It has been a busy week here in the land of The World Around Her. I've been working over on East Coast Creative all week helping them with their design contest Creating with the Stars, are you following along and voting? We just wrapped up week 2, which involved the contestants putting together a paint project. Next week is the upcycle round for the top 6 that are left in the competition. It all started with 299 entries and it was narrowed down to 12 for the first week...from 299 to 12!! Week one was the knock off round where the 12 contestants had to create a knock off version of a high end item...

{Image courtesy of East Coast Creative's Instagram!}

Can you believe these amazing knock off projects, and they are all handmade! If you haven't been following along check out the recap post of round one. 

What I love most about the competition, besides the incredible projects, is that it's not a popularity contest. When the projects go up for voting, readers don't know whose project they are voting for. So instead of voting for your favorite blogger or because they are paired with your favorite blog star, you are voting for your favorite DIY knock off. Then when the results are posted, that is when you know who did what, pretty clever right! 

It starts with 12, but then each week of the four week competition the bottom 3 get knocked out. So for this week's second round and battle of the paint projects it was down to 9....

{Image courtesy of East Coast Creative Instagram}

Who knew you could do so many stunning things with paint! I loved them all, it's so tough having to say good-bye to the bottom three each week. Some of the contestants have started to follow me on Instagram, which totally made me feel famous! I'm hoping to stay connected and have started reading their blogs. 

If you aren't already a fan of East Coast Creative, then what are you waiting for...you don't want to miss out on these awesome DIY projects and see who goes home with the big win at the end! The prizes are amazing, oh and plus there is a giveaway for everyone too! Get your butt on over there and enter to win a beach vacation to Punta Cana!! Oh, how I wish I could enter!! 

PS, I don't vote since I'm their blog assistant and know who did what, so that's why I need you to vote for me {next Monday will be the open vote for the upcycle round}! Right now on the blog is the winner's tutorial from this week, which one would you have voted for? Tomorrow will be the 2nd place tutorial, then 3rd. Plus if you have your own paint project you can link up for a chance to be featured on the blog this Sunday!  

Thanks for stopping by, have a great day! 

How to Spray Paint Brass Owl Bookends...

I'm so glad you guys loved my stencil lamp shade I posted about yesterday, I'm really happy that I went with stenciling it instead of one of the other ideas I was considering. It's a timeless look that won't go out of style or one I won't get bored with! As promised, today I'm going to share with you another DIY adventure I took with brass owl bookends.

My husband bought the brass owl bookends for me at Christmas, said he was searching our local antique store for owls and almost gave up when he stumbled upon them! The two love birds look so sweet perched on the branch, but the brass color just wasn't my style and didn't fit with any decor we have in our home. 

They were on my shelf above my work desk in my home office, however I learned the hard way that these guys were a bit too heavy to be sitting on that shelf! Luckily, my laptop wasn't on my desk at the time the shelf came crashing down and there wasn't anything that broke that was sitting on the desk or shelf!

What was I going to do with these things? We only have a small book shelf in our computer room, so I knew they weren't going there. Even if, I still didn't love the brass color! So, this weekend I shared a photo of them on Instagram and asked how I could give them a makeover. My DIY girl Katie over at Busy Bee Kate  tweeted back that I should use some steel wool, self-etching primer, and spray paint. 

While we were out at Michaels Craft Store searching for what to do with the lamp, I looked for the items Katie mentioned. I found the steel wool, but I couldn't find any paint labeled self-etching primer. That's when I found Krylon® Brand Dual Paint + Primer, which works great for Metals, Wicker, Glass, Ceramic, Fabric, Masonry, Concrete, and Wood. Plus the can I grabbed was also a super bond, bonus! 

I took them out to the garage and my husband helped me set up a little space on his work bench so I wouldn't get the spray paint on anything but my owls! I took out the steel wool and got to work removing some of the brass. Steel wool actually comes in different textures, who knew?! You want coarse for tougher jobs like removing paint, and softer for polishing. Ladies, make sure you are wearing gloves to handle the steel wool, it's a little scratchy! Next, it was time to spray paint. 

Well, apparently I don't know the correct way to spray paint, because what I was doing was causing the paint to drip...and we don't want that. That's where my husband came in and showed me the back and forth technique, he's a pro ladies and he's all mine!

At first, he thought we should apply a second coat, but if you take a look at the heavy spraying I was doing at the bottom it looks thick and takes away the details. I loved the way the feathers were showing through and didn't want them to look too caked with paint. 

I love how they turned out and can't wait to get my hands on another item in the house that needs a spray paint makeover! They are currently sitting on the cedar chest in my office, which is probably the only thing that is going to handle the weight of these guys.

What are some home decor items you have spray painted before? 

Thanks for stopping by, have a great day! 

The Adventures of a Lamp Shade Makeover!

How was everyone's weekend? Well, I said I was going to clean and do some DIY projects this weekend and that's what I did! I feel like if I share these ideas with the world, then it kind of pushes me and inspires me to actually get them done! So, if you remember two weeks ago I shared with you our lovely, yet boring lamp shade...

We've had this lamp for about three or four years now, and for the last year or so I kept looking at it and thinking that there must be something I could do so it wouldn't be so dull and boring. In my first post about the shade I shared a few ideas I like; one using Shape Tape™ to create a wave design, writing a love note around it, or perhaps forgo a shade to give the lamp an industrial look.

Well, after seeing this post on my friend Katie's blog Busy Bee Kate, I was at first inspired to find fabric tape to decorate the shade the easy way. So, I ventured to Michaels Arts & Crafts Store yesterday and could not find any fabric tape...perhaps I was looking in the wrong place? Any how, I did stumble upon the Martha Stewart aisle, which I love...and who doesn't...and that's where I found her beautiful stencils. Right then and there I knew that was the DIY project for my lamp shade...

Did I mention that my brave hubby came along for this DIY adventure with me? We could not decide on a pattern and kept comparing them and trying to figure out the perfect stencil for our style. That's when we found the Martha Stewart Crafts™ Geometric Patterns that had a stenciled lamp shade on the cover! I was done, even if he wasn't...I was! 

It's funny I was going to title my post, "How to Stencil a Lamp Shade", as you can see in my photo above, but I came to the conclusion that, "The Adventures of a Lamp Shade Makeover" was more suitable! As you'll see below, I forgot to grab some painter's tape or as I just learned on Michaels' website, Martha Stewart Crafts™ Stencil Tape!

Do you recognize the type of tape I tried to use to hold my stencil in place? Yep, that's washi tape! It wasn't a very successful choice, so while the first line of geometric shapes were drying I ventured over to Home Depot for ScotchBlue™ painter's tape. I was surprised to find out that painter's tape wasn't sticking to the shade either, was I doing something wrong?! 

The paint we chose was Martha Stewart Crafts™ Multi-Surface Satin Acrylic in Deep Sea. I used a stencil foam pouncer as they call it, to dab on the paint. 

Here she is, the before and after! What do you think? It was an interesting adventure in giving a lamp shade a makeover, but I'm really glad I pushed myself to not be afraid to try something new. I really love the way it turned out, the color works perfectly too. The stencil job isn't perfect, but it doesn't have to be! For my first stencil work on a lamp shade, I'm pretty proud of her! 

I have a few DIY bloggers who inspired me that I want to thank. One of them, or two I should say, is Monica and Jess from East Coast Creative. I went to a local ladies' night event they were hosting before I became their blog assistant and something they said stuck with me. It's not word for word but it was something about the biggest obstacle we have in DIY and home decor, is being afraid to fail, being afraid to try, and just having fear of jumping in. So, ladies lets get rid of that fear and pick up a paint brush!

Another blogger I would like to thank is my friend Tairalyn over at Little Miss Mama. She is one amazing woman. She's a mom to an almost three year old, and blogs about motherhood, fashion, homemade recipes, sewing her own gorgeous tulle skirts...she does it all! We "met" online a few years ago and she has since become a top Vancouver Mama Blogger and top Fashion blogger. She inspires me to want more out of my own blog and out of myself. YOU ROCK GIRL!

I also want to thank my girl Katie over at Busy Bee Kate, have you checked us out on Facebook? When we reach 100 likes we're hosting a blog giveaway together! Katie introduced me to a local women's business group when I first moved to the area a few years ago and I would be lost without it and her! 

One more is my sweet girl Heather over at High Heels & Flip-Flops! She's a night owl like myself, so whenever I'm up late and need to talk she's always there to listen. She's an amazing friend, I'm so glad we got the chance to meet in person last year. I can't wait to hang out again. 

OK, so enough talk from me...I want to hear from you! What do you think about my lamp shade makeover? Would you consider using a stencil on your boring lamp shade, have you stenciled a home decor item before? 

Thanks for stopping by, have a great day! Stop back tomorrow for the adventure I took with my brass owl bookends makeover! 

I'm linking my project up with The Party Bunch over on The 36th Avenue!