I want :

To do this in Hamburg, Germany:

To make homemade Nutella:

This for my bike:

This adorable purse:

This beautiful dress:

To attempt this manicure:

What do you want?

Jewelry Tree

Back in May, I mentioned that I wanted to create a jewelry tree like the one from this awesome blogger. Here is what her finished product looked like:

It's gorgeous, right? Well, I actually completed this project back in June, but forgot to blog about it. Since then, I have managed to lose all the "in progress" pictures and all I have to show you are the pictures of the final product. Sorry!

How to make a jewelry tree in three easy steps:

1. Find a branch with plenty of character

2. Spray paint said branch any color you like

3. Attach nicely painted branch to some device that will hold it upright

I found a branch in the front yard and spray painted it silver. I had an old red flower pot that I painted black and filled with plaster of paris to hold the branch. That's how easy it was and you could do this in as little as an hour. Here is my jewelry tree:

Just after I finished it

Close up of the branches

Close up of the plaster of paris - I use the base to hold miscellaneous items of jewelry

I used a different technique, but I think it turned out really nicely. It also gives me more reason to go out and buy more (yay!) jewelry. Like I really need a reason. What do you think of my version of the jewelry tree?

New Lamp Shade!

A few weeks ago, I took the lamp shade from my lamp to make a new light fixture. Since then, my poor lamp has been sitting in the corner waiting for a new shade to complete its lonely existence. Feeling bad for the poor thing, I ventured out to find a new lamp shade and stumbled upon this lovely creation:

Isn't it gorgeous? Of course, I did not want the actual lamp and I couldn't buy the shade without the lamp, so I took pictures and decided to make my own beautiful lamp shade! P.S. The lamp was $50. HA! There was no way I could justify that purchase. 


If I were a more patient person, I would have scoured every thrift store in the vicinity for a lamp shade to use for this project and waited until I found one. Since I am pretty much the opposite of patient, I just picked up a shade from the local Wally World for $15. I probably could have saved $10 if I just waited, but hey, I'll just fore go a couple of lattes at Starbucks this week and call it even. 


Lamp shade, check. Now I needed fabric. I dug through my drawers to find an old sheer white curtain that I knew I had put away safely in case I had a use for it in the future. Boy am I glad I did! Now I had fabric, shade, scissors, needle and thread, glue and that's pretty much all I needed. I put on a random movie so that I wouldn't go crazy having to cut a million circles and began the project. 

I did not care if the circles were perfect, mostly because it was already taking forever to cut them...and did I mention that I'm impatient? I decided to go with four different sized circles for the flowers, the sizes were chosen arbitrarily. You can't really tell from the picture, but there are small dots of sparkliness on the fabric. :)


I am not sure how long it took to cut the circles, but let's just say I watched an entire movie and they still were not done. Apparently I am extremely slow. May I suggest you do not do this project on your microfiber couch? Mine ended up full of tiny fabric pieces. You live...you learn. 

Once I had everything cut up, I formed my little flowers. This was incredibly easy to do. You place the biggest on the bottom and pile the rest on top, in order of size. I took the needle and thread and sewed them together in the middle, twisted the fabric to create a little dimension and then proceeded to sew the flower to the lamp. 

Oh, I forgot to mention that before I sewed anything, I glued on a layer of fabric circles to my lamp shade as a kind of backer. My lamp shade was not white, and I did not want any of the actual shade showing through in the end. 


After several hours of sewing (and gluing pieces down that were falling over - I would suggest using a thicker fabric for this project since mine was not a fan of hanging vertically), I finally finished!

All there was left to do was add the new shade to the old lamp and place it on my desk for all to see! Though this project took a lot longer than I had expected (don't they always?), I am very happy with the result and LOVE it in my living room. It's just perfect. Don't you think?

Woman Vs. Bathroom Remodel: Round 1

I have been putting off this bathroom remodel for about 6 months. The main reason was that I knew it would take a long time...and I will admit that the sheer enormity of the task scared me. I was afraid I would be bathroom-less forever. I finally got up the nerve to this lovely 3-day weekend because, well...it was about damn time. Here is what the old bathroom looked like:

Left side - notice the ugly shell sink and the broken hot water knob

This is the right side - yes, that is an ugly green CARPET

So, along with the 80's feel of the bathroom, the horrible green carpet and equally disgusting green paint, it just looked dingy all the time. It needed a major facelift, and I was prepared. Or so I thought. 

Saturday morning I woke up full of energy and hope. I began demo work and it was not as therapeutic as I have been led to believe. This could be because I was trying to cause as little damage as necessary to the walls, or because it took almost all day. 

Behind the mirror were some bits and pieces of wallpaper from a long lost era and honestly, if it had been in better shape, I might have kept it. Trends always come back and I believe we are in another wallpaper craze right now. Alas, no wallpaper for me this time. 

Once I had removed everything from the bathroom (with a little help from boyfriend, who helped carry the obnoxiously heavy countertop downstairs), it was pretty much the end of the day and I was done. Done for the day. I wanted to paint, but just couldn't talk myself into it. 

Nevertheless, I got it done! 

So, first thing Sunday morning, I wake up and pick up the paintbrush, even before I make a pot of coffee. That's dedication, folks. It took about an hour and a half to paint everything (I also tackled the other side of the bathroom where the toilet and bathtub reside). The color I "chose" is called Antique Silver and I say "chose" because it was left over paint from my kitchen, and hey...why not? Anything is better than that green. 

I installed the vanity that I had bought 6 months ago, it came already assembled, so it was simply a matter of securing it to the wall with a few screws. Next came the countertop and faucet. I chose to install the faucet first because it was easier while the sink was not connected to the vanity. This was not that difficult, except that I could not find my instructions, so I had to wing it. Everything seems to work right and I did not end up with extra pieces. :)

Next, I had to move the junction box for the light fixture since I planned on putting in shelving to the right of the vanity and had to recenter the light over the new vanity. Not very difficult really, but it did require patch work on the wall. It was worth it though, because I love the new light! 

I cheated on the shelves and made a trip to IKEA instead of building my own. Hey, it was already Monday and I was tired. Still had the plumbing to work out and I needed a win. The shelves were easy to put together and look beautiful. Though there is still the little problem of flooring to be done and finishing touches here and there...it is coming along quite nicely.

What do you think? I think it is a great improvement already and cannot wait for it to be finished! Let me know what you think of the medicine cabinet. I kind of want to keep it and make it my shrine to OPI to display my crazy nail polish obsession, but not quite sure. I am open to suggestions, too, so just let me know!

DIY Drum Shade Light

Let me begin by saying that I am working on the jewelry tree, but it is not quite finished, so I will blog about that later. Today, I decided to tackle the much hated light fixture in what will eventually be my dining nook. Right now it houses my many tools, some extra tile, a bathroom vanity that I will one day install and countless other goodies. 


This is what the old light fixture looked like:

I believe this is the cheapest "chandelier" you can buy and it just screams "boring," so I had to do away with it. I looked online for some inspiration and settled on putting up a drum shade light. Sounded easy enough. Here are some of the ones I liked:

Luckily, I already had a drum shade at home (from an awesome lamp I bought at Marshall's a few months back). I was a little sad to take the drum shade from the lamp, but it was for a good cause. :) 

Isn't it beautiful?

I decided that I liked the simple wire and chain from the old light fixture, so I did not buy a new light kit. The only other thing I needed was a light socket, which I picked up for about $3.50 at the local Home Depot. 

After turning off the breaker (very important!) and stripping (if that's the correct terminology) the old plastic to expose the wire, I attached the wire to the light socket. It was quite simple, I figured since I had no idea which wire went where, I would try it one way and if that failed, do it the other way. Luckily, I was able to get it right the first time. 

Voila!

Isn't it great?! I attached the drum shade via some extra chain links and hung it on a swag because I like the look. The best part: this light is on a dimmer switch that I installed about a month ago. Ambiance lighting here I come!

I think it's a major improvement...now I just need to find a new drum shade for my poor, naked lamp. Oh daaarn, must go shopping...tee hee!

Happiness is a Handmade Duvet

I had been eyeing this duvet from West Elm for a very long time, but just could not rationalize coughing up over $100 for it. 

Instead, I did some research on the internet and found a DIY version from a fellow blogger: Living on the Chic. I have fallen in love with Trissta's blog and have found many other DIY projects on her blog that I MUST take on! This weekend, I actually made the duvet!


If you read her blog, you will see that she was able to find some sheets at the local thrift store and saved bcps money. I wasn't that patient, so I found mine at Target for $13/each. After asking around, I managed to borrow a 1973 Singer Genie sewing machine from my friend, Shannon's mom (one of her 6 sewing machines?!). She even threaded the thing for me (which I ended up somehow undoing and having to spend hours figuring out how to make work again). Once I figured it out (thank you online instructions), it worked like a dream!

The first step in the process is to mark out all your little sections where you will be creating the pintucks. I did this with some eyeliner, mostly because I figured it would wash out when I threw it in the laundry and also because I'm not a seasoned sewing genius with practical sewing tools (such as a sewing pencil) just laying around. I have a picture of this, but it's hard to see, so if you need to see this in action, check out Trissta's blog. Once I had everything marked out, I started making the pintucks. I did this by hand because I had not quite figured out the sewing machine and I had no other option. It is really easy to do, just pick up the fabric, twist it and sew in place.

I made sure to have these very secure in order to avoid having to redo them in the future if the seams came out. Once this was done, I contemplated how long it would take me to sew the two Queen size sheets together into a duvet...by hand. I think it only took me 2.5 seconds to realize that this was an impossible idea - so I tried AGAIN to make the Singer Genie work. After giving up several times, researching on the internet and finally just simply following the directions that my friend gave me on threading the machine, it all worked! After that, it only took about 15 minutes to actually sew the sheets together. I even added a little fabric to create bows at the bottom (from leftover fabric).

The finished product is gorgeous and I even did the same design to an extra pillow case to complete the project. 


Total cost:
Queen Sheets - $27
Sewing Machine - FREE! (borrowed)


Savings:
$100 (when including a pillow sham)


Yes, it took some time, but I learned how to use a sewing machine in the process and I feel really good about the final product. Next up: Perhaps this beautiful jewelry tree (made from an actual branch!)? 

www.centsationalgirl.com

-Sara

DIY not entirely FUN

I bought this townhouse in Houston, knowing I would have to put in some work to make it look presentable. Knowing this, of course, did not prepare me for actually tackling the many "little" jobs I've decided need to get done. The first thing I did was handle the closet situation: I had to have my clothes organized so that I could feel like my life was back in order after living out of suitcases for a month. That job was fairly easy and only required a few hours of my time. The rest of the work has been all but smooth sailing.

 

 

Before

One day, I went to Sears to find an over the range microwave and instead ended up buying a new washer and dryer. I can be impulsive at times, so this didn't come as a big surprise. I bought the things (on sale of course) and hoped they would fit in the tiny room you could (but shouldn't) call a laundry room. It's more of a closet. I did my prep work, sold the old washer/dryer that came with the place, painted, laid tile down and waited for my beautiful new W/D.

After

They finally arrived and the guys that were supposed to install it told me there's no way they will fit in that small space. I told them to try anyway because, COME ON, you can't do that to a lady who clearly is really excited about the new W/D. So they shook their heads and did as they were instructed. Of course, they tell me that the drain for the washer (in the wall) is too small to accommodate the hose. Could they get a different hose? No. I need to call a plumber and have them put in a different pipe. Awesome. Thankfully, Spencer was here helping with renovations, and he trotted off to the local hardware store and bought the necessary pieces to make the whole thing work. Kind of my hero. So once that was done, we faced the problem of getting the stacked W/D into the small space with no dolly. Much grunting and swearing was involved, but we got it in most of the way. At one point, it seemed as if we could push no further and the door to the "room" would not close. I was faced with two options: either return the W/D (not going to happen) or take off the door and put up a curtain to cover the W/D. Spencer offered up another solution. Try to push it in juuuust a little more. It worked. I squealed with delight and couldn't be happier.

New W/D in tiny "room"

This, unfortunately, was not the only problem I faced that day. I was supposed to have the over the range microwave installed (I actually went out and bought one!). The guys arrive with the 72 (!) pound microwave and take one look at the 30 year old hood in place over the stove and tell me it's not going to happen. Why? The hood is most likely hard wired and the microwave has to have a plug. I pointed to the plug next to the stove...no, something needs to be done with the wires from the hood. I need to call an electrician. Seriously? Spencer jumps in and says, of course he can install an outlet for me. What? Well, ok. So off he goes, yet again, to the store, buys the necessities and within hours I have a new outlet above the stove, hidden in the cabinet. Wow. Problem solved, right? Nope. The microwave is actually way too big to fit in the designated space, so I need to buy a much smaller (yet more expensive, somehow) microwave and have it installed. Life without a microwave is a little frustrating, but not impossible. I'll just have to reheat things on the stove for a while longer.

Today I installed a new light in the bathroom and grouted the tile that Spencer laid yesterday. He also painted the bathroom for me (no more bright green!) and had removed the old vanity the other day. The light fixture was not too difficult to install, maybe a 30 minute job, and it only took that long because, like everything else in this place, the light box was off kilter and I had to figure out how to mount the light properly. Grouting took even less time, and now I just have to wait for it to fully dry before I can put in the new vanity, vanity top, faucet and baseboards along the wall.

New light fixture

It's coming together, slowly...and I'm trying to learn to be more patient when things go wrong. Murphy's law is at work with these renovations, but I'm determined to get this done no matter what. Every problem has a solution and with a little help from my friends, I'm sure I'll be able to tackle anything that comes my way.