Springy

Yesterday I went to the Michael's near our house for the first time and saw some really cute springy stuff:

I wanted to pick up these but I couldn't really think of a use for them. And aren't they easily DIY-able? You could do so much with this idea with scrapbook paper and mod podge too. 

This sweet little bowl made me wish I didn't have a shell that I use for a quick jewelry deposit already... so cute. 

Since I've purchased a few fake plants that don't look fakey... I've been obsessed with cute little plants and succulents (the only plant I can seem to keep alive is a little bamboo plant from Ikea).

I love these ceramic egg carton and strawberry containers, they're so adorable!

I did pick up one thing though which cost me only $4... I've been needing something to store all my hair ties and bobby pins because they get everywhere.

Pretty, convenient, and cute... and only $4. Can't beat that.

Out and About Browsing

Ready to go out shopping with me?

Here we go!

I wish my bathroom had enough room for one of these cute little bathroom storage baskets that I found at Homegoods. 

This metal chest caught my eye but at $199 (!!!), I was comfortable leaving it at the store. 

I'm totally in love with this new take on the sunburst mirror trend that is made of gorgeous silvery branches.

This chair I spotted at Ross had such a interesting and pretty pattern. Strangely, Hobby Lobby had the exact same fabric available by the yard! What are the chances?

Heading over to Target and they've got some very springy, bright decor on display. I thought this clock was gorgeous; love it!

I thought these prints could be very easily DIY-able with some watercolor paints and a little time.

Next we're headed over to World Market (where I want pretty much everything that it's hard to decide what to take pictures of!).

I want to marry this coffee table. 

I kinda want this screen to use as a headboard... not sure if I can part with $169 for it though. 

Trunk! I absolutely love trunks... I must have one someday (though, it's probably going to be a thrift store find!). 

And lastly, Michael's. They always seem to have the cutest little figurines and sometimes you can get really good coupons for them.

I almost had to physically restrain myself from bringing home either of these babies. Maybe when they go on sale and I'll get lucky? Maybe. 

A Little Bathroom Update

It's no secret that I get sick of things in my house after a while and I like to switch things up for a fresh new look. 

I was a little bored with my key picture in my bathroom.  I still love the picture but I was ready for something new to look at. (I didn't throw it out of course, just stuck it behind the new art in case I change my mind later...) 

I often find myself in the scrapbook paper aisle at Michael's and found this 12"x12" printed clock canvas piece. It was more expensive than scrapbook since it was actually fabric but for $1.99 I had to have it. I can use it as art or to cover something small later (like on a mod podge box...). 

So... I made it mine. 

Cute, huh? 

Before and After: Dumpster Nightstand

So it's probably been over a year since I finished this project and I'm just now sharing it. But, whatever. I haven't been up to much around here decor-wise lately because I'm feeling the Summertime laziness. I'm also feeling some Summer trips coming on and I don't want to splurge on home decor when I could save an splurge in places like the beach... or DC... or Charleston... or Savannah... AND in *gasp* 174 days we have to be up and out of Virginia for good.


I've been up to my neck in apartment searches and... it sucks. It sucks looking at apartments in a place I've never visited (I've done that before). And it seems that apartment reviewers are always so horrible. I'm not even sure what we're going to do and where we're going to live. I know I've got months but we're in the middle of June already and it makes me feel calmer about all the impending things to do if I start early. 


So yeah, the dumpster furniture fairies dumped this drawer-less nightstand.

At first I was hesitant to take it. I mean, it had no drawers so what the hell could I do with this thing? I envisioned maybe taking the middle rung out and hanging a curtain and storing a basket underneath it for something (?). Surely I couldn't find perfect baskets to fit the nightstand like drawers, right? Wrong. 

So I hauled the item upstairs (and really, what happened to the drawers? There weren't even broken drawers lying around either) sanded, and painted it with my leftover paint from my coffee table to make the project even more cheap. 

Upon a trip to Michael's I was astonished when I found and measured shallow baskets (which were 50% off!!) that would fit in the slots. Amazing. Usually my luck isn't that good. 

The baskets fit amazingly well. I mean, there is NO WAY I could have found better-fitting baskets. So far, the total for this piece is now $20 in just the baskets alone.

After living with the piece a few days I decided... something's missing. And since I'd been looking online at all the amazingly painted, intricate furniture I decided that the top was screaming for a cool design. 

I couldn't even instruct anyone how I did the design because it was difficult for my brain to wrap around taping off the figure. I'm pretty sure it involved drawing what I wanted on paper, making a stencil, and taping off the design for at least an hour before painting. 

And it's been living in my dining room ever since. It holds some table linens and candle holders and such (I also used it for a board game or two before we had a larger collection). 

That's the last piece of dumpster furniture I collected... and it's sad to me. The most the dumpsters at this apartment has produced is smoke and flames (and last week an awful, stained, green office chair... no thanks). 

Has anyone else discovered any dumpster treasures??

Puzzlement

The weekend went too fast! Especially since Russ had to go into work on Saturday... after the cake class it just seemed like Saturday was mostly over! I managed to make it to Michael's because I had a 40% off coupon that was going to expire and I thought for sure there would be something that I wanted to spend it on.


While moseying along the aisles not looking for anything in particular I stumbled upon some mini wooden blocks that were in the shapes of pyramids, spheres, half-spheres, and cubes and was immediately reminded of something I saw in TJ Maxx not too long ago that I had wanted to emulate. 

The wheels began to turn and I gathered my supplies for this "puzzling" project. Now my shapes don't look exactly like puzzles like the inspiration piece above but, I think it turned out similar and just as interesting. 

I found a cheap shadowbox/ collectible case and bought my wooden shapes.

Supplies:

Plus: gold leafing pen and/or gold craft paint, glue gun, black cardstock (or color of your choice)

I already had some gold craft paint and a gold leafing pen at home.

The gold paint was very very watery and only seemed to give them a slight gold glitter. I was after more gold than that I I waited patiently for the paint to dry.

I used my gold leafing pen and rubbed it on a paper towel and quickly rubbed down the surface of the blocks. I wanted a gold twinge instead of the all-gold puzzles in the inspiration piece. 

The paper towel method worked out pretty well and here's the before and after:

After gold leafing the rest of the pieces I was finally ready for gluing. 

I was going to measure the distance and make sure the pieces were evenly spaced but decided ultimately to eye-ball it. What's fun about this is you can place the pieces in any order you like and whatever appeals to your eyes the most.

Then I adhered the black cardstock to the case backing (as you can see the backing got ripped from the paper that had been inside it, the glue ripped the paper... oh well, it's covered up).

Then I pieced it all together and hung it up!

I might paint the frame black later on down the road but I think it looks pretty cool for now.... 

This project cost me:

Wooden Pieces: 2.99

Shadowbox:        4.19 (with coupon)

Glue gun:             2.79

Glue sticks:          3.99 (MORE than the glue gun...?)

Paint: already owned

Cardstock: already owned

          

Total: 13.96

Not too shabby! :D

Shopping Find: Oh Em Gee!

Unexpectedly at Michael's I spotted this for $14.99!!  I wasn't going to buy it even though it's completely adorable until I saw a sign proclaiming all Ashland Home Decor products 50% off!  Okay, sold!


And $7.49 later, this piggy came flying home.