you can find cool stuff anywhere!

I was in my husband's hometown, Altoona, Pa, over Easter weekend. I was driving through my in-law's neighborhood when I came upon what appeared to be a yard sale. I BRAKE FOR YARD SALES! should be a bumper sticker on my suv. It mortifies my kids but they should be used to it by now.  Anyway, I looked at the few items this man was selling against his chain-linked fence.  He had made these drum shaped coffee tables out of wood.  I asked how much and he said $25. I rarely have cash in my wallet and told him I would be back. A few hours later, I saw he was putting everything away and it looked like he hadn't sold a single table. He was so happy I had returned and liked his tables... he gave me two for one!

Very West Elm-like

The small one is 18" diameter and large one is 26" diameter. I think both made of hickory.

Elm Wood Coffee Table

 I love a good find!!!!!!!

Best art walls

Kirra Jamison

Weisshouse

They speak for themselves.

another footstool makeover

I bought this footstool for $11.50 a few days ago. Lovely isn't it? What you need is a great upholstery fabric ( I bought this remnant at the fabric store for a remarkable $10.00, normally $75 per yard). I have plenty left for another project. You will also need a good staple gun and plenty of staples.

I started by removing tassel fridge. Next, I cut fabric so there was 1 inch over hang. I put one staple on all sides and each corner. Continue all the way around and end with overlapping corners. This is a little tricky but evenly fold each corner side and staple 3 times to secure.

link to my first footstool diy

Trash to Treasure - rehab a chair

Okay, if I see a cool-looking chair in someone's trash on trash day, yes, I will throw it in the back of my truck. I saved this mid-century chair, in fairly good condition except for the old vinyl seat cover, from death.

I disassembled the chair back and legs and removed vinyl covering. Next, I stapled new fabric onto wood seat. Spray-painted all wood parts of the chair, let dry and reassembled. It looks great and has been given a new life.

super adorable! what do you think?

DIY - cute fox dolls

Saw this DIY on one of my favorite blogs - A Beautiful Mess. I made a few for the holidays and then decided to make more for my open studio. I used white velvet, faux fur and gold lame for the backing. I think they are adorable and have a more seasonal feel. 

Here's what you need and how to make......

PLUSH FOX DOLL D.I.Y.

A few years back I made and sold these cute plush fox pillows through Red Velvet. Since it's a retired product now, we decided to teach you how to make them! These foxes are a fun one-evening sewing project that you can do with even the most basic sewing skills! Enjoy! 

1: Supplies Needed- Simple solid, print, and white cotton fabric, scissors, card stock, plush stuffing, sewing machine/needle and thread and child safe snap on button eyes and noses. (You can find them in the doll section at your local craft store.) 2. Cut out the back and front of the fox. We made ours an estimate 1x2 ft. 3. Cut out and trace a circle from card stock on the back of your patterned fabric. This will be for the fox's belly! 4. Next, sew on a triangle shape for the snout with the white fabric. For the eyes and nose, make a tiny hole with scissors, poke the eyes and nose through and secure it with the back snap. 5. After you've sewn on the snout, sew on the belly! You'll always want to sew on the snout first, guaranteeing that the belly won't be too high or too low. 6. Once you've decorated the front, place both sides together with the outsides facing in and sew them together, leaving a small gap at the bottom. After you've sewn your fox together, flip him inside out and fill with stuffing! Last, hand stitch the opening. All done!

Try adding different details and embellishments to give your foxes cute personalities! Have fun. XOXO. elsie

update a mid century table lamp

I purchased this lamp for $6 at a thrift shop and had the plug rewired at my local hardware store for $11. Found glossy white paint in the basement and painted over old base. Ordered a black drum lamp shade (8"x 11") from lampsplus.com for $20 and I have an awesome new lamp for less then $40 bucks!

super cute on the bar!

Check out a very similar makeover by Navy Bean Blog.

colors in my flower box

I took a photo of the plants and flowers in my flower box. This is one of my favorite color combinations- chartreuse, magenta and purple. 

Oscar De La Renta feathered silk top, Magenta flare dress, pale green glass earrings, Dooney & Bourke patent deep purple bag, Pink and gold bracelet, rachel zoe suede platform sandal

Painting Bear on found wood

This year's Christmas card

Okay, it has been a few years since I have sent out a Christmas card. This year, I ran out of time to create a card online through the number of online printers. Happens every year, blah, blah, blah. I created this very simple card in photoshop. Used cute photos of my adorable kids, Hannah and Jake and my sweet dog, Bear. I think people still like to see how fast the kids are growing. Add a thoughtful message, (this year from the Beatles) and I'm off to Kinkos/fed ex. Thirty minutes later I have a card to send to family and friends. Ta da and fa la la la la.

DIY Project: Crayon Pumpkins

Came across this DIY post this morning. I love Halloween!!! May be my favorite holiday and definitely my favorite time of the year. These pumpkins look great and what a way to use old crayons.

Carving pumpkins is my favorite thing to do for Halloween (besides dressing up of course).  Every year I try and do something different and unique but this time instead of carving, I thought I would just decorate the pumpkins so I could enjoy them a lot longer.  I decided to get a little extra crafty and ended up melting different colored crayons on the pumpkins.  It's a fun little DIY Halloween project that will surely impress your guests!

courtesy of The Swede Reords