Home Decor Archives - The Latina Next Door

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!

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:

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

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!

September 12, 2018 By Yami Leave a Comment

Dollar Tree Buffalo Check Tray

I don’t think I have ever made so many Fall DIY’s in one season… and here’s another one!

I showed a sneak peak of this tray in my last post when I shared my Dollar Tree succulent pumpkin planters. I decided to continue a neutral color scheme for Fall this year, but at the same time I wanted to add a pop of copper which I find so elegant and really works well with the season.

Never did I imagine it would go so well with grey buffalo check! I mean, look how cute everything looks and how well my buffalo check mini stand goes with it!

And just like that little stand, I painted the buffalo check onto the glass of an 11 x 14 inch picture frame I got at the Dollar Tree. The only difference is that this time, I had to work backwards.

Some links below are affiliate links

And those little handles… they were made with some dowels I had leftover from my Pottery Barn Mirror Dupe.

The spray paint I used was Rustoleum’s Metallic Series spray paint in Vintage Copper.

And since I already shared the step by step for a traditional buffalo check paint I thought it would be best to share a video of this process since we do have to work backwards and it might get a little confusing…

So grab yourself a cup of coffee, tea, glass of wine (I won’t judge) and enjoy my video below!

Let me know what colors you would pick for your tray in the comment below!

See you back really soon,

August 22, 2018 By Yami Leave a Comment

The Best Farmhouse Topiaries

This is a sponsored post but all opinions are my own. For full disclosure please go here.

>>Make sure to make it to the end of this post for a special treat just for my readers!<<

Okay, so I have a confession to make… I have a black thumb….

Like the worst, EVER!

So bad that my husband has to remind me to water my own plants. Maybe it’s because I have 3 kids and things just get busy, so I forget. Who knows!? And while I have always preferred the faux ones I don’t really have that many in my home either. Perhaps it’s because they always look so “fake” to me and I feel I would get called out by my guests, HA!

However, I do understand that greenery is nice to have around the home and I am slowly starting to incorporate more throughout, both real and faux plants.

If you recall, I created DIY floral farmhouse sconces and I made a coastal wreath for my summer mantle.

So you can imagine my delight when I had the opportunity to work with Plantscape Inc. , who offers an amazing variety of interior and exterior landscaping products and services. You can get florals, different types of plants and even faux trees from them!

They are best known for their commercial application of faux greenery with high quality interior landscaping.

As a former commercial property manager I can tell you that greenery is a huge part of office buildings and commercial office spaces. The nicer the the accents the more high end and welcoming a property feels. I cannot tell you how many times we had meetings with our landscapers throughout the course of the year.

It really is that important, which is no wonder why we should apply those same principles to our homes as well.

So, when it came time to test out one of Plantscape’s faux plants I really had to make the right decision as to what would suit my home best. As you know I love me some “Hamptons Farmhouse” style and something that will NEVER go out of style are topiaries.

They truly are versatile, but hard to replicate into a faux plant in my opinion, so I had to test them out…. and let me tell you how amazed I was when I got my package in the mail.

The were packaged so tightly with styrofoam and plastic, there was literally nothing you could do to that box that could have damaged these babies, so we were off to a good start right off the bat.

Cause you know those mail carriers can reek some havoc into those packages, amiriiiight!?

So once I pulled them out I noticed they did not leave out a single detail… just look at that bark!

It looks so real! And that soil! Just wow! I swear if I didn’t know they were fake, I would totally take some water and water that plant. LOL!

Then there is that cute galvanized pot that goes perfect with any farmhouse decor. I was in love!

And then there were those gorgeous boxwood leaves. They have a beautiful green color and were so full and luxurious.

Plus, they even had cute little branches like a real tree would, eek! The topiaries even looked great next to my DIY Pottery Barn vases.

I even loved the fact that they weren’t your average “ball” topiaries, because you can easily add fairy lights and use them for the holidays.

Seriously, the possibilities were endless and the attention to detail was second to none!

I love my little topiary trees – they really are the best farmhouse topiaries ever!

If you think these are as amazing I as I do you can purchase them here and if you use the discount code BLOGGER10 you will get 10% your order (except for custom orders). There are so many plants you can spend days just looking at them.

I am completely amazed and 100% recommend them with their prompt shipping, excellent packaging and amazing attention to detail with their faux plants. Please note I would never recommend something if I didn’t 100% believe it. I really hope you will give them a try!

Let me know in the comments what you love most about these. Were you as amazed as I was with the bark?!

August 21, 2018 By Yami Leave a Comment

DIY Pottery Barn Vases

Some of the links below may be affiliate links, for full disclosure please go here

Happy Hump day! I am so happy half the week is gone because I have been painting like crazy all week and I am determined to finish before the weekend approaches… I need a vacation!

So, if you recall I started my monthly Look for Less Challenge in July where I created a dupe for a Pottery Barn mirror. And it was finally time to do the challenge for this month, but unfortunately because of the water leak that I mentioned in my last post, I was not able to do what I had originally intended… so I opted for another Pottery Barn dupe!

And while it was not planned, I totally love how they turned out.

So it all began when I saw these beauties online…

Beautiful right?

Well the vases were, but the price not so much… the smallest was $49 and the tallest was $79!!!!! What in the world!?

Yeah no, that was NOT going to happen…

So I remembered I had these not so lovely vases that I have been ~~hoarding~~ saving for about 10 years now, and I thought it was the right time to give them a facelift. I also went ahead and decided to makeover my large vase in my last thrift store hall as well…

Ick, I know! These were so outdated, but they had a great shape… reason why I just could never let them go.

Also, remember you can always view the tutorial below as well…

So, I took them and gave them several coats of white spray paint.

I added painter’s tape and painted the bottom portion with Martha Stewart’s Vintage Decor Paint in Tilled Soil.

I gave it at least 2 coats. I even took a fan artist brush and add little strokes throughout to resemble clay poking through the paint.

Then afterwards, I used Americana Acrylic Paint (from Hobby Lobby) by DecoArt in the color Prussian Blue along with 2 stencils I also purchased there with my 40% coupons., to add a pattern throughout.

I did a round stencil for the round vase and as you can see they didn’t turn out perfect because of the shape of the vase. I tried spray adhesive, but the stencil still wouldn’t stick very well.

I didn’t mind the messy look though, since I was trying to make these look kinda antique and old.

I used the other stencil pattern on both the other vases since they were a set. I purchased these.

I basically eye-balled the pattern… and worked my way around the vase.

The square vases were perfect as is, but the round vase looked little empty so I took a light blue acrylic paint and used craft match sticks to add more freehand dots on and around the original stencil and I love the final look!

Since I already had the paint and the 2 square vases, I only needed the stencils. The round vase only cost me $5.95 so I was all in for 3 vases at $11!

These are great for bookshelves:

On a mantle:

Or by themselves in a vignette:

Tell me, which style is your favorite?

Here is a look at them side-by-side…

I think I did pretty good! Do you have any vases that need a makeover at home?

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

Be back here very soon!

July 19, 2018 By Yami 1 Comment

Pottery Barn Inspired Mirror DIY

Please note that some of the links below are affiliate links. For full disclosure, please go here

Hello dear friends! I am so excited because today is the first day of my new monthly Look for Less Challenge that I mentioned to you a couple of weeks ago. However, I must apologize right away because I only have the video tutorial ready for you (life happened this week and I am a little behind), but rest assured I will be updating this post in a couple of days in order to include the step by step blog post as well for those of you who prefer that method.

So…..I have been wanting to create a trellis mirror for a while now. They are not only gorgeous, but they are timeless as well. However, these mirrors can come with a hefty price tag.

I have been eyeing one particular mirror at Pottery Barn… the one below to be exact….

Isn’t she dreamy?

And while it’s currently on sale, it’s still too much for my budget!

So, I thought I would recreate it myself.

I headed off to my local Goodwill and with the help of some 3/8″ square dowels, a thrifted mirror that cost me $5.95, a hand saw (I recommend this one for dowels), some chalk paint in the color Linen White here is what I came up with…

and here is how I pulled it off!

Pottery Barn Inspired Mirror DIY – Video Tutorial

Don’t forget to make sure and check out the playlist of the other talented YouTubers who joined this challenge this month and see what amazing pieces they created!

Oh and my co-host Heidi Sonboul upholstered a thrifted chair to look like something you would buy at Pottery Barn as well. Definitely check her video out too!

I hope you enjoyed the tutorial above and I hope this inspired you to recreate something you have been eyeing that is totally out of your budget. Just because you can’t buy it doesn’t mean you can’t “have” it!

See you real soon!

July 12, 2018 By Yami 6 Comments

Summer Coastal Farmhouse Mantle

TGIF! It has been a crazy week as we are starting to work on updating our great room and we also found out about a leak in our home this week. I am exhausted, however, I wouldn’t leave you without a fun blog post this week!

I have joined 24 other lovely ladies in bringing you all some great summer decor inspiration. I was so excited when Kendra from Joy In Our Home invited me to be a part of this collab, and if you have not checked out her blog yet, definitely do!

If you are visiting from Jenna’s blog over at Lantern Lane Designs, welcome! So glad you are here!

Before I start on my mantle, I want to just give you a quick overview of all of the other topics that have been covered this week. See them below…..

Vignettes on Monday

Joy In Our Home | The Painted Hinge | Honey n Hydrangea

My Creative Days | Follow The Yellow Brick Home

Front Porches on Tuesday

Country Road 407 | Chatfield Court | Starfish Cottage

Noting Grace | Sanctuary Home Decor

Recipes on Wednesday

Live Laugh Rowe | Love In My Oven | The Sugar Coated Cottage

Countryside Cravings | Chocolate With Grace

Tablescapes on Thursday Hood Creek Log Cabin | Making It In The Mountains | The Crowned Goat

Timeless Creations | 2 Bees in a Pod

Mantles on Friday

DIY Beautify | White Arrows Home | Repurpose and Upcycle

Lantern Lane Designs | The Latina Next Door

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

Summer Coastal Farmhouse Mantle

You may not believe this, but mantles scare me… not that they are spooky, ha! But rather I have never been good and decorating them. In fact, I have never shared a “pretty” mantle post on my blog, because… well, I just never thought they were good enough.

Honestly, I was a little intimidated when I was asked to do a mantle for this blog hop. However, my good friend Cindy over at County Road 407 insisted I should give it a shot… yes, I totally called you out Cindy! LOL!

So, since my new home has 2 fireplaces, I figured it was as good a time as any to put my big girl panties on and give it a try.

Okay…

So as you know I have been incorporating more Navy into my decor with my DIY fabric paint chargers, my son’s bathroom makeover and the items I purchased in my latest Michael’s Store Haul. This was going to be no different.

Alas! My very first Summer Coastal Farmhouse Mantle!

I just threw confetti everywhere! Ha!

Since my fireplace is all stone, I needed to add more white to it to brighten it up (and I totally would have panned out more, but the walls have spackle spots everywhere since we are about to start painting this room). #thebloglife

Not too shabby if I say so myself…

So let’s start with the center of the mantle. This frame is so old! I have had it forever (like over 5 years) and never did anything with it. It was silver, but it wasn’t really doing much for me so I painted it with Rust-oleum chalk paint in White Linen and distressed it with some sandpaper to bring out the details.

I made a hoop wreath and added palms to give it that coastal look and hung it with some leftover navy ribbon from my DIY farmhouse inspired American Flag I made for 4th of July.

Next, I added a blue vase and topped it with a topiary ball. The carved frame was on clearance at Big Lots for $8! Say what!?!

That small white vase below was $3 on clearance at At Home and the candlestick was from my latest Thrift Store Haul that I will share soon (you won’t believe what it looked like before!).

On the right, I added a mirror to add more light and the greenery square is from my Michael’s Store Haul video. The bottles were also from Michael’s and the “Love” sign was from Dollar Tree.

I painted half of it white to give it more of a farmhouse feel (that part was burgundy).

Then finally, it felt like it need another detail so I added a simple burlap banner with navy and white ribbon to add that little extra touch.

It was so easy, I just needed a hot glue gun, ribbon and burlap that I had on hand.

And that’s pretty much it! I literally had everything I needed to put this together and I was pleased with how I was able to make them work.

I hope you enjoyed my first summer mantle post and I hope to share more as the seasons change.

Shop a similar look here:

Until my next post!

July 1, 2018 By Yami Leave a Comment

DIY American Flag for 4th of July

Some of the following links below may be affiliate links. For full disclosure, please go here.

Hello friends! I hope your weekend has been going well so far. Can you believe it is already July!? Time is flying! Before you know it, we will be decorating for Christmas!

Just kidding…. or am I???? 😏

Anyhoo! If you still need a 4th of July home decor piece for your get-together this week, continue reading cause the American flag that I just created is not only super simple, but ridiculously inexpensive to make!

I recently shared my latest Michael’s store haul, including the stash of patriotic ribbon I purchased for only $1 a roll during their lowest prices of the season sale. I thought I would create an American flag that I can hang inside my home for the upcoming holiday…. cause the rest of my patriotic decor already up is from Memorial Day .

With the ribbon I purchased, a dowel left over from my mini farmhouse ornament signs, and some other items I already had in my craft room, I was able to put together a gorgeous flag with a farmhouse touch.

I thought it would be best to share all of the steps in a video which I have included for you below. I even offer a really good tip on how to prevent your ribbon from fraying at the ends, so make sure to check that out.

DIY American Flag for 4th of July

And if you haven’t already, please make sure to subscribe to my channel as I share fun videos all the time and will have something fun coming up next week!

I would love to hear what you think about this DIY American Flag for 4th of July and let me know if you have ever created something similar!

Oh and stay tuned because I will be sharing Phase 1 of my master bedroom makeover very soon!

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

June 12, 2018 By Yami Leave a Comment

DIY Mason Jar Floral Sconce

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Hello again! I am so excited to be bringing you this tutorial today! I have been wanting some of these mason jar sconces for a while. I am sure you have seen them on Pinterest. Well, while checking them out online I noticed that pretty much all of the pins were to Etsy shops and not tutorials. But I knew I could make it myself so I reached out to an Etsy shop owner to see where they got those pretty rustic hooks from and never got a response.

Nope! Nada!

Well, that only made me more determined to find them. So I searched the internet webs and after quite a bit of searching I was able to finally locate them! At a good price too! And I was even able to buy those fairy lights online as well (you can find them at Dollar Tree if you’re lucky but none of mine had them). So I was able to get them as low as $1.67 each for those of you who may not have a DT nearby!

Alright, so here is what you need:

2 pieces of wood 5 1/5″w x 12″l
Stain: Minwax Dark Walnut and Varathane Weathered Gray
Wax (I used both a white to distress and a clear to seal)
Rustic Wrought Iron Hooks with screws
Fairy Lights
Mason Jar
Flowers
Rubber Band (optional)
Ribbon (optional)
Cording (0r jute) OR you can use these pre-made mason jar hangers!
Wall Mount
Drill

So let’s get started!

DIY Mason Jar Floral Sconce

Did you know???? … you can always watch my tutorial on my YouTube channel if you prefer video instead!

Okay, so first you want to cut your wooden boards to 12″ in length. Make sure to sand them down to remove any splinters and smooth out the edges.

Next you can choose to stain or paint your boards. I used Dark Walnut by Minwax to darken them.

And then I used Varathane Weathered Gray to give it that Coastal Farmhouse feel I love so much.

Then I used white wax to give it more dimension and the same clear wax I used on my craft room shelves to seal them.

Next, I needed to add the hardware.

So, basically once I found where I wanted to install the Rustic Wrought Iron Hooks, I made sure they were centered and used the screws that come with them to make an indentation on the wood.

Then I used my drill to make pilot holes so I didn’t split my wood when installing the screws.

Then I attached the hooks. Super easy!

Then I made sure to add a wall mount on the back. You can use whichever style you prefer.

Next it was off to make the mason jars…

I had the white cording above left over from my rustic snowman ornament I made last year so I just used that. I cut the cording at 26.5 inches. It was the perfect length to tie it around the jar at one end and then at the other…

Be sure to tie your cording at the same length if you have more than one sconce.

Tip: If you want to secure the knots, just apply some hot glue to keep them from coming undone and also use it to prevent the cording from fraying.

Then get your flowers. I bought these at Michael’s on sale.

Simply cut the flowers off to fit the jar height and tie them together with a rubber band to hold in place.

Then cover the rubber band with a little bit of ribbon and hot glue.

Finally, place the fairy lights in the jar along with the flowers (make sure to hide the battery pack inside the floral arrangement) and hang on your wall!

I made 2 to hang in between my 3 windows in the great room. I just love how they turned out!

If you liked them too, please be sure to PIN them on Pinterest and share with your friends!

I’ll see back here soon!

April 13, 2018 By Yami 2 Comments

Sherwin Williams Color of the Year Oceanside Bookshelves

This is a sponsored post, all opinions are my own. Some of the links below are affiliate links for your convenience. For more details go here

It’s been a while since I have posted but I am happy to share my latest transformation with you all. I have these built-in bookshelves right before the entrance of my master bedroom and they were pretty drab.

I wanted to add a little color and decorate the area since the area gets no real natural light and to add some character so they didn’t look so terrible.

I was happy to collaborate with Sherwin Williams and use their Color of the Year, Oceanside as the color of choice for these bookshelves.

While the color is darker than what I would normally use, I found that using it in moderation and as an accent was the perfect way to add color, but keep that coastal feel that I like.

I have listed what I used below as well as included step-by-step instructions in case you wish to do something similar in your own home.

Sherwin Williams Color of the Year Oceanside Bookshelves

Supplies:

FrogTape Multi-Surface Painter’s Tape
ScotchBlue Pre-Taped Painter’s Plastic
American Line Pro Mini Roller Tray
Microfiber Mini Rollers
2.5″ Angled Paint Brush
Sanding Sponge – Fine Grit

Paint:

Emerald Interior Acrylic Latex Semi-Gloss – Oceanside SW 6496
Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel Semi-Gloss – Extra White

Here is what they looked like before.

DRAB…..

And those brass knobs were pretty horrible.

Okay so let’s get started….

Step 1: Clean the bookshelves with a bucket of soapy water and sponge to remove any dirt. Let it dry.

Step 2: Sand any areas that need to be smoothed and wipe clean. Remove any doors and hardware. I needed up replacing the hardware with the same ones I used in my last kitchen transformation.

Step 3:

Use FrogTape to section off the back wall for paint. I like using frogtape because it gives you the nicest and cleanest lines. Make sure the tape is taped to the wall properly. Paint your accent color. Use an angled brush for the borders and corners.

Since Oceanside SW 6496 is a dark color, apply 3 coats of the Emerald Inteior Acrylic Latex Semi-Gloss for a smooth finish (below you can see the first and second coats).

STEP 4:

Remove the painter’s tape after the 3rd coat, while the last coat is still wet.

STEP 5:

The bookshelves were painted with the same trim paint as the house, so there was no need to prime. Just simply clean, scuff sand, wipe dust off and paint.

To refresh the shelves, simply apply 2 coats of Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel -Extra White Semi-Gloss letting the paint dry completely between coats. Apply to shelves, sides, trim and cabinet doors.

STEP 6: (optional)

You can leave the paint as is (since Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel has a great finish).

STEP 7:

Remove any plastic and tape.

STEP 8:

Reinstall the shelves and the doors.

STEP 9:

Finally style the shelves with complimentary accessories and finishes. Gold looks great with Oceanside. I basically shopped my entire house for my pieces and I think they turned out great together.

They look sophisticated and not too dark at all.

I kept styling simple and used mostly white accessories.

What do you think? Did you like how they turned out?

For more paint projects check out my buffalo check wall and my laundry room makeover!

Be back soon!

March 22, 2018 By Yami 14 Comments

Thrift Store Lamp Transformation

Hello friends! I didn’t realize it had been this long since I wrote a new post. Yikes! Truth be told… many things have been going on in the background and these past few weeks have been a little overwhelming, however, I am glad to say I am back in the game and you will be seeing more of me and my projects. I have several in the works and will be sharing my ideas in the next few days.

I have been thinking about implementing some lifestyle changes recently and one of my newest (and most important) goals this year for me is to spend as little as possible when it comes to my home’s decor.

Our home is large….. 5,200 sq. ft. large and since I stay at home I cannot just go out and get whatever I want especially since I am really trying to implement my new style and make the best with what I have until I can do all the things I want with my home.

However, I still want a stylish home!!! Gah!

And I know, these things take time and I have been focused on the end goal instead of making the best of the journey and allowing it to properly feed my destination.

So…. that being said, it’s back to Goodwill Hunting as I like to call it and since I have completed my craft room I will be putting it to good use as I transform inexpensive finds to fit my needs and my style.

Related: $5 Goodwill Challenge

And what better way to start than with a thrift store challenge!

I joined several other bloggers to get my butt into gear and get me started on this journey. In today’s post I will be showing you what I did in my latest thrift store lamp transformation (that was almost a disaster).

It will be a monthly thing to so the details are below in case you wish to join along.

The Rules:

Upcycle an item(s) from a thrift store, resale store, or garage sale into a new piece of decor.
There’s no monthly theme.
There’s no budget to stick to.

Meet the Hosts

Thrift Store Lamp Transformation

So I bought this lamp at my local Goodwill for $3.93. It was still in great working condition and it had a beautiful shape to it.

It was perfect, and I knew exactly what I was going to do with it.

My goal was to buy a linen drum shade (or at least one that looked like linen) and paint the base and distress it for that farmhouse look.

Here are the supplies I used:

White chalk paint (I used this one)
180 Grit Sandpaper Sheets
White wax (I used this one)
Wax brush – here is my favorite inexpensive one that I used in this tutorial and on these shelves
Old rag
Small brush
Clear adhesive bumper pads

To watch the tutorial you can click the video below as well…

Let’s get started……

First I cleaned off the lamp with a damp cloth.

Then I applied the white chalk paint.

I’m not gonna lie. It looked a hot mess and I freaked out a bit when I saw the first coat.

But I kept going…

After three coats, the lamp was better coated, but then the paint was so thick in some places it looked terrible.

However, I knew I wanted it to be distressed so I began sanding (and praying) that it would turn out okay. I was concerned about the brush strokes…

You can see them up close below.

What a nightmare…. but I kept going… I was determined to make this right!

And alas, it got better!

The brush strokes finally started fading away… but not without some serious elbow grease.

Then when I could not sand anymore I wiped it all down with a damp cloth and proceeded to apply the white wax. As soon as I was done applying it, I wiped the excess off.

I let the wax cure overnight for 24 hours and then added the shade and placed it on the side table in my keeping room.

It’s not “perfect” by any means, but I am really happy with it. The lamp looks so much better and I love how well the shade complements it. I added little clear adhesive tabs to the bottom so it would not scratch any of my furniture.

It’s got that farmhouse rustic charm but still light and airy for that coastal look I love so much.

Since I had all of the supplies at hand the cost for this project was only $19 since the lamp was $3.93 and the shade was $14.99.

Similar ones online go for waaaaay more… just check out this one below available right now! Yikes!

It’s gorgeous, but I would rather save my money and cherish the one I just transformed…. 😉

What did you think? How did you like this thrift store transformation? Would you like to see more projects like this? Leave your comments below and don’t forget to subscribe below as well!

And now for more thrifty goodness!

Check out what my fellow upcyclers created below!

An InLinkz Link-up

February 27, 2018 By Yami 4 Comments

DIY Easter Moss Bunny

I was compensated for this post. This post also contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. See full disclosure here.

I am so excited for today’s post as I have partnered again with Dollar Tree to bring you another easy and fun DIY project just in time for Easter.

Related: Dollar Tree Winter Decor

Related: Dollar Tree Frozen Foods

I have never been really big on decorating for every holiday and I know that there are others out there who just don’t have the time, but you can still enter in the spirit of Easter with this simple DIY that can easily be added to your existing decor without having to drastically change everything else around it.

DIY Easter Moss Bunny Supply List:

(Supplies used were from Dollar Tree and my local craft store)

2 embroidery hoops – 10 & 15 cm in diameter
Floral Moss from DT
Foam Board from DT
Small unfinished wood plaque
Hot glue gun & glue
E6000 glue
Flower (these bushes are just $1 at DT).

You can also check out the complete video tutorial on my YouTube channel as well!

First you will need to glue the embroidery hoops with hot glue.

Then start hot-gluing the floral moss.

It will get messy!

Stop before you get the the bottom and leave spaces for the ears.

Cut out a couple of ears from foam board.

They don’t have to be perfect since you are going to cover them with floral moss as well.

After you cover them attach them with hot glue on the embroidery hoop. Hold them until the glue dries completely (just make sure you don’t add any moss too the bottom of the ear for better adhesion).

Then after you have the ears attached, grab your unfinished wood plaque and using a combination of E6000 and hot glue, secure to the base. The reason I used both was so that it would have a strong hold with the E6000, but have the hot glue dry quickly so that it can support the bunny while the E6000 dried.

Then cover the rest of the exposed embroidery hoop. You can leave it like this but I went a step further and gave the bunny a tail by using a rose that I had removed from a floral bush.

I think it turned out adorable!

You can always stain the base to match your decor or even add ribbon or a bow to the bunny to give it a little extra detail, but this was perfect for me.

It now sits on my entrance cabinet in the foyer.

What do you think about this DIY? Would you try it in your own home? Now, I totally want to decorate some more things with moss!

Great Room Transformation – THE PLAN

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Here are the supplies I used:

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Rustic Sunburst Mirror DIY

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Buffalo Check Garland

Buffalo Check LOVE sign

Buffalo Check Wreath Clip Ons

DIY Dollar Tree Valentines Day Decor

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Dollar Tree Buffalo Check Tray

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>>Make sure to make it to the end of this post for a special treat just for my readers!<<

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Pottery Barn Inspired Mirror DIY – Video Tutorial

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Summer Coastal Farmhouse Mantle

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DIY American Flag for 4th of July

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DIY Mason Jar Floral Sconce

*This is a sponsored post, all opinions are my own. Some of the links below are affiliate links for your convenience. For more details go here*

Sherwin Williams Color of the Year Oceanside Bookshelves

The Rules:

Meet the Hosts

Thrift Store Lamp Transformation

Here are the supplies I used:

To watch the tutorial you can click the video below as well…

Let’s get started……

*I was compensated for this post. This post also contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. See full disclosure here.*

DIY Easter Moss Bunny Supply List:

You can also check out the complete video tutorial on my YouTube channel as well!

Instagram

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 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

Some links below are affiliate links

This is a sponsored post but all opinions are my own. For full disclosure please go here.

Some of the links below may be affiliate links, for full disclosure please go here

Please note that some of the links below are affiliate links. For full disclosure, please go here

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

Some of the following links below may be affiliate links. For full disclosure, please go here.

Some of the links below are affiliate links. For full disclosure please go here.

This is a sponsored post, all opinions are my own. Some of the links below are affiliate links for your convenience. For more details go here

I was compensated for this post. This post also contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. See full disclosure here.