Ninna Lu

DIY | A Calm Vertical Wall Banner

 

 

   A quick stop to my local Paper Source on my day off turned out to be a super fun DIY project. I found these Contempo brand kraft paper letters at their store and I immediately wanted to create a fun vertical wall banner to add to my meditation corner. The materials I used are pictured below.

 

Materials used: super tacky double sided tape, kraft paper letters, poly brushes (2), Annie Sloane chalk paint, rhombo black graphic paper, vintage sheer gold ribbon, scissors, and a ruler.

 

   I used chalk paint because I had left over paint from a previous DIY and the color I used for those picture frames were the same exact color. You are welcome to use spray paint for paper as well. I used two different paint colors for my letters, honestly not knowing which side I'll use, it also depended on how well the color will look with my graphic print paper used to create the vertical wall banner.

 

 

 

   I cut a very long two inch (wide) strip of my rhombo black graphic print paper to hold my paper letters vertical. I also had some vintage sheer gold ribbon (optional) laying around my craft room which I used the super tacky double sided tape to attach the ribbon to the back of my long strip of graphic print paper. 

 

 

   When hanging your letters make sure there is an even amount of space within each letter to make it look uniform. Another tip, when centering letters on the vertical banner, use extra double sided tape to areas of the letters that are not held by the paper ribbon since it will add too much weight to the paper banner holder. 

 

 

   I decided at the last minute to interchange the colors of my letters to make it pop out more. You can make these wall vertical banners with any word/s of your choice for your corner of your home. I hope this post brings some of you a little calm inspiration.

Thank you so much for reading.

~ marissa

 

DIY | Stencilled Pillow | Dot & Bo Love You To The Moon Pillow Inspiration

 

 

I fell in love with Dot & Bo's Love You To The Moon pillow below. So I got inspired to make my own version. 

 

I thought it would be a perfect addition to the new vintage entryway bench I got at the Sacramento Antique Faire a couple weeks ago.  It would also follow the theme of my framed love poems along the entryway wall. Read about that DIY here. 

 

I choose a vintage linen light gold fabric that looks like burlap to create as a pillow cover. To make your own pillow cover, here is a super simple sewing tutorial for a 14" x 14" pillow from A Curiously Chic Life. I bought an oversized throw pillow insert which is a 20" x 20". To cut the fabric, cut 21" wide and 46" in length.

Materials for the Pillow Cover:

fabric of your choice, scissors, pins, measuring tape, and thread

 

 

Here is my pillow cover final result (inside out pic):

 

To add the text "To The Moon & Back" to the pillow, I needed a stencil that almost matched the Dot & Bo pillow. I ordered my letter stencil stick-on from Craft Cuts. I was able to design my own through their website. The font I used for the text is Arial Black Stencil. Since my pillow size is a 20" x 20", I choose the height of my stencil to be 3" which equals to 9" total. Make sure that when you order, the height and the width of the stencil is less than the size of your actual pillow. For the fabric paint, I used Simply Spray in black from Michael's. Below are steps to adding stencil art to your pillow cover:

1) When you receive your stencil order from Craft Cuts, peel off the thick backing. Apply the stencil onto your fabric surface. Make sure it is centered. This is an important step: make sure to smooth out the stencil onto your fabric surface, using your finger or a spatula. To prevent the paint from bleeding through, make sure to also smooth out the vinyl around the letters.

2) Carefully and slowly peel off the transfer tape from the front of the stencil. I would smooth the vinyl out again. Important step: Use wax paper or parchment paper to put inside of the pillow cover to prevent the paint from bleeding all over the back of your pillow.

3) Find a piece of cardboard to paint your pillow cover. Make sure to cover the parts of the pillow where there is no stencil to prevent overspray. 

4) I sprayed the paint onto the fabric with Simply Spray. I followed the instructions on the package. Spray 6 to 8 inches away from your project in a circular motion. The paint comes out in a thick stream so be careful not to overpaint like I did. I waited overnight for the paint to dry. I carefully removed the stick-on stencil from the pillow and removed the parchment paper from inside the pillow. You can make the paint fade by washing the pillow, but you will need to wait 72 hours from the end of your project. If you have any questions regarding this DIY, please feel free to email me at [email protected].

"Home is where the heart is" and love should be all year round. If you can't get enough decorative pillows that send the message of love, check out the Love Mix & Match pillow from thestore.com. 

Thanks so much for reading! ~ marissa

 

 

 

 

DIY + Other Moments

   It's now mid way through August and it's been quite some time since my last blog post, yikes! I wanted to share some memorable moments in DIY and travel that I've done in the past three months but have never found the time to post.

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   I never knew that I had the skill to paint. Surprisingly actually anyone can! At least that's what the folks at Painted in Folsom, CA can make you feel. I went with a bunch of co-workers after work, sipped some red wine and painted step by step all the way through, until whoa-la! A cherry blossom picture appeared.

 

 

   Also lately, I've been finding myself watching a heck of a lot of HGTV and I've been finding empty walls around my house that need some tlc and I finally found myself doing little projects here and there. Below is the jewelry wall I finally put together. 

 

I ended up perusing a little vintage pop up shop in Loomis, CA one day and bought the vintage blue chair, a bracelet jar, and a necklace holder. That vintage mirror was a find at the Sacramento Antique Faire from 2011, see the past post here.

 

 

   For this vintage empty picture frame, I cut out a piece of chicken wire that was purchased from Home Depot to hold some of my hook earrings for display. Also discovered that idea from a picture I found on Pinterest. Just do a quick search for jewelry wall.

 

 

 

   I was lucky enough that my brother-in-law gave me his vintage yellow bamboo dresser mirror which he had since he was a baby. It was just laying behind a door in my guest room so I decided to paint it with Annie Sloane chalk paint in French Linen. I then bought an affordable vintage industrial inspired console table at Cost Plus World Market and set up my refurbished bamboo mirror near the entrance of the house.

 

 

 Lastly, below are just some memorable pictures I took from my younger brother's wedding at the Oceano Resort and Spa at Half Moon Bay, CA.

 

  My wedding picture collection of all siblings on my family's side is now complete.

Thanks so much for reading! ~ marissa

 

 

 

 

 

Thanksgiving Thoughts

 

 

If you're hosting Thanksgiving for your family, here are a few of my personal recipe picks.

{Appetizer} : Brie and Cranberry Tartlets

{Sauce} : Apple & Cranberry Sauce with Orange and Crystallized Ginger

{Brine} : Apple Cider Brined Turkey

{Side Dish} : David Chang's Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Asian Vinaigrette Dressing

{Dessert} : Pumpkin Pie Spice Whoopie Pies

{Cocktail} : Pumpkin Pie

 

Below are my 10 reasons to be extra thankful for Thanksgiving every year:

1) My husband

2) Pawley and Maddie

3) My Mom, Dad, Sister, Brother and the rest of the Mendoza clan

4) True friends

5) My home

6) My local wellness center

7) My health

8) My job

9) My neighbors

10) Lastly, Ninna Lu and its fellow supporters

 

Wishing you ALL a Happy Thanksgiving

 

to yours. ~marissa

 

A Mini Terrarium Transformation

 

   Hi everyone! It's that time of year where I find peace and harmony in the art of gardening, my way at least. For those who have a bit of a green thumb and enjoy entertaining outdoors, here are my few pins on my Pinterest boards, a gardening chic and inspiring outdoor spaces for your perusal to spark your interest. To start with is our home courtyard, which aside from the kitchen, is one of my favorite spaces to dwell in during the evenings this time of year. It's a refreshing space to be in feet up with an ice cold and fruity sangria while embracing the cool evening breeze. 

   This mini terrarium transformation is a start in creating my own personal oasis for our staycations at home this coming summer. For many years, I've had  this medium sized terrarium from Crate and Barrel of which I've used as a garden decor for our courtyard. It's a bit weathered now from being outdoors for so long. It still remains standing to hold and help grow any plant combination depending on your gardening taste in botanicals. You can also try to hunt down a vintage terrarium at estate sales. I have one next to the other as pictured below.

The before picture:

The materials used are:

exotic pebbles, preserved live reindeer moss, a couple succulents, a perennial flower and potting plant mix

My DIY Instructions:

   After thoroughly cleaning my terrariums, I scooped a handful of potting mix to place on the base of the terrarium. Carefully removing each succelent and perennial from it's plastic pot, I removed the excess roots and soil, enough so the succulent doesn't sit too high on the base. If you prefer, measure the height of your base before removing the excess roots and soil from your plant. 

   As I already had a design in mind on how I wanted to place each plant on the base, I do recommend that you have a plan in mind before starting this project so that no living thing goes to waste. What I had in mind was placing the larger succulent in the center and the other on each corner by dividing the plant in half. I also wanted a hint of pink and yellow in the background to add color as well as height to my terrarium design.

  Try adding a few exotic pebbles to add another shade of green color and to hold your preserved reindeer moss in place. Next step is to grab a good book, sit and hopefully watch it grow and flourish over time. 

The Results:

Lastly, please don't forget to add water to keep that moisture in the terrarium. Pictured is the final transformation.

Thank you so much for reading and I hope you all enjoy your time with that special someone on this Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to my Dad.

~marissa