My Favorite Products

Firstly want to say sorry it’s been so long since I have been on here! My life has been consumed by wedding planning, summer weather, and now working a full time big girl job! That’s right; I have a real job now. I work for a mortgage company in the document department. (My department receives deeds and records them) And I absolutely LOVE it! We had an ice cream party last Friday to celebrate the fact that it was Friday. I can’t believe how the time is flying.

Tonight, I went and revisited some of my old projects, just to generate some inspiration. And I realized something. My 3 favorite products are definitely stickels, pop-dots (foam dots), and Graphic 45. Here are a couple cards and a circus book project I did using my three favorite products. The circus book is using the same technique Allison used for her father’s day box. Book BoxI just filled mine with a scene after I hallowed it out.

Firstly, if you’ve never used stickles before, you need to try it!! It is a high quality glitter glue that comes in an abundance of colors. It will add the perfect sparkle to any project. Plus, it will never flake off like regular glitter.

My next favorite product is graphic 45. I love this company. They have such a vintage flare on so many themes. They also have great cut aparts that you can literally cut it apart, add a little shimmer, and you have a beautiful card in 5 minutes!

Lastly, I love pop-dots. It’s a tiny piece of double of foam that is sticky on both sides that will act as an adhesive and give it 3-D dimension all in one! I love to get multiple pieces of graphic 45 sheets and fussy cut them and then pop them up using the 3-D pop-dots. Then I add a little of my stickles and call it a night!
I can’t tell you how many project I’ve done using these 3 things. Ranging from gorgeous cards, to paper ornaments, holiday décor to altered art. These are the things that inspire me most. What inspires you?

Until next time!

Just as a PS… I have great holiday inspiration that’s eating away at me! Halloween is just around the corner; wait till you see what I have planned! :)

Have a great week everyone!

Xoxo Mandy

DIY Rope Shelves

 It feels like it has been forever since I have done a post on Mon Ami and for that, I'm Sorry! I have been doing a lot of little tiny creative things, nothing to really blog about... and then my husband and I took a little trip to Tennessee last week, which was fabulous! We stayed at CedarRock, slept in  the coolest  barn (which had been completely renovated into a 3 story lodge), went kayaking/canoeing, visited cute little town squares, and got lots of QT with my family... plus TN is just beautiful so we just drove around and went "ohhh look at that.. That's a really old barn... DEER!!!.... Antique Store, lets go... oooh aaahh... turkey!.... That's pretty... that's a cool old building...." etc. We cant wait to go back!

 So now lets get down to the good stuff!
 
I had planned on doing a beachy theme in my Master Bath, because we just miss California so much! But i'm pretty picky when it comes to decorating... see I wanted it to be beachy, with out saying "BEACH!!!" ...just wanted the feeling of beach. Does that make sense??

I had seen rope shelves before in magazines, so I did a little search on Pinterest and Google and found these images for inspiration (sorry, no links)... I needed a shelf for over the toilet and another to create storage for my linens and other decor, since my bathroom didn't have a linen closet and had storage issues. These were perfect!

I didn't find any step-by-step directions, but it seemed very self explanatory: Buy some wood, cut some wood, drill holes, stain, measure/cut rope, and then hand and tie the shelves....  It really was such an easy project and I actually created these shelves at the last minute (or day) because I was unable to find budget friendly storage solution and my bathroom was desperate for something.

 Here is how I did it:  

#1 Collect your supplies: Wood, Stain (brush/sock/gloves), Rope, Plant Shears, Drill, Masking Tape, Level, & Tape Measure, Eyehooks/hooks.

#2 Buy/Cut the wood. I have a friend who works at Lowe's and helped me pick out the wood and cut it to size. (FYI, Its good to have friends at Lowe's or any other hardware store)

#3 Drill the holes. If you haven't heard of a spade bit, well now you have. Its a type of drill bit to connect to your power drill and it makes holes in wood projects. I measured the holes, made my mark and decided to cut a 1/2" hole in all 4 corners to accommodate my 3/8" rope.

#4 Stain the wood. I had leftover General Finishes Gel Stain from staining the two bathroom vanities so put one coat on all of my planks. (this step took the longest, because of the dry time)

#5 Hang your hooks. This part could be the trickiest. Since the three tiered shelf over the tub was going to be REALLY heavy after it was installed, I needed to put my hooks into the studs... the problem: the studs were not where I needed them. My Dad, my Uncle and I spent about an hour inside Lowes debating on how we should hang them, what would be the easiest, strongest, and least invasive. If you haven't checked out the hanging section in your hardware store you should, there are a million ways to hang something and deciding isn't easy. We then noticed in the picture above that they must have had the same issue because they screwed a plank into the studs and then hung their hooks from the plank... So that is what we decided should be done. You can't tell but I used eyehooks.

Since the shelf over the toilet was small and wasn't going to hold much more than toilet paper, I just used small hooks that I screwed into the drywall. (Easy-Peasy, took 3 minutes)

#6 Tie your ropes. The hooks over the toilet were "J" hooks so I pre-tied each rope then hung it on the hook. I left plenty of rope hanging so i could level and tie each end off after I put the shelf on. 

I have no pics of this part of the 3-tier shelf, but its basically the same process only I had to tie the rope while it was through Eye hook because the hook is completely closed.

(ROPE 101: There are 3 types of rustic/nautical rope: Jute, Sisal, & Manila. Jute is usually smaller than Sisal and Manila. Manila is darker than Sisal, due to it being a different type of plant. I chose Manila rope for this project because it was darker.)

*One perk of using this "J" hook over the toilet is that if I ever need to access the insides of the toilet, I can simply unhook the shelf from the wall and replace it. (the Eye-hooks on the 3tier shelf is a more permanent thing)

#7 measure the rope, tape it off, add your wood,  tie your knots, level, re-tie, level, re-tie... and so on until it is level and complete. On the  back side (closest to the wall), I measured from top knot to where I wanted my shelf to be since those were the vertical ropes. Then I used the painters tape to mark that spot. After I strung the rope through the holes I tied the backside on. Then i strung the rope through the front holes and held it in place until it looked even, then tied them off. Then I used my level to adjust all the knots and make it level.... Its really not as hard as it sounds.

 The second and third tiers on the large shelf were much easier to measure and level since all of the ropes were hanging vertical. My shelves were spaced 16" apart from knot to knot.

 *Helpful hint: Use plant shears to cut the extra rope ends off. Its much easier than scissors or a knife!

#8 Accessorize & Enjoy!

In case you were wondering how much I spent... I don't remember but I know it was under $50.

I am so pleased with how the shelves turned out!  This really was what my bathroom was missing, not only is it simple and functional, but I think it adds to that beachy feel I was going for.

(If you missed it, see the full bathroom reveal >>>HERE<<<)
 -Ashley-

I Love Using My Bathroom!

I know it sounds weird, but I now love using my bathroom!!

When we first moved into our house this past January, I hated using the restrooms. I would compare it to a port-a-potty or a public bathroom, I just loathed being in there. The walls were an unflattering shade of blue, the cabinets were OK but nothing fancy, the guest bath had sliding doors on the tub, and don't even get me started on the wall paper in the master bath... BLEH! It was not very welcoming and needed a huge improvement! 

So here is what we all have been waiting for. (Unfortunately I didn't take a lot of before pictures of the bathrooms... but I'm sure you won't mind!)

THE GUEST BATH  

Before: (I took off the glass door and removed the shelf above the toilet before we moved in. It just had to G.O.)

To revamp the Guest bath I... 

• Removed tub doors and shelf.
• Painted the walls and ceiling. - Valspar, Red Dakota Sandstone (25% lightened)
• Stained the cabinet. - General Finishes Gel Stain in Java
• Spray Painted the fixtures from silver to oil rubbed bronze. - Krylon, Oil Rubbed Bronze
• Added Knobs. -Thank you Hobby Lobby for having an amazing selection.
• Shopped. -Target, Home Goods & Hobby Lobby
• Staged and added a flower.

After: 

I didn't plan on having a theme to my bathroom... the Paris stuff was a little bit last minute, that may change in the future. But Overall, the bathroom feels somewhat romantic and I love love love it!



 THE MASTER BATHROOM
Before:

To revamp my master bathroom I....

• Removed the wall paper.
• Painted the walls and ceiling. - Valspar, Sparkling Sage
• Gel Stained the Cabinets. - General Finishes Gel Stain Java
• Added knobs. - Again, Hobby Lobby, because they are amazing!
• Spray painted the toilet paper holder. - Krylon, Oil Rubbed Bronze
• Changed out the lighting fixtures. 
• Updated the Switch plates. 
• Built and Installed Rope Shelving. - I plan on doing a future, more informative, blog post about this learning experience.
•  Went shopping!! -Mostly Hobby Lobby and Home Goods.
• Installed hooks. -(That seahorse is actually a hook)
• Staged and added a plant.

After: (I was shooting for a light beachy feeling, because the hubs and I miss CA so sooooo much.)

TADA!!!

 So there it is! I have grown so much from this experience. I have learned to use many tools and I know my way around the hardware store. I have learned how to do novice electrical work and how to find a stud in the wall. I learned that I can do many things I wasn't aware that I could do because I gave it my all. I have challenged myself to complete these bathrooms in less than 3 weeks and I did it! I have given myself many pats on the back because I made my bathroom a comfortable place that I love to be. I am so motivated to keep going, keep DIYing, keep learning, and keeping improving the place around into a space that I and others can enjoy.

-Ashley-

 (P.S. In the next few weeks will feature some of the DIY projects that I have completed during this experience... including my favorite project, the rope shelves!)

Shadow Box Tray

I have felt so accomplished this week! I FINALLY finished my shadow box tray that I started over a year ago! I have always loved little things, and I’ve been collecting them for practically my entire life. When I saw these shadow box trays by 7 gypsies, I knew it’d be perfect to house all my mini findings.

I didn’t have a specific direction when I started; I knew I just wanted to concentrate on one window at a time and tinker with it till I was satisfied with it. And after it was all I said and done, I must say it came together quite nicely. It has a lot of travel influence because that’s what I love the most.

It has postcards I got in Paris, a single earring whose mate was lost on one of the best nights of my life, a red bus I bought in London, tiny shards of sea glass that I've picked all over the world, foreign coins, and even a sticker with the lyrics from one of my favorite songs! Everything this shadow box contains are things that are meaningful and hold sentimental value to me, which is exactly what I wanted. Its all about me.

I finished it off by putting an acrylic cover over the whole thing and hiding the adhesive by using decorative corners. That way, the dust won’t creep into the crevices over the years to come. Now I’m onto other unfinished projects!


Have a great week everyone!

Mandy

A Bit Old School or I Love School Supplies

 

 

I have a confession to make, I love school supplies.  I have always loved them. The night before school started I would rearrange my school box endlessly, just dreaming of what I would be writting and creating that year.  My notebooks would all have a black, shiny, carefully pressed dymo label on them with my name.  Ah, a fresh, new notebook - oh, the opportunities those blank pages held! Well, not much has changed. I still enjoy crayons, colored pencils and pens, and my love for new notebooks is as strong as ever.

 

I like to keep separate notebooks for special things and enjoy decorating them with scrapbooking supplies.  I found some great spirals at Staples that had great thick, kraft covers and a kraft folder with a pocket on both sides in front of the book right before the paper began. I embelished the front cover with a precut and sewn fabric bird, some paper, stickers, washi tape, a paper doily and some thickers. I also had some paper that worked perfectly on the inside cover and I dressed up the pocket as well.

 

 

Here is another one I made for projects that I am working on and future creations that are still being planned out.  I glued on a precut and sewn fabric dress form, a strip of paper, washi tape, stickers, added two coordinating colors of bakers twine, a flower embellishment and thickers for the title.  Now it feels ready to fill! Yes, it would work just fine left plain - but now it inspires me and makes me feel happy just looking at it!  

 This began as one of the black and white composition note-

books.  I kept the black spine and covered the front, back and insides of each with Graphic 45 paper.  I then cut out the ink bottle, fountain pen and label from a coordinating sheet.  The typewriter punch out letters, also Graphic 45, worked great for my title.  I finished it off with twill tape ribbon to cover up where the paper met the black spine.  I have many poems inside as well as quotes I have come across and lines from books that I have wanted to remember.


Eventhough I am 'old school' I do love my laptop (not only because it's pink!) and am trying to learn how to master new things on it all the time. A big shout out goes to my teenage twins, Ellen & Eric for their help and patience with me! (Thanks, kids! I love you sooo much!)  So, yeah, you can  stick with things you've grown to love and keep up with the times and have fun doing both.  Each serves a purpose in my life and for that I am very happy.
Sharon