Little projects that make a big different

I recently had one of those great DIY days where you get a ton of little projects done that end up making a huge difference. At the end of it all your feet and hands are covered in spray paint, but those itty bitty accessories can make an entire room--or just a vignette--complete.

The first project I completed was a shelf for the wall unit in our living room. I had a make shift skinny piece of wood down, but I hated how puny it looked. The original shelf would work, but since I flipped the unit around, the shelf had to get the same treatment. Of course, this left a lot of raw edges. Thankfully, I still had some leftover wood trim so I ironed some on!



For some odd reason, when I flipped the shelf it didn't fit in the cubby the way it did before. It slid back and forth. So while a little on the ghetto MacGuyver side, I trimed off some cardboard and applied it using Liquid Nails. The thickness was perfect and the shelf fit nice and snug.



A couple coats of Rust-Oleum later, and this was one project I could cross off my "I-didn't-quite-finish-it" list.



Next, my grandma gave me this little utensil holder about a month ago. It was too cute to pass up, even though I didn't know what I was going to do with it. I decided that it would make a perfect bathroom caddy with a little reimagining and a coat of paint.



However, once the paint was one, I decided that I didn't really want to silver to be so "perfect." I wanted it to look a little more tarnished. So while the silver was still wet I grabbed a rag started blotting.



The results were perfect--er not so perfect and little tarnished looking.





I loaded it up with a mini-mason jar full of q-tips, lotion, wash cloths, and our toothbrushes and accessories.



I took a cue from House of Hepworths, and used a little spray paint on the bottles to spruce them up, make 'em match, and make 'em pop. The lotion bottle is an old Bath & Body Works bottle that I just refill with whatever lotion I'm using at the time. The other is a Listerine bottle that I refill with mouth wash whenever it gets empty.



So, there we go! Just a couple little projects that help polish off the big picture. Have any of my dear readers finished a few little projects that made a big difference? =D Share share!

Back on my feet & covered in paint!

Thank you all for you well wishes--not only with my accident but on our anniversary (which is actually when I fell). I received a clean bill of health this week, and aside from a few lingering bruises and a rug burn on my knuckle, I'm feeling pretty back to normal. Good thing to because this house has been ne-glected!

Today I woke up sweating; while most people hate that, I was thrilled because it means summer has finally hit our little beach town! As I type all my windows are open, the fans are on max power, and I have still have a bit of sweat forming along my brow. I'm in a super cute sundress from American Eagle (purchased on deep discount on July 4--woot!) and it finally feels like the typical California day. So what have I been up to? PAINTING!

I've previously mentioned this white wicker chair that I picked up for our outdoor pub that I've been slacking on working on. I picked it up for $50 at Urban Barn in Escondido. While super sweet, shabby chic doesn't exactly mesh well with Irish debauchery.



So, a quick coat with some leftover Rust-Oleum Espresso paint (seriously? I have an arsenal of this stuff--how did I amass so much?!) took some of the charm out of it.


(Forgive the chop job)

Then as I was waiting for it to dry, I realized I just might have enough flat black paint to get our old IKEA night stands converted as well for the master bedroom project. I also busted out an old shower curtain rod for a quick make-over (you'll see it in action in just a sec).



I still plan to go over the tables with a coat of a semi-gloss paint to make them a little more scratch resistant, but I learned my lesson when it comes to using glossy spray paint on flat surfaces (remember this coffee table?). So I think I'll stick to a roll on paint.

As for the shower rod...

I wanted to hang some sort of partition in our "dressing room" that connects our bedroom to our bathroom. When Jason comes home I'd like for him to start using our bathroom again instead of keeping all of his stuff in the guest bathroom. So, to allow him to actually be able to see when he's shaving at four a.m. without waking me up, I knew some curtains were in order.


(Obviously this shot is from when we were first moving in)
I'd been using some old off-white sheets as the curtains, but I just wasn't feeling them. Lacking any motivation until today I just let them hang there until I remembered some amazing faux-silk panels I'd retired to the Goodwill bag in our garage. Thankful that I hadn't actually made it over there recently, I dug them out of the bag and immediately hung them on the newly painted rod. Yes, they're a little short on top, but I don't think it's going to matter any.


The rich chocolate color up against our white walls is stunning (waaaaay better than the off-white sheets), and I love that I was able to use them again--I had loved them so much in our home back in North Carolina. Here they are acting as window panels on our front door.


They matched our accent wall in the living room to a tee!


(Maybe this is why I still have a ton of espresso paint--leftover loves??)

So, that's what I've finally gotten around to doing! I'm thinking I might swing by Home Depot today or tomorrow for some headboard materials. I've been tossing the original plan back and forth and have a feeling the bed may change a bit. I'd like to do something a little more romantic-modern than farmhouse-meets-bed-and-breakfast. I'm trying to keep the idea fairly simple because I'm attempting to talk Jason into upgrading to a king sized bed when he gets home (!!), which means I don't want to do anything too permanent structurally-wise.

Sunday Mom and Step-Dad are coming over to help set up the gazebo. I'm so antsy to get the furniture out of the garage and into the backyard! I can't wait!

So good to be back...

I'm linking up to:
Fresh Coat Fridays @ Life in the Fun Lane

Just another minisode

The series is called, "Amber Can't Keep Her Mind Focused On Just One Project These Days." Okay, so it's a bit of a mouth full. But, hey, I'm getting other things done in the meantime. I think the real issue is I have virtually no DIY funds right now (housing issues--trying to sell the house back in NC, which means no renters and no rental income!) so I'm having to tackle smaller projects that don't use any of our precious resources! This is why I like bathrooms! They're small, they're simple, and few things can make a huge impact!

I stuck to shades of blue and green in this bathroom. Jason picked out the Matine toile shower curtain before he left back in March--I swear I had no input on this one! The man just has good taste! ;)


Finally hung the shelves I bought for the last bathroom mini-make-over. I think I might want to get some sturdier ones down the road though...


The starfish used to reside in the office, but I like it better in here. Kind of like he jumped out of one of the photos.



The mason jar (which also used to reside in the office) is holding eucalyptus bath salts. I love this idea so much I think I'm going to do it in our bathroom with some large clear ones! Move over apothecary jars! Mason jars are the new bathroom accessory (you heard it here)!



The little bath sign was a DIY project using a paper bag for some texture, and I just stenciled and hand painted the letters (hence the less than perfect edges).



And last but not least, a little greenery. I had two ferns that I was trying out elsewhere in the house, but they looked too dental. So I gave them a hair cut and moved 'em! Supposedly, ferns do well in bathrooms since they need to stay out of direct sunlight. I guess we'll see! Since I didn't have any pots, I just spray painted the plastic container in Rust-Oleum's Heirloom White and set it on an old teacup saucer.


I still have a few more things I need to get when budget allows. A trash can, some towels, and maybe a few counter top accessories are in order, but for now, at least it looks pleasant and usable! ;)

Bench this, baby!

I could have sworn that I shared these with you, but after searching through my post archives, it looks like maybe I didn't! Back in November, I purchased these art deco bed benches from The Estate Sale Warehouse that I'm constantly endorsing (and, for the record, not being paid to do so).

Now, this is a class-A how-to-take-a-bad-picture example, but the bad flash highlights the many scuffs that these otherwise worldly beauties have on them.



I want to upholster them I'm going to pay a professional to upholster them in this gorgeous fabric that Ballard Designs is carrying (but I have found much cheaper elsewhere!). They call their style "Cantana."


But I have been debating back and forth over what to do about their finish. Did I want to paint them? That was my plan for a while, until I remembered this curvy cutie still sitting downstairs in our dinning room (again, please forgive the huge mess on the dinning room table).


At the time I purchased it, I also faced the same dilemma with this mirror. To paint or not to paint? The wood doesn't have a single flaw in it, and I hate the idea of covering up the warm color. So I had the idea to mix wood tones. It's working surprisingly well downstairs in the few areas I've started on, so I thought why not?

But first I had to make sure my what-looks-to-be-a-cherry-wood-finish-on-them benches would strip down to a natural wood color. So using what little Citristrip I had left, I went ahead and gave 'er a test run!



Hmm... I was very surprised to come back and find that the Citristrip made almost no difference in the finish. So I busted out my handheld power sander and gave it whirl.



Wow! That is some orange wood! I guess the faux-cherry finish isn't so faux after all! Too bad this looks nothing like the warm honey-wood color of the mirror. Okay, so paint it is! I'll find other ways to bring in some more "woodier" tones to match the mirror--maybe some baskets and some faux-wood wrapped candles will do the trick! ;)

PVC-pipe curtains rods: a tutorial

SUPPLIES:

PVC pipe (I prefer 3/4" but choose your scale according to your project)

Brackets (I use these from Levolor, in white, and they typically come in a pair)

Finials (I also use Levolor finials because they're just about the perfect size and come in an array of styles, also in white, and they also come in pairs)

Paint

Hot glue gun

Cordless drill

Screw driver

Tape measure (I also use a yard stick to help me measure)

When you purchase your PVC-pipe (which is in the plumbing department, just FYI) it normally comes in either 10-foot or 20-foot lengths. If you don't own a truck that can accommodate these sizes, no worries (have you seen my little car?) because you can cut them right at the store. Find an associate and have them help you because it's much easier.

However, you can also cut them at home using a jigsaw or a PVC-pipe cutter if you own one. Just be careful not to get too anxious with your cut and snap the PVC-pipe in half because it will not snap with a straight edge! But if this happens--like it has to me on numerous occasions--it's fixable (and we'll get to it in a sec).

Start by priming the pipe, if you choose, or skip straight to painting. I've found a great technique and time saver is to just use a flat finish paint. It eliminates the need to prime and I love the finish it gives the pipes.



Repeat these steps for your other "rods," brackets, and finials. I use the flat black on everything else as well to keep the finishes similar.

TIP: When painting your finials, use a box to hold them upright. Don't worry about the undersides yet. Once they're dry, stick them into the sides of the box to get all the other angles easily and without causing drips.





Once everything is thoroughly dried, you can start gluing the finials on the ends of the brackets. However, if you're using grommet drapes, curtain rings, or anything else that is limited in size, put them on before you glue the finials to the ends. You won't be able to get anything over the finials.

Moving on though, don't be stingy with your hot glue gun. Once everything is hung you won't be able to tell if you used an entire stick on a single finial. Be sure to press the finial to the end of the rod and hold it securely until the glue has hardened. Repeat for the other side.





As I mentioned above, if you happened to get too over zealous and snapped your pipe, you're probably looking at something like this right about now.



Ugh, I know: frustrating! Take my word for it, you cannot just hot glue your finial on the end and cover it up. The finial will rock back and forth until it falls off as well, and then you'll be genuinely displeased! But, there's a super simple way to fix this. Hot glue to the rescue! Simply take your hot glue gun and fill in the space between your even edges and your valley. It make take a couple rounds but if you take your time this will work. Just make sure you rotate the pipe to keep the glue from dripping inside or outside. Once it's cool you should have something resembling this.



You can see how the different amount of glue filled in the space to even everything out. Now just glue on your finial as before.

TIP: To prevent the PVC-pipes from sliding around when you pull your curtains this way and that, add a generous dot of hot glue to the rod holder and let it harden. The glue will grip the plastic and keep in from moving around.



Next, hang your brackets. Depending on what brand and type you bought, your installation methods will vary, so I'm not going to do a step-by-step for this part.

Now all you have to do is hang your curtains! I've used this method in our master bedroom...


...our guest bedroom...


...and our living room. I think I've saved well over $200 by choosing this avenue versus regular curtain rods!



Hope this helps you save money on your next window treatment project! Happy hanging!

Knock-off Pottery Barn lamp

Ever since I saw this lamp from Pottery Barn, I couldn't shake the image from my mind. The curvy mercury glass was so pretty and the light bulb visible through the unlined lamp shade gave it a somewhat playful appearance. I loved the effect!


What I didn't love (as usual) was the price they were demanding.



No matter how much I loved it, I knew I couldn't get on board with that astronomical dollar amount. So I sort of put the idea of owning it out of my head. Fast forward to last week when I was at the ESW looking for Mother's Day gifts and a lamp for the guest room. I found a real cutie--the perfect size for the top story of the night stand--for a whopping $4. It was very brassy and tarnished as you can see.





A coat of primer made a huge difference, but from here I was at a loss for what to do.



Then I remembered the oh-so-coveted mercury glass lamp. But how could I achieve that look?! Roeshel had great success with her mercury glass pumpkins by just using silver and brown paint, but I wasn't sure if I could recreate that look on the lamp. Then, out of the far corner of my mind came this idea.


No, that's not spray paint and it's not silver leafing. It's a product called "Rub & Buff." I'd seen it used by Gina at The Shabby Chic Cottage, but she'd used their "Patina" formula. I used their "Silver Leaf." I had no idea what the heck I was doing, but at only $4 it was was cheaper than silver leafing and a whole lot easier (I had no idea what leafing actually entailed)! But before I started, I painted the lamp espresso, that way any color peeking through would be dark, just like regular mercury glass.


(Erm, sorry for my--ahem!--slightly crooked picture)
Then all it took was rubbing it on. I used my finger (which was very silver by the time I was done) and just sort of went at it! A little goes a ridiculously long way. I couldn't believe how little of the tube I used. Once it's dry (and it dries with in minutes, if not seconds) all it takes is a little rubbing with a rag. Any areas that rubbed off in a way I wasn't happy with, I just added more of the cream. I love the way it works! I'm going to go crazy with this stuff (after all, I still need lamps for our master bedroom).





It's not a dead ringer for mercury glass, but I have no doubts that this was a better choice than spray paint.

Now all I needed was a lamp shade. I tried to make my own frame and cover it with burlap. The frame making went fine, but the whole covering it with fabric was a little more difficult than I had anticipated. I started searching for just a simple burlap lamp shade, even though I really wanted the see through effect (which can only be achieved with an unlined shade). On a whim (read: out of sheer desperation) I happened to check Pottery Barn's website, which is where I found this.


It's much more sheer than the burlap, but the concept is the same! I love the softness is gives the metal of the lamp in their photo. But the best part was the $19.99 clearance price tag! Well, that and I paid for it with a gift card so technically, technically there was no out of pocket cost. =)



All in all, my new lamp cost me $28 total, but only $8 out of pocket! If you're better at covering your own lamp shade, this is a wonderful way to add a little sparkle to your room without shelling out a lot of paper.


I'm linking up to:
DIY Project Parade @ The DIY Show-Off
Trash to Treasure Tuesday @ Reinvented
Power of Paint Party @ Domestically Speaking