DIY Faux Zinc Letters

You know those super trendy zinc letters that are all the rage in home decor?  The ones you see on Pinterest, Instagram, and about a zillion other places?

I, for one, happen to love the look of them... what I don't love?  The price.  At $18 a piece; depending on the initials, name, or word you're looking to spell out with them, the resulting bill could be apretty hefty one.

Awhile back, I was fortunate enough to find a knockoff version at Michael's, and purchased an "M" for Max's room.  However, recently, whenever I have come across more budget friendly options, they never seem to have the letters that I am looking for.

{zinc letters}

So... I decided to take matters into my own hands.

The end result:  3 letters, that with coupons/sale prices (and a few materials I already owned), cost me less than $10!

This project is just about the easiest DIY ever.  So easy, that I'm not even sure that it is worthy of a tutorial, but I figured why not share the steps!

Materials

black acrylic paint

silver acrylic paint

cardboard or wood letters

paint brush (straight edge preferred)

First things first, you want to paint your letters with the black paint.  Be sure to cover all of the sides/angles that you will be able to see.  Then, once the letters are dry, with your silver paint, using large back and forth brush strokes, begin to paint over the black.

Depending on the look you are going for, you may want to apply more then one coat of silver paint.  I applied two, but didn't have any issues with this covering the black coat of paint 100%... you want it to still show through a bit.

There you have it friends... I think when you compare these to the (much) pricier version, the look is pretty darn similar.  I know I'm pretty pleased with the end result.  Plus, I can use the money I saved towards buying more latte bowls.  HUGE win!

                                                

DIY Anthro Inspired Snowball Garland

A few weeks ago, while I was aimlessly pinning away on Pinterest, I stumbled upon the most beautiful pompom snowball garland from Anthropologie.
It's been pretty well documented by now, that my love affair with garlands runs deep... So, for the next several days, I contemplated buying this lovely piece of holiday decor, but at $38, I just couldn't justify the purchase.
Then it occurred to me... I could totally make this!

So off I headed to the craft store to collect the necessary supplies. Much of what I needed, I already had on hand, but I got super lucky, when it turned out the yarn I was searching for was on sale for $4.99 this week (at Joann Fabrics)!

Supplies

Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick and Quick yarn in Starlight

Yarn needle
Scissors

Optional Supplies

Clover 3 and 3/8 inch pompom maker (this is not a necessity, there are several DIY pompom maker tutorials on the web, such as this one

US Size N crochet hook (also not necessary, you could just as easily string your pompoms on plain strand of yarn, or braid/twist 2-3 strands together.)

Instructions
Create strand, in the length you desire (mine is about 6.5 feet in length), to string pompoms on.  For this I chained 120 using a size N crochet hook.  If you do not crochet, you can use one of the other mentioned methods.

Using your pom pom maker, create as many pompoms as you would like for your garland.  I made 9 and still had yarn left to spare.  You will want to give each pompom a "haircut" so to speak, and then using your fingers, rough up the yarn to give your pompoms a fuzzier appearance.

Once you are done making your pompoms, you will want to cut strands of yarn to hang your pompoms from.  I made mine about 6 inches or so in length.  Cut as many as you have pompoms.

Using your yarn needle, thread one strand of yarn per pompom through each pompom, and then through the strand of yarn in which your pompoms will hang from. You will want to space them out as evenly as possible along the strand.  Tie each 6 inch strand in a double knot, and pull, so that knots hide within your pompoms.  Trim ends if necessary.

Now hang your garland and admire your work... and the fact that you just saved yourself a lot of money by making something yourself!

-J

Linking up with Home Sweet Ruby, Home of Malones, Lisa Loves John, and Katie Elizabeth

Swoon Worthy

I'm currently in the middle of planning our family summer vacation, and I am over-the-moon excited that in just a couple of weeks, we will be piling the whole family into the car and heading off for what I am sure will be a super relaxing (I'm obviously being sarcastic here) road trip to Maine!!!

I haven't been home since before Max was born, over 2 years ago, so I have been doing lots of online searching to find great new restaurants and fun things to do in my home state.  I seriously cannot wait to get there and see all of our family and friends in Vacationland!

In the meantime, I have discovered all kinds of fun new stuff lately so I'm sharing some of my favorites here in this week's Swoon Worthy!

1.  So, I'm about 3.5 months late to the game on this one, but I recently discovered these awesome Milestone Baby Cards... I figure, better late then never! I can't wait to use them to document all of Ella girl's firsts.

2.  We cannot get enough of Angie's popcorn around here lately! The Lightly Sweet Kettle Corn is our favorite flavor, but the cheddar caramel is ah-maz-ing too!

3.  As many of you know, I am originally from Maine, and absolutely adore an awesome Maine-made product, these Bait Bag Clutches are perfection!

4.  For any of you that have little ones who are book lovers, I recently found @thelittlebookcollector on Instagram. If you're on IG, follow her.  Her feed is beautiful and full of great reading inspiration.

5.  I love, love, love these bowls from Anthropologie.

6.  Is there anything more fun than Funfetti? These softbatch Funfetti cookies from Averie Cooks are a must make in my opinion!

7.  I absolutely must make one of these dresses for Ella before the end of summer!

8.  Fall will be here soon, and I have to have one of these puffer vests for Max.

9.  When I saw this crocheted throw in the latest Pottery Barn catalog, I knew I could make way one for much less... I promise, the pattern is coming soon!

10.  Lets be honest... I mostly live in sweats these days, and considering these are currently on sale, I think I need them in my life.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
-J