Photo Wall: End to End photo display

July 23, 2012 By Becca 6 Comments

Have you ever had a wall in your home that has plagued you? I did! This wall above my stairs that leads to my basement was such a sore spot! I never know what to do with it. It stayed empty for 5 years until I recently FINALLY decided on a solution!

I always thought a HUGE piece of art work would look nice here but then I realized that the banister would probably cut it off and that would be lame. I didn’t know if photos all they way down the wall would look good either for the same reason. I knew I wanted something that would fill the space well and not be obstructed.

My sister had described a similar photo display but I had yet to see it. It was time to just go for it so off to IKEA I went! I grabbed a handful of frames in a variety of sizes and finishes and took over the floor space in the middle of the frame section at IKEA. I laid out an arrangement I liked and I was ready for step 2!

Once at home I laid out the frames again and took note of the photos needed for each frame.

Next I jumped online, sifted threw my photos and ordered prints from Sams Club. An hour later I was ready to hang!

When it came to making sure they would hang evenly and centered I found the center of each frame and marked it with a pencil. That way when I was ready to hang a frame next to one already hanging all I had to do was line up the center lines!

With the help of this adjustable ladder was all set and ready to start hanging!

I use 3M Command Strips for EVERYTHING! I have yet to put a nail in my walls for over 4 years! I adore theses things and they are perfect for a job like this! I’m super afraid to make a wrong nail hole especially in this case when even and level are so important. These Command strips save the day! I used 4 strips on the large frames and two on all the others!

The center photo is the most important photo. As long as it is hung level and in the right place all the other photos would be level too! I hung my largest/center photo first just to make sure I liked it’s placement before I started adding the next one. From there I worked my way out from the center to the end on each side.

My arrangement is A Symmetrical. I like how the frames vary on each side and one side is actually longer then the other. I took that into account when I started hanging them. The entire arrangement is centered on my wall and at eye level.

I’m in love with this space! It no longer haunts me and begs to be do pretty her up! If you have a space in need of some fillin’ up, give this a try.

Filed Under: Becca's posts, decor, Design, DIY, My home

6 Comments

Girls room makeover reveal & $100 Lowe’s giveaway

April 16, 2012 By Becca 32 Comments

When we moved our girls down stairs we knew their room was going to take a lot of work! I’m not a frilly, soft pink kind of mom so no such room was going to exist in my house either! This girls room was going to be a fun reflection of our entire home… bright and cheery! And super important, this new room need to be suitable for two young girls who are most likely going to grow up in this space.

We transformed our playroom from this:

BEFORE:

During:

I installed this fun Board and Batten wall and leaned away from the tradition of painting it white! HELLO pink! To be honest it was my way of getting around painting a room girly pink! This punch of pink was the perfect amount for me and my girls love it too! Win, win!

To this…

After:

Matching beds ($15 each from an estate sale) got a new coat of paint! I used this method found here!

This $30 thrift store dresser got a fresh paint of paint as well! Baskets found at Lowe’s give new bedside book storage!

Wall art and a small desk face the window!

This desk was an amazing find! The space between the wall and the end of the beds isn’t very generous so when I found this 16″ deep desk at a local consignment store I had to buy it right up! It makes the perfect tiny work space that my girls love to play at. The wooden stool also got a fresh paint job and the purple pots on top of the desk came from Lowe’s garden department and are perfect art supply holders!

The fun and bright bedding is where this entire color pallet began! Cynthia Rowley quilts and accessories. Those yellow rugs are also from Lowe’s and have a makeover of their own I will soon share!

The last detail I added to make this space complete was a felt owl placement attached to the door with 3M Command strips! I swear I can’t live without 3m command strips! I hang everything I can with these babies!

I love the colors in this room, For the same fun pallet try using these great Olympic colors from Lowe’s:

Evening Glow, By the Sea, Cerise

This room was a blast to create! From installing the Board and Batten to creating fun storage with baskets! Lowe’s came to the rescue again and helped make this room makeover a hit! For more great ideas on how you can transform a space be sure to sign up for the FREE Lowe’s Creative ideas Magazine!

Giveaway time!

Lowe’s want’s to help one lucky BCD reader kick start a room makeover of their very own! Enter to win a $100 Lowe’s Gift Card! Winner will be chosen and announced On Monday April 23rd on the Blue Cricket Design Facebook page!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Filed Under: Becca's posts, Before and After, Lowe's Projects, My home

32 Comments

Sprucing up a basement bathroom!

February 26, 2012 By Becca 19 Comments

We moved out two oldest girls down to a larger room in the basement this last summer. They love it down there but still won’t use the bathroom down there! They would much rather trek all the way upstairs to use the bathroom then to as they would call it “Use the scary bathroom!”

Ok! I can’t blame them. The basement bathroom may have recently been remodeled (about 5 years ago) but it was far from warm and cozy and welcoming to young kids who are more afraid of spiders and cold tile!

*** Pardon my less then wonderful photos. Again, this is a basement bathroom with horrible lighting so I struggled to get good photos!

This bathroom has a really beautiful furniture piece but it was under accessorized for sure! To be honest this room was only used about 20 times a year when we had house guests so I never really put any thought into the decor. Shame on me!

Here’s an awesome decorating “No-No” example! What the heck, Becks! Now that I have to look at it here I am so embarrassed! I had all intentions to add a panel to the bottom of that curtain panel. Looks totally lame all short but 4 years later I never got around to it and let’s face it…it probably would not have made it look any better! Sigh!

See! Nothing about this space screams “Hey girls! Come on in and sit a while!” So when I had a chance to spruce up a bathroom space I just had to start in the girls bathroom in hopes that they’d feel totally moved in down stairs!

Color!!!! I knew I had to start with fun color for this space! This darling paisley rug from Lowe’s was the perfect starting point! Pinks, yellows, greens, purples, blues, reds! It had it all! It’s whimsical and playful design helped make this space bright and fun and perfect for a set of sisters who will grow up curling their hair and putting on shades of pink lipstick that are way to bright for their own good!

It was high time I took advantage of this sink! Because it’s the focal piece in the room and an actual piece of furniture I thought I better treat it like a piece of furniture! Take advantage of its countertop and play on the fact that it looks like a dresser! Cue the candle stick lamp and pitcher full of roses! This space is decorated just as I would had this space been not been in a bathroom. I created a vignette that added height and bulk.

Lowe’s carries a huge variety of Bathroom accessories! Tons of finished to chose from and I totally fell in love with the Allen and Roth line that matched my existing finishes perfectly! Towel Racks, tooth brush holder and this stylish soap dispenser, thank you very much!

Ahh yes! A much improved shower curtain! This shade of blue is for sure my signature color! It’s found in every, yes EVERY, room in my home so why not in the shower downstairs! Allen and Roth have done it again!

I also made sure to grab while at Lowe’s some organization tools for the space! These plastic trays are going to make organizing hair bands, tooth paste and other girly accessories a breeze!

Finally a space my girls are no longer afraid to go into! The last thing this space is begging for is a little art work for the walls! I smell a project coming on!

Thanks to Lowe’s for providing me with the means to create this new space! Be sure to check out all that Lowe’s has to offer when it comes to making your bathroom space fantastic!

Filed Under: Becca's posts, Lowe's Projects, My home

19 Comments

Mantel Makeover

February 23, 2012 By Becca 17 Comments

I’ve always loved my fireplace with it’s detailed mantel and moldings but have always hated its dark tones and heavy feel. The previous owners paid a lot of money to have this fireplace hand painted, textured and glazed and we finally had had enough!

So it went from this…

To this….

“Ahhhhhhh!” sings the angelic choir! Much better!

Thanks to my ScotchBlue Painter’s Tape with Edge-Lock Paint Line Protector this painting project went off without a hitch! This new tape is awesome! The tape works on a variety of surfaces, UV resistant for 14 days – even in direct sunlight, clean removal without residue, is ideal for hanging film and features Edge-Lock Paint Line Protector for super sharp paint lines!

After lining all my edges it was time to get started! I started off with KILZ oil based primer and then followed it up with two coats of Sherwin Williams “ALABASTER” paint, the same paint color that was used on my kitchen cabinet makeover! Because of all the intricate detail this took me about 7 hours total but was so worth it after we saw how lightening it up made it look like a true focal piece!

This tape was so great to work with and when it came time to peel it off at the end of the project it peeled up with ease and left behind sharp paint lines with no bleed!

A much needed change for a space in our home that is so adored and used by our family! It literally feels like a new room!

Check out this great video HERE showing how ScotchBlue tape has incorporated an amazing new technology to help give you the cleanest paint lines ever.

To find out more information about ScotchBlue tape you can find more info at the following links:

Brand website: http://www.scotchblue.com

YouTube page: http://www.youtube.com/scotchblue

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ScotchBlue

This post was brought to you in partnership with 3M and ScotchBlue Painter’s Tape. I was compensated by the advertiser to write this post, but my thoughts, opinions and words are my own.

Filed Under: Becca's posts, Before and After, DIY, My home, Uncategorized

17 Comments

Valentines Door Wreath

January 23, 2012 By Becca 6 Comments

Striped fabric:IKEA $7.99 a yard

Frame: “Balboa” 8 x 10 frame from “Cut it Out” $12.99

Glitter Heart: Emporium at Thanksgiving Point $5.99

Ribbon: My craft room

Happy Valentines! Let the pink and heart crafting begin!

Filed Under: Becca's posts, DIY, My home, Valentines

6 Comments

Crate and Barrel Stendig Calendar

January 19, 2012 By Becca 11 Comments

Crate and Barrel set up shop in Salt Lake late last year and I could not have been more thrilled! I grew up with Crate and Barrel. Mike and I registered there for our wedding gifts! It was a fun and nostalgic walk threw memory lane when I first visited and I wanted EVERYTHING! This Stendig Calendar was irresistible! It’s easy to see why, right?

A few weeks ago I scored this amazing find on ksl.com (local classified ads like craigslist but 100 times better!) I’ve been looking for filing cabinets to go in this space in my kitchen. I thought the idea of filing cabinets would work great for this space. Tons of new storage and I loved the idea of adding an industrial/utility look inside my home. My house is pretty eclectic so I was excited to see how it would look. I’d been looking for months when I came across these salvaged metal bank drawers! BINGO! How freakin’ perfect! When I sent my husband the link to get his opinon he was like ” How on earth did you find blue cabinets!” I didn’t even realize they were a dark teal blue hue! My screen made them look more green. I had fully intended on painting any cabinets I found to a teal tone but alas…they were already my signature color!

This find was such a steal! I paid $100 for all three cabinets and they fit the space perfectly! But as you can see I had those ubber lame outlets to deal with! Seriously builders! What the heck! Enter Stendig calendar…

I positioned it just so that no plugs show! I used 3M Command strips to stick it to the wall! A level was a must to make sure it was perfectly straight! Wish you could have seen me try to hang it by myself! Straight up comedy! I recommend getting a friend to help! This Calendar is HUGE!!!

Love me a huge calendar!!

p.s. If you live in the Salt Lake area and want these filing cabinets in your home, the seller has more! He has this shade and gray! They might still be available. If you want me to locate his number just email me!

Filed Under: Becca's posts, decor, My home

11 Comments

Getting organized

January 16, 2012 By Becca 449 Comments

Now that I had my new craft room painted and new furniture assembles it was time to fill it back up! This part of the makeover process was a little overwhelming for me becasue I wanted everything to not only look great but be functional and accessible! This was going to take boxes, bins, jars and canisters! After looking at what felt like endless options I finally found what I wanted!

To recap…

My old craft room started off with green walls, hand painted button walls and wood toned storage.

After using Valspar Signature paint and IKEA furniture I now had a space that was fresh and bright and ready for filling!

These Allen and Roth Baskets from Lowe’s were the perfect fit for my new bookcases. Like PERFECT fit! This is where my inspiration began! I new I wanted natural elements and these baskets were a great find. Anything Allen and Roth I adore! Remember my Allen and Roth Paintable Wallpaper toy chest! So fun!

Add some Metal buckets, white boxes and red pots from IKEA to the mix and now I had the perfect organizational team!

Next the fun part began! I love to organize so finding the perfect place for everything was a fun task for me! I started by placing my baskets, boxes, jars and bins in the places I thought looked the best. Then I made sure what I filled them with made sense. I shuffled around a few things once I realized I wanted paint over here and ruffles over there but all in all it was a pretty easy process.

When it came to thinking about how I wanted to set up the room I thought about how I was going to use the room. At the desk I knew I knew I wanted certain things at an arms reach. The small metal buckets were perfect for organizing my gel pens, markers, pencils and pens. The Red pot is perfect for task tools I’ll be using while on a projects; things like scissors, pliers and rulers.

Forever I’ve been looking for a great ribbon display to hang on the wall but in the end I really liked how all my ribbon, ruffles, lace and tulle looked on the shelf.

My Allen and Roth narrow baskets were great for storing my lose ruffles and collection of glitter! They tucked perfectly into their shelf.

Kerr jars make the perfect storage for my buttons and gems!

Paint moved in and made itself at home!

These metal buckets each hold different collections that include broaches, premade felt flowers, magnets, and more!

This pretty red dresser is on the wall when you first walk in! It soon will be filled with more supplies as I finish up organizing. For now it displayed my great vintage Blue Singer Sewing Machine I found at a thrift store for $6!

Great storage products make all the difference! Do you have a space in your home that could use a little organizing? I found great luck with the tools I implemented into my craft room to help create this new space I am loving!

Lowe’s wants to make one lucky readers Organization task that much easier with a $100 Lowe’s gift card!

To enter leave a comment in today’s comment section telling me what space in your home needs a little Organization TLC! For additional entries you can Fan Lowe’s Creative Ideas on Facebook! Let me know you did so in a separate comment!

Winner will be announced on the Blue Cricket Designs Facebook page on Monday Jan. 23rd!

Next up I’ll be tackling the walls! I’m working on a cork board and s few other fun details! In the mean time don’t forget to sign up for your FREE Lowe’s Creative Ideas Magazine where you too can get inspired to make your spaces shine!

Filed Under: Becca's posts, Before and After, craft room, Lowe's Projects, My home, organization, Uncategorized

449 Comments

Front Door Wreath switch up

December 9, 2011 By Becca 8 Comments

(This post was scheduled for weeks and in the hopper before I got my new “Cut it Out” frame! There is still time to enter the “Cut it Out” Frame giveaway! Jump over HERE to enter!)

Time for a new look for the front door! This Frame has seen some changes now hasn’t it! Winter calls for a fresh new look and with the newly opened Crate N’ Barrel here in my area I knew exactly what I wanted to do with the darling foam Snowflake placement that caught my eye!

The placemat almost fit perfectly on the back side of my frame and becasue of the cutouts all i had to do was push the backing threw the cutouts and it was held securely.

$5 and 1 minute makeover! YES PLEASE!

How often do you change out your front door decor? I’m dying to reassure myself that I’m not the only one that has a dozen looks throughout the year!

Filed Under: Becca's posts, Christmas, Front Door, My home

8 Comments

New Door Frame Wreath and a “Cut it Out” giveaway

December 4, 2011 By Becca 293 Comments

So yeah! It’s no secret that I love me a good door frame wreath! Over the last few years you have seen me change up the decor on my frame wreath many a time but I have yet to change out my frame! That is until now! All of you who have adored my frame wreath look from afar but have yet to find the perfect chunky frame to do it yourself, are going to flip when you hear about this new fantastic company that will help solve your frame woes!

Last week I got the above delivery! Yes I did an internal cartwheel! My “Cut it Out” paintable frames arrived and I was ready to dive in!

“Cut it Out” frames come in so many darling shapes! They are all the rage at a fraction of the cost! I have always wanted these darling frames but I could never bring myself to pay the huge price other companies were asking. All these frames are incredibly affordable!

4×6″: $5.99

5x 7″: $8.99

8 x 8″: $10.99

8 x10″: $12.99

11 x 14: $17.99

16 x 20″: 24.99

20 x 30″: $35.99

AMAZING right! This makes creating a huge feature wall of beautiful photos afforadable and customizable! These are paintable frames that come unfinished so you can paint them to match any room! Took me just a few minutes to paint my 8 x 10 frame for my front door!

I used an 8 x 10 “Balboa” frame and painted it “Caribbean” blue by PLAID. I did three coats and did not distress the edges but I do plan on distressing future projects! Once it was dry I used gingham ribbon to hang it and now have the perfect starting point for my front door look!

It looks great hanging by itself!

Or when adding a small wreath!

And of course with holiday sparkle added as well! I love the way this glitter snowflake looks popping off the blue frame and my red door!

These frames are the perfect door frame. With 7 designs to chose from you are sure to find the perfect frame to spice up your own front door, wall or other creative project you may have in mind!!

And I already ordered and picked up my 16 x20″ family photo from Sam’s Club that will be going in my huge frame! I can’t wait to show that off to you! I’m still trying to figure out what color I want to paint it! The print was less then $6 at Sam’s club! You could also add The Black and White paper prints for pennies and I bet that would look incredible too!

Now it’s time for a giveaway!

Want to win your very own 8 x 10? leave a comment today by telling me what design you would pick if you won! You can find a full list here! Three lucky winners will be chosen!

For additional entries please leave a separate comment for each of the following…

- Follow Cut it Out on facebook and leave a comment on their wall saying BLue Cricket Design sent you!

-Facebook about this giveaway with a link back to this post.

-Tweet about this giveaway with a link back to this post!

-Become a fan of Blue Cricket Design on facebook or tell me you already are!

The three winners will be announced Monday Dec. 12th on the Blue Cricket Design facebook page!

AND for a few more chances to win hop on over to Somewhat Simple (ends Dec. 5th) Crap I’ve Made , Lolly Jane and Crafty, Scrappy, Happy to enter over there for their “Cut it Out” giveaways and see what they did with their frames! Such great ideas!

Filed Under: Becca's posts, decor, DIY, My home, paint, Uncategorized

293 Comments

Black & White Photo wall and my Kitchen reveal! FINALLY!

November 21, 2011 By Becca 23 Comments

Earlier this Spring I had Big Fish Painting come and FINALLY refinish my kitchen cabinets! When I first walked threw my home the cabinets were something I liked! They were Camo Green and different but I knew over time I’d want a new look and 3 years later I got that new look with a fresh coat of Alabaster paint!

Before

And After…

Ahhhh! Much better right!What a difference some paint can make I tell ya! Fresh, bright, light and a big dose of new kitchen mojo! Now you might be wondering why it’s taken me soooooo long to share my kitchen reveal! If you recall I’ve had a pretty rough year that’s lead me to have anxiety and horrible decision making skills! Remember THIS post! I literally had endless paint samples on my wall for months! I just could NOT make a wall color choice!

Well finally HGTV paint from Sherwin Williams in Copen Blue won out after sleepless nights and near panic attacks! You’d think that after I made a paint color choice it would be smooth sailing from there but oh no! Next big hurtle… What to do with the giant blue wall.

A short while back I discovered printing photos on Blue Print print shops. It was affordable and so stinkin’ fun! Ever since then I knew I wanted to do more with this new trick so it was time to get to work on a feature wall of Poster Prints! Add waiting for our trip to California for family pictures, editing time and me making my mind up on prints and you get my HUGE delay!

I had these photo printed at my local Blue Print printing store, SBR Technologies in Salt Lake City. These are not photo quality printing but printed in black and white on paper which gives them a cool grainy effect that I think adds charm! The higher quality photos the better!

My collection all measure between 1″-2″ wide. I started by creating a layout I liked on my kitchen table that I thought I’d like on my wall.

I used Scotch Blue Painters tape on the top corners of each poster. When you first hang the posters you will only want to tape the top two corners. This way you can adjust the posters easily without having to remove a fully taped poster. Start with the very most top center picture and place that one first.

Next add each remaining photo adjusting the spacing and getting it just right!

When you get the placement perfect then you can add more tape to each poster to secure it on all corners and edges. Then step back and enjoy!

To print this way costs about 30 cents a square foot so this entire wall cost me only $9!!! YEP! You read that right! NINE bucks!

I think it was just what this new space needed! So My kitchen makeover is official done! May have taken me over 6 months but I love it all the same! And the best part about this feature wall is how affordable it cost to create! HUGE impact for a small price making it way affordable to swap out photos over the years to update the family pics! Can’t beat that!

So check your local area for a print shop by doing a yellow pages search for “Blue Print printing” and see what comes up near you. Call ahead to get their pricing and go crazy creating a fantastic feature wall of your own!

Filed Under: Becca's posts, Before and After, DIY, Frugal finds, Kitchen, My home, refinishing, Uncategorized

23 Comments