C-A-T-S Cats! Cats! Cats! {DIY Burlap Bunting}

We are right in the middle of basketball season, and if you know us, you know we L.O.V.E. Kentucky basketball in our house!  Our Saturdays and the occasional weeknight are planned around what time the Cats play.  Whether its just the two of us watching the game or with a group of friends, I try to keep things festive on game day!

If you check out my Pinterest boards, you'll see that I've been loving on banners and bunting.  I thought a festive UK bunting would make a great addition.

Let's back up--I started out by gathering all of my supplies at Joanne's.

Burlap {or other choice fabric}
Acrylic Paint & Foam Brush
Wide Ribbon
Decorative Ribbon {optional}
Stencil
Sewing machine or Liquid Stitch

I made a quick triangle template out of scrap paper, and used a rotary cutter to cut out the burlap.

I created my stencils the same way I did to label our closet bins.

Hold the stencil down & dab the paint onto the burlap with the foam brush.

After the paint dried, I used Liquid Stitch {more on this stuff later!} to attach the painted burlap triangles to the wide ribbon.

I added a little extra decorative ribbon at the ends of the banner & that was it.  Seriously simple project! I'd like to think it helped with the W on Saturday {still too close for my liking!}

So glad our fifth house's Dog Days of Winter Challenge suggested I stop pinning and start doing!  I love how this turned out!

I have a thing for Bee's.

Those close to me already know this fun little tid-bit of information. It's true, I love bees. My sweet Nanny gave me the nickname of "Bee" as a toddler, because I was "busy as a bee." {Still accurate}

I have acquired quite the bee collection over the years.  Most of these items, if not all, were gifts from sweet friends and family members who know how close I was with my Nanny and how these little things help to keep her spirit alive.

Today marks seven years since my Nanny passed away, but I love to look around my home and see her everywhere, in the form of bees.

More kitchen progress

Whenever I look back at the pictures we took during our home inspection, I'm always amazed at the progress we've made! I was SO happy to be able to cross one more thing off the list last week: a beautiful, new, FUNCTIONAL stainless steel range! Merry Christmas to us!

Before:

After:

I seriously stand in the kitchen and stare at it!  Thanks for the great deal, Sears!

The only thing left is to replace the fridge & the kitchen will be 100% done! Ok, probably not. I'm never 100% done with anything in this place....Sorry, O!

Cubicle Decor

My love of decorating & organization extends far past our home. In fact, when I started my new job and learned that I'd be spending 7.5 hours a day in a cubicle, I was {strangely} excited to decorate my new work space! I went right to Google & Pinterest looking for cubicle inspiration--but sadly, I didn't find much of anything. Could this be because no sane person likes to sit in a cubicle all day? Maybe.  Or is it that I'm the only person on Earth who's googling Cubicle Decor? Probably.

BUT here is what my 5'x5' "corner office" looks like today!

Erin Condren Life Planner   DIY Dry Erase Board  Gold Frame, Hobby Lobby  Magazine Holder  
Seagrass Snack Basket, Home Goods

 Navy Chevron Pencil Cup

Cork tiles, Walmart Wall Pocket Files  Frame and Letter, Hobby Lobby

Custom Quatrefoil Mouse Pad

Ikea GRUNDTAL Containers   DIY Dry Erase Board    Gold Frame, Hobby Lobby

I consider myself lucky to be at the end of the row, so I do have an actual wall next to me---instead of being surrounded on all sides by padded cubicle walls.  I figure I sit there all day, I may as well enjoy the view.

The Green Room

I am finally getting around to finishing up the third bedroom!  Right now, its serving as an office/craft/misc. room! So I decided to go with something bright and fun:

Before:

After:

The new stencil & desk that O built!!

I do think that the valance is a little too busy to go with the Moroccan wall stencil, so that may be coming down.  The only thing left to do is paint the desk and find a chair (this one is temporary & not comfortable!)

Kitchen Progress

After 10 days, 4 coats of cabinet paint, 2 coats of wall paint, a new dishwasher and staying up until midnight finishing window treatments, the kitchen is moving right along!

Kitchen Before:

After:

HUGE improvement!  I love the white cabinets!  Over time we hope to replace the stove & fridge and put up a white subway tile backsplash.




Since the Living Room and Kitchen are open to each other we added pillows in the same sea glass tone as the kitchen paint color:


Living Room Before:

Living Room After:

Izzie loves the new decor!

View from Front Door

I found this cute side table at Home Goods for $75!  I've been looking for a cute little table to go with the chair!

love, Love, LOVE all the changes we've made so far.  Now, I'm ready for a break!

Picture Wall

So we have a huge blank wall that goes down the stairs into the basement.  I thought it would be a great place for a picture collage!

Before:

After:

There are still some blank openings, and extra wall space for more pictures down the line!