DIY Dorm: Part II Decorative Cake Stand

Hello lovelies! From the title of this post, you're probably wondering why you would want a cake stand in your room? First of all, it will look really pretty and give you more vertical storage which is essential in a small dorm. Let's face it: you only have so much desk space to store stuff. With a cake stand to hold your perfumes, makeup brushes, foundation, you give yourself a little mini shelf on your desk for even more stuff! And ladies, we all know we have a lot of stuff. 

So onto the tutorial.. This one is even quicker and easier than the DIY decorative pillows in my last post (you can go and read it here). 

Materials:

• 2 identical or similar sized serving platters (I got mine from the wedding section at Dollar Tree)
• Candle stick (I got mine from Hobby Lobby for 40% off)
• Super glue
  
  
  

Instructions:

1. Clean your plates and candle sticks off (you never know who has touched those things...) Also, remove any stickers. I didn't do this on the plate on the top but it would make it look more polished. Side note: DO NOT clean any metal with Clorox wipes (trust me, it's a bad idea). 
2. Dry off your plates and get rid of as many finger prints as possible.
3. Attach the candle stick to the to the bottom of the top plate with super glue. To maximize your storage, flip the candle stick so the bottom is attached to the plate. Oh and make sure you center the candle stick! 

   

   You don't need this much glue unless you want to wipe up the excess like I had to.

   

   Although you won't see the sticker because it's the plate on top, I still recommend removing them!

4. Glue the second plate to the other side of the candle stick. Again, make sure it's centered!
   
5. Enjoy your new cake stand!
   

I don't recommend putting a ton of weight on the top plate, but they can hold more than I have pictured! I'm thinking I will store this on my desk because I will be putting my makeup there. My cake stand will most likely hold my mason jars with my brushes in them, some perfumes, and possibly cotton swabs and cotton balls. 

I think this would also be super cute with colorful plates and candle sticks. You could buy some plain plates and spray paint them any color you like. Personally, I like how classic and clean the silver looks.

If you recreate this DIY, I would love to see! 

XOXO, Monica

DIY Dorm: Part I Decorative Pillows

Hey Y'all! This is the beginning of a new series on this blog called "DIY Dorm"... for now or until I figure out a new title for it (if you have any ideas for the name of this series please let me know!!!) 

After searching endless hours online and in store for a dang "Hey Y'all" pillow like this one for a reasonable price, I finally decided that it would be pretty easy (and much more special) to create it on my own. For those who don't know me, I don't greet anyone without saying "hey y'all", it's just my thing I guess! That's why this pillow is a must for my dorm room. It's so simple, but is so me. 

Alright, alright, onto the tutorial now...

The materials you will need are:

• 1 pillow any size (I found mine at Hobby Lobby)
• Pen or pencil
• Fabric marker in any color (I chose black)

Instructions:

1. Get your pillow and all materials together.

   

   I love the cute side detailing on this pillow!

2. Sketch out your phrase onto the pillow with a pen or pencil. I suggest pencil if it will show up, but it just wasn't writing on my pillow since its a burlapy-ish fabric. 
   
3. Trace your phrase with the fabric marker.
   
4. Darken your letters by tracing around them again. 
5. Add some weight to your letters. By this I simply mean, make them look more like how a felt tip pen would have written them. You can easily do this by thickening anywhere on the letter that you made a downward stroke.
   
    
6. Finally, go back into each letter and make sure none of the pillow is peaking through where you have written. 

I know this was such a simple tutorial, but if it helps someone looking to recreate a pillow they have had their eye on forever then it's worth it. By the way, this entire project cost me about $12 which is the cheapest I have seen any similar pillows.. you're welcome! Of course, like any DIY project, the words used on your pillow can totally be customized to your preference and liking. I think this pillow would be so cute with something like "good morning gorgeous" or "smile" on it. Heck, if you are artistic and want to draw a picture, go for it! The possibilities are endless. 

Have fun creating!

XOXO, Monica

Hi Y'all!

Hi y'all! Welcome to Makeup and Monograms. My name is Monica, but most people call me Mo. I am an 18 year old girl about to start school at Florida State University in the fall. I am creating this blog to share my love for fashion, beauty, and life. Over the past few months, I have felt the need to document my life, so I started journaling and for some reason that was not enough for me. Some of my family members were urging me to create a blog because I love to read them so much.. and here we are. I have no idea where this all will lead, but that is part of the fun I suppose!