New house tour

This is going to be really long because I tend to ramble. And it's filled with run on sentences because #mombrain is so real. But here's the story of how we found our house. If you don't really care how we found it, just scroll down to the pictures.

Okay so we looked for a house for a long long time.  I'm picky and had certain things I wanted in a house. We also weren't sure where we would end up for good. But then I got pregnant and there was zero room in our little victorian for a baby. We had 3 bedrooms upstairs but that upstairs was creeeeepy. And there was no chance I was going to put my brand new baby up there. And then a few other things came to play with Tom's job and we decided utah county was going to be our home for sure. So we really buckled down on the house search. We looked into building but with the timeline we wouldn't have been in by the time our babe got here so that was out. (Plus, the thought of paying for a fence and putting in a yard wasn't very appealing) Our realtor sent us over a bunch of homes in the area we wanted and I found one I wanted to walk through. You guys. It was  baby blue. Walls, ceilings, railings, in every. single. room. BABY BLUE. It was horrible. I left with this song stuck in my head. And then we found another one we liked in the neighborhood we wanted. (same neighborhood as blue home) We walked through that night and it was my home. I just knew it. We put an offer on the next day, which they counter offered the next day. And then Tom just wanted to wait for a bit. Buying a house is so scary! We wanted to be sure we could comfortably afford it and at the same time grow into it. Plus, buying the 2nd house we walked through felt really crazy and impulse-y. We talked more and decided we were going to keep looking.  So Tom started sending me MLS listings again and I literally cried looking at them. Carpet in a dining room? Who does that? No basement? Where will I send my kids when they're driving me crazy? (I may have been pregnant and hormonal but I just knew my house was getting away.) And then we talked more and decided we would accept the offer and literally 30 minutes later our realtor called us and said they received a higher offer but because they signed the counter offer, we still had 3 hours to accept and they would be locked in with us. So we scrambled and signed the papers and accepted. And then 30 days later it was ours! Okay so here are the pictures from the night we walked through. The house was vacant which made them really motivated to sell.

Entry

Entry from the living room and view into office

Office

Office

Living room from the front door

Tom and our realtor Will (who also happens to be a friend)

Living room from second story

I was mainly in love with the natural light and high ceilings

Half bath off living room

Dining room

Kitchen

Living room from the stairs... and can see into dining room and kitchen

Guest room

Laundry

Nursery

Main bath

Master

Master

Master looking into hall

Master bath

Master closet

Master bath from closet

And that's it! We do have a basement that's the same size as the main floor but it's just cement so those pictures would be kind of boring. Eventually we will finish it and then you can see it. :)

So basically our house was very brown, poo green, and 2 tone... And one very pepto pink/ peach crayon colored room.  It all changed very fast.  We painted 3 rooms before we even had Roman 2 1/2 months later.

Each room is already so different and I couldn't be more happy about that.  The people who lived here before definitely had different taste from me.  But what I loved most about this house is that everything was just cosmetic and could be easily changed as opposed to some of the houses with major issues. I will slowly be going through each room and showing you what I have done so far as well as what my plans are to finish them from here on out.  Starting with the entry.

Thanks for taking this journey with me!

xoxo Bre

So, hey....

It's been a looooong time. So much has happened in my personal life since the last time I blogged. Let's dive right in.
1: We bought a house!! I love it and have enjoyed making it my own! But it has really really been a labor of love. Emphasis on the labor part. I have been so super busy doing project after project and I can't wait to share them with you.
2: I had a baby!!! What. I know.

Meeting my sweet Rome for the first time

Picture by Emmy Lowe

My family on the 4th of July

(notice how he's staring at me haha I think the love is mutual)

His name is Roman and he was born on May 31, 2015. I'm just going to go ahead and be super cliche right now: He lights up my freaking world. I love him so much and instantly forgave him for the misery some call pregnancy. ;)
That's the main reason I stopped blogging. I got pretty bad morning sickness that lasted from mid September to January. That was the longest fall of my life. And then once I was feeling better we bought our house and moved (I was 28 weeks pregnant and don't recommend moving while pregnant. EVER.)
So I guess I only had 2 main things happen, but those are pretty big, yeah? Anyways, Ashlee is moving on to bigger and better things (AKA she's like this amazing model and travels all around doing runway shows. Pretty much she's way too cool for school) So we decided I would go back to blogging by myself. And now that I have a house with never-ending projects, it shouldn't be a problem coming up with content.
Guys. I am so excited to be back! And also so amazed that when I logged on I'm still getting daily page views despite my lack of blogging. I'm going to try my best to blog lots. But bear with me because I do have a very demanding/non sleeping 5 month old.

Next post: House tour!!! As we bought it... Kinda scary haha

Xoxo Bre

Restoration Hardware Headboard Knockoff... On a major budget!!!

Okay, so I have been busy working with a client finishing up some rooms and I can't even wait to show you the final results!! For now, you get a sneak peek while I do a headboard tutorial.

You guys.  This is my favorite headboard I have made to date.  And once it was done I was reeeealllly wanting to make myself one.  But I will have to wait until we move again.

Anyways. Here goes.

Now that is VERY Restoration Hardware if you ask me!

Start with your board.  Lumber can be pricey so I get the plumbing underlayment from Home Depot.  It comes in a giant sheet... like 4'x8' (1" thick) and ranges b/t $10-$20.  While I am there, I have them cut it down to the dimensions I need on their giant saw (so far I have never been charged, but usually the first 2-3 cuts are free)  You will want your headboard 5' wide (the width of a queen bed) and this one I only did 3' tall. Because that is what would fit inside my car haha.  But you can make it as tall as you want really.

Then I got 2 furring boards. They are 1"x3" and 8' long.  Have them cut them down into 3 pieces: 1 5'6", and 2 that are the height of your headboard. If your headboard is 3' high, you will get 2 pieces that are 3' long.

Sand and stain your furring boards (these will be the boarder of the bed) I used Minwax Classic Gray. 

I always lay my headboard on a folding table, it is just easier to work with.

I got my fabric on sale (always look for the upholstery fabrics to go on sale). It was 50% off, regularly $20 a yard.  And for a queen size bed you need 2 yards which is 6 feet.  Make sure your fabric is at least a yard wide.  Mine was 48" which was plenty.  I went with a neutral beige linen because I was going for the RH look.

First you will cover your board with batting.  I got this on sale also.  If you buy in the bag, it is usually twice as much as if you buy it by the yard.  Just a little tip :)

Pull it around and staple it to the back.  I got my stapler at WalMart for like $20 and I have used it SO much.  It works great.  It is Stanley brand and not a plug in or anything.  You just need a little muscle :)

Next, add your fabric.  Make sure and pull the fabric really tight and fold the corners so that they lay smooth. With the wood boarder, they don't have to be perfectly beautiful.

Below: Look at that coloring!!! I am in love with this stain color.  I use a foam craft brush to brush on and then wipe off with a paper towel.

Next you will build your boarder.   So find the sides that you think are most beautiful and put them face down on the floor.  You will make a 'u' shape with your 5'6" one at the top.  I bought these little metal corners at Home Depot and they were SUPER strong.  Use a triangle to make sure your corners are perfectly 90', mark where your screws will go with a pen because as you screw it will move a little and as long as your screws are in the right places, it will be a perfect angle.

Okay, getting this to fit was a bit more tricky than I thought.  It was a tight squeeze which was great because my measurements were exact. You will probably have to mess with it a bit and use some muscles to make it fit.  Then use more of those metal plates (but they're just straight like this) to screw into the back.  I did 2 spaced out on each side and 2 on the top.  That thing is not going anywhere.

Then you will start with your nailhead trim. (spoiler- I found this at WalMart for a fraction of the price you would pay at a hardware store!! They worked really great! I got 3 boxes and didn't use them all.)  I just eyeballed it and spaced them about an inch and a half apart.  Tip: when you're getting to a corner, put one in the corner and then move back towards the nailhead.  This will make sure you get it placed perfectly in the corner and you can fudge a little on the spacing between the other ones. Does that make sense?

Okay. I'm dumb. I didn't take any pics of the rest. But it's easy.  This is held up by 2x4's and once the bed is pushed up against it, it will stay! Promise!  Measure your bed from the floor to the top of the mattress and subtract an inch.  This will be where you mark your 2x4 and where your headboard will sit off the ground.  Mine happened to be 28" tall.  Make sure your 2x4's are perfectly even and screw them into the back of the headboard.  I always draw a line on the back of the headboard where I want the 2x4's to hit.  Screw in and you're done!

Okay okay.  That's it for the sneak peaks.  But look at that headboard!!! Swoon. I want one now.

Price breakdown:

Plywood board: $20

Wood boarder: $3

Batting: $9

Fabric: $20

Nailhead: $3

Mending Plates: $5

2x4: $2

Grand Total: $62.00

You heard me.

And I think this took 2-3 hours.

So basically, why are you not on your way to Home Depot to get started right now??

Thanks for reading!

xoxo Bre

DIY Upholstered Headboard

Okay guys, I'm going to take it back a few months to the headboard I made for my mom for mother's day (yes, clear back in May)

I finally got a second this last weekend to snap a few pictures... I took them on my iPhone and didn't take the time to open the blinds because Tom was rushing me out the door. So forgive me for the bad quality. But hopefully you can get the idea!

I started with a sheet of underlayment from Home Depot.  This is the cheapest piece of wood I could find for as large as it is. (they can range from $11-$20)  It is 4ft x 8ft and I cut it down to be the size of a king bed which is 76 inches wide... I think I cut it at about 78 inches so it would be 6.5 feet. (this also ensures that the headboard isn't smaller than the bed.)

Next, I measured 6 inches in on the top and sides of the headboard. 

I bought a large foam camping pad from a local grocery store called Smiths Marketplace. Early in the summer they sell camping pads that are about 3' wide by 7' long.  I cut down the pad to 5.5' so that it would fit inside the board with a 6" board. (because of the dimensions of the board and the camping pad, I left a foot of boarder on the bottom of the headboard)  I measured to the middle of the headboard and marked and the middle of the foam and marked to make sure it was perfectly centered.

This stuff is like magic.  Lay your foam down and spray this stuff underneath and it will hold it in place.

Next, use batting to wrap the boarder of your board.  Use the stick spray to hold it in place.

When it comes to headboards, fabric is usually the big cost because you need so much of it.  I ended up finding a really pretty quality upholstery fabric on sale for 50% off and used a coupon on top of it.  I ended up going with an ivory linen.  It's beautiful up close because you can really see the wefts of the fabric.

Next, place your fabric down on your board, centered.

Pull your fabric tight over your board and use a staple gun to staple around on back. 

Staples seen here.  Add as many as you need to keep your edges smooth and really hold your fabric in place.

I found a really pretty bronze nailhead trim at Home Depot.

Hammer your nailhead in at a good spacing of your choice.  The nice thing about pulling it tight and then adding the nailhead that pulls it even tighter, is that you don't have to iron your fabric.  Mine was SUPER wrinkly and pulling it tight just straightened and smoothed it all out perfectly.

I just eyed it and made sure the nailhead was about 2 inches apart and 6 inches from the edge of the board. (this also shows how beautiful and textured the fabric is)  Hammer the nails in with a few gentle taps- If you are concerned about marking up your nailhead, they do sell rubber mallets specifically for nailhead, but I thought it turned out just fine and didn't effect the finish too bad!

Continue all the way around your foam until it is complete. 

This shows how the bottom boarder is wider than the top and sides.  I wish I had a picture of the back.  I used 2 2x4's just screwed in to the back.  I measured the bed and made sure that the headboard sat with 6 inches of the bottom boarder below the top of the bed (if that makes any sense) This way the boarder looks even all the way around.

Next, lean the headboard against the wall and push your bed up against it.  The bed will hold it up (promise! Mine has been holding strong for 2 years now)

It really just completes the room!  Now that you have the step-by-step, you can adjust the measurements to fit your own bed. You could even make it shorter if tall headboards aren't your thing.  I wish you could tell how tall it is... but just know that it is super tall and just gorgeous in person.

Overall, I think the total of this was $80. 

Getting the camping pad really cuts down costs because they are only about $20. Which gets you a lot of foam for a very little price.  Watch for a good coupon for your fabric which will also be another big cost.  If you plan ahead of time, you can order nail head off amazon for cheap too.  Once you have all of your supplies, this only took me about 3 hours total. Not bad at all!

If you make a headboard, send us some pictures or post it to instagram with the hashtag #stellalaneheadboard.

Good luck!

Thanks for reading!!

xoxo, Bre

Seriously Simple Chalkboard tutorial!

Ok guys I have a new obsession.  I have been doing so much lettering lately and the more I do, the better I get, and the more I wanna do.  It's a downward spiral really.

Chalkboards are the easiest way to practice lettering/calligraphy because, duh, you can erase way easy.

I showed you a few chalkboards in my last couple posts.  Here is my super simple tutorial:

When thrifting, look for anything flat that can be spray painted.

Examples:

Any board, picture frame... seriously anything.  All of these were less than $2.00.

Next:

You can also buy chalkboard paint in a can, or there are multiple tutorials out there to make your own.  The spray paint form has been the easiest way I have found.  Obviously if you're painting a wall, you would want to opt for the kind you roll on.

I threaded some burlap ribbon through the small hole at the top to hang it.

For this board, I wanted a gold boarder. So first, I sprayed the edges with gold spray paint.

Next, I taped off the part I wanted gold and sprayed it with the chalkboard paint.

Here it is ready to draw on!  Make sure and season your chalkboard before writing on it.  Smear the whole board with chalk and wipe off with a damp cloth.

This chalkboard is for my friend's wedding, (one of many I've been able to do)

I free-handed this with a white colored pencil, after I practiced on paper of course.

And then I got chalk markers.  This just shows how much brighter it makes it!

The finished product.  Cute, huh?!

This one used to be a picture.  I just sprayed directly on the glass, and it worked really well!

Another one for Brooke's wedding.

I hope these have inspired you to go out and make your own chalkboard(s)!  I am seriously obsessed.

Thanks for reading!

XOXO Bre