Tag Archives: DIY

An Easy Way To Wrap a Gift: Use Hot Glue!

wrap a present with hot glue I’m embarrassed to admit that I still have pumpkins sitting outside of the ol’ Airstream. With everything that has been going on, our home looks downright Scroogy this year. But the one thing that has been putting me in the Christmas spirit is putting on some holiday music and wrapping gifts. I think wrapping is almost as important as the gift itself. I hate putting a ton of effort into buying a meaningful gift and then throwing it into the cheapest bag I can find. No, I believe in wrapping.

I love wrapping gifts in brown paper because you can use it for every occasion. I got this paper and the bow at the Dollar Store. I did all my wrapping for $2.00. I’m also digging the contrast of the rustic brown paper and the glitter bow.

wrap with hot glue close upAnd can we talk about my new tip! I wrapped all my presents this year with hot glue. I hate the way tape musses up a perfectly wrapped gift. If you want to replicate this technique, just make sure you either use a box (not the gift’s box) or fold the paper over so you don’t glue on the gift. (See the example above.)

What is your best gift wrapping tip? Leave ’em in the comments!

love,
melanie

Handmade Holiday Challenge: Customized Ukulele

customized ukuleleSome of my favorite childhood memories involve some sort of musical accompaniment. My sister, my best friend and I used to make up all kinds of songs. I distinctly remember a song about dirty clothes sang to the tune of Baby Love by The Supremes.

Back of the customized ukuleleFor Christmas I want to give the joy of music to my niece. But in my true fashion, I couldn’t just give her a plain ol’ ukulele. I had to customize it.

First I bought this relatively inexpensive ukulele from Amazon. Originally I had planned to cut out vinyl decals to add to the body of the ukulele. But George, my super talented husband, really liked the idea of customizing the ukulele and volunteered to hand letter it. He used a white paint markers for the base, then created texture with a black paint marker.

customized ukulele detailIt’s kind of adorable. Maybe my niece will be the next Dolly Parton. I’m at least going to win best aunt award this year.

How are your handmade gifts coming along?

love,
melanie

Handmade Holiday Challenge: Infused Liquors!

infused liquorsI’ve never been too keen on flavored liquors with the exception of my college Smirnoff Lemon Vodka phase. I feel a little barfy just thinking about it. But that’s because most of those liquors are artificially flavored. I mean Cinnabon-flavored vodka? That can’t be real.

Infusing your own liquor is so much tastier than the manufactured stuff and makes mixed drinks extra special. And infused liquors make a great hostess holiday gift. Good thing my friends like to party because everyone is getting infused liquor this year!

infused liquors closeupHere’s the stupid-easy how-to:
Grab a canning jar. Cut up some fruit, add spices (if you desire) and fill the jar with liquor. I recommend using organic fruit so there’s no yucky stuff infusing the liquor. Then, shake once a day, everyday. The liquor will be infused in about a week!

I’ve tried strawberries and vodka before with great results. The vodka tasted just like real strawberries! This time I’m also trying an apple-infused bourbon and a green apple-infused moonshine. (The moonshine is legal, guys. It’s Junior Johnson’s Midnight Moon, if you are curious.) For the apple-infused liquors, in addition to the fruit, I also added a cinnamon stick and three cloves. I’m thinking with a little bit of simple syrup it will taste like apple pie!

I’m so excited about these holiday gifts, I might have to keep one for myself!

love,
melanie

 

 

 

Easy DIY: Washi Tape Mirror

Before and After Washi Tape Mirror

You know those projects that somehow never just finish themselves? Those projects are super inconsiderate. I can’t even believe them sometimes. My dishes are the worst. They just pile up and pile up until finally I get angry enough and do them myself.

The mirror in my bathroom was one of those projects. I had planned to paint or cover the edges in small strips of wood, but sometimes all I’ve got time for is a five minute project. I found this washi tape that has been lying around since our wedding and simply put it up around the mirror to hide the ugly, old edges. The best thing about washi tape is that if you mess up, it doesn’t leave residue or loose it’s stickiness. There’s really no trick to this project.

I love projects like that. No tricks, just treats. It’s super simple and it makes a big difference.

What’s your favorite 5 minute DIY? I’d love to see links to your projects in the comments!

love,
melanie

A New Look!

cropped-lovelibrarybannersmall.jpgThe blog got a new look! George designed this awesome new header and logo for me. The Airstream looks so cute and I think he really captured the spirit of what I’m trying to do here. I also updated the theme and changed a few features. Do you like it?

I’ve been trying for most of the summer to make the blog look a little more professional. I changed over to self-hosting and I’ve been trying to write more. It’s a work in progress, but I’m proud of the progress I’ve made. I’m the kind of person who wants everything now, now, now, so it has been a definitely been a test of patience to redesign the blog on my own.

Now if I can only learn how to make those cute clickable social media icons we’ll be in business!

love and patience,
melanie

Cheap DIY Curtain Rods

dowel rod curtains

Have you shopped for curtain rods lately? No? Well, they ain’t cheap. (But I am! Yack, yack, yack!)

Even the cheapo rods were out of our price range. I’ll be honest with ya’ll, we’ve gone over our renovation budget a bit. We had eight windows, two cabinets and three doors to cover with curtains in the Airstream! George’s ingenuity once again came to the rescue. He’s pretty much an artsy super hero.

Instead of buying curtain rods at a minimum of $5 a pop, we bought dowel rods at $1.50 a piece and 7/8 inch cup hooks for less than $4 for a box of 40 hooks! That’s a savings of $41.50. And to think, I failed College Algebra. Take that math!

dowel rod curtains 2

All you have to do for this DIY is:

  1. Saw down the dowel rod to fit your window.
  2. Drill a pilot hole if necessary. (It’s necessary in the Airstream)
  3. Screw the hooks into the wall.
  4. Make sure the hooks on either end are level, and hang up your curtain!

Not to mention, I think they look really modern and chic.

What’s the best thrifty DIY you’ve finished lately? Tell me in the comments!

love,
melanie

 

How to Make Four Types of Pillows

How to make 4 types of pillowsWhen I imagine a wealthy person’s bedroom (I’m a creep) or a fancy hotel, I imagine a room overflowing with pillows. Maybe I watched Elvis’ Harum Scarum too much as a child. (Side note: If you haven’t seen Harum Scarum, find it and watch it immediately. At one point Elvis karate chops a tiger. I kid you not.) What I’m trying to say is pillows are the ultimate luxury and I basically want my bedroom to be a pillow pit.

But alas, my pillow tutorial plans were foiled by the rain. My tutorial photos looked like they were taken in a old folks home. (Sorry, old folks.) I only had the chance to take finished product pics in the sun. But that is ok! Because we live in a magical Internet age where one can find tutorials on anything and everything. I even used the tutorials I’m linking to as a reference in my own magical, pillow-making journey.

1. Closed Pillow: This tutorial from HGTV shows how to create the easiest pillow of the bunch. But like the name says, the cover stays closed, so washing is a no-no.

2. Open-ended Pillow: It’s the closed pillow, but you leave one end open. Do ya’ll really need a tutorial for that? I also sewed a bit of lace on the end to finish it and create that grandmama-look.

3. Envelope Pillow: This beginner DIY from a fellow Melanie shows how to make a beautiful, polished, washable pillow case. I love her precision!

4. Zippered Pillow: I adore this tutorial. It’s in-depth without being overwhelming.

Let’s get crafty, ya’ll!

love,
melanie

How to Install Window Screens in an Airstream

before and after screensYachts! Diamonds! Jet-setting across the globe! You will find none of these things in the glamorous world of window screen installation. Seriously, ya’ll, window screen installation is labor intensive, requires a great deal of patience and much more muscle than I anticipated. It was, as you may have guessed, not glamorous at all. I was sweating like a pig waiting for slaughter.

But I want my glamorous readers to learn from my toil. So here’s my tips and tricks for installing window screens in an Airstream. (Note: Not all Airstreams will have the same type of windows as mine, but it will work for many models, including my ’79 Sovereign.)

Supplies:

  • Screening
  • Spline (rubber cord that holds the screening into a screen frame)
  • Spline Roller
  • Scissors
  • Razor Blade or utility knife
  • Optional, but recommended, Flat Head Screwdriver
  • Optional: Heavy duty tape or your significant other.

Step 1: (If necessary) Take out old screen. You can neatly pop out and unpeel the old spline, or you can do as I did and punch right through that old screen!

Step 2: Measure the window and cut screen mesh approximately 2 inches larger than the window on all sides.

measuring windows for screenStep 3: Enlist your significant other or heavy duty tape to hold the screen taut and in place against the window.

Step 4: Using a flat head screwdriver or the spline roller, insert the end of the new spline into the groove of the window frame.

putting in screens using splining toolStep 5: Using the spline roller, roll the spline into the groove around the window frame. Take care around those curved edges. They will be the most difficult part of the process.

Step 6: When you get back to the beginning of the spline, cut it and wham, bam, thank you, ma’am, new window screen!

New screens make such a difference, huh?

love,
melanie

 

The Current To-Do List

To do list

Lately I feel like we’ve been living in the jungle in the middle of the rainy season. We’ve had a record amount of rainfall in our area this summer and it has put a literal damper on our situation. I’m hope, hope, hoping that we get a little relief from the rain over the holiday weekend, so we can complete the Airstream.

Do you see our to-do list up there? It’s still long and it mostly involves stuff that we can’t do when it is raining. Did you hear that, rain? You need to go away! Sorry, ya’ll, being cooped up indoors has done something to my brain…

I also haven’t been able to take many pictures for ye ol’ blog because it has been too cloudy. How do my blogger friends from the Pacific North West do it? Natural light has been scarce ’round these parts.

Do ya’ll have big plans for the long weekend? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!

love,
melanie

 

Airstream: The Done List

done list

In the beginning stages of the airstream renovation process, the thought of making a “To-Do” list overwhelmed me. I couldn’t bring myself to do it because there was just so damn much to do! But since we’re almost to the end of our renovation journey, I decided to make a “Done” list. Sometimes making a list of things I’ve (we’ve) accomplished makes me feel better about the tasks I have left.

I’ve recently discovered the joy that is Wunderlist. You can see my “Done” list above. We probably had a million other tiny things we did that I forgot about, but this was the big stuff. I feel goooooood.

Have you ever made a “done” list? Tell me about it in the comments!

love,
melanie