DIY: Vase Decor

So I have totally fallen into this gold craze that's happening right now, and I am not ashamed :]. Last Saturday I went Small Business Saturday Shopping & thrifting with my friend Rachael. I picked up these lovely vases for 3$ & couldn't wait to get them home and paint them. This was probably one of the easiest things I have ever done. The worst part was waiting for the paint to dry.

Supplies:
vase or any other cool object you want to spruce up
acrylic paint
paint brush
painter's tape
scissors (not pictured)

Steps:
1. Clean with warm water & soap. Rinse thoroughly & allow to dry completely.
2. Apply a base coat using your paint & paintbrush.
*It is important to let each coat dry before you apply the next. The paint will peel off & you will have to start all over.
3. Depending on the quality of your paint, or how opaque you want the colors to be, you can apply as many coats as needed.
4. While the paint is drying this is the best time to decide what patterns you would like & cut the tape accordingly.
5. Once the paint has dried, tape off the areas you want to show through. I did a chevron pattern & a striped pattern.
6. Grab your second color & apply it to the uncovered areas on your vase.
7. Remove the tape before the paint dries completely, to avoid pulling up any of the second color.
OPTIONAL: Once the paint dries you can use a sealer as a final coat. I opted out of this because I liked the matte finish of the white & I didn't want to buy a matte sealer.
8. You're done :]

xo, amanda

DIY: 'merican flag

This is one of my more proud DIY projects that I have in my home. I had been wanting to do this ribbon flag for almost a year now. & look! It's finally done. Don't worry it doesn't take a year to finish. I was just real slow at jumping on the bandwagon to start it. Now the hard part is trying to find things to decorate around it. I have so much empty wall space in my house, it's intimidating.

Supplies:
18"x12" blue fabric (mine resembles some sort of tye die)
wooden dowel (mine is about 1/2" in diameter)
assorted yarns & ribbons (This is the fun part! Remember you need whites/reds and enough to cover about 24" across. I used about 15 spools of ribbon and a few clips from balls of yarn I had around the house.)
50 assorted plastic stars
silver metallic spray paint

Pantry items:
needle & thread (color doesn't matter)
hot glue gun
scissors
lightweight staple gun

Prep:
Lay out the stars and spray them with a few coats of the silver spray paint and allow to dry thoroughly.
Cut ribbon and yarn into short and long pieces. Mine were probably about 36" & 18" long. *Don't discard the scraps

Steps:
*This doesn't have to be exact by any means, it's just how I found it to work best for me.
1. Complete a rough layout of the fabric, ribbon & yarn for the first layer.
2. Once you have them arranged how you like, use your needle & thread to complete quick stitches in each ribbon/yarn under the blue fabric to hold them in place.
3. Fasten the short edge of the blue fabric to the left edge of the wooden dowel with a few staples from your staple gun.
4. Plug in your hot glue gun & glue the longer strips onto the wooden dowel.
5. Repeat steps 1-4 until you have three or more layers of ribbon secured onto the blue fabric & the wooden dowel.
6. You can use any scraps you have to edge the fabric & cover up the rough ends connected at the bottom of the fabric & top of the dowel.
7. Place all 50 stars on the fabric & use your hot glue gun to secure them into place. (You could also sew them on, but I found that gluing them saves on time, & doesn't decrease the integrity of the sturdiness.)
8. This is optional. I made tassels from string & tied them through the ribbon I glued to the top of the dowel.
9. Voila!! Marvel at your beautiful & completely original flag.

I hung mine above my couch as the statement piece for that wall. Where would you hang yours? What is above your sofa?

xo, amanda

2014 OLW

This is the first year I am doing One Little Word. It took me about a month to decide on the single word that describes how I want to live my life for 2014. Finally, it came to me: intention. This year I am going to live out my life full of purpose. There will be no more "just letting things happen". I have done that for far too long now. If I want something, I am going to make it happen. I don't want any "what-ifs" or "should-have-beens". I am not going to be in California forever, & I'm also not going to be 25 forever. I know he is still so young now, but I want my son to look back at old photos & memories & think that we (my husband & I) wanted a good life for him from the start.

What is your OLW?

xo, amanda

Blogging: Round 2

After a failed attempt at my first blog, I have decided to give it another shot. It's a new year filled with new ideas & new projects. I've got a lot in mind to share with you, & I hope you enjoy my posts. I appreciate any & all feedback. Happy Monday!
xo, amanda