December 23, 2013

Fall and Winter DIY Decor and Organization Projects.

Hi friends! These past months I've been busy with various smaller scale projects around the house and abroad. I have set the personal goal to better organize at least one section of my home per month. As a self-proclaimed organization freak, these little projects make me quite giddy. I've also been working on a few other odds and ends DIY decor projects I wanted to share.

To start with this very simple and affordable project for scarves.

  1.  If your like me and love to use colorful scarves to accessorize with, all you need is a good hanger (I chose this felt covered one in a neutral color), a pack of dollar store shower curtain rings and a bit of string or ribbon to cover the hanger hook with. 
  2. The process is no more than a few steps, simply tie your scarves around the shower curtain ring and then clip them to the hanger. I like the idea of organizing them in the same color gradient as a rainbow as shown below.
  3. Finally wrap the string and/or ribbon around the hook and then hang. Voila!




The next project was more of an upcycle and re-inventing of something I had laying around and literally only cost me a $1.  After my kitchen renovation was complete, I wanted to find a new home and look for an IKEA mosaic tiled mirror that had previously belonged in the kitchen. I remember some time ago I had seen one of my favorite Decor bloggers use a pack of grocery store wood skewers to convert a plain mirror into a fabulous sunburst mirror. This design trend, the Star-burst, was first implemented in Mid Century design and in recent years has made quite the comeback. This classic look with a contemporary vibe does not look like it will be going away anytime soon, but I digress. I remember I had a pack of skewers stored away as well as some old chopsticks and other filler type reeds I had used in previous arrangements and so I gathered my materials and went to work.



  1. I began by first gluing the skewer sticks and chopsticks in groups of two and three sections around the inner edge of the mirror using an adhesive I purchased at the Dollar Store. I let these dry over night. 
  2. The next day I  went through my collection of craft paints and decided a metallic gold would look best on the mirror to contrast against the teal wall I would be hanging it on, as well as coordinate nicely with the yellow and gray accent colors I have used in this space. I was careful to cover the middle mirror portion with  newspaper and only paint the mosaic tile edge and the wooden skewers, I then let this dry overnight as shown in the collage below.
  3.  As a final step, and to add more dimension I sparingly glued longer golden reeds I had stored away from previous flower and vase arrangements. 
  4. I love how all of the items were things I had already stored and purchased and that this whole project only cost me what I paid for the glue - $1! I then simply hung up on a blank wall in the man room that otherwise serves as our guest room/gym/and den:)
And since we are on the subject of the man room, I wanted to share how one of the recent listings I added to my Fine Art Photography Shop on ETSY, C'est La Vie Art. this vintage car I took in Miami Beach, and now available for purchase by clicking the link above. Feel free to click that link or visit the section of this blog labeled "Shop with us", where you are sure to find many beautiful and unique images I've taken all over the world that can be purchased to hang as artwork in any blank wall in your home, office or as an ideal personalized gift.


This specific listing is now framed and hanging in my hubby's man room along with another Art Deco Miami print that will soon be featured in my shop  my hubby loves the way they look in his space!  (I apologize for the bad lighting and resolution of this pic, taken with my smart phone but you get the idea.)




Finally, I wanted to share a few Fall/Winter table-scapes I put together. One was for a friend who had some special guests over for a fancy lunch. I used fruits, flowers and some linens I had laying around to come up with a Fall inspired color scheme. The leaf napkin rings were previously brown and boring. I used my trusty craft paints in an apple green and gold color for the edges to breath fresh life into them and create a nice contrast to the brown fabric napkins. The other was a simple table setting for breakfast. I just used a cream colored table cloth and then decorated with two simple glass vases and some gorgeous cream colored napkins, the light and bright scheme played  nicely against all the other light colors in my kitchen.






And that's what I've been up to lately along with the planning of some upcoming parties and photo sessions.

However, as promised, the next post will be all about the kitchen renovation with plenty of pictures of the final outcome. I am so in love with this space, I am looking forward to sharing it with you all.

Till next time. xoxo

Ly