DIY Pottery Barn Lampshade


Awhile back, one of my Etsy customers had contacted me and requested that I do a custom lamp shade order for her out of silk flowers. I ended up closing my Etsy shop a few months ago, & since I have had many people ask me how I made this shade. So here is a quick tutorial on how to get the look for less!


My original inspiration came from PB Kids.

Knowing that my client wanted a "fuller" looking lampshade full of flowers,
I went shopping for silk flowers in her color scheme that she requested 
& this is what I came up with! 


I used a mixture of silk flowers from Michael's:  hydrengias, roses, peoneys 
& a plain lamp shade from Target's RE collection

I used wire cutters to cut the stems from the flowers & just started gluing and placing the flowers at random as I went along until I got the look I wanted. Make sure to use A LOT of hot glue!


This is a simple and easy project that anyone can do, but just a tip: silk flowers can get VERY expensive! The flowers for this project alone were just under $55 and some I even got on sale & used a coupon! $55 is a huge savings compared to the $99 original shade from PotteryBarn, but my suggestion is if you plan to re-create this shade, is to gather the flowers over a period of a few weeks, use coupons and check your local craft store sales or try searching for silk flowers online to try and save even more money :)



LINKING UP WITH:

Mod Vintage Life

DIY Tiered Planter


Being the Pinterest addict that I am, I was inspired by Amy's tiered terracotta planter over at Positively Splendid, Brandy's terracotta planter at Brandy's Crafts & this photo (below) original location of this photo unknown...


I started off by painting plain terracotta pots from Lowes using Martha Stewart chalkboard paint. You could use any regular craft paint, I just prefer the look of chalkboard paint. After the paint was dry, I sanded down each pot and roughed up the edges to give them a distressed look.


After you get the distressed look that you are going for, over the pots in an even coat of outdoor all weather sealant. I chose a satin/ matte finish. Let dry for 24 hours. Then you are ready for flowers!







DIY Ballard Designs Wall Art


Ballard Designs is one of my favorite websites/ catalogs to flip through. I often dream about one day being able to go ahead and just order everything that I want off of a page and have it delivered right to my front door! But until we hit the lottery (or my husband gets out of the Military) we are confined to bargain shopping . . . But just because you see something that you love in a catalog that will drain your bank account, doesn't mean that you can't have it! I had fallen in love with this framed floral wall art display awhile back but paying $169.00 for all nine was outrageous! You can find this product from BALLARD DESIGNS:  HERE


So of course, I set out on my own way to re-create what I fell in love with on a budget. I went to Michael's and found these plain wood frames in the wood crafting section for under $2 each. Being that my dining room has accents of blue, I chose to paint the frames in a soft robin's egg blue, but you could choose any color that you prefer.


After painting, give the frames a light sanding down with regular sand paper, scuffing up the edges and wearing it down a bit to give it a distressed look


Then, go over the frames with a stain in the color that you prefer. 
For mine I used Minwax - dark walnut


Apply the stain with a cloth or a rag. You can also apply the stain with a paint brush. Make sure to rub off all of the excess stain with a clean rag. This will give the wood a light tint over the color of paint that you choose.


The stain will set into the cracks and adhere to the spots that you previously sanded down


You can see the difference in color between the before and after here!


Next, it is time to pick your images for inside the frames. I was wanting a look like the ones from Ballard, and also wanted them to look like fabric. The cheapest way to get this look is to go on a fabric retail website and print the pattern images that you like best right off of your computer


My favorite patterns are from Waverly Fabrics & Better Homes and Gardens. Once you are ready to print, print the full sized image & select the best printing option on your printer.


The images then come out looking just like fabric!
Cut your images to fit in the frames and place down with double sided tape. 
To hang on the wall, I purchased self picture hanging hooks and nailed them into the back of the wood.



Simple as that, you now have custom artwork for your home! And it only cost less than $4 a picture. Now that is SAVINGS!!!









Creative Toy Organization & Organizing Solutions

There are many blogs out there about organizing & creative solutions, so I will not be going into an in depth explanation on how to organize your whole home, but simply will be sharing my own organizing tips that I have used around our home, in hopes that it will inspire you to try something new!


Being that we now have an almost 7 month old, our house is full of toys, books and anything to keep her entertained while she sits beside mommy so I can get some work done. Along with all of the toys, comes finding ways to somehow organize it all "stylishly". I wasn't looking to spend much money when it came to our new organizing dilemma, so I did what I do best . . . I shopped my own home first! We bought an old TV armoire for only $30 off of craigslist shortly before having our daughter, with plans to paint it, but never got around to it, so it sat in the garage. After having our baby, we moved the armoire into our room where it served a porpoise storing extra diapers, wipes and the extra "junk" that we didn't want to be seen. Pretty much it was useless. So after the toys started piling up, I decided that it would serve better as toy storage!




After shopping around my own home, I went to Target and found these adorable turquoise tin storage bins (in the armoire) ON SALE for only $4.98 each! They are from the Shaun White Home Decor line.
I was also able to score on these nautical storage baskets for the living room at TJMaxx


 & these storage bins at Home Goods

& this solution is quite possibly my favorite, which is in my baby girl's room: the blue vintage trunk (that was another great find off of Craigslist) to store all of her toys and more stuffed animals!


Now that I have shared some toy organizational tips with you, it is time to move onto the kitchen . . .
Running a business out of your home, being a stay at home mom, an FRG volunteer, and Photographer, not being organized can be detrimental. Here are my solutions for an organization station in your kitchen, for all of your appointments, schedules & events that need to be easily accessible.


This part of my home is one of my favorites. I had been wanting a storage basket to organize all of my orders for my etsy shop and had fallen in love with this one from Ballard Designs, but unfortunately not with the price. You can find this item here: STORAGE - BALLARD DESIGNS


So when I came across this white storage basket with the same look
 I grabbed it right up & at only $12 it was a steal!


The bulletin board was another great find. I found the frame (empty) on clearance at Home Goods. It was a picture frame, but the glass was missing. This treasure only cost me $4! I found some cork board at Michael's & hot glued the edges to the frame, inserted the back of the frame back in & now I have a custom cork board!


To organize my daily scheduling, I use the dry erase monthly calendar that I purchased from Target, along with the two dry erase magnetic boards that I have on the fridge. 


One of my favorite items to use are my magnetic days of the week. 


I am sure that many of you noticed the bucket of pens displayed in the photo above. This was a little DIY project that I did. I purchased a plain wood plaque from Michael's, painted it the color that I preferred, distressed it up a bit, then drilled a hole in the center.


I chose the style knob that I liked best from Hobby Lobby



Fastened it to the back & added a picture hanger hook


& now you have a super cute way to display just about anything! 


Thanks for stopping by and reading, I hope that you were able to take away at least a few new organizing ideas to use in your own home : )


My find of the day

As y'all know by now, I love finding me some good deals & saving money. I suppose that is what my Grandfather instilled in me ;) I get many questions as to how I find such good deals & let me tell you, Craigslist is one of my favorite sites! It is always a hit or miss, but if you are checking the site every week or every day you are bound to find a good deal or two. Yes, it can be scary which is why I ALWAYS make sure to have someone with me when I am picking up an item. The best parts about buying used are that first off, you save money! You can bargain & hassle your way most often to the price that you want. I always first search the oldest dates posted. Many of these items people have been trying to sell and now are at the point where they will take any amount of money to just have it GONE. Second, it is great for the environment. Buying 2nd hand items means getting the most use out of a product before it ends up sitting in a dump somewhere. And my third favorite reason, is that you get to take an old, use piece and make it your own, give it a new life & make it fit your lifestyle! You walk away with a one of a kind piece just for your home.


Today's find is one of my favorites yet! I am always looking for furniture that I can re-do myself, but every once in awhile you come across a perfect piece, already done just the way you like. And in this case it was ONLY $10. Yes, just $10!!! I couldn't believe it!

So keep bargain shopping readers! You may be surprised what YOU find . . .




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