Caveat Emptor

Somehow during my two years of high school Latin, I missed an important lesson . . . caveat emptor or "buyer beware." I should have known better. I should have checked things out more thoroughly, but my enthusiasm clouded my judgment.


Remember this table and chairs . . .

I bought them several weeks ago at the Habitat for Humanity store. I looked them over, noticed some fretwork missing, some scratches and wear, but nothing that would prevent me from buying them. My big mistake? Not sitting in the chairs. I didn't think I needed to . . . they felt solid. I pushed on them. They weren't wobbly. Plus, they had plywood seats with rusty, jagged holes where the screws had been attached. Who would want to sit on that? I might tear my clothes.

So, I got the table and chairs home, put them in the garage until I could get my husband to help me move the table upstairs. Then got to work on sanding and painting the chairs. This was quite the process. I finally got them to the point where I thought they looked just right. But I was still on the hunt for the perfect fabric. Remember this post, where I obsessed over my options?

After ordering swatches online, getting my sister to bring me some from Memphis, and hitting every fabric store in town, I still didn't feel like I had found "the one."

I felt I needed a fabric that had the color of the chairs in it as well as other colors. I wasn't willing to change the chair color, so I kept searching. Then, I remembered a tablecloth and some curtains I had seen at World Market.

So, I bought a couple of curtains to use as my seat fabric. I love a good Tree of Life pattern, and I really thought the vivid colors of this one worked well with my chairs.

So, I cut the fabric, draped it on top of some foam and sat down to test the height of the chair with the cushion. Then I heard the crack. 

That's right, the fretwork on the back of the chairs was broken in two places. And not just on one chair, but on three out of the four chairs! Nice. And, it's not even wood. The fretwork is composite or plastic, if you will. The outside frame of the chair is wood, but not the backs. 

So, I'm trying to make lemonade out of lemons. My friend Becky had this stuff in her garage:

I glued and clamped and let the chairs harden for 24 hours, then repainted the patched area. The result? Only time will tell. They're holding for now, but I don't have much confidence that they can take much wear and tear.  I need to put signs on the chairs that read "lean back gently."

I think they look nice . . . pretty much what I envisioned. I just hate that they might snap at any moment. Not a good feeling. I haven't attached the seats to the chair yet. Still need to find the right screws. Now, I just need to buy or have a banquette made for the other side of the table, but that has its own set of issues. By the way, I sold the old chairs on Craigslist, so those are no longer an option either. Way to burn my design bridges, huh?

In some ways, I feel like this was a DIY disaster. Do you have any projects that did not turn out the way you planned?

Editor's Note: I'm so sorry I've been gone for two weeks now! I was sick for the first week with some mysterious illness that basically made me feel like hell with the vague symptoms of a headache and nausea. And, no, I'm not pregnant. Then my husband was out of town for 10 days on a scuba diving excursion with his dad, and I just didn't have the energy at the end of the day to write a blog post. I so admire single parents. I endeavor to be better about blogging once my son finally starts back to pre-K on Friday!

Easy Summer Gift Wrapping Ideas

I'm excited to have my contributors Sarah and Emily, from the blog Boxwood Clippings back with another great DIY project. They have shown us how some simple accessories can dress up simple kraft paper wrapping. 

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Today we are thrilled to share three of our go-to gift wrapping ideas for summer. We love big and bold wrapping and these little tips will have your gift recipients giddy before they even unwrap!

#1 Plastic Tablecloth Pom-Poms

We have been loving plastic table cloths to use for gift wrap because it is so inexpensive and unbelievably versatile. Our favorite use is making big pom poms to adorn a simple package. For DIY see below…

#2 Flowers and Greenery

Our second idea is using silk flowers and greenery. We love to buy pretty fake flowers and greenery when they are on sale and clearance at the craft store. One bunch will go a long way, and will make any ordinary wrapping extra special. Super easy and very pretty!

#3 Headbands

There are so many cute headbands and hair clips everywhere lately that are too cute to put inside a gift box! Any chance we get, our little girl presents will be topped with a pretty headband. Nothing beats wrapping that is functional too!

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DIY Plastic Pom-Poms

You will need plastic table cloth, ribbon and scissors.

First, cut a section of your tablecloth and fold accordion style.

We usually start with a double layer of tablecloth for a fuller pom-pom.

Next tie a knot with ribbon around the center of your pom pom.

To finish, simply pull out the layers of plastic and adjust until you’re happy with the pom-pom.

Voilà!

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We hope your summer is as bright and beautiful as these summery gifts and hope you enjoy using these bold wrapping ideas as much as we do!

-Sarah and Emily

We are sisters whose goal is to have it all…balanced, organized and beautiful lives on a tight budget. Join us on our blog, Boxwood Clippings for daily tips on design, organization, bargains, DIY’s and much more

Summer Banner Printable

Today I am excited to share a fun Summer banner printable that Diana has come up with! This would be really cute at a summer BBQ or party. 

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Summer seems to go so fast each year.  It seems like I am always putting up my Christmas decorations right back up again and no decor for the Summer time except for July 4th.  I wanted to make something that I could hang up all Summer long and not feel like I need to take it right back down! I made this easy to make printable banner that you could make to hang in your home or office.  I cut out each letter using a 3 inch scalloped punch, but you can resize these and make them bigger or smaller.  You also can just use scissors.  I then attached it to some colorful streamer paper to add another pop of color.  This hangs in my front entryway which gives my year-round decor an extra fun twist!  

If you'd like to download this Summer Printable, click here and here!

Diana is a graphic designer running her own shop called Livy Love Designs.  She loves using fresh color schemes and bright patterns.  She enjoys drawing, sewing, and learning new recipes.  She is married and has two little kids who she attributes where most of her inspiration comes from.  Aside from her shop, she has recently started working with Modern Yardage and is a fabric designer for them, which has been a dream of hers ever since she started graphic design.  You can follow along with her blog at Livy Love.

DIY Clay Chalkboard

For my summer handmade gift exchange I really wanted to recreate the look of these Anthropologie Take Note Ceramic Chalkboards. I just thought they would be fun to use for parties, holidays, hanging in an office, by a nightstand... the possibilities are endless! 

You Will Need:

- Sculpey Polymer Clay

- Chalkboard Paint

- Alphabet Stamps

- Picture Hanging Wire

- Sharpie Pen

Start out by rolling and kneading out your clay. It's pretty hard to get out every single air bubble but I think some small imperfections add character. When you are ready cut out the clay to the shape you want and put it on a cookie sheet. 

Then you will want to stamp whatever you wish at the top of your clay piece. I wanted to mimic the Anthro Chalkboard so I stamped "take note" into my clay. 

If you want to hang your chalkboard sign then make sure you stamp two holes into the clay for the wire. I just stamped them with the tip of my pen.  

Bake the sign at 275 for 15-30 minutes. 

You have to be really careful when baking to not over-bake. You want to bake it until it is hard enough to keep it's shape but not too long that it starts to turn brown or yellow. I found that my signs never really got too hard. However, this makes it so they are really flexible and won't break easily which I thought was nice. I lightly sanded the edges to smooth out any rough parts. 

Take your wire and string it through the two holes to create a way to hang your sign and then using your Sharpie pen color in the stamped words. 

All that's lef to do is paint them with a couple of coats of chalkboard paint. I just used painters tape and taped all the sides about 1 inch all around. After the paint has dried season your chalkboards by rubbing chalk all over them and then wiping it off with a damp cloth. This will prevent the chalk from leaving permanent marks once the signs start being used. 

I find that there is always a use for my little chalkboard.

These would also make great gifts. They would be cute for Christmas with a little Holiday quote or drawing too! 

DIY Scroll Style Picture Frames

Today we have a fun art tutorial from my contributor, Brittany! She is constantly coming up with great projects on her blog, brittanyMakes. I LOVE her latest DIY project as a new take on hanging posters and prints. 

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Hanging or framing a piece of art or photo can be tricky, especially if the item you're wishing to display is of a random size or shape.  There's nothing I like less than having to custom frame something - it's just so expensive! 

I like thinking of creative ways to display art and prevent ever having to deal with the process of custom framing. If I do need a frame, I usually turn to Ikea, but in some cases Ikea's selection of frames just doesn't quite measure up.

I bought some fun wrapping paper from PaperSource the other day that I wanted to display in our living room, in particular, a gorgeous sheet of marbled paper and a vintage map of Italy.  I came up with this incredibly easy method to hang them using 4 ingredients: brass bolts, 1" wood trim, paint, and twine.  

Here are the three easy steps to create this exact frame:

1. Using a can of spray primer, prime your pieces of trim.  I used 1" beveled trim from which you can easily find in the trim/crown moulding section of your hardware store

2. Paint the trim in our color of choice. I made two frames, one in a glossy black and the other in a soft gold.  

3. Assemble using brass bolts and a power drill. I found it best to first drill a pilot hole into each piece of trim, screw in the first bolt on one end, then tuck the art print between the two pieces of trim, and then, screw the trim shut on the opposite end with the other bolt.  Repeat this for the opposite end of the art print.

Lastly, attach some twine, ribbon, or cord to the back ends of the bolts, and hang!

The possibilities are endless with this framing techique.  You can give your frame a vintage feel by distressing the paint and using hemp cord or burlap ribbon.  Or, if you want a more chic look, choose a bright glossy paint and some velvet ribbon.  

Learn about all of my great contributors on my Meet The Team Page. 

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Hi! I'm Brittany from the blog brittanyMakes, where I journal my adventures in DIY projects ranging from everyday home decor to handmade jewelry, from tips in photography to stories of bulldogs, and everything else in-between.   I am a fierce accountant by day and a zealous DIYer by night.  I spend my time balancing my love for home decor and design with the everyday responsibilities of my corporate day job.  My main mission is to inspire my readers to do what they love, take risks, and above all, to exercise their creative muscles!

DIY Mirrors for Less than $5 Each

I'm excited to have my contributors Sarah and Emily, from the blog Boxwood Clippings back with another great DIY project. They added these beautiful mirrors into their latest Living Room makeover. 

You can read more about it here. 

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Hello again from Boxwood Clippings!

Today we'd like to share how to make these cute little mirrors that would look great anywhere in your home.

Emily really wanted little mirrors for next to her entryway, but couldn't find any small enough or within her budget. So, we headed to the craft store.

We picked up these wood plaques and these beveled mirrors from Hobby Lobby with 40% off coupons.

Em wanted her mirrors dark brown to match her front room, so we painted them with this Behr paint left over from another project.

Then we simply attached the mirror to the plaque with a command strip and used another one to attach to the walls. No nails, wood glue or husbands required!

The finished project:

These mirrors took only a few minutes to assemble and cost less than $5 each. We're envisioning different colors for rooms throughout our houses as well as making them for gifts. We hope you like them too!

We are sisters whose goal is to have it all…balanced, organized and beautiful lives on a tight budget. Join us on our blog, Boxwood Clippingsfor daily tips on design, organization, bargains, DIY’s and much more

Unconventional Art Ideas

I love looking for unique art ideas for my clients and my own home. It's so fun to take unexpected objects, put them on the wall and make art out of them! Here are some art ideas I've been pinning lately. 

I love how Amy framed Shel Silverstein poems in her Nursery. 

 This painted burlap art is such a great way to bring a natural element into any space. 

An ordinary bandana can become something special when grouped together and framed in a collection.   Use picture hanging hardware to get this look.  

How cool is this idea to frame a vintage swimsuit from BHG. 

This larger than life cross-stitch art is created with paint! 

Blow up a picture of any item with this easy tutorial. 

All you need for this lip art is lipstick and paper! 

Photo taken by Ryann Colleen Photography

You can frame a scarf like Krista Salmon did. 

Write your favorite quote on two pieces of canvas like Chelsea did. 

image via 

You could frame some of your favorite shopping bags. 

Amanda created a large photo mural on her blog. 

To see more art ideas and sources check out my art Pinterest board.