DIY Wedding Photo Props and Decor

I have been having whipping up custom pennants for my husband's photo shoots lately. I pretty much see pennants/bunting everywhere these days, and I am honestly not tired of them yet!  I think they are so versatile and pretty and are the perfect way to decorate for a wedding birthday party or simply a room in the house. 

And all you need are a few scraps of fabric here and there to make them. I have repurposed denim for my boys' name pennants for their room, cut out felt for my"happy birthday" banner and even made a small fabric one for my vintage chalkboard. 

My latest ones are made of repurposed leftover IKEA curtain fabric and some upholstery samples. (Anyone who has bought IKEA curtains knows they come extremely long and you always have to trim them down-glad I found new use for the fabric instead of just tossing it...IKEA would be so proud...) 

Maybe you've made a few, maybe this will be your first time but they are so easy, I promise. And, they are no sew! 

Here's what you'll need: 

-leftover fabric

-monogram stencil

-twine 

-permanent marker

-glue gun

-fabric scissors

-Basically, you cut out one triangle and trace the rest from the first one, then cut out. 

-Hot glue each one to a long piece of twine

-Use your permanent marker to stencil your letters

-Embellish by cutting out  hearts, whatever and you're done! 

Here is the "hugs and kisses" wedding pennant I made for one wedding photo shoot. (I think the newlyweds loved it!)

And here is the "vowed" pennant for this sweet couple.

(I like these so much I think I might hang them up in the house around Valentine's Day...)
There are so many ways to customize pennants and using a permanent marker instead of fabric paint makes them really fast and easy to make. I hope they never go out of style! Later on I'll show you a really cute one I made for a one year old photo shoot.

Hope you enjoyed these and if you liked what you saw here, feel free to browse around and check out more of my tutorials, and thanks for stopping by ReMadeSimple!

Ten Thrift Store Furniture Transformations

Source: bhg.com via Kristina on Pinterest

Whenever I go into a thrift store or garage sale, I love to look at an old, outdated piece of furniture and dream up how it could be transformed with a fresh coat of paint or a yard of fabric. And if you've been following along, you might know I've worked on a few furniture transformations this summer, like my Pottery Barn Knock Off Chairs and Shaker Style Cabinet Revamp.

But since I'm trying to avoid being a hoarder, I can't always buy all the furniture I see but it's still fun to think about. (My new rule for myself is to find a few things I can donate every time I visit a thrift store so it doesn't all pile up!)

Better Homes and Gardens recently posted some before and after shots that will simply amaze you. You would never know they were faded, worn out pieces of furniture  you'd walk right past  at a thrift store. I was so inspired and loved the eye candy so much I thought I'd share it here on the blog:

Can you believe the fun and modern standby above used to look like this?

Source: bhg.com via Kristina on Pinterest

What would you do with an old chair like this? 

Source: bhg.com via Kristina on Pinterest

Here's what BHG did with a bright coat of spray paint, a new cushion and fabric flowers.

Here's what their bookcase looked like before: 

Source: bhg.com via Kristina on Pinterest

And after! 

Source: bhg.com via Kristina on Pinterest

Here are a few more beautiful ideas.  You can click on the picture to see what the pieces looked like before. My personal favorite is last but not least...

Source: bhg.com via Kristina on Pinterest

Source: bhg.com via Kristina on Pinterest

Source: bhg.com via Kristina on Pinterest

Source: bhg.com via Kristina on Pinterest

Source: bhg.com via Kristina on Pinterest

Source: bhg.com via Kristina on Pinterest

Source: bhg.com via Kristina on Pinterest

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Can you believe this gorgeous headboard used to look like this? 

Source: bhg.com via Kristina on Pinterest

Are you inspired to go scour some thrift stores or garage sales to see what you can turn from trash to treasure? I definitely am. I will be working on a set of chairs for a friend these next few weeks--can't wait to show you what I do with them!

 Thanks for visiting ReMadeSimple! 

Pottery Barn Knock Off Chairs

When I found this set of chairs at a thrift store for about $5,  I had no idea they were the exact same style as Pottery Barn's beautiful Napoleon Rush Seat Chairs. While browsing through PB's online catalog, I couldn't believe how similar they looked and decided it was time to paint the chairs a much lighter color to create a great knock-off look like the ones I was admiring online. 

Here are Pottery Barn's chairs:

Source: potterybarn.com via Kristina on Pinterest

Why would someone have gotten rid of these? They were sturdy and in great condition. I was happy to be the lucky recipient and couldn't wait to cover them in a creamy shade of paint.

Here are the chairs before: 

And here are the chairs after! 

I revamped these chairs by spray painting the rush seat covers with a few coats of white spray paint, then painted a few coats of latex paint + primer in my off-white shade on the wood. (A cheap way to do small painting projects like this is to buy one or two of the $3 paint tester cans tinted in whatever color you like.) I lightly distressed the edges of my chairs with my Dremel to finish.

Here are the chairs in my dining room. So light and airy. By the way, did you know dining room chairs don't have to match? Here I mixed two different styles of chairs all painted a pale color to create a uniform look with eclectic style.

I am so happy with my transformation! It's amazing what a few simple coat of paint can do. (And, I have to laugh when people think I actually shop at Pottery Barn...)

Linking up with these parties.

Repurposing Baby Food Jars

Source: babysavers.com via Kristina on Pinterest

I've got baby food on the brain again! Our sweet 5 month old baby boy just started eating pureed veggies this week and I am thinking again about what to do with all those mini jars too cute to throw in the recycling bin.

A site called Babysavers had a post called "Ten Great Ways to Repurpose Baby Food Jars" and I love this idea I saw there-photo frame jars!

Aren't they gorgeous? I imagine how elegant these would look displayed on my mantel in a group like this with a few tea lights lit around them. ( Click here for the complete step-by-step instructions.)

Two years ago, when baby food was on my mind with my middle son, I made a few of these with Mod Podge and tissue paper:

Source: remadesimpleblog.blogspot.com via Kristina on Pinterest

I added a tealight and wrapped wire around the rim and the ordinary jars were transformed!

Another very simple, pretty idea I found on Pinterest were these:

Source: blogs.dexknows.com via Kristina on Pinterest

If I could decorate for my wedding day again, I think I would try this! So simple and beautiful.
Now, I can't wait for my little guy to go through a few more jars of food so I can throw them in the dishwasher and get started on my photo frames...

Shaker Style Cabinet Revamp

One of the big projects I've been working on this summer has been my bathroom makeover, changing up paint, lighting, mirrors and adding storage after I took out a medicine cabinet. I am almost done, but wanted to do another post update on my progress.

I got a good deal on this shaker style cabinet I found at a consignment shop a few years ago. It was originally green with these cutesy, horrific pink cherries someone had painted inside it. So, I painted it white with blue distressed doors and it sat in my living room for a year and a half.

Until I needed more space for storage in our small bathroom. After taking measurements I found out the cabinet would fit perfectly in the upstairs bath right next to the tub. Like it was made for that space!

The nice thing about this cabinet is that the doors pop out-how convenient for me and my idea adding chicken wire after painting a cheery pop of tangerine orange on the shelves.

my finished cabinet!

I used small baskets to hide toiletry items neatly in the cabinet

As a finishing touch, I added chicken wire easily with wire cutters and a staple gun so the pretty orange shelves could show through.

I can't wait to reveal the entire bathroom remodel-new lighting is in, new mirror, paint colors too. All I need to do to finish is create some homemade art for decorating the walls. I found some good deals today at Saver's that have lots of potential to be transformed....stay tuned for the big reveal!

Linking up with these parties.