Easy - FREE - Fall Decor

Like so many things I make, I didn't thing this was blog worthy, until the reactions from friends thinking it was rather clever.  While I do love them, I didn't think they were anything groundbreakingly creative.

Any-who, fall wine bottles!

We have friends who generously donate their wine and assorted liquor bottles, as we aren't wine drinkers and Dashman's Miller Lite bottles just aren't as fun to craft with.

They needed a good cleaning, to remove labels and any goo left behind from said labels.

I spray painted, yes spray painted, them in various fall colors.

Then wrapped them in lace, burlap, and other misc fall looking items I had on hand.  Burlap. lace, twine, etc.  I thought about hot gluing these on, but one, I knew I would burn myself and two stitching them on really wasn't that hard. 

I chose to do a few Halloween ones as well, skull lace wrapped and Jack-O-Lanterns, which pull double duty as Halloween and fall pumpkin decorations.   I saw others done as Frankenstein and a witch, as I was going for more fall then Halloween, I opted to not.

And there you have it, all made from things I had in my craft stash!

Tiled Ikea Tray

Remember my transformed IKEA tray?

Here is her sister.  Her beautiful, sleek, gorgeous tiled sister.

I knew I wanted to tile one of these trays, or at least have the tiled look.  I found some multi-color tile that I loved, go figure, it was out of stock.  Unable to find any other tile I liked at any home improvement store, go figure, I opted for these, in a whole slew of colors. 

Again, wait for sales, EVERYTHING at Hobby Lobby will eventually go on sale, alot of times at 50% off.  

I painted the tray black, be sure to paint the entire tray, bottom included, some of the base will peek through the tiles.  Then came the fun part, arranging the tiles.  Seriously, much more difficult than I had thought it would be.  I tried a few different configurations, different spacing, no spacing, they just didn't fit quite right.  

Then, the Dashman had a stroke of genius.  Arrange them on an angle.  BAM!  They fit PERFECTLY!

This was the time consuming part, laying a few rows, gluing, waiting for them to dry, repeat.  Gluing too many at once caused the tiles to shift and the pattern to get wonky, what a technical term.  They REALLY need to dry before trying to put too many rows in otherwise headache city, trust me.  

I opted to use my handy dandy E6000 glue, that stuff will glue anything to anything, it's amazing.  

I let the tiles dry for over 24 hours before covering in this resin.  

 And ... 

Perfection!!!!!!! 

I haven't quite found a permanent home for her, but right now as a centerpiece on the kitchen table is working well.  

It makes me happy just looking at her!!!!

DIY Canvas Art

I purchased these wall decals on Etsy a few months back.

 I LOVE them but was having some difficulty committing to a place to hang them.  I knew once I did they were done and I didn't want to change my mind, as I have frequently, and them essentially go to waste.

So they sat, and sat, and sat, and sat some more.  They even made it out of the shipping tube once to get flattened out, then back in they went because I couldn't decide.

At least I know myself well enough to know to wait if I am not 100% sure.  Right?!?!?!

Fast forward 3 months, on a shopping trip with my sister we spotted a canvas with similar wording that I liked but wished the wording was just slightly different.

She said to buy it, I said I couldn't justify it when I already had the decals, that I preferred, at home un-hung because of an apparent wall art commitment issue that I have.  Who knew?

She suggested to put my decals on a canvas.  D'OH!

D'OH!  D'OH!  D'OH!

She is the funny one, I am the smart one.  Why the hell didn't I think of that?

D'OH!  D'OH!  D'OH!

So now she is a GENIUS!  What a simple and smart idea.

I measured the size of the decal and the intended space to hang it and decided on this canvas found here.

Wait for sales, EVERYTHING at Hobby Lobby will eventually go on sale, just wait for it. 

I could have, and wanted to, paint it something fun and colorful, however, I settled on this.

Yes, spray paint.  Super easy, fast and affordable and it also happened to be the PERFECT gray!  It looks fantastic to boot!

So why did I choose to go plain, simple and colorless, when it is TOTALLY not my style.  First, this will likely get moved and I wanted it to be neutral enough to fit in wherever it may land.  Second, I REALLY liked that gray.  Third, I wanted the text to be the focal point, not the canvas.  Last, it is going next to these (quite possibly the FIRST art I made for the house, still LOVE these). 

Anything too busy and it may clash and just become too distracting.

So here she is.

Do you love her as much as I do???

This happens to hang in our entryway and is SUCH a nice thing to see when I walk in the door. 

So glad my super genius sister came to the rescue.  Less than $25 for completely customized wall art.  Can't beat it.  

So pleased this turned out well.  Living in a bi-level home presents some design challenges and the entry way is no exception!  That wall at it's tallest is over two stories.  My Dashman came to the rescue with getting these hung.  I was hanging over the stairs like a crazy lady trying to reach the wall. Amusing, however not safe. 

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE.  Seriously, LOVE this!!!!!

Painted Mason Jars

Painted mason jars, my solution to fun, colorful, kitcheny ( to go with our kitchen themed kitchen - very original, I know) storage for our cooking utensils.

Jar + Mod Podge + Food Coloring = Amazingness

I used large jars and poured enough Mod Podge in to be up the side of the jar about 1-1/2".  Next add it a few drops of your food coloring.  More food coloring the darker the color and vice versa.  Mix together well, any unmixed color will show up on the dried jar.  Next tilt the jar every which way to cover the entire inside of the jar.  Be sure to NOT use a paintbrush or any other tool to help spread the color.  It will leave marks that will be visible after the jars dry.  After it is completely coated, turn the jar upside down on a paper plate to allow excess glue to drain.

Here are my jars about half way through the drying process.

Notice the pastel color versus the solid, wet versus dry.  Depending on how warm your house is, it can take anywhere from 24 to 48 hours to dry.  I opted to not put mine in the oven, I had read something stating that may cause bubbles.  I just stuck to good old fashion air drying.  Be patient, they will dry. 

Here they are finished and being put to good use. 

Just wonderful!  Love the pop of color these added to the kitchen. 

What fun projects have you found for mason jars?

Linked up at  Work It Wednesday

Transformed IKEA Tray

I scored three of these little beauties on my last round of IKEA shopping, that's a hint to be prepared for more posts about trays.

These are fantastic and the price can not be beat.


I intended to use one as a workspace while sitting on the couch.  to update my planner, meal plan, joint down ideas in a notebook, etc.  Instead of having all of those things laying on the sofa, which happens for more than I care to admit, they are now contained.  Trays make instantly beautiful clutter.  Truth!

That little baby got a coat of red spray paint.  Yes, again with the spray paint.  I then taped off the edges and used my homemade chalkboard paint, read about that here, to paint the bottom.  The bottom of the tray as is, worked well as a dry erase board, which is another great option.

Turned out perfect, this little beauty gets a lot of use.

The chalkboard paint turned out to be a fun little touch to leave myself notes or happy little drawings.

Again, super simple, huge organizational impact for us,  I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY dislike piles of stuff on the sofa. Even if it is just the facade of organization instead of actual organization.  I'm quite ok with that!

Linked up Work It Wednesday

DIY Chalkboard Paint

My experience with store bought chalkboard paint has been less than wonderful, FAR, far less than wonderful.  That stuff is expensive and BOTH cans we purchased turned out to be duds.  Wouldn't mix together, very clumpy, no chalkboard results were achieved, there was sadness.  

Not to be defeated and REALLY wanting a chalkboard pantry door, I took to pinterest to find a solution.


1 cup of latex paint

• any shade and any finish

2 tablespoons of unsanded tile grout

mixing container
paint stick
foam brush / roller
fine grit sander

Truth, it is REALLY that easy!!!

Seriously, mix together, paint a few thin coats, bam, DONE!

The directions I found said to sand between each coat, I only did if I noticed an uneven area between coats.  When I was finished I did it a very quick once over with a sanding block. 

Condition your new chalkboard by rubbing the side of a piece of chalk over the surface.

One of the most wonderful things about this, for me, was that I could use any paint I had on hand and had the ability to make it any color I wanted. 

ENJOY!

Here is our door, most often used for tic-tac-toe games amongst friends.  This was one of our first house projects when we moved in, still love it, so much so I am trying to convince the big guy to let me make our largest kitchen wall chalkboard, so far I am failing. 

That gold, brass, hideousness of a knob is getting the boot soon, stay tuned!

So .... I just opened an Etsy shop ... true story.

Per my usual fashion, I made my kitchen gallery wall the hard way.  Designed all of the artwork myself, could I have just bought it off of Etsy, PROBABLY!  Did I, OF COURSE NOT!  In my defense I had a set picture in my mind of what I wanted the finished wall to look like and nothing was QUITE it.

So here is a peak of the gallery wall.

Not done, but close.  What do they always say, the mechanic has the worst car.  Well the photographer/digital art designer can't seem to get her photo and art projects finished.

Be sure to go check out my new Etsy shop!!!!! 

Tray, Tray, Tray

I like trays.  I'm not 100% sure why but I am sure it has to do with their ability to corral clutter and make it seem semi organized.

Problem is, some of those decorative trays are a bit pricey.

Love this one, not the price. 

And this one, but again, not budget friendly.  


So then I found this guy here

Not fabulous or glamorous, but a fantastic blank slate begging for some creative love.

A little paint later and they were already looking better.

I knew I wanted to somehow line these trays with tile.  While at the store searching for my options, I came across these, PEEL AND STICK TILE!  I was in LOVE!!!!

Why was I so excited about this you ask?  Two reasons.  Firstly, they would be super easy to use.  Peel, stick, DONE!  I had planned on having to glue down the tile, so this would be saving me a good bit of work.  Secondly, they were kinda exactly what I wanted, without knowing that I wanted them.  None of the smaller tiles that I found and liked were working to fit in the tray.  I knew the small 1 x 1 tiles I had come across would work but I didn't LOVE them.  I wanted something with a little interest.  These were that.  They would be easy to cut to fit my tray and have more interest than the small tiles I found.  WIN!  In my cart they went.

Now here is how they looked with the first rough cut.

Notice the spots that I purposely cut larger than need be?  Take two of this project I got smart and made the cuts to fit one large tile back in, wherever possible, instead of 4 or 5 little ones.  Hey, I was impressed with myself.


I could have left them as is, they function just fine, I could have also grouted the tile ... LOL ... that wasn't going to happen.  I opted for resin.  Easier than grouting and I love the finished look of resin.  

FOLLOW the instructions, coming from the girl who doesn't even read instructions, this is important.  They aren't joking on those mixing instructions.  Seriously!

Isn't she pretty?

Current use, as there is some sickness floating around our house.

I'm sure in the end she will end living a super glamorous life holding the cats water bowl or something of the like.

LOVE how these turned out.  I bought three of theses trays as well as some from IKEA, keep a look out for those future projects. 

Linked up over here.

Command Center

So I was given this, key word GIVEN, as in FREE, $0.00, zip, zilch.

She is, or should I say WAS a tad unattractive.

No worries though, she is beyond amazing now. 

Our home needs organization.  With both of us working fulltime outside of the home, his schedule, my schedule, OUR schedule, family obligations, spending time with friends, grocery lists, meal planning, it is too much for me to remember in my head.  I'm getting older and my memory is filling up fast.

I have been toying around with the idea of a "command center", one central location for storing calenders, lists, etc. .  We had a magnet board, which KINDA worked.  It however was torn down when we took down the pantry wall.

• I glued it directly to the wall with liquid nails and there was no removing that sucker come wall demo day.  Oh well, live and learn and immediately discontinue my practice of using liquid nails to glue things to the wall.

I have been browsing for replacements and nothing really fit our needs.  The few things that I did like I was NOT a fan of the price tag.  Especially for a system that I wasn't 100% sure was going to work for us.

Then someone offered me the previously mentioned frame, genius struck and I even had an AHHA light bulb going off moment and then felt like a goof for not thinking of it sooner.   

This could be DIY'd into our own "command center".


Paint the frame, cover the odd print with fabric, then paper because I decided I didn't care for the fabric, then new glass since I am a klutz and broke the original.  All said and done it was only about $15 for the materials, $10 of which was the replacement glass.

I also had to hunt down these little guys since the picture was being held by staples which I had to remove to change the print out.  Seems like a simple thing to find, had I been able to think of the correct name.

• Picture frame turn button should you be curious.

I made the templates, simple blank printouts, for things we wanted to use this board to keep track of and just taped them to the paper, glass back on and DONE!  I wish it went that fast, sadly nothing ever does.

The real beauty of this is how easily it can be changed down the line should we decide we need to make a change to our organizing system.  

Loving this!  So simple, yet so wonderful!

An IKEA Ribba picture ledge, cut to size, to set the frame on, I like the look and also like how easy it is to add to or change our set up this way.  Also an IKEA  Bygel rail to use for storing the pen cup and later on possibly a magnet menu board (future project).

There you have it, our little command center.

Here she is, in all of her beauty. 

I really am far too excited about this.  I even did a little happy dance and squeal once she was up. 

Mission Annihilate Ugly Brown Kitchen Counter .... Success

I decided, maybe some naively, that we should replace our counter tops to match the kitchen better.  Our kitchen is grey with black appliances and the brown counter tops just weren't working for me.  They weren't horrible, but I wasn't loving them. 

 (Excuse the cellphone shot, I did this project before I planned on starting this blog)

A few phone calls later and price quotes anywhere from $900 to $1,500, I took to pinterest to find a solution for myself.  And so I did, for about $50.  The counter tops were structurally fine, they just didn't match as well as I would like.  That puts this in the WANT category, not the NEED category which makes it completely not even remotely possible or even a slight option for me to spend anywhere near that kind of money on them.     

So here was my process.  

Clean the counters VERY WELL, make sure they are free of any grease or dirt, grease will make this primer not bond permanently to the laminate surface.  Tape everything off, depending on what type of paint you will use (I used spray paint) dictates how much you need cover in plastic or not.  NOTE, I painted the counter with the sink still attached and it probably was the most difficult part of the whole process.  If you have someone that is able to take it off for you, awesome, if not, it is possible to take around it and paint just fine.  

For my primer, I used Glidden Gripper Primer/Sealer.  The only place I was able to find it was Home Depot.  I read it came in white and grey but could only find the white, so I had the store tint it for me.  If you painting your counters a light color, this may not be a must for you.  Painting black over white didn't appeal to me, so I considered this a MUST.   

 

I used a foam roller or a small foam brush to put the primer on.  I did 3 - 4 thin coats, enough to not see any of the brown peeking through.  This stuff also dries super fast and it adheres to laminate with NO SANDING!  That's right, NO SANDING, it was music to my ears too.  

Now for my paint selection, I chose spray paint.  From my research, it seemed really any paint would work.  It is truly a matter of personal preference.  I chose spray paint for a few reasons, one of which was its fast drying time another was a lower chance of runs and zero chance of roller or brush marks.  My other deciding factor was that I didn't want just a flat black, I was something with a little dimension or texture.  I looked at the faux stone spray but ultimatley decided on a metal look.  For my counter size, it took about 2 -1/4 cans of spray paint.   

It is a subtle look but absolutely gorgeous.  I am VERY happy with my decision.  

Whichever method you choose just be sure to do enough thin coats to cover the primer and give it ample drying time in between. 

Lastly, and quite most important, is the sealent.  I researched, ALOT, and found a few others who had done something to my method and decided on a Minwax Polycrylic Sealant.  I used the semi gloss, just enough shine to look good but not overbearing.  

Again, I used a foam roller and did between 5 and 6 thin coats, allowing ample drying time in between, I figured the more the merrier.  

I let the counter cure and dry for a good three two and a half days before I set anything back on it.  I had one mishap, of my own doing.  You can damage this if while moving your stove back into place you smash a sharp corner into your wet counter top.  No worries though, it was an easy fix.  Let dry, sand the rough part off, repaint and re-seal.  Seriously, was SUPER easy to repair my oops spot. 

So far this has held up great.  I am not shy about using or scrubbing and cleaning my counters and so far, no issues!  

For about $50 and a days worth of work, we have new counters and we LOVE them!

 ( aren't my Mason jars super cute )

Looking at this picture makes me REALLY loath those light fixtures.  Maybe that will be my next DIY project :)