A Patriotic Pinterest Monday

Hello, Everybody! If I haven't told you before, summertime is my absolute favorite! Sunshine, watermelon, and flip-flops -- what's not to love? With the Fourth of July coming up this week, I thought I'd share a pin in honor of the holiday.

And here is what it looks like after I printed it:

I printed them on regular, plain white paper and stuck them in frames from the dollar store. How nice of Martta over at HMH designs to offer these cute printables for FREE! What a quick, easy, and affordable way to add a little patriotic pride to your house this week! I will definitely have these on display in House No. 3 this week! Happy Independence Day!

Mantel (Pin)spiration

House No. 3 has a really cool mantel. When we first saw the house, I got really excited for all the possibilities this mantel held. I immediately started pinning ideas, and this was one of my favorites:


I liked the idea of continuing the lantern look on the mantel, and I wanted to give it a vintage-like feel. That meant the antler sconces had to go. If your tastes lean more toward the cabin-like, rustic kind of decor, I find nothing wrong with that. I think, like all decor, it can be well done. But what the heck is up with those creepy little claw-like things coming out of the bottom? Are the antlers trying to escape? I'll be honest, they kind of terrified everyone of us. You can click on the picture to really see the detail!

I found some great sconces on clearance at Lowes (huzzah)! They perfectly fit the vintage feel I was going for, what with those awesome old-fashioned Edison light bulbs and all. I really like the way they frame in the mantel and its contents. And then I thought, what's more vintage than mercury glass and other shiny, silvery things? So I took a few things I already had and got to work. I've had that giant clock for years. It was gold in House No. 1, then I spray painted it red for House No. 2, and now silver for House No. 3. The verdict is still out as to whether I really love it or not. I'm toying with the idea of spray painting it a matte turquoise, but for now, it will remain silver. What do you think?

So that's my pinterest-inspired project for this week. Thanks for stopping by!

As Seen on Pinterest

It's Pinterest Monday! Like many of my friends and relatives, I'm a weeeee bit hooked on Pinterest. I enjoy being creative, but I often joke that with Pinterest, I never have to have an original thought again!

Today I thought I'd share my own version of something I saw on Pinterest a while back. House No. 3 has a small powder room off the entry. It's pretty cute and has a pedestal sink. However, with a pedestal sink, that means there's no place to keep stuff! And you NEED stuff in a bathroom! Am I right?

I saw this on Pinterest and thought it was a super idea:

And here's what I did:

The rod came from Ikea. I bought it for House No. 1 and actually sort of used it in House No. 2. I picked up the baskets at Michaels for $4.00 each. I like them because they are nice and sturdy, and framed with thick wire. As for the ribbon, I just happened to have it on hand, because, well I'm a bit of a hoarder. It came wrapped around some pillows I purchased several years ago, and I just couldn't throw out a nice length of grosgrain ribbon!

The baskets are really handy. I'm keeping soap, extra towels, and toilet paper in them. My husband tried to put an ugly tub of anti-bacterial wipes in one of them, which I promptly relocated to the laundry room.

It's a simple project for a lot of convenience!