Model Home Tour #1

One of my favorite past times is grabbing a Starbucks and walking through model homes! With the slow economy the past few years (or so) there haven't been too many new communities being built, but that is starting to change. A couple new developments are being built in my area, so I took advantage last weekend and went on a model home walk through!

What I love about model home tours are all the styling and design ideas I find! I love how they give you the map of each home and let you wander through by yourself, taking your time, without a real estate agent in your ear. You can just ENJOY.

Here are some photos I took of a four bedroom model. To make this tour even more meaningful for you (other than the design eye candy, of course) I "shopped the room" for you and found some similar pieces, or in some cases the exact item, they used in their design!

This particular model was three stories. The first story was an office and this entryway with a large desk.

 Mesh Wire Cubbies with Hooks

I loved these linen wrapped canvases with the Victorian frames! After an exhaustive search left me empty handed, the closest I found were these iron-on frames that I could use to make them myself. Let me know if you find canvases like these!


SECOND FLOOR
The second floor was the living room and kitchen! I loved their color choices and how bright the rooms felt!!

 SHOP THIS ROOM: Curtains|Damask Pillows|Geometric Pillows(fabric)|Subway Brick Wall

The kitchen was amazing! I wish I had taken pictures of every nook and cranny!! See how I missed that coffee subway art in the far left corner? I linked to it anyway! And things I couldn't find - like that blue tray, the stoneware milk jugs or the blue metal bread box... I know I've seen those kinds of items in my local Home Goods store! I bet you could find them with your sharp eye too!

SHOP THIS ROOM: Coffee Subway Art|Breadbox Idea|Terrarium {Birdhouse on the kitchen Island}

THIRD FLOOR

The bedrooms! They had four beautiful and creative rooms. Starting with my favorite... I love the colors and the four poster bed in this room!! I could dream easily in this room...

SHOP THIS ROOM: Four Poster Bed frame|Bedding

Kids rooms are also really fun...

 I think this room would be perfect for a teenager! {Which I will have SOON! Yikes!}

SHOP THIS ROOM: Metallic Letters|Trophy Cup small or large

I also loved the stripes on the wall - and did you notice the laundry bag pillow!? LOVE! It's always so hard to decorate for boys and I loved some of the subtleties in this room!

And finally - what a fun bedroom! Wouldn't this be a fun wall for a play room too?

 You can find those awesome paintbrushes here!

What I love is how a model home gives the house a cohesive look in style and color -- even down to our last stop - the bathroom! Every room was such a happy space - it makes me want to redecorate my entire home!

SHOP THIS ROOM: Subway Art|Yellow Lantern

There are probably lots of places to buy that subway art sign of "You are my Sunshine," but of course I linked to my favorite shop - Barn Owl Primitives! AND I have to say, I am pretty excited about the fact that I actually found that EXACT adorable yellow lantern! 

I hope you enjoyed this virtual home tour! Do you enjoy walking through model homes as much as I do? Were you inspired by any of the designs you saw today? Let me know! I have a few more homes to share!

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Mini-Man Cave

Do you have a mini-man? That's what I call my two boys. Except that one of them is not so mini anymore. He will be in 8th grade and still shares a room with his little brother; so, I anticipate that he is going to start wanting his own space soon. Being a single parent and owning a small townhouse means I have to get creative with finding more space. The only place I could really go was out. So I spent [more hours than I would have liked] cleaning out my garage, organizing, and creating a little corner for him I like to call our "Mini-Man Cave."

There is a loft storage, about 6 ft high, in my garage, and I created this man cave underneath it:

Here is how the space began:

What's missing in this view is the loft storage, but you can see that the garage is all slab cement and icky storage. [And the only before picture I have because my computer crashed as I started this project, erasing a lot of my photos.]

So, starting with such bare bones was a little intimidating, but exciting, as we started designing and things started to take shape.

THE PAINT: I started by painting the orange stripe on the wall [The color is Behr "dragon fire" paint picked out by my son. Isn't that a cool name for paint?]

THE FLOOR: I then started laying down the black and white vinyl tiles. [Self stick, 12" square tiles purchased at Lowes and super easy to install!]  They were perfect for a low traffic area and easy to keep clean in our garage!

THE EXTRAS: I wanted the space  to be a place my boys could hang out, play [the tv has no cable, it is hooked up to an old PlayStation 2,] read, play board games [stored in the storage cabinet pictured] and just relax. I had been collecting art and little things for this space for a while, so was happy when it finally came together! Here are some of the extras!


I picked up the two sports signs at Home Goods several months ago. I love their wooden background and texture...

The folding table and chairs are for camping. I had the table already but bought the chairs at Big 5. I thought they were easy to move around, the right size for a small space and we could actually take them when we DO go camping! Both the table and chairs fold easily if the boys want to clear the area to play a game.

The lamp is also a camping lamp. It can sit on a table or it has a hook for easy hanging.

Of course, our favorite part of the man cave [and the piece that took the most time] was the rock wall!

Every boy needs something to climb, right? This started out as a bare white wall. I hand painted the rock pattern then chalk marked the studs. Most of the rock holds are bolted into studs, and a fair few are anchored carefully into the dry wall. The rope was also anchored into the ceiling. [But before you hang a rope for your children to swing from, please make sure it is bolted and anchored securely into a stud, and always test it yourself or with a professional before a child swings from it!]

My boys helped make this wall. I think any time kids have a part in the creation of something, they feel more ownership over it and they take better care of it. They also felt really proud that they had a part in the rock wall. Through the process they learned how to tighten each bolt in case, over time, they come loose.

Of coure, the best part is getting to test your handiwork!!!

The boys are very happy with their new Man Cave. My son said now all he needs is a hammock and a refrigerator in there and he would never have to leave! We'll see kiddo, we'll see. lol

They have already tried to say "No Girls Allowed" and actually, I'm okay with that rule. In fact, I may hold them to that in a few years. [wink]

What do you think? Do you like our Mini-Man Cave? How do you create extra space for your kids?

I'd love to see you -- follow me on Facebook|Instagram!


Sharing at Somewhat Simple, Tatertots and Jello, 52 Mantels and some of my favorite places.

American Flag Etiquette

What? There is etiquette for a flag? Yeah, yeah, I know, don't burn them and don't let them touch the ground - but what else is there? If you were me you'd be thinking "Flag cakes and pallet art! Woohoo!" :-) But, with 4th of July coming up and a bunch of flag flying parading around, I thought it would be useful and (dare I say?) fun to share some American flag etiquette with you!

Let's start with the obvious:

1. Don't let it touch the ground. Why? Because our flag is a symbol of pride and we treat it like a person. The reasoning is that we walk on the ground and it would be disrespectful to our pride and the flag to place it on the ground. What happens if your flag does touch the ground? Proper etiquette is actually to bury it.

2. You CAN burn an American Flag. But not in political protest! (Yikes.) Did you know that the proper way to dispose of an old American Flag is actually to burn it! (To do this safely contact your local American Legion office.)

3. Leave your flag up from sunrise to sunset. If your flag is outside, you should only leave it out during daylight hours. If you leave it out at night, you should have a light shining on it. (The US Flag Code says indoor flags can be left up at all times.) ;o)

4.  DON'T tie it to a tree. Or hang it across a boat, train or car. All those are signs of disrespect. DO - hang your flag from a pole or tack it to a window or wall.

5. DO fly your flag RIGHT SIDE UP and on top! If you are flying 3 flags, the American Flag can be in the middle, otherwise, it's on top. ALSO -- make sure it is right side up. Upside down is a sign of distress. And DON'T do what my son's school did by accident:

Oops!!

True story.

I'm sure that you will do great with your flag. I've heard that the American flag also looks great on face paint and men in uniform. But that wasn't in the flag code. :o)

Do you have any flag tips to add to this list?

Happy Flag Flying!!


Sources: US Flag Code and Real Simple.

Create a Living Wall

If you look up “Living Wall” on Google, it will tell you a lot about how to hang your plants vertically. So right away, those who know me, already know this post has nothing to do about gardening. {If there was an opposite of a green thumb – I would have it!} So, what IS a living wall? My version involves writing.

A living wall is a space in our house that my kids and I can draw or write notes for each other. We call it LIVING because it is constantly CHANGING and evolving as we grow and write new things.
So where is this beautiful space? Maybe not where you’d think…


Normal kitchen cabinets on the outside…




Our Living Wall on the inside!




This really is a simple project, as well. Last summer I remodeled my kitchen. One touch I added was chalkboard paint to the inside of my pantry cupboard!


BEFORE:

Plain inner cupboard. {Okay, this is the opposite pantry door, I guess I was too quick with the chalkboard paint! But they are identical doors – guard rail and all.}




To make the chalkboard cupboard, WHILE THE CABINET DOOR WAS OFF IT’S HINGE, {trust me – ever try spray painting around your pantry? Not fun.}

1.  I taped off the entire raised border around the inside of the door and covered what I could with plastic. {Spray paint can be tricky and I didn’t want it getting anywhere on my white door!}

2. I spray painted the chalkboard paint in the center of the door. I recommend 2-3 coats. I used 2.
And the end result was a chalkboard cabinet!



AFTER:



Originally I envisioned this chalkboard cupboard as a cute shopping list area. I’d mark things I needed as I used them up, and keep chalk handy in my pantry. I actually did use it that way for a while… but…

I have two boys. Boys are like chalk MAGNETS {I think they can sniff it out!} so once they discovered the chalk it was no surprise they got crafty too {hey, it IS in their blood} and started ‘adding’ to my shopping list. Every day I was constantly finding new notes and drawings on the chalkboard and it wasn't long before I was writing little notes back to them.

And thus our living wall was born!


Sometimes we write thoughtful notes, or favorite bible verses {see left} and sometimes we draw silly pictures. {right}



Sometimes things get erased quickly and sometimes they stay up for a looong time – note the Happy St. Patrick’s day! I guess they liked my Shamrock! But always, our notes create memories.





This week my boys are visiting their dad. They’ll be gone 11 days, just in time for school to start. Sooo, I erased the whole chalkboard.
I know.
It kind of made me sad actually. {I’m so glad I took a picture of it!} But now, it’s ready for the new school year!



I’m looking forward to all the new notes and pictures we will add this year!

What I love about this project is that you can create a living wall anywhere in your home – on any wall, picture frame or space! I’m even thinking of starting one in my classroom for my students to add favorite quotes and ideas. How about you – where would you put a living wall?

Remodelaholic Feature!

2012 is starting off with a BANG! Wow! Thank you SO much to the lovely Cassity at Remodelaholic for choosing to feature my Budget Kitchen Makeover on her blog!! I am honored and thrilled to be on one of my favorite DIY remodeling sites today! Woot woot! If you are stopping by from Remodelaholic – welcome!! Be sure to say hi! I love making new blog friends! :o)



To see the original post on Remodelaholic click here: Remodelaholic Two Toned Kitchen Makeover.

If you would like to read about how I kept the cost under $500 and the entire “how to” breakdown of this makeover, please click here: Budget Kitchen Makover.

It is also special that this makeover was featured TODAY in particular, because today is my Little Man’s 8th birthday! Yay! {I hope he never gets too old to be my Little Man.}

I also wanted to say thank you so much to my followers for all your support as it has been a week full of lots of love here at Shaped by Grace! I truly appreciate each and every one of you and all your kind words! Thanks for the love! Be sure to stop by Remodelaholic and say hi to Cassity too! God Bless! xo

Top 11 posts of 2011

Hey everyone!! I can't believe 2011 has come and gone! Seriously: Fastest. Year. EVER! I guess that's what happens when the year was good great!! Nothing SUPER life changing happened this year...well, except for some things like my son starting middle school, our first trip to Disney World, becoming an auntie... Yeah, 2011 was good to us! I hope it was for you too!! Oh, and we can't forget about the bloggity blog! What a joy to be following along through all your journeys and have such a wonderful group of readers following mine!

Thank you so much!! 

I thought I'd finish out 2011 with my top 11 blog posts -- chosen by YOU, my lovely readers!! Starting with the 11th most viewed post and finishing with the #1 post of the year! Can you guess which post made #1? Keep reading!!

#11 - Chocolate Peppermint Mug Cake
 {Fresh on the blog and already top 11! You go Peppermint Mug Cake!} ;o)






#10 – Watermelon Cupcakes
 {Hungry yet?}






#9 – Nursery Room Makeover
 I decorated this nursery for my sister and baby nephew {who live in NY} all via skype and email!





#8 – Free Teacher Appreciation Printable
{Because, who doesn't like free things?}





#7 – LEGO Bathroom Makeover 
 {This bathroom went from toddler green frogs to big boy LEGOS. It was my first complete decorating project in my new home!} :o)





#6 – Washcloth Cupcakes
 {This is a fun and easy craft to make - perfect for baby showers!}





#5 – S’mores Croissants





#4 – Burlap Wreath {Take one}
{I almost deleted this post; this project didn’t really work out how I envisioned, so I made a different one -- but it still got a lot of hits!}





#3 – Mason Jar  Soap Dispenser





#2 – Budget Kitchen Makeover
{This one is my personal favorite! A lot of love, sweat and tears went into this project, so I’m so glad you all enjoyed it too!} xo




And the #1 post??



{Drumroll please}….




#1 – Ruffled Burlap Wreath!
Thank you so much to Linda @Craftaholics Anonymous for featuring my wreath in her Fall Frenzy and helping make this my most viewed post! {Over 12,000 views and counting! Wow!}



From writing this, I’ve learned that my readers love FOOD and ROOM MAKEOVERS! Guess what? Me too! :o) If you haven’t read one of these posts – check ‘em out! ;o) Have you written a top 11 of 2011 post? Share your link in the comments below!!

Thanks so much for reading my blog this year. I read every comment and truly cherish all your thoughts and support! I look forward to all that is to come in 2012! And for the last time:

Happy New Year!

Linked to The Gunny Sack