DIY Jewelry Holder

As I mentioned on Monday, one of my project over the weekend was to create a jewelry holder out of some old CD racks I had. It goes along with my mission of redesigning my closet without spending too much money. So instead of buying a new jewelry organizer (which is what I really wanted to do) I made one instead.

I started with two CD racks that were just gathering dust in my garage. These were well suited to the project because they had slats running down the sides.

I took stock of all my jewelry and decided how many space to dedicate to long necklaces, short necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. I split the slots pretty evenly between long necklaces, short necklaces, and earrings (I don't wear bracelets.)

I used pencil to draw lines along the slats to indicate where I was going to nail. Since I'm not that great with a hammer, I spent a lot of time drawing out lines in both directions so that there was a nice "X" where I needed to put the nail.

I went through and used an awl to punch starter holes at each intersection. Then I erased all the lines so that I was left with a bunch of holes:

I hammered small finishing nails into each starter hole, only going about halfway in so that each nail acts as a hook for the jewelry.

Then all that was left was to arrange all my jewelry on the hooks. I decided to use the shelves to store my favorite scarves. Not only does this allow me easy access to my scarves, but it also looks really pretty!

 

 

It was a pretty quick project, about 2 hours altogether. Of course, I had 2 racks and spent a bunch of time figuring out how exactly to proceed. This was so much fun. I've never been much of a DIY girl, but I'm learning that it's a lot more satisfying than buying everything!

I Need a Pretty Closet

Yesterday, I was inspired to do some major spring cleaning on my closet. While my closet is already organized by garment type, sleeve/hem length, and color, I really needed to get rid of some things. I can't bear to give something away if I paid a lot of money for it, even though I never wear it and probably never will. It seems less of a waste of money if I keep it in my closet unworn rather than donate it. When I had a rare afternoon off yesterday, I went through my closet and took out a bunch of pieces to donate.

Only now I'm not satisfied because I know my closet could look a lot better than it does. It's a pretty large walk-in closet, and there's no reason why I should have so little room. So over the weekend, I'm going to attempt to do something so that my closet looks more like this:

 

 

All images via Pinterest

Any ideas or advice? They'd be welcome!

O Christmas Tree

This weekend was all about preparing for Christmas. Here's a quick rundown:

Friday: Lugged out all my Christmas decorations. Debated if I should go out to get more. Decided I had plenty and didn't need more. 10 minutes later, went out to buy more decorations. Put up my newly purchased decorations, plus all the old ones, while drinking hot chocolate and listening to Christmas music.

Saturday: Made my first batch of Christmas cookies of the year. Went out with the husband and the son to pick out a Christmas tree. Didn't really like the selection at the first place we went, so we went to another tree lot a few miles away. Liked the selection even less, so we went back to the first place. Paid way too much for a Christmas tree. Strung the tree with lights. Undid the lights and restrung them. And again. And again.

Sunday: Baked a pudding cake. (More on that tomorrow.) Worked on a scarf I'm knitting my grandma for Christmas. Spent way too much money shopping for gifts (thank goodness for online shopping!) Decided I needed new Christmas ornaments and bought some more. Put decorations on the tree while watching one of my favorite Christmas movies, Love Actually.

So all in all, it was a pretty great weekend. Things  are starting to get pretty crazy around here, and I'm guessing it's not stopping until after the New Year. I guess I need to take a deep breath and just dive in.

What a great weekend!

I had an absolutely wonderful weekend...I hope everyone else did as well.

First of all, I didn't have to go to work on Wednesday, so it was nice to spend an extra day preparing for Thanksgiving. I managed to figure out my tablescape, which is usually done at the last minute.

I made these napkin rings out of twine and feathers


and I created this centerpiece out of gourds spray painted white and some heirloom silver pieces.


I added a bunch of candles in various heights and shapes,


and it was a very pretty setting. I was satisfied, anyways.



Thanksgiving Day was great. We always have family over. This year, we invited my uncle and 3 cousins because my aunt is still in the hospital after having two strokes earlier this fall. We also had my best friend/cousin and her dad over.

I have to say, it's very satisfying to have boys at Thanksgiving dinner because they are so appreciative of food. They raved about my pies, which are good, but not THAT good. If you need a confidence boost, I suggest making dinner for 3 men who have no idea how to cook.

The rest of my weekend flew by. I'm kind of sad to have to be back at work today, but there are only about 3 weeks until the beginning of my Christmas vacation. Yay!

Reupholstered Footstool

It's a couple of weeks later, but I finally finished reupholstering the footstool I purchased recently. I got this footstool for $22 at Home Goods (my first foray into the Home Goods world). It didn't look too bad before, but the fabric was a bit stained and it just didn't go with my room at all.

{Before}

{After}

Here's how I did it:
 
I stripped off the fabric and the trim and used it as a template to cut out my new fabric:



I used spray adhesive to glue down the top part over the foam, doing a little bit at a time to make sure the fabric was smooth and taut.



I wanted two strips of self welting- one along the top, and one along the bottom. To make the self welt, I joined strips of fabric cut on the bias. I put the self welt cording in the middle of the fabric strip and sewed the cord snuggly into the piece of fabric.



I used iron on hem tape to adhere the two strips of welting to the fabric that goes around the side of the footstool, and then more spray adhesive to glue the entire piece around the footstool.



The seam turned out a little messy, so I used some nailhead strips to create a decorative column along the seam. I put 3 more columns so the footstool would look balanced.

The project took me all weekend. Partly because the glue had to dry. And partly because I didn't really know what I was doing and had to figure it out as I went along. All in all, I'm pretty satisfied.

Home Goods Convert

I'm sure I'm waaaaay behind everyone else here, but I hadn't been to Home Goods before this weekend. However, I finally managed to make my way to one on Saturday. How had I never been to one before? There is SO MUCH awesome stuff! Le Creuset cookware, adorable cake stands, cute throw pillows, and Christmas decorations galore! Best of all, I found exactly what I wanted: an ultra-cheap footstool to reupholster to go with the new slipper chair in my bedroom.

I found this little gem at my local Home Goods for $22:

$22! I don't think I could even build that for $22. Especially since "building" it would have involved bribing my husband to do it for me. While the footstool looks okay as it is, it doesn't coordinate with my bedroom at all. Plus, the top is kind of grotty looking, and there is a slight rip in one of the seams. But that doesn't matter to me, because I plan to recover it in this fabric:

I have pillows made out of the same fabric on my bed. I was originally going to make it a tufted footstool, but I haven't decided on that for sure. We'll see how it goes once I get in there.

I had intended to finish the project this weekend, but my aunt had a stroke on Saturday, and I spent most of the weekend in the hospital trying to support my cousins. I learned that people often don't recognize the signs of stroke, and because of this, it is one of the leading causes of death in the United States. If someone exhibits these symptoms, it is very important to call 911 immediately.

• Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm, or leg (especially on one side of the body)
• Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding speech
• Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
• Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
• Sudden severe headache with no known cause

Time is of the essence when dealing with strokes, so every second counts!

New Accessories for the Master Bath

I am simultaneously redoing our master bedroom and the master bath. Actually, I work on the bathroom whenever I get stuck waiting for purchases to arrive. Right now, it's a little out of the question to completely renovate the bathroom with new tile, fixtures, and paint (which is what I really want.) In the meantime, I have to be content with updating the look.

Since I'd like to completely redo the bathroom in the near future, I'm not planning on spending a whole lot of money on this update. Most of the items are from Pottery Barn and World Market. However, I do want to splurge on this Kelly Hoppen wallpaper for the little tub alcove.

1. White Vintage Flock Wallpaper
2. Kyoto Ikat Printed Towels
3. Large Kyoto Ikat Glass Tray
4. Blue Fez Tumblers
5. Black & White Apothecary Soap Pump
6. Black & White Apothecary Wastebasket
7. Black & White Apothecary Large Canister
8. Small Classic Glass Apothecary Jar
9. Large Classic Glass Apothecary Jar
10. Etched Glass Pedestal Soap Dish

Upholstered Headboard

I just love the look of an upholstered headboard, and I finally did something about it. A few months ago, my husband and I bought a California King mattress. I decided it was the perfect time to revamp our bedroom. Our furniture was still in perfect condition, and it was all white wood, which was the look I still wanted. It was mostly the textiles and decor that had to go. The first thing to come in was a new headboard.

I originally wanted something like this Serena and Lily headboard:

It comes in a number of fabrics, but I really wanted a graphic pattern of some sort. The only drawback was the price...$1800 including delivery. While I just love this headboard, I don't love it that much.

After a lot of looking and wavering, I finally decided to buy a basic headboard that I could easily customize into an upholstered headboard.

This is what I decided on:

I only bought the headboard, because I don't like the look of a footboard very much. I like the bedding to drape down the front of the bed. This cost me about $450, including inside delivery. It's a good thing, too, because the thing weighed at least 80 pounds and it was BIG.

To make the upholstered panels, my husband cut some 1/4" plywood into the shape of the inset panels. I made this a little easier by making a tracing, and then transferring it to the wood. I glued high density foam to the front of the panel, and then stapled batting all the way the panel. My husband also drilled holes in the corners of each panel, and drilled holes in the corresponding place on the headboard.

Then it was time for the fabric. I chose F. Schumacher's Summer Palace Fret in Stone. I bought it from InsideFabric.com, a discount fabric place, and it ended up being about $150 for 2 yards.

 I stapled that all the way around and then attached it to the headboard using the bolts.

And voila! A custom upholstered headboard! The entire project took about 3 hours, including drying time for the glue.