Home Project

One day I just got the urge to update our bedroom. Unfortunately, the updates came to a halt after this one wall and the realization that we, in fact, don't have endless home makeover funds, but maybe someday I'll get my dream Stikwood wall, and if I'm really lucky, we might even get a bed at some point (after 11 years of marriage, our mattress is still plopped right on the ground).

All whining aside, I am happy with our one updated wall. We purchased this $40 dresser from a thrift store about 8 years ago, and it's a big, sturdy dresser so I didn't want to just get rid of it. So with a picture on my phone of the "Then" dresser, I made my way to Lowe's and got myself some Kilz primer, some paint (to match the trim in our house), and some classic hardware that both Eric and I could agree on. Eric and I both were surprised at how much this project changed the whole feel of the room. Much lighter and brighter. Success! Now, on to the next project!

Classy Crafting

When my lovely sister-in-law asked me to share some of my "crafting" secrets on her fabulous blog, I wasn't sure if I was the right person for the job. I'm not a "crafter". I've never embroidered my favorite quote on a couch pillow, I've never knit myself a turtleneck dickie, and I don't fancy snowmen made out of styrofoam balls. I don't like "cutesy", and I don't like crafting for the sake of crafting. I do, however, like to create things or (hopefully) improve things where I see the opportunity. I'm a graphic designer who loves decorating and new creative ideas so, per Amy's request, here are a few tricks I've picked up along the way...

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Faux Luxe

I know people don't typically think of spray paint as a way to class things up, but it's actually a pretty clever option for making cheap things look a little luxe.

Like porcelain? Try high gloss white spray paint. Gold? Metallic spray paint. Easy as that. See examples below.

I wasn't particularly fond of the bronze/brown speckled look of this owl so I thought he was a
perfect candidate for a fake porcelain makeover.

For a gold look, I used Valspar's Metallic Gold which I was happy with. I like more of an antique gold tone.
(The pears look a little brassy here, but I think that's because of the harsh overhead lighting in the photo)

Click the pic below for a great blog post from Chris Loves Julia comparing four different gold spray paints.

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That's a Wrap
I'm one of those weird people who actually enjoys wrapping gifts, and I'm always looking for fun new ways to do it. This year, I decided to add a personal touch to my gifts...(Don't judge my rusty doodling skills)

Black butcher paper or Kraft paper with white bistro chalk marker doodles.

You should be able to find these kraft envelopes at your local paper or craft store or on Etsy.
I have an Illustrator file with all of my contacts' addresses, then I just run the envelopes through the printer.
For me, it's much easier (and much tidier) than handwriting them all.

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A Wee Calendar

You can get this great calendar template from Paislee Press, comes with a 4x6 or 5x7 option. Originally, I planned to have mine bound, but I thought it might be nice to let the person you're gifting it to choose how to display it - bound, one at a time, etc. One year, I printed them all together on a poster and framed it. Or - you can use a small acrylic standing frame and display one month at a time, or I've also seen people just slide the current month under their glass desk topper.

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Digiscrapping

It didn't take much convincing for me to make the switch to digital scrapbooking several years ago, and I think most of you, if you're not already there, are going that direction as well. With that being said, I just wanted to share a couple of my favorite digiscrapping secrets.

1. I LOVE two page layouts and Simple Yin templates. I take a lot of pictures and Simply Yin has this magical way of organizing the chaos and making your pages look more deliberate and polished.
2. Like the rest of the world, I typically print my photobooks with Shutterfly. The quality is decent and the price is competitive. Especially if you take advantage of their 40-50% sales (usually around holidays). However, I recently did a post bound album as a gift, and I was actually really happy with the final product. I bought a nice $30 12x12 flat-lay album at Hobby Lobby, $15 after 50% off (black leather look), and then I printed my 12x12 pages with Persnickity Prints at $1.99/pg. I've heard people recommend Costco, but $3.00/pg is a little steep for me. I was really happy with Persnickity Prints - quality, price & speedy shipping! They also do small square prints for your Instagram shots! So, now I'm torn as to how I'm going to do my next album. There are advantages to both. The photobook is thin and sleek, but the sheet protectors in the album are nice for saving your pages from little busy hands, and they also allow you to easily add keepsakes (letters, cards, ribbons, drawings, etc.). The album is also nice because you can easily add and remove pages.  

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And those are a few of my secrets. Hopefully, there's an idea in there somewhere that you can use! 

Happy crafting!

Cool DIY

I don't know what it is, but I have a fondness for glazed white porcelain. In fact, some may find this odd, but one of my favorite decorative pieces in our house is a porcelain pitcher like the one pictured below. (Ok, so it was a little spendy for a pitcher, but I paid for most of it with a gift card. AND, it's not just a pitcher to me)

From Pottery Barn

So it probably comes as no surprise that I was pretty stoked about this easy/affordable little DIY project I came across on Pinterest. This lady had the brilliant idea to re-create that elegant glazed white look with white high gloss spray paint. (Click here for her blog post)

Since it's fall, I decided to try an owl I found at Kohl's (with my $10 off coupon, it was next to nothing). I wasn't particularly fond of the bronze/brown speckled look so I thought he was a perfect candidate for my little experiment.

Pretty cool!