DIY PRETTY KNIFE BLOCK SET

Not long ago I discovered the Mod Podge. And I don't know how I was living my life before that without it. You can pretty much turn anything from plain to beautiful with Mod Podge. Well, I decided to make over my knife block set. 

It went from plain:

To Pretty: 

And it really only took me about 1 and a half hours.

I actually got the idea of making over my knife block set from Pinterest. I had seen someone there who had painted theirs green. But I had a different idea. 

Here's what I used:

- Mod Podge in Gloss

- Decorative Paper 

- A paint brush

- Scissors

- Utility knife or stencil knife

So this was pretty straight forward. Mod Podge went on first with a brush. Then I pasted the paper, smoothing over and cutting the excess with the knife. Then I brushed Mod Podge over it to seal the paper on the wood. 

As you can see, depending on the shape of your knife holder, you might need to work with some tricky areas. But just be patient and do them in sections. After you brush the Mod Podge on the paper, it will look seamless. 

Then I just felt for the openings through the paper with my fingers and stuck the knifes in them :)

And there you have it, a fun looking knife block set!

I hope you try it and I hope I get to see your after pictures!!

xoxo

WINDOW SHOPPING: Impact Thrift Hatboro

As some of you know already I live in an apartment and the problem of apartment living is lack of space. This is one of the reasons I don't do as many furniture make overs as I wish I could, simply because I have almost no room left for more furniture in my apartment, nor the place to work on them. However, I keep on seeing furnitures and objects at the consignment store my husband works at (Impact Thrift) that I wish I could bring home. So instead of bringing them home, I decided to at least take pictures of them and share these gems with you guys so that maybe someone who lives close by might find a home for them :) 

So here are this week's finds: 

Green Hutch

I'm not sure how I feel about this hutch. I feel like it has a lot of potential and something about it is so adorable, but at the same time, these black tiles just don't go with that green paint. If I were to buy it, I'd probably paint the wood part white, leave the current green and change the tiles. 

Adorable TV Stand

This stand does not need any make over! It's SO adorable! I fell in love as soon as I saw it! There are keys that come with it so you can open the glass doors too. I really want it but I'm not sure where I would put it in my apartment. This is the only thing I'm currently contemplating bringing home.

Vintage Headboard

My husband said this headboard was appraised and could be from as early as the 1920's. I love the vintage look! Now the creepy old lady on the emblem? Not so crazy about her, but hey, adds characteristic. I still think it looks very charming and elegant though.

Mosaic Lantern

Love the look, especially on a porch or garden. I'd probably spray paint the metal piece white though.

Cute Piano Bench

This guy could use a new paint color and new fabric, but it's only 10 bucks!

Vintage Lamp

Love the look of this lamp with the fringes and the old books. So "Withering Heights" :)

Comfy Pretty Chair

This too wouldn't even need a make over. Maybe just some cleaning. It looks very nice the way it is right now. 

So anyway, these are some of my finds this week. It's amazing how many beautiful things you can find at consignment shops, not only this one. Especially if you are into vintage style. But even if you are not, they have some newer looking stuff too, like this bedroom set: 

So this was my window shopping for this week. These were all there yesterday so if you live nearby you might be able to grab one of them. 

I just can't wait until I have a house and lots of room for furniture make over! :)

xoxo

**Update: I bought the pretty TV stand!! Yay!!**

TIME FOR A MAKE OVER

So a couple of weeks ago I had told you about a handmade grandfather's clock that I had bought at my husband's thrift store for less than 5 bucks. 

Yesterday I finally decided to do something with it and I think I'm pretty happy with the results. 

Here's the before picture of the clock, with the tags still on:

And here is the after...Ta-da!! 

I had to photoshop a pretty wallpaper on the background since my apartment doesn't really have a wall big enough and pretty enough to "showcase" my creation ;)

Here is a close-up: 

It took me one bottle of sample paint by Martha Stewart, a paint brush, a sand paper, printed patterns and Mod Podge to make this happen. Not bad for less than 10 bucks, huh? I think it would look great in a Nursery or children's room. The inside of the bottom cabinet actually had children's drawings in it :)

Now, if you will excuse me, I have to go clean up all the mess this makeover left behind!

xoxo

GETTING ORGANIZED

Thanks to an old bookshelf I was about to throw away, I now have all my crafts organized!

I saw potential on it and decided to use the leftover paint I had used on my hutch makeover. I primed it, painted it and added a background with contact paper. 

It went from plain and boring....

To pretty and functional:

I used a contact paper I bought at Target on the background, which cost about $5. The white boxes and glass jars were purchased at ACMoore Crafts and total for them was about $20. The frame was something I had laying around. I painted it white and printed that "Keep Calm" picture from my computer. 

So the total cost for this project was $25 and I'm pretty happy with it!! SO much for an old bookshelf :)

Now I finally have a nice, organized area where I can "keep calm and get my craft on". 

xoxo

DIY PAPER ROSES

Today I decided to do something relaxing and fun.. I was looking through my Pinterest (since I have quite a few projects there I want to work on) when I decided to do the DIY paper roses tutorial from Dozi. I would have never thought it was so easy and simple, but all you have to do is cut a spiral, on a piece of paper, fold it and voila, there's your rose! I used some tape at the ends to keep them from opening too much but looked pretty cute!

I then went outside and cut some branches and after applying a few drops of hot glue here and there, I had made myself a little bouquet of roses. I love it!!

PS: The background wallpaper is from a bookshelf I just finished re-purposing. Once I de-clutter my room, I'll take the before and after pictures and post here ;)

xoxo

PRETTY & TECH: IPHONE CASES

It's hard to find an Iphone case nowadays that are not too sparkly or plain boring. I wanted something stylish, not tacky. I finally came across these cases from Hard Candy. I love the patterns and color combinations. I just wish they had more of a variety. 

Which one would you choose?

xoxo

DIY FELTED CRASPEDIAS

I personally am not a big fan of fake flowers or plants, only for the sheer fact they never really look real. However, you can make fake Craspedias yourself and make them look authentic as well as very stylish, thanks to Tanya @ Dans le Townhouse who gives us a perfect step-by-step guide on how to make them with felt. Yes, FELT! Conveniently cheap and simply chic. Here’s what she says inspired her:

“While making felted wool beads for my DIY'd necklace, the yellow wool beads I was felting started to really look like stylized Yellow Craspedia (small, spherical flowers also known as “Billy Buttons” or “Woollyheads”).  Inspired, I made some extra felted wool beads, pierced them with cloth covered floral wire and made an arrangement in an inexpensive West Elm vase..”

You can see the full how-to on her website. Here’s what the final product looks like:

Gorgeous! Thank you Tanya!

xoxo

PRETTY AND FUNCTIONAL

Tired of the same old unexciting look of shelves? Well, if you are an UK resident, you should consider yourself lucky because you can find these charming, baroque shelves at Graham and Green, an UK based online store. You can use them individually or in a sent. You can use them as bookshelves, display shelves or just empty. Bottom line is, they add grand personality to any wall. I would really love to be able to buy them. Unfortunately, they do not deliver internationally. I guess I will have to start looking for something like these in my own land.

xoxo