple...which is a change for me. Usually I really play it up with lots of colors and elements, but I really like the changes. On the left side, I staked some books and topped them with a twine-wrapped candle holder and a small brass owl. I also layered my diy chalkboard in front of a window. This chalkboard is an upcycled thrift store frame that I use and reuse for every season.

The right side of the mantel has a tall lantern with another twine-wrapped candle holder. Then I placed a glass full of corks on top of my vintage spool. Finally I hung a set of metal keys from the window with twine. 

Easy, easy, easy. And the decor is versatile enough to last through Thanksgiving. I don't plan to decorate for Halloween so I should be good to go for a few months...yay!

Lavish

This post is going to be more diary-ish than any other. I'm typing what I feel. If you don't want to read my musings, then just click here for the website.

I always have ideas running through my head. It is part of the reason why I don't sleep well at night, I can't turn the brain off. And one idea/dream has really stuck with me - having a funky boutique with lots of charm called Lavish. I finally feel like I am being led along this path and that my dream could actually become a reality. I don't know what will come of it, but if I don't start walking towards it, I will never make it.

It started out with this blog, my first public appearance and showing of DIY projects and decor. It was scary, still is sometimes, to put my house and life out for public viewing and comments. But I have loved every second of it and each comment makes me smile, even if some aren't the nicest. It seems like everyone loves my thrifty repurposing and furniture rehabs. Truth is, most of the furniture rehabs aren't for my house...they are just because I love to fix something up. They sit in my garage, at my parents' house, or in the storage unit collecting dust.

So I have just been living life and blogging a little when a friend told me that I should sign up for a booth at EcoFest, which I did. Moment of madness? Anyways, I worked and worked (and recruited my parents to work and work) to get ready. I had no clue who would come, what would happen, or if I would even have anyone enter my booth. There was no turning back though - I paid my booth fee and was testing the waters a little deeper with an actual booth, not just pictures online.

And you know what? The booth was a hit! Everyone loved the items, said the booth was the "must see", and continually asked where my store front was. Did you catch that....where is my store! I was over the moon because actually hearing the words from complete strangers gave me a huge leap towards my dream, not just a step. That huge leap is confidence. Now I know that I can do this.

To continue along the path, I now have a website for Lavish. A bonafide, grown-up, .com website - www.lavishyou.com. The site has information about furniture rehabs and e-decorating, but still needs a lot of work. (It is brand new, cut me a little slack.) The plan is to modify the site to fit my *hopefully* ever-growing business and one-day store front. I would be so happy if you would hop on over to Lavish and take a look around. Please let me know what you think...be it good or bad.

What does the future hold? I have no idea. But I do know that there will be some major life changing decisions and moments in the year to come. I am going to continue walking down the dream path, side-by-side with my family, and see where it takes us.

Pictures Of My Booth

Well, last weekend was EcoFest which means that it was the debut of my new business, Lavish. So I thought I would share a few photos from EcoFest with y'all.

And the obligatory first customer picture:

Projector Screen Upcycle

I love chalkboards, it is no secret. They are versatile and perfect for my ever-changing-moods. So when it came to a sign for my booth, I knew that a chalkboard was the way to go. I had planned to upcycle a large picture frame into a chalkboard, but then one of my projects went a little wrong and I ended up with a projector screen that is perfect for a chalkboard sign!

My original plan was to make the projector screen base the tripod lamp. That plan went out the window when I couldn't get the screen separated from the base with my small arsenal of tools. I was bummed out until I found the music stand and turned it into the tripod lamp, freeing up the projector screen for another project - a chalkboard.

I'm sure y'all know how to make a chalkboard, but in case you don't... just paint chalkboard paint onto whatever you want. (Preferably not live things.) I laid out the projector screen in the garage and went to town painting.

The projector screen was perfect for my booth since it is lightweight and compact. Plus I can change the wording and use it in my craft room too. And the screen was only $5 at a thrift store. I am giddy with all the possibilities of my new five dollar chalkboard. Here is the upcycled projector screen in action, with me sitting on a fabulous repurposed bench (and ignore my mom's finger):

Stamp Making

Even though I used to scrapbook, I have never once thought about making a personalized stamp. To tell the truth, I didn't even know you could make stamps until about a week ago - yep, I might have been living under a rock. But after making my free paint chip business cards, I was in desperate need of a stamp.

I looked online and was going to buy a stamp, but I wasn't too thrilled with the idea of spending about $25 dollars on a stamp that I might not use a lot since this is a trial run. So with a little google-ing and pinterest-ing, I decided to DIY a stamp. The supplies needed to make a stamp are carving tools, pencil, and stamp carving block. I picked up everything at Hobby Lobby while it was 30% off.

First step is to get the graphic onto the carving block. I used the old pencil and trace method to transfer an image. Be sure that you make the graphic reverse since it will stamp backwards.

There are two different ways to carve a stamp - one is the graphic sticks out (like normal stamps where you only see the graphic when stamped) and the other is the graphic is carved in and the background is the ink color when stamped. That explanation is bad, but I carved both ways and like the not-normal stamp better.

After your graphic is transferred, get to carving. I found that it works best to use the smalled carving tool to outline the graphic first. Then use the larger tools to cut away the big sections. Also, turn the carving block instead of the carving tools. Trust me, you can get more detailed by turning the block.

Carving didn't take long. I made two different stamps in about 20 minutes...not too bad for a first timer. The hardest to carve was the more detailed one, of course. And my stamps are on the small size since the paint chips are business card size.

Now I need to make a stamp for the backside of the cards with the website and contact info. Shouldn't be hard to do now that I know how. Have y'all made any stamps?

Psst - I watched this video to help me get started - it is long but detailed. I didn't record making my stamps since I don't have a tripod and need two hands to carve.

Outside House Tour

I have had a few people remind me that I don't have many, if any, pictures of the outside of my casa. Well, that is because the outside receives minimal love and has a to-do list a mile long. I've been busy at work on the inside and only remember to mow the grass when I can't find Paris in it. Okay, it isn't that bad, but the yard is in an embarrassingly sad shape.

So to appease the masses (all 3 of you) I decided to make a video tour of the outside. Please note that my appearance is seriously lacking since I was doing yard work in 100 degrees at the time of this video. Without further ado, the much-awaited, completely unedited video:

Things to note:

• Can't hear me talking at the beginning. The wind didn't want to play nice while I tried to film.
• Weed beds, not flower beds. They are more like jungle beds...maybe that is the new eco-friendly design? These really must get attention soon.
• Number of crepe myrtles. There must have been a mad sale on them because there are 9 of them in our yard. Yep, 9! And I have successfully killed two of them already.
• Monkey grass everywhere. Must have been on sale just like the crepe myrtles. I hate the stuff and think it make that house look dated, not to mention the bugs and snakes (eek!) that could live in it.
• My spray painting area is well used. I would love to have an actual spray booth, but until I get my dream home, the cast off mirror and plant stand will work nicely.
• The video quality is bad. I saved it in a web format so it would load up quicker.
• Anyways seems to be the word of the day.

Anyways, (he he) I need your help and ideas for my plea about the back yard. We want to connect the patio to the master bed door since the door currently steps out into the yard. The plan is to cover the existing concrete patio or tear it out. What thinks y'all?