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All posts tagged DIY

Vanity Fair

So, my girlfriend was looking for a vanity and asked if I’d help her find some alternatives to the pricey options she’s seen online. She sent over the first picture below as inspiration and I did some additional searching myself on Pinterest and Craigslist. I’ve come up with quite a few reasonable options that just need a little TLC, paint, and updated hardware.

Inspiration vanities: 

via Etsy

via Pinterest

via Pinterest

via Pinterest

via Pottery Barn Teen ($1,199)

Craigslist finds:

This sofa table is listed for only $40. I think it’d look great with a different color on the bottom than the top and a fun knob like this glass one from Hobby Lobby.

This vintage writing desk is $50. I love the curved shape and detailed edges along the top and bottom. I would sand it down and paint it a light gray or turquoise.

This desk for $45 has some great lines to it. It definitely needs a paint job and some new handles. It’d look cute with some extra details like stripped on the drawers and I love these handles from Anthropologie (although they’d cost more than the desk!).

This vanity is only $89 and looks great as is. I’d hang this mirror from ikea above the vanity and spray paint it a contrasting color that matches the room.

This vanity is listed for $80 and is another cute one with great shapes. Perfect for a smaller space than some of the other options above.

Gotta love Craigslist, so many great deals to be found with just a little digging and some elbow grease.

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by christienoelle on April 16, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Decorating, DIY
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Posted by christienoelle on April 16, 2012

http://christiescreative.com/2012/04/16/vanity-fair/

Pillow Talk

Let’s do a little pillow talk today. It was time to finally replace/update the pillows that we got when we bought our couch. They weren’t bad, but they definitely weren’t “us” –  I knew we could do better. I don’t have any pictures of them in our current place, but here they are in our last apartment. Definitely time for an upgrade, right?

I wanted to somehow incorporate bright blue in the room to tie-in the blue mirror that we spray painted and also add a little extra pop of color. I also knew I wanted something with a geometric print, like an ikat or some type of polka dots. I was initially drawn to the 20″ Kingston Pillows at Crate & Barrel, but they were $59.95 each – JUST for the covers. Our current pillows are 25″ so I would have also needed to buy new inserts in addition to the $120+ for the pillow covers. Too much! Even though we still have some gift cards leftover from our wedding, I figured I could do better (and would rather use those for an espresso maker :) ).

My search then turned to Etsy, where I found these made-to-order pillow covers made out of Premier Prints Peacock Blue Denton fabric for $35 a pop. I fell in love with the fabric and decided I wanted to make my own (this Etsy shop has a ton of cute stuff though, so I recommend you check it out).

I found the print online for $12.97/yard on Warehousefabrics.com and bought 2 yards for about $37 with shipping and tax. It was more than enough for my two 25″ pillow covers and I have plans for another project with the leftover fabric.

To make the pillow covers, I measured and cut the fabric so the piece was 27″x 27″ (allowing a bit of room for the seam and to fit the pillow inside) and folded it over so that I would only need to sew 3 sides instead of all 4. I then used the cutout from my first pillow to quickly cut out the same measurements for the second pillow.

I turned the fabric inside out, pinned the sides, starting with the top corner so I made sure it was straight, and used a colored pin at the end so I didn’t sew too close to the top. Once I sewed the 2 sides, I added a zipper to the top so I can wash and change out the pillow covers easier.

SUCH an improvement from our old pillows. I paired them with some old small pillows I’d previously recovered and these guys from cb2 that I got with a gift card. I love the mix of colors, patterns, textures, and sizes. I also love how they pull out the orange from our wall art and tie in the blue from our mirror and the vintage bottle/vase on our coffee table.

Amazing the difference new pillows can make on a room. Anyone else do any pillow updating or sewing lately?

1 Comment
by christienoelle on April 13, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Decorating, DIY
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Posted by christienoelle on April 13, 2012

http://christiescreative.com/2012/04/13/pillow-talk/

Love & Lavender- Our Wedding!

Ahhh! Our wedding was featured on the wedding blog Love & Lavender yesterday! You can check it out here. When planning our wedding, I turned to blogs as a source for inspiration, so it’s very exciting to have our wedding featured in one of the blogs I checked daily.

Hopefully I can pay it forward and inspire other DIY brides out there in the midst of their planning!

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by christienoelle on April 5, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Wedding
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Posted by christienoelle on April 5, 2012

http://christiescreative.com/2012/04/05/love-lavender-our-wedding/

Wedding Wednesday: French Farm Mood Board

A friend of mine at work is getting married in September on a farm outside of Paris (I know…lucky girl, right?!), and she asked if I’d mind putting together some suggestions for her big day. Ummm…yes please! Now that my wedding has passed and I’m experiencing some wedding planning withdrawals, I’m happy to help whoever needs it.

My friend told me that their colors are dark blue and white and they planned to use bright flowers in magenta, pink and orangey reds. Their ceremony is going to be outside in an enclosed, small courtyard and dinner will be taking place indoors on long banquet tables. They want their look to be clean, but not too high maintenance. I started to pin with this information (which you can see here) and took my first stab at creating a mood board.

  1. Large frames like this can be found at most flea markets and thrift stores. Simply spray paint the color of your choice. The menu can either be printed on a large sheet of paper or the original picture in the frame can be turned into a chalkboard with a little chalkboard paint. Vintage bottles can also be found at most flea markets as well as on ebay and Etsy.
  2. Table runners are an easy way to add visual interest and look great on long banquet tables. I think this Waverly fabric would contrast nicely with the bright and colorful flower centerpieces.
  3. Orange, magenta & yellow flowers. I love the loose wild-flower look which is also a good option for DIY flower arrangements.
  4. What says “French” more than macaroons?! These are so colorful, fun, and look very yummy!
  5. Using flower petals is an easy (and inexpensive) way to add some additional color and decor to a ceremony space. I also love the idea of using potted plants to line the aisle.
  6. These DIY table number ideas fit in with the French, and vintage theme. One uses vintage books and the other is a DIY take on vintage door knobs.
  7. I absolutely adore this unique guest book idea that I came across on Etsy! Guests sign the personalized 3D hearts which can be made in the colors of your choice. It also doubles as a pretty piece of personalized art!
  8. Mercury glass is soooo pretty but can definitely be pricey. DIY your own using this technique. You can even mimic these votives from BHLDN with cheap mismatched votives from thrift stores.

Ahhh…I love weddings.

2 Comments
by christienoelle on April 4, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Wedding
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Posted by christienoelle on April 4, 2012

http://christiescreative.com/2012/04/04/wedding-wednesday-french-farm-mood-board/

Coffee Table Creative

Our coffee table was in need of a little pizazz, and after some pinning and blog surfing, I was inspired by the coffee table styling done by Kirsten over at Restored Style.

I already had a similar jar, but I decided rather than using some moss covered balls, I wanted something with a bit more color to brighten up the room a bit.

What did I decide to use? Yarn! I picked up 4 different colors from Michaels for $2.99 each and borrowed some golf balls from the Mr.

I taped the yarn to the golf ball and started to wrap (no, not like 50 Cent –  in case you were confused).

I made the balls varying sizes and used some twine for a 5th color/texture. Always best to do these types of things in odd numbers.

I love how they add a pop of color and texture. I put them on top of a stack of magazines in a West Elm tray along with a vintage cobalt blue bottle with billy balls and a clock I got ages ago from World Market.

Next to the tray is a stack of books with a candle from Anthropologie. A quick, easy, and inexpensive update! Anyone else out there have any creative and easy updates they’ve made lately? What are some of your favorite ways to style tables?

1 Comment
by christienoelle on April 3, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Decorating, DIY
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Posted by christienoelle on April 3, 2012

http://christiescreative.com/2012/04/03/coffee-table-creative/

TV Stand Revamp

When the Mr and I first moved in together, we bought a few essential furniture items that we needed for our place. This included a new bed, dresser, couch and TV stand. Over time, it’s funny to see how our style and taste has evolved. Before living together, Troy rented furnished apartments and I either had a studio or roommates, so neither of us really had our own place to really decorate (my studio was really small and I didn’t live there very long). Most of the stuff we bought definitely still works can definitely adapt to our evolving style (which I would say is much more eclectic/rustic) but one item that I’m dying to revamp a bit to be more “us” is our TV stand.

Now there’s really nothing wrong with our TV stand and I’m actually pretty certain most people would be perfectly happy with it as is, but it’s just not quite “us” anymore. It’s a little too classic and perfect. After building our reclaimed wood dining table and collecting more eclectic, rustic and vintage pieces for our place, I think we can make some fun DIY changes to our TV stand/media cabinet to fit our style a little bit more. Here are some media cabinets that have been inspiring me via Pinterest.

via Pinterest

I love how rich and warm this piece from Restoration Hardware feels. It has so much character. Would love to figure out a way to add some galvanized metal and do a paint treatment to our TV stand, but I’m not sure exactly how that would work. Maybe add some metallic paint and nail heads to the edges and do a paint treatment to make the rest look more worn?

via Pinterest

LOVE LOVE LOVE this one.  Now this media table teems to double as a bar, but I was thinking I can replicate this a bit with our current stand by replacing the glass on the cabinet doors with some sort of wire sheet metal like chicken wire or something that maybe is used in gardens. I bet I can find something from Home Depot. I’d replace the knobs too and use the Anthropologie knobs that are currently on the table for something else.

via Pinterest

Loving painted furniture a lot. Maybe I should just paint it a nice gray like this dresser? Could break things up a bit since we have a lot of wood furniture in the room.

These two beauties are from Crate & Barrel. I’m thinking I could try a paint treatment to replicate the first one and I found this great idea for the second that uses laminate wood flooring that can be cut and and easily adhered for a faux wood treatment.

Hmm…decisions decisions. Maybe I’ll try to tackle something this weekend when I’m back home!

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by christienoelle on March 15, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Decorating, DIY
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Posted by christienoelle on March 15, 2012

http://christiescreative.com/2012/03/15/tv-stand-revamp/

Votive Motive

Last night the Mr. and I had a lovely dinner date at Flour+Water in the Mission.

The food was delicious, the time together was great and the ambiance and decor definitely left me inspired. I clearly have a love for rustic/industrial design and this restaurant was filled with it. Chalkboard walls, raw wood beams, rustic tables and I loved the simple napkins (must find something like them for our place). One interesting element that I had never seen before were science style beakers used as candle votives. My phone had died, so I don’t have any pictures (although you can kinda see one in the picture above taken from their website), but it inspired me to write a little post on other creative DIY votives for a table setting.

Beakers via Amazon that can make great and quirky votives (or vases too if you want!).

DIY twine or yarn wrapped votives via Pinterest

DIY twig votive via Pinterest.

Book jar votive via Pinterest

Speaking of Pinterest, I’m planning to participate in the Pinterest challenge initiated by two of my favorite bloggers – Young House Love and Bower Power! I may actually try one of the DIYs posted above – you’ll just have to wait and fine out!

Ps. This week has FLOWN by! Can’t believe it’s already Friday! TGIF everyone :)

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by christienoelle on March 9, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Decorating, Shopping
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Posted by christienoelle on March 9, 2012

http://christiescreative.com/2012/03/09/votive-motive/

Back at it

Things in my world have been a little busy and I kinda failed to keep this thing going. Now that I’m all married and no longer have a wedding to plan, I vow to get back at it! The last 8 months or so have been filled with lots of ebay-ing, craigslis-ting, etsy-ing, and DIYing, so I definitely have lots to share.

Here are a few sneak peaks of what I crafted and styled for my wedding. Stay tuned for more details!

DIY fan programs

Vintage finds

DIY honey jar favors that doubled as seating cards

Paper covered Mr and Mrs sign

DIY photo booth

Rustic dessert table

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by christienoelle on October 11, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in DIY, Wedding
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Posted by christienoelle on October 11, 2011

http://christiescreative.com/2011/10/11/back-at-it/

The Moss is Always Greener

I’m definitely in that time of my life where I’m surrounded by all things wedding related. Not only am I planning my own wedding (September 23rd!!!), but I also have friends, family and co-workers planning weddings too! I’m having so much fun being inspired by the plethora of creative ideas out there and already have a hefty to-do list of all the things I want to make.  First stop – moss letters for my bff’s wedding in less than a month (eeekkk!!!).

I’ve seen these in bridal magazines and wedding blogs and think they are adorable. My bff’s colors are green and black so these would fit in perfectly with her décor. The ones pictured above are selling on Etsy.com for $80. Super cute, but I think I can make them cheaper ;)

I found some 12” paper mache letters online at JO-ANN’s for $3.99 each and even found a 50% off one item coupon. SCORE!

I placed an order for these and will be hunting for some dried moss to use with the ol’ glue gun on these bad boys. I’d prefer to find in person so I can see what it looks like up close and personal. I’m going to also search for black satin ribbon to tie in a pretty bow so they will hang nicely on the back of the bride and grooms’ chairs. Because I’ll be using dried moss, these can also be used as home décor after the wedding, which is a double whammy.

I’ll be sure to post some completed pics when I’m done!

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by christienoelle on January 26, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in DIY, Wedding
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Posted by christienoelle on January 26, 2011

http://christiescreative.com/2011/01/26/the-moss-is-always-greener/

Farewell West Elm Table – Hello DIY Project!

After moving into our SF loft, I was on the hunt for a new kitchen/dining table as our previous table was a hand me down that I wasn’t in love with. I wanted something that was a mix between modern and contemporary, that fit in our place, and that would last beyond the current setup. After searching around, I decided to go with the West Elm angled leg expandable table.

I loved the lines of this table and it had a hidden leaf (no need for storage!) that transformed it from a 4 person to a 6 person setup. Except…once we got the table in our place and put it to use, even after using placemats and being extra careful, we found that it scratched SUPER easy. After just one month it already looked like it had considerable wear and tear. BUMMER. We returned the table and I immediately began looking into new options. I scoured Craiglist, Etsy and checked blogs for inspiration. I decided I wanted to go with a rustic/industrial look that wouldn’t matter if it got scratched because that’s-what-it’s-supposed-to-look-like. Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware had some great options that fit my mold, but definitely not my budget. That’s when I decided to put my creative hat on. I found a local craftsman in the bay area that builds furniture out of salvaged wood who agreed to build me a tabletop at an amazing price. All I had to do was provide him with dimensions and some pictures I’d found online of what I had in mind. I also found this great tutorial at frugalfarmhousedesign.blogspot for a table that used pipes as the base and decided to use that at my starting point.

The tabletop turned out better than imagined and after lots of measuring, mapping out how everything would fit together, and a couple trips to Home Depot, we now have a new, one of a kind, custom table that I don’t have to worry about scratching or dinging because that’s-what-it’s-supposed-to-look-like.

The materials: 1″ black pipes custom cut, stainless steel flanges,  1″ tees, 2″ fillers, 1″ pipe caps.

Fits together like a puzzle. The tricky part was making sure everything was tight and didn’t wobble.

We drilled the base to the table top (which is 60″x36″) using wood screws through the flange holes.

Ta-dah! Our new table!!

 

3 Comments
by christienoelle on January 25, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Decorating, DIY
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Posted by christienoelle on January 25, 2011

http://christiescreative.com/2011/01/25/farewell-west-elm-table-%e2%80%93-hello-diy-project/

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