Craft Closet: Built-In Desk

It's been a while since we have made any improvements inside our home. Ever since we gave our home office a makeover, I have been wanting to also create a craft closet in that room. Lucky for me, I have a handy husband who was more than willing to build me said craft closet as a Christmas gift!

I've been scanning Pinterest and he's been "researching" the best way to put everything all together.

I feel like I should preface this by saying that I know nothing about building cool things, such as desks. I'm a crafter through and through, but don't ask me to use a saw, or a kreg jig... that's Adam's job. So, while I was doing homework all weekend, Adam was busy making me a built-in desk for a craft closet. Here's what he did:

First, he measured the closet to ensure a perfect fit. I didn't want anything slipping through gaps between the closet walls and the desk, so he cut everything to fit exactly. The closet measured 60 inches wide, 26 inches deep, and 50 inches tall (from the floor to the top opening of the closet). 

He purchased white Melamine wood (that I requested) and used a 60 tooth blade to cut the wood smoothly. The desk ended up being 20 inches tall and 23.75 inches deep. He allowed 24 inches in the middle for me to put a chair, and then placed shelves on both sides of the desk, about 16.5 inches wide. I haven't quite decided how many shelves on want on each side, it will all depend on the baskets I find to put on the shelves. Currently, the shelf is smack dab in the middle, about 15 inches off the ground. 

Once all the wood was cut, he used a kreg jig to make pocket holes to hide all of the screws. 

To put it all together, he anchored the exterior panels to the wall and into a stud. He then placed the shelf and the inside shelf walls. The last step was to add the top part of the desk.

And as simple as that, my craft closet has a work space! Easy for me to say, since I didn't do any of the work.

I love the way it's coming along so far. Now I just need to decide what to do with the rest of it. A peg board, a bulletin board, shelves? The possibilities are endless!

I guess you'll just have to check back soon to see what I decide! Any suggestions?

Happy Friday!

DIY No-Sew Table Runner: Guest Post from New Home, New Name, New Adventure

I am SO excited to have Gennie from New Home, New Name, New Adventure guest blogging today! I just recently found her blog and love reading her posts! When Gennie first told me she wanted to do a guest post about a no-sew table runner, I was pretty pumped, but when she sent me the final pictures, I was even more excited to show her off! If you've followed me for a while, you know I love everything burlap, so this project is right up my alley! So, without further ado, here's Gennie!

Hi everyone! First of all, a huge thanks to Melanie at Melanie Gets Married for letting me take over her blog for the day! It is one of my favorites to read, and she always has the best DIY projects! I'm Gennie, and I blog over at New Home, New Name, New Adventure. My blog is mostly about our adventures after moving to a new state, but I also share recipes and some of the DIY projects I complete, as well. Today, I'm excited to share with you an easy DIY project that will be perfect for the upcoming holidays: a No-Sew Burlap Table Runner.

In order to make this project, you will need: 

1 package of burlap ribbon 5-5.5 inches wide, at least 5 yards (if you can find packages of 2.5 inches wide, that's even better! Just buy at least 10 yards of it instead!), tape measure, hot glue gun, 

& scissors

1. Decide how long you would like the table runner to be. Most table runners hang off each end by 18 inches, but if you only want it to fill most of your table, that's great, too!

2. Measure and cut 6 lengths of ribbon (this should be the length you want for your table plus 4 inches*). Each should measure 2-3 inches wide (if you have the wider ribbon, fold in half and cut in two pieces).

*My runner was 45 inches finished, so I measured 6 lengths of ribbon 49 inches long each.

3. Then, measure and cut around 20+* shorter lengths of ribbon around 2-3 inches wide and as long as you want the runner to be width-wise. 

*Mine was 1 1/2 feet wide, and I only needed around 20 of the length pieces. This will depend on how long you want your table runner to be. Plan on your length in inches divided by 2 to find the total number of pieces to cut, and this should give you a couple extras!

4. Arrange the long strips side-by-side and weave a shorter strip across one end. Place a small amount of glue behind each strip to secure it in place.

5. Continue weaving the shorter strips and glue behind each of the two ends.

6. After all the weaving is completed, make sure it is held securely by hot glue wherever necessary. Trim the edges if necessary.

7. OPTIONAL: Sew a hem around 0.25 inch around the perimeter of the runner. This will prevent it from fraying. You could also fold any edges under and glue them to accomplish this as well, or no-sew hem tape works as well! A friend suggested ironing it, but I like the natural texture, personally. :)

I love the look of it. Very rustic and perfect for a Thanksgiving table setting! If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at genlynne330@gmail.com. Thanks again to Melanie for having me post today!

Find Gennie here:

Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Bloglovin

I hope you enjoyed Gennie's post as much as I did! You can find plenty more of her beautiful creations and yummy recipes over at her blog, so make sure to stop by and show her some love!

Q&A with This Crazy Thing Called Life

I have another treat for you this week! Ericka from This Crazy Thing Called Life is joining us today for a little Q&A session. I don't really remember how I came across Ericka's blog, but I instantly felt like I could relate to her in so many ways: she was a newlywed, had just bought a house, has an adorable goldendoodle, AND was from Michigan. This Crazy Thing Called Life is now one of those blogs on my must-read list! I hope you enjoy getting to know her as much as I have!

In a nutshell, what is your blog This Crazy Thing Called Life about?

I started my blog when I was engaged and planning my wedding as a way to keep friends and family updated, and as a way for me to look back on everything.  My husband (then fiance) and I were also in the process of buying our first house, so I wanted to document that journey too. Now that I've been married for a little over a year, I blog about a little bit of everything: home/diy projects, our adorable Goldendoodle, recipes, fitness, and everything else that comes up in our lives.

Why did you start blogging and what inspires you to keep at it?

As I said above, I started blogging to document our wedding planning and home buying journey.  I fell in love with blogging and the community of amazing people that I had connected with, so I kept blogging after the wedding was over and the house was bought. 

Describe yourself in three words.

Fun, Driven, & Loving

List your five favorite blogs to read.

Only listing five is hard, because there are so many that I love.  Here are five of my daily reads:

Melanie Gets Married 
(duh! I love your blog!)

iHeart Organizing

The Sweetest Thing

Lisa loves John

Classy & Sassy Mrs

List links to your three favorite blog posts that you have written and tell us why they are your favorite.

Wedding Card Box - This is one of my favorite DIY projects I've done.  I love the way it turned out and it was perfect for our wedding!

Master Bedroom Update: Painted Trim - I'm currently trying to "finish" our Master Bedroom.  Painting the trim white was a HUGE job, but it made such a major impact on the room.  I love looking at the before and after photos in this post!

Cinnamon Apple Chips - One of my favorite recipes because it's healthy and easy.  It's perfect for fall.

If you could pick any career, with money being no object, what would your dream career be?

I could go two ways with this.  I've always wanted to work in an office for a professional sports team--either MLB or NFL.  But now that I'm getting older and I've thought about having kids some day, I kind of like the idea of being a stay at home mom and maybe getting paid to write a blog :)

If you had an extra hour of free time everyday without any distractions, how would you spend it?

Reading.  I love to read, but I never set the time to do it.  I usually read before bed, but I find that I'm so tired, I only read for about 15 minutes before I'm ready to fall asleep.  I'd love to spend more time reading...especially on a beach!

Find Ericka here:

Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | Bloglovin

I hope you'll take the time to swing byEricka's blog and check out some of the posts she mentioned above! I also think you'll really like her Crocheted Chevron Baby Blankets and her Easter Egg Wreath. I know I'll for sure be checking out her cinnamon apple chips soon! 

Fabric Covered Halloween Wreath

Another month, another wreath! 

I'm noticing all my wreaths are starting to look the same. Ribbon or fabric wrapped around a wreath form with flowers or a bow off to one side. The thing is, I just can't seem to stop making them. They are quick, easy, and always turn out awesome! At this rate, I am making a new wreath every month, and that is perfectly fine with me.

Whenever I see cute fabric, I think one of two things "this would be GREAT for a wreath!" or "this would be great for some pillows!" I have been eyeing this black and white fabric for a while and I thought it would be perfect with some orange flowers for a Halloween wreath (and even bought an extra just in case I want to make some pillows).

Perhaps I'll try to switch things up a bit for my next wreath, but for now I hope you enjoyed this one!

Happy Monday Morning!

Fall Home Tour: 2014

Welcome to my long overdue, ever changing 2014 Fall Home Tour!

I'm not sure why, but I always struggle with decorating for fall. Although it's my favorite time of year, I never feel like my fall decorations measure up to what I had in my head. Christmas is so easy to decorate for because you just throw ornaments into every bowl, vase, and canister in the house. But shouldn't fall be the exact same only substituting ornaments for pumpkins? 

Despite my difficulties, I am finally satisfied enough to show off my fall-ified home. 

When decorating the living room, I tried to keep all the blue and just add pieces of orange where ever possible. I started with the orange pillows and just continued from there. 

 fall inspired fabric balls

wooden pumpkins 

I always love to bust out some of our fall photos during this time of year. These two have been used for the past few years: one of our engagement photos and Lucy as a puppy laying in the leaves.

Next up, I made my fall vignette, trying to stick to using mainly orange. 

"fall in love" printable 

CONFESSION: DIYer fail, I didn't actually make anything included in the vignette (besides the printable), but what can I say? School has been keeping me crazy busy! I did get creative and fill some vases with popcorn kernels and a fall scented candle, though, doesn't that count? 

fall mason jars. gold glitter ribbon garland.

For the dinette, I decided to use gold instead of orange. I really like how all of this came together. The shelf, ampersand and vases were all things I had in the house and I just added the garland and mason jars to make it look more complete.

I was hoping to crochet an orange blanket to use during the fall as well, but there are just not enough hours in the day. I guess there's always next year!  

Want to see more?

Check out last year's Simple Fall Vignette here. 

Want to skip Fall and head straight to Christmas? Check out my Christmas Home Tour here.

Happy Friday!!

Q&A with Genuinely Lauren

Today I have this pleasure of introducing you to Lauren, the blogger behind Genuinely Lauren! She has an adorable blog where she shares her craft projects, some delicious recipes, and the books she's been reading this year! Today, she's dishing on how she started blogging, the blogs she loves to read, and how she would spend an extra hour each day! 

In a nutshell, what is your blog Genuinely Lauren about?

If you're new to my neck of the woods, you can find around here my DIY crafting skills to make our new apartment look pretty, my attempts at making homemade meals, and our adventures as newlyweds in Florida. 

Why did you start blogging and what inspires you to keep at it?

Originally I started my junior year of college. And then I only posted so often then I didn't feel like I was really into it and ended up listening to everyone's judgments. Then I started back up again, with a new name, when I moved to Florida to be with my husband. And honestly what keeps me going at it is that I've enjoyed writing so much and I like having a space that is my own. Plus being far away from home helps with it too. 

Describe yourself in three words.

Friendly, creative, and honest.

List your five favorite blogs to read.

College Prepster. 

She was the first blog I ever started reading, even when I wasn't blogging yet and I still love her!

Venus Trapped In Mars

Life with Lolo. 

I just guest blogged over there recently! Check it out here.

Helene In Between

Eat Drink and Be Mary

List links to your three favorite blog posts that you have written and tell us why they are your favorite.

Surprise I'm Engaged!: When I told everyone my engagement story :) Still my favorite story to tell to this date, next to how we met

Alabama Slammer: When we went to our first Alabama home game! It was just a great memory for us.

DIY Alabama Burlap Wreath: My first attempt at making a burlap wreath! I was super excited to make it and then help out others who had the same questions I did that Pinterest failed to answer.

If you could pick any career, with money being no object, what would your dream career be?

My absolute dream is to work in public relations for an MLB team. More specifically for the Chicago Cubs :)

If you had an extra hour of free time everyday without any distractions, how would you spend it?

Oh my, ha. I would probably push myself more to get started on my half marathon training. It's not until April but I don't want to be falling too far behind on it!

Find Lauren here:

Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | Bloglovin

I hope you'll take the time to swing by Lauren's blog and check out some of the posts she mentioned above! I think you'll really like them, especially her burlap wreath!

Fall Mason Jars

I am hoping I'm not the only one still trying to finish up my Fall decorating. 

Now that it's well into October, and I still have a little over a month, it's time to get my butt in gear. 

Today I am sharing a very simple and inexpensive way to add a little extra decoration to your home this fall. So if you are like me and still don't have your decor together, this project is for you, and will only take you 5 minutes to complete!

what you'll need:

mason jars, burlap ribbon, marble vase filler (preferably fall colors), and a glue gun. 

I simply wrapped some burlap and pearl ribbon that I found at Hobby Lobby around some mason jars, glued both sides of the ribbon together with hot glue, and threw in these pretty gems and leaves that I bought at Pier1 a few years back.

And just like that, you have yourself some pretty fall mason jars!

Have a relaxing Sunday!