Spring Coffee Table Vignette

If you follow me on Instagram you got a little sneak peek of this 'project' earlier this week.  It's not even really a project as much as it is an experiment.  I'm experimenting to see - for the first time in five years - if I can successfully keep coffee table decor in tact for more than five minutes.   My kiddos have kept hands-off so far and we're working on day four here!

Every time I flip through Pottery Barn or West Elm or Ballards I notice how nice their coffee tables look. I wanted something to add a little pop to my living room and this did the trick.  I gathered some items I already had pulling from various rooms, holiday decorations, storage boxes, and the bookshelf. 

Dollar Store Valentine's Day Table Runner

My dining room table is looking festive for Valentine's Day, but my kitchen table is was seriously bare.  I was not looking to spend much money on my Valentine's Day decor so I headed straight for the dollar store.  That's where I picked up four of large felt hearts.

I attached them with a line of hot glue and they make an instant table runner.  If your table is longer or shorter you can obviously add more hearts or use fewer.   There's not much better than a 1 minute, $4 craft...

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Pottery Barn Table Setting Knockoff from the Dollar Store

Isn't it lovely? I love Pottery Barn's table settings. They're often simple yet stunning and timeless. What I can't swallow is paying $12.50 for a charger.  Not a plate...a plate that holds a plate.  Note "a".  That means if you want to set the table for six you'd be spending $75 on plates you don't even eat off.   Let's not talk about if you're setting the table for 12 or more...

That, my friends, is why I love the dollar store.  Right before Christmas I went in looking for some gold chargers for my Christmas table.  I found them for one dollar a piece. Guess what...they even have the beaded edge, just like Pottery Barn's.   I picked up six...you know, for $6.

'Read More' after the jump to see my Pottery Barn knockoff table setting.... 

DIY Faux Chalkboard Menu Board

My husband and I recently hosted a small dinner party for about four other couples.   Since I wasn't doing much in the way of decorations - my house is already decked out for Christmas - I decided I would just do a few extra special party decorations.  I had been given a free trial upgrade by PicMonkey to use their Royale Package I decided to make a Faux Chalkboard Menu Board.  It came out awesome - despite my misspelling on Nutella (sorry 'bout that, 'Tella- I hope we can still be BFFs).   More on why I didn't fix it in a minute...but first how I made it using PicMonkey.

I started by "creating a design."  Since I was printing it at home and wanted it to be as large as possible, I selected the 8 x 10 canvas.   Using the chalkboard background in the 'School' theme, I was able to make the entire canvas a faux chalkboard.  Then I added an overlay at the top and made it transparent before adding my "Menu" text.

Then it was time to start adding my menu items.  I used all the different chalkboard-like fonts available on PicMonkey.  Some of them are part of the standard free package, and a few like Sketch Block and Stroke Dimension I could only gain access to because I had the free trial of PicMonkey's Royale (indicated by the little crown).  

DIY Log Tea Light Holder Center Piece

Finally, I can share my log tea light holder center piece for my Christmas dining room table with you.  The project is actually pretty straight forward and fast, but for some reason it took me months to figure out how and where I wanted to use it.  But now she's ready for her 2IY debut just in time for Christmas.

I had been wanting to make a log tea light holder ever since this huge branch fell off a tree in our backyard.  Instead of making it then, I made a set of tree branch candle sticks.  I was waiting for another branch to fall but unfortunately (or, I guess, fortunately) one never did.   So I did the next best thing...I raided the wood pile.

20 DIY Burlap Ideas: For the love of all things burlap!

I may be slightly obsessed with burlap for the moment  month  season year....but I promise you there is a good reason why.  Burlap, while it can be a real mess to work with, is one of the most versatile mediums (did I really just write 'mediums'?? Just trying to up my game from my usual 'things') I use to create.  I have made everything from toilet paper napkin rings to wreaths and pillows with burlap.

Since I love it so much I thought I would share my love of all things burlap today with a great big roundup of some really cool DIY burlap crafts and projects we've featured right here on 2IY...so here goes.  You can click each photo to be taken directly to the tutorial.

Clementine crate crafts: How to make a 'darling' table centerpiece

Isn't this little Christmas table decoration just darling?  Pun intended because that crate was actually filled with Darling Clementines until about a week ago.  That is until I dumped them all in the fruit bowl so I could put the wood clementine crate to (better) use.

I'm not gonna say I bought a five pound box of clementines just for the crate...but I mean it may have had a little something to do with it.

Regardless...I think it was a good decision because now look at Mr. Crate.  All I did was use a little goo gone to remove the paper and adhesive before spray painting two coats of black paint all over the box.  

Then I filled her up with goodies I had around the house...

DIY Wood Box Centerpiece with Mini Burlap Banner (Free Printable)

I've been changing over my Halloween decor into Thanksgiving and general fall decorations recently and needed to find a replacement for my styrofoam pumpkin tea lights on the kitchen table.  One of the issues I run into on my kitchen table, is that I need a centerpiece that's easy to move for when little hands get grabby..  I also wanted something that I could easily change out for the seasons and holidays.  I've been seeing these long wooden boxes and knew it was the perfect solution.

This box is actually a really simple "build."  I used pallet wood (seriously I have never seen a nicer pallet), but if you want to buy new lumber that would work too....of course, it comes with a price tag.

I started by cutting the three long pieces (two sides and bottom) down to the same length using my jigsaw.  Mine are 25" x 4" inches, but of course this is a great customizable piece that you can make fit your table by cutting shorter or longer.

DIY {West Elm} Burlap Christmas Tree Knockoff

 

Who doesn't love a good knockoff?  There's not much I like knocking off more than stuff I am drooling over in the Pottery Barn or West Elm catalogs.  As soon as I saw West Elm's adorable burlap trees I knew I could make them for far less than $25.

This project was simple and it didn't cost me a dime because I had everything on hand.  Even if you don't have burlap in your stash at home, you can still get by making this project for less than $5 by purchasing just a scrap of burlap.  So let's get started...

DIY Napkin Holder from a toilet paper roll (Free 'Give Thanks' printable)

With Halloween now behind us the DIY blogging world - including yours truly - is taking on Thanksgiving!   Thanksgiving is one of those holidays that often gets the shaft...squeezed between the ultra-consumer driven Halloween and Christmas.  But this year folks, here at 2IY, we're giving Thanksgiving all the attention is deserves.

And with that...that's lets start with a Thanksgiving table staple! No, not the turkey...the napkin rings.  Okay, okay so maybe they're not a true 'staple,' but DIY Thanksgiving napkin rings definitely can up the ante when it comes to a beautifully decorated Thanksgiving table.

First gather all your supplies...for a setting of 8 you'll need:

• Four (empty) toilet paper rolls or 2 paper towel rolls (cut into 2" sections)
• Scrap burlap (Our free 'Give Thanks' printable here)
• Ribbon
• "Charms" such as mini pinecones, acorns, pumpkins (Click for here for details on how to dry acorns and how to dry pine cones for crafts and decorating.)
• Mod Podge

Start by cutting your toilet paper rolls in half so they're each about 2 inches each.