DIY | Musings on Momentum

DIY Soundwave Art

August 24, 2016

Music has played a huge role in my life individually and continues to have a large impact on the life my husband and I are building together. The two of us wanted to visually represent that influence in our home and became hooked on the idea of incorporating the image of a soundwave from a meaningful song somewhere in our decor.

When I began planning our living room mini makeover a couple of months ago I noticed that the inclusion of unique and bold art was a theme that ran throughout my inspirational images. It became clear to me that I needed to add some into our main living space and what better way to do so than by creating our long desired DIY soundwave art.

This simple DIY soundwave art tutorial can turn a special song or spoken memory into personalized art you can carry with you through life.

DIY Anthropologie Mirrors

February 25, 2016

Back in January I shared some of my favorite fresh interior finds for the new year. One of my picks was a set of Anthropologie mirrors that featured plated brushstrokes around the edges. I adored the mirrors; I pined for the mirrors. The only problem was that they started at $108. That felt like a little too much to pay for a relatively small mirror that looked like something I could come close to making myself. Besides, I was looking to take on a new DIY! And so it went that a couple of weeks later I found myself gathering up materials and getting down and dirty with some gold and silver foil. One short hour of crafting later I was the proud owner of two DIY Anthropologie mirrors.

DIY Anthropologie Mirror Completed

DIY Marble Tray

October 8, 2015

I have had this particular DIY queued up for a while but was not prompted to execute it until after we moved into our new home last month. Post-move my fiancé and I looked around at our expansive (relatively speaking) new countertops begging to be filled and said, “We need trays to organize with.” That was the push I needed to get to work on this DIY marble tray!

This DIY has been floating around online and on Pinterest for a while now and I’ve always admired it, so this was a long time coming. The project itself was inexpensive (under $20.00!) and straightforward but I did learn a few tips and tricks along the way that I’ll share with you below to hopefully save you from making the same mistakes I did!

For this project you will need:

One 10 x 14 marble tile – $2.21
Two drawer pulls – $9.90 ($4.95/each)
Four felt pads – $2.27
One tube of Gorilla Glue – $4.97

Instructions:

Add “feet” of some type (felt or plastic) to the bottom of your tile so surfaces are protected
Measure out where you want the tray’s handles to be and mark with a pencil

Apply a small amount of Gorilla Glue to the bottom of the handles and put the handles in place on the marble. (Note: I initially applied too much Gorilla Glue. There wasn’t anything specified in tutorials about the proper amount and I went overboard. This led to the handle actually sliding out of place upon application and to a lot of clean up! Just a little will do, Gorilla Glue expands as it dries.)
Let the Gorilla Glue set for about twenty minutes, then take a pointed object (I used an appetizer skewer) to wipe up excess glue that leaked out around the edges of the handles.
Let the handles set for a LONG time. I waited a full 48 hours.

Voila!

I mainly plan on using this tray on the bathroom counter or on a dresser top but will also bring it out as a serving tray for appetizers. For just under $20 this DIY marble tray is a beautiful, versatile addition to any home! Has anyone else made this DIY?

DIY Wardrobe Makeover – Part III: The Reveal

July 30, 2015

This is really only a semi-reveal of my wardrobe makeover because there was a bit of a hitch in the plan…halfway through the storage move and wardrobe makeover we found out that we were going to have to move in the next 45-60 days. Life came screeching to a halt because, while a move was in the distant future, this was not in any way something we were planning on at this time! Needless to say plans to really settle into our current place sans storage unit avec gorgeous new wardrobe have been abandoned for the time being and all time, energy and money is now being devoted into our new place. I will share additional photos of our new place once the deal is completely finalized (I shared one here). At the moment we are in limbo for the next 30-some days. We THINK we got the apartment but it could all fall through at any moment and I don’t want to jinx us by getting too excited. If our management company is somehow reading this, please, please, PLEASE give us this apartment! We have never been late on rent and never will be. We don’t have crazy parties and we don’t shoot obnoxious YouTube episodes in our unit. There aren’t random photographers and videographers running around chasing after us with cameras at all hours of the day. I will treat the apartment like my firstborn and take better care of it than any other person who could possibly move into it would! This is where we’re at…I’m literally sending pathetic pleas out into the Universe.

But back to the wardrobe makeover reveal. I adore this little guy (okay, big guy) and even though I won’t be immediately adding all the bells and whistles I was originally planning on, opening the doors and seeing that cheerful paper peeking out from behind my pared down wardrobe full of items I absolutely love makes me really happy. While I wouldn’t have gone forward with this project had we known about the impending move, I really am glad I did. It feels amazing to be out of our storage unit and to have let go of so many articles of clothing and items that I’ve held on to for so long. It’s rather freeing.

wardrobe makeover regrets after going to IKEA

I already posted this photo but the sheer terror on my face and massive size of these boxes deserve a second look.

I went with a very scientific approach to laying out the pieces of wrapping paper for the lining of the wardrobe.

I used removable Command Poster Strips to adhere the wrapping paper to the back of the wardrobe.

I recommend having a plan for what order you are going to stick these down in or else you’ll end up with a confusing jumble of pieces of wrapping paper!

The wardrobe up and standing in all its flowered glory.

With shelving and the doors added

Starting to get loaded up

DIY Wardrobe Makeover – Part 2: Inspiration

July 16, 2015

After having to take last weekend off from Operation Move Out of Storage Unit/Create Awesome New Wardrobe (obviously a working title) due to travel schedules we are back at it this weekend! Can you hear my enthusiasm? Probably not because it’s barrrrellllly there. This weekend equals lots of heavy lifting, a trip to Ikea, the renting of a U-Haul to carry the wardrobe home, and the mad dash to return the U-Haul before an hour passes and I have to pay more for it! It will be one crazy race to the finish line! On the plus side, it doesn’t seem like I’ll need to work out this weekend with all the running around like a madwoman and carrying hundreds of pounds of stuff that I’ll be doing. So before the insanity begins, let’s pause and take a deep breath together while we look at some pretty pictures that are inspiring this makeover.

I love this little walk-in tucked under the eaves.

These soothing neutral tones make me feel all safe and happy inside. Now imagine a bit of color and pattern peeking through from the back.

This absolutely gorgeous closet makeover from the HUNTED INTERIOR is so many kinds of amazing!

A similar wardrobe looking bigger and prettier than anticipated.

A bit more feminine than I’ll go but the papered wall and natural touches are spot on. Kelly did a beautiful job with her space.

I’m not certain if the handles on the Brimnes will allow for painting, but I’d love to spray paint them metallic to offset them from the rest of the wardrobe.

Thank you for indulging in my wardrobe hopes and dreams with me!