DIY Fall Decor

One of the things that I enjoy most about DIY'ing is repurposing the old and unused into something new.  This can mean a major upgrade, where the original find is barely recognizable.

Like this amazing transformation by Kim at Reposhture Studio.  An old headboard and footboard turned adorable and cozy reading bench.  I can definitely see myself curling up on that baby!  Putting this on my To-Do list...

http://reposhture.blogspot.com/2013/03/my-frenchy-bench.html

You can also make the most subtle changes and make a world of difference.  Maybe you don't change the item much at all, but find a new use for it in an unexpected way.  That's what I did with my bamboo steamer!

It was just sitting on my counter top collecting dust and taking up valuable counter space!  This is something I cannot afford to waste at my house.  I barely use the thing anyway.

I started brainstorming.  Looking at the steamer basket and admiring the chevron-like pattern of the lid made me think that this thing should be on display.  And I do have some very plain kitchen walls that I'm always scowling at...

I like this a lot more than I even imagined!  I just separated each layer and hung them with your average picture hanging nails.  I didn't measure or anything, just eyeballed it.

Here's a close-up of the lid.  I love the weaving on it.

I filled the two other pieces with some various fall leaves and a votive that I had on hand for a little visual appeal.

Threw in a little picture of Shauny & I in an antique frame for a personal touch.  It's been sitting in the same spot on the bookshelf for a long time so I figured I'd switch it up.

Plain wall progress so far...

It's getting there!  I love getting something from nothing.  What kind of things have you used or displayed around your home in an unexpected way?

Here are some links that I've been eyeing to a few great DIY fall crafts:

http://www.recapturedcharm.com/2012/09/fall-coffee-filter-wreath.html

You can get super creative with this next idea.  Use whatever you have on hand.  Grab some twigs or branches from your own yard.  Use a cool mason jar or an old salsa jar that you've cleaned up and saved.  Perhaps fill it with dried beans or split peas.  The possibilities are endless!

http://faithfulprovisions.com/2013/10/20/easy-diy-fall-table-decoration/

Pop an old sweater sleeve over a vase you already have to give it a cozy fall vibe that'll tide you over through winter as well!

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/558516791259451230/

Are you done decorating for fall yet?  If not, try browsing your house before you hit up the stores!  Keeping an open mind and seeing your own everyday items in a new light may make for some interesting (and cheap) new decor.

Thanks for reading!

Long Time, No Blog!

Okay, I've definitely been M.I.A. on the ol' blog.  My desktop, which is the computer that I mainly use, is still down.  I guess I'm just gonna have to get over it 'cause it may be down for a while.  I was going to try and wait it out, but I haven't blogged in far too long.  The desktop PC is the one I put ALL of my pictures onto and edits, etc.  Very annoying, but life must go on.

I'll get back into the swing of things with a quick fix that I did recently!

So here's the thing; when I come up with a solution to something around the house, it's more often a super cheap quick fix that works for now.  Then later on down the line when I'm looking for something to focus on, I can direct my attention back to it and come up with a more functional or appealing, long-term solution.

The benefit to this is that it gets taken care of for the time being, buying me more time to think of a permanent solution and not rushing into spending my cash money on something that I'm going to hate in two days.

For me, the best part of this strategy is that I normally come up with a great idea when I'm not trying so hard.  The more I over think a project, the more jumbled and rushed it turns out.

Take my jewelry storage for example.  I wanted to store my necklaces in a way that also put them on display.  I grabbed this random tie/belt hanger that I had laying around my room and hung it on my bedroom wall with a couple of push pins.  Yup.  Didn't even use nails.  That was a super temporary solution that was easily forgotten.  For 5 years.

Then, as fate would have it, I was forced to come up with something better last week when I found that FINALLY my necklaces had come crashing to the floor in a tangled mess. I really could've gotten around to that one a bit sooner, but I am a procrastinator.  Bless those push pins' little hearts for hanging in there for so long!

Luckily I do a lot of research on this sort of thing in my spare time...

*Cough*Pinterest*Cough*

I knew I wanted to display my necklaces in a way that wasn't expected and would pass more as decor than storage.  I remembered seeing some cool images of necklaces hanging from branches or animal skulls and such.

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/30821578673153544/

Pretty damn neat, but maybe a little...rustic for my taste.  Though I did have the perfect thing in mind.  Shiny faux taxidermy that I had eyed at TJ Maxx and couldn't wait to get my hands on anyway.  Perfect excuse!  But at only $12.99 I didn't really need an excuse.  I love cheap fixes.

So my jewelry area went from this:

To this:

My wall color looks weird and greeny in this last photo.  The top 2 are more true to the actual color.  I need to work on my photography skills, but super fun huh??  I screwed it in with an anchor and everything so I shouldn't have to worry about picking my necklaces up off the floor any time soon.

Sometimes it just takes a little (or a lot of) time before you settle on what works for you.  Your perfect nest doesn't happen overnight!  Baby steps, baby steps...

What do you guys do in these situations??  Are you the type that has to sit on a project for a while and get to the finished result in multiple stages?  Or do you have to get it done exactly the way you want it the first time around?

Thanks for lookin'!