DIY Ball Lamp Makeover

Hello, friends!  I am so excited to share my latest DIY with you today – an IKEA ball lamp makeover!  There are tons of IKEA “hacks” or makeovers out there for all kinds of IKEA products, but I have had one of these paper ball lamps for years and years and I finally decided it was time to customize it.  I have been wanting to redecorate my room for a long time now and because this project was so easy and inexpensive, I decided to start here, with some paint, fabric and Mod Podge!

First, let’s start with the materials.  You will need:

• a paper ball lantern/lamp
• acrylic / craft paint in color(s) of your choosing
• paint brush and/or foam brush
• Mod Podge (or similar decoupage glue)
• fabric or paper (for applique)
• scissors
• paint tray or paper plate(s)

Because my lamp had been hanging up in my room for such a long time, I started by wiping it clean with a plain dust cloth to make sure there was no dust, dirt or grime.  If you are using a new paper lantern, you should be fine, but it never hurts to make sure your canvas is clean.

Once you are working with a clean surface, it’s time to paint!  I chose an array of hues, all of which are shades of the three main colors I plan on using in my room – aqua blue, green and yellow.  I wanted to do an ombre effect with the paint so I mixed my colors in a paint tray and got painting.

I used a round paint brush for painting the color on the paper lantern.  Whatever type of brush you use, it’s important not to press too hard on the paper or it could rip or tear pretty easily.

Once my lamp was painted, I set it aside to dry and got to work cutting out the pieces of fabric to use as appliques.  I searched for a long time for the perfect vintage floral fabric to use for this project and I finally found it at Mix Fabrics on Etsy.  Seller Alanna has tons – TONS – of great vintage fabrics for sale at super reasonable prices.  (she sells mostly fat quarters; one fat quarter was plenty of fabric for this project)

Once all of my beautiful vintage bouquets were cut out and the paint on the lantern was dry, it was time to applique!  First, you want to start by applying a thick layer of Mod Podge to the back of the piece of fabric.  I just used a plain old paper plate for applying the Mod Podge to keep the mess contained.  Once the back of the fabric is generously coated, place it on the lamp where you want to fix it and then apply another nice, thick layer of Mod Podge over the fabric applique.

Repeat this process for all of your pieces of fabric (or paper, or whatever you decide to applique) until your design is complete.  Then, allow ample time for the Mod Podge to dry, especially if you applied a thick coating.

Now, you can either apply a thin coat of Mod Podge all around your finished lantern, or you can choose another clear finish lacquer like I did, just to coat it and protect your beautiful artwork.

And that’s it!  Your new ball lantern is complete and ready to be shown off.  Here’s the lamp hanging in my (messy) room – please ignore the crap everywhere!

The great thing about a project like this is that it is totally up to you how you want to customize your new lamp.  You can choose whatever colors match your decor and whatever images for applique you want, or skip the appliques all together – it’s entirely up to you!

If you do decide to create your own custom ball lantern, I’d love to see it!  As always, thanks for reading :)

Casual Weekend

Hello, friends!  I hope you had a lovely weekend and a belated Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there!  I spent the weekend with the boyfriend and family, hopping from bbq to bbq.  In fact, today’s outfit photos are from my sister’s house yesterday where we met up for a quick dinner.

I am wearing a sleeveless blue and white stripe button up top (H&M) tucked into a pair of light wash skinny boyfriend jeans (American Eagle), which I rolled at the hem.  I paired this outfit with my favorite tan platform wedges (Mia) and added a tan leather belt, my favorite rose gold watch (Target) and a pair of neon pink stud earrings (H&M).

I seriously love these blouses from H&M (I have another one in white with neon pink polka dots!) – they are inexpensive (only $10!), so comfortable and effortlessly stylish.  Plus, they are super versatile and go with just about everything.  Lightweight, casual and perfect for a beautiful, sunny weekend in Southern California!

I jazzed my outfit up a bit with the tall platform wedges, so I decided to add a little bit of shine and style with my rose gold watch as well as a teeny pop of color with my neon pink stud earrings (sorry, I know they’re kinda hard to see in the picture).  I have a busy week ahead of me, including several projects I am in the midst of working on so hopefully I will have some more fun DIY’s to share with you soon!

In the meantime, I hope you all have a great week!  Thanks for reading :)

 

A Look Ahead

Hello, friends, Happy Friday!  The other day I shared with you what I’ve been up to lately, but today I decided to take a look ahead and share what’s coming up on my calendar that I’m excited about.

1. Etsy Craft Party - The first event I want to share with you is coming up pretty quickly, as in, this coming Thursday June 20th and it’s an Etsy Craft Party!  If you do not know, Etsy is hosting a global day of community crafting with events held around the world.  If you haven’t already, you should check and see if there are any parties being hosted in your area!  (just click the link above to get more info)

I am actually a little nervous about this event because I do not know anyone who is attending and I have never been to any sort of meet-up like this, but I am also super excited because it is going to be a whole night of local Etsy crafters doing what they do best – crafting!  There is going to be dessert, drinks, raffles and crafts such as screen printing, natural fabric dying, card making and more.  It sounds like it is going to be an amazing night and I cannot wait to attend and share with all of you!  If you happen to be local (Orange County, CA), then you should totally join in on the DIY magic.  The particular craft party I am attending is hosted by Creative Outlet Studios in Costa Mesa – check it out here!

2. The Color Burst 5K - Coming up later this month – June 29th – my mom and I are doing a local color run hosted by The Charity Bomb.  I have done a couple Mud Runs before (10k races with obstacles in mud and water – so fun!), but this is my first color run so I am super excited!  Plus, the proceeds of this particular race go to benefit Boy Scouts of America, The Way to Happiness Foundation and Citizens Commission on Human Rights – it is always more fun to do something for a good cause, right?!  My mom and I are not much of runners so we will not be running competitively, but I really just can’t wait to be pelted with crazy bright colors and end up a work of human tie-dye art!  Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to share before and after pictures!!  Again, if you’re in the area, this race is being held at Irvine Lake in Orange County and I definitely recommend participating – check it out here.

3. Hawaii - Okay, obviously I saved the best for last, and you definitely read that right, I am going to Hawaii!!!  I am so, so, SO excited to head to the big island of Hawaii in July!  My mom’s friend from work goes all the time and she invited my mom and myself and even said I could bring a friend, so the four of us are flying to paradise in mid-July for a whole week of lush landscapes, volcanoes, waterfalls, beautiful beaches and laid-back local atmosphere.  I have only been to Hawaii once before when I was much younger and we were on the island of Oahu so I am ecstatic at the opportunity to go back and experience another one of Hawaii’s amazing islands.  I am most looking forward to seeing one of the world’s most active volcanoes and hopefully finding time to get in some hiking through their tropical forest.  If you have ever been to the Big Island, I would love to know what you recommend doing (or not doing) – any and all suggestions are welcome!

(photo found on Pinterest; uncredited)

I am so excited about all of the fun, new experiences I have planned in the coming weeks.  It is always nice to have a special event or vacation to look forward to and plan for and I especially love trying new things!  If you’ve done a color run and you have any advice, let me know; and, if you’ve been to the Big Island of Hawaii, I’d love to hear about it!  What do you have planned for this summer??

As always, thanks for reading :)

 

Life Lately

Hello, friends!  It has been a busy week so far and it’s barely half over, but, if I’m being honest, that’s the way I prefer it!  I am definitely one of those people who likes to keep busy; if I don’t have at least twenty different things going on then I get bored and boredom on me, my friends, is not pretty!  That’s why I decided to share what I’ve been up to recently and what has caught my eye.

1. Beauty - “I Saw…U Saw…We Saw…Warsaw” by O.P.I.

I just bought this polish last week and, although you can’t really tell from the picture, it is the most beautiful deep cerulean navy blue color ever!  I am so excited about this new polish and I cannot wait to wear it; sadly, I  have had no time for a manicure.  Oh well, you’ll be sure to see it as soon as it’s on my fingertips!

2. Books - The Weed That Strings the Hangman’s Bag by Alan Bradley

I just started reading the book this week (after devouring Dark Road to Darjeeling by Deanna Raybourn) and I am already embroiled in the latest mystery that eleven-year-old amateur sleuth Flavia de Luce must unravel. I love period fiction and I especially love a good old fashioned murder mystery so this series by Alan Bradley is right up my alley!

3. Film - I have always loved classic films, but, for some reason, my mom and I have been on a total classic film kick this week in particular watching Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and McLintock!

If you haven’t seen either of these films, I highly recommend them both!  The first, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, is a musical from 1954 while the second, McLintock!, is a western from 1963 featuring John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara.

4. TV - As for TV, there really hasn’t been a whole lot on lately since most shows are entering their summer hiatus and most summer shows haven’t started back up yet, BUT I will freely admit that I am a pretty big sci-fi fan and I am kinda totally obsessed with the new show Defiance on Syfy.

The actors are great, the special effects are not any worse than you would expect from a Syfy original series and the characters are likable and engaging.  Even the aliens!  Okay, it’s not like it’s ground-breaking television, but it’s better than a lot of the stuff on TV (cough, cough, Real Housewives!).  Plus, I kind of have a girl crush on Irisa, the female lead alien.  :)

5. Tech – the “Pocket” app (formerly “Read It Later”)

Okay, this one is probably not news to a lot of you savvy app-hoarding people out there, but I just discovered it and I LOVE it!  For those of you, like me, who haven’t heard of it, it’s basically an app that let’s you save articles, web pages, links, tweets and almost anything else to read or peruse later at your convenience!

Now, sure, you could just bookmark it or pin it or whatever, but how many times have you been on Twitter or a similar application and really wanted to click that link and read up on whatever you just discovered but you didn’t have the time right then and there??  This happens to me all the time and I think, “Kristi, don’t forget to go back to the tweet/article/website later and read up on that topic!” and then, of course, I totally forget and I never get to find out about, well, whatever it was I wanted to remember in the first place.  This app let’s me easily send them to my “pocket” to read later when I have time, like while I’m at work and my boss isn’t looking.  Just kidding, but I am seriously excited about this one, guys – check it out!!

Well, that’s what I’ve been reading, watching and pretty much obsessing over lately.  What are you up to these days??

Thanks for reading, Happy Hump Day!  :)

 

Spring Brights

Hello, friends, Happy Monday!  Summer is almost here, but not quite, as the weather insists on reminding me.  But June gloom can hang around all it wants because I am in love with my (second pair of) Walmart jeggings!  You may recall seeing this first pair of pastel minty blue jeggings here or here, but did you know they also come in this amazing emerald / Kelly green color?!  They do, and I love them!

I am wearing green jegging capris (Faded Glory via Walmart) with a white camisole tank top (Old Navy) under a neon pink and white sleeveless polka dot blouse (H&M).  I paired this outfit with my blue bow detail sandals (Abercrombie & Fitch via Marshall’s) and accessorized with my mint green braided leather bracelet (handmade), various colored wooden bead bracelets (??) and a pair of neon pink stud earrings (H&M).

I love this outfit for several reasons, but I think top on my list is the price – the blouse was only $10, the jeggings only $10 and the sandals only $8! – you just can’t beat those prices!!  The other reason I love this outfit is because of the neon pink polka dots and my new neon pink stud earrings, which make it feel like I am wearing two more polka dots on my ears!  It’s the small details like that which make me smile :)

The other great thing about this outfit is that it is super comfortable, making it perfect for a Sunday afternoon hanging out with the Boyfriend’s family while the Boyfriend makes bacon-wrapped-burger-dogs.  Yes, you read that correctly, he made hot dogs wrapped in ground beef (i.e. burgers) which he then wrapped in bacon!    Sadly, it was universally decided that this first attempt could be improved so the recipe needs more tweaking, but they were still pretty tasty; I mean, they had bacon after all, what’s not to like?!

What were your weekend plans?  Are you rested and ready for this coming week??  As always, thanks for reading :)

 

May on Pinterest

Hello, friends!  I just have a quick post for you today to catch up from last month.  At the end of every month I like to post my favorite pins from that month – things that are trending, things that caught my eye and whatever inspired me from throughout the month!  Here are my favorite pins from May:

This past month I was very much into getting ready for summer – a little bit bohemian, a little bit rustic, and of course, my favorite, classic stripes.  I was also inspired by free-spirited quotes and thoughts of camping and spending time outdoors.  I love the sense of freedom that comes with the warmer summer months and I can’t wait to start enjoying nights spent in the cool breeze after a long, hot day.

What are you most looking forward to this summer?  As always, thanks for reading :)

 

To see last month’s pins: April on Pinterest.

Latest Beauty Faves

Hello, friends!  It is a busy time of year for many people – school is ending, there are graduations and birthdays, and the warmer weather is always a reason to celebrate!  But in all this hustle and bustle, it’s important to remember to find time to care for yourself, too.  I am a firm believer in making time to pamper yourself, even if it’s only a few minutes each day or a couple hours each week, we need this time to ourselves to relax and renew.

It’s so easy these days to get caught up in all of our daily tasks, or in constantly checking our phones or tablets to keep up with facebook, twitter, or our blogs.  Which is why I decided to share with you some of my latest favorite beauty products that I use to pamper myself or as an inexpensive treat!

1. Coconut oil – the obvious first on my list – is my latest obsession.

I am sure you have all been hearing about the many glorious uses of coconut oil for your diet, hair, skin, lips – everything!  I will admit that I was skeptical at first, but after seeing countless pins on Pinterest and doing a little research, I decided to give it a try.  I bought a large jar at a local health foods store and decided to keep a smaller portion in this jar which I keep in my bathroom and use for my hair and skin (because, frankly, it just grossed me out to think of using the same jar for cooking and hair/body, right?!).

My favorite use for coconut oil has got to be as a hair treatment, which I usually do once a week or every other week.  I start by taking a small amount in my hands and rubbing them together until the oil is melted (it’s solid at room temp. but it’s melting point is somewhere in the 70′s F, I think).  Next, I massage it into my hair from roots to tips, making sure my hair is thoroughly coated.  Then I simply pin my hair back (to keep from getting oil all over the place) and leave it in for 30 minutes to an hour – depending on how much time I have – and then wash it out in the shower with shampoo.  I usually have to shampoo twice to make sure all the oil is rinsed from my hair, but after my shower, my hair is magnificent!  Yes, I said magnificent, because it is; it is amazingly soft and light and thick and healthy!  In fact, my hair has never been healthier – if you haven’t tried coconut oil yet, try it!

2. My next favorite beauty product that I have been absolutely in love with is American Eagle’s Bohemian perfume.

I actually discovered this perfume several months ago when I was on the hunt for a new scent.  It has top notes of citrus and floral middle notes that make it bright and fresh, but also a slight musk in the base notes that add depth and warmth – it smells amazing!  In fact, the first little roll-on bottle I purchased, I used up in less than a month – I have never gone through a perfume so quickly in my life!  I have since purchased a full size bottle of the perfume and, just recently, another roll-on for traveling and just because I love it that much!  Plus, the bottle is so pretty, right??  ;)

3. The last product on my list of recent favorites is the cherry flavored Baby Lips lip balm by Maybelline.

This was actually a gift from a friend who decided she didn’t like the cherry shade on her skin tone so she passed it on to me, but I am now in love with it!  I am not much of a fan of lipstick – I just don’t like how it looks on my lips – but I always, always carry chapstick on me and I usually have several lip balms floating around in my purse.  Baby Lips is easily my newest favorite!  I like to layer it over my Burt’s Bees chapstick (which I never go anywhere without) to add a hint of color and a bit of gloss, but it works just as well on its own.  I like the cherry flavor (which helps tone down the heavy mint of my Burt’s Bees) and I love that I can put a little on for a subtle hint of pinkish red or layer on a lot more if I want the red to really show!

So there you have it, my favorite beauty products that I have pretty much been devouring lately.  I love how pampered I feel – and how amazing my hair looks and feels – after doing a coconut oil hair treatment and the Bohemian perfume and Baby Lips lip balm are everyday treats that make me feel – and smell! – like a million bucks (for a lot less money)!  What new products have you been really into lately??

Thanks for reading :)