Ikea Ribba Frame Hack // Custom Mats

This one was one of those projects where I'm asking myself, why didnt I do this sooner?? Was I intimidated? Did I assume it'd be costly? I dont know, and I dont care at this point. I did it, and you can too.

Before we get there, we need to back up to this extraordinarily disgusting builder grade wall. Lets start with the Red paint color. You guys, I cant. I wanted to immediately murder that wall. And what dumb and pointless nooks are these? Within literally hours of getting the keys to our house, I had a painter on the job, and a plan to close it all up and forget it ever existed. ( these were seller photos btw) 

It's actually quite a large corner wall, and it's weight bearing, so, SOL there. Once we closed it up and painted it, it's been one of those walls I need to live with and think about for a while. I didnt need shelving. Putting a piece of furniture there, just wasnt my favorite, although I moved the tv cabinet there a couple of times. I'm an evolving thinker. My ideas get better and better as I cancel out mediocre ones in my head. Enter, a photo wall.

I've bought Ribba frames for years. They should come with a warning, you MUST hang these correctly. Actually pay attention to the instructions, or, over time, they WILL fall off the wall because the mdf splits in half. I'm embarrassed to share that I've broken 4 large ones of these in the past.

This time, I decided I didnt want a stock mat. It was time to put my big girl pants on and customize. You guys, it was painless. Check this out.

I got six of these exact Ribba Frames from Ikea. After researching a few different customizable mat websites, I landed on www.matboardsandmore.com, due to it's very very easy user interface and sample you can see online. I've known I've wanted to have an offset mat for my frames, and I knew I wanted my photos to be 11x14, and as it shows below, my outer frame was 19 3/4 x 27 1/2.

So these are the exact measurements I entered to get the custom cut out I wanted for Ribba. I ended up shortening the bottom to 11x13 ( instead of 14 ) because I wanted an inch more space on the bottom. My favorite feature on this site, is the "offset" option, which is where my "top center" choice came in.

So each Mat came to $13.78 and I needed 6.

The shipping was fast, and I was seriously shocked at the quality. I even chose their cheapest Mat Board type. They're substantial, and beautifully beveled. They give a basic Ikea frame that lift they desperately needed. They packaged it very very well, and they came fast. Customer for life.

Look how pretty!

It was a lot easier than I anticipated. Honestly the most annoying part was choosing which photos to use!

The little entry that could

I love entryways. I think they're often ignored or neglected. My living area is SMALL. I'm grateful to even HAVE a wall in the entry to decorate, so I knew I'd have to make a statement. I had all of this furniture already ( I did have to buy back my Nordstrom stools from my ex, and plan to re-cover them ) and we did paint the walls, which were yellow, my nemesis. I pulled the lamp from my daughter's room, added the pillows that werent being properly displayed, and voila!

As I said on Instagram, I havent ever been able to pull the trigger on faux branches. I had some cherry blossom branches in my daughters room years ago, but always kinda secretly cringed. Now that I'm a big girl with grown up plants in my house, I feel that I can justify ONE fake plant :)

The branches are from Ikea, I'm as shocked as you.

Lamp: Target

Console Table: Overstock

Mirror: Target

White Honeycomb Vase: Old Target

Wood bowl: Target

Beads: Target

Pillows: Handmade by me

Stools: Old Nordstrom ( Yes you can buy their old display furniture )

Gingko Branches: Ikea

My $16 Secret // Ikea Hemnes Hack

Ebay has been a ride or die for me, for years. I started buying and selling on Ebay about 15 years ago, and became obsessed with the hunt. You can get anything on Ebay. I have no problem buying things straight from China. Cut out the middle idiot and get the price that big box stores cant give you. Now, having said that, there's risk involved. Sometimes you get what you pay for. Others, like this, it's worth the extra time you have to wait for it to arrive, and when it does, it's legit.

You'll quickly learn about me, that I have no shame in my shopping game. I am not the person that leaves you guessing where I got something, or what I paid, or worse, make you think I paid an arm and a leg for something. I will tell you exactly where to find something, what I paid, and to talk to Barbara and tell her Steph sent you. I think it's stupid to pay what everyone else does, so I do research and get around it! Yay!

I needed to update my sad frumpy Ikea Hemnes Dresser. This is one of those moments when I tell my husband my plan and he just stares at me. Like why? Why would you need to update that dresser. What's wrong with it? ( #men ) Because babe. Dont ask questions you dont want a dumb answer to.

She just wasnt doing it for me, but Lowes wanted $6 PER PULL. Ya right. 

Enter. Ebay. Again. No shame in my game, man. Here you be. 15 pack for $16.99. Ring a ding ding.

Because it's from China, the shipping did take 2 weeks, but, it was also faster than I expected.

Isnt she pretty now? It's jewelry for furniture. It's like she got her ears pierced for the first time.

Curious? Want to dip your toes into the world of ebay? Here's a direct link to the knobs HERE

Master Bath - Face Lift

We knew going in that we wouldnt be doing "fun" upgrades right away. Painting every single wall in the house was priority #1, and everything else would have to come later. Thankfully, the master bathroom was in decent condition. So how in the world do I take care of the builder grade, 90's esque vanity? I dont. I just go along with it. I would never paint this unless I was putting shaker doors on. I'm not about "upgrading" vanities that have dumb doors. And no, I wouldnt put hardware on it. Somehow, it works. And I dont cringe at it, and I do think it's thanks to the black wall.

Before:

After: I highly highly encourage you to ditch the huge mirror you have, especially if you have two sinks. It's too heavy guys! And dont go framing these suckers out. That was thing 10 years ago, I think they even have "clip on magnetic frames" for large builder grade mirrors. DONT. Just DONT.

So a fun surprise to my marriage, was when my dude announced he could "do things" like electrical work. It was super important to get that previous light to the dump and install two separate lights. I've always been obsessed with adjustable wall sconces, so when I saw these were $89 for TWO on Amazon, I bought them fast than you can say suck it rejuvenation hardware. ( I do love that store btw ...)

Husband did the grunt work, while I directed him from afar. ( I was still in Washington )
I will say, they are not very sturdy. However, since they are in a posed position and we do not move them ever, I figured it'd be ok. I was also worried that they'd "droop" over time, as the heads are sort of heavy, but so far, 8 months later, no droop. AND 8 months later we just NOW changed the lightbulbs.

The mirrors are a clearance home run, from HomeGoods. I paid less than $20 each.

I went for this color because, instead of fighting the warmth of the vanity, I wanted to get close to the vanity color. If you cant beat them, join them. They compliment eachother nicely.

Sources:

Black Paint - BM Wrought Iron

Mirrors - HomeGoods

Adjustable Sconces - Amazon

Stool - Target

Rug - Overstock

Plant - Maidenhair Fern - You wont keep her alive. I promise.

Master Bedroom Before & Afters

The master bedroom was a sad scene before. It just was not being utilized to it's full potential. I've never had a large master bedroom, ever. This was a treat for me to work with.

Before:

After:

Sources:

Bed: Skyline Furniture

Frames: Pottery Barn Teen

Gray Coverlet: Amazon ( Target also sells )

Duvet: Beckham Duvet from Amazon

Rug: Threshold Target Vintage Rug

Hers nightstand: Hayneedle ( it's a dresser..take motrin before assembling)

Hers Lamp: Target

His Nightstand: Target

His Navy Lamp: Target

Wall color: Dolphin Fin

Also in the room is a huge mirror, a couple jumbo frames and my dresser, which will come in another post because I just did a mini makeover on it. This room is BRIGHT. There's a sliding glass door to the balcony plus another window and it's been, uh, interesting to keep the light out. I just had Lowes come out to give us quotes for blackout shades, due to the size we have to go custom. ( Otherwise, seriously, JCP and Overstock have the best prices for blackouts ) 

The big ass palm fan is hideous, but I tell you what, it did the job on those 100 degree nights plus the air conditioning. It did, however, just bite the dust, which has me in the market for a new fan. It's necessary. 

The flooring in this house, is, a disaster. I dont know when we will get to it honestly, as literally everything has to be torn up. Our house is 2004, and the carpets upstairs are in sad shape. One thing at a time!