Hey...Things Change!: DIY: Paint Chip Calendar *New and improved version of the Paint Chip Calendar is right here. Yesterday, while perusing some of my favorite blogs, I found this great DIY calendar idea from Design Mom. It got me thinking about a project I had put on the back burner for a while and it also reminded me that I have yet to purchase a 2011 calendar and here it is March! So I took my back burner idea involving paint chips and combined it with a DIY calendar and created my own mash up: a DIY Paint Chip Calendar. Supplies: paint chips, glue, white paper…I used a Crayola floor pad. I chose the floor pad because the top is hooked together with a strip of gluey stuff, making it easy to tear off each calendar page as the month ended while still holding the rest of the calendar together. I measured the squares on our old calendar, which was approximately the same size as the floor pad… …and cut the paint chips to the same size, 2.5” x 3.” I then recruited daughter 3, Lainey, to do some gluing. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
suitcase I’ve mentioned before that I use suitcases in our bedroom for extra storage. But that’s just one way to repurpose a vintage suitcase. For some gobsmackingly creative ideas, scroll on! Giftwrapping box Better Homes & Gardens Collect all your wrap, tags and tape in one place in a mobile wrapping station. Sewing kit Mini macs Similarly, use it as a hobby or sewing kit to keep everything together and make it portable. Blanket box Design*Sponge Use large trunks at the foot of the bed for blankets, shoes or out-of-season clothes. Shelving Casa Sugar Add shelves to a trunk to create a mini closet or shoe rack. Liquor trolley Apartment Therapy Go one better and add wheels to create a rolling booze cabinet. File rack / pinboard Design*Sponge Affix to your study wall for a memo board and hidden file storage – genius! Vanity/medicine cabinet Vanity Case How incredible is this vanity cabinet? Bedside table Apartment Therapy Simply plonk a suitcase on a stool for an instant bedside table with plenty of storage. Table Chair
- StumbleUpon we blessing sisters have loved notepads, notebooks and all things paper since our first wide-rule pads we bought in gradeschool. we have trouble letting go of even a single sheet of paper, lest we find a use to reuse or recycle it in the craft room! this time, we repurposed our old faxes and paper scraps into notebooks and made them useful again. we pulled out old wrapping paper, books we didn’t mind ripping pages out of, and other odds and ends to make the covers pretty. this is quick and easy to do with what you already have at home, and you end up with a stack of handy, useful pads that might even give you a tinge of back-to-school nostalgia. –bbbcraft sisters CLICK HERE for the full how-to after the jump! Materials: - 8 ½” x 11” scrap paper (from faxes, printing mishaps and mail) - binder clips - scraps of cardboard cut into 1” inch strips OR 2 wood paint mixers cut to size -elmers glue, pvc or a glue gun - paint brush - decorative scrap paper - masking tape and/or decorative tape
Clipboard Makeover Hello friends! Sorry for being MIA for the past week or so. With Hurricane Irene taking away my power and work starting this week things have been a bit crazy! I always feel like once September 1st hits that summer is officially over and as sad as that makes me I am excited for all things Fall. I can’t wait for pumpkin picking, apple cider, football, chili and all the fun crafts that can happen! Speaking of which there are a ton of link parties coming up in September and October which I am very excited to participate in. All I did was lay the paper on top and fold down the edges to give me a crease to cut on. Like this: Like Loading... Related Craft Storage - Ikea Alex Last week I went looking for my hot glue gun for something that needed a quick fix. With 5 comments Turning Tin Cans Into...Pretty Tin Cans It's clear that I need to work out my priorities or at least come up with some sort of schedule for this ol' blog here because I have been neglecting… With 2 comments In "bowl"
"*The Heartfelt Home*" DIY,Sewing, Decorating, Crafts, Cooking, Sentimental, Homeschooling: Salt Dough Ornaments and Gift Tags I am so excited to share a great Christmas craft project today. Salt dough ornaments and gift tags. For pennies you can make a great gift for your family and friends. All you need to get started is 1 cup all purpose flour 1/2 cup salt 1/2 water 1,2,3 easy peasy!!! Toss it all in the mixer for a few minutes. Once it is all combined Kneed until smooth I separated mine, so each girl could have one. Roll the dough ball out on wax paper Now for the fun part…. Grab a doily and press it into the dough with the rolling pin. When you lift the doily off you will be left with a beautiful pattern. Next grab a cookie cutter and cut out your ornaments. Remove the dough from around your ornament shapes, lift and place on a cookie sheet and poke a hole with a straw. Cook at 200 degrees for 5-6 hours. Take them out and let them cool. Paint them white, start with the back. After the paint is dry apply glue to the front. While the glue is still wet sprinkle with glitter. Hang from your gift. Cha Cha
Wire-Edged Fabric Flowers **This tutorial is intended for personal use only.** Hi! Moving on......... Okay, so you say that you're a scrap fabric saver just like me. **This tutorial is intended for personal use only This tutorial will show you how to create wire edged fabric plumeria or frangipani flowers from scrap pieces of fabric. Supplies: You will need fabric scraps, 26 gauge cloth covered floral stem wire in 18" lengths, a sharpie or a dowel approximately 1/2" in diameter, a plastic seed bead container or a dowel approximately 7/8" in diameter, Tacky Glue, scotch tape, floral tape, sharp scissors, and a pair of wire cutters/pliers. Please note: The length of wire that you choose to use for each of your petals will ultimately depend on what project you will be using these flowers on. To begin, twist the center of the wire around the bead container or dowel with the help of a plier if needed. Slide the wire off of the bead container or dowel taking care not to distort the shape. Let the petals dry completely.
Snow-Globe Soap Dec19 by Brenda Ponnay Stuff their stockings with something they can wash their hands with! What’s cuter than a button, small enough to fit in a stocking, won’t rot your teeth and leaves you squeaky clean? This is technically just “melt and pour” soap so it might be considered cheating to some hard-core soap enthusiasts but I’m not about to mess with lye or distilling vodka when I’ve got a small child acting as my personal assistant. First you’ll cut up the glycerine into 1-inch chunks. Don’t be fooled by the picture above. After you’ve poured the glycerine, let it cool just enough to form a thin skin on the top. After all your toys are arranged, you can add your snow. Next you’ll pop it in the freezer for about twenty minutes or until the cubes are cool to touch from the underside of the ice cube tray (be sure to check the middle). I used a small paring knife to shave off some of the irregularities on the bottom but that was purely aesthetic. If you found us through Stumble Upon!
DIY paperweights from glass candle holders. Hi! It’s Shannon from Madigan Made and today I want to show you a simple and inexpensive project: DIY paperweights. I don’t know about you, but I’m an avid dollar store junkie. Next to the craft store, the dollar store is one of my favorite places for creative inspiration. I love going there just to look around for inexpensive craft materials. This month when I saw these shallow, rounded glass votive candles, I wondered if they could be flipped upside-down and decorated to make paperweights. So, I grabbed a pack, got home and I made two paperweights in no time! Want to make one for your desk or as a quick and easy handmade gift? How to make a paperweight with decoupage and a glass candle votive: Supplies Needed Shallow, glass candle holdersScrapbook paperMod Podge (gloss or satin formula)ScissorsPencilBrushPourable resin (and any needed materials to mix like: disposable container, gloves, Wooden stick, etc.) Step Two: Brush a thick layer of Mod Podge on the interior areas of the glass.
templates These cute purses are so easy to make! It won't take you more than 30 minutes. Wouldn't they be a perfect gift for mom. Put a gift certificate inside to her favorite store/restaurant. And don't forget "Teacher Appreciation Day" May 5! Print out this template on a 8 1/2" x 11" cardstock. When you are done cutting you will have 4 pieces like this. Fold the sides so it looks like a "M". Put glue to both sides with fast drying adhesive. Glue the sides to the purse (after you folded the purse in half) with the narrow side down. Glue the lid to the back of the purse. Take a ribbon through one of the holes and make a little knot. On the front of the purse,add a button,brad or whatever you like. Last - put 5/8" Velcro round with sticky back to the inside of the lid and the other part of it to the purse. Inking,doodling,Stickles..it would all look good here. If you give this a try, I would love to see the result. Who knows, maybe I decide to send out some RAK's;)
Modern Wall Art with Paint Swatches! Looking for a way to fill that blank wall but don't have permission to paint? All you need is a trip to a major hardware store and an afternoon in front of a good movie to take care of that little dilemma. Supplies Needed: Large frame with paper insert, a ton of pretty paint chips, double-sided tape squares, and vinyl letters appropriate to the size of your frame or phrase (4" - 6"). I went with a color scheme that involved a variety of tones from some of my favorite colors. It's basically a muted rainbow with plenty of lighter shades to keep things from getting too busy. 1. 3. Paint chip art is a great option for renters looking to fill a big space without spending a small fortune!
Simple Winter Sewing Project: Hot Rice Bags Warm face, warm ‘ands, warm feet Aow, wouldn’t it be loverly? –Eliza Doolittle Cloth bags of heated grain are great for warming the bed or soothing sore muscles–much cozier than hot water bottles, and a nicer quality of heat. With a piece of standard copy paper as your pattern, cut two 8 1/2 x 11″ pieces of cotton (muslin or calico works great). Clip corners, turn, and press. Add 5 cups of dry rice. Pin, and stitch 1/4″ from the edge. It’s nice to make the bag a cover–keeps it clean, and fleece feels so good. With right side in, fold the end with the wider, topstitched hem up 5 3/4″ , and the side with the narrow hem down 4 3/4 “. My mother gave me this pin cushion when I was seven. Stitch the sides, clip the corners, and turn right side out. Take the cover off to heat the bag in the microwave. Use the bag to warm the bed, snuggle it while reading on a cold winter’s night, or apply to tense, sore muscles. You may also enjoy other craft projects from The Tangled Nest:
The Magic of Decoupage - Martha Stewart Crafts by Technique Decoupage is artistic sleight of hand. What appears to be a painted design is actually paper, glued in place. What looks like lacquer is just a few coats of clear varnish. And what begins as an unremarkable piece of furniture becomes a bold, modern design statement, when adorned with leaves and vines. You might embellish an armoire with oversize tropical foliage or cover a plain dresser with Victorian botanical prints. Suddenly, that forgettable piece becomes the focus of the room. Early forms of decoupage were seen in 12th-century Asia, but the craft as we know it owes much to the exquisite Oriental lacquerwork so widely admired in seventeenth-century Europe. A similar process, using flowers and other sentimental motifs, was popularized in England, and by the nineteenth century, decorative images were made available for this purpose. Traditionally, decoupage motifs are small in scale; we gave the craft a modern sensibility by focusing on larger, bolder patterns. 1. 2. 3. 4.
Star Crochet Blanket, granny squares blanket | Yarn Woohoo I’ve finally finished my star crochet blanket! Here it is all folded up, edging done and all the loose threads weaved in. What a great feeling of satisfaction I get when I finish a big project. This one took a while as I ran out of yarn and had to order some more in. To cut a long story short after being told it would be a week I finally got it over a month later. Then with the girls birthday party at full steam I had to wait until that was over until I could totally finish it. My big Kindy girl came home sick last week so she got to test the blanket out for me. It is very soft and cuddly. The pattern I used was from a really great book I bought called Crocheted Gifts by Kim Werker. When I’m doing crochet I like to have the glossary and instructions on hand at the same time. The first stage of these granny squares was the stars. Then the circle around the stars. Then the square around the circle. Then the variegated edging to each square. I love crochet. What do you think?
Painted Wood Wall Art | Via Salvage Love Photo: Claire Ferrante of Little Dog Vintage Materials: -2 pieces of MDF 30 inches x 24 inches and 1 centimeter thick which equals one piece that is 60 x 24. I bought two pieces because I assumed when I attached the wood strips, they would end up being heavy and it would be easier (and safer) to hang them next to each other as two separate pieces -approximately 100 pieces of wood various sizes and depths -7 paint colors. -bag of sponge paint brushes -sand paper -Liquid Nails (this stuff is pretty amazing) -table saw. Time: This is definitely a time consuming project. Cost: paint- 7 / 7.25ML cans of paint -$24 2 pieces of MDF- $24 sponge brushes- $5 Liquid Nails- $3 sand paper- already had some wood strips – free! Total Cost: $56 for materials (I was lucky to not have to pay for wood. With the help of my wonderful father and his table saw, we got to cutting the strips of wood.