Hey guys – back with another guest post for you guys today and I think you are going to love it!  Today’s guest post is from Tammy @ Not Just Paper and Glue.  I love Tammy – she quickly became one of my favorite bloggy friends.

Tammy makes some of the most amazing scrapbook pages and cards, but like her blog says, she isn’t just about paper and glue.  She also does some fun DIY and thrifty projects like this galvanized trash can into dog food container!

Or this awesome lampshade to bucket tutorial!  I love this one!

And she also hosts a Pinterest Master List full of awesome people for you follow on Pinterest.  Make sure you go and add your profile and check out some other people to follow!

Now today – Tammy has another great tutorial to share with us!  I think all you animal lovers are going to love this one!  Enjoy!

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Hi everyone! Tammy here from Not Just Paper and Glue. I am very honored that Jess invited me to stop in today and share my latest project with all of you while she is on maternity leave.

I purchased an end table from the Salvation Army store for $10 for my little studio and I was going to refinish it. As it goes around here, I ended up not needing it and eventually my husband said he was going to throw it out but I had just found the most adorable idea!

courtesy LucyDesignsOnline.com

When I saw this cute dog bed from Lucy Designs, I knew this is what I wanted to make for my little dogs. My husband also agreed that it was a great idea so we took it into the living room; turned it upside down; and placed my little dogs favorite blanket in it to see if they would get into it.

As it turned out, they loved it and was frequently found napping in this upside down table. My husband cut the legs off for me and we used the ends of the legs for feet of the bed.

Now was the scary part. You see, this would be the very first time that I had ever refinished a piece of furniture. I kept telling myself that it was “only a dog bed”, but still…. I wanted it to turn out pretty.

One evening I got brave and broke out the sander and began trying to rough up the slick finish of the table. When I was finished I wiped it down really well to remove any dust particles.

 

I wanted the basic color to be an antique white but envisioned some distressing of the original brown color but also some pink. To achieve this look, I gave the entire piece a random coat of Sweet Pea spray paint and let it dry overnight.

The next morning I used my favorite spray paint color, Heirloom White. I wanted to make sure that I gave the entire piece a good smooth coverage of paint. When finished I realized that some of the pieces, especially on the posts, I noticed that it did not completely cover, but this was happy mishap. When the bed was dry I noticed that it gave a great worn and distressed look by allowing just some of the pink to show through – just the look I was trying to achieve!

 

It needed a bit more distressing so I used my sander to just “bump off” a few areas, and also along the edges of the bed.

It was now time for the fun part – decorating! I purchased some wood appliques from Hobby Lobby at 40% off ($2.40 total) along with a package of wooden balls ($1.79) and I spray painted them with the Heirloom White.

 

Once the wooden pieces were dry, I brushed Modge Podge over the top and lightly dusted some Light Pink Glitter Crystals over the top of each piece and set them aside to dry. You didn’t think I could do a project without adding a little “bling” now did ya? lol

You will notice I am using a make up sponge to apply the Modge Podge. I couldn’t find my sponge brushes and then I remembered… I donated them to our Children’s Church. In a pinch, a make up sponge will work – or at least it did in this case.

 

Once the pieces were dry, I used Wood Glue to attach all of the pieces to my dog bed.

 

I couldn’t believe the bed was finally complete and I was completely satisfied with the end result. I don’t know why I was so scared to start this project – it was easy!

 

And here is my “little princess” in her new bed. She knows that no one will say anything about her bad hair cut since she really is a “princess” and she is lounging in her adorable bed.

Midge is an overweight, elderly AKC Yorkie and this is not one her “better days”.

NOTE: We did not remove the screws that hold the table together which you may have noticed in earlier pictures. We put an oversized pillow in the bottom with a velour throw blanket over the top. Both dogs have been using this bed for some time now and it has not been an issue for us. If you decide to make one of these beds, you may want to use an alternative method to hold the table together.

Supplies: Table (Salvation Army) Sander Artistic Appliques: Floral Pair and Small Flower (Hobby Lobby) Spray Paint: Sweet Pea and Heirloom White (Rust-oleum) Glitter: Light Pink Crystals Glitter (P K Glitz)  Modge Podge (Satin) Wood Glue (Gorilla Glue) I want to thank Jess for allowing me to visit with all of you today. I hope you enjoyed my very first attempt at refinishing a piece of furniture. If you decide to attempt something like this, I would love take a peek!

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Tammy – I think this is just too cute and creative!  And I am with you!  I would love to take a peek at something like this if someone takes a crack at it!  What about you?  Does this give you some ideas??  I wanna know!

Hey guys!  Sorry for the extended absence – we have had a ton of family and friends rotating through and I haven’t had any time to hop on the computer.  I haven’t even been on Pinterest for weeks until today!  And I know I owe you guys some updated pics of the Lil Man – stay tuned for some of those soon!

However today I am back with one of my favorite bloggers – Leslie @ The Design File.

Leslie writes a fantastic blog all about design trends, ideas, and advice.  I love her blog because she writes about such great topics including DIY tips (check out her article on tips for choosing a chair to reupholster),

features fantastic home tours,

and great products and shopping advice. 

Last year she did a series on 30 days of design ideas for under $30 that you just have to read – I loved this one! 

Leslie also does great thoughtful commentaries on design trends – and she has been kind enough to share one of these with us today!  So with out further ado – here is Leslie!

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Over at The Design File we’ve been talking recently about design trends and my favorite discussion has been about the use of little fur rugs on sofas, ottomans and other furniture pieces.

I love this trend and I remember that the first time I noticed it is when my mom threw a small IKEA sheepskin rug over an ottoman several years ago. It looked fantastic.

Now, I see them everywhere.

The photo at right is a pre-Design Star room from winner Emily Henderson.

Henderson, who now is the host of the show Secrets from a Stylist, loves doing this.

Below you’ll find two more of her rooms.

The one on the left is from Secrets from a Stylist and was from an early version of the room. I don’t think the final design included the fur. The one below right is another pre-Design Star room that Emily submitted as part of her application to be on the show. I like it better!

But it’s not just Emily.

Sherry & John over at Young House Love have a little fur rug thrown over an ottoman in their living room. They’ve actually used these little pieces all over their old and new houses.

I found the beautiful dining room below at Apartment Therapy from a 2010 post about how faux fur rugs are showing up all over dining room chairs.

I wonder what you have to do to get the cushy chair for dinner?

Raina of Alberta, who has a blog called Raining Sheep and posts photos on Flickr, has sheepskin over the sofa in her cool, modern living room, pictured below.

Raina has used the throw the look with a cow-hide rug too. That may be too much animal fur/print for me but it seems to work well here.

What do you think of this trend? I love it but will it be over soon?

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Leslie – I think this is a trend that will keep making an appearance time and time again.  Furs have been around since the dark ages, and while then they were a necessity for warmth, they still provide the ascetic features of creating a cozy feeling.  I think this is one that we will see continue, especially as the weather turns cooler every year!  The size and shape may vary – but I think the fur look will always be with us!

So what about you?  Do you think fur as a design trend is one that will continue?  Leslie and I would love to know your opinion! 

Today I have another great blogger to share with you guys!  Madigan from Madigan Made is with us today and she is a sweetie!

Madigan is full of great ideas and easy DIY crafts and ideas.  Some of my favorites?  Well I loved this DIY Cornice Project.

And then there is the beachy printable she made!  Love it.  And she left it for you to download and use on your own!

And right now she has a series going on called Summer Loving with NO Oven that features all kinds of yummy summer recipes that you don’t have to go near a hot stove to enjoy!   Loving these Caprese bites!  Delish!

So without any further ado – here is Madigan!

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Hi there! I'm Madigan, the writer behind Madigan Made. I'm excited Jess invited me here today!

If you are interested in simple crafts, recipes and home decor, then you may enjoy visiting me over at Madigan Made. I love easy and chic ideas and love to share them. (Oh, and I also love my hubby and puppy... and a little dark chocolate and coffee!)

Today I want to share an idea for wall art that involves sports tickets.

I'm a huge fan of personalized art for my home.
Anyone can pick up a print from a home store. I prefer to make it "mine". 

Well, this art project is very personal to  my husband. It is for our sports-themed basement.

Ever since I have known my husband, he saved all his golf score cards and any ticket to a sporting event. He knew that some day he would want to display them, maybe in a media room or basement. I came up with these frames as a way to meet that wish.

These tickets just prove that you can frame anything and it could be art. (if that is what you want to call this!)

Want to make one of these yourself? Well, first you will need:

• A sports fanatic husband (who loves to golf and is often invited to sporting events by friends and family)
• Many, many, many sports tickets and golf score cards (Mr. Madigan collected them for 10+ years.)
• Adhesive (scrapbook glue dots/tabs would work well)
• Large empty picture frames (I like the ones from IKEA. They are large and come with mats already.)
• Poster board

First, cut your poster board to about the size of the glass.

Open the frame and using a pencil, draw an outline of the mat opening onto the poster board. Use that line as a guide for laying out your tickets.

You could lay out your pattern before adhering anything. But I just start in one corner and work my way across. Use the adhesive to secure the corners of the ticket to the poster board.

Try to alternate the type and look of each ticket and avoid too many of one kind next to each other. Carefully overlap the tickets when needed. You may need to trim off some of the tickets (I also trimmed down some of the golf score cards, too).

After you've covered the entire mat area, pop it in the frame. Could not be easier!

I love this project because once Mr. Madigan collects enough tickets to fill another one, I can just go and buy another frame at IKEA.

I slowly made these displays over the past several years.  I made six total frames for our basement.

Here are four more of them below.

I bet you could do this with other types of tickets...

For your music lover: Concert tickets?

For your theater or movie buff: show tickets?

For your roller coaster fanatic: Amusement park tickets?

It really is a great way to save and display a memory.

If you like this project, come visit me over at Madigan Made! You can also find me on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter or StumbleUpon. I enjoy sharing 'behind the scenes' info and other great ideas I find.

Thanks, Jess, for letting me share this project!

(Hope you are enjoying your time with your little one!)

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Thanks again Madigan for helping out and stopping by!   Didn’t you just love that project?   What a great way to keep mementos.  I think it would be a fun way to organize summer vacay memories too!   What would you make out of it?  I wanna know!

Hey guys!  I am back again with another great guest post for you guys from one of my dear bloggy friends Colleen who blogs at Mural Maker & More. 

Colleen is a fantastic artist and painter who creates the most beautiful murals! Here are some of her works!  Love this trey ceiling!

And this beautiful nursery!

But she is also into DIY and decorating too!  Like this outdoor tray table!  So cute! 

So without any further ado – here is Colleen with some great ideas for decorating a room with paint.

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Hi! My name’s Colleen and I’m so excited to be here at Frugal with a Flourish while Jess’ ‘lil man’ enjoys his Welcome Home party. My blog is called Mural Maker & More. ‘Mural Maker’ because that’s what I do - I make murals. And ‘More’ because I love all things DIY and decorating.

I paint murals for any room, but my all-time favorite are babies rooms. Girls or boys, it doesn’t matter. Or sometimes both!

Safari Mural for baby boy

Here’s the thing - people think murals are really expensive. And they can get pricey, especially when the family is expanding. So I found some decorating ideas so you don’t have to hire an artist!

I know, I know - a lot of you are probably saying, “I can’t even draw a stick figure”! No worries! A little bit of creativity and thinking ‘outside the box’ and you’ll have a dream nursery you painted yourself!

Baby Boy Decorating

How about a graphic alphabet wall mural painted in subtle shades of the wall color? Looks a little tricky, doesn’t it? I’ll tell you how I’d paint this if someone hired me. I’d print off letters, maybe in different fonts, take them to a printer that prints oversized copies (like a blueprinter). Then I’d transfer some letters, paint them all in one color, then transfer some more, and paint them in another color.

No freehanding required! Now, you could also cut stencils if you wanted but, to me, that’s a lot of extra work. There are a lot of straight lines where you could just use good ol’ painter’s tape after you’ve marked your transfer.

BabiesBassinets.com

Here’s an idea - forget painting the walls and paint the ceiling! How fun is this?!? Then you’d have all of your wall space available to change as you please.

BabyBedding.com

Or maybe paint just the corners of the room.

KronBaby2

Ok, maybe your theme isn’t jungle animals, but you could still paint a trio of silhouettes and create an awesome focal area. These could be painted on canvas and hung, but I wouldn’t hang them over the crib then.

These are just a few ideas to spark your creativity. The cool thing about paint is, if you don’t like it, just paint over it! Not to mention, paint is really affordable. (I paint my murals with good ol’ craft paint - the 99 cent variety!)

I want to thank Jess for letting me hang out with all of you today. Jess was one of my very first blogging friends and has been incredibly supportive so I’m just thrilled to pitch in while she enjoys some Mommy & Me time.

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Great ideas!!!  Thanks so much Colleen for giving us some ideas!  And make sure you hop over and check out Colleen’s blog and give her some love – and if you ever wanted to learn how to paint anything – you have to make sure you check out her step by step painting tutorials!