Guestroom Redo

I have wanted to make this head board for a while now, but I had to wait on my husband to do some cutting for me.  I can use a few power tools, but some (like the jigsaw and circular saw) are best left in the hands of the more experienced.

 

I'm sure I could figure it out, and maybe one day I will, but for now, I'm happy to have my husbands help.

 

So, I found the shape I wanted on pinterest and had a piece of OSB cut down to size for a full bed. (about 56 inches.  I wanted it to go a few inches past the bed on each side.) They did this at Home Depot for free.

 

Cost of OSB and 2 2x4's: $15

 

 

I was originally going to put foam in the middle of this and create a border with nail head trim around the "puffy middle".  But I decided to go a different route after looking online at some other designs.  But, I still needed the extra depth the 2x4's gave me on the sides so that I would have something to hammer the nail heads into.  The OSB wasn't thick enough for that.  I like how thick this is with the 2x4's, but you could use 1" dimensional lumber as well.

 

I covered the 'new' front with batting.  I got the batting at Joann's.  It was a queen size batting roll.  I had thought about double layering, so I wanted to have enough.  I went with one layer instead.  Two layers would have been too thick for my staples after the fabric was added.  And I was concerned that two layers would make my corners less sharp-looking.

 

Cost of batting: $14 (I downloaded the Joann's app while waiting in line at register and got a 40% off coupon)

 

After stapling the bejesus out of the batting, I laid out the fabric face down and aligned my board on top.  I recruited the help of my ten year old for the remainder of this project.  It was just too much for one set of hands.

 

I stood it up to staple the fabic.  That's why I needed help holding it up so I could staple.  The fabric wouldn't have been as smooth looking if I had kept it lying down.

 

This fabric is actually a curtain that I found at World Market.  I new I wanted dark green velvet, but I couldn't find it at any fabric stores, and when I saw these, I knew they were perfect.  But, there was only one left!

 

Cost of fabric: $17

 

The fabric was like 1 inch too short to wrap around the edge of the 2x4.  I know, you would think that I would measure the fabric first and then cut my board, but that's not how I do things.  I rarely do things in the correct order, I just get too excited. 

 

And, asking my husband to cut down the board another inch was soooo not happening.

 

So I took my seam ripper and undid the seam.  Then it fit perfectly.  Thank God for seam rippers!! They are my favorite tool, especially since I tend to make this stuff up as I go, therefore making a lot of mistakes along the way:)

 

I got too involved in the next few steps and didn't take enough pics, but basically I stapled and stapled and stapled till my hand cramped.

 

Getting the fabric flat around the curve was difficult work.  I think I may have thrown out a couple of inappropriate words.  At least that's what my ten year old said.  I don't remember, I was too busy tugging and stapling and sweating and tugging to pay attention.

 

After getting the edges as smooth as I could get them, taking a minute to cool down and apologizing for my scaring my child, I added nail head trim to the edge. 

 

I read several blogs that said using individual nail heads was much nicer than the trim. (which is like a metal rope of nail heads that you only have to hammer in every fifth head)  I agree that it would be more consistent to use individual heads.  The color of the nail head that you hammer in is just a tad bit different from the rest.  And if I weren't so lazy and impatient, I would have purchased individuals.  But I am impatient, and I wanted to do this as inexpensively as possible.

 

So, I used the trim instead.  It was the easiest part of the whole project.  In fact, I had several feet left over and walked around my house looking for something else that needed nail head trim.

 

Several little things ended up with trim, whether they needed it or not, just because I could.  :)

 

Cost of trim: $8 (again, because I had the app coupon)

 

And here it is all put together.  I made the bed skirt and four of the pillows.  I'm having my mom bring up another curtain that she found at her local World Market for the real bed skirt.  This is just some fabric that I had to use in the interim.  I used the cut-offs of the curtain for the edges of the skirt.

 

 

 

Sorry the pics aren't great.  I used my iphone.  Not a great photographer here!  That is definitely on my to do list, take photography class.  

 

Right now the head board isn't attached to the wall.  It's sitting on a couple of 4 inch boxes that I had lying around.  I had wanted it taller, but hubby has yet to get around to that.  He seems to think it looks fine as it is, go figure.  But, I eventually would like it to sit up a bit taller. 

 

So total cost of head board: $54  

 

Yay!  And it's exactly what I wanted.  Hope this was helpful, it's my first blog project.  Next time, I'll take more pictures.

 

I'ld love to hear what you think and if you have any projects you're working on!!

C.A.R. Bot Wars by J.V. Kade

ISBN-13: 9780803738607

Publisher: Dial

Publication date: 3/21/2013

Series: Bot Wars Series

Synopsis:

Twelve-year-old Trout St. Kroix has been searching for his missing father for the last two years, after his dad disappeared while fighting in the Bot Wars. The Bot Wars began after robots became so advanced that they revolted and demanded more workers' rights, causing the government to declare all robots terrorists and ban them from the Districts. Trout never questioned anything the government told him—even when his own nanny bot was banished—until a vid he posts about his missing dad goes viral and new information pops up. At first Trout is wrenched his dad might be alive, but when his brother disappears, Trout learns nothing is what it seems . . . not even his own father.

Percy Jackson meets Transformers in this heart-stopping, futuristic adventure that will make you question everything you know—and look at robots in a whole new light.

This was an action book set in the United Districts after the creation of robots.  The robots have become so advanced that they started to think for themselves.  After the Bot War, the robots were forced to a territory called Bot Territory that is protected by a shield.  The main characters were Trout [Aidan is his real name] Po ,Vee (who are all human) and LT (a bot).  It’s an adventure where bots and humans have to work together to save Po from the U.D.   

I feel like these characters are real because the author uses descriptive words to tell about them in the book. There was a lot of adventure in the book from cover to cover. It was easy to read this book because there weren’t many difficult words.  I like how the author described the book and I could easily picture it in my mind. My favorite part in the book was probably when trout goes to this secret place in Texas to spend the night.  There is a lot of neat technology in this book, which made it fun to read.  Anyone interested in futuristic technology would find this book interesting. 

 

Cover Reveal!!!

I am so excited to show off this new cover!  It took a while to get it to all come together, but thanks to several people, it's finally here.

The original concept for this cover came from Tessa Konen with  Royal Script.  She had the idea for the layout and worked with photographer Tim Davis to create the image that was used.  Once she came up with this concept, I just couldn't get it out of my mind.

Next I worked with the team at 99designs.com to bring it all together.  I am thrilled with how it turned out and I think it screams romantic suspense, which is exactly what I was going for!

So without further adieu, here it is:

 

 

And for all you ebook addicts out there, here's one for you.

 



 

I also just found out that our publication or release date is going to be October 1.  So save me a spot on your book shelves:)

 

I'ld love to hear your thoughts on the new cover.  Comment here, or visit my facebook page.

 

 

Book Review: Relentless Pursuit by Kathleen Brooks

BN ID: 2940016441962

Publisher: Laurens Publishing

Publication date: 5/20/2013

Series: Bluegrass Brothers Series , #4

Synopsis:

Relentless Pursuit is the fourth novel in the Bluegrass Brothers series.

Pierce Davies watched as his older siblings fell in love – something this bachelor was not ready for. After all, he was now the most eligible man in all of Keeneston! Though Pierce enjoys the playboy lifestyle, his life is his work and that hard work is set to pay off big time with the unveiling of a big secret. However, this work hard, play hard attitude may have also landed him in hot water as he finds himself arrested for a brutal murder with all evidence pointing to him.

Tammy Fields has been suffering from the crush to end all crushes. But her flirtations have fallen short as Pierce Davies always ended up in the arms of a Keeneston Belle. Having waited long enough, Tammy decides now is the time to grow up and move on. She has a good job as a paralegal and a hot new boyfriend. But everything changes quickly when Pierce is arrested and Tammy is called upon to help with his case. While working closely with Pierce to prove his innocence, she realizes her crush is something far more meaningful as she risks everything to save him.

Will they finally find love or will the increasing danger prevent their happily ever after?

This book is the fourth in this series, but like the eighth in her stories about this small town.  I would definitely read these books in order.  Not only because I think that her first books are better, but because she has so many character references from previous books, I think it would be confusing to skip over all that.

In my opinion, these books are simple and sweet, slightly suspenseful, romance novels.  All of her characters are unique, even though the brothers have quite a bit in common.  It doesn't feel like she's retelling the same story over and over again as some "small town romance series" are apt to do.

I think some of her dialogue can be too 'fact-forcing' instead of natural speech, meaning she tries to shove facts into her characters mouths that I don't think would be in a natural conversation.  But for the most part, they are easy southern-comfort reads.

I enjoy her books, and for $2.99 a piece, it's an easy decision even if they don't WOW me.

I do like that these books are not full of explicit sex scenes and the characters are more mature, less dramatic than the new genre of New Adult fiction that seems so popular.

For a quiet, rainy afternoon, or a couples hours by the pool, these would be good to have.

Have you read any of Kathleen Brooks' novels?  If so, which story has been your favorite so far?

You can get this book here:

Relentless Pursuit at Barnes and Noble

Relentless Pursuit at Amazon

C.A.R. Book Review: Spirit Fighters by Jerel Law

 

ISBN-13: 9781400318438

Publisher: Nelson, Thomas, Inc.

Publication date: 4/3/2012

Series: Son of Angels, Jonah Stone Series , #1

Synopsis:

What if Nephilim-the children of angels and men-still walked the earth? And their very presence put the entire world in danger? In Spirit Fighter, Jonah and Eliza Stone learn that their mother is a Nephilim and that they have special powers as quarter-angels. When their mom is kidnapped by fallen angels, they must use those powers to save her. Along the way, they discover that there is a very real and dangerous war going on between good and evil and that God has a big part for them to play in that war.

Spirit Fighter is a book about two kids, Jonah and Eliza who discover their new powers as quarterlings (1/4 part angel).  Elohim revealed their powers to them.  Jonah had super strength and can run really fast. Eliza could create a shield in mid-air, called the shield of Faith. It is an action book with good vs. evil kind of thing.  This author used good details that made it easy to picture the characters and what was happening.  There was a lot of adventure in the book from battling monsters to entering other dimensions. It was easy for me to read it because the author didn’t use a lot of difficult words.

People who like action books with a lot of adventure will like this book.  This is a good book for both boys and girls.  I think I would give this book to my cousin and say read it, around the end of the week he would always say “Wow”.   

One thing that made this book unique was that it had bible verses in it.  The characters used the armor of God to fight the fallen angels.  I thought the sword of Truth was the coolest weapon in this book.

I liked how he described it like “He turns around the corner in caution.” So it was exiting what to expect what is happening next. My favorite part is when Jonah goes into the hidden realm [ another dimension.] it is cool when I imagine what it looks like. It is the first book in a series I would NEVER start on number 2 or 3 and go through the series backwards. This book made me feel like I could battle monsters.

 

 

Book Review: The Next Accident by Lisa Gardner

ISBN-13: 9780553578690

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group

Publication date: 4/30/2002

Series: FBI Profiler Series , #3

What do you do when a killer targets the people you love the most? When he knows how to make them vulnerable? When he knows the same about you?

These are the questions that haunt FBI Special Agent Pierce Quincy. The police say his daughter’s death was an accident. Quincy will risk everything to learn the truth—and there’s only one person willing to help. Ex-cop Rainie Connor had once been paired professionally—and personally—with the brilliant FBI profiler. He helped her through the darkest days of her life.

Now it’s time for Rainie to return the favor. But this killer is like none these two hard-boiled pros have ever encountered. This twisted psychopath has an insatiable hunger for revenge...and for fear. As the clock ticks down to one unspeakably intimate act of vengeance, the only way Rainie can unmask this killer is to step directly in his murderous path. She will become a murder waiting to happen. She will be...the next accident.

This is my first book by this author and I really liked it.  She is definitely more of a crime/suspense author than a romance writer.  But her romance between these characters was very believable. 
They obviously started their relationship in a previous book, and I wish I had read that one first, but it didn't take away from the relationship between them in this book.

Her plot twists and turns were really interesting.  I was never bored, which after the last few books I've read, that's saying a lot.  I remained in the story the entire time.  I liked that her characters were flawed, but heroic at the same time.  It made them feel very real.

She had a few one liners that made me laugh to myself and she had a couple emotional scenes that made my eyes mist up.  It wasn't an overly funny or sad or emotional book, but it was interesting and a good read.  At midnight last night I realized I had several more chapters to go and I really struggled to put it down.  If I hadn't had meeting the next morning, I would have finished.  I have read books that I would stay up till two or three no matter what, but I was able to put this down.  So, take that for what it's worth.

I will be reading more by this author for sure. 

Have you read anything by Lisa Gardner, or have a favorite romantic suspense author?  I would love to hear your thoughts on who I should read next!  Leave comments here, or stop by my facebook page. www.facebook.com/authortinleyinnes

Book Review: The Maze Runner by James Dashner

 

Guest Reviewer: Kathy Westerfield

ISBN-13: 9780385737951

Publisher: Random House Children's Books

Publication date: 8/24/2010

Series: Maze Runner Series , #1

Synopsis:

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.

Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every thirty days a new boy has been delivered in the lift.

Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers.

Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.

Just read the first book in a series by James Dashner called The Maize Runner. It has the same "feel" as the hunger games (which I loved)! I was intrigued from the very first paragraph.

Every chapter was so  full of twists, turns (literally!) and drama that I  couldn't put it down.  The author keeps, not only you guessing, but the  characters are kept guessing as well.  They have no idea what is going to happen next in the strange world they have been thrust into. 

I thought the book was well written and the dialogue between characters made me feel like I was standing or running right along with them.  At the end of the book you are given only a taste of the truth of the boys' situation.  On to book Two!!

MOVIE NEWS:

This book is being made into a movie as we speak.  It's set to release on February 14, 2014.  I couldn't find an actual movie trailer yet, but we will keep you up to date on it.  They have a cast list on IMDb.  I'm including the link here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1790864/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1


Have you read this series?  We'ld love to hear your thoughts on this book!  Of all dystopian novels, which is your favorite?