Ace Hardware recently contacted us at Shak asking us to give a review of their paint, Clark+Kensington™. It is a new premium line of paint+primer in one, available exclusively at Ace Hardware. As my 2 girls were clamoring for room makeovers for months I accepted the offer to try the paint and report the results.

This new line of paint eliminates the need to prime and paint surfaces separately for the vast majority of paint projects. Recently, this brand was rated #1 by Consumer Reports,  It was cited as being, “impressive at hiding and leaving a smooth finish that resisted stains.” I liked how this paint has low VOC (volatile organic compounds) levels, which causes minimal odor and has environmentally safe ingredients.

Read the rest of this entry »

If you’re a crafty-type person and don’t want to spend a lot of money on Halloween decorations, these black duct tape roses may be right up your alley!

Get your decorations ready!!

Photo from Pinterest.

Mosaic artwork always adds whimsy to decorating projects – whether at home, work, or outside in the lawn or garden. The beauty is that virtually everyone can create mosaic art after visiting a yard sale and home center.  The webpage Intimate Weddings provides a step-by-step instruction guide on how to create mosaic stepping stones. One step follows:

Cut out the contact paper circle. Remove backing and place inside pan sticky side up. Add your mosaic pieces to the contact paper with the desired design facing down. Press each piece down so it is firmly stuck to the contact paper. Leave enough space between the pieces so that the cement can fill the spaces in between – but don’t leave too much room. (When I make my next stepping stone, I will move the pieces a bit closer together.)

For the complete guide, click through to the webpage to learn more.

My picture wall down the hallway is just a hot mess.  The picture frames are uneven and just not pretty at all.  However for future picture hanging, I have discovered a solution thanks to I {Heart} Nap Time,

Thank you thank you!

Painting walls is something I love.  I don’t have to be creative.  I can just brush or roll up and down on any ol’ wall (but be extra careful next to the ceiling or other trim).  My skills in painting canvas are not good because my brain doesn’t tell my hands to do what I see.  My art is the finished wall, not a silent scream or the vase of sunflowers.

If you are like me, then, the wonderful post titled Everything I Know About Spray Paint by All Things Thrifty is amazing,

What sheen of spray paint should I buy? 
I always buy gloss (not high gloss). I’ve had a lot of people wonder if their project is going to look too shiny when they get done. In my opinion, after you prime your project with KILZ, the sheen will not look overly glossy. I know that sounds weird, but that is what I have found. My projects seem to always end up looking more like a satin finish when they get done. PLUS, I want to be able to wipe off a project if my kids spill anything on them. If you use flat paint, you will not be able to wipe it off (again speaking from experience here).

Brooke goes on to talk about bubbles, dripping, polyurethane, and more.  Great post for any do it yourselfer!

I would give my … right pinky?  Nah… but I would LOVE it if an IKEA store moved near me!

Photo from The Meta Picture.

At my home, closet space is premium, so the idea of losing a place to put my coats just won’t happen under my roof. However if closet space is plentiful and you need a great place to put a kid’s computer or mini-work station, this closet conversion is fantastic!

From Whimages, take a look at this beautiful space,

This is the little sitting area off to the side.  The kids use it to pile in and look over each other shoulders when they are all on the computer.  I curl up here and hubby and I look at ideas for our next project!  We haven’t decided if we are going to put shelves in the “built in in a built in” yet there on the side.  I often have a tall pitcher of fresh flowers in it but these are from the wedding we just went to.

This really is stunning! Well done!

The photo frame wall clocks are just gorgeous!  What a great way to remember to spend your time wisely.

From Be Different Act Normal,

You should be able to buy clock hands at your local craft store or on Ebay.  If you just buy the hands and the motor you are going to have to make a mount for them that can hang on the wall.  The easiest thing is to buy an inexpensive modern clock that is just hands that will already come with a mount.

I love this idea and am now searching for the perfect wall to use!