Category: DIY Decor

DIY: Here’s How I Colored My Appliances with Heat Wrap Vinyl

Published on by Krys21 Comments

I’m a renter so anything I do in my apartment has to be put back to its original condition when I move out. Because of this (as you may have noticed from the rest of my apartment) temporary wallpaper has basically become my best friend. I even covered my modern refrigerator in a cute retro blue before I brought in my vintage GE. Unfortunately, temp wallpaper isn’t ideal for stoves because of the whole ‘they get hot’ thing. Even though my oven door never gets hot to the touch, I wanted to be safe. I reallllly wanted a pink stove, but none of the vintage ones I was finding could fit in my kitchen. Besides it was already a pain in the ass to swap out the refrigerator. I looked for a solution similar to peel and stick wallpaper and that’s when I thought of heat wrap vinyl!

DIY Pink Stove .jpg

I wrapped the vinyl around all of the door edges and replaced the screws and handles.DIY Colored Stove

I made sure to cover the sides too! I didn’t cover the cooktop because it most probably would burn and melt, being so close to the fire and all. I used the same method to cover the front of my dishwasher.DIY Pink Stove

And here’s the final result!

DIY Colored Appliances

It took a lotttt of patience, but once I got into the groove it went on a lot faster and smoother. It’s very easy to clean and has held up really well. Even with JV cranking the oven to ungodly temperatures when he’s baking bread. When I’m ready to move out I’ll just peel it off and be good to go. Yay!

{Update: We moved and it peeled off clean! I used a little rubbing alcohol and stainless steel cleaner to buff out any markings left behind and the appliances looked brand new.}

Colorful DIY Dip Dyed Faux Pumpkins

Published on by KrysLeave a comment

Here’s a halloween project that’s a departure from your standard pumpkin carving and painting. Dip dye those basic foam pumpkins for a dose of color that can be displayed for the whole fall season!

Pop by your local craft store (or second hand store) and grab some white faux pumpkins and Rit dye. I used foam, but with this kind of Rit dye for synthetics, plastic would work too.

Mix about half a bottle of Rit DyeMore for synthetics with a few gallons of very hot (almost boiling) water. Carefully submerge the pumpkins for a few seconds at a time until your desired color saturation is reached. Have fun layering and mixing colors. Leave them as is, or use other embellishments. The best part is they can be saved and used every year.

Happy Halloween!

+This post was sponsored by Rit Dye. Click here for more detailed instructions.+

Spring Wardrobe Update with Rit Dye

Published on by Krys2 Comments

Hey, fam. I’ve been busy at updating some rooms and my back patio for spring and thought it would be a good idea to update some of my wardrobe too! While going through my closet I found this white dress I got last year from Tatyana that I haven’t worn in foreverrrr. Rather than giving it away I decided to try to dye it using Rit’s new coral color. I love that they came out with this color because I used to have to custom mix a few different shades together to make color, but now it’s ready to use! I figured if it didn’t work out I could just use Rit’s color remover, which I’ve had a ton of luck with in the past.

Coral Dress Before.jpg

The cool thing about this dress is that the fabric has an iridescent sheen and a subtle retro bubble pattern. My hope was that the dye would bring out the bubble pattern and leave some of the sheen.

Rit Coral Dye.jpg

The fabric is mostly polyester so I was worried it wouldn’t take the dye, but as soon as I dunked it into the dye bath it soaked it right up and I was not disappointed.

The way I like to dye everything, including synthetics, is to make a very hot dye bath in my sink with hot, hot water and a few drops of liquid soap. I let the garment soak for about an hour, stirring and shifting the fabric every 15 minutes or so for an even dye. Then I rinse with cold water and Rit’s color fixative. Then I line dry.

Coral Dress.jpgSee how the fabric took the dye and made the pattern pop? I love the way it turned out!

Spring Wardrobe Makeover Coral Dress.jpg

Now I have a spring-y new dress to wear while pretending I’m good at gardening.

 

This post was sponsored by Rit but all ideas, opinions, and words are my own. 

Mid-Century Inspired Custom Dyed Dining Room Accessories| Rit’s 100 Year Celebration

Published on by Krys6 Comments

If you’ve been following the blog over the years you will know that I LOOOOVE to use dye to transform home decor. I’ve dyed curtains, rugs, bedding, and even my sofa! My go-to dye has always been Rit because it’s inexpensive and easily accessible. Luckily Rit heard about what a fan I am and asked me to be one of this year’s brand ambassadors so stay tuned for more projects!

This year is special because it’s Rit’s 100 year anniversary! To celebrate we teamed up to recreate one of their adorable vintage ads from 1962. This project was especially fun for me since I’m obsessed with mid-century advertisements and even keep a collection of them for inspiration.RitDye62

I picked this one because the dining room set up reminded me a lot of my own, particularly the top right corner version. I already planned on dyeing curtains to match my artwork, so I went all-in and dyed a tablecloth and cloth napkins as well. Mid-century Inpired Dye Projects.jpg

For the vibrant pink tablecloth and curtain I used a 50/50 mix of Rose Quartz and Petal Pink, and for the orange napkins I used a 50/50 mixture of Tangerine and Golden Yellow. Custom dyed tablecloth and napkins with Rit products.jpgI just mixed those up with hot water and a little dish soap right in my sink basin. I then soaked them in Rit’s dye fixative and rinsed with cold water. Easy peasy!

Mid-century inspired dining room accessores custom dyed with Rit dyesI love how everything ties together with the artwork and my vintage Burke chair pads. Now I just need to throw a little dinner party with a Jell-o salad and few cocktails ;).

 

 

Mid-Century Metallic Diamond Bi-Fold Closet Doors

Published on by Krys1 Comment

Here’s an easy, inexpensive, and renter-friendly way to add a little pizazz to plain bi-folding closet doors.

When I moved into this newly renovated 1960’s apartment it was a blank white canvas, and I’ve been trying to find temporary and inexpensive ways to add doses of my personal style where I can.

As you can see, there wasn’t much character in here. Even after doing wallpaper and decorating the room, those closet doors needed help!

I thought about adding some kind of moulding, but I didn’t want to add weight or texture. I wanted something metallic to go with the wallpaper! Something inspired by brass inlays! That’s when I found metallic mylar tape*. Much easier, and much more renter-friendly than moulding.

All you have to do is just run the (very forgiving) foil tape between each center point where you want your points to meet, smooth it down, trim it with a blade, and you’re done! And if you hate it, it comes right off with no damage to the underlying paint.

I added vintage starburst knobs, which is another fun way to add a vintage touch to an otherwise stale door.

And there you go. Hope this helped solve some plain bi-fold door problems! Bye for now!

 

Bedroom Vanity Accent Wall | Removable Fabric Wallpaper

Published on by KrysLeave a comment

Before I show you my full bedroom reveal, I wanted to share this easy and renter-friendly project you can do with any lighter weight fabric. It’s a very forgiving DIY project, and a unique way to add pattern or colors to your walls without using wallpaper or paint. And cleanup is a breeze.

I used this  wall treatment and a remnant peice of fabric in the vanity nook of my bedroom’s built in shelves. You can find my past tutorial here, but basically all you need is some liquid starch and a paint roller to adhere your fabric to the wall.

I changed the hardware to a vintage set that I found on Etsy, and also changed the light to a beautiful brass Sputnik sconce from Lucent Lightshop.

When I move I’ll just peel it off the wall and wipe down any residue.

Dyed Fabric Remnant Curtain Valance

Published on by KrysLeave a comment

If you ever have to hem curtains and you don’t know what to do with the leftover fabric, here’s an idea!

I needed cafe curtains for my kitchen window and a valance for my bathroom window, but couldn’t find anything I liked, in the right size, and at a price I felt like paying. I had leftover scraps from past curtain hems so I decided to dye them and make curtains to match my decor. I used Rit and mixed a couple of shades until I reached the desired color. I like to use paper towel pieces to check the color before inserting the fabric, just to make sure I like where it’s headed so I can avoid any surprises and having to color correct later.

I’m happy with the way the bathroom valance turned out! But the cafe curtains were a flop. They looked too stiff and heavy.

I used a different, sheer curtain scrap instead and love it now. The weight is much softer and I like the patterned detail.

So there you go! Save those hems to make more window treatments!

Bathroom Update – DIY Dyed Curtain Valance, Art, and Pink Toilet Paper

Published on by Krys5 Comments

Ok, you guys, I finally added some finishing touches to my bathroom. When I last posted about my peel and stick wallpaper I still needed a window treatment and some art.

How to install peel and stick Tempaper wall paper in a bathroom (7)

I ended up making my own valance with white fabric dyed with Rit. I used a half and half mixture of Rit’s Petal Pink and Rose Quartz, with a tiny bit of golden yellow to get the right shade of coral-y pink. I love the warm glow it adds to the bathroom.Vintage Pink and Palm Bathroom The flamingo shower curtain is from Target, the cute little piña colada girl print is from Ann Shen, ANNND the final detail is pink Renova toilet paper! Vintage style Pink and Palm Bathroom

When I posted these pictures on Instagram the pink toilet paper got a lot of questions. I love this toilet paper. Besides the color (they have several options and word is Beyonce uses the red) it’s amazing. It’s 3-ply and super strong so a little goes a long way, and it’s lightly perfumed. I did my research before I bought my first pack because I remembered some issue with colored toilet paper in the 80s, but Renova has been a trusted brand in Europe for years and is safe for water systems and dermatologist/gynecologist tested.

Anyway, enough toilet talk! Stay tuned for more #Melodramaville updates. Xx

 

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links to products.

IKEA VALJE Shelf Turned Colorful DIY Home Bar

Published on by Krys13 Comments

Unlock this Exclusive content on Patreon

Mid-Century Inspired Refrigerator Makeover with Peel & Stick Wallpaper

Published on by Krys5 Comments

The only thing that really bothered me about my new kitchen was the way the refrigerator looked in the space.

Use peel and stick wallpaper to cover a refrigerator (before) (2)

Now don’t get me wrong it’s a nice brand new refrigerator, but the way the side of it created a big black rectangle in in the middle of everything bothered me.

I bought a peel and stick wallpaper a couple of years ago with the intention of covering my old refrigerator, but never got around to it. Luckily I found the paper when I was unpacking and since I’m still renting I decided to put it to use!Use peel and stick wallpaper to cover a refrigerator

I like the shape of the refrigerator door and I don’t mind the stainless, so I decided to only apply the wall paper to the sides and top to cover all the black. I was also inspired by the two-toned refrigerators that were popular back in the day.

The paper I used is a light minty blue with a metallic silver cross-hatch pattern. It looks very vintage to me and reminds me of mid-century upholstery fabric. I knew it would work perfectly for what I wanted to attempt.

All I had to do was pull out the refrigerator and apply the peel and stick the paper, carefully matching the seams and making sure to smooth out any air bubbles. This type of paper is very easy to work with and made the job extremely simple.Use peel and stick wallpaper to cover a refrigerator (before) (3)Use peel and stick wallpaper to cover a refrigerator (1)

To finish off the edges I used a thin washi tape in the same color and similar pattern. This gave it a more finished look and helped make sure all of my edges were properly secured.Use peel and stick wallpaper to cover a refrigerator 1.jpg

Use peel and stick wallpaper to cover a refrigerator 3.jpgWhat an improvement! The refrigerator no longer stands out like a sore thumb and adds a nice subtle color and more retro flair to the space. It also gives it a nice smooth texture which makes it way easier to clean than the bumpy texture that it had before. I love it!Use peel and stick wallpaper to cover a refrigerator 2.jpg

Now I’m going to use a different peel and stick wallpaper to cover that back wall as well. Stay tuned!