DIY

DIY floral wall art

July 28, 2014 by Angela

Happy Monday! My latest DIY project is up on Bright, Bold & Beautiful today! Click over to see how to make these floral wall art frames using faux flowers and a surprising material that I’ve been saving up for wayyy long. I loved making this and it totally brightened up the bedroom.

What have you created lately?

Little office details

July 14, 2014 by Angela

Ah, so obviously this little blog hasn’t been the priority lately. But in all my rushing around to meet deadlines for work, visiting family, and trying to plan a summer adventure or two, I did make creating an office space a priority. I’ll be back with a full recap soon, but my desk area now takes up half of a room in our small apartment, which is quite amazing after working from the couch for two months. I had one heck of a time finding the perfect desk for the space, and after returning four (yes, there’s a story there!) thankfully CB2 came to the rescue with their go-kart console table and shelf. They’re light and bright and soso perfect for crafting. Can’t wait until I actually have time to craft!

Another addition is this cute 9-drawer mini-shelf. I’m obsessed with all those pretty vintage ones on Etsy, but as you might’ve noticed, there’s hardly ever any under $100. So, yeah, not vintage, but still perfect for all those little things I save–but don’t exactly know why.

The acrylic look is so fun but I just don’t think my office will ever look like those ones on The Everygirl–they’re always so chic and clean. My space is bound to get a bit messy and if everything were clear all you’d see is tangled yarn and scrap paper. But I thought this cute clear box was perfect for ribbons and tape, especially after my kitty knocked over the glass jar I had them all thrown in anyway.

How has your summer? Any reorganizing? It’s going by so fast!

DIY vintage trunk

June 24, 2014 by Angela

I must admit that the ENTIRE time I worked on this project, I was pretty sure it was going to fail. But I held onto hope that things just might go right, despite all the shortcuts I was taking. It was really a testament to my lazy mind… I didn’t even sand down the surface of this old trunk because I was tired of running to Lowe’s!

But it turned out pretty well! I’m lucky. Some history: I’ve had this little trunk for 5 or 6 years now–which I bought from a Goodwill. I love trunks because they’re SO spacious. For years all my photo albums were in it, and now I put all my seasonal stuff in it which is great because it wouldn’t otherwise fit anywhere. In my apartment now, I can’t just push it to the back of a closet, but this funky hand painted pink and yellow design with star stickers, lots of pen marks, and white streaks of paint, doesn’t exactly go with the decor.

I’ve also been searching high and low for furniture items I can DIY to make my house cozier and… well better looking. After having trouble at thrift shops I finally realized I already had something! So I took this outside and got to work. Here’s what I did…

(1) Tape up all the gold edges (2) Remove stickers or sand down {was not entirely possible} (3) Paint! Even though this took about 4 coats on each side, I only ended up using less than a tiny Valspar color sample! (5) Seal with spray (6) Touch up the gold with Rub ‘n Buff metallic finish (4) Fix any paint mistakes

In the end, this cost about $10, and I originally bought the trunk for about that.

Let me say: on the package of Rub ‘n Buff it says something crazy like “this tiny tube covers 20’x20′” or something. A little goes a long way!

Now I’m on a mission to restore this other end table I have, build a kitchen table, and pretty much DIY the whole place. Do you have any tips for redoing furniture?

DIY fridge magnets

June 16, 2014 by Angela

I was really in the mood to craft but didn’t feel too inspired by any one thing, so I went straight to my supplies. This DIY was born from having the same piece of cork board and unopened magnet pack for about three years now (no kidding!). I like being able to put a mail key or spare key on the fridge and not having it take up space in a dish or poke holes in the wall of my apartment. If you want to make something similar, here’s the how to…

Gather supplies: glue and glue gun, magnets, flexible cork, masking tape, paint, and key hooks. If you need to buy the key hooks, you could try these ones, which are much cooler; mine are taken off an old key holder wall hanging.

Tape all areas you don’t wish to paint. Then paint, let dry. Draw or paint on gold details. Hot glue the hook to the cork and cork to the magnet. Let dry before hanging…& there you have it.

There will be lots more bright DIYs on the way… What’s your latest craft?

DIY desk organizer

June 4, 2014 by Angela

The other day I was looking for office supplies to go with the new desks I just ordered online. I had about enough spending money for a charming new pencil set (which I bought and love!) but not much else. I saw this adorable scalloped desk organizer online, but it was out of my price range. It’s so cute and gave me instant inspiration for my own cardboard version. Sure, it’s not as sturdy, but with an extra layer of cardboard it’s actually pretty nice.

So if you have a cardboard granola bar or cereal box and some cute paper, you’re ready to make your own. Side note: I discovered these bars at Sprouts and am not sure whether I’m totally healthy for eating one per day (they’re sooo good) or if it’s more like that scene in Mean Girls when Regina doesn’t know she’s eating bars designed to make her gain weight. I guess we’ll see…

Materials: Scrapbook paper, gold pen, hot glue + gun, a cardboard box, ruler and scissors

Cut the box into a small tray, knowing that it will be a bit taller once the scalloped edge is on.
Create a stencil of the front of your tray, only with a scalloped edge. repeat for other edges of the box (or leave only the front scalloped, you choose). You’ll glue this on later, so you won’t have to cut scallops into the tray itself, which is very tedious.
Then, repeat the scalloped rectangle design with your scrapbook paper. To recap, your box will have three layers: the tray itself, the cardboard scallops, and the pretty paper. This makes it easier to cut and a lot stiffer.
Color in the scallops with a metallic pen.

Cut cardboard and scrapbook paper squares to go on the ends of the tray.

Glue each piece on, layer by later. Make sure to let each dry completely before doing the next. Touch up if needed.

If you choose to do two boxes like me, glue them together at one end, and you’re left with a desk organizer that has two compartments, ready for your notes and stationery.

What do you think? Can’t wait to see how it looks on my shiny new desk :).

DIY floral crown

May 27, 2014 by Angela

If you know me, you probably know that every spring I make a new floral crown. They’re gorgeous for photoshoots, but I must say, I still haven’t gotten up the courage to wear them out and about. I’m not sure how having beautiful flowers surrounding my face could ever be a bad decision, yet I suddenly feel like everyone’s staring. Anyway, I’ll spare you the step-by-step since there are a million out there and just show you my little trick for the easiest floral crowns ever.