Easy-Peasy Lamp Shade Ribbon Trim

It's amazing how something as simple (and inexpensive) as ribbon trim can dress up a lamp shade. Today I'm going to share my little secret with you for how I added "temporary" ribbon trim to my bedroom lamp. Why temporary? Because you all know how frequently this girl changes her mind, and I didn't want to be "married" to this ribbon. If I want to change it out for something else, I can easily remove it and switch it out. But for now, it makes a big impact for just a few bucks.

Here's my secret: First of all, put away that glue gun. You don't need it. Get yourself some hem tape (I used some called Peel'n Stick Fabric Fuse), and use a tiny piece of it to stick one end of the ribbon to the bottom edge of your lamp.

Start at the back seam, wind the ribbon around and then use another small piece to attach the other end, overlapping the ends slightly. I like to use my existing lamp shade trim as a guide to keep my ribbon straight and also give it something for the edge to lay against. Now, do the same exact thing to the top. 

You may run into some gapping. In this case, you can angle the ribbon downward a tiny smidge in the back (no one will see it anyway), or just use more hem tape to help it lay flat.

The entire process takes maybe five minutes. Easy enough, right? If you don't want it to be quite as temporary, then you can use an entire strip of hem tape all the way around the shade. I have found that this gives me a smoother finish than a glue gun, especially if I'm using satin ribbon. Use your fingernail to smooth out any bumps or wrinkles.

You may notice that this is the same ribbon I used to trim out the lamp shade in my sons' bedroom. I loved it so much that I used it in our bedroom too!

Have you added any ribbon trim to your lamp shades lately? Have any tips to share?

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links.

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"Homeward Bound" Book Review & Giveaway

When I was asked by Simon & Schuster to review the book Homeward Bound by Emily Matchar, I was very interested since I knew it was a book I could completely relate to. This book explores the entire movement toward a more "DIY" lifestyle and the fact that women are embracing this "new domesticity." In this book, Matchar explores all of the reasons women are gravitating toward a more domestic, self-sufficient lifestyle reminiscent of generations past. She says, "A generation of smart, highly educated young people are spending their time knitting, canning jam, baking cupcakes, gardening, and more (and blogging about it, of course), embracing the labor-intensive domestic tasks their mothers and grandmothers eagerly shrugged off. Some are even turning away from traditional careers and corporate culture for slower, more home-centric lifestyles that involve "urban homesteading," homeschooling their kids, or starting Etsy businesses. They're questioning whether it's okay to turn away from the ambitions of their parents' generation." She explores the reasons behind this shift as well as what all of this means for gender, the economy and more. (Here's a video of Emily Matchar discussing the book.)

Obviously this book hits close to home for me (and will for many of you too), as I have embraced many aspects of the "new domesticity" whole-heartedly. (And I blog about it!) There are many reasons women are choosing to make things they could go out and buy instead. They want to be self-sufficient, they want to save money, they want more control over where their food and belongings come from, etc. Some people argue that it has caused a setback for what feminists have been fighting for all this time (we should be fighting for a place in the board room instead!) - others believe it is a feminist act in and of itself. I believe there is nothing weak or "old-fashioned" about choosing to stay home with your children and taking on "domestic duties." There is something empowering about it actually. I feel a sense of accomplishment when I am able to say, "I cooked this meal and served it at the table I physically built with my two hands." Doing things for yourself and being self-sufficient is empowering. It doesn't mean you have to do or make everything yourself, but learning life skills is a positive, powerful thing. Also, many women are turning their love of DIY into legitimate businesses, enabling them to contribute financially to their family while simultaneously staying home to care for their children.

I found this book to be extremely interesting and relatable. There are so many reasons women have chosen to be "homemakers" and to learn skills that our grandmothers and great grandmothers used to do out of necessity. (Canning jam, knitting, and making clothing, for instance.) Our generation does this because we choose to - they did it because they had to. That is one of the most interesting things about it. This really has become a DIY "movement." It's certainly more than just a trend. I highly recommend that you check out Emily Matchar's book. It explores the entire topic in depth and brings up very interesting points about the different types of motivation behind people's decisions to do or make what they could otherwise purchase instead, as well as many people's choice to embrace a lifestyle that they could afford to reject if they chose to. Even if you aren't necessarily a DIY enthusiast, it's still an interesting read as it explores the fascination with this new form of domesticity that so many of your peers may be embracing in their lives.

If you would like to purchase this book, it is available at Simon & Schuster as well as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, BAM, Indiebound, Bookish, and Apple.

I'm very excited that Simon & Schuster is going to be giving away a copy of Homeward Bound to TWO of my readers! To enter, simply wait for the Rafflecopter box to load below, then follow the instructions. This giveaway ends Tuesday, June 25 at Midnight EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Disclosure: I received this book for free to review. All opinions are my own.

Hometalk: Farmhouse Furniture Ideas

I was recently asked by Hometalk to curate a clipboard on their site full of inspirational Farmhouse Furniture Ideas. I was excited to do this, especially since we just finished our outdoor table.

I'd love it if you'd check out the clipboard which has links to all kinds of fun projects posted on Hometalk. Have a great weekend!

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Scrap Wood + Mason Jar Centerpiece

Seeing as how I have a garage full of scrap wood since I finished our outdoor table, I'm trying to find lots of fun ways to use it. One thing I threw together was this Scrap Wood + Mason Jar Centerpiece.

Here are the tools and materials I used:

• RYOBI sliding compound miter saw (although for this project, any saw will do)
• RYOBI cordless brad nailer 
• 2 inch finish nails
  
• Wood Glue
  
• Minwax Pre-Stain Conditioner
  
• Minwax Stain and Sealer in Dark Walnut
  

As for the wood, here are my dimensions but you can modify yours depending on what type of scraps you have around or whatever you have access to.

• 2 - 2x6s cut to 17 3/4" long (for the sides)
• 2 - 2x6s cut to 6 1/2" long (for the ends)
• A fence picket cut to 17 3/4" long (for the bottom)

It was really easy and literally just took a few minutes. I just cut a few pieces of wood with my miter saw, then used glue and my cordless brad nailer to attach everything. A good old fashioned hammer and nails would work fine too, it would just take a little longer.

 
The sides were cut from a 2x6 and the bottom is actually a fence picket cut down to size. (These are great for little projects like this because they are super cheap!) I stained it with Minwax Dark Walnut and inserted 5 mason jars to hold pretty flowers.

Guys, seriously, it took 5 minutes to measure, cut and attach everything and then 5 more minutes to stain it. I'll round up and say this is a 15 minute project. Add a little extra time if you don't use a nail gun or miter saw. You can modify the size depending on what type of wood you have access to.

The flowers were courtesy of my sweet husband.

Do you have any other suggestions for scrap wood projects? I still have lots of scraps in the garage!

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Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links.
 

New Window Treatments + DIY Cornice Frame Kit Review

 This is a sponsored post on behalf of diydecorator.com. All opinions are my own.

The master bedroom makeover is finally nearing completion and almost ready to be fully revealed. Today I am showing you the sitting area side of the room along with my new window treatments. I used a DIY Cornice Frame Kit from www.diydecorator.com and I love how it turned out! These kits are awesome because they can be fully customized to fit your window and to blend in with your decor. You cover it with fabric of your choice and you can change it out at any time. I opted to go with a basic white fabric and added navy blue ribbon trim in the shape of a Greek key pattern. (Tutorial for the ribbon trim coming soon!)

Basically, the cornice kit comes with everything you will need except for fabric and a few basic tools which you most likely already have on hand. There is no sewing required! You assemble the cornice in 4 easy steps: Measure your window treatment, cut the frame to size using a regular saw (although I used my jig saw because it was faster), attach the ends to the kit, then staple on the foundation material which comes with the kit and blocks light, making your cornice opaque. Next, you cover the cornice with batting and fabric. Then, hang your cornice! I did need an extra set of hands for this part. If your window is small you could probably do it alone, but my window was pretty large so my friend Erica was nice enough to help me out. The kit comes with complete instructions and there is also a helpful video on their site to walk you through the entire process. Because of the design of the cornice and the fact that it's made out of laminated wood, it's lightweight and easy to handle. Once you have the kit hung, it's easy to take it down and put it back up again if you ever want to switch out the fabric.

I love the way it dresses up my window and adds a unique accent to the room. My curtain rod is underneath the cornice, and I just used plain white curtain panels to coordinate with it.

This is definitely something that anyone can easily assemble and customize. Just have help available when it's time to hang it. I love my cornice, and I love that it can be customized to suit your own personal style. Also, at under $12.00 per foot, this cornice kit is much more affordable than other professionally-made cornices which can cost anywhere from $50-100.00 per foot and are much heavier. This kit is 100% wood, but is very lightweight due to the unique design and has a professional look which is often not the case with those made from cardboard or styrofoam. You don't need to have any woodworking experience since most of the assembly is already done for you. The large pieces in the kit just slide together and then you attach them with glue and screws. You may have to cut the length down a bit with a saw (like I did) but it doesn't have to be perfect since it will be covered up with your fabric. You can easily remove the cornice for re-covering without having to remove the unique hanging hardware once it's been hung.

Visit the D-I-Y Decorator site for more information or to order your DIY Cornice Frame Kit! 

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post on behalf of www.diydecorator.com. I received this cornice frame kit for free to review. All opinions are my own.

Anthro-Inspired Outdoor Farmhouse Table & Benches

You guys, I built something. From scratch, all by myself. When I saw this Anthropologie-inspired "Fancy X" Outdoor Farmhouse Table by Shanty 2 Chic, I drooled over it a little and then pinned it for later thinking, "Maybe someday I'll learn how to build this.... in a million years. Probably not. But maybe." My New Year's Resolution was to build a piece of furniture sometime this year. I recently realized that thanks to RYOBI, I had all the tools I needed to build this. But I needed enough nerve too. I pored over the furniture build plans on Ana White's site forever. Our unused, table-less back porch was begging me to build it. My husband was encouraging me too since we both had dreams of actually enjoying said back porch instead of using it to hold our kids' clutter. Finally, I took the plunge. We bought the wood, and in two weeks I built the table and 2 benches for each side. I'm in love!

Check out Shanty 2 Chic for details and Knock Off Wood for the build plans if you'd like to build these too. (Here is the table and here is the bench.)

I used Olympic Outdoor Semi-Transparent tintable stain and sealer in Espresso, purchased at Lowe's. The chairs for the ends came from Home Decorators Collection. I got them during their 20% off sale and received free shipping too. I love the industrial metal look against the modern, dark wood.

The only slight modification I made to the table was that I added 4 small 2x4s, each cut to 14 inches long, and attached them to the base using pocket holes. (See photo below.) I did this so that I could attach the tabletop from underneath, rather than countersinking screws from the top. I wanted the top to be removable (otherwise we couldn't fit it into our porch), so I didn't want to putty over the screws. Instead, I just drilled screws from underneath, securing the top to the base. As for the benches, I did not attach the tops with pocket hole screws from underneath like the plans call for. Instead, I just countersank screws from the top and used wood filler to cover them up.

Now we are able to actually enjoy our back porch! I'll share more before & after pics soon to show you the whole transformation of the porch itself. It was really sorry-looking before.

I just want to emphasize to you that if I can do this, so can you! With the right tools, anyone can do it. I will say, however, that this particular build (being my first) was a little bit of a challenge. The plans themselves were easy to follow, but it was physically exhausting! There were a couple nights I went to bed at 8:00 pm with a heating pad on my back. But man, was it worth it! This style of table retails for $2000 at Anthropologie. I spent a couple hundred bucks total on materials for the table and two benches. We saved a fortune! This table is 8 feet long and can comfortably seat 8 adults.

I'm looking forward to many more build projects in the future. But probably not as labor-intensive as this one until I rest for a while! I also made a cute centerpiece for the table which I will share soon.

Are you planning on building any furniture? Please share!

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Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links.

TOTO Washlet Review & Giveaway

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post on behalf of National Builder Supply.

Let's talk about toilet seats. Okay, okay, I know. Toilet seats aren't exactly the kind of thing I normally talk about here, but let me explain. I don't want to talk about just any toilet seat, I want to tell you about the TOTO Washlet S300e, which is basically the most fancy shmancy "Taj Mahal" of all toilet seats. I have to admit, when I was contacted by National Builder Supply and asked to review this product, I was a little skeptical at first. But when I found out more about it, I was intrigued.

So what makes this particular toilet seat so special (and blogworthy)? Let me tell you. First of all, it's pricey at almost $1000 a pop, but after installing one in our home, I understand why. This thing can do everything. The seat is heated, it comes with a remote (!!), and without getting inappropriate let's just say it washes and dries certain things and you choose the angle, temperature, as well as what type of water pressure your "needs" require. Oh, and my favorite part? It cleans your toilet for you too. It mists the bowl after each use, cutting down on time you have to spend cleaning it periodically. The remote also has an option for "User 1" and "User 2" so that you can save your personal preference settings. I mean, what can this thing not do? It has tons of bells and whistles and definitely shouts "luxury."

I had the hubby help me hook it up and installation was easy. You just hook it up to the water supply and then plug it in (so you do need to have an outlet nearby). We spent a ridiculous amount of time playing around with the settings and "ooh-ing" and "ahh-ing" over the little retractable nozzle that cleans the toilet bowl. It was ridiculous - picture the 4 of us all crowded around watching the toilet seat perform tricks. I can honestly say I never thought I'd be excited about a toilet seat, but I am pretty amazed by everything this one is capable of. My 5 year-old definitely thinks it's the greatest thing ever, and my almost 3 year-old is contemplating giving up his "I'll never ever go on the potty!" stance because the Washlet has made him curious enough to maybe want to try it out.

Now for the most exciting part: National Builder Supply is going to give a TOTO Washlet S300e to one of YOU! That's almost a $1000 value! To enter, just wait for the Rafflecopter box to load below, then follow the instructions. The giveaway ends Monday, June 10 at Midnight EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Be sure to connect with National Builder Supply on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post on behalf of National Builder Supply. I received this TOTO Washlet for free to review. All opinions are my own.