Getting Crafty: Easy Fall Decor

Here's a little something different than my usual furniture project. I've been having fun playing with burlap so I thought I'd share some easy DIY projects for your enjoyment. Best part is these are both 1. simple, 2. cheap (about $5-10 tops especially if you have a coupon), and 3. take about 15 minutes to finish. You kiddos can even help with the non glue gun part.

I found two different styles of wreath to show you. One is more clean and tidy, the other is a little wild. Choose whichever fits your style. Personally I like the "wild" one.

Step 1: Raid your local craft store for  all the burlap (also called "Jute") that you can get your hands on

I'm starting with my favorite, the "wild", or rustic, if you will, wreath. Both are very simple, this one is slightly more time-consuming.
                                           Wreath#1 Wild, Rustic Style

For our "wild one": You'll need an old wire hanger and about 2 yards of burlap, cut into 2" wide strips.

                                          

                                        Unwind and bend an old hanger into a circle shape. 

Fold burlap strips "accordion style" and push onto the wire circle. You'll need to wiggle the folded strip a little to get it on the hanger. 

Here's the finished wreath. I put about 25 strips on the hanger. You can finish this one off with some silk or dried flowers if desired. 

I got all of these at the dollar store. Pretty and cheap= win, win

Wreath #2 Elegant, with Clean Lines

Supplies needed: a frame to wrap your burlap around, 2 inch wide burlap ribbon, glue gun, extra burlap for flowers. 

I used a  dollar store wreath as the "frame" for this one. 

Finished "neat style" wreath. 

I used some scrap fabric and burlap to make this cute roses. Just twist the burlap around itself and hot  glue the bottom to make these. 

Hope I inspired you to try a simple, 15 minute project. Happy crafting everyone! 

Furniture DIY Magic Tricks!

So many good intentions, and yet another month has past. I slap my own wrists for my neglect of this blog. But to try and make up for my absence I decided to come back with a BANG! How, you ask? With some lovely DIY magic using household items. I have spent many hours since we opened the shop learning the tricks of the trade for simple repair solutions. And I'm a giver so I am sharing my two favorites right here for your easy reference. Both take less than a minute in most cases!

#1 Fav: Iron Heat Mark Removal

This is an awesome trick for removing those annoying white marks from lovely wood pieces. Best part: it takes seconds to do!

Supplies: All you need is an iron and a cloth.

 1. Clean the wood with a little soapy water.

 2. Set the iron to medium high heat with steam (cotton on my iron).



3. Place clean cloth between iron and wood where there is a spot. On this piece you can see there are several spots to fix.


4. Set iron on cloth and move slowly back and forth for about 15 seconds.


5. Check spot, if it's still there repeat until it (magically) disappears.

Before 

After

See all the damage?

Spots be gone!

Before and after from left to right: original spot, treated with iron, polished with oil and vinegar

Fav # 2 Salad Dressing for your Furniture

What? Amazingly, oil and vinegar mixed together and used to polish wood is magic. You will not believe the luster and sheen returned to old pieces of wood. I have used this trick with nearly every antique we have gotten in and the results are instant. 

Supplies: Olive Oil, Vinegar, small container, and a clean cloth. 

1. Mix 1 part olive oil to 2 parts vinegar in a small bowl. Not exact measurements needed. 

2. Wipe on furniture in a circular motion.

3. Admire the beautiful results. 

Before: On the right After: on the left

Impressive results, right?

I hope these tricks will help you next time you see a tired vintage item in need of some TLC. 

More to come, promise. :)