Jute Trimmed Lampshades

I finally found the perfect finishing touch to my lovely cobalt blue lamps with the painted shades. I argued with keeping the coral trim and even tried another color trim... but in the end the neutral won out!

It was a super easy DIY (my favorite kind!) that I literally completed in 5 minutes. I just had to pull off the existing coral trim and hot glue on the new jute ribbon. And voila ~ Totally new lampshade! An added bonus was that the coral trim was able to be reused for another project that will be seen very soon for the playroom.

I am beyond thrilled at how they turned out! And as you might be able to guess... they are no longer living in my Master Bedroom.  I found a much better home for them that is 2 quick projects away from a full reveal! Any guesses what room they ended up in?

Gallery Wall in the Playroom

I have been feeling especially motivated lately and slowly marking off items on the to-do list for the playroom (and lots of other rooms too!) 

I adore the look of a Gallery Wall and in the playroom I get to bring in some unique and quirky items which makes it even more fun! I like to find some unifying force for a Gallery Wall and it was a simple choice to go with a citrine and black color scheme. I shopped the house looking for items that were fun and would fit size, shape, and color wise.

I did pretty good and gathered six pieces to include on the wall. The seventh one was a recent Restoration Hardware steal that worked it's way into the Gallery after Little Man had some fun playing with it. Here are the pics with the details below. I normally lay out the items on the floor and then arrange them accordingly. Once I like the look, I use pieces of paper to get them aligned on the wall so I don't end up making a thousand million holes in the wall. I had the layout just about perfect on the floor when Little Man decided to help me by scattering all of the pieces around the room! Needless to say, there are alot of holes in this wall!

From Top Left (Clockwise):
DIY Framed London Paper from Ballard Designs - details here
RH Carpenter Folding Ruler - source (a steal at $4.49)
Dollar Store 11x14 frame - will soon be filled with a print!
Black and White Framed Print - Me and my BFF at the circus at the age of 4 :)
Antique Ships Wheel - from Little Mans nursery
Fish Print - Gift
DIY Chalk Clock (Little Man drew this 'target'!) - details here

Healthy Pancakes

I love breakfast! Well, really I love every meal but I especially love breakfast! We are early risers here so it works great to spend some time cooking in the kitchen with the kids before the day gets too crazy. I also like knowing that the kids are getting some fruits, fiber, and protein without even realizing it. I am so sneaky!

1 cup Old Fashioned Oats
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup greek yogurt
1/2 cup flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 Tbsp Applesauce
1 Tbsp Flax seed
2 Tbsp Water
1 Ripe Banana (mashed)

1. Place the oats, milk, yogurt, and banana into a blender or food processor. Blend about 1 minute (you can also let these ingredients soak together in a bowl for 20 minutes... but I don't have that kind of time with 2 hungry kids!)

2. Add the oat mixture to the remaining ingredients in a mixing bowl. Mix until combined. Little Man is OBSESSED with adding food color to everything... so we also add in a few drops of food color at this point.

3. Cook on a griddle over medium high heat. Flip when bubbles appear on the top of the pancake.

4. Top with fruit, syrup, honey.... anything!!!

Here is the original Recipe that I made some changes to! It's a great start to the day and they can even be refrigerated and reheated the next day for a quick breakfast of mid day snack!

Stripes for Springtime

I am linking up with Sheaffer, Shay, and Mel at Get Pinspired!

I recently got this adorable striped shirt at Private Gallery. I love the material and it is a great piece to dress up, dress down, and throw on when I quickly need to get out the door. If you are in the market for a great striped shirt this one rocks for only $24!

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I know that stripes are like a neutral and that there are a million options to play with.... but I needed some help! I found 3 outfits that I wanted to try out using the striped shirt for springtime looks. So lets get started!

OUTFIT 1: Stripes & Coral

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I think that this look would be awesome with the floral tote or even a floral scarf. Only I don't have either.... sigh. So its just stripes and coral for now! I am adding a chunky gold necklace to my shopping list because that would totally complete this outfit too!

And then I realize that I do have a graphic scarf that just might work...

OUTFIT 2: Stripes & Green

I loved both of these inspiration pictures! The green and navy is such a fresh and lively combo!

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I threw on my new wedges with this outfit for a cute summer date look. And this scarf is from World Market. Super cute right? I bought it hoping to make it into pillows but I am not sure my closet is willing to make the sacrifice! Again, that chunky gold necklace would totally work to dress this down with some flat sandals too.

OUTFIT 3: Stripes and Yellow

I am pretty sure that EVERY single person alive has this pinned. Its such a put together look! White jeans are another item on my shopping list and in the meantime I switched this look up wearing jeans since I also don't have a chambray shirt!

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And what a fun way to translate this for spring or summer?

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Updating a Clock with Chalk

We totally got lucky when we moved that the only damage we had was to minor items (aside from my beloved striped lamp shades!) Another damage that made we sad was this adorable clock that my aunt gave us way back. It has always been a kitchen clock and I loved seeing it every day as we left the house. The clock itself was in great shape but the movers broke the hands. And a clock without hands just isn't a clock! I could not bring myself to give this away and I am SOOOO glad that I didn't!

I actually thought about looking online for a clock kit when it hit me how easy and cute it would be to make this a chalkboard clock and just draw on the numbers and hands! Adorable right? Three quick coats of chalkboard spray paint, a chalk conditioning, and wipe away the dust...

And if you happen to love this but don't have a broken clock, I have seen wooden circles at craft stores for just a few bucks! For now this little clock is perched on the coral dresser but Little Man has been non stop chattering about his chalk clock so I imagine it will soon be moving to the playroom or his room! It is a great way for kids to learn numbers and time telling!

Linking up at Inspiration Gallery Happy Hour Link Party and Serenity Now.

(Cheap) Sources for Cabinet Hardware

I recently went on a search for some larger sized cabinet hardware to update a piece of furniture. I truly believe that this extra bling can make or break the piece! Just check out my old Coral Dresser DIY. The color is a wow but the handles... that's what makes it all come together! So where do I look for larger sized cabinet pulls that will work on furniture?

RH is always my first stop.... Are you shocked that I am calling this cheap? Their pulls are outstanding quality and they slash them over half off quite frequently!How about this beauty? It is the Gilmore pull from Restoration Hardware in Antique Brass. It's on final sale right now and marked down to $7.49 for an eight inch pull!

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Another RH beauty. The eight inch Adeline pull in Antique Brass for just $6.99! When we were doing our kitchen redo a few years ago this was one of the most used pulls and it's no surprise. It is timeless and would work for a modern or more vintage looking piece.

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I just recently discovered that Pottery Barn even sells hardware and while they are very expensive at full price, they do mark them down like crazy! The PB Handle Collection is really cool and offers 3 color choices and 2 sizes (9 inch for $7.99 or 18 inches for $14.99). The large size was originally $55 so grab these quick if you want them!

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What is a post about cheap without Ikea? Did you know they sell pulls and knobs? And that they will ship them to you? This is the Blankett Handle and it comes in a ton of sizes from 15-36 inches. This pull needs to be mounted to the top or side of a door but love how clean it looks. They are sold in packs of 2 and the 36 inch ones are only $14.99! What a steal! These only come in a brushed nickel but I have had good luck using both RUb N Buff and spray paint on Ikea handles in the past.

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And how about this classic cup pull? It's from Ikea too! The Fagleboda Handle in brass. It also comes in black and chrome. It is a little smaller at just under 4 inches but still a steal $7.99 for 2!

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Okay just one more from Ikea.... The Faglavik Handle is another great option. It totally has that schoolhouse feel to it. It also comes in black and chrome and is just under 5 inches. Two of these for $7.99 is an outstanding price!

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Do you notice a trend here? I am totally in love with all things brass lately! And I happened to order one of these options for an upcoming DIY project.... I can't wait for them to get here!

Hobby Lobby Fabric Find

Today was one of those days.... Not only did both kids give me great naps but I found this beautiful fabric! Does it get better than that?

Yes! With a sale going on it was $6 a yard! And thanks to this fabric I made some pretty big domino changes that are leaving me thrilled!

Hoping to reveal where this fabric is going before the week is over if the kids keep cooperating and I can make a little more nap time progress!