project spotlight: fabric bunting.

I haven’t owned a headboard in years, and I’m waiting until I can afford a queen bedroom set before purchasing one. In the meantime, a reclaimed storm window serves as my pseudo headboard.

Not everyone can say they own a reclaimed window, so I’m pretty darn proud of mine. Its bright white paint and shabby chic charm brighten my bedroom, and the wires hanging across it provide endless decorating opportunities. I experimented with clipping Instagram photos (I use PostalPix to print them, in case you’re wondering) and paper shapes to the “headboard,” but this approach wasn’t cutting it.

Pinterest led me to some eye-catching homemade garlands, which were made with fabric, paper and twine. I found several gorgeous fabric buntings on Etsy, but they were out of my price range. I decided to put matters in my own hands and create a DIY bunting.

I kicked off the project by heading to fabric.com. My duvet cover looks like a hydrangea garden threw up on it (in the best way possible!,) so I wanted to stay away from floral prints. I found some beauties and ordered the swatches. (Swatches were only $1.75, so ordering several prints = easy on the wallet.)

Once my fabric arrived, I got to work. I cut most swatches into squares (approximately 3″x3″) and made the rest into long, thin strips.

I tied the strips directly to the wire and used double-sided tape to adhere the bunting “flags” to it.

And voila! I absolutely love the finished product. It’s playful, fun and perfectly shabby chic.

If you’d like to create our own bunting, you could hot glue the fabric to twine. A Beautiful Mess Blog offers some great ideas for making your own garlands, too.

project spotlight: diy coasters

Since my roomie and I moved into our new place shortly after Thanksgiving, we used adorable snowflake drink coasters to protect our furniture. Now that the holidays are over and winter angst is setting in, the snowflake coasters have to go.

Pinterest offers tons of DIY coaster ideas, from modged-podged tiles to hot-glued wine corks. I decided to take my own spin on the modge podge method by spray painting tiles.

Here’s how I did it:

• I purchased white tiles at my local home improvement store, which cost approximately $0.16 each.
• I used painter’s tape and my trusty damask stencil (purchased several months ago to create this rockin’ wall art) to prep my tiles. I’m slightly obsessed with stripes right now, so I decorated several tiles with a simple striped pattern. (I also tried to create a chevron-inspired tile, but it didn’t turn out so hot.)
• I painted my tiles with two coats of spray paint. I let the tiles dry for half an hour between each coat, and I removed the painter’s tape immediately after the second coat to avoid weird peeling marks.
• Once the second coat dried, I cut felt squares (one sheet costs $0.25) and hot glued them to the tile bottoms.

Voila! Creating the coasters was incredibly easy and cheap, especially because I already had most supplies on hand. I’m pleased with the final product, but I’m anxious to see how long it takes for the paint to chip.* I’ll keep you posted!

*Update: I eventually sealed each coaster with clear spray paint to avoid chips and stains. 

project spotlight: loose change letters

Remember when I mentioned my lonely bedroom wall several posts ago? I finally stepped up and purchased a fabulous Ikea shelf for it; however, I quickly realized I don’t have anything to display on the shelf. I decided I’m not going to hang it until I get my act together and choose some decorative pieces.

While searching for cheap shelf decor ideas, I discovered this Pinterest image and instantly became intrigued. Pennies typically waste space without bringing much value, but this project made them look really cool. Many of us have some spare change lounging around the house and car, right?

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I grabbed my mason jar full of spare change and got to work. Here’s how I made this idea my own:

• I purchased a paper letter for approximately $2 at Hobby Lobby. The letter was cardboard brown, so I covered it with two coats of white spray paint.
• I washed every nickel and dime I could find. (I didn’t use quarters; they’re precious commodities when you live in a city with metered parking!)

• Once the paint dried, I used a hot glue glun to adhere nickels and dimes to my letter. As soon as the glue set, my project was complete.

Some helpful hints:

• You could purchase any letter/number and paint it any color you like. Heck, you don’t even have to paint it. The world is your oyster.
• I washed my change with soapy water, but if you’re using pennies, rumors say ketchup brightens them up. Not kidding.
• Don’t be afraid to use a lot of glue! One small dab isn’t enough.
• If you want this letter to stand upright on its own, add extra coins to the back of the letter. Even though the back isn’t visible, it’ll help even out the weight.

It doesn’t get much easier (and affordable) than this. I can’t wait to see how this nickel & dime letter pops against my bedroom’s mocha walls!

One less lonely wall.

I’m not a Biebs fan, but I’ve had “One Less Lonely Girl” stuck in my head all day. I’m not sure why my mind is jamming to this dreaded tune on replay, but I’ll go ahead and embrace it. 15-year-old style.

I’ve been living in my new place for a little more than one month, and I’m happy to report my roommate and I love our new territory. Now that the Christmas decorations are gone and our belongings are finally settled in the space, we’re realizing what rooms desperately need a little TLC.

My 2012 decorating mantra is inspired by the Biebs himself: One less lonely girl wall. We’re living in a rental, which means every wall (with the exception of my room) is stark white. It could be worse (like the wallpaper that covered my first college apartment,) but I think we can all admit 1,000 square feet of blank white walls = boring. My roommate and I definitely aren’t afraid of color, but painting every room isn’t an option. We’ll rely on wall art to bring life to the space.

So without further adieu, here are the wall art projects I’d like to tackle in 2012:

Project one: Create a gallery wall in the dining room.

Our dining room is small, but it’s our favorite space to kick back, relax and eat some grub. Wainscoting brings a little extra flair to the otherwise dull space, but the empty wall could really use some lovin’. A mirror gallery wall would look fabulous, but mirrors usually don’t fit into my give-me-a-break-I-have-a-PR-degree budget. I see thrifting in my near future…

Project two: Find and/or create stairway wall art.

Since we have a bathroom downstairs, our guests rarely need to venture upstairs: giving us even more incentive to beautify the ground floor. Our stairway hosts a cute coat closet, which our visitors will use in Ohio’s cold winter months. The stairway opens up to the dining room, so whatever wall art we buy and/or make will need to match the room’s light blue and green theme.

Project three: Hang shelves in my bedroom.

I recently spruced up a bedroom wall with Ikea frames (see post here,) leaving the other walls looking sad. I’d like to add a few white shelves to this wall, showcasing some of my favorite photos and trinkets.

As always, I’m relying on Pinterest for some inspiration:

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I’m hoping to make some progress throughout the next few months, as January and February’s cold weather usually prohibits outdoor activities anyway. I’ll keep you posted!

P.S. Are you following me on Pinterest yet? 

project spotlight: diy stenciled wall art.

I usually let my fireplace mantle steal the spotlight, but the living room walls deserve a little love, too.  So instead of sitting around for an hour and pinning wall decor ideas on Pinterest, I decided to actually create something fabulous.

Once I came across this stenciled wall art idea at the Two Girls Being Crafty blog, I knew my next project was born. The whole “stencil” thing was a bit intimidating, but the blog post did say the project was easy enough for a caveman. That meant it would be easy enough for an artistically challenged chicka like me… right?

I started by painting a canvas yellow. I used spray paint, but I’m sure you could paint with a brush, too. I’m just too lazy to go through that much work.

(Note: Do not spray paint outside on a windy day. Especially when it’s autumn and leaves are falling. I learned this the hard way.) 

After the canvas dried, I positioned the stencil and went to work. The stencil did come with step-by-step directions, but I didn’t follow them. I just eyeballed it and hoped for the best.

I used antique white acrylic paint for a vintage look. I also used a sponge applicator, which kept the stencil design from looking too polished.

And voila! It’s not perfect, but I absolutely love it. The canvas fits in perfectly with the living room’s red/blue/green/brown/yellow theme.

I’d take a photo of the wall art hanging proudly, but the reason why it’s not hanging yet is another story for another day. Stay tuned!

Supplies:

24×30″ish canvas: $15

Damask floor/wall stencil: $17 (I had a 40 percent off coupon, so it was actually $10ish)

Yellow spray paint: $4

Acrylic paint, 2oz: $2

Paint applicator: $2.50

project spotlight: pinterest-inspired diy wall art.

Pretty prints, paintings and mirrors warm my heart.

I love browsing through wall art selections at my favorite home decor stores (like Home Goods and World Market,) but we all know this frugalista can’t afford a $150 painting.

Thank to Pinterest, I found the perfect DIY art project for an artistically challenged, budget-constrained chicka like me.

One random Saturday, I headed to the store and purchased two canvases, painter’s tape and green spray paint. (Sidenote: Did you know you have to be 18 to buy spray paint these days? Well, you do. And yes, I was carded. Looking like a 15-year old has its disadvantages.) 

First, I wrapped the painter’s tape around the canvases. I didn’t aim for a particular pattern; I kept adding tape until I was pleased with the overall look.

Next, I laid the canvases on a plastic surface and sprayed away. Feel free to laugh at the yellow squash and random cups holding down my garbage bag.

Once the paint dried, I removed the tape and voila! Beautiful wall art was born, and it only cost approximately $15.

Here’s the final product. What do you think?