Raybans to Rodeos: Home & Decor

Let me be forward with you: I am not a DIYer or crafter by nature. Pinterest blew my mind and revolutionized my world, people. When we moved into our new apartment in San Antonio, I decided I was going to make at least one piece of furniture in my place. Thus, the crate coffee table was born.

I apologize in advance, as I took all of these pictures before I got my DSLR camera, so the quality is a bit sub-par.

The project was actually pretty easy and has encouraged me to do a bit more DIYs. So, without further adieu, I present to you my coffee table.

WHAT YOU NEED:

4 crates, unpainted. We found ours at Michaels. (Tip: Make sure to download the Michael's app for coupons!)
Wood Stain
Wood Gloss or Sealer
Brushes - get a few!
Screws
A cut piece of wood to fit the bottom of the table
Casters

We had no idea what we were doing, so we headed to Home Depot and picked up the stain and gloss needed to complete the project. We landed on Rust-oleum - mainly because it was cost effective.

Your first step is to stain the crates, which we found at Michaels for about $15.00 a piece. I have never stained anything before and I will outright tell you, I did not do it right at all. The crates are essentially painted brown, but I like the way they turned out, so it's ok!

After the crates are dry, it's time to screw on your foundation that will hold the table together. We measured the shape and had a piece cut to fit at Lowes. I recommend you stain the wood, but I was impatient. Good news, you can't really tell!

Last but not least, you need a drill bit that will drill a hole large enough to slide in the casters. I bought basic white casters at the home goods store, but it would be so cool to find neat vintage ones!

This project was so easy and only took about 3 days total! The total project costed us around $60.

Are you willing to give it a try?

Goood Morning, San Antonio!

M has been in San Diego since Tuesday and will be in Orlando until Sunday. I have filled my evenings with home visits from friends in the area and scheduled plenty of dates with my Altitude girls.

Well, I am flip flopping between the ideas of doing Friday Favorites or Fitness Fridays. I figured Fitness Fridays will keep me accountable for working out and tell y'all about it. Even if nobody reads it, I will still feel responsible if I don't post. However, since you never want to work out the day before a tournament, Ill stick with Friday Favorites for this week.

1. Hamburglar. Yes, from McDonalds.

C/O Pinterest

I am super excited for this weekend as I will be headed to Austin, TX for Celebraciõn. I am playing on a team that is dressing up as fast food, so naturally, I will be dressing up as the Hamburglar. :)

Since I am playing, I will not be wearing the chic dress or burger purse, but I am looking for the tie and gloves. Target had a (cute) black and white striped shirt on SALE!, I am striping up some shorts, and bought the floppy black hat last week. I will definitely take a picture in full gear!

2. Gossip Girl

The CW

Ok, I am NOT behind the times. I have already seen every single episode. However, working from home means lonely lunch hours which means binge watching TV shows on Netflix. #thankyouNetflix

The epic saga of the Upper East Side, Fake Celebs, Chuck and Blair, Nate and everyone else, GAH. Can't get enough. Yes, I am such a girly-girl.

Just finished: FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS :(

Next Up: Gilmore Girls?

Casual Watch: Friends, The League, New Girl

3. Our New Pub Table

Not the greatest photos, but hey, I don't have a fancy camera (yet)!

This table was only $175 with four barstools! However, it was a bit of a trip. The post listed the location as $225 in South Austin for a table in excellent condition. So, M&I and our friend Luisa hop in her Honda CRV and begin our route to South Austin. We were thinking an hour, TOPS. However, we give her a call and she sends over her address. Turns out it is in WEST Austin and the map says an hour and forty five minutes away. It was already 8:00PM... We were committed and Luisa was amazing. She drove all the way there and all the way back in one night.

The table is not in excellent condition, but the banged up wood definitely fits the theme of our house. The size is perfect and will definitely work for when M's parents visit for Thanksgiving. Stay tuned for the recipes to come.

This wraps my Friday Favorites!

::Coughing constantly::

Gah! I have been sick for weeks, but am too lazy to take my butt to the doctors office. I'd like to think it's from all of the traveling I have been doing lately and the climate change. From NYC to San An to Orlando to the Bahamas and back. I just want to sit down.

Well, I promised pictures of my apartment like a month ago but there hasn't been a good opportunity to take photos. So, I finally did this morning.

These are of my living room and kitchen. We are just about done with the office, but still need to get a few things and put some boxes away. We just haven't had a moment to breath! It will be done before M's parents and my momma/gma come for a trip in two weeks! Eek! So soon!

We were super proud that we were able to stick to our budget and spent less than $2500 on the entire apartment! We did a lot of shopping at Bussey's Flea Market for the decor that was super unique, like the blue trunk above. The couch we got for a steal at Big Lots.. yes, Big Lots. My mom is 100% responsible for the vision of the apartment. She is incredible at being frugal while still achieving the look you want. She really needs to quit her day job and go into decorating.

Well, there ya have it - the first look into our apartment.

Howdy, y'all!

Some of you may saw my post a couple of weeks ago mentioning the arrival of my MOM! I was #blessed this past weekend to have my mom come and visit me. However, this was not a "Welcome to San Antonio!" trip. This trip was work. Hard work. Each day from seven to midnight, we were up and visiting thrift store after thrift store, flea markets, outlet centers, you name it - all with the intention of scoring great deals to furnish M&I's apartment.

M&I saved up money from selling old furniture, deposits, and other odds and ends to come up with quite the fund to furnish our entire apartment. We were able to get just about everything we needed for about $2000! I'm talking couches, rugs, shelving, decor, fixtures and more! (Plus, a little help from my mom because she is the best!)

There will be more details to come and full room reveals, but for now you will have to deal with some sneak peak photos of the awesome deals we found this weekend.

Day One:
M&Mom&I started out visiting (what felt like) every thrift store in Bexar County starting with Boysville Thrift Store in Alamo Heights. While they had a few neat things, we couldn't find anything we wanted. Google Maps had a few more suggestions for "used furniture" and they ended up being people's houses. Seriously, pulled into a driveway. After realizing there weren't many options, we decided to hit my Mom's favorite store: BIG LOTS!

They had their big special going on this weekend - 20% off your entire purchase. We hawked down a brand new faux suede sectional for around $700! This was a great first couch for our first apartment together.

Since our apartment is a loft style, this means one major downfall: literally one closet. M&I were going for an Americana Industrial look, we wanted to find warehouse style industrial shelving to make up for the lack of storage. We visited both Lowes and Home Depot to find the best deal on sturdy shelving. We were able to find the right price at Lowes and we even had a 10% off coupon!

You can find some of the shelving we chose on my inspiration board below!

Follow Eryn's board S. Flores St on Pinterest.

The storage will be a mix of an eclectic gallery and a room divider. You'll have to check out the living room reveal coming soon!

Well, that just about wraps up the highlights from Day One! Stay tuned for Day 2 & Bussey's Flea Market.

Sorry for the lack in blog posts this week - I have actually received a few more calls this week asking me what I have been up to. It was kind of nice to pick up the ol' cellular and catch up with family.

This post is centered around a very exciting, upcoming event! My very own personal interior designer is on her way (in a few weeks) to decorate my apartment: my mother.

When my Mom told me she was going to come visit me in my new home, the first thing I did was create a Pinterest board of some of my favorite ideas that would create a more rustic look.

Photos c/o Pinterest

I am all about the pallet wood, chalkboards, and the American flag. Mike and I both really like red white and blue for decor, but definitely as accent colors. Mike works at a place where he can get all of the free pallets to create shelving and wood. Chalkboard paint is easy to come by. Mason jars are galore.

Now, I know they are super trendy right now, but I feel like the style fits well with the open ceilings and concrete floors. We will just need to throw in some rugs.