A new use for photo coasters

It all started with a set of photo coasters and an Aha moment.



I received a simple set of photo coasters a few years ago.  I loved the watery blue glass but I wasn’t a fan of the wooden holder so I never used them.

One day I was looking at one of my favorite picture frames.  Hubby gave me this frame for my birthday one year when we were dating.  I adore the blue frosted glass.



I bet you can see where this is going.  I went to my stash of extra frames and found two little Target frames which just happened to have openings the exact right size for my little coasters. 



I simply popped the glass out of the frame and replaced it with the glass photo coaster.  And voila!



Sometimes it is the simplest projects that make me the happiest!

And here is the mini gallery wall in our bedroom full of all of my favorite beachy photos. 



So simple but so sweet. Although I’ve gotta say that looking at these photos, I am thinking some more contrast is in order.  Perhaps these frames really want to be white…or dark gray.  Hmmm.

Also, over the past few weeks I have had many lovely features from wonderful blogs that I have not yet shared.  I want to say a big thanks to the following sites for featuring my painted floors (including a Hungarian blog!)

An Urban Cottage
The Project Queen
Crafty Scrappy Happy
Simple Home Life
Finding Home
Our House in Pictures
Whisperwood Cottage
Grits and Giggles
Sawdust and Paper scraps
Tip Junkie
Inspiraciok.hu
Anyone else had a great Aha moment lately?  Be sure to stay tuned – I am in the middle of lots of great transformations that I will be sharing here soon.

Sharing this little project at the Shabby Creek Cottage, Crafty Scrappy Happy, Funky Junk Interiors, Home Stories A to Z.

A fresh look at displaying Scripture in your home

If you have been with me here at Lovely Etc. for long it should come as no surprise that I am a huge fan of making a statement in my home with words. A picture is worth a thousand words for sure.  But then again, sometimes you need to just come out and say it. 



Lately I have been thinking about the messages and reminders all over my home and I have realized something really important is missing. 

When I wrote about my vintage Bible wreath, one of my favorite comments was from Jenny who reminded me that Deuteronomy 6:4-9 says to write the Word of God on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates.

Yeah, haven’t been doing that.  So I have made a resolution.  (Yes, you can make resolutions on February 27th.  New Year’s Day gets more than its fair share – it is time to spread them around.) 



Now I don't know about you, but when I think about people displaying Scripture in their home, my mind automatically pictures the corniest, most dated decor possible.

So as a kickoff and source of inspiration I thought I would share a collection of Etsy finds that really show what I have in mind. 

Let's Take Risks. M... PrintableScrip... $5.00	Let your Light Shine Ma... BlessedDesignS... $8.00	Job 5:9 8x10 NaptimeDiaries $12.00
Wings, Personalized Air... hopeink $44.00	Scripture Art Print // ... Pearenthetical... $18.00	Refresh Your Spirit - f... jeannewinters $21.00
Anchor Print (8 x 10) SnailMailDesig... $9.00	always be full of joy i... recipeforcrazy $15.00	Whatsoever Things Are L... jeannewinters $21.00
The Fruit of the Spirit... DesignWithLife $8.99	Romans 8:28 Bible Verse... tonyvdamico $12.50	11x14 Jeremiah 29:11 Pe... GusAndLula $22.00
hush, be still. consideringlil... $18.00	Christian Wall Art, 15x... BeckyTDesigns $44.00	Wall Art - Do Not Confo... RedLetterInk $20.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

So that is my resolution: Creatively display Scripture. In a fresh way. That isn’t cheesy or tacky. And makes me think.

I do love a good challenge.

How awesome are those etsy prints?  Anyone out there want to take on this challenge with me? I'd love some company on this little journey.

I am sharing this resolution at Serenity Now.

My favorite creations: mosaics

Today I wanted to share my most favorite of all of my creations.  Several years ago, before I got interested in fixing up old furniture and other junk, I decided I really wanted to create a mosaic.
I did a little research and then got started and this is what I ended up with. 



Pretty ambitious for a beginner but I like to go big.  (Now, I have to say this was not an original design – it is based on a mosaic I loved that I saw online.) This mosaic is around two feet by three feet and was created using vitreous glass tiles.  Here is a close up that shows the shading on the tree trunk.



I have to tell you, this thing took me months to complete.  But I really enjoyed the process.  It was kind of like putting together a really beautiful jigsaw puzzle.

A year or two later, I decided it was time to create another.  This time I came up with my own design based on a photograph I found of Big Sky Country.



This mosaic was created using various types of stained glass.  I especially like the mirrored glass incorporated into the water at the bottom.



For some reason, these gems have been hidden away in rooms we don't really use.  But I decided that was crazy.  So the Big Sky mosaic became part of my newly styled bookcases and the Tree mosaic recently came out of storage to preside over the mantle.



These might not be the typical DIY project I share here at Lovely Etc. But I wanted to share them because I really love them.  And because making these taught me that if you really want to try something new, go for it.  Figure out how to do it and get started already!  You might just find a new passion. 

What have you been secretly wishing you knew how to do?  Painting?  Photography?  Furniture building?  I definitely want to try reupholstering some chairs, but I gotta tell you - I'm kind of scared.

I am linking this post up at Serenity Now, A Diamond in the Stuff, Not Just a Housewife, Sweet Little Gals, Southern Lovely, Shabby Creek Cottage, The 36th Avenue, Crafty Scrappy Happy.

Giveaway: $25 to Sneakpeeq

******This giveaway is now closed.******

I have a great giveaway for all of you today.  Have you heard of sneakpeeq yet?  I am all over these deal sites that are popping up online lately. Sneakpeeq is one of the latest and it is going to be really big.



Sneakpeeq has great deals on beautiful things for the home, the latest fashions, and gourmet foods.  Design, style, and food sound like the perfect mix to me. And the part I love – Sneakpeeq is all about bringing you deals on great things you haven’t seen before. This isn’t the same old stuff every other website has.  Check out some of their current offerings.



See what I mean – great stuff.

One lucky winner will win a $25 gift certificate to Sneakpeeq.



The runner-up will win a $10 gift certificate to Sneakpeeq.



And absolutely everyone that enters gets 20% off!  How sweet is that.



So what do you have to do to enter?

Mandatory: Follow this link to join sneakpeeq.

Bonus: Like Lovely Etc. on Facebook and leave a comment to let me know you did.

Simple as that.  This giveaway ends 2/27/12 and the winners will be announced 2/29/12. Giveaway is only open to readers in the U.S.

25 (random) things

I love when Shaunna at Perfectly Imperfect shares her random 25 things posts.  It feels like a sweet little peek inside her brain.  So I figured I would share my own 25 bits of randomness.

1. It is snowing outside and the view is amazing.  The back of our home is a 180 degree view of nothing but trees and they are gorgeous covered in powdery white snow. 
2. I would share a picture of the awesome view but I left my camera at work Friday. Snowed in with no camera – terrible.
3. We have a fire burning in the fireplace and it is amazing.  Sigh.
4. I am getting ready to pack up the nutcrackers.  And yes I do realize this is mid February.
5. I was going to justify why I haven’t put them away before now but then I realized…who really cares?  I need to stop making excuses for everything.
6. The craziest thing about all this snow is yesterday it was 60 degrees.
7. I took advantage of the 60 degree weather and cleaned out my work area in the basement/garage.  It was so cluttered, I couldn’t find anything and could hardly walk around.
8. Yes our 70s ranch has a walkout basement.  One half of the basement is the garage.
9. We don’t actually park our cars in the garage because the previous owners put the washer/dryer hookup right where the cars are supposed to be.
10. Plus, it makes the perfect workshop.  When I am ready to paint I open the garage doors and have perfect ventilation.  And if we put our cars there, I would have nowhere to store my massive pile of waiting projects.
11. The fire is really nice – maybe we’ll make smores later.
12. I really should be downstairs working on projects.  I am taking over a second booth at Olde Salem Mercantile at the beginning of March and I am thinking the whole thing will go much better if I actually have stuff to put in it.
13. I used our jigsaw for the first time yesterday.  I feel so empowered - now I can create things in any shape I want!
14. I’ve got lots of jigsaw projects in mind already.
15. I wonder if I should start an etsy shop?  I think I would enjoy it but I don’t think I could handle one more thing right now.
16. Someday I definitely want to start an etsy shop.
17. Mitch and I are going to Guatemala in the fall with our church. We will be serving hot meals at the dump, and interacting with the elderly, orphans, and babies recovering from malnutrition.
18. I can’t wait to go.  Pero necesito practicar espanol. (I think that says “But I need to practice Spanish.”  I hope it does anyway.)
19. I am seriously addicted to Coca Cola Classic. 
20. I was so happy with my newly organized basement workspace, I started organizing my craft room too.
21. Yeah, I know I am seriously lucky to have two spaces to create stuff.
22. I feel like I need to justify what I mean whenever I use the word ‘craft’. As in, I need to explain that having a craft room does not mean I make sock puppets, potpourri dishes, and toilet paper covers.
23. Not that there is anything wrong with that stuff – I just don’t do it.
24. It is almost like ‘crafts’ is a dirty word.  But there really aren’t too many good alternatives.
25. I really need a tagline for my blog – any thoughts?

Wow, that was a lot of fun to write.  Maybe I will just post 25 random things everyday.  I wonder how long it would take before nobody read my blog anymore.  Hmmm.

Have a relaxing week!

Tips for Styling Bookcases and Built-Ins

Whew, the library shelves have been filled. And let me tell you, styling these babies was almost as much work as building them.  (Though it was much more fun.) It was completely overwhelming facing 34 empty shelves surrounded by stacks and stacks of books and pretties.

After spending several minutes paralyzed with indecision, I decided to just dive in and get started.  And I managed to come away with some great tips for anyone else looking to style bookshelves and built-ins so you will hopefully not be quite so overwhelmed.

Choose a Focal Point
When dealing with a wall of bookcases like ours, I think it is important to create some type of focal point.  This gives your eyes somewhere to rest.  In my case, I created four larger shelves in the center and then styled them with larger eye-catching items rather than books. 



Books First
While I wanted my bookshelves to be pretty, I mostly wanted them to be a useful place that would hold all of my books.  So that was the logical place to start.  First I organized our books by genre – my fiction, my husband’s fiction, Christian nonfiction, etc.  Then I started arranging the books on the shelves, spreading them out throughout the entire bookcase.  I did all the usual things to prettify the books as I went – removed dust jackets, grouped by color, arranged by height.



Add items with interesting shapes
Books and bookcases are naturally rectangular and full of hard lines.  Adding lots of round or flowing lines helps balance all that harshness.  I used lots of circles when styling my own bookcases.  Other great curvy items include vases, plants, shells, and baskets.



Mix up your book displays
Bookshelves always look more interesting with some books shelved vertically and others stacked horizontally.  But there are also other ways to add a little pizazz to your books.  I displayed a few books with their covers facing out, bookstore-style.  I also grouped together sets of books in trays, baskets, a tool caddy, and a repurposed clarinet case.



Hide the ugly stuff
I had a bunch of big fat mass market paperbacks from many years ago.  I wasn’t ready to let those books go but they were definitely not looking so hot.  So I hid them away in some cute vintage luggage.  Now they are still in the library with the other books but are out of sight.



Add personality!
This is my favorite part.  I love unique, vintage, and handmade items so that is what I focused on. 



And I can proudly say that the only thing that was bought new during this styling process was a command hook to hang my book page wreath.


The library is really coming together now - the only problem is each time I complete a project I feel like everything else that was going to be in the room looks bad in comparison.  Which leads to a whole slew of new projects.  Luckily I am okay with that.

As always, I would love to hear what you think. Just so you know, I read each comment (usually with a big dopey grin on my face) and try to respond to each one. You guys totally make my day. Hope you have a great weekend!

I am linking this post up at Serentity Now, Addicted 2 Decorating, Tatertots and Jello, Funky Junk Interiors, Home Stories A to Z, Mod Vintage Life, A Diamond in the Stuff, Not Just a Housewife, Elizabeth & Co. It's Overflowing, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Crafty Scrappy Happy, The 36th Avenue, Simple Home Life.