Fancy Schmancy Designs

It has been a while

2010-12-12T12:48:00.000-08:00

Actually, it has been over a year since I have posted. I have truly missed blogging. I started my own business last year and God truly blessed it. I have been so busy that I have basically been locked in my basement working and painting for over a year. Recently, I turned my business over to another company. That means that I will keep creating cute stuff for them, but... (and this is really good news) they will be mass producing it, and my products will be sold all over the country. I am so excited about this, and I will write more about this soon. More good news... I am going to start blogging again. I can't think of a better time to start blogging (and following other blogs) than at Christmas time. I thought I would share some of my favorite homemade (by me) Christmas decorations.

This one is my absolute favorite one. I painted this old window about 5 years ago. It is a snowman family portrait. Someone gave me the window and of course I already had the paint, so this project was free!!! I love free!!!

I like this idea because it was cheap and easy!! I got these stockings from Target a few years ago. I have wanted to have them monogrammed for a while, but because of the fabric they cannot be. so last year i bought these snowflake frame ornaments and just put photos of each one of my kids on their stocking. Now there is no confusion on Christmas morning.

I just used some lime green paint that is made for glass on this cake plate. Just add some cute little polka dots, some festive ribbon, and of course your initial, and you have the perfect place to put your Christmas sweets.

This was just a dollar store plate and mug. I made this for the kids to put Santa's cookies and milk. I used the same paint that that I used on the cake plate .

This is one of my kids favorite decorations. Especially when they were younger and shorter. This is just a really cheap full length door mirror (usually around 5 dollars). Again I just used the glass paint and painted a snowman. I left the top of the snow man empty so that when my kids look into the mirror it is their face that you they on top of the snowman. I did paint a carrot nose on the face.

Another favorite of mine. This is an old cabinet door from a friend who was replacing all of her old cabinetry.

Last but not least...I had to add these. These are what I have been locked in my basement making for the past year. These are my creations called burlees, and they have been a huge hit around here.

Sooooo glad to be blogging again.

Fancy Farm Christmas Collection

2009-11-09T10:53:00.000-08:00

I am posting new photos of my Fancy Farm Christmas Collection. Go to www.fancyfarmdesigns.blogspot.com to check out more pics!!! I am running a special right now! 2 Burleys for $40. Comment or email me if you want to purchase one.....or two!!!!

Ohhh Happy Day!!!

2009-10-26T11:53:00.000-07:00

So what is the occasion that I am so happy about? .....did we win the lottery.....did all my kids get straight A's...... did Auburn win Saturday???? NO, No, and I think Auburn is done for the year and we are looking to next year...anyway.... The good news Is GOODWILL!!!!! We just got a goodwill less than 5 miles from my house, and it is really nice!!! I went last week with 10 dollars in hand and 3 things in mind that I wanted to come home with

a fall centerpiece for me entry table
something to put my hairdryer and straightner in
something to put our many loaves of bread in (5 kids+ brown bag lunch everyday= a lot of bread)

This is what I got. Some really tacky brass candlesticks, a fall wreath that that was missing some of the leaves, a brassy gold planter, and a really large metal box of somekind.........possibly even an old breadbox.......hmmm

Ohh how I love spraypaint!! One quick coat and you can't even tell that these were brass!! I just took the wreath and put the sparse section to the back so you can't even tell!!!

Yet another "G" emblem....I just can't help myself, and this thing holds like 5 loaves of bread!! All I did on this was add the g with the paintpen. I actually liked the rustic top...for now. I will probably do something else to it before too long.

Spraypaint again. I used some silver spraypaint to this planter, and BAM!!! I am so excited about my new Goodwill!!! I will be making weekly trips.

Happy Fall Y'all

2009-10-15T06:27:00.000-07:00

I thought I would share my front porch with y'all. It was very easy and CHEAP!!! I used some of my Fancy Farm stuff, and then some other fall decorations. The garland over the door is just a grapevine wreath that I cut in half and unwound...unwinded...uh straightened out!!?;P Then I just added a 3 dollar leaf garland from Wal-Mart. The pumpkins are fake from Michael's and I just used a paint pen to monogram them. Have a great Day!! I must get back to the basement and fill orders Don't forgrt to go check out www.fancyfarmdesigns.blogspotcom and enter my giveaway!!!

My Big Announcement!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-10-02T13:55:00.000-07:00

I am very excited to announce my new business Fancy Farm!!!! my new products are called "burleys" and they are adorable!!! They are fabulous burlap wall hangings perfect for door decorations, yard art....and great for any season. And I have even bigger news!!! Yesterday I signed with a showroom at The Atlanta Mart so they will be massed produced all over the country!!! I am soooooo excited!!! so you know what this means for you.....GIVEAWAY!!!! I am going to giveaway this snowman on Nov.1st. All you have to do is go over to my new blog at www.fancyfarmdesigns.blogspot.com become a follower and leave a comment and tell me what you think!!! I will randomly pick a winner. Right now all I have is my Fall collection, but I will be adding my Christmas collection this week!!! Good Luck!!!

Big Announcement

2009-10-02T11:25:00.000-07:00

Don't forget about my BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!!!!! I am going to make it today at 5 oclock....ohhh I am so excited!!!!!

I am Alive

2009-09-25T18:25:00.000-07:00

Hello my name is Amy and I have a blog. You probably don't remember me. I have had had the craziest month EVER!!!!! It first started when my camera broke......so no photos to post, then computer problems....you guys know how that will almost shut an entire household down. Then the swine flu hit our house OH MY GOSH!!!! that almost did me in!!!!!! 4 out of my 5 kids were sick. Then this:

This is a subdivision about 5 miles from my house. Thankfully our home survived. We had some flooding and did have to remove the carpet in our basement, but we were very fortunate...VERY FORTUNATE!!!!!! I have friends who have lost everything!!!This is the road I drive on everyday to get my kids to school:
Baseball field:...yeah there is a baseball field under there....

this is a school in our county....A total loss!!:(Please pray for our state. There is a lot of destruction, but I am always amazed everytime something like this happens how a community comes together as a family. Sometimes you need the power to go out to realize how funny your kids are, how much fun it is to all sit around playing board games by candle lite, to really know how blessed you are!!! I could however live without boiling my water....that is getting old!!!!
The upside to this whole thing is, that I have a new studio. I have been painting at my kitchen table for years. It is a huge burden...but there is nowhere else for me to go.....sooooo, the room that we have ripped all the carpet out of will now be Fancy Schmancy Studios....sounds purfeshinul...dudn't it!!!!:)

MY DELIVERIES
here are some things that I have done recently.... i wanted to post something cute!!!1 more thing!!! I have a reaaly big announcement!!! I cannot tell you yet> I have some details to work out, but I will be making it next Friday so stay tuned. I promise I am back on tract!!! I will be posting often again!!!!

My Deliveries

2009-08-22T04:47:00.000-07:00

I thought I would start a new reoccurring post called "my deliveries" and show you things that people order...and that I deliver or ship out. I delivered these yesterday. I hope you enjoy!!!

Cra-zaa!!!!

2009-08-20T15:00:00.000-07:00

If you read my blog often...then you haven't been reading much latley!!!My life has been CRA-ZAAAA!!! Here is what I have been up to:

School started....and

football started...and that is every night till 9:00....so there has been no time to read, eat, sleep, go to the bathroom...much less blog!!! I have been decorating though!!! I had to get my art room ready for school. This is the 1st year I have had a room. I have always been "art on a cart" so I was very excited to get my room. Since I haven't had time to do much at my house... I thought I would share what I have been decorating!!!

Things will actually slow down soon so I will have time to blog on my off days!!! I still have a big announcement... I'm just not quite ready yet.....so stay tuned!!!

At some point.............

2009-08-06T19:10:00.001-07:00

Sooooooooooo, I haven't blogged in a while. Well, that is because I haven't sat down in a while. Last week was Vacation Bible School, which I was in charge of decorations for, and football started for my boys. Those of you who have boys that play football will for sure understand where I have been. I start back to school on Monday ( I teach art at my kid's school...I don't know if I have told you that). I have tried to clean my house this week, because at some point you have to say to yourself "ok... everything is decorated cute.....but it is nasty!!!!! At some point you have to say..."If a government official saw my house.....they would probably take my children away." At some point you have to say..."I haven't seen my 5th child lately....could she be under that pile of laundry"
At some point.... you have to clean and organize things. "AT SOME POINT" was this week. My children and I have cleaned every room in my house this week from top to bottom, and it feels good. While, there is no before and after photos of some really great project or craft that I have finished..... My home feels like home....which, sometimes is better than any new paint job, a madeover goodwill project or new beadspread, can ever make me feel!!!!

Stay tuned.... I have a big announcement to make soon!!!!! Happy back to school!!!!

A little bedroom redo

2009-07-24T05:35:00.001-07:00

It all started with this post at Buzzings of a Queen Bee. I LOVE this bedroom!!!! It is soooo me!! All I did from the time she posted this photo was think about that round mirror, and how bad I wanted one....oh and also I wanted this mirror for free...since I am BROKE!!!!! Well once I get something like that on my mind I can't shake it until I do something about it. I also need new curtains in my bedroom because these white chenille ones ,while I love them, are not doing their job of blocking out the light that shines directly into my room by the street lamp.

I went to Wal Mart for groceries, and like every time I go to Wal Mart.... I came home with Curtains...., but not just any curtains, these curtains block out all light. They are also energy saving, and will save us money on our power bill (that is the part I told my husband!!!!)They are also a fabulous chocolate brown color!!! And they were only 12.88 a panel!!!!!
Now.....about that round mirror. I really didn't have the 12.88 a panel to spend on curtains....but since they were such a good deal, and they are going to save us money in the long run..(HA HA)...I could justify it...but I did not have the money for a round mirror. So I went shopping in the basement. BAM... I found this mirror!!! I know it is not round...but oval will work when it is free. This was in in our half bath when we bought this house. It was a cheap gold color, so I spray painted it brown. The 2 sconces were a find a couple of years ago. I love them on either side of the mirror.

SOOOOO... here is before........

And here is is after......

Now for my beloved chenille curtains. I love them and did not want to get rid of them. So I did this with them!!!! I made a beautiful, relaxing place for me to escape!!!! I have been needing one of those!!! I love it when things just come together like that!!!!!

Sorry my photos are not very good. My camera is broken, and I took these with my phone.

Beach Fever

2009-07-18T12:36:00.000-07:00

I still have beach fever from my recent trip.....I just love the beach!!!! I am already counting down the days till my next trip......next year. I would move there tomorrow if I could. Until then, I have decided to bring the beach to me by adding little beachy touches around my home. I started today at my kitchen table. My mom and I went to a very cute boutique while we were there and I saw his beautiful table. It was quite expensive...and a little elaborate for everyday and 5 kids. I put my own spin on this table scape. It is just enough of the beach with out going overboard. I love it. I just hotglued my little starfish (from my favorite beach dollar store) to my napkin rings that I already had. The centerpiece was already there, I just added some sand in the glass containers. I can just hear the waves and the seagulls. Maybe this will get me through till next year......... I gotta go I have a sudden urge for a Margurita. I 'll post my kid's beachy bathroom pics soon!!!

Cheap and easy picture frames

2009-07-17T07:51:00.000-07:00

Have you seen these??? I love them, but they are EXPENSIVE!!!! The small red one is 50 dollars at my favorite little shop here in Ga. I knew if I thought hard enough I could come up with a much cheaper version. Here is what I came up with......

Super Cute don't ya think.... you know what is even cuter.... the combined total of both frames is 8 dollars..uh huh...yeah I said 8 dollars. All I used for this project is a canvas from Michaels, I painted a cute design on it, then I hot glued a 99 cent plastic picture frame, attached a ribbon to the back, and that is it. There are sooooooooo many things you coud do with this project. If you have a hard time drawing you could stencil, or stamp. You scrapbookers could add some of you fancy paper or die cuts and stickers. The possibilities are endless. Have fun creating one of your own and share your pictures with me!!!!!!

My Favorite Beach Cottages from My Trip

2009-07-13T09:01:00.000-07:00

Can You believe this is a trailer????!!!! While at the beach we stay at the cutest resort called Venture Out. It is a complex in Panama City Beach, Florida that is truly adorable. It is filled with adorable little homes and trailers that are decorated in the cutest beachy decor you will ever see..........We prefer to call it a" modular resort", rather than a trailer park at the beach. This one was my favorite one. The craziest thing happened... I had driven by this one about a million times and told my parents that I would do anything to see inside it...........then we ran into some friends of ours that were also staying in the same complex.........THEY WERE STAYING IN THE ONE I LOVED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I got to go in and take photos. All I had was my Iphone to take photos with, so they are not great, but you have got to see this!!!!

I loved how the owner of this one painted the hot pink border around the sidewalk.... and I LOVE this flamingo that she painted in the center!!!!!
The inside was just as cute as the outside!!!! They left the floor concrete, and just stained and sealed it. Look at the ceiling it is corrugated tin!!!!!!!!!!!! HOW FLIPPIN CUTE IS THAT!!!!

I love the framed t-shirts!!!!!!!

These "modular beach homes" are pretty small so you have maximize every square inch of space. This was a small hallway that the owners built in bunk beds. Don't you love the chennile bedspreads.
Look at the oar hanging at the top of the cabinets....the end is painted in chalkboard paint.

I love the color of this bathroom............and I really love the sand dollars glued on to the edges of the mirror..........I saw those a the Pink beach dollar store that I love sooo much, and I am so stealing that idea for my kidss bathroom!!!!!

I am going to add more of my favorites later!!!!

Beachy post #1

2009-07-11T19:13:00.000-07:00

I am back from the beach and I would be lying if I said I was happy about it. I had full intentions of blogging while I was there................BUT, you know how that goes. We just got home a couple of hours ago, so I am exhausted but I couldn't wait to share these photos with you. As I have told you guys before, my dad has just gotten into photography. He wanted to do some family photos while we were all at the beach. He is VERY new to this, but you can't tell it from these photos. I am so proud of him, and I absolutely love every picture he took!!!! I am going to have the one of my entire family holding hands blown up very large to hang over my fireplace. If you live close to me...Georgia, or him, Alabama, he would be very intrested in working with you while he is trying to build up a portfolio, and get more practice. Stay posted I have some way cool stuff to post from my week.

2009-07-08T06:32:00.001-07:00

Don't forget about me!!! I have not fallen off the face of the earth !!!! I am at the beach!!! We are having so much fun!!!!!! I have been riding around taking pictures of all my favorite beach cottages so that I can show them to you. I can't wait for all my new beachy posts when I get home! I wanted to post here, but there is NO Internet service! See you soon!!!0

Project #1 down......999 more to go

2009-06-29T07:31:00.000-07:00

Remember those picture frames that I spray painted and added those cute ribbons to..... well I had a hard time finding somewhere for them to go. I finally decided to hang them in the halllway going up my stairs(what is that called.... a stairway????). I love how they look. It needed something else so I added the board above it. My dad went on a mission trip to New Orleans. While they were there they did some renovations and construction work. He brought me back a stack of old boards that came from a bakery shop's flooring. Isn't that cool. They were a sage green color and the paint was all crackeled...PERFECT!!!!! I painted "All because 2 people fell in love" on the board with a black paint pen....I love that saying....and hung it above the frames. I love it!!!!

To do list

2009-06-28T14:04:00.000-07:00

Here is my to do list for this week
1. make a blog post since it has been forever since I posted anything.
2.clean my house....it is bad
3. bible study... I guess i should move that to #1
4. finish up "unfinished" projects...there are a lot.
5. take photos of "finished" projects
6. post about "finished" projects
7. pack for the beach...yes I already went, but that was with my mom and my kids, this is the real family vaca
8. work on custom orders and ship them out before I leave
9. lose about 15 pounds in 3 days since I will be in a bathing suit most of next week... or just buy a really cute cover up
and finally.....
10. FINISH MY FAMILY ROOM!!!!! still waiting on a few things to come back from the embroidery shop.

2009-06-23T16:21:00.000-07:00

Here is a giveaway that I had to enter at monogram chick. Here is the best part if you win and tell her that you heard it here... then I win...it's a win/win, so let's win.

Everything is better at the beach....even the Dollar Store

2009-06-23T05:54:00.001-07:00

I went to the beach last week with my kids and my mom. We had had so much fun. We always have to make our yearly trip to the " pink beach dollar store". OK, OK, I'll admit it the "pink beach dollar store" is pretty nasty, but if you can look over the sea of earrings that have the word "infection" written all over them, and the fairy/mermaid/shoe figurines, and if you can even look over the caps and t-shirts that say "Spring Break '84....party naked" then you can find some pretty good treasures. OK, and the smell, you have to look over the smell, then you can find some very good stuff!!!! I have priced all these items below at decorating, and specialty boutiques, and they can be very expensive!!! I have seen starfifsh like these priced at 10 dollars a piece. I bought a few starfish and a bunch of cool shells. When I get my living room finished I will post pics and you will see what I did with all of my new dollar stuff!!!

We have a winner!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

2009-06-20T12:56:00.000-07:00

The winner of the cake plate is Michelle, from Virginia Beach!!! I think she should let me bring it to her in person, since she is at the beach!!!!! Congrats Michelle, email me your info asap!!! I used random.org both times to pick my winners and both times it picked girls named Michelle....so my advice to you for the next giveaway.....call yourself Michelle. Thank you all for being patient!!!!

2009-06-19T06:00:00.001-07:00

I am sorry that I haven't blogged in a while!!! I have been suffering at the beach! I really planned on posting some while I was here, but I have had NO Internet service at all! I am texting this entry, and I will shocked if this goes through. I promised to announce the winner from my give away today, and I will try, but it will probably be tomorrow morning! Thanks for being patient!!!!

Ballard Designs Knock-off

2009-06-13T19:37:00.000-07:00

So, I think it is safe to say that we all LOVE, LOVE LOVE, Ballard Designs. However, I can't always, and by always I mean never, afford Ballard, so I have been inspired by Thrift Chick to start trying to make my own. So, I got out the catalog and searched for just the right project. I tried to find a product that I could make without leaving my house or spending any money for supplies. Then, BINGO, I found this little beauty....Since my husband and I are both teachers, we always receive 1 or 2 or 77 of those popcorn tins filled with different flavored popcorn. I was already using one of those tins to hold our dog food.The tin was already beautiful, with a wintry scene, of some children from the 1920's ice skating on a frozen pond, not really, it was pretty ugly. As you can see....The good news is , that I already had the tin, the spray paint, and the paint marker. I gave it a quick coat of spray paint, let that dry, and then free handed the writing. I always kept the dog food tin in a bottom cabinet, but now that it is cute, I can keep it out and free up some much needed cabinet space. Ballard Designs Dog Food Tin....$50.00
Fancy Schmancy Designs Dog Food Tin.... FREE
You can't beat that!!!!
BTW.... The deadline for the giveaway is June 18th at midnight!!!!... so if you want to enter you are not too late.

New Etsy Shop and Give away

2009-06-09T07:02:00.001-07:00

I am very excited to introduce my new Etsy Shop. I have had A lot of requests for my "stuff", so I decided to open an Etsy account. I will be adding new stuff daily, so check back often. I think the best way to kick off my new shop is by having a GIVE AWAY!!!!! I love a give away!!!! So here it is... I had a lot of people ask about the cake plate in my new kitchen post, so I made it my next give away item!!!!

If you would like to be the proud new owner of this glass monogrammed cake plate, all you have to do is leave a comment and tell me the letter and color that you want, then post about it on your blog!!! Isn't that simple!!! If you don't have a blog leave a comment, and you will still be entered. GOOD LUCK!!!! Here are some more of my Fancy Schmancy Designs.

Window treatments, Paint colors , and other burning questions

2009-06-09T06:00:00.000-07:00

I had a lot of people ask about my window treatments....this was a question that I was hoping would not be asked. I am a little embarrassed about these treatments.... I mean some of you perfectionists,and professional seamstresses are going to be horrified. I got the fabric at a local fabric store. It took exactly 3 yards to make all the curtains. The black ties are black grosgrain ribbon. The fabric was 7.99 a yard, the ribbon was 2.00 a roll, I used 3 rolls. That is a grand total of about 30.00 for all of the window treatments in this room...oh I almost forgot that is also including the stool that I upholstered. I measured the window width, then cut the fabric the exact size of the window. I then used hem tape to make a pocket at the top for the tension rod to slide through. I didn't even hem the edges, I just used fraycheck around the sides so that it would not ravel. (see I told you, you would cringe) I then took the ribbon and slid it over the top of the tension rod, let it fall to the length that I wanted the shade to be, and tied it into a knot. Then all I did was roll the fabric up and place it into the ribbon. And that is IT.... They look really good. You can't tell that they are not hemmed....I promise.
I was also asked about the paint color. I used Ralph Lauren paint... I am going to have to get back to you on the exact color... I can't find my paint card, and it is not on the bucket, but I am going to Home Depot today, so I will get the color name while I am there.
The other question I got was about the backsplash behind the stove. That is just a faux tile that I painted a loooong time ago. To do this all you have to do is draw youself a square grid then paint in the checkerboard pattern. Then with a gray color, paint a grout line where there would naturally be grout. Last, when everything was dry, I used a dry brush technique and highlighted each tile.
Now you guys know how cheap and unprofessional I really am.

My New Kitchen

2009-06-06T01:55:00.000-07:00

I am finally done with my kitchen!!!!! Well, almost....I still have to paint the inside of the bottom cabinets, but you can't see that and my patience cannot take it anymore. I just couldn't wait any longer to put my new and very much improved kitchen on my blog. First, the before pics...yuck.. can you say CHEAP OAK!!! I thought by painting the walls this color, it would make the nastiness of the cabinets go away, but all it did was make more nastiness. I hated my kitchen, but I just lived with it....for about 5 years. Then, over spring break, we decided to knock the wall out that separated my living room and my kitchen, and we also laid down hardwood floors. I knew that if I was ever gonna paint those cabinets, it had to be now.

TAAADAAAA....... Don't you love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Isn't it sooooooo much better. I finally decided on this gray color. I wanted to paint them black, but I had already painted the back splash with chalkboard paint, and I did not want to get rid of that. I couldn't go with creme or white because of my counter top and appliance colors, and replacing those were not an option!!!! (After we did the wall and floors...we were broke!!)

Don't you love my island!!! I have always wanted one, but I didn't have room. Now, with the wall gone I needed something there, but I didn't have the money to build an island. Remember that huge desk from the before pics... I painted it black, and added fence post finials to the bottom of it to make it the height that I wanted.

This set of cabinets was not even here. I so badly need a desk area. I got these cabinets from a friend who was getting new ones....she was just throwing these away...and I asked the guys who were laying our floors if they could attach them to the wall. I painted them the same color as the rest of the cabinets, and you can't tell the difference. Remember the hot pink desk from my girl's room...well it has a new home, and a new paint color. It was the perfect size for this space.....don't worry I will get the girl's another one....I'll take any excuse to go Goodwilling!!!

My Dad has a new found love for photography, and he is REALLY good. I asked him to take the photos of my kitchen for my big reveal, and he way outdid himself!!!! Here are some closeups, and little tour of the rest of the kitchen. Thanks dad, I love you!!!!

I love my chalkboard paint, my kids love it too. It is perfect for leaving phone numbers for babysitters, jotting down a quick grocery list, and of course countdowns. We had a countdown to Christmas, summer, and now...countdown to camp. I am as excited about this countdown as them, I should change the name to countdown to a week by myself, o countdown to sanity.Can't forget the polka dots!!!!!

I am now finishing up my living room. Hopefully I will have everything ready by Thursday, when my dad is back, so that he can take pictures of it. My kids will be gone to camp so there is no telling what I will do this week!!!

Goodwill Party

2009-06-01T13:06:00.000-07:00

I sooo love Goodwill and yard sales. When Thrifty Chick decided to host a party I thought "oh, I bet I have a few things. Sadly, I have come to realize that there are only like 2 pieces of furniture in my entire house that wasn't previously owned by someone else. I had to stop taking pictures when I realized I was about to fill up my memory card. Here are some of my favorites
Almost this entire vignette is from GW or yard sales.
mirror and shelf: 8.00 YS
table:$10 GW
flowers:$1 YS
lamp:$6 YS
my favorite is the Pottery barn rug $10..... don't hate me it is an old pattern

All of this is in my bedroom.
mantle: $20 YS
lg clock: $1 YS (not kidding $1)
chenille curtains: ok these are from Old Time Pottery, but I only paid $1.99 a panel. I left the tag on them so people would believe me.
old fan:$5 YS
lamp : $15 for the pair YS (the other one is on my husband's night stand could NOT take a picture of that...a little messy)
small milk glass dish: 25 cents GW

I love this table!!!!! I got it for $3 at a YS

I will post more pics of yard sale and Goodwill finds later, and I have many more in the basement waiting to be painted, decoupaged, and transformed into Pottery Barn and Ballard knock offs!!!

Mattie's room

2009-06-01T05:43:00.000-07:00

It seems like it has been forever since my last post...we have been so busy. I thought Summer was supposed to slow things down. Whatever, I guess we will sleep one day when the kids graduate, or something!! I wanted to share another room with you. This is my oldest daughter, Mattie's room. She LOVES monkeys. She wanted an entire room with monkeys everywhere, ya know like... all that crap...uhhh I mean stuff from the Limited Too. Anyway We decided to just accent with a few Monkeys here and there. That turned out to be a really good idea since she has had this room for a little over a year, and she is already getting tired of the monkey thing....oh the joys of preteens!!!
Mattie is not a girliegirl so we went with brown on the walls and dots on the bed.I decided to paint monkeys on canvases, so they could easily be removed if and when she got tired of them, then, I painted those swirly things on the wall, to dress up everything. I got that bulliten board at a yard sale for a dollar. I painted it black and green, and added her name and she loves it. The furniture came from my husband's grandmother, it was a nasty pukey green color. These are old pics, I do have window treatments up now. My camera is not working so I had to use old pictures. BTW, My cabinets are coming along GREAT!!! I can't wait to be done so that I can show them....I should be able to by the end of the week!!!

2009-05-28T16:37:00.001-07:00

Ok, I am trying something new!!!! I am posting this by texting from my iPhone!! I am sooooooo not "technical" so if I figure this out, then I will be so proud of myself!!!! Ok everybody.... I have decided on a color for my kitchen cabinets, and I am soooooo excited! I can't wait to post pics in the next few days. I alredy have them primed, so it won't be long!!! And no, I will not be polkadotting them!!!

My Girl's room

2009-05-27T10:03:00.001-07:00

This is my 2 youngest daughter's room. I decided to go ahead and put this room on here, even though I have promised them we will redo it this summer. Both of these girls love pink and green, but are a little tired of it. We really want to redo it in red, turquoise, and yellow. I had a hard time narrowing down the dots I this room, because there are so many. This is a bonus room with a closet that we made into their bedroom, that is why it has the weird ceilings. I decided to paint each section of the walls with a different pattern. One has, of course, polka dots, one has diamonds, and one has stripes. The window treatments are the easiest treatments EVER!!! There is not a stitch in them, I hot glued it all... they look cute from a distance, just don't look close!!! I found that hot pink desk at a yard sale for 10 dollars... that included the stool. I gave it a quick coat of pink paint and covered the cushion. The piece of artwork above the dresser is one of my all time favorite pieces that I have painted. I love the 3D flowers, and the Eiffel tower. I will post pics this summer after we do the new colors!!!!

drdrdrdrdrdr (Drumroll) drdr ... And the Winner is

2009-05-25T06:38:00.000-07:00

The winner for the personalized platter is Michelle Underwood!!!! Michelle, if you will email me all your information I will get that platter to you asap. Thank you to all who entered. It was so much fun!!! I can't believe how nice everybody was. A special thanks to all of you who have been blogging and twittering for a while, and gave me helpful hints. Stay posted I will do another giveaway for June!!! Have a great Memorial Day.

Also... I will be announcing the opening of my etsy shop soon... I have almost got it ready...

Being Greeted on the Dot

2009-05-21T13:40:00.000-07:00

I know that the title of this post is totally cheesy!!! I am only on my 3rd room and I am running out of polka dot titles. This is not a room, but it is one of may favorite places in my house. I love my front porch. It is truly the best thing about my house. My front porch swing was a gift from my husband. It was probably the best gift he ever gave me. With 5 kids there is not a lot of "alone" time for us, but some of the best times we have had is after the kids are in bed, with a glass of wine (or Bud Light...what can I say we are rednecks) just swinging and talking. It is like a built in date night.

Clorox and polka dots

2009-05-19T13:47:00.000-07:00

I promised that I would share my polka dots from every room, and I know that I said that my family room would be next,buuuuutttt, I am redecorating my family room and kitchen and it is not quite done, so I decided to move to another room. This is my laundry room. It is also my guest bath. As you can probably guess, with 5 kids laundry is endless. There are always clothes laying in the floor. I had it decorated a little more formal, ya know, since it's my guest bath and all, but it was always a mess. To solve this problem I decided to make the laundry part of the decor.... I painted a clothes line on the wall. I used the brightest colors I could since this room does not have a window. It makes it a fun and cheery place to be...........since it is where I spend most of my time;) Decorating with laundry..... only a mother with a bunch of kids could come up with that!!!!!!!

My first Fancy Schmancy Giveaway

2009-05-16T21:26:00.000-07:00

I am VERY new to this whole blogging thing. I have been staying up late and surfing through endless decorating ideas, I've learned to decoupage anything, and I have seen everything you can possibly do with a 1.00 Michael's wooden picture frame. I have also figured out the way to get my blog "out there" is to host a giveaway. Sooo I am very excited to announce that I am having a contest to win this personalized platter. All you have to do to enter is copy and paste this photo then post it on your blog, and add my link. Then, leave me a comment and tell me what color you want your polka dots to be on your platter. So here is the link www.fancyschmancydesigns.blogspot.com
Remember I am very new to this and I am pretty much "winging" this...so bear with me. You have until 11:00 pm on May the 24th to enter. The winner will be randomly chosen and announced on the 25th. Good Luck!!!

SERIOUSLY....I have polka dots in every room

2009-05-15T17:04:00.000-07:00

Since the motto of my business is "....because every home needs a few more polka dots", I decided a long time ago that every room in my house had to have polka dots. I just love them!!!! Polka dots are sooo fun and cute and can add so much to each room. They can be formal, or casual. I thought I would show you all the creative ways I have added dots to each room. I will start today with my kitchen. This little vignette is on top of my kitchen island (which is a whole other post in itself). This was sooooo easy. The platter is just a cheap white Wal-mart special. I added green polka dots and wrote our name with a paint pen. I love love love the cake plate. I was just a plain, run in the mill, el cheapo, from Target. I added the same green dots with a black "G". I actually sell a lot of these, they are super cute!! Next post will be polka dots in my family room!!!

Girls from the south monogram EVERYTHING

2009-05-13T18:34:00.000-07:00

One day I saw an interview with Reese Witherspoon, she was asked how are southern girls different from any other girls.... I loved her answer.... "we are no different than anybody else... except we monogram EVERYTHING!!!!" I agree, I would monogram my children if they would stand still long enough. Here are some photos of some monogrammed walls that I did for a friend. I loved them so much that I am going to do this over my bed this weekend....I will post pics when I do!!!

Dictionary of a mother

2009-05-10T14:27:00.000-07:00

Every year in May, my children's school has a Mother's day luncheon. We eat a fabulous lunch usually consisting of very girly food, like fancy salads, and little sandwiches. While we eat all the children come out and entertain us. It is somewhat like a Mother's Day dinner theatre. Since I have 5 kids I am always running up to the stage and back to my seat with my camera trying to get good pictures. With that many kids...it is a very good work out!!! Every grade does a song or a poem as tribute to their mother. Some are sweet, some are funny, most will make you cry, and all are wonderful. It is truly one of my favorite days of the year. One of my favorites this year was the 5th grade performance. They did a skit called "The Dictionary of a Mother". It gave new meaning to words, now that you are a mom... I would love to share some of them with you!!!

dumbwaiter- a waiter who asks the kids if they would like to order dessert

drooling- how teething babies clean their chin

full name- what you call your child when you are mad at them

sterilize- what you do to your first baby's pacifier by boiling it, and to your last baby's pacifier by blowing on it

top bunk- where you should never put a toddler wearing superman pj's

prenatal- when life was somewhat your own

whoops- a exclamation that roughly translates "GET THE PAPERTOWELS"

show off- another kid that is more talented than yours

These were some of my favorite definitions. They made me realize how thankful I am to be a mother!!! Sometimes it is hard, and sometimes I would love to go to the bathroom without hearing "MOOOOOOMMMMM", and sometimes i would love to finish a meal without sharing a bite or two or 10, and sometimes I would love to finish a sentence.......but I wouldn't trade it for any other glamourous life in the world!!!!!!!!!!
Happy Mother's Day to my mother who I love very much....who went through all these things that I have mentioned, and lived to tell about it....and is always there for me, no matter what!!! I love you mom!!!
Happy Mother's day to my grandmother, who is an amazing woman and a great inspiration. I love you!!
Happy Mother's day to the best mother-in-law in the world.... truly... I have heard horror stories from my friends about their mother-in-law....I love you

2009-05-07T18:11:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite new blogs is doing an awesome give away!!! I want this burlap table runner sooooo bad!!!! I am totally into burlap right now. It is so cheap and super cottagey!!! check out her blog I know you will love it http://theletteredcottage.blogspot.com/2009/05/coastline-contest.html
This is the etsy store where you can purchase really cute burlap stuff. Check out the cute burlap chalk labaels!!! http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=7044601

Amy's favorite things

2009-05-06T19:14:00.000-07:00

I have wondered what I would put on my favorite things list if I had my own talk show. What would I give my studio audience (oh how i wish I had a studio audience!!). Well, now that I have a blog I thought I might pretend that someone might actually care what my favorite things"" list would be so here it is:

The first thing is my Auburn tervis tumbler. These cups are awesome, they don't sweat, and drinks say cold forever. You can also put hot drinks in them.
Next would be "maxi dresses" I have recently fallen in love with these dresses because they are adorable. Put some cute chunky jewelery with it, add a pair of gladiator sandals, or flip flops and you can go to church, work, school, anywhere!!! Bonus: it is like wearing your nightgown all day. I have gone a little crazy buying these!
My next "thing" would be chalkboard paint. I love this stuff!!! I paint everything with it. I painted the space between my counter tops and top kitchen cabinets with chalkboard paint. I love to leave messages for the kids, leave phone numbers for babysitters, and holiday greetings to visitors. I love it!!!Starfish are next!! I love decorating with starfish and shells. I love anything that reminds me of the beach. I have little dishes and bowls around my house filled with little beachy things.That is it for now...but now I am really thinking.... I will be adding to this list, and I am also going to be working on getting a live studio audience.... I already have an audience of 5 that have to listen to me.....they don't have a choice!!!!

Old things made new again.....and CUTE

2009-05-05T15:28:00.000-07:00

I love these painted windows. I have been making these for years. I have done every theme you can think of.....beach, flowers, holidays, cowboys. They are sooo cute on a front porch or over a mantle.. even in a kid's bedroom. These are all the pics I have now but I will post more when I find them!!!

What to do ???? what to do????

2009-05-04T15:32:00.000-07:00

I"m so confused... I am painting my kitchen cabinets this weekend.....and I have yet to decide what color to paint them. We recently knocked out a wall between my den and kitchen to make one large room. We also laid down hardwood floor. So now, EVERYTHING has to be repainted. Also I am getting a "new to me" sofa and chairs from my mom and dad......anyway long story short..can't think of a color palette. I love beachy, cottage colors, but my free sofa is red, and the chairs are red plaid. It is very nice furniture so I can't complain. Love the sofa....the chairs, not so much, they are not what I would call "cottagey" (is that a word) sooooooo, here are my choices for my kitchen cabinets.... tell me what you think!!!! I am leaning heavily to red or blue cabinets with a brown glaze over it to age it a bit... I love the black, but I already have a black island and black dining room chairs.(by the way, the black cabinets are from an awesome blog called the lettered cottage!!love it) I love the red, but the sofa and chairs are red, and I am afraid I will over do it. There is a very pretty grey blue in the chairs, and that might help me keep that cottage, beachy look....HELP... and remember, I am broke: recovering the chairs...not an option....new counter tops and appliances....not an option!!! thanks for your help!!!!!

It's Saturday, and I want to do something cute!!!

2009-05-02T16:52:00.000-07:00

I love Saturdays when there is no where to be....most of the house is clean, and the kids are all occupied. This never happens, by the way!!!!
I was very happy to talk to an old friend of mine today. We used to hang out when I lived in Alabama. We always loved to talk about decorating, scrap booking and FABRIC!!! I didn't realize how much I missed talking to her. She had the cutest house ever!!! While i was on the phone with her I told her that i really wanted to do go inside and do something cute and inspiring, so that I could put it on my blog..... so I did. I got these frames last week at The White Rabbit Cottage. They were having there tent sale. These frames were on the scratch and dent table. They were all scuffed up.The price was normally 24.00 each and I got them for only 3.00 each!!! SCORE. Remember, I have to buy 5 of everything. I didn't like the color of them, they are too dark for my decor...so I put a very light coat of white spray paint on them. Then I rubbed some dark stain on top, as I did that some of the paint started coming off. I loved how it looked. Lastly, I had purchased these monogrammed ribbons back at Christmas to make gifts with (but I never did) so I decided to hot glue them to the top. I think they turned out adorable !!! and I am very proud of myself.... i did not put any polka dots on them;)

2009-05-01T11:32:00.000-07:00

Summer is almost here!!!! I am sooooo excited!!!! I love these little cotton dresses. They are so light and cool. They are perfect for church, playtime, or even hanging out by the pool. My little Macy wears these all the time. Put them with a cute pair of flipflops and you are good to go for a hot summer day. They are $35.00. They come in all sizes. I also do rompers.

Mommy's sippy cup

2009-04-30T08:59:00.000-07:00

Every mom knows that sippy cups are like gold. I used to guard them with my life. Those hard plastic, apple juice filled, goblets with a lid are the only thing that keep you from pulling on the side of the interstate and going all poltergeist on your little angels. Then the nightmare happens....it rolls under the seat... oh the horror. Sometimes us moms need a sippy cup...like our toddlers...something to help us calm down....something to look forward to...an object to look at and say "if i can just get my hands on that..life will be good" That was my inspiration for my Mommy's sippy cup line. These have become some of my best sellers. You can purchase these from me. They are $10.00. Choose from Mommy's sippy cup, Mama-needs-a-rita, and Drink till the bathing suit looks good! Just email me if you would like to by one.

My New Blog

2009-04-30T07:07:00.000-07:00

My son Tucker Got his tonsils out on Friday... so he and I have a bit of cabin fever. I am also in the middle of some home renovations, needless to say, now there is some major cabin fever going on. I am having trouble deciding what colors to paint my den and kitchen, so I turned to the internet for some inspiration. I DISCOVERED THE WORLD OF BLOGGING!!!! I have friends who have blogged for a while, but I always thought I didn't care anything about it...until yesterday. I found so many ideas, and cute things to do to my house, with my kids, and I am officially hooked. So I can't wait to learn more things from the cool blogs that I looked at yesterday, and maybe I can share some of my "cute stuff" with others.

Fancy Schmancy Designs

2008-10-21T21:13:00.000-07:00

Because every home needs a few more polka dots

Fancy Schmancy Designs

2008-10-21T21:10:00.001-07:00