How to Turn Box Lids into Canvases

I saw this on pinterest and decided to recreate it for our living room. I have SO many shoe boxes that finding lids was not easy. It also helped de-clutter my closet, which is a bonus! First, I rearranged the lids in the pattern I wanted. Next, I took a picture of that order, so I would remember once I painted them. I would recommend writing on the back of the lid where it goes in the pattern.

 After a few coats of white paint, I put the boxes back in the order and used a chevron stencil I found on Google images to draw the print on to the lids.

 I chose three colors of paint, and painted the boxes. After spraying them with matte finishing spray, they were ready to hang on the wall!


Pushpins worked perfectly for hanging them on the wall. We love them and get so many compliments on them! It's been one of my favorite projects!

My Table!

This is another project that started after something I found on Pinterest. The table I originally saw was painted white and then stained on top, but I didn't want to mess with staining. The table used to be my grandparents, and my grandmother started refinishing it over 20 years ago. That's why the table is so blotchy. I guess it's time I finished the project for her!

Chairs Before

Before

I used paint for all of it. After painting the top white, I started the pattern. The pattern took a lot of trial and error. I got the stencil from Michaels. The best way to get the stencil to not bleed was to spray the back of the stencil with spray-adhesive, and then push it down onto the table. I used a sponge roller to roll a thin layer of black paint on the table. This left a layer of sticky adhesive that I had to scrape off. There's probably a better way of removing it, but I didn't know what else to try. I then painted the legs and chairs a turquoise color, and the leaf I painted black. Everything still needs a layer of sealant, but I've got some free weekends coming up for that.

How to Turn a Toms Shoe Box Into a Make-Up Organizer

After turning all my shoe box lids into canvases, I was inspired to find other ways to use my millions of shoe boxes that have collected over the past few years. I decided that the Toms box is the perfect size for a bathroom cabinet organizer! I started by cutting the sides of the lid off, and then cutting the lid into pieces the same length as the 

Next I duct taped the dividers to the box. Hot glue would probably work better for this, but I didn't have any handy at the time. I then modge-podged scrapbook paper around the edges and filled it with all the things cluttering my bathroom counter top.depth of the box.

 Now the counter top is clean and clutter-free! Getting ready in the morning is so much easier now that I don't have to dig through my make-up bag to find my mascara or rummage through the drawers looking for my contact case. I guess Toms did more than give a shoe to a child in need!

54 Things to do in New York City

*There's a new updated version of the spreadsheet with a ton of new things to do!

I recently vacationed to New York City. It is without a doubt one of my favorite places in the world! I realized after the first day that the trip would be a lot more productive if I had an excel sheet, so I made one. I have organized the place I visited or heard about visiting by where they are in the city. I also marked notes about each one and made a column for the address and website. Hopefully this helps anyone else venturing to New York!

You can save the spreadsheet to your computer and add your own places. You can also change the filter to filter by place, location, or type of place.

Some places I listed include:

Kleinfeld Bridal

M&M wall at the M&M Store

Belvedere Castle

Frrrozen Hot Chocolate at Seredipity 3

Fundue at Dylan's Candy Bar

New Apartment Packing List

As nerdy as it sounds, I LOVE making excel spreadsheets. I make them all the time whether it's to keep track of my spending or making bucket lists! I've decided to share my crazy spreadsheets with this blog. The first one is a packing list for apartments or homes! 

As summer begins many people are beginning to think about their new apartment/house they are moving into soon. I've re-vamped the spreadsheet my roommates and I used. This sheet is divided by room and includes many common items. You can share this with your roommates to figure out who's bringing what and what needs to be purchased. The two options for marking your items are choose a color for each roommate and highlight the cell of the items you are bringing with your specific color, or simply type in your name next to the item. Also, you can put how many of each item is needed and little notes such as what color the item is! I hope this helps your move-in run smoothly. :)


 To save this sheet click on "File",  "Download as", "Excel" to save on your computer and then e-mail the file between roommates

Next, I'm  working on updating my dorm room packing list!