Adding A Pop Of Color To My Kitchen With Ace Hardware!

Ace Hardware has provided free paint samples. I was also compensated for my time and this blog post. All opinions and positions expressed here are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of Ace Hardware.

When I tell people that I have a green kitchen, usually they look at me like I am crazy! It wasn't always planned to be that color, but like most things in my life, I take the plunge and act impulsively. Let me start off by saying I LOVE COLOR. I don't always experiment with color in my wardrobe, but as far as decorating, I am a huge fan of it. Most of the rooms in my house are different colors, and I have different colors of furniture to accentuate the walls as well. 

I want to start off by saying that I have wanted to do something to my kitchen door for about a year now. The door was untouched with a light wood shade and frankly, it was pretty boring. How do you have the coolest green kitchen and clementine accent wall, followed by a boring wooden door with an old doorknob that was starting to rust?

I started doing some research on cool colors to make a kitchen really stand out, and I finally decided on a shade of yellow. I made this inspiration board below to help guide me.


And here's the finished product!

I am so excited about the new door reveal! I am obsessed with this new color from OPI by Clark & Kensington.  It's called "Need Sunglasses" and it's perfect for another pop of color in my kitchen! I know you're probably thinking that it's super bright and crazy, but that's what's fun about it. I love my colorful kitchen, so I feel like this is the perfect final touch! I also really love that it matches the first letter in my EAT sign. I kept the white border the same and also changed the doorknob, which I think made a huge difference. So what do you guys think? Do you love pops of color in your home? And if so, how do you incorporate it into your style? 

Ace Hardware is running this awesome chance to win a $10,000 PAINT MAKEOVER!! You can also win $50 gift cards every day for the next 31 days! #31Daysofcolor 

Here is some more info from the experts on this color: 

This color is unexpected when used on your front door (or kitchen door in our case!)

Bright colors like this will help you feel alive, invigorated and energized.

Balance this color with plenty of white, light gray and other neutrals.

Going to The Paint Studio at Ace is like going to your neighbor. 

Compensation was provided by Aces via Mode Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Ace. Thank you for supporting companies that support Little Tree! 

DIY Ugly Christmas Sweater!

Who doesn’t love a tacky ugly Christmas sweater? It’s so easy to put together at home , you’ll wonder why you never tried it before! I went to a craft store nearby and purchased some fun things from the Christmas aisle. I had such a fun time making this sweater and I can’t wait to wear it at one of my upcoming holiday parties. I originally wrote this post for Glam in their Season To Sparkle section. Check out this DIY and other awesome holiday inspired posts for the season.

Items needed: Red sweater (I purchased mine at the thrift store for $3), Snowflakes, Sparkles (different colors), Snowflake confetti, Pom-Poms, Fabric Glue, Christmas tree stencil (I used this one) Sharpie Marker, Scissors, Sequins, Jingle bells, Needle & Red Thread , Dark Green Felt, Random Christmas decor of your choice.

-First, use your stencil to create a drawing on your felt
-Use the sharpie marker to outline the tree,also using a ruler or measuring tape for straight lines
-Cut out the felt in the shape of the tree
-Put fabric glue on the back of the felt tree cutout and paste it on your sweater
-Start decorating your tree accordingly, I decorated the tree with pom-poms, snowflakes, sequins
-Once you let your items dry for a few hours, finish by sewing on your jingle bells. Since they’re a little heavier you’ll need to pass some thread through and make a simple loop to keep the bells in place.

Tips & Tricks:
-Pick up your sweater from a thrift store or second hand store. You’ll find a sweater that’s much more unique, possibly vintage, and best of all, it’ll be a lot cheaper than buying the sweater brand new!

-Buy a variety of crafts and decorations to add to your sweater. Sometimes the most random pieces end up looking awesome!

-Plan out your sweater prior to putting it together. This will help guide the sweater decorating process once you start. A plan is always a good idea so you have ideas in your head before diving in. This will save you time, and will also help from making mistakes. I googled DIY Christmas Sweaters prior to starting mine. I decided to go with a Christmas Tree themed sweater, but there are many other options and ideas out there. Be creative, and plan ahead! 

Small Business Owners & Staying Organized with Sharpie!

This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Sharpie, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia  #StaplesBTS http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV


One of my favorite parts of owning an Etsy shop & selling online is organizing my products, measuring, and shipping everything out. As funny as it sounds, the back end work of owning my own online business, is probably my favorite part! As most of you know, my shop is currently up through Etsy and selling vintage has always been a huge passion of mine. I am working on replenishing my collection for Fall & Winter currently, so organizing is extremely important this time of year.

Sharpie has always been a product that I have used to help keep my organization in check. From labeling to packaging, it's a great way for me to keep myself on top of everything that needs to get done. I am the kind of person who needs to write things down, or else I forget it almost immediately.

I use my sharpies to label literally EVERYTHING. These awesome neon colors that I got at Staples make it possible to really spice it up too! I love decorating packages for items sold through my vintage shop. It's an awesome way to make someone smile while sending them their order, and you're also adding a personalized touch. If you're already sending someone a unique purchase, why not take that extra step? 

From now until August 24th if you shop at Staples their Sharpie Ultra Fine & Fine assortment packs are on sale--while supplies last.

Here are some of the items that I label to keep myself organized. Sharpie has helped me organize my own small business all while keeping me inspired throughout the process. I love the endless possibilities and I am always open to creating new ways to keep myself motivated & organized in order to stay successful. I think that adding that special touch to your workspace (especially when some work is done from home) is a great way to stay inspired throughout your day, and keep your creative juices flowing!

DIY Vintage Chair Makeover With Rust-Oleum®

Hey guys, and happy Friday! Today is a super exciting day for me and this little blog because it's one of the first times I have ever done any kind of vintage DIY project , and also because this piece of furniture means a lot to me, so I am excited to share the before and after photos with you guys. This chair has been in my family for over 30 years. My parents got it when they moved to the US from Greece & Cyprus and it has moved with them throughout their lives and in every state they lived in. I knew this little chair needed a little more life, and once I got the okay from my parents, I couldn't wait to make it stand out.

When I was thinking of colors, I knew I wanted to stay classic and not change the color into anything too bright or vivid. I really loved white furniture, and when I saw that Rust-Oleum® offered a  Universal® Gloss Spray, I knew that's what I wanted to use. The chair was originally a dark wood, which was nice, but after years of use, it just blended into the wall and didn't do much.

I won't lie to you guys, I am really not a huge DIY-er. I love to do things on my own, but I am no expert. The Rust-Oleum® Universal® Gloss Spray made it easy for me to change the color of this chair, with only four coats of color. I found the product really easy to use, and very easy to apply. It comes out evenly with the nozzle that is attached to the spray, and that helped me get underneath the chair and behind the legs evenly.

I'm pretty sure I thought of 10 other DIY projects I wanted to do while doing this one. The Rust-Oleum® Universal® Gloss Spray made me feel like a professional, and I realized how easy it is to change an every day piece of furniture, into something fresh and new for your home. It's great that the weather is warming up now too, because it makes it so much easier to do these projects outside. For those of you who are wondering where I spray painted this chair, I did it outside on a tarp, and let it sit for about 12 hours (total to dry) with 30 minutes in between coats. 

Are you guys tackling any DIY projects this summer, and if so, what did you have in mind?

Rust-Oleum ® Universal® Spray Paints offer a variety of on-trend colors and unique finishes, and boast the first-of-its-kind 360 degree any-angle delivery system that allows DIYers to tackle those hard to reach areas, even upside down.

Compensation was provided by Rust-Oleum® via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Rust-Oleum®.

DIY Raw Sugar Lip Scrub

Hey guys! I am pretty excited to share this DIY I posted originally on Swapdom. This is a perfect gift, but also a great Valentine's Day treat for your girlfriends, or even your significant other. The great part about it is that you can make it right in your kitchen!

What you’ll need for this DIY is Vaseline, vanilla extract, honey, a small spoon, and raw sugar. You want to mix all of the ingredients together in a small bowl with a spoon until you get a good consistency. You can always add more of each ingredient depending on how thick you want the scrub to be.

Once the scrub is finished you just put it on your lips for 15 minutes, and then, wash it off to reveal nice soft lips!

12 Days Of Christmas Embroidery

HI Little Tree readers!  Heather here, from the blog Lilac & Lace, to share another holiday DIY with you!  A while back I had an idea to make embroidered Christmas ornament hoops that I could display on my wall.  Then that idea morphed into a sort of advent calendar project where I made a hoop for each day of December and behind each hoop there would be a surprise or activity for the day.  But then I realized that there was no way on earth I was going to be able to embroider 25 hoops.  So the idea morphed into more of a 12 Days of Christmas Project...

Behind each hoop is a little note that my husband and I wrote with suggestions of festive activities for that day.  They can be simple, like treating ourselves to eggnog lattes, to more complicated, like going out ice skating.  But whatever the activity may be, I just love that this project serves as a daily reminder for us to slow down and appreciate the holiday season - It's so easy to caught up with Christmas craziness!  

To make your own hoops, all you need is some Christmas-themed fabric (I used linen hand towels that I purchased from Crate & Barrel) embroidery floss in different colors, 12 embroidery hoops and needle (mine bought from Sublime Stitching) a disappearing ink pen, paper, scissors and a bit of imagination. 

Once you have fabric on all 12 hoops you can either use holiday embroidery patterns or hand draw your own using your disappearing ink pen.  I chose the latter, which resulted in less than perfect designs, but I just love that they all look completely unique and truly handmade!  I drew a few classic holiday items, like mistletoe and a candy cane, but also kept some hoops simple with a single phrase or geometric design to mimic an ugly holiday sweater. 

Once you've embroidered all 12 hoops with different designs it's time to add your 12 daily tasks.  Trace your hoop onto plain paper, cut it out and write your activity on the sheet.  Carefully place the note on the inside of the embroidered hoop.  It should just rest snugly against the hoop frame.  This also hides any unsightly embroidering mistakes! ;)

Then decide on an arrangement.  Start by laying out all your hoops on the floor and move until you find an arrangement you like...I chose to arrange mine in a Christmas tree shape.  I then used pushpins to hang the complete arrangement above our bed.  Now every morning when we wake up, we can uncover a new holiday activity, which is a fabulous way to start the day!

And there you have it!  An easy, festive and unusual holiday DIY that's sure to help you appreciate this most wonderful time of the year!  Thanks Maria for allowing me to share on Little Tree! 


Thanks Heather, I really love this idea, so creative and I love how the final pieces turned out! XO Maria

Ornament Snow Domes DIY

Hi there Little Tree readers!  My name is Heather and I write a little lifestyle blog called Lilac & Lace.  I absolutely love making holiday themed crafts this time of year and here is a simple tutorial on how to make an adorable craft that works as a perfect gift or even a present topper!

First you'll need to gather some supplies.  Here's what you need:

-Half a clear ball ornament (you can buy plastic ones at Michaels that open up like an Easter egg)
-Scissors
-Pencil
-Holiday paper
-Cardboard
-Miniature Christmas Trees (can be found at most craft stores with the miniature displays)
-Fake Snow
-Wire Clippers
-Holiday Stickers (I used Snowmen and Santa Claus stickers bought at Michaels)
-Glue gun
-Tinsel or other kind of holiday trim

Start by tracing your ornament onto the cardboard and your background paper.  Cut out the circles making two of the paper ones.  Glue or tape 1 of the paper circles on the cardboard.  This will be the front of your snow scene.

Using your wire clippers, trim off the base from your miniature tree.  Then take the scissors and cut off a portion of the tree in back so it can lay flat on your paper circle.  Use hot glue to secure it to the paper.

Go ahead and add any other embellishments to your snow scene.  I included a snowman sticker and a chipboard snowflake.

Now pour a bit of snow into the plastic ornament half.  Line your circular snow scene with hot glue, then very carefully, sandwich the half ornament ball onto the cardboard circle.  Be sure to line it up so that the ornament loop is at the top of your scene and try not to lose any of the snow!

 Finally,  cut your tinsel or trim to line the outside of the ornament.  Attach with hot glue then attach your second paper circle to the back of the ornament.  This should completely cover the cardboard and any raw edges of your trim.

Add a loop of bakers twine or ribbon and you're ready to hang your snow dome ornament on a tree or attach to a gift.  Thanks Maria for allowing me to share this project here on Little Tree!  Happy Holiday Crafting everyone! 

Thank you so much Heather for providing this adorable DIY! I can't wait to try it this Christmas! xo

DIY Bubble Necklace

I have tons of these little things all over my house. Having 3 nephews that love bubbles allows for that to happen. I found one the other day and instantly thought of putting it on a necklace, so I thought I would share it with you guys. Have fun making your own, there are so many bubble blowers out there in various colors and shapes, you can surely find something unique that will suit your own style! Plus it looks fun, and colorful for the summer! Enjoy!

Sugar & Vitamin E Lip Scrub DIY

Hello everyone! I wanted to share a special DIY with you guys today! I haven't done one of these in a while, but I figured this is in perfect timing with Valentine's Day being a day away. I will be showing you guys how to make a sugar & vitamin E lip scrub! When I recently went into sephora, the people working there were trying to sell me all kinds of products and somehow when asking for a lip gloss one of the sales women lead me to a sugar lip scrub, and told me to take a sample home. When taking it home I felt like it was a bit too harsh on my lips, and I wasn't really interested in using it due to all of the added ingredients. I decided to do some research and this is what I came up with! If you like all natural face products, you'll love this! I hope you enjoy it , and let me know if you try it out! 

 I usually put the vaseline and vitamin e by testing the consistency, if it's too thick I add a little more vitamin e oil, if it's too loose I add a bit more vaseline..It's all about personal preference, and what you'd prefer, play with it, and figure out what works best for your skin!

Directions: 

Mix ingredients well to form a good consistency and blended look

 Put all over your lips and around your lips for about 10-15 minutes. 

When finished wipe off with a damp wash cloth.

Follow up with your favorite chapstick/lip gloss.

This will take away all of the dead skin cells and add moisture to your lips! 

*Do not refrigerate because it will make ingredients stick together*

Use within a week of making, and enjoy! You will have the softest lips in all the land!