Lamp Makeover

I got this beauty at the DI for five whole dollars. The girl at the cash register gave me the strangest look... as did my husband when  I brought it home. 

Here is what it looked like before rubbing some glaze on...

A little glaze - and a new shade:

So... Although I LOVE the Burlap--> I hate this iron on transfer I did. I should have trimmed the edges more... so it won't be staying on long!!

Thankfully, you can't see it with the light on!

Oh, and the table it's sitting on  is my next project!! Can't wait!

P.s. Here is a picture of my hubby and I next to my wreath!! =)

Jute Twine Decorative Balls

Why would you EVER EVER EVER pay so much for twine decorations?? =) They are all over the place right now, and the price is not my fave.

SO ... I picked up some 3 dollar styrofoam balls....

And dollar store Jute Twine...and made these:

Easy!!

DIY Apothecary Jars

I love Apothecary jars, but I cannot bring myself to spend a ridiculous amount of money on them. So... I found these various items at the thrift store - all for four dollars!

Mixed, matched, and glued together with my Gorilla Glue...

My FOUR dollar Apothecary jars! I still need a lid for the tallest one, but that will be super easy to find!

Vintage School Chair

I found this amazing vintagey school chair off of craigslist for EIGHT dollars. I fell in love with it. I love the original wood color, but it didn't really match my front room, which is where I wanted to put it. 

A few spray painted coats later and here is what I have so far:

I love the color! Just not loving the metal part. I have no idea what to do with it yet though, so maybe I'll just have to get used to it. =)

Book Wreath

Okay, so there are these book wreaths that they have at Anthropologie that are amazingly wonderful. But they cost like a baztrillionzillion dollars!!! 

SO I went to the DI and Dollar Store ... and made this TWO dollar wreath. Which looks better than the original if I do say so myself!

All you need:

A dollar store wreath, and a DI book for ONE dollar.

Hot glue gun, and dark brown paint! 

I painted the edges of the book dark dark brown- using a cloth to wipe the excess off. 

Then I carefully tore out every single page (after the paint dried), rolled them, and glued them !! Really doesn't get much easier than that...

I found some vintage ribbon, and used it to hang onto the fun vintage key drawer pull I had in my stash. LOVE.

Too bad I can't paint my walls! Darn apartment living...

Candle Holders

I got these two candle holders at the DI for FIFTY CENTS each. How crazy is that? I took them to my friends house to spray paint them, and I LOVE how they turned out!

Here is what they look like now! I really want to rub some brown stain on the left one... but stain is not in my budget, so I sanded parts of it just for now...

Repurpose: Mantel Clock

We got this adorable clock for our wedding, but the hands fell off inside the glass. I tried so hard, but there was no way the glass part was opening. So I had to get rid of it. I loved the shape of this clock so much tho, I thought it would be fun to repurpose it!

So I cut out a piece of (some awesome blue/brown toile!!) paper to fit inside the back piece. 

Then I grabbed this diaper box before My hubby took it to the trash-

I tore off on the sides, took some Jute Twine and hot glue --> and made an H (for our last name). I made two different ones, cuz I wasn't sure of how they would turn out. 

I cut them out after they dried, and picked the one on the left. (I'm glad I took a picture of it, otherwise I don't know how long it would have taken me to realize I missed some parts while cutting.)

I hot glued it onto the paper...

Then I  added to the top of my new tv hutch (which I need to show everyone what I did to it!!) with my 50 cent candle holders...which still need things on top. But that will have to be another day...

I really love it because it adds some texture in the room, and its pretty darn unique!! 

Ever wonder how to repurpose your empty oatmeal containers?

I've been making loads of homemade granola b/c we are just a tiny bit obsessed with granola&yogurt. Its just so yummy. 

=)

Anyways, after using all these empty oatmeal containers, I just knew I couldn't throw them away! They seemed so perfect for...something. I just wasn't sure what that 'something' was yet.

And then, after I kept complaining to myself about how I had nowhere to really store all of this homemade granola (space in our apartment is pretty limited...especially with no pantry!) --> I thought, "Why not put it in here??" 

I don't know about you, but I was not in love with the look of these - so I spruced it up with some scrapbook paper, paint, and ribbon! 

Now if I only had a clever way to disguise those ugly cereal boxes!! Any ideas?

Oh, and while I was at it - I took an old shoe box and covered it as well. Now I have a nice place for my son's snacks!!

Pillows

Okay, so I love our couch. But I was NOT digging the (3) pillows that came with it. Don't get me wrong, they aren't bad at all-- they just don't fit in with the rest of my decor. 

So, I decided to slipcover them! 

Here they are before:

And here they are after:

I'm still not sure what to do with the last pillow, seeing as I only have two boys--> but, I have some ideas.

Here are a few other fun pillow I made:

(Don't mind the crooked middle ruffle...)

I really like this one for some reason! 

And lastly, my friend found these pillows at Ross for FIVE dollars and just knew I had to have them!! LOVE them.

Jewelry Holder

Wow. What happened to me?? =) Nothing too exciting. Just been beyond busy! This blog seemed to turn into a  CHORE and really started frustrating me because I thought I had to come up with all sorts of amazing ideas. SOOOO, this is now just going to be a little project journal of sorts.

Here is something I've been needing for awhile! 

It couldn't be much easier! I had an old cheap ($1) frame, which I spray painted Heirloom White and distressed the edges a bit w/sand paper.

I got rid of the "glass" (which was really some type of plastic) part - and painted the cardboard backing dark brown. 

I had some leftover antique glass knobs from an earlier project (which I need to blog about!!), and some ugly gold ones that I spray painted the same heirloom white color. 

The screws that came with them were obviously too long, so I just found some really short ones that fit. I just screwed them right into the backing! So easy. 

Well, I have some fun rings that I wanted to hang up also! I had some leftover ceiling hooks, so I just screwed those in, and they became the perfect ring holders. The screw does stick out the back a bit, but since I'm hanging it on the wall, and no one can see the back, I didn't mind. 

The last step is to take some ribbon, hot glue (on back of the ribbon) some tulle around it, wrap the whole ribbon around the back of the frame, and glue the ends. Let me know if you have any questions about that... it sounds much more confusing than it is. I promise! 

You can pin your brooches and hair accessories to the ribbon, then hang your earrings from the tulle! I found that the ribbon sagged a little where I hung up heavier earrings, so I just put a dab of hot glue at the top of those spots. 

I love how it doubles as art! You could also do this to a frame that has a stand, and set it up on your bathroom or vanity counter.

Send me pictures if you make one, I'd love to see your creations!

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