DIY: Chalkboard Platter
Step by Step Transformation:
Written by Jenna on . Posted in DIY, Paint. 10 Comments on DIY: Chalkboard Platter
Step by Step Transformation:
Written by Jenna on . Posted in DIY, Paint.
Step by Step Transformation:
Written by Jenna on . Posted in DIY, Holiday, Valentines. 27 Comments on Valentine Burlap Wreath
Even though I said goodbye to the Christmas decor days after the 25th of December, I only took down my Christmas wreath from the front door last week . The wreath didn’t scream Christmas, but it was time to say ‘See you next year’! So the entrance to our home was naked. My bare apple-green colored door just wasn’t cutting it till Springtime, so I adorned it with a crafty, handmade Valentine Wreath.
Ta-Da… The new and improved front door, dressed for V-day! It’s beautified with the newly created handmade wreath using burlap and a few pretty flowers!
Total diversion… Here’s the next step…
How about pretty little flowers? Yes, that will do the trick.
Welcome to My home
The flowers are made of felt and I attached them with a safety pin to the burlap, so I can use the wreath for other occasions throughout the year.
Do you love these little felt flower beauties?
How do you adorn your front door for Valentine’s Day?
Written by Jenna on . Posted in DIY, Holiday, Mantel, Valentines. 13 Comments on Valentine’s Mantel Decor
The heart shape pillow is adorable, especially donning some colorful pink, orange, and yellow buttons!
Mostly everything on the mantel is repurposed from other places in my home.
Standing in front, is my latest LOVE plaque that I bought from AC Moore for less than $1. It’s actually a picture frame, which I removed and added a little love heart.
That’s my wedding bouquet from 7 years ago….how nice to incorporate into my LOVE mantel!
Written by Jenna on . Posted in DIY, Holiday, Mantel, Valentines.
The heart shape pillow is adorable, especially donning some colorful pink, orange, and yellow buttons!
Mostly everything on the mantel is repurposed from other places in my home.
Standing in front, is my latest LOVE plaque that I bought from AC Moore for less than $1. It’s actually a picture frame, which I removed and added a little love heart.
That’s my wedding bouquet from 7 years ago….how nice to incorporate into my LOVE mantel!
Written by Jenna on . Posted in DIY, Tile.
With the second week of the new decade upon us, I have lots of tile projects brewing in my head. So far for 2011, I’ve accomplished three (of many) projects that have been on my mind since we moved into our home almost a year ago. My latest project has been re-tiling the surround of the fireplace.
Here is a preview of the completed fireplace:
This is the second time I grouted using a Ziploc bag and it made the process SO easy. Usually the task of grouting is quite laborious, but NOT with a Ziploc bag! Just like you would frost a cake, put your grout mixture into a Ziploc bag and grout-away!
Written by Jenna on . Posted in DIY, Tile. 29 Comments on DIY: Fireplace Surround Transformation
With the second week of the new decade upon us, I have lots of tile projects brewing in my head. So far for 2011, I’ve accomplished three (of many) projects that have been on my mind since we moved into our home almost a year ago. My latest project has been re-tiling the surround of the fireplace.
Here is a preview of the completed fireplace:
This is the second time I grouted using a Ziploc bag and it made the process SO easy. Usually the task of grouting is quite laborious, but NOT with a Ziploc bag! Just like you would frost a cake, put your grout mixture into a Ziploc bag and grout-away!
Written by Jenna on . Posted in DIY, Window Treatments. 9 Comments on DIY: Kitchen Window Valance
Since moving into our home almost a year ago, I’ve been wanting to install a valance at the kitchen window. The window is almost 90″ wide, so I envisioned creating a treatment that was unique, yet one that didn’t compromise the entering light.
I chose a cotton material that has a WHITE background with taupe accents; It has a casual look and complements my taupe-colored, silk dining room draperies. Not handy on a sewing machine (like me)? Stitch Witch is your answer…create anything using this fusible tape and your iron! Depending on the fabric, this project could cost less than $20.
Written by Jenna on . Posted in DIY, Kitchen. 5 Comments on Kitchen Renovation Update: Decisions have been made!
I found some interesting ideas while making a pit stop @ Home Depot AND Lowe’s yesterday. After lots of thought, I’ve made some decisions! I LOVE the idea of painting my kitchen cabinets black as I posted the other day, but am relunctant because the current countertop is a dark greenish laminate (it sounds worse than it is) and I don’t want to invest a huge amount into it (since ONE DAY, I hope to do a BIG reno)!! Since I am on a TIGHT BUDGET and don’t want to invest too much money for a short fix, I have tried to thoroughly think through the whole process before taking action!
One of my readers suggested using a Gel Stain to darken the cabinets without taking the huge step of painting them. I thought this idea was genius! The cabinets are actually in good condition and the style is livable, so this is what I am leaning toward.
So on to the decision for the countertops. I’m a bit stuck… Of course granite would be lovely and hopefully we’ll eventually go that route (when we do our BIG reno ONE DAY). I’m thinking of painting the laminate countertops. Did you know you could do that?? You CAN!!
Lowe’s has another product by Rust-oleum called Countertop Coating. Basically it’s a one step process of 2 coats of ‘painting’ your countertops with this product. The drawback, the surface will have a monochrome, painted look. It might ‘look’ okay, but I’m not sure. I’m leaning towards this idea, BUT want to try a sample first. The cost of one can is $20+/- (an average kitchen would be about 2 cans ~ read the back for more details)
Another idea opposed to painting the countertop surface is to resurface the existing laminate with new laminate. Laminate is available in an array of colors and textures, and can truly liven and transform a space! This idea is nice for a permanent solution since it’s time consuming and labor intensive. Read More.
How to paint countertops (using the Rust-oleum Countertop Coating shown above)
How to paint over a laminate surface
Cabinets: We’re going to use a Gel Stain with a walnut finish to cut down on the ‘orangey’ oak color. They won’t be black, but they will be darker 🙂
Countertops: We’ve decided on Idea #2. One because of the cost (less than $40) and two because it’s a fairly easy (hopefully ~ I’ll probably regret saying this) process. Unfortunately though, from my research, the smell is very BAD so the countertop painting will have to wait till Spring/Summer when the windows can be open for proper ventilation. With two young kids, there is NO WAY we can do this process in the Winter!
Toe Kick: Remove the laminate and install 4 x 4 or 4 x 12 tile
Window: Add new valance ~ stay tuned to see this transformation coming in a few weeks!
Upper (lonely) Cabinet: The one upper cabinet that is by itself will have the door removed and I’ll get baskets for storage (again, crossing my fingers that this will work…we shall see)
Cabinet Hardware: DONE…take a peak!
Written by Jenna on . Posted in Christmas, Do-It-Yourself, Holiday. 3 Comments on The Simplest Pinecone Wreath!
I love the look of wreaths filled with pinecones, and was about 5 seconds from buying two over the weekend, until I looked at the price tag. I was not paying $25 for pinecones, when my own backyard is filled with these lovely organic treasures. But before putting the pinecone wreaths (that I loved) back on the shelf, I looked to see how they were made, and couldn’t believe how easy it appeared. So off to the craft store I went…
I bought an 18″ round wreath for $1.99 and collected a bucketful of pinecones from the backyard. Now I have to confess, that I also used some store-bought pinecones because they were rounder and fuller, opposed to my skinny, sap-filled, backyard pinecones.
Using brown or green (green is all I had) wire, wrap it through the pinecone and twist, so it’s secure on the back side.
After adding the pinecones, the back of the wreath will look like a wire craze…that’s OKAY! You won’t see the back. If you want, trim the pieces about 1/4″ above the twist for a cleaner look.
Continue attaching the pinecones around the wreath and overlap them to add interest.
Voila – The simplest pinecone wreath is complete.
And I actually made 2. These beautiful pinecone wreaths hang in my dining area on the sliding glass door, but you can hang them anywhere….on your front door, interior door(s), the wall, etc…
This year, my color palette is chocolate gold. I love how gold looks with brownish tones. Also in this space, is the new Organic Centerpiece I created! It’s complete and ready to enjoy.