Wrap a Vase in Lace for Mom!

Dollar Store Crafts. we ALL do it! hey, if i can find cheap supplies for home decor, i'll use 'em.

the thing is, decor doesn't have to LOOK cheap... 

adding a simple flourish to an inexpensive element raises your decor from 'basic' to EXTRA.

case in point - these simple clear glass vases from the Dollar Tree. 

paired with a lace doily or section of a lace tablecloth, they look positively elegant for spring!

continue reading for more details...

a Tale of Two Tables...

 what do you do with a broken table?  i hang the tabletops on walls!

i came across a pair of oval end tables at a garage sale - and both had broken legs.

thing was, i loved the scalloped shape of them and the ogee edges, so i bought them -

and then took 'em home and removed all of the legs and the aprons.

now simply a flat surface, they were perfect for transforming into wall art...

one of them, shown above, got a few coats of eggshell white paint, a quick sanding, 

and a large picture hanger attached to the back to hang vertically - 

ready for whatever came next.

continue reading to find out what came next!

Rustic Signpost from Scrap Wood

one of the projects i undertook this weekend was a refresh of something i created a year ago...

and those two lower boards shown above are the reason why.

this was inspired by fun directional signs in Cars Land at Disney California Adventure,

and i used scraps of wood left over from my Dad's workshop to create it. 

(there's a photo of the entire structure later in the post)

i needed a few more pieces of wood to add two new locations,

and i discovered a SUPER cheap supply secret at my local diy store!

continue reading to find out where you can find cheap wood for rustic signs...

diy Vintage Lamp Makeover - in 1 Step!

paint is by far my favorite decorating tool...

it's inexpensive (sometimes FREE). it's easy to find. it's not hard to store.

and the possibilities of what it can DO are astounding!

sometimes a paint project requires additional elements and many steps
(like the faux concrete treatment i've shared - and the faux rust treatment that i HAVEN'T shared)

but sometimes, it's one step easy-peasy. that was this project... 

and just WAIT until you see the 'before'!!!

continue reading for the Before & After - AND my secret for a perfect gloss finish...

Tablecloth as Patio Umbrella Cover!

last week, i showed you what i did with a glass round 'tabletop'

 that used to sit on top of the tablecloth on one of my Mom's pressboard 'accent tables'.

tables that i threw OUT when we moved. because... well... i really don't have to tell you WHY, right?! 

today, i'm going to show you what i did with a tablecloth that she used to have on that table!
continue reading to see how it moved up in the world...

Mirror, Mirror... Not at All!

a number of years ago, i found this mirror frame in a thrift store...

it had been separated from the dresser it belonged to, and the mirror glass was missing,

so it was basically just an empty frame. a beautiful empty frame!
i couldn't pass up the $2 price tag, so i took it home...

and with a few easy steps and one super-cheap secret, it became what you see here:
a lovely framed bulletin board!

i made and sold that bulletin board as shown above, without a dresser.

to give you an idea of what it would look like if you did this to a mirror frame WITH a dresser:

DISCLAIMER: these are not my dressers. these are not my photos, either - they were on a defunct sales site.
i've edited them to add a burlap-covered bulletin board to the mirror frames to illustrate my idea.

ok, wanna' know my secret?

i use large acoustic ceiling tiles and cardboard boxes!

* they are inexpensive, and they work behind any fabric OR can be painted.

* they are lightweight and easy to work with - just cut with an electric knife!
* they come in large rectangular sizes, so they'll fit just about any frame -
a dresser mirror, like this, or a door with a window opening, or a window frame.

click to see how i made a huge bulletin board out of a vintage door with a window

and get some tips for making your own version of this project!

shared online:

funky junk interiors | diy salvaged junk projects #422

yesterday on tuesday |  project inspire{d} #268

Tripping Was NOT in My Plan...

you know those bloggers that create a plan for their blog posts?

like, a three month list of what gets published when - and including what content ?

that must be nice.

i plan my seasonal content ahead, i do - but more often than not 

i find myself putting an unscheduled project together on the fly at the last minute, for one reason or another, 

and it turns out SO GOOD that i just have to share it. today's post is a great example.

oh, yeah, that 'last minute' part? you could add 'by accident' to that, too.

because i nearly had an accident in my studio - and that's how this particular project came about...

continue reading to find out how my klutziness worked in my favor!

Salvaged Cross Wall Art

 as fun as the bunny ear napkins were in my last post, 

i couldn't let Easter go by without sharing much more meaningful content...

the cross in the photo above is a wood planting box, 

handmade by an artisan* who gifted it to me in a parking lot. yes, a parking lot. 

his truck was parked next to me at a local nursery, and he walked out as i was getting out of the car.

i complimented him on the two planters that he had in his hands - the cross and this heart - 

and he told me his good news, that he had just landed an account for them to sell his planters.
he smiled a mile wide - then he handed the planters to me. 

i was shocked and tried to refuse them, saying he didn't need to 'pay' me for the compliment.

and that young man said something profound to me that will be forever linked to this cross planter:

'hey, good news needs to be shared, and celebrated!'

 yes, yes it does. 

and on Easter weekend, i can think of no Good News better than that of the Cross.

that particular cross is now something i see every day in my home.
when i was creating a gallery wall arrangement, i grabbed the cross planter from the potting bench,

intending to include it in my decor. but it needed something more... and it became a project!

continue reading to see what i did with it!

Tutorial: 'Bunny Ears' Napkins!

here's a quick project to add sweet smiles to your Easter tablescape: 

make plain old napkins new: fold them into bunny ear shapes!

so easy the kids can do it - and they're sure to giggle the whole time!

continue reading for my simple tutorial... c'mon, hop to it!