Thursday, February 25, 2010

DIY - Wall Decor from Ruche's Lookbook

Hi Ladies,
I've finally had a chance to put together this DIY post from Ruche's first Spring lookbook. Sorry for the delay! Everything is extremely easy and can spruce up any plain wall in your home.

1. Floral wall made out of butcher paper

Stephanie got a roll of butcher paper and we were debating what do to with it. The night before the photo shoot, the Ruche team decided to make paper flowers and taped it to the wall. It was inspired by the book "paper chains and garlands" by June Gilbank that my husband picked up from Barnes and Nobles weeks before, hoping to one day use it..indeed we did! See instructions below.




We made different shaped and sized flowers out of butcher paper. For this particular wall, we covered the wall with butcher paper first, and then taped the flowers to it. This method could be used on a smaller scale and can be framed in a boxed picture frame too! You can also mix it up with different colored papers. BE CREATIVE!


2. Book paper mache wall

We picked up some used cheap paper back books at the thrift store. You don't necessary need old antique books, just books with pages with a yellow tint. (If you're wondering, we used Secret Garden, 3 Ninjas, and some other one. haha) We used a paint roller to roll "Sta-Fold" (liquid starch that use for iron clothes) all over the wall, stuck old book papers on wall, and rolled another coat of "Sta-fold". Work one section at a time. Wait for it to dry..and TADA!



To make the shelves out of books, you just pick a book you want to use as a shelf, put l-brackets through it, and screw it to the wall. Instead of stacking more books on it, you can substitute with pictures frames, vases, and more!




3. Natural Peel-able Wallpaper


You can make a cornstarch paste that can be used to paste fabric on your walls. The cool thing is that you can easily peel off the fabric and change it up. Recycle your fabric by putting it in the wash and you have the same fabric you started with.

Cornstarch paste is easy to make and works well for both wallpaper and papier mâché. Make one batch at a time to avoid lumps in the paste. For one gallon of paste, sift one cup of cornstarch into a large pot. Slowly add one gallon of hot tap water a little at a time, whisking thoroughly after each addition of water with a wire whisk. Heat the mixture on medium high heat on the stove, stirring constantly, until it thickens and becomes clear. Let the paste cool to room temperature for use. Instructions take here and here . As for the bottom section, the boys (Stephanie's hubby and mine) looked up how to install wainscotting and went at it. It turned out great!

4. Antique looking wooden floors
Stephanie introduced me to milk paint and I love it. Looks like I'll be painting EVERYTHING with milk paint. If you want that old antique finish on your furniture, milk paint is an excellent solution.


For our lookbook, the boys made this floor out of 2x4 wood blocks and we painted it with "oyster white" milk paint.

Hope you enjoyed our DIY post. If you ever get to using any of these ideas, I'd LOVE to see pictures!!!

-Mai

Sunday, February 21, 2010

New Arrivals - Spring Palette



Back from Mexico! I will be posting a DIY post on the paper flower backgrounds used for the Spring lookbook later this week. Stay tuned!

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Ruche Loves You too! 15% off on VDAY

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY EVERYONE! We Love You!


Heather J. D, Will you be our Valentine?

First off, we would like to thank EVERYONE for participating in Ruche's "Be Our Valentine" Giveaway. Each and every comment you left means so so much to us. We randomly chose our Valentine: Congrats to Heather Jean D.! Please email us to claim your prize. I wish we had the budget to make everyone our Valentine! Until then, I'd like to give virtual XOXOs to everyone who participated! Thank you for loving Ruche! We Love You too! Without your support, we wouldn't be here. We will keep trying to make Ruche the best it can be so that you'll love it keep coming back. :)






On another note, Josh and I are heading over to San Miguel De Allende, Mexico to meet up with Stephanie Williams for a "workation". Hint Hint: our next lookbook. =D We'll be back in a week!

Love this photo! Just taken in San Miguel De Allende by Stephanie Williams.



Can't wait to get there! Adios!!!

XOXO,
Mai Olivo

Monday, February 1, 2010

Ruche's Be Our Valentine Sweepstakes



Two ways to Enter:

(You don't need to leave your email in the comments, first name and last initial is fine, but please check back on Feb 14th to see if you've won!)

1. Add a comment to tell us what you LOVE about Ruche, whether it be your favorite item, lookbook, outfit, etc.

2. If you REALLY LOVE RUCHE =D, share it! Post one of the banners below linking to shopruche.com on your blog, facebook, twitter, etc. and you MUST send us the link in the comments of this blog (one entry for every link).

3. Contest ends Feb 12th. On Feb 14th, we will randomly choose a winner off of all the comments we've received, so don't forget to leave a comment with your links!



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Contest Disclaimer:
Comments will be numbered (in the following order: blog comments then facebook comments) and we will use randomizer.org to find the winner.

No purchase necessary. We reserve the right to close the contests early or late without warning. We will post the name of the winner on Feb 14th, 2010. Upon winning, you agree that your name can be published on this blog at the close of the contest. You must contact us within 7 days after the winner has been announced to claim your prize.