Tag Archives: diy

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{Flashback Friday} Christmas Center Piece

It has been a crazy busy week for me and I’m so happy that it’s Friday! I’ve just about finished all of my holiday decorating and I can’t wait to share some of the cute crafts I did this year! With the holidays here I thought today’s throwback would be a Christmas one! I’m bringing back a post I did on some cute Christmas center pieces. Come back on Monday where I will be decking the halls for the last installment of the Dare to DIY series and if that weren’t enough I’ll be back that same day with another post on a great handmade gift! I’ve teamed up with 8 other amazing bloggers to bring you 9 Handmade Christmas Gifts which is hosted by Tamsyn from Max and Me. If you haven’t checked out her blog you must and you have to check out little Max (cutest thing ever!) Cheers to an amazing weekend!!

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After decorating my living room there was one piece that was pretty bare and that was my coffee table.  I had this over the top idea of a runner with garland draped all across with beautiful glowing candles until I remembered that I have a kitty who will easily find it as a play toy.  Then while at Joann’s fabric store picking up some burlap and I came across some vases that were 4 bucks and I had a great idea!  I hit up the floral isle and grabbed some faux garland that was 60% off and some berries also 60% off and headed home. I laid out all my material and started getting to work on putting everything together.

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The first thing I did was measure out the burlap that I wanted to wrap around the vases.  I knew I wanted the larger vase to have a wider cut then the smaller vases so I kept that in mind.  I just wrapped the fabric around and marked where I needed it cut.  I made sure to leave a little extra because I used a straight pin to hold it in place.

Then I pulled out my wire cutters and snipped off pieces of garland to put in the vase.  Each vase got about 7 pieces.

After that was done I just began placing everything inside the vases.  I used flameless candles and a pencil to help me push things down.

I placed the berries inside and then the greenery. When that was finished I wrapped the burlap around and that was all.  Once I cut the pieces off of the garland it took me minutes to finish up.  They sit beautifully on my coffee table now!

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{Handmade} Paper Mache Bowls

A few weeks ago I was working with my students on a project that we do with our Iroquois unit. They learn all about the False Face Society and the students make their own masks using paper mache. While helping out the kiddos I had an idea to make some bowls using this technique.  I’ve seen an image or two online of small bowls that are too cute not to try! The first thing I had to do was find a form to create my shape around.  In my classroom I had the students use balloons but I wanted more of a rounded shape rather than oval. While at Michael’s I found a plastic ball in the toy section and I also found a half circle foam form. In order to accomplish this you will need the following:

1/2 cup of water
1/2 cup of flour
mod podge or any liquid glue newspaper cut into strips
(I used the Penny Saver, the paper is a bit thicker)
round form
saran wrap
paint
(in whatever colors you prefer)

1. I started out with my foam half circle and sliced a piece off the top so that the bowl would sit flat.

DSC_0033DSC_00372. Next I wrapped it in saran wrap.
I do this so that when the newspaper is all dry it can peel right off of the form.

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3. Then I made the glue solution.
1/2 c. water
1/2 c. flour
About 2 tablespoons of glue…I just eyeballed it

DSC_00404. Once my strips were cut (1 1/2″ x 5″) I dipped them into the mixture, took off excess mixture, and began laying it all around the form.
I made sure to overlap and create about 3-4 layers of paper. Make sure to smooth out the paper as much as possible.

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DSC_00495. Once it is all dried (I waited 24 hrs.) just release from the form and cut the top all around so it is even.

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6. Now you can paint your bowls in any color that you would like and follow it up with a sealer!

I decided to prime my bowls in white so that the print wouldn’t show (not sure if this is necessary) and then I spray painted the insides of both the bowls gold. Once it was dry I flipped them over and spray painted the outsides. Black, for one, and white, for the other.

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I am happy with the way they turned out but if I do it again (which I plan on) here’s what I might do differently:

1. I might try using smaller strips of paper to help eliminate the “bumpiness”.
2. I will use acrylic paint instead of spray paint (only to see how the finish is…I kinda wish the bottom black one was more matte) Also the foam shaped bowl lost it’s shape and became a bit more oval after spraying but the ball bowl stayed true to form. Not sure if the wetness from the paint was the cause.
3. I would love to try to do the inside of the bowls with gold leaf!
4. I used a water-based polyacrylic spray to seal the bowls but it left this bubble look inside which I don’t care for so next time I will brush the sealer on.

I still am pretty happy with how they turned out and how cute to just hold your jewelry or keys or any type of knick knacks!

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Wouldn’t you love to received this as a gift?

Linked up to Two Twenty-One, Decor and the Dog, Newly Woodwards, and Maybe Matilda

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DIY Iron-on Onesies

A friend and co-worker of mine is working on baby number 2 who is due in just a few weeks. Of course I immediately started to think about a sweet gift I could put together for her. When my BFF was preggers with her daughter I had made these cute little felt animals that were attached to some onesies with a small sew on snap. I thought to do the same thing this time but rather than animals I got a little more creative. Oh and did I mention she’s having a boy!

The bow tie and tie were the easiest of the three. I used these clip art images to trace over:

Once I had them cut out I them traced them onto black felt, cut them out and then used hemming tape to iron them onto the onesie. Easy Peasy!

Now the skull and bones were a whole other story!! I started out by finding an image to work with ( I found the image on my iPad and then placed paper on top and just traced it since I don’t have a printer).

First I worked with the skull head and traced it onto the felt and then did the bones separate.

I cut the eyes, nose and mouth freehand with black felt. I then decided to cut all the same shapes again in black to give it a layered look. This is where things started to get complicated! I thought I could use fabric glue but the glue I had didn’t really work well and so I ended up pulling out my needle and thread and sewing the eyes, nose, mouth and bones on. I then sewed the top white layer to the back black layer. Once I had it all together I used the hemming tape to iron it onto the onesie. Since they were all iron-on they should all hold in the wash.

I’m not really happy with how it turned out but for the first time it’s not too shabby!

She loved them which in the end is all that matters! Can’t wait to see the little man in them!

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Table Setting {Thanksgiving Edition}

Normally this post would  come before the actual festivities but things just aren’t going the way they should over here! Black Friday has always been the day I take out all my Christmas decorations but as of right now I am in sweats catching up on my DVR’s shows fighting a cold that is making me feel like crap.  I wanted to take an opportunity to share with you the Thanksgiving table I put together at my parent’s house.  It was by far my favorite table ever. Rather than going with the usual fall colored table that I normally do I went with a natural element look. I incorporated some burlap, twigs (which I spray painted gold), acorns, and little pumpkins which I painted white (since I couldn’t find any) and added hints of glitter too. Here are some photos of how it all turned out!

I hope you all enjoyed your Thanksgiving!

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Being Thankful

With Thanksgiving just days away it’s a good time to remind yourself to be thankful for what you have.  While I love decorating for Fall as seen by my wreath, table decor, felt pumpkin, and Fall mantel. I thought I would create a little Thanksgiving project that can stay up all year round! I’ve joined the Dare to DIY challenge hosted by some pretty awesome bloggers and this project was perfect for the first challenge which is to create a project that would remind you to be grateful this holiday season.

In my entryway I have a photo gallery and there was a frame just dying for something to go inside.  The problem I found, and not until I brought it home, is that it is 8 x 12 and that is not a common print size for photos so it’s been empty for quite some time.

But not anymore!

I’ve seen tons of prints on Pinterest and elsewhere that are done directly on fabric so I decided to do a little printing on some burlap. The first thing I did was decide the size I wanted the burlap to be.  I didn’t want it to be the same size as the frame so I cut some paper as a tracer for the size the fabric would be.

Then I cut my burlap, using this method.

Once I had it cut to size I simply attached it to a standard 8 1/2″ x 11″ paper by stapling it. Most tutorials use freezer paper and an iron but I wasn’t about to go out and buy freezer paper just for a little piece and since I am using burlap I knew the staples wouldn’t make a hole that was too visible.  If I were working with linen or another type of fabric I may have used the freezer paper.

Then I just fed it through the printer with the print I created on Print Shop.

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BAM!

I tore some pieces of burlap to create some fringe on the ends and then placed it in the frame and hung it.


So what are you thankful for this year? Are you ready for Thanksgiving? I’m excited to put together the table and of course I’ll be sharing it with you guys! If you follow me on Instagram then you may already have an idea of something I will be doing!

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Painting a Bathroom Vanity

Today I come to you with a really great update that anyone can do with enough time and patience. Yes, two things that many people don’t have enough of  but as a DIYer it is a necessity! Like I’ve said time and time again one of the easiest ways to update anything is to add some paint to it. So when the BFF and her hubs bought a house that had those dreaded honey wood bathroom vanities in it (sorry for those people who are into them), we unscrewed those doors and primed them as fast as we could! There were two bathrooms that we were working with so we first took all the doors off and gave them a light sanding and then wiped them clean.

The first thing we did was prime all of the doors and then the frame of the vanities. We used the Zinsser cover stain primer with the gold label to make sure that the paint had something to stick to. In order to get around the edges we propped the doors on top of paint cans. Once one side was dry we flipped them and painted the other side.

Once everything was dry it was time to start painting. We painted the smaller vanity one color (Benjamin Moore Black Satin) and the other bathroom another color (of course paint spilled over the label and covered the name!!) We also added Floetrol to the paint to avoid brush marks since it prolongs drying time. The technique we used to paint was a brush (Purdys are great brushes) in the creases and edges and a small roller for all the flat parts. Two coats on each side.

For the vanities we did the same technique, roller for the flat surfaces and brush for the edges, smaller spaces.

Look at my BFF all hard at work in the action shot…she’s a quick learner!

Once everything was all dried (48 hrs.) the doors were placed back on and looking good!

*I wasn’t able to take pictures of the smaller vanity because the bathroom was being worked on when I took pictures the other day but when I remember my camera I will update the post!

Have you painted anything recently that made a big impact? Have you subscribed to Made2Style yet? Do you like that shameful plug I just threw in there!

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Tufting Know How

So I have done tutorials on making your own headboard but the first one I ever made was my own and that was way before I started this blog. The one I made for myself had tufted buttons. Since I am super lazy to pull out my external hard drive to find a picture of it here is a picture I took of Luna being fresh a few weeks ago with my headboard in the back.

Since I haven’t done a tutorial on how to tuft a headboard I thought it was the perfect opportunity to do so when my BFF asked me to make her one for her guest room.  We started out with the plywood cut to size. The headboard was for a queen size bed so we had it cut 60 x 30.

Since it was going to be the same amount of buttons as my current headboard (2 rows of 4 buttons) I went ahead and marked off where my holes would be.  I measured my first mark by going 5 1/4″ from the top down and then from the left I came in 12″ and matched my marks.

I continued to mark every 12″ until I had 4 marks and then I went down again another 5 1/4. Of course your holes for buttons may be completely different but this is what worked for what I had. Here is a diagram of what I did to help you better understand.

The next step was to use my drill to drill a hole in where the marks were. I tested the hole to make sure it was wide enough by fitting in my needle.

Once this was all done I just followed the same steps as here to upholster the board. You will need extra fabric and a cover button kit to make the buttons. Then you’re ready to start!

To tuft you will need:

pre-made buttons in same fabric
upholstery thread
upholstery needle
staple gun
duck tape

Start by cutting about 1 1/2′ of thread and threading it through the needle. Then place the needle into the first drilled hole from the back and come through the fabric.

Once the needle has poked through the front (make sure not to pull the thread all the way through!) you will then place the button through the needle.

Then turn the needle and place it through the same hole that the thread is coming through. (This is why it’s helpful to have a lot of thread in your needle.)

Once you get it through the other side pull the thread as tight as you can. To make the button “sink in” more you can push the button in while you pull the thread on the other side and then with your staple gun staple it down.

To secure it even more I place a piece of duck tape over it as well.

Then just continue the same process on all the other holes.

That’s it! You can refer back to this post on how to hang the board and while we did hang it up the bed wasn’t made and so I don’t have a final shot of it up but I will get it soon. Until then here’s a shot of the tufting!

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Art of the Dot

I love clothing. More importantly, I love clothing that makes you feel confident and happy and stylish. I love following trends but also making my own rules. I love mixing expensive pieces with department store bargains. I love stripes. I love bold colors. I love vintage finds and accessories. I love shoes and right now, I love polka dots!

If you haven’t taken a second to notice, polka dots are everywhere. I’m not sure if it’s the simplicity of the dots or the innocence they portray but I love them. They make me smile and feel carefree and yet somehow bring together a bit of sophistication if worn correctly. Here are a few shots of some fun pieces that are floating around.

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Don’t you love it?! If you’ve never worn polka dots before I challenge you to buy something and you’ll see just how carefree it can make you feel! Now, while I can go on and on about clothes and accessories and all things that make a woman feel pretty there is a project somewhere in all of this and guess what it has to do with?….have you figured it out? It’s Polka Dots!!

You see, at one point this summer I was checking out some of my favorite thrift stores when I made a purchase at one of them. To be honest, I don’t remember what it was, all I remember was that when I got home I realized that my change did not match the total cost. The next day I went back to get my money and LOOONG story short I ended up taking home a cute bamboo tray for hardly anything.

This tray has been sitting on my desk waiting for a makeover but I just wasn’t inspired by anything until a few dots entered my life. It is often said that a woman’s home is a direct reflection of her wardrobe. Ok, maybe that isn’t often said and maybe I heard it once or made it up but I swear it’s true. If you are someone who can take risks with their wardrobe then why not with the way you decorate your home. So with that said it was time for me to dot this baby up!

The first thing I did was wrap the handles up in painters tape so that they wouldn’t get paint on them and then took it outside (a well ventilated area). I primed (without sanding…watch out this chick is dangerous!) and painted it in a glossy white.

Once it was dry (I waited 24 hours) I brought it inside and went on a search for the perfect dot. I decided to use a pencil eraser. The only problem was that all the pencils I had had erasers that were used up. Apparently I make tons of mistakes!!

Lucky for me one of the erasers was flat enough that it made the perfect circle and why yes, it was Papa Smurf that saved the day. Isn’t that always the case?  So I grabbed my black acrylic paint and made a little puddle on my paper and dipped the eraser in and lightly tapped it on the tray.

{My advice would be to practice first on paper. I found that adding a good amount of paint and a quick tap insured a perfect dot. If you take too much paint off before the tap then you end up with only an outlined dot}

There was no rhyme or reason to the placement of the dots. I just tried to space them as evenly as possible. Once all the dots were done I took it outside again and sprayed it with a water based polyacrylic that I have to seal it.

{A little before and after shot shall we…}

It’s PRESH (short for precious)! It was a simple upgrade that made a bold yet dainty statement!

Here are some Instagram shots I took of some other ways I have let polka dots into my life:

Polka dot nails using Essie’s Wicked and a pointed q-tip with a white polish!

A fun pair of rain boots a friend of mine bought me years ago that are making their return!

Are you crushing on polka dots or any other fun trends?

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Fun Canvas Art

You can find them in every home. Those dreadful gray fuse boxes. Most people are lucky enough to have them in their garage or somewhere in a closet or basement but not this girl! My fuse box is located in a visible spot and I purchased a canvas board for it probably about 6 months ago when they were on sale at Michael’s. I wasn’t in a huge rush to cover it because I keep a plant in front of it and I didn’t want to just blob paint on a canvas until I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted.  About a few months ago I decided that I wanted the canvas to have a saying on it. I knew I would use my projector to help me get the words on the canvas but now the question was: what did I want it to say?

The space where the fuse box is located is where I do most of my projects. It’s a very light, airy, and bright space. For the most part most of my place is very neutral but this area is where I have my pink roman shades and so I wanted the canvas to have something fun on it. I decided that no matter what it said it was going to be black and gold because I love how glamorous black and gold are together. Once I had made that decision I knew I wanted some type of fun girly saying so off to my Pinterest “Words” board I went. I narrowed it down to two. The first one was “Some girls are just born with glitter in their veins,” but I went with option two which was…”I’m so glam I sweat glitter.” It makes me laugh and reminds me that even though I can handle a power drill like no other I’m still a girly girl. I contemplated making it say “I’m so crafty I sweat glitter” but decided to leave it as is.

I wanted it to have some texture so I purchased wrinkled scrap paper, modge podged it on (I only did the bottom layer and modge podged on top of the overlaps not all the paper) then used the projector to trace the saying that I recreated in print shop.

Once this was done I used a black paint pen that I have to go all around the letters to make it easier to paint with my brush.

With my brush and black acrylic paint I just painted all around.

Here’s what the space looked like before and after:

My favorite part is the texture on the canvas and of course the awesome saying!

Do you have a favorite saying or maybe a favorite board on Pinterest? Ever catch yourself sweating glitter? Between 2nd graders, crafting and makeup I can probably start my own glitter line!!

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