Spray paint + Drop cloth = Curtains

I LOVE Anthropologie with all my heart and want everything they create in my apartment. If only their stuff wasn't through the roof expensive... While trying to redecorate my room I thought, I'll just look and see what they have. Of course I found something I loved that was not within my grad student budget. As always I decided to try and make them myself. 

Supplies:

-Painting drop cloth

-Spray paint

-Stencil

1. Head to the hardware store and pick out your drop cloth. They are in the painting section. Drop cloths come in a million different sizes. Pick the one that fits your set of windows the best. I got lucky, all I had to do to make mine fit was cut the drop cloth in half. 

2. After I cut the drop cloth in half, I ironed it. I did this so that when I spray painted the stencil onto the drop cloth it would be on a flat surface.  As always, I had a little help from a furry friend. This is Ella, my roommates King Charles. 

 3. Next, my mom hemmed the sides and created a pocket for the curtain rod. This drop cloth was already hemmed on each side and on the bottom. All we had to do was fold over the fabric on one side (where I cut the drop cloth in half) of each panel and sew the side. Then we folded over the top and sewed across the top to create a pocket big enough for the curtain rod to go through.

 4. Finally, I put some plastic down and spray painted the stencil on to the curtain panel. I painted the stencil in all different directions and in no apparent pattern. I bought the stencil from etsy at a great shop called lightsforever. It was only $9.50, such a great deal! This is the website if you want to order one http://www.etsy.com/shop/Lightsforever?ref=ss_profile 

5. This is the final project. I love them!!

Tips:

- When spray painting with the stencils, wipe the paint off from time to time. If there is too much paint on the stencil it will drip onto the curtain. Wipe the paint off with a dry paper towel. DO NOT try and wash it off. This is the product of trying to wash wet paint off a stencil.  My cute flower scrubber is now in the trash. 

Cost:

Drop cloth - $14.00

Spray paint- $4.00

Stencil- $10.00

Source

This post has a celebrity dedication. Since this weekend was Fathers Day, I was subjected to watching whatever my dad wanted on the television. Golf, particularly the U.S. Open was his choice. That being said, this post goes out to Rory McIlroy. He played so well at the U.S. Open that it made me want to get my clubs (that have been sitting in my trunk for 6 months) out and head to the driving range with my dad. It could also be because he is really easy on the eyes. Either way he is a great golfer and now a major champion, check him out at http://www.rorymcilroy.com/home.html he also has a twitter if you want to follow him @mcilroyrory

Ohhh and here is a picture of me and my dad in honor of Father's Day. He is the best!!

Low-Calorie Cocktail

With summer at its hottest, just thinking about drinking beer or wine makes me feel heavy and lethargic. Last night my roommate brought home a recipe for a low-calorie cocktail. It turned out to be just what I wanted, a delicious and light drink. Perfect for these hot summer days. The wonderful ladies on the View along with the guys at Ocean Spray provided her with the recipe.

 Ingredients:
1. Vodka
2. Ocean Spray Sparkling Juice Drink
3. Lime juice
4. Mint leaves

1. To begin, crush the mint leaves into small pieces. We are spoiled with the herb garden my roommate's mom made. It  allowed us to use fresh mint but most grocery stores also carry mint leaves.

 

2. Add one shot of vodka to each glass.

 3. Add a sprinkling of mint to each glass.

 4. Pour a tablespoon of lime juice into each glass.

 5. Top it off with Ocean Spray Sparkling Juice Drink. We used one whole can in each cocktail. These are great to drink without the vodka too!

6. Add some straws and you are set!

This post is dedicated to my friend Leslie, a returning competitor in the Miss. Georgia pageant. When she brings home the 2011 Miss. Georgia crown, we will be celebrating with this yummy drink. The picture below is Leslie packed up and ready for success at Miss. Georgia.

                                               

Bar Stool Make Over

A couple of months ago my boyfriend was complaining that he didn't have any bar stools for his apartment. Conveniently, I had some to give to him. He was less than thrilled when he saw what they looked like.

   

The picture on the left is one of the stools before its transformation. They are fairly girly. The one on the right is me and Middleton. I looked for a serious picture of the two of us and couldn't find one, so I went with my favorite picture.

The bar stools used to have roosters on the top. When we redecorated our apartment I modge podged this paper on the top of the stools. It was really easy. I just bought the paper traced the circle of the bar stool on the paper, cut it out and modge podged it to the top. 

I spent a few weeks trying to come up with a way to make the stools more masculine. This is what I came up with:

Supplies:
Bar stools
Liquid nail
Nylon rope
Lighter
Tape
Scissors
Gloves
Caulk gun
Popsicle stick
Spray sealant

1. Take the end of the nylon rope and wrap it into a small coil.

2. Squirt some of the liquid nail into the center of the bar stool and spread it out. I used a popsicle stick to spread out the liquid nail.
3. Place the coil onto the liquid nail. 

4. Continue to spread more liquid nail and wrap the coil. Make sure you are using a very thin layer of liquid nail, otherwise it will show through the rope. If it does show through the rope take a tooth pick and pick it out. If you use a cloth to try and wipe it out, it just spreads the liquid nail and discolors the rope.

5. Once you have wrapped the entire top of the stool you can press the rope with your finger tips and spread it to the edges.

6. To end the rope coil, first tape the end of the rope. If you don't, the coil will unravel really quickly when you cut it. Cut the rope slightly past the end of the tape. Once you have cut the rope, take your lighter and burn the ends. Once it sticks together tuck the end of the rope under the last layer of the coil. If it sticks up a little too much you can take a hammer and gently pound it in order to flatten it out a bit. You may want to add some more liquid nail where you are tucking the rope to make sure it stays put.

7. Finally, spray the tops of the stools with a sealant in order to protect them from water and food spills.

 This is a picture of the bag the rope came in. I used nylon rope because I thought it would be easier to clean, and not so itchy on your bum if you have on shorts.

I chose to use the extra strength liquid nail. When I was at the hardware store the man helping me said he would use the extra strength just because there would be a good bit of movement and weight on the stools.

Cost:
Bar stools- I already had them so they didn't cost me anything. You could probably find some at a garage sale.
Nylon rope- $15 I bought a 100ft rope and it was the perfect amount to cover two stools
Liquid nail- Extra strength  is around $6 . I think regular strength costs about $3.
My dad had a caulk gun so I didn't have to buy that either. Over all I spent a little over $20, not too bad!!

Tips:
1. Wear gloves. It's three days later and I am still trying to get the liquid nail off my hands.
2.When you cut off the tip of the liquid nail make it a fairly wide opening. The liquid nail is very thick and it took all of my strength to get the stuff to squeeze out of the tube.
3. Be sure when you lay the liquid nail down while you are coiling the rope, you lay it on newspaper. It will still come out of the tube even after you stop squeezing and you don't want it to end up on your table.
4. When you are finished, if you have some liquid nail left and want to save it, simply place a screw in the end of the opening. When you use it again simply take a screw driver and unscrew it.


This post is dedicated to my dear friend, Zack. A few years back he gave my roommate and me the bar stools. They have worked in three different apartments now. Zack just graduated and will be starting graduate school in the Fall.

Place Mat Pillows

If I ever wondered where I get my crafty side from, this weekend solved the mystery. My mom bounced into the kitchen and announced she was going to make some pillows. I of course grabbed my camera and followed knowing I could put her creation on my blog.  She made these really cute pillows. They are made from place mats we purchased at an estate sale a few weeks ago. The project literally took her ten minutes total. 

Supplies:
2 place mats
Pillow
Sewing machine

Step 1- Start with two place mats.

2. Line them up with the decorative side facing outward on both sides. (One of these days we will get some sort of table to sew on instead of using the floor).

3. Sew three of the four sides together.

4. Insert pillow.

5. Sew the final side together.

6. Enjoy your adorable pillow.

This post is clearly dedicated to my mom since she is the one who created the pillows. She literally made them 30 minutes before people arrived at my graduation party. I have to give a shout out to my dad though, he stained the deck and painted the patio all for my party. His do it yourself projects don't often make it on to my blog.

Graduation Cupcakes

This past weekend my parents threw me a great graduation party. The theme behind the party was easy & simple! We had a ton going on and needed everything to be cute but quickly created. That's where the cupcakes came in. They are very cute and very easy; not to mention they taste great. The kids and parents both loved them. 

Ingredients:

Cupcake mix

Icing

Reese's minis

Hershey chocolate bar

Sprinkles 

Edible easter basket grass or sour straws

1. Bake & ice the cupcakes. I made a mix of mini and regular sized cupcakes to create some variation on the cake platter.

2. Place a  Reese's mini in the middle of each iced cupcake.

3. Break the Hershey's bars into rows.

4. Cut the rows into squares. Some recipes like this one used Ghirardelli squares on top of the Reece's Mini but they are pretty expensive. I opted for the more cost effective Hershey's bars.

5. Once the Hershey's bar is cut into squares put a small dot of icing on the back of each square and place it on top of the Reese's Mini.

6. To place the tassle on top I added a dot of icing and then placed a small piece of the edible grass you put in Easter baskets. My mom randomly had some in her baking supplies. If you don't have the edible grass, you can use Sour Punch sour strings. 

7. Finally add whatever extra decorations your heart desires. I added sprinkles in blue and green, my school colors.

This one goes out to my mom since she planned my graduation party and baked the cupcakes. Thanks Mom!

Decorative Shoe Rack

This project came to be out of dire need. As much as I LOVE my new apartment, it is seriously lacking in closet space. Being able to hang my heels on the wall shows off all my fun shoes and gives me more space inside my closet.

Supplies:

1. Molding cut to fit your wall

2. Spray paint

3. Hammer

4. Finishing nails

5. Lots of fun heels

1. First things first, I measured the wall I would be working with. Measure each spot that you are going to be hanging a piece of molding. Some walls aren't straight and lengths may vary.

2. Head to the local hardware store and pick out your molding. Make sure you get a molding with a good lip for the shoes to hang on. I would go with one that has a flat top and not a slanted one. Conveniently,  I only had to buy one piece of molding because my wall was fairly small. I told the people at the hardware store how long I needed them to be and they cut it for me right in the store.

3. Spray paint your pieces. (Check out the great 70's style linoleum in the kitchen)

4. Wait till the molding is dry and hang it. My dad used finishing nails to hang the molding so they don't show as much. Before you hang the molding make sure it is level, otherwise the heels wont stay put.

5. Once hung, I put a little spray paint on a q-tip and painted the tops of the nails. This way you can't see them at all.

 6.  Display your heels! If you have a hard time getting your heels to stay, the hardware store has little clear rubber squares that are sticky on one side. Stick them on the molding where you want your shoes to hang. These squares can be found on the aisle with the things you put under furniture to get it to slide across the carpet easier.

This post is dedicated to my wonderful father who so kindly hung these pieces of molding on the wall. He also redid my closet so I could have more hanging and storage space. To top it off he installed a secret shelf to keep the random junk on that I just can't part with. What a great dad!

I am Linking at a couple of different websites. Check them out- they are great!!

http://www.dittledattle.blogspot.com/

http://www.skiptomylou.org/

http://www.betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

http://craftomaniac.blogspot.com/

Mirror Collage

The past few weeks have been super busy. I have moved apartments and completed my first semester of Grad school. Because of this move I am predicting lots of projects in my future. The first one was completed by my roommate and it is soooooo very cute and very easy! It is a mirror collage- she wanted me to note that she does have curtains they just weren't up when the photo was taken.

 

Supplies:

Frames of various shapes and sizes (these were found at antique stores)

Spray paint

Old magazines

Picture hanging tools

Steps:

1. Cover the mirrors with old magazines. We folded ours to make sure they fit perfectly.

2. Spray paint the frame surrounding the mirror. At first we tried to spray paint outside but the wind was blowing and little pieces of pine straw and all kinds of outdoor things were sticking to the paint.  We moved the spray painting inside after that.  We went to Wal-mart and bought the spray paint, it is nothing to fancy and it work just fine.

3. Let dry
4. Hang- couldn't be any simpler and it is adorable!

I will post a picture of her whole room once everything is complete!

This post is dedicated to Rachel my roommate since she created this cute collage, Stuart her boyfriend for hanging the mirrors and all the hanging I foresee in his future and the parking lot at our apartment there are now about 12 outlines of frames and mirrors on the concert from all the spray painting!