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

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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

Budget Bathroom Remodel Under $100!

June 19, 2017 by Virginia Evans 17 Comments

Happy Monday! It’s summertime and that means project time! Beyond clothes and makeup, DIY projects are a way I find balance in my life. It’s a great way to express your creativity so today I’m finally pulling together a post on our budget bathroom remodel! I transformed our bathroom for under $100! I have been laid up in bed this last week with a possible torn meniscus, after spending 8 hours a day the previous week redoing our upstairs unit to get it updated and rented out again! DIY projects are on the brain because, until this past week, all I could think about was painting and taping and fixing dryers and skim coating walls! I’ve been up to my elbows in DIY fun! This week…not so much. Very frustrating.

Since my knee injury kept me from doing much of anything this week (I did manage to get the last room taped and painted by splitting it up over 3 days…shhh…don’t tell my doctor!), it was the perfect time to look back over the budget bathroom remodel project I did last fall and pull together my receipts! Plus, maybe it will inspire you to spruce up your bathroom while it’s warm enough to open the windows!

I did a series shortly after we moved into our new house on how I took our super-ugly, dated bathroom and turned into something I can live in for the next few years. Here’s the before and after picture. I’m pretty happy with it!

Eventually we will need to replace the tub in this bathroom and when we do that, it’s likely that the floors will have to go so I didn’t want to spend a ton of money doing updates. I’m finally pulling together this post though because I just have to share – it’s awesome what we were able to do for less than $100 and you can do it too!

Here is the overall picture of what we did and what it cost. You can see all three parts of this series ( Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 ) for the details!

How We Remodeled Our Bathroom on a Budget:

First Step

Got rid of the ugly ceramic bathroom tile (original post here) by painting over it with Rust-Oleum’s Tub and Tile Refinishing 2-Part Kit in White.

This stuff was seriously amazing…I highly recommend!

Cost: $44.56

$24.30 – Rust-Oleum’s Tub and Tile Refinishing 2-Part Kit
$5.79 – LimeAway (I recommend the spray version after using the non-spray version myself)
$8.60 – five 100 grit sanding disks
$3.20 – 4 inch roller cover pack
$2.67 – 2.5 quart bucket

Already on Hand/Borrowed:

Bleach
Scrubber
Sponge
Comet
Abrasive Pad
Orbital Sander
Microfiber cloth
Household fan (for air circulation)
Painter’s Tape
Paint brush or here
Wooden Paint Stick to mix
4″ paint roller

Second Step

Removed the Floral Wallpaper Border and painted the Baseboard heater (so it would match the pretty white walls!)

DIY Bathroom Remodel Remove Wallpaper Border

Cost: $5.35

$5.35 – Rust-Oleum High Heat Enamel Spray

On hand already:

Comet
Scrub Brush
100-grit sandpaper
microfiber cloth
blue tape
vinegar
spray bottle

Third Step

Installed inexpensive peel and stick vinyl wood planks over the ugly linoleum (original post here).

Cost: $47.81

$32.76 – Style Selections Peel-and-Stick Vinyl Wood Planks in Golden Oak ($45.86 for the case plus a few extras. Returned $13.10!)
$8.60 – Contour Gauge, Now recommend this one
$6.45 – Caulk

Already on hand:

Level
Large Bowl and Scrub Brush
Scissors
Tape Measure
Pencil
Utility Knife

All together, that comes to $97.72! Whoohoo! We didn’t replace anything big, but I think it looks a whole lot better than it did when we got the house! It’s totally possible to do a budget bathroom remodel for under $100!

Even if you don’t have time to do this project right now, pin it for later!

Here it is again!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Let me know in the comments below what projects you are working on!

-Virginia

DIY Gold Ikea Shelf Hack for Under $100

January 23, 2017 by Virginia Evans 3 Comments

I’m back this week with a DIY post! This idea is not something I came up with on my own, but unlike many other posts on this idea, I show you how I achieved this beautiful DIY Gold Ikea Shelf Hack!

When we moved into our house I was so excited to finally upgrade our style and décor. When I was on my own and when we first got married we bought a few nice pieces but mostly utilized whatever we could find from friends or at the local thrift store. After we moved we decided it was time we started to upgrade our home and make it feel more “grown up.”

During the summer while I waited to hear back from jobs, I started getting sucked into Pinterest (anyone else know what that’s like!?!). I collected ideas into Pinterest boards by room (Living Room / Office-Guest Room) and I kept coming across Ikea Hacks. My favorite was spray painting Ikea Vittsjo shelving units gold but I couldn’t really find tips for how to do it. Today I share with you how I made a classy shelving unit for my office for less than $100.

Materials for this DIY Gold Ikea Shelf Hack:

*Some links are affiliate links. Clicking on links may result in a commission for More to Mrs. E

1 VITTSJÖ Shelf unit from Ikea ($79.99) in White
1 screwdriver (to put shelf together)
2 cans Rust-Oleum Metallic Gold Spray Paint (also love this gold spray paint) (3.76 each)
1 Rust-Oleum Spray Paint Grip (had on hand. Definately recommend if you do a lot of spray painting)
1 Roll Marble Adhesive ($8.31)
1 dropcloth or place to spray paint
I also love to use Painter’s Pyramids when I paint furniture (had on hand, otherwise $6.99)

How to Transform the Vittsjo Shelf:

1. Start by putting together the shelving unit. Though it may seem easier to spray paint the pieces before you put it together, you may end up scratching the paint if you try to screw it together after painting.

2. Rather than using a primer, I just bought the White Vittsjo Shelf and went in directly with the gold spray paint. The white provides a nice light base for the Gold and my research suggested that the Gold would adhere well enough without the need to prime or sand. This has proved true in the last few months of use.

3. Set up the shelf outside on a drop cloth or area you don’t mind getting painted. Make sure there is air flow but not too much wind. When you spray paint you will have to angle around to get each side of each slat and wind can waste paint by blowing it away from your target area.

DIY Ikea Shelf Vittsjo Hack Paint Pryamids

4. Raise the shelf with paint pyramids to make spray painting easier. Leaving the legs directly on the ground will make it difficult to get the paint all the way down to the sections touching the ground.

5. Spray paint using your Paint Grip. The paint grip will make it easier to get each of the angles and allow you to make wider paint passes. My tip is to start with one side of the shelf and spray paint all of the sides facing your direction both inside and outside of the shelf. This will keep you from forgetting to spray paint one of them.

Gold Spray Painted Ikea Hack Vittsjo Shelf

Allow to dry completely (if you can) before moving it to its proper location. Touching the paint before it is fully dry may leave light finger smudges on the gold paint.

6. To add some additional glam, use Marble Adhesive to cover the bottom shelf. Roll out the adhesive on a flat surface and lay the shelf on top. I would recommend doing this on a non-carpeted floor, swept clean. That way carpet fibers will not stick to the adhesive and dirt pieces will not cut into the liner when you lay it flat and apply pressure.

Cut with 1-2 inches extra on each side. Start at one end and remove a little of the backing at a time and press down as you go. See this this youtube video (starts 2:06) for an example of what I mean.

Then, lay it into the opening and screw into place.

DIY Ikea Shelf Hack Gold Painted Marble Shelf

7. Once it is in its final home, lay the rest of the glass shelves into place and voila! You now have a classy place to store jewelry, books, handbags and more!

What would you use this beautiful shelf for? Let me know in the comments below!

Make sure to pin this image to help you find this idea later!

As always, thanks for visiting!

Linking up today with: Elegantly Fashionable / Sincerely Jenna Marie / More Pieces of Me