Make a wish

So, I had a random piece of plywood lying around.

 Bizarre, right? Ya, I know. Extra bizzare because this is not the first time I have started a post writing about a random piece of wood hanging around my apartment.

Anyway, when I had the wood cut to make my second DIY headboard, I naturally kept the scrap piece (a very large scrap). Unsure of what I was going to use it for, I kept it in the trunk of my car for a full two weeks. When I finally got the motivation to carry it up three flights of stairs, I did just that...and then leaned it up against a wall in my living room...until today. 

I woke up with a bee in my bonnet, and if you know me at all you know that when there is a bee in this girl's bonnet, she buzzes around like a mad woman. 

To set the stage, It is 7am (on a Sunday morning mind you) and there I am staining said piece of scrap wood in my PJs, eyes half open, and a cup of coffee in hand.

Once the wood was stained, I was really unsure of where I was going to go from there. So, I walked away from it and cleaned my closet.

Closet Before-EEK!

Closet After-Ahhh

Check out all of the clothes I donated to Good Will....Who knew I was a closet hoarder (pun intended)...

Anyway, back to my newly stained piece of wood. 

I decided that whatever the final product was, it was going to go above the longer/shorter dresser in my bedroom. I have wanted something to fill that space since I moved in last February, so it is obvious that I haven't come across anything that I think is bedroom wall worthy.

My ideas about what to paint on this wood were pretty scarce...I was thinking about painting a favorite quote, but that would be too similar to my DIY wood piece above my couch. I knew I didn't want anything too cutesy, and I was pretty set on not painting anything abstract. It wasn't until last night when I heard someone on TV say the word "wish" that I came up with the idea of painting (drawing) this...

I definitely want to add some color to my dresser...I am thinking about buying a big fun lamp with a colorful base, maybe a pretty tray for my perfume, and who knows what else...I will keep you posted!

Happy New Year everyone!! Wishing you a healthy, happy 2013!

Taking on a Bachelor Pad

My friend Eric just built a house... a big, beautiful house with 4 bedrooms, a chef's kitchen, hardwood floors, crown molding...you name it, this house has got it....and, he moves in today!

Eric, this post is dedicated to you! Congrats!!

Eric's house is my first big decorating project. I am so happy he has put his faith in me and is letting me run with my different ideas on how to outfit his new bachelor pad.

Mood boards will be the tie that binds us over the next few months...I will create them, Eric will critique them, and when he is happy with the way the room looks on a piece of paper, we will make it a reality.

The kitchen and living room flow really nicely together, so I want to make the two rooms "mesh" well. The back splash in the kitchen has hints of turquoise, so I used this pallet from design-seeds.com to design the living room.

http://design-seeds.com/index.php/home/entry/crescent-color

I am certain the final living room will look nothing like this mood board, but as we work together they will help me figure out what kind of things Eric loves and what he could do without.

Stay tuned- it is a big house with lots of decorating to be done!!

Holiday Hooch

I have been a bad blogger lately. I am really sorry about this, but I must be honest...
with all of the holiday parties, travel, and shopping- DIY projects aren't exactly at the forefront of my mind... so, I really don't have much to post about.

The purpose of this post is more to let you know that I am still around and that I haven't forgot about you than it is a "How-To" or "1-day project" post...I am asking for your forgiveness on this one in advance :)

Anyway, in the midst of the traveling, shopping and partying, I did make time to blend up some homemade Bailey's for my friends and co-workers.



I have more Bailey's to make, but I ran out of Whisky before heading home for Christmas. So, if you are reading this and wondering why I didn't make some for you, I promise there is some coming your way!!


The labels are from onlinelabels.com. I used the Weatherproof Polyester Laser labels (Product: OL6200LP).

I simply downloaded the blank template from the onlinelabels.com website and played around with colors/design until I came up with 4 labels that I was happy with.

I bought the jars at WalMart. They are the generic brand canning jars. 12 jars, lids, and bands cost me $7.99. I would have preferred to use Ball Jars, but the WalMart brand jars have a smooth surface which makes applying a label much easier.

To make up for my bad blogger behavior, I thought I would share a bailey's recipe with you all...

Homemade Baileys:

1 cup half and half (go for full fat half &half...this is not time skimp on flavor!)

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk (I prefer Eagle brand)

1-2/3 cup whiskey (I use Jameson)

1 teaspoon instant coffee

2 tablespoons chocolate syrup (Hershey's of course!)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

Put all of the ingredients in a blender and blend at the highest speed for 30 seconds. Store in a tightly sealed container (canning jars or old liquor bottles work great). Serve with coffee, hot chocolate, or straight up!

Note: This is not the recipe for Fahey's Baileys...that is top secret!

Merry Christmas Eve!!!

xoxo

Christmas Corks

It is unseasonably warm here in Charlotte. Wearing short sleeve shirts sans jackets kind of unseasonable.

Trust me, I am not complaining about springtime weather in mid-December, but it is kind of tough to get into the Christmas spirit when it is 65 degrees outside (even though I decked my halls...or porch).

So, to add a little holiday pep to my step, I headed to the store that cures all ....Home Depot.

This project technically took me years to complete, but it only cost me $0.68. I know, I'm annoying :)

If you know me at all, you know I love a good glass of wine (or 2). This evidenced by my lovely wine cork collection.

 *** this collection is the result of many years of hard work, a 6 week trip to Italy, and contributions from my friends and family :) ***

Anyway, when you love wine like I do, and you decide to collect corks, you end up with a plethora of corks and really nothing to do with them, so you come up with random ideas like this one.

All you need to make this cute little vertical card holder is a yard stick from Home Depot (really you could get one from anywhere, but why would you deviate from the best) , a hot glue gun, a picture hook, a screw, and of course wine corks.

 I bet you can figure this one out without a step by step tutorial. Enjoy!

$0.68

And for good measure...

J.Crewish Tree-Skirt

Sewing isn’t exactly my forte….I always have these grand ambitions when I make the decision to embark on a project that requires a needle and thread…but as soon as I put the presser foot down, my ambition turns into anxiety.

I would consider patience to be one of my strengths, but for some reason when I sew I just can’t wait to finish. You are supposed press the pedal of your sewing machine down gently so that you can control your stitch... Oh no. I flat out floor it.

I really have never made something that requires sewing anything other than a straight line. Curtain panels, T-shirt Quilt, and now a tree skirt. Regardless of my crappy stitching skills, I am actually happy with the way this thing turned out…It looks a little J.Crewish to me…and in typical Made with Love Paid with Pennies fashion, it was free (I bought the fabric last year to make stockings...that clearly didn't happen).

I wanted my tree skirt to be colorful, but not gaudy…fun, but not flashy. I love the look of the ruffle tree skirts that are popping up all over Pinterest, but if I went that route, my tree would be skirtless this season. So, I opted for the quilted look.

This tree skirt from "Crafterholic" was my inspiration:

http://crafterholic.blogspot.com/2011/12/diy-tree-skirts.html

I used an old tree skirt to help me determine the size of my skirt and to make my template.

I think I missed a "fold in half again" in these steps, but you get the idea.

...you want to end up with 1/8 of a circle.

After all of your pieces of the pie are cut out, iron one triangle perfectly in half. You should have a perfect point at the bottom...cut off any excess.

a close up view of the excess material you will need to cut off

Now, arrange all of your triangles on the floor so you can have a preview of what your final product will look like...

The steps I took to make my tree skirt were very similar to the steps I took to make my Lenny & Joe’s T-shirt quilt....Just replace the word square with triangle in the steps below.

Once all of your triangles are sewn together, create ties with the scraps. Simply cut out strips of fabric, finish the ends and sew to your inner most triangles. This step isn't necessary, but I think it adds a cute touch.

Use a bowl to trace the a circle in the middle of your skirt- cut along the line (this is the opening for the tree stand). Fold the edges under and sew so that there are no raw edges.

Last but not least, finish the perimeter of your skirt by folding each triangle down so that they are all at the same height.

 Pin, Iron, Sew. Voila!

DIY Headboard #2

DIY headboards are all the rage lately...and for good reasons. You can create a unique statement piece for a bedroom for less than $60 and in less than 2 hours. The first DIY headboard I made was for my tree house bedroom. I wanted it to be extra large and made of a neutral fabric so that I could change my bedding without having to recover the wood...very different from the headboard I just finished making for my friend Annie.

Annie and I have been working to spruce up her new apartment...and we have made a lot of progress...

there are curtains hanging in every room, her old tupperware drawers have been replaced with a real dresser, pictures are up on the wall, throw pillows are on the couch...and now, she has a pretty awesome headboard that ties all the colors in her bedroom together and is the focal point of her room. 

I started and finished this bad boy in less than 2 hours...and that is while drinking wine and stopping to chat every 3 minutes...it really is that easy.

Here is what you need to create your own: 

Tools: Drill, staple gun, decorative tacks

Fabric: I used a shower curtain for my headboard and a full sized sheet from Target for Annie's.

A piece of plywood (5/8" thick) cut to size (a queen sized bed is 60" wide)...a Home Depot employee will cut it for you for free.

A mattress pad (I call them egg crates)

Mollies/Screws to go into the wall and D-Rings to go on the back of the headboard.

And the steps...

1) lay your padding down onto the floor with the bumps (egg crate) facing up. 

2) place your wood on top and in the middle of the padding 

3) pull the edges of the padding that are sticking out from under the board so that the padding is stretched and smooth under the wood- use your staple gun to secure the padding to the wood. 

4) lift up your foam covered wood and lay your fabric on the floor (pretty side of the fabric and the floor should be touching)- place the wood on top and in the middle of the fabric. Pull  the fabric so that it is taught and staple the fabric to the board just like you did the padding.

5) Make fake tufts...I wanted four rows of tufts and wanted a 4/5/4/5 pattern... I wanted each row to be 9 inches apart.

**So, to start, I measured down 9 inches from the top of the board and then used my yardstick and level to mark a spot every 12 inches going across. Once the first row of marks were made I used my staple gun to staple on top of each mark. Then, I hammered a decorative tack over the staples.

**The measurements for the second row are a bit different (5 tufts instead of 4). Similar to the first row, I measured down 9 inches, but instead of marking every 12 inches across, my first mark was only 6 inches in from the edge - then I measured 12 inches across from that 6" point. 

**I repeated these steps for rows 3 and 4. 

6) Screw D-Rings at the top of the back of your board (making sure they are at equal distances from the top and sides.

7) Use your yardstick and level to make a line on your wall (use pencil!). This line is where the top of your headboard will be. The line should be the same length as the distance between your D-Rings.

8) Screw your mollies into the wall and then screw your screws into your mollies. 

9) Hang it up and enjoy!!