Ombre Canvas Totes {DIY}

I'm sure I'm not the only one that has noticed how the ombre trend is trickling into home decor. I have been enamored with it in fashion and I'm glad to see creative ideas for interiors too.

I'm a sucker for a good centerpiece, and I just love this one. Even the place cards are gradient!

Source: rangolijewellery.blogspot.com via Michelle on Pinterest

This coverlet from Urban Outfitters is a perfect example (and ruffles too, hello!).

Source: urbanoutfitters.com via Michelle on Pinterest

So, I had to try my hand at OMBRE! I had to start small....I mean I haven't dyed anything since doing tie-dye t-shirts in high school (and high school is becoming fuzzy), so canvas totes seemed like a good project. Can you handle one more project for the laundry room? I hope so! Before the Laundry Room redo, I used these canvas totes to organize light bulbs and extension cords. I didn't think they made the cut, but I still felt like I needed them, and too much storage you can never have. The problem was, when I put them in their current condition in the laundry room, they looked dingy.

I found this type of dye at Walmart, I didn't even know there was any other fabric dye other than Rit, but I decided to give Tulip a try. The color selection is limited, but they have turquoise and I looked no further.

I followed the directions, boiled a gallon of water (notice the steam) and stirred in the dye. I put the tote in the mixture and let the dye start absorbing. Like I said though, I have never really done this sort of thing...I thought that the canvas would just keep absorbing to the top, but it did not. After 45 minutes, the color never rose more than three or so inches

I was a little disappointed that the color didn't go further, but it was just a matter of inexperience. It finally dawned on me to get a lighter color, do a quick dunk in the dye.....so I dunked each side quickly in the dye bath (wear gloves!). To get it even lighter along the top, I used the sprayer and rinsed some of the dye out.


I did all three totes in the same bath and let them dry overnight. I am really pleased with the results!


I had to do a little rearranging on top of the cabinets, but they fit just fine!

They don't look dingy anymore!

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Clothespin Art

Even after re-doing everything in the laundry room, I still ended up with a blank wall. With all the budget used up, I decided to make something with things I had around the house.
You'll need two 12x12 canvases, clothes pins, and get your hot glue gun fired up too.

I also had the old fashion type of clothespin and craftpins too. Justin's grandma was editing some of her craft supplies and naturally they came to me, so I had these in my stash (she use to make those little angels with the crochet dresses with these).

I thought I'd do a circle and a square, although I think that the circle ended up looking like a sunflower. I left the canvas (it came pre-primed) and the clothespins natural. Alternating the craft pins, clothespins and adding in some new ones too, just run a line of glue on the back and eyeball it.
I did find center, and used one of the 'stands' that the craftpins come with for the center

I had some lattice pieces out in the garage left over from the the Chain Link Dresser, so I added a couple of strips to the sides, not all four though (I didn't have quite enough ;).


The square one is made with all new clothespins and I just alternated the pattern.


Modern art with a household item!

It can't get any easier than this!

I hope you are inspired to create some mod clothespin art too!

Have a great weekend! Joining Jen

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{DIY} Herringbone Tile Floor

Hi everyone! I'm finally done putting together a step-by-step on how Justin and I accomplished the herringbone tile in our my new laundry room. Yes, we took on a tile project!! Even though the room is TINY it really took both of us working as a team to get it done, I really could not have done it with out him! For the record, we are not professional tilers, but because the laundry room is so small, I thought it would be a good room to get our feet wet on DIY tiling. We are just a couple of people that want to save some dough and do it our self. Of course, I just couldn't be normal and lay the tile in a simple straightforward pattern, no, I had to want an intricate pattern like herringbone. Probably not the best pattern for beginners, but that's what I wanted and so we gave it a try.

Here is what you'll need for this project:

Tile*Tile cutter *Tile adhesive and grout*Notched floor trowel*Rubber grout float*Putty knife*Plastic spacers (these come in all sizes, we used the 1/8")*Sponge*Bucket*Grout Sealer

*NOTE*
Just so we are clear, because the room is so small (5X5), I chose to use a combination adhesive and grout, but if your space is large, it would certainly be more economical if you bought the unmixed grout and adhesive and then mix it yourself.

Just so you can remember where the floor began...linoleum with a couple spots of damage, original to the house.

I removed the baseboards and ripped the flooring out and scrapped up all the adhesive spots that remained. Cleaned, swept, and vacuumed the floor.

Because we installed on subfloor (raw wood), I painted it with a primer and sealer combo. This is so there would be no chance of the subfloor absorbing the moisture from the tile adhesive and swelling, thus avoiding possible cracks in the future.

I bought the ceramic tile at Lowe's from Interceramic. The color/pattern is called Marfil Chiaro which is a marble look alike. I chose this tile because it is smooth, and has the look of marble, not rough stone like some of the ceramic tile out there. They come in a box of 15 and are 13X13 square.

I used the tile cutter to cut enough tiles in half to complete the whole floor. Justin handled the outside cuts and cuts around the vents. I totally wimped out on those!

We started from the back of the room which is a little different. If you were laying tile straight, the center of the room is where to start, keeping the cuts on the outside, but in this case, everything is cut. It was easier to keep straight starting from the back and working to the front.

After we had gotten a good dry fit, everything was cut right, fit well and looked good.....I went back and put the adhesive on one by one.

I know, not the traditional way, with this intricate of a pattern, it is how it worked out. There was no way in hades, after making all those pieces fit like a puzzle, was I going to take them all up to lay the adhesive down....It had to be done this way. One painstaking tile after another. You see why it took me so long!

Begin by getting some adhesive/grout on the back of the tile with a putty knife:

'Butter' the back of the tile until it is completely covered:

With the notched trowel, scrape it across the back of the tile:

Lay the tile back into place, give it a little shimmy, and insert spacers. Basically it's the traditional way but in reverse. I can't tell you how badly my fingers and hands hurt from doing it!!

Once the adhesive is dry (recommended 24 hours), remove the spacers

*NOTE* Thankfully, the spacers come two sided...one side is if the tile were laid straight (the 'X' side) and then the other side was straight for this sort of pattern

Next, it's time to grout. This went a lot easier than I thought. I worked a small section at a time, putting a glob of grout down and using the rubber float to work it in between the tiles. Once I had a section done, I used the wet sponge to wipe the tiles down and get up the excess grout. When the entire floor is complete, and after another 24 hour dry time, apply another coat of grout. Because of so much shrinkage with drying, it looks better with another layer. Oh, and another 24 hours.....:) Once the second coat of grout is dry, apply the grout sealer (according to the directions).
It's time to reinstall the baseboards....

....and move the appliances back in!


We are beyond thrilled with how it turned out, as you can imagine.

Wanna know what the sad part is????

That half of it is under the washer and dryer!! :)

At any rate, we are glad we took on the tile!By the way, there is a 'haze that forms over the tile, after grouting...and you can purchase Haze Remover, but I found with a warm water and a little elbow grease, it came right off.

If you have any questions, or if I wasn't clear on a step, feel free to ask in the comments.
*Note* Some great advice from a reader and experienced tiler in the comments, be sure to read!

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Laundry Room Progress (Half Way there!)

Thank you for all the support and encouragement on my little laundry room project. It is really coming along! I love the stripes on the ceiling and Justin hung my antique chandelier last night!!! Yay!

You might remember, I found this crystal and brass chandy at an estate sale several months ago.
A little unusual in a laundry room, I know, but that 's the part I like! :) It adds a lot of character and history with everything being 'new' in here. Besides, I'm the only one that uses the laundry room, and a little bling never hurt my feelings.

I have such a love affair with any light fixture I meet, I couldn't believe anyone would give this baby up......right up until I started cleaning it. 30 crystals and 45 minutes later, I figured out why the elderly couple I bought it from would eighty-six it.
But she's mine now.

You might notice I selected a different paint color...I went two shades lighter than my original choice. Even though I have used Schooner before (I painted a dresser), I think it was just a little too moody for a laundry room. In a walk-in closet, yes, a bedroom, perhaps...but I want this room to be super peppy.....

....and it is.

So what is there left to do?

-Install center cabinet (I have to have Justin's help with this)

-Install hanging rod

-Install knobs on cabinets

-Install flooring

Then it will be ready to move appliances back in and accessorize!

( Yes, I started filling the cabinets already, the kitchen is SUCH a mess right now, I had to do it :)

I'm installing the flooring by myself, wish me luck, I've never done it before! :)

I'll be back with a reveal soon!

P.S. I hit 2000 readers this week, I am so grateful you are here! Thank you!

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