Anthro Knock-Off: Stacking Wood Trays

I have been coveting these wood trays from Anthropologie for the last 6 months but their steep price tag put the brakes on any intent I might have had to buy them. I mean, $128 for 3 wooden desk trays?! No thank you. Thankfully the knock-off challenge at SYTYC came bright and early this season so I finally had the motivation to make a set for myself.

They are the perfect addition to my newly organized office console, dontcha think? I started with some plain wooden trays for $7.99 a piece and added some dividers. After painting on the wording, I added a brass card holder/pull to each tray and called it a day. I guess you want better instructions than that? Check out the step by step below!

Paper Source Knock-off: Watercolor Stripes Stationery

I came across these gorgeous watercolor letterpress cards at Paper Source a few weeks ago and kept going back to add them to my mental "must buy" list. I just couldn't justify $24.95 for SIX note cards. Instead I turned to the craft store and got a high quality letterpress cardstock set on clearance for $2.99 (enough for 12!) and made my own.

Tshirt Yarn Bib Necklace

On a completely unrelated note, Weight Watchers is going very well! Even with falling off of the horse once or twice (or 3 or 4 times), I have lost a little over 10lbs in the past month and a half. Woot woot!

Now that I got to brag a little bit, let's get to the real subject matter: a bib necklace made out of an old tshirt.

Mercury Glass Tutorial

Antique mercury glass is both charming and chic. It really brings that old world feel to a modern home which is exactly my aesthetic. Like most things I covet, it's not exactly cheap... just check out Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware options. Unfortunately, the price doesn't deter me from wanting to live in a pretty little mercury glass bubble.

Did you know you can create the look of vintage mercury glass at home in three simple steps? No way, you say? How, you ask? Let me show you!

All you'll need is Krylon's Looking Glass spray paint and a bottle of water!

You can get the Krylon paint online, but Wal-Mart carries it at a pretty reasonable price. (When will Target get on board with a big ole crafting section?!)

The process is simple:
1. Spray your glass lightly with water, letting little droplets gather on the surface. (You'll see that I taped my glass off and this was simply because I only wanted the base of my jar to have the finish)

2. Spray paint around the entire surface (yes, over the water and all). Don't panic when it starts to take on a very streaky faux silver finish; that's exactly what you want.

3. Let it dry for about 20-25 minutes in the sun. The paint only takes about 10 minutes to be dry enough to touch, but you also need most of the water to evaporate as well. Grab an old dish towel and gently rub over the paint in a "wax on, wax off" motion. You'll get this streaky distressed look that adds so much character.

That's it. You're finished. You didn't think it could possibly be that easy, did ya?

Easy breezy mercury glass in 30 minutes or less.

Now go grab your dollar store candle stick holders, those cheap florist vases, and all of your recyclables! I especially love mercury glass at Christmas so I'm going to be doing a ton of decorations now (while it's warm enough for things to dry outside) and you should, too! I'd love to see what you make!

Come back tomorrow to see the finished mercury glass project! If you're not already following Spool and Spoon via email or Google Friend Connect, make sure you do so you won't miss it.

I'm linking to:

DIY Showoff | S3 | Classy Clutter | A Little Tipsy | I Heart Nap Time | Mine for the Making | Flamingo Toes | Craftomaniac | Shabby Creek Cottage | Somewhat Simple | Saved by Love Creations | My Simple Home Life | My Girlish Whims | Stone Gable | Young and Crafty | Nifty Thrifty Things

Anthro Knock-off: Cut Lace Carryall

I have been drooling over the white Cut Lace Carryall from Anthro for weeks now. The price tag isn't insanely excessive, but it's also not something I feel comfortable forking over when I'm *trying* to save. When you're like me and adore just about everything outside of your price range, you have to get creative. As they say, imitation is the best form of flattery.

The $198 original via Anthropologie:

I searched high and low for suede, leather, or vinyl that had the laser cut lace details that the original had but came up empty handed. After a dozen or so Google searches for vinyl lace, I came across a cute little store, Darlybird. Can you repeat after me... Uh-May-Zing. Seriously, amazing. It took all of my self-control not to buy everything I loved (which was practically the entire stock) but since everything was such a steal, I let myself get three things guilt-free: vinyl lace placemats, washi tape, and uber cute labels.

If you were going to make this you could use a rectangular doily or scraps of actual lace (both of which I considered) but I wanted the matte look of the original which I wouldn't have gotten from flimsy fabric. I love the look of the finished bag. It's perfect for summer and will be great next spring as well.  


What you will need:

• One yard of canvas or any other fabric of your choosing (consider using oil cloth or laminated cotton for a completely wipeable bag)
• 2 vinyl placemats from Darlybird
• 1.5 yards of rope for the handles
• Steam-A-Seam iron-on adhesive
• Coordinating thread
• Sewing essentials
• Iron & Ironing Board

Follow the instructions at Dana Made It for the Boxed Out Tote
I followed that tutorial to a T (put in a pocket and all) but this is what I did differently:

1. After cutting out the canvas pieces using the placemat as a guide, completely finish off the top edge as you will not sew through the top of the vinyl. 
2. If you are adding a pocket do so at this point
3. Attach the handles
4. Place the Steam-A-Seam between a layer of vinyl and a layer of canvas and on the hottest setting, bond the two wrong sides together (if your fabric has a wrong side)
5. Now use the tutorial to make a tote out of this bonded fabric
6. It's completely optional to box out the bottom of the bag, but to me it looked like the original had a base so I wanted to do it on mine as well.

If you like what you see, consider following Spool and Spoon for other DIY projects and recipes!

I'm linking to:

DIY Showoff | S3 | Classy Clutter | A Little Tipsy | I Heart Nap Time | Mine for the Making | Flamingo Toes | Craftomaniac | Shabby Creek Cottage | Somewhat Simple | Saved by Love Creations | My Simple Home Life | My Girlish Whims | Stone Gable

Anthro Knock Off - Callais Earrings

Who doesn't love Anthropologie?? Considering how beautiful, unique, and often ethereal all of their products are, I can't imagine that there is a single woman out there who doesn't swoon. I ran across these beauties (the Callais Earrings) and fell in lust. They're stunning and so perfect for summertime but for $138 they are a splurge, and not one I was willing to take. What's a girl to do? Why make them of course.

Pretty, right?? And even better yet is the fact that they cost me only $8! Yep, eight smackeroos.

I ran by Target on my way home and picked up a pair of plain gold earrings ($5.99) and two packs of beads from AC Moore ($1.50/each + 40% off coupon). Other than that, you will only need hot glue and tweezers.

The process was pretty simple. Apply glue in a crescent shape, affix larger stone beads first then fill in with the tiny seed beads. Let dry and you're done. It took me all of 5 minutes to make a pair. I love them and can't wait to wear them tomorrow.

Like them? If so, this will quite possibly be the easiest DIY you ever undertake. Let me know if you make a pair too!

I'm linking to:

DIY Showoff | S3 | Classy Clutter | A Little Tipsy | I Heart Nap Time | Mine for the Making | Flamingo Toes | Craftomaniac | Shabby Creek Cottage | Somewhat Simple | Saved by Love Creations | My Simple Home Life | My Girlish Whims