Yami

December 5, 2020 By Yami 2 Comments

Trash to Treasure Cork Ornaments

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Hi there! Hope you are well!

Today I am sharing some ornament ideas made from wine corks. There is so much inspiration online and since I already tackled my largest cork project many years ago, I figured something smaller was in order. In addition to these ornaments I have a bonus DIY towards the end.

So for the ornaments you will need to cut them in half and the best thing to do is steam them first for a few minutes. This will cause them to puff up and become softer and easier to cut. Don’t worry, once they cool off they go back to their normal size.

CHECK OUT all of the 12 Days of Christmas here!

DAY 1 | DAY 2 |DAY 3 |DAY 4| DAY 5 | DAY 6 | DAY 7 | DAY 8| DAY 9| DAY 10 | DAY 11 |DAY 12

You can also watch all of these video tutorials as well on on the playlist and see these back to back on the playlist!

Simply use a serrated kitchen knife to cut them down.

Then it’s time to assemble.You will need 13 cork halves for this one. Assemble them with 3 at the top and 2 at the bottom with one in the center.

Use hot glue to adhere them together. Then, add one cork to each of the ends. You will get the shape below.

If you want a smaller one leave the end pieces out and only do the first step. You will only need 7 cork halves.

I wanted to add a little something extra so I got these small snowflakes from a pack at Dollar Tree and painted them white.

Then I used school glue and added fine white glitter to add some sparkle.

Once that was dry I hot glued it to both the large and small ornaments.

Finally, I added a ribbon to the back of each to hang them.

For the next DIY, I used 37 whole corks. These were actually the more rubbery ones, not true “cork” but they work just fine.

I painted 24 of them in my favorite white chalk paint and set them to dry. They can suck in a bit of the paint so you may need to do more than one coat.

Next, you want to assemble the ones remaining that are not painted. Follow the pattern below: 1,4,3,4,1.

Finally, take the painted ones and glue them onto the perimeter as shown below.

I came back and touched up several areas with paint and I then was done.

*Now, I plan on using this as a coaster during the winter for hot beverages, so I didn’t bother to seal it. If I were to use it with any cold drinks that might sweat I would definitely add a layer of clear wax.

It’s the perfect size for mugs!!!!

And here are those cute ornaments.

They are perfectly neutral and thrifty!

Any wine lover like myself would love any of these as gifts for the holidays as well!

I hope you are enjoying these 12 Days of Christmas and I hope you liked today’s DIY. Don’t forget to share with your friends!

Until next time, adios!

December 4, 2020 By Yami Leave a Comment

Dollar Tree Birdhouse Ornaments

Hey everyone! It’s Day 4 and I am still alive! Today I am making these adorable little Dollar Tree Birdhouse Ornaments that have yet to be seen (well I haven’t seen any 😁) so you can imagine how excited I am.

CHECK OUT all of the 12 Days of Christmas here!

DAY 1 | DAY 2 |DAY 3 |DAY 4| DAY 5 | DAY 6 | DAY 7 | DAY 8| DAY 9| DAY 10 | DAY 11 |DAY 12

You can also watch all of these video tutorials as well on on the playlist and see these back to back on the playlist!

The best part about this is that Dollar Tree is currently flooded with these in the craft section because these are for Spring so you should definitely find plenty!

I chose these 3 different styles but they do have others as well.

In addition, I decided to give them all different paint jobs so that you can see several options.

I chose to paint 2 of the house “bodies” with my favorite white chalk paint and the other I decided to use my Rustoleum’s Aged Glaze that I have been using on everything lately to give one of the houses a stained look.

I also painted another house’s roof with the same aged glaze.

On that ornament, I also decided to also paint a red ticking stripe with some Waverly chalk paint.

Then on the house with the white roof, I wanted it to have the look of snow. So, I decided to use some school glue and add glitter to the roof. Once the glitter dried, I sprayed it with some Mod Podge Ultra in order to make sure the glitter wouldn’t fall off.

I added a few more details like this cute little bow from another Dollar Tree ornament that I didn’t use.

And I added some berries to the one with the black chalk painted roof. I wanted to create a wreath around the entrance hole.

Lastly, I added a little bit of greenery and some tiny berries to the last house.

Finally in order to hang them, I used the same hooks that I used on my glass ornaments and simply screwed them into the little roofs. I added some ribbon and that was it!

Aren’t these the cutest ornaments (besides my last ones 😉) ever?!?!?

And the possibilities with colors and accessories are truly endless…

I think the little bow on the one below was just perfect.

Which one of these is your favorite?

I hope you liked these sweet little ornaments and if you want, you can always watch the video tutorial on my channel!

I will see you in the next one.Until then…. adios!

December 3, 2020 By Yami Leave a Comment

Dollar Tree Advent Wreath

Happy Day 3 of !2 Days of Christmas! I am excited for today’s DIY since I have never actually made an advent wreath before.

CHECK OUT all of the 12 Days of Christmas here!

DAY 1 | DAY 2 |DAY 3 |DAY 4| DAY 5 | DAY 6 | DAY 7 | DAY 8| DAY 9| DAY 10 | DAY 11 |DAY 12

You can also watch all of these video tutorials as well on on the playlist and see these back to back on the playlist!

Also before I start I wanted to share some happy news! If you follow me on Instagram you probably already know, but one of my DIYs was featured in the special Christmas issue of Country Sampler Farmhouse Magazine!

I even got a full page spread!!!!! How cool is that?!? I was so excited and honored and humbled…. frankly I couldn’t believe that one of my DIYs made it’s way to this nationally distributed magazine. 😱

You can see how I made those featured ornaments here and if you wish to get your own copy you can always order one online or you can purchase them at your local craft store or grocery store. My dad got his at Publix 😉.

Okay, let’s get right into it and as always you can find the video tutorial for this on my channel as well.

Some of the links below may be affiliate links. Please see full disclose for more details

You will need at least 2 bags of these cut pieces of birch from Dollar Tree. If you wish, you can always use more in order to make it larger, but definitely no less than 2.

You will also need candles. I used these LED battery operated ones since I have little kids, but you can use the regular wax candles. Keep them the traditional purple and pink or go neutral as I did.

Next, you want to hot glue all of the pieces together. You will start with one ring, but be sure you have enough for two layers (one on top of the other).

When you place the second layer make sure you stagger the pieces as best as you can. This will create a stronger hold. Hot glue each piece to the ones below and next to each other.

After that is done, hot glue the stands to each of the candles on all 4 corners. Try to get it as square as possible.

Next, get yourself some flower bushes. I chose these white poinsettias in two different styles. Pull off the flowers from the stems as well as some of the leaves.

Use some of the leaves on either side of the candle stands to hide them. You can add more greenery throughout as well.

I then began to hot glue the poinsettias onto the wreath.

You can make their placement completely random or you can do as I did. I did two mesh poinsettias with one glittery poinsettia in between each of the candles.

And that was it! So simple and elegant. I also love the contrast of the rustic birch and the white blooms.

Please let me know what you think of this little advent wreath! Have you made one recently?

I hope you are enjoying these quick DIYs and I will see you back here for the next one!

Until then… adios!

December 2, 2020 By Yami 4 Comments

DIY Dollar Tree Glass Ornaments

Happy Wednesday everyone! Hope you are having a fabulous week! Today I am sharing another DIY… as a matter of fact, I am doing the 12 Days of Christmas on my Youtube channel where I share one DIY every day for 12 days and I am wondering if I will keep up here. 🥴

Here’s hoping! 🤞🏼

CHECK OUT all of the 12 Days of Christmas here!

DAY 1 | DAY 2 |DAY 3 |DAY 4| DAY 5 | DAY 6 | DAY 7 | DAY 8| DAY 9| DAY 10 | DAY 11 |DAY 12

You can also watch all of these video tutorials as well on on the playlist and see these back to back on the playlist!

In order to get started on these DIY Dollar Tree Glass Ornaments you will need some of the little glass bottles below.

Yes, we are making glass ornaments! Cute little mini snow globe village ones that is…

You find the bottles you see above near the sand bags in the decor section at Dollar Tree. Remove the stickers and wash and dry them well….

Next, you will need these village accessories, also from Dollar Tree.

RELATED: DIY BALLARD DESIGNS CHRISTMAS TREE DUPE

I will be using the Christmas tree and one light post for each ornament.

Since the light post is too large for the bottle as is, I needed to cut it down, so I started by removing the snow on the bottom (it’s one piece that pops out). And then I cut the half wall side off.

The pieces are hollow and in order to prevent this from showing, I cut off the end of the half wall that I cut off and then glued them back together….

I just put them together like I did below and filled them with hot glue. Once the glue dried it was one piece.

After removing the bottom snow portion of the tree I filled the underneath area up (since it was also hollow) with hot glue and then placed it inside the bottle.

I couldn’t find my craft tweezers so a mini clothes pin had to do!

Then I added the light post. After those were dry I added a little bit of Dollar Tree white sand.

RELATED: DOLLAR TREE HIGH END ORNAMENTS

I added a couple of dots of hot glue to the cork top and placed it back on the bottle. This will ensure the cork doesn’t just slide off.

Afterwards, I tied a bow around the neck of the bottle.

And then I used this small hook (found in one of my picture hanging kits) to screw into the top of the cork so I could have a place to hang the ornament from.

With the addition of another piece of ribbon, I was done!

How adorable is this?!?! I love the delicateness of it all… and the fact that it’s actually glass so it doesn’t feel cheap.

These bottles are just the perfect size as well. Since they are glass they are heavier so you wouldn’t want anything bigger weighing down your branches.

I am so pleased with this one and I hope you enjoyed this too!

For even more inspiration check out this Christmas DIY video below!

Don’t forget to share and I will see you in the next one! Until then… adios!

December 1, 2020 By Yami 2 Comments

Dollar Tree Farmhouse Christmas Countdown

Hey everyone! Hope you have been having a wonderful start to this Christmas season. I have been creating videos on Youtube so don’t forget if you are not subscribed, please make sure to head on over to get even more inspiration. I will also be sharing specific videos at the end of the posts so make sure you scroll to the end.

For today’s DIY, I will be making a Dollar Tree Farmhouse Christmas Countdown that is brand new and never before seen!! This is part of my 12 Days of Christmas where I bring 1 Christmas DIY a day for 12 Days.

CHECK OUT all of the 12 Days of Christmas here!

DAY 1 | DAY 2 |DAY 3 |DAY 4| DAY 5 | DAY 6 | DAY 7 | DAY 8| DAY 9| DAY 10 | DAY 11 |DAY 12

You can also watch all of these video tutorials as well on on the playlist and see these back to back on the playlist!

I was looking for something I can create that would be solely my own since there are so many options out there already so I made sure to include a free printable that I designed so you can make your own too. More on that in a bit…

Here is the item you will need from Dollar Tree. It’s not the cutest thing in the world, but it had instant potential in my opinion. Extra points if you can guess what that date means…

Some of the links below are affiliate links. Please see disclosure for full details

>As always you can watch the video tutorial of this here<

First thing to do is remove all of the tags, then paint it with black chalk paint.

My Folkart black chalk paint only requires one coat, but I did two so I could make sure the indentations from the original sign’s design did not show through.

Next it was time for the printable, you can sign up to download these here.

It’s best to print them on card stock. I also have a version in Spanish as well. You can use a paper trimmer or scissors to cut them. I like to leave a little bit of white on the exterior to showcase the border, but you can cut right on the line.

Next, take a hole punch and punch the top centers. You want to make sure to punch in the exact same spot so they all hang evenly.

Next, I cut the ends off of 4 jumbo popsicle stick for my frame hack. If you don’t have these sheers get them, they make projects like this so much easier!

Plus it’s a great gift for any fellow crafter. 😉

Set those 4 popsicle sticks aside and get yourself some ribbon.

I decided to layer mine and add this cute gingham ribbon from Dollar Tree.

Use hot glue for the ribbon and then cut the ribbon on the edges, enough to fold over onto the back of the sign and then glue those ends down as well. Next, hot glue the popsicle sticks to the back of the sign.

You want to make sure you leave half of the popsicle hanging out from the original frame. This is where you will attach dowels to form a frame on the exterior of the sign. By doing this, you’re adding more surface area to glue the dowel down and make it more secure.

I used my sheers to cut my 1/2″ dowels and then hot glued them down.

Finally, it was time to add a little finishing touch and I used a piece of greenery that I removed from a Dollar Tree ornament and placed it in the center of the sign.

And that was it for this Countdown to Christmas DIY! I love how it turned out!

Simple yet so farmhouse! And of course, if farmhouse isn’t your style, you can always change up the colors and ribbon to match any style decor. I hope you enjoyed this Dollar Tree DIY!

Looking for more amazing DIY’s for the holidays? Check out the video below!

As always don’t forget to share with your friends and I will see you in the next one! Until then…. adios!

November 18, 2020 By Yami 2 Comments

DIY Farmhouse Christmas Ornaments

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Happy Hump Day! Hope you are all are doing well on this very chilly day in Georgia. Last night we lit a fire in our fireplace for the first time since moving into our home and it was glorious!

Today I will be making two different versions of the ornament above so you can see how versatile this simple piece can be for your decor this season.

Dollar Tree sells these little wood pieces for the Christmas season. They come several to one pack. I am using this bell one below…

…as well as this snowflake one.

For each of these, I took the spackle that they sell at Dollar Tree and filled in the little holes at the top as well as the line across the bell piece.

I sanded them smooth and they painted them with my favorite white chalk paint.

I set those to dry and then I took this little hexagonal plague I purchased at Michael’s in their dollar section. It already had a little jute loop to hang it up.

I taped the inside up and painted the inside and outside of the frame. I used black chalk paint for this, but you can use whichever color you prefer.

Next, I took my Chalked Aged Glaze (this is the glaze I use to create a faux wood look on just about anything) and used it as a stain for this inside of the plaque.

I set that aside and went back to my smaller pieces. Since, I am really loving ticking stripes right now, I decided to add some to my bell. I chose to set it off to the side so I taped it off with washi tape and painted it black.

Then I removed the tape and once the paint was dry I did a perpendicular line to the first one, intersecting them on the bottom right.

Then to add the smaller stripes on either side I used a ruler and a sharpie.

Once done, I used these adhesive dot risers from Dollar Tree to raise the little snowflake and bell before placing them on the plaque.

I still used hot glue on the back of the snowflake and bell, because the risers don’t hold up as great with items that are a little heavier than paper or card-stock.

I then placed them in the centers of the plaques.

And that was it!

I LOVE how these turned out! They are rustic, farmhouse, neutral and just classic! They are also a great size so they are really noticeable on the Christmas tree.

And the bell with those ticking stripes! 😍

These are perfect for any farmhouse styled tree! And the color schemes and themes are endless! What do you think?

If you liked these you will also LOVE these other DIYs!

I will see you in the next one!

Until then… adios!

November 13, 2020 By Yami Leave a Comment

Dollar Tree Neutral Christmas Trees

Happy Friday! Hope you all are doing well! The weekend is here and I am so excited!

I have nothing exciting planned except sleep. That’s fun right?

I have another super easy (and neutral) Dollar Tree DIY. In the image above 3 out of the 4 trees you see are Dollar Tree DIYs. I actually made two of them two years ago and I added a new one to the collection this year. I grouped them with the tall vine tree from Hobby Lobby to show that they can totally blend in with higher quality seasonal decor.

So let’s get started!

For this you will need one of those little terra-cotta pots you can get at Dollar Tree (they come in a pack of two). I chose to paint mine with my favorite white chalk paint, but you can use whatever color you desire. I only needed one coat for full coverage.

Next you are going to take a foam cone (from Dollar Tree’s floral section) and the new nautical rope they carry. Make sure to remove the black tape at the end before starting… you want to wrap the foam one starting from the bottom up.

In order to make it nice and clean take your time and pull the rope slightly taught and keep it level as you move up the cone. Add hot glue as you go. This tree will take one and a half ropes.

When you get to the top leave a little hole, fill it with hot glue, then stuff the end of the rope into the hole. This will give the top a clean seamless look.

Finally take some more foam (any kind you have on had). Glue it to the pot and then add glue to the top for the cone.

And that’s it! A super easy neutral tree!

These are currently on my mantle next to my latest large farmhouse sign DIY.

I am loving this neutral look right now, but if I ever want to add color to these trees it will be so easy to do. Simply add ribbon matching any future color schemes!

By the way those stocking holders are another Dollar Tree DIY and they can actually hold stuff!

And if you want to see how I created those two other trees you can simply watch the video below!

I hope you enjoyed another simple Dollar Tree DIY and I wish you a wonderful weekend!

Until the next one… adios!

November 12, 2020 By Yami 8 Comments

Dollar Tree High End Ornament DIY

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Hello there! Hope everyone is doing well! Here in Georgia we are missing out on some fall weather. 70’s all week! Like what the heck?

I have been busy crafting up a storm and if you haven’t checked out my Youtube channel for lots of video tutorials this Christmas season, you definitely must. For today I have this really cute ornament DIY made from Dollar Tree items…. and no one would ever know.

Let’s get started.

You will need Dollar Tree pearls, ribbon, wire, large popsicle sticks, a little bit of greenery and berries.

Take the pearls and feed them through the thick floral wire you can find in Dollar Tree’s floral section. Each of these will use 20 pearls. You can make 2 ornaments with one bag.

When you get to the end, leave just enough wire to go in the last pearl. Add hot glue to both ends place the pearl in place. Hold until it dries and your mini wreath is secure.

Next, take some large popsicle sticks and cut the edges like you see below. This will make the popsicle stick look like a little banner.

For this next step I used these rub on transfers from Dollar Tree but you can also write words yourself or use a Cricut to personalize the ornaments.

RELATED: Dollar Tree Flocked Christmas Tree

Add it to the popsicle stick and then adhere it to the wreath with some hot glue. I added small bits of greenery from a greenery bush and added it to the top of the ornament with some hot glue.

I cut some ribbon (this one I got from Hobby Lobby) and added it to the top. The best part about this is you can use any color ribbon to match your decor. I used some rose gold berries after I tied the ribbon.

RELATED: Dollar Tree Christmas Ornaments

You can use the ribbon to hang it on the tree, tie a bow out of it or just let it hang like I did. But that’s it!

And as you can see, it looks good on a green tree.

Or a flocked one…

I have 2 more Dollar Tree ornament DIYs that I think you will like! You can watch them below!

Let me know what you think below and I will see you in the next one!

Until then… adios!

October 28, 2020 By Yami 4 Comments

DIY Cottage Farmhouse Kitchen Reveal

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Today is a happy day! I am so excited to share the full reveal of my cottage farmhouse kitchen. It has been a long time coming but I am so excited the day is finally here.

When we moved in my husband had plans to completely gut and create a brand new kitchen in our fixer upper. However, things don’t go always as planned and we just didn’t have it in the budget, so we thought we could wait a couple years before tackling it….

WRONG!

It was dark, dirty and just plain depressing and I was NOT inspired to cook in it at all (and I actually like cooking). So I had a heart to heart with my husband and told him a DIY makeover was absolutely necessary so that I could stay sane in the meantime. I sat down and created a mood board for it this way he knew exactly what I wanted and I could stick to the plans.

RELATED: How to make a mood board WITHOUT fancy software

A lot of what I planned on doing would involve paint, but we determined that adding an island would be ideal as well as some higher end staples that we could always use again if and when we decided to gut everything and start fresh.

You can watch the entire transformation in the reveal video at the end of the post. The images just don’t do it justice

So we invested in a farmhouse faucet, and partnered with some amazing companies for a farmhouse faucet and a large chandelier to go over the new island.

We purchased pre-built cabinets from a local vender and a quartz countertop for the island. Those were our biggest purchases and we were okay with that because even if we decide to change out original cabinets, the island was there to stay with the new kitchen anyways.

We painted the cabinets with my tried and true method.

And we also purchased new cabinet pulls. They made such a difference and they can be reused in the future as well.

We reused the original hinges to save money, I just primed and painted them.

We installed the countertops, the sink and the backsplash ourselves. All the lighting was done by us and we couldn’t be happier.

We left the countertops their natural color and sealed them with this. I also add this oil every several weeks and it has been great at maintaining them.

I sewed this cute little skirt since the doors that went there originally don’t fit because of the new farmhouse sink. And I made the matching valance to hide the ugly light fixture above the sink (that is attached the the underside of the upper cabinets).

While the cabinets were pre-built we did have to put the island together and we used some legs from an old table I had to add more support for the countertop.

I left the island white while I used the color Earl Gray from Magnolia (color matched at Sherwin Williams) for the original cabinets. I tied the two together by using the bead board on the sides of the island to cover the seams and again on the backsplash.

Everything is so crisp and clean and my coffee machine looks so much better on the counter now.

I purchased some bar stools on FB marketplace since the ones I originally had on my mood board were just too pricey. They aren’t my kind of wood color, but I can always paint them later.

The stove was original to the house but we took the stove door apart and I gave the glass a good cleaning!

I love all the hardware on the cabinets. They may not be for everyone, but I think they give the kitchen that old “cottage” feel.

The plywood floors look great and the new Woodgrain trim on the windows as well as the baseboards makes everything look brand new!

I love how light and bright the space feels and the new under cabinet lighting helps as well.

I am happy this is finally complete! It doesn’t look like the same kitchen at all. Remember the before?

Those dark and dirty days are now behind me.

Moving our dining area out of the kitchen and replacing it with the island was the ideal solution for us. Our kitchen is so much bigger now.

The only thing not shown in these images in the new plate rack I built to put behind the island, but you can see that here. I just happened to take these images before it was up.

WATCH THE ENTIRE MAKEOVER FROM START TO FINISH!

Let me know what you think of the new kitchen! I can’t wait to add more touches to it and to decorate it for Christmas.

I will see you all in the next one. Until then… adios!

October 21, 2020 By Yami 2 Comments

Dollar Tree Flocked Christmas Tree DIY

Some of the links below are affiliate links, please see full disclosure for more details

Hello everyone! Hope you are well!

Today is the Look for Less Challenge and it’s the final one of the year. And because it’s the last one for 2020 I decided to do something for the holidays!

Remember when I made my farmhouse inspired Dollar Tree Christmas trees back in 2018? Seems like just yesterday…

Well, I figured it was time to do another tabletop Christmas tree DIY from the Dollar Tree but with a new look!

And this one is just as darling…

I was inspired by this one I saw at Ballard Designs:

It came at a whopping $119! 😱 Too much for me to spend on a table top tree, as I am sure some of you will agree.

I thought it was adorable, and a perfect piece to try and recreate. And this time I wanted to make sure I used Dollar Tree items.

First thing I picked up were these gift boxes. They are similar to the ones I used for my Dollar Tree Stocking Hangers

Next, I took some jumbo popsicle sticks and cut them to fit the vertical edges of the box. I used my miter sheers to cut them to size.

They make this job so easy!

I adhered the popsicle sticks to the sides with hot glue. Once I had the vertical pieces in place, I measurde and cut the horizontal ones. One side should look like this:

I repeated this on all sides and once that was done I worked on the “x”.

I used the same popsicle sticks for this. First, I placed one across diagonally, measured and cut it. And then I added two smaller ones on the other side.

Once I adhered all of them I painted them with my favorite white chalk paint.

After all sides were dry I used Rustoleum’s aged glaze and rubbed it all over the box with a lint free cloth.

You may remember this glaze from when I recreated a faux wood candlestick look in this video, however, this time I am actually looking to use it as a glaze.

I used a small artist brush in order to get into all of the crevices to create more depth and shadows like the inspiration piece.

Once I painted all the areas in, I wiped the excess off with a clean lint free cloth.

Then I set it aside to dry.

While it was drying I got my little Dollar Tree Christmas tree out.

The inspiration piece had a more full and brown trunk so I added jute around the “trunk” of this one.

I cut individual pieces to use between each of the sets of branches. Then I painted the jute over with brown chalk paint.

Once that was dry, I took some Dollar Tree snow spray and sprayed it outside.

I brought the tree back inside once it was dry and I cut the base of the tree so that it would fit inside of the “crate”. I used pliers and it worked really easy.

Since the tree sat kind of low, I added some floral foam and a piece of wood on the inside of the crate to add height and more stability.

I placed the tree back in the crate, added a few more pieces of foam to surround the tree base and covered it all up with Dollar Tree floral moss and I was done!

I cannot tell you how happy I was to see the way it turned out.

The tree reminds me of the “Charlie Brown” tree since it is a little sparse, but I love it and I hope to make a second one.

Here’s how I did!

This only cost me $3 since I only had to get the tree, box and faux snow, but it would have cost me $7 if I needed to buy all the supplies to make it. Either way it’s a win-win!

What do you think of this cute dupe? I really do love that little crate and how it turned out and I hope you do too!

I would love it if you would share this with a friend or pin it on Pinterest and I will see you in the next one!

Until then… adios!

October 12, 2020 By Yami Leave a Comment

How to Sew A Farmhouse Appliance Cover

Hey there! Hope you are doing well!

Since updating my kitchen I have been wanting a more streamlined and less cluttered look on my countertops. But let’s face it, sometimes we need to keep an appliance out because we either don’t have the storage space or we use it way too often to put it away anyways.

That is the story of my toaster oven. I can’t put it away so I thought I would cover it up to make it less of an eyesore.

If you recall from my last post, this is what the toaster oven looked like on the counter. I actually like where it’s at.

I just don’t care to look at it all the time.

So I decided to get some leftover white duck fabric from my stash and drape it over the toaster oven.

RELATED: DIY Farmhouse Tablecloth

Next, I pinned all four corners like this.

I sewed all four corners and cut off the excess.

You can use a serger or a zigzag stitch to sew the edges to prevent from fraying.

As you know I am both a sucker for pleats and stripes so I took some striped fabric out and cut it into 3 inch strips. I pinned them together to create pleats but I kept them pretty informal not measuring them exactly the same.

RELATED: DIY Fabric Chargers

Once I finished pinning the pleats, I sewed them onto the bottom edge of the cover.

After it was attached I flipped it right side out, ironed the cover and put it over my appliance.

Eeeek! It’s so cute, right!? It’s definitely not your grandma’s fabric appliance cover. I love the way it looks, however I do think it might need a stencil of some sort on the front. Perhaps something that says “Bakery” or “Reposteria” in Spanish.

What do you think?

I could probably make different ones for different seasons too! Of course, this works for now.

Things are finally coming together. I even sewed some little curtains to hide the really ugly fluorescent light underneath the cabinets above my sink.

And I also added a skirt for underneath the farmhouse sink area. I used fabric pieces that I used in my last house for different purposes, but could no longer use the same way here. It was a great way to reuse and repurpose them.

You can the video tutorial for both of those here.

Hope you are enjoying these fun farmhouse updates and I will see you in the next one!

Until then… adios!

October 11, 2020 By Yami 2 Comments

Beadboard Backsplash and Under Cabinet Lighting

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One of the things I knew I needed to change right away about this kitchen as soon as we moved in was the lighting. It was just way too dark. So I knew I wanted to not only change out the lighting that was already in the kitchen, but also add more lighting.

Check out our previous update progress here.

I knew that under-mount lighting would give me what I needed as far as more light, but I also wanted ambient lighting when I didn’t want to have all the lights on. I partnered with Eshine who has some amazing under-mount cabinet lighting options that are not only easy to install but quite innovative.

More on that in just a second… Plus there is an exclusive discount you don’t want to miss!

Before I could do any of that I wanted to be sure that I had a nice clean backsplash that not only would add character to my kitchen but also help bounce off the light and make the area feel brighter.

The most inexpensive option for us was beadboard. We used 2 boards and it only cost us $40!

The most important thing for us in this process was to get the measurements right and start on one end of the kitchen and work our way to the other end. Once we put the first board up to dry fit it, I knew I had made the right decision.

Cutting the boards was easy with our circular saw and rip cut tool.

Things got a little more complicated when we were reaching the stove area. There was a lot of things to consider where seems met so we came up with a plan below…

Yes, I know, it’s hairy…

I could not imagine following this on a blog post, so I made a video explaining what all these arrows meant. I promise there is a method to the madness.

Everything I explain in the video takes into consideration the area above the stove where more of the beadboard is exposed. I also go over why you also want to work towards your corners even though you are still generally working from one end of the kitchen to another.

In addition you will see how this little template works to get around any window trim you may have in your kitchen.

The video is below.

Beadboard Backsplash and Under Cabinet Lighting

The next thing after measuring where you want your seams and cutting them accordingly, is you need to cut your outlet holes. You will need a jigsaw for this.

This is something you want to take your time on, and in the end everything will fit in place smoothly.

I did paint them with one coat of white paint first before we even cut them. The type of paint I used was the same white color that I used on my kitchen cabinets in my last kitchen. I prefer the Urethane Enamel paint for the durability and wipe-ability especially since the kitchen gets used so much.

Installing is also easy… liquid nails in the back and a brad nailer to nail it in place as it dried.

Once installed, I added caulk to hide the seems.

I taped the countertops before applying the caulk on the seem between the backsplash and the countertop.

Then I gave everything a final coat of paint.

It doesn’t show here, but I did come back and paint the underneath part of the cabinets with the same white.

After that was done it was time to install these amazing lights!

This is an LED lighting kit with hand wave activation! Say what!?!?

Yes, you heard right!

These lights plug in unlike a lot of the ones you see that have only batteries and die way too soon (that happened at our last house).

And they are super discreet!

They install easily with either screws or double-sided tape which are both provided in their kit. We chose to screw them in.

You can choose how many you want underneath and by simply clicking them together you can make an entire line of light under your cabinets.

The system is so easy to work with.

Their cords are easily hidden and they also provide the hooks you need to tuck away the cords. And in order to turn them on, you place your hand under the light strip with the sensory dot.

In order to dim or brighten them, you simply hold your hand in place until your desired setting.

My kids love them, I love them, and even the Latino Engineer loves them. Everything is so much brighter in our kitchen and I don’t have to worry about plugging them in or out. I just wave my hand and I get the lighting I need.

You can see them in action in this video.

I love how the lighting highlights the backsplash and all of our hard work.

You don’t even see the cords!

I turned off the kitchen light so you can see how bright they can be on their own.

Amazing! I am so happy with these!

If you have been thinking about adding under-mount lighting for your cabinet definitely check out here and their line of lighting for your kitchen.

USE COUPON CODE: TheLatinaNextDoor for 10% off your purchase.

The sets of lights we used for our kitchen were as follows:

We wanted to have a nice consistent line of light so we needed several kits to link together. But that’s the beauty of this system; you can use as little or as many as you need.

I hope you enjoyed this update and I will see you in the next one!

Until then… adios!

October 10, 2020 By Yami Leave a Comment

More Farmhouse Kitchen Progress

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Hey there!

Many things have changed in our kitchen since my last post and since there is so much to cover I am going to jump right in.

After removing the cabinet doors, I primed and painted all of them. I used my tried and true method using the combination of Pro Block oil based primer and Sherwin William’s Urethane Trim enamel. I have an extensive video on my process on cabinet painting and you can get all the details here.

We first started by sanding these cabinets (unlike my last cabinets) because of the condition they were in. You can see why we did this extra step here.

After all of them were sanded, I cleaned them all with Krud Kutter. It works great for removing grease and oil. I did the same with the drawers and I used an old toothbrush for the crevices.

Afterwards, I set them out to dry. I made sure they were perfectly dry before setting them up in my basement for the next step. It’s best to prop all of them off the floor using these or whatever else you have on hand that will work (like those jumbo legos).

I primed all of the doors (as well as the cabinets that were not removed). When painting cabinet doors, I start on the inside of the door and then once dry do the exterior of the door. I start with a brush for the nooks and crevices and then I go in with a roller.

Once the primer was dry, I paint them with my favorite cabinet paint. I used the color Eary Gray from Magnolia and color matched it at Sherwin Williams. There were A LOT of doors (the most I have ever painted in one kitchen, yikes).

I gave both sides two coats and as always I started with the inside of the doors first (again, more on that in this video).

While that was happening, we were removing the old countertops and replacing them with butcher block countertops.

This is what our countertops looked like. They weren’t in good shape and I was NOT a fan of the color so out they went. And the Latino Engineer was eager to get his hands on them. LOL!

Actually he didn’t take a hammer to them but they were the so difficult to remove. The Latino Engineer and my father did their best to remove them without damaging anything but still things happened.

3 High End Fall Farmhouse Signs

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Hey there! The air is crisp in the mornings and I am loving every minute of it! How is the weather in your area?

I am so ready for sweater weather!

I recently made 3 farmhouse signs in a partnership with Cricut for my Youtube channel. Since the partnership did not include a blog post, I had not created a a detailed tutorial for it here, however, I did want to share them with you since I think they came out really nice.

I have wanted a huge Pumpkin Patch sign for a while now and I just had been putting off buying one since I figured one day I would make one. I was then approached by Cricut to try out the Cricut Maker and see what I could come up with, so I thought it was now or never.

I looked online for inspiration and the one below is what I came up with.

I think the best part about this sign (besides the fact that it has my color scheme) is that I made it with a scrap piece of particle board, a couple of furring strips and 3 Dollar Tree pumpkins!

It came together beautifully!

And I proudly display it on my mantle.

I was so excited that I decided to take another scrap piece of wood that I had lying around – I have a lot of those – and make another sign.

I always thought the “hello pumpkin” signs were cute so I decided to make one too!

Another success using scrap wood, poplar wood, paint, ribbon and another pumpkin from Dollar Tree!

My mother has her eyes on this one, I might lose it just like I lost that cute teapot.

But of course, I couldn’t stop there. My subscribers love Dollar Tree DIYs so I made sure to give them that option as well. And that one is just darling!

I used wooden beads, scrap paper, a Dollar Tree frame, Dollar Tree pumpkins and some scrapbook paper and voila! Another cute sign.

And the fact that I can add whatever lettering I want to my signs was the icing on the cake. I want to customize all.the.things! And that Cricut Maker is a beast! It can cut so many different types of material, I cannot wait to see what else it does.

Ahem… I have this one DIY for Christmas that I hope to make…🤞🏼

So, if any of these signs strike your fancy 😏 check out the video on how they came together below!

I will see you soon! Until, then… adios!

September 23, 2020 By Yami Leave a Comment

DIY Farmhouse Rustic Plate Rack

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Hello everyone! Hope you all are doing well! I am so happy that Fall is finally here and the weather in Georgia has been amazing these past few days. Lows in the 5’s0 and highs in the low 70’s. Perfect weather!

Today I am sharing the latest dupe in my Look for Less Challenge. If you are not familiar with what it is, it is a challenge I host every month on my Youtube channel with a different co-host. It’s an open invite where other creators can join in and add their videos to my playlist so that we all can inspire to create high end items for our home without the cost.

You can check out the playlist for this month here.

My kitchen renovation is pretty much wrapped up and what I am doing now is adding decor pieces to the space. I have a ton of updates coming at you in the next few days sharing everything it took to get it to where it is today. I feel like this kitchen has taken us most of this year.

Anyways, I needed a piece to go on the blank wall behind my new island and since I have been wanting a plate rack (those amazing ones you see in farmhouses like all the time 😍) I thought it was finally the time to make one for myself.

I searched online and found this beauty on Etsy. It’s a made-to-order piece and if you are interested you can definitely check out the shop here. There are some gorgeous items in the shop!!!This piece, even though it was beautiful was out of my price range. At $349 it was more than I wanted to spend.

Don’t get me wrong, handmade items are worth the money. The time and effort it takes to make these things is serious and it should be compensated accordingly, but I am a handy person and I have a handy hubby and I knew we could knock this out for a fraction of the cost.

So off to our garage we went to check our scrap wood stash. We actually had to purchase one board at Home Depot because we didn’t have one long enough for the sides but everything else we had.

Using our inspiration piece as a reference, we took note and began to work.

With our table saw, we began to rip our boards to our desired size.

If you are interested in making one yourself here are the measurements.

We did make a couple of adjustments to the original size and we also removed the lowest shelf where the small pitchers were displayed. I have small kids and I did not see that as a practical way to display my pieces at all. Yikes! I could see the disasters now.

Here are our plans:

One more thing I did was round off the tops of the two sides to give it a soft more “cottagey” look. 😉 I traced a round edge and used my jigsaw for this.

Next, it was time to assemble the shelves. We started with the two inner shelves.

We used wood glue and nails for this and used our nail gun to attach them.

You will need to did this to both shelves. Then, we measured where we wanted them to go.

We measured 12 inches from the top of the bottom shelf to the bottom of the next shelf above. Then, we marked the area and nailed the shelves in from the outside.

The bottom shelf does not need a bottom support and the top is just the back support, no shelf.

After the shelves and supports were nailed in place, then came the dowels. We measured 2 inches above the shelf to get our desired location.

Here is where we messed up* –

We were following the inspiration piece and it had no groove lines in the shelves that we could make out so we assumed that the dowel was enough to hold the plates in place. HOWEVER, this is not the case and we didn’t find this out until AFTER we had finished the piece completely!

It is too late to make a groove now so we will add another dowel to the bottom center of the shelf to basically act a “stop” and function like the groove would have. I will share an update on the rack when that happens… but until then… let’s move on.

I didn’t want the stain to been to dark so I chose this one in the color Early American.

Next, I used Debi Design Diary’s clear wax to seal it. I used a wax brush to apply it. You are supposed to leave it overnight to cure and the next day you buff it with a lint-free cloth. Easy peasy!

Finally, we (and by we I mean, the Latino Engineer did it while I photographed😉) installed the hardware to hang it up.

Besides the fact that I was freaking out that my plates would slip (I had put painters tape on the back of them for this shoot) and that I really didn’t have many blue and white dishes to display, I LOVE IT!

I seriously will be adding those dowels soon and will share how it looks when I do, but for now this is it!

I love the color and the little notches give it that rustic touch. Yet it still feels “cottagey” (there’s that word again🤣 ).

Don’t those curved tops look better? I feel it softens the look.

I need more blue and white plates, gah!

And I am already working on some DIYs for either side of it to fill up even more space on that wall. All in all I am so happy!

So how did we do? I think we did alright! We spent only $12 versus the original price of $349!

Woot woot!!

And even with the minor adjustments I think it’s worth just as much.

So, let me know what you think! And don’t forget to pin and share with your friends!

I will see you in the next one. Until then, adios!

September 8, 2020 By Yami 6 Comments

Amazing Dollar Tree Fall Decor

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Hello friends! The weather has been slowly changing here in Georgia. And while the days are still hot, the evening climate has gotten quite comfortable. And because of this, I have been inspired to start creating for Fall.

There are several DIY’s I wish to share, however for this post, I will be sharing how to make this cute pumpkin “grateful” sign inspired by one I saw at Kirklands.

This was super inexpensive since I had everything on hand with the exception of the wood square sign that I had just purchased at Dollar Tree.

For this you will need a square sign, pumpkin form and a leather strap to start.

The first thing you need to do is sand the glitter from the words on both the sign and pumpkin form.

You can paint these any colors you want to suit your decor. I used Nantucket Blue for the pumpkin and Vintage white acrylic paint for the square sign.

Next, cut a rectangle out of your leather strap.

With some scissors cut off all 4 corners as shown.

Then, with a wood burning tool. I used this one… make stitch marks along the border. And then write whatever word you choose for the front of the leather piece. I kept the word the same as my inspiration piece.

Next, I hot glued the leather piece to the pumpkin.

Afterwards, I used some gold thumb tacks from Dollar Tree, cut off about half of the pin to make it shorter, added some hot glue to the tip and attached it to the leather strap and pumpkin. I used a small hammer and covered the pin with a towel so that whenever I hammered it down, it did not damage the gold finish.

***RELATED:* *DIY Blue & White Wreath***

As for the square plaque. I added some horizontal lines and used a combination of colors to add paint onto it. I used a spatula to scrape the paint across the “planks” in an attempt to give it an old painted barn wood effect.

The pumpkin will go in the center so you don’t need much detail there. To attach the pumpkin, I used hot glue as well. And that was it!

I am loving that Nantucket blue. It goes so well with my previous DIY raffia pumpkins as well.

The rest of the items you see here are more new DIY’s.

That tray is an updated version of my last Dollar Tree raised tray. When I shared it last year many people couldn’t find the legs I had used for it, so this time I used items from Hobby Lobby that are found all year long.

The bowl below is a brand new Dollar Tree DIY and you won’t believe what it’s made out of!

All of these DIYs can already be found on my Youtube Channel if you’re impatient like me.

Let me know what you think of these and I will see you back here soon!

Don’t forget to pin and share with your friends.

Until next time… adios!

Yami

Trash to Treasure Cork Ornaments

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CHECK OUT all of the 12 Days of Christmas here!

You can also watch all of these video tutorials as well on on the playlist and see these back to back on the playlist!

Dollar Tree Birdhouse Ornaments

CHECK OUT all of the 12 Days of Christmas here!

You can also watch all of these video tutorials as well on on the playlist and see these back to back on the playlist!

The best part about this is that Dollar Tree is currently flooded with these in the craft section because these are for Spring so you should definitely find plenty!

Dollar Tree Advent Wreath

CHECK OUT all of the 12 Days of Christmas here!

You can also watch all of these video tutorials as well on on the playlist and see these back to back on the playlist!

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DIY Dollar Tree Glass Ornaments

CHECK OUT all of the 12 Days of Christmas here!

You can also watch all of these video tutorials as well on on the playlist and see these back to back on the playlist!

RELATED: DIY BALLARD DESIGNS CHRISTMAS TREE DUPE

RELATED: DOLLAR TREE HIGH END ORNAMENTS

For even more inspiration check out this Christmas DIY video below!

Dollar Tree Farmhouse Christmas Countdown

CHECK OUT all of the 12 Days of Christmas here!

You can also watch all of these video tutorials as well on on the playlist and see these back to back on the playlist!

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>As always you can watch the video tutorial of this here<

Looking for more amazing DIY’s for the holidays? Check out the video below!

DIY Farmhouse Christmas Ornaments

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If you liked these you will also LOVE these other DIYs!

Dollar Tree Neutral Christmas Trees

So let’s get started!

And if you want to see how I created those two other trees you can simply watch the video below!

Dollar Tree High End Ornament DIY

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RELATED: Dollar Tree Flocked Christmas Tree

RELATED: Dollar Tree Christmas Ornaments

I have 2 more Dollar Tree ornament DIYs that I think you will like! You can watch them below!

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RELATED: How to make a mood board WITHOUT fancy software

*You can watch the entire transformation in the reveal video at the end of the post. The images just don’t do it justice*

WATCH THE ENTIRE MAKEOVER FROM START TO FINISH!

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RELATED: DIY Farmhouse Tablecloth

RELATED: DIY Fabric Chargers

You can the video tutorial for both of those here.

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Check out our previous update progress here.

Beadboard Backsplash and Under Cabinet Lighting

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DIY Farmhouse Rustic Plate Rack

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Here are our plans:

Amazing Dollar Tree Fall Decor

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RELATED: DIY Blue & White Wreath

Instagram

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Some of the links below are affiliate links. Please see disclosure for full details

Some of the following links are affiliate links. Please see full disclosure for complete details

Some of the links below are affiliate links. For more information please see full disclosure.

The following links are affiliate links. For more information please see full disclosure.

You can watch the entire transformation in the reveal video at the end of the post. The images just don’t do it justice

Some of the links below are affiliate links, please see full disclosure for more details

Some of the following links are affiliate links, please see full disclosure for more details

Some of the following links are affiliate links. Please see full disclosure for more details

Some of the following links are affiliate links. Please see disclosure for further details

Some of the following links are affiliate links. Please see full disclosure for more details

Some of the links below are affiliate links. Please see full disclosure for more details

***RELATED:* *DIY Blue & White Wreath***