Decor Roomies

Teacher Appreciaton!!

2011-05-04T08:00:00.017-04:00

Teacher appreciation week has taken on a whole new meaning for us since we’re actually teachers now!

Both of us just wrapped up our teaching internship. During that time we work under the supervision of a rock star teacher. Obviously we both learned A LOT from our respective teachers and wanted to thank them for allowing us to spend the past four months in their classrooms.

Here are a few of the things we created for our teachers:

Clipboards – the clipboards were a dollar a piece at Dollar Tree, we already had some of the scrapbook paper on hand, and we definitely already had the mod podge. This was an extremely simple project!

1. Cut the scrapbook paper to size by tracing the clipboard onto the paper.

2. Use a paintbrush to spread a thin ribbon of mod podge around the edge of the clip board.

3. Working quickly, place the scrapbook paper onto the clipboard.

4. Spread mod podge all over the surface of the paper.

5. Repeat for the other side.

Button Apple on Burlap – this was an “already on deck” kind of project. Had the buttons, had the burlap, and had the turquoise frame.

1. Cut the burlap to size.

2. Free hand an apple (using chalk) onto the burlap.

3. Hot glue the buttons over the chalk outline.

4. Fill out the apple with more buttons or leave it empty.

I found the inspiration for the apple on Etsy without even planning on it. I was just shopping around for art…

Additionally, teachers can always use essential supplies like:

Kleenex

Pencils

Pens

Paper clips

Brightly colored printer paper

Paper towels

Cleaning supplies

Fun expo markers

If you want to get more sentimental than that, a thank you card will do!

Have fun!

Ana White Bench

2011-04-20T08:00:00.000-04:00

Chelsea recently introduced me to the world of Ana White. Cue the lights and soundtrack now. It was one of those “ahhhh haaaaaaa” moments like from the movies.

I spent quite a bit of time drooling over so many of her amazing designs! I pretty much wish I had the know-how, time, and tools to build absolutely everything she has available.

While I was home for spring break I convinced Ted to help me build one of Ana’s designs. I loved the look of the rustic x bench! My persuasive abilities must be decent since he agreed and we fled to the nearest home improvement store to purchase supplies.

A few days after purchasing the lumber and the screws for the project, we finally got to work! I got to use a table saw (ohhh yeaaaa!). I still have all of my fingers too! Ted will tell you, I was very careful around it.

Although the instructions came with pictures, I sure had no clue how to cut at an angle and what point to point meant. I would have relied on Google to help us figure it out, but Ted knew what he was doing.

After making all the cuts, I started sanding all of the edges. I wanted the edges to be smooth and cornered anywhere someone may touch or accidentally run into the bench.

The assembly was probably the toughest part of the process since it involved countersinking screws and centering all of the different parts of the bench. Counterskinking the screws was a great idea on Ana’s behalf since that means they wont show and add to the polished look of the bench.

I let the wood filler dry overnight and sanded off the excess. My original plan was to paint the entire bench a light green color that I got at Lowe’s (I think) for $5 – instead of $30! Then I got to thinking though…

I’ve really been digging furniture that is painted a light color on the bottom and stained a darker color on the top. I had stain… soooo it was quite simple to change the plan.

After just one super light coat of walnut stain.

I’ve been looking at this bench with love eyes since yesterday! I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. If you have the tools and know-how to build something, I highly recommend it. It feels GOOD to tell someone “hey, I built that.”

Don’t forget to check out Ana White for some inspiration! She seriously has fantastic plans for just about anything – and no we aren’t being paid to say that.

Happy building!

Dresser Win!

2011-04-13T08:00:00.000-04:00

Finding the perfect dresser for the perfect amount of money is hard. I’ve been in love with the IKEA Hemnes dresser forever.

Source

Symmetry is my cup of tea and this dresser has it!

As a college student, the price is much less delightful. I cannot justify spending $300 on a brand new dresser even IF it will last me forever as most IKEA pieces do.

Thus, when it came to furniture shopping I scoured Craigslist for a dresser deal. I did find a deal – a five piece white bedroom set including a nightstand, bookshelf (which I love oh so much!), headboard, mirror, and dresser for $325. Considering that I got five pieces of furniture for what I would have spent on ONE piece at IKEA, I was pretty thrilled.

After two years, I’ve had it with the stupid dresser. It seems to be falling apart on one side, while on another side a leg truly has broken off, and it is highly impractical. It looks more like a buffet than a dresser and if I fix the leg one day that is exactly what I will use it for. After all, I have an abundance of table linens because of the Dillard’s clearance center and Goodwill so close to my house.

On a recent trip to South-ish Florida, I purchased this beauty! Yes, that is a French style dresser in an antique white/yellow and gold finish! I’m more excited about the dresser than the finish though.

It has got to go! At $25 (yes TWENTY-FIVE) I could not let it go. This dresser is solid! The top is condensed white particleboard so it is un-paintable, part of the sides are particleboard, and the rest is wood.

I’ve decided that I would most appreciate this dresser in a bright white finish. I don’t want to paint it a punchy color like corral or apple green or a bright light blue since I’m not exactly sure if I’ll still like that in a few years. White is classic and safe.

SNEAK PEEK!!

Stay tuned for a follow up post to see what it looks like!!

Change for the Cheap!

2011-04-06T21:00:00.004-04:00

Well, I’ve been a bit busy as of late. So has Chelsea. For good reason, we’re in the final stretch of college – literally! Graduation is less than a month away! We’ve been interning at different schools everyday, all day and loving every second of it! Yet, after a long day of teaching, a crafty project (yet a simple one) is always relaxing. These are simple, less than 10-minute projects with a personal touch.

Project #1: Change Jar

Loose change. I find it in the bottom of my purse. I find it in my laundry hamper. I find it in the trunk of my car. I find it on the floor in my room. Don’t get me wrong. I ~~like~~ love loose change! Especially when I run out of places to store it and finally muster up the courage to roll it up and take it to the bank.

I’m still working on the collection (the more loose change, the better the happy dance after counting!), but seeing loose change all over my dresser was DRIVINGMECRAZY since it was not fitting into the little wooden box I usually keep it in anymore.

So… here’s what I did. I found a Smucker’s jelly jar in our collection of random things. I found some scrapbook paper that coordinated with the colors of my room and cut off a thick strip of it. I then taped (yes, that easy) the paper around the jar and then used dollar store vinyl letters to spell out “change” on the jar. The last step was using spray paint to cover up the red and white checker pattern. ORB was the obvious choice. I had it already and it matches my room. There aren’t many/any how-to photos since I figured it was rather simple.

Project #2: Monogram “Art”

I’m not the biggest fan of monograms (I wouldn’t have a bunch of different “A’s” all over a wall or monogram every towel and pillow case and blanket and sock I own) but I’ve recently started to like them more.

My teacher bag that I’m obsessed with (L.L. Bean) is monogrammed. I have a cool monogram painting on my room door that Val made for me and now I have this super cool picture frame!

The picture frame itself is old. I got it at Jo-Ann’s light years ago. Well, I’m not that old… but it was definitely in my high school era. Whenever I got it, I painted it white and used turquoise paint for the edges to make it cute I guess. Well, it wasn’t really my style anymore soooo I used lots of primer (that turquoise was a pain to cover) and then two or three coats of white spray paint to cover it up.

Anywhoooo, I used another coordinating sheet of scrapbook paper and cut it to size (4x6). Once upon a time (December, I believe?) my mom spotted these awesome black and white damask pattern sticker letters. The black is actually velvet!

After snipping and ~~mathematically determining~~ eyeballing the center of the piece of paper, I slapped that “A” on there and stuck it in the frame. I added it to my collection of frames on my dresser. I love photos and art so looking at my dresser makes my heart happy each day!

Happy thoughts,

Show and Tell @ Blue Cricket Design

Feeling Rebellious!

2011-03-10T20:27:00.001-05:00

Since most of you are strangers and don’t know where we live… we have a confession. We ~~destroyed~~ beautified property that belongs to our apartment complex.Essentially, we took our standard apartment chandelier from brassy (ehhhh) to classy (ooooh la la!). Really we are doing our complex a major favor.

Thanks Google! We have no "before" picture.

Considering that brass was “the thing” before we were born (oh yeah – we’re late 80’s babies!) we weren’t all that thrilled with the brass nightmare dangling from the ceiling.

A bottle of cheap-o primer and cheap-o spray paint and we were in business! We decided that white was our best option in case we ever needed to DENY that this was our doing.

We have a good case too, since anything that was NOT supposed to be painted white (such as the brass door knobs and brass door locks) actually was sloppily spray painted over.

To improve upon this drastic, yet oh so welcome, color change we added “chandelier crystals.” No they aren’t Swarovski – easy mistake for the untrained eye ;)

Our “chandelier crystals” are actually beads from Micheal’s purchased on a day where all beads where on sale AND with lots of 40% off coupons.

We are estimating that the final cost of this project is somewhere around $20. It took less than 3 hours total with drying time and re-installation.

Thus if you are in a rebellious mood or just sick of looking at your brassy chandelier - go forth and do something about it! A quick trip to the store for supplies and we assure that you will be in business. Just don't electrocute yourselves - safety first!

Keep it classy not brassy,

Up on the Mantle!

2011-02-28T18:33:00.000-05:00

We like to think that we live in a swanky, luxurious, grown-up apartment. We sort of do (thanks to our budget friendly DIY and decorating savvy), but some of the true built in futures (like a fireplace with a mantle) are missing from our college student apartment.

Never fear though – free shelves are always near! Okay, maybe not always, and maybe not for everyone. This is the second floating shelf that Allison got from a friend who was moving out of her apartment. The other one displays Chelsea’s “Antiques” sign in her room.

Chelsea's Room

Anyway, this spare floating shelf has become our makeshift mantle. You really can’t beat free either! We’ve been able to decorate for the seasons and holidays on our new mantle.

Christmas Mantle :)


Fall Mantle :)

Our current mantle “wardrobe” consists of a milk glass candlestick (a la Goodwill $2.99), mini pewter vases (scored at a sidewalk sale for a buck a piece in GA), green beer bottles (this is college), and a fancy LIVE sign from TarJay (CLEARANCE $3.74 instead of $15!), and finally the flowers are from Dollar Tree.

We’ve missed you all and promise that you’ll be hearing from us more in the near future! We’re about to be college graduates!!!!!

Mantleous Love

Let There Be Cake!

2011-01-30T16:27:00.001-05:00

You probably don’t want to read another one of our lame apologies for not blogging enough… so we’ll just get going like we’ve been here EVERYDAY!

SURPRISEEEE!

Anti-social :/

Before we jump in, you may need some background information. Chelsea, yes Decor Roomie Chelsea, had her 22^nd birthday a month ago. All of us, as in other roomies and friends were not able to celebrate with her since we were had winter break. Thus, Rachel (a roomies) planned a surprise birthday party for her. I (Allison) am currently being anti-social and typing this post because I am just too darn excited about all of this.

Rachel invited all of our friends and Val made Penne a la Vodka and I made a cake (you may have already figured that out).

Isn’t it beautiful? Okay so maybe my frosting skills were off, but I was in a rush!

Want the recipe? Of course you do :)

1 Box of Yellow Cake Mix

2 Cans of DRAINED Mandarin Oranges (the average size can… threw it away already otherwise I would tell you how many ounces)

Whipped Cream (see recipe below)

Prepare the yellow cake mix according to directions on the box for 9” round cake pans.

Allow the cake to cool and start preparing the whipped cream.

The recipe for that is as follows:

3 cups of whipping cream

1 ½ teaspoons of vanilla extract

6 tablespoons of granulated sugar

Orange Zest

Combine all of the ingredients and use an electric mixer on medium speed until peaks form. You may also use a whisk, but your arm or elbow will begin to hurt after a while as mine did.

Once the cake has cooled and the whipped cream has been chilled in the fridge, begin the assembly process.

Place one cake layer on a plate and spread a generous helping of whipped cream on the cake. Then take use about one cans worth of mandarin oranges and spread them out over the whipped cream.

Top this with the next cake layer and then frost the entire thing with the whipped cream. Beautify the cake by topping it with more mandarin oranges.

Chill the cake before serving. I made this recipe up and I am rather proud of it. Everyone thought it was delicious and I am happy, yet sad, to say that there are only two slim slices of it left.

Chelsea’s surprise party was a success! Time to socialize :)

The Good Kind of Hurricane

2011-01-01T14:30:00.009-05:00

Thanks to all of the blogs we love reading, Allison and I have been inspired to try lots of simple projects that we can make our own. We love to try things that require the least amount of brain power, and more importantly, cash. Due to our college student status, extra amounts of either of these items come at a premium. Some of the projects we’ve come to love the most are those using items from none other than our local Dollar Tree. DT has become the place to get our DIY-ing fill when time and money run short. Of course, it is important to keep in mind that you must have an imagination and no fear of using a little elbow grease.

A specific project we came across on various other blogs that was so easy, and cost less than $5 total, was making decorative hurricanes using Dollar Tree items. It was easily customizable for both of the bedrooms we wanted to place them in, just by choosing different fillers for each.

To start off, I picked up my DT items: one pillar candle holder with a flared rim, and one glass candle stick holder.

Then, using some Gorilla Glue we already had on hand, attach the end of the candle stick with the opening to the center of the bottom of the pillar candle holder. …We made no measurements to find the center, a simple eyeball did the trick for us. Be careful not to go overboard with the Gorilla Glue since it does puff up.

Here’s the hard part. Once you’ve applied the glue and have your hurricane sitting upside down, DO NOT touch it for an hour! Place a cookbook (or textbook!) balanced on the candle stick holder to add some pressure. Otherwise, set this out of the way and WALK AWAY!

When the Gorilla Glue is good and dry, you can flip it over, and admire your handy work. But not for too long, because that beauty now needs something inside it! For our hurricanes we chose two different fillers, because these were going to be placed on two different desks, in two different bedrooms.

For Chelsea’s hurricane, she used some sand brought back from a local beach, some glass bead fillers she found packed away in the holiday decorations and a white pillar candle from DT. Allison’s hurricane contains a green DT candle and some black DT river rocks. Each one looks beautiful in their respective bedrooms, and cost just under $5 for both the hurricane and the filler. And the best part? It is so easy to change the contents to fit any room, any season, any mood!

Not the best shot, but you can see where it lives there next to my computer.


Another one...

And another! This one is a bit different and lives on the coffee table.

For those of you looking to beef up your holiday décor for next year, you could fill this hurricane with some shiny and colorful ornaments, or some sprigs of evergreen and red berries. They look great on a mantle in a grouping of three, a bedside table, or if you’re like us college kids, you can add a little beauty to the place you end up spending more time than you’d like: your desk.

Be sure to check this easy, wallet-friendly project out! If you’ve created something similar, comment with a link to your finished product!

Have a happy and decorative new year,

Happy 2011!

2010-12-31T23:59:00.000-05:00

Yippppeeeeee!

A Coffee Table Story

2010-12-29T08:00:00.000-05:00

Once upon a time a girl fell in love with a coffee table at Goodwill. Her mom thought it was weird though, and told her not to buy it. She went back to Goodwill a few days later and thought about what she could do to it to make it pretty again. Nothing came to mind immediately, and the girl left empty handed, seeking inspiration.

That night the girl went to sleep and had dreams about the coffee table. It was a restless night for the girl, and in the morning she called her best friend to join her on an adventure. The girl was scared when she walked in and didn’t see the coffee table she had literally lost sleep over. She searched all the nooks and crannies of the store.

Resigned, the girl began to leave the store when her best friend got the bright idea to ask one of the employees about the fate of the table. He knew instantly which coffee table she was speaking of, and told her it was actually about to be thrown away. The girl was happy to know that the coffee table could be hers and that she could rescue it from an untimely demise.

After spending just $4 and loading it up in the car, the girl drove her blank slate home. The girl would then cover the wicker coffee table in batting and two coordinating decorator fabrics from Jo-Ann’s and the girl and the coffee table lived happily ever after.

Yours truly,

A Handmade Christmas!

2010-12-26T08:00:00.008-05:00

A Handmade Christmas!

As much as we love Christmas, and we LOOOVE it, we’re excited it’s over because we finally get to show off all of the awesome handmade things we gave our friends and family this year!

We gave wall art…

"Love is all you need"

(Tutorial coming soon!)

We gave recipe cards…

Recipe Cards
(Set of 10, printed at home on card stock, tied together with a bow)

Feel free to print me out...

We gave craft kits…

Gumball Machine Kit (inspired by See Jane Blog)
Whoopsies! Forgot to take a picture, but the kit contained the following items:
Terracotta Pot from Michaels ($1.19)
Terracotta Planter from Michaels ($0.89)
Glass Bowl from Dollar Tree ($1.00)
Fuzzy Pom Pom Balls from Dollar Tree ($1.00)
- This was in the kit mostly just because they looked like gumballs for when the candy might run out.
Acrylic Paint Set with Paintbrush from Dollar Tree ($1.00)
Bag of Candy (M&M's went into this kit)
Instructions

We gave cookies…

Super delicious chocolate cookies using this tasty recipe from the Martha Stewart Cookies Book.

Allison made this one!

That is one of Grandma's Buckeyes!

Crescent Cookies made by Grandma!

Grandma's Molasses Cookies!

Along with apricot and raspberry thumbprints inspired by this recipe also from the Martha Stewart Cookies Book.

These bars were also a huge hit! Prepare yourself for a workout when you cut these up.

Grandma likes to pack her cookies in tins lined with a lot of plastic wrap to keep cookies nice and fresh. If you want to take the cheaper route, pick up some gift boxes and tissue paper (seasonal or not) and pack cookies in a gift box lined with tissues paper. Tie a bow around it and VOILA!

Did you give or receive anything handmade?

All the best,

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-24T23:59:00.004-05:00

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Love,

PS: You may print our "Merry Christmas" and get ready for next year :)

A Collegiate Christmas!

2010-12-20T08:00:00.008-05:00

Hosting Christmas gatherings with our friends has become somewhat of a tradition within our circle.

Freshman year we had fun in our finest green and red in the original Rachelsea in the first dorm we lived in. If memory serves us right, we played Sing Star, had fondue, did some sort of gift exchange, and sat close to Rachel’s Christmas palm tree.

Sophomore year, we gathered in the original Chelison in the second dorm we lived in. Of course we had a gift exchange again, ate something, huddled by the fireplace (the kind you pop into a DVD player and watch on TV), and painted ornaments.

No picture from junior year? Impossible! But true :(

Junior year we had everyone join us at Rachelison! Our first apartment! It was completely decorated for the season and we enjoyed the festivities by indulging in food, another gift exchange, and games.

Too busy having fun to take a nice group shot:(

Recently we enjoyed our last Christmas party as college students by hosting an “Ugly Sweater Dirty Santa Holiday Cheer Potluck.” Yes, it was a mouthful to say but it was a complete blast! We started off by enjoying everyone’s delicious treats and then exchanged gifts, and then played Just Dance 2 until the weeeee hours of the morning.

Potluck :)

Being the good hostesses that we are, we gave out little stockings filled with candy to our friends before they left as a toke of appreciation for joining us.

We aren’t just going to keep boring you with our sappy memories; we’re actually trying to make a point here.

A College Christmas happens on a budget, so our guests and us don’t go into even more debt. Here’s what we do to keep from going broke.

A) Decorate using what you’ve got! Don’t buy stuff just for the party – if you do, make sure you can use it during other times of the year as well or for other parties. And if you do buy something, consider your local thrift stores first.

Either from Goodwill or re-purposed!

B) Plan a potluck! Ask each of your guests to bring a dish, and be sure to tell them what type of dish (appetizer, side dish, dessert, etc.) This will save tons of money for you, the host, and allow for a variety of dishes for your guests to enjoy.

C) Host a small gift exchange! Gift exchanges like White Elephant, Dirty Santa, and Secret Santa are so much fun and everyone just needs to bring one gift. Gifts can be silly or useful, but should arrive wrapped so no one can scope out what they are before the gift exchange actually happens. Finally, set a spending limit that you and your guests will be comfortable with. We have jumped around in the $5 to $10 every year.

D) Have a small parting gift on hand for your guests. Our stockings were a quarter a piece from the thrift store, but were brand new, and the candy was on hand.

We wish you all the best this holiday season and hope you are able to spend with those you love.

Happy Holidays,

Christmas with the Roomies!

2010-12-16T08:00:00.002-05:00

We finally put all of our Christmas decorations up at the apartment and wanted to give you the grand tour!

The eve of our Christmas Party :)

Our faux mantle

We had everything already!

Snowbabies all came from Goodwill

Recycled green bottles with scrap red ribbon.... FREE!

Hello 69 cent cloche cover, pretty on hand decor, and 50 cent plate.

It's snowing from our Chandelier!

We have been so antsy to get these up, but school (as usual) kept us from decorating the apartment. At least we have our priorities in order though and are way ahead of schedule with our school work!

Some furniture rearranging also had to take place so we could fit our Christmas tree back in last years spot.

Let us know what you think and feel free to share your holiday decor with us :)

Brrrr It’s Cold Outside!

2010-12-15T19:49:00.007-05:00

We live in an area of the country where it is almost always sunny and warm. Until the cold front moved in, that is. All of a sudden we are facing temperatures in the high teens and low twenties and we don’t want to leave the apartment because it is way to chilly outside.

Before you go on and tell us we’re a bunch of wimps, remember the disclaimer WE LIVE IN AN AREA OF THE COUNTRY WHERE IT IS ALMOST ALWAYS WARM. So there – we have the right to whine about this!

However, something fabulous came out of avoiding the outdoors.

A recipe for hot chocolate that rivals your favorite cup of Starbucks hot cocoa – so delicious, rich, and smooth it is too good not to share.

We discovered this recipe somewhere on the Internet a few years ago, but now it lives on a purple post-it on a bulletin board in our apartment, covered in spillage of course. So if you are the inventor of this recipe and happen to be reading it – please don’t sue us!

Okay so here it is:

1 cup of Milk + 2 Tablespoons of Milk
2 Tablespoons of Sugar
4 Teaspoons of Cocoa Powder
1/4 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract

In a saucepan heat 1 cup of milk and whisk continuously to make milk frothy.
In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine Vanilla extract, Cocoa Powder, Sugar, and 2 Tablespoons of Milk to make a thick "syrup."
Add syrup to milk and stir.
Top with whip cream or mini marshmallows :)

And in case you’re upset that this is not décor related… just make yourself a cup and you’ll be able to forgive us in no time!

Seasons Greetings,

Handmade Holiday Décor and Gift Ideas

2010-12-01T08:00:00.002-05:00

Décor Ideas

Instead of running out to the stores, try being green! Look around your house and see what you already have. You’ll probably have a lot of items with holiday décor potential that just need a bit of tweaking here and there. Tweaking can also be an inexpensive process. Use leftover ribbon or fabric scraps in your choice of color to accessorize your items. DT is always a great place to pick up some materials to tweak the items that you have. It would probably be most helpful come up with a color scheme before doing anything else.

Gift Ideas

Sincere gifts don’t have to break the bank. Baking cookies and giving them to friends in gift boxes (purchased at DT) is a simple, inexpensive, and yummy gift to give to friends and families along with a hand written note that expresses some holiday cheer. Martha Stewart and Better Homes and Gardens are great sources for cookie recipes. Chocolate chip cookies, sugar cookies, snicker doodles, jam thumbprints, and double chocolate cookies always make the cookie gift box.

A hot cocoa mix in recycled glass jars also goes well with cookies. Be sure to include directions so your friends and family know how to prepare it. As far as the jars are concerned, think jelly jars, spaghetti sauce jars, and anything else that you might buy in a glass jar at the store. Of course you could always just purchase a set of twelve mason jars. You can make your own fun labels using MS Word or Publisher or Photoshop or your design weapon of choice. Even alphabet wall stickers from DT work well to label the jars. Be sure to clean and dry them well before filling with your mix.

If you’re not much into baking or creating hot cocoa mixes, you could always DIY just about anything in order to give your friends and family a special and meaningful gift.

What we would like to DIY for our family and friends this holiday season:

Picture frames, necklaces, t-shirts, wall art, family cookbook, bulletin board, dry erase family calendar or menu board, chalkboard, personalized stationary, and so on and so on. If that isn’t enough inspiration for you just check out some of the blogs we follow and love for more ideas.

Cheerfully,

New Look for Decor Roomies!

2010-11-29T22:30:00.000-05:00

Hello Loyal Followers and Friends!

Oh hello pretty new header!

After purchasing Photoshop Elements 9 on Black Friday, Allison has obsessively been playing around with the software as if it were a really cute puppy or kitten or anything that you can't get enough of when you first get it. If you are looking for an inexpensive and simple to use program without shelling out actual Photoshop dough, then I definitely recommend Photoshop Elements (they aren't paying me to say this, even though it would be awesome if they did!). I have tried Gimp in the past but I just wasn't getting along with as there weren't that many tutorials available on the internet for what I was looking to use it for.

Two birdies because there are two of us :)

Our blog is now totally custom thanks to reading many, many, many tutorials (too many to recall otherwise we'd share the links - so sorry!). We've got a whole new header, background, profile picture, and button (that still needs to be sent to Photobucket and coded, etc.).

We've also got more posts ready to share with you this month as school is FINALLY winding down for the semester! Only two more weeks before we get to ~~be lazy~~ DIY until our brains hurt.

Photoshop Elements 9 will you please marry me? - Allison

Christmas decorations are definitely going up either tomorrow or the following day. Everything is patiently waiting to escape the cardboard boxes and help us be merry and cheerful as we go into finals week. Of course we'll share photos with you as well, from which you can hopefully get some ideas for how to decorate your own home for the holidays on a ~~broke~~ college student budget.

Happy almost December,

Allison & Chelsea

Of Bulletin Boards and Stitches

2010-11-24T19:07:00.005-05:00

Where to start?

I have been trying to think of a plan for the area above my desk for a while now. I wasn’t feeling my dry erase/bulletin board combo from the good ole dorm room anymore. Maybe it was the permanent dry erase marker stains? Or the bright blue yarn we used to hang this up sophomore year? I’m not sure what lead to its ultimate demise, but I was ready to move on.

A few weeks after I had the initial thought to change things up and once I figured out how EASY it is to make bulletin boards , I found these two wonderful frames at work. In the trash. For free. Of course they came home with me. Of course they lived in my car for a week before ever making it onto my room. Eventually* I decided to turn one of them into a bulletin board for the area above my desk.

*Eventually = 3 weeks

I decided that I deserved a break from my unit plan and teacher work sample and think pieces and other assignments I no longer have to think about (insert happy dance) to make this bulletin board.

I got out my wood filler, pliers, and trusty ORB spray paint and got to work!

As I was cleaning up my ~~mess~~ supplies I was attacked by a ninja holding a piece of picture frame glass. Obviously, he was trying to steal my mad crafting skills again and he threatened me with the picture frame glass. I am not one to back down from ninjas with picture frame glass in their hands and really thought I could take the ninja. But I couldn’t. He dropped the piece of glass and it fell onto one of the toes on my right foot while another corner of the glass made its way down my left leg and left me with a mere scratch below the leg and a three inch gash above my ankle. The ninja ran away because he was scared of the blood. I waited until the following day to go to the doctor and get stitches and a tetanus shot because it didn’t seem too bad.

Once I got over this traumatic experience (21 years without stitches – I only whimpered little bit) I covered foam display board in black fabric. I then taped a diamond lattice design and painted it with green craft paint. I didn’t like the final product though, so I dug through my fabric box and created this instead. It’s all finished now and I couldn’t be happier.

This is my new "above-desk" view :)

Chelsea & Allison

We also wish you a very happy thanksgiving and safe holiday travels :)

Lack of Blogging Apology #2

2010-11-15T18:59:00.002-05:00

Dear Thrifty Friends,

We’re really sorry.

Excuse #1: We’re in college and our teachers are keeping us busy!

We’re very sorry.

Excuse #2: We’re seniors in college and are trying to squeeze in as much fun as possible before we graduate.

Please forgive us?

Sincerely,

A very sorry Allison and a really sorry Chelsea

SPOOOKY Door Decor!

2010-10-29T14:53:00.000-04:00

Our apartment complex is hosting a door decorating contest and out competitiveness came out!

We made crime scene evidence markers out of leftover foam display board.

We made this tombstone out of leftover foam display board also and some silver spray paint. That bird is a hunting dove painted black :)

Evidence 2: Arm caught in door.

The door.

The spirit of the victim.

Evidence 1: the victim.

Evidence 3: A bloody knife!

This is supposed to be like a progression of what the door looks like from top to bottom.

Wish us luck!!!
Chelsea & Allison

Functional DIY Jewelry Display

2010-10-27T12:00:00.005-04:00

A few weeks ago, this photo became an inspiration! Our friend Ashton got this idea from another blog and decided to make herself an earring display. It turned out great and was a less than $10 dollar project (way less!).

Decor Roomie Allison wanted to make a jewelry stand out of tree branches… but there aren’t many “good” trees in the apartment complex and what would the neighbors think!

After taking a look at Ashton’s photo, I (Allison) got to digging and recalled that I had a frame hiding under my bookshelf. It was supposed to be for artwork from the Hallmark factory in Kansas City that I got from a service trip excursion. I never got it in the frame the way I wanted/pictured it. Then I just kept finding stuff to make the Jewelry Board and it took me 15 minutes to do the whole thing!

Here’s how:

- Picture frame (pick your size, Wal-Mart and Target and DT have good deals)

- Cork Roll

- Cork Squares OR Foam Display board

- Spray Adhesive

- Exacto Knife OR Scissors

- Sewing Pins

- Fabric (Optional)

1) Remove the glass and backing from the frame.

2) Depending on what materials you are using…

a. Lay out your cork squares and make sure they fit your frame and trim with the exacto knife.

b. Cut your foam display board to size using the exacto knife.

3) Generously apply your spray adhesive to the backing of the frame and quickly apply either your cork squares or foam board.

4) Depending on what materials you are using…

a. Cut your thin cork roll piece to size using the exacto knife.

b. Cut your fabric to slightly cover the edges of your backing using scissors.

5) Generously apply your spray adhesive to the cork or foam on the backing and quickly apply either your cork roll or fabric.

6) Insert your backing into the frame and secure.

7) Use sewing pins to hang your necklaces, bracelets, earrings, etc.

Total cost for me :$7 (WAY WAY WAY cheaper than buying one)

Cork Squares: $1.97 on clearance at Joann Fabric

Cork Roll: ~$2 leftover half from another project

Frame: $3 (but FREE really since I got it forever ago!)

This would also work as just a bulletin board, which I am thinking of doing to replace the one I have had for the past 3 years of college. The one that says “I <3 Chelison – Val xoxo NOT Derek” in purple ink that won’t come off :( I even got two frames from work!

This also works well as a present for the holidays! Don’t be surprised if this is what some of you get :)

Yours Bejeweled,

Chelsea & Allison

Linking up to:
Bobbypin's Boardwalk
Creations by Kara

Our FIRST Feature!!

2010-10-24T15:00:00.000-04:00

Hello Friends!

Today, we're being featured over at Mommas Kinda Crafty. We absolutely love reading her blog and are so excited that she has decided to feature us :)

Thank you so much, Joy!

Blog Land Love,
Chelsea & Allison

Cardboard Box Heaven to Cozy Living Room

2010-10-21T13:29:00.009-04:00

Quick explanation for our absence: We're in college and it's midterm time :(

Allison has been dating this wonderful guy for a little over a year and a half now. He lives in an apartment not too far away from me and always begs me to come over. However, I don’t like his apartment. It’s dark and boyish and there used to be no cable TV! His living room was especially horrific!

A few before photos...

Notice the black velvet sofas, coordinating pillows, glittery holiday garland, empty cardboard boxes, lack of decor, and mismatched curtains (it's hard to tell that they don't match in this photo).

EEEK EEEK EEEK! Chelsea and I convinced him to let us redo his apartment on a budget of course! For about $100 of supplies and a small payment ($15 for each of us) to us for driving and putting it all together…

After the makeover...

We got these as a set at Kirkland's for $9.97! Didn't like the color so we sprayed them ORB.

Those are DIY candle holders too!

Canvas drop cloth curtains replaced the striped ones that didn't match.

Allison sewed these pillow covers. Fabric came from Jo-Ann's. Was all on clearance :)

Curtains to cover up the boxes they refused to part with.

We made our own wall art by taking photos on campus to spell out our school's name.

Those are silk place mats from Dollar Tree. BAD idea for two guys. They don't look that great anymore :/

This used to be a mirror. It broke but we kept the frame and turned it into a bulletin board.

Now that he has a more inviting living room, maybe I’ll come over more and watch cable TV!

We've missed you,

Chelsea & Allison

We're partying at:
Brambleberry Cottage
House of Hepworth
Katie's Nesting Spot
Life as Lori
Paisley Passions
The Shabby Chic Cottage
Somewhat Simple
Beyond the Picket Fence
Seven Thirty Three
Finding Fabulous
Mommas Kinda Crafty

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROOMIE!!

2010-10-08T00:01:00.008-04:00

Happy 21st Birthday to our dear roomie, Valerie! We loooveee you so much!

We decided to dedicate this blog to all things Valerie… because we can and because we made her a few things!

The first thing Val got to see when she came home from the concert (her FAVORITE band was playing – what a gift!) was this “Happy Birthday Val” banner which we’re about to show you how to make. Obviously it doesn’t have to say Val unless you also have a fantastic person in your life named Val, or you like the name, or… ehh we’re all out of “or “scenarios.

4 Pieces of 12” by 12” in scrapbook paper (In coordinating colors or all the same – we used coordinating because it is what we had on hand. This makes 16 flags… calculate for more if your friend has a long name)

Grosgrain Ribbon (to hang the little flags from)

Paper Cutter or Scissors (Paper Cutter is highly recommended)

Paper Clips

Glue Stick

Pen/Pencil

Letters that spell “Happy Birthday INSERT NAME”(We used Fineliner Script which can be downloaded at DaFont.com in size 150)

1) Using the ruler on the paper cutter cut each piece of scrapbook paper into 6” by 6” squares leaving you with a total of 4 squares per one piece of scrapbook paper.

6 " Squares

2) Using the ruler on the paper cutter make a small mark where the 3” mark is on one side of the square.

Tiny orange line at the 3" mark.

3) Line up the top right corner and the 3” inch mark you made where the blade of your paper cutter runs and cut. Follow the same step for the other side.

Corner and orange mark lined up where blade runs.

4) Keep doing this for all of the flags.

Until they all look like this...

5) Cut out your letters. We cut ours as squares.

6) Glue on the letters.

7) Use the paper clips to attach the flags and create the banner. We used two paper clips per flag.

This is what ours looks like all hung up:

Sorry... this is a WebCam photo :( Camera died...

Val’s present from Allison was this dress to wear to football games! It started off as an XXL t-shirt from Wal-mart. Sorry there aren’t any pictures of the process… it was one of those just go for it activities. The bottom is leftover “lace” from Allison’s mom. If you are looking to do something similar to this there are some great tutorials here: http://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/how-tos/category/clothing/dresses/page/1

Thanks for being such a great friend and always keeping us laughing Val! Can’t wait for your party!

Lots of DIY Birthday Love,

Chelsea & Allison

Wine Rack turns "MagaWine Rack"

2010-10-04T09:58:00.001-04:00

MagaWine Rack – {noun}, a wine rack turned magazine rack.

(Definition courtesy of Decor Roomies)

I saw this wine rack at my most favoritest Goodwill on Earth! It was a whopping four dollar purchase I just couldn’t pass up.

I thought we’d be able to put it on the counter and store wine bottles, but it just took up way too much space and all the wine disappeared after we had friends over for dinner.

So we stored some of our prettier Better Homes & Gardens and Country Living magazines on our wine rack.

And so the term “MagaWine Rack” was coined. It is very practical and cute to boot!

If you've re-purposed something in a creative way, feel free to share what you did by leaving us a comment :)

Happy Reading,
Chelsea & Allison

We partied at:
Between Naps on the Porch
Cottage Instincts
C.R.A.F.T.
It's So Very Cheri
Making the World Cuter
Skip to my Lou
Super Stinky Boys