I have completely immersed myself into this new challenge which would sometimes result in my staying in the office for a good 12 hours at a time. And as great as my company has been to provide me with good office furniture, it just doesn't quite feel like home yet. So I wondered if maybe other people are also struggling with making their work space their own while complying with their office requirements of uniformity.
Posts filed under Design + DIY
DIY Wedding at Its Best!
An Artful Celebration of a Beautiful New Beginning
Saturday marked the day my two very close friends, Matt and Britney, tied the knot! And I have just added one more reason (to the many) why I love these two wonderful people so much... their wedding was a BYOB potluck party at one of the coolest galleries in town!
Matt and Britney got hitched in between deconstructed brick walls adorned with abstract originals by Mark Roden and his father's dreamy watercolors. The DIY decorations were a courtesy of Britney's generous imagination and a ton of good friends (some wine) and their fabulous ability to fluff pompoms! The finishing touches, such as mounds of carefully gathered twigs, spray-painted bottles, mason jars and even more pompoms, made this deconstructed artsy locale into the venue of Matt and Britney's dreams...
So, here's to being creative and so inspiring with one's most special day! Cheers!
DIY Mugs
Supplies
Porcelain Mugs: $2.99 EA
Sharpie: $1.99 EA
Directions
Grab a Sharpie
Draw on Mug
Bake @350 for 30 Min
Done!
A few weeks back, I mentioned I was planning on going down the DIY route for the majority of the gifts I will be giving to my family. We had given ourselves the creative limit of $10 per person per gift. I knew that meant I will had to get crafty. What I didn't realize was how much fun this project would be! If you ever get a chance to try it, I would highly recommend it! It was much easier than I ever thought. All you need is some plain porcelain mugs and a Sharpie! At first, I tried drawing with a porcelain pen but I quickly switched to a Sharpie since the porcelain pen turned out to be too runny for my liking. I also used a touch of silver (also a Sharpie) so adding some red or another fun color might work really well. Happy crafting!!
DIY Christmas Decor
This year, I had my heart set on a minimal Christmas decoration that conveys the spirit of the holiday without overwhelming the rest of the house. And, frankly, I wanted to do it on a minimal budget as well! As usual, that meant DIY.
A Christmas Wishlist
Hello, Sparkle!
Last week, we added Niki to our shop - a new style in our crochet jewelry line. I absolutely love how they turned out: gorgeous golden threads, lovely fresh water pearls, and the shape is just oh-so-perfect for the holidays with their snowflake shape and delicacy.
And as much as I want to keep them to myself (tempting!), at the very least, they inspired me to dream up a lovely outfit with some of my favorite finds this season. Some of these are on a great sale so I hope you enjoy!
Niki Earrings | Coat | Sweater Dress | Clutch | Boots | Tights | Watch
The Art of Gifting on a Budget
The older I get, the more I appreciate the value of thoughtful gifts. What makes me even more giddy with excitement is when a gift was a handmade item created with me in mind! This year, I am challenging myself (as well as my family):
To Gift on a DIY Budget!
Our budget limit is $10 a person (insane, right?!) The tight budget, however, has encouraged all of us to get very creative! Here are some ideas I have been toying around with.
For the bowls, I was imagining purchasing some of these bowls and using white spray paint I already own for the dipped effect, totaling at $3.95 a piece.
When it comes to the mugs, I plan to find some basic white porcelain mugs from Marshalls or TJ Maxx for less than $3 a piece. I already bought this porcelain sharpie to create the designs I like, making each gift cost less than $5.
The infinity scarf would require some basic knitting skills but the DIY featured here is very helpful and thorough in helping complete the project. I am thinking about adding some sparkle with rhinestones?
The minimalist painting is the perfect opportunity to spell out my love and appreciation for my family: all the things that are sometimes easier to write than say.
Dipped leather feather necklace (phew, that was long): I was unable to find an actual tutorial for it but I think it would be a pretty straight-forward project: purchase pieces of leather from the local craft store, do a simple stitch, cut the shape and paint with some liquid gold...
Test tube mocha is an almost definite yes in my mind - it just seems so much fun. I am not sure if I will go all the way with the printout labels but I think some handmade ones are in store for me.
Do you have any DIY gifts in mind for the holidays?
Happy Nameday!
Project List
What is a Nameday you ask?
Well, I hail from a country in the Southeastern part of Europe called Bulgaria. And in Bulgaria, everyone (well, almost, I will explain later) has a Nameday. And Namedays are kind of a big deal. Your Nameday happens to be on the same day the saint you are named after is celebrated. So, for instance, my name Katya celebrates on Saint Katherine's day (November 24th). Now, why do some people not have a Nameday? Even though it's rare, some people are not named after a particular saint and hence end up missing out on a pile of presents and a ton of fun.
And speaking of presents and fun, above, you are seeing my Nameday gift to myself: a new shelving unit! Since I started Kaya, I have been gathering some inventory that was crowding my very small office nook (see evidence on left). And even though I will spend some more time talking about converting the nook into an office later on, for now, I will say that it is small and it does not house much aside from my laptop. So, I was in dire need of some storage space. I spent weeks researching an option that looks fine, works better and does not break the bank.
IKEA didn't cut it, and neither did any of the larger retailers, such as The Container Store or Target. IKEA's units were too deep and the other retailers were just out of my price range. One Saturday night, on a whim, I decided to stop by the Home Depot (who could wish for a better date?). And, less than $85 and one hour of work later, tad-aah! I had myself a nice functional shelf. It did not take any drilling: the entire project was done with a hammer and a screwdriver. I did pick one upgrade to the otherwise "out-of-the-box" shelving unit: I picked up solid pine shelves instead of the usual particle board in order for me to keep them longer and maybe stain them later! Cheers to frugality and happiness all in one!
A few months back, a co-worker of mine convinced me to join my company's Spartan Race team. He didn't talk it up much: he mentioned it's a long-ish run with a few fun obstacles. You know, no big deal. Something someone who runs as much as me should complete more than easily (read, you don't really need to train for it). Ha ha ha.