Bye, Halloween & Hello, November!

I have a feeling I’m going to crush hard on the fall season this year. I excitedly mocked up Thanksgiving invites this morning without being totally sure that I’ll be the one hosting dinner this year, and I’m dying to make this leaf garland from Love Paper Paint.

Oh, and I’m still obsessing over Halloween weekend and how much I loved following Studio DIY’s Pizza Slice + Delivery Boy Couples Costume tutorial. (My version is gluten-free, of course.)

This week, I’d like to test a couple gluten-free, naturally-sweetened fall treat recipes to be used as gifts and/or party desserts. Let me know if you have any favorites!

DIY Chair Makeover

I love finding furniture and giving it a new life via paint.

I owe that to my mom who, from as early as I can remember, would DIY just about anything she could get her hands on. From my childhood bookcases to our kitchen cabinets, she would spend her weekends and summer afternoons in the garage, sanding, priming and painting away, while my sister and I hula hooped and played with our Skip-It on the driveway.

Now that I have an apartment of my own, I find myself wanting to fix up and DIY, just like her! I’m always on the hunt for inexpensive pieces of furniture that just need a little inspiration and some TLC, so, naturally, I was super happy to find this chair for $12 on Craigslist.

Before

It has a great silhouette, but the Halloween orange taffeta seat HAD to go. Plus, the foam cushion underneath the awful fabric was improperly cut, lumpy and not very comfy to sit on.

I started by removing the seat with a screwdriver. Then I sanded the whole chair frame, applied 2 coats of a black semi-gloss paint and followed with a sealer.

As for the seat, I replaced the old foam with a new piece, found a cute Chevron fabric to stretch across the top, used a staple gun to secure the taut fabric on top of the seat and screwed the seat back into place – all done in my dining room, mind you!

This was my first piece of reupholstered furniture, and it was MUCH easier than expected. I plan on finding more cool chairs like this to re-paint and re-cover, and when I do, I’ll post a more thorough tutorial.

After

As for now, I have a cute little reading chair in the corner of my bedroom.

And, of course, while taking a few photos of it, the Baker couldn’t help but join in on the photo shoot!

 

DIY Mustache Coasters

When I pull out a coaster, ALL I think about is how my mom conditioned me into always using one, and how proud she’d be to see me still listen to her nagging. Granted, a little condensation on my $20 IKEA LACK coffee table wouldn’t be the end of the world, but I still suppose it’s a good habit to use one. Right?

These DIY mustache coasters are simple and inexpensive to make and add the perfect amount of playfulness to evening drinks. Plus, each one has different mustaches on it, so you can always identify “The Bandito’s” or “The  Texan’s” drink from your own.

Supplies:

– 4″x4″ tiles (got mine from Home Depot for 16 cents each)

– Scrapbook paper (I just needed one 12×12 sheet for four coasters)

– Modge Podge

– Waterproof sealer

– Cork or felt (for the bottom of the coaster)

– Foam paintbrush

– X-ACTO knife & a ruler (or scissors)

Directions:

1. Trace the tile onto your paper and cut it out.

2. Modge Podge the paper to your tile, using thin, even coats. Let the Modge Podge dry, then apply 1-2 more coats to the top.

3. Spray each tile with waterproof sealer. 2-3 coats should work well. Let dry.

4. Glue either a felt or cork square to the bottom of your coaster to protect your table from scratches when the coasters are in use.

5. Pour yourself a glass of wine, and enjoy your newly completed DIY mustache coasters!

One of my next projects is to create some mustache wine glasses and coffee mugs to coordinate. When that’s complete, I’ll share!

“A new home for my socks” DIY Dresser Update

I’ve really enjoyed putting my new apartment together and experiencing many “first place” rites of passage: buying my first couch, spending hours piecing together IKEA furniture and buying “pretty towels” for bathroom decor.

While my kitchen, living room and dining room are coming together nicely, I still haven’t done a thing with the bedroom besides littering one corner with boxes with odds-and-ends that will very likely never get unpacked. Until moving into this home, my first apartment, every piece of furniture I’ve ever owned has had to fit inside of my rented-out room, and now that I have the whole place to myself, my bedroom has been stripped naked.

That is, except for the closet. Brimming with scarves, yoga pants and wadded up sleep shirts, the space inside simply can’t contain everything I wear. Only one shelf for my folded items plus my innate inability to keep an organized closet has me set up for closet failure.

Fortunately, I have a boyfriend who keeps his “work” and “play” shirts on different types of hangers (wooden for the office and black microsuede for the weekends) and folds his underwear.

After a trip home for Thanksgiving, he gifted me a closet-cluttered girl and DIYer’s dream – his childhood dresser! Still in great condition, but just in need of a little face-lift to suit my personality and style, this 9-drawer dresser will be a nice addition to my otherwise sparse bedroom and a great place for my socks to call home.

I like the wood and its ability to warm up my room, so I kept the body as-is and simply painted each drawer: a neutral stealth grey for the bottom six and a nice pop of color for the top three with a fun teal hue that I use as an accent throughout the apartment.

I also replaced the boring white knobs with some inexpensive, yet decorative brass ones found at Home Depot.

A mirror that compliments the new knobs, a few books, organizational bowls/containers and an orchid later, and I had a beautiful new addition to my otherwise plain bedroom that cost less than $35 to update.