Live Simply, Live Well

I know that DIY is all the rage in Blog world right now, but I've never really considered myself a crafty person, therefore not really a DIY girl. But as I was doing some light cleaning the other day, I began looking around my home, when it suddenly hit me...I AM a DIY girl! You see, I am the victim of two very unfortunate circumstances: I'm, well..."economically challenged.," and I'm extremely lazy. That is why for years I have not only been creating my own household decor, but also doing it in the easiest and cheapest ways possible. So in an attempt to fit in with the blogging housewives revolution, I decided I would post some of the "DIY projects" I've done over the years.

Therefore, it is with great pleasure that I give you...

The Lazy Woman's Guide to DIY Design

 You are about to find out that I use spray paint...a lot. These two matching  "vases" used be hung with fishing line on some sort of weird ceramic wind chime-type-thing. They hung upside down like balloons. I cut them off the fishing line and spray painted them from red and yellow to a satin white. Now they sit on the back of my stove.

I found this green bottle in a box of left overs after an estate sale. They were going to be garbage within the hour, so I decided to take a peak. I took this bottle home, put some twigs in it, and voila!

I love, love, love my shutters. I found these shutters in a pile outside my sister's apartment. They were white, chipping, and covered in dirt. I took them home, sanded and cleaned them, then spray painted them with this semi-gloss color (I believe it's called paprika). I have a set hanging in the living room, and another in the entryway.

This mirror was given to me by a friend. The frame was a really tacky gold, so I (surprise), sprayed it with a glossy black paint and hung it in my dining room.  

My dining room table was also given to me by a friend.When I got it, the wrought iron was painted brown, and the seats were upholstered in tan corduroy. I reupholstered the seats, and after taking steel wool to the wrought iron, spray painted it glossy black.  

The dresser in our guest bedroom used to be blonde. We spray painted it glossy black. moving on....

As a wedding gift my uncle made us two matching night stands, which he gave to us unfinished so we could paint them how we wanted (a great gift!) We chose an egg shell-ish white semi-gloss.

 I also picked out these knobs and put them on myself!

I just made this last week. I bought a grapevine wreath for $3.00 and these dried flowers, then glued the flowers to the wreath. Easy cheesy. I wanted to hang it on our front door, but it looked a little small, so it hangs in the bedroom now.

These next few don't really count as "DIY" but I think they are neat, so I'll show you anyway.

I bought this Ladies Home Journal magazine cover from October 1926 at an antique store. I framed it, and now it sits waiting for me to take ten seconds out of my life to hang it on the wall.

This is an ad I found in an old magazine.

I found these colorful pictures in a conservation magazine. I bought two matching frames at Hobby Lobby (which has had the same 50% off frames sale going on for about three years now), and hung them in our entryway.