Three DIY projects in under an hour!

Life has been so busy and I have been working so much on my book that I haven't made time for any DIY projects. They make my heart so happy! In fact, the pictures below were done in November and I am just now getting them posted! 

I have been slowly adding lighter decor into my house to help brighten it up. I have had a lot of dark decor and cast iron decor from our previous house and when we moved in I just threw everything up whether it really belonged or not.

After two years of staring at my walls I started making some changes. Since I have had hardly any time these had to be quick...and cheap. 

I knew I wanted two frames that were 11x17 or close to it. I found these on crazy sale, they matched and I knew I could paint them white. Again because these projects were so quick (I may or may not have done these the night before Thanksgiving)  I didn't take the time to get a proper BEFORE picture. 

However I didn't see until after I bought them that the glass was glued to the frame! Really? So I couldn't paint them unless I covered the glass. I used a flat white spray paint and ran outside before dark to get these done. I added light coats until they were a solid white. 

After the paint dried, I grabbed the frames (later that night, because I am so impatient) and got ready to put them on the walls. I despise these triangle hooks.  They never stay in place and if they get loose then they just flop down and it is near impossible to get both sides up at the same time.  

So let me share my trick with you....

First I fold some painters tape underneath. It gives it a little shelf so it doesn't flip all the way down. 

Next, since there are two that I need to get measured straight on the wall, I put good old toothpaste covering the whole triangles, I make sure it is enough to leave a mark on the wall.

Wa-la! two perfectly straight marks on my wall. I drill right into the center of the mark. Yep, right into the tooth paste. (So what if I have minty fresh holes in my house). I should share that I use screws rather than nails. I feel like they hold better.

Here is the BEFORE shot... 

I had a cast iron square decor that didn't really feel like it fit on the wall very well. It had little candle holders around it and I never used them. Plus I have other cast iron pieces in the house and this one felt like too much. So down it came. 

Here are the frames up! I love them already, even if they don't have a picture inside of them yet. 

So these, sat up on the walls like this for about two weeks until I could really look around the house and decide what colors needed to go inside. I looked around online to see what prints I could get that I would love. I found a few but not in the right size or my husband gave me a veto on them. :( 

Yes, I ask his opinion, some times. :) 

I found these prints with elegant writing. I love them so much!!

They are clean, simple, elegant, and not some specific decor piece (like plants or birds or abstract pieces) that doesn't go with the rest. 

Here is another view. Again, I didn't put a lot of effort into these photos, I was in a hurry and had a million other things to get done for Thanksgiving. Did I mention we were hosting? :) 

Another BEFORE shot:

And the AFTER shot: 

So...at the same time, I was also working on some changes in our mantel. See below: 

I love to find decor on super sale. I knew I needed some candle sticks and wasn't finding any that I liked, But these, I loved the shape of these. So I brought them home and while I spray painted the frames above I also painted these. Our poor neighbors. 

Here they are outside. The flat spray paint looked amazing on these. No clumps, no drips, just perfect. 

And here they are in the AFTER picture, on my mantel. I love how they turned out! Super cheap and quick, all the things I love in a good DIY project. 

My last project one this night was a vase that I got years ago (also super crazy cheap) and I loved it still but it just didn't go with our new house colors. So, I decided to try to lighten it up. 

Here it is...so pretty! 

I painted this one with a cream spray paint. 

Let me add that it was super dusty so in my hurry I gave it a quick wipe down with a wet wipe. I didn't really let it dry enough I am guessing because after I painted it with the spray paint, it slowly started to seep some rust like color out. Now maybe it had nothing to do with the wet wipe, who knows. But I actually really LOVE how it turned out. It gave the vase more of an antique look.

So here is the other side of my mantel. Sitting next to a glass vase that I hot glued jute around. :)

So, there are a few of the house projects I did back in November. :) I am hoping to work on some bigger projects in the near future. Might not have time until spring break. We will see.

I hope I inspired you to revamp one of your home decor items. Sometimes we can change the look of something we already have in order to match our color scheme. :)