How To: Hide those annoying cords!!

Ok so who has else an issue with cords showing all around your house? Isn't it just the MOST annoying thing ever?? You work SO hard to make your house as perfect as you can, but then you have the unavoidable problem of cords... Whether it's your TV cords, speaker cords, or just a whole bunch of random electronics being pluged into one area... it's just flat out annoying. 

For years I have always used a little trick to make those annoying cords "invisible", and today I am going to share it with y'all! In the past, I used to try and place some sort of furniture or decoration in front of the bundle of cords. Well, that never worked very well because it always ended up looking awkward, out of place, and/or cluttered. Thats when I started using my little {basket trick}. It's SO easy, SO cheap and much less cluttered!

Check out my {How-To}!



Step by Step:

1. First, try to grasp the size of your "cord bundle". Mine was rather large because we were dealing with a VERY dated, VERY large set of speakers. Yes... I think they are seriously from the late 80's... Ok maybe not, but they sure aren't from this decade! Hey - they still work, so thats all that matters! They really bring a whole new meaning to "vintage", huh??

2. Anyhoo! The next step is to go shopping! I went to Ross (OF COURSE) to find my basket. I mean, lets be honest... There really isn't any better place to shop for wicker baskets. I found this one for ONLY $13!!! And it's massive. Great find:) I had to make sure to find one with no handles since I was eventually going to flip it upside down.

3. ** This next step is only if your dealing with cords for speakers or anything that you might need to have easy access to any sort of extention. In my case, we need this cord to plug into our iPhone to hook up to the speakers. So I didn't want it to be hidden underneath the basket.

When you get home with your new basket, flip it upside down and feed the needed cord through your desired area of the basket. Since the basket is wicker (or seagrass maybe?), there are tons are openings to feed your cord through. I chose a back corner so I could just leave the cord hanging out the back. It still remains hidden, but it's also really easy to get to anytime we want to play some tunes!

4. Keep the basket upside down and tuck everything in underneath. Make sure it's all hidden so your basket sits flush against the floor. I chose to top it off with some vintage luggage pieces to give the corner some height. And there ya have it! You're all done:)

This whole project literally cost ONLY $13 and it makes SUCH a difference! It's truely amazing how much better it looks with no more cords:) You can also use this trick other areas in the house as well. Another way you can use the {basket trick} is to NOT flip the basket over and simply place the cords into the basket. Drape a throw over the basket and it hides the cords! 

Hope y'all enjoyed my little tutorial! Have a wonderful long weekend everyone:)

{How-To} Style a Kitchen Cart

Hey there guys! Today I'm going to talk a little about styling:) Particularly about styling kitchen items if your obligated to a small space.  I think it's pretty obvious that I don't have the largest kitchen in the world. But I actually really don't mind because it's very open and has all the space I need for now. But there are times where I really wish I had more counter space and also more storage space. That's where my new kitchen cart comes into play.

A few months ago I found {and fell in love with} this fabulous vintage green metal cart. It's old. It's rusted. The paint is chipping everywhere, and I just LOVE it. I had to have it the moment I found it. And it was only $16!! Seriously couldn't pass this one up. I had no clue where it was going after I bought it, but after bringing it back to the house, it quickly found its new home in the kitchen. It wasn't overwhelmingly too large and also not too small - the perfect accent piece for a small kitchen.

The next challenge was to style it to really make it fit into the space. When you add a piece of furniture into a kitchen that isn't traditionally used, you need to find ways to make it look natural in the space. That's where you begin styling the piece of furniture with kitchen related items. Here are some quick tips to styling a kitchen cart:

Simple Tips to Styling a Kitchen Cart:

1. Tie in some of the same materials into your accent pieces that you already have in your kitchen. i.e. kitchen towels to incorporate colors, wicker baskets to add texture etc.

2. Include a lamp to add character and attention to the area.

3. Need a place to display your decorative dishes or mugs?? A kitchen cart is a perfect place to do so! You might not use them often, so this is a great way to display those items that typically hide away behind cabinet doors on a regular basis.

4. Add a basket or two to store your everyday items and to organize your clutter.

5. Not enough room in your drawers for utensils? Display them! I actually turned to this idea only because our drawer was having trouble opening and closing, but I ended up loving the fun display. I just might keep them out even once the hubby fixes our drawer;)

6. Once you have chosen your items, make sure to arrange them in a balanced manner. If you have a basket on one side of the shelf, think about pairing it with something organic in shape.

Also consider filling an open basket with fruit and veggies. In my case, I chose a vintage wired basket with bananas and spices:)

You might also notice that I used a small scale lamp on the cart as well. The lamp was originally too short, so I added some height with a few home decor magazines. This was so easy to do and lifted the lamp to the perfect height! It would also be a fun idea to use cook books if you've got some laying around.

7. To keep organized, add some fun tags to your baskets to label your items. I actually just cut up a few old retail tags that I never threw away. I liked their {recycled} look so much that I knew I could eventually use them for something. Cut them into a "tag" shape, poke a hole through the pointed end, and thread some twine through the tag to tie it to the basket.

And there ya have it! Simple as that;) 

DIY Hanging {Drum} Light Fixture

{DIY Hanging Drum Light Fixture}

Below is what we had hanging over our table before. It doesn't look so bad in the picture, but I think it's because you can't really tell what it looks like. I was never too happy with the way it looked in the room and always wanted something much lighter and brighter.

I had been on the lookout for a {replacement} option for this light fixture for quite some time, but a lot of my options were just too expensive. Since there was no real need to replace the light, I really didn't want to spend a lot of money on a replacement. Rewind... the hubby didn't want to spend ANY money on a replacement... so we came to a compromise. The other day I stopped into Garden Ridge while I was running errands. I wondered down the lamp isle and one of the lamp shades caught my eye. It's a shade they have carried for a while now, and I had seen it before and always liked it. I just never had a lamp large enough for it to fit. But this time I knew exactly what I could use it for. My new fixture for over our table!! It was just the perfect size too! I was a bit worried it might be too small, but it ended up being just the right size. And it was only $19.00! Now that's a price I can handle!

To be able to hang the shade, we needed a light kit. We found ours at Lowes for maybe around $15.00. This is actually meant to plug into the wall, so we had to modify it a bit. Just cut it off however long you need it to hang from the ceiling. You'll see below that the plug and switch is what we cut off. Then split and connect the wires as if you would a normal hanging light.

 

What you will need:

- Lamp Shade

- Light conversion kit

- Chain

- Spray Paint (I used a combo of black textured paint and black matte paint)

Step by Step:

1. Take down your old light fixture and keep it close by. You might need to use some of its parts for the new light.

2. Spray paint all your hardware the same color. I also spray painted the cord from the light kit along with the little converter piece too.

3. Once it's all dry, thread your cord through the chain and start piecing together the hardware. 

4. Screw on the shade onto the converter.

*  We actually had to use two pieces of hardware from our old chandelier. It was the top piece and bottom piece that connected the chain. By using these two pieces, there would be no weight put on the actual cord. The weight is now all on the chain instead.

So what do y'all think? It's a fun little change, and only about $40 for the entire thing. Hope y'all enjoyed!!

DIY Painted Chevron Curtains

Guess what time is it?? It's chevron curtain time!!! Yupp - It's taken me a while to get this post together, but it's finally here! Now before we get started, I will warn you that these curtains did take a bit of time. They were relatively easy to make, but definitely involved some major patience! But don't you fret my friends - once they are all done you will be so happy with the outcome;) Now lets get started!!

What you will need:

White curtain panels
I got mine from Target for only $9.99!

Blue painters tape
Don't get the green painters tape - this was a bit TOO sticky for me and would always try to snag the fabric of the curtains. Blue tape will work just fine because it's not as intense

Paint & Plastic Drop Cloth
A lot people ask if I used some kind of special fabric paint, but I didn't! I simply went to Lowes and picked the color I liked and there was nothing special about it. I think I got the satin finish, but you might also explore using a matte finish if you would like. I needed one gallon since I had to make 4 curtain panels. Since the chevron stripes were quite large, I used a little more than half of the gallon.

Paint Brush
I believe I used a 3in. brush, but if your doing skinnier stripes, you for sure want to use a smaller brush.

Ruler or Guide
I also made myself a little triangle shaped template that I made out of cardboard. The combination of a ruler and template will work perfectly.

As you can see, I don't have many process photos from this project. I created these curtains close to a year ago and really had no clue that I would ever start a blog. So, sorry guys. No step by step photos for this one. But that doesn't mean I can't give you a verbal step by step!


1. Find curtain panels of your choice with the height of your choice. I found my white panel's at Target for $9.99/ea. Iron the panels BEFORE you begin taping.

2. Decide how thick you want your chevron stripes to be.  A lot of my inspiration fabrics had much skinnier stripes. I knew I wanted a much bolder statement, so I blew up the pattern. Divide up the panel to make sure none of the stripes will be cut off at the bottom or top. You might notice none of my stripes are extending off the top or bottom. This was planned out prior to painting because I wanted it to all fit without "running out of room" at the bottom of the panel. Does that kinda make sense?? Kinda...?

3. Once you are happy with your measurements, begin taping everything out. I created a guide out of cardboard in the shape of a "V". This helped a bit, but I did not rely on this 100%. I used a combination of my predetermined measurements, a ruler, and a guide. I started taping at the top and made my way down. In order to get crisp corners, I had to get creative with my tape. I would cross the two pieces of tape like an "X" and then flap one piece of tape back, and then the second flap back on top of that. This technique gave me a perfect, crisp corner.

4. Once everything is taped off, begin painting! Make sure to be careful during this process, because it can get pretty boring and time consuming. I actually got so used to just sitting there and painting that I completely stopped paying attention to what I was doing. Silly me started painting the wrong section!! I was SO SO SO mad at myself at this point. I literally had been doing this for HOURS and screwed it all up. Well, thankfully since the paint was still wet, I was able to saturate it in water and carpet stain remover. The water/stain remover combo actually worked really well for touch ups that I needed down the road, so keep that in mind! If you ever accidentally mess up and get paint in the wrong place, soak it in water and blot blot blot!! Do the same with the carpet stain remover - just follow the instructions on the bottle and it should work rather well.

5. Wait for it all to dry to make sure the paint dried evenly. Then if everything looks even, remove the tape.

WARNING - make sure to tape down some good plastic drop cloths for this project before starting. The fabric will soak up the paint and completely bleed through the other side. I wouldn't trust a fabric drop cloth because of this. Go with a plastic one for sure!

And that's it!! If your stripes end up not looking PERFECTLY even, it's ok! Mine aren't necessarily perfect, but once they are hung, you can't tell at all. This project took a good amount of time, but I was really happy with the outcome. I've had them up for almost a year, and still love them just as much as I did the day I finished them.

Well I sure hope this little how-to was a helpful one! I'm sorry I didn't have more process pictures to contribute. Who knew I would have started a blog?? Anyways, hope everyone had a great start to their week! Happy Monday:)

Also, these curtains were featured on Yahoo Homes {HERE}! Make sure to check it out!!

Pottery Barn Copycat!

Can YOU tell the difference?

For YEARS I have loved the Pottery Barn "look" but never been able to afford it. I always hoped one day I could, but lets be honest - I will probably never be able to spend that kind of money. Even if I somehow win the lottery one day, I think I will still find bargain shopping way more fun than just walking in and buying out the entire store. ***I'm sorry Pottery Barn for saying that... you know I love you.***

But yes, I try to not even walk into the store, because all I really do is get my heart broken. Mainly because I know none of it will go home with me. *tear* It's depressing really. But enough of the pity party because I've got some good news my friends! There are seriously SO many other stores out there that offer the same kind of "look" that Pottery Barn is selling. If you're working on a budget like me, you better keep reading! I am about to let you in on a little secret of mine! Well ok, it's not that much of a secret because I talk about them all the time. Their names are Marshalls, Ross, TJ Maxx, and Home Goods. Ahh just saying their name makes me happy. You want to know why? It's because they have got some great products to really make your house a home. Now don't get me wrong, you might have to dig for a little while to find just what you're looking for. But when you take a look at the price tag, you won't be disappointed. Ok now on to the good stuff! Below are some of my Pottery Barn comparisons.

Alrighty peeps, it's on! Who will win!???

Their { pricey products } vs. { my bargain finds}  

Here we go!

1.) Decorative Lanterns, Candle Holders, Candles, Glass Containers, Accessories, Etc.

The Pottery Barn versions range anywhere from $39.00-$69.00. I can find similar items for a fraction of the price at the bargain stores.

Here are a few of the pottery barn examples:

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Here are a few of my finds:

Not exactly the same, but it does give off the same look and feel.

This wired glass container was found at Ross for $7.00. Pretty darn good, huh? The contents inside were also found at Ross for about $6.00. 

That wire basket was found at antique mall near my house for about $10. You also might be able to see the driftwood sitting inside the basket. That was also found at an antique mall for $5. Ain't too shabby if you ask me!

These beachy accessories were found at Garden ridge. I think the smallest was like $3.99 and the largest maybe around $6.99? They sell similar "found" objects at Pottery Barn that you can easily find at places like Hobby Lobby, Garden Ridge, Ross and Marshalls for much cheaper. You just gotta look!

2.) Wicker baskets or any type of storage basket

Some of the Pottery Barn examples range anywhere from $15.00 to $200. I mean... that is just RIDICULOUS. For example, the large rounded basket below is $199. I mean really?? There is just no reason for that large of a price tag. Who knows... Maybe they're like hand crafted or something, but I still can't fathom paying that much for ONE basket. Yikes!

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Here are some of my bargain finds. The price range for these are about $3.99-$16.99. Much more reasonable! My largest basket here was $16.99 at Ross. It's just a bit smaller than the Pottery Barn version, but they did have a larger one in the store for about $24.00. I wanted to buy it so bad, but I just simply didn't have a space for it. But still, $24.00 compared to $200??? Amazing!!!

The baskets above were found at Ross for I think $5.99 and $7.99?  The pillow inside was from Marshalls. I think it was $16 maybe.

These storage baskets were from Target at $50 a pop. I wouldn't normally spend that much on one object, but they were one of my wedding gifts from my mom a few years ago. Yay! Thanks mom!! That wire basket sitting on top of them is vintage and I think was like $14ish.

3.) Natural Fiber Rugs or Jute Rugs

Most of the Pottery Barn versions range from $100 to $500... but sometimes upwards of $1,000. They actually have BEAUTIFUL selections and I would die to have one, but that whole budget thing still gets in the way. Here are some of their examples:

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Aren't they so pretty?!! Thankfully I have been able to find many natural fiber rugs (similar to these) for much cheaper - mainly at Ross. We have 2 different Ross's near my house and over the past few years I have found a hand full of bargain finds. Here are some of my favorites:

This is kind of an older picture, and not a great photo of the rug, but you get the gist of it, right? This rug is a natural fiber 9x12 rug with a black fabric border. Please guess the price. Please! Ok ok ok I'll tell you! It... was... $30!!! YES. You heard me! $30 for a 9x12 rug that looks exactly like the Pottery Barn option!! Except the PB rug was $972 for this EXACT SAME LOOK! Holy cow. I'm still amazed when I think about that. I've had this rug for about a year now and it's held up perfectly. Thank you Ross for your great deals!!

The above rug was only $19!! It is perfect for my entry way and exactly what I was wanting. I found this one at Ross.

This above rug was also from Ross and ONLY $7.00!!!! I freaked out when I found it because I knew it would fit perfectly in our guest bathroom. It will look especially great once I get the walls painted Navy! That project will get started this week {hopefully}!! The paint and supplies have already been bought!

4.) Pillows & Pillow Covers: 

Ok, before I start, I have a confession to make. I own 3 Pottery Barn pillows... I know, I'm kind of ashamed. I typically just don't spend that kind of money on something I could find a similar {good enough to me} option at a bargain store. But I have to say, the 3 PB pillows that I own, I LOVE. I actually just recently bought a pair a few weeks ago, and minus the $80 price tag for just two covers, I was very happy with my purchase. They are exactly what I had been looking for and are great quality! But most of my pillows around the house are not Pottery Barn. If they were, I think I would be bankrupt by now! For those of you who don't know me... I have this strange addiction to pillows... lamps... ya know, the norm. I think I will take a head count one of these days, but that's for another post! Here are some Pottery Barn pillows that you might be able to find similar styles to at the bargain stores.

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Pottery Barn pillow covers are typically pretty expensive by them selves, but then on top of that, you have to buy the pillow insert as well. So that jacks up the price even more. My advice would be to frequent your closest Marshalls, TJ Maxx, or Home Goods stores. They typically have the best copycat options out there if your looking for a good pillow. They have VERY similar looks, and they come as a whole pillow - not just the pillow cover! Here are a few pillows I have found at bargain stores over the years:

Most of these pillows are from Marshalls. I actually think all of them are! I have many many more around the house, but I'll spare you the photos!

5.) Lamps & Lamp Shades

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These lamps are all beautiful, and I LOVE them. But they range from $60.00 to $200. Ahh! Ok, not affordable in my books! Here are some of my copycat lamps that give off the same look as the Pottery Barn versions:

Shockingly I found these glass lamps at Wal-Mart of all places. They were SO cheap at right around 11ish dollars and I couldn't pass them up. The shades were separate, but still only like $10 extra per shade. I've had these lamps for about 2 years and they are still my favorite set of lamps in our entire house. Thanks Wal-Mart!

This lamp sits in our office and was purchased at Marshalls. I believe it was about $36? Right around there I think. Still much better than the Pottery Barn comparison!

These lamps were from Target and I think they were $39 per lamp base. I then bought the shades separately for about $14. Pretty amazing huh? I bought these a few years ago, but I think they still have this style or something similar at least. They aren't real glass, but who cares???

So what do y'all think??? 

Great bargains, huh!

Ok, Ok, Ok... Now it's time to give Pottery Barn some much needed props. As much trouble as I've been giving them for their high prices, c'mon, we ALL know how much we love that dang store. Why do you think I spent all this time writing up an entire copycat post on them?? It's because we all adore their fabulous style. They are SO classic in their design yet they're always up with the latest trends. Imitation is the best form of flattery, right??

Yes, I love them, but I just can't quite afford them yet. Who knows, maybe one day, but I think as we have all learned from this post, we can all find similar items that actually fit our budget. All it takes is a bit of dedication! I hope you all enjoyed this little comparison today. Good luck finding your favorite bargains!