Mirrored Candle Sconces

Well, remember my dining room - the one I had juuuuusssssst about finished? Remember that it still needed one more thing???

That one more thing I needed for the walls were mirrored candle sconces. 

Like this

But a little less modern

more like this - I heart this one but not the price tag :(

These are not terrible expensive (like some I found - $200 each - egad!) - but I'm still not paying $50 each.

This is what I wanted but couldn't find. They were either too expensive OR if they were the right price, they were much too small. I needed something to be about 24 inches tall and around 12 inches wide. I needed it to be a rather substantial piece on the wall. Not a tiny, small, little thing. 

So, since I couldn't find what I wanted - I made it!

First, I pulled out 2 old mirrors I had used when I was attempting a mirror wall - that didn't work out so much but, like any good hoarder decorator I kept all the mirrors!

 Then I went shopping to try and find 2 small taper holders. 

Don't even get me started on how hard that turned out to be. Seriously. Any other time I would see small taper holders everywhere. Except when I am looking for them. *sigh* 

Anywhooo - I settled on two from Hobby Lobby. They were on sale for .99 cents each. 

And I also picked up some Epoxy at Hobby Lobby too.

I was a little intimidated by the Epoxy at first - but the stuff mixes easily and goes on smoothly. I think it's AWESOME now! I'm a believer!

So then I figured out where to Epoxy the taper holders onto all the scroll work on the mirrors. 

Added the Epoxy, put the taper holders on, attempted to keep them level...

and held my breath....

for 5 hours...until I couldn't stand it anymore

And I hung them up

Yes, that is my wine glass. Probably why the picture is off center. oops!

But I'm thrilled with how they turned out!

They stayed up, nothing fell, no drapes caught fire!
Ohmygoodness - my idea works!

Again, these are just teaser shots of the dining room. A real, true reveal is coming...but currently the husband has the dining room as a work surface as he is re-doing the windows in our bedroom. He scrapes and sands outside...then brings them inside to stain one side and paint the other - in the dining room. Ah....such is life when you are renovating a home!
When he is finished with all that craziness I will do a dining room reveal post!

My lesson in all of this was that if you can't find what you want - make it! This project cost me $5.50 - $2 for the 2 taper holders and $3.50 for the Epoxy!

I'm linkin up with

The Girl Creative

The DIY Showoff



It's So Very Cheri



 Sumo's Sweet Stuff

and Tools Are For Women, too!

I have a chalkboard problem

I do.

Seriously.

I'm addicted.

Admitting you have a problem is the first step - right?

I have a problem.

Just look.

There are 3 in my kitchen alone. 

Here's one. (please excuse the tools on my Chambers - my husband thinks of it as a catch-all spot - don't get me started - I digress - just look at the chalkboard!)

Here's a better shot of it 

Here's another on the back of my newly re-done island

And these little dollar store gems.

I took this during the painting of the chalkboard paint. 

There is one in the kitchen next to the coffee maker - it has the word "smile" on it.

Although I am generally smiling if I am getting coffee.

Here is another one of the silver trays

Out on my front porch. 

(Oh and I just bought a new door mat today. The fall leaves mat will go away until this autumn.)

This one is in my dining room.

I haven't done my reveal post for the dining room yet because I need one more thing. Consider this a teaser.

This is how that chalkboard started.

*BLEK*

 But - it was $5 at a junk store. 

SCORE!

I sanded it down first

  then I Heirloom'd it

Then sanded it a bit again to rough it up and

then painted on the chalkboard paint

And now I have this in my newly re-done dining room

My son has 4 chalkboard surfaces in his room

This little blue chalkboard that sits by his bed

This sign on his crate is a chalkboard 

This is the other one.

And he has an art easel that is a chalkboard on 1 side. (I didn't make that one though)

I heart chalkboard paint. 

It makes me happy. 

I change the sayings out on the ones in my kitchen every week.

AND I love having that large one in my dining room. I decide on the menu for the week and put it on there and then everyone knows what we are having and when. 

It makes me smile. I'm going to try and find some chalkboard markers tomorrow - they are supposed to be FABULOUS. Here's hoping they have them at Micheal's.

So how about ya'll? Is there any one thing craft wise that you just LURVE?

I'm linking up!
Hodgepodge Friday over at It's a Hodgepodge Life
 

Trash to Treasure Friday Blog Hop at Trash to Treasure Decorating (my favorite kind!)




It's Follow Friday!

I love this blog hop - great way to find new blogs and make new friends!

And remember - I'm going to be doing a giveaway of some GORGEOUS hand-stamped jewelry as soon as I hit 50 followers! Keep checking back!

Dining room previews and cat food

What?

Yep, that's what I named this post. Why you ask? They are the two things that have dominated my past week...

Seriously.

Wait - I'll explain.

Ok, so here are some preliminary pictures of the dining room - which is the first thing that was in the forefront of last week for me.

I stress again, preliminary.

The furniture is not moved back into place, there are no window treatments up yet and NOTHING has been hung up in there. Yet. I hope you can get a feel for the color. It really is a chameleon shade. Sometimes it is more green. Sometimes more yellow/gold. Sometimes much more gray. It is Burlap - Sherwin Williams.

Here we go...

This is the wall next to the built in China Cabinet. See - the radio is still sitting there from when we were painting. Must paint to Classic Rock. 

Next to one of the windows. AND some fake window treatments. It is a sheet. I was trying to get a feel for a White window treatment. I liked the feeling I got. A lot. 

Just another shot of the room - the corner between the two large windows. And part of the ceiling. And my $17.99 clearance lamp from Hobby Lobby. hee hee. Love me some clearance stuff - especially when it was originally marked $89.99. 

These are of the other corner of the room. Oh, I love this color so much more than the RED. It isn't YELLING at me anymore. It was angry before. Now it is much more calm. Peaceful. Serene even - even with all the mess. Ok, sorry, I went off on a tangent. I'm back. 

The second shot also has the other China Cabinet in it - the one I want to move to the kitchen and PAINT. I got no responses on that one...maybe the jury is still out. 

Looking out through the Dining room french doors into the living room. You can also see the door leading into the kitchen on the right. And Piper's sippy cup sitting on the table. 

Oh, speaking of Piper....

here she is....with the second thing that dominated my last week

See that? She's getting a handful of cat food. 

Yep.

I feed her ALL THE TIME real food, yummy food. And every.single.time. she is on the floor anywhere near the kitchen...she makes a BEELINE for the dang cat food. 

And does this

always before I can get to her. I am continually digging cat food out of her mouth. I know. 

 *shudder* 

I can't even talk about it. Which is why I'm blogging about it I guess. *shaking head*

All I can figure out is that it must be good because she will refuse Banana. But loves this stuff. 

At least she hasn't discovered the litter box. Yet.