diy :: thrift store frames

you’ve probably gathered by now that i’ve got a thing for 1) old frames, 2) white paint & 3) diy projects.  whelp- this one combines all three!  i’ve got old frames all over my house, and i’m estimating that i didn’t spend more than $15 on all of them put together.  it’s amazing what you’ll find if you just do a little thrifting!

i used valspar spray paint (found at most hardware stores) to turn these ol’ frames into some of my favorite pieces around the house.

here’s the how to:

1) give your frames a good cleaning (i used simple green and a dry cloth), and let dry.

2) most frames will benefit greatly if you use a primer like this one (half way down, #65054), which helps the top coat stick better, cover better and go on smoothly.

3) after the primer has dried, spray paint with a high gloss white paint (i used valspar gloss in white).  let dry completely (only takes a few hours!) and your ready to start displaying them.

Tags: before and after, diy, frames, project, thrift, white paint

our house – before and after!

hi lovelies!  finally, i’m going to be able to share with you what i’ve been working on!  i’ve been trying to take the official ‘after’ pics of our home for a while now, and i’m very excited to finally share them with you!  though some of the decorating isn’t finished (is it ever?) most of the renovations are, so i’m going to go ahead and let you see our new house! most of you know, we just bought it in november and have been busy doing projects ever since. 

i hope you enjoy our before and after pictures!

LIVING ROOM BEFORE

this is the living room the way my grandmother had it.  we took down the railing, gave everything a fresh coat of paint and replaced the chandelier with a clear acrylic ceiling fan.

LIVING ROOM AFTER

it feel a lot bigger now! we’ve got plenty of room to spread out and entertain now.

LIVING ROOM – BEFORE

this is the living room from a different angle. we added some shelves and dressed up the windows a bit.

LIVING ROOM – OTHER SIDE AFTER

we tried to make it as bright and cheerful as we could, and all the natural sunlight fills the whole house!

KITCHEN BEFORE

this is one side of the kitchen, before.  we replaced the flooring, painted and added some storage on the far end for food.

KITCHEN AFTER

all of the ‘pretty’ food is displayed in labeled glass jars, and the cereal boxes and tortilla chip bags are nicely concealed behind the doors.

KITCHEN BEFORE

KITCHEN AFTER

KITCHEN- BEFORE

this is the working side of the kitchen.  we painted, replaced the counter tops as well as the door knobs.

KITCHEN – AFTER

as you’ll see below, we took out a few walls! therefore, we were able to add this island in the middle, giving us so much more work space!

KITCHEN – BEFORE

here’s that wall we took out..

KITCHEN SIDE – AFTER

we actually took out both sides of that wall (below) to open the living room and kitchen  up.

see?  now, we have so much more space and light!

DEN TO MASTER BEDROOM – BEFORE

the den just so happened to be connected to the master bathroom (which also had a closet in it)- and since it’s the biggest room, we decided to make it our bedroom!

DEN TO MASTER BEDROOM – AFTER

just some fresh paint and new carpet here..

DEN TO MASTER BEDROOM – BEFORE (other side)

DEN TO MASTER BEDROOM – AFTER

DEN TO MASTER BEDROOM – BEFORE

DEN TO MASTER BEDROOM – BEFORE

GUEST ROOM BEFORE

here’s the (messy) guest bedroom.  we just painted and dressed up the windows here.

GUEST ROOM AFTER

i’m not done with this room yet, but here’s the start.  it’s going to have a bit of a ‘fishing getaway’ theme- see the vintage hooks on the wall?

MASTER BEDROOM TO OFFICE – BEFORE

this was the master bedroom, but we decided to make into our office.

OFFICE AFTER

i have a think for vintage prints- and the art on this wall changes constantly.  but, this is where i blog and write to you, every day!

OFFICE (OTHER SIDE) – BEFORE

OFFICE (OTHER SIDE) – AFTER

this also ends up being david’s guitar room, the yoga room and 3rd bedroom when we need to accommodate more guests.

SEWING ROOM BEFORE

this is the sewing room- before we painted, and added some shelving and counter tops.

SEWING ROOM AFTER

all of the lower cabinets are what we took out from the kitchen, and ikea counter tops and upper cabinets made this renovation very affordable.

SEWING ROOM BEFORE

SEWING ROOM AFTER

SEWING ROOM BEFORE

SEWING ROOM AFTER

i bet you couldn’t guess that this is my favorite room in the house! it’s where i get away, and get creative.  it’s a big change from my little sewing table in the corner of our bedroom in our last house!

will you be mine?

happy valentine’s day!

printables – sweet love valentine’s day party circles :: be mine bicycle :: valentine’s cards – set of 8 :: printable valentine’s – robot parade :: love bug printable :: printable valentine’s cards – diy :: pdf valentine shower with love whale :: diy love coupons :: printable valentine mini card set

happy valentine’s day eve eve love bugs! will you be mine?

since it’s only two days away, and i think half of the u.s. is snowed in (eeks!) – these are all pdf, downloadable valentine’s day cards! that’s right, you can print them right from home and they range from 20¢ to $7.00 so they are super affordable.  if you find one you like, you could just print multiples for all the sweeties in your life, making it a real snag of a deal.  and, let’s be serious-  i don’t think any of the big box stores have cards as cute as these (how could you say no to that robot??).

Tags: be mine, bug, love, robot, sweetheart, valentine's day

repurposing my favorite sweater

so, sigh… my sweet innocent toaster got a little bored the other day, and i came home to one of my favorite sweaters looking like this.  how lovely! after a little pouting, i decided to at least put it to good use.

so, i made a pillow cover. i chopped off the bottom half (it was one of those really long, pretty sweaters), turned it inside out and stitched across the bottom with my sewing machine.

then, i turned it right side out, stuffed my pillow in it, and grabbed some left over alpaca wool yarn.  i threaded up an extra large needle and haphazardly whipped up the top to give it a little character.  now, it’s just perfect for my couch, and though i’ll never be able to wear it again, maybe i can at least sleep on it! (unless, i could wear the remains and start a new fashion trend?)

yes toaster, you should be ashamed!

diy business cards

after seeing this post over at design*sponge, i couldn’t help but run out and make my own business cards!

though i absolutely love my moo minis, sometimes it’s hard for me to commit to something so permanent.   i’ve always struggled with ordering so many cards at once- i mean, what if i open a new shop, start something new, or change the name of something?

by grabbing this stamp set at my local office supply store, i can now make my own stamp, and change it up any ol’ time!  all you need after you get the stamp set is a few blank business cards  (one isle over from the stamps!) and your all set to go.  you could easily make your own cards too by stamping your ‘card’ on scrap paper and especially your outgoing envelopes.  think about all the people who handle your mail before it reaches it’s destination- this is a great (free!) way to advertise.

voila!  easily editable, diy, hand crafted business cards!

i hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and i look forward to see you back here on monday!

Tags: business, business cards, diy, handmade, stamp

make your own product labels

i’ve been trying to figure out how to tag my products for a while now.  everything online seemed expensive with minimum orders of 1000 or more, and i just wasn’t ready to take the plunge! so, i was really excited when i found this solution.   using printable fabric makes the job easy, affordable and quick- i made these in just a few minutes!

using printable fabric from printed treasures allows you to simply run the fabric, right through your printer.  you could use this technique for any number of personalized projects, but made my task of making tags an easy one.  your local sewing or craft store should carry this, but just in case they don’t…

there’s an alternative method! you can simply iron freezer paper to the back of any fabric you have, cut it to a printer-friendly size and run it right through.  who knew?! the freezer paper easily peels right off and you’re left with the same result.  you could then even iron it on the other side to make double-sided labels.

this is my sheet of 30 labels, and i made sure to leave plenty of room at the top for sewing them in to my seam.

tagging your items are an important step in selling, especially if you’re filling wholesale or consignment orders.  letting the customer know where the product came from and how to find it again is so important.  and, tagging helps keep your business fresh in the mind of your consumers!

i used pinking shears to cut them out so as to prevent the sides from raveling.  you could also stitch around them to prevent fraying.

sewn right into the seam of my aprons, it makes the task of tagging a cinch!

Tags: diy, fabric, labels, make your own, print, tag

glitzer :: collection launch and promotion how-to

inspired by a recent trip to fuji, glitzer recently launched a brand new collection called paradise. it’s full of lovely & romantic pieces, perfect for valentines day!

in addition to all their new products, the lovely charmaine has created a fab way to promote your business!  do you remember when we talked about moo mini’s?  glitzer created a lookbook collection by binding five moo mini cards together: four key pieces from the new collection plus an introductory image showing the theme behind the collection. it’s a straightforward yet brilliant idea that transforms a simple card into an elegant keepsake.  it’s difficult to have your items with you or even a portfolio at times, so this is a quick, compact, and innovative way to showcase your items! visit glitzer ideas for the tutorial!

elsewhere :: {blog} {ideas blog} {shop} {facebook}

Tags: how-to, jewelry, lookbook, moo minis, portfolio, promote

friday diy {2} :: show me a sign

have you all been reading young house love?  if you’re looking for design, decor, diy projects and home renovation, this blog is loaded with inspiring projects, useful information and tons of the ‘can-do’ spirit!

pssst! you might want to tune in to ace of base’s ‘the sign‘ to continue with this post!

from gathered inspiration from a recent NYC trip…

the lovely sherry & john whipped these two signs up right on there home computer.  that’s right- and just printed them from their home printer on regular ol’ paper.

after some magic aging techniques and mod podge.. (check this post for step by step instructions).

voila!  two beautiful, chic, diy and totally affordable art pieces!

if you want to check out more of young house love’s delicious diy’s- visit a few of their other homemade art projects: making a magazine monogram, whipping up custom pet art, making free inspiration art, using chalk for freehand wall decor, painting pop art over old art, and creating a bunch of other cheap wall art.

have a lovely weekend!  xoxo, bonnie

Tags: art, craft, decor, diy, handmade, house, project, signs