DIY: Ornament Wreath

I love holiday decorations. I don't have a house of my own that I can decorate yet, but that doesn't mean that I can't dazzle up the inside of my little office! I was at Target the other day with Briam and I saw these beautiful ornament wreaths. The were so magnificent and shiny, but so darn expensive! The were upwards of $20-$30 and although that's a good price for someone else making it for me, I knew I could make it cheaper. I went to the dollar store and picked up the ornaments and ribbon for less than $9. I stole the hanger out of Briam's closet and I had pliers and the command hook on hand. 

What You'll Need:

70-80 Ornaments  

Wired Ribbon

Needle Nose Pliers

Wired Hanger 

How To Do It:

Watch the video here! 

The finished product! 

DIY Project: Glitter Mason Jars

If you know me, you know that I'm obsessed with glitter. And mason jars. And makeup. So what better way to combine all three than to create a makeup brush holder! I love DIY projects and even more when they can be used as functional tools in my life. Follow these simple instructions to get beautiful, glittery mason jars! 

What You'll Need:

2 Mason Jars 

1 Can of Elmer's Aerosol Glue

Glitter

Rubbing Alcohol

Cotton Pads

Paper Towels or Newspaper

Optional Stuff:

2 Bags of Marbles

Makeup Brushes 

Where to Buy:

Mason Jars: Walmart, Publix, Michael's, Hobby Lobby

Glue: Walmart or any craft store

Glitter: Walmart or any craft store

Rubbing Alcohol: Any drugstore

Cotton Pads: Any drugstore

Paper Towels: Your kitchen...

Marbles: Any craft store

Do It Yourself:

1. Prep your mason jars by cleaning them with the rubbing alcohol. Having a clean surface will ensure that the glue and glitter stick to the inside of the jar. 

2. Once your mason jars are cleaned and dry, carefully spray the inside of the jars with enough glue to coat the entire inside. I "swooshed" the jars around to make sure that no part of the jar was missed. 

3. Dump your glitter, in the color of your choosing, into the jar and begin turning the jar so that the glitter covers the entire inside surface of the jar. 

4. Once you've double checked the jar to make sure that there are no spots missing glitter, dump the remaining glitter onto the paper towels or newspaper. Discard the extra glitter. 

5. Let the jar dry for at least 2-3 hours before adding anything inside. I've decided to add marbles to the jar to make makeup brush holders. I filled the jar about half way in one jar and 3/4 of the way in the other to accommodate for my smaller travel brushes. You could always add flowers or seasonal/holiday decorations. 

Let me know if you recreated these DIY Glitter Mason Jars! If you do, make sure to connect with me on social media and show me your picture using the hashtag #cmvlogsDIYglitterjars

My DIY Project: Custom Photo Mug

For the past couple of years, I've been getting my dad gift cards or store bought gifts. This year I wanted to do something more special and that he would keep close to his heart. I have a, what I call "vintage", photo of my dad and I when we first moved to Florida from Mississippi. Yes, I was born in Mississippi. I'm a legit Floridan though, no accent. I do love grits though. Anyways, I decided that I wanted to create a custom photo mug for my dad to use that would remind him of me every day. 

What You'll Need:

Ceramic or Porcelain Coffee Mug

Waterslide Decal Paper

A Picture 

Krylon Crystal Clear Spray

Quick note: I got the mug for my dad at Target, the Krylon at Walmart, and the decal paper on eBay. I went to Hobby Lobby, Staples, Michaels, and Walmart. No one carried this paper. For 5 sheets, it was $7.75, free shipping, on eBay. Perfect. 

How To Do It

1. Once you've chosen your picture, print it on the waterside decal paper. Try to center the picture on the paper. This will make it easier once you spray and trim the decal. 

2. Let the picture dry for at least 30 minutes.

3. Once the picture is dry, lightly coat the picture with the Krylon Crystal Clear spray. This will seal the ink onto the decal paper. (I had B do this for me. I have a heavy hand, which doesn't like spraying paint. He's a painter, he's got skills.)

4. I let the picture dry for 1 hour before I trimmed it. You can wait longer, but you have to finish the decal before 2 hours after spraying it. 

5. Trim down the decal to the size of the picture. Have your mug cleaned and dry, ready to go. 

6. I used my bathroom sink, but you could use a large bowl or another sink to do this step. Fill up your sink with enough water to submerge the decal completely. 

7. Hold the decal under water for at least 60 seconds. Began to lightly peel the decal off of the backing paper. Once the decal is off of the paper, apply to mug. 

8. Using a paper towel, lightly dab any excess water off of the decal and smooth out any creases or air bubbles. Let dry for at least 1 hour. 

9. This step is optional. I chose to write two quotes about fathers on both sides of the picture. I used a permanent marker. You can write a personal message or anything you want. 

10. Spray the mug with the Krylon Crystal Clear spray again to seal the decal and the writing. I, again, had B do this for me. 

My dad loved this. He decided that he doesn't want to use it, but has it on display in his kitchen. 

This project was very easy to do, just time consuming. 

Have you made a custom mug before?

Let me know any DIY photo projects you've done! 

My DIY Project: Forever Flowers

I guess you could say my big theme this week is florals. They just make me so happy! For my DIY project this month, I created a simple flower arrangement that requires only the occasionally dusting. Don't get me wrong, I love when B brings me home a bouquet of fresh flowers from the store, but the always die. Obviously. No matter how diligent my constant trimming and feeding of the flowers, they meet their end. Unfortunately, I got overly excited and didn't take pictures of each step. But it's so simple, I'll just have to explain it and then show you the final result. 

What you'll need:

6 Flowers of you choice 

1 Mason Jar

1 Rubberband or Hair Tie

1 Bag of Glass Marbles or Gems
1 Wire Cutter 

Directions:
Step 1: Trim your fake flowers to the desired length. You'll probably need your wire cutter at this point, those suckers are tough!
2. After cutting all 6 flowers, arrange them how you want them set in the mason jar. Secure with rubber band or hair tie. I used a hair tie, because I can.
3. Have your marbles or gems, I used gems, ready to go after you've placed your secured flowers inside the mason jar.
Step 4: Begin to drop in the marbles or gems all around the flower stems.
Step 5: Let go of your flowers, straighten them up a bit, and place them where you want them.
Step 6: Enjoy your beautiful DIY flower arrangement!

Which color flowers would you have chosen?

Do you prefer fresh or fake flowers?

What are some of your DIY projects using flowers?

My DIY Project: Scarf Holder

I love being organized. A place for everything and everything in its place! Recently, I was having trouble finding ways to organize my scarves. I have 11 scarves. Now this may or may not be a lot, depends on who you ask. I'm sure it seems like a lot, mostly because I live in Florida. We use scarves one day out of the year. But I love them! And I end up collecting them. Most of them are from Target (7), the rest are from Mark. (3) and Banana Republic (1). 

Because somebody, B, wouldn't let me get anything that had to be mounted on the wall, I had to find something that hung on the door. This proved to be nearly impossible. I didn't want to order anything online, so I went to Target and Home Depot, nothing. I finally went to Walmart, and would you know, I found one! And it even has 3 staggered bars! The only down side, it's not the right color. All of the metal accents in my office/closet are bronze. This thing, is "chrome". Briam brought home some sand paper and we bought bronze spray paint to make this sad looking towel organizer match everything else. Sadly, I'm terribly picky which means extra work for me. 

What you'll need:

An over the door towel organizer
A screw driver

Sand paper

Bronze and Black spray paint

Shower curtain hooks 

Directions:
Step 1: Buy and assemble the towel organizer.
(Tools: Screw driver)

 (Don't mind the suitcase and exercise ball in the background...)

Step 2: Sand and spray the assemble organizer with the bronze paint.
Step 3: Spray a light mist of black paint to add a vintage effect.
(Tools: Sand paper and spray paint)

Step 4: Allow the organizer to dry.
Step 5: Hang the organizer over the desired door. I did my closet door!

Step 6: Using the shower curtain hooks, hang your scarves on your new scarf holder! Ta da!
(Tools: Shower curtain hooks. I got mine at Target!)

How do you hang or store your scarves?

What's your favorite DIY project?

Make sure to check back for more DIY projects!!

Side note: I am not endorsed, sponsored, or paid by any of the companies or brands mentioned or shown above.