YouTube: The Beauty of Making Yourself Known + 2 Tutorials

Wow I guess I tend to post once every few months or so don't I? Well now that I am back I might as well share some big news with you! I have just uploaded my first two videos on YouTube and it has definitely been a long time coming. I have wanted to share with you all how I achieve the looks I do, score awesome deals on the cheap & show y'all how I make a few of the items from my shop Simply 1 Love Accessories for awhile now but have been either too lazy or just haven't found enough time between my crazy schedule and almost non existent social life. On my channel I am going to post tutorials, tips and tricks, and all things DIY. So take a look, let me know what you think & have an awesome Sunday Funday.

 

Besos, Cat

 

At Home Ombre for Blondes:

 

 

 

How To: Eyebrow Tutorial with Urban Decay Naked Palette:

 

And a Pinterest friendly version: 

Candle Holder Gets Quick New Makeover

This past weekend I had some time to myself to clean up the house and organize some of my favorite spaces. Last year I posted about my jewelry display in A & I's room (found HERE) and loved the way it allowed me to easily display my favorite accessories. Since I have become a nanny my office outfits are virtually non existent and so are my jewelry wearing days. Therefore turning my favorite jewelry space into a catch all for magazines, papers and god knows what else. Once organized I decided to spruce up my favorite candle holder turned jewelry display, with one of my favorite colors...GOLD.

 

What You'll Need:

1 Tiered Candle Holder (Can be any color, I used my black one)

Paint Markers (I used a gold sharpie brand marker, but other colors and brands work as well)

 

To start off I took one of A's paint markers (I think it was sharpie brand?) and added dots to the top plates with the marker. I ended up not liking the dots, they were too random and cutesy (or as A said they looked like a clown party hahaha) I then proceeded to color in each plate entirely gold. Next I added dots to the bottom "legs" in a more uniform pattern. I let the whole thing dry for about 10-15 minutes and the whole project including drying time took just under an hour. I ended up with a chic, classic new addition to my jewelry display and it didn't cost me a penny. If gold dots aren't your style you can totally add tribal print designs, geometric patterns or even cool pastel painted hearts. Let your mind wander! 

Before:

After:

Besos, Cat

 

 

On Display!

So putting my jewelry on display has been a long time coming. Since we moved in I have had so many ideas for home decor and storage that I think if I did at least half of them our home would be neat & clean all year long. But since that isn't the case i'll share with you all one of my Pinterest inspired redos.

I was so tired of never wearing any jewelry because it was packed away in a box (yes sadly for 4 long months!). I felt like it was time to uncover the top of my messy dresser & display my beautiful jewelry for the world to see, or just me and Ale haha. So a few days ago I decided to grab a few key pieces I knew would show off my jewelry well & get to work. 

 First off   I picked  this iron 3 prong hook to hold my necklaces ( I imagine is intended to be used outdoors, but I felt that it was better suited for this project), the necklace and earring holder that my ever so loving boyfriend gave to me for my birthday (isn't it just adorable? girly & so me!) and this 5 tiered candle holder thrifted from my local goodwill some years back. That I have decided to display my post back earrings, bracelets & rings (although  am not much of a ring person anymore). The colors of the iron complement each other well and look so simple on my DIY pained white & seafoam green dresser(which reminds me I need to do a post on soon haha). The pictures in the back came from an outdoor flea market near the ferry building in San Francisco. Ale & I came across them on one of our many trips up there & I just has to have them. We both are MAJOR fans of street art & the sayings fit our realtionship perfectly (yes I know I am getting sappy on you guys! haha). But in all reality SF is one of the best places to find hidden gems in street art! We once came across a Banksy in Chinatown and about died, and yes I know most of you will not know what or who that is so I have included a picture of one his works for you ;)

Questions? Comments? Leave a comment below or email me smalltownchic47@gmail.com 

Besos, Cat

and the Banksy ;)

Ceramic Bird Update: Thrift Find to Instant Home Decor

Ahhhh I honestly thought moving would be a hell of a lot easier than it is, and well to my suprise it's not! Although our home is slowly coming together there is still alot of work that needs to be done to get our homelooking in tip-top shape for our housewarming party at the end of this month

(which I am beyond excited for!! If you could'nt tell haha).

So I have been working on a few small projects between all the moving and cleaning (which suprisingly I am loving by the way, haha who would have thought?!) and I'm excited to show you my latest discovery. I found this little beauty at a Goodwill store  in my hometown for only $2. Because I knew there was alot of potential in this adorable ceramic bird (but hated the colors), I bought it anyways (I mean who can pass up such a steal?!). With a can of spraypaint and no time at all I had a completly transformed centerpiece for our dining room table, although I feel it would be better suited on our soon to be enrtyway table ;)  I'm waiting to buy it when we get paid, but the anticipation is killing me!!

To recreate this one of a kind look I used Krylon Indoor/Outdoor gloss spraypaint in Rich Plum, which you can find for about $6 at most retail stores. I picked up mine at Wal-Mart and even picked up a few generic brand gloss spraypaints for a great steal at .97 cents each. The man working the department told me for the price I was better off getting the generic brand for what I was using it for, although they only come in the most basic colors (who can pass up a bargain?). Anyways the plum color is absolutely to die for and I think it suited my project well. Second, make sure you clean your surface well to get rid of any dirt, oil or sticky stuff that can affect the way the paint sticks to your surface. Lastly, make sure you paint in a place that is well ventalated. One thing I might have done differently was paint in our garage. For some reason our backyard attracts the most annoying insects and when I came out to add a second coat tiny nats were stuck in the paint. Not a huge deal but kind of annoying haha.

Hope you've all enjoyed the update and check back soon for my dresser redo. I'm already in love with how it's turning out.

Here are a few pictures to top of cheap thrift find.

Besos, Cat <3