Tuesday

DIY Tile Backsplash on a Bathroom Mirror



Do you have leftover peel and stick tile backsplash?

About a year ago I used peel and stick tile backsplash for a small area in my kitchen above the stove (see below).  After finishing I had scraps of the backsplash left and did not know what to do with them so I put them in a basket in my craft room for a later date.


This is the original project I used the peel and stick tile backsplash on.

The other day I came across the scraps.  I grabbed them and went in each room in my house until I came up with an idea on how to use them.  I decided to put the tile on the bottom of the mirror in the bathroom to create a faux backsplash.  It worked out perfect.  The tiles are sticky so I didn't need glue and they are flexible so they went right over the clips that hold the mirror.


This is the before picture.  The mirror is not bad but could use a little extra character considering it's just a builder's grade mirror.



The pieces I had were already cut to this size so I just started on one end and lined the tile up with the bottom of the mirror.


When I got to the end I just trimmed the excess off.  It was so simple and took me about 5 minutes to do.


Although this is not a major change to the bathroom it does add one extra detail that enhanced the overall look of the bathroom.  And it was free!

Do you have any simple bathroom upgrades?

Please share ideas and links in the comments below.

Saturday

Creating a Nursey for Less Than $500


Having a baby but don't have a nursery yet?

Here are some tips on creating a nursery for less than $500!

I am going to post links to the items I purchased for the nursery however I do not get paid for endorsing these items.  They are genuinely just items I love!


I love this crib!  And because I plan on having more children I will use this crib for more than one baby.  I bought this crib from Walmart for $119.99 with free shipping!  It can be found here.  Because the nursery is the smallest of our 5 bedrooms I wanted white furniture to help brighten up the small room. 

One thing to mention about this crib is that it does not have a side rail that goes up and down.  The crib I had for my two oldest children had the side rail that could go down but I never used it so this was not a feature I cared about having.


This changing table was such a great buy!  It cost $63.99 from Walmart with free shipping.  It can be found here.  It is smaller, sturdy and it includes a thin changing mat so you don't have to buy a changing pad separate.  The mat is thinner than a traditional changing pad and cannot fit the typical changing pad covers.  

The 3 pink baskets were purchased from Ross for $16.99 for all of them.  The two decorative boxes on the bottom shelf were boxes I already had that my daughter no longer used.  The basket next to the changing table was from the now converted guest room.  It was what we put snacks and drinks in and a card for when guests stayed over.


 I did not want to have to paint the entire room but I wanted to give it a bit of a pop so I painted stripes on one of the small walls.  You can see the tutorial for that here.  


The pink and gold circles were purchased from Hobby Lobby.  All wooden decorations were half off so I paid $5 for the string of wooden circles.  The picture above it was also from Hobby Lobby for half off so it cost $12.50.


The wooden letters were $1 each after being half off at Hobby Lobby.  So they were $10 and I used string I already had to string them together to make a banner.  The framed art was originally $34.99 at Hobby Lobby but was half off so ended up being $17.50.

Now to the item that I spent the most money on...


I spend $189.99 on the crib bedding set.  The bedding set can be found here.  I wanted a coordinating bedroom set in blush pink and gold.  Well it is hard to find that combination but I found one that I fell in love with.  It was the biggest ticket item in the room, costing more than the crib and changing table combined.  You can easily find sets for $100 or less so if you are not as picky as I am you can save even more money.


The bedding set came with coordinating valances which were perfect!  I already had blinds in the room so I just hung an old curtain rod to hang the valances. 


I hung the curtain rod pretty high over the top of the window so that the bottom of the valances goes just a little past the top of the blinds.  This makes the windows look bigger and allows more light into the room.


The bedding set came with a toy hanger, which I hung on the side of the crib.  

The rug came from my daughter's room.  She is almost a teenager and apparently the rug I bought her 8 years ago is no longer her style...who knew?  Although I am not the biggest fan of the rug it is free and until I find a really good deal on one that matches better it will have to do.

The green ottoman I have had for years as well.  It has found it's place throughout the rooms in our home over the course of many years and now it is in the nursery.  I like how it makes the green in the two framed quotes stand out and for the time being it makes the rug match the room a bit more.


The bedding set also came with a diaper holder, which I hung on the side of the changing table.

So let's look at a breakdown of the cost for the nursery:
  • crib bedding set - $190
  • crib - $120
  • changing table - $64
  • 2 framed quotes - $30
  • wooden circles - $5
  • wooden banner - $10
  • pink baskets - $17
Total: $436

Here is a before and after shot. 


I really tried to make my minimal budget stretch and I think it turned out great!

Can you believe how budget friendly this nursery is without sacrificing on style?

I love to hear from you!

Please comment with any budget friendly nursery ideas you have!




Thursday

DIY Lego Tray


Tired of Legos scattered all over the floor?

So was I!  My son loves Legos and I'm glad he likes to play with them because they bring out his creativity but I hate having to clean them up.  Although I liked to think he was responsible and picked them all up when he was done playing with them in reality I was finding them throughout his room and in the Roomba. 

It was because of this that I decided to create a Lego tray that not only gave him a designated space to play with his Legos but also served as storage for all the tiny pieces.  Another great feature to this tray is that when he is done playing he doesn't have to take the cities apart; he just pushes the tray under the bed with everything still built on it.

Here's what you need:
  • Plywood
  • 1x4s
  • Finishing nails
  • Hammer
  • Paint
  • Lego Baseplates
  • E6000


I started by cutting a piece of plywood to the size I wanted the overall tray and storage area.  Then I painted it with green spray paint.  The plywood will be covered by Lego baseplates but the green shows through the cracks a little so that's why I painted it the same color as the baseplates.


I then cut 1x4s to go around the outside of the plywood and spray painted them.  I hate using regular paint and paintbrushes so spray paint is just easier for me.


I used finishing nails to attach the 1x4s to the plywood then I painted the bit of plywood still showing.



Next I glued Lego baseplates to the plywood with E6000.


I used Lego pieces to make sure the baseplates were lined up correctly.  I kept those on until the glue was dry.


Lastly I nailed a 1x4 cut to size to the inside of the tray to create a storage area for my son's Legos.



I made this tray pretty big because my son has tons of Legos and this gives him a lot of room to create his Lego cities.  I ended up putting handles on the side because he can just slip it under his bed and the handles help him pull it back out when he is ready to play with it again.  

Feel free to ask any questions or leave a comment about how you organize Legos!  

Friday

DIY Striped Wall





I jumped on the bandwagon and striped a wall in my home and I'm so glad I did!  This small wall is in the nursery.  I was turning a guest room into a nursery and wanted to do it for less than $500 (see that post here).  Since my budget was so small I had little money to spend on details but I wanted the nursery to stand out.  I decided to paint stripes on one of the walls and it turned out great.

This is such an easy DIY project that you can complete in a day!


This is the boring before picture.  This is the smallest bedroom in our house and was being used as the guestroom so I never put much work into it.


I wanted the stripes to be the same size as the baseboard so I measured that first.  Then I used painters tape to block off the sections I wanted to paint white.



I put Press and Seal along the ground under the wall so that any drips of paint wouldn't get on the tile.  This keeps me from having unnecessary cleanups from drips or spills.  I also use the area to put my paint can and brushes on.


This is the end result and I love it!  It took me a few hours from start to finish including setup and cleanup.  I already had brushes, painters tape and the latex paint on hand so it didn't cost me any money!

Please comment with any tips or suggestions you may have about painting a striped wall!




Wednesday

Totally Doable Backyard Wedding Ideas




Are you planning a backyard wedding? 

If so, you have to check out these amazing backyard wedding ideas from a wedding we hosted at our farm!


Can you believe this cake was homemade by the bride's friend who had little experience making cakes?

Me neither!  It turned out so beautiful and looked professionally made.  Opt to make your own cake or have a friend make it.  You could even turn it into a girls evening with friends and relatives where you all help make the cake.  They are much easier to make than you would think and you can save a TON of money by doing it yourself. 



Is that a water trough?

You bet it is!  When having a backyard wedding you need to put the drinks in ice to keep them cold.  Water troughs are a perfect solution to keeping a large number of drinks cold and they are easy to come by.  We had this one that we use for cows sometimes but you could always borrow one or even check your local Craigslist for someone selling a used one.




Looking for alternative seating?

The bride and groom used straw bales as seating.  You have to check out the post all about these here.





Make your arch or gazebo memorable!

Decorate arches or gazebos with sheer curtains from IKEA.  These extra long sheer curtains were $4 each from IKEA however I already had them on hand from an old bed canopy I made (see a picture of that canopy here).






Create coordinating custom labels and signs!


Unify all of your design elements by creating your own coordinating custom labels and signs.  This bride used the same fonts throughout as well a shimmering gold paper on top of black paper.  From the invitations that were sent out to the labels for the food to the sign about how to share pics, all of it matched and it was all DIY.  It's small details like this that add to the wow factor of your wedding!



Wondering how to serve your guests food without breaking the bank?

You can wow your guests with a nacho bar!  This nacho bar had all the toppings you could want.  What I loved the most about it was that I could go back for seconds!  There was such a variety of toppings that your second plate could be completely different than your first!








Who doesn't love a popcorn bar at weddings?

Provide your guests with not just popcorn but lots of goodies they can mix in to customize their bag of popcorn.  From candies to seasonings guests love creating their own mix.

Don't forget the bags!  The bride bought white bags and just sent them through the printer to be customized with the coordinating font.  This was little work and minimal cost with another wow detail!


The bride decorated the concrete ground by spreading rose petals.  These gave for a nice effect all evening long.



Don't forget the lights!

The lighting is everything when it starts to get dark out.  String lights are simple to hang and are budget friendly.  Check out our post about using Christmas lights at your wedding here.

You may have enough Christmas lights in your attic so that you don't have to buy any.  If you don't already have some try borrowing them from friends and relatives but make sure they label them with their names.  If you are planning long enough in advance you may even be able to buy them right after Christmas when they are significantly discounted.


Having a backyard wedding is totally doable and you don't have to sacrifice on style to have the wedding of your dreams!