DIY Nautical Octopus Art

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I have a lot of decorating posts to catch up on, but for now, I wanted to share a quick and easy DIY you can follow to create a visually interesting and unique piece of artwork. 

In our guest bedroom, I had been visualizing a somewhat nautical/preppy theme, combining white, navy blue, and gold with natural wood tones. I decided not to go with a headboard in this room, so I knew that I wanted something visually interesting and unique to hang above the bed.

Then, I came across this picture on Pinterest (follow me here!) and immediately knew I needed an octopus. But, with light walls, I was not sure a white background with a navy blue octopus would work.

After all, it needed to be a standout.

Here's what I ended up with:

 

DIY Nautical Octopus Art

What You Need:

• a canvas or any solid surface (I used the back of a pre-cut sheet of beadboard that was left over from our bathroom remodel)
• pencil for drawing
• hot glue gun (and hot glue)
• spraypaint in color of your choice for background
• acrylic/latex/any kind of thick, oil based paint in your color of choice for your octopus (or animal of choice)
• paint brush

Directions:

1. Start by drawing your shape on your blank canvas. I eyeballed an octopus and purposely tried to make it somewhat asymmetrical so that it had more of a natural feel.

2. Use a hot glue gun to fill in your shape. I started by outlining and then used a squiggly design to fill it in. Then, let the hot glue dry.

3. Use spraypaint to spray the entire canvas, including your hot glue work, to the color you wish your background to be. I was planning to do navy blue and white, so I painted it navy blue. 

After one coat

After three coats

4. Once the spraypaint has dried COMPLETELY (<--this is very important, or else your colors may bleed. I waited a few days), paint your feature item. I used a paint brush and the leftover "satin snow" paint from our bathroom. If you brush over it lightly and don't fill in the lower parts of your hot glue work, you will end up with a textured look that will blow people's minds and have them inquiring about your creative process!

That's it! 4 steps to your very own textured artwork!


WHAT ABOUT YOU?

• What shape would you create?
• What colors would you use?
• Have you created any of your own art for your home?

Don't Lose Your Marble(s) - Bathroom Counter Top

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Other bathroom remodel posts:

Bye Bye Bye to 80s Tile - How To Remove Trim and Tile, Bathroom Renovation Part 1

She Only Wants Me For My Beadboard - Bathroom Renovation Part 2 

Trimming and Caulking and Painting, Oh My! - Bathroom Renovation Part 3 

Paint That Funky Mirror, White Girl - Bathroom Renovation Part 4

It's official: we are over the hump. The worst is over, the tub is back in place, and the walls are painted, beadboarded, and caulked.

But then there is that nasty countertop...

It actually looks inoffensive with the rest of the bathroom finished, but let me give you a reminder of what that baby looks like up close.

Have you ever tried to clean a tile-and-grout countertop? What about after putting on bronzer and blush powder, which unavoidably spills a bit and ends up - you guessed it - on the grout.

Bust out that toothbrush, my friend. You're gonna be scrubbing.

When we finished the rest of the bathroom, we decided to save the old vanity but replace the countertop with something that fit the room better and made it feel more upscale. 

We looked at marble composites, granite, solid surface, and regular marble. In the end, we liked a honed (i.e. not shiny) carrara marble that is white and gray, and pulls from the whites in the floor tile.

The first step in getting this bad boy in place was to remove the existing countertop. For the most part, this wasn't too difficult. Just a process of pounding upward until it broke free.

You may notice, however, that there are some gaps in the beadboard because we cut it to fit around the old counter. Thankfully, because the wall is beadboard behind and next to the sink, we knew we would be putting in a backsplash, which would cover the gap.

The counter top came pre-cut with the hole for the under-mount sink, which was separate. First, the countertop was glued onto the vanity, and then the back splashes were installed as well. We had free installation from Duca Tile, so they took care of gluing it down and caulking the corners.

They also used a two-part epoxy glue to mount the sink underneath the countertop.

Here is a close up of how the marble backsplash looks next to the beadboard we installed.

And here is a farther away shot that includes the sink along with the beadboard, trim, and mirror. 

And now for the fun part... before-and-afters! 

And another angle...

We still have a few tiny projects left - like replacing the beige outlets (we replaced the outlet plates, but the outlets themselves are still a darker color) and installing the hardware for the vanity. But, the big pieces of this bathroom are finally finished.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

• Would you use marble for a bathroom sink, or a different surface?
• Have you ever remodeled a bathroom? Where did you splurge vs save?

Bathroom Blues - 8 Tips For Bathroom Decor

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Well, I vowed to share my entire apartment. Every single room in it.

And, at first, it seemed like a weird thing to photograph and share my bathroom. But, hey, it's blue.

Plus, instead of putting our toothbrushes in an ugly, pale pink, ceramic toothbrush holder (admit it, you know what I'm talking about), they're hanging out in a mason jar. Hipster bathroom statement at its best.

But, now is when the dramatic music should start playing. Something with an orchestra. Something epic that should have been in Star Wars. Because the next image is creepily glorious.

Yep. The commode. It looks like a royal throne. Notice the cactus. Love the cactus. I pretty much blatantly neglect it, yet it lives on just by soaking up the shower steam. Can I get an "Amen" for low-maintenance plants? 

So far, my favorite thing about this bathroom is how light and relaxed it feels. The walls were already a light blue when we moved in, so we decided to keep it simple by adding very little to the room. Bathrooms are meant to feel clean, after all.

Our grandmothers got the wrong memo when they started adding frills and toilet seat covers and pretty little flowers galore. Fun fact about grandmothers and bathrooms: My grandmother used to have an embroidered hanging towel in her bathroom behind the toiled that said: If it's yellow, let it mellow. If it's brown, flush it down. How gross is that? Yeah, let's but the kabosh on embroidered bathroom reading material.

In closing, here's my "bathroom list" of completely random tips:

1. No embroidered reading material
2. Keep it simple - less is more
3. Need a plant? Return of the Cacti, my friends! Yes, that's the second Star Wars reference in a post about my bathroom. It's a talent.
4. Keep shower bottles to a minimum by trashing or storing anything you don't use. Group all items in one place or corner of your shower/tub.
5. If you're up for it, a clear shower curtain will help the space feel bigger by letting more light pass through the bathroom. We opted for one that is mostly clear, but has a square design on it that distorts your... ahem... image as you stand in the shower, just in case. Here are a few similar finds: One, Two, Three
   
6. Light colors help light multiply in your bathroom's small space
7. Find a more creative toothbrush holder. Take a stand against those salmon colored ceramic pots with toothbrush holes in it. Try a mason jar, or another tall, decorative cup. Here are a few ideas:
   
8. CANDLES! For the love of everything that is good, buy at least one candle and put it somewhere obvious in the bathroom. Consider leaving a box of matches nearby, too, just in case your guests decide to light it for... well, whatever reason they might have to light a candle in the bathroom. Not only is it cute, but it's functional, too!

DIY Gold Chevron Computer Case

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When I purchased my Macbook Pro, I bought a black case (this one). It was thrilling for a while but then lost its sex appeal... as with any good teen movie, it was time for a makeover! Thanks to a random purchase of some Gold Leaf paint on my last trip to Home Depot, we were ready to rummmmmmmble (hear: daaaa bulls)!

What you need:

• Computer Case (Any will work! I used this one but anything that fits your computer will be jusssst fine)
• Masking Tape / Painter's Tape
• Gold Leafing
• Paint Brushes

What you do:

1. Remove the case from your computer. Be sure to paint your computer case and not your actual computer. Seriously. 

2. Tape your design on the case. I went with a slightly off-center chevron stripe. Be sure to wrap the tape around the edges to make sure you get everything!

3. Paint! Shake up the gold leafing first, then stir it a bit with the brush. Slowly spread the leafing paint around the designated area.
*Note: Depending on the material of your computer case, you should end up with some really neat crinkling of the paint, which is what creates the typical crinkly-leaf look that most gold-leaf-covered items have (though, for the record, painting silver hoop earrings did not produce the same effect. I suspect that painting metal allows the paint to dry much more smoothly).

4. Remove the tape. The active chemicals in this gold leafing paint dry quite quickly (even in 15 minutes). Check the paint with a towel or finger to be sure it's dry, then begin peeling the tape off on one of the ends, just in case it's not fully dry.

And... Voila!

 

DIY Decor | Chalkboard Bedside Table

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Two Things: 1. The need for a bedside table in Justin's apartment was beginning to get a little overwhelming for me.2. The need to turn any and everything into a chalkboard can be difficult to shake. So why not kill two birds with one stone?

We did some searching around various thrift stores to find just the right item, but the search yielded no results. So we decided to use a table that I had in my room. We got some awesome drawer handles at Ikea, some paint at Home Depot (special thanks to the dancing paint expert who manually dialed up our paint mix as the store was closing), and decided to go to work.

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Materials:

• 1 Bedside Table
• 3 packs of these Ikea Drawer Handles
• Latex Paint
• Non-Sanded Tile Grout
• Spackle
• Painter's tape
• Sandpaper

How we did it:

1. First, we removed the old handles from the drawers.

DIY Decor | Spice World

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While thrifting a few weeks ago, we stumbled upon this fairly boring yet also quite functional spice rack. After recently having to throw away a few spices (apparently plastic spice bottles sitting on an oven causes melting. Whaaat?  Go figure), this was actually a thrilling find. Other than the boring-ness.

And yet, I have to say, we had caught what I’m calling Red Fever. It is contagious and it is powerful and it may cause you to buy red things, paint things red, and daydream about red spraypaint. 

So here we are. With a can of Rustoleum in Sunset Red from Ace (love those guys at Ace, can I have around of applause for those fine gents?!), we have added yet another bright red fixture to the world. What can I say? You caught us red handed.

A word to the wise: TWO COATS! (Okay, that was two words)

Don't freak out if you can't get every nook, cranny, and scratch covered on your first coat. Tw is fine. Three works too.