#Luxe4Less Cozy Corner

Guys! Only five more days until September! Which means fall, and all of the best things its brings, is just around the corner! Fall is, hands down, my absolute favorite time of the year. I love getting cozy, and carving pumpkins, and celebrating Thanksgiving...okay, okay, I might be getting a little bit ahead of myself with that one. But still, I'm excited. That's why today's #Luxe4Less post is this super cozy corner space! The best part...this whole space is only $511.94! THE WHOLE SPACE! I hope you guys are loving this new #Luxe4Less segment as much as I am...

 

Today's look was found on Gable Lane Crates!

 

Products:

1. Fan | Target $19.99

2. Lavender | Etsy $10

3. Side Table | Overstock $169.99

4. Home Pillow | Target $11.98

5. Letter Sign | Etsy $17

6. Chair | Wayfair $217.99

7. Vase | Living Spaces $11

8. Wood Sign | Etsy $15

9. Throw Blanket | Wayfair $38.99

Total: $511.94

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XO.

 

Painting Leather / Bed Makeover!

Hey guys! Today we're talking about our recently revamped bed. If you follow me on social media, you've probably picked up on my personal taste...white, bright. I'm not so into that black furniture in my house. Black definitely holds a special place in my heart..(see: My Closet), but I like a bright happy home. 

When we moved back from California this past spring, we were in the market for a new bed. We found this great bed that was only $175 for everything and I just could not pass it up. The only problem was that it was a deep espresso wood with black leather...not so much my style. But, if there is one thing you can count on, it's the fact that a good coat of white paint can fix just about anything. 

The other problem was the leather...what do you do with black leather? Well, the good news is that you can paint it. I'm going to be honest, I don't know how this would work on real genuine leather because there are more pores and cracks in real leather. But, most budget decor doesn't involve real leather...so I think we'll be fine ;) 

Here's where we started..

Boring...

Thank god for friends with electric sanders, cause doing this by hand was just not an option for me. But once we got it all sanded, as best as we could, we were left with all the different pieces of the bed.

We wanted to go for a bright airy feel for the bedroom because it's such a small space and it was important to me that it feel breathable. So we grabbed some left over primer, some new brushes...the works. 

 

For this project we used Flat White Behr paint to give it more of a distressed antique look. 

 

Once I had everything painted (I believe we did about three solid coats), I grabbed some of that sand paper and distressed the edged a bit to give it more of an antique look. I didn't want it to look too distressed, because I wasn't going for a SUPER rustic look or anything, I just wanted to break up that white a bit. 

 

  

Now for the Leather...

You want to use chalk paint or a flat paint for this. I used Behr Ultra flat paint. Choose whatever color you want. I went with a Greige to keep that airy feel.

The key to painting leather and keeping it usable (i.e. squish-able, sit-able, etc.) is lots and lots of really thin layers. It is going to look like a total disaster for a while. Don't be alarmed, it's normal. See...

 

 But then, once you're done you get this beautiful, one of a kind bed that you worked so hard on. 

(This is before I distressed it.)

Hope you guys enjoyed today's post! 

Stay tuned for the next #Luxe4Less post!

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XO.

#Luxe4Less | Neutral Grey&White Bedroom

Hello my beautiful readers! 

The last few months have been crazy ones, and in the process of juggling all the crazy, I fell off the CC train. BUT...I'm finally back and beyond ready to share some new stuff with everyone!!

I do have a few projects I've been waiting to post about, but today, I am happy to announce a whole new segment that will be a regular part of California Cupcake called #Luxe4Less. Every week, I will pick a fabulous space to recreate here on the blog. I'll link all the products used to recreate the space, and list the total cost of the room! 

For the very first #Luxe4Less post, I'm sharing this contemporary bedroom from Alice Lane Home with a gorgeous, soft grey, wingbacked bed. This room is simple and understated, yet gives off a homey, comfy feel. I am living for that pop of navy blue from the euro pillows! Love it. 

1. INSPIRE Q Marion Nailhead Wingback Tufted Headboard | $269.99

2. 2 Seat Bench by House of Hampton | $148.99

3. Pacific Coast Lighting - Mercury Oval Table Lamp | $158.99 (x2)

4. Alvine Stra - Duvet & Pillow Cases | $39.99

5. Layne Heathered Solid Curtain Panel | $8.69

6. Child Creek Nightstand | $67.99

7. Sonoma Goods for Life - Pick Stitch Euro (Navy) | $19.99 (x2)

Threshold Embroidery Pillow (Beige) | $17.48
Chevron Throw Pillow by Mercury Row | $30.99

 8. Granite SM01 Waves Rug (5 x 8) | $81

TOTAL : $1,023.08

Some of these pieces are so simple, I can bet some of you already have similar ones in your home! 

That's it for today loves. Let me know what you think of #Luxe4Less! Feedback is always welcome! Leave me comments here, or on social media! 

Instagram : @thecaliforniacupcake

Pinterest: Shannan Gladwin

XO.

 

How To: Lighted Vanity Mirror!!

Hi Guys!

I hope everyone had an awesome weekend. For those of you who attended Coachella, I hate you and we can't be friends. (Insert sassy "talk to the hand" gesture here). Gee guys, can you tell I'm home sick and super bitter about it? (oops). Speaking of...I have some exciting news to share with you all. The CC (California Cupcake) clan is packing up and moving back home to the sunshine state...(or is that Florida? Whatever)...THIS IS NOT A DRILL! For real, we are moving back and I am so so so excited to get home and back to my California roots. As a matter of fact, we leave the day after tomorrow...(I write, as I slightly panic about the fact that I haven't even started to pack yet). If you've been following me from the beginning, you know that I am engaged and that my fiance works in the hockey industry. After a lot of talking and planning and pro con lists, we have decided that it's in our best interest to head home to save for our wedding and other future plans. (you won't hear me complaining). So for the next year, I will be sharing a new journey with you guys. I now have the challenge of fitting two whole lives into one small room...comfortably...and preferably, in a stylish manner. Challenge Accepted. So stay tuned and subscribe to witness all the frustration and (hopefully) success over the next year! 

Until then...let's chat vanities, shall we? My last post was all about my new vanity. You guys seemed to be so excited about it and several of you asked for the how to scoop on the lighted mirror...well, ask and you shall receive my dears.

I think most girls....girly girls that is...would dream of a lighted vanity to get ready in front of. There is something so amazing about having that space to get ready in every morning. It's almost enough to make it seem like you have your life together...which means a lot if you're a twenty-something like me. (don't act like you don't pretend). Unfortunately, if you rent your home...or you're just not an electrician...the fact that almost every single vanity light system that I have come across needs to be wired through the wall, is just not something you are willing to take on. Enter...the Appliance Replacement Cord. 

So, in the rush of excitement to put this thing together...I forgot to take a picture of the actual cord...but you can save this picture and take it the hardware store for reference. The cord is a three pronged cord with three open wires on the end. Similar to the one below.

The only other product you will need to make this adaptable to a wall plug-in, are wire nuts! They look like this...

And you can find them here on the Home Depot website! 

Now that you have the products to convert the mirror...let's talk about the mirror itself! I got this mirror from IKEA for $40! It's called the Lilljorm. Part of the reason I picked this one is because it's round, I was so over the look of the sqaure vanity mirror with the square desk...I just felt like it was too uniform. Another reason was because when you wire a vanity through the wall, you usually connect it to the light switch so it turns on and off...you obviously eliminate that option when you convert it to a plug-in, which means I needed a mirror with an on and off button, which the Lilljorm has! Head to your nearest IKEA and pick one up! Don't forget to pick up some lightbulbs from your local hardware store. For some reason, IKEA HIGHLY overcharges for lightbulbs...literally....$10 a piece...stupid. 

 

Once you have all your supplies, all you have to do it tie the wires together, place a wire nut over it, and plug it in! Here's a few more details on that...

This is what the back of the mirror looks like. 

 It comes with three different colored wires...black, yellow/green striped, and white. 

Grab these three wire and the three wires from your plug-in adapter wire. Your three pronged cord has three wires in different colors as well. My cord had a black a white and a green. Take the silver part of both cords and twist them together, place a write nut over them, and twist the wire nut to be sure they are secure. Pull firmly on both wires to try to seperate them, making sure they don't come apart. If they are secure move on to the black and green doing the same thing. Make sure you do this before you plug it in ;)

It is literally that simple...now you just plug it in!  

VIOLA!

P.S. Don't get too attached to this vanity, because...a little hint...it's already changed ;) 

Stay Tuned!

Let me know if you have any questions in the comment section! 

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XO.

My New Vanity!!

Hi love bugs,

I hope everyone is having a good weekend! I know that I've been MIA on the social media front for a while. I lost my grandfather last week unexpectedly and I needed some time to myself to process and heal. But I am back with a post I have been so so excited to share with you guys! 

I have been dying to put together a vanity in my room for years! I don't know about you guys, but I cannot stand getting ready in a bathroom! Having to lean over the sink to get close enough to the mirror to put mascara on (don't even pretend like you don't do that), or having my make-up all over the counter...it drives me (and Camrin) crazy! With all the moving we do (see : About Me) it seemed like it was just pointless to invest in something that we would have to take apart and move a few months down the road anyway. BUT, I finally broke down and put one together. I just couldn't resist any longer. Besides, I thought it would be the perfect thing to document and share with you guys! Any excuse I can find right?! 

So, I actually started this process completely different. I started with a floating shelf, a bar stool, and a simple round mirror, hung on the wall. I tried that for a couple weeks before posting anything about it, so that I could make sure I liked this concept before recommending it to everyone. I'm so glad I did that, because it turned out, I hated it! It seems to be a bit of a trend, the whole, floating shelf vanity concept. It definitely saves space and looks nice. But personally, I found that when I tried to use it, I never felt like I had enough space. Things were constantly falling off. So I removed the shelf and the mirror and started from scratch. 

I started with this desk from IKEA. I think I can safely say that most of you who are reading this are already familiar with the IKEA desk systems. I used the Linnmon table top in white and four Adils legs in white ! This desk cost me a whopping $25. You just cannot beat that price. The mirror....this is my favorite part and I will actually be doing a whole post just on this lighted mirror alone sometime later this week! But...sneak peek, I got it for $40! And I didn't have to wire it through the wall either! So keep an eye out for that post. :) 

The makeup organizer is from The Container Store. I got it about a year ago and I couldn't find that particular one. But here is a similar one for $17.99. 

The flowers are form Home Goods, and the apothecary jars holding my Q-tips and cotton balls are from my last post! 

As of right now my makeup brushes are in these jars that I have had forever, but if I'm being honest, they are the next thing to be replaced. I also just recently purchased a cake stand from the $3 section at Target to get my skin care products up off the desk surface and more tidy. 

The chair you might recognize from my desk area...I decided to move it to my vanity and get a new desk chair because it just felt so perfect here! It is, unfortunately an over priced Pottery Barn chair that was a gift. Just trust me, don't waste your money on this. Go and find a similar chair from Target if you really like it!

My vanity was such a hit in our house! Camrin loves it because it keeps all my makeup off the bathroom counter, I love it because it makes it possible for me to sit and relax while I get ready everyday...even Tyson loves it! You know I couldn't pass up the opportunity to sneak a pick of my boy in here ;)

Later this week I will be sharing more about this mirror and how I got it for $40. And coming soon....California Cupcake is getting a whole new segment! I don't want to spoil it for you guys, but I've been working on it for a couple weeks and I am so ready to share! Hopefully you'll all love it too!

I hope you guys loved today's post! Leave me comments about your personal vanity experiences and tips! 

Don't forget to subscribe via email! (We never spam!) And follow me on social media! You can find my Instagram account in the side bar!

 Instagram: @thecaliforniacupcake

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Stay Tuned!!

XO.

 

Dollar Store Apothecary Jars!

Apothecary Jars. 

Anyone whose decor obsessed has heard of these before. You either have them already or you've been dreaming of them like me. I'm honestly not sure where apothecary jars originated from, but I know that Pottery Barn had a line of them, and as far as I know, that's when they got really popular. They have this crisp clean, expensive feel to them that everybody wants. Wether you use them in your bathroom or your kitchen, for candy or cotton balls, they are versatile and stylish. 

The problem with these popular decor jars is that Pottery Barn charges, like, an arm and a leg for them. I saw on Pinterest that people were re-creating these apothecary jars in a ton of different ways. So, of course, I chose the most inexpensive method. The Dollar Store. Duh. 

Alright, i'll stop rambling. Read on dolls...

1.) Supplies

 I had to return to The Dollar Tree like THREE TIMES before I could finally get my hands on one of these vases. For this project, a particular vase is required in order for the lid to fit correctly. You will need to get a vase with a flared rim. If you can't seem to find them in store...you can buy them online here!! 

As for other supplies, you'll need the lids. You will find these in the kitchen section of the store. They are glass sauce bowls. Small bowls you would use for something like a side of ranch or salsa. These shouldn't be hard to find and they come in packs of three or four. Then grab yourself a candle stick holder from the candle and vase section. The only things that I didn't get from the Dollar Tree were the Epoxy Glue and the drawer knob. I had the glue on hand and the dresser knob is from Hobby Lobby. It was about $2. The ruler and the marker are used for marking the center of the lid and the center of the bottom of the vase, which we will go over in the next step!

2.) Mark Your Center

 

 Okay, so in these pictures you can hopefully notice a small silver spot on the center on the item. The top photo is of the bottom of the vase and the bottom photo is the top of the lid. The reason we mark the center is so we can place the candle stick holder and the dresser knob on the center points so that they don't come out lopsided. 

The best way to measure the center is mostly common sense. Just measure across and mark the center then measure vertically and mark the center. Line your markings up for the center most point of your item. 

3.) Glue The Lid & The Stand

 I didn't take pictures of the gluing process because, well, it's that simple. Just put your Epoxy Glue on the top rim of the candle stick and place the vase, centered, on top. I used a toothpick to be precise with the glue but it does dry clear so don't worry too much if it's a little messy. Place something heavy on top of the vase to seal the glue and let it sit for about 5 minutes. As for the knob on top, just repeat the glue process and place it on the center of the lid. Let it rest for five minutes and you're done!! Its literally that easy guys. 

I used mine on my vanity...which we will be talking about in my next post ;) They hold my cotton balls and my Q-tips. This makes it so much easier when I'm getting ready in the morning and getting ready for bed. They are easily accessible...plus, they are so pretty to look at! 

 

 P.S. The jar holding my Q-tips is actually an old cotton ball jar I had in my bathroom. I replaced it's lid with one I made (the same lid we created for this tutorial) and added a candle stick! I encourage you to look around your house and try to find items you already have that you could convert like this. It's the most cost effective way to create new decor for your home!

I hope that you guys enjoyed this post! Leave a comment if you have ever done something similar and send me pictures of your version! I'd love to see your ideas!

Thanks so much for reading. Keep an eye out for my next post on my new vanity! 

Until then, don't forget to subscribe via email (we never spam!) and follow me on social media!

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XO.

DIY Coat Hooks!

Recently, we transferred ourselves from a one bedroom to a two bedroom unit and added a roommate to the mix. Why? Well, because moving across the country twice a year wasn't quite enough for us...so we thought we would throw this in too! *rolls eyes*. We stayed in the same complex, the one we talked about in my New Apartment Tour! post. We all know how obsessed I am with this place, we just wanted a little more space, plus, we save a little on rent every month...win, win! Anyways, the point of all of that was to explain that our new roommate has brought in some new additions to our apartment, including a wine rack (that he made by hand...that's right guys, I now live with A CARPENTER...think of all the possibilities!). The list also included coat hooks that were simple and totally efficient, but needed a little update...so guess what...that's right, I painted it! Shocking, I know. But what can I say. 

So with this project, I obviously started with a finished coat rack that just needed to be re-painted. However, it would be ridiculously easy for you to do a quick run to Home Depot and pick up one of these babies for $1.75, some hooks and screws, and boom...coat hooks. For the sake of this post though, we are obviously going to skip right to the painting part. 

1.) First we picked up all our supplies!

You can use a regular screw driver instead of the drill, but I'm all about quick and easy. As for the other things you see here, we grabbed primer for about $8, a Beher paint sample that we talked about in this post! in whatever shade of white you like. A 2" paint brush, an inexpensive one, a paint stir stick, and one of those thingy-majigs that opens the paint cans nice and easy. Not pictured is some 3m sand paper! And then of course, your completed coat hooks!

2.) Take all your hooks out...

Obviously if you are putting together your own hooks, just paint it before you install the hooks ;) 

3.) Sand it all down!

 

Make sure you sand every side and edge! 

4.) Prime Prime Prime!

Paint a nice even coat of primer all over your base. Don't miss any edges or sides! I mention in a few of my other posts how important priming is, so I'm sure you already know...but for my new readers, priming helps even everything out, smooth everything over and it gives your paint a nice base to stick to! I did a quick coat of this and let it completely dry before I began painting.

5.) Paint and add your hooks!

Once your primer dries you can paint it whatever color your little heart desires! Wait for your paint to completely dry and then screw your hooks in place and done! 

I used these hooks near the front door in combination with a shoe rack for our own little mud room :) 

This project was done in one day. It was so easy and now the coat hooks aren't just functional, they're pretty! :) 

I hope you all enjoyed this little update! I've got a ton of stuff for you guys over the next week or two so make sure you subscribe via email! (We only email you about new posts!) and follow me on social media! 

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XO.