Every space needs a good chair

The last couple of days here in the mountains have been beautiful and a lot more like summer than spring.  As I sit here by the window, a summer-like breeze is blowing in and I find myself wanting to do nothing but relax and enjoy the fresh air streaming in.  I love our snowy mountain winters but I long for days like this where the temperature is perfect and I can forget I have things to do for at least a couple of minutes.

My rug.  It was a super great find!

I have been working hard and the office is just about finished.  I had really been looking for a good client chair to put in there and found several things online that caught my eye.  Target had some great ones but at $295 I just couldn’t justify the money, Urban home had one I loved but it didn’t match the rest of the décor, and my search at Home Goods turned up nothing as far as chairs go but I did get a great area rug. My friend, Alexis (girlrural.com) said I should try Overstock.com, which was a fantastic suggestion!  I found the prefect chair 5 minutes into my search, in my price range, ordered it with free shipping, and 4 days later it was at my door.  I am so glad I took my friends great advice and waited until I found something that was perfect.  I absolutely adore it and it matches my color scheme amazingly!

The chair with the pillows I made
a few weeks ago.  It's perfect!

There are only a few more things I need to do and then my office, for the time being, will be complete. I am working on some curtains now and I can’t wait to do a few before and after pictures of those.

As always you can check out my store, www.sweetpeasbutterbeans.etsy.com

Until next time, cheers! Thanks for stopping by!

Work and Play

The family and I took a day away from doing projects this past Monday, and went for a fun family trip to Disneyland.  As all parents know, it is very difficult to make it through an entire day without some sort of breakdown but amazingly there were none. The kids were happy and having a great time so mommy and daddy had a great time too. It was truly a fantastic day together.

The next day it was back to work and I spent the subsequent days this week finishing up an order for a set of letters with a Princess theme.  These were a big challenge for me.  When you are painting specific characters, especially the Princesses, it is so important to paint their faces correctly.  If a face is painted incorrectly, then the other details around the character don’t really matter.  Your eye will constantly be drawn to the incorrect face. 

After painting and repainting the faces several times, I think I achieved my goal. I’m happy with the result and my client is so it’s a win, win.

No time to stop, I have several other orders just wanting for a coat of paint :o)

As always you can check out my store,www.sweetpeasbutterbeans.etsy.com

Until next time, cheers! Thanks for stopping by!

Another fun one!

As you can probably tell I am a huge fan of DIY and whenever I have the opportunity to create something fun, I do.  Sometimes these projects cost less then buying them at the store but I admit that sometimes they cost more.  If I chose a project that is a little more costly it is usually because I love the fact that I can make it exactly to my liking, which is always best. Most days of the week (between cooking, cleaning, kids, and painting orders) I set aside some time to do these projects and today was no exception. 

Supplies

I was at Target a few weeks ago and I was looking for some magnetic boards to hang above my desk.  I saw a few but nothing that I really loved.  If I was going to pay $8-$10 a piece for some boards I wanted something that would look great.  I did not make a purchase that day and instead came home to check out my favorite websites and get some ideas.  Luckily I found a great one and the next time I ventured out I knew exactly what supplies I would need.

I first sought out some fabrics at the local fabric store and found lovely patterns.   I bought a yard of each (price depends on what you choose) but I could have easily bought ½ a yard and had plenty. You will want a thin fabric so that the magnets have no problem sticking.  I then purchased 3 cookie sheets from the dollar store ($1 of course), white poster board ($3-$4 for a 3 pack), ribbon ($1-$4 for a spool), and some magnets ($3 a pack).  You will also need a hot glue gun, glue sticks, and a drill, which I already had on hand.

Poster board to give the back a more finished look

First, I cut out the fabric 2 inches longer and wider than the cookie sheet and ironed it to remove all of the wrinkles.  I placed my fabric design side down and put the cookie sheet on top of it.  I wrapped the fabric around the cookie sheet and hot glued the edges of it down.  (Be sure you are gluing to the topside of the cookie sheet so when it is on the wall the bottom side is your magnetic surface). After I finished gluing the fabric I cut out a piece of poster board that was the size of the inner part of the cookie sheet and glued it down on the edges of the exposed fabric to give the back a finished look.  Lastly, I drilled 2 holes in the edge of the sheet (be careful not to catch the fabric in the drill) and pulled ribbon through to hang them.

Finished product and I love them!

The result, perfectly adorable magnetic wallboards that were completely customized to fit my style!

As always you can check out my store www.sweetpeasbutterbeans.etsy.com

Until next time, cheers!  Thanks for stopping by!

Snow Day

Hello Mr. Snow.  Pull up a chair and make
yourself comfortable.

Today was a snow day up here in our mountain town and I was very grateful Mr. Butter Beans was able to make it home to spend the day with us.  It really hasn’t stopped all day and it is supposed to continue through the night. This is very strange for California in April.  Usually by this time of the year it is getting very warm and many days are even pool or beach weather. The hubby and I played with the kids outside and even did a little project this afternoon. 

A great friend of mine purchased an antique record player case (record player not included) and was using it as a filing cabinet.  After a while she decided she didn’t have much room for it and generously gave it to me.  It had already been primed and for a while it sat in my basement while I tried to figure out what I was going to do with it.  While working on the office project I was trying to figure out a place to keep all of my paint.  I decided this piece would work out well because it is great for storage. 

Before

I usually paint furniture with an actual bucket and brush but yesterday I was at our local hardware store and saw some spray paint the was aqua and I really liked it.  I figured “why not paint the cabinet with it?” and purchased a couple of cans. It was pretty quick and easy to coat and I just adore the color.  Seeing as it is an antique, it seems as though it had a very thick oil based stain on it at one time.  No matter how many times I spray it, the stain is still coming through. It really doesn’t matter though because it gives it a very charming “worn” look and I think its great!

After- Pretty Aqua

As always you can check out my site www.sweetpeasbutterbeans.etsy.com

Until next time, cheers!  Thanks for stopping by!

What do you do when you need a wall?

Mr. Butter Beans and I have been very busy in the basement the last couple of days.  I set time aside each day, between painting orders, to work towards reaching my goal of a functioning space.  It’s turning into quite a long project be it is coming along well.

Before- Mr. Butter Beans hanging the track

Now I do apologize for the pictures today because there is a lot of junk in the way but you can get an idea of what we were going for here.  The basement is a large “L” shape and we are a portion as the office space.  Anything and everything that was in that part of the room has now been shoved to the other side.  As of now said “anything and everything” is headed for destination unknown but I’m working on it. We decided we wanted to partition the room with some sort of a divider but we were a little conflicted as to just how we were going to make this happen for a small amount of cash.  Ikea is a great place to go when you just can’t figure out how you are going to do something.  All of their items are very versatile and can be modified to fit just about any space.

In our search we found a system that was perfect for our needs.  It is a long metal mount with 1 or 3 tracks (we chose 3) which can be mounted to the wall or ceiling.  You then purchase rolls of fabric that can be cut to any size, which act as curtains.  You install a metal track with wheels to top of the fabric curtains and they slide on the rail. While this sounds extremely complicated it was extremely simple and made a huge difference.

After- Cluttered but you get the idea :o)

We effectively separated the office from the rest of the basement and we did it all for under $200! The best part to me…I can bring the kids down with me to watch a movie, while I get some work done, and I can slide open my “wall” to keep an eye on them.  It works out fantastically! 

As always you can check out my shop at
www.sweetpeasbutterbeans.etsy.com!

Until next time, cheers! Thanks for stopping by!

Fun, funky, and just my style!

Today I started to feel much more like myself again and I decided to work on another small project that has been on my list of “must haves” for my office.

My original brass chandelier and chemical deglosser

A few weeks ago I was checking out Etsy and Pinterest (as usual) and saw some upcycled brass chandeliers that were found various places (yard sales, thrift stores and such). They had been painted funky fun colors and were used in all sorts of spaces.  I fell in love with this idea right away and began my hunt for one.  After a few days of searching I decided I wasn’t going to find a used one for the mere fact that I was looking.  You never find things like that when you are actually looking. In fact I think it’s the rule.  Getting a little frustrated, I started looking at Ebay and Amazon and eventually found a link to an online lighting store.  They had a chandelier that was exactly what I was looking for, brand new, free shipping, for $21. How could I say no?! I placed my order, it arrived in 4 days and I was ready to go!

Ready for spray primer

First, I used a chemical deglosser easily found at your local hardware store.  It roughs up the shine a little bit and really helps the paint adhere to the brass.  If you have an old chandelier I would recommend using acetone, another easy item to find, after using the deglosser.  It will take off any dust or dirt that may be hiding and help the paint to stick as well.

Next I used a spray primer and completely coated the surface. In moment of innovation I decided to hang the chandelier from a tree branch in my yard.  This made it much easier to paint. After the primer dried I applied the color (I chose this great aqua) and waited for it to dry.

Finished product

Altogether this project took just over 3 hours to complete and I love the result! I’m still deciding if I am going to add a little bling to it but that is for another day, another blog.

As always, please check out my store at www.sweetpeasbutterbeans.etsy.com

Until next time, cheers! Thanks for stopping by!

On the mend and it's time to pick up the pace again

Quite unfortunately I came down with a bad case of strep throat this past week and I was abruptly halted in my basement progress.  It was quite a shame because things were going so well. Tomorrow is another day though and I am making a recovery with the help of some strong antibiotics and a little break from all of my projects.

Before this terrible infection hit me, I managed to make it to IKEA for a girls night out with a great friend of mine.  I purchased some long, hanging fabric panels that slide on a track.  These will be serving as a room partition and be separating my office space from the rest of the basement.  We will be hanging them some time in the next few days and I cannot wait to post a few pictures. These will really make a dramatic difference in the space and are extremely cost effective as well. Win, win.

Let’s not forget the reason I need this office… my business, which I am happy to say has really picked up this month.  I have several projects on my list that need to get out a.s.a.p.  Right now I am working at my kitchen table and my all of my supplies are in containers that I can easily move around.  Although these containers make them easy to move, they are terribly inconvenient for me.  Each time I am looking for something I need, such as a paint color, I have to dig though bins, no fun.  I can’t wait for my office!

I will leave you with some photos of a huge letter order that I completed for a United States Marine Corp Family. I love how these came out and I hope you will too.  As always you can check out my storewww.sweetpeasbutterbeans.etsy.com!

Until next time, cheers! Thanks for stopping by!

A space of my own

Before- this is the only wall in the
basement that is drywalled as it is
attached to the staircase

We have lived in our home for about 2 ½ years now and while we have wanted to do many projects, time and money always seem to be in short supply. Since I have decided to start my own small business I found myself seeking a space to do my work, uninterrupted that is user friendly yet stylish. Comfort in my workplace definitely lends itself to my creativity.

Pattern taped to the wall
before paint

We have a nice size basement, almost 600 square feet, and it has basically been a dumping ground for all of the “I need this but I don’t know where to put it” knick knacks and do-dads from A to Z.  Currently it is somewhat of a disaster but I have decided it is time to make use of this highly neglected space.  I have claimed a spot for myself and I will be turning it into my home office.  Right now it is a big concrete room but it has a large window to let the light in.  It is not quite the dank basement you might picture.  One day we will frame it, add drywall, canned lighting and flooring but for now those things will have to wait. When I have about $5000 dollars of disposable income, I’m sure I will be blogging about the remodel.

After- the picture is showing this as being
a very bright yellow but it is actually
very soft and lovely

I have started my project with paining the wall that is behind my desk with a great pattern that I found searching DIY’s.  I love Pinterest.  I’m going for a bright colorful space.  It really feels like the only room that I can make completely my own.  I plan on having 2 client chairs so I made 2 decorative pillows of which I found my inspiration on Etsy.  I have quite a bit more to do and I am sure I will be documenting my progress along the way.

Time to get back to painting some orders.  Feel free to check out my site www.sweetpeasbutterbeans.etsy.com

Happy pillows I made. "Relax" and
"Love"

Until next time, cheers! Thanks for stopping by!

I really need to catch up

Under the Sea mural for Caleb

Ok, I admit it, I have been a bad blogger and I have a lot of catching up to do. Shame on me.  I’ve been pretty busy with some painting projects and things have been a little more crazy around here than the usual insanity.  My husband and both of my children have had a terrible flu over the last 2 weeks and now I have it. Oh they joys. All moms know, when the household is sick, you are the one who gets hardest job of all. I’ve been up all day and all night for several days and several nights.  Let’s hope this goes away and we can all rest a bit.

Sign ordered as a birthday gift

In the meantime, between the coughs and tummy aches, I managed to paint a mural, a sign, and a chair.  As I move from one project to another I have found that I am always capable of more than I give myself credit for. This raises an interesting question: Are we all capable of doing much more than we lead ourselves to believe we can? I am the first one to look at a new challenge and immediately, yet unintentionally, doubt myself.  I tend to stay in my comfort zone and sometimes I have difficulty opening up my mind to new possibilities.  Whenever I venture outside of the box I find that I can do so much more than I thought I could. Most times, things don’t turn out the way I pictured them, sometimes they’re good, sometimes they’re bad, but usually they’re different. I’m finding that I need to push my limits much more often, those are the times when greatness comes.

Chair purchased at an antique store
by my daughters preschool teacher.
I spruced it up a bit for her:o)

I have a lot coming up and a few things I have already completed, besides the aforementioned, but I won’t post it all today. There’s always another day, another blog.

As always, you can check out my store www.sweetpeasbutterbeans.etsy.com.

Until next time, cheers!