Hand Trees

I saw an idea a few years back, but I can't remember where I originally saw this posted.

Anyway, I kept this idea in the back of my mind to save for when we have kids. Fast forward a few years and I decided to make this with my sister's kids.

It's really easy. You'll need about a yard or 2 of a solid fabric. Trace the kids hands and arms (to the elbows) on this fabric.

I bought fat quarters in coordinating fabric to cut out leaves and circles. The circles became the clouds. It takes a butt-ton of leaves. If you're not used to this form of measurement, cut out leaves until your hands cramp, stop for the day, start again the next day, and cut out more leaves until your hands cramp again. Then you may have enough.

Mod Podge it all onto a canvas. I think this one is 17x20.

Remember how I said a while back we redid our guest bathroom...well, this fit in nicely with our gray & yellow color scheme! Super happy dance!

Sealing Jar

I saw this a while back and thought it would be a good wedding gift for a friend of mine who recently got married. I didn't feel comfortable including the whole letter because, well, it's kind of personal and doesn't apply to us. I think the last time I canned something was about 6 years ago. I'm not a canning kind of girl.

However, I do have some Mason jars. I'm from the South and we drink from 'em! Just kidding. I mean sometimes we do, but that's not why I have them. I was in college when the first "painting jar craze" hit & I still have one from an old college roommate.

It's the blue one.

Anyway, I grabbed one of those bad boys up and thought I would just write the general message of the original post, but the jar was kind of gross.
So I painted it. Then I just wrote on it with a Sharpie.

I found a cute lid (I think it looks better than the brass ones) & tied some raffia around the top.

Cute, simple, cheap, easy. My four favorite things in a home-made gift.

Shoebox Art

You all know how I feel about non-decorated walls. I think I've made my point.

However, I love an easy craft & I have a great one for you!

You'll need:
shoebox tops
scrapbook paper, fabric, or wrapping paper
spray adhesive
tape

Spray the tops of the shoebox tops (doesn't that sound weird) with the spray adhesive. Lay it flat & press down to make sure it adheres.

Use tape to secure the paper to the sides of the tops.

Hang on your wall!

It'll take all of 15 minutes & look really cute. It's practically free. You can just go to your local shoe store & ask for tops to boxes & they'll give them to you. I found scrapbook paper for $.59 at a local craft store, but you might have some on hand. Fabric and wrapping paper are options as well. Also, you're helping the environment by using your "trash". :)

Paper Towel Roll Art

It seems as though I've become obsessed with reusing rolls from paper towels & toilet paper. I decided to use my latest collection to make a piece of art for our guest bedroom.

You'll need rolls from paper towels and/or toilet paper cut into 1/2 inch sections, paint, and hot glue.

I constructed the piece on my floor first to help with scale and the look of the whole project.

I kept the whole thing together, just taking out one piece at a time to glue it together. Then I painted the whole thing and hung it up.

After doing several projects like this, I've learned that it's much easier to paint the tubes before cutting them. Paint the inside & outside of the tubes, let dry, then cut into sections.

the stickers are courtesy of my niece ;) she helped me decorate
the room until we got a bed to go in it :)

Candle Holders

I found this idea for candle holders, but I couldn't find colored tape. I mean, I have a hard enough time finding regular transparent tape and now Mar-tha wants me find colored tape. Geez!

Instead, I grabbed some double-sided tape, 2 clear candle holders, some glitter, and (of course) 2 candles.

I wrapped the tape around the edge of the candle holders & rolled it around in glitter.

Boom! Done!
Super easy, and really cheap. The whole deal only cost me $5. Take that Martha & your colored tape!

Easy DIY Curtains

We needed some curtains. Badly. All of our windows were bare because we couldn't either 1) find a curtain to match our stuff or 2) agree on one that kinda/sorta did match our stuff.

I thought it would be easier to find a material we both liked & then I could make the curtains myself.

There are lots of fancy ways to make curtains, but honestly, I just want something to cover my windows. The material I picked for the kitchen was pretty busy so I wanted it to be the focus, not some fancy way the curtain hangs on the window. The ones I did for the living room & bathroom are simple too because of the decor in those rooms.

You'll need:
material
double-folded bias tape
sewing machine
coordinating threads (one to match the fabric, one to match the bias tape)

First, measure the window you'll be covering. You'll need to measure width & length according to what you want the curtains to be when you're done. For example, if you want the curtain to reach to the floor, measure from where the curtain will hang on the rod to the floor. In other words, measure from where the curtain will hang on the rod to where you want the curtain to stop. When you pick out your material use these measurements, but add 5 inches to the length.

clicking on any image will enlarge it

You'll also need to figure out the perimeter measurement of your material. For example, in the image above, I will have 2 panels that are 55 inches long and 20 inches wide. 55+55+20(for one panel) x2(for the other panel)=260 inches. This is how much bias tape you will need. Most is sold by the yard so divide by 3 to get how many yards you'll need.

Once you get the material cut, take the bias tape & open it up on just one fold.

 Place the material inside the fold &, using a coordinating thread, sew along all but the top edge.

To get the top of the curtain, you'll need to follow the next 2 steps using the other coordinating thread:

I used this technique to make curtains for my guest bathroom (after we changed the decor...more on that later):

And my kitchen:

I also made a table runner using the same basic concept:

I'm covering the candles next week!

Happy sewing y'all! If you need any clarification on any steps, just leave a comment!!

How To: Subway Art

Subway art is kind of a big deal, if you didn't know. I think it's a cute, fun idea to showcase favorite quotes, house rules, etc. You could go out and buy something that sort of fits your home or you could do it yourself...let's focus on the DIY aspect of it.

These instructions are for Photoshop, btw. I tried to keep it as simple as possible so I present: Subway Art in 10 steps or less! (It's really 10 steps so you can see how the whole thing came together.)

First, create a new canvas by going to "File", "New", and then creating the actual canvas. I started out with an 8x11 72ppi blank canvas then used the paint bucket tool for the background color.

Then I used the Text Tool to create each layer. I created a screen shot of each layer I created so you could see the text and font size of each layer. These images can be made larger by clicking on them.

To create the sideways text, I simply typed in the text box then used the arrows to turn the text box.

Using different size fonts is key. You want to make it look random without it actually being random. Plan it out in your head & make changes as necessary.

I wouldn't suggest using more than 3-4 different types of fonts. If you use more than that it looks less like subway art & more like a 3rd grade collage.

 I made "stand out" in a different color because I thought it would look appropriate. I mean, it would make the words, ya know, stand out.

The last step is cropping and flattening the layers. This is the finished project.

Problem window

I have waited for an eternity to dress up the window in our living room. Mainly because I lost the hardware for the curtain rod. Sounds lame, I know, but that's what's been the hold up.

I saw something on Martha Stewart that suggested using shelf brackets as a way to hold the curtain rod, but I have a fear of Lowe's and Home Depot so I never went. I finally sucked it up and got all the stuff I needed. 

I need to make a wider curtain, but I'll get to that.

To make the sign, I just painted some wooden letters and super glued them to a white canvas. Super easy.

LAST MINUTE CHRISTMAS ON THE CHEAP: Twine Letters

I know there are some of you (me included) who wait till the last second or have gifts you need to pick up for people you were thisclose to forgetting about! This month, I'm setting out to help you.

I bought this stuff a while back, before our move, and it's been sitting in my closet for a long time begging to be done.

If you can't find wooden letters, you can just cut it out of really thick cardboard. Same idea.

You'll need:
hot glue
letter
twine
anything you want to stick on it

It really works best if you cut the twine into manageable lengths so you don't have to worry about it getting knotted.

Just hot glue the twine down every now & again to help keep it in place.

I found these flowers at the local craft store. They were part of a garland. I just cut the flowers off of it because I really hated the garland, but loved the flowers. Use some extra twine or a ribbon to hang the letter & you're done!

Painted Bottle

I'm amassing an impressive collection of bottles. Or, at least, I think it's impressive. I've been collecting them since I was in high school and these are the ones that have made it through all our moves.

I recently added a new bottle to my collection, but it was very plain. I decided to dress it up a little.

You'll need:
a bottle
hot glue
spray paint

Create some sort of design on the bottle. Let the glue set.

If you need to, draw the design on the bottle first using disappearing ink.

Spray paint it and let it dry.

It may take more than one coat. Be sure to
let each coat dry before applying a new one.

Done! Now it doesn't look quite so out of place.

OH-Next week starts my series on cheap/easy Christmas gifts for all you last minute Santas.

Fabric Rings

Our new place has 2 bathrooms! We feel like we've really stepped up in the world! That means 2 bathrooms I get to decorate! Woohoo! I did our bathroom in white: white shower curtain, white bathmat, etc. The guest bathroom I wanted a beach theme because, ya know, we live at the beach. I wanted the people visiting us to really feel like they're welcome, too.

I found a cute shower curtain on the cheap:

I don't know if you can tell, but it has seashells all over.

I hung a picture that I did that I thought looked like the sun (sort of):

It's actually a slice of grapefruit on a negative scanner.

My mom gave us some cute lighthouses:

The picture was from a vacation we took to Cozumel.

And I made these guys:

You'll need:
embroidery rings
fabric
glue

Cut the fabric a little larger than the rings. Apply glue to the inside of the rings & press the fabric into it. Trim off the excess fabric. Tada!

Glue artwork

I hate bare walls. I think no matter where you live, you can always make it "home" with something on your walls. Whether it's pictures (I have tons of them) or art (not so much), decorated walls makes a place more lived it.

I decided to make some art, but I'm not all that artistic. I mean, I take pictures, but that's where my art life ends. If you're less-artistically inclined like myself, this may be for you!

You'll need:


a blank canvas
glue (I used hot glue because you'll need it to stay 3-dimensional)
stencil, optional
paint (either spray or regular) (one color)

Put glue on the blank canvas. You can cheat. I did:

Let it harden & then paint it!

It took 4-5 coats of paint to properly cover. Be sure to let each
coat dry between applications!

Boom! Done!

Look how crafty you are!

Mother's Day!

We got my mom a camera for Mother's Day, but I wanted to give her a little more "mom-based". So....I made her this:

I started with a plain white canvas-covered board. I used paint to put on my hand print on it, then put vinyl letters on top. It says "A mother holds her children's hands for a while, but holds their hearts forever."

Happy Mom's Day!

Knock-off Week: Rose pillow

Note: I'm having some issues with pictures. Sorry! I was able to salvage one.

I'm not usually a throw pillow kind of girl. You know, the one who has 20 pillows on the bed and another 10 on the couch. I think they're a waste of space and money. However, I do like pretty things and I do like my home to feel welcoming. I also like for my guests to think that I care about my home's appearance. I found this at West Elm while surfing the net one day:

Source

Isn't it precious? However, I flat-out refuse to pay $47 for one pillow. $47! And that's marked down! Heck no! ...So I decided to make it instead.

You'll need:

felt

hot glue & gun

fabric that coordinates with felt

pillow form

sewing machine

coordinating thread

Measure the pillow form & cut out 2 pieces of fabric to cover it.

Remember my St Patrick's Day wreath? Repeat the same process for making the felt rosettes until you get enough to cover one piece of fabric.

Sew the 2 pieces of fabric together on 3 sides.

Slip in the pillow form & sew the remaining side closed.

Glue the rosettes onto the front of the pillow.

Knock-off Week: Tiered Platters

I love this from JSG Oceana:

Source

However, we are college students getting ready to move across the country and are, therefore, broke.as.a.joke. No lie. I still want a "fancy" tiered glass service set though for those time when we have friends over & the food just won't fit on our table.

Thank goodness Dollar Tree is just right down the road. 

You'll need: 

2 plates

1 bowl

2 taper candle holders

strong glue

Glue one candlestick holder onto the bottom of 1 plate and another onto the bottom of the bowl according to the directions on the glue. 

I didn't glue all three dishes together for storage purposes, but you can if you like. I just don't have a space where something of this size will fit properly. Besides, not gluing them all together gives me different options in stacking them.

Now, I don't trust the glue to hold up in the dishwasher, but the glue you use may be fine. Also, if one breaks, no big deal! I can just run to the Dollar Tree & replace it!