We moved into our Nashville home seven years ago (man, time flies!) and the very first thing we did was sand down and paint the dark wood kitchen cabinets white to bring some more light into the small kitchen.

Let’s just say that years (and one toddler) later, the paint job had gotten a little dingy and worn in places, and I kept wondering when I’d ever have the time to refresh my kitchen cabinets, since the original act of painting them was such a big process.

When I really sat down to think about it, I realized that it may not actually be as big of a job as it seems. And, once I made a plan, I realized that I could actually do a full cabinet refresh in just one afternoon!

That sounded way more doable than devoting a weekend to the job and once it was done it made a huge difference in how fresh the space feels—I’ll show you what I did!

You can see above in the before pictures that we were definitely in need of a refresh. Years of daily use really does leave a mark!

Clean and De-Grime the Cabinets

This step may sound like just a preparation for the real change later, but I was amazed at how much better the cabinets looked just by doing a thorough cleaning with a magic eraser.

I could still see the spots where the paint was worn through, but it felt so much cleaner overall, and showed me where the paint was still in good shape.

I knew if I ran out of time, I could skip repainting those areas. It’s also a good idea in a kitchen to use some dish soap and water to wipe down areas before repainting.

Any grease from cooking that’s still on the paint may keep your touch-up paint from adhering properly, so you want to use some soapy water or degreaser product to get it off first. They also make these magic erasers that have soap in them so you can do both jobs in one!

You can see above that the left side has been cleaned and the right hasn’t … even though there is still some chipped paint, they look so much newer already!

Give the Cabinets a Light Sanding

Once your wood is clean, use some fine sandpaper (I like this brand) to gently rough up the paint in the areas where you want to do a paint touch-up. You don’t want to sand through down to the wood, so don’t feel like you need to sand very hard.

A light scuffing of the surface will help the new paint stick a little better. I also like using a sanding sponge with a foam back so I can sand an area and then wipe off the dust with the soft foam part.

Add some Touch-Up Paint to the Bare Spots

I like to use a brush (this is my favorite one) for hard-to-reach areas of the cabinets, but painting wherever I can reach with a foam roller really gives you the best look overall. Use that where you can on any flat areas (make sure to take off your cabinet knobs and pulls first).

I was just going to paint the most worn areas of my doors, but once I got going, I realized that it’s actually pretty quick to do the full door or drawer when you’re just doing a touch-up coat of the same color.

So, I just painted all the fronts and it really didn’t take much longer. And if you can take out your drawers first, that can make them a lot easier to paint as well.

As you can probably guess by now, I’m assuming you know what paint was used on the cabinets last time they were painted so you can get more for a touch up.

So, if you don’t already have a way to keep track of what paint colors you use in your home, I highly recommend writing it down somewhere so you can reference the list as needed!

If you don’t know the exact color, you can bring home a million paint swatches until you find one that looks super close, but you’ll probably need to paint the full cabinet door rather than just one corner in case the color isn’t a 1,000% match.

Also, if you have a “kick plate” area like I do at the bottom of your cabinets (it’s where your baseboard/quarter round is near the floor), touching that up while you’re painting is a great idea. It gets kicked and scuffed a lot with your feet (hence the name)!

It’s a relatively small area and it only took 4-5 minutes to repaint mine, but it definitely helped the whole thing feel new again.

Replace Old/Worn Hardware (Or Clean It)

It was pretty obvious to me that tarnished hardware was another reason that our kitchen was looking a little grimy. So if that’s the case for you as well, giving your hardware a cleaning or a polish can also really help make them look as good as new.

And, you can work on this while your paint is drying, so it won’t take any longer either! It may also be a good time to do a hardware upgrade if you chose a more budget-friendly option the first time around.

I personally love Schoolhouse hardware and find it wears really well over time.

How much better does that look in just a few hours?!

  If you have extra time, another thing that can make cabinets look new again is changing out the hinges that attach the cabinet doors to the wall.

That is definitely more of a time consuming task if you have to do a lot of them, but if yours are in bad shape, just make it a goal to switch out one or two doors a day with your power drill and that will make it feel more doable.

It’s way more work to switch them out with different hinges that have different hole locations (you’d have to repair, fill, sand, and paint all the old hole locations), but if you’re using hardware with the same hole locations, it shouldn’t be that big of a deal.

There you go!! It really is amazing to me how much newer the cabinets look after just one afternoon of work—totally worth it! You can also pop a cute pan on the counter or new kitchen rug into the space to freshen it up.

It feels like I spend most of my day in the kitchen, so it’s definitely worth the effort to make it look its best. I’ve also organized my fridge and closet in one afternoon so take a few days and really get your place together! Hope this project idea helps to brighten up your kitchen too! xo. Laura

P.S. Looking for more kitchen content? Check out …

• The Best Paint For Kitchen Cabinets
• Elsie’s Removable Tile Backsplash
• Emma’s Kitchen Must-Haves

If you have never had gooey butter cake before, here is how I would describe it. It’s a dense cake base, almost like a shortbread, but softer. Then, it has a lightly baked frosting on top. It truly is gooey in texture—in fact, sometimes this is called ooey gooey butter cake.

It’s a rich dessert that is usually cut into square bars, and I believe it’s originally from St. Louis, Missouri (about three hours from where I live).

I will admit, it’s not the most beautiful cake. But it’s SO delicious. It kind of reminds me of Milk Bar Pie, but not a pie texture … more like cake bars.

And if you love gooey butter cake, then I’d recommend trying gooey butter cake cookies or this pineapple upside down gooey butter cake.

There are a number of gooey butter cake recipes available on the internet and cookbooks, but I consider this the super easy version, as we will use a cake mix for the base and the entire recipe only has eight ingredients.

Why is it called gooey butter cake?

The texture of the top layer is very gooey, like thick pudding. I would compare it to a lightly baked frosting. It will have a kind of flaky appearance, but the texture itself will ooze a little when cut.

This is why it’s really important to allow this cake to refrigerate for at least two hours (after it cools) or overnight, if possible. It’s probably a little more gooey (runny) than the texture of lemon bars.

What is gooey butter cake made of?

There are two layers: the base cake and the top which is like a baked frosting. The base cake is made of yellow cake mix, one egg, melted butter, and a little nutmeg (optional).

The top layer is made of cream cheese, eggs, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar.

How do I know when my gooey butter cake is done?

This cake will (and should) seem underbaked. That’s OK! That’s exactly what puts the “gooey” in gooey butter cake.

The edges of the cake should puff slightly and begin to appear golden brown, while the center will appear flaky but still have a lot of jiggle to it.

The cake needs to cool and refrigerate for at least two hours before cutting. Otherwise, it may be too gooey and runny to easily serve.

If you need to transport this dessert, I would recommend waiting to cut the cake into bars until you are at your destination. Happy baking! -Emma

Print

Gooey Butter Cake – With a Cake Mix

easy gooey butter cake bars made with a yellow cake mix base

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword cake, cake bars

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Refrigerate Time 2 hours

Total Time 2 hours 55 minutes

Servings 12 servings

Author Emma Chapman

Ingredients

• 1 yellow cake mix
• 1 egg
• ½ cup butter melted
• ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg optional

Top Layer:

• 8 ounces cream cheese softened
• 2 eggs
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 16 ounces powdered sugar

Instructions

• In a large bowl, mix together the cake mix, egg, melted butter, and nutmeg (if using).
• In a 7×9 baking pan lined with parchment paper, press the batter in an even layer.
• In a large bowl, stir together the softened cream cheese, eggs, and vanilla extract.
• Stir in the powdered sugar.
• Pour this frosting batter over the top of the cake batter layer.
• Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes. The edges will puff slightly and turn golden brown, while the center will remain very jiggly.
• Remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool.
• Refrigerate for at least two hours (covered) or overnight before cutting into bars.

Notes

The 7×9 baking pan I used is Staub brand, and although not necessarily a standard size (9×13 being more common), it is a common pan. However, you could use a 9×13 pan instead and reduce the baking time to 35-38 minutes. 

Do you remember the cozy outdoor space that we created at our studio years ago?

Josh made amazing bench seating to give us a place to lounge, and we decided to add some thick outdoor cushions to make the seating area more comfortable.

Here’s how we made our own outdoor cushions:

Supplies:
–canvas twill or outdoor fabric
–outdoor cushion filling
-standard sewing machine
–zipper the width of your cushion
–fabric scissors and sewing pins
–waterproofing spray

First, I measured the width and depth of each seat to see how big the cushions should be. The cushion filling I bought was 4″ tall, so I knew that number would be the height of my cushion.

To figure out the fabric dimensions for the cushion panels, take the width and depth measurements and add 1″ to both numbers to allow for a 1/2″ seam allowance all around. These measurements are for the top and bottom panels of the cushion.

To determine the side panel length, add the original measurements (the numbers before the additional inches for seam allowance) of all four sides of the large panel together.

Add 1″ onto that big number to allow for a 1/2″ seam allowance. The height of your super-long side panel is the height of the cushion filling with 1″ added for a 1/2″ seam allowance. 

Take these dimensions and cut your top and bottom panel and your long side panel accordingly.

Use fabric scissors to round the edge of your fabric corners on your two larger panels.

To connect your long side panel strip and make one big continuous loop around the edge of your cushion, fold the panel in half (with the right sides facing each other), and sew 1/2″ from the edge to connect the ends.

Line up the edges of your side panel loop of fabric with the edge of the top panel (with the right sides together), and pin the edge in place.

To make the corners easier to sew, add some “V”-shaped notches around each corner.

Use your machine to sew all the way around the edges with a 1/2″ seam allowance. 

Pin the bottom panel to the side panel in the same manner as the top panel, and make notches on all the corners.

Before you sew all the way around the bottom panel, you’ll want to add a zipper at one of the ends so you can insert your cushion filling.

Place the zipper face down onto the right side of the fabric at one of the ends of your bottom panel. Pin the zipper in place so that the zipper will be installed 1/2″ from the edge. 

Watch the video below to learn how to install your zipper:

Use a zipper foot on your machine to sew the right side of the zipper in place.

Repeat the process of pinning and sewing the other side of the zipper so that you have a functional zipper installed.

Now you can sew all the way around the rest of the bottom panel (starting at the end of the zipper and stopping when you reach the beginning of it).

Make sure to leave your zipper open a few inches before you sew all the way around so you can get back in later! Flip your cushion cover right side out, and you’re ready to add the filling!

Use a ruler and a marker to measure the appropriate width of your cushion filling.* If you aren’t able to buy a cushion long enough that’s in one piece, you just use as many pieces as needed to fill the cushion length.

*NOTE: I would highly suggest making the width and length of the insert a little bigger than your actual cover dimensions (maybe add an inch to both). This way, the insert will fit snugly into the cover and you will have a full-looking cushion.

Now, I’ve heard that some people use jigsaws or even electric turkey carving knives to cut foam and filling, but the thing that worked the best for me was actually a plain handsaw. Weird, right?

The saw was able to do most of the cutting pretty easily, but I did use some fabric scissors to clean up the edge a bit.

Once my filling was cut to size, we folded the filling in half like a taco shell and inserted it into the cushion cover through the zipper opening. Use your waterproof spray to seal your fabric, and you’re done!

Throw in some outdoor pillows (or you can make your own) a few concrete planters, an outdoor rug and your space is ready to go!

Having these cushions on the outdoor benches makes the space look much more finished and one million times more comfortable.

Once you get this cushion-making technique down, you’ll be not only able to update your outdoor space, but you can also apply the principles to making cushions for lots of other seating options as well.

Happy sewing! xo. Laura

Looking for more ways to elevate your outdoor space? Check out …

• Everything You Need for Outdoor Dining
• Make Your Own Fire Pit (In 4 Easy Steps)
• Mid-Century Pergola DIY

Print

Make Your Own Outdoor Cushions

Keyword outdoor cushions

Equipment

• standard sewing machine
• fabric scissors
• sewing pins

Ingredients

• canvas twill or outdoor fabric
• outdoor cushion filling
• zipper the width of your cushion

Instructions

• First, I measured the width and depth of each seat to see how big the cushions should be. The cushion filling I bought was 4″ tall, so I knew that number would be the height of my cushion.
• To figure out the fabric dimensions for the cushion panels, take the width and depth measurements and add 1″ to both numbers to allow for a 1/2″ seam allowance all around. These measurements are for the top and bottom panels of the cushion.

  To determine the side panel length, add the original measurements (the numbers before the additional inches for seam allowance) of all four sides of the large panel together. Add 1″ onto that big number to allow for a 1/2″ seam allowance. The height of your super-long side panel is the height of the cushion filling with 1″ added for a 1/2″ seam allowance. 
• Take these dimensions and cut your top and bottom panel and your long side panel accordingly.
• Use fabric scissors to round the edge of your fabric corners on your two larger panels.

  To connect your long side panel strip and make one big continuous loop around the edge of your cushion, fold the panel in half (with the right sides facing each other), and sew 1/2″ from the edge to connect the ends.

  Line up the edges of your side panel loop of fabric with the edge of the top panel (with the right sides together), and pin the edge in place.
• To make the corners easier to sew, add some “V”-shaped notches around each corner.
• Use your machine to sew all the way around the edges with a 1/2″ seam allowance. 
• Pin the bottom panel to the side panel in the same manner as the top panel, and make notches on all the corners.
• Before you sew all the way around the bottom panel, you’ll want to add a zipper at one of the ends so you can insert your cushion filling.

  Place the zipper face down onto the right side of the fabric at one of the ends of your bottom panel. Pin the zipper in place so that the zipper will be installed 1/2″ from the edge. 
• Use a zipper foot on your machine to sew the right side of the zipper in place.
• Repeat the process of pinning and sewing the other side of the zipper so that you have a functional zipper installed. Now you can sew all the way around the rest of the bottom panel (starting at the end of the zipper and stopping when you reach the beginning of it).

  Make sure to leave your zipper open a few inches before you sew all the way around so you can get back in later! Flip your cushion cover right side out, and you’re ready to add the filling!
• Use a ruler and a marker to measure the appropriate width of your cushion filling.* If you aren’t able to buy a cushion long enough that’s in one piece, you just use as many pieces as needed to fill the cushion length.

  I would highly suggest making the width and length of the insert a little bigger than your actual cover dimensions (maybe add an inch to both). This way the insert will fit snugly into the cover and you will have a full-looking cushion.
• Now, I’ve heard that some people use jigsaws or even electric turkey carving knives to cut foam and filling, but the thing that worked the best for me was actually a plain old handsaw. Weird, right?

  The saw was able to do most of the cutting pretty easily, but I did use some fabric scissors to clean up the edge a bit.

  Once my filling was cut to size, we folded the filling in half like a taco shell and inserted it into the cushion cover through the zipper opening. Use your waterproof spray to seal your fabric, and you’re done!

A couple months ago, I shared a video on Instagram showing how I style this super quick and easy top knot. I think I called it a five-minute messy bun, as that would be another name for it.

But, this is truly the easiest way I know how to throw my medium/long (thin! postpartum regrowth) hair into a cute top knot style.

This is a great hairstyle for those warm summer months since it’s a stylish way to keep your hair up and off your neck and shoulders.

I love how top knots can be styled to look casual for a day out shopping or more polished for an office day.

Other easy hairstyles for warm weather:

• Maiden Braids
• Donut Bun
• Dutch Braid
• Simple Chignon Updo

You could absolutely customize this top knot hairstyle with accessories like a headband or oversized scrunchie.

1. Part your hair in the center from the crown of your head to the base of your hair on your neck.

2. Form a messy half ponytail on each side. I use clear elastic rubber bands for a no-show look, but if your hair is thicker, you may need thicker bands.

3. Each half ponytail will have a loop in the center. Pull one of the half ponies through the other loop of the other one.

4. Use bobbie pins to pin in place.

You can change up the look of your top knot by leaving bangs or strands of hair out before you begin.

Or you can pull a few small strands out after for a more tousled look. If you prefer the tousled look, here’s how to do a half up topknot. xo. Emma

Looking for more hair tutorials? Check out 25+ Easy Hair Tutorials for Any Occasion!

Print

How to style a Top Knot

five minute or less hair style for medium to long hair

Keyword hair tutorial, top knot

Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Author Emma Chapman

Ingredients

• 2 elastic rubber bands
• 2-5 bobbie pins

Instructions

• Part your hair in the center from the crown of your head to the base of your hair on your neck.
• Form a messy half ponytail on each side. I use clear elastic rubber bands for a no-show look, but if your hair is thicker, you may need thicker bands.
• Each half pony tail will have a loop in the center. Pull one of the half ponies through the loop of the other one.
• Use a bobbie pins to pin in place.

Notes

You can change up the look of your top knot by leaving bangs or strands of hair out before you begin. Or you can pull a few small strands out after for a more tousled look.

A couple months ago, I shared a video on Instagram showing how I style this super quick and easy top knot. I think I called it a five-minute messy bun, as that would be another name for it.

But, this is truly the easiest way I know how to throw my medium/long (thin! postpartum regrowth) hair into a cute top knot style.

This is a great hairstyle for those warm summer months since it’s a stylish way to keep your hair up and off your neck and shoulders.

I love how top knots can be styled to look casual for a day out shopping or more polished for an office day.

Other easy hairstyles for warm weather:

• Maiden Braids
• Donut Bun
• Dutch Braid
• Simple Chignon Updo

You could absolutely customize this top knot hairstyle with accessories like a headband or oversized scrunchie.

1. Part your hair in the center from the crown of your head to the base of your hair on your neck.

2. Form a messy half ponytail on each side. I use clear elastic rubber bands for a no-show look, but if your hair is thicker, you may need thicker bands.

3. Each half ponytail will have a loop in the center. Pull one of the half ponies through the other loop of the other one.

4. Use bobbie pins to pin in place.

You can change up the look of your top knot by leaving bangs or strands of hair out before you begin.

Or you can pull a few small strands out after for a more tousled look. If you prefer the tousled look, here’s how to do a half up topknot. xo. Emma

Looking for more hair tutorials? Check out 25+ Easy Hair Tutorials for Any Occasion!

Print

How to style a Top Knot

five minute or less hair style for medium to long hair

Keyword hair tutorial, top knot

Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Author Emma Chapman

Ingredients

• 2 elastic rubber bands
• 2-5 bobbie pins

Instructions

• Part your hair in the center from the crown of your head to the base of your hair on your neck.
• Form a messy half ponytail on each side. I use clear elastic rubber bands for a no-show look, but if your hair is thicker, you may need thicker bands.
• Each half pony tail will have a loop in the center. Pull one of the half ponies through the loop of the other one.
• Use a bobbie pins to pin in place.

Notes

You can change up the look of your top knot by leaving bangs or strands of hair out before you begin. Or you can pull a few small strands out after for a more tousled look.

I love framing art pieces. It can make all the difference and give a piece of art a new life! In this post, I wanted to share three things that I’ve learned about framing and getting art pieces reframed.

Frame Something Unique

My first tip is to frame something unique! I wrote a post on collecting art if you want to refer back to that for some ideas on gathering art for your home.

I found this embroidered wool rug (similar here) at a consignment shop, knowing it would be perfect on an empty wall in our house. I had been on the hunt for something large but couldn’t find the right thing … until I found this!

I loved the colors and texture but knew framing it would be quite expensive. I put it off for almost a year but finally took it into the frame shop to get an idea for a frame and a quote.

The lady at the frame shop told me it would take two people three hours to sew it by hand onto a backing.

It was the method they used to preserve the piece and not damage it in the framing process. When I picked up the piece, I was so satisfied with the finished product.

Another unique piece is this postcard from the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1906. I found it on eBay a while back.

It has little holes cut out with colored vellum or thin paper under it and when you hold it to the light … it looks as though it’s lit up. Here it is with light behind it. See how it glows?

It’s such a delicate and beautiful souvenir from 115 years ago! I’ve always loved the history of the St. Louis World’s Fair because my great-grandmother went to it and it’s neat knowing I have a little piece of her history in my house.

I wanted to get this postcard framed with the idea that I could still hold it up to the light and see it light up. I went with two pieces of glass and the framers made sure to not hurt the postcard but carefully stuck it between the glass.

It looks elegant and it’s safe to enjoy for years to come!

My friend and I recently went to an antique mall and we came across a booth that had baskets full of old pictures. We stood in the booth for well over an hour pulling out worn photos and showing each other.

The baskets were filled with collections of family memories of vacations, baby’s first steps, and sons going off to war. In the pile, I found this picture and in pencil on the back it was dated 1931.

I instantly fell in love with it. The composition of the two dogs on the sides, the oar on the bottom leading your eye to the man in the middle rowing. It reminded me of a photo from one of my favorite photographers, Jacque Henri Lartigue.

I purchased the photo and took it to our local hobby store to find a frame. I found a frame and took it to the framing department to have them cut a matte to fit it.

A few minutes later they came out with the finished product! It was under $10 to have them make it for me and put the photo, matte and frame back together.

Now this special photo can be enjoyed and not hidden away in a basket at an antique mall. When you want to frame a picture, consider getting a slightly larger frame and custom matte cut for your photo.

It looks timeless and also brings your eye into the photo. You can also purchase pre-cut mattes for your picture, but in my case, I needed a custom one!

Tips for Purchasing Secondhand Frames

Next, I wanted to share my favorite tip for purchasing secondhand frames. If I am at a thrift store and find a frame that I love (that’s a good price!), I will usually buy it … even if I don’t care for the art inside the frame.

Framing can be quite expensive, so if I can purchase a used piece of art and just purchase it for the frame, it will cut the cost significantly! I have a little stash of used frames just waiting to be recycled and get some new art in them.

I will peruse eBay, EBTH, or thrift stores to find art that might fit into a specific frame. Once I find the right piece, I bring the art and secondhand frame into the frame shop. In my experience, it’s usually about $10-$15 for them to swap the art, seal up the back and put on new hanging wire. SO easy!

When I was getting something framed one time, the woman at the frame shop said that you don’t want the frame to distract from the art. While I agree with that (mostly), I can’t help but love the big beautiful frames that you see when you go into art museums.

Paintings through the centuries are wrapped in gilded gold and in my opinion, the frame does distract but only because it is so beautiful!!

I love the juxtaposition of these amazing abstract paintings painted by my friend Kendra with the gold frames around them. It is classic and cool all at the same time.

I found a big gold frame on Craigslist for next to nothing and saved it in the garage until I found the perfect piece to go in it.

Do you remember the postcard from the St. Louis World’s Fair mentioned above? Well, before I took the postcard to the framers, I brought it into our local camera/photo print shop, they scanned it and put the file on a disc.

When I got home, I opened up Photoshop and bumped up the saturation, sharpened it a bit, and removed any dust spots. I sent the file off to be printed in a larger size.

I had it printed just a little smaller than the gold frame that I had been saving because I wanted to use a matte around it to dress it up a bit.

I took the enlarged picture and the gold frame to the frame shop and they helped me pick out a matte and glass. I can now enjoy a big picture of that cute little postcard! I keep it above my desk and love it!

Buy Art With Bad Frames

My next tip is to buy art with bad frames. A lot of times, I will find framed pieces and the art inside is in good shape but the frame is trashed. Reframing can make all the difference!

If you are able to, keep the original glass because getting new glass can be quite expensive. If all you have to do is bring in your framed art, keep the art and glass and have them swap the frame, then this can be a money saver!

Whenever I bring in art with a bad frame, I NEVER try to take the art out. I let the framers do that because they know what they are doing. So don’t feel bad bringing your whole piece and having them disassemble it!

I got these pieces on eBay and the frames were in such bad shape. I was a bit sad about it when they arrived in the mail, but knew it could be a quick fix. Here is the before and after with the new (sturdy!) frames.

I hope this encourages you to get some art framed or to be on the lookout for great frames and the perfect piece of art.

If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below. Happy framing! -Janae

Looking for more ideas? Check out …

• 5 Ways to Update a Thrifted Photo Frame
• DIY Custom Framing (Without Power Tools!)
• 15 Ways to Display Photos in Your Home

If you are looking for an easy DIY Fourth of July wreath idea to hang on your front door this summer, then look no further—the perfect one is here!

This patriotic wreath is quick to make, doesn’t cost a lot, and just about anyone can do it because it’s really easy!

Looking for more Fourth of July ideas? Check out …

• Bomb Pop Shots
• Snow Cone Cupcakes!
• How to Host the Best 4th of July BBQ
• Watermelon Slice Jello Shots
• Deviled Eggs 3 Ways

What is a ribbon wreath?

A ribbon wreath is a fast and easy way to make a wreath since you are just cutting strips of ribbon and simply tying them onto a wreath frame.

You can customize it with whatever colors you like to reflect holidays and seasons, and you can add custom accents to glue onto the wreath as well.

Supplies:

• wreath frame
• red, white, and blue acrylic paint and paintbrush
• 1.5″ wide red, white, and blue ribbon (can be any width but wider will make the job easier and faster)
• scissors
• wooden star cutouts
• hot glue gun
• twine or wire for hanging loop

Step 1: Paint your wreath. Divide your wreath into three even sections (you can just eyeball it) and paint them red, white, and blue so that you won’t see any gaps between the ribbons once you start to tie those.

If your wreath frame is white, you won’t need to paint the white, and you’ll probably need two coats to get a more opaque coverage.

Step 2: Tie your first round of ribbons. Cut your red ribbons into 14″ long strips and tie around your wreath frame tying them into a knot on the outer edge of the wreath. Repeat until you have ribbon tied all the way down your red section.

My ribbon spools were 21′ long and I used just a tiny bit more than one roll per color, so if you want to keep it to one roll each, cut them a little shorter or space them out a little further.

Step 3: Fill in between each ribbon with another ribbon. Now that you have your first round tied, cut and tie a second round of red ribbons between each ribbon so that it fills the section and makes it look more full.

Step 4: Repeat with your blue and white ribbons. Cut more 14″ ribbons with your white and blue colors and repeat the process of tying one row just touching each other and then another row in between what you’ve done to fill in the gaps.

Note: You’ll see that grosgrain ribbon tends to fray a bit on the edges once cut, so if that bothers you, you can run some Fray Check over the end or use a ribbon that doesn’t fray as easily, like a velvet option.

Step 5: Add your white stars! Paint your wooden star accents white and hot glue them onto the red and blue parts of your ribbon wreath.

Step 6: Add a hanging loop. Use some twine or wire to thread through the back of the middle ribbon in the blue section and tie a loop so that you have something to hang your wreath from.

Now your Fourth of July wreath is ready to hang!

How cute is that?! This is the perfect kind of craft to do while you watch TV (if you like to do that, check out 15 Crafts You Can Do While Watching TV) or sit outside on a nice afternoon.

Ribbon wreaths are a quick and easy way to make a holiday wreath and you can store them easily in a bin with all your other holiday decorations. xo. Laura

Love a good wreath DIY? Check out …

• DIY Pipe Cleaner Wreath
• Modern Hoop Wreath DIY
• Easy Oversized Christmas Wreath DIY (With Pool Noodles!)
• Easy Wreath DIYs (For Any Season)

Print

Make Your Own Easy Fourth of July Ribbon Wreath

Easily Make a Fourth of July Wreath with Tied Ribbons

Keyword easy crafts, fourth of july, holiday wreath

Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Dry Time 20 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes

Servings 1 wreath

Author Laura Gummerman

Cost $20

Equipment

• hot glue gun
• small paintbrush
• -scissors

Ingredients

• wreath frame
• red, white, and blue acrylic paint
• red, white, and blue 1.5" ribbon I used grosgrain
• wooden star cutout
• twine or wire for loop

Instructions

• Step one: Paint your wreath. Divide your wreath into three even sections (you can just eyeball it) and paint them red, white, and blue so that you won’t see any gaps between the ribbons once you start to tie those. If your wreath frame is white you won’t need to paint the white, and you’ll probably need two coats to get a more opaque coverage.
• Step 2: Tie your first round of ribbons. Cut your red ribbons into 14″ long strips and tie around your wreath frame tying them into a knot on the outer edge of the wreath. Repeat until you have ribbon tied all the way down your red section. My ribbon spools were 21′ long and I used just a tiny bit more than one roll per color, so if you want to keep it to one roll each, cut them a little shorter or space them out a little further.
• Step 3: Fill in between each ribbon with another ribbon. Now that you have your first round tied, cut and tie a second round of red ribbons between each ribbon so that it fills the section and make it look more full.
• Step 4: Repeat with your blue and white ribbons. Cut more 14″ ribbons with your white and blue colors and repeat the process of tying one row just touching each other and then another row in between what you’ve done to fill in the gaps.

  Note: You’ll see that grosgrain ribbon tends to fray a bit on the edges once cut, so if that bothers you, you can run some Fray Check over the ends or use a ribbon that doesn’t fray as easily like a velvet option.
• Step 5: Add your white stars! Paint your wooden star accents white and hot glue them onto the red and blue parts of your ribbon wreath.
• Step 6: Add a hanging loop. Use some twine or wire to thread through the back of the middle ribbon in the blue section and tie a loop so that you have something to hang your wreath from.

  Now your Fourth of July wreath is ready to hang!

I’m always surprised when there’s a heat wave and then I always wonder why I’m surprised, since I live in the Midwest. I made some cookies this week and got ready to celebrate my sister-in-law’s upcoming wedding, this summer is going so quickly! Here’s what I’m loving this week!

1. This watermelon slicer! This handy little tool has over 5,000 reviews and I am obsessed! At first, I thought it was too good to be true but I am so happy I tried it.

Take it from someone who has had stitches after slicing a watermelon … this is definitely worth some space in your kitchen drawer.

2. I’ve been making all kinds of popsicles. This mold is really easy to use, and I like that the sticks are washable and reusable.

3. I was in Springfield yesterday for my sister-in-law’s bridal shower, and we had so much fun! I used these signs from Etsy to tie in the theme, and the theme was “she’s been scooped up” meets “sweet summertime.”

I think my favorite sign was this one—we customized it to be a mocktail recipe and topped it with cotton candy. The cookies pictured were on the dessert table and we had other candy and treats to tie it all together.

4. The 4th of July is next week, and if you’re looking for a fun idea, try Laura’s giant slip n slide or making your own nontoxic colored powder!

5. We bought my son this big bounce house that has a sprinkler, and so far, he is not into it … AT ALL, ha! His cousins loved it though, and I’m hoping he gets used to it by the end of summer!

6. I have a new hack for my ice cream machine! I keep the bowl in the freezer at all times! It holds our popsicles or frozen fruit in a stasher bag. That way I never have to wait for the mixing bowl to freeze before making my ice cream.

7. I’ve been trying to find more ways to keep the toys organized, or at least have the appearance of organized, and this IKEA shelf has been really helpful!

I’ve had a few friends grab it after seeing it in action. Here’s a similar version from Walmart in case you don’t have access to an IKEA.

8. This time of year, I do not ever want to turn on the oven if I can avoid it. I have the same air fryer that Emma has, and am going to be working through her favorite things to air fry list!

9. Have you seen the new Top Gun movie yet? We’re going to see it at the drive-in tonight. I love going to the drive-in theatre—we try to go at least once or twice a summer.

10. I just bought this 50 States book to add to my son’s 4th of July book collection, and while it’s a kid’s book, I feel like I’m learning a ton from it, too! Especially as someone who has changed states a few times … I’m finding it really interesting!

Hope you’ve had a great weekend! xoxo, Claire

P.S. Here’s a link to last week’s 10 Things Sunday in case you missed it!

I love a perfect baked potato. It’s such a comforting side dish, and if you top it with something like chili or eggplant Parm then it can be a main course, too.

I thought it could be helpful to share how to make a baked potato in the oven, in the air fryer, or in the microwave. There are some pros and cons to each, which I will also share.

Here’s what I would consider the pros and cons of each of these cooking methods:

Baked Potato in the Oven – This is the most common, classic way to bake a potato. The skin can be crispy, the inside of the potato will be perfectly cooked through, and it will make your kitchen smell lovely.

The only con is that this method takes the longest, and if it’s a warm weather time of the year, you may not want to crank your oven on for long periods.

Baked Potato in the Air Fryer – This method is similar to the oven in that the skin can be crispy and the potato can be cooked perfectly. This method also takes less time, and probably less energy since you are using a small appliance rather than the oven.

Possible cons would be if you don’t own an air fryer, or if you want to cook something else (a main dish) to go with this in the air fryer, then you may have to work in batches, which is not ideal.

Baked Potato in the Microwave – This method is the fastest by a lot! If you need a baked potato done super quickly, then cooking it in the microwave is the way to go.

The cons are that the skin will not be crispy (but if you don’t eat the skin maybe this doesn’t matter for you?), and there can be some unevenness in the cooked potato since microwaves don’t always heat things evenly.

But it still works pretty well, and if you are somewhere that doesn’t have an oven or air fryer (studio apartment, dorm, break room) this may be a useful method.

Before baking, rinse off and scrub the potatoes well. Even if you don’t plan to eat the skin, getting the potato clean is important for any of these cooking methods.

Should potatoes be baked in foil?

No. If you want your baked potato to have crispy skin and you’re using the oven or air fryer, do not use foil. If you are cooking your potato in the microwave, definitely don’t use foil!

How to Bake a Potato in the Oven

• Wash the potato and pat dry.
• Using a fork, poke 5+ shallow holes all over the potato.
• Brush the outside with a little oil and/or butter. Season with salt.
• Bake at 400°F for 45 minutes, flipping halfway through.
• Check by piercing with the sharp knife. If the knife easily slides in, the potato is done.

See the recipe card below for more specifics, as well as additional tips and notes for each of these methods.

How to Bake a Potato in the Air Fryer

• Wash the potato and pat dry.
• Using a fork, poke 5+ shallow holes all over the potato.
• Brush the outside with a little oil and/or butter. Season with salt.
• Air fry at 400°F for 30 minutes, flipping once in the middle of the bake time.
• Check by piercing with the sharp knife. If the knife easily slides in, the potato is done.

More Air Fryer Recipes you might enjoy:

• Air Fryer Chicken Tenders
• Air Fryer Broccoli – with or without cheese
• Air Fried Seasoned French Fries
• Air Fried Okra
• Air Fried Brussels sprouts

How to Bake a Potato in the Microwave

• Wash the potato and pat dry.
• Using a fork, poke 5+ shallow holes all over the potato.
• Microwave on high for 3-4 minutes, flip, and then microwave for another 3-4 minutes.

What to serve with baked potatoes:

• Broiled Steak – Bacon Wrapped Filet
• Italian Beef Sandwiches
• Air Fryer Salmon

What’s your favorite method for baked potatoes? -Emma

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Baked Potatoes- Oven, Air Fryer, Microwave

three methods for a perfect baked potato

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword air fryer, baked potatoes, potato

Prep Time 2 minutes

Servings 2 potatoes

Author Emma Chapman

Ingredients

• 2 russet potatoes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter melted
• 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt

Instructions

Oven Method

• Wash and pat dry the potatoes.
• Using a fork, poke 5+ shallow holes all over the potato, piercing the skin.
• Combine the oil and melted butter.
• Brush the outside of the potatoes with this mixture. Then, sprinkle on the salt.
• Place the potatoes on a baking sheet lined with a metal cooling rack. This allows the heat to travel all around the potato so all sides get crispy.
• Bake at 450°F for 20 minutes.
• Flip the potatoes over and continue baking another 25 minutes.
• Check the potatoes by piercing with a sharp knife. If the knife easily goes into the potato, they are done.

Air Fryer Method:

• Wash and pat dry the potatoes.
• Using a fork, poke 5+ shallow holes all over the potato, piercing the skin.
• Combine the oil and melted butter.
• Brush the outside of the potatoes with this mixture. Then, sprinkle on the salt.
• Place the potatoes in the air fryer basket.
• Air fry at 400°F for 15 minutes.
• Pause, flip the potatoes, then continue to air fry for another 15 minutes.
• Check the potatoes by piercing with a sharp knife. If the knife easily goes into the potato, they are done.

Microwave Method:

• Wash and pat dry the potatoes.
• Using a fork, poke 5+ shallow holes all over the potato, piercing the skin.
• Place the potatoes on a microwave safe plate.
• Microwave on high for 3-4 minutes.
• Flip the potatoes over, then continue to microwave for 3-4 minutes.
• Check the potatoes by piercing with a sharp knife. If the knife easily goes into the potato, they are done.

Notes

Once the potatoes are done, you can cut them horizontally down the center and press the two sides toward one another to open them (like a mouth). I wear oven mitts to do this since the potatoes are hot. 

Garnish your baked potato with any toppings you like: shredded cheese, sour cream, butter, salt and pepper, green onions, etc. 

I love a good IKEA hack. When I needed a closet/wardrobe in a room in our home that had no closet (it used to be a porch that they converted into a room), I thought about trying to custom build some shelving.

But, then I remembered that ordering an inexpensive Pax wardrobe and building it into the wall would be the fastest, easiest, and best looking solution to my closet storage problem.

If you’re asking, “How do you make IKEA Pax wardrobes look built in?” it’s actually pretty simple and I was surprised how fast the process went. I’ll show you what I did!

Looking to organize your closet space? Check out these posts:

• How To Customize A Store-Bought Closet System
• How To Organize a Closet in a Non-Permanent Way (No Drilling and Perfect For Renters!)
• Divided Built-In Closet DIY
• Elsie’s Low Waste Closet Renovation
• Easy Built-In Closet DIY

Supplies:
–IKEA Pax wardrobes (I did this double set and added plain doors)
–2 1/2″ or 3″ construction screws
-drill
–miter saw or hand saw with a miter box
-2x4s or 2x2s for base
–finishing nail gun or small finish nails, a hammer, and a nail setter
-baseboard to match your current baseboard
–wood filler and caulk
-paint in your current baseboard color and/or IKEA Pax Wardrobe color

Step one: Remove the baseboard. You’ll want to first remove the baseboard on the wall that you are placing your shelving so that it can sit totally flush against the wall. Just use a box cutter/razor to cut the bead of caulk between the top of the baseboard and the wall to disconnect that connection point.

Then, use a crowbar to gently pry the baseboard off the wall (pull it a little bit every foot or so to try and keep it all coming off at about the same pace to avoid breaking it).

If you want to only remove the amount needed rather than the whole baseboard, you can use a multi-tool like this and mark how much board you want removed based on your closet width and length measurements.

Then cut a line down the board so you can simply pull off the piece you want removed (you can see I did that on the back right corner of my photo).

Step two: Build your simple rectangle platform. You know what a rectangle looks like? Good. All you have to do now is build a base with either 2x4s or 2x2s that is the same size as your cabinet dimensions.

So let’s say for simplicity’s sake your total closet measures 24″ wide and 80″ long, you would build a base 24″ wide and 80″ long so it fits perfectly under your closet.

I used a miter saw for this, but you can also use a hand saw with a miter box to cut your boards to the right lengths.

You’ll see I also cut some middle support boards that are the same length as my end pieces so the middle of the closet had something to rest on as well. Just screw your boards in place from the outside edges and your platform is ready to go.

Optional note: As you can see, the right side of my cabinet is right against the wall, so I did add a 3″ spacer trim board to that side to make it easier to open that door without feeling super tight (I’ll show you how).

You won’t need to do that if you are in a free-standing area, but you may consider it if one side is against the wall like mine and you want to move it out a bit.

It is one extra step, and you need to add that into your total width measurements, but it helped a lot since I had a wall and a window in that corner.

Step three: Attach platform to wall. Use some all-purpose screws to attach the back edge of your base to the wall every 12″ or so. If you had flooring you didn’t care about, you could also drill down into the front edge to secure that to the floor.

But there’s certainly enough weight on the platform once complete to not really need to do that step.

Step four: Add your wardrobes on top (one at a time). Place your closet sections one at a time on the platform, making sure it’s snug against the wall.

The IKEA instructions show you how to connect the sections to each other and then how to connect them to the wall, so just follow their instructions to install.

Step five: Add your trim. Now that your units are sitting on the platform and connected to the wall, you can go ahead and add your baseboard back on. For best results, use a miter saw to cut your baseboard to fit all the way up to and then around your closet (I cut a 45° angle on the corners for a clean look).

Or you can use your hand saw and a miter box if you don’t have a power saw. I cut the wall pieces first to fit and then measured for the pieces around the closet.

Attach with either a finishing nail gun (I have this battery one and I love it) or small finish nails and a hammer and use a nail setter to make sure the head of the nails go in past the face of the wood.

I also added a small piece of cabinet trim to the vertical side gap between the wall and the cabinet (it was actually leftover from my kitchen renovation), but you can order something similar from the cabinet department of a home improvement store.

Or just browse their trim aisle and see if you like anything over there. I just cut it to the height of the cabinet and attached it with a finish nailer.

Step six: Caulk/paint your trim and you’re done! Fill any nail holes with a small amount of wood filler (just wipe with a damp cloth to smooth, easier than sanding) and caulk between the baseboard and the wall or closet to make them look seamless.

When the filler and caulk is dry, paint your baseboards to match either the cabinet or the baseboards in the rest of the room for the ones against the wall only, and your new closet system is ready to use!

I used Melting Icicles by Behr to match IKEA Pax white and it’s a great color match if you are trying to match the stock wardrobe.

Optional side trim/spacer step: If you do decide to add some length to one side (or both) to get a wardrobe door further from a wall (or to center the whole thing into a recessed area but you have a gap on both sides), add your closets to the platform first.

Once they are attached, scribe the curves of the wall onto a board. Walls are never perfectly straight, or in my case, even a little straight, so you want to trace the actual curve of the wall onto the board.

If you haven’t scribed an uneven wall or floor onto a board, this is a good video that shows you how to scribe in general and this one shows how to do it when filling in a cabinet gap like I did. I cut my board to the right height first and then scribed the curves and used an inexpensive jig saw to cut the lines.

Then, I gently tapped my board into the space with a hammer/mallet (being really careful not to push it back too far so that it lined up flush with the wardrobe front) and attached the spacer to the wardrobe with a finish nailer from inside the wardrobe where it’s barely noticeable at all.

Caulk and paint the spacer and the area will totally disappear into the built-in.

How great does that look?! I did also add some custom trim to the doors to make them feel more Parisian and special.

I’ll show you how to do that in another post, but it’s pretty similar to how I added DIY Arched Door Trim (with Flexible Molding!) to the doors in my house.

If you’ve always wanted some built-in closet or wardrobe storage, this is a great way to do it yourself and you can customize it to the size that you need by buying more or less Pax wardrobe units.

This solved a big problem for me in an affordable way and I love the way that it looks in the room. Hope this helps if you’re thinking of doing the same! xo. Laura

If you want to see more rooms in my home, check out my home tours here!

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Easy Hack to Build-In an IKEA Pax Wardrobe

Easy way to make an IKEA Pax wardrobe look built into the wall

Keyword ikea hack

Prep Time 5 hours

Total Time 5 hours

Author Laura Gummerman

Cost $50 (not including wardrobe)

Equipment

• drill
• miter saw  or hand saw with a miter box
• finishing nail gun or small finish nails
• hammer
• nail setter

Ingredients

• IKEA Pax wardrobes 
• 2 1/2″ or 3″ construction screws
• 2x4s or 2x2s for base
• baseboard to match your current baseboard
• wood filler and caulk
• paint in your current baseboard color and/or IKEA Pax Wardrobe color

Instructions

• Step one: Remove the baseboard. You’ll want to first remove the baseboard on the wall that you are placing your shelving so that it can sit totally flush against the wall. Just use a box cutter/razor to cut the bead of caulk between the top of the baseboard and the wall to disconnect that connection point and use a crowbar to gently pry the baseboard off the wall (pull it a little bit every foot or so to try and keep it all coming off at about the same pace to avoid breaking it).
• If you want to only remove the amount needed rather than the whole baseboard, you can use a multi-tool like this and mark how much board you want removed based on your closet width and length measurements and the cut a line down the board so you can simply pull off the piece you want removed (you can see I did that on the back right corner of my photo).
• Step two: Build your simple rectangle platform. You know what a rectangle looks like? Good. All you have to do now is build a base with either 2x4s or 2x2s that is the same size as your cabinet dimensions. So let’s say for simplicity’s sake your total closet measures 24″ wide and 80″ long, you would build a base 24″ wide and 80″ long so it fits perfectly under your closet. I used a miter saw for this, but you can also use a hand saw with a miter box to cut your boards to the right lengths.

  You’ll see I also cut some middle support boards that are the same length as my end pieces so the middle of the closet had something to rest on as well. Just screw your boards in place from the outside edges and your platform is ready to go.
• Step three: Attach platform to wall. Use some all-purpose screws to attach the back edge of your base to the wall every 12″ or so. If you had flooring you didn’t care about, you could also drill down into the front edge to secure that to the floor as well, but there’s certainly enough weight on the platform once complete to not really need to do that step.
• Step four: Add your wardrobes on top (one at a time). Place your closet sections one at a time on the platform making sure it’s snug against the wall. The IKEA instructions show you how to connect the sections to each other and then how to connect them to the wall, so just follow their instructions to install.
• Step five: Add your trim. Now that your units are sitting on the platform and connected to the wall, you can go ahead and add your baseboard back on. For best results, use a miter saw to cut your baseboard to fit all the way up to and then around your closet (I cut a 45° angle on the corners for a clean look) or you can use your hand saw and a miter box if you don’t have a power saw. I cut the wall pieces first to fit and then measured for the pieces around the closet. Attach with either a finishing nail gun (I have this battery one and I love it) or small finish nails and a hammer and use a nail-setter to make sure the head of the nails goes in past the face of the wood.

  I also added a small piece of cabinet trim to the vertical side gap between the wall and the cabinet (it was actually leftover from my kitchen renovation but you can order something similar from the cabinet department of a home improvement store or just browse their trim aisle and see if you like anything over there). I just cut it to the height of the cabinet and attached it with a finish nailer.
• Step six: Caulk/paint your trim and you’re done! Fill any nail holes with a small amount of wood filler (just wipe with a damp cloth to smooth, easier than sanding) and caulk between the baseboard and the wall or closet to make them look seamless. When the filler and caulk is dry, paint your baseboards to match either the cabinet or the baseboards in the rest of the room for the ones against the wall only, and your new closet system is ready to use! I use Melting Icicles by Behr to match IKEA Pax white and it’s a great color match if you are trying to match the stock wardrobe.
• Optional side trim/spacer step: If you do decide to add some length to one side (or both) to get a wardrobe door further from a wall (or to center the whole thing into a recessed area but you have a gap on both sides), add your closets to the platform first and once they are attached, scribe the curves of the wall onto a board. Walls are never perfectly straight, or in my case, even a little straight, so you want to trace the actual curve of the wall onto the board.

  If you haven’t scribed an uneven wall or floor onto a board, this is a good video that shows you how to scribe in general and this one shows how to do it when filling in a cabinet gap like I did. I cut my board to the right height first and then scribed the curves and used an inexpensive jig saw to cut the lines. Then I gently tapped my board into the space with a hammer/mallet (being really careful not to push it back too far so that it lined up flush with the wardrobe front) and attached the spacer to the wardrobe with a finish nailer from inside the wardrobe where it’s barely noticeable at all. Caulk and paint the spacer and the area will totally disappear into the built-in.

Notes

Optional note: As you can see, the right side of my cabinet is right against the wall, so I did add a 3″ spacer trim board to that side to make it easier to open that door without feeling super tight (I’ll show you how). You won’t need to do that if you are in a free-standing area, but you may consider it if one side is against the wall like mine and you want to move it out a bit. It is one extra step, and you need to add that into your total width measurements, but it helped a lot since I had a wall and a window in that corner.

It’s no secret that I’m a huge plant lover. I love to decorate our home and outdoor spaces with living plants.

During the spring, I usually add a lot of new outdoor plants, and when the weather starts to turn cold I bring them indoors for the winter. 

This post is in partnership with Walmart. As soon as I saw this potting station, I ran outside and measured our space to make sure it would fit. It was easy to put together and is super functional for plant projects year-round. 

What to Look For in a Potting Station:

There are lots of options online for potting stations. Here are my tips for picking one out!

• Think through what size is manageable for your space and gardening goals.
• Choose a spot where you aren’t afraid to make a mess. I chose outdoors for this reason.
• Think year-round about your gardening projects.

How to Pick Herbs for Your Garden:

My favorite plants to keep are herbs. I specifically love rosemary and mint because I use them the most when cooking. I try to keep them all the time. I also love aloe because I grew up with my mom putting it on my cuts and scrapes, and now I do that for my kids. 

• Choose herbs you use often for cooking.
• Keep a list of recipes you can use your herbs to create.
• Remember to water your herbs almost daily—they need a lot of water.

I used to only collect white pots all the time, but recently I am enjoying various textures and natural colors, as well. 

I love these decorative stools and use them all over our outdoor spaces for plant stands, and as side tables beside our pool chairs.

Thing to Add to Your Potting Station:

• Gardening tools like a trowel, shears, or a spade (I love this set)
• Potting soil and seeds
• Gloves
• Watering cans (these copper ones are cute and functional!)

Are these not the cutest gardening tools you have ever seen? I love a matching set like this. These would make a cute gift as well! 

Links: Potting Station / Gardening Tool Set / Copper Watering Cans / Decorative Stool

I hope this post has been helpful. If you have any questions, I’d love to answer them in the comments. xx- Elsie 

P.S. Here’s a link to my dress, too!

I love pasta salad. It’s one of those meals (or side dishes) you can customize a million different ways, it’s easy to make, and it makes great leftovers.

What’s not to love?! So, I thought I’d share my favorite three easy pasta salad dressing recipes.

The three pasta salad dressings I use most often are homemade balsamic, Italian, and a creamy option. These all go well with about 8-10 ounces of cooked pasta plus whatever other ingredients you are throwing in.

I most often use one of the two oil-based dressings, but if I’m making a pasta salad that has more vegetables/crunch, then I often opt for the creamy (like this creamy winter pasta salad).

You can customize these three dressings further if you want to add a handful of chopped fresh herbs or a little heat with some red pepper flakes or cayenne.

And if you’re mostly still reading because you want to know where I bought that rainbow pasta, here it is.

The basic recipe for pasta salad is cooked pasta, one of these dressings, a few chopped vegetables (cherry tomatoes, bell pepper, broccoli, etc.), some cheese, and a few chopped fresh herbs.

Sometimes I’ll add pepperoni if I’m feeling wild. Ha. Enjoy! xo. Emma

If you like this, check out my Green Goddess Salad Dressing and Poppy Seed Dressing!

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3 Easy Pasta Salad Dressings

recipes for creamy, balsamic and Italian dressings

Course condiment

Cuisine American

Keyword pasta salad dressing, salad dressing

Author Emma Chapman

Ingredients

Creamy Dressing:

• ¼ cup mayo
• ¼ cup greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• salt + pepper

Balsamic Dressing:

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon mustard dijon
• salt + pepper

Italian Dressing:

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• ½ lemon juiced
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

Instructions

• For each of the dressings, simply combine all the ingredients in a small mixing bowl and whisk until well combined.

Notes

The creamy dressing will yield 1 cup. The two oil-based dressings will yield about 3/4 of a cup. For all three dressings, the amount works well with about 8-10 ounces cooked pasta plus whatever mix-in ingredients you choose. But, some like more or less dressing on their pasta salad, so this is just my suggestion for serving (the way I like it!). 

The weather is warming up, and that means your parties and dining experiences are moving to the great outdoors!

Whether you have a large party that you want to host, a family dinner on the patio, or it’s just you and your bestie and a few glasses of watermelon frosé, we’ve got a list of all the items you need to get your outdoor dining started.

From sturdy plates and cups, tablecloths and napkins, food covers, ice buckets and coolers, now you can party from summer all the way into the fall … and if you’re looking for patio furniture, check out The Best Outdoor Furniture!

Making a summer party drink? Try our …

• Watermelon Frozen Rosé AKA Frosé
• Homemade Margarita Mix
• Make Your Own Strawberry Margarita Mix
• The Best Piña Colada Recipe
• Best At-Home Mojito Recipe

Hosting a party? Check out our Easy Summer Cocktail + Appetizer Recipes!

white food cover / wicker tray / strawberry dish / wood tray / checkered tablecloth / pink plate / silverware / watermelon napkins and plates / cake stand / food cover set / checkered napkins / watermelon tablecloth / dining set / bamboo plate / white tray

Elsie has been raving about how much she loves food covers like these (this is more of a metal dome style) to keep bugs and flies off of your spread. And, having an array of trays to carry and display food is a must.

Nothing says summer like a checkered tablecloth or napkins and little accents of watermelon is always a summer favorite.

Broken plates and cups outdoors can be a real party killer, so choosing non-glass serving ware keeps the party going even if there’s a spill …

patio cooler / fluted pink glass / white drink tub / pink tall tumbler / fluter pitcher / can coozy / tall boy can coozy / beverage dispenser / colored glassware / cactus beverage dispenser / orange tipped pitcher / gold salad tongs / gold spatula / pink vintage cooler / ice bucket

If you have larger parties, a patio cooler can be a life saver, but a drink tub or two is the perfect choice for smaller gatherings.

Using can coozies will keep your drinks cold for hours, and they are perfect party gifts for a summer gathering.

Pitchers are great for a smaller batch of margaritas, but beverage dispensers are the way to go for bigger parties so people can serve themselves.

Don’t forget a condiment caddy so you can keep all the hot dog fixings together! Happy hosting!

Looking for an easy party appetizer? Try our …

• Rotel Cheese Dip
• Jalapeño Popper Dip
• Air Fried Pickles
• Deviled Eggs 3 Ways
• Homemade French Onion Dip

Today, we’re going to teach you how to make a fancy balloon arch. It’s easier than it looks and it packs a lot of visual wow factor!

I’m definitely going to do this next time I host a baby shower, and the colors we used in this post would be perfect for a Valentine’s Day or New Year’s Eve party.

I love that you can swap out the colors and do this for nearly any occasion.

Here’s what you will need to make your own balloon arch:

Supplies:
–electric balloon pump
–balloon decorating strip
–mini balloons (I used 30)
–various pink balloons (40-45 regular size)
–glue dots or tape
–balloon ribbon
–greenery (optional)

First, use your electric balloon pump to blow up your balloons and tie the bottom closed.

If you want to blow up all your balloons at once before attaching them, put them into large garbage bags as you blow them up so they don’t float away.

Or, you can blow them up in a room with a low ceiling so you can reach up and grab them as you need one.

Next, slip the knot of a regular-sized balloon through one of the holes in the decorating strip. Skip a few holes and place another balloon into the strip facing the opposite direction.

Keep alternating balloon colors and sides until you have a balloon strip as long as you want your arch to be.

You can add a few more balloons into some of the holes you skipped if it looks too skimpy, but make sure to leave some room to add the small balloons in later.

Here’s a video tutorial to show you how we made our fancy balloon arch!

Once you have your main balloons attached, cut the balloon decorating strip just past where the balloons end on either side. Then, tie a piece of balloon ribbon or twine onto each end.

Tie those strings onto the piece of furniture you want the arch to go over (or have the strings go to the floor and use balloon weights at the bottom of each).

Use your glue dots to stick the mini balloons into the gaps and crevices until you have an arch that is completely filled in.

We also made a fancy scalloped border for our table out of folded sheets of tissue paper and fringed each layer with scissors to give it more texture. So cute and easy to whip up!

If you want to add a little greenery to your arch, you can either stick the sprigs into dense areas of the arch, or tape the stems in a hidden spot.

There you have it! An extra special party table idea for your next fancy occasion. These look so cute over a buffet or console table stocked with treats and champagne.

Speaking of parties, we love to use trays like this and pretty cake stands for table decorations.

You can also make a balloon garland for your front door for more decoration fun! xx- Elsie

Print

How to Make a Fancy Balloon Arch

step-by-step instructions to create a balloon arch

Keyword balloon arch, party decorations

Equipment

• electric balloon pump

Ingredients

• 30 mini balloons
• 40-45 standard balloons
• balloon decorating strip
• glue dots
• balloon ribbon
• greenery optional

Instructions

• First, use your electric balloon pump to blow up your balloons and tie the bottom closed.
• Next, slip the knot of a regular sized balloon through one of the holes in the decorating strip. Skip a few holes and place another balloon into the strip facing the opposite direction.

  Keep alternating balloon colors and sides until you have a balloon strip as long as you want your arch to be.

  You can add a few more balloons into some of the holes you skipped if it looks too sparse, but make sure to leave some room to add the small balloons in later.
• Once you have your main balloons attached to the strip, cut the balloon decorating strip just past where the balloons end on either side.
• Tie a piece of balloon ribbon or twine onto each end, and tie them onto the piece of furniture you want the arch to go over (or have the strings go to the floor and use balloon weights at the bottom of each).
• Use your glue dots to stick the mini balloons into the gaps and crevices until you have an arch that is completely filled in.
• If you want to add a little greenery to your arch, you can either stick sprigs of greenery right into dense areas of the arch, or tape the stem in a hidden spot.
• We also made a fancy scalloped border for our table out of folded sheets of tissue paper and fringed each layer with scissors to give it more texture. So cute and easy to whip up!

Notes

If you want to blow up all your balloons at once before attaching them, put them into large garbage bags as you blow them up so they don’t float away. You can also blow them up  in a room with a low ceiling so you can reach up and grab them as you need them.

It’s super hot here in Tennessee, so I’m thinking about whiskey gingers by the pool.

1. It’s fully summer, but Anthroplogie snuck in some autumn items and I’m not (not) into it. Love this acorn mug, pumpkin mug, and acorn serving spoons. I can (and do!) shop autumn and holiday stuff year round. Sparks mega joy.

2. I’ve been ordering digital art from Etsy and printing at home to complete our secret library.

3. I had to replace one of the beds at the pink house (long story) and I ended up choosing this bed. So excited!

4. These are my perfect (and most worn) shirts. I have several of them from through the years and they are always a classic.

5. I found these perfect baseball hats for kids on Etsy. You customize the color and initial. My girls love them. They are not big fans of hats, so it’s nice to finally find some they agree to wear!

6. My kids love this book: Vampire Vacation.

7. For my fellow Dolly Parton fans.

8. Emma’s post inspired me to give The Curated Closet another go. I did it a few years back, but style and lifestyle are ever-changing.

9. Totally obsessed with these sneakers and I also like these. Which ones do you prefer?

10. Looking at my recent Amazon purchases and here are a few highlights: these scalloped plates, I LOVED this book, and I’m reading The Worst Witch to Nova (one chapter per night) and it’s adorable.

xx- Elsie

P.S. Here’s a link to last week’s 10 Things Sunday in case you missed it!

Today, I’m excited to share my recipe for homemade margarita mix. It’s insanely easy to make (with only two ingredients, plus water!).

The difference between homemade margarita mix and something you buy at the store is kind of insane, though. Sometimes the store-bought mixes can be syrupy and gross. Homemade tastes SO much fresher.

Totally worth the effort! Here’s the quick little video I made showing exactly how to make your own margarita mix and margarita.

Homemade margarita mix ingredients:

1/2 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 cup fresh lime juice (about 10 limes)

Squeeze the lime juice into a bowl or measuring cup. I love this handy tool for juicing lemons and limes.

Heat the water and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Let the mixture cool a bit before adding in the lime juice. Mix together and pour into a glass carafe or mason jar.

Refrigerate the mix for up to two weeks.

How to Make a Homemade Margarita

Ingredients:

1 shot tequila
1/2 shot Triple Sec
homemade margarita mix
ice

Add 1 shot of tequila and half a shot of triple sec to a margarita glass (or these cactus glasses!). Add the ice and fill the rest of the glass with homemade margarita mix.

It’s super simple! Don’t forget to salt your rim and try a lime-flavored salt if you’d like. 

This homemade margarita mix is perfect for parties. You can easily tweak the proportions to make a large or small batch depending on how many you’ll be serving!

You could even use a cast iron pot like this when making a bigger batch of mix.

Can I Make Different Flavors of Margarita Mix?

Yes! You can make different variations of this recipe by using grapefruit juice, orange, or cranberry juice instead of lime juice. You can even make your own strawberry margarita mix.

So many options! Don’t be afraid to experiment.

Be sure to check out our archive of delicious cocktails and margarita recipes for more ideas!

• Spicy Watermelon Mezcal Margarita
• Watermelon Margarita
• Toasted Coconut Margarita
• Frozen Mango Margarita

On our podcast, I’ve mentioned The Curated Closet by Anuschka Rees a number of times. It’s a fantastic book, and there is also a workbook available.

I first worked through Anuschka’s methodology in late 2019, and I can honestly say it completely changed my style and the way I shop and think about clothes. I loved it! I’m still benefiting from many things I learned from this book years later.

Since I am such a fan girl, I thought I would share three things I learned from The Curated Closet. If you have been struggling with your personal style or are in a season of life where you need to change things up, I highly recommend the book and/or workbook.

I love Anuschka’s approach to talking about personal style. It’s not about finding what’s “right” for your body type or looking attractive, but rather about feeling good in whatever you choose to wear.

I also had been hesitant, as I sometimes feel intimidated by the world of fashion. My budget and taste mean I likely won’t be wearing all designer everything anytime soon.

I have always loved thrifting and putting things together in unique ways. And if I’m being honest, I don’t really like to follow rules unless I choose them. Ha.

Lesson 1: Fantasy Life vs. Real Life

One exercise you can choose to do is take a self-portrait of your outfit every day. The goal is to note the patterns in what you grab, the fit, colors, etc. Honestly, I learned a lot from this exercise.

I did this in December 2019 and the early part of January 2020. You can see some of the photos below (I honestly never planned to shared these, so the lighting/quality is pretty LOL).

From this exercise, I realized I had a huge part of my closet that was clothes for this fantasy life I envisioned.

But then, I mostly wore the same things over and over for my real life, which is working from home (mostly alone, and many days I don’t see anyone outside of my husband). My work is a mix of computer things and making (cooking, crafting, taking photos, cleaning up).

I realized I needed to be more honest with myself about what I really wanted out of my everyday clothes. Sure, I wanted things that were interesting and fun, but they HAD to be comfortable and things I could move easily in and potentially get grease or paint on.

If my clothes didn’t fit these criteria, I just wouldn’t wear them and they’d sit in my closet waiting to be in my fantasy life.

I still think about this lesson when I buy clothes now. My current everyday life often involves these same things PLUS crawling around on the floor with my 1-year-old son.

This is why I like jumpsuits so much; I don’t have to worry about pulling my pants up or tucking my shirt back in after playing on the floor or picking up my son when I have a jumpsuit on. Plus, I think they are cute.

Lesson 2: Finding My Outfit Formula (AKA My Uniform)

I also learned about finding an outfit formula that works for me. As I mentioned, I don’t really like to follow rules. This is different. An outfit formula is shorthand; it makes getting ready in the morning super quick, and when I am shopping for something new, if it doesn’t fit my outfit formula, I think really hard on if I will actually wear it.

Some things don’t fit the formula, like a fancy dress for NYE or a friend’s wedding. My outfit formula slightly changes with the seasons, too, as I live in the Midwest and we have very different temperatures throughout the year.

Warm Weather Outfit Formulas:
Jeans + Plain T-Shirt + Sandals
Overalls + T-Shirt or Tank + Sandals
Jumpsuit + Sandals
Dress (midi or maxi) + Sandals

Cold Weather Outfit Formulas:
Jeans + Plain T-Shirt + Cardigan or Jacket + Flats
Jeans + Sweater + Flats
Overalls + Sweater + Flats
Jumpsuit + Cardigan or Jacket + Flats
Dress + Cardigan or Jacket + Flats

I do own clothing that doesn’t fit into these formulas, but not much. And if this sounds boring to you, I get it. Honestly, my clothes are somewhat boring. BUT it all fits and I wear everything I own. Plus, it’s so easy to get ready in the morning now, and feel put together.

And I have a lot of cute headbands, hats, scarves, and glasses. Not a crazy amount, but enough that these accessories spice it up for me when I’m feeling like I want something extra.

Lesson 3: How to Shop Better

The Curated Closet really encouraged me to think more about the fit of my clothes, as well as quality. Growing up and into my early to mid-20s I mostly shopped at thrift stores or inexpensive fast fashion, since that’s what fit my budget. (I still love thrifting!)

And while you can find things that fit well, and high quality vintage items from time to time, I realized that I was in the habit of shopping based solely on price and I didn’t give as much consideration to fit and quality as I could.

I also realized I would often make impulse buys based on price (it’s so cheap! why not?!), but this lead to a closet full of things that didn’t fit me well, colors I didn’t actually like wearing, and clothes I just didn’t need because they fit my fantasy life and not my real life outfit formula.

Since reading The Curated Closet, I shop a lot less, I’m way more picky, and I feel like everything in my closet is something I will wear and wear often or I have an occasion for it (like, I have a dress that I wear to most weddings I’m invited to … it’s my fancy dress).

I still thrift for fun, but I’m picky. I also will go to the expense of getting things altered to fit me if I really love something, which makes me feel better in the item when I wear it so I wear it more often.

Do I have the perfect closet? No. But it has completely transformed in the last few years for the better. xo. Emma

P.S. Random fact, but this author, Anuschka Rees, took our How to Write & Pitch a Book Proposal e-course before she landed her book deal. I’m so glad she did, as I LOVE her book so much. And if you have a great book idea, check out our course!

You may think that title sounds too good to be true, but it’s not! I had been eyeing a beautiful pink velvet bed for a few months, but it was too expensive to ever actually pull the trigger on.

We have a pretty small bedroom, and having large dark pieces of furniture doesn’t help the room feel its largest/brightest. But when a bed is fabric, you can’t just repaint it when you get tired of the color.

So what’s a girl to do? Reupholster the bed frame!

Isn’t that a crazy difference in just one day?! I’ll show you what I did with mine, and give you choices to do things the easier no-sew route if you would rather. Or, you can do 10 minutes of very basic sewing—it’s up to you!

Supplies:
–wide bolt upholstery or multi-use fabric in your color of choice (wide enough to cover your headboard and be wrapped around the back, the blush fabric I chose was 54″ wide). I used about 5.5 yards for my bed.
–wide bolt white fabric as an underlayment (optional but helpful if you have thin primary fabric and are going from a dark bed to a light bed)*
–electric staple gun and 1/2″ staples
–fabric scissors and straight pins

*NOW, BEFORE WE BEGIN, I’ll let you know that my bed took a little longer to cover than yours probably will because of two things: the fabric I liked best was on the thinner side and the bed I was covering was a super dark color.

If I didn’t cover the bed in white fabric first, then the blush pink would look kind of dull because you’d be seeing some of the dark grey coming through, but by covering it in white first, you got the full blush color.

If you aren’t going from a very dark bed to a very light colored bed OR if you have a thicker backed fabric like an upholstery grade fabric then you probably won’t need to do this step.

Just lay your fabric choice over your bed frame and if you can’t see any of the color underneath coming through, then skip the white fabric step—faster and cheaper!

OK! So, most fabric covered beds come in four pieces (headboard, two side rails, and a footer) that connect with some sort of hardware pieces like you see above.

Most beds come apart like that because it’s both easier for the manufacturer to wrap the pieces individually, and who has a house with doors and hallways big enough to move a full-sized bed into rooms if it doesn’t come apart, right?

You can also see above that the bed was originally covered with fabric and then stapled into place, and that’s basically what we are going to do too!

Once we had taken apart each of the rails (and removed that wooden spine part in the middle that holds the mattress up) we also took off the connecting hardware on each section, too.

Make sure to label where each piece goes and what direction it faces so you can put it back together at the end.

I also suggest jotting down a quick measurement of where the hardware is connected on each board so you can easily find that spot again if you end up covering that area with fabric.

For example, 8″ in from the outside edge and 1/2″ up from the bottom type of measurements. 

I also unscrewed the legs from the header and footer and made a note of where those holes were located.

Your legs may have a plate they attach to or just go directly into the wood, so remove the plate if there is one there. 

The Sewing Option

I laid the headboard onto a section of my white fabric (with the right side of the fabric facing the headboard) that was big enough to wrap the headboard, and wrapped and pinned the fabric around the back. Be sure to get the fabric smooth and tight.

The small section of sewing that I did was at the top corner of each side of the headboard. I smoothed out the fabric and pinned the corner together so that the sides came together nicely (like you see in the top two frames.) Repeat that smoothing and pinning with the opposite side.

Next, I removed the pins that were holding the fabric on the headboard, removed the fabric from the headboard, and sewed down that line where the corner pins were and cut the excess.

Then, I tried the cover back on the headboard to see how it fit and pinched and sewed a little more fabric if it didn’t fit very snugly.

Once I had the fit right, I turned the fabric right side out and put it back on so that I had the nice sewn corner that you see in the last frame.

The No-Sew Option

If you don’t want to be bothered by sewing, you can lay your headboard on your fabric (with the right side facing outwards) and wrap your corners like you would wrap a nice present and staple in place!

The above two photos are how I wrapped the bottom of the headboard, so the only difference is that you’ll want to make sure you have enough fabric length to have that open side (in the first picture) come all the way up and over the back. That way, you can staple it on the back where it won’t be seen at all.

I did the quick sewing option at the top two corners of the headboard and the footboard to make them look extra clean, but I wrapped all the other edges like you see above.

Just be constantly thinking about what edges will be seen and which will be hidden under the bed, etc., so you know which edges should be totally covered.

And if you are using two layers of fabric and doing the new-sew option, I would layer the fabrics on top of each other with your main fabric on the bottom and the right side facing the floor. Then, wrap them around the corners at the same time rather than one at a time.

Take care to smooth them really well before placing your headboard on top, but doing them together should give you a less bulky fold than if you did them separately.

Once your sides are wrapped and the fabric is smoothed and pinned to the back, use your staple gun to secure your fabric in place on the back/bottom of your headboard.

You’ll want to staple into something hard rather than just an area of foam or something, so feel around for the wooden frame under your fabric and staple your fabric secure to that down each side.

I like to start in the middle of each section and have one person smooth and hold the fabric tight while the other staples every 5-6″. Once you reach one end, go back to the middle and complete the other side.

You may occasionally reach a spot that’s really hard wood where your staple gun doesn’t quite go all the way in and that’s OK.

You can try another spot nearby or hammer your staple flat, and as long as most of it went in it will hold. Trim any excess fabric as needed.

Once I had my headboard wrapped and covering the white fabric, I repeated the process (with the pink fabric) of pinning the corners, sewing, and stapling the fabric in place.

You’ll only have to do it once though if you don’t need the white underneath. 

Here’s what the bottom side looks like from the back with both layers stapled!

How Do I Put the Hardware Back On?

To put the hardware back on, we poked around the spots where we knew the holes were (based on our measurements we took before taking them off) with a pin or an awl until we found the holes. Then, we drilled our screws back in to create holes in the fabric.

It’s a little harder to find the holes with two layers of fabric, so we found the holes through one layer and put the screws in and took them out again.

This made the holes easier to find (and mark on the second layer) so we could put the hardware back on over the top of the fabric. We used the same method for connecting the legs back on.

See? All ready to connect to the other pieces!

At this point, I just repeated the process of laying out fabric that was big enough for my section, wrapping each piece, and stapling it in place.

I found it easier to do the two sides with both fabric layers at once since I was simply folding and stapling those corners.

But then, I did the headboard and footboard with the white and pink layers separately since I was sewing those top corners and that kept the fabric smooth. 

Tip: If you are using two layers of fabric, trim excess fabric off the underneath layer to get a cleaner, less bulky corner fold (like I did with the white fabric) above.

What if the Staples Don’t Go Through the Fabric?

If you come to a really hard spot in the wood where your staple gun can’t get through, you can use small nails to tack that section in place.

Once all your pieces are covered, reattach all your hardware and legs and put your new bed back together!

Since the fabric made the bed a little thicker in some spots, it was helpful to leave the screws out about 1/4″ when putting the hardware back on. That way, you could fit the pieces together more easily and then tighten the screws once the frame was back together again.

Reattach the spine middle part of your bed and you’re ready for the mattress and covers!

I have to say, I felt pretty good about this project, but it came out so much better than I ever expected! I would be shocked if I saw this in someone else’s house and they told me they had recovered it.

This simple method did remove the tufted look that the headboard had before, but I like it better that way since it looks more modern.

If your headboard has tufts that you want to keep, use extra fabric to cover some buttons in the new color, find the buttons under the fabric, and use a curved needle to sew the buttons onto the top of the existing buttons for more of a tufted look.

The pink looks so cute below that Palm Springs print over the bed and with the globe lights on the white nightstands (similar lights and nightstands here).

Overall, I love this before/after and you could actually grab a staple remover in the future if you ever want to recover again in another color. Hope this DIY helps you give your bedroom a budget makeover, too!

P.S. You can see how my bedroom finally came together and the rest of my home tours here! xo. Laura

Print

Reupholster Your Bed Frame in One Afternoon

How to recover your bed in one day!

Keyword bed frame, upholstery

Author Laura Gummerman

Equipment

• electric staple gun and 1/2" staples or manual staple gun
• fabric scissors
• straight pins

Ingredients

• wide bolt upholstery or multi-use fabric in your color of choice wide enough to cover your headboard and be wrapped around the back (the fabric I chose was 54″ wide). I used about 5.5 yards for my bed
• wide bolt white fabric as an underlayment optional, but helpful if you have thin primary fabric and are going from a dark bed to a light bed

Instructions

• Take apart the pieces of your bed frame
• Once we had taken apart each of the rails (and removed that wooden spine part in the middle that holds the mattress up) we also took off the connecting hardware on each section too. Make sure to label where each piece goes and what direction it faces so you can put it back together at the end. I also suggest jotting down a quick measurement of where the hardware is connected on each board so you can easily find that spot again if you end up covering that area with fabric (like 8″ in from the outside edge and 1/2″ up from the bottom type of measurements). 
• I also unscrewed the legs as well from the header and footer and made a note of where those holes are located too. Your legs may have a plate they attach to or just go directly into the wood, so remove the plate if there is one there. 
• THE SEWING OPTION: Next, I laid the headboard onto a section of my white fabric (with the right side of the fabric facing the headboard) that was big enough to wrap the headboard and wrapped and pinned the fabric around the back trying to get the fabric smooth and tight. The small section of sewing that I did was at the top corner of each side of the headboard. I smoothed out the fabric and pinned the corner together so that the sides came together nicely like you see in the top two frames. Repeat that smoothing and pinning with the opposite side.
• Next, I removed the pins that were holding the fabric on the headboard, removed the fabric from the headboard and sewed down that line where the corner pins were and cut the excess. I then tried the cover back on the headboard again to see how it fit and pinched and sewed a little more fabric if it didn’t fit very snugly. Once I had the fit right, I turned the fabric right side out and put it back on so that I had the nice sewn corner that you see in the last frame.
• THE NO-SEW OPTION: If you don’t want to be bothered by sewing, you can lay your headboard on your fabric (with the right side facing outwards) and wrap your corners like you would wrap a nice present and staple in place! The above two photos are how I wrapped the bottom of the headboard so the only difference is that you’ll want to make sure you have enough fabric length to have that open side in the first picture come all the way up and over the back so you can staple it on the back where it won’t be seen at all.

  I did the quick sewing option at the top two corners of the headboard and the footboard to make them look extra clean, but I wrapped all the other edges like you see above. Just be constantly thinking about what edges will be seen and which will be hidden under the bed, etc., so you know which edges should be totally covered.

  And if you are using two layers of fabric and doing the new-sew option, I would layer the fabrics on top of each other with your main fabric on the bottom and the right side facing the floor, and wrap them around the corners at the same time rather than one at a time. Take care to smooth them really well before placing your headboard on top, but doing them together should give you a less bulky fold than if you did them separately.
• Once your sides are wrapped in whichever way you choose and the fabric is smoothed and pinned to the back, use your staple gun to secure your fabric in place on the back/bottom of your headboard. You’ll want to staple into something hard rather than just an area of foam or something, so feel around for the wooden frame under your fabric and staple your fabric secure to that down each side. I like to start in the middle of each section and have one person smooth and hold the fabric tight while the other staples every 5-6″. Once you reach one end, go back to the middle and complete the other side. You may occasionally reach a spot that’s really hard wood where your staple gun doesn’t quite go all the way in and that’s OK. You can try another spot nearby or hammer your staple flat, and as long as most of it went in it will hold. Trim any excess fabric as needed.
• So, once I had my headboard wrapped and covering the white fabric, I repeated the process with the pink fabric of pinning the corners, sewing, and stapling the fabric in place. You’ll only have to do it once though if you don’t need the white underneath. 
• To put the hardware back on, we poked around the spots where we knew the holes were (based on our measurements we took before taking them off) with a pin or an awl until we found the holes and drilled our screws back in to create holes in the fabric. It’s a little harder to find the holes with two layers of fabric, so we found the holes through one layer, put the screws in and took them out again, and that made the holes easier to find and mark on the second layer so we could put the hardware back on over the top of the fabric. Do the same thing for connecting the legs back on as well.
• Basically, at this point, I just repeated the process of laying out fabric that was big enough for my section, wrapping each piece, and stapling in place. I found it easier to do the two sides with both fabric layers at once since I was simply folding and stapling those corners, but then I did the headboard and footboard with the white and pink layers separately since I was sewing those top corners and that kept the fabric smooth. 
• A little tip if you are doing two layers of fabric is that you can trim excess fabric off the underneath layer to get a cleaner, less bulky corner fold like I did with the white above. Also, if you come to a really hard spot in the wood where your staple gun just can’t get through, you can use small nails to tack that section in place.
• Once all your pieces are covered, reattach all your hardware and legs and put your new bed back together! Since the fabric made the bed a little thicker in some spots, it was helpful to leave the screws out about 1/4″ when putting the hardware back on. That way, you could fit the pieces together more easily and then tighten the screws once the frame was back together again. Reattach the spine middle part of your bed and you’re ready for the mattress and covers!

Ready to take your nail game to the next level? Today, we’re sharing easy nail art tutorials that you can do at home!

You can even listen to your favorite podcast while you do these. Wink, wink.

First on the list? Easy galaxy nails. Black nail polish mixed with shades of blue and purple (and silver sparkle) creates a really cool galaxy effect.

Tip: A lot of our nail art tutorials require makeup sponges. You can get them for super cheap!

Our gold stripe nail tutorial is “simple meets glam.” This nail tape comes in a bunch of colors, so you can customize your nails however you’d like.

Here’s a really easy and cute idea: a wink wink manicure. It’s truly the definition of “nail art” since you can choose any design to draw on your nails. Don’t forget to use a top coat!

We love holographic anything … especially this hologram dot nail art. You could use neon triangles instead of dots if you’re feeling extra fancy.

How cute is this ombre heart mani? A small/firm brush (or a kit like this) is another helpful tool to have when doing your nails at home.

You really can’t go wrong with gold star confetti nails …

Laura used glitter nail foils to create this look. Again, so many color options and patterns to choose from!

Here are 3 ways to take a classic nude mani to the next level using tip guides, a small paintbrush, and painter’s tape.

The possibilities are endless when you have a gold nail charm kit. You can get the same look with our grunge glam studded nail tutorial.

These pastel sherbet nails are perfect for spring or summer. If you’ve never tried a water marble technique for your nails, you have to right now.

We hope this roundup inspires you to try something new! xo, The ABM Team.

Looking for more nail content? Check out …

• Custom Color Nail Polish DIY
• Do Your Own Gel Manicure At Home
• Make Your Own Cuticle Oil (With Essential Oils)

Hey all! Mandi here. Custom framing is so great for that oddly-sized piece of artwork or a deep canvas, but man, oh man, is it ever expensive!

I have a few canvases around my house that I’ve been wanting to have framed, but rather than saving up for a custom job, I thought I’d just take an afternoon to frame them myself!

I designed three different styles of canvas frames with three different mounting techniques, and they’re all super simple to build.

All you need are various pieces of wood and the tools shown below, and guess what? None of them are power tools!

So if you’re a little leery of wielding a power drill, router, or chop saw, don’t worry! You don’t need ’em. This low-fuss method will get the job done.

Supplies:
–various pieces of wood
–wood glue
–finishing nails or wire brads (size depends on depth of wood)
-paint or wood stain
–sandpaper

Tools:
–miter box saw
–band clamp
–various clamps
-hammer
-tape measure
-pencil
-paint brush or rags

To begin, you’ll need to decide which style of mount you want for your frame and how thick and detailed the frame will be. For a wider, chunkier frame, you’ll need spacer wood for between the canvas stretcher and the edge of your frame.

You can bring your art with you to the lumber yard (or just dimensions if you’re shy about toting around your art) and try stacking together different pieces of wood, square dowels, and molding to get the look you want.

Check out my frame profiles below to get ideas for your own frame, and if you want more detail in yours, don’t be shy about adding molding too!

Mounting Techniques

A recessed mount is a traditional framing technique where the art sits behind the frame and the very edge of the art is covered by the lip of the frame.

A float mount, the most difficult to build, is sometimes used in canvas framing to give even more dimension to the piece by creating a decorative gap between the canvas’s edge and the frame’s edge. 

Something that you might see more frequently on larger pieces of canvas art is the flush mount, where the frame is simply attached to the edge of the canvas stretcher, with no lip on the front or back.

Flush Mount Frame

The flush mount frame I designed is mounted relatively flush with the surface of the canvas and is nailed directly to the edge of the canvas stretcher, without assembling the frame first.

It’s the easiest frame to make, in my opinion, and I think it looks nice with larger pieces of artwork.

Step One: To begin, I purchased two 8′ long pieces of cedar 1x2s, lightly sanded them, and then stained them with my own gray mix of these three stains pictured above: Rustoleum Driftwood, Rustoleum Willow, and Minwax Golden Oak.

Step Two: Rather than measuring the edge of my frame and transferring those measurements to the lumber, I just laid my 1×2 against the frame and marked the length of the canvas directly onto the lumber.

Step Three: I cut each of my pieces of lumber a bit longer than I needed, in case I made a mistake and cut them too short.

To cut the pieces, use a miter box saw, which clamps the lumber into place and has guides that ensure you are cutting to the exact 45-degree angle that you need.

It’s pretty handy, though it does take more elbow grease than an electric miter saw. After making the cut, you may want to lightly sand down the corners if you have any splintering.

Step Four: Using a band clamp* or a ratchet strap, do a dry fit of the frame to make sure it fits. If any pieces are too long, cut them down appropriately.

When the pieces are cut to the right length and the dry fit shows a nice fit, loosen the band clamp around the loose pieces of the frame and dab paint into the corners where the pieces meet.

Use your finger to spread the glue around a bit before clamping again. Some glue will ooze out when you clamp the frame together, so be sure to have a rag handy to wipe away any glue immediately.

Step Five: Use finishing nails or wire brads to attach the frame to the canvas stretcher, making sure to also drive nails through the mitered joints in the corner, giving the wood glue some extra strength.

Wood glue isn’t very strong when applied to end grains of wood, so the nails are a necessary step unless you use a stronger adhesive like Gorilla Glue.

*When using a band clamp on soft wood, be sure to use a piece of scrap wood as a buffer between the clamp and the wood so the clamp doesn’t leave an imprint on the wood.

Recessed Mount Frame

The traditional recessed mount frame utilizes a rabbet, or inset, for the art to sit nestled in behind the frame. It hides a small border of the art, which works out well if the edges of your canvas aren’t finished.

This frame is assembled prior to attaching the artwork, as opposed to the flush mount frame which is built directly onto the canvas stretcher.

The materials you need to build this particular frame are as follows:

-outside edge piece: 1/2×3″ lumber
-middle piece: 1/2×2″ lumber
-inside edge piece: 1/2″ lumber
-top edge piece: 3/8×2″ lumber

I started with stained wood, because it was my goal to have two tones of stain in my finished frame and decided it would be best to stain first.

The stain didn’t absorb very well on the pine I used, though, so it might not have mattered. You can stain your frame before or after assembling it.

Step One: Glue together the 1/2×3″ outside piece with the middle and inside edge piece as listed in the supplies above and shown in the above right image. You’ll need to use clamps to hold together the wood as the glue dries. Be sure to wipe away any seeping glue with a damp cloth before it dries.

Step Two: After the edge and bottom pieces have dried, attach the top piece, which should be a bit wider than the wood stacked below it, in order to create a lip which will overlap your art.

Spread the glue with your fingers to limit glue seepage. Then clamp together and allow the glue to cure.

Step Three: Measure the size of your artwork and add about 1/8″ buffer space/error space.

Step Four: Cut your lengths of wood with the miter box saw according to the measurements from step three. I like to err on the side of longer than necessary, because you can always cut off more than you need! Lay the parallel boards against each other to make sure they are the same length.

Step Five: Arrange a dry fit with the band clamp and your canvas. Make sure everything fits together relatively snugly. If the canvas is too loose in there, you may need to shave a bit off the lengths of the frame pieces.

After the fit is just right, spread some wood glue with your finger onto the edges of the frame pieces and fit together the joints with the band clamp, wiping away any excess glue before it dries.

Step Six: While the frame is clamped and the glue is drying, drive finishing nails into the joints of the frame to give the piece more stability. I chose to only nail on two parallel frame pieces instead of onto each side.

Flip the frame over and attach the canvas from the back by driving longer nails through the canvas stretchers and into the frame.

Float Mount Frame

I personally think float mount frames look the most professional, but maybe that’s because it was the most finicky of my frames to make, so I was the most proud of this one! Float mounts leave a space between the edge of the canvas and the sides of the frame.

They provide dimensionality to the framed piece and are a great way to show off gallery wrapped edges of canvas art. I personally thought this float mount frame would be great to give a more substantial feel to a thin, less expensive canvas piece.

For my float frame, I used the following wood:

-1/2×2″ lumber painted white
-1/2″ square dowel stained dark (though I suggest using a 1/2×1″ piece of lumber instead)

I chose to start with already-painted side pieces to save me the trouble of trimming in with paint and stain with an assembler frame. I chose a bright white for the outside of the frame and a dark stain to emphasize the float space between the canvas and the frame.

Step One: Glue the bottom piece of the frame to the side piece and clamp into place. Make sure you wipe away the excess glue before it dries!

I used a 1/2″ square dowel for this, but it was exceptionally difficult to later attach the canvas to such a narrow space, so if I were to go back in time, I would select a 1/2×1″ piece of lumber instead.

Follow Steps 3-5 of the recessed mount frame above, but instead of adding 1/8″ to the dimension of the artwork for your frame, add about 1/4″ to create the float space in the frame.

Step Six: Instead of nailing the frame together, you’ll secure it by nailing it to the canvas stretcher from behind. This is the tricky part! You will need to lay your artwork into the frame, making sure the gaps are even all around it. I had a difficult time getting the gaps to stay even as I was clamping it into place.

Once it’s clamped into place properly, flip over the frame and drive nails through the back piece of the frame and into the canvas stretcher.

Make sure you don’t miss the stretcher and drive your nails into the float space instead! I had to drive my nails in at an angle because my 1/2″ square dowel left me hardly any space.

It was a little difficult attaching the canvas to that little dowel in my float frame, but I love the results! Such a handsome frame ready for display!

I’m really pleased with the results of my custom framing jobs and will definitely be DIY framing more in the future! Next I might try something a little more ornate by combining molding styles.

These kits are really handy when trying to hang pictures and they make some really cool gadgets like this to help you hang things more easily.

Think of the all the possibilities. Happy framing! xo Mandi

P.S. Looking for more wall art DIYs?

• Oversized Felt Letter Board DIY
• Kids Art Frame DIY
• Elsie’s Mini Photo Wall Art
• Floral Shadow Box Art DIY

Print

DIY Custom Frame

Create a custom frame without using any power tools!

Keyword custom frame, DIY, wood working

Equipment

• Miter box saw
• Band clamp
• Various clamps
• hammer
• Tape Measure
• pencil
• Paint brush or rags

Ingredients

• various pieces of wood
• wood glue
• finishing nails or wire brads size depends on depth of wood
• paint or wood stain
• sandpaper fine grit

Instructions

Flush Mount Frame 

• To begin, you’ll need to decide which style of mount you want for your frame and how thick and detailed the frame will be. For a wider, chunkier frame, you’ll need spacer wood for between the canvas stretcher and the edge of your frame. You can bring your art with you to the lumber yard (or just dimensions if you’re shy about toting around your art) and try stacking together different pieces of wood, square dowels, and molding to get the look you want. Check out my frame profiles below to get ideas for your own frame, and if you want more detail in yours, don’t be shy about adding molding too!
• To begin, I purchased two 8′ long pieces of cedar 1x2s, lightly sanded them, and then stained them with my own gray mix of these three stains pictured above: Rustoleum Driftwood, Rustoleum Willow, and Minwax Golden Oak.
• Rather than measuring the edge of my frame and transferring those measurements to the lumber, I just laid my 1×2 against the frame and marked the length of the canvas directly onto the lumber.
• I cut each of my pieces of lumber a bit longer than I needed, in case I made a mistake and cut them too short. To cut the pieces, I used a miter box saw which clamps the lumber into place and has guides that ensure you are cutting to the exact 45-degree angle that you need. It’s pretty handy, though it does take more elbow grease than an electric miter saw.
• Using a band clamp or a ratchet strap, do a dry fit of the frame to make sure it fits. If any pieces are too long, cut them down appropriately. When the pieces are cut to the right length and the dry fit shows a nice fit, loosen the band clamp around the loose pieces of the frame and dab paint into the corners where the pieces meet. Use your finger to spread the glue around a bit before clamping again. Some glue will ooze out when you clamp the frame together, so be sure to have a rag handy to wipe away any glue immediately.
• Use finishing nails or wire brads to attach the frame to the canvas stretcher, making sure to also drive nails through the mitered joints in the corner, giving the wood glue some extra strength. Wood glue isn’t very strong when applied to end grains of wood, so the nails are a necessary step unless you use a stronger adhesive like Gorilla Glue.

Recessed Mount Frame

• Needed: outside edge piece: 1/2×3″ lumber-middle piece: 1/2×2″ lumber-inside edge piece: 1/2″ lumber-top edge piece: 3/8×2″ lumber
• Glue together the 1/2×3″ outside piece with the middle and inside edge piece as listed in the supplies above and shown in the above right image. You’ll need to use clamps to hold together the wood as the glue dries. Be sure to wipe away any seeping glue with a damp cloth before it dries.
• After the edge and bottom pieces have dried, attach the top piece, which should be a bit wider than the wood stacked below it, in order to create a lip which will overlap your art. Spread the glue with your fingers to limit glue seepage. Then clamp together and allow the glue to cure.
• Measure the size of your artwork and add about 1/8″ buffer space/error space.
• Cut your lengths of wood with the miter box saw according to the measurements from step three. I like to err on the side of longer than necessary, because you can always cut off more than you need! Lay the parallel boards against each other to make sure they are the same length.
• Arrange a dry fit with the band clamp and your canvas. Make sure everything fits together relatively snugly. If the canvas is too loose in there, you may need to shave a bit off the lengths of the frame pieces.
• After the fit is just right, spread some wood glue with your finger onto the edges of the frame pieces and fit together the joints with the band clamp, wiping away any excess glue before it dries.
• While the frame is clamped and the glue is drying, drive finishing nails into the joints of the frame to give the piece more stability. I chose to only nail on two parallel frame pieces instead of onto each side.
• Flip the frame over and attach the canvas from the back by driving longer nails through the canvas stretchers and into the frame.

Float Mount Frame

• Needed: 1/2×2″ lumber painted white, 1/2″ square dowel stained dark (though I suggest using a 1/2×1″ piece of lumber instead)
• Glue the bottom piece of the frame to the side piece and clamp into place. Make sure you wipe away the excess glue before it dries! I used a 1/2″ square dowel for this, but it was exceptionally difficult to later attach the canvas to such a narrow space, so if I were to go back in time, I would select a 1/2×1″ piece of lumber instead.
• Follow Steps 3-5 of the recessed mount frame above, but instead of adding 1/8″ to the dimension of the artwork for your frame, add about 1/4″ to create the float space in the frame.
• Instead of nailing the frame together, you’ll secure it by nailing it to the canvas stretcher from behind. This is the tricky part! You will need to lay your artwork into the frame, making sure the gaps are even all around it. I had a difficult time getting the gaps to stay even as I was clamping it into place. Once it’s clamped into place properly, flip over the frame and drive nails through the back piece of the frame and into the canvas stretcher. Make sure you don’t miss the stretcher and drive your nails into the float space instead! I had to drive my nails in at an angle because my 1/2″ square dowel left me hardly any space.
• It was a little difficult attaching the canvas to that little dowel in my float frame, but I love the results! Such a handsome frame ready for display!