DIY Monogrammed Trivets

You wanna know what I love?  I love it when I rebound from a craft fail.  This happened to me recently when I decided to DIY some personalized trivets.  

It all started during a trip to IKEA.  (A lot of my stories begin this way...)  It was there that I saw these sturdy cork trivets — perfect for a girl who burns her wood table with some regularity.

I thought to myself, this will be so easy....



I'll cut out some vinyl letters on the Silhouette and make stencils.



Then I can just spray paint the negative space...

And it worked.

Sorta-kinda...

Except the spray paint made the vinyl curl up and lift off of the cork, preventing me from doing more than one coat of paint.

So while the end result looked okay(ish) it just didn't have the crisp, polished look I was hoping for.

Now I'm going to confess:  in a previous life I would have given up and walked away.

But having experienced many craft fails I've learned to be persistent and try again.

Which I did.

 (This time with a Sharpie Paint Pen.)

It gave me a lot more control, didn't compromise the vinyl, and I was able to do more than one coat.

(The fact that I did it in black was probably helpful as well.)

I think this would be a great gift that even a child could make if provided with a stencil.

Want to try your hand at this project?  Here is a list of supplies compliments of Whimseybox.

Wayfair Daily Sales: My Newest Not-So-Guilty-Pleasure

Back in April I told you about teaming up with Wayfair as part of the Wayfair Homemakers Team.  (Read more about that HERE.)  As a part of the team, I thought I might want to keep abreast of things on the site so I signed up for their Daily Sales emails.  The Wayfair Daily Sales are limited time deals (up to 70% off) that launch each day.

Today I am here to sing the praises of said emails.

Okay, I know what you're thinking:  you're thinking that I'm crazy.  You're thinking that you get too many emails —that the last thing you need is more messages in your inbox.  And the reason I know what you're thinking is because honestly, that was what I was thinking when I signed up.

Boy am I glad that I didn't listen to myself.

It seems like every time I think of something that I want for the house, it pops up in the Wayfair Daily Sales emails a few days later.  It's almost a little eerie (but in a good way).

Case in point, this Nespresso Aeroccino Frother.  

If you are a lover of frothy, caffeinated (or uncaffeinated) beverages, you need one of these in your life.  I first experienced it at my sister-in-law's house and am now completely obsessed.  It makes perfect froth every single time, plus it's easy to use and clean.   (I may or may not have bought one for Father's Day.)

Another item on my wish list that recently showed up in the Wayfair Daily Sales: these solar powered string lights.  

That's right, I said solar powered!  I have wanted string lights for-evah but I just didn't have a good place to plug them in.  These are the perfect solution to that problem and the daily sales price ($25.99) is excellent!

Speaking of outdoor spaces, I have long been on the lookout for a small radio to keep out on the patio while the kids are in the pool.  Specifically I wanted one on which they could dock their iPod.  Enter the  iSolo radio.  

Isn't it adorable?  I'm pretty sure I'm going to take the plunge and buy it before the sale ends, which is exactly what did with this storage box for my patio cushions:

I've been eyeing these for years, and now that I've refreshed my master balcony I'd like to keep my pillow and cushions protected in the off season.  (Needless to say, at $98 down from $184 I jumped on it.)  

Chances are good that the items I've highlighted here will no longer be on sale when you click on the link.  But never fear!  There are great new items on sale: every. single. day.  If you're interested in getting in on the action, just enter your email in the box below.   (And don't forget to stop back and tell me what interesting items you've found!)

Sign up for Wayfair Daily Sales Emails

{While Wayfair has provided me with product compensation for this post, all opinions are my own.}