Yami

July 28, 2019 By Yami 3 Comments

Dollar Tree Farmhouse Christmas Ornaments

Merry Christmas in July everyone! I know, I know… for some of you this is crazy!!! But for me, this is just what the doctor ordered to get my creative juices flowing again.

You know how people go through emotional roller coasters? I get that with my creativity…sometimes I am killing it! And other times it’s just meh.

Plus, I know that right now most people are thinking about back to school shopping which is what I have been doing myself. As a matter of fact, just today, I finished my youngest’s school shopping. We got her list later than the other two.

I am glad to say we are good and ready to go for August 5th… OMG! I can’t believe we only have one more week left of summer vacation. ?

Time flies way too fast for me! Make it slow down!

My littlest is going to be in school and I won’t know what to do with all my extra time?!

Okay, I do know. Cleaning, cooking and doing ALL.THE.CRAFTS! But first mama needs a spa day.

Actually, my hubby got me this sweet package that I hope to redeem the first week of school where I am “home alone” – any special recommendations on what else I should do?! I feel that I should pamper myself that first week. Kinda like a “right of passage” sort of thing…. ?

I deserve it, right?!?!?

LOL! Okay, but seriously though, you all know I LOVE Christmas time and decorating with Dollar Tree for Christmas is my jam!

S0, okay…. let’s stay focused….

I was invited by some of the most talented ladies on Youtube to do a Christmas in July collaboration and I was super stoked because not only do I love these girls, but I love Christmas and the fact that they wanted me to do it with them was amazing!

We each had to come up with at least one (I did two ?) DIY Christmas decorations and share them with our viewers. Here is the playlist of everyone’s videos if you want to see them also… (lots of inspiration by the way).

Here is what you need for these DIY ornaments…

Supplies for Dollar Tree Farmhouse Christmas Ornaments

Dollar Tree Foam Board
Dollar Tree Red Buffalo Check Ribbon
Dollar Tree Jute String
Copy Paper/Printer or Pictures
Olfa Rotary Cutter
Wooden Beads (I purchased these from Michael’s with my 40% coupon)
Glue Stick
Hot Glue
Sanding Block (optional)

FYI… you can either start with the beads or the foam circles. I started with the beads so I will go in that order.

I had purchased these beads from Michael’s and I used my 40% off coupon (they cost me $6 and come with a TON of them). I purchased the one with 3 different size beads.

I began stringing them with jute string (one trick you can do is use a piece of clear tape at the end to make it easier to string through the beads.

I strung 28 of the smallest beads from the container to get the desired size.

I tied the end really tight with a double knot and I left enough string so I can use it to hang the ornaments on the tree.

Next, it was time for the circle insert and I used my OLFA rotary cutter which I LOVE in order to cut perfect circles into foam board.

There will be a hole in the center, but that will be covered up, but check out that circle!!!! ? Game changer for foam (and I also use it for felt, it works so good for that too!).

The diameter of the circles ended up being about 2.75″ inches.

Next up, you will need to print out Christmas words from your printer (however you can use kid’s names or even photographs).

I plan on adding these words in my subscriber library as well and will let you know once I do.

I used the same rotary cutter for those.

Next, all you need to adhere the paper onto the foam disk is a glue stick.

Place the paper on and use a sanding block to smooth out any edges on the perimeter if you prefer.

Then you will add some hot glue all around the edge.

And slide the beads over the disk. Make sure to keep the ends of the jute string to the top center so that your words won’t be crooked when you hang the ornament.

Finally, add a cute bow to the top of the ornament where the jute knot is located. This red buffalo check ribbon is from Dollar Tree. I usually only find this one during Valentine’s Day so I like to stock up on it then. But I am hoping that DT has some cute ones this year for Christmas!

Then all you do is tie the ends of the jute rope together and your ornament is done! Super simple!

Of course you are always welcome to change the color of the ribbon if red is not your thing… but either way they will come out super cute!

As for my second Christmas decor piece, it is a Dollar Tree DIY as well and I love how it came out too….

You can see how to make it in the tutorial below…

I hope you enjoyed this simple DIY and let me know if you are looking forward to more Christmas DIY’s this year. I am hoping to bring many more!

Also, make sure to pin for your friends to see!

I will see you all soon!

July 17, 2019 By Yami Leave a Comment

DIY Dollar Tree Coastal Farmhouse Decor

Hey there sweet friends! Can you believe how fast this summer is going? I swear it was just the other day that school was over and just yesterday I was out shopping with my kids for new school supplies (which by the way already looked picked over!!!)

And here I thought I was ahead of the game. ??‍♀️

Well, I am going to try and milk this summer season as long as I can and I even shared our summer vacation Vlog over on my Youtube channel where we went to Florida for our annual beach trip. I miss the beach and would totally live there right now if I could.

But I guess in the mean time, I just need to bring the “beach” feel to me instead.

So more coastal farmhouse decor it is!

I created the above “beachgrass” arrangement from items I bought at my Dollar Tree and I am so happy I did, because it reminds me of the beachgrass you find on the dunes… with the little bit of “shiplap” of course.

It’s a large piece as well at 16″ in height and 12″ in width. I had a lot of fun making this and I hope you love it as much as I do.

Here is what you need:

Supplies…

DIY Dollar Tree Coastal Farmhouse Decor

*Some of the following are affiliate links, please see full disclosure here*

Onion Grass Bushes from Dollar Tree (I used 4)
3 Canvas Frames
Popsicle Sticks
White Chalk Paint
Tilled Soil Chalk Paint
Floral Foam
White Foam Board
Sand
White Rocks
Hot Glue/Hot Glue Gun
E6000
Paper Clips
Mod Podge Ultra
Box Cutter
Heavy Duty Scissors

Here are the canvas frames I am talking about. They can be found in the frame section of Dollar Tree.

*As always you can find the video tutorial for this at the end of this post*

Next you just want to remove the canvas from the frames.

I stacked them up on top of each other making sure the staples were facing in. I used E6000 for a strong hold, but added hot glue dots on the corners to dry fast and hold the frames in place while the e6000 firmed up.

The next thing I did was paint the outside of the frames with my Folkart white chalk paint in White Adirondack.

Then I took some Dollar Tree popsicle sticks and paint them to look like aged wood. I watered down the paint a little bit and just wiped the excess off as soon as I applied it. I used Martha Stewart’s paint in Tilled Soil which I have used several times before. I think they turned out great with an aged look.

I then cut them down to match the size of the planter box and glued them down with hot glue. I first scored them with a box cutter and then came back with heavy duty scissors to make a clean cut – I find it to be the easiest way to make crisp lines when cutting popsicle sticks.

I made sure to keep the edges clean starting with the corners first and then placing one on the top to cover the edges.

I did the entire top this way.

Once that was done I cut out 2 foam board pieces and placed one in the inside bottom of the planter box – I secured it with hot glue.

The other foam board piece I would place on the top after I added floral foam to the inside of the box.

Once I glued down the top foam piece I added sand from our last vacation to the beach and sealed it with Mod Podge Ultra.

While still damp I took some Onion grass bushes from Dollar Tree and took each stem apart.

I undid one side of a paper clip and inserted the other end inside the stem of the grass. I secured it with hot glue and then inserted it into the foam board and straight down into the floral foam.

I continued this creating 2 lines of beach grass stems with a staggered pattern.

The hot glue that helped secure the paper clip also helps secure the stems to the base as you see above.

Continue adding stems until you fill in all gaps and/or are happy with how full it is.

You can leave it as is or you can add white rocks from Dollar Tree as well (I had these left over from another project and thought they would be perfect here). Simply secure with hot glue throughout the base.

And that’s it!!!! I love how this DIY turned out. I definitely get the beach vibes as well as farmhouse since the side panels remind me of shiplap.

Not to mention, this is a pretty big piece too!

Video Tutorial

I hope you enjoyed this fun summer DIY and I hope you enjoy the rest of your summer. It feels like it will be gone before we know it!

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

I will see you back here soon!

July 10, 2019 By Yami Leave a Comment

Farmhouse Kitchen Progress

Happy Hump Day my beautiful friends!

If you have been following me on my Youtube channel you know I am a little ahead at sharing the process of my kitchen makeover.

I am trying to get better at this, I swear! ??‍♀️

But since it was a part of a challenge hosted by my dear friend Heidi Sonboul, I basically focused on documenting the whole process on video (especially since I have done similar cabinet painting tutorials on my blog from before).

As you can see, the cabinets are painted and I was able to add some beautiful rustic touches to the hood vent with some leftover faux shiplap from my master bedroom accent wall.

If you see crooked tiles in the backsplash, it was NOT me, it was the previous owners who had it installed. Just sayin!

Anyways…

I LOVE the character it instantly gave it! No more boring hoodvent!

We did keep the same hardware since they were still in good condition as well as to cut down costs.

I documented the entire process in the video below. My hubby made some hilarious appearances throughout as well so it’s totally fun to watch, but he also added some great tips!

I did make a particular change from my initial vision board below, though.

Some of the following links are affiliate links, please see full disclosure here

I changed my mind on the jute rug. It ended up getting “lost” among the hardwood floors and I decided to get the following beautiful rug instead.

It’s gorgeous! ?

The navy blue and soft white goes perfect with my color scheme and the distressed rug is a style used among a lot of farmhouse decor. You can find it online here. I purchased the 2 x 3 ft one.

It’s such a nice quality and super plush, however, I always use a rug pad underneath to make sure it doesn’t slip everywhere and adds extra comfort.

Screen Shot 2019 07 09 at 11.46.27 PM Farmhouse Kitchen Progress — ANDROMEDA Navy Blue Area Rug Modern Distressed Oriental

In addition, I also shared some sneak peaks and decor I have introduced to the space. All of the stuff below I already had, but never really used because I was waiting for the kitchen makeover.

The tea towels and napkins were both purchased at the Target Dollar Spot. The rolled up towels were purchased at Ikea.

I also show you exactly what a difference the rug above made in the space when I switched it out.

And you can find all of that in the video below as well….

I know this was a super quick update – the videos are pretty short and jam packed with footage of everything going on so far so I think you will really like them. Plus it gives you a chance to see us behind the scenes and allows you to get to know me and my hubby a little better.

I have more updates to come so stay tuned!

July 8, 2019 By Yami 2 Comments

DIY Dollar Tree Farmhouse Picture Frames

Hey friends! I hope you had a great 4th of July holiday!

For my kitchen transformation one of the things I wanted to tackle was decluttering the fridge – it just made things look too messy, but I still like to display little school pictures of the kids throughout my space so I thought I would come up with something in order to “clean it up” a bit.

I went to my local Dollar Tree (of course, LOL!) and I found these cute new little frames.

They are 5″ x 8″ with twine and clothespins already in them. I thought they were super cute, but I wasn’t really fond of the prints they had, so I took them out of the packaging and gave them a new look.

*As always, the video tutorial is at the end of this post if you would rather watch. Simply scroll down!*

DIY Dollar Tree Farmhouse Picture Frames

SUPPLIES I USED…

some of the following links are affiliate links, please see full disclosure here

Scrapbook Paper
Box Cutter
Cutting Mat
Mod Podge
Artist Brush
Mod Podge Roller

I removed the back o f the frame, flipped it over and used a box cutter to cut out a new pattern out of some scrapbook paper I had left over from my Pottery Barn Birch Wreath Dupe.

I removed the original backing and sanded any areas left with residue or paper.

Then I added a thick layer of Mod Podge making sure I covered the boarders and corners well, and immediately placed the scrapbook paper on top.

I used the Mod Podge roller to remove any air bubbles and flatten any creases etc.

Then I added a layer of Mod Podge on top.

Once it was dry, I added the twine and clothespins back.

As well as the frame.

And it was ready to mount on the wall!

Probably the easiest DIY ever!

Of course, you don’t have to make this a permanent change. You are free to use different scrapbook papers for different seasons and just change them out as you wish.

You also don’t have to use these for photos. These can be used for appointment cards, notes to family members or even small grocery lists. They are really versatile and customizable to any decor tastes.

What would you use them for and where would you place them?

DIY Dollar Tree Farmhouse Picture Frames Video Tutorial

Also, don’t forget to pin and save for later!

June 26, 2019 By Yami Leave a Comment

Farmhouse Kitchen Makeover BEFORE and Vision Board

Happy Hump Day!

I wish I could tell you that so far the week has been easy, but unfortunately my hubby has the #manflu and my kiddos are going bizerk (sp? I don’t think I have ever written that word, LOL!). Seriously, is the full moon out cause something is definitely taken over their little bodies. ?

S.O.S.

Either way the show must go on! It’s time tackle the next room in our house…. the worst one.

The Kitchen… (you can see the video version here)

I am sure you wondered why I have not shared it here before…. well, this is why…

???

It’s dark, cluttered, outdated, messy, bleh….

This is what the kitchen looked like when we moved in. The appliances did not match. The area above the fridge had a wine rack that was not even accessible.

The hood vent was actually a nice design and the cabinets are real wood custom cabinets, but the pickled wash on it was not pleasing anyone in the house.

I’m not a fan of the countertops but at least they are granite.

The walls are also a very dark color and you can see where we stopped painting the breakfast area. LOL!

Some of the following links are affiliate links for your convenience, please see here for more details

So here is a breakdown of the plans to make it a little more detestable…

First, I will be painting the walls my favorite gray… SW Repose Gray.
Next I will be painting the kitchen cabinets white, like I did in my last home.
I will add some rustic wood accents on the hood and possibly another area in the kitchen.
I need to declutter all of the magnets and paper and misc. “stuff” all other the place.
Im bringing in navy and white accents as well as white pottery.
New glass jars and a rug should complete the look.

The backsplash, although not my style will be staying since we don’t have it in the budget to change it up. This will also go for the granite countertops. I would prefer quartz, but we just can’t right now.

I am hoping that once the cabinets are painted everything else that remains will be less obnoxious.

Whatcha think?

I would love to know what you think of the plans below!

June 25, 2019 By Yami Leave a Comment

DIY Farmhouse Shower Curtain

Summer is in full swing at our house and that means the kids are all over the place…. like for real…. ALL.OVER.THE.PLACE. And keeping up with anything has been particularly tough this year for some reason.

It was nice to get the guest bathroom done when we did because honestly I don’t know if I could do it now.

The one thing I was able to do, that I am totally proud of, was make a sweet farmhouse style shower curtain for the guest bathroom out of a plain white shower curtain that I bought at Wal Mart. I had mentioned during my guest bathroom reveal that I had to change a few things up from my vision board since I was not able to find everything: the shower curtain below was one of them.

But frankly I think I like this more that the vision board shower curtain. Plus it has ruffles!!!!!

You know I like me some ruffles…. like on farmhouse tablecloths and chargers just to name a few… I think I am going to put ruffles everywhere. LOL!

And it was so easy to make too! I have an easy-to-follow video tutorial that you can easily take on even if you are a beginner!

Some of the links below are affiliate links, please see full disclosure here

All you need is the following:

DIY Farmhouse Shower Curtain Supplies

Plain white shower curtain
1 yd of fabric of choice (I chose a ticking stripe duck cloth)
Wooden buttons
Sewing Machine ( I use this one)
Rotary Cutter
Cutting Mat
Fabric Ruler
Thread to Match
Scissors
Sewing Needle for buttons

Now that you know what you need, get a cup of coffee, sit back and relax while you watch how to make it!

RELATED: DIY Farmhouse Table Cloth

I hope you enjoyed the video and saw how easy it was to make.

Let me know, do you like step-by-step instructions with just images or do you think videos help with a little more complicated tutorials like this?

Also check out more tutorials on my Youtube channel….

June 12, 2019 By Yami 5 Comments

Coastal Farmhouse Bathroom Reveal

Well, I am finally happy to say that I am done with my guest bathroom and while I was not able to stick to the entire design board (below) I was still able to give it the look and feel that I wanted.

some of the links below are affiliate links, please go here for full disclosure

The nicest upgrade we did was replace the countertops and I am super happy with how they came out. We went to a local granite shop and selected the quartzite I had in mu vision board above. It looks so good in person!!!

The name of the quartzite is called Fantasy Brown (even though it has a lot of gray and blue undertones) and it’s perfect if you want that coastal feel. Plus, it’s not as high-maintenance as granite… woo hoo!

I take you on a trip to the shop and show you how easily they were installed in the video below:

Also, painting the cabinets was pretty easy and we used Sherwin Williams’s color Gibraltar – I love that deep gray blue. It’s stunning!

I have a previous tutorial on how to paint cabinets that you can check out, however, I have learned so many things since painting many more cabinets and built-ins that I finally figured out the best paints and practices that I prefer for the job and plan on sharing that information very soon.

I found some cute items for my bathroom as well like the bottles you see below. They are just like the ones from Grove Collaborative only much cheaper!

You can buy your own set of them here. I bought 6 for a few bucks more than the price of one! SCORE!

GET a FREE Mrs. Meyer’s 5 Piece Cleaning Set here!

I brought back some of my Dollar Tree DIY’s as well like the succulent wall art below.

The mirror and the lights aren’t my favorite, but they work for now so we kept them.

I did make a custom shower curtain as well since I couldn’t find the one on my vision board online – it was out of stock. But I ended up liking my version better.

I also ended up using a jute rug that I had somewhere else in my home that wasn’t really working and placed it in my bathroom and I think it was a perfect fit.

I was able to replicate the wooden shelf in my vision board. I made a slight change to it but I love how it turned out! I even share the full tutorial below in case you want to make one yourself.

Here is an up close shot…

It works perfectly above the toilet.

Finally, I added my last Look for Less DIY Artwork to the bathroom.

And I am so glad it’s done!!!!

Now my guests have a nice place to “go in” when they are over. LOL! And while it’s not the biggest overhaul since we didn’t tackle absolutely everything I think we made a huge impact with what we did do.

If you prefer the video walk-through check it out below.

Until next time!

Yami Signature Coastal Farmhouse Bathroom Reveal

May 9, 2019 By Yami Leave a Comment

Coastal Farmhouse Bathroom Inspiration and BEFORE

Hey there! Can you believe this school year is almost to an end???? My kids keep counting down the days to the last day…. 9 more days, or wait… is it 8 now? I can’t recall, but I am sure my kids will tell me the minute they get home. LOL

Well, it seems I cannot get enough done around this house cause I am already planning my next room makeover. Since my great room is already done… I figured it was time to tackle the guest bathroom on our main floor since it is the one everyone uses when they come over.

Up till now we have only done our son’s bathroom…

So I thought it would be the perfect time to start so I joined 4 other amazing ladies on my Youtube channel to do the Room of the Month Challenge and give this a makeover during the month of May.

Today we are sharing our BEFORE pictures and believe me you, you will agree the bathroom is not so pretty.

As you can see we already took the mirror down, but those red mohagany stained cabinets and that seashell sink is nothing to brag about. I am sure they were great back then, but today, not so much.

At least the faucet is updated!

The cabinets have seen some wear over time and while I am not thrilled about the floors, I don’t have the budget to change them right now, so I at least am pleased that they are solid white.

Those green walls have got to go!

And we have already removed the tank of the toilet to prepare for painting. It’s s much easier to get behind it if you do this….

Now, one of the few things staying the same will be the cute little Dollar Tree Succulent Wall Planter’s that I DIY’d. I love them and I think they will go great with my the new updates…

So what are my new updates, you ask?

Here they are below!

Changes and items I hope to get for the transformation:

Some of the following links are affiliate links for your convenience. More info here

Gray Paint for Walls
SW Gibraltar for the cabinets
Glass Soap Dispenser
New Bath Mat
Rustic Wall Decor
Quartzite Countertops
Apothecary Jars for Decor
Grass Greenery
Ticking Stripe Farmhouse Inspired Shower Curtain

The faucet, the light fixture and mirror are not too bad so I will go ahead and save money there by not replacing them.

I hope to be able to find everything and if not, then I will most likely DIY some of these items, but I am really excited to start and can’t wait to share the final results!

April 30, 2019 By Yami 3 Comments

Coastal Farmhouse Great Room Reveal

This post was sponsored by Sherwin Williams and some of the links below are affiliate links for your convenience.

In my last post I shared all about what my great room used to look like and what my plans were for the space.

It was a pretty tall order since the great room was a 2-story great room and there was a ton of purple paint to cover up. But we got to work and I think we pulled it together.

As always you can view the video of this on my Youtube channel here.

Here is everything we used:

M-1 Paint Deglosser and Pre-Paint Cleaner
FrogTape Multi-Surface Painter’s Tape
ScotchBlue Pre-Taped Painter’s Plastic
American Line Pro Mini Roller Tray
Contractor Series Microfiber Mini Rollers
HANDy Paint Pail & Liners
Angled Paint Brush
3M Dual Grit All Purpose Sanding Sponge
Standard Paint Rollers
Purdy Standard Paint Tray
Purdy Standard Paint Tray Liner
Big Time Products Firm Grip Pro Paint Disposable Nitrile Gloves
Intex Precision-Fiber Cloth Rags
Purdy Premium Flexible Joint Knife
Wall Spackle

So the first thing we did was prep the room. We removed as much furniture as possible and took down all those drapes and curtain rods as well as any art or décor in the room. We filled any holes in the walls with spackle and sanded them smooth.

Of course after that was done we had to make sure room we dusted and cleaned the room prior to commencing. We laid down ScotchBlue Pre-Taped Painter’s Plastic which is our favorite form of protection for our floors and baseboards.

Next we began to paint the walls with a my favorite neutral gray: Repose Gray SW7015. With Sherwin Williams’s SuperPaint line, all we needed was 2 coats of paint over the dark purple color.

Since we had 20’ walls we decided to split the work in 2 sections so painted the lower level first.

So, we removed the shelves & cabinet doors and gave them a good cleaning along with the units built-into in the wall.

In order to clean them we used M-1 Paint Deglosser and Pre-Paint Cleaner then wiped them down with clean water & a rag and let them dry.

Next we sanded all rough areas with a sanding sponge.

And then we wiped everything clean again with a damp cloth.

Alright, so then we taped the necessary areas off with painter’s tape.

I used ProBlock Interior Oil-Based Primer to prime the built-ins and prevent any knots or stains to bleed through the paint. There were several on them as you see below…

I applied 2 coats of that primer and here is what it looked like on a cabinet door.

Then as the primer dried, we wanted to add trim above the fireplace. We cut it so that it would fit like a square frame above the mantle.

As you can see the fireplace needed a focal point above the mantle and something to tie in the 2 built-ins on either side.

So we built a square frame.

And used a combination of liquid nails and a nail gun to install the wood.

Then we added faux “shiplap” inside the frame. We cut thin floor underlayment in 5” wide pieces and used liquid nails and brad nails to adhere them onto the wall.

You may choose to caulk any gaps or nail holes after it has been installed or you can leave as is for a more rustic feel.

We primed this wood with oil-based primer as well and then when fully dried we applied 2 coats of Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel – Extra White SW 7006 Semi Gloss to the built-ins, shelves, and cabinet doors. (This is my FAVORITE paint for cabinets. The finish is perfect and doesn’t need a sealer. The paint even gets harder over time. I love how durable it is! The combination of the oil base primer paired with this paint makes an amazing bond).

I applied Emerald Extra White SW 7006 in Satin to the shiplap so that it was not as shiny.

I made sure to let everything dry overnight.

You can add a polycrylic if you wish, however, I have found that as long a you use an oil-based primer, all you need is the Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel – Extra White SW 7006 in Semi Gloss on your cabinets and built-ins since it dries to a strong and durable finish.

Then it was time to finally finish the upper walls.

We applied 2 coats.

So it looks like the hubby is doing all of the work, but I was the one who did the trim at the very top… TWICE!

I also repainted all the trim, window casings, and baseboards.

And even used a small artist brush to get into tiny little areas…

And OMG, after all that I was able to bring in some new furniture, new curtains and some decor to decorate the built-ins and these are the final results:

I love the fireplace and built-ins now!

I still have to practice my styling but these shelves definitely look better than before!

Well, that’s it for now… What do you think? This place looks so much better now that the

April 22, 2019 By Yami Leave a Comment

Great Room Transformation – BEFORE

As bloggers, one of the things we try to do to capture interest when posting a new blog post is to get your attention with a gorgeous photograph, even if it is a “before” image. However, with THIS great room that wasn’t happening.

Nope!

Uh uh.

So I decided to share my design board FIRST and then the ugly room. LOL!

But then again perhaps going with a terribly ugly image of what my great room used to look like, might have still gotten your attention. ?

Let’s be real…

You are definitely entitled to having your own style in your own home, but this was too unbearable for me.

IT HAD TO GO!

For being a 2 story great room it was just too dark…. almost cavelike….

The blinds were old and discolored and those medieval curtains going all the way up to the second story were just too much.

It was so dark the room itself was hard to capture.

But here is a better lit image.

PURPLE.

Need I say more?

No wait, 2 stories of purple!

In a sea of purple-ness the fireplace and built-ins were lost.

And here is the other side.

Not that any side of this room had a “good side” but at least there was some gray on this side of the room.

Let’s face it, if you know me, you know this is not my style.

But I could see the potential.

The fireplace was a good start with the stone.

And the built-ins were very well made.

So I decided to get my creative juices in order and I came up with this!

If you have been here a while, you know I have shown bits and pieces of this room (just not the whole she-bang!)

So, just like for my master bedroom I decided to create an inspiration board. It really does help put everything together visually for you. I have included sources for the items I was able to find as well.

I knew I wanted to marry farmhouse with a coastal feel so blue accents were a must!

Great Room Transformation – THE PLAN

So in my head this what was going to go down!

Some of the links below are affiliate links, please see full disclosure here

First, I was going to take down those medieval curtains. Off they go!!!!
Next, I was going to paint the walls Repose Gray by Sherwin Williams and give all (yes, ALL) of the trim a fresh coat of paint
Then, I was going to paint the built-ins white and add shiplap above the fireplace.
I was getting a brand new sectional from IKEA
A shoe cabinet for the hubby was a must (cause I prefer them NOT to be all over the house)
A quatrefoil mirror which I already had was going to make its way in.
This awesome farmhouse inspired topiary set which I talked about in this post was going to be perfect on the mantle (I shared a discount for them in the post as well).
New curtains to add a little blue (I was able to find the exact ones I used here).
Farmhouse greenery throughout.
And of course a rustic wood mirror had to be a part of the design (I can’t find the one I have, but the one in the image is very similar to it and you can find it here).

Did I make it happen?

Oh you bet I did!

I can’t wait to show it to you in the next post!

So be sure to stay tuned!

April 21, 2019 By Yami Leave a Comment

Rustic Sunburst Mirror DIY

Happy Monday! I hope you had a wonderful Easter Sunday. Our day started off a little chilly but it warmed up nicely. The day was gorgeous without a cloud in sight and with gentle wind. We spent half the day outdoors as my kids could not get enough of the beautiful weather.

I am not sure you recall, but I have a fun series on my channel called the Look for Less Challenge and it’s an open invitation to anyone who wishes to participate. Basically I ask you to find a home decor item that you love but is out of your price range, and recreate it for less. Like this Pottery Barn mirror dupe I shared previously.

Well, I decided to tackle another mirror in my latest challenge and I think this one is even better than the first.

For a while now I have been wanting a sunburst mirror, but most are not my style and are overpriced. I did a recent search of rustic sunburst mirrors and there are several options out there now. They’re still out of my price range, so I decided to finally tackle it on my own.

I went to my local Home Depot and came up with an inexpensive idea.

Here are the supplies I used:

the links below are affiliate links for your convenience, more information here

Wood Shims (16 packs of 12 shims each)
Wood Glue
Clamps
Embroidery Hoop 8″
Round Mirror
Wire Hanging Kit

How to make…

Rustic Sunburst Mirror DIY

Heads up! This tutorial is actually a little complicated and quite repetitive. So, I am sharing a couple of up close pictures of one of the 16 sunburst “flares” (I think that it what you would call them ??‍♀️) and the rest of the tutorial is in the video below. It will show you exactly how much wood glue I used and exactly how I put all of them together.

I also show different methods of holding the shims together that might work for you depending on what you have available in terms of supplies.

Each pack of shims comes with 12 shims. You will use all of them in a pack but you will first take out 3 and glue them together like this:

Make sure to use a good amount of wood glue and clamp them together for several hours before removing.

Next you will take the next 8 shims and glue 2 sets of 4 of them together like shown below.

After those are glued together you will glue them all together like shown below.

***Please note, that because of the shape and size of the “flare” you will NOT be able to glue them all at once and hold them down with clamps, so please make sure to go by these steps and glue them in the 4,3,4 groupings first and then the entire piece together like below.

After you make one of these, make 15 more of them and you will notice you will use 11 shims for this “flare” but you must keep the 12th shim because you will need those for the final assembly.

Okay, now for the rest of the tutorial, I suggest you watch the video as I will show you exactly how to put it together and how to reinforce and eventually hang the piece on your wall.

This is a large and heavy piece and I want to make sure you don’t miss a detail…

I hope you like this as much as I do! It couldn’t have turned out more amazing!

I preferred to leave mine rustic and not paint or stain it, but you can do so depending on your preference.

Don’t forget to pin!

April 11, 2019 By Yami 6 Comments

IKEA Table Hack – Farmhouse Transformation

Happy Friday! I don’t know what is up with me, but it’s like I have been missing my “mojo”lately – perhaps it’s the allergies or perhaps it’s burnout… I’m sure you have noticed I haven’t posted as much on here as I would like. Maybe it’s because I have been doing this for a while and perhaps I just need a break from blogging??? No idea….

Or maybe time hasn’t been enough lately. I mean….

I.JUST.FINISHED.POTTY.TRAINING.MY.LAST(stubborn).CHILD!

Can I get an amen!?!

Then there’s my Youtube channel.

It has been growing at a much faster rate than I would have expected, and I can say that I have been enjoying the benefits of a loving community over there. Weird. I never thought of myself as a YouTuber, but frankly the complexity of filming and editing is actually something I have been enjoying… (nerd alert!).

And sometimes I get so involved in a project that I honestly forget to take images as I am filming.

I keep telling my husband I need a camera crew, but I don’t think he’s been listening. ?

Even still I don’t want to miss sharing my projects with my community here so I am sharing my latest furniture transformation that I happened to film… plus sometimes I think it’s nice to just sit back and enjoy a quick video instead of having to thumb up and down a post and actually read.

Perhaps, I’m just lazy like that! ?

So I will be inserting my video tutorials by themselves here and there to see how they work out. However, if you would rather enjoy images and print, do speak out!

Okay, my breakfast area was in dire need of a table that I could use for a coffee station. I had been looking a while for something cheap on FB Marketplace and I came across an IKEA table for $20. I was on it like white on rice cause you know I love a good score!

My hubby and I picked it up STAT!

She was not pretty by any means though, but I knew I could fix her up!

With the help of some leftover 1 x 4’s…

and some paint…. I was able to turn her into this!

She’s a vision!

I love the blue color (that my husband actually picked out) and the pop color it gives this wall. And the wood along with the distressing makes it look like it’s been in a farmhouse kitchen for a long time.

Things you will need for this…

IKEA Table Hack – Farmhouse Transformation

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Folkart Chalk Paint in Nantucket Blue
Folkart Chalk Paint in White Adirondack
Wood Tint Walnut Stain
Folkart Clear Wax
Chalk Paint & Wax Brush DUO
Sanding Block
Lint Free Cloth
Miter Saw
Nail Gun
Wood Glue

And here is how I did it… simply click play and enjoy the process!

Have you done any Ikea hacks lately? I was so lucky to have found this table for only $20! This is one of my favorite pieces yet!

March 25, 2019 By Yami Leave a Comment

Dollar Tree Spring DIYs

I hope your start to Spring has been wonderful. Warmer weather has been able to peek through here and there and I cannot tell you how excited I am for a new season (the allergies not so much!).

A little while ago I shared my Dollar Tree Spring Haul and I finally got to use some of my supplies for this and 2 other DIY’s. I love how they all turned out so I am just going to jump in.

*Some of the links below are affiliate links, please see full disclosure for more details here.”

Here is what you need for this beautiful flower topiary or as I like to call it “flower ball”…. You will see why in a bit.

First we are going to start with the base.

You will need:

3 wooden dowel packets (I got mine from Dollar Tree)
Hot glue
An old tape roll (or something rounded like a can of food, minus the food).
Twine or ribbon

You will glue the dowels onto the tape roll.

Make sure they are glued tightly together and all the way around.

After this you can add twine or a ribbon around the center. I also added hot glue along the top (pictured below) so the dowels wouldn’t separate and be a little more stable.

Then I took a soccer ball from the Dollar Tree kids aisle (cause they are cheaper than a stryofoam ball and it was the perfect size) and placed it on the top of the base. I did not glue it on though.

Then I took all of those yellow roses and attached them onto the ball.

I simply cut the stems short, added hot glue on the tip of the stem and base of the flower, poked the ball and inserted the flower.

I did this in rows making sure that the roses on each row above were placed above and between the roses below (in staggered rows).

Easy peasy! If there were any areas where the ball poked through, I just would hot glue a couple of petals together slightly so that it would cover it up.

Last, I added a row of leaves to the bottom of the flower ball to add a little green and to hide the top of the base that had the hot glue on it. And that’s it!

Simple, yet elegant.

This can go on a side table, bookshelf, or even as a centerpiece at a wedding.

And the best part about this is when you get tired of the yellow roses, get another ball and do the same thing with another type of flower!

#winning

And of course, I couldn’t just stop there. I made a beautiful wreath for my front door…

And spruced up my winter arrangement for my great room with a set of Spring flowers…

Make sure to check out how to make those in my video tutorial below!

I would love to know which one you liked the most!

Also, don’t forget to pin and share with your friends ?!

Be back soon….

March 11, 2019 By Yami 2 Comments

Farmhouse Spring and St. Patrick’s DIY’s

Some of the links below are affiliate links, please go here for full disclosure. I am a Plaid Ambassador and some of the products used here were supplied to me

Hey there! I know it has been a while since I’ve posted, but I am sure you’ll appreciate the DIY’s I’m sharing with you all today. I’ve been so busy at home getting rid of unwanted and unnecessary things that I’m making sure I only make what I really want and is truly necessary as far as my decorating is concerned. Since reading the book and seeing her show, I’ve taken the Marie Kondo thing seriously and I don’t plan on going back now.

So while taking that into consideration I am trying to make DIY’s that can be used for multiple occasions or seasons and used in different places throughout the home.

While St. Patrick’s Day is not a Latin American holiday it’s actually very special to me and my husband since my he asked me to be his girlfriend on St. Patrick’s Day (apparently he had some liquid courage that day)…. so it’s kinda nice to celebrate that occasion.

I knew I wanted to add a few touches of green here and there, but I’m not fond of all that green glitter and decor you see out in the stores. So I began looking for alternative solutions and I came across some dried split peas at my local grocery store and had an awesome idea.

I had these candle holders from Dollar Tree that I had left over from last year… ( you can totally use any candle holders you have on hand or even thrifted ones).

And I decided to give them a coat of my favorite Martha Stewart brown paint in Tilled Soil (I have used it here and here as well).

After 2 coats I then took some Folkart acrylic paint in the color Country Twilland used a chip brush to dry brush on some streaks.

They’ll look like this when they are done.

Then afterwards, I used one of my new FAVORITE products… It’s called Antique Wax by Folkart .

All you do is take a lint free cloth and rub it on these candle holders.

And it will deepen the color and make these candle holders look like wood!

They look just fine the way they are and you can totally leave them this way, however, I wanted to add glass hurricanes to the top.

So I took one of the extra tall vases from Dollar Tree, one of the regular size vases and finally one of my leftover Yankee Candle jars (cause DT does not carry any in these size)… I cleaned them and adhered them to the top of the candleholders with E6000 and a little bit of hot glue…

Of course, I did not get a picture of this ??‍♀️ but I am sure you can figure it out ?.

Once they were adhered I added those split peas I talked about earlier along with some Dollar Tree white candles and they make the sweetest Spring/St. Patrick’s Day themed center piece for my breakfast area.

And you would never guess most of the items used were from Dollar Tree!

These are going to be so versatile. I can add orange lentils for Fall, sand if I want a more coastal theme or moss for Summer. The options are endless and I think they look so good together…

Of course my love for this farmhouse version of “green glitter” (as my dear friend Marie from The Inspiration Vault calls it) did not stop there and I made 2 of the following wreaths…

Yeah, I went a little nuts! ?

If you are interested in how I made it you can check out tutorial for the wreath in my video below…

Hope you all have a wonderful week and I will see you soon! Don’t forget to pin this and share with your friends!

January 24, 2019 By Yami 1 Comment

4 Farmhouse Valentine’s DIYs

You guys have no idea how excited I am to share some more Dollar Tree DIY’s with you all! And while I have never been into decorating for Valentine’s Day in the past, I can honestly say that I have been enjoying it this year (did you see my Berry Suspended Heart!?). Especially because I have found a way to get away from all the in-yo-face red glitter and sparkle you see everywhere around this time.

I have never really been a fan of the color red in my decor, but a teeny bit here or there won’t hurt, however, I would much rather create buffalo check hearts and fill my world with them… and that’s pretty much what I have done lately.

Like, fo’ real!

Anyways, we are going to start with that pretty flag you see above and then I will share 3 more coordinating pieces you will love!

So here’s the basics for what you need:

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Valentines Day Flag from Dollar Tree
Large Wooden Heart from Dollar Tree
Scrapbook paper ( I had some leftover from my Christmas stash)
Burlap
Faux Greenery ( I used some from Christmas but these are a great alternative if you want the farmhouse look)
Scissors or Box Cutter
Glue Gun & Sticks
Free Heart Printables that you can access here
White Paint – I used this one cause I already had it on hand
Matte Mod Podge
M od Podge Roller
Card Stock in White

So first thing’s first, you will need to paint the letters and images on the flag white. Even though I will be placing the burlap on top of the flag, I don’t want the letters to show through.

While that dries cut your scrapbook paper to the same shape as the wooden heart.

Then apply the Mod Podge on the wooden heart with a small brush, adhere the paper. Use a small roller to get all the bubbles out and flatten the paper down. Then finally add the top coat of Mod Podge.

Then while that dries cut your burlap fabric about an inch smaller that your flag all around and glue it with some hot glue.

Once the heart is ready, glue it onto the center of the burlap.

Then take my free heart printables that you can access here and print the language and font of your choice onto card stock. Cut it out and glue it onto the center of the buffalo check heart. You can use a glue stick for this.

Then take some faux greenery (make sure it has small leaves) and start cutting them off into groups of 3 – 4 leaves and begin hot gluing them all around the border of the center heart.

And viola! You have the cutest Farmhouse Buffalo Check flag EVER for Valentines Day!

I was impressed at how it turned out. I don’t see a smidge of Dollar Tree, do you?

Oh and if you love this, you will love these!!!!

Buffalo Check Garland

Buffalo Check LOVE sign

Buffalo Check Wreath Clip Ons

And for the sake of NOT making this the longest post ever, you can see the quick and easy-to-follow tutorials for the rest of them in my video below!

See you next time and don’t forget to PIN!!!!!

4 Farmhouse Valentines DIYs Long Pin 4 Farmhouse Valentines DIYs

Yami Signature 4 Farmhouse Valentines DIYs

January 15, 2019 By Yami 10 Comments

DIY Dollar Tree Valentines Day Decor

Okay, so first off I cannot believe it is already halfway through January! Time is flying and I haven’t been on here at all since December basically because my little one has been so sick and of course I had to get whatever she had so I have been battling this dry cough that just does not want to go away and keeps me from my much needed sleep.

The worst!

I have been able to share my first VLOG of the year about the happenings right now in our home as well as how I took down my Christmas decorations on my YouTube channel. It seems to be easier to film most days. I plan on sending out notifications on my blog for any relatable content on my channel that may be of interest. If you want to subscribe directly to my channel you always can do that here.

However, I thought the best way to light a fire under my butt and get to writing again was to join a sweet little blog hop hosted by my dear friend Cindy over at County Road 407. She is an absolute hoot and I can definitely say one good friend (although she’ll probably give me hell for not saying “great friend”?).

So… she created this fun event!

Yep! We were supposed to take this lovely Pinterest image from Christina over at THE DIY MOMMY and recreate it with our own style.

At that’s just what we all did… make sure to scroll all the way to the end to see what everyone else’s projects look like!

This year so far I have been really applying the KonMarie Method at home (I swear this will make sense in a bit!). I read the book last year, and took a light turn with it, but now with Marie Kondo’s Netflix special it has motivated me even more to use what I already have on hand to decorate instead of going out and getting more crafty things and cluttering my home some more, so I started to get really creative with this project.

The project you will see today is made of items I already had on hand (with the exception of one thing) and leftover Christmas decor so I am really proud of it.

DIY Dollar Tree Valentines Day Decor

Some of the links below are affiliate links, please see full disclosure here

Supplies Used:

Wooden Frame
Berry Bushes from Dollar Tree
Linen White Chalk Paint
Red Acrylic Paint
Artist Brushes
Glossy Mod Podge
Foam Board
Jute String
Box Cutter (or scissors)
Heart Template
Marker or Pen
Hot Glue and Glue Gun

So the first thing you want to do is cut out a heart shape out of foam board. I used some hearts from a decor piece I bought at Dollar Tree.

As always you can view the tutorial below if video is more your jam! ?

Once the heart is cut out, mark an inner heart on the foam board.

Cut that out as well so you make a frame.

I had a red berry bush leftover from my Christmas Dollar Tree supply stash and I begin taking the berry bundles apart into much smaller ones, even single berries at a time.

I simply hot glued them onto the heart shape, making sure to cover all of the white foam board.

Next, after all of them were on, I used some red acrylic paint to cover some of the white spots on the berries from where I took them apart. If you recall, I did the same thing with my DIY farmhouse ornaments this past Christmas.

Once that was dry, I painted all of the berries over with glossy Mod Podge.

While that was drying I took a wooden frame that I have had for a while (longer than my husband would like) and started sanding the edges. I had painted it with Linen White Chalked Paint a while back, but wanted a more rustic feel so I distressed it a bit.

Now the reason I hadn’t used this frame before was because of the two holes it had on one of the sides. I really didn’t know what to do with it… until now!

So, I turned the heart over and glued some jute string to the back. You can paint the back red or cover it with poster board since it’s not so pretty but since it wasn’t going to be seen, I just left it.

Then I looped the jute string through the holds, tied them in a bow and voila!

An adorable farmhouse berry heart in a frame!

Isn’t she so cute?!?!

And she cost me $0! (I can say that cause that Dollar Tree heart is actually for another project, LOL!)

And look at what everyone else created! Aren’t they precious!? This was too fun! Thank you Cindy for hosting!

Don’t forget to pin this and share with your friends if you love my berry heart as much as I do!

I will see you back here soon!

Yami

Supplies for Dollar Tree Farmhouse Christmas Ornaments

You can see how to make it in the tutorial below…

Supplies…

DIY Dollar Tree Coastal Farmhouse Decor

Video Tutorial

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DIY Dollar Tree Farmhouse Picture Frames

SUPPLIES I USED…

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DIY Dollar Tree Farmhouse Picture Frames Video Tutorial

The Kitchen… (you can see the video version here)

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So here is a breakdown of the plans to make it a little more detestable…

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DIY Farmhouse Shower Curtain Supplies

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Changes and items I hope to get for the transformation:

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*This post was sponsored by Sherwin Williams and some of the links below are affiliate links for your convenience.*

*As always you can view the video of this on my Youtube channel here.*

Great Room Transformation – THE PLAN

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Here are the supplies I used:

*the links below are affiliate links for your convenience, more information here*

Rustic Sunburst Mirror DIY

IKEA Table Hack – Farmhouse Transformation

*some of the links below may be affiliate links, please see full disclosure here*

*Some of the links below are affiliate links, please see full disclosure for more details here.”

*Some of the links below are affiliate links, please go here for full disclosure. I am a Plaid Ambassador and some of the products used here were supplied to me*

*Some of the links below are affiliate links for your convenience, for more information please go here*

Buffalo Check Garland

Buffalo Check LOVE sign

Buffalo Check Wreath Clip Ons

DIY Dollar Tree Valentines Day Decor

*Some of the links below are affiliate links, please see full disclosure here*

Instagram

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some of the following links are affiliate links, please see full disclosure here

Some of the following links are affiliate links for your convenience, please see here for more details

Some of the links below are affiliate links, please see full disclosure here

some of the links below are affiliate links, please go here for full disclosure

Some of the following links are affiliate links for your convenience. More info here

This post was sponsored by Sherwin Williams and some of the links below are affiliate links for your convenience.

As always you can view the video of this on my Youtube channel here.

Some of the links below are affiliate links, please see full disclosure here

the links below are affiliate links for your convenience, more information here

some of the links below may be affiliate links, please see full disclosure here

Some of the links below are affiliate links, please go here for full disclosure. I am a Plaid Ambassador and some of the products used here were supplied to me

Some of the links below are affiliate links for your convenience, for more information please go here

Some of the links below are affiliate links, please see full disclosure here