Fabric Strip Banner

When I saw this tutorial on The Lovely Cupboard, I knew it would be a great addition to my boring white dinning room, and would be fun for parties. Bonus: This project only cost $8! You don't need fancy fabric, just great colors!

If you have a rotary cutter, this project is pretty simple and easy. It probably took me about 2 hours total. But if you're watching a movie or the newest episode of The Voice, it will be done in no time!

Fabric Strip Banner (If you want more details/pictures, visit The Lovely Cupboard)

Here's what you need:
-About 1 3/4 yards each of 5 different fabric colors
-Rotary cutter or scissors
-Ruler
-About 6 feet of rope

Here's what you do:
-Cut fabric into 1 1/2" wide strips
-Tie fabric strips onto rope starting in the middle and working out toward the ends.

That's it! It's super simple and makes a great statement.

Pin It

Chair Redo

You may remember seeing this chair on my blog a couple months ago. It's charming, unique, and cute, but definitely old, worn-down, and unappealing.

Jake and I covered it with some modern orange and grey fabric from Ikea, but we found that the color scheme didn't fit in with the decor. Luckily this weekend Jake's mom came down to visit and helped us recover it, yet again, to make it an eye catching statement in our entryway.

Here it is now:

I love that it looks more modern yet has a retro feel to it.

Enjoy!

Pin It

Chalkboard Paint Jars

I bought these jars from Ikea for our kitchen when Jake and I were first married. They have 4 different sizes which were perfect for fitting random ingredients for baking. I typically use them for things like sugar, rice, brown sugar, chocolate chips, you name it. They are cute enough by themselves, but I was getting tired of looking at the some old jars every time I was in the kitchen. So, when I bought Martha's chalkboard paint to make some Christmas presents, I saved some paint to spruce up these jars.

{Source}

This paint comes in different colors. I used a grey because I LOVE grey.

Here's what you need:

-Multi-Surface Chalkboard Paint.

-Jars

-Paintbrushes

-Painter's tape (optional)

-Acrylic paint for accents (optional)

Here's what you do:

-Wipe down jars so you have a clean surface to work with.

-If you want to have clean rectangles, tape off your jar to make a rectangle.

-Apply the chalkboard paint to your jar in the shape you want (circle, rectangle, triangle, get creative!).

-Allow to dry according to the paint's directions. Reapply 2 to 3 times to create a solid surface.

-Let dry completely before removing tape. 

**While removing the tape, hold a finger over the painted area as you peel off the tape. This will help keep the chalkboard paint on the glass surface.

-Use another acrylic pain to add little accents to the jar (as shown in the photos).

You can even paint the top of the jars to look cute!

There you have it! You too can greatly improve your boring glass jars with just a little chalkboard paint!

Here's a look at each finished jar:

Like it?
Pin It

Rustic Charm

Rustic Charm by teebree on polyvore.com

I was really looking forward to showing you how to make one of my favorite salads today, but my internet will not let me upload the pictures. So for now, I'll let you look at this inspiration board for a rustic cabin-type bedroom. Doesn't it make you want to curl up in a cabin nestled in some snowy mountains and read a good book?

Pin It

Coffee Addiction Anyone?

Unlike many Americans, I am not a lover of coffee. I don't wake up to a fresh roasted pot of coffee in the morning, I don't know if I would want cream or sugar in my coffee, nor have I earned a Starbucks Gold Card. I used to grab a mocha every once in a while when I was in college and wanted something warm, but I soon discovered that my body can't handle that much caffeine and sugar. While I may not drink it, I love the smell of fresh roasted coffee or just loose coffee beans. 

I'm not exactly sure where I found this idea, but as soon as I saw it I knew I would love it. If you enjoy a daily cup of coffee, I'm sure you will love it too!

Here's what you need:
-Whole coffee beans
-Mason jars
-Tea lights
-Jute/Twine

Here's what you do:
-Mason Jar lids are made up of two pieces, a metal lid and the screw-on ring. Unscrew the ring and remove the lid. Leave the lid off and put the screw-on ring back on. (this will create an opening that will allow the smoke from the candle to leave the jar).
-Fill jar half-way with coffee beans.
-Place tea light on top of beans and push it down a little bit to cover the sides of the candle.
-Wrap a piece of twine around the top of the jar, below the ring, and make a little bow.
-Light the candle.

That's it!
You will be amazed at how nice it smells. Even when the candle isn't lit, I can still smell the beans. Doesn't it look so cozy lit up?

Enjoy!
Pin It

A Little Sunshine

It's a gloomy day here. I grew up in a sunny little town, but have spent the past 5 years up in the rainy Pacific Northwest. While I do love living here, I often crave a little sunshine in my day. Because today is so dark and rainy, I thought we all could use a happy little post to give us a taste of Spring.

I wanted to add a pretty centerpiece to my table a couple months ago when my family came to stay. Here's a simple way to spruce up your floral centerpiece. (P.S. I found this idea on Pinterest)

Here's what you need:
-Bouquet of flowers (pick your favorite!)
-Clear Vase
-Lemons (1-2 depending on the size of your vase) You could even use limes if you were looking for a pop of green!

Here's what you do:
-Fill the vase a little under half-way with water.
-Place flowers with fresh-cut stems in the filled vase.
-Slice lemons into 1/4 inch slices
-Strategically place the lemon slices between the vase and the stems. *Note: This step may take some time as the lemons like to float to the top. The trick is to trap the lemons tightly between the stems and the vase.

Voila! You have a spruced up centerpiece that will brighten up your day!

Enjoy!
Pin It

Gray and Yellow Obsession

Gray and Yellow Obsession by teebree on polyvore.com

I am smitten with the color yellow. Even before Jake and I were engaged, we knew a soft yellow would be one of our wedding colors. Yellow on it's own is pretty great, but add some gray and white stripes and I'm obsessed. We just recently bought the duvet cover pictured above, and I'm working on adding some yellow elements to our colorless bedroom. This week I'll post about a cute yellow pillow I made for our bed. See my inspiration here.

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend and are looking forward to the fantastic week ahead!

Great Finds!

Jake and I just picked up this beauty for $10. It's missing a drawer so we're brainstorming options. I'm thinking we might turn this into a buffet table... We'll just have to see! 

DIY Preview: Rosette Pillow

{Source}

This pillow was $25 at Target last year. When I saw it I fell in love with it, but did not have the budget to afford it. I told myself I would make one, and now I'm almost finished!

Stay tuned this week and I'll show you how it turned out and how you can make your own!

Enjoy!

Initial Art

Want a fun new piece for your house that will fill those old frames you've had lying around? Well I've got a great project for you. I needed an extra piece to finish a wall in my living room. I wanted something with a little sparkle, so I created this "initial art".

Total time: Roughly 10 min.

Here's what you need:

• Glitter
• Paintbrush
• Paint (any color(s) you want!)
• Scissors
• Fabric
• A Frame

Here's what you do:

Step 1: Cut your fabric so it's an inch longer than the backing on your frame on all four sides. (Example: if your frame's backing is 5"x7" you'll cut your fabric to 7"x9")

Step 2: Decision time. If you want everything you paint to have glitter on it like the "Z" above, paint all of your letters/symbols. If you want some letters/symbols to have glitter and others not to like the example at the end of this post, only paint what will get glittered.

Step 3: Add glitter to your paint and brush off.

Step 4: Paint any additional letters that do not need glitter.

Step 5: Place fabric over frame backing and slide into frame. (Note: The backing should be enough to hold the fabric in place. If it slides around, just staple or tape the fabric down) You can add the glass when the paint is dry, or just leave it natural like I did.

Hope you enjoyed this DIY project! Get creative with yours, and let me know if you make one!

My 'Stache of Pillows

I bought two pillows from Ross right after Jake and I got married. They added a pop of red to my living room, but ended up super flat and lost all of their fluffiness after a couple of months. They stayed on my couch for over a year until I finally realized I could transform them into smaller pillows using the stuffing inside. I am totally into the mustache trend that is going on right now, so I made my own mustache pillows!

Here’s what you do: (sorry I don’t have step-by-step pictures)

-Measure and cut your fabric for your pillow.

-Create a mustache stencil using a couple pieces of cardstock taped together.

-Lay stencil over the front piece of fabric, and spray until the area being stenciled is covered. (this will not create perfect lines, but I was really impressed with how well it turned out.)

-Sew and stuff your new pillow case.

I noticed that some of the spray paint didn’t set completely, so I sprayed it with some hairspray to help it set. (If you know of a better product I can use next time, please let me know)

I hope this inspires you to make your own pillow. Whether it’s a mustache or something else I would love to see your creations!

City Living

City Living by teebree on polyvore.com

Wouldn't this be a fun color combination? I can totally see this in some loft apartment in the city with hardwood floors and a brick wall.

Burlap Wreath

Hot Apple Cider. Pumpkin everything. Boots. Scarves. And loads of candy all over the store. These are all signs that Fall is in full swing and Christmas is just around the corner. I wanted to make a decoration for my house that would easily work for every season. I've seen lots of different wreaths swirling around Pinterest lately, so I decided I needed to make my own. 

I found one that I really liked on Pinterest, but it didn't have a tutorial. Thus, I used my brain and created my own tutorial to make this beauty. This cost roughly $5! Worth every penny.

Warning: Only make this project if you have about 4 hours on your hands. Also the burlap fibers will get everywhere. Plan on that.

Here's what you need:

• 1 to 1 1/2 yards burlap (I bought cheap, yet pretty white burlap at Wal Mart)
• Dollar Store wreath
• A hot glue gun
• A lot of glue sticks!
• Scissors
• Ruler

Here's what you do:

1. Cut Burlap into 1" x 5" strips

2. Fold strips into a "v" shape. Hot glue along the inside of on the fold so the "v" holds itself.

3. Glue the bottom of the "v" and place around the wreath with the open side facing up.

4. Repeat until wreath is covered on the front and the sides.

Notes:

• The back of the wreath (a.k.a. the part that will go against the wall) does not need to be covered in burlap.
• When you are finished, look at your wreath from different angles and fill any holes you missed.
• Watch a movie/t.v. show while you make your wreath.
• Pat yourself on the back when you're done!

I love looking at my new wreath! You could easily add little touches such as leaves, fabric flowers, ornaments, wheat, ect. to add a little pop to your wreath. I'm going to add a new accessory to it to correspond with the season we're in.

Enjoy!

P.S. Check out our cute costumes we wore for Jake's Youth Group Harvest Party!

Bert and Marry Poppins. Aren't we adorable? :)

Our Next Project

Jake and I bought this really beautiful antique chair for only $5! We were both really excited about this find until we started taking off the upholstery. Layer after layer after layer. The chair had been reupholstered at least 5 times. Each layer covered in very old dust and tons of rusty nails. We're lucky we didn't get tetanus.

We have finally stripped it down to the bare bones and are ready to start turning it into a great new piece for our home!

More to come as soon as we finish!

Reupholstered Chair

Yes, I know my posts have been very few and far between. Since Jake and I moved a little over a month ago, we have been busy adjusting to our new lives here. Some of that business includes not really making blog-worthy food and creating fun projects at home and for Jake's youth room!  Youth group starts tomorrow, so we have to finish the room ASAP. I'll post pictures soon!

For now, I have a fun project to show you. A couple years ago my mom and I reupholstered her dining room chairs. It inspired me to update a chair my mother-in-law bought me at a cute little country sale. (p.s. She has two great blogs. One about her life, and one about her new quilting business)

Here's what it looked like before:

It was cute, but the fabric wasn't really my style. When we went to Ikea that weekend, I found the perfect fabric.

Here's what it looks like now!:

I really like the flower being off-centered. It gives it more of an artsy look. I'm thinking of making a cute yellow pillow to add a pop of color!

Enjoy!

Welcoming

Jake and I have been looking for places to rent. So far we have seen the mediocre, the bad, and the ugly.  Where's the good?

As we have been looking around, I realized how much a front door can tell you about a house. Some are worn down, some are boring, and some are bright and inviting. One day when I get to choose the color of my front door I will pick something like these beautiful pictures!

{Source}

{Source}

I might have to move to another country in order to have this next door, but I wanted to show it to you anyway.

{Source}

{Source}

{Source}

Welcome home!

Create Your Own Wall Art

Jake and I have had a canvas and a bottle of red paint sitting in our apartment for about 5 months. We had fantastic ideas for it that we never had the courage or artistic abilities to pursue. I finally decided that I had the time and inspiration to create my own unique piece of art. My inspiration....

 Here are four easy steps to making your own very unique piece of art:

1. Chose a canvas that is a good size for your wall. You don't want it so small that it is barely noticeable, but you don't want something that will consume the wall.
2. Place blue painter's tape directly onto the canvas. Be creative! Try different angles or line them up. It's really up to you. (Note: Make sure the tape is firmly pressed onto the canvas so the paint does not leak under.)
3. Paint 2 or more coats onto the canvas. (Paint the sides as well. It will look more professional that way.)
4. After the paint has dried, peel off the tape and hang your new art on the wall. So easy!

Make this project your own. Paint in two or three colors instead of one!

Enjoy!

I Want That! (part 2)

{source}

{Source}

{Source}

{Source}

A little beauty for your Wednesday!