How to: Make your Own Scented Drawer Liners

Growing up I remember my Gran having every drawer in her house lined with the same matching rose paper, and every time you would open a drawer a waft of roses would fill the air in front of you. Now saying that, she bought the real deal drawer liners, and when creating my senior project: 'Tile Top Side Tables' (the big reveal will come tomorrow), I thought to myself I really need to fill this drawer with some stunning paper and line them myself. So that is what I did, AND I made my own little concoction to create that same rosie smell that I remember as a child. Here is how to...

Step 1. With warm water, steep a tea bag for 3 minutes (the tannins in the tea will help bind the essential oils)

Step 2. Remove tea bag and add three drops of clove oil, and any 4-5 drops of any essential oil of your choice (Lavender, Vanilla, Peppermint, etc) I used Rose Absolute

Step 3. Add mixture into a spray bottle, and put at a setting where it will mist the paper

Step 4. Choose a paper that you like. I chose two sheets of a thick cotton based wrapping paper that I picked up from our local art supply store. Then find a sunny and warm spot in your home and drape, or in my case hang your paper

Step 5. Shake spray bottle and spray down paper, holding spray bottle about a foot away from paper (you don't want to drench your paper)

Step 6. Allow paper to dry for a half hour, then cut pieces according to the inner dimensions of your drawer. Use a Xacto knife, cutting board, and ruler to get a nicely clean cut edge

Step 7. I used mod podge to glue down and seal the cotton paper, which also gave it a nice gloss

Step 8. Step back and admire :)

Sorry for the poor photo quality, however I don't want you peaking until the big reveal.

Create your Outdoor Oasis

It's that time of the year, to begin thinking about how you can transform your back garden into a relaxing oasis. Instead of paying to go to the local sports club to relax, it is so easy and financially manageable to do it yourself! Here are a couple favorite themes that I love, and a costly approach on how to get this look. Just imagine kicking back in any of these gorgeous patios and reading a book, watching the kids play, or eating meals out here....so relaxing! 

1. & 6.- Zazzle

2. Laquered Tray- West Elm

3. Patio Set- Ballard Design

4. Seat Cushions- Overstock

5. Lantern- Candle Wares

7. Topiary- Ballard Design

8. Cabana- Z Gallerie

1. Cabana- Zeus Cabanas

2. Upholstered Chair- Ballard Design

3. Sofa- Bee Keepers Cottage

4. Lamp- J Covington Home

5. Chandelier- Currey & Company

6. Cushion- Target

7. Seashells- Crate & Barrell

8. Trough- Feature Deco

9. Fake Hydrangeas- J Roze

10. Coffee Table- www.belleescape.com

1. Shell Chandelier- chandeliers.com

2. Aspe Tree Curtain- www.thefoundary.com

3. Deck Chair- Hardy Lawn Furniture

4. Fire Pit- firepits.com

5. Rug- Liorre Manne

6. Papier Mache stalk- West Elm

Upholster Your Portfolio

Right now at school is crunch time for me. I have my senior portfolio due next week, which is one of the most important projects of my school career. I have to document and photo all of my pieces, and most importantly I want to do it in a style that exudes me. So that when the board opens it up they understand what my style is as a designer. To do this I new I wanted color, so I bought a gorgeous burnt orange leather backed folder from Office Depot, and ordered a canvas based Ikat material from a store online (If you order a sample you will get more than enough material and for cheap!). Steer clear from any silk Ikat, it is not a very tactible material. However it all seemed too bland, and this is where I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to do a tutorial on how to upholster the inside of your portfolio. Presentation is everything, especially in design, so I new I wanted to give my portfolio the pop of color it needed.

To begin, measure the back side of your folder, making sure to slip an inch of the ruler into the folder so that you have extra fabric for when we do step 2. My folder I measure 9"x9".

Next make sure and iron your fabric. This will be the only chance you get to do it.

Next, flip your fabric over and iron down a half inch flap on the three sides that will be exposed. So that means the fabric that will be tucked into the flap does not need to have this done.

Next tuck your fabric into the flap and set it into place where you will be gluing it. Making sure not to have any of the fabric overlap the outskirt of the folder. Then, peel back the fabric and apply a fabric glue with a strong bond onto the folder where you will be gluing your fabric.

This is the glue I used

Do the same for the bottom half by oversizing the fabric, ironing down edges, tuck in flap, and glue.

Enjoy!

Botanical Prints!

Now that spring is in the air, plants will be blooming again. A new trend that has appeared recently is the style of framing beautiful botanical plants. It gives an old world affect with natural resources. They really make a space look fresh and vibrant and is so easy to do yourself!

1. Find leaves or flowers that you would like to frame
2. place your found leaves in a heavy book where the pressure will push down on the leaves, if you want you can add more books on top to place more weight on the pants. Leave the plants in the books for three weeks to allow them to dehydrate and dry out.
3. Once the leaves appear dried place them on heavy duty paper, a type of artist paper and cover with Mod Podge which will give a transparent coat and help the plants stick down.
4. Frame your prints and hang them wherever you please.

Subway Tile

1904. New York City introduced white tiles that measured about 1ft x 3inchs. They lined the inner subways of New York Cities metro stationed and also had mosaic signs intertwined into the tiles. They have become labeled as subway tile and can be found now as backsplash's in some of the most beautiful homes. These tiles can be found at any tile store averaging around $6.99/ tile, or $58.00 for a square foot. Not only does these tiles come in clay form, they also come in glass or marble!

Make this for under $30!!!

I got this idea off of Pinterest, and could not resist giving it a try. For under $30 I found this side table for $17, bought 'Pebble Grey' quart sized matte paint from Home Depot for $5, a double pack of door knobs for $4, and an endless amount of pins to make the gorgeous nailhead trim for $4. Here is my step by step on how to make it yourself!

First off make sure and clean your surface of any dust or dirt, especially in the back corners and the inside of the drawer.

What you want to do next is sand down your surface. You will do this so that the paint has a rougher surface to be applied to rather than a sleek surface giving it a streaky appearance.

Once you have sanded your surface down, you can begin to apply your first coat of paint. Make sure and remove any hinges, knobs, or tracks so that you are able to paint freely. Follow the recommendations on the back of your paint pot on how long to let your paint dry between coats. I ended up doing 2 coats of paint, however yours may differ. The picture below shows the paint kind of splotchy because the paint was drying, but your paint was always even out once dry.

 Once your piece is dry, use a ruler and a very light pencil (easy to erase) and mark out your design for your drawer. I went with a similar design to the one on Pinterest that had a four leaf clover design. Make sure and mark how far apart you want your pins to be. This is CRUCIAL! otheriwse you will end up with a very uneven look.

In order for me to be able to hammer the pins into the oak, I took a nail and would begin a hole into the wood leaving a big enough indent for the pin to fit into and giving it enough leeway to be hammered in completely. Again, this could differ according the the kind of materials you are using.

Once done make sure that all marks are erased from the wood, and then decorate accordingly. Enjoy!