Hello Everyone!

I wanted to put together a blog post to show you all how we made these fun throw pillows out of inexpensive IKEA rugs. They were pretty simple and easy it to make… and also very budget friendly (which you know we love!)

SUPPLIES NEEDED:

• IKEA RUGS (1 rug makes 1 pillow cover)
• Pillow insert (used the IKEA insert sized 16×24)
• Sewing machine
• White/off white thread

DIY STEPS:

I played with the design of how I wanted to make the pillows but ultimately decided to just follow the natural crease lines in the rug  and create this envelope style cover. These rugs were priced at $3.99 each at IKEA and are also available in other colors.

I ultimately decided on the dark grey/brown rug, as I wanted to use them for our outdoor space. I didn’t want to invest a lot of money in outdoor pillows since our area gets up to some pretty high temps and fabric is easily destroyed by the heat. Yet, I still wanted to try to make something on the more durable end, so by using the rug as my “fabric” they not only look great but will also hold up to wear and tear compared to other fabrics.

Step 1:

Lay out your rug and determine your fold lines…. in this photo you can see how the natural crease lines provide an easy guide to follow.

Step 2: 

Fold over the top half of your pillow ( shown below)

Step 3: 

Grab the bottom fringe and fold/tuck up underneath the top flap so that only the fringe of the top fold is showing… (see photo below)

Step 4:

Break out the sewing machine  and run a single stitch all the way up each open side (one on the left, one on the right.) I used a basic white thread in my machine and it worked very well on the rug material, so I would recommend using a white or an off white thread color. If you do not own a sewing machine you can do this part by hand with a needle and thread,  it will just take MUCH longer.  (please see photo below to see where the stitch needs to go)

Step 5: 

You should have an open flap underneath the tassel detail, right in the middle of the pillow cover. This is where you will put in the pillow insert. I was lucky to find two pillow forms at IKEA in the perfect size, marked down to $2.60 each. They are normally $4.90 each (still a fair price). The style of pillow is the 16 x26 inch size, I included the tag info below.

Step 6:

Fluff and enjoy, you’re done! I will probably add a coat of scotchguard  to the pillow covers, just for added protection outside. But these would be great for both indoor and outdoor spaces! We were able to get both these pillows done for a little over $13 (thanks to the clearance pillow insert) Even without the pillow insert on sale, these pillows cost around $9 each to make!

Hope you enjoyed this post, if you decide to make your own please tag us @livandmarket, we would love to see!!

xo

Mel & Izzy

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Good Morning!

We were overwhelmed with all your wonderful feedback on our DIY Christmas village, so we wanted to create a blog to show you step by step,  how we did it!

I had been eyeing the embellished mini Christmas houses in stores for some time now, I even bought some last year at JoAnns but then later returned them after I got them home and told myself I didn’t need them. Anyone else do this too?!  Well, this year they were popping up again and selling for about $15-$30 each, depending on size and detail. That was a bit more then I wanted to spend, so when I saw these paper mache houses on sale during a trip to Hobby Lobby, I figured I would try to create my own. (The kids and I could make a project out of it)….

The paper mache houses came out to a total of $13 for all 5. I decided on one large house, 2 medium and 2 small  TIP: always work in odd numbers!

I also picked up some embellishments to decorate the houses: mini wreaths and trees

Fast forward a couple weeks, it was time to start decorating for Christmas, and I wasn’t as enthused as I once was to completely bedazzle  five little houses. Feeling a bit overwhelmed,  I brought them all out and thought, they look cute enough just like this. ….maybe I should just leave them for a simple, minimal look.

But of course, after some time passed, my brain wouldn’t let me do that. I HAD to decorate them somehow! So, I decided I would just keep it simple,  just paint in a white snow roof, maybe add the little Christmas wreaths and tree embellishments.

I started out by painting  and glittering one roof, I still wasn’t feeling it. Then I decided to add the wreaths and trees…. started to look better. I kept playing with the embellishments, added the sprigs of greenery and glitter until it all  finally came together. Once I finished one, I recruited the help of our daughter and we decorated the remaining houses to mimic the first. Here are the supplies used to create our Christmas Village….

-SUPPLIES-

• Paper mache houses (purchased %50 off at Hobby Lobby)
• White paint (we used chalkpaint that we already had)
• White glitter (we used bot chunky and fine) purchased from Michaels
• Mini wreaths and Christmas trees in two sizes (Hobby Lobby)
• Faux garland trimmings
• Glue gun and glue sticks
• Faux snow (Dollar Store)
• Mini flatback pearls or rhinestones
• Mod Podge
• Paint brushes
• Aluminum tray (optional)
• Battery operated tea lights (optional)

Step one:

We started off by painting the roof with white paint, one generous coat seemed to work well.

Then we painted the base….

STEP TWO:

The paint dries quickly, so next we took a different paint brush and applied a thin coat of Mod Podge to the roof and base., then sprinkled over with fine glitter. (We worked in a disposable aluminum tray, to prevent as much glitter mess as possible)

I also went back over to dab the roof with the Mod Podge, for the chunkier glitter to adhere to….

Once that was dry, make sure to shake off the excess glitter into the pan.  Then, I applied globs of hot glue in the slopes of the roof, where snow would naturally gather and quickly sprinkled in the fake snow.

Again, shake off the excess into the pan.

Step THREE:

While that dried, it was time to glitter the wreaths and Christmas trees! These were also on sale half off,  came out to about $1.50 each pack. To complete the five houses  I purchased one pack of wreaths and two packs of Christmas trees, one pack each in two sizes (Larger size not shown here).

First step was removing the red bows and gold string from the wreaths…

Once those were off, I applied a layer of modge podge to each wreath and Christmas tree, then coated in a layer of fine glitter, shaking off the excess.

Then I cut up bits of the faux pine needles, glued to the wreaths and topped off with mini pearls…

I also had  these holiday picks (3) from Michaels for .75 each….the mini grapevine wreath was the perfect size for what I had in mind!

I just removed the wreath from the JOY piece and repeated the glitter and greenery embellishing process on these wreaths as well.  (I always try to reuse items, so I cut off the stick and turned the remaining JOY piece into an ornament with a loop of jute twine!)

Once all the wreaths and trees were glittered and dried, I hot glued them onto the front  and along the base of the paper mache houses, ensuring that each house was a little different.

Then we just added the fake snow and bottle brush trees around to finish off our Christmas village! The glitter trees were purchased from Target dollar spot $1 for the small size and $3 for the large. The green ones were only $1 each from the 99cent only store. We also added battery operated tealight candles for inside, to light up at night.

All together this project cost under $50, including the houses and trees! We already had the fake snow and other misc craft items so the cost will vary, based on the items you already have.  It definitely was a process and luckily we knocked it out quickly since our daughter became a glittering master I love that we made these little houses together and have decided to make it a tradition to do a Christmas craft together each year!

We hope you all enjoyed this tutorial, please let us know if you have any other questions!

XOXO

Mel & Izzy

Follow is on Instagram @LivandMarket

I can’t believe October is almost over and before you know it, we will be rolling into Thanksgiving and then pulling out all the Christmas decor.  I wanted to finally take the time to sit down and blog about refinishing furniture with homemade chalkpaint. To say that this blog post is very overdue,  is an understatement. When we first started our blog, this was one of the first tutorials that I planned to post. Now, here we are months later and still no post…….. until today!

I also wanted to give credit to my friend Annette for sharing this AWESOME recipe with us! She sells some super adorable and comfy clothing, you can find her page here —–>> Cute clothes here!!

We get tons and tons of questions on how to use chalkpaint on a regular basis, so I wanted to share how we have refinished several pieces using this homemade recipe. It’s actually really easy to make and will save you tons of money! Here is what we like about working with the homemade recipe:

PROS:

1.  More color options: You can literally use any latex paint in ANY color to create your own chalkpaint. This is a plus because sometimes the ready to go chalk paints sold in store don’t have the exact shade or color you are looking for. By making your own, you get to pick the color you want.
2. It saves you money: You can buy a gallon of regular paint for a fraction of the price than a quart size of the brand name chalkpaint. For small projects like a chair or nightstand, I like to buy the sample sizes from Lowe’s or Home Depot (usually around $5 or less). Even better when you score the marked down “oops” gallons and quarts!
3. Easy to make: With just three simple ingredients, you are in business! Please see recipe below!

Chalkpaint Recipe:

• 1.8 oz latex paint in the color of your choice
• 2 1/2 TBSP plaster of paris
• 1 TBSP of water
• Mason jar and something to mix with

DIRECTIONS:

1. Mix water and plaster of Paris  together until smooth, make sure you don’t have any lumps!
2. Mix in the paint
3. If you have any left over, store in a mason jar until you are ready for your next project!

How to use chalkpaint 101:

• #1 question we get is…..do I need to sand or prime the furniture??             The answer is NO! It is not required to prime or sand down furniture for the chalkpaint to adhere well but sometimes is it necessary to sand if the surface you are working on has peeling paint, stuck on gum or food, etc.

• How many coats will I need?  It really all depends on the look you are trying to acheive. If I am going for a rustic, shabby look, sometimes just one coat is enough. But overall,  I would say we apply at least two coats.
• When do I sand to acheive that “worn” or “chippy” look?  You want to hit those corners, table legs, edges after you are all done applying all your coats of paint. Then, be sure to dust off before sealing.
• What do I seal with?  We like to seal with a polyacrylic in clear matte…see photo below! Use at least 1-2 coats

If you made it this far, thank you so much for following our blog! We hope that this post was helpful and please let us know what other posts you would like to see. Check out a before and after shots of the projects we worked on using this exact recipe, enjoy!

Before

After

We mixed our own chalkpaint with leftover paint that we used to paint our guest bathroom. Interior is white, exterior is Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter.

BEFORE: GARAGE SALE FIND- VIntage CHAIR

AFTER

Refinished with just one coat and sanded on the carved detail to give it a rustic look. Recovered the seats with remnant burlap.

XOXO  Mel & Izzy

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Our first attempt at a chalkboard was actually on a dry erase board. We stumbled upon one that was classroom size at a garage sale for $8 but when we got home and tried to clean it up, we realized that the dry erase part of it was unusable since the marks were in permanent marker. But, we loved the wood frame on it and thought we would try to convert it to a chalkboard instead! It came out even better then we expected….see below:

We have converted several items into chalk boards since this dry erase board and it’s so easy to do that we want to share a tutorial on how you can do it too! Here are the supplies you will need to get started:

Supplies:

• ChalkBoard Paint
• Primer
• Paintbrush or Paint Roller
• Chalk
• Painter’s Tape

I got the idea to convert this wooden piece into a chalkboard after Izzy pulled it off the bottom of a coffee table we were working on. He had it propped up against the house and I just loved the unique size and wooden frame.

As you can see, this is how it looked still attached to the coffee table. It needed some work, so he sanded it down by hand because I wanted to keep the natural coloring of the wood but remove the stain spills.

Step 1:

• Tape off the edges of your frame with painters tape (depending on the item you are working with) Note: We have also created a chalk board surface on glass. If able to, simply pop out the glass from the frame and you won’t have to worry about taping off edges, just be careful when handling the sharp glass edges.

• Apply one solid  coat of basic primer, as seen below. We used the Kilz brand but any white primer will do. We just used a basic paintbrush to apply this entire coat as I don’t mind the look of the paint strokes, but if you want a smoother finish, we suggest using a paint roller and a brush for the hard to reach corners and edges.

Step 3:

• Once the coat of primer is dry, apply the first coat of chalkboard paint. Again, you can use either a paint brush or roller.  Below is the chalkboard paint that we use:

Step 4:

• Once completely dry, apply a second coat of chalkboard paint and let cure for 24 hours. Once it has set, it is ready to be primed with chalk!

Step 5:

• Grab a piece of chalk, lay it down on it’s side and apply the chalk liberally over the entire surface of the chalkboard.

This process is called “priming” the chalkboard and be sure to do this because chalkboard surface is very porous. If you skip this step, you run the risk of  your first chalkboard impressions being permanent.

Step 6:

Once the entire surface is covered, you will need to grab a dry rag, rub in and erase away all the remaining chalk.

Once complete, you are all done and it’s ready for writing!

We decided to dress this piece up a bit by adding a rope detail since it had pre-existing holes from the original coffee table. We actually found this rope at the Dollar Tree of all places. Since we already had the wood piece and primer, we bought more chalkboard paint (approx $10 for a quart) and the rope ($1). All together this project probably cost around $15, even less since we have left over paint and rope to make more chalkboards in the future!

Coffee Table Before:

After: (table and chalkboard)

XOXO

Mel & Izzy

So excited to be working with Expressions Vinyl  again and bring y’all another fun DIY project. Today we are talking home decor! I absolutely love creating unique and custom items for our home, not only because I get to choose the exact style and colors but I also get to make items that are sentimental and unique.

I had been on the hunt for a unique pillow cover, either with a design or phrase. When I was unable to find what I was looking for in the store or online, it hit me! Hey, I can just make my own?! So, I grabbed by Expressions Vinyl HTV, turned on my Cameo and got to work!

After deciding how I wanted the lettering to look like, I rummaged through my craft drawer and found this simple canvas IKEA pillow cover! I love using the simple pillow covers from IKEA or Hobby Lobby because they have a great selection in fabric and colors, while being affordable as well.

Then, I came up with a simple design with a fun little saying that my husband came up with “…love lives here.”

Note: We use a Cameo Silhouette 2 and included software to design/create. Highly Recommend this machine!! 

Don’t forget to mirror your image before you hit the cut button when working with HTV!!

While that was cutting, I turned on our heat press. We have a simple heat press and  prefer to use it when pressing items with HTV, because you get the continuous heat and pressure needed to get professional results!

TIP: We always pre-press our items for 10 seconds before applying the HTV to prep the material for HTV.

Once you have cut and weeded your HTV and pre-pressed the material you’re working with, you are ready to apply and press!

TIP #2 (not shown): I used a thin piece of fabric large enough to cover the work surface of the press, as to not transfer any unwanted items and protect my pillow cover from the heat plate.

Once pressed for 30 seconds, release and pull back transfer film……

Once the film is completely peeled off, recover with your scrap fabric and repress for 10 seconds to set in the HTV. And that’s it, easy as PIE right?!

Products Used:

• 20×20 Cotton pillow cover
• Black HTV Vinyl
• Cameo Silhouette and software
• Heat Press
• Download file below and cut/trace into your software of choice

XO

Mel & Izzy

Time for another fun DIY post, today we are sharing how we created the look of mercury glass on the glass window panes of a vintage door!

This was always a project that we wanted to try and when we saw it on an episode of Fixer Upper, I was motivated to finally cross it off the TO DO list! After a quick Google search, we were able to find the actual video tutorial from Dustin Anderson, the guy who created the beautiful antiqued glass for Chip and JoJo. It is an awesome video, extremely helpful and got us excited to give it a shot! You can view the video—-> here

So, this was our first attempt at mercury glass and to be honest, it wasn’t smooth sailing the first go round. But, like any DIY, we learn from our mistakes and tried again. Luckily, if you are not pleased with how the mercury glass is turning out, it can easily by wiped away and you can try again. Hopefully this tutorial will be helpful and you can learn from our mistakes!

Supply List:

1 Empty spray bottle

Vinegar and water

Painters Tape (optional)

Krylon Mirror Glass Spray Paint (got ours at Walmart)

Flat Spray paint

Window Glass cleaner (Windex, etc)

Paper Towels

Drop cloth/cardboard

Project Glass

Step 1: 

Prep and clean your glass area. For this project, we had to tape off the wood edges surrounding the window pane, but if you are working with a flat piece of glass, then no need.

{When working with an item such as a door, make sure you are working on the correct side!  Remember to stop and think, what side do I want the mercury glass to show? Whatever that side is, you want to work on the opposite side} this was our mistake #1….

Clean the glass with a glass cleaner (we used Windex) to make sure the glass is completely clean and dry. (Otherwise any lint, smudges or moisture will get trapped in between the glass and the first layer of paint and it WILL be visible on the other side) our mistake #2….

Here is our door that we picked up on OfferUp, taped off (wrong side, oops, told you we made a few mistakes….) but clean and ready for the next step!

Step 2:

Lay your glass project down flat, over a drop clothe or cardboard area. Mix your vinegar and water in the water bottle (75% water, 25% vinegar) and lightly spray the glass area with the mixture. Now, this part can be a bit tricky because depending on how much of an “antiqued” look you want, depends how much of the vinegar and water mixture is applied.  After trying this several times, (and I mean SEVERAL) I found that an overall light mist with a few scattered small to medium sized drops, gave me the look that I wanted.

Step 3:

Once you have applied the water and vinegar mixture, you can apply your first coat of mirrored glass spray paint, working from side to side to  provide good coverage. Now sit back and watch the paint mix and start to transform in front of your eyes!

TIP {For this door, I was able to work in small sections, one pane at a time. But for a single piece of glass, I would recommend working on the entire surface area all at once}

Once that first layer starts to dry (it dries fast) I recommend applying a second layer of the mirrored spray paint.

Step 4:

Once the second coat is dry, take your paper towel and gently tap the areas with excess vinegar water and the bubbles. You will see that the bubbles start to crack, giving you that aged mirror look. Keep blotting the areas until you are happy with the amount of “distressed spots” on your glass and you don’t have any puddles of the vinegar water remaining.

I also did a bit of smudging on the flat, dry areas of the glass to create more natural looking distressed spots. (Keep in mind that these distressed areas and cracks will be the areas highlighted in the next step, the black spray paint).

Step 5:

Take your flat black spray paint (Bought a .97 can at Walmart) and go over the area with even, smooth strokes. Feel free to turn your glass over, to check the coverage. I ended up doing two coats of black paint, to get the coverage I wanted. Once you are happy with the amount of black showing through, you are done!

Now, since we were working on a door, we had a few extra steps which required us to turn the door over, tape off the glass and paint the door frame. We did a couple coats of white chalkpaint, finished off with some light distressing and a glass knob.

This door was initially supposed to go into our bathroom, but I measured incorrectly and it was a bit too tall :(. So, we decided to make it a decorative accent in our home. Now it can be moved around and dressed up with each holiday or season change!

We hope you found this helpful, thank you for following along with us and our blog! Post your questions below and we will get back to you!

XO,

Mel and Izzy

www.instagram.com/livandmarket

Hello Friends! So excited to be teaming up with Expressions Vinyl again and today we want to share how to customize affordable mylar balloons with vinyl. I am actually a big fan of the Dollar Tree mylar balloons, because you not only get the balloon, but they also inflate it with helium, for a DOLLAR!! Specifically, I like to get the plain star balloons because they provide a great blank canvas for your vinyl and come in a variety of colors { white, black, red, blue, green, silver, gold}.

I decided I wanted to create a fun backdrop for the dessert table at an upcoming baby shower with custom mylar balloons. I looked into getting the large inflatable balloon letters, but it was going to be $50 plus shipping for the phrase I wanted to spell out. That was a bit out of the budget for me, especially since it was just for one day and I would also have to pay for them to be inflated once they arrived. Then, I remembered the affordable dollar tree balloons and I figured I would only need to buy five balloons {FIVE DOLLARS vs FIFTY, yes please!} by placing one large vinyl letter on each balloon to spell out BABY D.

Supplies:
– Dollar Tree Balloons (inflated)
–Slate Grey vinyl
–Transfer tape

I decided to go with a classic, simple font for the balloon letters, Century Schoolbook.

Once I had the design mapped out and sized, I got to work with my Cameo Silhouette. Once the machine cuts were done, I cut out each letter separately with scissors, weeded away the extra vinyl and applied the transfer tape. Next, determine where you want your design to be on the balloon and carefully place on the inflated mylar balloon {TIP: I purchased the balloons the evening before the event, made sure to keep in a cool area, and they lasted through the next day}. Finally, gently pull back transfer tape and voila, you have a custom balloon!

These balloons made an excellent backdrop for the dessert table, not only is it unique and custom, but AFFORDABLE! I love how it all came together { cake topper and elephant banner also created with my Cameo} The mommy to be received so many compliments!

The possibilities are endless as to what you can create with these balloons and vinyl. We hope this post has inspired you to create a little something special for your next event or party!

Be sure to follow us on Instagram for more DIY inspiration!
Liv and Market
xo Mel

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We are VERY excited to share that we have decided to start a blog, which will allow us to share even more on all our DIY and home decor projects! There is SO much content that we would like to be able to share with you, so we decided that a blog would give us that opportunity. We plan to post DIY tutorials, before & afters and even more photos and videos!!

We have big dreams for Liv and Market and look forward to sharing our journey with you all!

Thank you so much for following along with us and we hope you enjoy our new Blog!

xo

Mel and Izzy