Masquerade DIY

In honor of Halloween, I thought I'd pull this project out and show you... and because, about 30 minutes ago I realized that I had no costume and kids were already ringing the doorbell...

The project was actually born when we had to go to a masquerade themed 30th birthday party.  Rules were, you don't get to come in unless you're dressed up!  My creative juices got flowing and I decided I could make a mask (in addition it was short notice, so... it was my only option?)

I found these two inspiration photos, and printed them out...

I ran to Beverley's on my lunch break, and found the essentials: fabric covered masks, gold rick rack, glitter glue, rhinestones, ribbon, feathers, dowels... and this is when I purchased my little hot glue gun.  :)

Have you heard of the millions of projects you can use hot glue guns for?!  I used it here & here and am looking for more uses...  I digress.

Ok, so back to the masks.

I laid newspaper down, and got to work.  I had to try out with the black one first, since that was for Z.  :)  Luckily it worked out well. 

I trimmed out the edge, and the eye holes with the gold rick rack on both masks.  Because they were covered in a fabric texture, the glue held really well. 

 

I then followed my inspiration photos, and started in with the gold glitter glue.

 

While this was drying, I wrapped my dowels in ribbon (gold for mine, and black for Z's) and added streamer strips to mine.

Mine got feathers, in the classic mardi gras colors: purple, green, and yellow- they were sold together in a pack, so I lucked out :)

 

 

End result:  We looked good, plus this project was so fun!

My Spaces, part 1

When we moved into our first house, in June 2008, most of the spaces had already been updated.  It was a great choice for our first house, but as the months went on, there were small changes that I started to desire.

Paint went a long way, along with accessories.  Here now, are some of the before and after shots, along with some current shots of the current spaces.  I love continually transforming, so these are always fluid spaces.

Enjoy!

Master Bedroom:

MLS Photo:

Current:

Did you notice the headboard?  See how I made it here.  :)

Master Bathroom:

MLS Photo:

Current:

Dining Room:

MLS Photo:

Current:

Did you notice the buffet and Square mirror?  See how I did it here and here.

Second Bathroom:

Before:

Current:

I love the contrast this bathroom has now!  You don't see them here, but we also added brushed nickel hardware to the cabinet so that it matches the rest of the finishes, and looks more updated.

Living Room:

MLS Photo:

Current:

This isn't exactly a current shot of the living room, but you get the idea.  The brown and blue match up in the front of the house, and you can see both colors well in this photo.  Also, the drapes are gone, and thick wood blinds were added to the windows. 

This post made me realize I need new house photos!  Eek!

Clearance Mirror Makeover

I'll let the pictures speak for themselves on this one, folks.  I found a great size/shape mirror, with neat detail on clearance (my favorite!) for $16.  It was an awful scratched up faux mahogany, with black rubbed trim.

I decided to fix it this weekend.  Sand the varnish off and try to smooth out some of the dings.  Painters tape and newspaper to cover the glass, and then paint!  Voila!  I primed with white spray paint, and then painted with semi gloss paint from Rustoleom.

I added some photos of the new location for this mirror above the buffet I renovated back a few months ago.

Now, if only I can find a great print to tie the orange and green together, to add to the frames.  And, now that the mirror is reflecting the opposite wall, it's time to get crackin' on decor there- it's not so fun to look in a mirror only reflecting a cappuccino wall.

MOMO Print: Frame(d) Revamp

So I've had this print for a while now.  I was at one of the local art & wine festivals months back, and the large scale, multi-colored prints caught my eye.  The artist was named "Momo" (my little sister's nick name)  Unfortunately, the price was too high.  Waaa.  BUT, the artist was there, and showed me some paper versions of some of the larger prints, and I found one I really liked.  She signed it, and the date?  May 2009.  Wow, 5 months I've had this print just randomly floating around the house?  It's amazing it didn't get thrown out since Z thought it was wrapping paper scrap more than once.

Anyway, fast forward 5 months, to a recent thrift store trip, where I perused the frames/pictures section, and found this great wood frame, larger size, and with a mat.  This was going to be perfect for my print!  $7.99... sold.

I'm sure I frightened Z with the framed art in the garage for the last week.  He should know me better than that by now though!  Revamp here I come!

I took the green mat, and painted it with white spray primer (I wanted to keep the texture of the mat, and didn't want it shiny...)  This turned out well, considering I wasn't sure if you could even do that!  I picked "tool grey" spray enamel and painted the wood frame.  I added a hook on the back, cleaned up the glass, and installed.  I love this modern look!  I may even try to paint a wall with that great green color in the print.

This was fun!  Plus I got to wear my particulant mask and sound like Darth Vader.  Too bad I couldn't wear one of those all the time- my allergies are non existent when I've got that puppy on.
 

Anyway.  I love it!

Be-Jeweled Wreath

After another GREAT idea from Kate over at Centsational Girl, I tried my hand at making this overly simple, but astonishingly gorgeous holiday wreath.

This one really caught my eye- the color, the sparkle, even the embellishments. I gathered the super easy supplies: 14" foam floral wreath, orange flat sided marbles, terra cotta acrylic paint, ribbon, and a gold sprig.

What a BEAUT:


To make this, it's almost so simple that with the exception of the hot glue, I would say this is a project a 7+ year old could do. First, paint the wreath the main accent color for your marbles. Before gluing any marble gems, add the ribbon which you'll cover with the gems later. I used a sponge brush, and unscrewed the lid and poured some onto a piece of aluminum foil. I had to let the wreath dry on one side before flipping to do the other side. I ended up doing 2 coats, just in case, and was glad I did because you don't actually cover the ENTIRE surface with marbles- they don't all fit in like a perfect puzzle.






Then, start gluing! I first started putting the glue right on the wreath, but later realized it was easier to glue the backing of the gem, and attach. :)




This was such a relaxing project!


At the end, I attached the gold sprig (with hot glue) I also purchased, and because it was wire, I was able to bend in the position I needed.

The final:

Total project breakdown:

Wreath Form: $3.50
Paint: $0.50
Marble Gems: $10.50
Ribbon: already had (bought 2 spools, 4 yards each, for $3.50)
Gold Sprig: $1.15

TOTAL: $15.50ish

I love it! Thanks for the inspiration again, Kate!