Dresser Drawer to Storage Box {Easy DIY Project}

Oh boy I am so excited to share this one with you...it turned out way better than I could have anticipated and had I known what the end result would look like I wouldn't have dragged my feet on this project for so long.  It was literally months in the making...but really it took me all of about 2 (kid-free) hours to complete.

Thrifted Vintage Glass Jars to Canisters with DIY Labels

If you follow us on Instagram you know that I was pretty ecstatic last week about my thrift store find.  It's not too often you find three matching anything at Goodwill.  But I did!  I scored three of these large glass mason-like jars.  They were in perfectly good condition - aside from needing a good cleaning.  There were no chips or cracks and the closures all worked perfectly.

Repurposed louvered door and full length mirror

You might remember a few months ago when we had our master bathroom expanded so we could replace our tiny vanity with a double... No? Okay here's a refresher.  Part of that renovation included combining our two reach and grab closets into one 'large' closet (and I do use that world loosely').

20 Pottery Barn Knockoff DIY Projects

In case you haven't noticed I am a big fan of knockoffs - and I'm partial to DIY Pottery Barn knockoffs.   I often use Pottery Barn's beautiful classic and timeless style as inspiration and then put my own twist on things so they fit my home, my style, my budget and use the supplies I already have on hand.

Here's a roundup of 20 awesome Pottery Barn knockoffs.  Click the description above each picture to be taken straight to the DIY tutorial.

Link It or Lump It Link party #23 {Plus Features}

 

Well, I survived the week (barely)...the snow, the never-ending snow days, and the polar vortex nearly leveled me...but I'm back with the 23rd edition of the Link It or Lump It link party.  Whew! Every week more and more of you are linking up which means this party is getting better and better. Plus this week we're super excited because we have our very first guest co-host! Meet Brittany the blogger behind Confessions of a Secret Crafter.

Brittany shares a little about herself with us and all of you...While I am relatively inexperienced with blogging, my love for writing, crafting, and sharing my interests has compelled me to develop Confessions of a Secret Crafter: A College Girl’s Guide to Crafting on a Budget. Here, I’ll share my ideas for student-friendly projects that are based on current fashion, art, television, and all things glittery. I hope to inspire you to love crafting, and to provide the tools necessary for you to live life fashionably while on a modest budget. 

Before we get to our features here's a look at what yours truly has been up to this week....

How to Clean Tile Floor Grout (Without Chemicals) * Valentine's Day Twig Centerpiece * 

Dollar Store Valentine's Day Table Runner * American Girl Giveaway

No Sew LOVE Banner *  More Tips on Emptying & Reusing Yankee Candle Jars

Alright, moving on to some features...

No Sew Valentine's Day Burlap and Felt Banner

In case you haven't noticed I love banners.  Recently I've been making flag banners for every season and using them to decorate my mantel.  Apparently, I'm not the only one who loves bunting because I sell a decent amount of them through my Etsy shop.  Today, however, there's no need to buy - you can make this one yourself in just a few minutes. 

You'll need: 

Burlap

Felt in a few different colors

Scrap material (optional)

Jute rope

Spray adhesive

Hot glue gun 

Start by cutting out your first burlap flag.  You can make them any size you want.   However large you make them, use the first flag as a guide for the next three.

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...

Thanks for stopping by 2IY! If you like what you see, we'd love for you to pin it!

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American Girl Doll Valentine's Day GIVEAWAY ($525 Value)

Back by popular demand is another American Girl Doll & Wardrobe giveaway. Our first one was so successful that we've decided to make it a series. This second giveaway is Valentine's theme.

How to Clean Tile Floor Grout {Without Chemicals}

I'm just gonna start off by saying the tile floor grout in my master bathroom was pretty narsty.  What made it look worse was when we expanded the bathroom, we matched the existing tile floor instead of re-tiling the entire floor. While the tile matches pretty well - although not exact - what made the floor look un-seamless was the dirty grout next to the brand spankin' new clean grout.

So I set out to clean the old grout to make it look new again. Just look at this...ew! I'm slightly embarrassed to even be sharing this with you...but ya know. 





Cleaning tile floor grout is actually as easy as a trip to your pantry closet - and I don't mean reaching for the chemicals and bleach.  I am not necessarily anti-chemicals - I use them for plenty of jobs - but why spend an hour inhaling fumes when you don't have to?  Instead all you need is lemon juice, water, baking soda, and vinegar.

The ratio I used was:

3.5 Cups of Hot Water + 1/2 Cup of Baking Soda + (half of )1/3 Cup Vinegar + 1/3 Cup of Lemon Juice.

So you're probably wondering why I wrote half a 1/3 cup of vinegar...the answer is it's easier than saying .16666.  Just fill a 1/3 measuring up half way... You can obviously adjust the amounts to fit the job, but with these measurements I had plenty to clean my bathroom tile floor and plenty left over for the next time.

Okay, so once you have your tile floor grout cleaner concoction mixed, pour it into a spray bottle.  Spritz it on the grout and let it sit on there for a few minutes before you start scrubbing.

Now is where the elbow grease comes in - take a tooth brush and start scrubbing....or do what I did and take a chance on one of these handy dandy electronic grout brush cleaners and save your arm.  This Rubbermaid Reveal Power Scrubber Brush was on clearance on Target.  The price was originally $15.99, but I snagged it for less than $8.

Let me tell you - I would have paid $30 knowing know how easy it made the job.  I used the toothbrush method on the tile walls of my shower where the grout lines are really thin and that was a tough job.  Doing the same method on the much thicker grout lines on the floor would have required a lot of effort.   Anyway - get scrubbing.

This video gives you a really good look at how I cleaned the floor (with one hand and played videographer with the other) and just how quickly it went with the brush. You can see the difference between the cleaned area of the grout and the 'before' after just a few minutes seconds of scrubbing. 


After I scrubbed all the grout lines I let my floor steamer sit on small sections of the grout for a few minutes at a time, then scrubbed a little more just to make them shine. This part is definitely not necessary. And just as an FYI all the pictures in this post were taken before I used the steamer so you could see the result just using the solution and scrubbing. 

Here's a great side by side of a cleaned area and an area where I had not yet cleaned the grout. What a difference! 

Thanks for stopping by 2IY! If you like what you see, we'd love for you to pin it!

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Valentine's Day Burlap Banner Giveaway WINNERS

And the two randomly selected winners of our Valentine's Day Burlap 'Be Mine' Banner Giveaway are...

Theresa Kern AND Amanda Schauer

Thank you to all of you who entered the giveaway, making it 2IY's most successful giveaway ever! We had more entries than all our other giveaways combined.

If you didn't win, don't worry - we now have the Valentine's Day burlap 'Be Mine' banners in our Etsy shop.

Thanks for stopping by 2IY! If you like what you see, we'd love for you to pin it!

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