Giveaway: $50 West Elm Gift Card

Posted by Amber in Giveaway on January 16, 2013  ||  95 Comments

Update: This giveaway is closed.

It’s our blog birthday, and we’re giving away a $50 west elm gift card! It’s our way of saying thanks, and we love you (and west elm).

Prize: One $50 West Elm gift card
Giveaway Closes: Tuesday, January 22nd at 11pm CST
Nitty Gritty: One winner will be selected by random.org and announced Wednesday, January 23rd. Prize will be emailed to the winner.

To enter: Comment and tell us what’s your favorite project/moment here at Wills Casa. (You can jog your memory here or here.)

Bonus:

1. Like us on Facebook.
2. Follow us on Twitter.
3. Follow us on Instagram.
4. Share the giveaway on facebook or retweet on twitter.

Make sure to leave a comment for each for each bonus entry. You have 5 opportunities to enter, so get to it. You know you have a long list of things to get at west elm.

*The giveaway isn’t sponsored by west elm. We just knew it was our birthday and budgeted to buy you a gift…or a chance at a gift.

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A Years Worth of Interestingness

Posted by Amber in Side Note on January 15, 2013  ||  13 Comments

You got the breakdown of the typical blog stats yesterday. I thought it would be fun to share something that has made us laugh along with some features that left us beaming like a parent who just watched their kid potty on the toilet. (Yes I went there.)


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One of our funniest search engine terms was “beast wife.” I have no idea what that person hoped to find when they clicked to read this post, but I’m sure they left disappointed. I don’t look at search engine terms on a daily basis, but sometimes the phrases catch my eye and provide some nice entertainment.

If you search “beast wife” and are reading this post, then welcome I’m glad we could find each other.

The most interesting (and by far the coolest) thing has been the support from the blog community. When we started it was mainly so I could have interaction with people even if it was just via the internet (sometimes being a stay at home mom is lonely). Of course getting stuff done around here was a huge plus.

I was hesitant to put myself out there at first, but seriously people have been incredibly sweet and encouraging. It truly has been a wonderful year. Here’s some of the highlights and a little of us loving y’all back. (The links are to the features.)

Ramona’s birthday party on Apartment Therapy Family

Christmas Tablescape on West Elm

Ombre Dresser on Babycenter

I was on the freaking radio with Frank Fontana.

Ombre Dresser / Color Blocked Bentwoods / Christmas Tablescape
(Thanks for the triple love Cassie!)

Airplane Costume on Ugly Duckling House

Christmas Mantel on Ten June

Polaroid Christmas Tree on Honey We’re Home

Of course I have to thank Kim, Rachel, Michelle, and Chelsea for hosting Dare to DIY and featuring 3 of our projects – Thanks Collage, Tablescape, and Sugar Scrub.

Crazy year huh?

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1 Year Blogiversary

Posted by Nick in Side Note on January 14, 2013  ||  15 Comments

This week we’re celebrating the 1 year anniversary of Wills Casa. Today we thought we’d share how the blog has grown over the last 12 months from our view. We have established a small but very supportive readership community, and we look forward to growing that community this next year.

So here we go. First, we thought we’d show how the site traffice has grown over the past 12 months. We’ve averaged about 20% growth month-over-month, which we think is pretty healthy. December was our highest month ever, but we don’t expect to match that in January of this year.

Next is our most common referrers. These are basically (with the exception of search engines), links from sites that people click and come to our site. Lots of familiar names on this list.

Here is our most common outbound clicks. These are the links that people click that leave our site. Generally they are links inside posts referencing another blog or product.

Speaking of search engines, the list above is what people searched for most commonly that brought them to our site. Apparently we’re really popular with the veneer furniture crowd which makes sense because our guide to painting and staining veneer furniture is our most popular post.

So there you go. Thank you to everyone who came from other sites / search engines and stuck around. And especially thank you to all of our blogger friends out there who have been unbelievably supportive. We can’t wait to see what happens here in the next 12 months.

 

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Monthly Challenge: January Unplug

Posted by Amber in Side Note on January 8, 2013  ||  16 Comments


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Okay so I realize it’s like 8 days into January already, but I just decided what my monthly challenge is going to be. Remember it was just a half thought when we last left it in my goals post. Basically every month I am going to challenge myself to do something. Sometimes it will be project oriented. Sometimes I will check in weekly. Sometimes I’ll just let you know how it went in my monthly goal checks. It all depends on the challenge and what’s works best for it.

Unplug

January will now be known as the month of unplugging here at Wills Casa (at least for this year). What does that mean exactly?


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1. Limit phone use.


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2. Limit computer use.

Sounds so vague right? Well here are my unplugged rules:

  • No phone/computer until I’ve been awake for 30 minutes.
  • No phone/computer at lunch or dinner.
  • No phone/computer for 1 hour during the day (the time right after Ramona wakes up from her nap or when I pick her up from school).
  • No phone in the car (except using maps).
  • If someone is talking to me, then I’m looking at them not my phone/computer. (Nick could not be happier with this stipulation.) Nick Edit: She’s right.

The only exception is using my phone to take a picture. I can’t get on instagram at that moment, but at least I captured it for y’all to see later. This won’t disrupt our daily schedule much, but it will take some willpower. Mainly it will keep me PRESENT in what’s happening around me which is something I need.


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If you are joining us for dinner, then expect there to be some phone stacking going on. Basically everyone stacks their phones so you spend time with each other. No texting or social networking. Again the camera is the only exception.

I know Katja is going to unplug with me this month as well. Feel free to join in and set your own rules. Ones that work with your life, but still require you to consciously be focused on your family, husband, or your own downtime. Even when Ramona is in school I’m going to set my phone aside during lunch. It’s about creating a healthy habit.

What do you say? Am I going to totally bomb? Will you call me out on twitter/instagram? Want to hop on the bandwagon? Inquiring minds want to know. I will come clean on my challenge results in my January goal check.

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Shop: New York (Well Not All of It)

Posted by Amber in Shop on January 7, 2013  ||  13 Comments

We wrapped up our trip to New York on the life side, but here are all the gory shopping details from our Sunday in Soho. Contain your excitement.

We stopped into CB2 since we don’t have any in Texas (cue the sad music). This was the first time I’d actually been in a store, but their $4.95 flat rate shipping allowed me to score some pretty sweet clearance here.

These set of 4 birch boxes are so beautiful. They look amazing stacked but would look great as a single box grouped for a vignette too. The tops are very flexible and thin. The set is $30, but you could break it up to stretch that money. You could keep 1 for yourself and give the other 3 away as gifts. Fill them with a small collection of things or something handmade. (Yes I’m already thinking about how to incorporate purchases with handmade gifts to stick to my goals.)

Of course CB2 is the master of modern quirk. These gold pig bookends make me smile and want to style a bookshelf all at the same time. They are adorable and add a touch of whimsey. Their THE END bookend is another unique bookshelf option.

Next stop (actually I don’t remember what order we shopped these places but pretend with me) Dwell Studio. Note the gorgeous color of the door.

We were first introduced to Dwell when we found Ramona’s bedding, so it seems fitting to start in the kid section. Of course Dwell has some new crib bedding sets that are the exact mix of pattern and simplicity. The cute pillows are a bonus as well. The animal head collection and wallpaper make for the perfect nursery backdrop.

I love this bed. The lines. The fabric. The color. It’s so simple and completely cozy. Of course the simple bedding and graphic pillows send it over the top. I have an aversion to making the bed, so I may just be over excited about how beautiful beds can be. I don’t think so. I mean look at this bed. Beautiful.

Thanks to Land of Nod‘s pinterest I found out they had a pop up shop. I told Nick that was my only must for the trip. (Is that weird?) It was a nice break for Ramona to get out and play too.

I won’t go into huge details about the amazing toy selection (go look online), but look at how beautiful this holiday display is. The wood sticks in the back ground. The bunting. The bows and garland. The stockings were burlap with huge bows. I think I might have to add that feature to ours for next Christmas.

You can see the raspberry Jenny Lind bed on the right. Spoiler alert that is the look we are going for in Ramona’s big girl room. Hopefully she will be out of her crib before she turns 10.

Our most productive stop was Muji. It wasn’t a planned stop. We were walking along minding our business when Nick noticed it. He remembered Morgan’s post about her wonderful duvet. Since it was Brick House approved, we had to go.

We didn’t take any pictures of the inside. I guess we were too busy gathering our purchases. Here’s what we bought:

4 Reusable bags – $1 a piece was just too good to pass up. I painted a heart on 2 of them and put some slippers in it for a Christmas present. I intend to do something like that again.

5 notebooks – simple ruled notebooks because you can’t have enough

Pink Pen – I’m showing my inner teacher here with some supply hoarding. It is one of those pens that you convince yourself you have to find before you can write anything down. Jordan agrees.

Queen Fitted Sheet & Pillow Cases – I cannot tell you how insanely comfortable these sheets are. They are soft and warm without being clingy. I love jersey sheets, but I cannot use them. They are too stretchy and get too hot. These are soft and comfortable like jersey but hold their shape. Substantial and essential.

2 City in a Bags – A miniture wooden New York city scape. Both were given as Christmas presents. Ramona loves to construct New York. Of course it’s buildings stacked up to make the “big lady” much taller than anything. These are incredible souvenirs for anyone especially kids…just not small ones the car pieces are very small.

Muji is now a must stop for us when we go to New York. It’s reasonably priced, and I could go for more of those sheets. Maybe a duvet next time? Oh Nick bought a shirt there too. A basic white oxford which he loves. Seriously the place has everything.

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2012 Goal Wrap Up

Posted by Amber in Side Note on January 2, 2013  ||  10 Comments

Despite my failure to blog my monthly goal checks for November and December, I figured I would do a review of my goals from a yearly perspective to see if my public accountability worked.

1. Complete at least 1 crafty project per month.

I cannot believe how many projects we accomplished. I painted a ton of furniture (table, chairs, more chairs, dresser, another dresser). I had a few sewing projects (drapes, slippers, stockings). Then some general craftiness up my sleeve (napkins, airplane costume, airplane party, art).

Of course there was more craftiness that I didn’t list, but you get the point. Clearly I crafted every month typically a few times and in multiple ways. I really challenged myself to take on things I hadn’t done before. It feels great to set outside your comfort zone and gain new skills. Take that goal!

2. Read at least 1 book per month

This goal is an interesting one because I had a couple months of not finishing a book, but I read 27 book this year. Clearly the total crushes my goal regardless of those failed months where I read but didn’t finish. I can thank Charlaine Harris for that because it’s a lot easier to read when you are going through a series.

3. Do more fun things with Ramona.

I made this goal vague, so I could justify anything. I think the original purpose was doing different/original activities at home but anything counts. Ramona got to go to Nashville, Orlando (Disneyworld), and New York this year. Our Seattle/Portland trip with her fell through twice, but I feel like we still did a lot of traveling. We also enjoyed things around town like the Fort Worth Children’s museum, parks, and the arboretum.

I just noticed that most of the pictures in her collage are from home. First it’s easier to take pictures of a toddler when you aren’t in public. Also we are fortunate to spend a lot of time at home. Ramona loves to dress up and pretend. She has hilarious conversations with imaginary people that I get to listen in on. I have to remember that filling our days with activities isn’t always the best thing. She needs down time to imagine and play. I need that time to laugh at whatever she’s coming up with because these days will be over too soon.


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4. Journal every day.

This goal was the main reason why I didn’t want to write the goal checks for November and December. I did really well until September even if I didn’t write every day I would go back and fill in. Then I just stopped. I decided I wouldn’t keep a journal but just blog on the life side of Wills Casa. I didn’t do that either. Goal fail.

3 out of 4 is not bad, so thank you public for making me craft, read, and parent! Here’s what I am thinking for 2012:

  • Give handmade gifts. – Not that the entire gift has to handmade, but I want at least 1 thing to be. It will sort of personalize the gift and still give the person something that they actually want from their registry/wish list. (Gifts are a deal around here.)
  • Read. – I’m not going to set a number to this goal although if I read less than 12 books I’ll be disappointed. I’d like to read more nonfiction because after Gone Girl I need something that doesn’t leave me in a questionable emotional state. I want to read to learn or have things (phrases, thoughts) that hit me or get me to think. I guess I could say Read with Purpose – taking note of those moments that strike me.
  • Document our life. – I will carry my failed journaling attempt from 2012 with me to the new year. This time with the goal of writing a post on the life side of Wills Casa (the side that doesn’t show up in reader but you are more than welcome to read) once a week. It seems like someone who documents her DIY/house projects so faithfully should be able to write about what she really loves her family and their everyday adventures. Obviously there is some overlap on the blog/family stuff that will be posted here i.e. birthday parties and portions of vacations, but it’s mainly going to be cute things Ramona says and does.
  • Monthly Challenge.  – I probably shouldn’t even post this because it’s only a half thought in my brain right now, but I wanted to pick a challenge each month. It could be an area in the house or something personal I want to improve on. Focus on it for a month. I’m not one of those people who develop habits in 30 days (it takes more like years for things to become a habit for me), but it is just something I’ve been thinking about. So if you have any ideas let me know because it’s Jan 2nd, and I don’t have a monthly focus yet.

Here’s to hoping 2013 is even better than 2012!

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Our 2012 in Review

Posted by Nick in Side Note on December 31, 2012  ||  6 Comments

2012 was a great year for Wills Casa. We launched the blog back in mid-January and have enjoyed growing our humble little community of friends / readers.

We’ll talk more about the inner workings of the blog on the one year anniversary in a couple of weeks. As for today, I thought we’d share our favorite posts of the year.

First Post of 2012 (and the blog) – Welcome Back Wills

Most Popular Post – How to Stain & Paint Veneer Furniture

Amber’s favorite Project – That’s Right We Color Blocked Them

Nick’s favorite Project – Summer Pinterest Challenge 2

Amber’s Favorite Non-Project Post – Ramona’s Airplane Party

Nick’s Favorite Non-Project Post – Ace Hotel + Mid Century Shopping Portland

Amber’s favorite shop post – LA Fabric Outlets

Nick’s favorite shop post – Mini Vacation at the Nashville Flea

Well, there you have it. Our favorite posts of 2012. Looking back at the list of posts really puts the year in perspective for us. 2012 was a blast, and we’re looking forward to an even better 2013. Onward and upward.

 

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Merry Christmas

Posted by Nick in Side Note on December 25, 2012  ||  8 Comments

Wishing all of you guys a Merry Christmas! And a Happy New Year!

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Christmas Tree: Faux-laroid

Posted by Amber in DIY, Holiday on December 11, 2012  ||  14 Comments

You read that right. Faux-laroid as in fake Polaroid. We decided to carry over our photo love from the THANKS collage onto our tree this year.  Since we changed our Christmas colors up completely from the previous years, we needed an inexpensive way to add decorations to the tree. Bonus it’s kid friendly…no glass ornaments to break around here.

Nick set up a template in photoshop that would mimic the Polaroid look. We selected about 60 pictures from this year to print out. The pictures are 3.5″ x 3.5″ not including the white space.

Once I had the pictures, I just needed to trim some of the white space off the bottom. The final size of the picture ornament is 4″ x 4.5″. I taped hemp to the back, so the pictures would hang on the tree.

Our tree is decorated with our faux-laroids, the mod podge book ornaments, and some paper mache stars painted with leftovers from the chairs. The stars were on clearance for $1 at Michaels, so it seemed like the easiest way to incorporate our pop of pink into the tree. There are a few gold glitter ornaments left over from prior years that are scattered in there as well.

The decor still has a consistent neutral base that doesn’t clash with the hot pink and bright blue. From the beginning we wanted to make sure things didn’t get too circusy with the bold colors. I think the tree and mantel compliment each other nicely. I am glad our stocking holder pictures don’t have any white space. It helps separate the 2 ideas instead looking like a mini version of the same thing.

I felt like I could make a pink tree skirt without throwing everything out of balance, so I went for it. It’s a felt scalloped skirt that incredibly easy to make…like 30 minutes total. I modified Martha Stewart’s template, so the skirt was much larger and actually proportional to our tree.

Not to overplay the picture thing but we went with photos on our Christmas presents. I really wanted to do cute gift tags and all the beautiful gift wrap ideas you see on Pinterest, but Ramona can’t read yet. (I know she’s already 3 I should really get on that. 😉 ) I think the picture on the present will be more fun for her. However she already told me that she was going to open her presents, so I might regret it later.

So here’s the budget breakdown of decorating this 9 foot beauty:

Pink Stars: $5
Book Ornaments: $5  (2 boxes @ 2.50 each)
Pictures: $10
Star: $15  (I didn’t want to DIY anything…lazy)
Skirt: $6

$36 which isn’t bad considering we had to pretty much start from scratch except a few gold ornaments. Plus the pictures will be used again somehow. I don’t have anything up my sleeve yet, but I’m going to stretch that $10.

Go check out more beautiful trees at Honey We’re Home.

Polaroid-Christmas

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Dare to DIY: Burlap Stockings + Tutorial

Posted by Amber in DIY, Holiday, Sewing on December 10, 2012  ||  18 Comments

The Christmas mantel is finished. Thus it is time for another sewing tutorial from Wills Casa. This time it’s all about sewing a burlap stocking. It is a slightly different style from Michelle’s, so it’s okay to keep reading!

I used the Design*Sponge template, but I wanted a longer stockings. (Longer stocking = more presents) I lengthened the pattern by adding a piece of paper to the top. It added 11″, but you can continue adding length to get a ridiculously long stocking. I did think about it.

Use your template to cut your outer fabric and the lining. You will also need a 7″ x 3″ strip for your hanging tab. Pin your fabric with the right sides together.

Let me explain a little something about burlap. (If you are using this tutorial to sew a normal fabric stocking, feel free to ignore this and sew your outer piece with a straight stitch.) Most burlap fabrics have a loose weave. You will want to sew it with a overcast or joining stitch. Sounds fancy right? It’s just a stitch that joins and finishes seams. I selected 16 (see lovely highlighted picture above) on my machine. The zig zag will catch more of the loose weave and hold it together better.

I also adjusted my stitch width for the same reason. A smaller stitch width will hold your seam tighter keeping that loose weave from unraveling your handy work. I used a 3.0 even though my machine defaulted to the 5.0 stitch width. If you plan on washing burlap, sew it at the lowest stitch width possible.

Once your machine is set to a joining stitch with a 3.0 or lower stitch width, sew your outer piece right sides together with a 1/4″ seam allowance.

Clip your seam allowance around the corners. This will help it lay flatter and curve better once it’s turned right side out. You can see how the burlap frays terribly once it is cut. Don’t worry you used a strong stitch combo to keep it from fraying past your stitch. However be careful not to cut your stitching.

Turn your outer piece right side out and press it. Don’t be afraid to use high heat and steam on burlap.

Take your 7″ x 3″ strip for your hanging tab. Fold it in thirds (1 inch from the left, 1 inch from the right). Then take the last fold and press it under. Sew right down the middle. Hanging tab done.

Fold your hanging tab in half with the right side out. Attach it to the right side of your outer fabric along the seam line. The raw edges will line up at your stocking opening.

I used the joining stitch here as well. Even if you aren’t using burlap, it’s a good idea to attach the tab with a stronger stitch. That way Santa can load up your stocking without fear of ripping it off your mantel.

Sew your lining piece right sides together with a straight stitch. Leave a 5″ opening, so you can turn your stocking pieces once you attach them. Trim the seam allowance all the way around the lining. You don’t need to clip the corners like you did on your outer piece.

Here’s a mid live-action shot of slipping your outer stocking (right side out with hanging tab attached) into your lining (right sides together).

Sew your pieces together at your stocking opening. I used the joining stitch again here. (I also didn’t pin. Burlap doesn’t let your lining move around too much anyway.)

Pull your outer piece out the 5″ opening of your lining. Then make sure all the lining is turned right side out as well.

Press the seam of your outer piece and lining. Sew the 5″ opening in your lining closed.

Fold the lining into your stocking. Press around the top edge.

Hang your stocking! That’s it. I made 4 and once you have all your pieces cut it takes about 30 minutes per stocking to complete.

 

Also, make sure to check out the other Dare to DIY projects at Decor and the Dog, Maybe Matilda, Newly Woodwards, and Two Twenty One.

 

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