IKEA HACK: DIY VITTSJÖ BOOKSHELF.

EW, sorry for the wait, but this just in…DIY-ing is no freaking joke. Blood, sweat and tears went into this piece. So did a lot of "whatevers" and one solo trip to Arby's. I'm not proud of that last bit. All that being said, I am SO happy with the final product, I have been dying to share it with you guys! Let's start with my old bookcase. Nothing was really wrong with it, but I bought it when I had a brown leather couch (no mo!), it was $26 at Target and it felt SO very college. I have been out of college for far too long to own such a piece. Ahem. #lemmeupgradeya

OLDIE NOT-YET-GOLDIE SHELF:

STEP TWO was purchasing the VITTSJO shelf from IKEA, seen below. It comes in two sizes and I chose the larger of the two ($79), because I had more space to spare than my original shelf actually took up. My friend Brandi and I tackled this project together, and she got the smaller version ($49) for a narrow wall in her new house.

After a lot of debate about how to handle the solid brown bottom shelf, I found this "marble" contact paper on Amazon and snapped it up to give it even more of an upscale feel. This was actually a lot easier to apply than we thought it would be. Sighhh. I just love when a vision really comes to life.

STEP THREE is what I lovingly call the "hell phase." Building anything from IKEA is cruel and unusual punishment. This actually wasn't so bad, and having the real drill helped a ton. I highly recommend doing this with a friend and not a family member to avoid excessive obsenities & possible murder.

Priming and painting took the longest. I think overall, I used two cans of primer and three cans of gold spray paint to cover mine completely. I still may buy a 4th can for touch-ups later.

 After a LOT of cans of primer & gold spray paint (buy extra and thank me later), I give you NEW NEW in all of her glory!

Close up of the "marbled" bottom shelf. Ahh! I love it so much!

I am still playing with the decor on each shelf, but that is the beauty of shelving like this. You can change it all up as many times as you want!

Baby Coco Chanel approved. Looking pretty proud of her mom's handywork. Either that or she is thinking about what a total freakshow her mother is. Both extremely likely.

The two baskets on the bottom shelf were another IKEA find. I love the way they look against the metal frame.

Those sad little paintings were done by yours truly, ha I apologize, but the great metal 'H' is one of my favorite pieces. I love that it adds height without being too bulky.

Little shell my Grandpa Poppa gave me on top of my most intellectual stack of books. Paris Hilton, anyone?

Love this picture of my Aunt Rhett and my Dad at my graduation from CofC. I lost my Dad in 2011 to lung cancer, and like to keep as many reminders of him around the apartment as I can. 

Annnd a double-cameo by my most favorite five...well, four, excluding myself.

Coco is pretty happy that it is warm outside again. She got very adventurous yesterday and even made it cautiously out onto the patio! She is an indoor girl, through and through.

Look at that little woman taking it all in! I love her horribly. I really need to clean my patio off...sick pollen.

IKEA VITTSJÖ SHELF / GIANT METAL 'H' (℅ Shop Alix)
OVERALLS: Express (no longer available) similar here + here / CONVERSE

So there you have it. I lost brain cells due to paint fumes, but in the end, I think it was all worth it as I now have a much better view from my couch for wine-sipping. DI-WHY.

SNAKE IN THE GRASS.

Ok, so I lied when I said I didn't buy anything at the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale…but the one item I did bring home was not actually on sale (go figure), so it was not really a REAL lie. It was only ly-ish. Forgive me? You will in time. This beaut below came home with me. It was really beyond my control.

LIKE MYNDED

BONUS: long enough for heels!

Super flattering sweetheart neckline.

Love the colors in this python print.

My closet floor. Probably my favorite DIY ever.

I seriously can't wait to wear this flowy little number to sip wine in the French countryside. Did I mention there is no wine on this 21 Day Fix? I'll ask you again, #sendhelp. 

P. to tha S. A few people have been asking for more details on this little closet safari DIY. It was one of those moments that was accidentally genius, but super easy. 

Basically, I bought this rug online (I think from Overstock?), but when it came in, it was WAY too aggressive for my living room and it was final sale. After a lot of pouting, I decided to try cutting it to fit my closet. I told you...decor crazed. Maybe I should have prefaced this with: "I was still single."

I measured the inside of my closet, marked the rug and then cut it using carpet shears I bought at Lowe's. Finally, I used carpet seam glue on the edges to keep it from fraying and voila! Leopard lovin' heaven. 

Here is a collage of the whole adorable process:

  

POP MORE CORKS.

 

Ok gal pals, I've had my coffee(s) and am feeling sentimental. Time for a little DIY action. I love this idea, brought to you by Houzz via Pinterest, because let's be honest...where else? It's easy, meaningful and encourages drinking. What more could you ask for in a project?

What you will need:

-Three shadowbox frames. The deeper, the better. I got mine at Target, because again, where else?

-Old corks you have saved from special dates: anniversaries, your cat's birthday etc.

-Hot glue gun.

-Gold paint pen, or color of your choice.

That's it.

No shortage of corks at my place.

What to do:

Step 1: Center each cork on the white backing of the frame (you may have to saw off a portion of the cork to make it fit, depending on the depth of your frame. I used a serrated knife for mine) and hot glue it into place.

Step 2: Use the paint pen to write the date underneath the cork that corresponds with the special occasion you are trying to remember. I chose the dates from my first anniversary with my boyfriend and our first Christmas together. Collective "Aww." My third frame is still empty, which clearly means we need to start chugging, no?

Step 3: Put your frame back together and voila! Instant art. Please hold your applause, I know that was tough for a Wednesday morning.

Now, if I could just figure out where to hang mine...first world problems.