I've missed doing OPAM projects, but for the last several months (or half of a year) it's felt like I couldn't start and finish anything. I could totally start, but finishing was a problem. I can't imagine why. :) So I was really excited to work on the project below! We have a little cutout in one of our hallways that was just kind of blah. It wasn't exciting at all. I started scheming about what to do with the space then I ordered some frames from The Organic Bloom and a plan started coming together. I thought a "Wall of Kingston" would be fun, because what we need most in our house is more pictures of him. We don't want him to feel neglected or anything!

Before: LOVE sign from Kirkland's.
Pillows that ended up here, because they didn't really go anywhere else in the house.
Bench from Pottery Barn.

After: Frames from The Organic Bloom. I'm offering these to clients now!
I made some of the pillows and bought the rest at the thrift store.
The circle banners are just scrapbook paper glued onto yarn.
The paint is leftover from when we had our living room and kitchen painted last year. I thought the rounded edges mimicked the frames a little bit.

This space makes me so happy now. When I finished decorating I thought, "Hmm. Is this a little too much?" Yes. Yes it is. And I love it!

I used some of Kingston's favorite books ;) and other fun goodies to fill the square cubbies.

Oh, he feels so loved now!

Under normal circumstances this little D.I.Y. project would not get OPAM status. It should really only take a fews hours to make; not a month. But I'm doing good to complete anythything these days, and this felt table runner is the only one I finished in February! The good thing about this project is that you can pick it up whenever you have a few minutes to work on it, then get back to it later. Mine was on my living room floor for weeks. :)

You'll need:
-Felt in your choice of colors
-Scissors
-No Sew or other adhesive
-Buttons, embroidery thread, beads for embellishment

Cut out circles from felt. I used a plate to trace and cut out the large and medium ones and a medicine bottle cap for the small ones.

Lay the circles out and overlap them to create the design for your runner. Then, starting from one end and working your way down, attach the circles to each other with No Sew. I laid the circles on top of a runner that I already had to get a feel for the length and width.

Add embellishments-Buttons, beads, embroidered designs...

TA DA!

I get that super-bright colors aren't for everyone!
You could also use neutral colors - greys with black and white
or all one color felt for a monochromatic look
or holiday colors - red and green for Christmas, pastels for Easter... you get it!

Have fun!!!

We have one piece of furniture that I really hate. I guess in the big scheme of things, one is not too bad. The problem is the size and location of this piece. It's a huge black box and is prominently displayed in our living room. In fact, I think I could go as far as referring to it as the focal point of our home. And I can't just get rid of it, because it's the only thing that Anderson picked out. And even though it's old and we could probably go out and get a nice sleek one, he loves the big black box. So my project this month was an attempt to make the area around it look a little more cheerful.

Before-How many boxes do we really need on top of the tv?
After-I gathered some fun, random pieces and tried to stay with a candy-colored theme!

This was another easy project, but it brightened the room up a lot!

A few details (left to right):
The big frame once held a hideous family portrait that hung in my Grandma's dining room. I painted it sea foam green and hung E - 2008 (for "Established 2008") in it. A modern take on the signs we've all seen in people's homes over the years. I used a wooden letter and numbers and covered them in magazine clippings with Modge Podge.

Below that is a framed vintage camera manual.

To the right is a framed "A" and a ceramic cow head from the thrift store.

The pink metal square is from Hobby Lobby, but it was a yucky rust color. I sprayed it cotton candy pink and attached a deer head cut out of scrapbook paper. (This is the picture I used in case you wan to make your own!)

I found the pink cuckoo clock on eBay and painted the canvas under it a long time ago!

I'm back at the OPAM projects! Style School was the reason for my two month break, but since that's over now; I'm ready to jump back into the fun world of random monthly decorating projects! Here goes...

This is the second bookshelf I've revamped since starting OPAM. I really like bookshelves, because I can display so many cute things on them. In other words, they are clutter collectors...and I love clutter!

This one came from Target a few years ago. It fit perfectly into the beach décor at my old apartment, so I bought a whole matching set when I moved in. But since I'm not into this color wood anymore it never made it into our house. It was in the garage in the i-don't-know-what-to-do-with-this-stuff-but-don't-want-to-throw-it-away pile. Then I decided what it needed was a little bit of pink spray paint. Ya'll know I like spray paint! Once I got the idea to paint I knew exactly where I wanted to put it and started collecting little goodies to display.

Before: Sad little shelf. After: Two cans of pink spray paint later!

Now it has a home in a little corner of our living room. Isn't it happy?!

Here's what I put on it...

On the wall: This clock from IKEA, this print that my sweet brother-in-law and sister-in-law gave me for Christmas and a yellow "A" from the thrift store.

On top: An old typewriter that someone was throwing away (gasp), a Polaroid camera and my Great-Grandma's book about how to read and write short-hand. Ha!

On the shelves: Books (including Bibles, legal thrillers by John Grisham, Amy Vanderbilt's "Complete Book of Etiquette" and old Reader's Digests), mini yellow vases from the thrift store, a light bulb full of confetti and an old hatbox top.

Completely unrelated...but thanks so much to everyone who sent me emails about where to go in Hawaii! I now have a list of fun things to see and do-yay!!!

Between taking down my fall decorations, replacing them with Christmas ones, buying and wrapping presents and processing print orders I didn't have time for a true OPAM in December, but I did make some fun decor and thought you might enjoy it. Maybe you can save an idea or two for next year!

I love wreathes-and when I saw these yarn ones I was excited to try making one.

It wasn't hard to make, but wrapping the yarn around the foam wreath 5,000 times was NOT my favorite part. Once it was wrapped I added the pom poms, felt leaves and a little fabric yo-yo for accent!

Presents!!!

Paint sample gift tags.

Left: A big tree limb Anderson swiped for me from the little patch of woods in the middle of our neighborhood. I spray-painted it and stuck it in an IKEA flower pot.
Right: Oh, Christmas Tree!

More of the white tree.

I found this old record at the thrift store. Isn't it fun?!

Pom pom garland.

Left: A fun pillow I made out of fabric that has flamingos and motor homes on it-ha!
Right: The stockings hung by the TV with care. :) When we built our house Anderson didn't think we needed a fireplace. I agreed. I mean, it is Florida! But now his ridiculously large TV is the only place for our stockings to hang...sad.

The dining room.

Left: Little pink tree in the kitchen.
Right: A couple of the many crystal trees in the dining room.

I looked for bright green cloth napkins everywhere but couldn't find any. So, I bought these bandanas instead (for $.99).

Left: Crystal trees and a pink feather wreath that I made...on the dining room table.
Right: Some of the cards we got from family and friends. I loved them ALL!

Left: The frequently updated chalk wall!
Right: Merry and Bright

Oh, and can you believe the birthday celebrations are still going on? Anderson and I just can't let it go-ha! We're going out to celebrate his birth with my parents tonight. Of course he requested a buffet...seafood. It seems like a lot of our celebrations involve eating!

I like Maggianos, so we went there for my birthday.

Mom and Dad.

Anderson and Me.

Anderson wanted to see Avatar on his b-day, so we did. In IMAX 3D!

We ate at Gypsy Cab Company in St. Augustine on my actual day of birth. It's my favorite restaurant! Then we had to swing by the Fountain of Youth for some pictures.

Doesn't he look youthful?!

And yet another night of celebration at a Yummy Mexican restaurant. Yeah, I haven't really cooked much lately!!!