Giveaway Winner and Some Fun for Everyone!

Good morning, everyone! I want to thank you all for your interest in my 200th post Giveaway.

The winner of Family Fragrance is SongbirdTiff, which is ironic because hers is a blog I enjoy reading regularly. (I asked T to pick a number, and then I went through all the entries--some of you had more than one--and found the corresponding number)

Please contact me with your info. so I can get your prize to you. Enjoy!

Now, on to the fun part!

One of the things I love most about blogging is getting a peak into the lives of other bloggers! Some of my favorite posts to read on other blogs are the ones where a homeowner shares parts of her home, and the way she has feathered her nest.

But I'd wager to say that just about all of us have one or two (or ten!) problem areas that we'd love to have some help with.

This is where my fun announcement comes in:

I am going to host my first ever blog party!

On August 12th (a Wednesday), I'm asking you to link up to me with a post featuring something in your home you'd love to have some input on.

I don't care if it's something as small as "what color should I paint this chair?", "where should I hang this new chalkboard?" or something as large as "Help! My kids set fire to the Living room and now I need to redecorate! What do I do?" OR you could even post some before and after photos of solutions you've found for your Decorating Dilemmas. Inside, outside, crafty stuff, thrifty stuff, decor, organization...I don't care! Just have fun with it!

I'll ask everyone to swing by each other's blogs and leave a helpful suggestion or two (in kindness, please...no "Your bathroom is the ugliest thing I've ever seen in my life" comments).

I'll try my hand at Mr. Linky, but if he won't work with me, we'll just do links in the comments section.

I am awarding a prize to the blogger whose post I like best. I don't particularly have any criteria for this prize....I might even just choose randomly.

This

and this
and maybe another little something if I can get my act together. I thought these magazines, which are new for the Fall, looked like fun reads. (Edited to add: This giveaway is for linky party participants only. Gotta have some incentive, right, ladies?)

So what do you all think? I know for sure that I have at least twenty one project I'd like to work on that I'd love to have some input from my bloggy friends. We all love to showcase our triumphs. Why not share the areas that might need a little boost?

Let me know if this sounds like fun to you...commenting in no way commits you to the party! I'm just curious to see if it's something you all might enjoy. Right now, my sister and Xazmin promised they'd play. Even if it's just the three of us, we'll have a blast.

Let's help each other out and have some fun doing it.

I'll post some more reminders as we get closer, and if you want to include my "button" in your post (it's really just a picture because I can't figure out that html stuff!) that would be great!

{Mark your calendars, friends!}

Thrifty Thursday: It's Chic to Be Cheap {22}

I'm teaming this edition of Thrifty Thursday up with a blog party hosted by Julia at Hooked on Houses. Every week, Julia hosts a "Hooked On" party, where readers can link up and share what makes them happy. If you've never visited Hooked on Houses before, you are missing a real treat. I love seeing how other people live, whether they are celebrities, ficitonal movie characters, or people in the MLS system with very odd tastes. Please visit Julia today, and let her know I sent you!


{Sign-ups for my 200th post Giveaway end tonight at 9 pm, so you may still be able to enter. If the giveaway isn't your thing, please be sure to check in tomorrow morning (Friday) for a big announcement. Hint: It's something fun that will involve all of you, and there's potential to win another prize!}

{Hooked On: Embroidery Hoops}

What's making me smile this week? The arrival of my Pottery Barn Kids catalog.

I've seen one or two other blogs showcase beautiful fabric framed in embroidery hoops.

Before I saw the potential, when I pictured embroidery hoops, I pictured my mom circa 1987, with her 80s poof hair style, working on a cross stich with ducks or bears or something. Not so cool, huh?

So it really made me smile when I thumbed through the catalog and saw several fabric filled embroidery hoops on page 21. There are several grouped on the bulletin board, and one large one to the right on the wall. I love the fun, whimsical fabric the designers chose!

Talk about an inexpensive and fun way to dress up the walls in your child's room! (photo from Pottery Barn)

I've found several hoops here and there at yard sales and thrift shops...I even have a few neat metal ones. You can purchase them at any craft store, but most of mine were 25 cents or $1 for a bunch.

My local scrapbook store sends out occasional email newsletters, and this little project caught my eye.

The artist used lightweight canvas to create these fun works of art. I love the blue one with the black and white photos. This would be a fun pop of color on a Family room wall!

I am going one project at a time here on L Avenue. Currently, I am hurrying to get ready for my sister's bridal shower this Saturday. One of her best friends, Meggan is hosting with me, and my sis-in-law (sis-in-love) SuSu is helping us prepare.

One of these days, I'll brave the wilds of the upstairs bedrooms and make some beautiful, thrifty art with my embroidery hoops!

How 'bout you?

{What are you hooked on this week?}

Hope to see you tomorrow morning when I announce the Giveaway winner and the next little *fun* thing!

DIY: Easy Flower Hairclips (Easy to Make, Easy on Your Wallet)

"If you're a fly girl...get your hair did."

Who knew I'd be quoting Missy Elliot for this edition on my blog?!!

I am editing this post to link up to Kimba's fabulous DIY blog party at A Soft Place to Land. This is quickly becoming my favorite day of the week because not only do I get to watch So You Think You Can Dance, but I get to check out other readers' fabulous DIY projects on Kimba's site. Can we say "Inspiration?" I ran this post a few months ago when I had fewer readers, so hopefully it's new to many of you!

Like many moms of little girls, I love fixing my kids' hair. I do not, however, love to spend lots of money on fixing their hair. I once spent $$$ dollars on a clip-on bow half the size of my pinky finger, only to have a toddler Natalie rip it out. I found it two years later. In the car. Let's just say that it wasn't white anymore.

Some time ago, my friend L introduced me to the online Boutique, Spoiled Rotten Girls, where they sell instructions on how to make your own hairbows. Unfortunately, all the pictures and words just confuse me, so I rely on L to occasionally just make them for me. It's a nice trade off... She reads my blog, she makes me some hair bows. A fair arrangement, I think, and not at all one-sided. (If you are in the mood for actual professional hair bows, visit Xazmin or L)

When I saw this post by Ashley at Domestic Fashionista, I knew I had to give the hair bow thing another try.

First, I gathered some supplies. I have a small, cheap-o hot glue gun, some scissors, and some small alligator clips (I purchase mine at a local beauty supply store). The yellow flowers, like Ashley's, I bought at Michael's (or insert your own craft store name here) with a 40% off coupon. The little felt flowers were actually pins, and they were 50 cents at JoAnn Fabric.

L's tip is to line the inside of the alligator clips first with velvet ribbon. This comes in handy for a toddler's fine hair and makes it stay much better! I just dabbed some hot glue in there, and ta-da, it's lined!

After that, I ripped the metal pin off the back of the felt flower, hot glued it to the clip....drum roll, please....

Voila! CHEAP hair bow!!! I already had the glue, clip, and velvet ribbon. So-- a cutie-pie hair doodad for 50 cents...not bad. Please excuse her ghetto-frizzy hair...it's been a long morning.

Here's the other one in orange. A certain three year old was not a cooperative model. It's so hard to find good help these days.

I plan on doing the same thing with the yellow scrapbooking flowers. I could even wear one of those! I saw a bunch of similar hair accessories in Ulta last weekend...for lots more money!

{Be creative, and have fun!}

{If you haven't had a chance to sign up for my 200th post Giveaway yet, please visit Sunday's post. If the idea of creating a welcoming environment in your home for your family and friends appeals to you, then this is the Giveaway for you! Sign-up ends tonight at 9 pm, so please enter now. Check back on Friday for another fun announcement that will involve everyone!}

Boy Toy

Meet Ken (in the chair). He's Michaela Byrd's little boyfriend.

She calls him "baaaaybeee" and loves to carry him around the house. Ken is always up for something fun.

Ken is the perfect boyfriend. He might not be the snappiest dresser (those doll clothes are circa 1985), but he loves to ride with us when we go shopping!

He also doesn't complain about the food around here. He never peaks at new dishes and asks disdainfully, "Is there cheese in this?"

Not that I know anyone who does that or anything.


He always lets Michaela Byrd finish off the Goldfish crackers.

Maybe I need a Boy Toy.

But only if he drives a Pink Corvette.

{If you haven't had a chance to sign up for my 200th post Giveaway yet, please visit Sunday's post. If the idea of creating a welcoming environment in your home for your family and friends appeals to you, then this is the Giveaway for you! Check back on Friday for another fun announcement that will involve everyone!}

Tasty Tuesday: Mini Burgers to Tempt Any Tummy!

Happy Tasty Tuesday! If you are looking for some wonderful recipes, please visit Jen at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam today!

If you haven't had a chance to sign up for my 200th post Giveaway yet, please visit Sunday's post. If the idea of creating a welcoming environment in your home for your family and friends appeals to you, then this is the Giveaway for you! Check back on Friday for another fun announcement that will involve everyone!

T finally broke down and built our deck over the weekend. Of course, the first thing he wanted to do was grill some burgers on the new grill!

I don't know about your kids, but my three year old, Natalie, can't eat a grown-up size hamburger, and it looks so silly (and unappetizing!) to put her tiny little patty on a large bun.

We had two buns that were a few days older than the ones I had just purchased, so I decided to make my girls their own Mini Burgers, or "sliders," as they are called on an overpriced appetizer list.

I started with the buns and two biscuit cutters. (Smaller one for Michaela Byrd, my 18 month old)
I just pressed through the bun with the biscuit cutter and peeled away the extra.
You could save the extra bread to feed to the birds (or ducks, if there are any nearby!). I divided mine between the dog and the two ravenous children who were crowding me. (The grill was slow to heat)


When the burgers finally did cook, my girls each had their own mini burger. Natalie ate hers in record time. Michaela Byrd, whose idea of a meal is two grapes and some yogurt, mostly played with hers, but she did like the bread.

I did some searching and found a great recipe for sliders on Allrecipes.com. Now you can make your own and not spend $42 at The Cheesecake Factory!

Slider-Style Mini Burgers
from Allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS
2 pounds ground beef
1 (1.25 ounce) envelope onion soup mix
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
24 packages dinner rolls, split
1/2 cup sliced pickles (optional)

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F. Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.
2. Mix together the ground beef and onion soup mix in a large skillet; cook and stir over medium-high heat until browned. Remove from heat. Stir the mayonnaise and Cheddar cheese into the ground beef mixture.
3. Lay the bottoms of the dinner rolls on the prepared baking sheet. Spread the cheese and beef mixture on the bottom half of each roll. Replace the tops. Cover with another sheet of aluminum foil sprayed with cooking spray.
4. Bake in the preheated oven until the burgers are heated through and cheese melts, about 30 minutes.

As you can see, I served the girls' mini burgers with fresh asparagus (see my recipe here), fries, and fruit. I had at least one happy camper!

{Bon Appetit!}

*Edited: The amazing Lindsay at Living with Lindsay is featuring my Embellished Lampshade Project on her "Teach Me Tuesday" post today. If you want to see what a blog of someone who actually knows how to decorate, go visit Lindsay today! She always has something fabulous going on at her spot.

Teaser {from 200th Post Giveaway!}

This is #201!

If you haven't had a chance to sign up for my 200th post Giveaway, please check out my link to enter!

I thought I'd offer another quick excerpt from Family Fragrance for those of you who are interested. Gail Ledbetter writes:

"Thomas Kincade has become one of the most popular artists of our time, and it's no wonder. His pictures exude love and warmth, belonging and cheer, caring and detail. Like a large, jolly innkeeper of days gone by, they always greet us with a loud 'Welcome!'....

If we could choose only one word to describe his paintings, some might choose beauty, warmth, loving, or belonging. But I would contribute the word hospitality, that invitation to join in simply because one has dropped by, urged to join in whether the home is ready for company or not. One will be accepted here.

Atmosphere is the light that glows from inside a home. What we want our family to feel when they pull into the driveway of our home is the anticipation of love, warmth, beauty, and belonging that exudes from Kincade's paintings."

I think that pretty much says it all! That's the kind of home I want to have.

Please be sure to check back on Friday (you can enter to win the Giveaway by clicking the link at the top of the post) to see who won.

I'll have another fun announcement that will include everyone, regardless of whether or not you win! Then there will be another opportunity to win another Giveaway!

Here's to being intentional about creating a "glowing" atmosphere in our homes!

See you tomorrow!

Thrifty Treasures & My 200th Post Giveaway!

This is my 200th post! If you stick with me until the end of this post, please check out my Giveaway. When I announce the winner on Friday morning, there will be another exciting announcement that will involve everyone and you'll have a chance to win another Giveaway!

But first things first! You see the button here, so you know it's time for Thrifty Treasures! Please be sure to check out Miss Rhoda's new and improved Southern Hospitality blog to see what kind of amazing bargains everyone found over the weekend. Rhoda has some sort of yard sale treasure sixth sense...I don't know how she manages to come home with all of those diamonds in the rough.

Just a simple, average ceramic pumpkin, right?

Turn it around, and it's actually a little "house" for a tea light!

$6 is a little more than I'd normally spend on something at Goodwill, but I had some cash, and it says "Hallmark" on the bottom, so I am assuming it was a lot more than $6 at one time, considering the size and weight of the piece. Also, Natalie begged me. I'll just have to find a nice Autumn home for this pumpkin.

I spotted this tray for $2! It has nice, clean lines, and I will be spray painting it white this week to use at my sister's bridal shower this coming Saturday. I might use it to hold the favors.

This is my favorite find of the week...it doesn't need any work! I got it at Salvation Army last week for $1.50, and I knew Rhoda has one too. She showcased it here on her old site. When I asked her about it, she said someone told her it's a Southern Living at home piece.

I plan on filling the bottom with tissue paper or something and using it to hold the silverware at the shower. This is the third Southern Living at Home piece I've scored at a yard sale or thrift store! I love the chippy details.

Now for the GIVEAWAY!

200 hundred posts is not too shabby, and I'd like to first thank all of you for sticking with me! Besides my sister; Suzanne, Paula, and Donna were my very first readers, and they still faithfully stop by to visit and comment. That means a lot to me.

This blog has become such a great spot for me to not only share funny stories and my attempts at updating my home, but I've also had the priviledge of meeting some really wonderful people!

It's fitting that my 200th post should fall on a Thrifty Treasures post because so many of you have inspired me to realize that just because I have two kids now and can't go out and buy whatever I want anymore doesn't mean that I can't create a home that is both pleasing to the eye and welcoming.

I've been reading a lot about Christmas in July lately, and that got me started thinking about the quickly approaching holidays. I decided that I want to plan ahead even more this year so that I can enjoy Christmas with my family, and not feel like a big ball of sleepy stress.

Something that goes hand in hand with cooler weather, the holidays, and comfort food is the idea of setting up family traditions and creating a warm environment for your family to enjoy while they spend more time at home.

I'd like to give away a copy of Family Fragrance by J. Otis and Gail Ledbetter. On the cover it reads "Practical, Intentional Ways to Fill Your Home with the Aroma of Love."

That might seem a little cheesy to you, but after thumbing through my copy (I got one for me too!) I think this book can be a helpful resource to anyone who wants to make their home an inviting place. You don't have to have children (young OR old!) or a spouse to want people to enjoy the time they spend in your home. (Guys who are reading this, you'll probably get major brownie points for presenting your girlfriend, fiancee, or wife with a copy of this book.)

Some of the ideas might be a little old-fashioned, but the basic premise still stands. Here's an excerpt, so you know what you might be winning:

"Family fragrance is not dreamy-eyed sentimentality. What we want our family members to feel when they pull into the driveway of our home is a reality so inviting, they can't wait to get inside..."

The authors focus on "how-tos" to help the reader create a home that cultivates intentional warmth through AROMA:

A ffection
R espect
O rder
M erriment
A ffirmation

I hope the lucky winner will have a chance to read this book in time to create a safe haven in their home in time for the holidays!

TO ENTER:
1. Just leave me a comment letting me know you'd like to win (so I can differentiate between those of you just commenting on my Thrifty Finds). If you don't have a blog, please leave me an email address so I can find you! Continental U.S. residents only, please. (Sorry, guys, can't afford postage to New Zealand!)
2. Followers get an extra entry. Please let me know if you are a Follower!!
3. Leave me a separate comment after you've blogged about my giveaway for a third entry

I will announce the winner on Friday morning (July 31st) and then I'll announce ANOTHER fun event that all of you can participate in! (I promise it's going to be so much fun!!) There will be another Giveaway for that event.

Thanks so much for sticking with me today...I know this was a long post, but I wanted to be sure to highlight this awesome book so you know what you'll be (possibly!) winning.

{Good luck and Happy Thrifting!}

The Chick Flick Club?

**This is post #199! Check in tomorrow for a Thrifty Treasures post and my GIVEAWAY!!**

I was able to round up a bunch of girlfriends last night to go see The Ugly Truth:

I loved Katherine Heigl in 27 Dresses, so I was excited to see how she fared in this new flick. I'm not a prude by any means, but I think the movie would have been funnier with a bit less of the crude sexual humor. Still, it was a fun movie to see with my girlfriends.

After the film, most of us hung around the sidewalk to chat for a bit, as it was late enough that nothing except for Super Wal-Mart was open. I brought up the idea that we need to form some sort of monthly Chick Flick club--a great alternative to begging your husband to take you to see the latest Sex and the City film...you know your girlfriends will go with you! (For the record, I think T would rather perform his own tonsillectomy to watching Carrie Bradshaw and the girls parade around Manhattan.)

We saw several trailers that looked interesting, and I think it's safe to say that the M theatre will be graced with our giddy presence several times in the coming months. I thought I'd share with you too if you like Sneak Previews!



I haven't read The Time Traveler's Wife, but I hear it's excellent. It looks like a cry cry movie, but I love Rachel McAdams...her hair is so pretty! (Yes, I judge by hairstyles...I think Amy Adams' hair in the Julie/Julia previews looks atrocious!) I guess I'll just wear waterproof mascara to this one!

If you haven't seen The Proposal, you must. Or at least hit up Red Box when it comes out on DVD. It was really cute, and I loved the chemistry between Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock. My friend L thinks that Sandra's make-up made her look too old, and I have to agree with her.



This trailer scared the begeezes out of me. I want to see Shutter Island anyway because in my head I am still 17 kissing my Romeo/Jack from Titanic posters every night I think Leo is a wonderfully talented actor. L loves scary stuff, so I know at least she'll be game for it.

I am saving the best for last, my friends. If I could buy my ticket now, I would. L, myself, and some other too old but channeling our inner angst-ridden teen vibe friends plan to go on opening night to see New Moon. We might just squeal with all the teenage girls when Edward appears on screen.



The great part of starting a Chick Flick Club with these girls is that we all pretty much agreed that going to a late show works because we have time to put the kids to bed (so husbands can't complain!), the theatre is not packed, and L can sneak us in some Dollar Store candy (thanks, L!)

{Do you do anything like this with your friends?}

Hooked on: Dutch Doors

Today I'm linking to Julia at Hooked on Houses for her "Hooked On..." party! Go check out her site to see what everyone else is so happy about.

~Please also be sure to check back here soon. This is post #198, and I have several special things planned for #200!~

I've always thought Dutch Doors were so cute!

Love the finish on this one!

That's a mud room I'd love to come home to!

If my girls' play house looked like this, I bet they'd stay out for hours!

(Images from Google)

When Kate at Centsational Girl asked me about a Dutch Door I'd mentioned in a comment on her blog, I knew what I'd share for this week's "Hooked On" party.

Our Living room is just a long room set on one side of our home. When you closed the door to the Living room, you were really isolated from the rest of the house, especially since it opens from the Kitchen, which is usually a hub for traffic. (In hindsight, I bet T wishes he still had some isolation in there from all the estrogen in our home)

T got it in his head one day that he was going to make a Dutch door for the Living room. Knowing that this would involve lots of hammering, drilling, and a fair amount of cursing, I kept my mouth shut and waited to see the results. T is not a carpenter, but he is pretty handy, and I liked the results.

Looks like sort of a regular door, huh?

Ta da! This is a door with super powers! (It is a pity the view you have is of the heinous brass reading lamp he won't let me get rid of...)

I have no idea what the hardware on this baby is called, but this is a shot of the top of the little ledge that graces the lower half of the door.

Here's a photo from the front. The brass hurts my heart.

Photo of the underside of the top portion of the door. This is what clicks and holds the two doors together when they shut so they don't swing around.

T is a total MacGyver. He didn't build the door out of floss and twigs or anything, but he did manage to saw a completely fine door in half and rig it up as a Dutch door.

Now I can see what the kids are doing (trying to teach Michaela Byrd to somersault..she'd have none of it!) while I'm in the kitchen. It also works for yappy dogs...I can shut Emma Woodhouse in there when we have company!

But I can't leave a face like that on the other side of the door for too long!

I can't remember the total cost of this project, but it was considerably less than calling a carpenter over. If your husband is handy, or if you let your kids play with power tools, this could be an easy fix for you!

{What are you hooked on this week?}

Thrifty Thursday: It's Chic to Be Cheap {21}

Okay, this is a real stretch for a Thrifty Thursday post, but I'm gonna try to make it work. (I have about a million things to do before my sister's bridal shower next weekend, so this will be quick!)

Those of you who are moms can probably relate to me.

I love Girls' Night Out (even had a Thrifty Thursday post on Girls' Night), getting coffee with friends, shopping, late runs to Target...all of the above. But after the heads of those two little girlies of mine hit their pillows, I am usually exhausted.

Some nights, all I have the energy left to do is sit in a stupor and hang out with my friend TiVo. You all know my summer (and soon to be Fall!) obsession is So You Think You Can Dance. TiVo and I have spent many a fun hour or two watching amazing dancers perform this summer. Well, I watch and TiVo fast-forwards for me.

I even managed to convert my friend L. That's all I needed, just one convert.

L and my sister-in-law (SuSu) came over last week to watch with me. Talk about a thrifty Girls' Night Out! We made chocolate cake in a mug (to die for!) and watched the show together!

If you haven't seen the show yet, tonight is the 100th episode, and they are planning a big show. There will be several encores of popular dances from past seasons, and Ellen Degeneres will be probably be back as a guest judge (she was hilarious last night!).

So if you need a cheap Girls' Night Out (or even a fun night in by yourself, or with friends!) that needs no planning, tune in tonight on Fox. You can see amazing performances like this (fast forward to 1:59):

DIY: Ribbon and Button Embellished Lamp Shade 101

Let's begin, shall we?

Welcome, class, to Ribbon and Button Embellished Lamp Shade 101.

My name is Amanda, and I will be your professor today.

Okay, I have a confession...I do not have a doctorate in lamp shade embellishing. I don't even have an undergrad in that sort of thing. I think I skimmed that chapter in Forster's Howards End.

I don't even have a syllabus for y'all, but I do have some pictures, so I hope you'll stick around! This was my first time embellishing a lamp shade, but I like the end results.

I picked up this lamp shade a few weeks ago at Wal-Mart for my new craft/work area. (I know we've been over how ick WM can be, but I have found that their newish Better Homes and Gardens line is worth the trip to the gates of hell the store and back.) I think I spent $9 to $10 on the shade.

Here she is perched on the new lamp, also from BHandG. Okay looking, but just kind of "meh."

Miss Shade had a rendezvous with my friend Fabri-Tac adhesive and a spool of black ribbon that I had left over from my desk makeover. I love Fabri-Tac because a little goes a long way. I've had this bottle since last Fall, and I've used it for several big projects. It still sticks to your fingers like hot glue, but you don't get burned. It also holds. Very well.

I started with the back of the shade on the seam and just started putting small amounts of the adhesive, pressing down gently as I went along.

Um, this is where I admit that I am still a crafter-in-training. It didn't occur to me until I had several inches glued down that the ribbon would start to pucker at the top as it tried to curve with the shade. (blushing)

No matter. I devised a system to make some little faux "pleats." I simply folded the ribbon back in the opposite direction, putting a tiny dot of glue in between the two layers.

Then I folded it back again, created a little bubbly pleat thing. Maybe there is a design word for it. As your professor, I ought to know this, but I don't. I started measuring every 4 1/2 to 5 inches and putting one of those little pleat thingies in to keep the ribbon from puckering at the top.

At one point, I ran out of the length of ribbon I had cut because I didn't measure it.

Why?

Because that would involve math, and I hate math.

So I just started a bubble pleat (I've coined a new term!) where I ran out of ribbon, and no one will be the wiser. Except you.

When I got back to the back seam, I just ended it with another pleat.

Not done yet! I didn't like the way this looked. It needed a little something more...


I know! Buttons! I chose black (had some in my craft stash) because I didn't want to go overboard.

I put the tiniest drop of Fabri-Tac on the back of each button and glued them on the flat part of each bubble pleat.

Like so!

Close-up with lamp base:

Voila!

I like it, for a first try! It was just a little too plain for me in the "before" shot.

Total cost of the makeover? $0.00!!!

I'm gonna finish that Lamp Shade undergrad and move on to a masters, I think!

I give you all an "A" for sticking with me, but if you want extra credit, you have to send me some more buttons.

And a chocolate cake.

{Now, go be creative}

Linking to Thrifty Decor Chick, DIY Day, and The CSI Project