Pinterest Inspired Fun Food Idea For Kids…

Posted on March 29, 2012 by The Savvy Stager

The other day I decided to try a super simple idea I saw on Pinterest for my kids. It looked fun and I figured my kids would love it. You start with this:

Regular turkey hotdogs cut in half and spaghetti noodles. Next you do this:

I could have put noodle all along the sides too. It probably would have been more fun that way. Next you boil them in too small of a pan:

I have no idea why I didn’t use a bigger pan. Eventually the whole thing was in the water

And when they’re done, you have this

The kids thought these were great. My daughter thought they looked like jellyfish and space ships.

If I was going to do this again, I would probably use italian sausage and cover them in pasta sauce. They seemed plain to me, but the kids didn’t mind. Just another fun Pinterest idea! Thanks for coming by!

Easy Fix For Instant Curb Appeal…

Posted on March 28, 2012 by The Savvy Stager

Hello everyone! What a crazy weekend we had around here! The good news is that the remodel is getting closer and closer to completion, and I couldn’t be more pleased with how it is looking!

My Brother-in-law and his family came out for several days to help us out and we couldn’t be more appreciative. It has become much more work than we initially anticipated and it would have taken three times as long without his help.

The next step will be the entry tile, hardwood for the stairs, bathroom tile, followed by new carpet. We’re getting there! In the meantime we’ve been working on some outdoor spruce-ups with this beautiful weather we’ve been having lately.

One of the first things we noticed when we were purchasing our house was this:

It just goes to show how important curb appeal is, because it really bothered both my husband and I. Before the house was even ours we set to work trying to find the manufacturer of the lights and get a new globe and bottom piece ordered, but no luck. The house is about 10 years old and the maker of the lights is long gone. So we had two of these with the middle one broken.

I didn’t love those lights, but would have been happy just replacing that middle one. The globes were a little oxidized, but nothing I couldn’t have cleaned up. After finding out that we wouldn’t be able to find a replacement we resigned to the fact that all three would have to be replaced as well as the matching lamp on the column in the yard.

We really didn’t want to spend much, so I was thrilled when we found some discontinued lights at home depot for %75 off! They started out around $70.00 and were on clearance for $17.00. SCORE!!! We picked up three and a yard light for under $80.00 (although we had to go to three different Home Depots to round them all up).

My awesome Hubs installed them a couple of weekends ago and it was such an easy process. I probably could have easily done them myself, but he’s just awesome like that.

There are only two wires to hook up and it’s super easy. He had all three done in less than an hour.

I just love how they turned out!

At this point it was starting to get dark, so these pictures are a little difficult to see.

That one is the column in the front yard. Here’s a look at all three.

It’s hard to tell in the pictures, but it really makes a difference. I love outdoor lights. We have lights around the pond as well as lights pointed at the house. Someday, when I figure out how to take better pictures at night, I’ll post about up lighting.

Do you need to spruce-up your outdoor fixtures? There are other options other than buying new also. If that globe hadn’t been broken I would have soaked the glass in something that would have removed the mineral deposits and given the rest of the fixture a fresh coat of oil rubbed bronze spray paint. If you have outdated brass, don’t be scared to spray paint them! Have a great week and thanks for coming by!

The How-To On Refinishing a Dining Table…

Posted on March 21, 2012 by The Savvy Stager

Hello everyone! Today I wanted to talk about refinishing kitchen/dining tables. My sweet neighbor, Julie, recently asked me for advice on refinishing hers, so I decided to compile a post on the step by step procedure.

I told her I would give her several different images to choose from, then break down the process for her. Her table is rectangular and solid oak. It is a beautiful table, just beginning to show a little wear. Here are a few images I came across:

Source

Lighter top with black legs and black chairs.

Source

Espresso top with white legs.

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All black table.

source

Espresso top with white legs.

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Espresso top with black legs.

Soooooo, I will leave it up to Julie to decide which one she likes best, but if I had to choose it would be:

I love the dark wood top and white underside and legs. Now on to the process of refinishing…

Sand the top of the table with an orbital sander using 120 grit sandpaper. You want to remove all of the existing finish and take it down to raw wood.
Sand the legs with a 200 grit sandpaper. It is not as important to get all of the stain completely off because you will be painting the legs.
Use a cloth to remove all dust from sanding.
Use a stain blocking spray primer on everything except the top and underside of the top of the table (everywhere that you are painting). Zinnser oil based spray primer is supposed to work well. (Available at Stone Lumber) If any areas aren’t nice and smooth, sand lightly with 220 to make it smooth.
Apply Minwax Red mahogany to the top using a foam brush. Always go with the grain! Apply liberally and allow to sit for about 15-20 min. You want the dark color to penetrate the wood as much as possible. Wipe off stain. If you still want a darker color, start the process again.
Paint the base “Creamy” by Sherwin Williams in a semigloss, using a paint brush.
Allow to dry overnight.
Apply a wipeable polyurethane in a satin finish on the entire piece. Sand lightly using 220 grit sandpaper and reapply. Apply at least 5 coats, sanding in between. Follow the directions on the can of polyurethane for more thorough instructions.
Allow to dry for at least 48 hours before any heavy use.

This is the approach I would use if I was doing this project. I have heard conflicting opinions about stripping a wood piece before sanding. On some pieces I think stripping is necessary, but in this case, where she is going darker with the stain and the top doesn’t have a thick shiny varnish, I don’t think I would. Some people believe that applying a wood conditioner after sanding allows for more even stain coverage also.

If anyone has any experience with a similar project, I would love to hear what you think! I’d like to give Julie the best advice possible!

So what do you think? Strip it or just sand it? Is wood conditioner necessary? Thanks for coming by!

Organization Space For Busy Families…

Posted on March 17, 2012 by The Savvy Stager

Hello everyone! I am finally getting around to posting about my closet/office makeover. We’ve been pretty consumed lately with our ongoing remodel, so this is my first chance to blog in a while.

In our house we have a closet off our kitchen. It is supposed to be a coat closet, I believe, but we already have several coat closets, and a large pantry. We decided that this would be the perfect spot for an organizational media center.

If you have kids, especially school aged kids that are active in sports and other activities, you probably have a need for an area like this in your home. I’ve been planning a space like this for a while. Here is how it turned out:

It has been a total eye opener for our family since our daughter started kindergarten. I had no idea how many obligations and events we were going to need to keep track of between school, ballet, gymnastics, soccer, t-ball, etc. Not to mention snack days, days we’re volunteering in the classroom, swimming days, the list goes on and on. You should see my sisters schedule! Mine doesn’t even compare to hers! I’m sure many of you can relate. Just having a place to set the mail and other important papers is huge. The nice thing about transforming a closet is that I can close the doors if it gets messy!

I started by removing the bar across the closet and repainting the closet and the trim. My ~~cute~~ tough assistant wanted to be in the pic sporting his Tapout gear.

I painted the closet Pebble Gray by Gliddon. It is a lighter version of the color I used in my daughter’s bedroom. I hung my bulletin board and bought some baskets from Target. They have some great stuff out right now! I love that Chevron print!

I hung an organizer for bills and other important papers. It was one I’d had for a while, I may still paint it black. I put stamps, receipts, etc. in that organizer. Inside the boxes on the shelves I store things like stationary, printer paper and other miscellaneous office supplies. The large chevron box has all of my daughter’s coloring books and construction paper. The mesh looking basket is full of coloring crayons and markers. My daughter is pretty crafty herself and I pull that box down several times a day!

Here is the bulletin board I recently recovered. You can read about how I did it here.

I’m not thrilled with the desk situation, but I finally gave up on looking. I wanted something with several drawers but here is the problem with turning a closet into an office-the closet has lips on both sides that would prevent the drawers from opening all the way(does that make sense?). Not to mention that finding a desk that fit in the closet without completely disassembling it was nearly impossible. I ended up making a desk myself. I’ll post about that later.

I still want to get some organizers for things like scissors and glue, and eventually make a place for a phone charging station. It is a bit of a work in progress, but it is just perfect for leaving mail that I still need to come back to, and organizing kids homework etc. This isn’t so much a functional desk that I plan to sit at and work, but rather a drop spot and a place for office supplies. I’m pretty happy with how it turned out!

Is there a space in your home that would better serve as an office area? Don’t forget about closets! There is often a lot of wasted space in a closet. I just love how organized this space makes me feel! Thanks so much for coming by!

I’m linking up to:

Things Every Pinterest Lover Should Know….

Posted on March 14, 2012 by The Savvy Stager

Hello everyone! I’ve been compiling this post in my head for a while now, and finally just decided to start writing it. It seems that there is a lot more to know about Pinterest than what the average user is aware of.

So what is Pinterest? I’m not gonna go into detail too much on this, because I think most of you have a pretty good idea of what the site is about, but for those of you who don’t, it’s a place full of images that you can “pin” to different boards you have created. It is a way of organizing all the images and ideas you have come across on the web. Long before Pinterest I had my own Pinterest and I called it my idea file. I’ve been clipping images from magazines, recipes, ideas, etc. for years. Organizing all of those clippings in a manner that was easy to go back to was another story. This is what makes Pinterest so amazing. You log in and every thing you have seen and been inspired by is all neatly attached to boards with titles you have created that you can easily access anytime.

I think this is where the average user gets a little lost. Pinterest is more than just pinning other images that other people have previously pinned. Every “pin” has a source, and that source is linked to someone’s original work. It may be a blog, it may be a magazine, it could be lots of different things, but what is important to know, is that it belongs to someone else, and they need to be given the credit. When you pin an image, you need to make sure that the original source is linked to it. Meaning that in the right hand corner of your pin, there is a link that you can click and it will take you to the original website that it came from. If it has been pinned many, many times, sometimes the link is broken and the pin goes nowhere, and the original source is getting no credit. This matters for several reasons, for one, why would you want a recipe that is just a picture? If you can’t click on the link to go to the details of the recipe, what is the point of pinning it? Also, the original creator of the recipe is not given any credit and then you just have a mess of people stealing ideas and claiming them as their own. This is particularly important to bloggers and people with etsy sites. By clicking on their “pin” you are viewing their site, and this is extremely important because their website is the key to their livelihood.

How are you describing your pin? When you see a darling little outfit for your soon-to-be baby girl, are you just writing “cute”? On a picture of Italy are you writing “someday” or “in my dreams”? If you want to pin to a board titled that, that is just fine, but if you don’t describe your pin with what is in the picture, it won’t be found when someone else types the word “Italy” in the search bar. Describing your pin makes Pinterest more user-friendly for everyone.

Are you spending hours on Pinterest, pinning anything and everything that looks awesome at the time? Keep in mind that the people who are following you see everything you pin, so if you spend three hours one afternoon pinning every wedding dress you have ever dreamed of, you are flooding other people’s Pinterest pages with nothing but images of wedding dresses. Try to pin a few at a time, not a hundred in one day.

What is the difference between “liking” and “pinning”? Liking a pin is supposed to be a type of holding spot for pins you’re not certain of, and want to come back to later. For instance, if I see an awesome recipe and don’t have time to make sure that it is linked to the original website, I can like it and come back to it later.

Be an origional pinner! Don’t just keep pinning what everyone else is. If you have installed the “pin it” feature in your favorites, whenever you are cruising around on the web, you are able to pin something that gets your attention. Add some pins of your own! Did you realize that if you highlight a bit of the text before hitting “pin it” it will automatically show up in your description? Remember not to highlight too much (for instance an entire recipe) because you want to direct people back to the source of the pin to get more information.

Lastly, remember that this is an online community that is supposed to be fun and helpful for those who use it. Be polite with your comments, those images are someone’s creation and Pinterest is not a place to bash people and their preferences. Every one is entitiled to their own opinions and likes and dislikes.

I still have so much to learn about Pinterest, and I’m definitely not perfect when it comes to etiquette myself, but I think that understanding more about it will make the site better for everybody. I don’t think the creators expected it to explode in the manner that it has, and I can foresee some potential copyright situations cropping up in the future. So why do I love Pinterest? For many of the same reasons that you all do. I am inspired by the things I see, and excited about new ideas and information that I can use. ALSO, I am promoting my blog. When I pin one of my own creations, it is with the hope that whoever likes it will be curious enough to click on the link and be led to my blog. Traffic is what bloggers like me want, because it enables you to grow your blog in the manner that you are intending.

So whether you are pinning something that is very inspiring to you that you see yourself applying to your life in some way….

honeycombcreativeco.blogspot.com

Or you’re pinning things a little less realistic….

The choice is yours! Make it your own and have fun with it! Thanks for coming by!

Tearin’ Down The Walls!

Posted on March 12, 2012 by The Savvy Stager

Hello everyone! Hope you had a great weekend! You don’t even want to know what we’ve been doing around here….Let’s just start with this. Here are some pictures I’ve been drooling over for months:

houzz.com

I LOVE those columns! They are so elegant. Here are a couple more pictures:

cotedetexas.blogspot.com

abodelove.blogspot.com

So I decided that we needed to tear down a wall and get some columns…Here is our perfectly good wall before:

It was either an office or a dining room. My hubs and I are not home office kind of people, so we are going for a dining room/living room extension. That wall is blocking the main window looking out of the front of the house.

The other thing that drives me batty is that the entryway is so narrow. I had to walk way out into the living room just to see who was at my door.

So after a huge mess and a ton of work, we had this:

Now for building those headers…ugh…those are support walls. Then for rerouting all that electrical…double ugh…Good things my hubs is so amazing (aren’t you glad you aren’t married to me? We don’t go on vacation. No sirreee…We remodel!) We got a couple of estimates for this little remodel of ours, the lowest being $9000.00.

$9000 is completely ridiculous to me, considering this is almost all labor! So what do you do when the bid comes in too high? You do it yourself! And if you can’t figure out the electrical or the headers? You buy a book and learn. Seriously…We are doing this remodel for under $1200.00. That’s a savings of $7800.00!!

I couldn’t be prepared for the mess that removing drywall makes! It helps when you have a cute little helper.

Of course we are nowhere near done, but I love the openness already! I can tell that this was a good decision for us! After the wall we are replacing the flooring and a few other things, then we are gonna relax for a while. I’ll update along the way. Just wanted to give you a sneak peek for now. And….I did finish my closet/office makeover, I just need to find the time to blog about it, so that is on its way, but for now, I’m off to get a building permit! Have a great day! Thanks for coming by!

An Auction Find Redone!…

Posted on March 6, 2012 by The Savvy Stager

Hello everyone! I hope you’re all having a great week. What a week of crazy weather! Here in Idaho we had temperatures in the mid 60′s for a couple of days, then this morning snow! That warm weather definitely inspired me to get some outside chores done, but now I’m afraid I may have jumped the gun a little. I planted a bunch of asparagus bulbs and now I’m afraid that I may have planted them a little early. I guess we’ll see….I’m dreaming of pickled asparagus! I learned how to can last summer, so I’m pretty eager to do some pickled beans and asparagus this year. It was definitely nice having the warmer weather, but really hard to go back to snow and a ton of icy wind today. Owell, it was nice while it lasted.

In other news, my hubs and I are embarking on our biggest DIY project ever this weekend and I’m sceeered!! I’m sure it will be great, it’s just a little nerve-wracking when you experiment on your home…First step is demo and that’s what’s got me the most concerned. I’m an organization person big time. EVERYTHING has its place and by golly I’m gonna put it there. I’ve actually gotten worse as I’ve gotten older, so the disarray of a remodel has me panicked! I’ll be posting photos throughout the process so you’ll get to see the devastation in all its glory.

So on to what I wanted to show you…I scored a couple of side tables last week at an auction and I just finished giving them a makeover. Here’s the before:

There are actually two of them, but they are solid wood and so stinkin’ heavy that I only drug one inside for the picture. Here they are all prettied up:

I took the picture outside in the sun during all that warm weather

First I sanded them using my electric sander.

Then I painted them with a black Behr paint with primer. The drawers got a light grey by Gliddon and a damask stencil.

I’m listing these on Craigslist later today. How much do you think I should ask for them? They are really good quality and solid wood. I’m pretty happy with how they turned out. I’ve been working on my organization center/office closet redo and I’m almost ready for the reveal on that, but for now…I’m exhausted….Thanks for coming by!

I’m linking up to:

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DIY Chandeliers For Super Cheap!

Posted on March 3, 2012 by The Savvy Stager

Hello everyone! I hope you’re all having a great Saturday. How ’bout those tornadoes yesterday?! Thank goodness nobody I know was directly affected, but how scary and devastating! I heard that there was golf ball sized hail in some areas also! There is a lot of piece of mind that comes with living in Idaho! We don’t have potentially devastating weather very often, thank goodness.

Anyways…I’m working on redoing some side tables that I bought at an auction recently, but they aren’t quite ready for the big reveal, so instead I’m gonna talk a little about chandeliers. I LOVE chandeliers, and always have. Most new chandeliers (at least of any larger size) are going to run you a couple of hundred dollars, so how do you get a similar look on a budget? You find one second-hand and give it a makeover!

I really wish I had some before pictures for you on these, but unfortunately I don’t. These were done before my blogging days, so I am only able to show the “after” and the “how to’s”.

This chandelier in my daughters bedroom is probably my favorite. I got it years ago.

Here’s where it’s a total bummer that I don’t have before pictures. I found this at a yard sale for $10 and it was hideous! It was a cream color and someone else had already attempted to give it a makeover by painting the little leaves green and the flowers pink. It was a nice try, but I’m not surprised they decided to yard sale it. It didn’t have any crystals on it at that point either. I spray painted it black and adorned it with crystals that I have collected from yard sales, flea markets, etc. The crystal garland was actually purchased from Bombay Company as it was going out of business. It has always been a favorite of mine, and it seems to be the first thing people notice when they go into my daughter’s bedroom. Here are a couple more pictures of it:

The installation itself is super easy also. First turn off all the electricity leading to the room, then just connect the wires on the chandelier to the corresponding wires from the fixture you removed. It really is easier than it mays seem.

I recently switched out a couple of can lights in my kitchen eating area for some chandeliers that I found at a Habitat for Humanity store here in Boise. Those kinds of places are located in most towns and are the perfect place to find used home improvement items at a fraction of the price. Keep in mind that you have to use your imagination, because most of these things need a makeover. After all, that’s why someone donated it to the store in the first place . Here are my chandeliers in my breakfast area:

Again, I don’t have any before photos, but both of these chandeliers were different colors to begin with, and they didn’t have the crystals. I spray painted them both with an oil rubbed bronze. The crystals are actually two candle holders that I bought many years ago. I modified the candle holders a bit, and just put them right on top of the neck of the chandelier (the chandelier can be dissasembled and put back together rather easily.) Obviously the chandeliers don’t match perfectly, but they are close enough. They both had glass globe shades on them also, but I knew I wanted those to go. Here’s a close up:

Those light bulbs are actually chandelier bulbs. If you notice, one has a skinnier base, and the other has a wider base. Here’s what I’m talking about:

The bulb in the middle has a wider base, while the one on the right has a narrower base. The bulbs actually look the same once they are screwed into the fixture. I got both kinds of bulbs at Wal-mart, and they are only like $2-3.00 a box. Some light fixtures require the bigger base, while some are fitted for the smaller base.

The last detail is the round medallion at the top of the chandelier. I used that because when the can light was removed, the hole underneath it was bigger than the chandelier base. These were purchased at home depot and there are quite a few to choose from. I went with super simple because I wanted them to blend with the existing ceiling as much as possible. Here’s a photo of the medallions:

If I had wanted to, I could have put little shades on them also, like this:

That of course is a really expensive chandelier that I found on Overstock.com, but if that is the look you’re going for, it is attainable on a budget!

I have a couple of other places in the house that I plan on adding chandeliers to. Do you have any existing chandeliers you can give a makeover to? You know those awesome brass ones that were so popular in the 90′s? With a little work you can make them fabulous! Thanks for coming by! Have a great day!

Some Important Info About the Blog and a Couple of Easy Projects…

Posted on March 1, 2012 by The Savvy Stager

Hello everyone! I hope you are having a great week! I’ve been super busy around here, and not with the fun stuff. The computer side of blogging is just not a good time (at least the set-up part). I’ve made a few changes here at The Savvy Stager, and I want to share them with you.

First I want to tell you a little about this blog. When I first started this blog I knew where I wanted it to go, but I didn’t want to fully commit. I wasn’t sure how it would be received or how much I would enjoy it. Not only have I discovered that I LOVE blogging, but I’ve gotten an awesome response from my readers. Blogging is more than just journaling (at least the kind of blogging I’m doing). It involves taking pictures, editing them, giving step by step directions, proofreading….all on top of the project you are showcasing! Customizing the blog is no easy task either.

My intent with this blog is to showcase DIY projects with step by step tutorials so that they can easily be recreated, all with a very small budget! My goal is to eventually sell advertising space and obtain sponsors. This will take time! You have to show a committment to blogging several times a week as well as a strong following. It is a slow process but for me it is very rewarding. Decorating is my passion and I’m finding that blogging about it is well worth the effort. You see, staying home with my kids is the most important thing in the world to me. I don’t want to miss a thing, yet I’m ready to start generating some income again.

So that leads me to the changes I’ve recently made on the blog. Up until today I was using a free blog. I wasn’t having to pay a thing, but it came with many limitations. In order to get the blog where I want it to go, it was necessary that I start paying for a self-hosted blog, as well as purchase my unique domain name. Now I’m committed! I have found that customizing this new blog is really a skill in itself, and it is nowhere near the way I want it to look, but that will come with time. If you enjoy this blog I am asking that you subscribe to it and continue to read it. Your following is what I need for success, and to be able to continue doing what I love so much! My new address is www.thesavvystagerinc.com. I have transferred all of the content from my last blog to the new one, but if you were previously following that one, you will have to switch to the new address. I will continue to upload all of my posts on Facebook to make it easier. I don’t want to lose anyone that is currently following me!!

Ok, enough of the serious stuff. This week I made a couple of little things with supplies I found at thrift stores. The first one is a hair accessory holder for my friends daughter’s room makeover. I started with this:

I had no idea what it was, I just liked the curvy frame. My friend informed me that it is a spoon holder. OK, sure…I immediately envisioned it being the perfect hair accessory holder for a young girl’s bedroom. I took it to my ~~spray paint booth~~ yard, and gave it a coat of flat black paint.

Next I cut black ribbon and ran it through the spoon holes and hot glued it to the back like so:

Here it is all finished with some cute little accessories:

I realize that the chances of finding another spoon holder is pretty rare, but this can be done with any kind of picture frame that is missing the glass. I actually made a couple of these for my daughter using some thrift store frames and ribbon a couple of years ago.

The other little thing I made is for my daughter. I found this piece of metal at the thrift store for a dollar. I believe that they sell these at hardware stores and even some craft stores.

It had two little holes already drilled in the top, but if it didn’t, that would be easy to do yourself. I sprayed it white and looped some ribbon through the holes, then added some damask sticker-type appliques. You can find these everywhere from craft stores to target. I found some cute little magnets at Wal-Mart, and here you have it:

And here’s my little princess:

I think she loves it! Repurposing thrift store finds is something I really enjoy. It’s amazing what you can make using other people’s junk! Thanks so much for coming by. I hope you will continue to follow me on this new blog. Oh, and I LOVE your sweet comments, both here and on Facebook! I really appreciate all of you! Have a great day!