I take my artsy with a little fartsy!

I hope everyone had a great weekend with the wonderful Fathers in their lives! Both of our dads live far away from us so we spent some time on the phone yesterday!

For Father's Day celebrations we went on the hunt for Patio Furniture for the backyard. Our hunt was a bust we found nothing (I should clarify . . . we found nothing in our price range). However, we did find some artwork for the guest room.

We've been trying to add a lot of color to our guest room and when I saw this flowery collage print for $9.99  I knew we had to have it. I based my decision half on the fact that the red from the roses matched the red in the curtains perfectly.

 And half because I'm having a bit of a love affair with collages right now!

I hope you like it too!!

And It's not lost on me that we picked out the girliest possible artwork on what should be a very manly day :).

p.s. The print is from JYSK. There are stores across Canada and Europe.

Craft Cabinet

Part 1:
This Cabinet has a weird back story. We bought it the same week we moved in (over a year and a half ago). I originally thought we would keep all of our cookbooks in it, but they didn't all fit, and in the end we found a way better spot for them anyways. Then the cabinet lived in the third bedroom for a while. It was housing Lee's remote control car, and helicopter and airplane (geez . . . men! ;).
Finally we installed some cabinets in the garage and Lee moved his "collection" to the garage which left the Ikea Smadal Cabinet empty.
Part 2:
I wasn't LOVING the old dresser system we had going on. The dresser was really OLD and really difficult to get in and out of. The drawers were seriously sticky and damaged.

Okay, so your all caught up on how this change came around. Here's what it looks like:

In the last couple years, you might have noticed, I've taken up sewing, and i'm hoping to take up quilting (at least that's what I keep telling myself when I'm at the fabric store buying yards of fabric). So I've ended up with a lot of fabric! Tons of Fabric!!! I've had a little bit stashed here and a little bit stashed there, I'm so glad to have it all corralled in one spot! Another big bonus is that I can keep my sewing machine in there too, closed up and dust free.

The cabinet is from Ikea, it's called the Smadal. I LOVE the glass doors and I especially Loved the drawer at the bottom it was the perfect spot to hold the gift wrapping supplies like wrapping paper, tissue paper, ribbon, and gift bags!

I keep my latest knitting project inside the fabric basket at the top. The basket is from Homesense. But what I'm most in love with is the shoe box ribbon dispenser! It's from Jo Ann Fabrics and it's awesome! hehe

I hope you like our little sewing storage station as much as I do . . . I'm in LOVE!
p.s. The bow on the front was leftover from our Christmas wreath, I couldn't stand to get rid of it, so it found it's way around the door knob!

One % {P}inspiration: Art Edition!

It's Pinspiration Challenge Time! You might remember our post from last week, we've teamed up with Amanda from Our Humble A{Bowe}d and Sarah from Russet Street Reno to bring you our One % {P}inspiration Art Challenge! (Thank you so much to Amanda for organizing One % {P}inspiration!!)

 I decided to tackle some guest room artwork. (You can check out last weeks post to see our inspiration).
All I needed was:
~My sewing machine, some scrap fabric, and some RED thread! This project cost us $0 to make! 

It was really simple:

1. I cut out a square of White Fabric large enough to fill the space inside the matting of an Ikea Ribba Frame.
2. I cut out a bunch of triangles, large and small ones. 
3. I picked where they should go pinned them in place and ran two stitches in a contrasting thread to hold them in place! 

Lastly I used my sewing machine's Letter function to write a little message . . . I chose "Be Our Guest" because after all it is going in the guest room!

Here's the final product:

Now it's your turn, what has Pintrest inspired you to tackle and please link it up to our first ever linky party:
Grab a button and Link UP!





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Guest Room Hooks

 Because 99% of our guests are weekend guests, and really none of our 'long term' guests are posh enough to require a whole closet full of hanging space, we decided that the guest room closet is the perfect place for a Craft Room.
Now, more to the point of this post.
Because of the closet craft room, our guests will need a spot to hang up one or two items so clearly hooks were called for.

We picked our hooks up from Urban Barn, and they're from the Umbra line. This picture doesn't do the hooks justice, they're clear acrylic hooks, shaped like tree branches. I LOVE 'em!

Today I'm planting spring bulbs, some purple tulips and crocus :) I LOVE FALL!!

Tricked out Wrapping Station & a GIVEAWAY!

When I read about Nashville Wraps and their great Eco-friendly wrapping paper and bags I knew I had to snag a giveaway from them for our readers.
I was beyond thrilled when she sent along some great eco-friendly goodies for us too!
Check out our new tricked out Wrapping Station!

Nashville Wraps is a wholesale gift wrapping company that specialize in Eco-Friendly products for businesses, but they also sell to the public, recycled gift wrapping, at wholesale prices, sign me up!! :)

I've used recycled gift wrapping for years, although it was always creased and wrinkled . . . yup, I'm that girl, the one who saves old wrapping paper!


This Year I am so happy to be supporting Nashville Wraps Green Way Packaging! Their Slogan is Packaging with a purpose and I couldn't be any happier to share the Eco Love.
Green Way Packaging is natural, recycled or sustainable packaging that meets an exacting set of environmentally compatible requirements for both materials and manufacturing. It's a great retail packaging solution for today's eco-conscious market. And it's designed to be as beautiful as it is eco-friendly.
What that means is I'll now be folding up and  re-using, recycled wrapping paper! Doesn't get more green than that!! :)

Enough about me, what does this mean for you:
Nashville Wraps sent along a Beautiful Gift Basket for one of our readers!

Prize: A Beautiful Gift Basket from Nashville Wraps 100% recycled Green Daisies line. Everything is recycled right down to their tissue paper!! :)
To Enter: Comment "WRAP ME UP"
Bonus Entry: Jump around their site and pick out your favorite collection, come back and let us know!!
Open to: Canadian and US residents
Contest Closes: Friday September 16th, 2011 @ 11:59 pm PST

 p.s. I had to share my favorite product, it's their Recycled, REVERSIBLE wrapping paper, How freak'in smart is that! REVERSIBLE wrapping paper!!! LOVE IT!

This Contest Is now CLOSED!! Our winner is KIM DONGALL! Please email us @ Maillardvillemanor@gmail.com to claim your Prize!

Thank you to everyone who entered and A BIG THANK YOU to Nashville Wraps for

sponsoring our giveaway!

Guest Room Chair

I finally found the Slipcover we had made for our simple parsons chairs. I had it made before we moved and then couldn't find it, until this week!!! It was mistaken for quilting fabric and tossed into the fabric basket.
I was so happy to find it because we've had an ugly brown parsons chair sitting in the corner of the guest room for months now!!

Because we're planning on outfitting the closet as a mini craft room, I'll need a chair for scrapbooking and sewing. And when it's not in use in the craft closet, it can be used in the guest room as a chair for putting your socks on, or just dropping your overnight bag on to :).

I found the fabric at Fabricana, and I also found a very nice seamstress who sewed it up for me for $50. It was the best $50 I ever spent, my sewing skills are amateur at best, and definitely up to the task of slipcovers, I'm at a throw pillow level! So for $50 I have a beautiful slipcover and my sanity is still intact, as are all of my fingers :)

Total Cost:
The chair is from Craigslist for $5
The Fabric cost $22
Seamstress fee $50
____________________________
Total: $77 for a totally customized slip covered chair for our guest room!

Opinions Wanted!

WE WANT YOU! Now imagine a big poster of Uncle Sam pointing at you :)

I need your opinion, Lee has no opinion on this matter and I need help! I've had this star burst mirror forever, and I though I might try it over the guest room bed??

What do you think? A little plain maybe? I though I might add a banner back there too. And the Headboard and the nightstands are going to be a bright color so maybe that would add a little more interest? What do you think? Let me know . . . Don't be shy. But Keep in mind I have thin skin so nothing too mean, or maybe the sandwich technique, something nice, followed by something not as nice, ending with something nice :) haha Like A Sandwich!
Thank you in advance!

I'm a wRapper . . . . word.

I'm a gift wrapper, not an actual wrapper, I bet you all thought I was going to start a new life as a  hardcore rapper . . . right? Although DIY blogs are a well known stepping stone into the world of rap music, :) I think I'll stick to what I know, and I know how to wrap a present!

I refuse to limit the guest room to just a guest room. A room that gets used less than 10 times a year, more if Lee has a cold and snores all night, but generally only 10 times a year!
So the plan is to install a "craft room" into the closet, because no one who visits us stays long enough or is posh enough to need an entire closet of hanging space, and just in case they do . . . we'll install some hooks on the wall somewhere.
But because having it be a guest room and a craft room, and a refuge from snoring husbands ;) isn't enough for me, I also want to include a little gift wrapping station!
Somewhere to store the gift bags, I keep then give away again . . . I still have bags from my bridal shower 6 years ago waiting for the perfect opportunity to be recycled! Somewhere to keep the ribbon, the paper, the tape, the scissors and of coarse the curly string :)

I used our old dresser from our old bedroom, Lee took the mirror off of the dresser so that I could install the ribbon dispenser above it (in case your wondering the unit above the dresser is from Michaels). The drawers are perfect length for rolls of wrapping paper, and the shallow top drawer is just right for ribbons and bows!
Here it is: (complete with a little geranium bouquet from the garden)

"Brown paper packages tied up with string, these are a few of my favorite things" . . . . . . and curly string, I LOVE that stuff! 

Guest Room Curtains

"Many hands make light work."

~John Heywood

We made some great progress on our little guest room this weekend. In total we hit 3 stores, Ikea, Home Depot and Target oh I lied 4 stores, I also made a trip to Jo-Ann fabrics.

At Ikea we bought a Queen size Aspelund Bed and two nightstands at $49.99 each I thought they were a great deal!

At Home Depot we bought our paint. Martha Stewart's Sharkey Gray!

At Target we bought some plain white, grommet top curtains $24.99 for both panels.
and at Jo Ann Fabrics I picked up some red polka dot fabric, about 2 yards.
Lee painted while I sewed, it was a really nice weekend! Here's the progress we've made on the guest room:

There is still a TON more to do:
* Make some art work (DIY something)
* Sew a banner
* Paint Closet and install shelves to store craft supplies
* Change out the light . . . maybe a DIY shade??
* Spray the bed frame and nightstands maybe yellow?? (did I mention it's going to be BRIGHT)
* a little word art . . . more details later
* Some new finials for the curtain rod
* Sew a bright colorful quilt
* and I want to add a roller shade to the window to block the light, maybe a little ribbon trim :)

I was feeling like we were making good progress, I now feel a little overwhelmed at what's left to do, but we've got until December!! (yay for self imposed deadlines)

Guest Room Plan!

We don't have too many overnight visitors during the summer, the occasional inebriated friend might stay the night but I can promise they don't notice the decor. It's not until Christmas time that we get guests who might enjoy a well appointed guest room. So now that it's August (holy crap when did that happen btw) it's time to get started thinking about our guest room.

We have a queen sized bed in there now and not much else!
I want something bright and kind of funky! Since we won't be in there everyday, a little bold color won't bother me one bit!

~A big, bright, bold quilt is a necessity! Matched with some simple white organic sheets from Target!
~Some Funky wall art!
~The old dresser from the townhouse Master Bedroom
~I want a simple bed frame with no foot board (the foot board will make the room seem smaller) I've been loving Ikea's aspelund line, the little nightstands are too cute! Maybe we'll spray them a color? Maybe not?
~and for the curtains I'm hoping to "jazz" up a pair of plain white drapes.
~I'm thinking of painting the room "Sharkey Gray" from Martha Stewart's paints.

I also want to work a double function into the guest room. I need a place to store my scrapbook and crafting material, my sewing machine, my fabric, yarn and gift wrapping supplies, so that still needs to be figured out.
But here's our plan . . . what's that they say about the best laid plans ? ? ? . . . .

Tour the Main Floor of The Manor @ REMODELAHOLIC

I submitted the dining room to Remodelaholic last week, and was so happy when I saw an email from Cassity in my inbox a day later. I was even happier when I read that instead of a feature on a room in the house she wanted me to do a whole house tour!! Seeing as only the main floor is close to being done I wrote a main floor house tour post! Max even managed to sneak his way in :)

 So that's where we are today!
My name is Ashli and I am definitely a REMODELAHOLIC!

Guest Bedroom Resources

Our guest bedroom is, like the rest of our house, very small. It was important to us that our guest room sleep two comfortably. However our 2nd bedroom had different ideas. We looked around for a trundle bed, but the cost was too steep. If we decide to make an addition to our family this room would become their room so we didn't want to spend too much money on something that will have to change. So we found a bed frame on craigslist for $10 and with a $5 can of spray paint it made a cute little red bed. The mattresses came from friends parents who were downsizing at the time. While we still wanted a trundle and still couldn't afford it,  we came up with what Lee calls "The poor man's trundle". We simply stored the spare mattress under the bed. The secretary desk was originally a purchase for our living room, but since we converted the powder room into our computer room we had no room for it down there. We moved it into the guest bedroom. It's the perfect place for Lee to work on his car models or a guest to write a note, and hopefully one day a homework desk. The desk was another Ikea purchase, here is the link. We added bookcase top to the desk, here is that link.

On the other side of the room is my beloved farmhouse bench. I bought it from craigslist a few years ago, and as much as we re-do the house it always find a use and a place. Originally it came with a cushion that I now use on the pew in the dinning room (read more about that here).
The red star shutters were a 70 cent purchase! That's right 70 cents. Homesense had them on super, duper sale and I bought 3 for 70 cents each. It took me along time to figure out what I wanted to do with them, but I was at home depot and saw some hooks on sale, put two and two together or should I say 3 and 3 together and the final product is our shutter hook boards.

Decorating the 2nd bedroom has been a challenge. The truth of the matter is we are planning to adopt in the next few years, but with the adoption process there are many unknowns. You don't know how long it will take, it could be quickly after you apply or a long wait to find the perfect match. Our child could be a boy or a girl. They could be an infant, a toddler, or a young child. So trying to plan a room with so many unknowns is difficult. There is no point in leaving the room empty but there is also no point in furnishing it with expensive finds we might have to throw away or sell at a loss later.
We feel comfortable with the amount of money we spent decorating the room. And hopefully we'll have a post about decorating the room for a little boy or girl soon!