Nothing feels better then a nicely organized home {ok…so there are things that are better…but can we agree that being organized does make life a bit easier?!}  I’ve been doing a bit o’ spring cleaning these days and could not believe the amount of random instruction manuals and household STUFF that we had laying around the house.  Stuff for kitchen appliances, big house items like the garage door opener, even furniture and finish information that we just can’t get rid of.  This stuff was everywhere!!  And of course the one time ever that you need to look something up, you can’t find them?!?!
So enter…my little weeknight craft project…the Organized Home Notebook.  A one stop shop for all the random home related items that you just can’t get rid of.  Think not only manuals and warranty info, but paint colors and fabric swatches!  And of course I had to do SOMEthING to jazz up the simple white binder  I had laying around the house!!
Supplies:

• Notebook {size depending on how much junk you have to organize}
• Plastic sleeves
• Manuals, brochures and other house related information you want to store
• Colored Card Stock
• Markers
• Scissors or Paper cutter
• 3 hole punch
• Glue stick {or even clear tape!}

Organize your materials into categories, For my notebook I had five:

• Small Kitchen Appliances {things like blender, mixer, coffee maker, etc}
• Large Appliances {washer dryer, refrigerator, etc}
• Housewares {vacuum cleaner, air filter, etc}
• Furniture {warranty & fabric info, receipts for recent “BIG” furniture purchases}
• Finishes & Accessories {paint colors, receipts for original artwork, fabric samples, etc}

Once your items are organized, You could use store bought dividers to separate out your categories, but I was feeling crafty so I  added details to solid color card stock sheets and then punched holes in them to be used for dividers.  Ta-Daa!!

Once all the items were organized, and my crafting juices were flowing, I decided to add a cool detail to the outside of the binder.  {when I first decided to do this little project, I thought about buying one of the cute patterned notebooks they have out there these days, but with a stash of plain jane binders at home, I just couldn’t justify it!!}

First I did a little internet research for words that mean home.  Some in our language, some in foreign languages and even a little urban dictionary action thrown in for good measure!!  Once I had my “word inspiration”, I measured the spine of the notebook and cut a piece of card stock to fit {make sure you test out your cut paper BEFORE you start your artwork}

I was going for a graphic vibe, and just started working my way around the paper with different colors, fonts and sizes.  I did this free hand but if you are feeling like you need a little extra helping hand, you can work it out in a program like Microsoft word or photoshop first or even use a pencil to outline the words before going in with the markers.  Once you have it all filled up…throw it in your already organized notebook!  Easy peezy!

Happy Spring Cleaning!!
~ Jillian

Today we’ve got a fun art project to help you show off some of your “favorite things!”  I have a friend {well technically she’s a blog acquaintance…but we recently officially met in person so I feel like i can say she’s a friend} that has a slight obsession with ceramic animals.  Understandably so of  course…cuz they are awesome!  So when the lovely Sherry {and her sweet husband John} from the blog Young House Love announced they were coming to Atlanta for a book signing party I just KNEW I needed some sort of awesome “ceramic animal” inspired gift to send their way!!  After scouring pinterest for a little inspiration I came up a “favorite things shadow box”, the favorite thing in this case being faux ceramic animals of course!  You could fill this object d’ art with ANYTHING that you love or is special to you.  Shells from a favorite beach trip, old pieces of jewelry from a special family member, fabulous thrift store finds, your child’s favorite toys…ANYTHING! {have i stressed the fact that you can really use anything for this project enough?!?}

Supplies you will need:

• shadow box frame {found this beauty at Ikea}
• toy animals {or any other fabulous little grouping you might want to frame}
• white spray paint {use paint and primer in one OR a can of primer as well}
• super glue

Step One: cut a hole…no…Gather your supplies.  I picked up a white shadow box frame from Ikea & a tube of plastic farm animals from Michaels.  The Ikea frame came with a matte, so I removed the matt and was left with a clean solid surface to layout the animals on.

Next, play with the layout of the animals {or other favorite objects} until you are happy with it.  Piece o’ advice…keep the  frame in tact but remove the glass, this way you can see what the objects will look like with the frame as you move them around.

When you’ve nailed down the layout, time to break out the super glue.  Let’s talk adhesives for a moment…I choose super glue for this application because of the size and material of the animals.  I wanted to be sure they stuck but didn’t have a lot of surface area to apply the glue to.  Other glue options could be gorilla glue {watch out for the expansion properties of gorilla glue!!}, hot glue gun or even sturdy tape if your items are light weight.  Just use your best judgement on the adhesive situation {situation…like its a major life decision here…or someone with really killer abs}

Once those babies are all glued into place, give them ample time to dry and then stand it up…shake it around…give it the old “make sure they stay in place” test.   Once you are confident that no one’s going anywhere its time to paint!!

Now this is where the magic really happens.  I chose to glue first…and then spray paint the entire thing white.  If you want your background and special goodies to be different colors, simply paint the items and the background material separately and then glue in place.  {for instance if i wanted white animals on a turquoise background} This next tip is SUPER important…make sure to wear stylish shoes while spray painting…it can make all the difference…

Once you are sporting the proper foot wear…paint on.  I made the mistake of not using a spray primer first {you could also use a paint and primer in one} so it took a TON of coats to get this baby white and shiny.  Especially important if you are using something that is plastic {like these animals} or not at all porous.  So what felt like 10 million coats of spray paint later…I had a fabulously glossy white set of animals that I was in LOVE with!!

After the paint has cured {make sure you REALLY let it settle in or you might have a moisture issue behind the glass} and the overwhelming stinky paint smell has subsided your new object d’ art is ready for its home!!  Frame it up and hang it up!!  As I mentioned I gave this as a gift to the lovely couple from Young House Love so it only had a temporary moment of glory on my collage wall, but it was worth every second…LOVE!!

The gift giving was a great success and John and Sherry seemed to love!!  Here’s hoping this little guy finds a happy home somewhere in their house.

Happy Crafting!!
~ Jillian

* This post was originally featured at Burlap+Blue.

Last week we were lucky enough to attend a really fabulous event here in Atlanta…YHL was in the house!!!  John & Sherry from the fabulous blog Young House Love finished up their book tour on a ridiculously rainy and cold Atlanta afternoon.  We were SO pumped to be able to meet these two and chat with them about their super successful blog and book that has just come out!  {if you have not flipped thru their book…DO IT…its a must have in your DIY and crafting arsenal!}  A little rain and wind was not about to stop us!!  So we armed ourselves with lots of layers, umbrellas and some nice warm drinks from nearby West Egg Cafe {also a must try if you are ever in the ATL}.

Now when I say a ridiculously rainy and cold afternoon…I mean it.  Literally the day before this it was like 65 degrees and sunny.  So needless to say, some of us were not so prepared for the chill in the air {hence the latest fashion trend pictured below…}  After about 30 minutes or so in the freezing cold wind tunnel…poor girl’s toes just couldn’t take it!  Thankfully there is a Lululemon down the street that just happened to have a warm pair of socks waiting for her.  Cute look huh?!?

The cold and chills wore off quickly when we got inside and made our way to meet and greet with John and Sherry.  They are so welcoming and so easy to talk to we just started chatting away.

In preparation for their visit to Atlanta, I put together a little “welcoming” present.  Sherry has a mild obsession with ceramic animals {who can blame her…they are awesome} so in honor of that I crafted up a little shadow box of faux ceramics just for them!  {tutorial for this favorite things shadow box coming your way soon or for a sneak peek check out the HSE post at Burlap+Blue}  Here’s hoping this little guy finds a special little place in their home!

John & Sherry not only have a precious little girl, Clara, they also have a fiesty little Chihuahua that Layla is just in love with {I promise…she tells me all the time}  She would not let me leave the house without this sweet little valentine she put together for their fur baby, Burger. {its a doodle bug…from a doodle bug…get it}  I’m pretty sure they would be a match made in heaven…don’t you think?!

As I mentioned, they are so welcoming and easy to talk to we just started chatting away which apparently leads to me making very odd faces {what?!?}  But weird faces and all it was such a blast to finally meet the folks behind the magic!

As an added perk to an already fabulous evening we spent a little time chatting with Katie & Jeremy from the fabulous blog Bower Power!!  First off Katie looks fantastic {for those that don’t know she had a sweet baby boy recently} and is just completely hilarious.  We threatened to leave the kids with Jeremy and scoop her up for a few glasses of wine {better watch out Jeremy…its gonna happen}.

After all the excitment we headed over to West Egg Cafe for a few glasses of wine and some yummy grub!  Overall, a lovely evening!  Huge thanks to the lovely John & Sherry from Young House Love and Jeremy & Katie from Bower Power for a fabulous evening {and for a great excuse to have an always needed ladies night!}

Be sure to check out their rockin’ blog Young House Love as well as their family blog Young House Life.  Jump on over to amazon RIGHT NOW and order their book, Young House Love: 243 Ways to Paint, Craft, Update & Show Your Home Some Love.  And check out Katie’s fabulous blog Bower Power too!!

Lots of love to you crafty kids
~ Jillian

{big thanks to Sarah for being our event photographer and for capturing all the good times}

***And the winner is…Congrats to Victoria S for winning the custom piece of artwork from Rylie Caldwell Designs!!  Victoria please contact Her Split Ends to claim your prize!!

I’m going to come out and admit it…I’m a total thrifting junky! I love finding random, unnoticed pieces with hidden potential and turning them into something fabulous!  From furniture and artwork, to lamps and decorative accessories…that place is like a gold mine IF you have the patience!  This recent find just needed a quick & easy fix-me-up to return it to its better then original glory.

I picked up these clover shaped wood bowls at my local goodwill not knowing exactly what to do with them.  After a quick scan of my paint supply options…the Yellow was where its at.  My original plan was to paint them completely…but the balance of the bright yellow and the warmth of the wood were just too fabulous to pass up!  With a quick little sanding and a somewhat steady paint brush hand…they have been transformed!

Happy Crafting! {and good find hunting}

~ Jillian

We’ve got a good one for you today kids!!  My girl Brittany has been flexing her DIY muscles lately and is here to share one of her adventures.  Talk about turning an inexpensive garage sale find into a fabulous one of a kind piece! Enjoy…

A disclaimer: This was my first-ever DIY furniture refinishing project.  I am by no means a “pro”, but I’m very pleased with the results and would be happy to answer any questions about the processes that I used.

Pinterest has made me look at furniture differently.  There are no shortage of AMAZING before and after pins, that have inspired me to add some character to an outdated piece of furniture and save a TON of money in the process.  I picked up this cute hexagonal end table at a neighborhood garage sale for $10!!  It was actually in great condition when I found it, with all original hardware and very few knicks or dings in the wood.  But…the color was a bit dated for my tastes.

I started my project by removing the hardware (hinges and knob) and giving the whole piece a light a light sanding with 150 grit sandpaper, paying close attention to the details near the top and the insets on the doors.  Next, I applied two coats of Zinsser primer.  I neglected to photograph these first couple of steps – sorry!

After allowing the primer to dry for 48 hours, I was ready to apply the paint.  I wanted to add a bright pop of color to the room.  With the help of the lovely Jillian, I selected a fun shade of aqua – Reflecting Pool, by Sherwin Williams (SW 6486).  Now, my husband and I tend to stick with fairly a neutral color palette, when it comes to furniture and wall colors.  The thought of this bright color on a piece of furniture in my living room made me nervous.  Mostly because I knew that my husband would not like it.  But, once I applied a couple of coats of Reflecting Pool, I was also thinking it was a bit too much.

I LOVED the color, but it was just too bright for the room.  So, I decided to tone it down a little bit.  After reading a blog post about antiquing glaze on The Speckled Dog, I decided to give it a shot.  Her technique involved using the Valspar Antiquing Glaze, in Asphaltum.  It seemed like the glaze was easy to work with and an inexpensive fix to my brightness issue.

So, I gathered my supplies…

…and, started applying the glaze with the sponge brush.

And wiping off with a rag or paper towels.

It was just as easy to work with and idiot-proof as I thought!  As the tutorial suggests, you have about 15 minutes to work with the glaze.  If you apply too much, just wipe it off.  Not enough?  Add some more!  It really was an easy fix for a first-time furniture refinishing DIYer.

About a quarter of the way through the antiquing process, I realized that I was wasting a good bit of the glaze, by using the paint-on-wipe-off process.  In The Speckled Dog tutorial, her examples were fairly small objects, with a lot of detail.  My project was the polar opposite – a large object with a large amount of flat surfaces and a little bit of detail.  So, I abandoned my sponge brush and just started applying the glaze on with a damp paper towel, by dipping it in the glaze and rubbing it directly onto the furniture.  Both techniques worked, but the second one conserved more of the glaze.  In my opinion, the second technique seemed to go more quickly too.  But, do whatever is most comfortable for you!

Once the glazing was finished, I allowed the piece to dry for another 48 hours.  The final step was to add a couple of coats of Minwax Polycrylic protective finish, which I had left over from another project.  I used the Clear Satin finish, to keep a low sheen on the finished piece.

Without further ado, I present the “after” end table…

I love how it turned out!  By finishing the end table with the antiquing process, I ended up with the perfect color for our living room.  I still have that pop of aqua, but in a muted shade that we could both tolerate long-term.  I decided to use the original hardware, because the knob and hinges also looked aged.

Here is the cost breakdown on supplies:

• Dated end table ($10.00, garage sale)
• 150 grit sand paper (already had on-hand)
• Zinsser primer ($9.47 at Lowe’s)
• Quart of Valspar Interior Satin paint, color matched to Sherwin Williams Reflecting Pool (SW 6486) ($6.88 at Lowe’s)
• Half-pint of Valspar Signature Colors Antiquing Glaze, in Asphaltum ($8.47 at Lowe’s)
• Paint brushes (already had on-hand)
• Sponge brush ($0.50 at any craft store)
• Old rag and/or paper towels (already had on-hand)
• Minwax Polycrylic Protective Finish, in Clear Satin (already had on-hand from another project)

So, my total investment in supplies, including the end table, was $35.32!!

Not a bad price for a much-needed end table that provides a fun pop of color and additional storage space in my living room!  It is also worth noting that I barely made a dent in the bottle of the antiquing glaze or the Zinsser primer.  I have since used both supplies on several other projects too.   They were totally worth the investment!

Here is the before and after one last time:

- Brittany