Browse Tag by home office
Beauty, Blog, DIY Projects, Home Decor, The Home

DIY Marble & Gold Vanity Tray

Happy February! So, y’all already know how much I love marble and gold (it’s a lot & pretty obvious), and after completing two shelves in my DIY Ikea Hyllis Hack, I wanted to make something else that would go along with the same look/style with my leftover marble adhesive. Then, I thought why not a vanity tray? In total, the whole thing takes less than an hour, is super easy to customize depending on what shape/knobs you use, and is way way less than what would be spent on the real deal = triple bonus!

To get started, you’ll need:

Wooden Plaque 

Crystal Knobs for the Feet

Gold Pulls

Marble Adhesive

Krazy Glue

Putty Knife Set (optional, but very helpful)

Step 1: Before peeling your sticker off, take your marble adhesive sticker and lay it over your wooden plaque piece to determine about how much you’ll need, and cut. The less excess you have, the easier the sticker is to work with and maneuver.





Step 2: Lay your sticker on the center of the plaque, and taking your putty knife, flatten out all of the air bubbles. Then using your putty knife again, on one side, begin adhering the sticker to the edges.

Step 3: Once you have one edge complete, it’s corner time! Based on the shape of the wooden piece I chose, this was the most “complicated” (I say that loosely) part of the whole project. To make it easier and to minimize air bubbles, use scissors to cut little slits at the center point and two side points of the corner. Then fold these pieces down and smooth them with your putty knife.

Step 4: Repeat those same set of steps on each edge and corner until the top of the piece is completely covered. Use your putty knife to smooth any bubbles that may have appeared.

Step 5: Flip your piece over and use your Krazy glue to apply the crystal knobs which will serve as the feet of the vanity tray. This glue dries super super quickly, so make sure you know exactly where you want your bases to be.  I love these crystals, because of their flat face, so the tray won’t rock back and forth.

Step 6: Once all of your knobs have dried, flip the piece back over! It’s time to add your final touch of gold hardware 🙂

 

Step 7: Line up your gold hardware and apply the Krazy Glue to the bottom of each pull, (not to the vanity tray directly), and set each piece where you want them on the tray.

TAH-DAH you’re done!

Now, to decide where in the house you want to use it. It’s seriously the perfect size for a little perfume display, or even as a sweet vanity tray in the bath for cotton balls and soap. Here is what I have set up on mine currently:

 

Supplies For This Project:

 

Featured Perfumes:

If you complete this project, tag me, I would love to see how you customize your marble tray!

SaveSave

SaveSave

Post, Pin, Share:
Blog, Home Decor, The Home

White & Gold Home Office Preview

Hey y’all, I’ve received a few requests to share my updated home office with sources to where different items are from. It’s definitely a work in progress and the space isn’t finished yet but things are slowly coming together! I’ve painted and sealed my formerly black desk white using my new favorite chalk paint wax, the tutorial of which is now posted here! Other than that update, I’ve also rearranged various furniture pieces and small decor items. I’ve included the links to these items and similar ones if the originals are no longer available – all are below and will be sharing more soon!

Linen Storage Bench Linen Office Chair Slay Girl PillowLeaning ShelvesDalmatian Print Throw  Clock | Gold Foil Print Pillows Sheepskin Rug |  Quatrefoil Rug Work Hard Stay Humble Print

Post, Pin, Share:
Blog, DIY Projects, Home Decor, The Home

Easy Step-by-Step Chalk Paint Guide

Hi everyone! Today’s DIY I had been putting off forever, mainly due to fear of not knowing how to use/seal chalk paint. I’m pretty comfortable with the spray paint version, which is what I used for our DIY nightstands  but hadn’t yet tried the good old bucket version. Well, I’m pretty pumped that it’s super easy to work with, and now I understand everyone else’s obsession with this ish. It’s great.

This specific piece of furniture is pretty special to me. When I started high school, my parents surprised me one morning with an entire study room setup that included this desk. Even though I was only 14, I had been begging for a study space that looked “grown.” Fast-forward ten years to today, and I am still a student (lol) so this desk has seen it all! As much as I love it, I definitely wanted a brighter version for my current home office, but I also really didn’t want to ruin the quality or the durability of the piece. So, enter from stage left: Chalk Paint, to save the day.

To get started you’ll need:

A bowl with warm & soapy water

Clean Dry rags

Tarp/Plastic to protect floors (if needed)

Chalk Paint in Linen

Chalk Paint Brushes (I started with this one but preferred this set)

One Small Brush (for detailed portions if needed)

Sealing Wax

Sand Paper (if needed)

Wooden Stirrer

Drawer Pulls

Step 1: Using your soapy water, dip a clean rag into the mixture and begin wiping down your furniture piece to remove any extra gunk/dust/dirt/grime present. Make sure not to overly soak your furniture piece and dry these areas soon after cleaning to prevent any potential water damage. Depending on your piece’s finish, you may need mineral spirits to remove any existing wax/sealant.

Step 2: (If needed) Lightly sand your furniture piece, then wipe down again. (I didn’t need to sand my desk, but if it had a rougher finish, I would have.)

Step 3: Before opening your paint, pick up your chalk paint brush and repeatedly/lightly tug at the end of the bristles. This will help in reducing the number of bristles shed while painting your furniture. Once you’ve done that, properly mix your chalk paint using your wooden stirrer.

Step 4: Begin applying your chalk paint using smooth even strokes. Dip your brush directly into the bucket – just the tips of the bristles. A little bit of chalk paint goes a long, long way. In between dipping your brush in, recover the chalk paint container with its lid. Once your first layer is on, allow the chalk paint to dry. Don’t worry if the initial appearance is streaky-looking. This step was the point in the project where I really wasn’t sure if I had made a huge mistake, and started thinking I had seriously just ruined a perfectly good black desk (haha!) so don’t worry if you begin feeling similarly. While waiting for the first layer to dry, wrap your chalk paint brush in a wet paper towel and put it inside a zip-lock baggy.

Step 5: Once your first layer has dried, follow the same process in step 4 to apply your second layer. Depending on what your base color is, and whether or not you plan on distressing the piece, the second coat may be enough to completely cover your furniture. As you can see, my desk was black to start with, so I needed about 3-4 layers in total to get the finish I wanted.

Step 6: Now that you have reached your desired level of coverage, either begin distressing your piece, or allow the chalk paint to set and harden overnight. For this desk, I loved the smooth white coverage so I chose not to distress the paint – but will likely try out that option on future projects.

Step 7: It’s sealing time! Get out your second chalk paint brush from this set. A paper plate, plastic spoon, a couple of clean soft cloths, and your wax. This wax is great, especially if you’re using white or similarly lighter-toned chalk paint as it will not tint the project yellow. (Holla praise).  Scoop a couple of spoonfuls of the wax out onto your paper plate – recovering the wax container after scooping.

Step 8: Now, with your brush, get the wax onto the tips of the bristles by rubbing the brush onto the wax on the paper plate. Use this same circular motion when applying the wax to the furniture, keeping track of where you’ve applied it. Once applied, take your clean dry cloth, and very lightly wipe the furniture down to remove any excess wax. Then allow the piece to set for at least an hour.

Step 9: Once the wax has set, buff it out using a second clean, soft, & dry cloth. The shinier the desired finish, the more you’ll need to buff. If you prefer a matte finish instead, very lightly buff all over one time to ensure the wax is smoothed into the piece. (Buffing is simply rubbing the piece down with that cloth using repetitive circular motions)

Step 10: Try to allow at least 24 hours for the piece to harden/set before resuming normal use, bearing in mind that the paint and wax combo will continue to cure (aka set) for up to about six weeks or so. Until then, you can definitely use the updated furniture, just air more on the side of gentleness than you would normally.

Step 11: The last thing I did was switch out the silver drawer pull with two of the same drawer pulls I used on our Ikea Rast Hack. I had a few extra left over from that project and love how they look so much I didn’t want to use anything else for this desk 🙂

I’ve linked all office accessories in this post and supplies are above & below!  If you used this tutorial, I would love to know, tag me so I can see your completed projects 🙂

Post, Pin, Share:
Blog, DIY Projects, Home Decor, The Home

Gold and Marble Ikea Hyllis Hack

Ikea Hyllis Hack

Hey everyone and welcome back! I am over the moon about how this hack turned out, and I can’t wait to share with y’all how easy (AND CHEAP)  it is to do!

ikea hyllis hack marble goldikea hyllis hack marble gold
I was inspired by the Hyllis hack originally shared here, and had it saved forever on Pinterest waiting to be used. However, for my office, I wanted something a little more glam. I love love love marble and gold combinations, so I don’t know why it took me so long to think of this but a lightbulb finally switched on in my head. I made two of these shelves so if you are just making one, cut these supplies in half.

Here are the supplies you will need for two shelves (click on the item name for its direct link):

Ikea Hyllis Shelf

Gold Spray Paint x 4

Marble Adhesive Sticker x3

Putty Knife

Pine Wood (from a 12x12x1 board) cut into 6 shelves measuring: 23 9/16″ x  10 5/8″ (If you don’t have a saw, no worries, you can have these cut at Lowes)

Pine Wood  (from a 12x8x1 board) cut into 2 shelves measuring: 23 10/16″ x 10 13/16″ [These are for each unit’s top shelf]

Screwdriver

Clamps

Drill

Let’s get started!

Step 1: Assemble the Hyllis Unit, and in a well-ventilated area – preferably outside – begin spray painting. (I tested out both options, of spray painting before assembly, and after, but due to painting the screws, it’s just easier to already have it assembled and ready to go).
Keep the strokes as smooth and even as possible to prevent dripping. Allow the first layer to set before continuing. This spray paint’s coverage is awesome, so you really won’t have to wait hours upon hours before finishing this part. Make sure to paint the ENTIRE unit, even underneath the shelves, otherwise you’ll see the galvanized metal show through.

Step 2: While the unit is drying, we can move on to creating the “marble” shelves that will be added to it. Once your wood shelves are cut to the measurements included in the supplies list, Lowes is awesome y’all forreal, it’s time to get your marble adhesive sticker and putty knife out. This is also surprisingly easy to work with and adjust. I was super nervous that it would be all over the place sticking to itself and that this whole project would be a bust, but this sticker is stellar. Use your putty knife to smooth out any bumps or air bubbles. You need to cover one side and all the edges.

[quads id=1]

Step 3: Once the unit is dry, after you have covered all of your wooden shelves, it’s time to put it all together! Taking your screwdriver, loosen the screws on each end of the bottom three shelves, then take the marble covered wood pieces and set them on the shelves. When they are laying flat against the metal shelves, tighten those screws back. This will secure these to your unit. For the top shelf, take the wood piece and clamp it at each end on the top. Now, drill in three holes evenly spaced across the middle of the shelf  (not all the way through, just enough for screws to fit in and secure it). Using your screw driver, secure those.

ikea hyllis hack marble gold

ikea hyllis hack marble gold

ikea hyllis hack marble gold

That’s it! Now here’s the fun part: Staging the unit!

ikea hyllis hack marble gold

ikea hyllis hack marble gold

ikea hyllis hack marble gold

marble gold ikea hyllis hack

the best and easiest diy ikea hack

Making one of your own? Tag me so I can see your completed Marble & Gold Hyllis Hack!

Still can’t get enough marble and gold DIY projects? Check out this marble and gold vanity tray DIY:

marble and gold vanity tray

Supplies for this DIY:

 

 

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

Post, Pin, Share: