Finally!: The Schoolhouse Light Fixture Knockoff

Friends, I'm ashamed it took me so long to post these pictures. We've been enjoying our light so much since installing it almost a month ago!

Just to recap before the reveal, I saw this schoolhouse light fixture Britt from A Penny Saved made for $9. I was super inspired! Mr. Nest and I decided to give it a go. The hall light has been a nasty annoyance since we moved in.

Blech! (Sorry, I forgot to take pics before starting demo)

Construction-grade nastiness.

We didn't have the ceiling height for a proper hanging pendant like Britt's. So we improvised. On a shopping trip to ReStore, we found an original milkglass globe for $10. We later found one almost identical to it at Home Depot for $4.88. Boo. But at least we're supporting local business and repurposing rather than buying manufactured newness. Right?

So we opted for this mount (not the globe) for $4

and we spray painted it with some good ol' ORB until it looked like this

And this is how it looks in our hallway:

(we need to do a little touch-up painting)

It lets off so much more light than that crappy fixture from before. And it looks original to the house, which is important to us. And it was only $14!

Tied and Bagged

Our niece and nephews are awesome kids! They have great personalities and love to have fun. Best of all they love us almost as much as we love them. :) Lauren turned four this month, and she's really into fashion and being girly. I saw these on Little Birdie Secrets

and I knew Lauren would LOVE them. I found 3 remnant pieces of organza at Joann- each for $1.22 for a 1/2yd. I have so much fabric left, I'll be making these clips until the day I die! I nixed the little "berries" in the center in case little brother tries to eat them. Here's my version:

Not too bad for an hour's work.

I was ready to pack it in for the night when I remembered that Lauren made a special request: a colorful bag. I searched my fabric stash and came up short. So I looked through my closet and found an old knit sweater/shirt I'll never fit into again. Actually, I couldn't believe I ever fit into it! (Note to self: get your butt back on the treadmill!)

After 20 minutes of pinning and sewing and another 20 minutes making 5 fabric flowers, I had a decent little bag for a 4-year-old to tote around essential little girl things.

But what about the boys? Inspired by last month's All About the Boy over at Made and Made by Rae, I decided not to leave them out of the fun. For Brandon, my adorable chubby-cheeked 15 month old nephew, I made a bowtie shirt.

Brandon's older brother Ryan strikes me as a tie guy. So he got this shirt:

I found some cheap adorable felt Easter baskets at Target, so I packed them in along with some eggs filled with Peeps and chocolate.

So fun!

The boys weren't as excited about the shirts as they were about the eggs with goodies inside, but my SIL's expression totally made up for that! I can't wait to see them on the boys. At least they'll look adorable when they're driving my SIL nuts. :)

Gone but not forgotten.

The last 2 weeks have been rough. We've had one family emergency after another, and to say it's taken it's toll is putting it mildly. But we're slowly getting back to speed. Having a very active toddler sorta forces you to get back to "normal" as quickly as possible! She sure does make it easier to smile every day, too.

This weekend I tackled way more than I expected, yet not as much as I hoped. Here's a little taste of what I did take on:

 $3 CL find that will become the middleman here:

I think they'll get along nicely.

I fixed the aqua mistake. But Mr. Nest wasn't so fond. So another fix is in store.

Finally showing off the schoolhouse light fixture knock-off installed. And giving this dresser a facelift.

And a pair of tie t-shirts for my 2 favorite nephews!

I have lots to share this week, so I hope you enjoy. I may have been gone, but the Nest wasn't forgotten.

This one goes out to all my Peeps

I've never really thought twice about marshmallows. They were merely the necessary ingredient in Rice Krispy Treats and campfire s'mores. Lucky Charms were never my thing- they left a gritty sugary film on my teeth. Peeps just grossed me out. It may have something to do with the fact that the first one I ever had was old and stale and slightly deformed. I'd never even seen a Peep before, so I had no idea that they could be pillowy, colorful, playful confections of fun.

My marshmallow world changed last weekend, friends. That is when I tested this recipe from the Gaines Gang. That's right. PEEP S'MORES. Kate got me with this photo

and this one

I wish I'd gotten pictures of the batch I made, but Mr. Nest ate them too fast! So I packaged up Peep S'mores in a Jar for my brother- and sister-in-law, so they could become addicted to these too.

Give it a try- it's fast, easy, and heartbreakingly delicious.

Rain, rain- you can stay?

It's been raining for 4 days. While I usually detest rain, I actually welcomed it with open arms this weekend. I've been sick as a dog for a week and needed an excuse to lay around and do nothing. Our niece's birthday party was on Sunday, and I wanted to be in tip top shape for it. I couldn't pick a better excuse than rain. Well, maybe snow, but we've had more than enough of that!

So I took a sick day on Friday, and did my best to take it easy. That meant Saturday was Project Day.

Remember this:

and this

???

Yeah, I saw this

(from JustSomethingIMade.blogspot.com)

and thought about this

and figured: PERFECT! A match made in heaven!

Until I did this

Yeah, it's too much Aqua, not enough Turquoise/Teal.

So off we went to the hardware store and picked out this from Benjamin Moore:

Much better. Florida Keys Blue. Just what we needed.

I'd like to say I'll get to it tonight, but I've been working on this:

It's the start of the backing for Birdie's quilt. I've only been working on this quilt since September 2008, and I'm just now getting to the backing. Oh well. At least I'm being true to myself!

You can see some of the front of the quilt in this picture of her room:

I love Amy Butler's fabrics. They're fresh, modern, and soft.

So I have my work cut out for me this week. We're leaving Thursday to go out of town for a wedding in the family, so I have even less time than usual for projects. Guess I need to prioritize my list.

So here is my update from last week's list:

-  installation of new schoolhouse light fixture (will post pics tomorrow)

- a new Spring-y fleece vest for Birdie

- 2 dresser refreshers

- a side table refresher (because it's "half done," lol)

- new paint picked for the Living Room (Revere Pewter!!!!)

- redoing that pathetic strap for the diaper bag

- fixing my silly flower pillows in the Living Room

Not too shabby. Too bad the sun's coming out this week; I could use another excuse to stay in and get things done! 

Fix-ation

The other day I shared my pitiful attempt at making Birdie a fleece vest with remnant fabric she picked out at Joann. I vowed not to give up, and last night I took a fresh look at the vest and figured out how to fix it. I still suck at sewing projects, but I'm not afraid to tackle them anymore. I'm going to take advantage of Birdie's inability to voice her opinion of my creations and continue to use her as my little guinea pig. I'm a rotten mommy, aren't I? :)

Just to recap where we left off. As if you need a reminder!

And here it is after I fixed it last night:

(oh goodness, my child looks like a hobo in all that mismatched clothing!)

(she's so cute dancing to The Wiggle's!)

So what do you think? Better, right?

Linking up

Inspired by Sanitation

So how was I inspired by stepping into one of these at work the other day?

Because I noticed one of these

Yup. I was inspired by the sanitary napkin trash can.

Before you write me off as certifiably crazy, I'll explain. We've need looking for a new mailbox for 3 years now. Ours is old and outdated, and we'd like something sleek and contemporary. When we started looking at mailboxes we were shocked by how pricey they can be!

 $79

$149

$318(!!!!)

  $79

So when I got back to my office, I jumped on eBay and typed in "sanitary napkin receptacle." Lots of different styles popped up, but I knew what I was looking for: stainless steel, baby. I scrolled through 3/4 of the page before I found exactly what I was looking for! $22 plus $7 for shipping. Can't beat that with a stick!

I mean, come on. Really?

For me, it's a no-brainer.


Our front porch light fixture and house numbers are in oil rubbed bronze, so I may get out my ORB spray paint for this one too. I'm off to make my purchase! You can bet I'll be back with pictures when it arrives.