DIY Dresser Entertainment Center

As most of you know, I moved into my first apartment this weekend. I spent hours and hours searching for the perfect furniture. I really love the whitewash-rustic-chique look but it was so hard to find something the was adorable and affordable. That's when my dad's handyman skills and workshop came in handy!

Here is an old dresser we picked up from Goodwill for $50. It was made out of solid oak wood which was perfect!

 The top was made out of a hard plastic-type coating which we weren't able to sand, so we took off the top. Then I had to decide which drawers I wanted to take out--I went with the top row. I also debated taking out the top two drawers in the middle.

 Once we took out the drawers, you can see there was an indent from where they were and I wanted it to be a smooth surface.

 To make it all even, we measured and cut plywood to fill in the space. Here's me using my dad's fancy tools ;) The bottom of the dresser also had a scalloped design and I wanted it to be more sleek so my dad cut it to make it straight across.

 We used wood glue to secure the plywood in place and cocked around the border to fill in any gaps.

On to sanding which was by far my least favorite part--lets face it, who likes to sand? Luckily we only needed to take off the top coating which had a glossy finish. The primer we used said it wasn't necessary to sand, but rather be safe than sorry!

 We took off the ugly old handles and used wood filler to fill in the previous holes. Time to prime!

Next, I painted it two coats of white. It was a little tricky to get rid of all the streaks so this takes time!

 Next, my dad drilled holes for the new handles (the original handles were a weird size that they didn't sell at Home Depot). He also made the top!

This color was achieved by using two different colored stains. One was a very light whitewash color and one was a darker gray. Neither looked too good by themselves but I thought they looked so much better together.

I love my little entertainment center! Its perfect and has tons of storage. I still want to get a few cute decorations to put in the side cubbies or near the TV. It took quite a bit of time to make this, but I love having a unique piece of furniture that I can say I made :)

DIY Bath Bombs / Fizzies

After my DIY: Scented Bath Salts post and video, it was highly requested for me to do a DIY Bath Bomb tutorial! This takes more time, and is a little more messy...but a fun project! If you make the two projects together, it makes a great gift set for the holidays.

Supplies:

• 2 Cups Baking Soda
• 1 Cup Citric Acid
• I Cup Cornstarch 
• 2 TBSP Extra Light Olive Oil
• 10 drops Essential Oil
• Spray Bottle
• Water or Witch Hazel
• Food coloring / Soap coloring 
• Twine
• Jar or recycled candle jar
• Cardstock / Tag
• Dried Herbs / Sea Salt (Optional)
• Silicone Ice Tray / Cookie Cutters 
• Bamboon Spoons (I got mine here)

Directions:

• Combine dry ingredients in a bowl (baking soda, citric acid, cornstarch)
• Add in extra light olive oil; mix. Add essential oil.
• Combine water and a few drops of food coloring in a spray bottle.
• SLOWLY start to spray mixture into the bowl, mixing as you spray. If you add too much water, it will start to fizz and expand so do this step slowly.
• Keep adding water until it is a wet-sand-like consistently (Just wet enough that the sand will stick together.)
• Pack mixture into a silicone ice tray. If you want to make a perfect square-shape, use a butter knife to scrape across the top. 
• Let sit in the mold for about two minutes.
• Pop out of mold and let them dry overnight.

Yields:

  The measurements I used, with the tray size I used, makes between 50-60 small cubes which filled two large jars.

Video Tutorial:

DIY: Scented Bath Salts

What better gift for that special woman in your life (or yourself) than bath salts?! Homemade bath salts are fun to make and will save your wallet at the same time! If you all enjoy this simple DIY let me know if you'd like to see DIY Bath Bombs too. Here is the little cute jar I made:

Supplies:

Dry Ingredients: 

1 1/2 Cup Epsom Salt

1/2 Cup Sea Salt (This is optional, but adds some different texture)

1/4 Cup Baking Soda

Wet Ingredients: 

10 drops of Essential Oil (More or less based on how strong you want it)

2-8 drops of food coloring/soap coloring

Optional Decoration Pieces:

Twine

Tag / Cardstock

Jar with lid (This is a recycled candle jar)

Small spoon (I got these cute bamboo ones here).

Directions

• Mix together all dry ingredients in a bowl. 
• Add a few drops of food coloring at a time and mix until you reach desired color.
• Add about 10 drops of essential oil. There are really cool lists online that show you what each oil does for you. Some help allergies, keep you focused, relaxed, etc.
• Spoon into jar.
• Create tag and wrap with twine.
• ENJOY!

Yields:

The above measurements were enough to fill one large jar. Use smaller jars or bottles for the perfect gift!

If you'd like to see this DIY in video form, watch here:

Urban Decay Holiday Giveaway!!

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