DIY Sea Urchin Decor

November 23, 2014November 23, 2014 / My Brunette Adventure / 1 Comment

Happy Sunday! I love DIY’s and especially this one. Not only do you get to be a little crafty, but it saves you money. It comes out cheaper than what you would pay for this home decor piece at a retail store. My total cost was between $5-$7 bucks. While shopping around, I found a look alike gold sea urchin piece of home decor for $20 and up. It is a painless crafty project that you can have done in no time. You can also make a half option if you want to set it on a stack of books. You would just cut the sphere in half and follow all other steps below. For now, the directions below will go over how to make a larger sea urchin as seen in the photo above. I know, funny name for a home decor accessory.

Supplies You Will Need:

-Package of (24 count) dowel rods (Hobby Lobby $1.50)

-Gold spray paint (small can is fine) (Hobby Lobby $3 on sale)

-White styrofoam sphere (I bought a bag of 6) (Hobby Lobby $2)

-Something to poke your sticks threw and stand up for painting, I used floral foam that I had on hand.

-Hand saw or miter saw

-Screwdriver

-Glue (optional)

How-To Steps:

1. Cut all your dowel rods in half with your saw. (If you want your sea urchin smaller than mine, cut them in thirds or fourths)

2. Set up the dowel rods on your holder to get ready to paint.

3. With your gold spray paint, put a few coats on all rods. Make sure to get all angles painted evenly. Do not worry about the part that is in the holder, it will go inside the ball and not be seen. Also, spray paint the ball with your paint.

4. Take your screwdriver and puncture holes into the ball. Keep the puncture holes spaced the same, see the picture below. Mine are pretty spaced out because that is what I prefer. You can put yours closer together, however, you will need more dowel rods.

OPTIONAL: You can glue loose rods so they will stay more in place. You can also give a last coat of paint to your entire sea urchin.

Enjoy! Great Job!

Ta-Da! This will look great on your office shelf or bookcase.

Who will be trying this easy DIY project?

XOXO,

Jessica

DIY Gold Dipped Stool

October 31, 2014October 30, 2014 / My Brunette Adventure / Leave a comment

My gold obsession expands in my office with this DIY white and gold stool project I recently completed. This stool was a light birch wood color for many years. It has been a handy stool, table, stepping stool and hoarder of random things piled on top during its life at my home. I wanted to give my multi-purpose stool a facelift with a nice paint job. As the ideas started rolling, the one that stuck in my head the most was GOLD being on this stool somewhere. I gathered my supplies and went to work. It was as easy as one, two, three.

Sorry for the lack of how-to pictures, I did not get any photos before or during the process. I did find a Google image of what the stool originally looked like, it is at the bottom of the post.

Later, I might also add some design to the top of the seat, but for now I am loving this little number as a new-ish addition to my office. Are you a fan of all things gold? I love turning pre-owned things into NEW again things!

Supplies Needed:

Hand sander (or sand paper if you do not have a hand sander)
Stool (mine was $20 at Target a few years ago, try IKEA’S cute option here)
White spray paint (prime + paint is best option)
Matte Gold or Gold Metallic spray paint (depends on what you are wanting)
Ruler
Blue painters tape

Steps:

Make sure to wipe down your stool of any resadue that may be on your stool.
Sand your stool. Do not over sand as you will start chipping away the wood. Sand just enough to remove any varnish or finishes that were applied to the stool. Make sure to wipe down your stool after sanding to clear of any loose dust, you want a clean surface to paint.
Next, take your Primer + Paint spray paint in white and coat the entire stool. Be sure to use a well ventilated room or go outside to use the spray paint. You may need a few coats to get an even white finish over the entire stool. Wait for this to dry before moving to step 4.
Once the stool is completely dry, use your ruler and blue painters tape to measure the area you would like to be gold. From the bottom of the leg I measured 4 1/2 inches and taped up the leg going towards the seat. You want to protect the white area that is majority of the way up the legs.
Once you have taped off the upper portion of your stool legs, spray the bottom leg area with your gold spray paint.
Enjoy your Gold Dipped Stool!

*Photo courtesy of Google images

Easy as pie! I just might add more DIY gold dipped pieces around my office and house. When I have the chance to be creative in any shape or form I am all for it. What are some of your recent DIY projects?

Happy Halloween,

Jessica

Our Wedding Recap

October 8, 2014October 16, 2014 / My Brunette Adventure / 4 Comments

Our first year as MR + MRS has flown by no doubt. Planning of our big day was so much fun, I am missing it. Planning is something I enjoy anyways. We did just about everything ourselves with the help of our family and friends. I thought the marking of our one year anniversary was a great time to share a recap of our outdoor October wedding with you, my readers. We got married on October 5th, 2013 in a smaller intimate wedding with our closest friends and family. Our venue was at an old mansion, The Blanton House, owned by the town of Danville, Indiana.

I loved the details of this house. This closet being a favorite part of the house was large for a turn of the century home. It had built in drawers and wardrobes.

My handsome husband got ready with the other groomsmen in the ‘Grooms Suite’.

Our Family

My Brother

My Mother

I will cherish this picture of my handsome groom forever. I love his energy and excitement to see all those closest to us.

My Dad walking me down the aisle. I am the first to cry at just about anything and this day was no exception. I had a burst of emotions come as I was walking with my dad and he held my arm and said, “are you okay, do you need to take a moment, its okay.” Just hearing his words and warmth holding my arm brought a calmness over me. I was able to contain myself until i was overjoyed with more emotions when reaching my groom.

Dancing with my groom right after seeing each other for the first time. Oh the memories of our few minutes just him and I seeing each other for the first time.

This picture makes me so happy. I love these people and thank them so much for being a part of our story. They hold places in our hearts.

Our little wedding party people did such an awesome job. Our nieces walked together and Braydon was a handsome man who stole the show.

I would need many many words to explain to you how much these two ladies mean to me. When my husband and I started planning, we wanted those closest to us and this meant only two maids on my side. I chose to make both ladies Maids of Honor. They have been there through the best and worst times of my life. We have known each other from childhood. We may not get to see each other often or speak daily, but when we do come together, we pick right back up where we left off. The memories I share with these two ladies is countless and includes a major chunk of my life. I am grateful for all their hard work to help make our wedding day one to remember.

This picture is a memory of how my husband surprised me. He planned his own little ‘Magic Mike’ number to dance and of course make me blush as he was getting the garter. Oh how he never surprises me and can always make me laugh.

Most brides would have freaked out knowing about 5-7 days before their wedding it was going to rain, period. I hoped for the best and looked forward to the important part of our wedding. It did rain, but it was not the end of the world and turned out just as special. We were blessed to have a few hours with no rain during getting ready, taking pictures and our outdoor ceremony. As we settled under the big white peak tent with our guests for our reception, it started to down pour. We are so thankful our guests did not have to sit at our ceremony in a down pour rain. My dreams of having an outdoor wedding were fulfilled with all of our closest friends and family. Our goal was to save as much as possible by having many DIY projects to make it a personalized wedding.

Our awesome photographers came up with such a beautiful photo that embraced the rain to end our wedding day. How awesome did this photo turn out! Life gives you curveballs but its how you handle and deal with them that matters most in life. *all photo credit: 604 Studios (previously Micala McClain Photography)

I will be having a DIY project post to show many of the details of the wedding. Many projects our fairly easy and inexpensive on a wedding budget. Stay tuned for the Wedding DIY Project post.