Awesome Etsy finds: Vinyl wall decals

I moved into my new apartment about a month ago, and struggled to find art to hang above my new, fabulously comfy, brown couch. The typical department store offerings and reproductions of famous works did nothing for me. Everything felt too dark and depressing. All I wanted was something that was a) mostly brown, b) sophisticated, to give the illusion that I am an adult, and c) cute, because being an adult is overrated.

Was I asking too much? Not according to my old friend Etsy, and Leen the Graphics Queen! I hadn't even considered vinyl decals until I stumbled across Leen's shop. Her awesome three panel decals with birds and trees fit my criteria perfectly.

The decals arrived in practically no time. A small bird decal was included at no charge, presumably for me to practice on. She knows me too well, that Leen. I successfully applied the bird to my bedroom wall.



Cute, right? How hard could the others be?

To be honest, the first living room decal was a pain in the ass, but the blame is mine. I peeled the backing paper off too quickly, which resulted in a tear near the top. I was able to salvage it, and you can't tell unless you get right up in front of it. If you stand on my couch and put your nose to my wall decal, I will give you the stinkeye. I then peeled the transfer paper up from the bottom instead of down from the top, which made for tired arms.


Intermission! (AKA Snack Break!)


The remaining two decals were much easier to apply, once I knew what I was doing.





Kitty sold separately.

Another awesome Etsy find. Two thumbs (and four decals) up!

Repurposing an old liquor bottle, AKA the girl is crafty like ice is cold!

Whenever I visit my Dad, he gives me something he randomly found in the basement and doesn't want. Most recently, it was an unopened bottle of Galliano. He had no idea where it came from, probably a Christmas gift from someone at work. He also had no idea WHEN he got it, so who knows how long it was sitting in the basement before he unearthed it.

Not one to pass up free booze, I took it home. Husband and I went straight to the internets. I don't know about you, but I'm not drinking anything remotely resembling urine before doing my research. Wikipedia says its 30 ingredients include "star anise, Mediterranean anise, ginger, and citrus and vanilla." Anise means Sambuca, which means black liquorice, which means... barf. I tried it anyway, and just wasn't a fan. My Sambuca-freak husband didn't like it either, so I didn't feel too bad about dumping it.

I liked the bottle too much to throw it away, so I decided to make it into a decoration.

Before:


Yellow glass beads. Some of them were too wide to fit through the bottle opening, so I have a bunch leftover. No idea what to do with them. Any ideas?


Throw in a couple of fake gerbera daisies (I think).


I think it's cute! The beads are not quite as bright as the liquor, but that's ok. It's on the dining room table now, but I might move it outside when it gets warmer. It's pretty sturdy, so I don't think it'll blow over too easily.