Easy Sisal Rope Vase

I love the look natural fibers like jute, sisal, and burlap bring to a space. They provide warmth in an earthy, natural way and pair fantastically with modern accessories. I recently spotted a burlap bowl over at Centsational Girl and thought it would be just the right piece to hold some crisp, fall apples.   

All I needed was sisal rope, a glass vase/bowl/basket, and a hot glue gun.  I picked the sisal rope up at, of all places, the grocery store!  It was around $4 for a ton of it <<<finger to chin- the possibilities are endless of things in my house I could add this to...>>>. 

I took the rope and simply wound it around the glass vase 3/4 of the way (I personally wanted a little glass to show but you could wrap the entire thing) and hot glued here and there along the way.

Wah-la!  God bless the easy makeovers. Still  working on that trunk...

Easy Lamp Makeover

Our poor master bedroom has been void of bedside lamps for years  a while now so I set out to find some cute ones that fit my specifications: simplicity, color, pattern.  Easy enough, right?  Not so much.  Turned out lamp hunting is no easy endeavor.  Too tall, small, bright, dark, bulky...and expensive!  Whether it's how my mama taught me or not, I know deep down in my bones that beautiful things do not have to be expensive. In fact, I thrive on taking an inexpensive nothing and transforming it to look like an expensive something. It's simply a matter of choosing the right cheap inexpensive things. 

When I couldn't find the right lamps to fit my needs, I remembered a sad pair of black, beat up lamp bases I stored in my garage a while ago, plugged 'em in- realized they worked, and brought out the trusty spray paint. 

Here's what I used for this quick, inexpensive face lift:

• Rust-Oleum's Ultra Cover Primer
• Rust-Oleum's spray paint in Heirloom White
• Rust-Oleum's (sensing a theme here) Gloss Protective Enamel Spray
• 220 grit sand paper
• Blue painters tape

I started by wrapping the top with tape to protect the lightbulb socket.  Then I sprayed Rust-Oleum's Ultra Cover Primer followed by Rust-Oleums Heirloom White spray paint.  After a dry time of about 10 minutes I sanded the lamps lightly with 220 grit sand paper to get rid of any bubbles.  I followed up with Rust-Oleum's Gloss Protective Enamel for a glossy finish. Add a couple Target lampshades and it looks like they came straight off of One King's Lane!

An easy fix and beautiful transformation. Now to conquer the rest of the bedroom.  

Come back soon to see my next undertaking- restoring a charming old vintage trunk.