DIY Front Door Letter, Simple & Rustic

Who doesn't love a simple, DIY project? What about a project that can be completed in one sitting and that

adds instant character to any home? Exactly, everyone loves a project like this! So, when I was looking for a fun easy project to add a little charm to our front door, I couldn't pass on this one. It requires little investment in materials and time and turns out sooo cute! Read on to check it out, and make your own!

DIY Front Door Letter

Materials Needed:

• Jute Twine (any color, but I used natural), $6.99
• Wooden or cardboard letter, $3.00
• Artificial flowers or other embellishment, $5.00 for 2 sets
• Ribbon, $3.00
• Hot glue gun and glue sticks, already had
• Wire cutters

Project Steps

1. Plan your wrapping and practice. The very first thing you'll want to do is analyze your letter and
   decide what is the best method for wrapping and completely covering. (If complete coverage is not  the look you're going for here, then proceed to step 2.) As anal as I am, I wanted my letter symmetrically and completely covered, so I did a couple of practice wraps. Typically it's best to start on a flat edge and then curve around. You might also have to "rewrap" some sections to cover everything, but more on that later. Test some of the lengths of you letter and see what direction will work best. 
2. Anchor your twine. Once you've decided where you want to begin, it will help tremendously to anchor the first several "wraps" around your letter. This is where the hot glue comes in. Put a dot at the very beginning edge of your wrap and then on several flat sections of your first piece to keep the jute strands from spreading too much.
3. Wrap and cover. After anchoring your initial pieces, just continue wrapping. Again, you might find it easier to wrap a flat section, cut your twine, begin again, and rewrap sections for complete coverage. That is what I had to do here for the angle on the end of the "C". I actually had wrapped the end to a stopping point and then restarted it in the very beginning "round part" of the "C".
   
4. "Seal." After covering the letter, you'll want to do like in the beginning and glue several of the last "wraps" around your letter. This again just helps to keep the jute in place and makes for a cleaner look. Then finish it off with a last dot of glue to hold the end of the jute twine in place.
5. Decorate. While you may choose to leave your letter unembellished, you'll at least need to add a ribbon to hang it. This step is the last that you'll want to do. At this point, I cut the artificial flowers for mine and placed them with hot glue to add an extra flourish to the design. I then measured the ribbon and practiced tying the bow, so that I'd have a good length when hanging. (You'll want to judge yours based on how you want it to rest on the door.) After measuring, I secured the ribbon to the letter with a thin line of glue underneath the "open side" of the letter. Once you have added the ribbon, you've got a great finished product. All you need to do now is hang it and enjoy!

This is a great DIY project that costs less than $20! I think you'll have a hard time finding a wreath or other door decoration for any less than that. Plus, you get the pleasure of saying you made this yourself and it looks Tote-ally Wonderful! (I made mine with my sister, too, which made it even better!!)

--Leesha

(Our Tote-ally cute front door!)

Easy Lamp Makeover

Thankfully my husband and I have inherited a handsome set of home furniture and furnishings through various means--family, friends, previous apartment living, etc. (And really, we've been really, really blessed as all of our furniture even "goes together" right from the onset of being married. It would have driven me bonkers otherwise.) However, even with this collection, the further we get into establishing our home, the more I'm left wanting to tweak what we have...In steps my moderate DIY-self, thinking, "Yeah, yeah, I can do this."
I often shudder just slightly when this "self" takes over as I have had some (very) unsuccessful DIY attempts in the past. Nonetheless, I typically go ahead and make the attempt anyway. Today was no different.

After making our most recent move, I decided I wanted to add a "pop of color" to our living room and had decided to do so with the very neutral-colored lamps we had acquired. (I think these were honestly a "hotel hand-me-down" from my husband's former job site.) So, the Easy Lamp Makeover idea was born, and, I made a go of it. And, I must say it was extremely SUCCESSFUL! If you are wanting to makeover a room, or at least a lamp, easily, cheaply, and quickly, do this!

Materials Needed:

• two lamps (or one, really however many you want to makeover)
• plastic wrap, paper towel, plastic bag, or some other material to cover metal parts of lamp
• tape
• spray paint in an exciting new color (I used Valspar The Perfect Finish in Gloss Exoctic Sea.)
• cardboard or some other usable spraying surface
• a well ventilated space

Steps to Makeover Perfection (or close to)...

1. Prep lamps for painting. I started by wiping down the lamps with a damp cloth. (This was a necessity to remove dust balls and tiny dust bunnies. I definitely know where my house cleaning is lacking...) After cleaning, separate the lamp base from the shade, typically by simply unscrewing the attachment at the top. You'll also want to make sure to remove the bulb, if you haven't already done so. At this point, wrap the metal casing with the plastic wrap. (I enlisted the mister to help here, and he also suggested a lining of paper towel to make sure we kept everything clean.) Secure with tape as necessary. You also might want to cover the cord to protect it from any stray paint.
   
2. After covering everything, it's time to set up shop. We carried everything outside and laid cardboard underneath the lamps to keep from painting the grass as well as to keep any and all grass off of the lamps as I painted.
3. Then, the fun part. Begin painting. You'll want to use short, light sprays and do multiple coats, with at least 5 minutes between each coat. I used one very light coat, followed by a second "covering" coat, and a third "touch-up" coat. This allowed me to get a nice, even color on the lamps without any drips. (Note: Valspar The Perfect Finish is a two-in-one product that serves as a primer and topcoat. I chose this paint so I didn't have to purchase an additional "primer.")
   
4. Finally, let the paint cure. Within 30 minutes, we were able to move the project, but I let both lamps sit outside for 2+ hours to allow them to "air out" and completely dry.
5. Finish! After drying, I carried the transformed lamps inside, removed the wrap, replaced the bulbs and shades, and added them back to the living space.
   

This project was a total success! I was able to makeover the two lamps and successfully transform our living space (at least that's how I feel about it, haha) with a simple spray of paint. On top of that, I got 2 brand NEW lamps for $7!!! I'll take that for a Tote-ally Wonderful makeover! Check it out!

--Leesha