Dwell by Cheryl

I hope everyone had a great 4th of July and an enjoyable holiday weekend. I certainly did. I thought I'd start off the week by sharing with you a super quick and easy DIY that I tackled this weekend.

Last month while flipping through one of my favorite design magazines, House and Home, I came across this awesome idea to frame old school crocheted doilies. The example had them mounted on gray linen, in large simple white frames. Love it!

House and Home Magazine

Ever since, I've been keeping my eyes open for doilies and this weekend I scored three for $2.00 at a garage sale. Yay!

They were already framed, but I wasn't exactly feeling the gold speckled frames and maroon velvet backing.

I decided to try out tea staining in order to give the doilies a beige tint.

I wish I could tell you that there was a recipe that I used to get the perfect color, but honestly I'm a total adlibber when it comes to projects like these. I threw in several tea bags and brought them to a boil.

Then I added the doilies for about 30 minutes or so. I kept watch to ensure that I had the desired coloring before I removed them from the tea.

When they were more beige than white, I laid them flat to dry on a towel and then pressed them with a hot iron. Of course, I already had frames that would work perfectly, so I simply added a piece of brown fabric that was left from another project to the back of the frame.

A super simple project, with an item that I'm sure many may already have around the house. The inspiration photo provides an example of the perfect juxtaposition of a traditional item displayed in a very modern way. It's that eclectic mix that makes good design so great, in my opinion.

I saw it, I liked it and I did it! Happy Monday!!

You may also like:

"See it, Like it, Do it!"

"See it, Like it, Do it: DIY Tray"

"See it, Like it, Do it: The Little Things"

"See it, Like it, Do it: Front Door Project"

First off, I have to tell you that this blog post has been days in the making. I'll have to tell you the story a little later, but today I'm excited to reveal my new open kitchen cabinets.

You know, sometimes I wonder why I don't just go with my gut when it comes to design and decor decisions. It seems that when I do, I'm rarely disappointed with the result. I mentioned in my first Open Kitchen Cabinets post that I've been contemplating the decision to ditch the door (or at least part of it) for some time now. However, it wasn't until last week that I finally decided to go for it. Best decision EVER!

Minus a few mishaps, the process was fairly simple. I briefly mentioned Steps 1 (Removing the Door Panel) and 2 (Cleaning out the Cabinet) on my original post. The subsequent steps were also pretty easy.

Step 3: Painting the Interior. Luckily, I had a little Olympic Blue Shamrock left over from my Craigslist Chair Makeover project. I highly recommend the two-in-one paints because it cuts the time in half, eliminating the need for multiple coats.

Step 4: Styling the Shelves (a.k.a. The Fun Part) I spent the better part of Saturday having fun playing around with accessories. Surprisingly, I had everything I needed already, with the exception of two Boxwood balls that I picked up at Stein-Mart for $2.99 each.

NOT the right tool!

Step 5: Reattaching the Door- It was an interesting process, but after some work and ingenuity, I was able to insert and attach (with glue) my new glass pane to the existing cabinet door. I think this is definitely a case where having the right tools would've made all the difference. I'll tell you more about the process in a later post.

Step 6: Admire Your Work