Shopping: Forever 21 Elephant Ring Holder

I have always wanted a ring holder ever since I saw the ones from Anthropologie.  Those bunny ones were so cute that I got one for my friend's birthday because I needed an excuse to buy them.  Then I saw this elephant ring holder over the weekend at Forever 21.  They are only $4.50 plus they are super adorable.  This made my day so I wanted to share it on the blog! Happy shopping/blogging/holiday in case I forgot on July 4th! 

Poor Mr. Clock-Turned-Mirror

Hello Summer!  Summer is the time for home improvement right? Maybe I will come up with a project or two myself later.  Recently, it has been rhinestones and rhinestones and rhinestones for me.  And did I mention I sell my first item on Etsy? *clap clap clap* (Maybe I will share some products I made up here later!)

But today I am sharing a photo of my new decorative mirror.  It was a beautiful clock, as you can probably tell with the silver studs.  Poor Mr. Clock fell down from the wall last year and ended up with twisted arms.  He had to go through emergency surgery to remove his arms and replaced it with a new mirror face.  It took me a while to locate the right size mirror AND figure out how to glue it firmly enough (glue gun failed me so this is now glued with superglue for glass).  Now Mr. Clock-Turned-Mirror finds his purpose again!

Burlap Wreath for Christmas!

The occasional-crafter is back!  Since I am staying in Boston for Christmas this year, I was determined to do something to my "vacation house" in Marina Bay.  I also wanted to make something that is not too expensive.  I saw a similar burlap wreath when I was doing my Google search and decided to make my own variation.

All the supplies are purchased at Michael's for under $15 (ribbons are leftover for a beer "cake" we made for a friend's 21st birthday).  It's simple - twist and pin, twist and pin, twist and pin! Happy December!

 

$22 Glass Display Cabinet

I love precious moments. I don't know if it's because I am heavily influenced by my mother, or the precious moment children Bible that I had.  I tried not to buy too many because of the frequent moving, but somehow I ended up with a lot of figurines from friends and spontaneous purchases; and they ended up on my shelves catching dust.

So one thing that I really wanted for my new "playhouse" is a glass cabinet to house all my figurines.  After diligently searching on Craigslist, I got this glass cabinet originally from IKEA for $22! (And it comes with the light too!)

To go along with the white with a splash or red/orange theme in the living room, we had to spray the top and bottom pieces white. Personally I think it looks great! 

 

Completed Bathroom Photos!

This sounds weird, but welcome to the bathroom!  With the new espresso frame for the mirror, we got the ikea RIBBA picture ledge as shelves to hold bottles and stuff.  And in case you haven't noticed the bathroom sign, that was a surprise find at staples when we were waiting for the print. 

And finally, featuring my third printable, specially made for this bathroom! Still experimenting with illustrator... currently in the process of making a christmas card (because it is going to take me a long time) and a banner for the blog! 

Lastly, just a photo of laundry area with the pretty wooden letters I got from Michael's! Thanks to the numerous pictures I saw on my favorite site!

Bathroom Mirror Project

 

This was how the bathroom looked like.  In need of some "personality"...?  I started using my two most valuable resources - time and internet to see what I can do about this bathroom mirror.  And I came across several blogs that has great tutorials on framing mirrors with moldings.  So I made my "driver" (because I still don't have the courage to drive in Boston) drove me to the BIG store again and wandered into the molding section (next to all the woods and building materials.. I had to admit it's quite scary). I was sick of painting then so when I was relieved to find this dark brown/espresso molding.  I only need two 7-feet molding (total cost ~$18 dollars).

Measured out the length. And my first time using a miter box ever! I did not even know how to pronounce the word - a staff at home depot taught me : p

 

My first cheap cheap seven-dollar miter box.

With liquid nails and caulking gun (of course I did not do this part myself).  Don't you think it looks so much better already? Even with the painter's tape?

I don't have a good picture of the completed bathroom yet (because technically this is my play-room/house not my living space).  But hopefully I can upload a nice picture with all the decorations (and of course featuring my 3rd printable!) soon.

P.S. I am not really a pro in home improvement/DIY projects, so it's better to read tutorials like this one from Elizabeth & Co.

August was Kitchen Month

This was how the kitchen looked like.  Since we don't have the $$$ needed, we cannot upgrade the appliances or cabinets.  But this dark green laminate countertop makes me sad every time I see it, so after some research online.  We bought a countertop transformation kit from Giani at around $60-70 (much cheaper than the other brand in home depot at ~$150).

So we painted the countertop with a black primer that comes with the kit, waited a day, and sponged some pearl white paint onto the countertop.

 Next is sponging on a dark black paint.

And it ends with a bronze paint followed by a clear coat on top.  Looks like granite to me! ... at least it's much better than the original green laminate!

So after my "success"with the countertop, I decided to give mosaic tiles a try.  I remembered seeing flowers made out of tiles on the bathroom wall of some fancy restaurants and thought I could easily recreate something similar... and that thought costs me be two weeks.

I went to the big orange and white store again and got a roll of fiberglass mesh (at the windows section), a huge bottle of glue, some thin-set mortar for glass tiles, caulk x 4 and waited at home for the grey and white tiles that I ordered online to arrive.  I measured out the dimensions (including the light switches etc) and lay out the pattern on the floor.  Then we glued the tiles to the mesh using regular craft glue (with parchment paper underneath), left it overnight to dry, and with the help of Kenny (..hehehe...), put the tiles up using thin-set mortar.

Then the problem came, we used a caulking gun and some caulk we got from the store and thought it looked perfect!... until it dried and we realized we bought clear caulk instead of white. And now we have to go back and get some other ones to finish this up.  But still! Don't you think it looks nice (ignoring some uneven-ness)?

 We also got this fancy set of LED stick on lights with switch at Costco for within 30 dollars.

Thanks to Pinterest (yet again) and the inspiration it gave me, I got this plate rack for $1 at a crate and barrel sale and I am loving my organization of the lids!

Then it's time for some more decorations. Printed these from Over the Big Moon, except I used illustrator to make the last spoon print vertical. And I am loving the Coca Cola print, so much for being a dietitian.

 Anyhow, I am loving the new kitchen!

Kenny's New Home (My PLAY Room!)

A photo from yesterday - putting my chalkboard to good use. After learning more about foam rollers at home depot, I am planning to repaint the chalkboard with a smooth finish roller when we are done with all these wall and counter top painting/furniture shopping/moving in and out.

Bright and happy-looking new living room! Can't wait till we fill the room with furniture!!! But before that... today was painting day! First time bringing a wall chip to home depot to get a "custom-colored" paint - my highlight of the day.

Reason for painting - the previous owner left the TV mount (very high up on the wall for some reason) and a tube for wires, we decided to take them (and some paint) off.

Things to fix before actual move-in (potentially starting Monday) - ugly green counter top in kitchen, white laminate counter top in bathroom, living room wall, burnt wall (by long-term old TV exposure) in bedroom number 1, carpet stain in bedroom number 1, missing carpet (!!!!) in bedroom number 2.

Printable Number 2!

I really should have gone to bed, but we might actually be able to get into Kenny's new apartment tomorrow! Just the thought of that can keep me up all night... so I made my second printable :) Enjoy!

Julia's First Printable!

Thanks to Pinterest (again!) and my summer holiday (free time!!), here comes my first printable! I am quite happy with my first product, makes me feel better about spending the evening learning a new software (although the first few words still look better on my computer than when exported).

And I decided to go with a Bible verse.... in pink! Just because they are my favorite book and color.  Now I just have to find a place for it in my tiny apartment.

P.S. I am not sure how to share a file yet, but I am happy to share it with anyone!

Not as thrifty chalkboard!

Thanks to Pinterest, I came across so many different versions of chalkboards on the DIY page.  So when I was planning out Kenny's new condo's decoration, I had to put in a chalkboard!

I decided to go back to Jessica's "Little Baby Gavin" tutorial since it was those creative and cute pregnancy pictures that caught my attention at first.  I went to different thrift store whenever I passed by one, but never had any luck picking up good frames for the project. So when I walked into Joann the other day and saw the sale going on, I decided to buy a frame instead.  I used chalkboard paint and a foam roller but the surface looks a little bumpy but I am quite satisfied with my first official DIY. Might repaint it later but for now... I can't wait to write on it!

Getting my Green Thumb?

Growing up in a city (and a very beautiful city indeed), I have never really had the chance to grow anything big (except for peas as a science project) because everyone in the city is cramped in tiny apartments without enough room for human living, let alone plants.  And frequently moving around during my college years don't help either.

However, the time has finally come! As part of my internship this summer, I helped out regularly at a "backyard hospital garden" with 13 beds. The garden grows a variety of foods, including tomatoes, broccoli, lettuce, bunching onions, garlic, carrots, peppers, cucumbers, and squash; all of which would eventually become donations to the food pantry at the hospital, or be delivered to shelters and residences in the community.  The garden even got featured on a local blog!

Bed filled with lettuce and braising greens (photo taken in June!)

 Colorful produce makes me smile

So I decided to make good use of my tiny balcony (after all I still live in a city) and planted tomatoes, chilli peppers, lettuce, sweet bell peppers and various herbs in pots! How exciting to see things grow! And through no particularly effort of my own (I swear I  don't have much knowledge in gardening), I actually got to eat chilli peppers, lettuce and tomatoes from my balcony!

 Long and lean chilli peppers

 A tiny pepper flower!

Green tomatoes (I ate all the red ones before taking the pictures)

Given my "success" (some herb died miserably, looking all burnt), my future plan is to grow bunching onions (scallions).  Reason? Because it's tough so it will grow in any condition, perfect for a lazy person like me. So for now, let's end with a happy sun flower from the garden!