Mission: Organize jewels

That my friends was my idea of jewelry organization when I had to organize and declutter before Ayla was born. Well, since then I've discovered Pinterest and having be pining for a more functional and eye-appealing way to organize my jewelry before baby boy comes. These little containers were a great way to contain the earrings in one locale but definitely not easy to find matches.  And once Ayla found them, forget it. So, I made this:

Just by going through and picking out the pairs to put on the jewelry holder was eye-opening. I found a pair I loved, but never knew I had and have never worn. 

And this fancy little holder cost me 25 cents, actually maybe less.  No kidding. I already had the purple beading wire and white spray paint. The frame was a Rescue Mission find. It's marked 25 cents because it was missing the glass (which I didn't need anyway) and frames were but one get one free that day, seriously. 

To be fair, I didn't know what I was going to use this frame for. It was a candidate for Ayla's gallery wall, but I didn't end up needing it. I pick up inexpensive materials as I find them. It makes my craft corner a cluttered mess, but saves me a trip out when I have a project I'd like to start. This is part one of three parts of mission organize jewels. So there is more to come! 

Beauty in a bottle

A few years ago, I snagged a very large box of random old bottles at an auction for a few dollars. I gave some some away and used some in home decor. However, the look is tired and old So, I have been seeing some really cool techniques on Pinterest and decided to try it out. My bathroom recently got a facelift with a crisp new coat of paint, so it needs some snazzed up knick knacks. Putting one of these flairs into the bottle as is would be a really cool rustic look, but that isn't what I was looking for. I wanted something that popped.

Spray paint is the perfect solution

When we bought our home a year ago, we were in love with it. The cozy little cape cod is perfect for a new couple. For the first six months we owned it, it went a little unloved. My husband (then fiance) lived there alone on lawn chairs and without curtains. I was busy planning a wedding and packing my belongings, so I didn't quite have the time to give it a woman's touch. Now, a year later and 7 months post-wedding, we have been able to do a lot of little inexpensive things to make it our own. Our biggest asset has been spray paint. No kidding. Most items don't need to be sanded or stripped, just sprayed. Easy!

We have used it for at least four projects around the house. When we bought the house, it had white walls and neutral carpet. A blank canvas; decorator's dream. The bad part was that the lights and ceiling fans were all outdated. We replaced the fan/light in the living room with a $150 modern one from Home Depot. If we did that in every room, we would be broke. So, the fan in the bedroom got a spray paint makeover. We removed the blades (which were a dark wood with wicker centers) and spray painted them black. When we screwed the blades back on, we put them on upside down so you couldn't see the wicker. Voila! A more modern fan for 97 cents (the cost of a can of black spray paint).

The second project was an old cheap wood table that my husband brought to the marriage. I ironed on top of it. Oops. It left a huge white wilted stain on the table. So, we spray painted it black (again 97 cents for the can) and now it makes a great accent table in our bathroom. I used a dessert plate from our dining set to display the candle to save from having to buy a little plate to display the candle on. We rarely use all 16 place settings, so I figured the plate would be better used in the bathroom.


The third project we did was more recent. We are redecorating our dining room. That fiasco is for another post. But, the look is modern. We have black and bright yellow, so the gaudy, old-world frame on our beloved Last Supper picture had to go. Instead of spending a fortune on a new frame, we just spray painted it black to match the decor. The spray paint didn't stick as well as it should, but it created a really cool, antiqued look that matches the black dining room furniture perfect. I love it.

I don't have a picture of the flower urns on our porch, but that is another project courtesy of spray paint. Every summer we go to the Mud sales(auctions to benefit the local fire companies) in Lancaster County. We purchased two (abot 2-feet tall) porcelain flower urns that were white with orange stripes and polka dots. It was $1.50 for both. We brought them home and guess what? We painted them black with spray paint. I bought some inexpensive tall twigs at Christmas Tree Shoppes and they sit on our front steps. They look so elegant. They match our white house with black shutters much better than orange and white. I am sure there are many more spray projects to come, so stay tuned.