Baby Gift Basket

I admit it, I'm coming clean...I love giving gift baskets! I don't know why, but I love planning, prepping and putting together a gift for someone that has thought down to the last detail. It's almost like a therapy for me to let the creative juices flow! I've put together welcome baskets for new homeowners, "favorite things" baskets for family members (more to come on those) and one of the most fun to put together was a baby gift basket. I've done diaper cakes (posts to come) but wanted to try my hand at my gift basket making talents in the baby world!

I started with a super cute basket and began loading it with the itme I had purchased for Mommy-to-be. The key to making the items pop out of the basket instead of being inside, was a box of baby wipes used as a platform for the goodies.

Then it was arrange away! Included in this basket were a couple must have books, pacies, toys, hooded towel, handmade blankie, onesies, wipes and case and a few goodies for that new bundle of joy!

You can purchase pre-packaged gift bags that are awesome and sooo easy. Just place your items inside, gather at the top and finish with a ribbon or bow of choice and there you have it!

Repurposed Frame Bulletin Board - under $20

There's such a sense of self satisfaction in repurposing an item, transforming an old unused once treasure to something fun, functional and from this decade! A few months ago, I thought up the project as I was looking for something to liven our guest bedroom/office that was functional yet easy on the eyes. I decided that I was going to repurpose an old large picture frame and turn it into a bulletin board or when not in use, wall art. I then had to find the right piece to repurpose which meant I had to go shopping (oh darn)! I drug my hubby with me to a large warehouse style antique store in our town to hunt for our old/new treasure. After going down isle after isle, I came across this old wood picture frame that was holding a piece of green velveteen fabric in its center. Not so much a work of art in my opinion!

We made way to the check out with our new find and took it home to evaluate what we were working with. The frame was gold and it looks like someone at one point had the same idea as I, we were just going to do it better! The dark green velveteen material was removed from the frame (and quickly disposed of  as it looked like an allergy nightmare) and to our surprise, underneath the material was a piece foam core which we reused to be the base of our bulletin board. We had planned on measuring the space and cutting cork to fit, but were able to save a step here (no complaints there!).

We weren't sure what the purpose the large mess of wires previously served.
We replaced with a single frame kit wire easily!

Then it was on to the painting! I wanted to the frame to float along the wall and really let the center material pop so I chose to go with a bright white color. I then cleaned and treated the wood with a little elbow grease, let thoroughly dry and then began painting.

Do you like my fancy drop cloth?
It's a garbage bag cut open and spread on my kitchen table, whatever works!

Once the frame was painted, I covered the foam board with my chosen fabric and set into place in the back of the frame. We had a picture frame mounting kit so we changed out the hanging wire, secured the bulletin insert to the frame and we were ready for hanging!

I loved how this turned out, and the best part is that the whole project cost less than $20!!!

Frame - $10
Paint -$5
Fabric -$4
Framing kit (already had, and used wire only as we reused screws already in frame)

No Draw Painting

Last year I experimented for the first time with painting. I've always wanted to explore that side of my creativity, but my drawing ability is comparable to my almost 4 year old niece! I never thought I could paint because of this but decided to give it a try!

Since I didn't want to invest into actual wrapped canvas, I started off with 5x7 canvas wrapped cardboard which was only a few dollars at a local craft store (something that I woudn't feel wasteful about tossing if my creations were hideous).

With some painter's tape and a purchased foam stamp, I let the creative juices take over!

Add a frame, and these made wonderful gifts as well as another inexpensive way to add decor to my apartment!

This frame was on clearance at a craft store and was a terribly ugly gold hue. A little spray paint did the trick and is one of my fav pieces in our bedroom!

Apartment Tips

Apartment Tip # 1 -  There's never enough room! The best you can do is be organized and make sure everything has a home and goes to it at the end of the day.

Apartment Tip # 2 - Don't try to reinvent the wheel, just make the wheel work for you. Remember there are many others in your same situation and learn from their triumphs as well. There are so many great blogs, articles, pages, and Pinterest to act as inspiration for your next project.

Apartment Tip #3 - Live in your space for a while so you can get a feel for how things work with your routine and what requires immediate attention. This applies no matter where you live. Realize what your biggest annoyance or problem is and tackle it first.

Apartment Tip #4 Don't be afraid to take a risk. Mo matter how organized you try to be or are, there will always be another possibly even better solution out there. There are so many things I've tried in my home that have been re-tried down the line because either because the needs change or an idea comes along that hasn't been attempted. If you are like me and the thought of sitting still during a 3 day weekend scares you, then you will share with me the realization that I never want a project free home.

Apartment Tip #5 You don't have spend a lot to get a lot. Many of my projects have cost under $20 and there are soooo many other DIY'ers out there whose life goal is to design on a budget. It does however take time planning and searching for the right pieces for most budget friendly projects. I've found that I can cut cost the most if I buy materials and reuse them for other projects down the road like: my trusty staple gun, paint, brushes, painters tape, stain and glue.

DIY Grommet Curtains

Making a new space feel like home can be a challenge. A great way to start making the apartment feel more like MY space was to put up curtains. In my broke college apartment days, I never even thought about hanging curtains, and why not! It's a great way to liven up those white walls and above else is functional!  I really like the look of grommeted curtains but didn't want to foot the bill for something pricey when we thought we wouldn't be in this apartment very long (ha! they are hanging still 5 years later). At this point in time I did not own a sewing machine and did not want to purchase one. I had a handheld quick sew device that was pretty much worthless, so my curtain endeavor ended up being a combination of hand sewing where the quick sew device failed, and hem tape. If you have never heard of hem tape, go right out to your local craft or fabric store and buy some! It's a cheaters method to so many fabric crafts that I've done pre-sewing machine days.

To make my curtains, I measured the window in our bedroom and added an extra inch or two at the top to allow room for seam above the grommet (which you can use hem tape or sew for a clean hem). I purchased a neutral fabric, a remnant piece that I was able to get a discounted price. I also purchased a grommet kit which included plastic grommet pieces (front and back that snap together) as well as a template to mark your fabric where the holes need to be cut to insert the grommet. The instructions were clear and easy to follow and left me with inexpensive and useful curtains and grommets I could always reuse down the line.

These were the first curtains I put up in the apartment, and have since hung every window and even our sliding glass door with either DIY or bargain found drapery. My goal is that since I may not have a use for these items in our next living space, why spent a money on something that I may not get the longevity out of?

(The above photo was snapped before I hemmed the bottom seam to hit just on the window sill)

My FAVORITE curtains in the house are the clearance mark down that I found at Target for just $12 a panel! This is probably one of my favorite Apartment tricks that make a pet peeve something I now enjoy. Yes, I'm talking about vertical blinds! I hate them! They rattle, fall down, look chunky and are not ascetically pleasing at all. BUT I have to live with them because I don't own the space. To mask the hideous creature that is our vertical blind, we installed a drapery rod directly on front of the bracket/track that the vertical blinds hang from. Then, I hung the curtains over the blinds (notice they are also grommet style - I know what I like!) I just make sure that the vertical blinds are pulled back as far as they go and keep the curtain pulled over just enough to hide them and I forget they are even there! Mission Defintiely accomplished!

Simple Spice Rack

A lot like other Apartment dwellers out there, our kitchen is tiny and offers little in the way of storage solutions. My first project for the kitchen was figuring out what to do with this awkward white wall space in our minuscule galley style kitchen. Since the space is adjacent to both the dishwasher and fridge, I needed something slim but still practical for storage. I found a set of clean lined wall shelves on clearance at Target (where I come across so many great finds) and bought several for various uses around the house.

These shelves fit perfectly in the space and made a great home for my collection of Penzey's Spices. I love how organized they look on the shelf plus it's easy to tell when I need to make a run to the store for a refill.

I'm really happy with how the shelves turned out, however if I had to do it over again I probably would have gone with a photo ledge shelf that has a lip on the front. We haven't had any issues with the spices tumbling forward, but in the rare case of clumsiness I've knocked one or two off the edge.

Apartment Tip: This shelf solution probably won't hold ALL of your spices (we keep our most used spices here) so I'd suggest a storing away the ones you rarely use.

DIY Upholstered Headboard

As I contemplated which project to post first, I thought back to the many convo's with fellow crafters and this project has come up so many times and I've had numerous requests for instructions. So here you go my fellow DIY'ers!!

Our Master bedroom has been a constant work in progress as neither Chris or I came out of college with any substantial bedroom furniture. I quickly wanted to do something to make this feel like a grown up space and something we created together. Since we cannot paint the walls in our apartment we are left with asylum white walls everywhere and desparately needed to put our stamp on the space.

Apartment Tip: Check with your landlord, some will allow you to paint your space with their approval.

I scoured the internet and reviewed fellow DIY-ers successes, looked through many inspiration design mags (as this was the pre-Pinterest days) and settled on making an upholstered headboard from plywood. As we wanted something sturdy to lead our heads against, we decided that we wanted to bolt it to the bed frame (which is optional). I've seen many great ideas where the finished product is hung from the wall above the bed or just leaning against the wall.

Materials Needed:

Staple Gun and Box of Staples (which I already had)

2 Nuts 2 Washers 2 Bolts that fit the hole in the bed frame (optional)

Quilting Batting

Fabric of Choice

Plywood board - 4x8 cut down to size of bed and height desired

Step 1: Staple Quilting batting to plywood

Pull the batting over the plywood until you reach the desired thickness you like. We had about 3 layers of batting in this project. Using the staple gun, staple the batting to the back side of your project. I secured a staple every 4 inches or so.

Step 2: Covering with your fabric of choice

I chose a silvery/gray fabric with a flocked damask print. I would suggest ironing your fabric prior to this step to ensure all fold lines are removed. I dug around in my "junk drawer" and found these chip clips to use as aids in positioning my fabric evenly across the headboard to make sure my pattern was straight. Once your fabric is taught and in the correct position, being stapling to the plywood just as we did with the batting. Make sure to check your progress as you go to make sure your lines are still straight.

Step 3: Installing the bolts to mount the headboard to the bed frame (if you choose to hang or lean your piece you can skip this step)

This step was a little trickier as I'm much more of a "try it and see what happens" kind of person vs. someone who plans out each step. To learn from our mistake, I would mark and drill holes for the bolts PRIOR to upholstering your work of art. Yes, that's what WE did not do. Once I realized we made this mistake, it just made the marking and drilling process a little more complicated but we got the job done! For those of you readers who know my husband, you shouldn't be too surprised about the Where's Waldo appearance in this shot.

Step 4 (the best step of all) : Install headboard behind or above your bed

The best part of the project is that when we find our forever home we can change out the fabric and reuse or relocate to the guest bedroom if we redesign our new master.

Finished Look:

I've always loved the dramatic look that the contrast scarlet or other deep reds can add but didn't want it too look kitschy or overdone. With our scarlet red sheets, I purchased wall sconces for next to nothing (Gordmans) and changed out the off white candles for matching red ones that just give that extra pop of color. I never wanted a bed with so many pillows you have no where to sit, and many days I use just one and which looks a little cleaner. I have a thing for throw pillows - a lot like people hoard shoes except I have some secrets about them I'll share at a later date. As I mentioned before, the bedroom is still a work in progress and next on my list is what to do with our mismatched nightstands - more to come on those.

First Post!

Hi All! So I've been saying for years I should start a blog with some of the crafts and projects I've encountered in these past 5 years of "Grown Up" Apartment Life. Yes, that meant bye-bye to the grungy futons, hand-me down and worn out couches, miss matched dishes and kitchen utensils, and adios to the road signs hung on the wall. I'm no longer a broke college kid. I'm a twenty-something, creative, craft loving project person, looking for my place in life post graduation, with my partner-in-crime by my side.

Chris and I moved in together shortly after college graduation and have spent the last 5 years paring down our college junk and turning our Apartment home into "Our First Home Together". If you had asked us 4.5 years ago if we thought we'd still be living in our current 2 bed 2 bath 960 sf Apartment, we would have replied "HELL NO". All we wanted was to buy a home and have the white picket fence, dog and 2.5 kids immediately. Reality came crashing down 6 months after we moved in and realized how expensive life on our own really was without Mom and Dad (love you guys). Not to mention the reality of establishing independent careers and paying exorbitant student loan bills (ha- I often wonder if Chris' loan included a Bar Tab at one of our fav drinking establishments). After evaluating our finances, which wasn't hard since there wasn't much to evaluate, we realized our dream would have to wait as the real world was knocking at our new Apartment door.

The last 5 years has been full of Apartment Up's, which are the conveniences of not owning a home, rivaled with Apartment Down's which meant our dream is still on hold (Sigh). My mom has always taught me to make the best of any situation and so this has inspired me to constantly evolve our cramped living quarters to make it as comfortable as possible. Why not make the best of the here-and-now, knowing our dream awaits us down the line.

Wherever you live, I hope you enjoy and find something on my blog that can inspire you for a craft of your own!

One of the first photos of Chris and I together