DIY

DIY: How to Build a Terrarium

Terrariums have been quite the craze lately. Although they were popular decades ago they have surely made a comeback! I've always thought they were so pretty and love the way they add life to your home. What better way to honor Earth Day than to make a beautiful live terrarium?! I have to admit, I don't have a green thumb and I always forget to water my plants! The beauty of terrariums is that they require minimum amounts of water :) Here's what you need:

First you will need to select a container. It can be an open air container or something bottle-like to create a closed environment terrarium. Either way, I like to use glass to see the entire terrarium. I chose to do a succulent & cactus terrarium, so you will need cactus potting soil. Pebbles, sand or rocks, activated charcoal and sphagnum moss. 

1. A layer of course sand, pebbles, or stones (like I used above)

2. Activated charcoal (thin layer)

3. Add a layer of sphagnum moss

4. Add soil. If using cactus, get cactus potting soil which can be mixed with regular potting soil. 

6. Add plants or seeds. Be creative, switch them around until it looks like the perfect little paradise!

Terrariums are so fun to make and they are the perfect gift for just about anyone! It's also a great activity to do with kids or even your mom ;) Have a great Wednesday! 

DIY: Up-cycling with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint

This old armoire was given to me, its a really nice piece of furniture (other than the stain I can't stand) I've converted it into a liquor cabinet and a place to store large appliances for the kitchen. There are two drawers below, one of which I use for storing grilling devices and the other I use for place mats, table cloths, and plastic utensils. It's in our morning room off the kitchen near our kitchen table.

Here's what you need to get this look:

From left to right: Sand paper, paint brushes (thin bristles), Sander Deglosser, Annie Sloan Chalk Paint (graphite), Annie Sloan Soft Wax (dark), Rust-Oleum Metallic (Satin Nickel)

1. Clean furniture with warm rag to remove any dust that may be lingering.

2. Remove hardware 

3. Sand off any rough edges or uneven surfaces.

4. Use Sander Deglosser on the entire piece of furniture with clean rag. Be generous, and really scrub to remove dirt. Dries pretty fast.

5. Once the piece of furniture is clean, sanded and dried, coat the furniture with the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. If you want your color to be darker, use 2 coats. I always use 2 coats! I like using a small, medium, and large paint brush. Use the small brush when painting in intricate spaces and the large when painting large flat areas.

 6. Spray paint hardware with Rust-Oleum Metallic (Satin Nickel)

7. Once furniture is completely dry (I usually let set 24 hrs) apply the Annie Sloan soft wax with cheese cloth or either a rag that doesn't shed, in small areas with small amounts of wax. You want to use circular motions and literally keep rubbing until wax is off the furniture. This basically is just a "stain" you put on top of the chalk. It makes the surface smooth and shiny. The dark wax enhances the color of the graphite too. 

8. Put the hardware back on & ENJOY ;)

DIY: How to Build a Jewelry Armoire I went to Target to buy a bookshelf. Nothing expensive, just something that would look good in my bedroom and wouldn't take up a ton of space. Then, I got cork board sheets, Martha Stewart "Thundercloud" silver paint, and cup hooks. I painted the back side of the bookshelf and the cork board sheets, silver. I put the cork board sheets on both sides of the first two shelves to hang necklaces and earrings. I screwed the cup hooks into the cork board on the first shelf, for my long necklaces.  

The second shelf I use for my earrings, just press the earring posts into the cork board.

 

A Close-Up:

DIY: Desk & Chair Makeover

Years ago, when I was a little girl this desk set belonged to me. It held virtually every Lisa Frank sticker imaginable, I found some oldies stuck in between the drawers as I was cleaning them out ;) Over time, the white paint turned yellow and the fabric faded. I wanted to re-finish it because once Reagan gets older we'll move her into the guest room with the same furniture I had growing up! To up-cycle this desk and chair, I sanded, repainted & replaced the knobs. I kept it white because it matches the bed set where the desk will go. The change isn't drastic, its just updated. I used an electric sander for the large flat surfaces and a hand held sander for the rest. The chair had to be sanded entirely by hand because of the smaller and more intricate spaces. The chair also had an upholstered cushion--the fabric was awful and faded, so I replaced the fabric with an updated "metallic elephant" from Calico Corners. I had extra fabric from my panels in the family room (another blog on that), so I just wrapped it around the existing fabric and used a staple gun to keep it in place. It was so simple & now looks like a totally new chair! 

New Fabric + Staple Gun = NEW cushion

To remove cushion, there are four screws underneath seat.

Use a hand sander on intricate areas.

Electric sander on large surfaces or the hand sander is fine too.

Wipe off all access debris from sanding with warm cloth. Let dry.

You can really see how yellow it had gotten in this picture! Use a roller for the large flat surfaces.

I used a 1" Purdy brush designed for all paints. 

Sand off any paint runs--no one is perfect ;)

I decided to spray these knobs because it was a hard width to find and I didn't want to drill new holes.

The old pulls, repainted silver!

& the new one's from Hobby Lobby

Replace cushion.

The newly updated desk! 

I used Valspar, Chef White in semigloss. I bought the knobs from Hobby Lobby (check for 50% off sales on knobs) they always have such a large variety & when they're 50% off I tend to go a little crazy! (Side note: You can place an order for as many knobs as you'd like while they are 50% off and they will still honor the sale) I'm sort of "knob obsessed" because they're an instant update to any old cabinetry and the knobs are ridiculously cute!