IKEA hack

Wanna see how I transformed two ugly and scratched LACK coffee tables from IKEA into a functional and fun coffee station? Side note, this is not my original idea, I originally saw it on pinterest from apartment therapy. See the original post here.
This is how it started:

You can buy these tables form IKEA for about $10 a piece and they come in a variety of colors. Why we choose to get the fake dark wood I have no idea! But I was completely over them and was about to donate them to Salvation Army when I saw the idea to transform them into something else.
I started by giving them a light sand and priming them white:

After they dried I gave them two coats of a super light grey paint that we also have in our living room and bedroom. Once they had dried over night I used wood glue to stack them on top of each other. I still find the paint to chip really easy and am planning on sealing them somehow (dad, any ideas?). I am still on the lookout for a butcher block or any piece wood really to attach to the top, but it's good for now, and I am so happy to have a designated coffee station in our kitchen. Here's a closer look at the bottom and top:

Total cost of this project:
2 coffee tables: 0 - rescued from heading out the door
Primer and paint: 0 - leftovers from painting earlier
Wood glue: 0 - already had
Green mats: 4 - these are simply to protect the paint

Total: 4 - not bad at all!

basket make-over

I originally bought this basket for cheap from Wal-Mart before I headed to college. I don't know what my original intention was for it, but since moving out of dorms it has held our small games in the back of a closet since I no longer liked the fabric it came with. I pulled it out the other day since I figured it was something we used on a regular basis and it should be easier to access. The fabric just didn't work for me though so I decided to make a new lining for it.

Before:

After:

Ahh, so much better! (and as you can see I've been having fun playing around with Instagram on my new phone!) To make this, I picked apart the seams of the original lining, laid the pieces on a fat quarter of fabric I liked and cut around the pieces, so simple! Now why on earth hadn't I done this months ago?!

home tour: craft room

This post is a little bit later than I was expecting, but I hope you enjoy the little peek into my crafting space nevertheless. I still don't feel completely satisfied with this space, and I think some curtains would definitely help. One thing I've come to realize though is that a lot of things will never really be done. I'll always be tweaking different things in our home and trying to make them more my style as I continue to learn about what my style really is. I've been thinking about doing a post on overcoming the fear of white in a house, but more about that later.

This first picture is of my desk where I do all my sewing. It is actually an old computer desk that we bought at a garage sale for $5. The handy thing about this is that my small cutting mat fits on the pullout keyboard tray so I can cut smaller pieces while sewing.

Across from the desk is a pull-out couch which is probably older than me, but it's nice to have a little bit of seating. These two guys are the only stuffed animals I still have and they both have very special places in my heart so they hang out with me here. On the back of the couch is a lap quilt I made a few years ago using assorted browns and Amy Butler fabric. I think the pattern is called broken dishes.

Directly above the couch is several embroidery hoops using different vintage fabric that I really liked. I think it would be really cute to get some vintage enamel flower brooches and stick them on there.

One last thing to show you before I go - Behind the door there was an existing towel rack (?) that I now use to hang large pieces of fabric, or quilts I have on the go. Right now there are 4 quilted place mats, which I will share soon, and some fabric I cut out to make an apron. You can see more of my craft room by looking at my inspiration board post.

I hope you enjoyed looking around!

new year/new board

Lately I have been feeling really tired and uninspired with my crafting space - it was time for a change. One of the first things on my list to do in there was take everything off my bulletin board and add new inspiring images for the new year. As luck would have it, Kaylah from The Dainty Squid posted her bulletin board re-vamp right around the same time I had this idea. I was so inspired by it that I quickly ran to re-do mine. You can see all the wonderful little treasures on her board here. Make sure you check it out, it's so cute!

As you can see, my board is not yet full, but I like the idea of adding to it as the year goes and seeing what new things inspire me throughout the upcoming months.

On here you will find:
- My "Happy 2012" banner
- A picture of J and I taken in the Spring
- A pretty skeleton key
- My angels in the corner
- The Vegas sign as motivation to save money for my trip this year
- A 5x7 print that use to be in my shop
- A crochet yellow flower
- A quote that was on a card from my sponsor child

I'm hoping to do a full craft room tour soon, so you can expect that in the next week or so!

good-bye fall

It's official, winter is here and it is time to say good-bye to my favorite season of the year (insert sad face). Before I break out the Christmas decorations (yay!) this weekend I thought it was only fitting to show some of my favorite house decor from Fall...

Good-bye pumpkin spice lattes and hello gingerbread lattes!

fall inspiration

i have been getting really really excited lately about doing some decorating for fall, it's my most favorite (bad grammar yes I know) time of the year. i have the cutest owls to bring out and i would love to make something to hang on our door for the season. here is some of my inspiration, enjoy!

source

source

valentines crafts

Less than one week to go until Valentines Day! I thought I would share some really great Valentines Day ideas I have seen lately

These pillows would be so quick and fun to make for a statement in your living room or bedroom:

source

These paper heart garlands would look so pretty hanging across a window, door frame, or practically anywhere:

source

I think these would make the coolest Valentines for the creative person in your life:

source

I hope you are feeling inspired to make something pretty to help celebrate Valentines Day! And remember, you don't need 'Mr. Perfect' in order to brighten up your day with a little extra love in pink and red :)

pom poms

Everything about these little guys is lovable, and I have to admit, I might be a little bit obsessed by them as of late! I bought some red and green yarn last night and settled in for an evening of pom pom making, now however our couch is covered in little bits of red and green fluff that have just kind of worked their way into the fibers of the couch!

Pics below are just some inspiration for me (and hopefully you too) of these cute little fluff balls!

I have a feeling that it will be a 'pom pom Christmas' around our house this year. I can hardly wait to decorate and try out some of these great ideas!

pretty pumpkins

I'm not one for halloween, but I do love the festive fall decorations. These are some of the pretties pumpkins I have ever seen, enjoy!

* All images found via google image search