Easy decor projects

Over the weekend I got the inspiration I needed (pinterest, of course!) to do a few projects around the place.

Most of my kitchen is visible from the door and I wanted something pretty for people walking in to see. I've had the idea to do a "coffee station" for quite a while but have been slowly gathering components to it together.

As I find more pieces (thrifting makes decorating go the long way home) and it really comes together I can let this space evolve. For now I'm loving it! I have an assortment of sugars, cinnamon, cocoa (for the poor man's mocha) and my matcha and melon syrup for my green tea frap. The little chalkboard I bought on jane.com and featured in some photos on my instagram. The chalkboard bunting is a free printable found here that I spent forever cut out and affixed over a jute string. Tiny, clear Command hooks hold it in place.

Also in the kitchen area I already hung my canvas art and had this idea about a clipboard for my grocery list. I buy a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables so my list is constant. I took a cheap clipboard and painted it with Plaid Crafts FolkArt Chalkboard Paint.

This was a brush on paint and the brushes I bought for this project were absolutely horrific. The paint is thick and needed something much smoother hence why I only painted part of this clipboard so far. My intention was to paint it in a pattern or design but with the brushes inability to keep within the lines....that didn't happen. But it still works great!

The canvas art I made by designing the words in picmonkey, printed it with my little home printer and Mod Podged it to a small canvas. This made it easy to hang and I didn't need to frame it.

The quote is from my favorite scene in Arrested Development. I looked high and low for a clip of this scene and couldn't find anything worth showing which is really sad because it was hilarious.

I also finally figured out how to hang this Eastside Distilling calendar that didn't have any holes in it. The idea of poking a hole in the lovely photography made me sad and then the other day I had an epiphany...

I've also taken to growing lavender indoors.

I read somewhere that lavender (and other aromatic herbs) purify the air and I'm obsessed with lavender so any old excuse will do.

See? Lavender obsessed.
Herbes de Provence goes into many of my dishes (it contains lavender) and I had a lavender lemonade the other day and all I can think about is going back to that cafe and getting another one and maybe a lemon lavender cookie to go with it.

And speaking of obsessed, a fruit salad with the combination of watermelon, strawberries and blueberries is what I eat at least twice a day.

I hope your life is as delicious as mine has been lately. And remember, if you miss me you can visit me on flickr or instagram where I post more regularly.

Budget basic bathroom

I really enjoy white in the bathroom, it really helps it feel clean to me. In this case, things I used just happened to be white and then I was able to collect a few to keep it up. Most of the things I used to organize and "decorate" - I'm using that term quite loosely - came from thrift stores so let me show you how I kept the budget way down and kept a clean look.

 First of all, because this room just seems to be moisture prone even on no shower days I've decided against hanging art on the walls until I can figure out something that won't be adversely affected by that. I honestly haven't minded as I no longer use this room to do my makeup in the mornings and I don't stand there for an hour staring at nothing.

My shower curtain was a new in the package thrift store find - what a score!

These cupboards/drawers are hideous and SO HEAVY Need something out of the drawer? Add it to the 12 tasks of Hercules.

I remember when I was first touring this place and getting my key and the apartment manager was pulling on the towel rack to see how well it was attached and was like, "Oh this is a good one." And I looked at her like are you crazy? This thing is wooden! And has watermarks!

What can you do.

On the floor is this adorable doily look bath mat I got from World Market. It was cheaper and cuter than the ones I was seeing at Target, go figure.

On the counter I have a series of thrifted jars holding my extra soaps, Q-tips and cotton rounds.

The little glass tray is a new addition, also found at a thrift store. I was amazed at how clean it made things look even though things are still sitting in the same spot.

In my window, which I posted about previously, is a shutter which adds extra privacy and hair doo-dad storage. 

I wanted to be able to use this "chandelier" I made (see the original post here) but it wasn't waterproof so first I sprayed it with several coats of clear coat. Now it decorates my lightulb instead of the boring fixture that was there previously. Admittedly this works much better when you have a "normal" light bulb.

I'm going to estimate total cost for accessories around $40.

Could you go for a mostly white bathroom? Or would you go nuts and have to hang things on the wall? If you have any suggestions for things to hang that wouldn't be dust catchers or moisture wicking bacteria growers I'm all ears.

More thrifted and recycled bathroom goodies

I needed a soap dish for my facial soap. I've been using a little blue and white saucer but it didn't really go with my aged steampunk direction. I walked to Goodwill again and dug and dug through the dishes. The one near my work is not a large shop and I began to give up that I'd find anything I could use when I spotted a short stack of these little off-white, shallow bowls.

The price sticker was covering the stamp on the bottom but it was only .99 until I realized it was the half price color of the day and I got it for .49 cents. I went home to clean it up, removed the sticker and discovered I had some ironstone!

It does the job perfectly and looks nice (and simple) as well.

Then I needed a solution for my moisturizer. I love Cetaphil but that gigantic blue and white bottle? Not so much. I recently finished using a bottle of organic yummy scented hand soap and it had the perfect "old brown bottle" look. I thoroughly washed the bottle, peeled the label, used some Goo Gone on the residue and transferred my moisturizer.

Granted, when I get a new bottle, this one won't hold all of it, but the look is much more cohesive.

.49 cents and 2.75 new but recycled - my budget barely budged.

See what else I made for my simple steampunk bathroom project. Although I'm starting to wonder if this isn't so much steampunk as just....aged. Oh well, I like both!

Coffee steampunk upcycled makeup organization

I was trying to make google search blow up with that title. ;)

I work in walking distance of a Goodwill and have already spent a few lunch breaks zooming through the aisles. 

I picked this up for half price - so $1.50 - I think it is a....candleholder? I'm not sure. Anyway the color was not in great shape, covered in some grime. And I need another candleholder like I need a hole in the head.

But it is nice and wide and the perfect height for my makeup brushes for which I had bought a previous holder but it really wasn't big enough.

 

I painted it oil-rubbed bronze which is probably out of style in the blogosphere by now but I'm thinking about making my bathroom a steampunk bathroom and wanted something with an aged look.

Then I filled it part way with coffee beans - which smelled amazing.

 

And now it holds my makeup brushes - upright so they don't touch - and it makes the bathroom smell like a coffee shop. Win - win!

I have a more in-depth post coming about the collection of upcycled/repurposed items I use in my bathroom and makeup organization in which I've managed to have an almost finished, cohesive look. Stay tuned!

 

Equine design

I recently read somewhere that equine inspired items are coming into style.

(Two of the horse photos are my relatives, one is a photo I bought at a shop.)

I should really jump on that.

(A thrift store print, a garage sale print and my mom's old button with her horse's name.)

Considering that has been "in style" for me since I was like five, I think I'm going to like this trend.

The ugliest key holder in the world

I may be giving in to my dramatic side. Take a look for yourself:

The face on this thing! What the heck?

I removed the hideous golf boy insert, removed all the hardware, painted the entire piece in an off-white and painted the hooks, hinges and clasp with oil-rubbed bronze.
What I planned to use it for was not related to golf, ugly man-children or keys, but jewelry.

It works great for holding my jewelry or it works great at displaying my jewelry for sale.

Either way, it's better than how it started.

Thrifted photo cloche

I found this new (read unattractive) floral frog at Jo-Ann. It cost me a dollar. It was marked defective or deformed or something because a few of the spikes were bent. How many pair of pliers do I own? This is not going to be a problem.

It took me less than a second to fix the spikes but I decided to go ahead and spray paint this thing as well since the green was hideous and I'm not actually going to be submerging it in water. I painted it with a couple coats of antique brass metallic.
When I was cleaning after being gone for what amounts to almost my entire summer, I found this salsa jar holding some odds and ends. So classy. Instead of throwing it away I decided to use it for this project by giving it a couple coats of black spray paint.

And it became the base for my photo cloche. The key to this was layers. I used a little doily which I'm not usually a fan of, but it helps the jar lid look like less of a jar lid with some paint on it. With the newly painted floral frog, a tattered photo of my mom (I'm guessing my dad carried this around for quite a while) and the ten cent glass top I found at a garage sale this summer, my little display will now keep this photo out for display and dust free.

A month of thrifted goods

This summer I spent a month visiting my mom in central Oregon and we made the rounds to all the thrifty places we could find and here's my haul.

The can of Poly was only $1.00 at the Redmond ReStore. I have SUCH plans for that little can. I've been wanting some for ages.
The white decorative pieces are a part of a drawer pull. I bought them at the La Pine ReStore. I don't have a specific plan for them yet, but liked that they were flat on the back and can be put on anything else flat. They cost me $1.00
That $0.50 glass dome also came from the La Pine ReStore. It's for a light fixture but I have plans similar to [this] for it.
The other little dome was just $0.10 at a garage sale.

That enormous roll of burlap strap came from the La Pine ReStore and cost me $3.00. I was so excited when I saw it and my mom says, "What on earth do you do with that?" Oh so many things. She doesn't believe me.

The glass tumbler came from the Bend Goodwill and cost me $0.99 - it is going to hold my makeup brushes in some coffee beans so I can be as cool as this person.

I love drinking my morning coffee out of a vintage Pyrex mug I have and since I didn't have one while visiting my mom I bought one. Found at the Redmond Goodwill and it was the half price color so I got it for just $0.50.


I've never owned a camera tripod but I know I *needed* one for photos at night or dusk. This one was at the Bend Goodwill and was $2.99

And when I got my new camera and had nothing to put it in, I found this case at the Bend Goodwill (during a spectacular lightning storm I might add) for $1.99.


I have been wanting a makeup brush roll for quite a while now but could never fit it into my budget. They had a few of these never used Mary Kay brush rolls at the Redmond Goodwill for just $1.99! Also I love anything Mary Kay because MK is also my initials. It makes me look important to have all my makeup bags monogrammed. ;)

The umbrella was on a clearance rack at Target for just $3.74. Pink? Yes. Polka dots? Yes! Also? It not only opens with the button, it closes with the button!

I read a ton of books while I was visiting and had to buy a couple extras. I remember Cat talking about The Day The Falls Stood Still so I got that at Bend Goodwill for $3.99 (more than most of anything else I bought. Why so spendy on books Goodwill?)

I used to have two copies of The Scarlet Pimpernel - one of my favorite books - and one is on loan to a friend and the other I couldn't find. This copy was just $0.99.

I have been traveling nonstop this summer and one of my travel bags had more hole in the top than it did top. I picked up this Skyway Kid's Gear bag for just $2.00 at Second Tern.

Yes, it is for kids. Did that stop me? No, it did not. Plus it has wheels and a retractable handle and no giant holes so there.

And the icing on the cake...my new super zoomy camera was found at a Bend Pawn & Trading for $90.00.
I have only owned pocket cameras and I can't afford a DSLR so this is a good in between. Plus I can ZOOM. Quite a bit. So much fun.

I wasn't wearing makeup so I was only brave enough to show you my haggard looking eyes.

They gave me a week to try it out which is why there is still a sticker stuck to the bottom.
Oh! I forgot to take a photo of all the movies I got there for just $2.00 apiece. Oh well. Anyway it was a really nice shop, as you can see from their website.

Minus the camera all my thrifty goodies cost me just $26.77!