Im back with an epic thrift find!

Whoa. That was a long hiatus. The holidays, New Years Eve, many birthdays including my own, and the usual things like work and school have left me to put blogging on the backburner. I'm back though today, with the thrift store find of ALL thrift store finds.

I have recently been on a mission to transform all of my usual décor, into a cleaner, more contemporary style. I have this urge to neutralize everything. Creams, beige, whites, blues, and my oh-so-favorite GREIGE, are what I want. And for whatever reason, I want them right now. I think having such a busy lifestyle has given me an urge to simplify my life at home. I crave neutral comforting style as a kind of escape from the outside world. Now, don't get me wrong. I LOVE color, and I always have. I have not abandoned my colorful tastes entirely. I just find that I get sick of too much of it at once, when I used to love it. Neutrals allow for pops of color, and it is very easy to change those colorful details as I wish.

I recently completed my DIY headboard. That is another post for another day, but it is a simple beige linen. I currently own the Barbara Barry Poetical duvet collection, and I just purchased the Garland Sparta Area Rug in tan. These are 3 key features of my bedroom transformation. As for the living room, I have been on a quest for a few occasional chairs to really transform the space, and today.... I found them.   

May I present to you, the thrift store find, of ALL thrift store find.

I picked up a set of brand new Safavieh Fairfax side chairs for $60 at my local thrift store.
I repeat.... SIXTY DOLLARS FOR THE SET

These retail for $495.00 on the Safavieh website. Can you say SCORE???

They are beyond perfect. And the price..... don't even get me started. I cant fathom who would donate two brand new, still in plastic, Safavieh masterpieces!

It must be destiny! The interior design gods have spoken.

I can't wait to finish redecorating so I can show you all the changes. It's SO exciting!

Until next time...

Merry Craftmas!

Whew!

Thanksgiving came and went in a hurry. Gray Thursday and Black Friday are over. Small business Saturday was a success, and here we are on Cyber Monday! It's CRAZY to me that there is almost a week of shopping days that people look forward to more than the holidays themselves. I have never been a big fan of Black Friday and it's counterparts, but that's just me. While your browsing websites for deals today, take a break and check out my tutorial for making a DIY wreath for your front door. Christmas decorating is in full swing right now, and Ive got a great project that wont cost you that shopping money, and makes a great statement!

Justin and I went to get our Christmas tree yesterday, and I couldn't help but grab a whole bunch of clippings. They let you take as many as you want, which is great for people like myself who love to repurpose things. I have an old wreath for my front door, but I wanted an updated look this year. While at Lowes yesterday I stumbled across this plaid ribbon and fell in love! It only made sense to combine it with the clippings.

I started out by making the bow. I like to get the hard part that's not really that hard out of the way. There are tons of tutorials for this online, and I forgot to take pictures while I was making it...so I will just refer you to my favorite tutorial over at Fresh Idea Studio!

http://freshideastudio.com/best-big-diy-holiday-bows/

When your bow is done in all of its glory, then you need to adhere it to something! I picked out a fan of tree clippings and bunched them together with a rubber band. It's that simple. I added a sprig of berries I pulled out of a bush in my side yard, just for a touch of rustic. I love the combination of pine needles and berries for Christmas! 

For a final touch add your bow to the top, and hang on your front door. 

Not only does it look and smell festive, but you made it with love, and you can appreciate that every time you walk in your door! 

Good luck with your holiday decorating! 

Cheers!

Hey there friends! I know it's been a long time since I posted, but I'm back! I've been completely swamped with school and work lately but I've come back to the blog at the best time ever! It's fall y'all!

Tonight I've got a really delicious recipe for you guys! I love experimenting with new things and testing myself in the kitchen. You guys know I've got the craft bug, butt it turns out that I can get down in the kitchen too! (Insert chauvinistic joke, ha!)

This evening I tried something new. Something I've always been afraid to do because I have always thought it could never be restaurant quality! Boy, was I totally wrong! This could not have been any easier!

I present to you...

Homemade Boneless Buffalo Chicken Bites

They look good right?! Trust me when I say these were easy and super scrumptious.

And on top of that they required very little ingredients. Most of the things are probably in your pantry. For real.

Ingredients

1 cup of all purpose flower

1/2 tsp. cayenne

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. paprika

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/2 tsp. Black Pepper

1 egg

1/2 cup of Milk

1 cup of Hot Sauce

1/2 cup of BBQ sauce

 1 stick of butter

2 Chicken Breasts

Oil for frying

Directions 

1. Heat a skillet full of oil until its sizzlin' at 375 degrees. Fill it up roughly 2 inches.

2. Cut your chicken into bite sized chunks.

3. Mix your egg and milk into a bowl. 

4. Mix your flower and dry seasonings into another bowl. 

5.Dip your chicken pieces into the flower mixture, egg mixture, and flower mixture again. Make sure to let the excess drip off in between dips.

6. Let your double dipped chicken chunks sit for about 15 minutes. I recommend this step, however I was too hungry and impatient to wait. Sorry, I'm not sorry.

7. To make the sauce, melt your stick of butter in a sauce pan.

8. Mix in the hot sauce and BBQ sauce. Throw in a pinch of cayenne and garlic powder.

9. Fry your chicken pieces until golden brown, and make sure the juices run clear. You don't want to waste this decadent sauce on uncooked chicken.

10. Let the chicken pieces sit for a few minutes on a paper towel, just to get off some excess oil. 

11. Sauce those babies up and enjoy! Add ranch or blue cheese for added calories and taste! :)

I recommend only making these for parties or football games. These are highly addictive! The sweet, spicy, and richness of the sauce is outrageous. I licked  could lick the plate.

Enjoy!

Ill be back for more yummy Fall recipes tomorrow! 

Fall Fever & a DIY Magnolia Wreath

Happy Labor Day friends!

Tonight I am bringing you a tutorial on making a Fall wreath out of Magnolia Leaves!

 

So Fall isn't exactly here yet, but I have got the bug big time. I am already scheming about my fall décor for this year, and I probably shouldn't admit it, but I have already started to decorate. Shameful I know.... but I have no shame! I LOVE this time of the year, and I am SO over summertime. I am ready for pumpkin everything in full force.

 

This weekend I pulled out all of my faux pumpkins, apple cider candles, and leafy decorations. I have plans to do something to my faux pumpkins, but in the meantime they sit atop my mantle and give me a quick fall fix every time I walk into the room.

 

As I was decorating on Saturday and going through my fall hoard collection, I realized that I was missing something. This something is big and substantial and really gives a fall feeling to any space. This item that I was lacking was in fact a wreath.

Now I have an ever growing assortment of Christmas wreaths that I rotate according to mood. I truly believe that you can never have too many. My fiancé would highly disagree with me on that, but obviously he will never understand. I don't however own any fall wreaths of any sort. Crazy right?! How could this happen....? So to fix this very serious problem of mine, I decided to try my hand at making a wreath from scratch.

 

We have a magnolia tree in our backyard that has been shedding leaves all summer. The dogs love to lay under the tree to escape the hot summer heat, and I love the crunching sound it makes when they run around under it. The leaves range in color from green to brown and every shade in between. Honey colored, golden colored, and even some gorgeous marbled green and browns. I picked a bunch of them out of my yard and set to work.

 

I wanted to accomplish this task by spending zero money on the project. Yes, I could have bought a nice plain wreath to decorate, but I didn't really see the point. The large magnolia leaves would have covered it up anyway.... so instead I pulled out an old shoebox.

 

Yes. A Shoebox. Essentially a piece of cardboard. ( I keep shoebox lids on hand for projects such as this) So glad I finally found a use for one of them.

 

You could really use any piece of cardboard or heavy cardstock that you have laying around. Using what you have is always cost effective. Cost effective is the way to go.

 

 Funny thing is the shoebox was from a pair of boots I bought last fall... which made me even more excited for this fall. Boots, Sweaters, and Scarves = Happiness!

 

 

TUTORIAL

 

Supplies

Cardboard

Exacto Knife

Hot Glue

Leaves

Ribbon (optional)

 

Cost

$0

 

 

Start by cutting your cardboard into a circle. Or a Rectangle or square if you prefer. Don't worry about it being perfect. It wont show. You just need to be sure you have a solid surface on which to hot glue your leaves.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Then, one by one glue your first layer of leaves down covering up the outside perimeter of your cardboard. Working in layers is better for overall aesthetic, but again however you want it to look is up to you.



 

 

 

 I rotated green and brown to give it a more balanced look.

 

Once you get the first layer down, work a second and third layer in and around the wreath like so.

 

 

 

 

Make sure to cover up any empty spots.

Go back in and place one leaf at a time until you get the finished look you are going for.

Seriously not rocket science guys! Anyone can do this.

 

 

This is my close to finished project. I still think it needs something though. A white floral embellishment or ribbon bow of some sort. Play around with it until it suits your taste.

I kind of like the simple organic and rustic feel of it though.

 

 

 

Here she is hanging on the outside of my office door next to our mantle!

Please excuse my overexposed photos. I am still learning how to properly use my DSLR!

 

Voila!

 

 

 

 

And here's a sneak peak of my Fall mantle scape!

 

More coming on that soon!

 

 

Have a great week everyone! Hope you enjoyed this tutorial!

Happy Blogging!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Schools back for the fall

Hello friends!
Sorry it has been a few days since I last posted. I hope you enjoyed my post on the DIY outdoor chandelier.

School started yesterday so it has taken me some time to adjust to my new schedule. Did I mention I am still in school? At the age of 23, I never guessed that I would still be saying that.
I am just starting my 6th (and final) year at Georgia State University, and though it has taken me a long time to finish... it wasn't my choice.
I have had my ups and downs with the financial aid department at my university, and I have had to take a year and a half off due to payment reasons...regrettably! Gasp! But I guess when it's not up to you, what choice do you have?

That's my situation however....


School starting means great things though. Not only is the vibe much more energetic and happy around these times, but it only means one thing......

FALL!

Fall is the best time for crafting and recipes...
College Football
School
Halloween
The list goes on...

Stick by me and I will be sure not to disappoint. I have a whole list of things I plan on getting done. I will be sure to blog about them so that I can inspire you guys to get creative this fall too!

See you in a couple days!

Summertime Craftness

Happy Friday everyone!

 Another week has gone by and it means that we are inching closer and closer to Fall. This is bittersweet for me because I love summertime so much! The hot weather, vacation to the beach, margaritas, and family BBQs. There are so many great things about summer!
Then comes fall. The leaves start falling, pumpkin everything (I do not like a lot of pumpkin food stuff, I will admit) College football, and chilly weather.

Both seasons are fantastic as far as I'm concerned.
What is sometimes hard, is just the transition into another. I do love change however, and I'm always ready for something new.

Today I want to showcase a project that I did early in the summer, and pay homage to all those times we grilled out with friends, lit up the fire pit in our backyard, and truly enjoyed the summer weather on those nights.

Best thing of all......this project cost me absolutely nothing!

When we moved into our house, there was an old brass builder grade chandelier laying around. You know the ones....

 

Anywho, I wanted to do something with it, but I knew that I did not want to put it back up inside our house. We already have hanging light fixtures and too many plenty of various table lamps and floor lamps. So I went with the idea of an outdoor chandelier! It would be perfect for our back patio space!

 

 

I started by cleaning it well to remove any debris, dust, and dirt.

 

Then I had to remove the candle tubes, and wiring underneath. I simply popped the tubes off, and cut the wires down as far as I could.

 

 



I gave the candle trays one last wipe down under where the tubes used to be, and prepped the chandelier for painting.
I hung the chandelier outside in my backyard from a tree, so that I could spray paint it effortlessly and have the chance to spin it around to coat it completely. I used one of my very favorite spray paints called 'Heirloom White' by Rustoleum. If you are any sort of crafty, home, DIY blogger you know the magic of the HW. Its always the perfect white for bringing any old piece forward into modern times.

 

I gave my chandy 3 coats, letting it dry in between. I then finished with a clear coat just to seal it from the elements.  

 

THAT, my friends is the extent of it. This is seriously easy stuff right here guys! Don't ever pass by an old chandelier! You. Can. DOOOOO. it.

 

One more time for the hell of it. The Before and After.

 

Just add some pilar candles that match your outdoor décor, and you are good to go my friends!

 

 

 

Enjoy!

Get Crafty Peeps!

 

 

 

Chalk it up

For those of you that know me, you know that I spend a pretty good bit of my free time thrifting. I stop by regularly to browse through other people's old junk, but I only visit particular areas of each store. I spend most of my time in the household items, rarely stepping foot into the clothing aisles. I'm not sure, but something about racks of  old stained bras and underwear hanging next to my head freaks me out. I have to seek refuge amongst the vases and old lamps.

One of the more successful thrifting trips I have gone on recently, took place just a few miles down from my house at the local Value Village. I like this VV because the pickings are never slim in terms of the household items I go searching for. Frames, Candle Holders, Glassware a plenty!

This VV sits on the cusp of a very bad neighborhood. There are a lot of drugs, violence, and an overwhelming amount of poverty. There are not a lot of savvy thrifters like myself hunting for DIY treasures on the regular, and therefore there is always a bounty. As much as I do not like to profit from other's misfortune, in this case I just consider myself to be rescuing these items from despair.
Most of the people who live around this VV are not concerned with what kind of frames they can find to paint, and which wreaths they can restore and reuse. They are only concerned with how they can afford to feed their families and make it to the next paycheck.

My favorite pick of the trip by far, was the god awful frame that I picked up for $1.00.
Here she is. Poor thing.

Before

 

Whoever owned this completely botched the paint job. There is absolutely no way that someone intended for it to look this way.

If they did, I feel sorry for them.

No wonder it ended up on the thrift store shelves.

The frame itself was spray painted silver and black in a camo-esque fashion, but I spotted it from afar as I frolicked down the aisles, and I could tell is was in good condition. The shape was what really caught my eye, and I knew in an instant that it was bound to come home with me and be mine.

 

I had been wanting a chalkboard in my kitchen for a while, and had been wanting to try out a DIY chalk paint recipe simultaneously. This piece seemed like the perfect candidate for me to try it on.

Unfortunately, I was not thinking and did not take any pictures during the process. Just believe me when I tell you how easy it was.

 

Before I give you my recipe for success and a quick tutorial on the process itself, here she is after!

 





After

Ahhh! So much better.

I used this tutorial from Elsie & Emma over at A Beautiful Mess

 

First, I painted the frame with Rustoleum's Heirloom White. (my favorite) I wanted the frame to be a little bit weathered and shabby so I sanded the edges to let some of that black and silver shine through. I simply used a block sander in a fine grit.

 

Then I made my chalk paint using black acrylic craft paint and black unsanded grout powder. I knew that I wanted the traditional black chalk board, so I chose the black grout on purpose.

 

Picture courtesy of Lowes.com

 

The paint itself was chunky and bubbly, and I thought to myself..... just keep stirring. It smoothed out just fine, and I painted right over the existing floral picture canvas. Bye Bye 1970.

 

You want to make sure you let it dry overnight. Don't be impatient. And before you write on it you have to "season" it like a cast iron skillet.

 

I could slap myself for not taking pictures of all of these details, because you're probably wondering what the hell I am talking about when I tell you to season a chalkboard. But trust me it's important.

 

For tips on seasoning and decorative chalk writing, check this out, by Diane at In My Own Style.

 

 

I hope you enjoyed reading about my kitchen chalkboard that went from boo to ooooh!

I love it so much, and I have used it more ways than one.

 

Thanks for reading!