Flower Crowns

My sweet girl is turning one next month so Ive got first birthday party on the brain big time right now!

The one thing I keep seeing are all these adorable flower crowns and I love them! So yesterday I decided to try out a few of my own. 

My little deer head was so kind to model one for me.

They are made from felt and fold over elastic. They are pretty simple to make and really don't take much time...maybe 30 minutes each. Im not quite sure what my plans are for them yet but my wheels are turning! I cant wait to share all my other ideas in the next few weeks leading up to the party! 

My Everly is a much cuter model by far! 

One more month to go and my babe turns one! Where did the time go?

Fabric Love

It isn't often I see a fabric that blows my mind like the way this one did. Say hello to the Schumacher Chenoneau. Beautiful!

Via the Schumacher website...

This classic Schumacher design is reproduced from an antique French printed textile, which was originally derived from a seventeenth-century Persian silk damask.

Ive seen it used everywhere and I can't get enough of it...from the amazing wallpaper (I die) to curtain panels and pillows! 

Thankfully, my good friend was super helpful in my quest for some and when it appeared in my mailbox last week I did a little happy dance right there on the road! Sorry neighbors.  Now it was time to get to sewing and I seriously could not wait to get started on some new pillows for our sectional. 

Ta-da! Im quite pleased with them. I also made some new covers for the larger sofa pillows out of some fabric I had on hand (again, I used a set of old curtain panels)

 and I feel like this is the perfect trio to take me in to the fall season. Heck, I love these so much they might stay here straight through Christmas! 

Entryway Update

I love how my home evolves over time. Its my canvas and I am constantly thinking of ways I can make it better. Ive said this before but I can also become bored easily and so I can only keep a room a certain way for so long before I have the urge to change it all around again. Its because my brain never stops thinking about what I can do to make my home better, its my little masterpiece. This is where I truly believe that a limited budget is working in my favor. I can only imagine what would be happening around here if I had the money to just start any project at any time. I think my family would be living in a home constantly under major reconstruction! I have a running to do list in my head at all times...I cant help it and to be honest, I enjoy it....a lot!

Something that I have recently changed up is our entry area. Since we moved in this space has had about, oh maybe like 10 different pieces of furniture in it. I had two different dressers, a bunch of various chairs, a large cabinet, a table, which I purchased specifically for this space but now is a visiting guest in the family room. My design is evolving and I am no longer thinking only of how pretty things will look in a space but how functional they will be. We need our home to work for our family and because our daily lives are always changing, so is what we need from our home. The one thing I noticed about having a table in this space was that it became a dumping ground for everything! Not just keys but toys, hair ties, change, receipts, etc! It drove me bonkers! I tried solving the problem by placing a pretty wooden box on top for all the junk but that didn't help because after a few days it was full and the junk was spilling out! Not good. 

I had to come up with a better design. Thats when I started thinking about a bench here, which had me thinking of these two photos that I had pinned just awhile back.

This is from the blog Sara Swanson design. I love her aesthetic and how everything is so neutral. She rarely shows color in her home which makes it appear very serene and calm there. I saw this photo of her entryway with the tufted bench (restoration hardware) and the fiddle leaf tree...I so want one....and I couldn't get it out of my mind! I love being inspired by other bloggers homes.

This is my other favorite! This is the entryway of blogger Monika Hibbs last home. The entire house is pretty much amazing and I have found a ton of inspiration from her photos. Again, all this white makes my heart pitter patter, I love it all! Oh and that mirror! Please come live at my house..pretty please!

So with these two pictures on replay like a movie reel running through my brain, I was now on the hunt for a similar bench for my entryway. 

My initial on line search resulted in these two benches below...

$749 Houzz

Blah, not happening! To rich for this chick!

$649 Ballard Design

Not much better on my poor wallet!

Gah, I wasn't happy with these being my only options and so I did what all smart money saving girls do....I went to Homegoods. 

$129

Much better!

I also found this piece for above the bench. It holds all the incoming mail and a few other items that we need but it doesn't scream, "hey dump all your crap on me" like the table did. I am looking in to finally getting that Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree (its in my cart on Home Depot on line) but for now this little guy will do.  

Fall Tablescape

Happy Monday!
One more day until Fall is finally here!

I'm from upstate New York so the fall has always been one of my most favorite seasons. The leaves changing, the cool crisp air. Its beautiful this time of year up there and you hold on to it with all your might because you know that the snow is about to fall, very soon!

Apple picking was something we did every year growing up. I don't know if it was the actually the picking I enjoyed or that the orchard sold the best apple cider donuts you have ever had and we would eat them all the way home in the car. So good!

The weather has been absolutely beautiful around here lately and all I can think about is getting the house ready for fall. 

Of course it started with that antler pillow!

Yesterday, after a long weekend on the soccer fields, I was finally able to get started. 

I have a lot more to do but I did get a little tablescape done and I love it!

Thank you Target for always showing me what I didn't know I needed! Avery and I decided to take a quick trip there yesterday and here is what going in for some diapers looks like.....oops!

Let me make something clear. I love, love, love fall. But with fall comes color and truth be told, I'm afraid of color! I mean I try, I do. 

I see those pretty jewel tones and I think, "Oh Im doing that!" So I buy those bright coral pillows, bring them home, let them sit on the sofa for a month..... and then my heart starts to race a little more every time I walk past them until I cant bear it anymore! So I toss them in to storage! 

Its not something I'm proud of and I love those bright, vibrant colors (in other peoples homes) but for me I know my heart belongs to the neutrals and Ive made peace there.

 Greys and greens are as colorful as I can get these days and unfortunately, grey doesn't scream fall, so Im using the greenery clipped from my yard and a few orange mini pumpkins to add in the color of fall...but that is as colorful as I can get! 

One of my main rules with fall decor is allowing my Halloween decor to transition in to Thanksgiving.
 I would love to do all black and white pumpkins and spiders but I know that isn't practical so I stick with white and orange for the pumpkins and just sprinkle in the Halloween stuff that can easily be taken down afterwards.

So what do you think of my fakey fake white pumpkins?
Years past I have always used real ones in my fall decor but it seriously makes me sick when I throw out $50 worth of pumpkins at the end of the season every year! Not mindful spending at all!
So this year, Im sucking it up, and although Im sure Martha wouldn't approve, Im using the faux pumpkins! Thats my way of making the plastic ones sound fancier:)

Im crushing on these wood trim lanterns, they were a little bit of a splurge for me at $20 each but thanks to a super sweet friend, I had a gift certificate.
Like I said, I had no idea that I needed them but they are perfect in here! 

Im certainly not done with it all quite yet but I like how its going so far. I would love to show you a perfect house all decked out with fall decor but I have to do everything in stages. Keeps me sane (thats debatable) and it keeps me on budget! Maybe, one day I will have seasonal tours around here to show all of you but not today and probably not tomorrow. There is only so much time in the day and  like you, I can only do so much.
My babies come first and they could care less if there are pumpkins on the table. I do all this because it makes me happy.....they just want mommy to sit on the sofa and read to them and so Im trying to do a whole lot more of that these days! 

Antler Pillow Contest Winner

AND THE WINNER IS........

KATHY D !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you to everyone who entered, followed, liked, shared and commented!!

House Seven appreciates all the love more than you know! 

Keep coming back for more giveaways soon!

MUAH!

Its a Giveaway!

Fall weather is upon us and that has me thinking about fall decor. I'm not quite ready to pull the trigger and go all out with the fall colors in the house but I am thinking about how I'm going to transition everything for the upcoming season. That has me thinking about Antlers. 

I have crushed on them for awhile now. This picture below might be my all time favorite.

(source)

Im well aware that they have been popping up in home interiors for a few years now and I might even possibly be way late with this post but honestly its a trend that I'm still not quite over. If I could still buy this resin antler wreath above (darn you Restoration Hardware for discontinuing it) I would!

These images below have been on my Pinterest boards forever now and I'm still loving everything about them! 

(source)

I would love to have a giant mounted set for my kitchen too! 

Swoon

(source)

Right now, Im using them all around the house to bring in a little rustic charm and to make things feel a little more ready for the fall season. 

While all these thoughts of fall and antlers were swirling through my brain yesterday, I had one of those moments when I was like...Hmmm, I think I need more...what about an antler pillow?!? Yes, I do need an antler pillow! Thank goodness for nap time around here because this is what I came up with. 

I used some white denim for the cover and then I made a little linen appliqué for the antlers. Pretty cute, if I do say so myself.

The next step was, where will it go?

Here?

Here?

I mean, it can really go anywhere and its perfect for fall decor!

That's when I realized that I shouldn't be the only one to have all this cuteness, you all should have one too! 

Who doesn't need a cute antler pillow for their home this fall?!?

So I have decided that this one needs to go to one of you! 

All you have to do is enter in the box below for a chance to win! Go ahead and leave me a comment if you want and let me know you entered..it's that easy!

Good luck and happy winning!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

(giveaway is for the antler pillow cover only) 

Barn Door Tutorial

Happy friday all!! 

I know some of you have been waiting for this, so here ya go! I thought a friday was a perfect time to post this so maybe you all can tackle this little project over the weekend! 

Barn Door Material list

Wood

(2)-Plytanium 8inch center 4x8ft. ( these will make your door) $28.98 each

(4) 1x6x10 white wood board (trim for your door) $6.88 each

(1) 1x6x8 (decorative piece to mount track on) $4.88 each                                                                             

Steel

(1) 8' x 2" piece of steel (track) Free

(1) 3' x 2" piece of steel (door bracket) $7.20 

*disclaimer-Lowes and Home Depot did not carry the 8ft piece of steel. We are lucky enough to have a friend who owns a sheet metal and copper fabrication shop. This is where we got our 8ft track. You will want to find a specialty hardware store or google a steel fab shop that is local to you and see if they can provide you with one.

Hardware

(2) 3" steel pulley (its in the garage door section at Lowes) $4.93 each

(6) 3/8"x 5" lag screws ( attach the rail to the wall) $0.31each

(16) 3/8" flat washers (go on every bolt and screw you have) $0.94 bag

(6) 3/8" lock washers ( go on before every bolt) $0.94 bag

(2) 3/8" x 1 1/2" hex bolt (attaches through center of wheel)$0.21 each

(4) 3/8" x 2 1/2" hex bolt ( connects steel bracket to the door)$0.21each

(6) 3/8" x 3" black pipe nipple- you can find them in the plumbing section ( used as spacer for the      3/8" x 5" lag screw) $1.49 each

(6) 3/8" Hex Nuts $0.06 each

(3) 2 1/2 x 1 1/2 Corn brace L bracket ( these are used for your stoppers at either end of the rail and as the floor guide for your door) $3.95

1.5" trim nails $1.00 

1" wood screws $1.00

100 grit sandpaper $4.99 pack

Wood Glue $7.97 16oz

Door Pull $4.49 (Tractor Supply)

Equipment

awesome wife with amazing ideas

super crafty husband to execute those ideas

table saw 

(you can also use any circular saw or jigsaw, hell you can use a steak knife but it might take you till next year) 

miter saw

nail gun ( but you can use a plain 'ol hammer if you want)

sander 

grinder or any specialty saw blade that will cut through steel

drill (or screwdriver) 

Hammer Drill (you can also use a drill press) 

level

Socket Wrench

Spray Paint-flat black $5.98 each

Semi gloss white paint $20.84

GRAND TOTAL $179.00 

*This is a tutorial for one double sided Barn Door with trim work on one side only. You will have to double the amount of wood you need for the trim if you want it on both sides. We didn't trim both sides because the door will stay open most of the time and we didn't want the added weight for something that we didn't feel would show very much. 

How we made it...

First we cut the overlay off of both pieces of wood siding using the table saw. 

This cleaned up the edge.

 This photo below shows you how we cut the end off.

 The next step was to use wood glue and glue both sides of the wood siding together.

We glued the back sides together and then placed a bunch of heavy crap on top to hold it tight while it dried.

 Heavy crap holding it down shown below.

 Next step was to screw the two wood siding pieces together.

Brian drilled 1inch wood screws in where the trim would eventually lay on top so that the screws wouldn't be visible when the door was finished.

Next step was the trim on the "front" of the door. 

This is the side that would show in the dining room. He used the miter saw and cut the white board to make the trim on the door.

 

 He used a nail gun to nail all the trim down and then using a 100 grit sandpaper sanded the entire door. Trim included.

The next step was to paint.

(disclaimer: we forgot to add the center trim first so you can go ahead and add all the trim at once, we're just ding dongs and painted twice) 

You also want to paint your 1x6x8 support beam at this time and spray paint all your hardware black.

We added in the trim for the center of the door and filled in the gaps with wood filler and then painted it all.

So pretty but boy is it heavy!

Next step is to mount the 1x4x8 white wood to the wall.

Using a level and finding the studs with a stud finder Brian screwed this piece in to the wall with a standard drill. 

The purpose of this piece of wood is not only to be decorative but to also add extra support to the Lag screws which support the track. It gives the screws an extra 3/4" of wood to go through while also providing the needed clearance for the door to move freely on the track.

Next step is your 8ft piece of steel.

We measured the wall to see where the studs were and then using a Hammer Drill and 3/8 inch drill bit, drilled 6 holes in to the 8 ft piece of steel. Brian used some oil to lubricate the bit each time he drilled a hole since he didn't use a masonary bit. If you are having difficulty drilling your holes, you can first drill a pilot hole with a smaller bit to get you started.

*MAKE SURE YOU DRILL THE HOLES LOW ENOUGH ON THE BAR TO ALLOW THE WHEEL TO MOVE FREELY ACROSS THE BAR AT THE TOP!

Then he attached the 8ft steel piece to the 1x4x8 wood using the lag screws which fit through the center of the pipe nipple.

This is how you will attach the rod in order of hardware:

Lag Screw

Flat washer

8ft Track

Pipe Nipple 

Using a hammer he tacked it in to the wood and then used the socket wrench to secure it all the way in.

(picture below is close up of this process)

The next step was to bring in the door. 

This was only possible with the help from our neighbor because even though I consider myself freakishly strong, there was no way I could carry it in to the house! Its just too heavy. 

Next step is your brackets using your 3ft piece of steel.

 Cut your 3ft steel piece in to two 18 inch pieces with your grinder. 

The next step is to add your wheel to these two pieces. These will be your door brackets.

In this order:

3/8" x 1  1/2" hex bolt

flat washer

wheel pulley

flat washer

lock washer

3/8" hex nut

Now you will attach your 18" piece of steel (these are your door brackets) to the door. 

Measure how you want your door to hang from the track.

 This will depend on the clearance you need from the floor to the bottom of the door. 

Our door way is 7'10".  On the 18inch steel pieces we drilled the holes 1.5" from either end of the steel and the middle hole was drilled exactly at 9 inches from either end. Dead middle. Three holes total. 

We knew we needed 1/2 inch of clearance from the bottom of the track to the top of the door and we needed 1 1/2" of clearance from the floor to the bottom of the door. Once we had this information we drilled the holes in to the door at the location we wanted our brackets to be.

We attached the brackets in this order:

3/8"x 2 1/2" Hex Bolt

3/8" flat washer

door

3/8" flat washer

3/8" hex nut

The next step is to attach the door pull....easiest step by far!

Okay, now that you have your hardware all in place it is time to hang the darn thing.....hands sweating, praying that you did the math correctly.....YAY!!! IT WORKS!!!!

Next we attached the floor guide because due to the weight of the door it will push away from the wall without a guide holding it in place. 

We used a Corn brace L bracket and drilled it in to the floor and stuck a furniture pad on to it to keep it from scratching the wood and also to allow the door to roll against it smoothly. This held the door in place.

Next we attached the last two Corn brace L brackets to the 1x4x8 white wood holding the track to serve as stoppers and keep the door from rolling off the track! That would be bad!

Once those are in place, you can safely use your door!

(I got a little ahead of myself and took this picture before we attached the stoppers...oops!)

Here is the back of the door that is visible to the kitchen when closed

You can see above where the 18' bracket bolts attach to the back of the door. 

And that my friends is how you make and hang a barn door!

My thoughts about this project..

It wasn't easy but it wasn't hard either. We were able to execute it rather quickly which is always a major bonus in my book. We did try to stain the door first with white stain. It didn't end up looking very good in our opinion so we went ahead with painting it instead and I like it much better this way. Its funny that once we did this project, I now see Barn Door Hardware for sale everywhere I go. 

The thing is, its always way more expensive then what we ended up paying by making it ourselves. I know that finding the 8ft piece of steel seems like a huge pain but with a little leg work you will find one and it will be so worth it in the end.  

If you have any questions about this tutorial, please leave a comment and I will answer all of them the best I can! 

In the end I hope that this is a useful resource for you especially if you are getting ready to tackle this project in your own home!!

Good Luck!