I've moved!!

Hello sweet followers!

Well, some things have changed around here at good ol Domestic Goodness and I have decided to redo some things. For the past few months I have been really thinking about the direction I want to take and getting a whole new blog was at the top of my list:)

I am hoping to improve my blogging skills and photo skills and will still be documenting all my latest projects - just on a new blog with a better design:)

I hope you will follow me over at Linny Jane Vintage!

Black and yellow....

Yeah you know what it is. Black and yellow, black and yellow, black and yellow.

Yep. Pretty much been singing that song since yesterday when we painted our dresser - you guessed it....black and yellow. We are thugs.

You see once upon a time there lived an adorable bachelor man. Who had some not-so-adorable friends who left a sugary drink on his dresser. The drink sat and sat until it leaked it's sugary goo all over the dresser. And what did the adorable bachelor man do? Put packing tape over the mess. Many many strips of packing tape. Oy vey.

Well, the dresser came with the man when we said I do. And I just knew that with a little sanding, perhaps a razor and a little cursing of the day when the the packing tape was put on this dresser....it could be fixed.

This little project cost about $15 for paint and half of a Sunday afternoon. And, once again, a piece of furniture has stolen my heart.

Unfortunately in all my excitement to paint I did NOT take a before picture. Serious fail....but luckily, our dresser looked like many a dressers so I'll just show you a picture of a dresser tha resembled our before picture.

And here she is now. In all of her sunshiney glory.


Haha do you see the part where I put the handles back on the wrong way? Ugh. Gotta fix that. But anyways, there it is:)

The nook

My sophomore year of college I decided to live with two girls I had never met. Not the greatest idea I ever had, but I was up for an adventure. We shared one room in the coolest dorm ever....here.

Don't you feel like that is straight out of a movie? I loved that dorm.

Anyways, when I get to move in day, one of my new roommates had taken over HALF of the room with a spot she liked to call "the nook".

I am not kidding when I say half of the room was taken up by her nook. This spot contained her desk and a fridge and her bed all covered by a little curtain. Oh and she had conveniently placed her bed next to the room's only window. Me and my other roomie Yolanda (yes, her name was Yolanda ) were relegated to a set of bunk beds in the corner. No fridge. No curtain. No window. It was sad. why didn't WE get a nook?

Needless to say I didn't live with nook worm for too long. And now I have created my own nook. In my own home. And it is nook-tastic. It might be the nookiest of all nooks and it is all mine. And Josh's. But something tells me I won't see my 6"5 man sitting on a window seat with his head propped up on a pillow covered in hot pink flowers.

Anyways, here it is in all it's nook glory. Isn't it lovely?

This was kind of an awkward space in our house to begin with.

You may remember it sporting the doily curtains straight from a 1986 JC Penney catalog.

I always thought it had cool potential. With our nook, it looks dreamy. Like I will sit on that window seat and ponder deep things and read books by Jane Austen. (reality check: it will probably be US weekly).

I added this old desk to the entry way. This was a goodwill treasure from back in the day. Note the crooked drawers. Oy vey.

But crooked drawers and all, it's kind of my favorite spot right now.

The curtains give a very fort-like feel. And I am all about forts. I may need to sew some fabric to the bottom of these babies so the other curtains in our house don't make fun of them for being highwaters and start asking them where the flood is.

I may also need to add some fun artwork. We shall see. Everything is a work in progress around here.

But truth be told, if I waited till everything was perfect this blog would get updated even less!

So, that's the nook and my latest little project.

I heart organization

"A place for everything and everything in it's place"

I think that shall be my motto for 2011. I soo admire people who do not even have one junk spot in their house. Or not one file maked "Misc." Why can't I be one of them?

I am so not organized. But lately I have been in the mood to TOSS like none other.

Scrapbook supplies from the late 90s? See ya.

Wedding decorations I used more than a year ago? Buh bye.

Weird spraypainted candleabra from goodwill? Be gone!!

Seriously - it is sooo freeing not to be bogged down by stuff. I am so guilty of holding on to something because "we might need it later" but I am going to ask myself these questions

* Is it costing me more to store this item than it will be to replace it if I need it?

* do I love this item?

* Do I have duplicates of this item?

My husband is SUCH a minimalist and he challenges me to live with less, which is great for this potential future hoarder. (seriously, have you SEEN that show? It makes me want to clean)

Anyone have any good organization tips that they swear by? This is new to me and I need help!

And as always - pictures to inspire.

One word, well two

Discipline and creativity.

In 2011 discipline and creativity are going to be my goals. I feel like in a perfect world I would have equal parts of both. Fun, creative ideas, and the discipline to see those ideas come t0 life.

It's very easy for me to dream more than I do. I look for inspiration more than I transfer that inspiration into reality.

Creativity takes a certain amount of discipline. It takes movement and drive. And sometimes, I just don't follow through enough.

So while I'd like to develop creatively, I would also like to develop the art of discipline. Learning something, mastering something, not giving up when my ideas comes out lame, or when I don't see the results right away.

Just some thoughts to ring in the new year:)

And here are some things I am loving lately.

This headboard. I mean, seriously. We just bought a bed two weeks ago, but I wonder if I could do something like this anywhere else in my house? Like....above my kitchen cabinets? Hmmm.

House Tweaking

This guest room. Poof balls. Cannot get enough of the poof ball craze. I've made a few of my own and they are fun and easy. Remember making fans out of your church bulletin when you were little? Well, throw in some wire and some scissors and you've got a poof ball. But don't use a church bulletin. Use tissue paper.

Industrious Emily

These vintage wooden spool photo holders. It's the little things people. And the cheap things.

Under the Sycamore

And guess who just found some old spools of thread in her garage? Oh yeah. I did!

Cabinets and consoles and rugs oh my!

Happy New Year!

It has been a busy season here in the Stamm house, and frankly, I have been terrible at documenting all the changes.

We haven't done anything too crazy like knocked down a wall or gotten new counter tops, but we have been getting our DIY on like none other.

In an effort to bring more personality and less Ikea into our home, there's someone I'd like you to meet.

Our new coffee table.

This cute little trunk has some family history in it - I think one of my relatives built it. And it is COOL. I used to keep our toys in it when I was little. But here it sits as our coffee table and it makes me happy.

And do you see my decorating faux pas staring at you in the face? (aside from the off center mirror) Yes people, I put a rug on a rug. Major no no so I have heard. But I love this rug. And I needed some color underneath my trunk to make it pop. I don't care if this is the decorating equivalent to socks with sandals, I am gonna stick with it.

Now just in case you accuse me of hatin on the Swedes - here is my genuinely authentic, sheepskin rug from Ikea.

Josh is still deba-a-a-ting (get it... it's a sheepskin?!) this rug's coolness, but I love the texture and the cozy feel it brings. And in Arizona - you need all the cozy you can get!

And then there is this little garage sale number.


Isn't she adorbs? Yes. I believe I did just assign my new console table a gender. The people I bought this from were too cool, and I love the anthropologie knobs.

I've been wanting a little something for this area of our great room and this thing came ready to go. It is just the style I love...a little shab and a little chic.

And just for fun I'll add in some pics of our holiday decor.

Did you know I got those little Christmas trees at Walgreens for 99 cents? Well, I did. I didn't know Walgreens sold more than Cover Girl and Snuggies...but apparently they sell really cute glittery Christmas trees. Score.

And last but not least I bring you part one of the great kitchen re do.

White Cabinets:)

Some of you may remember we stained our cabinets a year ago. Remember?

But I don't know. I just never loved it.

This. Now this, I love. Feels much cleaner in here. And brighter. And we added a chalkboard back splash which I am seriously loving. I heart chalkboard paint in a big way. We're gonna paint the walls as well and do some other stuff...but this is part one and I am loving it.

I was so excited I bought a magnetic knife storage strip to celebrate. I documented it with a blurry picture. See?

More counterspace and less clutter are two of my favorite things.

So that's where we're at in the home improvement department. We have some more fun projects up our sleeves well, up my sleeves, pretty sure Josh is just along for the ride and the drilling:)

More to come this year!

too many options....

I have been feeling totally overwhelmed by the blogosphere lately.

I mean - were there not a jillion halloween craft ideas??!! I wanted to do every one.

And when I have to many options - I freeze. And so, I have avoided blogs lately for fear that my mind will explode.

Is this just me? Probably. This happened to me during wedding planning as well - there are entirely too many creative people posting stuff on the internet and I would get LOST in ideas. I wanted it all. So I had to pull back.

So the last few weeks have been me pulling back on all things creative. To refresh myself. And remind myself to not swallow the ugly pill of comparison.

So anyways I am back from my break. Ready to set some boundaries on the amount of blog stalking I do and not get distracted by every little project.

So with that - here is the cutest bathroom I ever did see.



How fun is that yellow? If I could paint a stright line - I would so attempt this.

I know what you're thinking. Did I really just take a blogging break only to come back with a picture of a toilet? It's true.

Holy Cuteness

Ok, so did you know you can decorate your kitchen aid mixer? (and I mean with something other than crusty dough from the last cookies you baked?).

Check out these awesome decals from Wonderfully Wordy (same lady from House of Smiths.)





SUPER cute.

I definitely don't need anything to encourage me to bake even MORE cookies, but hey - I love the idea of decorating something unexpected like this.

Do they make decals for laundry machines? I could see this being my new obsession.

From brassy to sassy... or something like that.

When Josh and I first bought our house - it was pretty brasstastic.

Meaning, all fixtures were circa 1992. If our house was a person - it would be wearing a scrunchie - and possibly some stone washed Guess jeans.

The other day feeling inspired by an etsy light fixture I saw for $70...I decided to give our sad little entryway light an update.


Here it is in all of its brass glory.



And here it is post makeover.


It makes me happy that people are welcomed into our home with an updside-down mason jar.

To do the makeover - we just turned off the breaker switch - unscrewed the fixture and I spray painted away. We let everything dry and put it back. Then I just set the mason jar on top and called it day.

Total cost? $3.67 for a can of black spray paint. I already had the jar.

When something is uglier than ug to begin with - you really can't ruin it. Totally takes the fear out of decorating for me!

Here's a fun blog with a links to more DIY projects - if you need any inspiration!

Lumpy Pillow Refashion

Last night I had the itch to sew. Not knowing what to sew and running out of fabric fast, I began to scour the house for something I could transform.

Or TRY to transform.

I landed on these chenille throw pillows.



(dont judge my lack of baseboard...that's another project!)

My mother in law bought us these because Josh really loves chenille. (And just to defend his manliness I will tell you that chenille is the only type of fabric he knows the name of.)

Anyways, as you can see we have been huge fans of these pillows. We have used them quite a bit. Josh even packs these up if we go out of town. Ha. That's how much this man loves chenille my friends.

But now they are left looking a bit lumpy and sad. Not wanting to get rid of them (hoarder alert), I attempted to refashion them. Loved their golden harvest-y color and thought they might make a lovely pumpkin. (These days, if I am not spray painting things...I am turning them into pumpkins).

Well, it took a few tries - and I am sad to say a complete and total "I suck at everything crafty" pity party for myself until I came up with this.

Which I think is a halfway decent pillow turned pumpkin.



Should you be interested into turning your old lumpy pillows into a stuffed vegetable, it's really quite simple.

I cut open the entire pillow like so.


Then I sewed the edges back up and made a gathering stitch at the bottom.



I stuffed it back up with it's old stuffing, put a rubberband at the top (I told you I am a bad seamstress) and wrapped a ribbon around it like I was wrapping a gift. Twine would also work and may look a bit more natural than plaid ribbon...but it is what it is:) I added some harvest bling and stuck a stick in the top for a stem. Voila. Lumpy pillow turned pumpkin.

Ghetto Fab Tee Shirt Bag

So, I am not the proud owner of a sewing machine. Getting older does indeed have its perks!

I am soooo far from being the next (um...insert name of famous sewer - betsy ross?) but am having fun annoying my husband by sewing him super ghetto random items insisting he uses them. Because everyone needs a call phone slipcover made out of damask fabric. Especially a man.

Anyways, tonight, in ten minutes I made a wonderful tote bag out of a tee shirt!



Now - I am certainly not going to be carrying this bag with me to the mall - but I think I could make a small bag for my husbands lunch or make some bags to carry groceries in!

There's just something so satisfying about carrying something you have sewn. You feel like Mrs. Duggar, I mean minus the 18 kids and all.

Anyways, all you do is cut off the sleeves of an old tee shirt. Then cut a bigger neckline. THEN sew up the bottom of the shirt. And voila....ghetto fab tee shirt bag!

Good for the environment and also for the decluttering of tee shirt drawers everywhere.

monday makeover!

Because I saw an UH-mazing makeover on Thrifty Decor Chick and it has me dreaming of spray paint and craigslist.

Even though I have no china cabinet I do have a pretty sad looking dresser that could use some serious love.

Yes - they re-did this thing with FIVE cans of red spray paint. And they added glaze which I think adds a touch of class.

I think I am declaring it Makeover Monday.

I also think I am in love.

The Nook

For my birthday this year - Josh, his grandpa and his dad worked together to build me a window seat!

I have been wanting a built in-type thing for a little nook we have in our house. It's kind of an awkward space really, but I felt it had potential and I love the idea of a little reading nook.

The box opens up for storage as well so now, I will be able to hide crap....I mean...store stuff in there in a neat and organized way:) Yes.

Anyways, it's a work in progress as I still have to cover it with some fun fabric. And we have to put back some baseboards - but in an effort to continue blogging even though things aren't "quite perfect" I am putting up some pics.

I really need a curtain for this window, but for now - am so enjoying the home made labor of love from my man!

Here is what the area looked like the day we moved in. Note the awesome doily curtains from the previous owners.



And here is the new and improved nook of awesomeness! (area not quite complete...but close!)

Stripes: don't be a hater

So, I am thinking about painting some stripes in our master bedroom/bathroom.

But, being a girl who let's face it, has some child-bearing hips minus the actual child bearing....stripes are not related to the word "cute" in my head.

Haven't we always been told "don't wear horizontal stripes, they make you look fat."

So stripes have been blacklisted in my world. They are dead to me.

Then it hit me....

It doesn't matter that much.

Is my lack of stripes really hiding that much? Do people think I am super skinny and then I put on a striped shirt and they say "oh wait - she is not a supermodel?"

I don't think so.

And after seeing soo many stripes in the decorating and fashion world lately, I am inspired.

They are so fresh and so clean, clean.

I even bought a horizontally striped cardigan - and my husband loves when I wear it! Take that "what not to wear!"

So, I am taking a stand for stripes. Seriously.

The following are pictures to prove their adorability.

Does it get cuter than this hallway? I submit that it does not. I think I need a whole wall of chalkboard now.

3 men and a lady

More hallway goodness.

3 men and a lady

Loving this striped dining room.

Tart House Designs

Prison bar chic.

Seesaw

Even baby Zebras rock the stripes. And they look adorable!

The zoo? Who knows.

Yello and grey. Dreamy.

Decor Pad

Simple, sunny and fab.

decor pad

Sigh. These drapes are heaven. (please don't take that literally all you Randy Alcorn people - heaven is so much more than good window treatments although I can't help but think those will be included)

the nest

I am a sucker for grey.

So there you have it. Stripes are no longer my enemy. They are my friend. Looking forward to getting my stripe on in the near future.