Home | Like a Saturday - DIY, Crafts, Recipes, Shenanigans

May 7, 2013
by likeasaturday 29 Comments

Miniature Terrariums

I told y’all you would see more terrariums, didn’t I? You can’t say I didn’t warn you! Sure enough, after making my first venture into terrarium-hood, I was hooked. I took a different approach this time and made miniature terrariums. These tiny little worlds are so fun and great to scatter here and there around the house.

For the containers, I used rounded votive holders. I bought mine from Hobby Lobby for about 50 cents a piece {on sale}, but I’ve also seen packs of these at the dollar store.

Anytime I’m working with succulents, I always start with a little bit of gravel to help with drainage. They don’t need or like a lot of water, so proper drainage is a must. You can also buy soil specifically for cacti to help with drainage.

Once you’ve got your base, the fun part begins. Ad your tiny succulents, moss, marbles, or other trinkets. Get creative and have some fun with it!

In what ways are you bringing the outdoors in this spring? If you like this, be sure to check out my large scale terrarium and soup can succulents!

I hope your Tuesday is fantastic!

May 2, 2013
by likeasaturday 4 Comments

My New Obsessions : Money Trees and Terrariums

I’m finally figuring out what kind of plants I can have without killing them. It’s an exciting time in the Like a Saturday house. Living plants everywhere! It’s only making me want more! You may remember this little fella…the one I hired to cover up the view of the TV wires.

He has since been fired. We never really got along. I tried my best to nurture the guy, and he just never wanted to be green and lush. To be fair, I never really loved him. I kinda settled for this plant. But now! Now I have my beloved money tree!

This money tree and I shall be the best of plant friends. I will love him, and water him, give him proper sunlight and even talk to him. How can you not, when he has such a lovely braided trunk?

I was pretty thrilled to bring this guy in, and it only made me want to add some more green. I decided to dive into the terrarium trend and try that out. I had an empty vase left over from the tulip bulbs my mother-in-law had give me, and it was just waiting to be home to some living things. I picked up some stones and a bag of a variety of moss at Hob Lob.

I started with a layer of stone….

Then added a good amount of soil…

Next, my other plant love, a few succulents. I ended up just using the hen and chicks. This is also about the time I started screaming at my dog like a raging lunatic as she attacked a baby blue jay. All of my neighbors probably think I’ve lost it…but hey…I have an awesome terrarium and a money tree!

Once I planted the succulents, I added stones and moss to add some more color, visual interest and character. It would also be fun to add a quirky, non-nature item or two. I’m on the hunt for a tiny yard gnome.

It’s just so happy and pretty. I’m addicted. You will see more terrariums. Believe me.

Tomorrow is Friday, y’all! We’ve almost made it to the end of the week, so keep on keepin’ on.

April 25, 2013
by likeasaturday 7 Comments

How to Organize a Small Pantry

In our little kitchen, we have a tiny little pantry closet. I mean tiny. I won’t complain, because I have friends who have even smaller pantries or none at all {!!!}. Ours also has nice, wooden shelves instead of those annoying wire ones. Since it is so small, it is important to keep it neat and organized.

I made over the pantry in my pre-blogging days, so I don’t have a before picture…but I do have lots of afters!

1) Do a deep clean and paint it a fun color!

After I dumped everything out of the pantry and onto my kitchen table, I gave it a good scrub and then a few coats of red paint. I like having a darker color on the walls inside the pantry since it hides scuff marks. It seems like the previous white walls were always marked up. Also, it’s fun to have a splash of color greet you upon opening the door! I’m always more inclined to keep things straight and organized if I have a pretty space to work with.

2) Categorize and Prioritize

Divide up all of your goods into categories and think about which items get the most use in your kitchen. I like to keep those items on the easiest to reach shelves. The items that don’t get as much use go to the higher or lower shelves. It’s not so bad to have to climb a stool or squat down to get something if you’re only having to do so occasionally.

3) Contain!

Baskets and containers are my best friend when it comes to organizing in a small space! I keep almost everything in a container of some sort in my pantry. It helps to wrangle each group of items into categorized bins to minimize clutter. It is also so easy just to grab whichever basket I need, and then throw everything back in the basket before returning it to the pantry when I’m finished.

4) Take advantage of unused space.

Stacking baskets have proven to be invaluable in my quest for organization. I bought my baskets at Target, but have been sad to see they are no longer selling them. I hope they’ll change their minds and bring them back! I have seen other kinds of stacking bins and baskets at other stores, even the Dollar Tree. Using stacking bins allows me to use the unused vertical space. I always stack the basket of the most used items on top. I also love my stairstep shelf for canned goods. It’s helps me see what I have available to use and again uses some of that vertical space.

I also LOVE these hanging baskets that I bought from Amazon to store saran wrap, foil, baggies, etc. I was able to free up an entire drawer in the kitchen {a big one, too!} just by taking advantage of some unused space.

5) Label, label, label!

I’m an obsessive labeler when it comes to organizing. You know exactly what is in which container without having to think too had about it. This is especially important if you’re not using see through bins. I borrowed a trick from Julie at Less Than Perfect Life of Bliss and made chalkboard labels out of wall plates and chalkboard spray paint. {Is that a genius idea, or what??}. I used bakers twine to attach, and a chalk pen to label with.

Keeping pretty much everything in baskets and labeled has helped me to keep the pantry neat and organized. Of course, life happens and things tend to get shoved in there from time to time, so I just do a quick clean out every couple of weeks or so to keep it all looking nice.

I also have several hooks on the inside of the door to hang lunch boxes, aprons, and my bag o’ bags.

What is your favorite way to stay organized in the kitchen?

April 23, 2013
by likeasaturday 5 Comments

Frosted Shower Door

Hi there! How’s everyone doing this week?

We have just a few weeks left until my little sister’s graduation and then wedding {allow me to FREAK OUT for a minute!!!!} – all of which are jam-packed full of activity. I’m gearing up to start on some bigger projects, like our master bath and closet makeover, once all of the festivity dust {confetti?} has settled. In the mean time, I decided to tackle a minor update in there.

Here is what our bathroom looks like now. Way too bright and way too yellow, courtesy of the million vanity lights and leftover gold toned paint. And seriously…..WHO puts carpet in a bathroom?? I cannot wait to overhaul this whole room!

We’re lucky to have a separate tub and shower stall in the master. However, I don’t like how much attention the shower draws to itself and my basket of toiletries. Cute, isn’t it? I decided to add frosted window film, that I had leftover from another project, to tone down the attention on the shower stall.

It’s really an easy project to tackle, but you’ll probably want to have a little help. Otherwise, you could find yourself wrapped up on the sticky side of the film. I may or may not be speaking from experience. Here is a good video demonstration of how to work with the film. A lot of tutorials mention using soapy water, but I used an application spray in the same brand as the film to apply it. You can find the film and all supplies you will need at Home Depot or Lowes {try looking near the blinds and other window coverings}.

I’m much happier with this look! I feel like it softens up the area and it covers up the ugly well. Always a bonus. You’ll notice that I didn’t apply the film over the entire shower door. I still wanted to be able to see out of the shower and also let in some direct light.

I’m even more excited now to update the bathroom! This was the perfect, simple project to get the ball rolling. I’m definitely looking forward to having a quieter, more spa-like space. Also, it will be really, really nice to not have bright lights and yellow yelling at me so early in the morning. It pretty much smacks you in the face right now.

Do you have any long overdue room makeovers in your future? Find a small project to attack to help get you motivated!

Have a great day!

April 9, 2013
by likeasaturday 3 Comments

Office Nook Update : Part One

My husband and I have a shared home office/creative space and we each have our own desks. When planning out my home goals for the year, I mentioned that I wanted to revamp and update my corner of the office. I already got rid of my old, bulky office chair and replaced it with this rescued chair. Now it was time for the rest of my office nook to get a little update.

I don’t have a very good “before” photo to share with you, but this “in transition” photo gives you the gist of things.

I used to have a white particle board desk from Ikea. It served its purpose in my college years, but when give the opportunity to trade it in for something less bulky and more my style, I jumped at it! My desk was originally my Grandma’s {She bought it with her green stamps back in the day. I wish we still had green stamps!}. It later moved on to my Great-Grandmother, back to my Grandma, to my Mom and now, me! After my mom had the desk for a while, she spray painted it black. It needed to be repainted since the old office chair had banged up the paint a bit, and I was wanting a softer tone that would mesh well with the rest of the office space.

One of the main things that needed a little update was the shelving. The brackets were looking very sad. The shelves needed some more substantial brackets both for visual appeal, and to be able to support some heavier items.

I bought and installed some new metal brackets from Home Depot. I like how these look so much better, and with the help of some very strong wall anchors, you could pretty much hang on them if you wanted.

It’s pretty amazing how much a simple change can make things better. I’m definitely digging the metal industrial look over the dinky plastic covers {that always fell off}. And now, it’s time to style! I’ll have more on that and a full reveal for you tomorrow, but here is a sneak peek until then!