3...2...One Day!!!

Halloween is TOMORROW!  How excited are y'all!?  I'm still not finished with my costume...of course.  I probably won't be done until tomorrow....afternoon. Ha!

I figure I'll just do a few more quick costumes!  First up, my Hunter look.  This one got thrown together in a matter of 30 minutes.  I didn't really want to dress up this particular year, but my friends did, so I had to!  I had the boots (they are BOGS hunting boots, and I believe they are from the kids department), the shorts, the hat, and the shirt.  I grew up in the country so I own A LOT of camouflage.  I borrowed the orange tank, and my friends had the brilliant idea to make me a hunter who got mauled by a wild animal, so they cut up my shirt.  It ended up being some pretty serious cuts, I figure I should've bloodied up my body, because I don't believe I would've made it out alive!

I borrowed some camouflage and orange duct tape to add to the pockets of my shorts since you could see them.  And that was it! I was ready!

Just a couple bonus costumes from my sister & nephew!

Mason constantly wants to dress up for special days at school, so I thought I'd add a couple of the costumes I had to make for that.

First was Dr. Seuss day!  He wanted to be the Cat in the Hat.  Felt has become my best friend with his costumes, so red and white felt and a lot of cutting and sewing to make a hat.  Black jogging suit for his body, white gloves and some face makeup for whiskers.  His bow I sewed and stuffed with pillow stuffing.

Not sure why he looks miserable....he wasn't! Ha!

Next was fairytale day! He wanted to be Flynn Rider from Tangled.  Again, I always try to use things we already have.  So, brown jogging pants and a white t-shirt worked great! I bought a baby blue t-shirt and cut it up the middle to make the vest.  I bought three buttons that I thought looked close enough to the same so we could button it together and then drew on some facial hair.  The hardest part of this costume was the Wanted poster I drew so he could carry it around with him all day.  But he had a ball pretending to be him all day, he quoted his favorite Flynn Rider lines all day long! 

That's it!  That's all I've got for this year! :) Monday, of course, I'll do a recap of this Halloween, so stay tuned!

See you soon!

XOXO.

Check It Out!

Y'all, I'm going to make this one short & sweet, I've got a busy week ahead of me and I'm pretty behind!  So here we go!

I feel like I'm always promoting myself, so I thought today I would take a minute and suggest some other blogs or YouTube channels to check out!  I'm always reading other blogs and watching videos on YouTube, so why not give those people some credit! :)

First, I'll talk about the ones nearest and dearest to me!  Growing up in a small town, you know everyone, and you either love 'em or hate 'em.  I was lucky enough, when I was like 4, to find a girl that I can still to this day call my best friend!  And even better, she started a blog AND does freelance makeup (although I believe she has put it on hold), so I can go to her for tips on my makeup! She doesn't post a lot, but she is a busy little bee and when she does it's worth reading!
Check out Lauren's blog here!

Next I want to talk about another best friend!  This girl and I didn't really become close until our senior year of high school (10 years is getting closer and closer, UGH), but I couldn't be prouder to have her in my life.  She's a little reminder that I need to work on and strengthen my relationship with God.  It's amazing to me how strong she is, she's been through it y'all and one thing you'll never see is her faith waiver!  She recently started up a blog, and I find myself going to it and reading it when I need to find some inner strength.
Check out Haley's blog here!

I'm incredibly lucky to have such talented friends! :)

The next few I'm not going to be able to give so much background, but they are also amazing and you should check them out too!

Jaclyn Hill basically taught me the right way to apply makeup. Ha ha!  Well maybe not exactly, but she did reintroduce me to the joys of putting on my makeup!  And how to make it look better.  I love her videos, she is always making me laugh and she's so relatable.  So what if she carries a $1,000 handbag, if I could afford it, I'd have one too! She also has a blog (found here) that she talks about fashion rather than makeup!

I don't want this to be mostly makeup artists but here's another one! Ha! I found Nicole Guerriero after she did a blindfolded makeup challenge with Jaclyn Hill, and I found myself drawn to her, and now I watch her videos pretty regularly.

One more YouTube channel....for those of you who want a good laugh, don't mind ridiculously colorful language, inappropriateness, and think weird stuff is funny, Jenna Marbles.

My 2 favorite blogs are:

Cupcakes and Cashmere, it's a mix between fashion, DIY, food, beauty, etc.
Stylish Petite, a fashion blog for all us little short women can enjoy! :)

Alright, I said I wasn't going to make this a long one, but here we are....Ha ha!  I'll leave you now, go check out these blogs/YouTube channels.  These women work hard for our enjoyment!

See you soon!

XOXO.

Birchbox Review: October!

I'm gonna start this post by giving a little background about myself.  I was not an incredibly girly girl growing up.  For the most part in my life, I cried when I had to put a dress on, let alone nice shoes or even the idea of makeup. Ha!  Oh how things have changed over the years!  Now I can barely leave the house without making sure my makeup is just right! 

Throughout my childhood, I didn't get a big kick out of putting makeup on.  I copied my sister a little, as baby sisters often do, but it really didn't interest me!  I would have rather walked around making jokes and doing impressions than stand in front of the mirror and put my face on.  I finally started wearing foundation in middle school, and honestly the routine didn't change much in high school.  It wasn't until college that I realized just how much makeup and skin care can really change things!  I finally enjoyed it....it only took 20 years! Haha!

Now for the box!

I'll move to present day now! :)  It's my second month of Birchbox.  I am really loving it! I was initially worried because I'd seen a few unboxings where the girls were pretty upset with their boxes and I didn't want to be disappointed my second month, but no worries, I loved it! 

This month's theme was fanfare! Shows, music, movies, games, makeup, clothes, etc. that you are obsessing over and cannot get enough of!

My lovely box!

First of all, I loved the little card in the box! I don't know if you can read it but it says, "Can't Talk Now.  Doing my nails and watching Gossip Girl for the millionth time."  I filled in the Gossip Girl, obviously, but you get the idea!  There were different little sayings that you could get, but mine was perfect because on more than one occasion I did, in fact, paint my nails and watch Gossip Girl! 

Okay, now for the samples!

1. Coastal Scents Revealed 2 Eyeshadow Palette Set - Full size item, $34

I got the Ballerina sampler.  It has two matte shadows and two shimmery, all of which are a range of pinks....LOVE!  The colors are so beautifully pigmented! I'm really glad that I got an eye shadow sampler...I love trying new looks with eye shadows, and I tend to be too scared to buy just any kind of drug store brand, so this was nice!  Besides because it was really pigmented, I don't have to use a lot of the shadow to get results and so I think I'm going to get a lot of use from it!  This was definitely my favorite item from my box this month!

2.  Dr. Jart+ BB Black Label Detox - Full size item, $36

Now, this was possibly my least favorite item in the box.  I've been looking around for a BB cream, as I've heard a lot about it, but I've said before, I'm kind of scared to try new things (except lip stick y'all, I have no trouble with that!).  That being said, I was excited to try this item.  It was TINY (0.2 fl. oz), but I wasn't as upset about that as I was about how heavy this felt on my face.  I'd never worn BB cream, so maybe it typically has a heaviness, but I just was turned off of the product because of it.  Also, it said that it was a "detox" and was supposed to calm blemish-prone skin, but I didn't see much of a difference in that aspect.  

3. Dr. Lipp Original Nipple Balm for Lips - Full size item, $14.5

When I initially read the name on the package I wondered why in the world I would've gotten it!  But then I realized that it was FOR LIPS! Awkward!  I love lip products, whether it be moisturizers, lip stains, lip sticks, etc.  so I was happy to see this in my box!  My reaction to this, it's much like Carmex.  The consistency is the same, it felt the same on my lips, I'm definitely a fan! I also liked that in the "how" section on the card it actually says you can dab onto parched lips, cuticles, and elbows, basically it's useful for more than just lips!  The sample is a little small but I was pretty happy with it!

4. Number 4 Hair Clarifying Shampoo - Full size item, $32

I've used this product the least, so my opinion I guess could change on this, but from what I can tell, I'm going to be a fan!  I don't really have a lot of trouble with moisture in my hair, but I don't really have pretty, shiny hair, and after using the product, I had a nice shine to my mane! ;)  The product doesn't lather up like other shampoos and I was worried I wasn't getting a good clean, but the result was nice!  I did wash my hair twice to be on the safe side, I've never had a product that didn't lather!  If I were going to rate this (and I will on the Birchbox site!) I'd probably do a 3 out of 5...I didn't LOVE it, but I could definitely tell a difference in my hair!

I also received a Reconstructing Masque Pouchette for stronger, shinier hair (same brand, full size item, $58).  I have only used it once, it says to use occasionally so I haven't used with every wash.  I haven't really noticed a difference in the strength of my hair, and I'm afraid I won't get enough uses to really see if the product does exactly what it says it does.  That being said, it has a nice smell and my hair felt softer and looked nice and shiny when I was finished...I'm afraid in this case I just don't have enough information to definitively say I loved it or hated it!  I've read some reviews, it seems pretty mixed, I feel like my hair may not be the right type to fall in love with this product.

5. Vasanti Cosmetics BrightenUp! Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator, Full size item, $34

Last, but certainly not least, this product I really enjoyed!  I noticed a difference in my skin after the first use!  It mimics the effects of microdermabrasion.  I did read a few reviews where the users were saying it was too rough on their face, and I could see that, the small crystals could do that on sensitive skin, but I enjoyed the feeling that it left.  It definitely felt like it was taking all the gross, dead stuff off of my face and it just looked brighter and felt smoother after one use.  I've been trying to use it sparingly but I do like the way it brightens and cleans my face.  I'd say my second favorite from this month's box!

Closing thoughts!

I love that I am getting these products for $10 a month.  Honestly, I can make these products (for the most part) last for the entire month without having to replace them.  I know that some people just can't spare $10, and I completely understand that.  But if you can spare it, I would definitely suggest getting these boxes!  They are great! And I know that some people don't always enjoy their boxes, but  just think of all the things you can try!! :)

Click here if you'd like to sign up for Birchbox and start getting all these goodies for yourself! :)

See you soon!

XOXO.

Spotlight: Marley Lilly

Christmas is fast approaching.....I cannot believe how fast this year has gone!  It feels like the older I get, the faster the years go by.  I thought today maybe I'd talk about a site that you can go to for your gift giving needs! :)

There's a quote by Reese Witherspoon, I believe, that says

 "My rule is, if it's not moving, monogram it!"  

I couldn't agree with her more.  I would monogram everything if I could! Last year, I actually found Marley Lilly through Pinterest.  It was awesome! I filled my cart up.....then casually exited the screen before I went broke! Ha ha!  But it really started something.  I found a great place to order monogrammed items from! 

Before we get too far into my favorite items from the site, I know that some of the prices can be a little high BUT they have a lot of flash sales and there are some great items on clearance pretty regularly! So, don't be too concerned when you see the prices! 

One of my favorites from the site are the monogrammed hair bows.  I know, I know, I'm almost 26 years old and my favorite item on the site is a hair bow!  BUT, these are so fun and girly!  How could you not love them! 

Source: Marley Lilly

You can find them here!  They are $24.99.  These are perfect gifts!

My next favorite item from Marley Lilly is the sterling silver Nala Ring.  It is so simple.  I just love it. 

Source: Instagram (@marleylilly)

You can find it here for $59.99.  This one is a little more costly but look at how beautiful!

Last, but certainly not least, is a striped beach towel.  While it may be cool here, there ARE beaches! ;) These are perfect for your winter break trip to the beach!  Or spring break....basically they are wonderful! 

Source: Marley Lilly

You can find it here for $29.99.  I love this towel! 

What I love about this site is not only is it a monogramming site, but there is also a boutique!  It's called Monday Dress Boutique. 

There is also an app! I love it because of the wallpaper feature!  You can create your own monogram wallpaper for your phones.  

I mean how cute is that?!

There are A LOT of other items for sale on the site and I ultimately chose to only talk about these 3 items because I want you to check the site out for yourself!

While I may not ALWAYS order my monogrammed items from this site (I do have some local places I buy from), this site is great for such a wide variety of items.  This site is definitely worth checking out!

See you soon!

XOXO.

Halloween Costumes Week 3!

8 DAYS!  I'm getting so excited!  I just ordered part of mine & Tina's costumes and it made me that much more excited! :)

Okay, so today I'm gonna do a couple homemade costumes that are perfect if you are waiting until the last minute (I know because my costume was absolutely thrown together a few hours before the party! HA!)

First, let's talk about my in-laws costume!  It's "Curiosity Killed the Cat"! So funny!

The reason why I included this costume isn't because it was last minute for them, but mostly because I think people will have almost everything they need ahead of time to make it!

Basically, for "Curiosity", all they did was take a black shirt and made a question mark with duct tape!  That simple! Of course, he also wore a little "My name is...Curiosity" name tag so that it would be clear!

Now, for the "cat", she wore all black and the mask, tie, and tail she got at Wal-Mart for like $5.  She put on some cat whiskers with makeup, and that's that! Simple as can be and very creative!  They also included some "murder weapons", a rope and a plastic knife, all of which you can also find at Wal-Mart!

Costume #2!  This was literally thrown together hours before a Halloween party, so if I can do it, I know y'all can!
I LOVE Disney. Love it.  No shame in my game, I went to Disney for my honeymoon and I'd go every year if I could afford it!  So when we decided to go to this Halloween party the day of the party, we knew we had to be something that was easy to make! So obviously, Mickey & Minnie!

My favorite thing about our outfits.....the comfort! Ha! :) It wasn't your typical Mickey & Minnie, but we made it work!  We ran to Wal-Mart and grabbed Mickey & Minnie ears, a plain black shirt, a plain red shirt, and red basketball shorts! Simple enough right?
For Minnie, Tina took the red shirt and cut the collar a little so it would fit real loose.  Her outfit is pretty simple, black leggings, black tank, red top.
For Mickey, I just put the outfit on.  I did not do ANYTHING to this!
For our noses, we just used pencil eyeliner.  And we wore chucks for the night! ;)
This was the easiest costume I've ever put together.  And maybe it wasn't close enough to the actual costumes, BUT this was last minute and I think that it worked perfectly!  It was a cheap and easy costume and can easily be recreated!


Last but definitely not least, is my nephew's costume.  Now those above were good last minute costumes....his is not!

                                                                                                                                                                   

It's almost Halloween and I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm almost as excited as my 7-year old!!  I think I enjoy dressing him up as much as I enjoyed doing it myself when I was younger (or now if I had a costume party to go to).

Last year was the first year that my son and I came up with his costume together.  Remember, I told you that he had gotten his first taste of being in a competition and he was now ready to win!  So, when it was time to come up with a costume, we had several choices to go through and lots of internet research (pictures mostly for him).  We finally settled on something creative and not expected!

Mr. Monopoly!

Mason Age 6

This wasn't a particularly hard costume to make.  He had black dress shoes and a white button-up shirt.  I went to Wal-Mart and got a long sleeve black t-shirt and some black jogging pants.  I cut the shirt down the front and sewed it back to look like a suit jacket and then cut a slit on the front left side to create a pocket.  Then I found some green foam sheets, which I took a sharpie and made it to look like money and sewed it into the pocket.  I bought the top hat at a costume shop and the stick he is carrying was actually a magician's wand, but I glued a silver painted "M" to the top so it would look like a walking stick.  I took some money from my Monopoly game and tucked it under the ribbon on the top hat, along with some of the property cards.

The last thing we did was make him a candy bag that looked like a money bag.  I found some white and green felt and sewed a bag and sewed on a money symbol.  Then I took some of the money foam I had made and sewed it around the top so it looked like it was busting out! The mustache was also purchased at the costume shop!

Now, everyone loved this costume and I kept hearing how creative and good he looked, but you know what?  He got third again! Well, at least he was still in the top!  We are going for a win again this year... We'll let you know! :)

                                                                                                                                                                   

That's it for this week!  We have one more post before Halloween, I hope everyone is as excited as we are! :)

See you soon!

XOXO.

Clothes for the Kiddos!

Hey y'all!

Today I thought I'd talk about clothes for your kids!  There are so many adorable little outfits for them!  Baby clothes are stinkin' adorable,  but for the most part, I'm only going to talk about clothes for toddlers, the little mini-misses and misters! :)

I figured the easiest thing to do here is just talk about the stores with precious and adorable, yet affordable clothing!

H&M

H&M  has a baby/kids line that is so stinkin' cute!  My favorite thing about this particular brand is the  clothes are pretty "trendy" but they don't necessarily cost an arm & a leg to get! (Because let's be honest, you don't wanna pay top dollar when your child is probably going to outgrow it quickly!)

Baby Boy/Baby Girl

4-Piece Set: $34.95

Plaid Cotton Shirt: $12.95

Long-sleeved Bodysuit: $9.95

Denim Dress & Tights: $24.95

Dress & Leggings: $14.95

Ballet Flats: $12.95

I love that I chose to do this when I did, because I am loving all the Halloween inspired clothing that stores have out for the kiddos!

Boys

Knit Sweater: $24.95

Sneakers: $24.95

Chinos: $17.95

Printed Hooded Jacket: $24.95

Girls 

Slim-fit Pants: $9.95

Pleated Blouse: $17.95

Ankle Boots: $19.95

Lace Dress: $17.95

Jersey Top with Printed Design: $4.95 & Tulle Skirt: $14.95 

I did read that some of the clothes from H&M Kids runs a little large, so you may want to keep that in mind! :)

Cotton On

Cotton On Kids only has a store front in California, but they have the ability to shop online!  They have affordable prices and have a lot of 2 for $20 and such!

Boys

Rory Reverse Pullover: $24.95

Darcy LS Shirt: $19.95

Joseph Plimsole: $14.95

D Marco Skinny Leg Jean: $29.95

Girls 

Trixibelle Tulle Skirt: $20.96 (currently on sale!)

Beatrix Shirt Dress: $29.95

Ellie LS Pom Pom Top: $16.95

Evie Headband: $6.95 (currently running 3 for $10 on some accessories!)

While I don't have a child, this site was one of my favorites that I checked out!  And for those of you who may not have children, any nieces and nephews?  I know that my nephew is going to benefit from the research I've done! :)

I decided to only highlight 2 sites.  Ultimately, I could've talked endlessly about all the sites you can find and all the places you can shop, but no one wants to read that much rambling from me!  I chose the two sites I visited and like the most, but there are so many others!
Crazy 8, Target, Kohl's, JC Penney and Old Navy are also all great and usually have great prices and great deals!  Another brand that I debated mentioning because their site is down is 77Kids, American Eagle's kids clothing.  I initially wanted to highlight the site, but I got the big be back soon sign, so it wasn't meant to be!! Ha Ha!

If there are any places that I didn't mention that you think deserves some recognition, just let me know! :)

See y'all soon!

XOXO.

Throwback!

Hey y'all!

So, I have been using my calendar to make sure that I'm posting everything that I want to post each week, BUT things happen, and I want to take today to talk about something that happened this weekend!

Before bed on Saturday night, I was checking my Buzzfeed app, as I do every night.  I thought what I was seeing was a dream.....there was a One Tree Hill reunion!  I cannot even tell you just how exciting that was for me!

One Tree Hill was THE show to watch in high school!  All of my friends loved it, we talked about it endlessly.  Basically, it's one of the best television shows I've ever watched.  When the show ended, I was heartbroken.  I was satisfied with the ending, but it was like a little piece of my teen years was gone.  Of course, Netflix cured that for me, putting all of the seasons right there for me to stream on my computer.  I may or may not have watched the entire series 3 times.  Maybe more.  I'll never tell.
Seeing pictures of the cast back together again, I was pumped!  Did that mean they are doing a Tree Hill movie....show....what's going on?!

It was a CONVENTION!  In Paris! I believe it was called From Wilmington to Paris 2....and it was perfect.  Chad Michael Murray (or Lucas Scott, whichever you'd rather call him) wasn't there, but most of the gang was!  Here are some pictures from the event, just to make you wish you had been there as much as I did!

Loading

Basically the best.

View on Instagram

Loading

Wow! Altogether again! Hillary joy James Antoine Torrey

View on Instagram

Carregando

@ptothejohan @robertearlbuckley @therealshantel @joylenz #hilarieburton #paris

Visualizar no Instagram

This handsome buggar...@ThisIsLafferty #reunion #Paris pic.twitter.com/nxGbZ49wkO
— Bethany Joy Lenz (@BethanyJoyLenz) October 18, 2014

AHH!  So perfect!  I need this convention to happen in the United States though! I would have LOVED to have been able to experience this!

Okay...I promise I'll go back to the normal posts...I just had a flashback and needed y'all to be a part of it! ;)

See you tomorrow!

XOXO.

Friday Funny

Hey y'all!

I'm not sure if y'all catch Jimmy Fallon every night.  I love when he plays games with his guests! I chose this one because 1. I'm a terrible liar so I always think this game is funny and 2. Emma Stone is amazing and I love her!

I hope you enjoy!





See y'all next week!

XOXO.

Halloween Costumes...Week 2!

15 days until Halloween!!! It's so exciting, I cannot wait to bust out my costume!  I may do a DIY of the costume before Halloween, or I may wait and recap the costume after Halloween.  I'll decide when the time is closer! Until then, we will continue our weekly costume DIY!

So, couples costumes are adorable.  I love when people decide to combine to make an awesome costume.  That could be why in the recent past, my best friend and I have done costumes together.  But today I wanted to show a REALLY original costume idea that my in-laws did! They always have the most original costumes! I love seeing what they are going to do next. 

As y'all probably remember, there was a big scandal with Anthony Weiner sending out pictures of his "hot dog" out to women under the alias "Carlos Danger". Awkward!  My in-laws took the opportunity to turn the situation into a joke and decided that their costume would center on the controversy.

My mother-in-law decided she was going to be an iPhone. The first thing she had to do was figure out how she was going to make it work.  One of my favorite things about this costume is that it had a "text message" page. HA!  To make the text page, she took poster board and typed out a fake conversation, printed it and glued it on.  Complete with a photo! 

For the iPhone portion of the costume, she bought foam board, as it was sturdier than plain poster board.  To get an authentic look to her iPhone, she printed out apps as well as the Apple icon, the camera, etc. that you would find on an iPhone.  Of course, to make the point of the costume a little more obvious, she attached a few Anthony Weiner stickers.

Once all the icons were on the foam board, it had to be put together!  She cut slits at the top of the front and back of the "phone" and used elastic straps so that she could wear it throughout the night.  After she had attached the "text" page to the costume, she put a binder clip on the side to keep it closed.  It also made it easier when she wanted to "open" the text! Genius! For "Carlos Danger's" (aka Anthony Weiner) costume, they simply got a hot dog costume and he wore an Anthony Weiner button.

I mean seriously, talk about original! They have the best costumes! 

Now it's time for my sister to talk another of my nephew's homemade costumes!


                                                                                                                                                  

So, after two years of pirates and sword, my son decided he would like to try a different costume.  He decided he wanted to be the Mad Hatter (yes, you have discovered a pattern, Johnny Depp characters. Yes, my child may be a little obsessed with him.  No, I don't mind, I may encourage it. Just saying.).
He had just seen the movie and thought he was "so cool".  This actually wasn't too hard to do because when I started looking at pictures of Johnny Depp's Mad Hatter, it looked like we could basically throw together things from a bunch of different outfits and it would work.

So, find some bright colored socks and mismatch them.  Check.
We used the same dress pants from the pirate costume because they were already too short.  Perfect.
White button up shirt.  Check.
The vest from his pirate costume.  Check.
A scarf we borrowed from my grandmother with flower patterns and tied it in a bow.  Check.

Ok, the hardest part was the hair.  We found the actual replica hat at a local bookstore, so I didn't have to try and make that. But finding the wig was very hard!  Finally, after a last minute decision, I purchased a Merida wig (the princess from Brave) because it was red and curly and there was plenty of hair!  I stuffed most of the hair up into the hat, because it was a little too big on him and this helped keep it steady on his head.  I also didn't mind that hair poked out funny because that is the point of the Mad Hatter anyway!

I put a little white makeup all over his face, but most of what we did was color around his eyes with blue eye shadow.  And there you have it, he was done!

Mason: Age 5

Now this was the first year he got to compete at school in the costume contest.  He got third and he also got his first taste of whats it's like to win something.  And so it began! From that point on, he was determined to have the best costume and get first place. 

There y'all have it! Week 2 is in the books, we will have another week of homemade costumes next Thursday!

See you soon!

XOXO.

DIY-Day

The summer before my college senior year (well, senior semester), my best friend and I got an apartment.  This meant that I had to buy furniture.....and for a poor college student, that means find cheap stuff!  My dad actually built me a bed frame because I refused to buy a bed, I was fine with putting a mattress on the floor and living like that. Ha! I got a cheap desk and entertainment center from Wal-Mart that served it's purpose for that year. I gave my desk to a friend after I graduated and the entertainment center was used for a couple more years once I got married and we were too cheap to buy a nice new one.

Our old entertainment center

But, as things tend to do, it broke.  Well, it honestly had been breaking since the day I put it together, but I'd made it work! But when we moved into our apartment, my husband and I decided it was time to try to make our place look a little more age appropriate.  I looked for an entertainment center at every store I walked in to.  I had a very specific idea in my mind of what I wanted my TV to sit on and nothing I could find would work.  So I went to my favorite idea page, Pinterest.  I found a picture where someone had taken a dresser and transformed it into an entertainment center.  That was it!  I went home to visit my parents that next weekend and asked how attached they were to the dresser that was sitting my old bedroom.  They let me take it.  Time to start my first real DIY.

I never took a picture of what the dresser looked like before I'd already started working on it, but it was an off-white color, with some pretty terrible handles. 

So first things first, I took out the drawers and took the handles off.  Then, I sanded it all down. I also removed the slides on the top row because I wasn't putting them back in.  I decided on this turquoise color because I loooooove the color and knew I wanted to use it somewhere in our home.  And I thought it would be nice to have a pop of color in a room with mostly neutrals. 

Applying the first coat

I had to use a couple coats of the blue color because despite sanding it, it was almost like it didn't want to hold the color.

Our apartment was a danger zone for a while

Once I'd painted the dresser, we ran to Lowe's to find new handles.  We opted for these awesome ones that were like a rusty silver color.  We got a few knobs and six handles for the drawers that we were keeping.  We also went over to the lumber department and picked up a durable piece of plywood and cut it to fit the top row to stabilize it so the cable box, DVD player, etc. would be secure.  We secured the plywood with a couple screws, though they were pretty secure without them.  As you can see in the above photo, Chris had also drilled holes into the back of the dresser for the various cords to go through.

I painted the fronts of the drawers, and actually decided to paint the inside of the drawers a dark brown, along with the plywood we'd put into the top shelf. After they'd dried, I attached the knobs and handles and put it back together. 

Finished!

It was such an easy project! And cheap!  I was lucky enough to already have the dresser, but I know that you can often find them at thrift stores, flea markets, etc.  We still use it, and it's easily the prettiest part of our apartment! :)

Hope y'all enjoyed!

See you soon.

XOXO.