no sew. no glue. just a t-shirt...scissors...and you!

My dear friend from The Vintage Modern suggested that I try this craft... IT IS SO EASY AND EVERYONE HAS THE MATERIALS TO DO IT AT HOME :-)

So when Christmas time came around, I decided that my version of the Martha Stewart T-shirt Necklace would be a great gift!

You can watch the video (click on link above)... or just follow these EASY steps!

1. pick a t-shirt, with no print on the surface of the fabric which will be cut and stretched...

2. cut off the bottom to get rid of the hem...

3. cut about 1 to 1.5 inch strips, creating loops horizontally through the tshirt...

4. stretch each strip, holding the loop at the seam to prevent splitting...
(you'll be left with really long tube-like loops because the fabric will curl in)



5. if you'd like a long necklace - fasten the loops together per your liking
OR if you'd like a short necklace - hold the mass of loops at each end & fold up from a figure 8 and fasten

Here are some of my finished products. Couldn't track down all of them... but you get the idea of how versatile they can be! Especially when you add some extra flair like chains or pins...

they can be headbands too!!!!!!!

Feel free to comment or email me with questions :-)

...a coffee table facelift... no feet allowed!

The past month has kept me away from the computer due to some laptop failure, sickness, and travel! But I'm happy to be back... hope you are too :-)

I saw some pics on Facebook from a friend who recently moved and decided to tackle a refurbishing project!  Here's the before & after pics and their story in Whitney's words...

It was QUITE an intensive project so Steve and I are pretty attached to our table now. We call it our baby : )

The table was actually given to Steve in college from his uncle so he could have at least one piece of furniture! I liked the table when I first saw it. I thought it had a beachy/surfer charm to it and I knew that it would be really cute if we just gave it a little "facelift." So I told Steve that I wanted to make it my project to paint and stain the coffee table. He told me it was going to be a lot of work, but I figured it really couldn't be that bad. 


Ohhh was I wrong! Actually getting the blue paint off took an incredibly long amount of time and we had to use a combination of sanding and paint remover to finally get it to a "paintable" place. After the painting and staining was done, we bought new drawer handles from a little boutique store here and got the drawer liners from Chic Shelf Paperhttp://www.chicshelfpaper.com/. This site is great because they allow you to customize the size of the paper so no cutting is necessary.  The stain is called Dark Walnut and it's from Ace Hardware. 


Great work Whit & Steve. We miss you guys... but I'm happy to see you're making yourself at home :-)

Cookin' up.... A Teal Table Top

Our fantabulous couple is back with some bold color in their living room! This coffee table has been passed around the young couples in their family... and for the second time, they've given it a facelift!

In their last apartment, they painted it black -- but their new beach-town home called for some vibrance! 

The table sits a few feet from the fabulous repurposed entertainment center... so what better color than this teal to make it all pop!

On top of the coffee table, you'll find a tray with some magazines and cardboard coasters they've collected from some of their favorite restaurants!

quack attack!

My hubby has always been a friend of animals... One of his fondest childhood memories was when a male and female duck couple made their home in his backyard.  The ducks became so comfortable around Chris, they would eat out of his hands.  He even watched their little ducklings grow up in the backyard pool!

This Christmas, his parents gave him some sentimental gifts that I recently used in his office makeover...

 ...a picture of his long lost friends... meet Arturo and Catarina!

...these wood floating ducks...

...and a painting that has been passed down 3 generations 

painted by a man his grandpa and dad would hunt with!

From the Heart Friday... February Vogue

Can you remember a time when you were going about your day and suddenly realized your perspective or your goals in the situation were all turned around? 

When we let our time, our "to-do" list, or our expectations get in the way... we will undoubtedly find ourselves missing out on treasures!

Exactly year ago, I got to leave work a little early on a Friday, so I rushed over to the Irvine Assistance League Thrift Store before they closed. I'm a "Thrift Store Addict" so once inside, I immediately began searching through the home section in hopes of something for our apartment, a fun Valentine's outfit, new piece of jewelry, or maybe something for my Valentine... But nothing in the store was just right for me.

As I walked to the exit of this little shop and said thanks to the nice lady volunteers... I spotted something at the entrance display I hadn't seen on my way in! 

This wooden tray, with a painted mirror base... it was PERFECT for my cousin whose birthday was that day! She is an amazing artist and is wonderful with portraits and designing clothing, costumes and such -- plus her birthday is in February!

What a difference it made to take a moment, slow down and take a second look at what I had missed at the beginning of my treasure hunt that afternoon... Happy birthday, cousin :-)

Thrifty Thursday... wood in the kitchen

There are lots of wooden textures and colors in my home. So adding wooden accessories adds some fun dimension to it all!

My bread box is from Goodwill in Costa Mesa... $3.99

I found the tall salt shaker and pepper mill at a Revivals thrift store in Palm Springs... $1.99

 ** Thrifty Thursdays will be dedicated to sharing my affordable finds from various resale sources: thrift stores, estate sales, garage sales, consignment shops... you name it! **

Cookin' up... some curbside vanity

There's really nothing vain about this story...
but it is about a vanity!

Our creative couple from last week (the hearts and hands behind the boisterous entertainment center) have given this old vanity a new home and a new life!

They found this treasure on the side of the road in their neighborhood a few weeks ago! Its airy and light features add both charm and reasonable function to this side of their bedroom! The metal framed piece has two faux marble table tops along with a swivel mirror...

This vintage vanity tray is from an antique shop and I love the glamorous touch it brings! 

This type of addition to any bathroom or vanity is an easy find at a boutique thrift shop or antique store... 

These types of things are like old tools...they were just made to last in the olden days... so why not add some timeless charm to your morning routine with an affordable item like this!

antiquated *bling*

So it's time to tell some stories about the sentimental items I used to decorate my hubby's office this weekend!

He's always had a thing for pocket-watches so he has two from his dad's ancestry line and one from my family! They are all super old and gorgeous.... Some even work when you wind them up!!!

They've been sitting in a box for years... 

but don't they look great on display!?

I used three different metal ceiling hooks from Grandfather's tool collection to mount them on the wall.

The pen and pencil set are from my hubby's grandpa. I put them in a fabulous vintage wall-mounted organizer that has a glass front! The gold screws really pop next to all this bling!

Backyard Beginnings

Our backyard is getting a makeover! 

This weekend, our landlord had workers here for two full days hacking away at the 30+ year old vegetation... including a HUGE and MESSY Juniper Tree.  

Watch the transformation over the next month and you'll see some creative ways we bring new life to some old plants, furniture, etc!

Here are some BEFORE (well, actually MID-destruction) pictures!

Take note of the rusty table... old pots... old fence... bricks... and plants passed down by Grandfather.

!

Sentimental Surprise!

My Hubby is camping this weekend, so to take advantage of the extra time & space... I cleaned up his closet/office and decorated the room as a surprise!

He's very sentimental and loves keeping trinkets from his past & from ancestors; but typically they stay stored in boxes in the closet... So I brought some out to create a space that's more "him".

Pocket-watches from our Grandparents

Grandpa Herzwurm's Gold Pens

Grandfather's Little Tape Measurer

Ducks, Bibles, Family Pics, Coins from Different Countries...ETC!

I'm so excited for him to come home tomorrow and see the transformation!

I'll tell specific stories about each relic in the near future ;-)