Yami

June 1, 2020 By Yami 1 Comment

DIY Seagrass Vase

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Happy Monday!

Hope you all had a great weekend! We are making great progress on the house and I was able to tackle several blog posts while staying at my parents’ house for a few days. It was nice to be able to focus on writing for once. I am almost caught up on the projects that I have been meaning to share on here.

Woot woot!

One of these projects was this cute vase from Ballard Designs. It was from last month’s Look for Less Challenge and I did it along with the Dollar Tree Faux Cement Bowl. I have had this idea for a long time and I was finally able to execute it.

Here is what I used to recreate this look for less…

SUPPLIES

Thrifted Glass Vase
Candle Holder
Grass Hula Skirt

Yep! I got this hula skirt at Hobby Lobby with my 40% off coupon . The reason I chose the grass skirt instead of buying raffia in a bag is because 1. it’s cheaper and 2. the raffia is not tangled and bunched up all over the place.

You’re welcome!

The vase and candleholder cost me less than $1.50 for both at Goodwill. This complete DIY cost me about $4.50.

TUTORIAL

I cleaned them off with rubbing alcohol and glued them together with E6000.

Then I painted the candle holder portion with a light brown acrylic paint in order to mask the gray. Only one coat is necessary.

Next, get your grass skirt and start braiding. I use 6 bundles/strands divided into 3 sections to create one braid.

RELATED: DIY Farmhouse Napkin Rings

You will need to make quite a few braids.

Once you have your braids done, cut them off one at a time as you use them (or they will unravel). Fold over the end for a nice seamless look and begin to hot-glue them from the bottom working your way up.

Keep the braids really tight to each other making sure nothing from beneath shows.

When one strand ends glue it down and start with the next one. Simply fold over the end of the new braid and place right on top of the end of the previous one. It may be slightly raised but most of the seems aren’t that noticeable.

Once you get to the glass, you will need to use more than just hot glue.

You will need to also use E6000.

What I did was take some E6000 and applied it to the glass where the braid was supposed to go. But before I placed it down, I used a bit of hot glue on the edge of the braid so that it would attach to the previous braid. That would dry instantly and hold the braid in place while the part that attached to the glass dried.

This will make the braids permanent.

Once you reach the top make sure to cover the glass lip and fold over the end of the last braid inside the glass vase. And that’s it! Insert some greenery and enjoy!

What I love about this is that since it’s glass inside, you can use fresh stems in this vase.

You can keep it natural like I did or use tea to dye the braids to make them darker.

Hope you enjoyed another DIY! Please share with your friends and I will see you in the next one.

Until then… adios!

May 29, 2020 By Yami Leave a Comment

Great Father’s Day Gift Ideas

This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. For more details please see full disclosure.

Happy Friday everyone! Hope you all are as excited to see the weekend as I am. Of course with Father’s Day coming up very soon, I thought it would be fun to share some gift ideas for DAD.

The Latino Engineer already has his Father’s Day gift, but there are actually several other gifts I have gotten him on special occasions listed below (and might I add he has loved them all).

This post contains affiliate links which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you

And whether you decide to go with any of the ideas you see below or not, if you enjoy shopping online, definitely check out Rakuten where you get cash back from making everyday purchases online. I recently started using it and I wish I had done it sooner!

All you do is create an account and add Rakuten to your browser. When you need to shop online, check to see if your retailer is listed on Rakuten and activate the cash back rate on that store. Shop as you would normally and you cash back for your purchase.

Then they literally mail you a check in the mail! How awesome is that?!

Use this link and get $10 cash back on your first purchase of $25.

Okay, so onto the list…

Personalized Leather Keychains

This is one of my favorite items and I actually gave this to the Latino Engineer not that long ago. He even showed it off in one of our renovation update videos. It actually says “Latino Engineer” on it. LOL! They are well made and look just as good as the image. Plus they are reasonably priced!

2. Personalized Apron

Does your special man love grilling? I know mine does! I have never figured out their fascination with grilling… perhaps it has something to do with the fact that they get to play with fire. Ha! This apron is such a great idea for any guy who loves to “burn meat” as my dad likes to call it.

Coasters

And while they grill, they usually like to enjoy a cold one. And who could resist anything with Star Wars on it?! Both my dad and my hubby love Star Wars and I know they would both appreciate these.

Who can’t wait for the Mandolorian to start back up? 🙋🏻‍♀️

Engraved Watch

This one is actually one of two watches I find perfect for Father’s Day. This one has a special message engraved in it which I find super sweet. Plus the simple wood grain face is definitely unique. It could be dressed up or down!

Grooming Bag

The Latino Engineer does not go anywhere without his grooming bag. He doesn’t have this exact one, but it’s similar in style. I love the embroidered initials on this bag and you can get it in different colors as well.

Under Armour Headphones

This has got to be one of the best gifts I have given the Latino Engineer. I got these for him on his birthday last year and he loves them. He mostly wears them to work out and never has a problem with them getting in the way of his workouts. He listens to music without interruption or outside noises and he appreciates how light weight they are. I was proud of myself with this gift.

Fossil Watch

This one has a sad story behind it. I bought the Latino Engineer this watch below several years ago (his actually had a brown leather strap), and it was stolen. He still gets angry to this day about it. We recently saw this one online with the black strap and he has been hesitant to buy it because it’s not exactly like the one I got him back in the day, but I think I might get it for him anyways.

The blue face on this watch makes it truly unique and I love the robust design. It’s very “macho” LOL! And he never had an issue with its performance when he had it so we can vouch for it being a great watch (probably why it was stolen 🙄).

Multi- Tool

Now, if your baby daddy is handy like mine, he will appreciate the following gift idea. I cannot tell you how many the Latino Engineer has! He likes having one in each car, one in the house, one in his toolbox. They really are handy to have around. He usually comes to me with a new one and I’m like “why do we need another one?!”

NewAir Beer Fridge Froster 125 Can Freestanding in Black

The last one on this list is if you really want to make your hubby’s Father’s Day special by splurging a little. This actually was what the Latino Engineer got for Father’s Day this year. He is stoked about it still! We partnered with NewAir and did a review of it on our channel where you can get even more information about it.

But basically it can hold up to 125 beer cans (yes we have tested it) and keep them ice cold. It has a party mode (to keep the beers cold no matter how many times your guests open the door). It has a Turbo mode which gets any beer from room temperature to ice cold in one hour. A light, screen lock and so much more. It’s dreamy even for me!

It’s currently in the sunroom by the TV. Eventually it will make it to the man cave in the basement, but for now it’s safe where it’s at

You can always watch our video on it and even use our 20% OFF CODE: THE_LATINA_NEXT_DOOR at checkout.

And that’s it for my list of totally awesome daddy gifts.

I hope this gave you some really good ideas if you were still trying to figure out what to get your sweet guy!

Have a great weekend and I will see you in the next one.

Until then… adios!

May 27, 2020 By Yami 7 Comments

Farmhouse Kitchen Progress

Hello friends! I hope you all are having a wonderful week! Our first full week of summer vacation has started out great and I am ready to continue tackling our kitchen.

If you have been following along, you know that I shared my mood board for my kitchen. I also explained all of the plans for the kitchen which I am so excited about. I also listed all of the sources in you like anything you see.

One of the things I mentioned was that we were changing the layout of the rooms in the house.

The former dining area will now have an island. We ordered them from a local cabinet company (B2B Cabinet) here in North Georgia. They were fast and had amazing prices.

I wanted a dual sided island that would give me the most storage. The cabinets needed to be no more than 36″ x 60″ due to the size of the eat-in area.

I have also been wanting drawers in my kitchen forever. I have never had large drawers so I wanted to make sure they included that as well. So the cabinet company created this for me:

The Island

And because of the size of the measurements, I could only have upper cabinets on the back side.

But that was fine with me. I will have a countertop overhang on that side since I do want an eating area on the island. 2 beautiful legs will hold up the countertop. That will still work out well since I will only be storing items that I don’t use that often in those cabinets. This will then free up space in the main kitchen area where I do use items frequently.

Here is a kitchen island that is already done to give you an idea of what the island will look like with the legs.

Source

Here is what the island looks like right now.

The Latino Engineer made platform boxes to raise the upper cabinets on the left to match the counter height ones. And the island may look off center now, but it will all be centered once the counter top with the overhang on the left side is installed.

The Latino Engineer will add outlets on either side of the island (good thing he has an electrical background). We will cover the side seams with shiplap.

Aren’t those drawers pretty?

They still need hardware and I plan on having them match the ones I purchased for the rest of the main kitchen, but I think I need to tweak the ones for the drawers. They are too small for them.

By the way, those floors are made from plywood (tutorial coming soon!)

Here’s what it looks like from farther away.

You can see there are still some floors yet to be finished and that is our breakfast table you see in front of the island temporarily.

The kitchen has no pantry, so the plan is to add one to the wall you see on the right. We will build it ourselves. It won’t be too deep but it will be the entire length and height of the wall so it will be a good size.

It may not even be done this year, but that is definitely going to happen.

The New Layout

So where do we put the dining area?

Right here.

This is actually the living area of the home, but right now we spend all of our time in the sunroom. I think this area will be perfect for a dining room since it’s right off the kitchen. It’s a great size so there will still be space for a proper entrance to the house.

Plus lots of houses have the formal dining right near the entrance so it still makes sense.

Of course this leaves us with no real main living space.

Truth be told, the minute we did our first viewing this house, The Latino Engineer and I knew the house was short one living space. We both agreed that turning the garage into living space would be the best idea… and then I came up with this!

I want to add 2 cased openings on either side of the fireplace. I want to modify the fireplace into a dual faced fireplace and have a step down into a large living room (currently the garage).

He loved the idea!

I think that would look darling with a dining table and chandelier in front no?

Anyways that is not going to happen anytime soon, but it at least shows you the big picture of what we plan on doing here and how it’s all going to come together. So for now, TV time is in the sunroom.

But that’s totally something we can live with!

So that is what we have been doing here at the “farmhouse”. It’s been so much easier to write about now that I am taking it one room at a time.

What do you think of the progress so far? I can’t wait to share more with you all! Hopefully the next time I share an update the cabinet doors will be painted (but I won’t hold my breath!).

Until then… adios!

May 25, 2020 By Yami Leave a Comment

Dollar Tree Farmhouse Napkin Rings

The following post contains affiliate links. Please see full disclosure for details.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Memorial Day weekend! We are at my parent’s house since the hubby is staining and sealing the last section of floors in our home. It smells pretty bad so we keep the kids away from it. One thing for sure though, we are in the home stretch on the floors!

I will be sharing more kitchen plans in my next post, but I thought it would be fun to share how to make these super easy farmhouse inspired napkin rings made from items at your local Dollar Tree.

All you need are two things. Those plastic silver napkin rings….

…and those raffia packs you find in the floral section.

If you don’t find the raffia packs you can always use a Hawaiian skirt, like I did with my faux rattan vase. Works just as great!

So, here is what you do…

Take the raffia and start making individual braids. Make sure to get the longer pieces. If you do, then you all you need is one braid per ring.

Next, hot glue the braid onto the ring. Make sure to fold over the end piece underneath itself to give it a clean start.

Oh and that is the same silver ring from before. I just happened to paint it for another DIY and it didn’t work out. #craftfail

Begin on one end of the ring and continue to wrap the braid around tightly. Secure with hot glue as you go. Make sure to cover the edges and not let any of the original ring shine through.

Continue until the other end of the ring.

And that’s it! Just make as many as you like for your table setting. I think they are so pretty! And you can make and entire set of them for $2!

They are a perfect complement to my faux galvanized chargers as well.

Well, I hope you like this super easy DIY. I will be back with more kitchen plans!

Don’t forget to share with your friends and I will see you in the next one.

Until then… adios!

May 22, 2020 By Yami 3 Comments

Farmhouse “Cottage” Kitchen Plans

Happy Friday everyone! It is time to get down to the nitty gritty of all the behind the scenes going on over here. There has been so much work going on I just can’t keep up. Good thing is I have been documenting all of it (just not writing about it).

Truth be told, it has been extremely overwhelming and my house has been nothing short of a disaster these past several months. I have been sharing updates on my YouTube channel and find that sharing there has been easier because I can just show clips of the process along the way.

Let’s face it, showing us installing cabinets in the laundry is easy to follow along via video….

Writing each and every detail and showing images…. totally different story!

Why do I suck at this?

For me it’s easier when everything is nice and cohesive and in super duper order on a blog post and I am still trying to figure out my style when posting about renovations. So as the progress continued, my images became overwhelming and I honestly didn’t know where to begin.

See, the only place we have made progress on is the sunroom, but then that came to a halt when we encountered our flooring issues along the entire first floor. And because we had to rip out all the floors, the whole house was under construction and everything has been a slow going process. So there is nothing but just a hot mess to share.

Seriously… not one Instagram worthy shot. 😭

So because everything was a mess, so was my brain.

But I knew it had to be shared so I sat down and thought… how can I share everything without it being overwhelming (and extremely unpleasant) for me to write about???

Million dollar question right there.

I knew I needed to take baby steps. Just one step at a time.

💡Lightbulb!💡

I will just share one room at a time!

Doesn’t seem like a difficult conclusion, but there was just so much, I didn’t see things clearly.

Okay, so where do I start?

How about the room that I look forward to changing the most?

THE KITCHEN!

This was a space I actually wasn’t going to do this soon and frankly it’s not our ultimate dream kitchen, but we just need to do it. The room is so terrible I found myself less inspired to spend time there and actually cook there as time went by.

It was dark, dingy, yucky and just plain ugly.

Who wants to make meals in that?!?!

So let’s take a trip down memory lane… do you remember the original house tour where I shared all the images of the house’s listing? Well, here are some images of the kitchen when it was listed.

HOUSE LISTING IMAGES

Yep, it’s old.

And simple.

It’s an eat-in kitchen and the bay window area is where the dining room table goes, but after months of eating there we realized it was just too small of a space for our family of 5.

As you can see everything is outdated and the colors were so dark and completely different from our last house, however, the house has some great potential.

So I got to thinking about what I wanted for the space.

Of course, all of the floors had to be ripped out and all of the popcorn ceiling had to be removed. The ceiling was done completely by my husband and the floors were done by him with some help from my dad.

RELATED: How to Remove Popcorn Ceilings (with minimal mess)

Of course the minute you start removing stuff you start finding stuff… like patchwork on the ceiling and self leveling cement on your subfloors in your kitchen (that’s over a basement!).

The one good thing we found was that there was not any animal damage on the kitchen and dining area floors that there were in other parts of the house.

We wanted a clean slate with this house so we also removed any wall molding and even window sills.

Once all that was done I came up with a mood board.

I saw this beautiful kitchen on Pinterest and I fell in LOVE!

Farmhouse “Cottage” Kitchen Plans

Related: How to make a Mood Boardboard

You know I love the coastal farmhouse look, but this screamed Cottage Farmhouse and I think it will still go well with my blue and white accents and coastal feel. Plus our house is smaller in size than the last one and a cottage vibe would go perfect here.

So I got started creating my look.

And because we don’t have a huge budget and are paying as we go, we won’t be able to get really high end finishes and of course the work will mostly be done by us. So we made concessions in some areas and will be splurging a little in others.

Some of the following links are affiliate links. Please see full disclosure here

Farmhouse “Cottage” Kitchen Plans- Sources:

We found the farmhouse sink on super duper sale here. This thing is huge! And the best part about it is that even if we change up the kitchen later, this is something I can reuse.

Instead of going with stone countertops we will be going with butcher block for now. It is much less expensive. We can install it ourselves and later on when we redo the kitchen we can always reuse them somewhere else. Plus it has that farmhouse and cottage feel in one!

I found this faucet online and I think it will go perfect with the sink!

So we got to work!

The Latino Engineer began removing all the cabinet doors.

What a sweetie!

Look at all that dust! UGH!

Next, I began painting the cabinets with my tried and true method.

RELATED: How to Paint Kitchen Cabinets Yourself

This time instead of painting the cabinets white, I chose to paint it Earl Gray by Magnolia, but I got it color-matched at Sherwin Williams with my favorite cabinet paint. Check my detailed video here.

We painted the walls Shiplap by Magnolia as well and you can see instantly how much lighter everything looks!

Of course that is pretty much what we have done so far (with the exception of the floors, which is a whole ‘nother story!).

We did get some cabinets ordered because we will be adding an island to where the dining area is supposed to be and moving the dining area to the living room, but I figured I can share all the details in another post.

I will be sharing all about that next! So stay tuned!

Let me know what you guys think about the plans so far!

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

May 21, 2020 By Yami 5 Comments

Dollar Tree Patriotic Decor DIY

Some of the links below are affiliate links* for your convenience. For more information please see full disclosure*

Hello friends! I hope you are all doing well! The school year is finally behind us! We got to see our teachers this week and it was bittersweet farewells until next year.

I will say we are looking forward to summer vacation though. We need a BREAK! We are looking forward to all this summer has to bring!

And speaking of, Memorial Day is around the corner (and 4th of July will be here before you know it) so why not start creating for it!

Have you seen these wood squares at your local Dollar Tree yet? They come 6 to a pack.

For this I used 4 of the planks and I created a bottomless crate. I glued them together with some DT tumbling blocks I had leftover from my Neiman Marcus tray dupe.

I hot glued the blocks onto the planks, but I used Dollar Tree’s new wood glue from their craft section to glue the edges of the planks for a stronger hold.

While that was drying, I took out my scrapbook paper from Hobby Lobby.

I cut them down with my paper cutter in order to get nice straight lines.

I cut the striped paper and then did the same with the star paper, making sure the star patterns were the same on each page.

Then I took some Mod Podge ( I prefer the matte one) and began to apply my star paper.

I made sure to measure and mark all the way around the crate in order to keep the paper at the same level. In addition I cut the pieces of paper so that the stars would line up on the corners. This gives the crate a more polished look.

Next, I Mod Podged the striped paper, lining up the stripes.

TIP: I use a Mod Podge squeegee in order to get my paper nice and flat every time so if you have trouble with your Mod Podge projects and experience wrinkles definitely check it out.

Let that dry…

Once dry, cut the excess paper on the top and bottom of the crate.

Apply a layer of Mod Podge over the entire crate and let dry.

You can definitely leave it like this, but I wanted to make it extra special so I decided to cut a couple of pieces of faux leather. I bought a pack from Hobby Lobby on sale for one $3.14.

The straps measured 3 1/2″ x 1/2″ and I just used a little bit of hot glue to adhere them onto the crate.

I added some faux greenery and that was it!

I love how it turned out! You can add it to your decor in your home, or make several and use as centerpieces for a 4th of July party! What do you think?

And if you are not into Patriotic decor that’s okay, you can take this same concept and create an everyday look for your home.

If you want more Patriotic ideas, you can check out 3 more in my Youtube video below!

As always if you enjoyed, don’t forget to share!

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

May 13, 2020 By Yami Leave a Comment

DIY Dollar Tree Ombre Candle

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

Good morning! Hope you all are doing well today. This week has started great and lots of progress has been made. Stay tuned for an entire series of renovation posts.

I have so many pictures I am going through and will be sharing all about. So much going on in the background. If you have been following along on Instagram you have already seen quite a bit of the behind the scenes. But I will admit it has always been so much harder for me to do progress blog posts, they are just so much harder than a DIY tutorial for me.

Perhaps it’s cause in the beginning there are no “pretty pictures” to share. And I feel like no one wants to see those.

I mean, if you saw the carpet dilemma we had to deal with last year including my trip to the ER, you would understand that this house was a complete hot mess.

And it has been depressing at times.

I will say that after a lot of hard work we are finally seeing some real changes so I think I will need to JUST.START.WRITING. I have been asked on many occasions if we regret buying the house, and despite everything we have been through my answer has always been a quick NO. The vision I have for this house is just too grand.

The land and location alone makes it so worth it. The house is just a bonus. LOL!

But okay, I won’t see talking about that. Let’s get on with this fun DIY!

Dollar Tree, as you might know, has a pretty large assortment of candles and while their scent variety is getting larger and better, they are all very small in size.

I had bought the following 3 candles in 3 colors: white, light blue and blue.

Yes 2 of them are used… we had a brief power outage over the winter and we were short of candles, but I still had enough to continue with my idea.

I thought it would be great to try and make one larger candle out of them. But instead of mixing them all together, I had an idea to create an ombre effect.

So I put them in pot of water on low on the stove and melted them.

Then I took a mason jar that I had on hand and placed a new wick inside. You can find wick kits like this here.

I am trying my hand at making my own soy candles so I already had some wicks.

The first thing you want to do is get the darker candle and pour it into the container.

Be careful, it will be hot.

Try to make sure the wax doesn’t touch the side of the container as it goes in. You want it to go straight down to the bottom.

Let the wax cool completely. You can put it in the fridge to speed up the process too.

Then add your next candle and let cool.

RELATED: DIY Blue & White Plater Chargers

Do this again with the last candle.

Let the wax cool and cut the wick….

Add a ribbon or jute, depending on your taste and that is it!

Your very own ombre candle.

This is perfect as a gift or you can make one with different colors for different occasions or holidays! It really is that easy.

Of course, if I were to do it again, I would probably add at least one more candle to fill up more of the mason jar, but this was all I had on hand. I still think it turned out so pretty.

Love the white and blue combination? There are more Blue & White DIYs here.

I hope you enjoyed this simple DIY! Please share it if you know someone who would enjoy it too!

I will be seeing you all soon! Until then… adios!

May 10, 2020 By Yami Leave a Comment

DIY Teapot Planter Makeover

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

Happy Sunday!

I hope everyone is doing well and if you are a mother, I want to wish you a Happy Mother’s Day!

This week is the last full week of homeschool left. Can I get an “AMEN!?” The kids and I are all looking forward to summer vacation and everything that it will entail. We are ready!

If only this 30 degree nighttime weather would go away!🙄

Anyways, I wanted to share this fun little makeover that I did to a teapot I bought at Hobby Lobby that was on clearance a while back.

Here is what it looked like when I purchased it. On any other occasion I probably would have walked right by it, but I loved the shape and with the right paint I knew it could be a gem. Plus, it was only $2.19! Who could resist?

The first thing I did was clean it with alcohol making sure the surface was as clean as possible. Then I took it outside and gave it several light coats of spray paint. I used Rust-Oleum American Accents Spray Paint which adheres to many surfaces in the color Blossom White.

She was already looking better!

But I wanted to take it a bit further and give it a similar look as my Pottery Barn Duped Vases.

So I taped the bottom third of the teapot off with washi tape.

And then I painted the bottom with Martha Stewart’s Tilled Soil.

I gave it two coats and then removed the tape.

Then I took this stencil that I purchased at Dollar Tree. It is a flexible stencil so it would work great on a round surface. I liked the little asterisk in the center since it reminded me of a little flower so I taped it off.

And using navy blue acrylic paint and a spouncer, I began to stencil the teapot all the way around.

I did 3 rows alternating the flower positions but kept the pattern simple. And that was it! I added a faux plant to it with the intention of adding a real one in the future, but before I could decide on the plant, my mom came over and pretty much claimed it as her own. LOL!

Now it’s at her house and she loves it.

I did manage to get some pretty shots after I was done with it (and it was still in my possession 😂).

Looks like I will be on the hunt for another teapot soon. I think it’s darling!

And perfect for anyone wanting that coastal farmhouse look. Just goes to show you don’t always have to pass items up in the store if they are the wrong color (as long as they are the right price of course).

Is anyone else dying to get back to thrift stores? I’m sure there would be some great teapots there!

I hope you enjoyed this DIY and as always, don’t forget to share with your friends!

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

April 29, 2020 By Yami Leave a Comment

Thrifted Table Transformation

Some of the links are affiliate links for your convenience. Please see full disclosure here

Happy Wednesday! Hope you all are having a great week.

It’s been a while since I have made over a piece of furniture and frankly I was itching to. I love creating home decor DIY’s but my love of DIYing in general came from when I made over my very first piece of furniture (be kind😜).

I purchased this cute table months ago at Goodwill for only $13 and it has been looking at me begging me to make it over.

The top of it was pretty damaged so I knew I had to repair it first.

I used 2 different sanders for this. The first one was an orbital sander and I used 120 Grit to take the top layer off.

The second was this JobMax Multi-Tool so I could get in those tight corners. This tool is pretty handy because it has different heads you can change out for different projects around the house.

After I was done with the Multi-Tool I went back with the orbital sander (220 Grit) to give it a smooth finish. I also lightly sanded the other two tops, but just enough to make the paint stick.

RELATED: Ikea Table Hack with Chalk Paint

>>>VIDEO TUTORIAL HERE<<<

I wiped everything with a damp cloth and I was ready to paint. I used Folkart Home Decor Chalk Paint in the color Hazy (the perfect gray blue).

I gave the table 2 coats.

If you are looking for affordable chalk paint brushes, these are the ones I use.

After both coats were dry I went in with a small piece of sand paper (220 GRIT) to distress the table.

Here is what the table looked like at this stage.

The next step was to seal it with wax, and this is where the magic happened. I used Folkart Home Decor Clear Wax.

I like to use a lint free cloth and just work it into the surface, removing any excess as I go.

One thing to note… if you have 2 surfaces you are sealing with wax (wood and paint) then make sure to use a new cloth for the paint. Or else you run the risk of the wood color rubbing off the cloth and onto your painted surface.

After letting it dry for over 24 hours here’s how it turned out.

She’s perfect and goes with my coastal farmhouse style.

The top just pops against that blue. I am so glad I left it natural.

The shelves are perfect for books too. I went ahead and laid Lisa’s book Simple Farmhouse Life on the middle shelf. Have you checked her book out yet? She’s one of my favorite Youtubers.

Now that I got bit by the bug, I have plans for another table I got for FREE on FB Marketplace back in February.

What do you think of this little table flip?

Don’t forget to share with your crafty friends and I will see you all next time!

Until then… adios!

April 27, 2020 By Yami 2 Comments

Dollar Tree Faux Cement Bowl

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Happy Monday! It is week 7 of homeschooling (apparently that’s how I keep time now) and I’m feeling optimistic. Our state is slowly opening back up and it was nice to see more people out and about over the weekend.

The hubby and I went out and picked up several things that we needed and worked on several projects while the kids were at my parents over the weekend.

However, today I am sharing another beautiful Dollar Tree DIY with items I already had in my stash.

I never thought I’d say this, but my crafting items are looking sparse. Yikes!

Anyways, I am sure you have seen the beautiful moss filled cement planters that are everyones’ farmhouse “must haves” right now.

Well, they are expensive.

And by that I mean CRAZY expensive.

Like the one below from Houzz.

Succulents are still in demand and now in cement bowls too. The one below from Overstock is almost $300 (on sale no less!)

Ouch!

They are gorgeous, but not for me at that price.

So I decided to try my hand at recreating that Look for Less.

I had this clear plastic bowl from Dollar Tree that I picked up (honestly, I can’t remember when).

Dollar Tree Faux Cement Bowl

And I had this paint that I had received from Plaid last year as part of their Ambassador program.

It’s supposed to have texture already in the paint so I thought it would be great to create a cement look.

It wasn’t the color I was going for, but I knew I had to create layers so the color was going to be covered up anyway.

I started to paint and I tried to get a close-up so you could see the texture of the paint.

RELATED: DIY Farmhouse Wall Planter

Next, I layered on another gray.

This one was actually still too light, but I gave it a second coat anyways. I didn’t bother to cover everything perfectly.

Since I didn’t seem to have the color I needed, I made it.

I used my favorite White Adirondack chalk paint and mixed it with black chalk paint, until I got a cool dark gray. I made sure to not mix thoroughly, because I wanted the paint to go on streaky, with lighter colors and then darker ones, like this.

Here is a closer look of the variation.

It’s starting to look like cement!

Once, that was done and dry, I added styrofoam to the bowl and secure it with a little bit of hot glue.

Next, I added some Dollar Tree moss balls and floral moss (I always have those in my stash).

I adhered them with a little bit of hot glue.

Finally, I added some succulents. I thought 3 was just enough since I wanted the moss to be part of the arrangement as well.

I love the final result!

The texture that paint gave was awesome and my final blend of black and white looked like cement.

This pretty much cost me nothing since I already had everything and a lot of stuff were leftovers from other projects, but if I had to buy everything it would run above $7 or so. Not too shabby I think!

I am so happy with my Look for Less this month and I have another one that I created that you can watch in the full video here.

Let me know what you think of this quick DIY! Perhaps you already have your items to make this!

As always, share with your friends who would love this too!

See you in the next one!

Until then…. adios!

April 22, 2020 By Yami 8 Comments

Best Pico De Gallo Recipe…Ever!

Happy Hump Day!

I hope you all are doing great. There is one thing I find myself doing a lot more since being in “quarantine” (and apparently the rest of the world is doing it too) and that is eating. Yes, we have been finding ourselves making extra trips to the kitchen and apparently that is the only thing we talk about.

What are we having for breakfast?

What’s for lunch?

What’s for dinner?

Is it snack time?

What are we making tomorrow?

And one of the things I have been asked to share more on my channel are recipes so I thought it would be totally appropriate to share something we make almost every.single.week.

That is Pico de Gallo.

Now, I am from Puerto Rico and my husband is from El Salvador and honestly, I don’t know if this is the authentic way of making it. However, this recipe holds a dear place in our hearts because 12 years ago went to Mazatlán, Mexico and got engaged.

A year and a half later we got married in the Riviera Maya in Mexico as well.

One of the things that we remembered most about our first trip to Mazatlán was the all-you-can-eat Pico de Gallo you were served when ordering a bucket of Corona beer at the poolside (yes, the irony).

It was the best ever!

And we left wondering what it was that made it so special. We spent the next months trying to replicate that amazing taste in a Pico de Gallo so we could enjoy it time and time again.

Well, we finally figured it out and it was so simple it will make your head spin. So I thought I would share it with you in case you too are wondering what to make for dinner tonight, or tomorrow, or Friday.

So this is how we do it (and remember you can always add or reduce the amount of ingredients to your liking depending on how much you want to make and how strong you like the flavors).

We are a family of 5 and everyone loves this recipe so this makes a pretty good size bowl, so I would encourage you to try it with these measurements first and go from there.

5 ripe medium tomatoes (we use the kind on the vine)
1/2 of a large yellow onion (or a whole medium one)
Cilantro (1/2 of one of those sprigs you get at the grocery store… yes, it’s a lot)
The juice of 2 fresh limes
1 tsp of salt
1 tsp of cumin – YEP, that’s the ingredient right there!!!!!

***If you want spice…. 1 fresh serrano pepper (optional) – we don’t include this ourselves because of the kids, but if you like it spicy go right ahead. I would suggest to start with 1/2 of one and go up from there.***

All you do is finely chop all the tomatoes, onion and cilantro and add them to a medium to large bowl. I actually remove a lot of the seeds from the tomatoes to reduce the amount of liquid in the sauce.
Squeeze your lemon juice onto the veggies .
Then add the seasonings, mix it all up and viola! You have some awesome-sauce right there…..

Eat with homemade tortilla chips or add it on top of steak tacos!

My kiddos love this stuff! You can see their reactions in the video below. They’re quite hilarious. 😂

You can also watch how I prepare it myself and see some fun pictures from our trips to Mexico in the video below.

So that’s it folks!

You know I like to keep things short and sweet.

I hope you will try this awesome recipe that not only tastes good, but is diet friendly too (ya know, for those of you still on track with that resolution thing despite staying at home and eating all day).

I will see you in the next one.

Until then… adios!

April 20, 2020 By Yami Leave a Comment

Dollar Tree Mirror DIY

Hello friends!

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Today I am sharing another easy DIY made from a Dollar Tree mirror that I had lying around for way too long.

The one great thing about this quarantine is that I finally get to make over all those items that I have had in my stash (ya know, instead of just buying new things 😜).

I have had this idea for a while, just never got to it and all I needed was a few leftover pieces of items that I had used previously.

Now once we all start going back to our regular shopping routines, if you do go to Dollar Tree and find mirrors, definitely buy yourself some. I don’t always care for their frames or designs, but a mirror for a dollar is an awesome price. And for a couple more dollars you can make something beautiful and unique.

Take this one for instance…

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It’s plastic… and while I appreciate the nice “love” message, the design is not my style. So I decided to use the mirror portion (after all it was the most valuable part).

RELATED: Pottery Barn Mirror Dupe

I had some dowel pieces (of course I did 😉) and cut them to make a frame.

I have 2 tools that I use to cut my dowels: one is the mini miter saw kit below and the other is my new favorite craft tool of all time….my shears.

Those shears are a game changer!

I simply cut them to fit the exterior of the frame.

I also had this small embroidery hoop piece that fit right in the center.

So I cut 4 smaller dowels as well (small enough to fit between the hoop and frame).

These were all my pieces.

I stained them with my favorite antiquing wax (watered down of course).

While they dried I cut the ends off some large popsicles and glued them to the mirror from behind so I had a place to adhere the dowels for the frame.

I used a little bit of hot glue and E6000 to glue the frame on.

I tried to get them as close as possible.

Next, I glued the embroidery hoop and the smaller dowels to the top of the mirror. I used E6000 for this.

If there was any glue that seeped out, I simply removed with it a cotton tip with some rubbing alcohol.

After the dowels were dry I simply hung it up with some command strips.

I know you can’t see it much here, but it is the perfect compliment to my DIY faux wood candlestick (that I had purchased at Goodwill).

This mirror is simple, but you would never think it started out as a cheap LOVE mirror sign from Dollar Tree

Now I wish I had more to make a set 🤦🏻‍♀️

RELATED: Sunburst Mirror DIY sunburst

I created even more DIY’s using items from my stash and they all coordinate so well.

You can watch those tutorials here and that Spanglish decal is also available in my shop.

Don’t forget to share this DIY with your crafty friends as well!

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

April 13, 2020 By Yami 2 Comments

Thrifted Tray Transformation

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Hello dear friends! I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter Sunday. We of course spent it at home, but at least we were still able to enjoy mass. Technology can be a beautiful thing.

We spent the day indoors since it was rainy all day. But it was nice to spend a day relaxing at home since most of the time all we do is work, work and work on the renovations. My dad came up this weekend to help my husband with the installation of our floors. I hope to share more of that soon as well.

And of course, I took the opportunity to catch up on my blogging since I am a couple of blog posts behind from my channel.

And then there is the news that I never actually officially shared!

I opened my online shop finally! It’s not much, but I am just happy it is done and I cannot wait to add more items to the store.

Okay so for the DIY.. I decided to join my dear friend Casey in her Trash to Treasure challenge on Youtube and create something beautiful out of something you would consider trash or you would normally get rid of.

I had this tray that I bought from Goodwill several years ago and thought about taking it back a few times.

It was actually one of my first DIYs on this blog. As you can see my style was WAYYYY different back then.

This was a piece I did for my daughter’s room but she never really used it and the paint job got pretty dingy after a while. Of course, I didn’t really know what I was doing back then. LOL!

My husband was in need of a small tray on his nightstand to gather his trinkets… ya know, ring, wallet, the spoon he loves to eat Peanut Butter out of late at night.

Yes, he totally does that. Ugh. 🙄

I thought this would be perfect for it. So the first thing I did was take it apart.

I gave it a coat of Debi Design Diary’s clay based paint in Apothecary. This paint is so rich and pigmented you only need one coat.

My husband loves the John Wick movies and we both appreciate the tattoo on his back that reads” Fortune Favors the Bold” in Latin.

So I thought this would totally be appropriate since it would be on his nightstand.

I simply adhered the decal (I use this vinyl) to nice poster board and taped it to the tray piece that went right under the glass.

At least this way if I ever want to change the decal it will be super easy to do so. This decal is actually available in my shop as well.

I put the tray back together and applied a coat of Debi’s clear wax. It brings out the color and protects it nicely. I simply used a lint free cloth to apply it.

Then I added a little bit of Debi’s white wax also to give it an aged coastal look.

And that was pretty much it.

I love the color and the bold words. And at least it’s not too girly for his side of the bed.

Also, along with this tray transformation I created 3 other DIYs…

That frame on the top left is actually a cheap black plastic frame from Dollar Tree that I gave a facelift to and made look just like wood. You can actually create that effect on anything!

I share what I use and the exact steps to do it in the video below.

I hope you liked this quick tray makeover. Sometimes, it doesn’t take a lot to make something beautiful again. In this case I could have easily donated this or thrown it out, but I decided to give it another chance.

And I am glad I did.

See you in the next one. Until then… adios!

April 10, 2020 By Yami Leave a Comment

Get Your Taxes Done While You #StayHome

*This is a sponsored post. I have teamed up with H&R Block to share a great service they offer to help you get your taxes done while you #stayhome. Also make sure to read to the end for a special offer*

I hope everyone is doing great and staying healthy. There are a lot of things happening right now and if you have not completed your taxes, I strongly urge you to go ahead and do so, so that you can focus on maintaining your families safe and keeping them healthy.

We were lucky enough to have our taxes completed before the #stayhome guidelines were put into place, and even though tax deadlines have been extended to July 15^th, it is still in your best interest to get them done as early as possible.

Especially now, when there are so many uncertainties amongst our daily lives.

We partnered with H&R Block to bring you a great option that will help with completing your taxes quickly and hassle-free.

This was the second time we have gotten our taxes prepared by H&R Block and our experience was even better than before. They are truly great at accommodating their clients’ needs. Here is what they are doing to help you get the safest and best experience during the #stayhome recommendations.

H&R Block offers many ways to do your taxes as safely as possible, including working remotely with one of their tax pros via their new virtual tax prep service, Tax Pro Go.

This is a great option that gives clients the ability to get expert tax preparation without stepping foot into an office. With this you can communicate through secure messaging, share documents, review forms, and even approve and submit payment for your services.

You can even use your mobile device to upload your tax documents! How cool is that?

Here’s how to get started.

Once you head over to Tax Pro Go you will see a screen like this:

Simply select the option that best fits your situation and create an account.

You will be matched with a tax professional that best fits your needs.

Then, you can upload your documents from your home computer, and then either schedule a call or set up a chat through a secure communication portal (whichever you prefer).

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It really is that simple!

Still concerned? Check out some of their FAQ’s!

Life gets complicated, and tax season can look a little daunting sometimes, but it doesn’t have to be. It wasn’t for us! Which is why we are happy to #backtheblock.

And if you too want peace of mind during these times, get yourself a knowledgeable person who will take the stress off of you and get you your best return!

Plus, if you use Coupon Code 17276 you will get $20 off your services this year.

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We plan on using our return to pay off a few bills and continue our home renovations this year! H&R Block made it so easy for us and they can make it easy for you too!

Have you completed your taxes yet?

I really hope this was helpful to any of you who have been stressed out about filing your taxes. Don’t forget to use the coupon code above as well (every little bit helps).

Also, if you know anyone who may find this information useful please don’t forget to share.

I hope you all are staying safe and healthy! I will see you in the next one. Until then… adios!

April 5, 2020 By Yami Leave a Comment

How to Install a Ceiling Fan

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Hey everyone and Happy Monday!

I hope you are staying safe and healthy. It was made official late last week that our school system will not open back up for the rest of the school year. Our kiddos were already doing their Digital Learning program at home and we just had a nice break from it all since last week was our Spring break.

Today is back to reality and yesterday I did the unthinkable.

I went to Dollar Tree. I spent $56 and I got NOTHING for crafting.

All of it was workbooks, paper, activity books and supplies that will hopefully help me in keeping my kids occupied and having some type of homeschooling system that doesn’t totally suck.

So today it begins for me…. I got this. 😰

In other news, things are moving along with the updates in our home.

My hubby, the Latino Engineer just installed a gorgeous fan in our sunroom (which we desperately needed because the temps are starting to rise and it’s getting unseasonably warm in there in the late afternoons.

I partnered with Hunter Fan Company to create a video in order to share how to properly install a fan and share some cool features of our coastal farmhouse fan that I am so in love with.

The Latino Engineer took over my channel (and who better since he has a background in the electrical field) and he shares just how simple it can be.

And if you too are taking this time at home to make some updates, this video might just come in handy. 😉

Let me know how you think he did!

How to Install a Ceiling Fan

Here is the model we have – The WARRANT.

I have a few DIY’s headed your way as well as this month’s invitation for the Look for Less Challenge.

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

March 22, 2020 By Yami 2 Comments

Ballard Designs Dupe

Hello there! It’s Monday again and that means back to homeschooling. Please wish me luck this week. This is hard! I will be taking it one day at a time, but I can only hope that I don’t screw up my kids with my terrible teaching skills.

For today I have my latest Look for Less project. I host this challenge on my Youtube channel every month and it’s an open invitation to anyone who wishes to join.

See my first ever Look for Less Dupe here!

My inspiration for this month’s Look for Less was the following faux paper whites that I saw on Ballard Design’s website.

At the time I saw it, it was on sale for $103.00 but the funny thing was that this was just for the floral portion, not the container. If I had wanted a container for them, I would have had to pay another $63 for a similar one they had on their site. So in total I would have had to spend $166.00!

But you know me, and that wasn’t happening. So I decided to head to my nearest Goodwill to see if I could come up with something.

They didn’t have any similar containers, but I was able to find the following… a candleholder and a bowl. The bowl only cost me $0.39.

I also had some 3D round stickers that I had gotten at Dollar Tree and I knew just what to do.

For the video tutorial you can always go HERE.

First, I gave everything a good cleaning with alcohol.

Next, I took some E6000 and glued the pieces together.

After they were dry, I gave the piece one coat of spray paint.

As you can see, it still needed more paint, but I needed to make sure the surface was a little more porous for the next step.

I needed to add the 3D stickers. It was super to easy to since they came in strips.

Once I was happy with the placement, I gave the entire piece several coats of spray paint.

Now, it was time to work on the floral portion. For this I needed the following…

A styrofoam round, some floral bushes (from Dollar Tree) and some Easter eggs.

First I cut the bottoms and tops off the eggs.

I started with an exacto knife, but then I changed to my wood burning tool (with the cutting attachment) and it worked better.

Next, I placed each egg on a square of wrapping paper. It was from Hobby Lobby from when they wrap your delicate purchases so they won’t break, and hot-glued it on.

I glued the rest of the paper onto the egg until it covered it completely. And then I painted over the paper with brown acrylic paint.

Then after they were dry I hot-glued them onto the Styrofoam circle.

Next I added Dollar Tree moss and the floral stems ( individually cut from the bushes) into the 3 different bulbs. I used 2 different type bushes: one was a floral bush and the other was long stem greenery to mimic the long leafs on the original paper whites.

Once I was happy with the flowers, I placed the floral piece inside the white container and then added a little bit more brown acrylic paint (this time a little lighter) to give the bulbs more dimension.

And then I was finally happy with how it turned out!

I was so pleased with how it came together. You can’t tell that the bowl was 2 different pieces and the Easter eggs are well camouflaged by the crinkled paper (which was basically trash).

Comparing the two, I think I did pretty good. The only supplies I had to buy for this were 3 bushes, the 3D stickers, the spray paint, the bowl and candleholder. So my cost was only $9.

My daughter loved this so much that she wants it in her room. Makes my heart so happy that she actually appreciates my creations.

Don’t forget to PIN and share with your friends…

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

Until then… adios!

Yami

DIY Seagrass Vase

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RELATED: How to Remove Popcorn Ceilings (with minimal mess)

Farmhouse “Cottage” Kitchen Plans

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Dollar Tree Patriotic Decor DIY

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RELATED: DIY Blue & White Plater Chargers

Love the white and blue combination? There are more Blue & White DIYs here.

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>>>VIDEO TUTORIAL HERE<<<

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Dollar Tree Faux Cement Bowl

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Especially now, when there are so many uncertainties amongst our daily lives.

Here’s how to get started.

Plus, if you use Coupon Code 17276 you will get $20 off your services this year.

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

How to Install a Ceiling Fan

For the video tutorial you can always go HERE.

Instagram

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This post contains affiliate links which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you

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Some of the links below are affiliate links* for your convenience. For more information please see full disclosure*

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Some of the links are affiliate links for your convenience. Please see full disclosure here

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

Some of the following links are affiliate links where I make a small commission if you choose to purchase (at no extra cost to you)

This post contains affiliate links. For more details please see full disclosure

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