Hi All,
Spring is in full swing here in eastern North Carolina but summer seems to be trying to move in this week. I woke up this morning to a sticky humid mess of a day. Needless to say the windows were closed and the air conditioning was turned on. My daughter is itching to go swimming and quite frankly I am not ready to give up the beautiful sunny days, temps in the mid 70′s and low humidity. As much as I enjoy living in N.C. I am not a fan of intense heat and humidity.

On weekends I work at a small horse farm and right now the Confederate jasmine is in full bloom at the farm. Confederate jasmine is a fast growing, climbing vine that grows here in the east. It blooms in the spring and smells heavenly! As soon as I pull up in the driveway my nose is tantalized with its sweet scent that reminds me of Honeysuckle.

As you can see it has taken over the railing on this staircase. I have been dying to grow some of it in my own yard. If you are curious about this sweet smelling vine you can read up on Confederate jasmine here.

I’ve been out and about this week treasure hunting and today I would like to share with you a few favorite thrifty finds I snagged for a just a few bucks.

 I found this great little bed frame and immediately thought, “What a great little doll bed!” After a second or two I realized it would make a wonderful little doggie bed. With a new paint job and a new mattress I think our pooches will just love it!

I found this pint sized outdoor rocking chair sitting outside of my favorite thrift store just waiting for a new home. Although the paint is chipping badly, it’s nice and solid. With a little bit of elbow grease and some new paint this will make a great little chair for a wee one.

And last but not least, I brought home this eye sore of a step stool. It’s wobbly, there is paint splattered all over it and the bottom of the legs look like they have been chewed on by a piranha. I could imagine the weird look my husband or mom would have given me when I picked it up with a gleem in my eye. Even I think I am a bit loopy for lugging this one home. I am going to chalk it up to the lack of sleep I had last night.

I have a few ideas brewing for this piece. Just wait ’til they see it when I am finished with it.

So, how much did I spend on these thrift store finds? I paid a big $15 for all three. Not too bad, huh? Stay tuned to see the finished results!

Thanks for stopping by today!

~Lisa

New to my blog? I would love for you to follow me on Networked Blogs, Linky Followers OR subscribe via email below and never miss a post!

Lisa's Creative Designs Confederate Jasmine and Thrifty Finds

Hello Everyone,
Sorry I have been alittle M.I.A in blogland lately. I have been very busy with some home projects (that I will be posting about soon) and working on revamping my website which has been taking up most of my time.

I thought I would stop in to share a little craft project today. You may have noticed the pretty birdcages hanging on the wall in my recent post A Thrift Store Frame Makeover.

Well I love these bird cages and instead of leaving them empty I dressed them up with some bird inspired decorative accents.

I knew I wanted to put a bird and nest in each cage but when I went hunting in my local craft store I was not happy with their selection of nests. I decided to make my own.

I started out with an ordinary cardboard egg carton. I cut out two individual egg cup sections for the base.
Then I bought some spanish moss.

I hot glued the spanish moss all over the egg carton and added some faux bird eggs I bought online from FactoryDirectCraft.com

And that’s all there is to it! A quick and easy way to make a decorative bird’s nest!
Now get out there and start crafting!

Thanks so much for reading today and have a wonderful day!

~Lisa

New to my blog? I would love for you to follow me on Networked Blogs, Linky Followers OR subscribe via email below and never miss a post!

Linking Today To:
Metamorphis Monday
Transformation Thursday

Lisa's Creative Designs A Quick And Easy Way To Make A Bird’s Nest

Hi All,

This year’s annual Ultimate Blog Party hosted by 5 Minutes For Mom is under way! I participated last year and made a ton lovely blogger friends. If you are a blogger a nd want to join iin on the fun hop on over!

If you are visiting from The Ultimate Blog party, please leave me a comment to let me know you stopped by! I will try my best to make a return visit to your blog! Take your time and look around, you might just like what you see! I would love for you to join me on my decorating adventures by following my blog on Linky Followers, Google Plus or Networked Blogs (all subscription boxes can be found on my right sidebar) OR you can subscribe via email below and never miss a post!

and on Pinterest at http://pinterest.com/Lisa_hogan/

Party On!
~Lisa

Lisa's Creative Designs The Ultimate Blog Party 2012

Hello Everyone,
A couple of weeks ago I was trecking through my favorite haunt and came across this….

It wasn’t the painting that caught my eye. The frame did. I loved the detail on it and knew right away it would look great after a makeover. Considering it’s size I thought the $12 price was a pretty good deal. My first thought was to turn it into a bulletin board for my daughter’s room.

I brought it home, plopped it in the garage and there it sat for a few days. Then one day I was sitting on my couch staring at my walls when a lightbulb went off.

I found this great bird inspired canavas print last year when I was doing a Simple Staging Project on a vacant property.

I liked it so much that when it was time to tear down the staging props I brought the print home and hung it in my living room.

The colors were perfect for the space and it inspired the bird theme I now have in the room. One thing irked me though. It needed something. I thought a new frame may make it more substantial and planned on building one when I got a chance.

As I said before, I was sittinig on my couch, looking at the print when a lightbulb went off. Hmmm, I wonder if it would fit in the new frame.  I took some measurements and got excited when I realized it would indeed fit after I made a few adjustments.

I removed the not so lovely artwork from the frame. I dismantled the canvas print from the inner wood frame that held it together. I recycled the painting by adhering the print to it with spray adhesive. I had to trim off some of the edges to make the image fit.

Then I  turned my focus to the frame and painted it a crisp white. The original gold color just was not working for me.

To bring out the details of the frame I gave it a colorwash treatment. I created a color wash with some brown acrylic craft paint thinned with water. I started by brushing the colorwash onto a small area, getting it in all the nooks and crannies…

and quickly wiped off the excess before it had a chance to dry.

This technique allows you to highlight the details of a piece as well as giving it an aged look.

I continued the process, working in small sections all around the frame.

After the colorwash dried I rubbed on some Minwax Paste Wax to give it a soft sheen and to protect the paint. I use this stuff on most of my painted pieces. I love the finish it gives to a piece. Soft, Subtle and Smooth.

Once dry, I gave it a buffing with a soft cloth and popped in the print.

Ahhh, THAT’S THE TICKET! I am very happy with the new look.

I hung it above the sofa, right in between my two decorative birdcages I purchased a few months ago from Through The Country Door. I love the look. What do you think?

Thanks for visiting and have a wonderful day!
~Lisa

New to my blog? Like what you see? You can follow me on Linky Followers, Google Plus or Networked Blogs (you can find these on my sidebar) OR you can subscribe via email and never miss a post!

Lisa's Creative Designs Decorating On a Budget…A Thrift Store Frame Makeover