Fall Wreath

I'm usually not a wreath kind of girl, but I was obsessively pinning on pinterest (if you aren't a member you should so join!) and found some really creative styles. So (as pinterest usually does) all these fall projects sparked some ideas. I took what I liked from certain wreaths and made it my own. It adds the perfect touch to my front door and I can keep it up through Thanksgiving. 

Here is what you need:

-1 yard Burlap 

-1/2 yard of orange fabric

-1/2 tan/mustard fabric

-Wreath Base

-Hot glue

-Straight Pins

-Door Hook 

First, you need to make your fabric rosettes.There are tons of tutorials online to show you how. I just ties a knot at the end of a strip of fabric and wrapped it around, hot gluing every 1/2 inch or so. This takes time so be patient with yourself. Once you get the hang of it then you should be able to speed it up. 

(Zanes toes ^^^ in his ugly shoes)

(these don't look like different colors but they are. the lighting in my room was dim)


I then cut out strips of burlap to put over the base of my wreath. I didn't really measure or anything just totally guessed. 

I hot glued the burlap on to the wreath in gathers so it would have a ruffle look when finished. I used two layers because one just wasn't enough. 

After I glued the burlap on to the wreath base I pinned my rosettes over it with the straight pins.(this way if I want to use them again later I can)I couldn't decide what bow to use for the top, but a bow is a must!! So first I tried just some extra burlap, but I didn't really like it. 

Then I found some old fabric I had from a previous project, but it clashed with my rosette colors.. Too much orange. 

Then I looked in my closet and found an old scarf that I never wear, tied it on top and it was huge a perfect. The bow can never be too big!!

(I have never hung a wreath so after I took this picture I put it a little higher)

This project is super easy and cost me only about $15. Have a happy football filled Saturday and go out to get your supplies for your front door wreath.

xoxo

Coasters

I know I have been slacking lately in the craft department, but I'm here to make up for it. I have been in need and on the search of the perfect coasters. As I was blog reading Saturday I found the cutest idea on how to make my own. This way you can make them personal and exactly the way you want. It is so easy anyone can do it.  

Here is what you need:

-Paper of your choice (I chose four different kinds).59cents each

-4X4 ceramic tiles .16cents each

-Mod Podge $4.99

-Felt Stickers .99cents for a package

-Clear Spray Paint $4.99

First cut the paper out into squares to put on top of the tiles.

And don't forget to stick your felt stickers underneath so they don't scratch the table.   

Then put the Hod Podge over the tile and stick on the paper. After it dries put two layers of Hod Podge over the paper.

It might take a while to dry, but once it does take it outside for some clear spray paint. Just lightly spray each tile two times. 

Once they are all dry you're ready to use them!! Super cute for gifts and SO EASY to create. Have fun and make yours to fit your personality like I did. 

xoxo

DIY:Vintage Chairs

This is a joint blog post, so before I start you should follow my bff Katherine Davis on her blog at http://mattandkatblog.blogspot.com/

A while back I discovered these cute little chairs at Salvation Army. Of course, my best friend and I decided to make a project out of them as soon as I told her about it. It feels like we have had them forever an never found the time to start our creation until now. Katherine and I both have enough chairs in our living space so we made these just for YOU! It took a little more time than expected but it was worth it in the end. If you want to do this yourself it is so easy! 

What you need:

-Paint Primer

-Two Paint Colors of you choice

-Sand Paper 

-Clear Sealer 

-Tape

Here are our chairs before we started! YUCK! but so cheap. You can find so many good pieces of furniture at thrift stores and yard sales for next to nothing. ALWAYS be on the look out. 

First things first. We sanded down all the rough spots and wiped down the chairs before we started anything. Yes, we do realize that we need to invest in an electric sander because there is a lot of sanding involved in our projects (sanding by hand is for the birds). Then we put primer on the chairs to get them ready for our real paint. 

 We chose to paint the majority of the chairs a cream color and added zig zag patterns on the seat! After we painted the chairs cream we taped off our zig zags and painted the inside baby blue and apricot. 

 Make sure you let the paint dry fully before removing the tape or you will get paint everywhere!! We had to touch up a few spots, but nothing major. It could have been worse. 

 (Kat perfecting her zigs and zags)

When the paint was completely dry we took the tape off and started sanding AGAIN! We wanted to make the chairs have a vintage feel in some areas. We sanded through all the way to the original dark color to make it look old. We then spray painted a clear coat of sealer to finish it off. 

Here is our finished product!! They are so cute and we worked so hard on them we don't want to give them up, but we have no where to put them. They would look so good together or separate. So... together $40 or separate $25. If you want to purchase just contact me or Katherine and we would be happy to get them to you. Good luck with your chairs if you decide to DIY. 

xoxo

Decor on a Budget

I recently bought a new shower curtain for my bathroom and am totally in love with it (my favorite decorating element in my apt). It has ruffles (one of my favorite things ever!) all the way down it in different fading shades of blue and green all the way up to yellow. I had my eye on it for quite sometime, but would never let myself spend over $100.00 on a shower curtain. So finally I broke down and made the purchase and it was soooo worth it. The way I see it is that I use it everyday rather than just every now and then.. kind of like sunglasses...no particular season handbag...

(my pic is a little tinted...)

So then I was stuck with no idea how to add other decor to my bathroom with this spectacular shower curtain... 

One day on one of our many adventures, Katherine and I found some picture frames at Salvation Army.They were each like 50 cents apiece!! Such a steal and I knew I could use them for something.
I bought different shades of blue paint and different shades of blue paper at Hobby Lobby for about $10.00 total. I painted all the frames different colors of blue from my shower curtain.

It literally took about ten minutes to paint the frames with two coats! I also did some sanding to show the original wood for the more old rustic look I wanted. 

I then cut the different colored paper to match the size of the frames. The hardest part was probably arranging the frames on the wall. I couldn't decide how I wanted it to look, but once I did it turned out cute. Just a small cluster on the wall to show off the colors. 

The colors match my curtain perfect and it pulls my bathroom together! This project cost me about $10-$15 and about 30 minutes to create(mostly paint drying). I can't wait to paint more frames for my living area. I hope to have an entire wall of colored frames with black/white pictures. More projects like this in the future for us girls on a budget! 

xoxo 

Decor

This section is dedicated to my love for 

DECOR

Here I will post easy ways to decorate and create a more beautiful living space. Everyone needs a little designing inspiration from time to time. Although, I dont have my own house to express my real interior style, I do have a place for the time being I call home that I can fill with all the things I find, create, and decorate. I can also fill you in on the latest furniture,decorating tips and trends. 

xoxo

DIY: Old to New

To me, the way you have your living space decorated also shows your style. Interior decor has just as much fashion as the clothing you wear daily. Decorating on a budget, as well as shopping for clothing, can be difficult. This post is here to inspire you to decorate or revamp your living space!

A couple of weekends ago my bff and I had a free Saturday and decided to do some thrift shopping. We came across two chairs that we thought could be really cute if fixed up. 

We got them at our local Habitat Store! They look pretty bad but just wait.




So next we went to Lowes and got all the supplies that we needed. Which after you find your furniture (the hardest part) it is easy.
What you need:
-Paint (any color you want)
-Clear Gloss (we used the spray paint version)
-Sandpaper
-Fabric (that coordinates with your paint color)
-Staple gun
-A best friend to help on all your decisions and work (hard to find but only the best will do)


So first we cleaned our chairs up and started painting on our colors. I chose blue paint with orange/cream damask fabric for the cushion. Katherine chose white paint with a yellowish/cream patterned fabric for the cushion. We also got some coordinating fabric to make pillows!(DIY coming soon)

(Katherine ^)

It took two coats of paint on our chairs, but I'm sure one would look fine.
After we painted our chairs and let them dry we started our sanding. We sanded through in some areas to show the original color and to make it look a little worn.(Katherine wanted to match the color of my nail polish to my chair)

After we sandpapered it down really good we spray painted the clear gloss over it for protection. While it dried it was time to reupholster our chair cushion. We cut the fabric and stretched it over the front of the base. Carefully we stapled each corner and then the middle. Thankfully we had Katherine's sweet mom, Annie there to coach us and make sure we didn't staple our fingers!

(<Annie)

 When finished tightening the fabric good it should look like this on the front! 
After the chairs were dry we simply stapled our cushions back on and tada we have NEW chairs!!!  

We love our new chairs so much we have bought several more to work on and possibly sell! Its not hard at all to make anything from a thrift store that is old new again. If you like this post then you will LOVE my bff Katherine's blog www.mattandkatblog.blogspot.com
Don't forget to let me know what you think in the comment box and follow our blogs! 
Good Luck with your chair
xoxo