Archives for November 2014
Rustic Chic Entryway
It’s Monday, and what better day to give you another sneak peek into our home? As you can probably tell from my Ikea coffee table hack and my burlap table runner post last week, I had a definite “rustic chic” vision for this townhouse. I really like mixing smooth and modern with rough and old, and these preferences have definitely translated into reality. For instance, right in front of this entryway set up, we have a white modern leather sectional!
Although we almost always come in through the back door in our sunroom (since it’s where our carport is, right beyond the back yard), we often take walks and need our shoes, umbrellas and rain boots nearby the front door. I also wanted a place where guests could sit down and take their shoes off, or hang their purse away from prying toddler fingers.
If you were to walk through our front door, this is what you’d see. To the immediate right is our living room (coming soon!) with the sleek white couch I was just mentioning.
I picked up a few milk carton crates at Home Depot and gave them a gray weathered stain. I made the Burlap Pillow myself using this tutorial.
I got this rustic bench from someone on Craigslist for $10. This thing was not just “made” to look old, it is really really old, made from 100 year old barn wood! The real deal.
Every rustic coat rack I could find was really expensive, so I just threw together my own using a $6 board from Home Depot cut to the length I wanted. I stained it using the same wood stain I did our Industrial Ikea coffee table with, and then threw some hooks on it.
I got the burlap “Welcome!” sign off of Etsy around 8 years ago, and I am no longer able to find the seller. Sorry! The cottage chalkboard is another vintage find from 7 or 8 years ago.
Now, all that’s left is for you to come over and stay a while!
Burlap Table Runner
I promise this blog isn’t turning into Craft-aholics Anonymous. When I said I had the crafting urge of late, I really wasn’t kidding!
This table runner came about by accident, and I kind of feel like cheating for even calling this a “project”. I was at Hobby Lobby the other night, getting a wooden “C” for my wreath. All ribbon was 50% off, so I did what any sane human would do– I browsed.
I didn’t realize that Hobby Lobby sold ribbon that was 10″ wide. Seriously? How does this count as ribbon?
No matter. I realized that it would make the perfect table runner! And, at 50% off, it was only $7!
Of course, this table runner was just begging for some fall decorations.
Our dining room is almost complete…we just need a different light fixture (not shown…yet!).
Now, go get thee to Hobby Lobby and buy yourself a burlap table runner!
$5 Burlap Door Wreath
It’s happened. Fall has come to life, and so has my crafting urge. There’s something about cool weather that just makes me want to curl up inside, get out my fabrics or yarns, and create, you know?
I’ve wanted a door wreath for a long time, but then I get so overwhelmed with all the possibilities. Which colors? Which materials? How much should I spend? Would it be cheaper just to buy one pre-made?
And then there’s seasonal wreaths on top of it all. Is one supposed to have a Christmas one? A Thanksgiving one? A Halloween one? An Easter one? WHAT TO DO??? And where are you supposed to store all of these seasonal decorations (especially when you don’t have a garage like us)??
A door wreath is actually not that big of a deal.
I am aware of this.
There are more important things in life.
I mean, I should really be trying to figure out how much Baileys to use in my decaf at night (does it really count as a “drink” if it’s in a coffee mug?), or whether scotch tape can be used to put a 2 year old’s diaper back together (spoiler alert: n-o-o-o-p-e).
Perhaps my absolutely strict and tight budget are to blame for me finally deciding to pull the trigger. When you have just a few dollars to spend, a door wreath can become about the challenge, instead of about Martha Stewart perfection. I only had $5 to give to this project, so whenever the “well, what if I–” popped up, I ignored it in favor of my budget. Only having $5 to spend really keeps one moving towards the finish line!
I wanted this $5 wreath to be color neutral as well, so I went with a burlap door wreath. As the seasons change, I’ve decided to swap out a few extra tidbits here and there to spice it up. That way, I only have to make ONE wreath for ALL the seasons! Winning!!!
But how did I do this whole thing for $5?
Well, the wreath base came from a burst of inspiration whilst browsing the dollar store. They had all these tacky Fall wreaths in the Thanksgiving section, and I thought to myself, wouldn’t that wreath look nice if it didn’t have all of that ugly stuff on it? And then it dawned on me, for $1, why not give it a try?
So I brought the tacky $1 twig wreath home and ripped off the ugly scarecrow (I gave it to Gregory for him to light on fire) and the faker than fake fall leaves. After peeling off the huge gobs of glue, it was a blank circle of twigs, ready for me to decorate! And for just $1!
I made the burlap roses in under 10 minutes using this burlap rose tutorial, with scraps of burlap, white fabric, and felt from my sewing kit. I then bought the “C” letter from Hobby Lobby for $1.67 and the ribbon for $2 (all ribbon was half off!). There’s a ton left for me to use with other projects too! I hung it with some twine.
So, there you have it! My lovely front door wreath. Isn’t she just adorbs?
Here she is with some fall jewelry.
While I was on my crafty spree today, I also whipped up a bouquet of burlap roses to use on our dining room table. Love Love!