Picnic Basket Redo -- Done! (Finally)

Click the Projects link at the top of the page to see a project I ACTUALLY FINISHED! No wonder we're getting so much snow.

I refinished the top of this vintage picnic basket to match my kitchen. It's a cute way to conquer the plastic container clutter that's plagued me all my life.


House From 1800 is linking up!

Linky Party!

Tantalizing Teal Wallpaper

I LOVE wallpaper. Happily, after years of being shunned for it's association with...ahem...Shabby Chic style, wallpaper has been cropping back up here and there on the occasional contemporary design blog. Today, wallpaper functions more as the covering for one featured wall or area in a room, as opposed to an all-over treatment, which makes me like it that much more. The way modern designers are using it, it's trendy and flavorful and anything but shabby. 

I have one small wall in my kitchen that would look lovely covered in wallpaper -- it must be teal, of course -- and preferably vintage. The price tags on the actual 1950s papers are a tad overwhelming however, and here at The House, we pride ourselves on our extreme cheapness. I"m pretty sure my wallpaper, when I find it, will be an authentic reproduction, or, perhaps, something that's been beating around in someone's attic for the past 60 years. In the meantime, here are a few patterns that would do nicely.

If you still have images of your great-grandma's bedroom rolling around in your head, check out these rockin', contemporary rooms that feature wallpaper as an accent:

This room comes to us from BestLivingRoomDesigns.com. I could totally relax in this tribute to MCM design.

This is lovely too -- a section of wallpaper framed by molding.

Nothing dated or uninspired about that!

It's Official -- I'm a Guest Blogger! Squee!

So skip on over to A Good Living today to visit with Kate and read my guest post. I was so excited to be invited in over there -- it's full of lovely things like homemade bread and  vintage teacups. There's nothing like visiting with an old friend, even if she's a new friend who only feels that way...

Cakes!

I just received my first invitation to guest post on another blog! The blog I'll be guesting on is a food blog authored by my good friend, Kate. The fact that she reads my blog and wants me to guest post anyway is a huge factor in why I like her as much as I do.

But I digress...

Guest-posting on a food blog got me thinking about food. And while I enjoy tinkering about in the kitchen, I'm no Julia Child, or even a Guy Fieri (I LOVE GUY FIERI). Mostly my dishes are hit or miss -- made with the best of intentions but, well, you know the rest.

I can do cakes though. With two kids, I've baked and decorated my way through massive amounts of cakes.

So today's post on the ole home renovation blog is about...cakes.

In my mind it makes perfect sense -- well, sort of.

Gallery of Cake Love

My most recent cake was the Hello Kitty labor of love

She has one ear laid back in chagrin. I totally meant to do that.

Then there was Red, the Angry Bird. 

Red got to visit Chuck E Cheese. Lucky guy.

The Skylander's Portal. 

Skylanders were short-lived but intense.

The patriotic cake for the Blue and Gold Banquet.

We didn't win with this one. Was it the Twizzler madness?

The cake for Winterfest at school

Happily scooped up early on in the cakewalk.

The Barbie Cake

One of my prouder moments. Barbie was almost as short-lived as Skylanders.

The Sonic Cake

No easy feat, Sonic.

The Jiggy Cake

Banjo Kazooie goodness.

There are more cakes. Consider yourself warned.

We're Just Eclectic

As I'm looking through all my favorite blogs today, I see reclaimed hardwood floors, original woodwork that's been refinished, wainscoting, exposed beams and brick and history for days. I would love to show you even one room that we've renovated in this style, but here at The House, our ideas of decorating are a bit more...contemporary...

This isn't quite the type of project I envisioned when I started this blog last year. I don't even have any trendy subway art to show you, no walls lovingly painted out in chalkboard paint, no handmade farmhouse table. 

But there is this...

The organizer my daughter and I made this past spring to hold her Wii remotes and dry-erase board supplies. It's not crafted from reclaimed barn wood, but it is circa 2013 Chock Full o'Nuts.

Then there's the tray I picked up at the local antique mall. It wasn't an antique, which is why I was able to afford it. I watered down a little Elmer's school glue to use as decoupage medium and covered over the depiction of winter geese flying south with purchased artwork. This is still one of my favorite projects, though one corner works loose occasionally and you have to be careful when you're carrying Entenmanns through the house on it.

Spring Door Decor

With this latest snow, cabin fever has officially set in here at The House, and I'm not the only one feeling it. The kids have been off school since Monday for MLK Day and association day and then today's snow day. Tomorrow, there's a two-hour delay because the temperatures outside are colder than humanity can endure, and they're actually looking forward to the bus...just to get away from all this family togetherness. I guess togetherness is more fun when you're able to step outside without freezing your 3DS off.

I spent today looking for harbingers of spring, and looky what I found!  I'm excited to try these ideas as soon as Hell stops freezing over...

From the Saints and Scissors Blog

This adorable spring door decor comes from Saints and Scissors. If you haven't stopped by her blog, take time to do so. She's one crafty blogger with the cutest ideas. My kids don't have any boots like these, but now I'm determined to find a pair.

From The Bungalow Blog

Or how about this lovely tribute to springtime? This comes from The Bungalow Blog -- another little stop along the Internet highway that's worth frequenting. I especially like the added touch of the faux bird's nest and faux eggs. (Make sure you never use real ones -- fate and the nature police will find you)

My daughter doesn't know it, but I've been having ideas about her purple birthday umbrella all day long. Shhh....don't tell.

New Year, New Blog!

New Year, new blog! I'm planning to make a few changes to the "House From 1800" in the coming weeks. Stay tuned for more riveting information as it becomes available, but for now -- enjoy some pics of cats and dogs...

Turbo -- The dog from the House From 1800.

Fuzzy, Jr

What?