Blog - at home with Ashley

DIY Vintage Jewelry Wreath

The number one DIY I wanted to make this year is a DIY Vintage Jewelry Wreath. They’re so festive, sparkly, and fun to create! Especially when you get to treasure-hunt for secondhand brooches and earrings. Maybe you’re even lucky enough to have inherited a box of costume jewelry that would be perfect for this project!

If you’ve always wanted to make your own DIY Vintage Jewelry Wreath, this step-by-step guide will walk you through collecting the pieces, assembling the wreath, and adding those finishing touches that make it shine.

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Thrift Store Crystal Christmas Tree

If you love upcycling, color, and vintage sparkle, you’re going to adore this thrift store crystal Christmas tree project. I’ve seen people stack thrifted crystal bowls into a tree shape, and I thought it was so cute, but I wanted to put my own colorful twist on it. So mine became a pastel rainbow!

I love that this project reuses dishes that aren’t quite as popular anymore in a fun, fresh way. Cut glass bowls and serveware are everywhere in thrift stores! This simple upcycle gives these beautiful but often-overlooked pieces a magical new life as a Christmas tree.

Perfect for holiday decor, this DIY Christmas craft is also great for a budget-friendly Thriftmas craft night or as a handmade gift for your friends and family.

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How to Repair Damaged Leather

I have been wanting to upgrade my coffee table for a long time. Then I found it—my unicorn find! A coffee table that looks like a stack of books. However, the leather was in terrible shape. So if you’re wondering how to repair damaged leather, here’s the process I used to bring my dream coffee table back to life.

before

The table is made by Maitland-Smith and is really special—the “books” are covered in leather and the spines even open for storage. That’s the good news. The bad news? It had gouges, dents, scratches… honestly a little overwhelming. I think the last owner had pets who really beat the poor table up. I was able to repair it and I thought I’d share the process if you need to fix leather too!

If you’re looking for this table, try looking on Facebook Marketplace! Search “Maitland Smith Stacked Books Furniture.” There’s a few different styles of coffee tables and end tables. There’s even a rare desk! Here’s a bunch linked here. You can also look on eBay or Etsy, though I imagine shipping would be expensive.

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How to Paint Gingham Floors

If you’ve been embracing the Cottagecore trend like me, you’ll know gingham is one of the signature patterns- sweet, nostalgic, and full of charm. So today, I’m sharing how to paint gingham floors step by step so you can try this affordable upgrade in your own home.

I love my living room, but I’ve always despised the grey floors. When we bought our house seven years ago, the gray painted floors stayed “temporary” while we waited for the right time (and budget) to upgrade them.

But I finally got tired of waiting! Instead of spending a fortune, I decided to give them a new look with just paint.

I’m going for a gingham (or buffalo check) pattern, which feels so right for the space.

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DIY Oven Curtain

All I want is for my kitchen to feel cozy. I’ve been loving the cottagecore trend lately, and to really embrace it, that means layering in soft textures and sweet fabrics. So today, I’m making a DIY oven curtain! There’s absolutely no practical need for this project—but if your oven or dishwasher isn’t quite as cute as you’d like, this one’s for you.

For my version, I’m sewing a little skirt that ties onto the oven handle. It’s like a mini curtain for your appliance—simple, removable, and full of charm. You could also use a magnetic rod instead of ties if that’s easier for your setup. My stove isn’t magnetic, so this is the simplest option for me.

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DIY Lamp Makeover

I am fully embracing the cottagecore decor trend, which means that I needed a kitchen lamp! When my friend Laurel from Wicker Picker Vintage found this lamp, I talked her into selling it to me—and I’ve been so excited to make it over! Anthropologie has a few lamps with bases covered in ceramic flowers, and I used those as my inspiration for this DIY lamp makeover.

Before of the thrift store lamp. Super cute, but I want to add more personality!

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How to Make a Quilt Coat

Have you ever spotted a beautiful quilt at the thrift store and wished you could turn it into something wearable? Today I’m sharing how to make a quilt coat using a $6 coverlet I thrifted. It’s white with sweet pink roses embroidered on it—so romantic and perfect for the colder months.

I’ll be using the Joni Jacket pattern from Etsy, which features an oversized ruffled collar, bow closures, and a hip-length fit. I was so excited when I found this pattern! It’s the exact look I was looking for.

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Alice in Wonderland House Costume

For Halloween this year, I thought it’d be fun to make an Alice in Wonderland house costume! It takes a classic dress-up moment and punches it up with a whimsical twist — the house!

This look is inspired by the scene in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland where Alice grows too big after eating a cake labeled “Eat Me.” She becomes enormous, getting stuck inside the White Rabbit’s house, with her arms and legs poking out the windows and doors. Later, she eats a garden carrot and shrinks back down to her normal size.

When my cousin told me his wedding celebration was going to be a costume party, I knew it was the perfect excuse to go all out. Here’s exactly how I made this magical costume — from foam core to finishing details — so you can make your own too!

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Colorful Halloween Mantel

When it comes time to decorate for the holidays, I like to go all out. Each year, I look at my past decorations and decide what I love (and repeat that). What I’m not excited about, I switch up. My past Halloween mantel was a little too plain, so this year I decided to jazz it up with a Colorful Halloween Mantel! My goal? Make it bright, fun, and festive — withoutspending more than $10.

Here’s my old Halloween mantel. I was tired of the big mash of pumpkins.

To keep it budget-friendly, I challenged myself to spend $10 and use decor and supplies I already had on hand. The result is a playful, pastel-inspired Halloween display that feels sweet instead of spooky.

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Small Laundry Room Makeover

In the back of our house, past the kitchen, is our laundry room. It used to be a porch (because our house was built before modern plumbing)g, and when we moved in, we were grateful to have a laundry room, but it was dark and sad. We did a lot of work on it over the years, but the wallpaper began to fall, so it was time to do a small laundry room makeover.

The laundry room in 2019

Luckily, the bones of the space were already great—mosaic tile floors with floral patterns, tiled walls, a functional layout, and a solid washer and dryer. This makeover was less about function and more about adding personality, color, and whimsy.

the laundry room with the peeling wallpaper

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before

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