Upcycle Old Shoe Boxes for Spring Storage

February 19, 2018 by Virginia Leave a Comment

Today I’m bringing you a quick and easy DIY project! As I’ve mentioned before, I like to use my breaks from school to work on fun DIY projects. This one is an oldie but a goodie. It is a great way to upcycle old shoe boxes while you are spring cleaning. If you’re off for President’s Day and itching for a project, this is a quick and easy one to do!

After the holidays I always have all these extra boxes laying around and tons of little things that need to go somewhere out of the way. Upcycling old shoe boxes is a great way to deal with all those small, pesky things that just need a home. I did this project years ago to take care of crayons that were dumped in with all my markers in the classroom. It’s still going strong years later!

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What You Will Need for this Upcycle Project:

Old Shoebox
Scissors
Plain White Contact Paper
Sticky dots & Gold Spray Paint or…just go with these

Upcycle Your Old Shoe Boxes

I started by taking one of my shoe boxes and covering it in this shelf liner paper/contact paper that I had sitting around from a previous project. I like it because it’s nice and thick and covers whatever is on the box. I covered the box in this first just to give it a plain canvas.

Cut the contact paper to fit and wrap like you would a present. The adhesive back sticks right to the box.

It looked a little too plain for me so I pulled out some polka dot stickers I had leftover from a garage sale and spritzed them with my favorite gold spray paint. I was just trying to use what I had but you could always just purchase some gold-colored sticky dots to begin with!

Once the dots are dry, apply them to the box in a design of your choosing! I can see washi tape being a really fun way to decorate these boxes too!

That’s it! Very simple, but perfect to organize small items during Spring Cleaning!

If you’re off work for the long weekend, definitely check out another easy DIY project – reusing empty BBW Candles to make storage jars for the bathroom! It’s one of my most popular posts.

Or, one of my other favorite DIY projects that I did on a long weekend was this fun DIY Necklace Holder out of an old frame!

There are so many fun projects you can do upcycling items you have around the house! What easy DIY projects do you have planned? Let me know in the comments below! I’m always looking for new ideas!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

-Virginia

Linking up with: More Pieces of Me | Sincerely Jenna Marie | Totally Terrific Linky Party | Pumps & Pushups

Getting in the Mood for Thanksgiving

November 13, 2017 by Virginia 8 Comments

I have been getting in the mood for Thanksgiving, how about you? I love the holiday season. Is it more rushed than the rest of the year? Yes. Is it stressful at times? Yes. But you know what else? It’s one of those times of year that just makes me feel happy. We emphasize warmth, coziness, comfort, and family, all things I need when my work life gets crazy.

I’ve been working some very late nights lately and yet, snuggled up with all my favorite fall things, I still feel happy! Today I want to share some ways you can get in the mood for Thanksgiving in your home. Having a warm, cozy home helps me balance out the stress from this time of year and maybe it will help you too!

There are a few crucial elements that make my home cozy when I’m getting in the mood for Thanksgiving.

Cozy Elements

Pillow Covers

There’s just something about adding fall color to your home that helps up-the-cozy-factor. When we moved into our house last year I bought these pillow inserts (they’re SUPER comfy and totally affordable). That way I can change out the covers for each season rather than having to switch out the entire pillow and find a place to store it. The only challenge has been finding affordable pillow covers that fit. Jane is my favorite place for affordable pillow covers but they are almost always made to fit 18″ x 18″ pillows.

Other than Jane, my favorite places for pillow covers are H&M Home, Ikea and Etsy.

Here are my recommendations for 20 x 20 pillows for fall from the image above: (Links updated 10/2018)

Under $20: Similar Faux Fur 1 | White Quilted (similar) | Faux Fur 2
Under $15: Jacquard Weave 1 & 2 | Faux Fur | Quilted White | Jacquard-Weave
Under $10 Velvet: Orange | Golden (more HERE) | Green, Purple + 10 other colors
Under $10: Patterned Orange and Charcoal | Red-Orange Linen | 12 color Canvas

Oh! And I love this one for under $20! So cute for both fall and winter!

Faux Fur Blankets

Every fall, I pull out my trusty brown faux fur throw from Threshold. It was the best birthday present ever and three years later, it’s still in great shape. They no longer make the same style but mine looks almost exactly like this one, at a better price. Threshold makes a great, affordable faux fur throw. I own this one and love it too. This brown one and this one are both similar to the one I own and would make great throws to cozy up your living room!

Fall Scents

Candles

When I’m wrapped up on my couch in my perfect faux fur blanket, I always have a candle burning. Great scents calm me down and make me feel like I’m at the spa rather than grading or planning. Bath and Body Works 3-wick candles are my favorite. They last longer than most other candles and smell amazing. I kid you not, when I lit this candle last, the scent stayed for 2 days! Plus, they give a warm, flickering glow. I never buy these candles for full price. Sign up for the Bath and Body Works email list and wait until they are $12, then buy with a 20% off or more coupon.

Autumn is my absolute favorite candle scent of all time. It leaves the room smelling bright and fresh.
Leaves is the perfect spicy scent and Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin is very like it, but with a deeper, richer scent.
Finally, this one is the perfect complement for any of the above to burn in a different room, on its own, or to carry over between the Thanksgiving to the Christmas season. I wasn’t sure I would like it but it has really grown on me! It smells exactly like its name!

Beauty Products

Finally, it’s been awhile since I’ve mentioned anything from my Glossybox subscription boxes, but I’ve had a few items recently that just give me the perfect fall scent! Both my husband and I are obsessed with this shower gel (also here). The foam is so silky and soft and the scent fills that whole area of the house with a wonderful orangey-spicy scent. It’s perfect for fall and winter!

Then, this red lip glaze is amazing! Not only is the color vibrant and gorgeous, but it has the most wonderful spicy scent (similar to the shower gel above). You can see me wearing it here.

Thanksgiving/Fall Food!

Ok, so this one might not be for everyone, but for me…part of getting in the mood for Thanksgiving is starting to think about the foods of thanksgiving. Last year I shared some of my favorite thanksgiving recipes. This year I want to share some of the easy recipes we’ve made to get in the mood.

What are your favorite ways to get in the mood for Thanksgiving? Let me know in the comments below!

-Virginia

Make Your Own DIY Hat Stand

July 24, 2017 by Virginia 7 Comments

Good morning! I’m sitting in the Boston airport, ready to fly to California for a Conference, after a VERY long week of home improvement projects! We have been fixing up both of our units in our multi-family home in order to rent out and meet lead inspection rules and I’m SO ready for a break! It’s the perfect time for another DIY post because I didn’t wear a cute outfit ALL week! No seriously…I think the best thing about heading to California is I can dress like a real person again! If I don’t see my paint, caulk, and joint-compound spattered jeans for another month I’d be happy!

Summer is usually “project time” for me but this year my “project” has been our house. This DIY Hat Stand was made during a two week period when I had pretty much finished one unit and was waiting for the other to be vacated. I have to admit, this one wasn’t my idea but I modified the process and love how it turned out! (Thanks to Sadie Seasongoods for the inspiration for this project!)

My office/accessory storage space has been under construction for months and I realized I needed a better place to store my hats rather than just randomly thrown on top of my gold ikea shelf and that’s where this pin (that I’ve had forever!) came in!

How to Make a DIY Hat Stand

My version of this project is very easy and really only takes a few supplies:

Tall Candlestick – I had mine laying around the house though I wish now that I had picked a taller one!
Bowl – Check to make sure that it’s big enough to sit comfortably on top of the candlestick but small enough to still fit inside the hat you want to display!
Spray Paint – I chose a simple white that I had on hand that was paint and primer in one.
Adhesive – I used Goop but you could also use E600.
Paint Triangles (or push pins may work also) – To elevate the items so the spray paint coats the edges.
Cardboard or plastic – To protect the ground from over-spray.

Steps to Make DIY Hat Stand

First, clean the bowl and candlestick thoroughly. I ran my bowl through the dishwasher and wiped the candlestick down with rubbing alcohol and some cotton balls.

Set your bowl and candlestick on the cardboard or plastic and prop up with Spray Paint Triangles (or push pins – see how I used them here). If you don’t have a Paint and Primer in one spray paint, then I would recommend priming your objects first. Otherwise, go ahead and spray paint your bowl and candlestick. Try to get an even coat and then let it dry for whatever the recommended time.

When they are dry to the touch, flip them over and spray paint the other side.

Once it has dried completely, set the candlestick upside down inside the bowl (pictured above) and shift it around until it looks centered. Then, trace around the outside so that you can adjust it if needed once the glue has been applied.

Apply Goop or E600 to the top of the candlestick. Then, flip it upside down again and place inside bowl, shifting until it fits within the circle you traced. Let dry completely – following the directions on your adhesive.

Once it is dry, flip it upright and add your favorite hat!

If you love this DIY Hat Stand, please make sure to pin it for later!

Also make sure to check out more of my Pinterest project board to see what kinds of projects are on the horizon!

Thanks friends! I hope you have a wonderful week! I will be busy with a conference all week so it is unlikely that I will have a post Thursday! In the meantime, make sure to check out last Thursday’s post on Nordstrom Sale Favorites for Teachers (and other professionals!).

-Virginia