Dress This Mess > Barn Chic

The other day, one of my favorite gal pals happened to mention that she had been wanting to redecorate her living room. *Ping* My interior decorator spidey sense started to tingle!

I then began slyly (Not really. It was more like, "TELL ME MORE!") asking her what she was thinking about doing - all the while taking furious mental notes. She showed me this pin from everyone's favorite obsession; Pinterest:

http://ahappyhabitat.blogspot.com/2011/09/were-you-born-in-barn.html

She also showed me this lampshade from my favorite obsession; Target:

Flocked Lamp Shade Yellow (Large)

And that was it, I was inspired and her redecorating fever had spread. (Which is waaaaay better than catching all the other stuff that's been floating around lately...)

I started laying awake at night, thinking about her great, light filled living room. During the day I would daydream decorate her room with fabulous accessories and furniture. Words like barn chic, and contemporary rustic, ran around in my head. I dug around her Pinterest boards like a stalker and spied on all her favorite pins and decor ideas, where I discovered her love of yellow and gray, horses, and country with a splash of contemporary living.

And then I took my intel and made a design board. It's an illness, I tell ya!

barn chic2 by glossyflossy on polyvore.com

And then I made another one:

barn chic3 by glossyflossy on polyvore.com

And another one:

barn chic by glossyflossy on polyvore.com

And then I took a nap and made an appointment with my therapist.

Thanks to my insanity, my friend asked me to help her out, which is way better than asking me to stay a stalker's minimum of 50 ft away. Yay! I'll keep you posted!

~Angela

Dress This Mess > 2 Minute / $4 upgrade

We all have them: dollar store vases. 

You probably started off with one or two but then they had somehow multiplied like spring bunnies into 5 or more in your cupboard. (how DOES that happen?!) But before you send them out for adoption at your local goodwill, take a look at my cheap and glam upgrade!

I grabbed two different height candle pedestals  from my local Walmart for only a total of $5, and one candle holder from my dusty garage. Then I borrowed a tube of silicone adhesive from the Hubby. You could also use any kind of strong, water proof, adhesive.

Next, place one dollar store vase on top of one of the pedestals. You will want to try and find the most level position before applying the glue, which may require lots of turning and standing back to see which is the most level position. (Note: they won't be perfectly level but find a happy imperfect medium-just like in life, right?!) Once you’ve found the sweet spot, make a mark on the pedestal and bottom of vase so that you can line it up when its time to glue.

Wipe the bottom of the vase and the pedestal free from dust and grime and try not to judge yourself over the amount of dust that has accumulated....hey- living fabulously doesn’t leave a lot of time for dusting!

Then take your silicone adhesive and spread a thick bead of glue all around the lip of the pedestal. Line up your marks on your vase and pedestal and place together. Apply some pressure for a couple of minutes and then let it sit for a couple of hours.

Next you are ready to accessorize your vase! Add some small river rock and a herb plant for a fragrant window sill bouquet. Or add the plant that your sweet husband bought you for Valentine's Day. (But for the love of decorating, don't leave the tacky plastic pot on it like I did!)

Or add some fruit, real - or not. These could be great for entertaining too!

How about some great Spring decor?

Now give yourself a hug for being so crafty chic for so cheap!

p.s. Check out this similar high priced version from every one's favorite, Pottery Barn (or as my son reads it, giggling: potty barn):

Recycled Glass Footed Vase - $59.00

Feeling preeeettty proud of yourself right now aren’t you?! You're Welcome.

~Angela