Michael’s

$10 Mirror Transformation


So John’s old roommate is a self-proclaimed pack-rat. She was always saying how she needed to go through all the junk that had piled up in her bedroom and the hallway and the living room AND the kitchen. But nothing had changed by the time John had moved out.

We recently went to the Hillcrest Farmer’s Market with her and her husband and went back to their place afterwards to enjoy all the treats we had acquired. And low and behold the place had COMPLETELY transformed!

She said the book “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” had literally changed her life. I was in awe and so happy that she was able to do the work all herself! And also, it was a great day for me because she had a bunch of stuff she was about to send off to GoodWill.

I ended up taking this huge heavy mirror and an adorable wooden jewelry box.

Now the mirror was butt-ugly let me tell you, but I had other plans in mind for this bad-boy. I was also on a budget so I didn’t want to spend more than $10.

Here’s what I did:

 

Black with Gold Trim. Ew.

I started by priming over the existing paint and fabric trim with some old primer I had on hand. That trim was superglued on to the mirror so there was no hope of removing it without leaving residue or damaging the mirror.

Next I painted the whole thing in Martha Stewart’s Mother of Pearl Acrylic Paint, which is only $3! Two coats got me to the color and sheen that I wanted.

 

I LOVE the pearl finish dont you??

Next I hot-glued these awesome rocks I found at Michael’s onto two of the corners. I bought two bags but definitely could’ve gotten away with just one. Depends on how rock crazy you wanna get!


Voila you’re done!

This DIY was ridiculously easy and took no time at all. And best part is that it is totally customizable to your color preferences and of course that it is super budget-friendly too! If you don’t have a mirror on hand that you want to do this to then go look in the free section of Craigslist! You’re bound to find some old dirty mirror to transform into your own one of a kind piece 🙂

 

 

Notice that jewelry box on the dresser? That’s the one I took from John’s roommate! All I did was spray paint it in Krylon’s Metallic Copper to give it a fresh update!

Hope this gives you some inspiration for your own home! xoxo

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DIY Crate Desk for $100

Hello friends!

I’ve been wanting a desk for my living room now for a few weeks and I finally decided to just make one.


All the desks in the stores were either way too pricey or just not my style.

I was inspired by this desk I found on Pinterest and knew that Michael’s carries crates that would be perfect.

Here’s what you’ll need:

  • 4-6 Crates (depending on how high you want the desk, I used 6 to get it to bar-height)
  • A Desk Top from Ikea
  • 1 2×4 Wood Plank
  • Wood Glue (Gorilla Glue)
  • Sander & Paint Supplies
  • Paint & Polyurethane (optional)

I got my crates from Michael’s and lucky for me it was the Labor Day sale! So I got 40% off one crate and then the clerk gave me 20% off my whole purchase! Score!

Tip: Download the Michael’s mobile app, they ALWAYS have 40% off coupons and other deals on there!

The desk top from Ikea was about $30. But they had a smaller one that was only $9!!! I would’ve gone with that one but it would’ve been way too small for me.

I decided to paint all my crates white for a rustic feel, and then paint the desk top a gorgeous metallic Rose Chrome color by Martha Stewart for a hint of glam.

Sand down your desk top first and apply a primer before applying your paint and then finally polyurethane. (I used some leftover primer and polyurethane from my DIY Farmhouse Table)

For the crates I started by spray painting them with Rust-oleum’s Universal Paint and Primer. And let me tell you it didn’t do diddly squat. It gave the crates a kind of white-washed look, but I wanted them to be solid white. So I nixed the spray paint and bought some straight up white paint and applied it with a roller and brush.


Once all of your painting is done assemble your crates by glueing them together with some wood glue (Gorilla Glue works great).

Next measure the height of your crates and cut your wood plank to size to create two support beams.  I painted mine white to match.

And then finally either glue your desk top to the crates or just lay it on top. Add your support beams to the front or back with glue and you’re all done!


Now you have a stunning custom piece of furniture for half the price of a store-bought desk!

I found the super cute magazine files and organizing bins at Ikea for less than $10. The trash can is also Ikea just spray painted a metallic gold! Finally the bomb white barstool is a Craigslist steal for only $50!

Enjoy lovelies! xoxo

Find the tutorial on how to make the charging station here!

(I tucked a power-strip under the top crate on the left so that it keeps all the cords off the floor and so that my cords for the charging station are long enough to reach easily.)