FRIDAY FIVE // ANIMALS

I feel like I'm living in a zoo lately.  My little tasmanian devil has definitely been keeping me busy - whether I'm cleaning up the destruction after Tornado Luke, helping him save the world from evil or battling him over taking a nap - and I am tired.  But, what's a zoo without a multitude of animals, right?  We already have an owl, an octopus and a fish but a proper zoo needs more. These Friday Five finds are all a bit on the wild side - just like Luke.

Source List

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5

I'm hoping things die down around here - or, at least, that Luke starts taking naps again because I'm really not ready for the glory days to be over.  Mama needs her breaks!

So, what animal decor makes you sing like a songbird?

DIY: Sew Your Own Simple Pillow Cover

Creating a room that feels put together and cohesive is every homeowner's dream. Paint, drapery and decor are each important to the overall design and feeling in a space. Throw pillows - a great accessory to achieving this well-rounded look - can add a burst of color, texture and personality and are a great way to play with patterns and colors. Beautifully covered pillows are easy on the eyes, but perhaps not so much on your pocketbook.


Using leftover Covington Wilmington Multi fabric from my drapery panels, I made two envelope-style throw pillows. These envelope-style pillow covers are the perfect use of leftover fabric giving my simple navy sofa a boost of color and pattern. They can easily be removed for cleaning or just to change-up the decor.

Materials/Supplies:

Why Patience & Persistence Pay Off When Decorating on A Budget

Sometimes decorating on a budget is tough.  You either have a sparse space because you're saving up for the perfect furniture and decor or you've purchased temporary stuff that works...for now.  It's tempting to purchase inexpensive and sometimes low-quality items just so your room isn't bare - because nothing is more daunting than a bare room, but it tends to be a method I try to avoid.  Perhaps it's my picky personality, but once I set my sights on something no temporary replacement will ever do. Plus it just seems like a bit of a waste since you're just going to replace it down the road.  Don't get me wrong, I definitely do use temporary fixes from time to time but I try really hard not to. 

Our living room is no exception.  With only two east facing windows, our living room is the darkest room in the house.  It's a place where I spend LOTS of time writing, watching the ol' boob tube and getting my fill of house porn.  The switch for the overhead light is WAY across the room plus there's no convenient side table to place my coffee cup, so you can imagine the inconvenience that I have had to endure on a daily basis.  I've been on the hunt for a floor lamp and a small side table to remedy this bothersome situation for what seems like ages.  I was looking for styles similar to this, this, this, or this but you know....for a lot less money!  Those are each beautiful lighting options but YIKES!  I can't even imagine spending that much on a lamp.

Maximizing Storage By Utilizing The Space Above The Fridge

Our love for open shelving is overflowing.  In addition to the two shelves in our kitchen, which hold our white dinnerware and glass storage jars, we've added two more above the fridge.  Every extra bit of storage is needed with a couple of clutter-hounds like us and utilizing the space above the fridge was a no-brainer.

The top of the fridge typically looks like this - an eyesore if ever there was.  I removed everything and gave it a good cleaning which is something that tends to get overlooked.  Do you guys regularly wipe down the top of your fridge?

A Few of My Favorite Things: Five Under $30

With Christmas looming around the corner I'm in total gift buying mode.  I usually spend the year thinking of things to get people and am pretty much done buying gifts by the time December rolls around.  This year is a whole 'nother story and I'm feeling the pressure. Luckily, I have an arsenal of go-to favorites when I get in a bind.  Like, right now.

One, Two, Three, Four, Five

 So what about you guys?  Have any favorite gifts that you love to give?

Open Shelving Gets A Trim

Remember that open shelving we installed awhile back?  We made the 4-foot long shelves from the Ikea Valter brackets and simple 1x12 white wood boards.  I love our open shelving.  It's freed up cabinet space where we used to house our plates and bowls and cleared up counter space where our glass jarred food staples used to hang out.  But what I'm not too fond of are the thin boards and the unfinished edges of each shelf.

While the boys (the hubs, my dad and my brother) were hard at work on the mudroom and while we had all the tools out, I garnered some motivation (and possibly guilt over being the only one not doing anything) and decided to finally get these shelves up to par with a quick little fix.  I pulled out a couple 1x2s from our stash to update each shelf with mitered trim.  The 45 degree miter cuts were incredibly simple thanks to the use of a chop saw, but they could also be cut using a miter box and hand saw.  I cut three trim pieces for each shelf and left the back of each trim-free since they wouldn't be seen.

DIY Halloween Costumes

What?  It's been over a week since Halloween?  Rather than get caught up in the details let's just take a look at our rad DIY Halloween costumes this year. 

The hubs and I stepped out on the town the Saturday before Halloween for some much needed grown up fun.  We threw these little numbers together last minute using things we had at home, plus some makeup and hair assistance from the neighbors. 

Say hello to Frankenstein and Frankenstein's Bride.

Not too shabby for pulling it out a couple hours before the party.  And guess what?  That's my wedding dress!  Frankenstein's bolts - those are painted marshmallows.  They did a pretty damn good job of sticking too.  My hair - that's the end result of some crazy teasing and a disgusting mixture of egg whites and elmer's glue.  I woke up the next morning still rocking the hair style.  It.Didn't.Move.  Luckily it came out pretty easily in the shower with the ol' smear on a bunch of conditioner, brush through, rinse and wash method.

The Paint That Cured The Itch

Not THAT itch.  Thank god.  My itch is a little more mental.  There are so many pending projects around the house that it's feeling a bit overwhelming and with our budget cut it seems that nothing is going to get done.  This lack of progress has me in a bit of a funk and if you've noticed I haven't been up to much on this ol' blog (which is now one year old) and that's a bit scary.  If I'm dormant for too long - watch out!  I get that itch to get creative and who knows what'll happen.  This time around wasn't too drastic, but the final results did sway from my originally intended design scheme just a bit.

My plan was to paint all of the living spaces (i.e. the living room, hallway, stairway, landing, etc.) a light warm gray covering up the off-white that is painted everywhere including the trim and ceiling.  I swear they just moved through the whole house with a paint sprayer and no surface was safe!  (Sounds familiar, Pops?)  Yes, gray.  Just like everyone else.

I like gray.  No, I love gray.  If you're a Pinterest follower then I'm sure you're well aware of my love of gray.  It's a perfect neutral and is both modern and traditional.  It's perfect for our young little family and our little coastal cottage. BUT, my warm gray color would be a new purchase.  One that I don't really think I could rationalize to my hubby which means that I'd have to live with these hideous off-white walls for whoever knows how long.

Knockoff // DIY Anthropologie Zinc Letter

Remember when I picked up an Anthropologie zinc letter J from a local thrift store?  I hung it on Josh's side of the bed and kept my fingers crossed that I'd score a letter M for my side because I sure as heck wasn't going to pay $18 at Anthropologie.  Instead of just sitting around wishing and praying for a deal, I thought I'd take fate in my own hands and make an inexpensive and simple copycat version of the beautiful zinc letters.

I picked up an MDF letter ($4.99) and

DIY // Hanging Bathroom Storage Baskets

Our small bathroom lacks in the storage department.  We have a builder's grade vanity that houses lots of our essentials but more is always needed.  After stumbling upon some wall storage using ikea bygel rails and baskets I decided to make my own and mount them right outside the bathroom door.

The idea is a great one - my execution of it, not so much.  Not only is it messy and unorganized, but our little monster has a fascination with lotion and will do anything to get his little paws on it.  Having it out in plain sight is both an eyesore and a temptation our little two year old can't shake.

DIY // Date Night Jar & A Little Kismet

Four years ago today I was blissfully being pampered - getting ready to walk down the aisle.  I was nervous and excited and ready to party down as Mrs. Padgett!  It's amazing how fast the years go by, how much changes in such a short amount of time and how we haven't suffered a single itch.  I'm still feeling pretty lucky.

We used to celebrate our anniversary by returning to the place where we spent our honeymoon, Whistler B.C. - where we'd gorge ourselves on the best fried calamari we've ever eaten at Ric's Grill, get all wrinkly in the outdoor hot tub and sleep in late in the amazingly comfy beds at the Adara Hotel and drink far too much wine.  Keeping within our budget, we won't be taking refuge with the Canucks this year and will instead be taking a few days off much closer to home.  But just because our spending has been dialed back doesn't mean the sentiment had to be.  And nothing says I love you more than homemade gifts, right?

I've been meaning to make us one of those date night jars for SO LONG.  It's a popular idea on pinterest and one that would take little skill to make.

DIY // Vintage Reproduction Postcard Wall Art

I've always been a fan of postcards.  With their beautiful landscape photography or the photo and hilarious quip combination plus a short and sweet message from the sender - nothing beats getting these in the mail.  Josh and I still write each other and I'm sure to send a postcard or two during our summer absences.  This year I picked up a pack of the WPA National Park Service vintage reproduction postcards from REI to send to the hubs.

We're a camping family and these are perfect little reminders of where we've been or want to go.  These prints are gorgeous.  I knew that I didn't just want to send them and shove them in a box to be forgotten.  So I took the postcards and four IKEA Ribba frames at $1.99 a pop and created some amazing graphic wall art for just around $10 total.

Houzz: Make Your Own Chalkboard Paint

I'm back!  From forgetting my adapter cord for my camera at my parent's house to my computer's ac charger ripping into two, it's been impossible to post anything.  I have quite a few projects waiting in the wing, but I thought I'd first share my most recent Houzz project - making my own chalkboard paint.

Other design by Media And Blogs Meg Padgett

Chalkboard paint is popular thanks to its blend of sentiment, whimsy and practicality. Whether it's painted on walls, furniture or appliances, chalkboard paint has certainly come a long way from the basic green or slate gray boards used in schools.

DIY Nautical Chart Art

Ever since I was a youngster drawing countries for my book reports, I've had a fascination with maps.  That fascination carries over into decor.  I'm all about showcasing a map in the home and if you haven't noticed, so is the rest of the home decor world.  We've seen them in vintage, modern and contemporary forms of all shapes and sizes.

We've long displayed a world map in our home with pins to showcase where we've traveled and now we're rocking another map to show another important place in our lives.

The hubs, while in addition to being an amazing teacher, is a commercial fisherman.  He spends his entire summer break in Alaska out on the Aleutian Chain catching halibut and black cod.  It's incredibly difficult having him gone for months at a time, but it allows us to raise our son the way we want ~ with Mama at home.

To make the transition easier and to help our {almost} two-year old son TRY to understand why Daddy is away and where he is, we picked up a couple nautical charts of the fishing grounds where he typically fishes, so we could show him exactly where Daddy is.  You can pick these charts up at most marine supply shops, ours was Longship Marine in Poulsbo, Washington.

Rather than just throwing the chart up poster-style, I created a piece of art that is both practical and beautiful by cutting the chart into four panels and framing them with simple glass frames.

DIY // A Budget-Friendly and Quick Bathroom Makeover

I'm in a "lots of jobs started and not a single one finished" rut.  I'm still in the process of painting the accent wall {if you've liked me on Facebook then you've already seen some work in progress photos and if not, you'll just have to wait to see the big reveal}, which means the open shelving and trim have to wait and the hubs is still working on mounting the microwave and putting up the window trim since the nice weather has allowed him to work on the foundation beam and mudroom flooring.  With all these left-undone projects hanging over our head, I've been getting a little ants-in-my-pants anxious about getting something done.

The kitchen was out of the question.  I mean, I could have worked on the accent wall some more but I just couldn't bring myself to wrap my now-arthritic fingers around that damn paintbrush and paint the same form over and over.  A quick project was in order.  One that would go from Before to After in a matter of hours and not get stuck in that awful During trap.  The bathroom was the perfect small space where, with a few quick changes, I could transform it from Blah to Ahh...in under an hour.