I took a little time to bring some spring inside.  My family room mantel is an easy way for me freshen up our space:  it’s a small vignette, it’s a simple backdrop to begin with, my kids can’t touch it!, and I can crop out all the mess going on around it.  I started by switching out the velvet slipper chair for a mid-century modern chair from the living room.

I found the chair on the side of the road a few years ago, refinished it, and made new geometric print cushions.  To me, the velvet upholstery felt more wintery and I like the playful, modern look of this chair for spring.  I added a vase of $4 yellow gerber daisies to the scalloped side table and then moved onto the mantel.

Whenever I take on the task of switching up the mantel, I ‘shop’ around the house.  I found the trio of octagon frames in my craft closet and decided they needed to make their mantel debut.

I bought the frames from Goodwill last year, spray painted them white and added swatches of fabric.  I love the touch of geometry that the shapely frames lend to the mantelscape.  The bottom 2 frames are leaning against the wall and the top one is hanging from an adhesive 3M hook that I painted the same as the wall color to disguise it.  Since nearly all of our walls are painted the same color, I figure I can use it again elsewhere and it will blend in just as well.

To keep things fresh and airy – which is what spring feels like to me – I added round white votives and vases, a tall vase of green pom poms {also $4}, and relocated a paper maché ‘M’ from the living room.

Including monograms and typography in a vignette is a great temporary way to make a space feel personal.

I always like to have some warm candlelight glowing on the mantel since it’s about one of the only places I can keep lit candles out of the reach of little hands.

So that’s what my mantel is looking like these days.  I like to tweak it with the changing seasons.  It’s a quick, easy and cheap creative outlet for my fickle creative tendencies.

Have a lovely, springy weekend!

images:  all Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

I saw this vintage apothecary matchstick bottle in the most recent issue of House Beautiful and thought, “I should try DIYing that!”  It was simply a small glass bottle filled with matchsticks and etched on the bottom for lighting the matches.  I already had a perfect little glass vase that I had found at Goodwill for $1 but had trouble scoring long {think 4″-6″} matchsticks to fit inside.  I finally found these 4″ matchsticks on Amazon.

They come in a set of three.  They were expensive for matches, but I planned on making two more of these matchstick bottles {for Mom and MIL for Mother’s Day} if the first one turned out okay so I figured ‘what the heck?’ and ordered ‘em.  One matchstick bottle for myself and two Mother’s Day gifts for less than $20 total is actually a steal, right?  I tried etching the bottom of the glass vase like my House Beautiful inspiration had on it, but the etching turned out not to be coarse enough for lighting the matches.  Scratch Plan A and onto Plan B which consisted of me cutting out the lighting strip from the matchbox, cutting it down to size, and adhering it to the exterior bottom of the vase with scrapbooking mounting squares.

I didn’t like the way the lighting strip showed through the glass when the vase was upright.

I cut out a circle of scrap fabric {from some leftover kitchen curtain material} and placed a folded piece of painter’s tape to hold it in place into the bottom of the vase.  {I wanted to be able to remove the fabric easily if I ever need to clean out the vase.}

I filled the vase with matchsticks and tied a small tag {another scrapbooking product that I already hand on hand} around the lip of the vase with twine.

Yes, that’s computer text added to the tag.  I didn’t want to write something on it just yet since I plan on gifting two matchstick holders to my mom and MIL for Mother’s Day.  I don’t have the other two vases {which I plan on buying at Goodwill} yet and want to make ‘em personal after I decide which one stays with me, which goes to my mom, and which goes to MIL.  I might even switch up the phrasing to something else but I like this one for my own home.

The lighting strip really works, too!  You just grab a match, hold the open mouth of the vase with one hand, and swipe the match across the bottom with your other hand.  Oh, and it doesn’t budge at all with those super sticky mounting squares holding it in place.  Just remember to keep it out of reach of little ones!

With the vase full of matches, you can’t see the fabric-covered bottom.  But as the match supply begins to dwindle, it will be revealed…instead of the lighting strip’s ugly backside.

I’ll have to keep you posted on how I tweak this DIY project into a Mother’s Day gift when that time approaches.  Wouldn’t it be nice to gift it along with a yummy-smelling candle? And to think that I’ll get 3 matchstick holders for the same price {$20!!} as the one in House Beautiful is pretty sweet. Nothing like taking inspiration from high-end products and dumbing it down into something affordable!

images:  all Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

I found a scrap piece of jute burlap at JoAnn’s a few months ago.  I had no idea what I was going to do with it, but I liked the texture and the price tag – just a few bucks.  So, I brought it home with me and stuck it in my craft closet.  While ‘shopping’ in the closet for my winter mantelscape, I rediscovered the burlap and decided it was a good, rustic texture for winter.  One morning I threw together this simple centerpiece wreath using my burlap scrap, twine and scissors.

I didn’t go by any tutorial.  I just kinda winged it.  If you wanna try it for yourself, follow these simple steps.

1 – Cut burlap into squares.  {Mine were roughly 3″ x 3″.}  No need to be precise.

2 – Fold burlap square in half and poke with scissors to make a hole.  Alternate placing the hole nearer the folded side and nearer the rough edges.  {Squares with holes nearer the fold will have rough edges facing out, while squares with holes nearer the rough edges will have folds facing out.}

3 – Thread burlap ‘ruffles’ onto twine…alternating as you go.  Folded side out, rough edges out, folded side out…until you have the size of wreath you want.  Then simply tie loose ends of twine together in a knot. Adjust burlap ruffles as needed.

I put my wreath around a Goodwill glass bowl and placed a tea light inside.  Then I propped the whole thing up on a cake stand.

It’s all things I love in one:  textural, shiny, white, simple and rustic.  Oh, and crazy cheap.  I love that too.  Couldn’t you see these burlap wreaths used as centerpieces at a wedding reception? They’d look lovely with soft flowers in smaller vases and tiny votives sprinkled around them in the middle of a table, no?

images:  all Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

I finally wrapped a few presents today!  Whew.  It’s coming down to the wire here.  I really enjoy wrapping gifts though.  Just like home decor, I try to keep it simple, casual, neutral and budget-friendly.  I picked 3 different rolls of wrapping paper from Target this year: a neutral craft paper with pinstripes, a cream paper with mod taupe polka dots and a sparkly granite.  Each of these prints can transcend a realm of celebrations – not just Christmas.  {There I go again.  I even like my wrapping paper to multitask!}  I busted out my old Stampin’ Up supplies to craft custom name tags. I used a 2″ circle punch to cut my ivory tags, then embossed silver snowflakes onto them for a little glitz. Take a peek.

Instead of traditional curly-Q ribbon, I chose a roll of medium-thickness hemp twine to adorn the gifts.  {I found it at Wal-Mart for super cheap.}  I also finished up a roll of regular {thin} twine that I already had on hand.

A length of hemp rope strung round-and-round vertically is enough to add a special touch.  {Simply tape the free ends at the back of the gift.}  This is especially great for presents that must travel…no worries about smashed/lost bows…the hemp lies flat.

On a small jewelry box, I forwent {is that a word?!} paper all together and embossed an ornament right on top.

For unusually shaped objects, I make it easy and just cover the labels.  It saves paper, extra boxes and, ultimately, trees.  And have you noticed?  Complimentary boxes are hard to come by these days.

{That’s my favorite cleaning solution above.  It’s Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day All Purpose Cleaner in Lemon Verbena.  I bought a 6-pack and divvy’ed it up between our school bus drivers, teachers and a few relatives.}  Candles are another hard-to-wrap-without-a-box-item.

Couldn’t you see that dark gray glittery paper being used to wrap a wedding gift, too?  The modern polka dot paper could be great for birthdays, baby showers and Mother’s Day.  And that craft paper would work well for Father’s Day or any manly gift.  In case you’re wondering, I did use these papers to wrap my kids’ gifts too…but Santa breaks out much bolder Christmas-y paper.  It makes the Santa gifts really stand out!

So what about you?  Still have presents to wrap?  Or are you on the ball this year and wrapped all your gifts weeks ago?  Let’s just say I’ll be wrapping while I watch TV tonight.  Happy wrappy!

images:  all Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

Our sunroom offers wide open views of our backyard and adjacent farm land {not ours}.  We enjoy being in there and taking in nature’s beauty.  It’s peaceful.  I wanted to add a little holiday sumpin’-sumpin’ to our sunroom without taking away from the scenery or spending much.  So when snow began to fall here a little over a week ago, I took inspiration from Mother Nature and put together a snowmobile.  Let me explain.

I snipped tissue paper into snowflakes of varying sizes.  I bent a white wire clothes hanger into a circle.  {Well, let’s pretend it’s a circle.} Then I  suspended the snowflakes from the wire hanger at different heights using clear tape and fishing line.  Finally, I tied the entire mobile to our sunroom’s ceiling fan.

I named it ‘the snowmobile.’  Handy Hubby just shook his head.  He thinks the terminology I come up with is corny.  I couldn’t agree more.

I painted paper maché letters a very light – almost undetectable – pinky lavender and propped them up in the windowsill to spell “JOY.”  Handy Hubby strung the woven ball lights across the windows. {The letters and lights we already had on hand from past Christmases.} I did splurge on 3 faux allium stems.  I had a coupon and they cost me less than $6 for all.  I can see them being displayed in the summer months, too.

Wasn’t it nice of Mother Nature to provide some white ground cover for the shots?

Yes, my boys have already experimented with the snowmobile.  If you were 5 years old wouldn’t you be curious to know what would happen with the fan on?  Well, I’ll tell you what happens.  The snowflakes just get all tangled up and your mother has to detangle them.  No harm done.

I’ve seen gorgeous DIY snowflake projects all over the place.  The best part is they can stay up well beyond Christmas.  What about you?  Have you busted out your always useful elementary school snowflake cutting skills lately?

images:  all Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

Our decor is mostly simple and light, so it should come as no surprise that I decorated our holiday mantel as such.

And I only spent about $8.

The metal star, green ribbon, 2 ceramic pillars, woven balls, leafy {faux} branches, silver icicle garland, clear and ceramic votives, rippled wood pillar {actually a back massager I think?} and silver bells are all things I’ve had for many years.  The only things I spent money on were the 3 mercury votives and paper garland.  The mercury votives were 99¢ each from Target.

The DIY paper garland was an idea I *borrowed* from Belinda over at The Happy Home.  {I’m telling you.  She’s great.} It ran me about $5.

The silver bells are Handy Hubby’s from when he was little.  {They really need polished.}  He got one each Christmas as a child.  I sat them atop clear glass votives to keep them from rolling around and to give them some height.

To keep things from feeling too stark, I tried a little layering:  the star/ribbon over the mirror, the green leafy branches & icicle garland in the background, the pillars & votives & paper garland in the foreground. Notice how a few of the leaves reach up to the mirror, curve around the white ceramic pillar and brush the paper garland.  I also like how just at the right angle the metal star rests atop the mirrored reflection of our Christmas tree {across the room}.  A happy accident.

So do you want a DIY paper garland tutorial?  If so, keep reading.  If not, stop reading.

DIY PAPER GARLAND TUTORIAL

There are several versions of paper garland tutorials out there in the blog world.  I used Belinda’s and tweaked it a little.  Staying true to my celery, lavender and eggplant color scheme, I bought 10 sheets of scrapbooking paper. {5 sheets of lavendar polka dot and 5 sheets of celery polka dot} This cost me roughly $5.  As far as paper goes, that’s expensive.  But as far as garland goes, that’s cheap.  Then I used a 2″ circle cutting tool {try Fiskars} to cut out a buh-zillion 2″ paper circles. {You could do this by hand but I wouldn’t recommend it.} I used up all 10 sheets of paper.

With all my circles cut out, I took 2 of each color to make 1 paper bauble.

I folded each circle in half, wrong side out.

I applied glue just to the outer edge of 1 circle, wrong side out.  {Be sure to leave the folded edge free of glue…this comes in handy later when stringing the baubles together.}

I attached a folded circle of the opposite color to the glued circle.

I continued gluing and adding the folded circles, alternating colors, until all 4 circles were glued together.  {Layne said the baubles looked like little Saturn planets.}

Then I repeated this over and over and over…

…or to be exact 75 times.  It does take a while {hence the change in lighting – from natural daylight to artificial evening light} but it’s very easy and I found it quite calming.  I let the baubles dry completely.  I threaded a needle onto my trusty spool of twine.  You could use string, thread, yarn, etc.

Then I pulled the twine through the center of each bauble.  {That’s why you only use glue on the outer edges of the circles.} I did have to gently pull some of the baubles to open up the middle and make way for the needle.  I could have used a longer needle but I didn’t have one.

I knotted each end of twine to reveal a very pretty garland.

It’s playful, colorful, even a little textural.  I taped mine to the mantel but it could be just as great on the Christmas tree, around doorways, on a dining table or traipsing along a wall.  Oh, and what about a party decoration?!

I’m definitely saving this paper garland after the holiday season is over.  Who knows where it’ll end up next?  What about you?  Are you making any Christmas decorations?  Do you prefer store bought or handmade seasonal decor?  I like both.  Obviously.

images: all Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

I found 2 of these linen hanging organizers at Target last week on clearance for $3.74 each.  They were originally priced at $14.99 each.

I grabbed ‘em up and knew right away where I was going to use them.  You see, Layne started kindergarten this fall.  Who’da thought kindergarteners would bring home so much paperwork? From PTO newsletters to fundraiser info to weekly fluoride treatment consent forms…I’ve been slightly overwhelmed.  {Layne calls it his ‘homework.’}  Most of it gets tossed into the recycling bin but some is worth keeping and I haven’t found a good place to put it.  That is, not until I found these Real Simple bad boys.

Our mini mudroom is drop-zone central for coats, backpacks, shoes, hats, bags, etc.  {It was once a cumbersome hall closet.  See how we DIY’d it into a multitasking mudroom here over on Young House Love.} So, I figured what better place to add organization, right?  I used 4 drywall anchors and coordinating screws to secure the 2 hanging organizers to the narrow mudroom wall {just left of the bench if looking head-on}.

Then, to make ‘em a little more personal, I stamped the boys’ names onto the back of the Real Simple cards that came with the organizers.

Everett isn’t in school {not even preschool} yet, so I’ll probably just throw some extra pairs of undies in his for a while…or his coloring artwork.  God forbid I don’t get him something that Layne got!  Layne’s will come in handy for school reminders, consent forms and his weekly school library book {that we often have trouble finding the morning it’s due back}. And I love the fact that these will grow with the boys. Homework, here we come!

I could see these hanging organizers working just as well in an office or craft room.  And what about as mail sorters? Yes, siree.  Finding ways to keep our home clutter-free and running smoothly is fun to me.  Nerdy?  Absolutely. But it preserves my sanity.  And a mother’s sanity is a worthy investment.  Especially if it only costs $7.48.

images:  all by Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

This is my powder room.

I hand painted the circles border for FREE during my kids’ naptime a few years back.  I just used a tape measure, level, pencil, painter’s tape, a few empty cardboard toilet paper tubes {paper towel tubes would work as well}, a teeny paint brush {fabric brushes are a good choice} and leftover matte paint.  Here’s how I did it:

**This is a reenactment of actual events.  Names of characters may have been changed.  If only I’d have known what a blog was when I originally took on this project, I could give you the real deal.**

I knew I wanted the border to run just above the sink and toilet.  I measured up from the floor to figure out where I wanted the bottom of border.  36″ looked good.

Starting at the door, I used a level and pencil to mark off the bottom of my border all the way around the room.  Then I taped if off with painter’s tape.

I practiced my painting technique on the back of a notebook before applying it to the wall.

I used the paint off the lid of some leftover trim paint that the builder gave us when we bought our spec home.

I pressed the wet tube firmly onto the paper.

Notice the circle isn’t perfect.  It’s okay.  {That’s what gives it texture in the end.}

I perfected my technique…

…and decided on a border that would be 4 circles high {5 circles was too high}.  I used the same painting technique to ‘paint’ circles on the powder room walls, following the 36″ high tape line.  I painted column-by-column – meaning I would make one circle right above the tape line and then add 3 more above it before moving on to the next column of circles.  When my cardboard tube would get soggy on one end, I’d just flip it over and use the opposite end.  When both ends were soggy, I threw it away and got a clean one.  {This is why you’ll need more than one paper tube.}

Now, let’s talk corners for a minute.  I was 1 for 4 in the corners.  Only 1 corner in the powder room didn’t have to be touched up in some way.  The way the circles fell, I was able to press a painted circle right at the corner and then go on to the next perpendicular wall.

In the other 3 corners, though, I had to hand paint the circles using a stiff fabric brush.  {Really, any small paint brush would work as long as you have a steady hand.}  I don’t think I did a great job, but no one notices unless I point it out to them.  It helps that I did my first ‘touch-up’ in the corner behind the door.

After the border was complete, I simply removed the painter’s tape and let the paint dry.  This DIY project took me about 45 minutes from start-to-finish and cost me $0.  This is definitely a good naptime project for moms…quick, easy and painless.  Everyone that visits our home and uses the first floor powder room complements the border and then asks how I did it.  They’re always surprised when I tell them I did it with a cardboard toilet paper tube for FREE.  It is a little ironic that I used an empty toilet paper roll to paint my bathroom, isn’t it?

images: all by Dana Miller taken in bad lighting

Call me a party-pooper, Scrooge or cold.  But, I’m sorry, I really don’t like blatant holiday decor. That being said, I have 2 kiddos that I don’t want to deprive of holiday fun.  So with Halloween right around the corner, we worked together on spookifying our living room…for FREE.

NON-SCARY LIVING ROOM

I asked my boys to tell me a few things they thought were scary.  I got spiders, BOO! and bats out of them.  So, I sketched out a picture of each onto a scrap piece of poster board we already had on hand and them cut them out.  {I also drew the boys their own things to cut out while I worked on mine…a good distraction!}

I used a small, folded-over piece on tape on each cut-out and stuck them to the insides of our living room lampshades.

LIGHTS OFF

The shapes aren’t noticeable with the lights off, but when you switch them on they cast nice shadows on the shades.

LIGHTS ON

My boys think this is just about the coolest project we’ve done.  And they don’t seem to mind that our scary lampshade spiders only have 6 legs.  {For the life of me, I can’t draw a non-freakish looking 8-legged spider.  Plus, 6 legs were plenty to cut…my hands were starting to cramp.}  I’ve found the living room lamps on during daylight hours just about every day since the spooky silhouettes made an appearance.  Oh well, it’s gotta cost less than powering one of those outdoor blow-up jack-o’-lanterns.

A regular H*T reader contacted me after seeing the mood board I put together for Scott and Robyn’s basement.  Michelle was wanting help with an inexpensive bedroom makeover.  And being that I like to pretend I’m an interior designer, I happily accepted Michelle’s request.  Currently, her bedroom looks like this…

It’s not a bad room to begin with at all.  Did you notice the floors?  And that upholstered headboard was a DIY project that Michelle and her husband completed together.  Michelle was wanting ideas for paint color, bedding, window treatments {well, door treatments I guess} and accessories.  After seeing my fandelier, she also wanted to incorporate the World Market pendant light into her room. Michelle asked that all the furniture stay {a bookcase also resides in her bedroom but is not shown above} but said that the sewing table and/or bookcase could be painted.  She was also looking to make the sewing table into more of a desk instead of a stand-alone piece.  After reviewing several pics of inspiration rooms that Michelle sent my way, I gathered that she was leaning towards a light, mostly neutral palette with a soothing feel.  In her original email to me, I also learned that Michelle likes a mix of crisp white and contrasting mocha with hints of green.  Taking all of that into consideration, this is what I came up with for Michelle’s budget-friendly room makeover…

I’m suggesting that Michelle paint her walls Dolphin Fin {by Behr, Home Depot}.  It’s a slightly tan-y gray.

Here’s a living room painted in Dolphin Fin so you get the idea…

{image courtesy of Alaina Kaczmarski}

For a fresh fix, clean white bedding {you can find it just about anywhere!} will instantly lighten all the dark furniture.  I found a few geometric print pillows along with a leafy green lumbar pillow to add interest.  The good news is they’re on sale for less than $13 each!  A white round mirror above the headboard will add in some curves.  {Frugal hint:  find any round mirror at Goodwill and spray paint it white.}  Spray painting the bedside lamps’ bases white will help to lighten things up, too.  The World Market chandelier is going to be the WOW! in this bedroom.  A furry sheepskin rug alongside the bed will add texture.  To keep all the furniture from looking the same, I suggested that Michelle paint her sewing desk green {similar to the one shown here} and her bookcase white.  Sliding up a white chair and hanging a DIY linen pinboard {like this} will further help the sewing table to act as a desk.  Those vertical blinds on the patio sliders have got to go!  I can’t wait to see how large and bright those sliding doors look when topped with a dark {either black or rubbed bronze} curtain rod and long, flowing white curtains.  Opening up that wall by hanging the window treatments high and wide around the patio doors will really have a huuuuuge impact.  {That’s one before-and-after I can’t wait to see!}  Finally, accessorizing with woven baskets, white ceramics and greenery {I had to throw in an orchid} will really bring some ease and life to the bedroom.  I dig these Jonathan Alder birds but really any cutesy piece found at Goodwill could be spray painted white for the same effect.

So, that’s how I would tweak Michelle’s bedroom without breaking the bank.  I was happy to hear that Michelle is excited about her mood board and actually has many of the items I suggested {rug, baskets, plants, white pots, etc} in her home already.  We must be on the same wavelength.  I know she isn’t in a hurry to tackle her bedroom makeover head-on, but when she does do it I sure hope she shares some pictures!  Pretty please, Michelle?