I was looking at my kitchen table the other day and realized….it.was.so.boring!! So it was off to TJ Max to see what I could find on the cheap. While this isn’t exactly a DIY masterpiece it may give a few of you some good ideas. While browsing the isles I found these cute little bowls which gave me an idea.
What I needed:
1. Poppy Bowls from TJ Max ($5)
2. Fish Bowl Rocks (on hand)
3. Tea candles ($1)
4. Tables Mats ($2 each)
It really made a difference in my kitchen for only about $10
Its been almost a year since my last post which, I know, is ridiculous. However, now that I am settled in an apartment and am out of the dorms I am much more motivated to decorate on the cheap. Last summer I found an old blackboard at goodwill for about $4. It was a boring white, had dirt all over it, and tacky foam star stickers. I decided to buy it and just now got around to fixing it up. This is what my poor old blackboard looked like before…
Things I needed:
1. Blackboard from Goodwill ($4)
2. Craft Paint ($0.79)
3. Stencils found at Hobby Lobby ($4)
4. Paint Brushes (on hand)
5. Sponges (on hand)
I used a sponge and warm water to wash off all the dirt and sticker residue. When the blackboard was all clean and dry I then used Anita’s Acrylic Craft Paint (Green Apple) as my base color. I used a 1in paint brush (can be found in any Walmart for around $1) and gave it 2-3 coats to get the color as thick as I wanted.
I let the paint dry overnight just to be safe. The next day I laid my stencils down and used Anita’s Acrylic Craft Paint (Christmas Red) to paint over the poppy stencils ($4). I used a 1in sponge brush to dab the paint on in order to give the poppy’s a not-perfect-shabby-chic look. I loved the results
after the stenciled flowers were done drying all that was left was to hang my project in my poppy themed kitchen!!
I can’t imagine life with out it anymore its perfect in my kitchen! I use it to keep track of my grocery list and bills. It looks so cute!!
When my favorite button down shirt ripped I was thoroughly disappointed, but then I remembered I could give it new life, and so the Button Down Bracelet was born.
What you will need:
- A button down shirt ($0 I had it already)
- Scissors ($o had those too)
- Needle and thread ($ and had these)
So the grand total of this bracelet comes to $0.00. Gotta love free!
What you will want to do first is cut your shirt into strips. I used the back because it had the most room. My strips were about two inches thick, but it’s up to you and how you want your bracelet to look. Then secure your strips down, I tied mine down.
Next you begin braiding. I just did a simple braid until it was long enough to fit around my wrist.
Now comes the trickiest part, and it’s not that tricky at all. I untied the sides that were tied down, and clumped them together, then I twisted them. As I twisted I sewed each loose edge down to the braided part of the bracelet.
After you get your first ends sewn shut cut off your excess on the other end and do the same.
***NOTE MAKE THE BRACELET A LITTLE SHORTER THAN NEEDED AS YOU WILL BE ADDING BITS ON***
Next you will want to cut off the button hole area and the button area directly underneath the collar as seen below. When cutting these pieces, if there is a seam between the collar and the edge cut around the seam so your piece comes out as a whole. You can see what I mean better in the first picture, if you look closely you can see the white seams all around, you want those, this will save you some sewing.
There is a nifty space in your pieces, like so….
You will insert the end of your braided strips onto the hole and sew around the edges. Then do the same for the button piece on the other end. Mine came out like this, and I love it!
