Oh my graphic goodness!

I think I could sit and stare at this image all day long. May go a little cross-eyed, but it'd be worth it, right?! There's just something about high contrast and black and white.

Here's a glance into my "spunky" client's reading nook. Refresh your memory on the plans here. Lil' Miss Spunk's momma called me over to help put up the polka dot decals...

"Momma" was dying that I was taking pictures with "all the mess" in the space. I told her not to worry..."It makes for much better after shots!"

Circle, circle, dot, dot...there was a method to our madness. Humm, this one looks good here. And here. And here. Easy as that.

Anyone have a marker? Let's connect them! 

Lots more to do when I left for the day. I haven't checked back in yet, but I'm sure there will be cute shots to share at a later date.

Oh yeah, almost forgot to show you the paint color we used in the rest of the room...

Benjamin Moore's Etched Glass, 626.

Officially For Sale

Well, it's official...the closets are cleaned out, the dog fur has been extracted and the sign is in the yard. I can't believe it's happening. I had a dose of reality when I realized that we only have 12 short weeks (give or take) left in this home that we've poured our heart and soul into. That's only 1 trimester if we're thinking in terms of pregnancy. Aghhhh!

We're selling For Sale by Owner, a new adventure for us. I'll let you know how it goes.

Do you know anyone moving to the Austin area? If so, pass on our info! 

Here's a link to the Zillow Listing.

You've seen tons of inside shots here on my blog, but rarely have I shown the exterior.

I kinda love this house...so sad to move. Hopefully the next owner will love it as much as we have!

Random Act of Kindness #65

Yikes! I just looked through archives and realized I missed an entire month of RAK's. February didn't have a single RAK post. Oops! You guys didn't take the month off too, did you? Hope not.

Today's RAK challenge is something so simple that it's almost hard. I think it's a lost art. We've let ourselves become so busy that somehow we've managed to edge out a few simplicities that are very important.

I'm about to share what spurred this RAK idea and I hope you'll see it for what it is and not a "my child's perfect" story, because if there's anything my child is NOT, it's perfect.

Several weeks ago Reed was called to the Principal's office. As he's telling me this story after school that day, he shared he was feeling really nervous and wondering what he did wrong. Funny enough, the Principal messed with him a bit and began their talk by asking if he had done anything wrong recently. Reed recalls, "Mom! My stomach dropped to my feet and I was about to cry." She must have sensed she was about to get a confession so she quickly brought the conversation back to the reason for his visit. He was being honored for being a good friend.

Apparently, there's a boy in his class with special needs. I don't know his situation but if I were to guess I'd say he's on the autism spectrum. This boy (or his mom, not sure which one) shared that in the last 4 years, Reed is the only person who has called him a friend. The Principal asked Reed why he's friends with this boy and Reed's response brought her to tears. He said, "I don't judge people from the outside. It's what's inside that matters." Proud momma moment right there, friends. God's working in great ways through that boy.

Reed later told me, "Mom, ya wanna know something funny?...I don't think he even likes me." Man! If there's not a lesson in that for us adults then I don't know what is. It doesn't matter if the friendship is reciprocated, YOU are still called to BE a friend and treat people with kindness.

So, friends, as you go through your day today I challenge you to think about your friendships and those around you. Figure out a way to 'make someone important today!'

What do I do with this space?

Remember the great kitchen remodel I shared with you last year? Well, that same wonderful family reached out to me again to help with their kiddos rooms recently. I love designing kid spaces!

When I went over for the initial design meeting, I got the big, "What do I do with this space?" question.  Their spunky 9 y.o. daughter is lucky enough to have a great little alcove (actually, it's a pretty decent size) set off of her bedroom.

We brainstormed a bit and decided to create a reading niche that doubles as the "I wish I had that in my room" space. Did I mention this precious little lady is spunky?! Her design goal is to have her friends speak these words when they walk into her room. No pressure, right?!

So, here's the plan...

Mom and Dad want a place that reflects her personality but will grow with her, i.e. nothing that's too hard to undue as she turns into a teenager. Hence, why we decided to paint the space white and use black vinyl dot decals. Daughter gets something young and trendy while parents get to peel those suckers right off the wall when daughter decides polka dots are too juvenile. Win/win!

Let's talk atmosphere. Can't you just see this little alcove's ceiling lined with those great party globe light strings? And, don't forget the sparkle that every 9 y.o. needs, a.k.a. crystal chandy.

Gymnastics is a huge part of her life so why not bring it into the space? Mom and dad came up with the great idea of blowing up a picture of their little gymnast doing the splits on the beam. I've sent them on their way to Staples to print a black and white engineering print then we'll bust out the mod podge and a canvas and bring their vision right to life!

What do you think? Did we accomplish our goal? Will her friends wish for a similar space? ;)

DIY Acrylic Display Case

Hello, friends! I'm recovering from a 2 day garage sale this weekend. I am still amazed at the amount of junk treasures I can pull out of closets when it's garage sale time! I sold lots and even tried to unload my house while I was at it (literally). Someone stopped and asked if I knew of any homes for sale in the area and I said "YES!...mine." We're not officially listed yet but they asked if they could take a peek and I agreed. Now, if only my kids' rooms hadn't of been disasterous. And gosh, it would've been nice if I had cleaned up the breakfast dishes. Oh well, that's what you get in the spur of the moment around here!

Moving on...
 Last week I showed you a similar project and this week I've adapted it to be a display case.

Like those mitered edges and the swirly paint job? Makes the perfect shelf for whatever your heart's desire, if I do say so myself.

An overview shot to help you appreciate the openness of the case.

Miniature jars made the perfect "knick knack" for this display. Just grabbed a few sprigs from the bushes and wolla, it's done.

Easy paint effect...make straight lines of each paint color then make circles with your brush to blend them all together. I even painted the screws. The gold ones were expensive so why not spruce up my cheap silver ones with a little glam? Same look, less dinero.

I like the 'glass' on glass look here.

Another fun way to use this display: cookies, kids and frogs (something we have a plethora of around here).

Ready for the "How To"? 

It's super simple. Here's what you'll need...

Supplies:

 1x2x8 Furring Strip

One of these will do the trick. Decide how long you'd like your shelf and cut to size. We mitered the ends then glued two pieces together for added dimension and thickness.

8x10 Lexan Polycarbonate Sheet

Two sheets. You can purchase many different sizes or even have the handy dandy men at Home Depot cut them to size for you. The previous post used 8x10 sheets and this one used 5x7. The thicker the sheet, the better the end result.

Hex-head screw

Only tip here is to make sure your screws are long enough to provide the needed space for the wood pieces 'floating' inside the two pieces of plexiglass.

crown bolt

Other supplies: paint, saw, drill, wood glue.

Helpful hint: Plexiglass can be tricky to drill holes in without splitting the plastic so take your time and use a sharp drill bit. We watched several instructional YouTube videos on the process before tackling our own project. 

The basics: Drill holes, the size of the screws, in each corner of the plexiglass. Push screws through each hole and lay flat. Arrange wood pieces on one piece of plexiglass then slide the second piece of plexiglass down over the screws bringing it down to lay on top of the wood. Use bolts to tighten. Make sure to tighten bolts strong so your wood pieces don't slip out when brought to upright position. 

Obvious steps I left out: Paint your wood pieces desired colors and let dry prior to 'squeezing' between  the sheets of plexiglass. Paint the screws and let dry before adding bolts. Wouldn't want to strip off your paint by bolting too soon!

DIY Acrylic Floating Art

I've always been a fan of acrylic frames and optical illusions. Anything that makes something look like it's floating is fun in my book.

Recently, I've had a few clients itching for something unique. One's looking for a different way to display items and the other needs a creative hanging solution.

I've been brainstorming and here's my prototype...

Is it an "A"? Is it a triangle? How's it attached? That's the beauty of all things abstract. It's left up for you own interpretation.

A view from top to get the full effect.

The sides are painted different colors so this piece can be appreciated from all angles.

White, gold and black.

This is such an easy project! John and I are still working out the details to make it a bit more sturdy though. Like I said, this is just the prototype.

Later in the week, I'll share the "display" option, then give you all the details so you can make you own!

You won't believe what we promised the kids...

On my most recent house hunting trip to Dallas, I found a lot (as in land, not tons) that had potential. It had a creek view and I'm drawn to that since we have a boy who'd go c.r.a.z.y exploring and being one with nature.

Then, I found this design by Austin architects, Furman + Kiel, and instantly decided that lot had lots of potential (pun intended).

{Furman + Keil Architects}

Here are several shots I snapped while snooping a peek into the neighbor's backyard making sure a house and pool could fit on the lot. Did I mention John and I made the biggest mistake ever?! Out of pure guilt and as a means to stop the flow of tears when we shattered our kids' hearts told the kids we were moving, we promised them a pool! Now who's c.r.a.z.y? Go ahead, point the fingers, we deserve it.

Bryn and Reed have shared their visions for our new place and Bryn has added "a tree house" to the ever so long list of requirements. So, I'm thinking that'd be a great DIY daddy/daughter project, right? 

 We'll see how bad she wants that tree house once she realizes there's manual labor involved!

Aren't Texas trees gorgeous? NOT. But, keep in mind it is technically still winter so things are a bit bare. And, it beats the heck out of looking into your neighbor's bedroom window!