I can’t even begin to tell you how many emails I get from people that are renters, trying to figure out how to make their not permanent home their own (while still being able to get their security deposit back!)  Renting is reality for everyone at one point or another. For me it involved no decor and a saggy slip covered hand me down denim couch. #reallife. So I teamed up with my friends at Rent.com for a fun (and renter friendly!) tutorial.

One amazing thing is that technology changes things instantly. Instead of watching Trading Spaces and While You Were Out circa 2003 as the only source for inspiration, the internet is FULL of amazing ideas and blogs. And instead of newspaper classifieds (I’m looking at you Pioneer Shopper) there are sites like Rent.com that not only give you pictures and every bit of info you could possibly want, but now have 3D Floor Plans so you can see EXACTLY how the layout of the space is.

I mean, dont get me wrong any floor plan is wonderful but going from this:

To this:

Pretty amazing.

There is even an option to see it furnished.

Psst you can see the listing for this SLC apartment here!

Once you’ve actually found some place to call your own, the fun really begins! Its time to make this thing a home. Most living spaces have 1 intimidating thing in common…GIANT BLANK WALLS! (Blood curdling scream inserted here)

I am all about large scale art on a budget so as I was planning this tutorial I consulted my cute sisters (who both rent), they very emphatically said NO TOOLS.

Sooo dun dun dun dun! for this project you dont need tools! Just a 4×4 piece of wood, a little bit of paint,  and a sharpie paint pen.

Start by nailing your piece of wood directly to the studs in the wall. I found the wood at Lowe’s (my local Home Depot only sells 2×4 sheets.)

Get the paint flowing out of your pen by depressing the tip onto a piece of paper until you have a little puddle.

Channel your inner preschooler and draw a handful of scribbly circles (now is a good time to let loose any pent up feelings).

I started with a Medium pen and the lines were too little.

I loved it a lot more after switching to an extra wide tip.

Ok now you do what I did and step back and wonder if you’ve really made something cool or if it looks a little amateur? Can I take a second to remind you that people do this type of art all the time and sell it for lots of money? Feel better? A little validation never hurts.

Move your furniture in and see just how awesome it looks when its not lonely on the wall!

Massive thank you to Rent.com for inspiring this fun project! Hope you have an awesome weekend!!

This post is brought to you by Rent.com. All content, ideas, and words are my own. Thanks for supporting the sponsors that allow me to create new and special content like this for my blog! You guys are the best!

The post Renter Alert!! Easy & Impactful Art appeared first on Vintage Revivals.

Remember yesterday when we talked about inspiration not being a destination? How it can happen anywhere, at anytime?

A few weeks ago after a particularly hard mom day (you know those days where you know that no one in your family walked away unscathed?) I was trying to get Dylan in bed. She’s 6 and stubborn and had been fighting me on everything, all.day.long. After trying unsuccessfully for an hour to get her to go to sleep, I finally stepped away for a minute and took myself out of the chaos of the situation. I know on days when I am in a fighting mood I usually just need someone to love me, and that is what she needed too. So I grabbed a book off the shelf and snuggled in for a little story. She fell asleep almost immediately and it gave me a few minutes to breathe. Flipping through the pages and reflecting on life gave me a second to soak up a little inspiration.

I called Jamie (because she is the brilliant mind that illustrates my madness) and told her that I wanted to do a few Madeline inspired row houses. Something that the girls can help me do.

To make this project, you will need:

Cricut Explore Air
Vintage Revivals Row House designs
Black vinyl
Paint

Start by downloading the row houses in Design Space. They are a Make It Now project which means that they are perfectly sized, all you have to do is load the vinyl and click go.

Typically when you cut out a design in vinyl, you “weed” all the unnecessary parts out and toss them.

DON’T DO THAT!!! hahaha

Weed the inside of the design (the house and the windows/doors) so that it looks like this. Do not weed outside the design!

This is what you are going for:

The next step is to take the outside of the house (the part that you would normally throw away) and put it on the wall. It doesn’t have to be perfectly straight, wonky is embraced at all times on Vintage Revivals.

Then you are going to paint inside the shape. I only did one coat because I sort of the love the splotchy variation for this project.

Peel off the vinyl, and now (finally!!) you can throw it away.

Paint all of your houses, and after they have had at least 12 hours to dry you can start to put on the vinyl.

If you want to use transfer tape you can, but we placed everything by hand. I showed Dyl a picture of the houses on the computer and she did her best to match it.

Can you picture an entire wall filled with these guys? Oh my gosh, someone needs to do that.

Today’s #cricuteverywhere giveaway is such a good one,  1 year subscription to all of the images on Design Space, or Cricut Craft Room!!

Just to clear up any lingering questions… Design Space is a free downloadable software, you are not winning that (because everyone already wins! It’s free!!) you are winning yearlong access to over 50,000 single images, image sets, and fonts, including all of the Make It Now projects (like this one!!)

To enter this giveaway: All you have to do is a post a photo on Instagram of your favorite spot in your house! Hashtag it with #cricuteverywhere and be sure to follow @vintagerevivals and @officialcricut. Please tag me in your picture, I want to see!!

For more info on today’s giveaway click here.

Pssst. If you are ordering a Cricut Explore Air, use the coupon code STARTER to get 50% off any starter set (this one is my favorite!)

The post DIY Row House Wall Art (so fun for kids!!) appeared first on Vintage Revivals.

You guys!! The cactus sketch art is in the shop! I am massively excited (if you couldn’t tell by the fact that I have used 5 exclamation points already.)

I wanted all of the art in the living room to be big and bright, so simple sketches were just what the DIY Dr. ordered. Luckily for all of us, Jamie is a brilliant artist and totally gets the vibe I was looking for.

These adorable prints come black and white, but if you want to liven them up a bit (like I did) all you need is a little bit of watercolor.

We had the art printed at Alphagraphics blue print style (I love the St. George store!!). Which means that its on normal printer paper and SUPER inexpensive, like around $1. The only reason that we did this is because we had an extremely fast turnaround. Getting it printed on heavy weight cardstock is always a good idea, just a heads up that they will need at least 24 hours to get it done.

The watercolor is the easiest/most stressful part of this entire situation, because you don’t want to royally screw it up. My advice is to practice a few times before you commit. We mounted our prints before we watercolored and it left some bubbling on one (I must have used more water) so I would say to watercolor first and let it dry completely before you mount it.

The next step is to take everything out of the Ikea frame, and cut a piece of foam core posterboard to fit. Then mount the prints by spraying spray adhesive on the back of them and positioning it on the foam core (this is a 2 person job!)

Can you even imagine all of the cute ways that these little guys can be used? I am dying to see what you come up with!!

So, for this weekend only they are on sale in the Vintage Revivals Shop for $4.00. Four dollars people! The price is going up on Monday so you might want to head over before then (unless you are good with paying more, which wont hurt my feelings). You can grab 1, 2, or the entire collection of 8! The files are huge, so you can print them as large (or small) as you want, basically the world is your cactus oyster right now.

Hope you have an amazing Easter weekend with those you love! See you next week!

The post Cactus Sketch Art (On SALE!!) appeared first on Vintage Revivals.

The great question surrounding this room makeover is will she or wont she paint the brick. Like I mentioned in my Feel the Fear post, I decided to keep it dark. (It can always be changed up at a later date) and I’ve been diggin it!

The thing is that it took this massively bright room:

And made it seriously darker:

PSA of the day, if you want your room to feel significantly larger, paint it a light color. When all of the furniture was out of the room after it was bricked it felt pretty teeny.

The easiest way to off set the dark wall was to use light colored art. It gave it dimension by adding another layer and it brightened everything up!

Quite a while ago I pinned this picture from a restaurant designed by Bells and Whistles and have been itching to recreate the wall treatment on a smaller scale. It is pure genius!

A big white piece of art was what the decor dr. ordered and this was the cure.

This project started the way every good project starts…with a trip to The Home Depot. I bought a piece of 1/2” plywood and had it cut to 3 1/2’x6’. I also scooped up about 5 1x8x10’s.

The first thing that we did was start ripping the 1×8’s on the table saw so that they were about 1” square. It is ok if they are absolutely perfect, really really close will work well too.

Start by setting your vertical line. Mark it will a pencil and make sure that it is level and perfectly straight, this is going to determine the angles for the rest of your piece.

Once you have your vertical piece set all you do is work off of it.

Spacing is so simple, you just use scraps in between your dowels.

To attach the dowels I used my favorite wood glue Titebond III. I was originally planning on using the glue to hold them in place and then going back over it with a finishing nailer on the back but the glue held everything wonderfully by itself (I love it when that happens!)

It can seem a little overwhelming when you are looking at all of the angles, but the only thing that you need to remember is that when you are working off of a 90 degree angle (like the one you’ve created with your straight piece) everything will always add up to 90. So if you cut a 40 degree angle, then the one working off it will be a 50 degree angle. This is kind of one of those things that I can explain to you, but I cant understand it for you, you just have to start working and you’ll TOTALLY see what I am talking about!

When I started I was cutting everything exactly to the edge of the board but it was taking FOR.EVER. so I started leaving the edges off.

I taped off a small area for staining.

And everything else got a few coats of white paint.

There was a massive internal struggle about cutting the edges off once it was finished. I mean, they look really cool right? Ultimately I decided to trim it but I still love it untrimmed.

To trim it we used a straight board that was clamped on either side as a guide and used a skill saw.

Mounting it on the brick wall got a little tricky. We ended up drilling directly through the face of the art, through the brick and into a stud. Then I filled the holes and painted over them.

I cant wait for you guys to see the entire room tomorrow!!!

The post DIY Square Dowel Art appeared first on Vintage Revivals.

Happy #100reveal Thursday!!

You guys. I have got the COOLEST project for you today. As I was brainstorming ideas for these fun GE reveal® light bulb projects my natural train of thought was obviously to do something cool with light. But we’ve already rewired a light, and made an amazing chandelier for the entryway.

Something different was just what the Dr. ordered.

Something new.

So armed with $100 to The Home Depot, and a GE reveal® light bulb I set out on my quest.

You know when you get an idea that just seems so crazy, and when you tell everyone in your life about it they genuinely don’t understand what you are explaining? No? Just me?

This project describes that perfectly. I have been super obsessed with shadow art lately, but it is always done on such a grand art installation scale.

I wanted a way to be able to simplify it enough to use it in my house. And probably not use it to make human shapes because that would be terrifying to stumble across in the middle of the night.

So after thinking long and hard about it for a minute or 2 I set out to see if it would work. If I could actually do something using light and shadow.

I conducted a little experiment and here is what I learned:

It is entirely possible…IF you have the right kind of light bulb, and the right angle.

The light bulb is critical, it needs to give off enough light to cast a strong shadow and it also needs to be focused. A regular style light bulb disperses the light too much, but a reveal® indoor flood light worked perfectly.

The angle of the light, will lengthen + shorten your shadow, and the distance from the pegs will straighten out the letters (the further away the less skewed they are.)

So with this in mind we started with a little trip to my version of Disneyland…The Home Depot.

I bought a GE reveal® indoor flood light (and a regular one for the before and after) (4) 8’x1”x6”, a 3’x1”x1” wooden dowel and a 2×4’ sheet of underlayment.

After you’ve measured the exact size of the underlayment (this will serve as the backboard for everything) you are going to cut 2 pieces that measure the width of the underlayment horizontally (2’) and 2 pieces that measure the vertical distance between the 2 horizontal boards. This is a backer frame and will give you something to attach the face frame and the underlayment to.

Next you are going to cut 2 boards with 45 degree angles that have an inner measurement that match your underlayment.

PSA:  For the LOVE cut these angles so that they look like this:

Not like this:

Court, I’m talking to you.

If you did not heed the above advice, head back to The Home Depot and buy yourself another couple of boards…#fun.

Once you have your boards cut the right way, use a nail gun to attach them to the back frame.

Then put your underlayment on top and secure it with a few nails.

To make the light I took apart this cute desk lamp that I’ve had laying around and a few spare parts from the Bent Arm chandelier build.

All I did was deconstruct this light that I bought a while ago:

And put it back together with the long arm in between the base and the socket (I wanted to be able to adjust the light angle as much as I need to.)  I also swapped in my favorite twisted lamp cord that looked better and had a higher wattage rating.

Then I drilled a small hole in the center of the frame and fed the cute new wire through. The last bit of light construction was wiring a plug on the end. Its time for a common sense disclaimer, these bulbs can get warm, this isn’t a light that you will want to leave on for hours and hours. Yes? Yes.

Once the light was hung inside the frame (with a small screw) it was time to place the dowels.

I did this part last so that I had complete control over the way that the shadow cast.

Once I measured and marked where my short dowels (they measure 3.5”) were going to live, I used a small amount of Titebond III wood glue to adhere them to the board.

A roll of painters tape works wonders to hold them in place while the glue dries.

Want to see what it turned into?

When the house lights are on and the spotlight is off you have this curious and delightfully inoffensive bit of wooden art on the wall.

When you shut off the house lights, and turn on the spotlight you get a friendly little message:

Amazing right?! I mean, who doesn’t want your decor to actually greet you!!? And for a grand total of less than $50 no less!

Because of the closeness of the light onto the board I was a little curious if you would even be able to tell a difference with the reveal® light bulb. Oh ye of little faith Mandi. Of course you can. Directly on the light it’s a little hard to tell a difference, but look at how much cleaner white the reveal® side is, and how much sharper the shadow. (Bulbs used were 40 W Soft White Spotlight vs 45 W reveal® Halogen Indoor Flood bulb.)

What do you think? Do you love it?!

Its time for another giveaway!! You know the drill, (10) winners will win a $100 Home Depot gift card, and a GE reveal® lighting package, all you have to do to enter is leave a comment and let me know what level of DIYer do you consider yourself to be and/or tell me about your favorite DIY project that you have completed!

The post DIY Shadow Art + Video appeared first on Vintage Revivals.

Do you remember the ipad of the 80’s? Lacing Cards.

You know the kind right?

Well this project is like that, only its really cute and something that you actually will want to hang on your walls!

To make this project you will need:

Cricut Explore
Cricut Explore Markers (see my alternative option here!)
110# Cardstock
String
Teeny bit of tape

This is a Make It Now project that I designed for the Cricut Explore which means all you have to do it click the Make It Now button and it automatically sizes and cuts everything exactly the way that I designed it!!

One of the features of the Cricut Explore that I love SO much is the write and cut feature. It does it all in one pass, so it is perfectly lined up every time!!

Just make sure that all of the dotted lines are covered with yarn. Dylan my 6 year old super loved this project, so it is definitely for smaller kids, as well as older ones. (Or kids a heart for those of you who are like me and love it as an adult.)

You can check out each of the projects on Design Space here:

Big Dipper and Little Dipper
Orion
Leo

Want more info about the Cricut Explore? You can see all of my posts about it here! And while you’re already nominated for mom of the year, check out these other kid friendly projects!

The post Kid Friendly Constellation String Art appeared first on Vintage Revivals.

My loves!! I hope you have enjoyed the Thrifted, Gifted, and Lifted series. It has been a really fun project for me to work on!! Today is sort of the final installment…sort of.

I strongly believe that everyone should have beautiful art in their home. Here is the kicker, beautiful art doesn’t have to be expensive, it just has to be amazing. (Read more about that here)

The last piece of the puzzle is the gifted part that I have for you. My right hand girl Jamie created this Geometric Grizzly downloadable print just for you! I am completely obsessed over it and every time I look at it, I grin like a crazy person. (Wha? Doesn’t quirky home decor do that to you too?!)

I am giving you a heads up so that if you haven’t subscribed to the VR newsletter you will have time before it comes out on Friday morning (underlined for emphasis so that you aren’t freakin if you dont get it before then!). Every week we have a secret project, and this week is the download for the Geometric Grizzly print. If you are late to the party, don’t worry my love,  we still love your guts! You can sign up below!

TL;DR The print is being emailed out on Friday in the newsletter! If you haven’t subscribed you will need to to get the download my love!

This print will only be available for free for a limited time, so you  will most definitely want to click over and download it!

You can have it printed at any local copy shop,  if you are in St. George I highly recommend Alphagraphics.

**This download is for PERSONAL USE ONLY. Please do not alter or resell this design in any way. Because then we cant be friends any more…and that will break my heart. Deal?

I REALLLLLLY want to see this in your house, so if you hang it up pretty please hashtag it #myvintagerevivals!

The post Free Geometric Grizzly Art appeared first on Vintage Revivals.

Dudes. Lets talk about budget decorating tips. Pretty sure that every blogger on the planet has written a post or 9 about this subject. And I mean, here is the thing, there are a million tips about it but I thought it would be fun to create a simple seating area on a real life budget and show you the scientific breakdown (or something along those lines) of a fail-proof and awesome little space. Then all week I will be posting tutorials, to make the projects crystal clear so that you can totally snatch up the thrifting spirit and run with it!

There are 3 categories that we are dividing and conquering today.

Thrifted, Gifted, and Lifted. Catchy much?

Thrifted is pretty self explanatory. It is cool junk that you find secondhand. Thrift stores, Craigslist, Yard Sales etc. Thrifting is where I find most of my treasures.

I love thrifting art. I think everyone should have pretty things hanging on the walls in their house, but there is this idea that only “real” art should count. I wholeheartedly disagree. Creating a space that I love in my house is all about embracing the imperfection. Perfect example is this awesome skeleton print. I found it a few weeks ago for $2. At the time it was a black and white print. Sometimes I make bad choices and leave things in my car for too long. Imagine my surprise (and swears) when I finally remembered to take this guy in my house only to discover that the sun had changed the color. My black and white print was now mauve. Blink blink. There was a clear film on the paper that had a reaction to the heat. It had a large piece of film on the top (the one that remains) and a smaller one on the bottom that I peeled off. I sort of think that the two tone background makes the piece and let me tell you,  I am so happy about that little accident.

Amateur oil paintings are a crucial cog in the thrift store machine. They are always there. Some are not so awesome, and sometimes it is hard to see how amazing a piece is while you are actually at the Goodwill. So if you don’t hate it and think it has a little potential,  spend the $3 and take it home. Hang it on the wall and see how cool it really is! Sometimes I see a painting and think “Hm. I don’t hate it…” but I don’t know if it will look lame or if it is too weird. Those are usually the pieces that I love the most once they are up. This little blue moment was a great find for $5.

How freaking adorable is this little Kodak Brownie video camera? It was one of those exact situation where I wasn’t sure if it was old enough to be cute. I am so happy I spent $10 on it, because it is perfect in this shot.

Category #2:  Gifted. The gifted category makes up things that were given to you (why I felt the need to clarify that is beyond me….)  The amazing weaving is the star of the show and was a little happy mail from my girl Lindsay at Hello Hydrangea. You guys must go and check out her shop. I need it all.

Because I love you so much,  I have a gift for you! Next week (Friday the 18th) the free project in the Vintage Revivals Newsletter is a download of the Geometric Grizzly. Make sure that you sign up for the newsletter so that you can cash in! (Don’t worry, I will remind you again!)

Now for our third and final category, Lifted. So I feel like lifted can mean 3 things. 1. Stolen. Like from someone that loves you enough to let you take something. Or illegally…if it is worth the consequences. I know there are a few Cold Dead Fingers pieces that I would do 1-5 for. 2. Hijacked from another part of your house, or 3. Something that you bought or DIYed for an amazing price.

The hanging planter? DIYed for less than $20. The cute IKEA basket was less than $10 (I cant find it on their website, but I just bought it so they have them in store!)

Remember when I told you that I bought a meeeellion different colored serape blankets? Yep. It was the truth. The tribal floor cloth is one of my favorite elements. Can you believe that I found the fabric at Joann’s of all places?!

I didn’t get a great shot of it, but the little white plant stand with the fern on it is a total Target hack. Right now they are selling these beverage stands and they are the perfect size for a plant!

I just love how collected and happy it feels.

Tutorials start tomorrow for this space! Watch for the Himmeli planter (you can check out this one if you cant wait for a few days,  I wont judge you),  chair reupholstery (you will throw up at the before), and the tribal floor cloth.

**Check out the other projects in this series here!

I am heading to Atlanta for Haven today,  Pray for this desert rat to not completely drown in the humidity… its going to be touch and go.

The post Thrifted, Gifted, and Lifted: The Anatomy of Budget Decorating appeared first on Vintage Revivals.

Hey guys!! I have a really fun project for you today, its easy and a show stopper. Win win!

All you need is a tired picture frame and mat,  ScotchBlue Painter’s Tape for Delicate Surfaces with Advanced Edge-Lock Paint Line Protector (2080EL), and Copper Spray Paint.

Start by cutting your painters tape into different shapes. I used delicate surface tape so that I didnt pull the paper off of the mat!

Give it a couple of coats of Copper spray paint. This picture is after the first one,  the paper matting absorbs the metallic sheen on the first coat,  that is why you will need a few.

When you paint is dry, peel off the ScotchBlue Painters Tape. Perfect lines make me so happy. It’s the simple things friends.

To make the hexagon art, place a few pieces of Scotchblue Painter’s Tape for Multi-Surface with Advanced Edge-Lock Paint Line Protector (2093EL)in a hexagon shape. It doesn’t have to be perfect! We are going for a little abstract here.

Dry brush some acrylic paint on the inside of the shape.

Peel your tape off and dry brush the edges just a little bit.

Add a little splash of color with watercolors or watered down acrylic paint.

Now I have some exciting news! Everyone loves a summer goal right?

Home of ScotchBlue Painter’s Tape Contest now through July 15, 2014 and you could win $5,000 to put towards a home makeover! The first 500 to submit an eligible entry will receive one (1) roll of the new ScotchBlue Painter’s Tape with Advanced Edge-Lock Paint Line Protector! Dudes, do you even know how exciting $5,000 is?!!

Check out this project as a featured project example in the contest!

I am proud to be a 3M sponsored blogger, and, as part of my responsibilities, I get the opportunity to evaluate new products from ScotchBlue Painter’s Tape. Opinions are my own and additional product used in the project were selected by me.

For more amazing ideas check out:
ScotchBlue Painter’s Tape Pinterest page
ScotchBlue Painter’s Tape Facebook page
ScotchBlue Painter’s Tape Twitter page

Contest open to legal residents of the U.S. and D.C. (excluding AZ, MD, NJ, ND, TN and VT), who are 18+ (19+ in AL & NE and 21+ in MS) at the time of entry. Void where prohibited. Enter from June 2, 2014 at 12:00:01 a.m. CT through 11:59:59 p.m. CT on July 15 2014. All contest communications, entry/judging criteria and details subject to the full Official Rules. Sponsor: 3M Construction and Home Improvement Markets Division, St. Paul, MN

The post Copper Geometric Picture Mats & Hexagon Art appeared first on Vintage Revivals.

You guys!! Did you see this?!

People FREAKING Magazine!!

I feel like the luckiest girl in the world that this is my life. I am so grateful for YOU, because without your love I would pretty much be writing to myself, and that just isnt as satisfying.

Today’s tutorial is the perfect extension of how I am feeling right now. Check out Alicia’s Office Makeover for the entire room reveal! The entire experience was just too cool.

You will need:

(1) 2’x4’ piece of underlayment (thin plywood)

Painters Tape

Paint or a Paint Pen

Jigsaw

Start by drawing or tracing your letters onto the 2’x4’ sheet. (You can project the image below, or you can save it and resize it in a photo editor!)

I used my favorite clear fabric ruler to make sure that the lines were straight. That thing needs to be buried with me.

Once you have your lines drawn, jig out the outside shapes.

Make sure that the lines on the inside letters are clear and easy to see.

Tape along the outer edge of the letters (I always use this technique to seal the tape for a perfect line!)

To paint the inside of the letters I we used black Sharpie Paint Pens, left over from the Faux Wallpaper Sharpie wall.

Peel off your tape and admire your handy work!

To mount these to the wall, I used small finishing nails that I nailed through the black part of the letters into the wall. Then I touched them up with the paint pens.

The post YAY Wall Art Tutorial appeared first on Vintage Revivals.