Sunburst Mirror DIY: Natural Bamboo

Honestly? I can't keep my eyes off of it. I even caught my husband catch a glance from the kitchen. Maybe we're both just in shock that it actually turned out as well as it did! 

I found the idea for this Sunburst Mirror made with bamboo, from House of 50, and decided to give it my own spin.

Make your own Bamboo Sunburst Mirror

MATERIALS:

• 10" round mirror from JoAnn Fabrics with a 50% off coupon for just $2.50
• Bamboo stalks from Michaels with a 50% off coupon: $6.50
• Saw from Home Depot (turns out scissors work even better) $5.00
• Hot glue gun (already had it)

Total cost = $14.00 (not bad!)

INSTRUCTIONS:

▶Cut your bamboo stalks

Cut your bamboo stalks into pieces ranging from 15" to 20" long. We started by using a little saw, but found it quite cumbersome. A pair of regular old scissors worked perfectly! (minus a bit of flying bamboo debris)

▶Lay out your pieces

Lay all the pieces out on the back of the mirror to see how it looks, before gluing them on, making sure to stagger the different sizes.

▶Attach each piece of bamboo stalk

Glue each piece down with a hot glue gun, to the backside of your mirror.

Unlike the tutorial mentioned above, we decided to keep our sunburst mirror its natural bamboo color and texture. 

▶Get it ready to hang on the wall

I didn't have any mirror hardware, so I decided to get creative with what I had on hand.

Using a small piece of leftover bamboo, simply glue a small piece on the back - gluing just the middle, leaving the sides open.

Slide a piece of ribbon or heavy string up and under the sides.

Once dry, turn over carefully...it was tricky to turn this baby over...try not to kabob yourself!

▶Hang up your masterpiece

And presto-chango - we did it!

Of course I see all the flaws, but that's what makes it unique I guess.

It really does make the room feel brighter!

◉UPDATE: Check-out how well our Natural Bamboo Sunburst Mirror looks in our new Beach Chic Family Room Make-over! 

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Easy Zippered Pillows: A pillow recovering story

I am so excited about these zippered pillow cases! I'll admit it, I used to have a major zipper phobia.

But let me tell you - this was SO EASY! And I'm not just saying that. Really. I found the *BEST* zipper pillow tutorial on Prudent Baby.

And the rest, my friends, is history.


Okay, let me start at the beginning.
I have a secret.
This pillow right here? All striped and lovely?

Pillow recover - AFTER

Used to look like this:
  (wa wa waaaaaaa)

Pillow re-cover BEFORE

Yes, it's true. I know. Ahoy Matey and watch your gag reflexes.

And although nautical can be nice, it wasn't exactly the look I was going for.

This blue couch has been kind of difficult to decorate around. And since a nice slipcover is out of our budget, I opted for trying to update it another way. When I ran across this like-new, heavy, soft cotton thrift store fabric for $5.99, I knew just what to use it for.

See how nicely the two go together?

The 2 nautical pillows were 22" x 22", but were a little saggy, if you want to know the truth. So I decided to cut my new pillow cases for 18" x 18" to make sure I had enough fluff.

Now I kid you not - this is where I followed the Zipper Pillow Tutorial to the letter. Trust me, you can't go wrong. I didn't re-post directions, just a few pictures, because why mess with a good thing?! Thank you Prudent Baby!

By using the zipper marking method with a basting stitch, it made putting in a zipper, a cinch!

Tada!

Finished Zipper Pillow Case

Okay, we're not quite done yet.
Time for a little pillow surgery.

Hmmm. So that's what it looked like inside. Like a big fluffy cottony cloud.

It was easy to recover these pillows. I simply turned the case inside out, grabbed the bottom corners and pulled it up and over.

Ah, sweet success.

And a little softer on the eyes. And the stomach.

Interested in a little more crafty goodness? Check out the new sunburst mirror we made for the wall. It completes the room!

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Prevent rust rings: Shaving Cream Cozy

We've all been there, staring down at the edge of the tub with rings of rust staring back at us from those seemingly innocent shaving cream cans.

Well, no more people!

In a moment of tub-cleaning-exasperation inspiration, I knew there had to be a way to prevent those nasty rust rings shower cans leave behind, once and for all.

Some reach for their tool box; I reach for my sewing machine.

And within minutes (well, 30 of them) I had created a cute little Shaving Cream Cozy.

A thrifty, easy, glam and eco-friendly way to prevent rust rings on your tub. Forever! Leaving your shower chic-ee clean!  Sigh.

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HERE'S HOW IT WORKS-

Just pop it on the bottom of the can

And place it in your tub.

Preventing a rust ring is a snap! And kinda cute too.

See how the fabric catches the rust, but your tub doesn't?

And since it's eco-friendly, you can just toss it in with your regular weekly laundry!
No harsh chemicals. No rusty rings!

{WATCH} the Shaving Cream Cozy do its magic!

Buy it here: Shaving Cream Cozy

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Or if you're super crafty, you can make your own. 

Here's how:

Easy Design: Terrycloth with double fold bias tape edge and elastic




Step 1: measure your shaving cream can and cut out a circle about double the size of your can (so in this case, ~4").

Tip: When cutting out a circle, I like to fold my pattern and material in half and half again since I don't have a circle cutter.

Step 2: cut out enough double fold bias tape to fit, and pin around edge of terry cloth circle


Step 3: Sew on the bias tape.

Step 4: Cut your piece of elastic, enough to fit around the can and bunch with the fabric.

Step 5: Secure stitch your elastic, and stretch it as you sew it on with a zigzag stitch around the circle. This technique is a little tricky since you're stretching the elastic and trying to sew it in a circle at the same time, but you'll get the hang of it.

This is an easy, thrifty, eco-friendly way to prevent rust rings on your tub. And we all need something to make tub cleaning a little easier, don't we?!

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How to Distress | Age | Antique a picture frame

I love the antique look of an aged picture frame. So I decided to take the project on, and make one myself.

It turns out, there are a few different ways to do it and a few different ways to say it: i.e. aging a picture frame, antiquing a picture frame, distressing a picture frame, making a picture frame look old.

Some use paint, wax and sandpaper. Some use paint, wax and steel wool. Some use paint and shoe polish. Some use paint, an old rag and a kitchen knife. Different techniques equal different results. Check them out before deciding on the look you want.

Through the maze of terms and techniques, I settled on a mix of my own because I had already painted my frames, so I was a little more limited.

Here are some of my Thrifty Finds' before's:

#1: Thrift store find: Framed French Bicycle Picture

#2: Estate sale find: Metal frames

#3: Thrift Store Find: Rectangular mirror

Step 1: Primer

We sprayed everything with primer to cover the previous color, and let it dry.

Next, we sprayed the top coat and let it dry. I chose a bright turquoise-ish sea blue. It looks a little more like robin's egg blue when it's dry.

We brought them home to dry thoroughly....where they sat for a week because I was too afraid I'd ruin them trying to antique them, if you want to know the truth. And then one day all of a sudden I figured if I ruined them I could always paint them again. And I got to work!

I used a block of wood covered with a piece of sand paper and started sanding spots on my beautifully painted frame. Yikes!

But behold, it worked!

The key to this look was the fact that the frame was originally painted black. When I sanded, I went through the blue, and the primer, which took me back to the original black.

Woohoo! Now I was more confident. I dare you to take away my sandpaper!

More block sanding for the mirror frame, but this time I also wiped it with black shoe polish.

Here it is after wiping it with black shoe polish.

Last project of the day, the metal frames.

First, I wiped black shoe polish on the frame, let it dry, and wiped off the excess polish.

But it just looked dirty, not antiqued. (sorry for the blurry picture)

So I pulled out my sandpaper (see how daring I'd become?) and roughed it up a bit, which gave it the perfect antique feel.

I love how they all turned out! Don't be afraid to try antiquing / distressing / aging your picture frames. If I can do it, you can do it. Especially if you find them at thrifty prices - less pressure! :)

Good luck!

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