Project Sneak Peek, Another Beautiful Drift Wood Mirror

Good morning,

I have recently been working with a prior client who has a LOVE of all things drift wood. So much so that I tell her on a consistent basis "walk away from the drift wood". Ha! It's become our joke.

Needless to say it makes sense that she wanted her very own DIY drift wood mirror like the one I made for my guest bathroom as seen here.

I couldn't pass up a chance to showcase such an amazing mirror in her beautiful home, and for someone who would cherish it so much so we bought our drift wood again from Etsy (darn the lack of drift wood here in South Florida!). I reused an old Ikea mirror that I had and  re-hacked the DIY drift wood mirror again. See it with the tutorial  here . It isn't an extremely difficult project, it just takes time (about 8 hours!) and patience to glue wood piece after wood piece keeping shape, form and style in mind along the way sort of like a puzzle which is a challenge when working with wood pieces. The results however are worth the time and energy needed to make this baby, and really for around $100 in materials you just can't go wrong!

We hung the finished trophy mirror above a console which leads to her family room and back yard. Things are still being staged and the curtains here are not hung so I'll show you the full sha bang soon, but trust me when I tell you this DIY drift wood mirror has found its place in a beautiful home.

Take a look at the finished DIY drift wood mirror. 

TERRIBLE I PHONE PICTURE DISCLAIMER. DISREGARD POOR PICTURE QUALITY!!! 

The lighting was terrible and I snapped these photos with my phone as I was leaving so they really don't do it any justice. I'll get better pictures for you next time, but I'll wait until the curtains are up.  I also can't wait to reveal more of the amazing project for an amazing client so stay tuned.

Fall Fashion To Decor Show Down

Happy Monday!

Now that I was able to put away Halloween and all that goes along with it, I'm shifting gears to what's next. That change of seasons excitement is the part of me that grew up in Utah, and even though I've lived in San Francisco then Miami for going on 10 years now I don't think I will ever shake the feeling and anticipation for the changing seasons.

Fashion and home decor to me are synonymous as they are both influenced by trends that go along with the changes in weather and life style. For me it's as exciting to change out the colors in my home as it is to break out the new must haves in fashion so it makes sense that just as I am trying to find ways to style my home on a budget, I do the same with my wardrobe. I always mix high and low pieces through my outfits and accessories and do the same thing with the furniture and accessories that go in to our home or the projects I work on. There's no shame in this game!

Today I want to share with you how the change of seasons can influence both fashion and decor through one very inspiring outfit.

Fashion To Decor Show Down

1, 2, 3, 4, 5

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

I absolutely love the burgandy, blood red, maroon or what ever shade you want to call it jeans this season. I actually bought the VERY flattering pair that I posted about from Target and can't tell you enough how comfortable and adorable they are and for under $30 bucks! You don't have to revamp your entire wardrobe to get with the changes, simply remixing what you have and adding a few things here and there will go a long way. I always save on the trends and splurge on the classics such as bags or shoes.

I'm also loving jewel tones in home decor especially this time of year, and will definitely be mixing in some warm colors here at the Perez house which is a change from my typical black and white all over. That is the fun part about holiday decor, it doesn't stay around for long. If color isn't your thing then bring in this season with the juicy textures that go along with the Mongolian lamb pillows, or curl up on your Souk rug from West Elm and have a cup of coffee. Which ever the case, changing your decor seasonally doesn't just mean bringing in pumpkins and gourds, but making things cozy...even if you live in sunny Florida!

 I've been loving that Souk rug since West Elm came out with it, though I don't think it will be mine any time soon so I'll just have to keep on wishin. What do you think of this fashion to decor show down? Is there anything you are coveting this fall that you just can't wait to get your grubby little paws on?

Final Halloween Time, Costume Reveal

Good morning,

I posted yesterday about my last minute costume inspiration for Day of the Dead here , and I promised to show the results.

Yesterday ended up being crazy hectic for me, and true to form I had about a half hour to shower and throw on my make up for Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead. What I found is that it was MUCH more intricate and time consuming than I thought, and for the sake of getting out of the house and not missing the night I had to do the best I could with no time at all. I would have loved to shad and blend and make things cleaner and sharper, but this was the best I could do.

Here is my QUICK make up for a Day of the Dead Halloween costume.

**It should be noted that these were taken AFTER the night so the makeup was wearing thin, and my nose itched ALLOT so it had to go. Ha!

No Flash

 With Flash

**You see with the flash that the white showed up much more, I didn't have time to add another layer but recommend doing so if you try your own Dia de los Muertos make up.

For the make up I used some of what I had and added inexpensive items from the store:
- Plain white Halloween make up applied with a sponge. **This stuff is thick and HARD to put on, you just have to blend blend blend.
-Yellow Halloween makeup crayon (for around the blue of the eyes).
-Black liquid liner for all the details (which is very easy to paint on) I used NYC.
-Green and black glitter long lasting creme shadow found from Revlon.
-Sephora- Nano lip pencil in Pleasant Plum for all the red on my face and lips. 
-False Lashes.
-Black Mascara Cover Girl lash blast.

For the costume part, I wore a couple of my daughters flower hair clips, an off the shoulder top that I owned and a long black skirt/ swim suit cover up.  No purchase necessary.

What do you think of my end of the night quick make up? Sometimes a little creativity and DIY works outside home decor as well. This was a very inexpensive way to get festive and celebrate Halloween, and didn't take much effort. Just make sure if you chose this for next year to give yourself some time to get the make up right! 

What were you for Halloween? Are you happy to see it go and bring on the Holidays?

Halloween Time, What's Your Costume?

Happy Spooooky Halloween!!!

It's finally here, after a month of decorating, parties and getting ready today is Halloween. This year we weren't able to make it to any truly epic Halloween parties sadly, so I didn't really go all out on the costume front. Tonight we've been invited to a good friend's house for wine, food and trick or treating with the kids.

I decided that I can't go "naked" to a Halloween gathering costume wise. How boring would I be to come in civilian's clothes? I've come up with a pretty quick and easy costume idea that I'm putting together. My plan is Dia De Los Muertos or Day of the Dead. Traditionally this day is celebrated by Mexicans and Mexican Americans, and is celebrated by praying for and remembering friends and family members who have died. There are usually parties and parades to honor this tradition.

You are probably familiar with the vivid colors and amazing art from this celebration, and if you're not then feast your eyes on all this amazing color!

 

**I'm secretly OBSESSED with this wall stencil! Who wouldn't be ;)

And here are some ideas from Day of the Dead translated in to the perfect costume.

Do you get the idea????? I could see a whole party based around the Day of the Dead theme, couldn't you? Technically this is a November celebration, but it sure makes for an awesome Halloween costume idea.

My plan here is to play up the makeup with dark lips, dark eyes and colorful details. I'll simply do a side swept hair with some flowers pinned down. Add some jewels and voila! Pretty easy costume if you ask me, and with a minimal cost of make up and some hair accessories. I'll share the results with you later today!

What will you be wearing for Halloween? Anything festive or creative that you will be doing???

Easy No Sew DIY Banded Pillows

Good morning,

I want to show you one more fun and easy project that I did for Isabella's room. No sew banded pillows. This was a 5-10 minute project, but it brought a beautiful designer touch to her room by simply using the fabric remnants from her DIY Upholstered Cork Board. In my own home I'm like everyone else in search of cost saving ways to make the most out of what I've got, and this is a great example of using what you've got and making something special.

For this project I originally bought 1 yd of this Waverly Modern Essentials fabric in Lilac. The "scraps" that I had left over from my cork board gave me enough for 2 bands that are about 10" wide each. What I love about this project is that I originally bought the fabric at 50% off so it cost me $20 per yard instead of the original $40. Second, I love that it ties the room together and gives it a more "designer" look in small doses keeping the cost down. Lastly, in case you didn't remember from my posts here, Banded Pillows And Sea Urchins and here, Banded Pillows Inspired By Kelly Hoppen as well as the many other posts that I've done with banded pillows one thing is clear, I love banded pillows!

Here is a step by step guide to making your own No sew DIY banded pillows. 

What you'll need:

-Fabric- I probably used about .25yds for my 2- 10" bands

-Scissors

-Tacky glue

-Iron

Step 1: Take your fabric strip and fold the ends in (following the print if there is one), and iron the edges to give you a crisp edge. 

Step 2: Place your band face down and put your pillow on top. Pull your ends over the pillow taught and trim the extra fabric keeping in mind that you want it to be very secure around the pillow so you may need to trim off more than you think.

 Step 3: Fold over both of your ends and iron them for a clean edge. Line the inside of each edge with tacky glue to secure both of your end pieces.

 

Your finished edges will look like this.

Step 4: Place your pillow on top of your band and pull the band around the pillow. Line the edge of one end with tacky glue and over lap the other end on top of it. Secure the entire edge with sewing pins along the line and let it dry.

Here is the room with the finished No Sew DIY Banded Pillows.

They were too easy and turned out too amazing to not share with you. In this case they really tie together the colors and theme of this room, however in your own home they could be a great way to add texture to an other wise boring pillow, or they could be a safe way to add a punch of color without going over the top.

In any case I'm a fan of banded pillows and I'm an even bigger fan of yet another DIY project that only took a little bit of time, some fabric and some glue. I swear, there isn't much I can't do when armed with some spray paint, some glue and possibly a staple gun!

What do you think of these banded pillows? Would you try them in your own home?