Ribbon Chandeliers {wedding}

One of the biggest issues I struggled with solving was the ceiling of the tent.... this one took a LONG time to figure out.  I really wanted antique chandeliers... but finding ones to rent in Denver was impossible and buying them clearly didn't fit the budget.  So I researched and researched online for HOURS, and finally came across "Ribbon Chandeliers" and my visions eventually transpired into one large ribbon chandelier and two smaller versions.

HOW?  Multiple rolls of Ribbon, quilting rounds, wire, hanging lights (IKEA) and a glue gun.  Pretty simple project, just time consuming.  Paul really struggled with the idea of HOW to hang them in the tent which was his part of the project.  The quilting rounds opened on the sides which would allow them to be centered on the two tent poles.  I also used hoola hoops on the upper rounds of the large chandelier since the quilting rounds were not available any larger at the store.

Photos courtesy of the amazing Anita Roach Studios (http://www.anitaroachphotography.com/).

Wood Signs {wedding}

With the remaining wood from the palettes we used for the table numbers I decided to make wood signs with "Bride" and "Groom" painted on them to mark our chairs.  I found pre-made versions of these on Etsy (a site I came to LOVE during wedding planning) but to continue my constant effort to stay in budget I decided that I could make them myself.

Then I still had MORE wood left, so I came up with the idea of making signs with the last names of our wedding party on them that would be placeholders for the seats at the head table.  It also ended up being a gift for the wedding party to take home with them at the end of the night.  I have seen these hanging in our friends houses since the wedding, so it is a fun memory.

Photos courtesy of the amazing Anita Roach Studios (http://www.anitaroachphotography.com/).

Table Numbers {wedding}

One of my DIY first projects for our wedding was the table numbers.  Paul and I found old wood palettes at a local supply store of used building products that were FREE... so the materials fit my budget!  Paul had a hard time seeing my "vision" since he is a carpenter used to working with "fine" woods, but he willingly worked to break apart the palettes for my projects.  I used some craft paint and some stencils that I already had at home to complete the design.

Photos courtesy of the amazing Anita Roach Studios (http://www.anitaroachphotography.com/).

Our Wedding

The day all little girls dream of growing up... it was finally my chance to plan my special day!  And all in about 6 months since I wanted an outdoor wedding in a tent... just a small task to complete :)

This adventure also became the ultimate DIY compilation of projects due to 1) my small budget and 2) my dream of gorgeous unique items that are VERY hard to find in Denver (at least I think so).

This will end up being multiple blogs to get through all my projects, so I will start with what my overall ideas and concepts looked like by sharing a couple of images:

Themes: WHITE, RUSTIC, SHABBY CHIC, OUTDOOR, ANTIQUES....

Paul's first project

I almost forgot this project which probably was our very first DIY project and the one in which I learned about Paul's carpentry skills.  Again I had basically no budget but wanted a gorgeous headboard for the king size bed.  In the process of searching for an old door to use for this project, we discovered my FAVORITE antique store I have been in to date... Old Lucketts in Leesburg, VA.  Fabulous finds at reasonable prices... good thing I only discovered it shortly before leaving Virginia or else I would have gone broke in that store alone.

Once we found the perfect old door, we went to home depot to pick out some trim and created a plan for transforming the old door into a shabby chic headboard.  Paul worked his magic and created a headboard more beautiful than I had pictured.

The last steps was to paint the door and make is look shabby chic.  First, I painted it will a dark brown exterior paint to seal the lead paint below.  Then a dry-brushed on white over the top and left some of the brown exposed to create the "shabby" look I wanted.  We still use the headboard today and actually now we have a matching footboard that I will share in a future post!

The Dining Room Set

When we moved into our current rental I finally got my dream of having a "formal" dining room and a breakfast area, thus came the problem that I did not have enough chairs.  At the time I already had TOO many dining room tables (a total of 4).... so I only needed chairs.  So I started searching Craigslist, which I had not purchased furniture on before so I was a bit nervous about the process and what quality of product I might find.  I eventually stumbled upon a dining set that a home staging firm was selling for their client for a fabulous deal... I could hardly believe it! Of course, they did not want to sell just the chairs so since it was such a great deal I bought the whole set (table with two extensions and 12 chairs).  Larger table than I ever thought of having and more chairs than I needed... but it was gorgeous and exactly what I was looking for so I had to have it and my wonderful boyfriend (now hubby) supported the adventure.  Thus we now own 5 dining tables and 18 chairs!

I struggled for quite a while on whether to make the chairs all one color or two sets of 6.  I really loved the idea of the black chairs with a classic black toile fabric, but I also wanted my dream of a white shabby chic dining set.  I tried to find complimentary fabrics so that I could use all chairs together or separate, but never found quite the right fabrics in my budget (which was small).

As you can see I spray painted 6 chairs off-white and 6 chairs black.  I chose totally different fabrics and decided the keep the sets separate.  I borrowed a friend's staple gun and learned the art of removing and replacing fabric on chairs.  Not too hard, but time consuming on 12 chairs.

My first diy projects...

Some of my first projects were in our first apartment in Colorado when I decided to "paint" on wallpaper to spice up the all sterile all white walls.... which looked GREAT, but my husband would never let me do again in a rental property due to how hard it was to paint over the gold paint... Oops!

Of course at the time I had no idea my DIY projects would become something I loved so much that I would start a blog on them, so my photos just happen to catch the projects in the background rather than highlight them.

Above: I used a clear stencil from Hobby Lobby and used a sponge brush to apply gold craft paint.

Below: I used a foam shape also from Hobby Lobby to apply a burnt orange craft paint to the walls of my small half bath.  By far easier than the clear stencil.