My Inspiration Board

Hi again!

In this post I want to share my super-quick upcycled thrift store cork board that I am now calling, My Inspiration Board! lol. Which is basically, well... a board of inspiration! If you are anything like me (which I am assuming you are since you are reading crafting blogs :) ) then you probably also love thumbing through the latest issues of design/crafting magazines, like HGTV magazine, DIY magazine, BH&G, etc! And again like me, you probably see an awesome project that you know you want to try one day, but when that day comes, low & behold you seem to have conveniently misplaced the article :(! If this is sounding familiar than an inspiration board is the answer to your problem. Check out how I transformed a $2 cork board from Goodwill into my Inspiration board:

First of all, I would like to apologize that I do not have a before picture for this project! I just got a new phone (Galaxy S4, yesss!) and although all of my pics from my previous phone were backed up on google + it seems like a couple were lost somehow :(

Anyways!!! All I did to transform this board was to simply make a random geometric pattern with a ruler and a gold paint pen! I told you it was simple, but cool nonetheless! I also added an embellishment to the top:

My Mom found this eagle at a rummage sale along with some other old decorative pieces! Thanks Mom!! I did have to do a little work on it tho, it originally looked like this:

Kind of an off-white, taupey color, and it still had a lot of extra plastic around it that had to be broken off (along with a few pieces of the eagle itself, which had to be glued back on, oops!) But then after a quick coat of flat black spray paint it makes the perfect topper to my Inspiration Board! And how did I attach it you ask? Well, I didn't! It simply sits on top of the board leaning against the wall, that way if I ever want to use it for something else, no problemo! 

So last step obviously is to tack up some clippings from my fav magazines:

I also tried to group similar clippings together, for example this section is all ideas for how to display large groups of like items 

Love it! Now all my ideas are organized and I know right where to find them :)

Liz :)

Here's a Magnet, There's a Magnet, Everywhere's a Magnet!!

Hey!!

This post is all about, you guessed it, magnets!! This is such a simple idea, that you will never buy decorative magnets again!!

All you need is magnet backs like these adhesive magnet circles from Aleene's:

These are great for easily making magnets, they are super adhesive and don't need any extra glue to hold tight. They also come in stripes and rectangular sheets for custom shapes!

And any trinkets or odds and ends you find at thrift stores, antique stores, on sale at big box stores, or just lying around your own house! 

So just peel and stick your magnets to the back of your object and voila!

Check out what I used:

I used large wine corks from old wine barrels, old liquer bottle caps (from an antique store), and the metal western themed magnets were once button covers that I found at a thrift store :)

This adorable elephant magnet is one of about 12 old cracker jack prizes that I got for about $2 off of etsy! 

So start digging through those junk drawers and find some tiny treasures worthy of magnet status to personalize your fridge!

-Liz :)

Washi Tape Medicine Cabinet

Hey!

So the only room left in my apartment that is still pretty much untouched save for a couple small projects that I have already featured on this blog, (DIY Decals and Canvas Quote Tutorial) is my master bathroom (pretty much a standard size bathroom but it is "en suite" so thats pretty fancy!). Lately, I have been kind of obsessed with washi tape so this morning while brushing my teeth (inspiration strikes at the strangest times, am I right?) I got and idea!

To the right of the mirror above the sink in my bathroom is a medicine cabinet that isn't too bad on a scale from horrible to normal medicine cabinets. Instead of the awful mirror or laminate door it has a white shutter looking door, and this is what got me thinking! Why not add just a little something to take this medicine cabinet from standard to greatness, as far as medicine cabinets are concerned!

So here it is:

:)!

Wider angle for the full effect! And sweet reflection!

So as you can see I took advantage of the "shutter-like" door and striped it with this awesome craft tape from recollections that looks like black lace :). Sorry I forgot to take a before picture, but I promise this is a great improvement!!

If you are wondering how I did it, its so simple!!

First I just ripped off strips of tape slightly bigger than my slats and adhered them:

Then after I got all the pieces on, I got my Xacto knife and trimmed the edges like so:

And then Voila!! Super easy!! And great for renters like me, it will stay put but when its time to take it off, the tape isn't so adhesive that it will remove the finish!

Close-up of this awesome washi tape! Recollections brand, I got it at Michaels :)

Hope you enjoy!! Go and see what you can washi-fy! 

-Liz :)

Last Minute 4th of July Crafts!

Here's a few ideas for super easy last minute crafts you can do to get into the 4th of July spirit!!

1.Firework Fans -Martha Stewart

Credit: Martha Stewart.com

Check out Martha's instructions here! I think these would be so cute as decorations, party favors, etc.! Maybe you could even make garland by string a bunch of them together! 

2. Free Printables

Credit: HGTV.com

 1. Straw medallions and matchbook covers - Twig and Thistle 

 2. Patriotic Medallions - Tatertots and Jello

 3. For Kids - Spoonful

 4. Party Decorations - Catch My Party 

 5. Cupcake Wrappers and Toppers - HGTV

3. Decorating Ideas

Credit: bhg.com

Better Homes and Gardens has a great slideshow of 21 easy decorating ideas to make your home sing in red, white and blue just in time for your holiday BBQ!

I hope some of these quick ideas come in handy!

-Liz