I've Got Wood

On a recent family vacation to eastern Utah I took the opportunity to find myself some reclaimed wood. Why you may ask? Well, it's because I have been drooling over this picture I found on Pinterest for the past few months.

It's a beauty right? I love everything about it. The rustic wood, the modern metal chairs, the string lights. I knew I wanted to re-create something similar for our own patio/backyard. I tried to find a salvation yard in LV, but the only ones I found are open to people with a construction licenses. Boo on them! So, luckily my Uncle hooked me up with some old, rustic, gray wood while on vacation.

My family must have thought I was insane lugging it back with me for the 7 hour drive, but it was worth it to me. Now we have a pile of wood in the garage and we need to figure out how to make ourselves a table!

At first I thought this gorgeousness was just out of my reach because I couldn't find chairs that I'd be able/willing to throw down the Benjamin's for. I found similar chairs at Overstock.com, but they were over $100 a chair (That is over $400 buck for the 4 chairs I want). I just couldn't pull the trigger on something that would cost so much. Then I found another great inspiration photo on Young House Love.

These ladies also found their chairs on Overstock, but these babies were just around $200 for 4 chairs. They even come in a variety of colors like black, red, and white. This is still pretty expensive for me. But I have talked myself into it by saying that I would spend more than that on 4 quality outdoor chairs, and these will fit our small space even better because they are stackable. Now, the hard part. Making the table.

I found this cool little tutorial on Apartment Therapy and I'm sure I'll turn to google for all the 'how to's' when we get down to building the table itself. I also like how they used Vika Lerberg legs from Ikea. It seems like such a simple solution. I'd even like these spray painted in a cool color, like a bright red or yellow. (I don't mind getting a little more adventurous with color outside for some reason.) Plus it seems like a good price at only $30 buck for the pair with shipping.

I found this table on Pinterest too. I L.O.V.E the painted turquoise legs. They are amazing. I am just not sure if I would be able to re-create this. First, I'd have to find a cheapo table on Craigslist with amazing legs. Second, I'd have to be able to take it down to the right measurements for our space. Third, I'd have to figure out how to paint and sand down the legs so they look all rustic like. I do not know if I have that much faith in my faux painting abilities. But this is still one of my top choices for some sexy backyard table legs.
This beauty I found on Pinterest as well. I really like the clean lines but think it may be a little too modern for the look I am going for. It reminds me of something I would find in West Elm (which I love, just maybe not for our rustic table). The other plus with these legs is I think that they would not be very intrusive and leave plenty of swinging room for our legs.
Lastly, these hairpin legs are probably my top choice. I found these hairpin legs online for only $18 a pop at 28 inches tall. I love them. They read rustic, retro, and simple to me. But even though I love them, I'm still a little hesitant. I know I got the wood for free and all, but $72 bucks plus shipping seems like a lot for table legs. Especially when I have to pay for the chairs too. I'd really have to make sure the table was made correctly and would stand the test of time if I was going to put that kind of money into it.

It will still be a while until we get cracking on the table anyways, so we'll have some time to think about it. I do not want to try and bust this thing out in 108degrees this summer. I plan to start the tables construction around September. (Or, I guess I should say I'll start asking Jeff to make this starting in September.) If anyone still reads this blog would you mind letting me know which one if your favorite? I know I'm going to be pretty indecisive on this one.

How to: Nursery on a budget 2

Cont ... Fourth tip: SEW IT

I know my friend is a great seamstress, but there are really easy tutorials on how to make your own crib skirts if you are novice like myself. Like this one. You can make pillows and all that jazz.

My only "resourceful" type tip is to think about what you are using for fabric. You can go get pretty cute fabric for around $2 but why not shop the house first? I have recovered stuff in my old clothes, a great scarf I was never brave enough to wear, old blankets, tea towels, whatever I feel like. Some of my favorite pillows had a previous life as a napkin. Or I've always thought about making a baby changing cover out of those great table clothes in Home Goods. If they can stand up to messy food maybe it would be able to stand up to other types of messes- haha.


Finding cheap fabric doesn't mean you have to recover everything in your old clothes either. There are also great newly purchased ideas for fabric as well. If you have a shorter window in your room you can take one curtain panel, cut it down the middle, sew a hem on the cut edge, and make 2 curtain panels for the price of one. You can even turn sheets into curtains for your window. Places like Ross and Home Goods have great prices on nice bedding. You can use the fabric for so many different things.

Fifth tip: ART

I like simple art, and I think that even goes further in a nursery, to have those simple places for your eye to rest. And art I can make at home with some paint or on my computer is gravy. Here are some of my favorite kid proof art ideas:

1- You could totally make simple art on your computer in word with colors to match your nursery. Look at Etsy for great ideas like this. If you want it to have some texture get some grainy paper and then put a really, really thin layer of white washed paint over it. (Or what ever color of wash you want). I did something similar like this for cheap art in our mast bedroom.

You can do this for any words or phrases you like really. I want to do something similar to this with a nursery rhyme my grandma always use to sing to when I was young. Pick quotes that means something to your family. To give it an extra kick, modpodge some fabric or paper on some matting and cut it to size.

2- Temples- At the last GC they mentioned having a picture of a temple in your child's room from and early age. I liked this temple print on Etsy for a babies room. To replicate something similar on your own, print out an outline of your favorite temple on your computer (if you can't find a picture on the web of just the outline, then you can change your printer settings just to "outline"), trace the outline onto a paper or canvass, and then just paint the rest of the negative space around it.

3-Embroidery hoops- Find a 20% off coupon for Michael's or Joannes and pick up a few embroidery hoops. Stretch some cute fabric in it, glue any excess fabric in the back on the inner lining of the hoop, and you have a very cute art installation. You can even use fabric you already used in the room, or again, whatever you have lying around the house.

source found here, with how to.

4- Chinese Lanterns and Tissue Pom Poms- I love it when people use a grouping of Chinese lanterns and tissue paper pom poms, hung at different heights, as a kind of crib mobile. Go to World Market for cheap Chinese Lanterns in a wide variety of colors and visit Martha Stewart for tutorials on pom poms. Sewing a banner also seems to be big lately (I've made a few paper ones for holidays and parties and they are super simple.)

5- Don't want to make it yourself but still need free art? Google free printables for children and find great prints like this. Or visit a website like this.

6- Don't want to make if yourself and have an extra $5-20? GO TO ETSY! I love that place. In the very least, it is great for inspiration (as you can tell from #1 and #2).

Sixth Tip- KNOW WHERE TO SHOP

We all know to go to Ross, Homegoods, Marshalls, etc. They are great and I am so glad Las Vegas has so many of them to choose from. But, there are those little shops that are out of the beaten path which have some of the best deals. Here is my list of where to go.

Antiques:
Charleston Antique Mall 1109 Western Ave.
Not Just Antiques Mart 1422 Western Ave.
Antique Mall of America 9151 S. Las Vegas Blvd.

Second Hand:
Salvation Army 4001 West Charleston Blvd. & 360 N Stephanie St, Henderson
Goodwill 9230 S Eastern Ave # 130, Las Vegas (the one on Stephanie and Warm Springs kind of stinks)
Freecycle

Local finds:
Retro Vegas 1211 S. Main Las Vegas Blvd.
JJ Draperies 1321 South Commerce St. (I think this is it. There is a shop down by Main and Charleston that has upholstery fabric all for $5 a yard. It has moved so many times I am having a hard time finding it lately.)

How to: Nursery on a budget

One of my friends is expecting her first child later this year (HURRAY!). She was stuck when it came to getting the nursery together for her sweet babe on a budget. So, she asked me to chat cheap/resourceful decor with her. Of course I was flattered, but I wasn't quiet sure what kind of sage advice I could offer with me being sans baby or baby bump.

Then, of course, it hit me. My name is Amber and I am a blog stalker. All those wonderfully creative people of the web definitely had their clever tips to share. If there was a support group for blog stalking, I would be member. Whenever I change things up around the house Jeff will ask me "Did one of your blogs tell you to do that?". Sometimes I get to boast that the idea came from my very own pretty little head; but most of the time I explain that "Yes, I was inspired by a blog."

People are so resourceful and have such great ideas. I am glad they take to the internet to share all of their wonderful tips! All those great ideas for copying, I mean for inspiration. So, I stormed my brain and wrote a list of all those things I remember seeing on the great and expansive interweb which would work for completing a nursery on a budget. I thought I would share my list on my blog too. (Sharing my copy catting of blogs on my own blog, what a strange world?) This way if I ever am blessed to have my own little one on the way, I can just come back here and look at what I had to say. (I'm sure by that time I will have other things on my mind, like how could I be this lucky? And how do I have a safe a healthy pregnancy?)

First tip: PAINT

Paint can be cheap, and it can make one of the biggest impact on a room. If you don't want to splurge the $20-$30 bucks it would cost for a gallon of paint (to cover most rooms), why not go with a quart and see where it can get you?

(I just pinned this on pinterest and couldn't track the original source- kind of the point on pinterest- I know.)

You can paint strips on a ceiling or walls. There are even great tutorials for chevron strips or tracing from an overhead projector. Painting your child's initials, or even just one great big band across the room can make big difference.

Source found here

Side note: If painting a babies room, paint with low or no VOC paint. If the color you like doesn't come in no VOC, have Lowes color match it in a brand that does. Even with low VOC it is still suggested to paint the room well in advance of your babies arrival. Think a few weeks before you'll bring the little one home.

Second tip: BUY SECOND HAND

I know most people want everything to be nice, new and clean for their new little baby. And I don't blame them. However, you don't have to buy all their toys from Goodwill, maybe just select pieces of furniture. Find a good second hand store in your area. My favorite is a Salvation Army right by my work (in the ghetto, they usually have the best stuff). It may be scary but it has a great selection of furniture. Not to mention Craigslist, just make sure your hubby goes with you to pick the items up. Ladies who are preggo should not go to strangers homes alone!

Anywho, here is a list of my favorite items to pick up second hand:

1)Picture Frames- This may seem odd, but besides my gigantic picture frames from Ikea in my living room, I don't think that I have bought a new picture frame in YEARS. With a fresh coat of paint you'll never remember it was used. Just look for something sturdy and made well.

2)Rocking Chairs- I almost always see a rocking chair or two at Salvation Army. Spend the $20 on a chair and just recover it. Those old wood rockers have those easy to recover/ easy to replace cushions. Plus you can always paint the wood. (Or if you are pregnant I guess your hubby or friends will be doing all this painting I keep talking about. )

3) Dressers- Old antique dressers are built so much better than anything you could get for a similar price from a big box store. Plus they are usually smaller which would be great in a nursery. Throw a changing pad on top of that baby (the dresser, not your new child) and you can skip the changing table. Since you bought this dresser second hand I bet you wont even mind painting it, or attaching some hooks on the side of the dresser where you can hang baskets full of diaper changing goodness.

Source found here

4) Baskets- Honestly, why do people think that they can charge $20- $30 for a basket? I always get my baskets from Salvation Army. They are like $2. Seriously. And baskets are great for stashing diapers, toys, blankets, whatever you may need.

Okay, so are you still not feeling this second hand thing? Does it give you the heeby geebies? Look here and here for links on great ways to safely sanitize those second hand finds for your little one. And look here for more inspiration for what you can accomplish buying second hand.

Third tip: REUSE

I know- duh. But what I mean is re-use anything you can think of. For instance, I have a plastic bin in my garage full of all my old favorite toys. All those old favorites will be my kiddos first toys. If you are not a crazy hoarder like me, hijack some of your old toys from your parents house.

Go shopping in your garage and see what you can make. Look around your house and see if you can clear off that bookshelf a little and re-use some of the items in your babies nursery. Look at things in a new way. I am always doing this when I want to go buy something new. Before I hand over my credit card I go shopping in my house to see if I can find something else that would work. Usually, I can.

Sorry for the bad picture. (Have I mentioned that my summer goal is to be a better photographer?). But this is me and lil' sis' being resourceful when it came to equipping her with desk organization items when she went into middle school. We painted a sheet of metal and old empty cans of soup with chalkboard paint and wrapped the edges with ribbon for safety. The metal sheet was her now magnetic chalk board and the cups held pencils, rulers, or whatever else she wanted. We re-used an old tin gift card holder to house all of her chalk, and used craft paper and vase beads to make little magnets. Whatever you have around your house can usually handle two to three different jobs. Think outside the box.

. . . Okay. I am getting pretty word-y here but I still have a couple more tips. I will save them for my next post, be back soonish.

PARIS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have you seen this? The amazing blog Oh Happy Day is giving away a trip to Paris for 7 (yes I said 7) days. Wouldn't this be lovely! You all should try and win!



Pic found here

Amber's Choice

We are finally laying the flooring downstairs, which means I can try and finish what I started months ago - the office. Our old office was burnt orange, white and black, with yellow walls. Every time I went in there I felt like the room was screaming at me. Now with the cool grays and ample doses of white it feels much more serene. So serene it is a bit boring and I need to bring it up a notch.


My starting point is most definately this amazing quilt that my mum-in-law gave us for our wedding. It's black, white, and red - some of the colors we used at our wedding. It is such a nice gift, I want to make sure it has a secure home in the office where it will be safe, rarely used, and we'll still see it every week. I am not a huge fan of just using these three colors for the entire room as the whole color combo though. That reminds me of the 80's for some reason. I want to bring in another dominant color.

My first thought is one my all time favorit color combinations to go with the newly painted walls- Gray and Yellow. I even spotted this table cloth at Target that I would want to make some pillow covers with, or possibly make a slip cover for the office chair. For me there is just no happier color combo than yellow and gray.

Plus, yellow and gray were just ment to be bestfriends. Seriously, they are marvelous together

Picture can be found here.

But this color combo has me thinking- isn't yellow and red the color combo I just tried to get rid of by painting the old yellow walls and changing out my old redish desks? I thought I was going for a cool, relaxing work space. Maybe red and yellow aren't the best way to go.

So when I think of red (or more of a burnt orange is what I am trying to incorporate) what complimentary color comes to mind? None other than blue, my most favorite color. Now, that wouldn't be a bad idea! It would even help tie our downstairs blue living room with the upstairs. Make the flow of the house more cohesive.

After all, red and blue is a very traditional color combo. (The above picture can be found here
) Traditional, classic - Those are definately two styles that I am trying to incorporate into our decor. One of my 30X30 goals is to have our style grow up a bit. Maybe a traditional color combination would play well with the sleek, modern IKEA style we have going on in there so far. Plus I've always wanted to use yellow and gray in a nursery someday. But can I really turn my back on yellow and gray- it's just too cute? Hmmm. I just can't decide. what to do, what to do?

I LOVE St. George

My cousin was recently married in the St. George so me, Jeff and the family went up to St. George for a weekend getaway. It was such a lovely break and so awesome to spend time with the family.
The sealing was so beautifully done and the happy couple couldn't keep their ear to ear grins from off their face. I was struck by how young and Innocent they seemed, even though they are both definitely of age to be married. I can't believe I was ever this young, so incredibly in love, and so pure. It was so obvious with them, which made it even the more beautiful.

The next morning we woke up early and prepared a little brunch for my aunt/old roomie. We were meeting up with her at a Spa in St. George where we were all getting some kind of treatment as a belated bridal shower party. In order to make the day a little more special my sisters and I decided to prepare a little surprise brunch for after the spa.

We were staying at my Uncle and Aunts second home in St. George which made for a beautiful little backdrop. The post-bride has always been a big fan of rainbows- in love with them ever since I can remember- so I thought it would be fun to have everything in a rainbow theme.

This picture below didn't turn out too well, but my favorite was the fruit rainbow. (I was trying to hurry and take a few pictures after setting it all up before the whole crowd arrived just a few minutes after me from the spa). The "table cloth" was just crepe paper streamers that I laid across the table in rainbow order. I even had a bucket of chocolate gold pieces near one of the table legs. All the decorations were from the dollar store and came in under $20. Perfect for a little last minute celebration!

Everyone ate (chicken salad, rolls, fruit, chips, pickles, olives, cupcakes, and lemonade/sprite mix), and stayed and talked for a couple of hours. It was such a nice visit and everyone was so relaxed from the spa.
Us sisters spent the rest of the day shopping after everyone else went home. Seriously! I told you this was a wonderful weekend. Weddings, spas, shopping, eating yummy food. Honestly, I needed this so much.

The next day us sisters got up late, watched old AMC movies, ate a big breakfast, then went out that afternoon for a hike. We went to Red Cliffs and we luckily hit it just right. There was plenty of water, which made the hike all the more fun on a hot-ish spring day. The hike was just as much fun as I remembered it being from the good ol' college days. This time though I had my nice camera that I was terrified of getting wet, so we had to do some hiking around and shifting to keep it nice and safe.

Some of the parts were a little more challenging then I remember too. Luckily thier were some nice men who didn't mind giving us girls a hand. So shameful to have to ask for help, but everyone in Utah is just so nice. (At least they were on this hike, that day.)

Not only was it just a fun relaxing weekend in St. George, but I also noticed that everyone really did seem to be so nice. There were also so many people out walking, running and playing around town all the time. It really does seem like such a nice little town and I am so glad I get to go up and visit family as often as I do. It almost makes me forget my trepidation about living in Utah, I think maybe I could handle it, but I'm sure if I lived there it would be a different story.

For now I'll take my weekends going to the temple, visiting with friends and family, shopping, and hiking. Lovely, lovely weekend!!

The Cement Is Getting To Me

As I mentioned before, our first floor recently flooded from a broken water heater. We came home one night to find a squishy floor with water seeping out wherever we stepped. It was not fun. It turned this floor . . .


into this ...



Luckily our insurance will cover the damage. The hardest part is living in the mess until we get around to laying new floors and figuring our what to install for the future. Unfortunately, it feels like our insurance company is giving us peanuts for the floor replacement, about 60% of what it originally costs us. However, the lower price does definitely limit our possibilities when shopping, so at least our selection pool is smaller. I am choosing to look at this as a good thing, otherwise all the choices may overwhelm me.

Our first shopping experience left us pining for a bamboo floor. Particularly one we found at Costco. So of course I went off to research bamboo floors. Here are the basics of what I found. Bamboo definitely runs the gamut of low and high quality. Peoples reviews were everything from 'it didn't even last a year before it needed replacement' to 'strongest and best floor I've ever had.'

(Picture found here.)

Bamboo's durability, just like any other floor, depends on it's construction. The basics: Naturally colored bamboo floors are the strongest. Once a manufacture starts to stain or carbonize bamboo to change the color, bamboo starts to get weaker. Another big factor in bamboo floors is the grain. Is the plank laid horizontally, vertically, or is it strand woven? Strand woven is typically the strongest and horizontal the least. I am not an expert, but this is what most people came to a consensus on with a basic search.

Lastly, and probably the biggest factor in bamboo's durability, is how old the bamboo is. The longer the bamboo had time to grow and harden, the stronger it will be. I never found one certain way to figure out how old the bamboo was, some people said to try and scratch and dent it with a coin, while others said you can only be sure how old it is if the manufacture tells you.

Our bamboo, the only floating version we could find in our price range, was carbonized and laid horizontally. Although I knew we would have to get carbonized or stained bamboo, because I do not like the natural color of bamboo, I was not willing to negotiate on the bamboo's grain. Red flags were waived and I started to ponder other options. I'd love a bamboo floor, but I think we would need a bigger budget to get the quality we want/need. We would also need a bigger budget to get my dream floors.

(Pic Found here.)

Seriously! How gorgeous is that floor? It makes me drool. Even a plain Jane wood floor in general is far above our reach. We come against the same issue we had with bamboo, although we could afford the cheapest hard wood floor in the shop, it would not be of the greatest quality and may need to be replaced sooner that we'd like.

Tile and Ceramic floors are another option popular in the desert, but we already have a tiled kitchen. #1) I'm not crazy about the color. They were chosen by price (we got a steal on craigslist), not by aesthetics. #2) I have to clean them EVERYDAY. It drives me nuts. I will save installing tile for my kitchens and bathrooms but I don't think I'll ever have them in my living area.

This leaves us with the ever growing popular choice of Laminate. I loved our old laminate floors before a deep soak in water had it's way with them. I was never crazy about the color (this time they'll be less red/orange), but they were easy to maintain and let me fool myself every once in a while into thinking I had real wood floors.

Last time we laid down our flooring, when we first moved in, we picked this floor because our brother-in-law had a bunch left over from a previous house. He had enough to cover about 1/3 of our space, which saved us a bunch of $$. This time around we are starting from scratch, and yes it is still a little overwhelming, even with a smaller selection pool.

Here are the basics of what to know when picking a laminate floor:

The texture, or top layer of the laminate, can differ. Embossed is generally stronger and cleaner than a gloss finish. A gloss finish will also show more smudge marks and scratches. An engraved top layer is ridged, or wavy. Some say this makes it look more like real wood, but I am not ascetically a fan of engraved laminate, no matter how strong it is (the strongest type of texture), so I keep my distance. When shopping you can usually tell the finish by just looking at the laminates finish.

You also want to check the box for more information. The AC rating (Abrasion Class rating) is another big factor in laminates durability. AC1 is the weakest and AC5 is the strongest. Manufactures suggest using the lower AC ratings in low traffic areas, like a bedroom, but I decided I didn't want to go under anything less than an AC3 rating. AC3's can be used in high traffic rooms or even for commercial use (although most commercial use is a AC4 or better).

Other factors to consider are if it was made under high pressure or direct pressure, high pressure being more durable. Also was a water resistant coating used to protect the cores durability? Does it have a NALFA cert seal showing it has passed the standard durability testing? Was high VOC or hazards glues used to bind the layers?

(Pic found here.)

There was much more to consider than I thought there would be. My biggest concerns were initially about how it looked, but the more I started to research the more concerned I grew to find a durable floor. As are most homes in Las Vegas, our house is under water, (no not literally under water, we do not live near the Mississippi River) but we owe more than our house is worth. We even bought our foreclosed on home in December 2008, when the market really crashed, but Las Vegas is defying all odds and the value of our home is still ever decreasing.

Since we still have an insanely low mortgage though, we have no immediate plans to try and sell and will most likely be the home with little kids and maybe (if Jeff lets me) a puppy. In the future however, we may need to use the house as a rental and I want the floors to be able to hold up to whatever the homes future may entail.

At first I was so naive in thinking we would have a new floor within a week or two, but by now I really should know myself and realize I am going to take my time and figure out what is best for us and best for the house. Hopefully we can get it all figures out this summer!