Your Turn To Shine Link Party #16

Hi bloggy friends!  I'm so glad you're here today and hope you're staying warm if you're buried under a snow drift.  We haven't seen a flake yet this year here in the Carolinas, but I've got my fingers crossed.  If you're ready to get rid of yours, send some of it my way. ;)

Let me tell y'all, I had a ridiculously hard time choosing my features this week.  I'm always amazed at the talent I see every week here.  Even if I don't always have the chance to comment, I love visiting your blogs and checking out your latest brilliance.  I truly hope you feel welcome here and you keep coming back.

I'm ready to see what you've whipped up recently!  Link away!  And be sure to leave me some love in the comments as well as with each other.

Lauren- Bless’er House

2 Steps to Upgrade a Basic Window | DIY Bathroom Plank Wall | Thrifted Stairway Lighting

Nicole- Meet the B's

Grey Washed Dresser || Chalk Paint Basket Makeover || Wood Slice Art

Kendra- Joy In Our Home

Lemon Poppyseed Bundt Cake || Our Journey in Refinishing Hardwood Floors || How To Build a Board and Batten Headboard

Vicki & Amy - Canary Street Crafts

Chalk Paint Upcycled Chair || Valentine's Day Cake Pops || Annie Sloan Paint Tips

Jamie- anderson + grant

Shopping Finds || Quick Tip to Fix Your Refrigerator  || Getting Organized for the Week Ahead


We would love to connect with you on social media!  

Vicki & Amy from Canary Street Crafts  ||  Facebook  || Instagram  || Pinterest  ||  Twitter  ||  Google+

Jamie from anderson + grant  ||  Facebook  ||  Instagram  ||  Pinterest  ||  Twitter  

Kendra from Joy In Our Home  ||  Facebook  ||  Instagram  ||  Pinterest 

Nicole from Meet The B's  ||  Facebook  ||  Pinterest  ||  Twitter  ||  Google+

Lauren from Bless'er House  ||  Facebook  ||  Instagram  ||  Pinterest  ||  Twitter   ||  Google+

And don't forget to check out the Your Turn To Shine Pinterest Board, where all our features will be pinned!

Follow Kendra's board Your Turn To Shine on Pinterest.

Nicole's pick: BLT Cream Cheese Dip from Southern Couture

Jamie's pick: Jalapeño Bacon Pinwheels from Memories By The Mile

Amy & Vicki's pick: Pulled Pork Nachos from Cooking With Vinyl

Lauren's pick: Updated Living Room Decor from 11 Magnolia Lane

Kendra's pick: Valentine's Printables from DIY Beautify

I love how fun this Updated Living Room Decor by 11 Magnolia Lane is.  So fresh and cheerful!  

This Master Closet Makeover by Dwell Beautiful is making me really jealous!

This Painted Rotating Organizer by Anything and Everything is so unique and much more budget-friendly than its designer look-alikes.

This Waxing Chairs (The Easy Way) Video Tutorial by Orphans With Makeup is great for anyone who ends up frustrated with the waxing step of a furniture re-do.  I wish I'd known Mary's trick during my dining room chair overhaul.

These Red Velvet Waffles by What The Fork Food Blog are genius!  And if you're someone like me who ditches the maple syrup for a smuge of cream cheese, these would be divine!

If you were featured, don't forget to grab a button!  

  

1. No Etsy stores, giveaways, or link parties.
2. Please link to a specific post on your blog, not your blog's home page.
3. Link back to one of our blogs with a text link or party button.
4. By submitting a link, you're giving us permission to feature your project on our blogs and on social media.  Proper credit and a link back to your post will always be given.  
5. Each week, a few of our favorites will be featured on all five of our blogs.  Features will also be pinned to our Pinterest Party Board  for even more exposure!  If you were featured, be sure to grab a button! 

 Thank you so much for stopping by and for linking up with us!

An InLinkz Link-up

Reader Appreciation Giveaway: $200 to Lush Decor

I love being able to give back to my readers with some home decor goodies, so when Lush Decor contacted me asking to host a $200 giveaway to their site, I was all for it.  

I may not say it enough: Thank you for reading about my DIY adventures.  Every like, comment, tweet, follow, message, e-mail does not go unnoticed.  I'm so blessed to have an amazing group of readers.

If your draperies are looking a bit dated or you can't remember the last time you treated yourself to some cozy bedding, they have plenty of beautiful options along with colors and styles suited for a wide range of tastes.  I'm definitely thinking of getting the Berlin Quilt for our own very plain master bedroom.

Bless'er House readers can also get 10% off using the code LOVELUSH1.

Use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter.  Contest eligible only in the United States.  (The widget might take a a few seconds to load.)  Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This is a sponsored post in which I was provided product and/or compensated for sharing my experiences.  I will always always provide my 100% honest opinion because friends don't let friends make bad shopping decisions.  Sponsored posts keep this little blog moving.  For my full disclosure policy, click here.

Another One Bites the Dust: Stairway Lighting

We're at it again, y'all.  And this time we've migrated upstairs. This builder grade lighting replacement journey is finally reaching its end in our house.  (You can check out my earlier posts about my knock-off rope chandelier, $10 industrial pendant lights, and mason jar vanity light.)

This time, I let a lucky Goodwill find do the dirty work for me.  Well, that and a strapping hubby, an awesome daddy, and one ginormous ladder to get the job done.  

We definitely don't have our act together in this space yet.  Here's what we've had going on in our stairway since we moved in.

It's very...vanilla.  Not even that really.  Even vanilla has flavor.  This is like paper flavored.  Blah.

I'd even be okay with this pendant light if it looked like most builder grade fixtures I've seen, but this one I despised.  It looked alien.  And kind of like an image I remember being exposed to way back in 6th grade during a really awkward sex-ed class.  (Right?!  Do you see it now?  Ew!!!  Just when you thought the dreaded boob light couldn't be any worse, this guy showed up to the scene.)

Thank goodness, I found the perfect replacement at Goodwill last week that only set me back $17!

I'm always a bit leary of buying lights in thrift stores because I have ended up with a dud before that I later discovered had wiring issues and didn't work.  But I took my chances with this one.  It was still in the original packaging and everything.

I looked up the item number online and found it for sale for $147! 

Over 88% off?!  Sha-weet!

We took a break from our master bathroom makeover progress while my dad brought over his really cool ladder.  That massive thing could position on our stairs to reach the high ceiling and finally take down the light fixture that I had been giving the evil eye for way too long.

Oh so much better.  

Now if only we had some paint on those primer white walls.  Hmm...

We'll get there eventually.  But this was already a big improvement.

We've spent $173 total on 10 light fixtures in our house.  That's pretty fantabulous.  

A little heads up, I'll be back tomorrow with a big giveaway!  It's been too long since I gave back to you guys for following me along this house journey of ours, so it was way overdue.  

If you liked this post, be sure to check out this one:

5 Industrial DIY Light Fixtures for Under $20

Blessings,

Follow me on

Bloglovin

Or find me on 

Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Google+

2 Simple Steps to Upgrade a Basic Window

We have been ticking items off our to-do list for our master bathroom for the past couple of weeks and it is so exhilarating to start seeing the end of our hard work.  I'm dying to get to that awesome, magical, wowzas-now-THAT'S-a-bathroom reveal day.

So far I've shared our builder grade mirror replacement, the story of our reclaimed ladder towel rack, my botanical window wall decor, and how we installed a plank wall behind our tub.  But one of the most challenging places for me in this room was what to do with our very blank window.

I'm very happy to report that I figured it out!  And Levolor swooped in at the perfect time for me.

Here's how we were looking before:

Nothing really wrong with it.  It was just kind of...meh.  Lack luster.

I shared with y'all my shopping experience a little while ago to pick out our Custom Size Now Mahogany Light Filtering Bamboo Natural Roman Shade for this window that, I'm not even exaggerating, I've been wanting since we moved into this house.  

All of their Custom Size Now blinds and shades are cut to width for free at Lowe's and ready to go home same day.  5 minutes and we were outta there, kicking and screaming toddler in tow.

We knew last year that the cordless Levolor Premium Faux Wood Plantation Blinds were the way to go for the rest of our windows since we were worried about our little one getting tangled up.  A year after installing them, we're still very happy with them.  If you have a little one of your own, I really recommend them.  It's one less thing to worry about for us.

Our bathroom window is up high and out of Olivia's reach, so I got to have something different in here with the natural texture I love.

Installing them was really easy.  My grunt-work-end-of-the-deal hubby just screwed in the mounting plates at the top of the frame (really, I could have done this step but he was being chivalrous, as usual)...

...and attached the shade.  No kidding.  That was it.  Wam bam.

I have to admit, I was a bit nervous about shortening the shade once it was installed.  I didn't want to ruin my pretty new window decor.  But once I did it, I realized I had nothing to worry about.

See what I mean?  It had to be done.

So I marked on the shade about 3 inches below the window sill, took down the shade, and laid it on a flat surface with the backside facing up.

I cut, cords and all, where I had marked on the shade.

...used the bottom of the shade as a reference guide...

...and tied the cord to the last ring where I had cut.

To hide the ragged end of the shade, I just ran a strip of hot glue at the bottom to make a sort of "hem".

For a tutorial to shorten Levolor blinds, you can check out this video.

Meanwhile, Robert took care of adding some farmhouse style moulding to the window.

He followed this tutorial from Funky Junk Interiors. (No sense in reinventing the wheel, right?)  

After a few wood cuts, nailing up the pieces, caulking, and painting it, we had our fancy schmancy farmhouse window!

We hung up the newly shortened bamboo shade and stared in awe.  Really, I can't tear myself away from it.  I never knew how much a window could completely transform a space.  This room has much more character now.

Such a difference, right?!  And it really wasn't that difficult.  If you can cut in a straight line with scissors and a saw, you can do this.  

We have a couple other spots in the house we're turning our attention to in the next week, but hang tight because I promise I'll be sharing more of our bathroom progress soon.

This is a sponsored post in which I was provided product and/or compensated for sharing my experiences.  I will always always provide my 100% honest opinion because friends don't let friends make bad shopping decisions.  Sponsored posts keep this little blog moving.

Blessings,

Follow me on

Bloglovin

Or find me on 

Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Google+

Your Turn To Shine Link Party #15

Hi, friends!  I'm so glad you're here.  Truly.  Whether you are a regular visitor or a newbie to our link up, I am so thankful to have you!

The hubby and I have been knocking out projects left and right, so it's nice for me to take a day to sit back and pour over your latest creations.  I had a really hard time picking my features this week because there were so many good ones!

The gal pals in this link party bunch and I pin all of our features, and your links are shared across all 5 blogs.  I love sharing great projects on social media too, so I hope you'll take a second to follow me there.

Okay, yadda yadda, I know you want to get to the fun.  ;)

Kendra- Joy In Our Home

 Valentine's Tree  ||  Triple Layer Caramel Brownie

Nicole- Meet the B's

2014 Year in Review || Burlap Last Name Sign || Chalk Paint Updated Basket

Amy and Vicki - Canary Street Crafts 

Chalk Paint Tips || Valentine's Day Cake Pops || Family Room Inspiration

Jamie- anderson + grant

Winter Mantel  ||  Decorating with Glass Canisters  ||  Learning about ISO 

Lauren- Bless'er House

18 Tips for Better Craigslisting | Spring Inspired Window Wall Decor | DIY Bathroom Plank Wall

We would love to connect with you on social media!  

Vicki & Amy from Canary Street Crafts  ||  Facebook  || Instagram  || Pinterest  ||  Twitter  ||  Google+

Jamie from anderson + grant  ||  Facebook  ||  Instagram  ||  Pinterest  ||  Twitter  

Kendra from Joy In Our Home  ||  Facebook  ||  Instagram  ||  Pinterest 

Nicole from Meet The B's  ||  Facebook  ||  Pinterest  ||  Twitter  ||  Google+

Lauren from Bless'er House  ||  Facebook  ||  Instagram  ||  Pinterest  ||  Twitter   ||  Google+

And don't forget to check out the Your Turn To Shine Pinterest Board, where all our features will be pinned!

Follow Kendra's board Your Turn To Shine on Pinterest.

Nicole's pick: Valentine Oreo Truffles from Kleinworth & Co.

Lauren's pick: Built-In Fireplace & TV Nook With Doors from Our Home Notebook

Amy & Vicki's pick: Chalkboard Entryway from Dwell Beautiful

Kendra's pick: Crochet Double-Sided Shell Blanket from Making It In The Mitten

Jamie's pick: Fall Inspired Side Table from The Vintage Storehouse

This Built-In Fireplace & TV Nook with Doors by Our Home Notebook is incredible and HUGE!  But if there's ever a project where you can "go big or go home", it's certainly a statement-making fireplace.

Katie's DIY Rolling Storage Box at Little House of Four looks like it came right out of the pages of a Restoration Hardware catalog.  

I can't say enough good things about this DIY Chalkboard Entryway by Dwell Beautiful.  Pretty, functional, and creative- what's not to love?

This Recycled Wax Paper Box to Washi Tape Dispenser by Carolyn's Homework is pure genius.  I love turning old boxes into storage, but I've never seen this take on it before.

Amy shared Tips for Decorating a Small Space on a Budget at Home Remedies, and she has some great ideas for any of you feeling stuck in your decor lately.  

If you were featured, don't forget to grab a button!  

  

1. No Etsy stores, giveaways, or link parties.
2. Please link to a specific post on your blog, not your blog's home page.
3. Link back to one of our blogs with a text link or party button.
4. By submitting a link, you're giving us permission to feature your project on our blogs and on social media.  Proper credit and a link back to your post will always be given.  
5. Each week, a few of our favorites will be featured on all four of our blogs.  Features will also be pinned to our Pinterest Party Board  for even more exposure!  If you were featured, be sure to grab a button! 

 Thank you so much for stopping by and for linking up with us!

An InLinkz Link-up