Makely

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The Five Dollar Challenge

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It seems like $5 won’t buy very much any more. A couple of gallons of gas at Exxon. A foot long sandwich at Subway. A Venti latte at Starbucks. That five dollars certainly doesn’t stretch very far.

About three and a half weeks ago, I issued a little challenge to the readers of this blog: the Five Dollar Challenge. I wanted to prove that we could in fact stretch $5 further than we thought, that we could put it to good use to create something beautiful for our homes.

For the challenge, I didn’t want you to run out to your nearest thrift store and buy a new vase or a picture frame and be done with it. I wanted you to create something with their own two hands using only products found at the dollar store combined with items you already had around your homes.

I have been so excited for the big Challenge day to arrive. I’ve heard from so many of you that you were working on your projects, that you didn’t think $5 was enough money, that you REALLY wanted to win the Grand Prize. Well, today’s the day you get to show off! After all of the entries have been submitted, one winner will be chosen at random to receive the Grand Prize.

You’ve read the rules. You’ve prepared your post according to the instructions. You are ready to link up. Get ready….get set….

Oh, wait. You have to see what I made first!

I found three white frames at the Dollar Tree – one 5×7 frame and two 4×6 frames.

I decided that I wanted to make something to display in the bookcase/cabinet that I have in my sewing/craft room. I recently lined the back of the shelves with some sweet yellow and white striped paper to coordinate with some new fabric I purchased for a window treatment, so I needed some accessories to tie that color into my room.

I found this tutorial to make some oh-so darling paper roses, and I knew that I had to use them in my room. This tutorial is wonderful with detailed photos, so check it out.

I cut some of the left over striped paper to be the same size as the cardboard backing in the frames and used double-sided tape to secure the paper to the cardboard. I then put the frame back together, but put the glass BEHIND the cardboard so I could make a three dimensional design within my frame.

Next, I used the tutorial to make the flowers. I made them in different sizes (8×8, 6×6, 4×4), but here I cut a sheet of scrapbook cardstock paper to 6 inches x 6 inches.

Following the tutorial, I drew a swirl on my paper and kept drawing until it ran off the edge of one side of the paper.

Then, I simply cut on the line I drew until I had a little springy spiral. You will have to cut off the corners of the paper, but that’s pretty self-explanatory once you have the cut spiral in front of you.

Starting with the large end of the spiral, I just rolled the paper opposite as I would roll a cinnamon roll (outside –> in instead of inside –> out). When I finished rolling, I had a sweet little flower.

Using my glue gun, I glued three flowers and a little twist of grosgrain ribbon I found in my ribbon stash into the larger of the three frames. I love the little bouquet it created.

I used the same process in the other two frames, changing up the flowers and ribbons to create three pieces of different but complementary “artwork.”

Here are my new pretties in my cabinet:

And some individual shots:

Pretty cute for three dollars and some extra paper and ribbon I had lying around the house, huh?

Okay…it’s finally your turn! If you were up for Challenge, show us your creation. Please just remember to:

  1. Insert the link to your specific blog post with your Five Dollar Challenge entry below, not the link to your general blog address.
  2. Include a link in your Five Dollar Challenge post that directs your readers back here to www.MakelyHome.com.
  3. Visit as many other challenge entries as you can and leave comments. I know you want to see everyone else’s entries as much as you want to show yours off!

To be fair, I’ll have to delete any links to the entries that don’t follow these rules. I’ll try to contact you if I need to delete your link, but if I can’t reach you and you find your link has been deleted, please try again!

Let the festivities begin!

Five Ways to Freshen Your Decor in Fifteen Minutes

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This time a year, I get a little stir crazy. Here in Texas, the weather is warm, but the storms are a plenty. I remember last year it was so rainy outside that we didn’t get to “play” outdoors for almost two weeks! That’s enough to drive anyone crazy.

The storms roared in with a vengeance this evening, and left behind an amazing amount of hail in our yard (I shared some pics of it on Twitter tonight). Sigh…there are so many things I want to do outside right now – like spray painting, sanding, and priming – but I’m stuck inside just watching the arrival of Spring through the windows.

I wanted to add a little freshness to my decor to get me out of my rainy day funk, so I put together a few tips to help you usher Spring into your home very quickly. Each of these items you should be able to complete in about fifteen minutes, leaving time to enjoy your new surroundings before the sun sets or the next storm rolls in.

1. Re-accessorize – This is something I do in my home quite often, and it always amazes me how this simple tasks really freshens up a room. Simply take ALL of the accessories in one room and pile them in the center of the floor. Take down framed artwork, clear your tablescapes, remove the knick knacks from your display shelves, and basically move anything that is not a piece of furniture.

Once everything is down, start adding the items back into your decor one by one. You’ll begin to see things in a new way as you pair a different assortment of items. If you have a little more time to spend, rearrange the accessories in several rooms at the same time. You’ll find that as you move accessories around a room or into different rooms, your home will have a fresh, new look.

2. Hang a mirror – One of the best ways to add more light to a room and make a space seem larger is to incorporate a mirror into the decor. You can hang it on the wall, lean it on a shelf, or lay it on top of a table as the base for a lovely vignette. However you decide to use your mirror, make sure that it reflects something beautiful. Look around your room and pick out your favorite thing – be it the lovely flowers you can see from your window or that vintage piece of china you found at an antique store – and position the mirror so that it reflects that item.

3. Add a burst of Spring color – The great part about Spring is the wonderful color that enters our world after a dreary and monochromatic Winter. Incorporate that color into your home with simple accessories, such as throw pillows or vases. The color will awaken your spirit indoors as much as the early signs of Spring awakens the little birds.

4. Rearrange your furniture – Moving your furniture around in a room is always a great way to quickly give your home a fresh look. In fact, I rearranged my living room furniture just yesterday. It takes no money and very little time, but I feel like I have a whole new room. Even rotating all of your pieces just 45 degrees makes a tremendous impact. That’s really all I did, and I love it.

5. Bring the outdoors in – The most foolproof way to let Spring into your home is by adding fresh flowers to your decor. You can do something as simple as picking one beautiful bloom and adding it to a bud base or you can visit your local farmers market or grocery store and pick up a fragrant bouquet. Think outside of the traditional flower vases, and add your new blooms to your rarely used crystal pitcher or a collection of juice glasses. The colors and smells will awaken your senses.

The above photos are all courtesy of House Beautiful. Don’t you love that magazine? I sure hope so, because I’m giving away a one-year subscription to the Grand Prize winner of the Five Dollar Challenge! Be sure to finish(or get started on, such is my case) your Challenge projects this weekend…the big reveal is on Monday.

Take the fifteen minutes to make a few changes around your home. They might be the best fifteen minutes you spend all week!

PS. I’m adding this to the Beautiful Life series over at The Inspired Room. If decorating in fifteen minutes and under isn’t beautiful, then I don’t know what is!