couldawouldapica: diy

Showing posts with label diy. Show all posts

hackers

before we moved into our current home, i used to share a studio in dupont with my husband.

it was tiny, but i loved living downtown and got used to making the most out of tiny spaces. when we first moved into our house, it felt enormous by comparison. but three years in to homeownership and it's definitely starting to feel a little crammed.

if you're in a similar situation where every square foot matters, here's three ikea hacks that'll save space. also? no assembly required.

we don't have enough space in our bedroom for nightstands. for a while, we were charging our phones on the window ledges, but it wasn't super practical and they weren't easily accessible. mounting two ribba picture ledges ($9.99) to the wall has been a great solution for us. they take up zero floor space, they blend in nicely with our baseboards, and they hold things we'd normally have on a nightstand. as you can see, it holds an iphone almost perfectly and you still have room for other devices (like a tablet) and glasses (me) or a retainer case (husband).

our pantry is another area where we keep needing extra space. we have a few shelves in there already, but since we cook a lot at home, when it's fully stocked, it can be hard to see everything that's in there.

we mounted another ribba in there, and not only is it functional, i can also see and access everything that's inside.

when you live in tight quarters, vertical storage is your friend. this stainless steel wall shelf ($25) is supposed to be for your bathroom, but it fits right in with the other metal wall shelves we have holding our plates in the kitchen. it now holds the coffee grinder and some canisters we got from target and ikea.

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the house is always a work in progress and these changes have been fun new additions.

neat and tidy

i hate clutter. it makes me nuts.

this includes cluttered storage. i want it packed away neatly in a non-see-through box, said the ~~obsessive~~ organized lady.

but i've never really had a great way to store wrapping paper. the few rolls i had around the house were corralled in a corner of a seldom-used closet. but the ends always got a little marred up and the paper tends to wrinkle a bit, making it look a little sad.

over the break, i decided to find a clean-looking way to store wrapping paper. it took me page after page of google image search results before i found one that appealed to my need for neat. but i eventually found it through tina jay's photography blog .

her solution met all my aesthetic requirements, plus it was majorly cheap and installation was simple. i had to do some sleuthing to find out exactly which ikea products she used, but armed with an iphone screenshot and an extra set of eyes (thanks, boy), i found what i needed.

check it out.

hooks ($2.99) | rail ($2.99) | basket ($2.99)

i used a different basket than the original post, but the idea's the same.

it was incredibly difficult to wedge myself into the teeny tiny basement closet to get a good shot, but i think you can get the idea.

i also added a clip to the bottom of the rolls to keep it secure. and you can see on the red snowflake roll, i actually have two clips at the top. that one was a little heavier than the rest.

the lower rack holds gift bags, gift tags, tissue paper, ribbon and tape.

i only bust out the wrapping paper a few times a year, so it's nice to have it out of the way and wrinkle-free until i really need it. and i love how you can see everything all at once.

this took us about 10 minutes to set up. leveling the bars probably took the longest time, but i'm really digging this.

so long, closet floor.

how to: boutonniere

making your own boutonnieres is quick + easy. and it's one of those things where once you know the basic method, there are no limits to what you can create.

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you'll need a few things before diving in:

a few bunches of whatever type of flower, berry or herb you're planning to use

floral tape

floral shears

floral pin

some type of fabric (ribbon, twine) to cover the floral tape

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start by getting a single stem of whatever you're going to be using (step 1).

separate out all the branches (step 2), and remove the excess leaves (step 3).

get your additional supplies ready (step 4) and gather a few individual clusters together and, using the floral shears, cut it to a length that looks good to you (step 5).

holding the bunch very tightly, slowly wrap with floral tape (step 6).

cover the floral tape (step 7). i used twine.

here's the step-by-step with pictures:

with the help of some bridesmaids, we made these the morning of the wedding and it was no sweat. and when it was time to pin these on the groomsmen, i used the little floral pin shown in step 4.

the good thing is you can make boutonnieres with pretty much anything you like. other natural elements such as feathers, herbs (rosemary and thyme look great), wheat stalks, leaves, or flowers would also work well here.

if you're planning to do this for a wedding, this is a great way to personalize. i used twine here since we got married at eastern market and i was going for that whole "brown paper packages tied up with string" feel. but if you have colors or a theme, this is a good way to tie that in to the rest of the decor.

have fun with it. you'll make something awesome. i just know it.

infusion

i've been on a cocktail kick lately.

this probably has something to do with the fact that ever since i saw this picture

via the life styled

and ordered this book

i feel the need to fancy my life up with some sophisticated (but not complicated!) adult beverages.

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the boy and i have been slowly stocking up on some nicer spirits. we started with vodka and gin. pretty standard stuff.

vodka is ok. it's usually mixed in with other stuff, but i've always hated that rubbing alcohol aftertaste it has. or maybe my liquor is just cheap.

either way, when i saw this recipe, i was pumped. and although the word 'infused' would normally scare me off, this requires almost no effort.

so here it is:

take any brand of vodka you like, and add about 15-20 basil leaves. you can leave them in there overnight if you have the time, but a few hours will do the trick also.

this changed my whole view on vodka. because these drinks were smoooooooth, man.

too smooth, as my sister-in-law put it.

the basil gave the liquor a subtle lemony, peppery bite and completely removed any hint of aftertaste nastiness.

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it's got me thinking: what's next? tarragon in gin? thyme in tequila?

hmmmm.

paper goods

let's talk paper.

it took me a while to narrow down what i wanted in a wedding suite. between pinterest and the rest of the internet being just a google search away, options for wedding paper goods know no bounds.

we had some issues with the venue during the planning process. our original venue went out of business six months after we'd booked it (fun times), which would eventually lead us to eastern market's north hall where the wedding was held. since it was at a market, i decided to play off the idea of a brown paper bag and ended up using lots of deliciously thick brown paper.

most of the paper goods (including day-of signage) were printed at home on my epson and cut down to size. i bought all of my paper here and the envelopes here and here.

our address is blurred out in this image, but if you can read it, please mail me this.

i had a good friend design the map. maps are not my specialty and i can't thank her enough for stepping in and doing such a beautiful job.

the invitations and map were letterpress printed by the good and very patient people at mama's sauce. i didn't get to feel the paper before the finished product but i was thrilled with the result when it came in the mail. superthick.

the boy and i wanted everything to have a casual, almost matter-of-fact feel so we used language that matched that mood.

i had a few custom stamps made here also. we used them on the save the dates and thank you cards.

oh. that gold glitter tape? i got it here.

and i purchased a whole mess of vintage stamps right off ebay. there were tons to be had so if you're thinking about buying some, it should be easy to do so.

we made return address labels using these (the text was set up using indesign and not the avery template thing which is pretty wonky).

buttermilk and raleway were used in case you're curious.

i really enjoyed designing these pieces. hard work and late nights were required, but it was worth it. and in the end, it felt like us: laid back but stylish.

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and there you have it! (almost) all of our wedding paper goods. there were more on the day of that our photographer captured, but this little array was the heart of it.

all covered

today, i thought i'd share a super easy DIY.

like crazy easy.

if you have cans and some spray paint, you're good. here's what i did:

1. grab some glitter spray paint and some primer. i've found that krylon has the best coverage.

2. set up as many cans as you want, removing the labels first.
3. add the first coat of primer
4. add a second coat. this helps the glitter spray paint stand out more. it can look a little wimpy on its own. and we're looking for some sparkle here, dammit.

you want to let them dry thoroughly between coats also. after the primer's dry, you're ready to add glitter. i used two coats. using just one looked a little weak.

i'm not sure the picture is doing enough to show you how sparkly these look. i'm going to fill them with parsley and thyme as part of the wedding centerpieces, but you could use these for anything: storing paint brushes, pencils, beauty supplies. whatever you like.

and even though it isn't shown here, i have some smaller tomato paste-sized cans to mix in as well.
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have fun spraying!

strap happy

i take an insane amount of instagram pics, but i also still use my big girl camera a lot.

i've been lugging it around for years and had always just used the supremely touristy aka nevercool neck strap that came with it.

ew.

that all changed when one of my faves, jamie beck, showcased this baby in her holiday gift guide.

both images via photo jojo

brilliant, i tell you.

i always hated wearing it around my neck. not just because it looks nerdy, but because it's really not that functional. if you want to snap something superquick, you can potentially miss it in those teeny milliseconds where you're fumbling to grab it.

and i'll take advice from the baddest ass photographer i know any day.

(it also doesn't hurt that she looks so classically chic 24/7)

image via from me to you

wowza, right?

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anyways, i've been using mine for a while now, and i love it. my hand gets a little tired from holding it instead of my neck carrying the weight of the camera (those things are heavy!), but the efficiency/practicality totally won me over.

and because i have more glitter tape than i know what to do with, i customized mine a bit to make it less...blah.

there.

that's more like it.

if you ever use a digital slr camera, i highly recommend this purchase.

and the glitter? well, that's your call, but who doesn't love a little extra sparkle?

happy snapping!

quick + easy

you know ceiling fan medallions, right?

these guys right here?

yeah, you've seen them.

i bought one at home depot a few weeks ago (seen here) and decided it could make a pretty cool wall decoration.

this is the one i bought, although mine was on sale for 19.99.

hey-oh!

anyways, since these medallions are designed to hang from the ceiling, i needed to do a quick little add-on to make it wall friendly.

check it out:

just add one of these little sawtooth hangers to the back using two nails to secure it in place.

make sure it's level or it won't hang right.

here's a wider shot:

since mine (and most i've seen) came in white, i decided to spray paint it with a little neon yellow.

but you could do any color! or even leave it sparkling white if you like.

here's how it looks with a coat of paint:

we had this weird little wall space above our full-length mirror in the bedroom that needed some love.

i think this guy fits it perfectly. and also adds some nice texture.

i also like this look because it reminds me of the arcitectural details on so many of the dc rowhouses (ours included!)

see? that white medallion at the top? | pic from closing day

hope you guys enjoy this easy little DIY project!

save that date

two shots of the save-the-dates i created using the stamps and glitter tape. that picture of them isn't the best quality, but i've mailed them all now so that's all i got.

also, my hand may be permanently gnarled (tip of the hat to all you professional calligraphers out there!) from addressing them all by hand, but i think it was worth it.

invitations next!

weekend stuff

at eastern market with the boy and the fam

behind the scenes at eastern market to meet with wedding peeps

sunny capitol hill

yellow paint on a sunny sunday

for a new project | more to come

only three salted caramels left

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so this weekend was pretty good.

hung out with my future sister-in-law for her bday, got some projects done around the house and, with the help of the boy and my sister, polished off a full pound of salted caramels from the caramel jar.

i laughed a little when the big ol' mason jar arrived in the mail with the warning 'best when eaten within seven days'

'there's no way we'll finish that,' i thought.

heh.

well, who knew they would be the best thing i've ever eaten. in my life.

buy some here.

hope your week's off to a fun start.

the plaid barn

i have something fun to share this grey (but warm!) february friday.

we all love gilt, right? high-end fashions for near-j. crew prices?

you betcha.

now there's something similar for crafts.

(so glad someone thought of this!)

anyways, the plaid barn has daily deals that start at 8 a.m.

today, divine twine was up there.

i snagged the yellow one.

it normally sells for about $15 but i got mine for five bucks off. you can too by signing up to be a member.

sweet stuff.

the deals continue until the product is out of stock.

here's some other things they had on sale recently:

chalkboard labels

colorful gift tags

earring supplies (63% off!)

kraft paper seals

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most crafting supplies are fairly cheap already but i can't resist a good sale!

if you want in on the deals, head over here and submit your e-mail address.

have fun crafting on the cheap!

headrest

one of the first purchases for our new home was a big couch for the living room.

i loved the couch the boy and i had in our old studio, but when we moved across town last april, we decided it was time for an upgrade.

i'd purchased the old couch for 60 bucks off craigslist. so it had a good run.

(plus the movers couldn't fit it downstairs to use as seating in the basement, but that's another story)

i've been buying pillows here and there over the past couple of months. i like to mix and match bright colors and fun graphic patterns. it really livens up our blue/grey sofa.

i bought that green pillow down there a few weeks back. it's awesome. here are some others that i'm loving at the moment.