I try not to live in the past, but I do like to reflect at the end of every year to get a feel for what worked and what didn’t.  You know, figure out what I did well and need to keep doing {for instance, working out regularly}…AND also what I let get away from me and need to improve upon {for instance, living in the moment and not in fear}.  If you’da told me last year that I would write 200 posts, try some HTML coding and land a house tour on Apartment Therapy in 2010, I wouldn’t have believed you.  To say I’m over the moon about House*Tweaking is an understatement.  I’m so happy I’ve found a way to free many of the creative {or crazy} ideas that have been whirling around in my brain for years.  In fact, that’s the reason this whole blog got started…I needed an outlet for the paint colors, furniture, DIY projects, pillows and kitchens floating around in my head.  Just ask Handy Hubby.  Then to learn that other people are actually interested in those ideas has been even more fulfilling.  This may be sappy or lame to admit, but knowing I have some readers who want to see how project ‘X’ {X = anything I want to change in our house} turns out really gives me the motivation to actually get it done.  In return, I hope I’ve inspired you to paint something white or gray, scour your local thrift store for budget-friendly home accessories, save wisely for those new countertops you’re ogling, give IKEA a chance, find an organized place for all the stuff in your house, or just try something different.  For kicks and giggles, let’s have a look at the top 10 H*T posts of 2010.  If you’re new to H*T, they’ll give you a taste of what this is all about.  If you’ve been following for a while {thank you!}, maybe they’ll be some of your favorites.

10 – You Asked For It: Paint Colors where I revealed most of the paint colors used in my home.

9 – How NOT To Hang Wallpaper where I demonstrated that one non-thoroughly informed person + wallpaper + bookcase = an ‘eh’ wallpapered bookcase.

8 – DIY Painted Circles Border where I showed how to use empty toilet paper tubes as paint brushes.

7 – We Painted The Kitchen Cabinets White! where I went against everything my Dad and Grandpa ever taught me and painted over perfectly good {albeit orange} wood.

6 – Master Bedroom Sneak Peek where I teased you with a snippet of my bedroom makeover progress then let it simmer for over a month.  {I’m working on it, I promise.}

5 – My Kids’ Bedroom where I toured my sons’ newly made over shared bedroom.

4 – My Mini Mudroom where I let you in on the hardest working room in our house.  Surprise!…it used to be a closet.

3 – You Make Me Happy When Skies Are Gray where I painted a drop cloth on purpose and hung it in our foyer.  For real.

2 – Tips For Decorating An Open Floor Plan where I devoted an entire week to making wide open spaces feel cohesive, comfy and stylish.

1??!! – My Kitchen where I proved that builder grade kitchens can be upgraded on a budget.  {Imagine confetti falling and horns blowing.  Now kiss someone.}

Rest assured there’s more to come in 2011.  Happy New Year!

A side note: If one of your favorite 2010 H*T posts wasn’t on the list, feel free to share it in the comments section.

images: all Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

In blogging years, I’m considered a rookie.  {I’ve only been blogging for a little over a year now.} But I enjoy it and have so many ideas to implement and share that I can see myself doing this for years to come.  That’s why, every once in a while, I like to survey you readers and make sure I’m staying true to what House*Tweaking is all about…tweaking houses into homes with a lot of creativity and a little bit of money…with small doses of mom humor thrown in to keep it real. With a new year upon us, what better time to take inventory and figure out what you guys are thinking of H*T?

{I don’t know that woman.}

So, if you don’t mind, please take a few minutes over the next couple of days to answer some questions about H*T.  Even if you’ve never spoken up before, make this your first time!  Let your ideas and opinions fly.  I won’t be offended.  I see it as constructive criticism. Believe me when I say that I read every comment made here. My hope is to use your feedback to make this a better place for you…and me.

2010 H*T Survey

1. Who are you? {gender, age, location, career field, marital status, family, pets}
2. How often do you read H*T?
3. What type of post do you like best? {tutorials, mood boards, giveaways, etsy finds, family life, DIY, etc}
4. What type of post do you like least?
5. What’s been your favorite H*T post{s} to date? {Feel free to peruse the archives!}
6. What other blogs do you enjoy reading? {not necessarily home decor blogs}
7. Anything new you’d like to see from H*T over the next year? {certain topics, an area of my life you’d like to know more about, design services}

Thank ya in advance!

image: Super Stock

A kind House*Tweaking reader, Lisa, emailed me a few weeks ago about her sunroom.  Here are some pictures she attached in her email…

Lisa’s sunroom is located right off her kitchen and opens up into the backyard.  It serves as a dining room, craft area and somewhat of a mudroom.  {The hutch holds art and office supplies.}  Lisa had already decided to paint over the bright yellow walls with Valspar’s {Lowe’s} Bonsai.  She also knew the honey stain of the dining table wasn’t working and that it would look more polished in a darker, richer stain. To provide more seating and allow for better traffic flow, Lisa plans to build a corner bench seat in the left-hand corner of the first picture above.  Lisa asked for advice on how to incorporate her favorite color, turquoise, into the room along with her kids’ artwork and a bird or branch or two…she loves birds and branches.  Like anyone, she was on a budget and looking to tweak her bold sunroom into something a little more clean, simple, and fresh.  Here’s the mood board I came up with for her…

1 – To go along with the Bonsai paint color for the walls, I suggested that Lisa sand, prime and then paint her dining chairs in Sherwin William’s Meander Blue.  This grayed-down turquoise hue will add a pop of color and contrast with the darker stained table {more on that in #8}.

2 – Lisa didn’t specifically mention anything about a light fixture, but pendant lights are a great way to define a dining space.  I chose this IKEA one because of the texture, lighter wood tone and simplicity…and price.  (My sister owns the table lamp version of this light and says it casts pretty designs on her walls/ceiling in evening light.)  This IKEA Böja pendant could be hardwired into the current ceiling light box and then swagged over to the center of the dining table once the table is moved closer to the corner.  Just use a ceiling hook to secure and swag the wire.

3 – I suggested grabbing up a trio of IKEA’s square RIBBA frames in white to showcase Lisa’s kids’ art in style.  (Displays look better when done in 3′s.)  Hung along the wall in the first image above the chair rail and spaced closely, these frames would house artwork that could be changed up quickly and easily whenever Lisa’s heart desires.  Keeping the spacing between the frames tight – no more than 4 inches apart – gives them the feeling of one display versus 3 disconnected frames.

4 – This inexpensive geometric door mat would be a good spot for wiping shoes when placed in front of the doors.

5 – I found this bubble glass bottle/vase and thought it would look darling on the dining table paired with some branches…either real or faux.

6 – The capiz metal branch wall art just might be my favorite thing in this mood board.  I have shown it turned on its side for a more natural effect.  I would hang this on the wall opposite the french doors.  As far as placement, I’d hang it so that when standing by the french doors directly across from where the dining table will be {once bench seating is installed}, the pendant light doesn’t hang directly in front of it…some overlap is good.  That means moving the branch art a little further down the wall towards the kitchen.  Being across from all those doors, this wall art will reflect the light and sparkle.  To save money, Lisa could totally DIY something similar out of real branches and glue little mirrors or crystals to them for the same effect!

7 – I threw in a couple of decorative pillows for the future bench seating.  Guess what?  They’re from Etsy.  See the Moroccan inspired one here and the coffee sack one here.

8 – I agree that sanding down and staining the  yellow-ish table a darker tone would fit better into Lisa’s desired color scheme of gray, white and turquoise.  It would be a lot of work/mess but very much worth it. A walnut stain would go with the hutch but they wouldn’t have to match perfectly. This is just a picture of a table in a color of stain that I think would look nice in Lisa’s sunroom. No need to buy a new table.  The corner bench seating would look nice in white to blend in with the wainscoting and take up less space visually.  For added storage, the bench seating could be open underneath for shoe baskets or the top could be hinged to open up and hide seasonal apparel – coats, hats, gloves, scarves, beach towels, etc.

9 – Finally…the hutch vignette.  Moving the hutch over to the short wall near the kitchen, would balance out the room.  {Remember, the dining table and new bench seating will be in the corner diagonally opposite this wall.}  Say it isn’t so, but the hutch is great the way it is!  {I know.  Who’da thought I’d say don’t paint it?}  The wood tone will lend warmth to the light room.  I would just declutter the top and add some decorative storage boxes in white to disguise messes.  I found these at Target.  I think Lisa could scout out a bird figurine from a thrift store and spray paint it turquoise.  She said she likes birds, so I wanted to incorporate one.  {Even though I’m deathly afraid of them.  Weird?  Yes.}  Lastly, a nice white oval mirror hung horizontally above the hutch would really lighten up that little corner. I told Lisa to look for a mirror in the right size, shape and price range that could be painted white if need be.

So, that’s how I virtually tweaked Lisa’s sunroom.  I’m happy to say that Lisa has painted her room Bonsai and it looks 100% better already!  Not that it was that bad to begin with.  Did you notice those light-drenching doors OR the wood floors OR the wainscoting OR the bead board ceiling? So much potential!  It’s amazing what a little paint, some decluttering and a few accessories can do.  Really.  I can’t wait to see what it looks like when it’s finished.  Thanks, Lisa, for letting me play with your room!

images: 1 & 2) Lisa’s befores  3) Polyvore collage created by Dana Miller using images linked within

I’m not a regular coffee drinker but, lately, I’ve been enjoying a cup every once in a while in front of the fireplace.  It must be the chilly, snowy weather we’re having here.  As of right now, I own a boring matched set of 4 coffee mugs.  They’re nothing spectacular but, since Handy Hubby doesn’t drink coffee at all, we don’t really have a need for more.  Still, I had fun rounding up several cozies and mugs available over on Etsy.

I’m not sure these cozies are necessary – or even practical – but they definitely have a way of dressing up an otherwise boring mug.  If you can knit or sew, they’d be a quick DIY gift, wouldn’t they?  {Note to self: make mug cozies as Christmas gifts next year.}  The knitted sweater cozies add great texture while the sewn fabric wrap lends color and pattern.  Adorable.  Find them here:

1 & 3 – Natalya’s Studio

2 – Boutique Karma

These hand painted mugs are colorful and lively…just the pick-me-up to go along with a steaming cup of coffee in the morning.  Again, a totally plausible DIY project that would make a great gift. {Another note to self:  if the mug cozies don’t work out, try hand painted mugs instead.}  See these bright and happy mugs here:

4 – A Quartzy Life

5 – Indobay Inc.

6 – Sometimes She Does

7 – McCheek’s Mayhem

So, the question of the day is…Do you drink coffee? If so, what’s your fave and how do you take it?  Milk, creamer, sugar?  Is a cup of joe part of your daily routine or do you only partake on special occasions?  I’m into Archer Farms’ French Vanilla at the moment.  {It’s available at Target.}  I like it with milk and sugar.  I drink maybe 3 or 4 cups a month and thoroughly enjoy them.  Although, if this winter weather keeps up, I may find myself delving into it more frequently!

FYI – I was not compensated in any way for this post.  I just love sharing yummy stuff.

images:  collages made by Dana Miller with images as linked above

I finally wrapped a few presents today!  Whew.  It’s coming down to the wire here.  I really enjoy wrapping gifts though.  Just like home decor, I try to keep it simple, casual, neutral and budget-friendly.  I picked 3 different rolls of wrapping paper from Target this year: a neutral craft paper with pinstripes, a cream paper with mod taupe polka dots and a sparkly granite.  Each of these prints can transcend a realm of celebrations – not just Christmas.  {There I go again.  I even like my wrapping paper to multitask!}  I busted out my old Stampin’ Up supplies to craft custom name tags. I used a 2″ circle punch to cut my ivory tags, then embossed silver snowflakes onto them for a little glitz. Take a peek.

Instead of traditional curly-Q ribbon, I chose a roll of medium-thickness hemp twine to adorn the gifts.  {I found it at Wal-Mart for super cheap.}  I also finished up a roll of regular {thin} twine that I already had on hand.

A length of hemp rope strung round-and-round vertically is enough to add a special touch.  {Simply tape the free ends at the back of the gift.}  This is especially great for presents that must travel…no worries about smashed/lost bows…the hemp lies flat.

On a small jewelry box, I forwent {is that a word?!} paper all together and embossed an ornament right on top.

For unusually shaped objects, I make it easy and just cover the labels.  It saves paper, extra boxes and, ultimately, trees.  And have you noticed?  Complimentary boxes are hard to come by these days.

{That’s my favorite cleaning solution above.  It’s Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day All Purpose Cleaner in Lemon Verbena.  I bought a 6-pack and divvy’ed it up between our school bus drivers, teachers and a few relatives.}  Candles are another hard-to-wrap-without-a-box-item.

Couldn’t you see that dark gray glittery paper being used to wrap a wedding gift, too?  The modern polka dot paper could be great for birthdays, baby showers and Mother’s Day.  And that craft paper would work well for Father’s Day or any manly gift.  In case you’re wondering, I did use these papers to wrap my kids’ gifts too…but Santa breaks out much bolder Christmas-y paper.  It makes the Santa gifts really stand out!

So what about you?  Still have presents to wrap?  Or are you on the ball this year and wrapped all your gifts weeks ago?  Let’s just say I’ll be wrapping while I watch TV tonight.  Happy wrappy!

images:  all Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

I found these 2 wooden plaques at Goodwill for $3 each.

Hideous, right?  I was wanting to paint silhouettes of my boys for my Mom as a Christmas gift.  My Mom’s style is a bit more traditional than mine, so the intricate wooden frames would fit right into her decor.  I figured the flower art could easily be painted over, so I grabbed them up.  I primed…

…and painted them.  {I painted them the same Benjamin Moore Harbour Town as I used in my nieces’ handmade gifts.}  I took several profile pictures of Layne and Everett and picked the best one of each.

I traced the outline of each boy’s silhouette onto plain notebook paper – straight from my computer screen.

I cut each silhouette.

Then I used a projector to project the silhouettes onto the wooden plaques.  I drew them on with a pencil then traced over with a black Sharpie to get a clean outer edge.  {Notice I flattened out my boys’ hair for a smoother silhouette.}

Then I painted inside the Sharpie lines with black gloss paint that I already had on hand.  Here’s the final product {still a little wet}…

The goal is to make my Mom cry.  Think I’ll succeed?

images:  all by Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

I don’t have any daughters.  {We have 2 boys.}  But I have 3 nieces.  {No nephews.}  So, I take advantage of any opportunity to make something sweet and girlie for them…for example, Christmas.  My oldest niece, Lillian, is 7.  She’s a hippie chick and loves anything with flowers or peace signs on it.  I decided to make canvas artwork for her room with a peace sign on it. Here’s how I did it…

I started out with a blank 12″x12″ canvas and scrap fabric.

I drew a peace sign free-hand on some newspaper, cut it out, and laid it on my canvas to check the size.

Then I traced my peace sign pattern onto the wrong side of scrap fabric, making sure to line up the pattern of the fabric the way I wanted it.

I cut out the fabric peace sign and laid it onto the canvas…

…and decided the white canvas was too stark.  So, I found a light gray-green {Benjamin Moore’s Harbor Town} paint sample in the basement and used it to paint the canvas.

I Mod Podged everything several times over, waiting 10-15 minutes between each coat.

And here’s the final product…

I hope Lillian will think it’s groovy.  For my other 2 nieces who are sisters, I decided to make them canvas monograms.  {Can you tell I found a 3-pack of 12″x12″ canvases marked down?}  They just recently started sharing a room together to leave a third bedroom free as a playroom.  I thought personalized monograms would work well in either their shared bedroom or playroom.  Plus, in my experience at least, kids like to see the first letter of their name in familiar rooms.  This is what I came up with…

I painted a striped pattern onto the canvas with the same light gray-green paint I used on Lillian’s canvas.  I bought a wooden “A” for Audrey and a “C” for Caitlyn from JoAnn’s for $2 each on sale and painted them Valspar {Lowe’s} Magic Spell – the same color as my powder room.  Audrey likes animals, so I Mod Podged a bird made from fabric scraps onto her canvas.  {I made sure to Mod Podge the entire canvas – not just the fabric bird – so the entire canvas would have the same sheen.}  I made the little bird appliqué the same way as Lillian’s peace sign by using a pattern drawn on and cut from newspaper.  My trusty hot glue gun adhered the “A” to the canvas.

Caitlyn is an eater.  I joke that she is an emotional eater…she’s happy when she eats.  I Mod Podged a fabric apple onto her canvas.

I tried to keep them fairly neutral so they could work in either their bedroom or playroom.  As you can see, some paint seeped under the taped stripes but, once again, I like a little imperfection.  It’s your first clue that it was, in fact, hand crafted by me.  I hope Audrey and Caitlyn like their monograms!

For me, receiving from someone who spends more time than money on a gift definitely makes me feel extra special.  And while I can’t give all handmade presents {well, I guess I could but I’d need to start today for Christmas 2011!}, I try to sprinkle some in here and there.  {Check out the Valentine’s Day gift I made for Handy Hubby last year.}  What about you?  Making any gifts this year?  What’s your favorite handmade present you’ve been gifted?

images:  all by Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

…December in Ohio.  Ha.  You thought I was going to say Christmas, didn’t you?

We got dumped on yesterday.  By my guesstimate, we have about 7 inches of snow.  By Layne’s, it’s more like 3 feet.

Of course, school was cancelled so we had an official ‘snow day.’  I laid out a blanket on the floor in the family room, and Layne, Everett and I enjoyed a picnic lunch indoors.  We watched The Flintstones while we ate.  Later, while Everett was napping, {boy, was I glad he napped…he was crabby…probably because his big brother was stealing some of his mama’s attention} Layne and I went outside to shovel the driveway.  I mean, I shoveled the driveway while Layne pretended to swim in the snow.  He proclaimed, “This is the best day ever!” and then took a huge bite out of a clump of snow.  It took me an hour and a half to clear our short driveway.  I considered it my workout for the day.  The crisp, icy air actually felt good in my nose after being holed up inside the last few days.  I love how a lot of snow insulates everything around you and muffles the everyday sounds, so all you can hear is your own breath and the scratching of your hood on your head.  So peaceful.

A comical couple that lives across from our neighborhood’s school bus stop has continued their first snow tradition.

It makes me giggle.  I like funny people.  My Christmas shopping is finished but I have a few homemade gifts to tackle and lots of wrapping to do…all of which will make it onto here next week. Until then, I wish you a cozy, warm-toesie, red-nosy kind of weekend!

This is what our kitchen looked like last December…

1 – We emptied out the builder oak cabinets in preparation for sanding, priming and painting.  We removed the cabinet doors and drawers also.

2 – We piled the contents of our cabinets onto and under our dining table and covered it all with a plastic drop cloth.  This made it difficult for us to find what utensils we needed and easier for the kids to find what utensils they wanted to play with.

3 – After a light sanding to scuff up the surface, we taped off the cabinet frames and set to work priming while the kiddos snoozed away.

4 – Several coats of primer and paint later, we placed everything back in the cabinets.  It was another month before the cabinet doors and drawers were finished.

Looking back, I don’t remember the mess or the work much.  What I do remember are those orange-y oak cabinets that I was determined to paint white the day I saw them.  It took us 2 years to get around to doing it.  It’s definitely one of those things we look at and think, “Why didn’t we do this sooner?!”  Eventually, we added new hardware, DIY’d a glass-front cabinet, switched out the laminate countertops for granite, updated our sink and faucet, tiled the backsplash and customized the existing island.  For the full tour as-is, click here.  We’ve yet to find a suitable window treatment, hang industrial pendant lights above the island and install new flooring.

I wanted to share this with you to show you things don’t happen overnight here.  My kitchen has not always looked the way it does now.  Kids, real jobs, time and money constraints, and just plain energy levels usually dictate our project timelines.  And that’s fine.  We don’t have any big deadlines to meet.  So, if you’re thinking of taking on a similar DIY home improvement project, don’t be discouraged.  You may have to live with chaos, clutter and dust for a while but that’s what makes the end result that much sweeter.

Happy home improving!

images:  all Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

Layne is learning to read and write.  He’s my little bookworm.  Lately, he’s been writing little notes to Handy Hubby and me.  He tapes them to walls, doors and furniture and leaves them for us to find. He’s a sneaky guy.  I can’t bear to part with these letters, so I’ve got them hanging on an empty wall in our kitchen.  I put them at kid height.  That way Layne can see them too.

Let me translate for you.  {I already mentioned my handmade birthday card here.}

“Mom and Dad, I want to go to Kings Island.” Layne said this was a summer letter.  Kings Island is a nearby amusement park that we didn’t make it to this past summer.

“Mom, I want you to go to bed and give me a goodnight kiss.” I found this one on the door leading from our garage to the kitchen.  I had just come home from a 10-hour day at work, and it was late.  I went upstairs, snuck into the boys’ bedroom and gave my boys goodnight kisses.  How could I resist?

“Dada, can we go on an adventure?” Layne hung this note on the refrigerator.  We had hosted Thanksgiving the day before.  Handy Hubby and I had spent most of the day in the kitchen preparing the meal while Layne and Everett played with their grandparents.  As much as Layne enjoyed it, I think he missed his Dada.  We did end up going on an adventure the day he wrote this note.  It included walking in a nearby cornfield, traipsing through the woods, peeing on corncobs {the boys not me} and searching for clues.

“Mario, can you give me a DS?” Mario is the name of our Elf on the Shelf.  Layne really wants a Nintendo DS for Christmas.  Really.

“Dad, I want to watch Scooby Doo.” This note got taped to the bathroom door while Handy Hubby was taking a shower one Saturday.  {I was at work.}  Scooby Doo is Layne’s favorite cartoon.

“Merry Christmas, Mom and Dad.  Love, Layne.” I found this sweet note in Layne’s backpack after school one day.  Awww.  He thinks of us when he’s at school!  Who knew?

“Grinch.” ‘Nuf said.

I think we have a writer on our hands.  Okay by me.  Even though Layne looks like the mini-version of Handy Hubby, he has my tendencies.  When I was little, I was so bummed at the end of the school day wanting it to last longer.  I’d come home and write poems, songs or stories.  I even wrote and illustrated a few books.  I still have these books, and Layne has quite an interest in them. We’ve read them probably 100 times each.  I’m not sure why…they aren’t that great.  I think he’s just fascinated by the thought of his Mama writing books as a kid.  He can’t wait to write his own. Someday…  Until then, I’m hoping to fill this wall with his adorable notes.

images:  all Dana Miller for House*Tweaking