Golden Hugs and Kisses

Every girl needs a little sparkle in her life, right?! I created these letters last year for my mantle and loved them so much that I'm using them again this year! 

I picked up a few paper mache' letters from my local craft store and my go to glitter spray paint from Krylon. First, I primed the letters white and let them dry in between coats. Then, I evenly coated the letters with the gold paint. I used the whole can! You want to apply liberally so the white doesn't show through. After they dried for about 30 minutes they went right up on the mantle!

You're left with beautiful, golden hugs and kisses in less than 20 minutes! 

Tomorrow I'll show you the whole mantle so come back!!

New Wreath

A new month means a new wreath! 

I purchased the wreath from the craft store for $5 and wrapped it with burlap ribbon that I had leftover from last Easter. I hot glued the beginning and the end piece.  The mdf letter I painted red, then attached to the wreath with heart ribbon that I looped through. 

The whole project took about 30 minutes and cost less than $10. 

I'd say this was another successful diy project! 

A few more additions and the porch will be Valentines ready! 

Art Supply Organization

As a mom of a creative little girl, I'm constantly cleaning up and corralling crayons, markers, pencils, stickers, etc. I like for the supplies to be accessible for her to create as she pleases, but also stored easily when she's finished. 

I have mason jars in the pantry left over from a baby shower so I thought why not put them to good use! I grabbed 2 of them and sprayed the lids with black chalkboard paint I had in the garage. After they dried, I wrote on the lids, and filled them with some of her supplies. 

Voila'!! Cute storage containers in about 20 minutes and no more scattered crayons or colored pencils!

Linked up here:

Pumpkins and Paint

Via

I think I'm going to jazz up the pumpkins on my front porch today with some paint! One can't go wrong with gold or black! They are looking a little drab right now all in their natural orange state and we just can't have that! Get ready pumpkins! I'm coming after you! 

Follow me on Instagram and see what happens.... 

Art Update

These 2 pieces of art have been rotating around my home and no matter where I put them, the gold finish on the frame was just too over powering. So, naturally I took things into my own hands and gave them a new look. 

I whipped out my Rub n' Buff and went to work until my fingers were metallic and stiff! First, I coated them in Silver Leaf, then went over them in Gold Leaf to give the perfect golden finish. 

You can see the left one here after I finished and the brighter gold on the right. 

And, here they are in their new home, the dining room! So glad I tackled this mini project instead of getting rid of the prints! 

Are you a Rub n' Buff fan?

4th of July Wreath

Our front porch was in desperate need of some patriotism, so I was not ashamed to reuse the same wreath that I whipped up at the ninth hour last year. I usually wrap the foam core in yarn, but this time my laziness set in and I used ribbon instead so it wouldn't take as long. I have to say that it saved me several hours by doing so and it came out just as great! 

We also used simple decor such as flags for our flower beds. You can't go wrong with showing your pride for the USA with an American flag. 

To make a similar wreath you will need the following materials:

A foam ring

                                                  Yarn or ribbon (I used grosgrain ribbon)

3 or 4 sheets of decorative paper

Hot glue gun

Scissors

• I started out by wrapping the ribbon around the ring and securing with hot glue. 
• I continued this alternating colors and overlapping a tad bit so it would be tight and smooth. 
• When I finished covering the ring I made paper rosettes using this tutorial. 
• I secured them to the wreath with hot glue as well.
• Hang your wreath with ribbon. 

I'm loving my new ribbon wreath and I  plan on using it for Labor Day, as well as memorial Day. 

Have you made a wreath lately or created something fun for summer? It's always neat to see new projects and ideas!

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!

*Reposted from July 4th, 2012

*Linked up here: Mopping the Floor, Home Sweet Home, The Gunny Sack, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Craft O Maniac, CRAFT, Skip to My Lou, Between Naps on the Porch, Sugar Bee Crafts, DIY Dreamer, Cherished Bliss, Uncommon, My Uncommon Slice, Today's Creative Blog, Tip Junkie, Project Queen, Boerman Ramblings, Someday Crafts, Printabelle, Cheap Crafty Mama,  Savvy Southern Style, The Sasse Life, Clean and Scentsible, Ginger Snap Crafts, Somewhat Simple, Embracing Change,  Fireflies, House of Hepworths, Shabby Chic Cottage, KatiesNesting, The Shabby Nest, Beyond the Picket Fence, French Country Cottage, Momnivore, Simply Sweet, Sassy Sites, Chocolate, Chic on a Shoestring Decorating, Delicate, Karisma,  Finding Fabulous, Five Days Five Ways, Remodelholic,Fingerprints on the Fridge, Mom 4 Real, Fun to Craft, Tatertots and Jello, Gingerbread, Family Ever After, Serenity Now, A Vision to Remember, Funky Junk Interiors,  I Heart Naptime, Nifty Thrifty Things, The DIY Showoff, Homemaker on a Dime, It's Overflowing, The Sasse Life

Glitter Mason Jars

To add a little sparkle to our gender reveal party I made these glitter mason jars. They were great holders for utensils and straws. These can easily be used for any type of get together or celebration. I'll be pulling them out again for Ava's upcoming birthday party too. 

You'll need:

Mason Jars

Mod Podge

Glitter 

Painters Tape

A paint Brush

Paper plates

Voila'! An easy upgrade to your basic mason jar! 

DIY Succulent Arrangement

When I discovered this wedge boat on clearance for $15 at Crate and Barrel I knew it was the perfect vessel for a DIY project. Greenery adds such a fresh vibe to any space and I'm such a fan of succulents, so off to Hobby Lobby I went. 

I used a bag of moss, a mixture of succulents, and my bargain vessel! Total, I spent around $30. I laid down the moss in the boat in no particular way. Just layer and cover the bottom leaving space on each end. Then, bend the stems of the succulents and slide them under the moss. I actually used less than I purchased. 

After about five minutes you have this earthy arrangement! 

Do you love succulents as much as I do? 

*Linked up here: Mopping the Floor, Home Sweet Home, The Gunny Sack, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Craft O Maniac, CRAFT, Skip to My Lou, Sugar Bee Crafts, DIY Dreamer, A To Zebra, Uncommon, My Uncommon Slice, Today's Creative Blog, Someday Crafts, Southern Lovely, Savvy Southern Style, Clean and Scentsible, Ginger Snap Crafts, Somewhat Simple, Delightful Order,  Embracing Change,  Fireflies,House of Hepworths, Shabby Chic Cottage, KatiesNesting, The Shabby Nest, Beyond the Picket Fence, French Country Cottage, Simply Sweet, Chocolate, Chic on a Shoestring Decorating, Delicate,  Finding Fabulous, Five Days Five Ways, Remodelholic, Fingerprints on the Fridge,

DIY Glitter Pencil Cup

While reading The Everygirl I was inspired by this post to make my own glitter pencil cup. Being the pen hoarder I am, it's nice to have a fun way to display my pens and have them at reach when needed. 

You'll need:

A clear cup (mine is from Dollar Tree)

White Acrylic Paint

Paint Brush

Mod Podge

Glitter

2 Plates

I gave my cup 3 coats of paint to completely cover with no brush strokes.

After the paint was completely dry and dipped the glass upside down into the Mod Podge on my plate. Make sure and pull it straight up to prevent any running or smearing. 

Next dip the glass into your pile of glitter. I twirled the glass in circles to make sure it was fully coated. 

Lift  up and gently use your fingers to push any loose pieces of glitter into the Mod Podge on the glass.  

And that's all. Now you have a sparkly new desk accessory! 

*Linked up here: Mopping the Floor, Home Sweet Home, The Gunny Sack, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Craft O Maniac, CRAFT, Skip to My Lou, Sugar Bee Crafts, DIY Dreamer, A To Zebra, Uncommon, My Uncommon Slice, Today's Creative Blog, Someday Crafts, Southern Lovely, Savvy Southern Style, Clean and Scentsible, Ginger Snap Crafts, Somewhat Simple, Delightful Order,  Embracing Change,  Fireflies,House of Hepworths, Shabby Chic Cottage, KatiesNesting, The Shabby Nest, Beyond the Picket Fence, French Country Cottage, Simply Sweet, Chocolate, Chic on a Shoestring Decorating, Delicate,  Finding Fabulous, Five Days Five Ways, Remodelholic, Fingerprints on the Fridge,

St.Patricks Day Mantle

St.Patty's Day is a few days away so I added a bit of green to our mantle. I kept things simple, but I did DIY the shamrock garland.  

I picked up the shamrocks from The Dollar Tree and used white and gold twine I had leftover from this valentines garland. It took about 10 minutes to punch 2 holes in each shamrock and thread the twine through. 

I like the punch of green and bit of sparkle it adds to the mantle! It really feels like spring is in the air!

HAPPY ST.PATRICK'S DAY

Easy DIY Projects

 

My name is Amanda Kuzak, I am a professional organizer in the San Francisco Bay Area and my blog Kuzak's Closet features my client success stories as well as adventures from my life. I was lucky enough to guest blog here at A Lived in Home back in January and I'm so happy to be back today with a little organizing DIY tutorial for all of you! Many of my clients and blog readers struggle with creating enough room to store all of their shoes in a way that keeps them organized and visible. Instead of having a pile up on the bottom of your closet or tubs to search through try my trick of storing them in clear shoe boxes with photos attached. I love how easily the bins stack up and no matter what you can SEE what is inside! Here is how you do it...

 

  1.) Take photos of your shoes, I like to position the shoes like this so you can see the front and the side of the shoe. Use the same position for each pair of shoes and the same background so the photos look uniform after they are placed on the clear boxes.

2.) Upload your photos and print them into 3x5 prints. Tip! It is difficult to find a company that prints 3x5 anymore, I uploaded mine and ordered them in 4x6 size and then called the photo shop so they would know to adjust the prints to 3x5.

3.) Place all of the shoes in the clear shoe boxes, then match up the photos to the shoes in the box.

4.) Place the photo on the inside front of the box and adhere it with 2 pieces of tape. I always recommend putting the photo on the inside so it stays protected and the sides don't roll up.

5.) Stack the boxes on the shelf and admire your collection!

If you are reading this post and still wondering what the big deal is here is a photo of the shoes in their boxes without the photos...

and After...

Obviously now you can see how much of a difference the photos make! If you are looking for extra shoe storage give this trick a try! Here are a few more of my favorite DIY projects, I hope you will be inspired to try something new!

DIY Picture Frames Made out of Fruit Drying Racks

How to Create a Jewelry Nook

How to Organize Your Makeup with Velcro

My DIY Coffee Table

Thank you Megan for having me guest blog twice while you were on vacation! I hope your readers are inspired to get organized and start some creative DIY projects after this post!