Lamp Revamp and DIY Throw Pillows

I am addicted to Target!  I can go into a Target for a loaf of bread, and will come out with a cart full of goodies and a receipt for $250.  I truly believe that time stands still inside of Target.  There have been times when I could swear I've only been shopping for 30 minutes and three hours have passed.

Last week, on a grocery run, I did my usual quick walk down the end caps of the home goods department. I love finding items that I've been eyeing or cool linens on clearance that I can repurpose.

I flipped when I found a gorgeous medallion print lampshade on clearance for $9.  Then, a few aisles down, I found a set of cloth napkins for $7, and a body pillow cover for $5.  I knew exactly what I could do with these!

I've had a blah-beige lamp sitting on my end table for months (a year?)  I got it for $5 at a local thrift store and had intended to paint it--someday.  Well, after finding this lampshade, I knew I would  be painting it Provence by Annie Sloan Chalk Paints. (DIY cost: $14, plus paint)  LOVE!

I sewed the napkins together to make two beautiful throw pillow covers, and I used the body pillow cover to make 2 square and one rectangle throw pillow covers.  (DIY Cost: $12 for 5 pillows, plus inserts.)

I can't wait for my next Target trip!

DIY Decor Week

Things started to settle down a tiny bit last week, so I had a little time to tackle my long DIY to do list!  Some were half-finished projects, others were ideas on my DIY wish list and a couple were inspired by necessity or a really good sale.  Here's a peak at what I will be sharing with you this week!

A Wreath For All Seasons

I love having seasonal wreaths on my front door, but I don't love storing them at the end of each holiday.  They always end up smashed or deformed or worst of all--full of spiders and cobwebs.

I wanted a wreath that would go with me from season to season with little design effort.  Here is what I created last fall:

I used burlap ribbon to create the wreath and embellish it each season with an inexpensive plaque or oversized ornament. This particular Valentine's ornament I made myself.  Totally wonky and by no means perfect, just like me.  :)

What do you have on your front door? 

Easy Last-Minute Halloween Costume: Clark Kent

So it's two days before (or the morning of!) Halloween and your teen son decides he really ISN'T too old to go trick-or-treating again this year. What do you do?

Here is my solution for a quick and easy last-minute costume:

Presenting, Clark Kent

It's definitely not a bird nor a plane, but this Superman definitely turned the heads of some teen girls last week at our church's Trunk or Treat!

We had all the pieces at home, all I needed to buy was the superman logo tee shirt, which I picked up at my local Target.

Clark Kent wears:

• Black high top chucks (Converse One-Stars from Target):$17 on clearance
• White Dress Shirt (owned) Free
• Tie (Owned--You can get a shirt/tie combo at Walmart for $10) Free
• Dress Slacks (Owned--You can find dress slacks at Walmart for $10) Free
• Black glasses (3D movie theater glasses) Free
• Superman tee shirt (Target) $11 after Cartwheel discount
• Good looks: Priceless!

My total cost:  $28 by reusing some items he already owned...technically only spent $11, since I had bought the Chucks a few weeks ago, but these were his first time wearing them, so I added it in.  ;)

DIY Minion Halloween Costume {Ba ba ba ba-ba na-na!}

Today's costume is an easy DIY!  My daughter knew that she wanted to dress up like this character since we watched Despicable Me 2 this summer.

Presenting:

The DIY Minion

Just looking at this kid makes me want to say: BEE DOH!  BEE DOH!  BEE DOH!!

I love the way this all came out!  I used a mix of hand-me-downs, consignment and new items.  She will be wearing this on Halloween night!

This DIY Minion wears:

• Black Chucks (Converse All Star hand me downs from her brother): Free(ish) retail at about $30
• Yellow Tee Shirt (my son's old band tee): Free --these retail less than $10 new
• Thick Round Glasses (Michael's): $1
• Yellow Beanie (Amazon): $5
• Black Gloves (from an old costume): Free --you can find black gloves for about $1
• Yellow Soccer Socks (Ross): $3 (for two pair)
• Denim Overalls (cosigment shop): $3
• Yellow Buttons (Joann): $1
• Silliness--Priceless!

My total cost:  $13 with lots of reusable pieces!!

Nerdy 50s Girl {Putting a Twist on a Store Bought Halloween Costume}

As you saw in yesterday's post, I can't be happy with a store bought costume as is. We always add a little twist.  Today I present to you:

Nerdy 50's Girl:

This is another one of those costumes I picked up on clearance at Target years ago. I was so surprised when my daughter chose this costume to wear for our church's Trunk or Treat this year. The whole nerdy look was her idea, and I have to say, she rocks it!

She even swiped some of the masking tape from my DIY furniture projects to "nerdy up" her glasses!

Nerdy 50s Girl wears:

• Black Chucks (Converse All Star hand me downs from her brother) Free(ish) retail at about $30
• Nerdy glasses (old 3D movie theater glasses) Free -- also used for Hipster Dorothy
• White lace bike shorts (Target clearance) $4 -- also used for Hipster Dorothy
• Tall white socks (Target clearance) $2 -- also used for Hipster Dorothy
• 50s Girl costume (Target Clearance 2010) $3
• Potential to be the next Kristen Wiig -- Priceless!

Total cost to me: $9 (unless you count the shoes that I bought for my son in 2009 for about $30, and the hour's worth of elbow grease it took me to make them look new again!)

Hipster Dorothy Costume {an ironic DIY}

We love us some Halloween here in La Casa de Aqua Seventy6!  So much so, that my daughter will be sporting not one but THREE costumes this year.  She does have three events to attend, after all! ;)

On the morning of Halloween, she will be attending her very last Storybook Parade at school.  When she was in Kindergarten she dressed as the Cowardly Lion, so she wanted to end her elementary school costume career as another character from The Wizard of Oz...with a slight twist.

Presenting: "Hipster Dorothy"

For years I stocked up on costumes when Target marked them down to 90% off.  I picked up this Dorothy costume in 2010 for about $3.  When we moved to VA the following summer, the box containing all of our costumes accidentally ended up in storage here in FL.  When we finally returned, I thought for sure that she would have outgrown all of the costumes, but she was just able to fit into a couple!

It's hard to get an almost 11-year-old into red glittered maryjanes, so we gave this costume a little bit of a ironic twist.

Hipster Dorothy wears:

• Red Chucks (these are faux Converse I ordered through Amazon) $11 with shipping
• Ironic glasses with no lens (old 3D movie theater glasses) Free
• White lace bike shorts (Target clearance) $4
• Tall white socks (Target clearance) $2
• Basket (thrift) 50 cents
• Puppy (Gift) Free
• Hair ribbons (Joann) $1
• Dorothy costume (Target clearance 2010) $3
• Attitude (hereditary)  Priceless

Total cost: $21.50 AND the shoes, socks and bike shorts are reusable.  You will see the shorts and socks again in tomorrow's post!

DIY Lampshade Pendant Light

I've been admiring the lampshade and drum pendant lights at my local home stores for months, but wasn't thrilled at the idea of paying anywhere from $60-$200 for a light fixture. 

I decided that I would attempt to recreate my own version of a lampshade pendant, and I was able to do so for just $25!  (You may be able to do this for less if you already own a lampshade or scoop one up on sale.)

Here is how it turned out: 

All you need is a Mini Pendant Kit (I found mine at Home Depot for $14.97) and a lampshade with a harp fitter (the kind with the tiny hole instead of the big hole.)  I found mine at Ross for $9.99.

I loosened and removed the cord of the pendant kit from the base, and slipped the cord through the harp hole and then just reattached the cord to the base.  That's it! 

Hubby then wired the kit to the ceiling and voila!  Complete!!

I decided to do this project in a day, so I didn't go out searching for the most amazing lampshade. But, if I do find one I can't live without, I will just have to bribe Hubby to take down the fixture so I can switch it out.  Hmmm....I don't think that will be happening any time soon!

My dining room is still a work in progress, but isn't every room?  Have a great weekend, friends!

Thrift Store Corkboards Two Ways

My daughter needed a corkboard to hang above her new desk and I was lucky to come across two giant corkboards at my local thrift store last week.  They were both on sale, marked down to just $1.25! They needed a little TLC, for sure, so this is what I came up with:

I was lucky enough to find a piece of fabric in my stash that was just the right size to upholster the corkboard.  Using a staple gun, I stretched and attached the fabric to the back of the frame stapling the whole way around. 

 That's it!  It probably took me less than 15 minutes total to upholster it and hang it on the wall.

I had some left over chalkboard paint from a project I did at least 2 years ago.  I don't think I ever shared it with you, but you can see it here.  I took the corkboard outside and spray painted it with the chalkboard paint, letting it dry between coats.  Easy peasy!!  I added a typography Julia Child quote with chalk and hung it near my kitchen table:

I think it looks fab...except hubby keeps reading it as "People Who Eat People"...maybe I'm too subconsciously addicted to The Walking Dead!

Can you believe these two corkboards once looked like this?

(Disclaimer:  I fully realize that these are awful photos!  This is what happens when you are in a rush to document a project!)

Ten Minute Teen Wolf {DIY Halloween Costume}

Last Halloween, my then 12-year-old son couldn't decide whether or not he wanted to dress up for trick-or-treating.  The truth is, he WANTED to dress up, but wasn't sure if other kids his age would be, as well.

On the morning of Halloween he finally decided he wanted to dress up regardless of what the other kids were doing.  Of course, that left me little time to come up with one of my totally awesome DIY costumes. ;)  He suggested dressing as a werewolf and here is what I came up with:

I had found some fur at the fabric store earlier in the month and picked up a remnant since he had been leaning toward werewolf IF he decided to dress up.  I cut the fur into wrist-sized rectangles and sewed on a small piece of elastic to the bottom so he could easily slip his hand through.

We threw together a flannel shirt, some jeans, and I used two shades of brown eyeliner and lip liner to draw fur on his face and give him a wolf's nose and bushy eyebrows.  I added a lot of gel to spike his hair and voila:  Ten Minute Teen Wolf!

Here he his posing with his sister, the Mad Haute Mad Hatter (which is quickly becoming one of my most popular posts thanks to Pinterest!)

So what is he going to be this year?  I hope I don't find out on Halloween morning again!  ;)

Easy {DIY} Vintage Sewing Cabinet Makeover

The months of August and September have been crazy busy for me!  I thought for sure that when the kids were back to school that I would have SO MUCH TIME to get all of my housework, work-work, volunteer-work, and DIY fun-work done that I would be literally searching for something to do...WRONG!

Housework has been on hold, work-work has picked up, and volunteer-work comes in almost daily. This means that DIY fun-work gets squeezed in at all hours of the night while everyone is in bed and I am desperately trying to catch up with my "Mom-only" guilty pleasure shows (Mistresses, Devious Maids, Real Housewives of Miami...)

Here's my latest midnight project:

My Easy DIY Vintage Sewing Cabinet Makeover

My daughter has been asking for her own desk since school started, but she doesn't have a lot of space in her bedroom. As I was searching for a small table I could transform into a desk, I came across this vintage sewing cabinet at my local thrift.

These are a fairly common item at garage sales and thrift shops.  In fact, there were two different ones for sale on the day I found her.  Yep, it's a her....

She was marked at $35 because she came with a working sewing machine installed, still a pretty good deal, but I really just wanted the cabinet.  The tag showed that it was the 7th day since she had been put out for sale, so I asked the manager and he brought the price down to $20, machine and all.

This girl weighed a good 40 lbs, so even if I wanted to just tuck away the machine, I knew it would just be way too cumbersome to keep installed. I unscrewed the bolts and set the massively heavy machine aside for my upcoming charity yard sale.

As part of my search for a desk, I had come across a new (to me, at least) line of chalk paints at a local home goods consignment shop and I decided to try some out.

I fell in LOVE with this coral color called Gypsy by Vintage Market & Design Furniture Paint.  I coordinated it with some Annie Sloan Provence, used the Annie Sloan clear wax and left the hardware with its existing patina.  Not much work, but boy, what an update!

My daughter LOVES it, and it fits right into the little corner of her bedroom.  I'm still debating whether to hang a basket in the hole where the sewing machine was or to cover the hole completely with a thin piece of board, but for now she can do her homework in the comfort of her own room.

Adorable, right??  Now on to search for the perfect chair!




Click here to see the amazing sites where this and my other projects are linked!

 Other\ fun parties:
Saavy Southern Style

Mad Haute

Every November, when Target has their costumes at 75-90% off, I pick up a few for my kids. These have worked beautifully in the past for the Halloween Parties, Trunk or Treats, Storybook Parades at school, and countless other opportunities my kids have had to dress up prior to the actual day of Halloween.  This is not only super fun for my daughter, but preserves her "real" costume until Oct. 31.

Last year was no different.  I picked up three adorable costumes at $3 each and thought my daughter was set for this holiday.  Boy, was I wrong!!

We are in a whole new world up here in Virginia.  We weren't invited to any pre-Halloween costume parties and her school doesn't allow them to come to school in costume.  Lo and behold, her school DID decide to try Trunk or Treat last Friday night, and since she knew she wouldn't get to show off her costume to her friends, I allowed my daughter to wear her "real" costume to the event.

So let's talk about this "real" costume.  Mommy has been very busy, so I assumed my ever considerate daughter would pick one of the three costumes hanging in her closet for the last 11.5 months---and she would have---had I not shown her a picture of an adorable Queen of Hearts costume on Pinterest.  My kid is a mini-me in every way.  Her wheels started turning, and even though we went to the fabric store intending to make her the Queen of Hearts, we came out with purple, black, and green tulle, some pink and black tights and The Mad Hatter on the brain. 

What we created was Mad Haute....

I made her skirt using 9 yards of tulle, elastic and a simple tie-on method.  Click here for a tutorial. I love how it looks torn and industrial...dark and moody.  I added some tulle to a mini hat hair clip we found at Pier 1.

Next I made the floppy bow tie, tying in the colors of her tights.  I safety pinned that into a heather-gray long sleeve top to continue that industrial look.

I cut the fingers off of some simple winter gloves we've had forever, and I dug up an old vest I've had since my hipster days.  JK, I was never a hipster, but I did rock the mini vest back in 2006ish.

I tied her hair in two twisty knots, and attempted to recreate Johnny Depp's Mad Hatter make-up, to no avail.  We ended up just using lots of eyeshadow, mascara, eyeliner and lipstick to finish off the dark, Tim Burton-esque look of this costume.

I have to say, I LOVE the way it came out!!  What do you think? 

 Click here to see where this and my other posts are linked