Crafty Christmas: Framed Photo/Message Board

A few months ago, my aunt passed down some old frames to me and I've been itching to re-purpose them. Plus, my husband has lovingly dubbed a corner of our bedroom the "frame graveyard" so I figured it was time to get working and send them on their way.

My first project was a hit and I loved putting this one together for our Christmas-at-Thanksgiving tradition. It was hard to let this one go! 

Here's what I started with: an old wooden frame with lots of knicks and rough edges. After much sanding and then cleaning, I gave it multiple coats of spray paint. The white part of the frame is a cloth insert. I didn't know how well it would hold paint, but it did beautifully. 

I cut a few strands of twine and tied a knot at each end around flat pushpins. It's not a super strong hold, but  it also won't have much weight to bear.

And the finished product! I found some fabulous teeny tiny wooden clothespins that will look adorable holding photos, paint swatches, quotes and other mementos. And since this one went to my super cute and stylish teenage cousin, I had to make this one in her favorite colors. The paint color is Rustoleum's Lagoon (it's more of a teal than this picture shows) and the lavender flower is actually a Christmas ornament from Michael's that I hot glued directly onto the wood.

The Christmas crafting has begun around here! Have you been crafting lately? What presents are you DIY-ing this year?

Transforming a Monogram Accent Piece (on the cheap)

We've been doing some major room -- make that entire house -- renovation this month. Wall colors, furniture placement - everything was up for grabs. It looks so much better and I'll share the after photos with you soon.

Until then, here's a quick and easy accent piece you can make for under $5.

I picked up a shiny metallic initial from Hobby Lobby (1/2 off, of course).

I sanded her down so she would take paint well. FYI - those letters, they don't like to be sanded. Gold glitter was everywhere. But a quick wipe down with a damp cloth, a few coats from a Behr sample that may or may not be my new favorite kitchen wall color ever (wait and see!) and...

She turned out so pretty, don't ya think? I didn't use a clear coat because I liked the matte finish of the flat sample paint. You can see a sneak peek of my new living room in this photo. Such a transformation; I'm so happy with the results!

Come back soon to see the after photos, paint names, and some vignette inspiration.

Have a great weekend!

Birthday Train, How To

Remember the birthday candy train I showed you last month? It was a fun addition to the Rainbow Balloon Birthday party we threw for our sweet baby boy.

I promised you a tutorial, so here she is! This one is simple, very simple. My favorite kind. I wanted a white train for the table but did not want to spend a lot of cash so I dreamed up this little idea one afternoon while roaming Hobby Lobby. I picked up one of their natural wood train engine pieces, and three small cardboard craft boxes.

I got rid of the lids, then painted everything white, except for the wheels, which I painted black. Then I hot glued colorful buttons for the wheels, and to add height.

 The most tedious (and expensive) part was separating out the Skittles for the rainbow cargo. :) I cut white coffee filters to fit the boxes so I could pour the Skittles in on top of those instead of the painted (not food-safe) boxes.

There you have it! An easy, eye-catching centerpiece you can make in one afternoon (or less) on the cheap. Happy crafting!

Linking to:
   Tater Tots & Jello   

Oh, my sweet Silhouette machine...

This is the beginning of a beautiful relationship.

I finally tackled my first Silhouette SD project. A friend is decorating her nursery shabby chic and I thought this would be the perfect addition for baby Maegan's room.

To create this look, I used a clearance find matted frame (leftover from this project), a coordinating piece of scrapbook paper, white paint and a sanding block. I used Silhouette's frosted vinyl to create the monogram, but you could also use etching cream and a stencil.

I just love shabby chic. What's your take?

Pomander "Kissing Ball"

Amy at The Idea Room is never short on great ideas (hence the name, I suppose). I recently followed her pomander tutorial as I was preparing gifts for a friend's baby shower and this craft didn't disappoint. I took pictures of the process so you could join in, too.

Pearlized sewing pins, a Styrofoam ball, pink paper and a craft punch are all you need.

An hour and a very sore thumb later, I realized that I could have used my Silhouette for this project and finished about 58 minutes sooner.
But the end result was worth it. I added a ribbon to my project so it could be hung from a door knob.
Or even a shelf hook.
A fun and simple project that will add a little sparkle to a sweet baby girl's room.

Homemade Valentine

Every Valentine's gift needs a homemade valentine, right?
I made my precious grandmother, Gigi, a Valentine's wreath this week, but I just knew she needed a homemade valentine to go with it. Something my 2-year-old could scribble his signature on so she could see his "beautiful" penmanship.

I started with heavy white card stock, cut a heart shape out of it and taped a decorative square of scrapbook paper behind it. This may sound easy, but it almost cost me a finger. Me and scissors - apparently not a good combination.

And if I were an avid scrapbooker, I would have just the right sized hole punch I needed. But I'm not, and I don't. So my handyman hubby came up with the idea to punch holes by driving a nail partially into the paper. Genius! Oh, I love that man.
And if I were a knitter or crocheter (is that even a word?) I would have a needle large enough to thread yarn through. But I'm not, and I don't. So I tied thread tightly around one end of the yarn and threaded that through an embroidery needle. You can see my contraption above.
Finished threading? Tie off a double knot and tape over it. Almost done...
But all that taping, threading, knotting nonsense isn't all that pretty. So I cut a coordinating piece of lighter weight card stock and used it to cover my mess, leaving a tiny little bit to peek through to the other side.
Now Gigi will have a homemade valentine from three of her biggest fans.
And, look! It matches the wreath!

Found any favorite homemade valentine ideas lately?

Valentine Wreath

Has anyone else been snowed in recently? These major storms are wreaking havoc across the nation, I know, but we are oh-so-not ready for it here. They forecast an inch of snow, and school is canceled, work is called off and there is a run on staples at the grocery stores. Thankfully it is all quick to melt away. But along with the recent snow days came an excuse to get crafty!

Read on to meet this year's Valentine's Wreath, and a step-by-step in case you want to join in the fun.

I started with a Styrofoam wreath form wrapped with red yarn. I didn't use hot glue, but a liquid fabric glue instead. Mainly because I wanted to work on the project in front of the TV. In bed. It was a snow day, people!

The wreath needed a little rosette love (you already know how much I love 'em) so I used some yellow flannel I had on hand.
1. Cut out a circle of fabric. No perfection here.
2. Starting on the outside edge, cut the entire circle into one long spiral strip, ending with a small circle at the end.
3. Start at the end where you started cutting and roll up the strip, leaving a little slack.
4. Glue the small circle end to the bottom of the rosette.

I tried different arrangements for the rosettes and took pictures of each one before I glued them on. It allowed me to easily compare all of the options.
A little raffia to tie her back and she's ready for her big debut. Almost...
This little beauty is headed for my precious grandmother, whom we affectionately call Gigi, so it needed a little extra something-something.
A name pennant made with satin ribbon and scrapbook paper taped together. I secured the ribbon with small pins and more fabric glue.
I guess rosettes aren't the only crafty thing I seem to love these days. Looks like I'll have to add pennant banners to my list also. Remember?

What Valentine's crafty goodness have you been up to lately? I'd love to see!

Linking to:
Today's Creative Blog ... Skip to My Lou ... Beyond the Picket Fence ... Making the World Cuter ...

Christmas at our place

Christmas decorating is very low-key at our place this year. I'm not a santa-decoration-on-every-shelf kind of girl, but I still like home to feel festive. Even still, I've noticed there's less decoration around here than normal. Most decorations just felt like clutter this year, for some reason. I've noticed a lot of other bloggers saying the same thing. Can you relate?

Here's a peek at what we are enjoying this year at our place...

My son and I made this Elmo ornament together using Kojo Design's great tutorial. Thanks for the idea, Kojo! He loves seeing Elmo on the tree!

Easy peasy centerpiece I used for a Christmas dinner we hosted, using ornaments from last year's after-Christmas sales.

I know most of the commercialized use of Believe around Christmas is talking about Santa and all the fun that surrounds that part of Christmas, but for me, I love having this hanging in the center of our living room from our tv console, because it reminds me of my belief in Jesus Christ. He's the central focus of Christmas for us, for always.

So what about you? Did you go all out this year, or did you simplify your decorating traditions?


Linking to:

Kelly's Korner

Christmas Tour of Homes - The Nester

Baby Shower Week: Butterfly Collage

If you're just tuning in, it's baby shower week around here. Four of my friends are adding another bundle of joy to their lives and I wanted to make something special for each of them. This yellow and pink butterfly collage will be the centerpiece at a baby shower I'm throwing in two weeks. I also recently made a pink and brown version for one of my sweet friends and her BEAUTIFUL baby girl (Hi, Jill!).

I started with an average matted 11x14 frame I found on sale. I had plans to paint the wooden backing of the frame to create the backdrop, line it with card stock or even fabric, but I kid you not, all I did was flip over the paper that came with the frame. The backside ended up being a beautiful glossy white paper that looked prettier than anything I had on hand. Plus, it made adjusting the butterflies a little easier since it was glossy...it didn't tear every time I moved one.

Do remember to tape down the edges of your paper to the wooden backing. It will slide all over the place on you, and it gives it a little more reinforcement to handle the weight of the butterflies.

To hold the butterflies in place, I used foam squares that I cut into fourths. Their thickness added a lot of "oomph" to the project.

Using my butterfly punch (The Martha Stewart brand punch made this a cinch!) I cut out coordinating scrapbook paper we had on hand. This collage will go to a friend whose nursery is pastel yellows, pinks and creams so that was my main focus when choosing papers. I threw in two or three that included a light green as well to give the overall look a little extra punch.

Fold the wings out, using your fingernail to create a crease.

Then place a quartered foam square, sticky-side down onto the butterfly. Once you decide on positioning, peel off the backing and lightly set it in place. I recommend not pressing down until you're completely finished. I was surprised how many times I had to readjust my lines.

See the difference the foam and wing creases make?!

Finished product!

Have you seen Amy's butterfly collage yet? It's stunning!!


**I've had a lot of questions (including one text message, haha!) asking if the butterflies were under glass. Nope, no glass. The butterflies are too "3D" and will not fit. But now I have a free sheet of glass set aside for another project someday! :) **


Check out the rest of my Baby Shower Week projects:

Ruffle Baby Blanket

Ruffle Baby Burp Cloth

Linking to:

Sumo's Sweet Stuff