DIY hanging picture frames

This might be one of the easiest projects I have ever done, and maybe one of my favorites. I've made these frames several times, each time evolving it a little more and I think it is now perfected.
I used
6 unfinished frames (4x6)
1 spool Satin ribbon
1/2 yard fabric
Tacky glue
Sissors
Staple gun
Picture hangers of your choice
Foam brush


I started out by painting the entire front, sides and inside of the frame with tacky glue and then cut off the extra. I pulled the fabric over the frame tight, the glue drys fast on a unfinished frame because it soaks into the wood fast. Once you have the fabric in the right place, poke a hole in the center of the picture frame cut a 'X' to the inside edges --just where the picture would be. Add more glue if needed, and push the fabric flaps into the frame and cut off the access. Repeat for the rest of the frames.

Follow the purple lines to cut fabric to inside of the frame

I spaced my frames out, about 6" inches apart from each other on my ribbon and marked on the back with pencil where I wanted them. I used a staple gun, however I think hot glue would work just fine, to secure my frames. At the top I used a half-circle fastener as my hanger, but there are a tons of decorative options available of you would like something a little more fancy.

As you can see from the picture of the back, I did not use fancy or nice picture frames. I got mine from Ikea, 3 for $2. If you want to use finished wooden frames make sure to sand them first!
I'd love to see pictures of you try these!

Happy crafting!

DIY baby onesie vest

I recently had oral surgery, so on my down time I've been practicing my sewing. My first project I did was a onesie vest and tie combo for a friends baby. As I've said before--I'm new to sewing so if I can do this, so can you! Although I will tell you, this was my most challenging project to date.
I found the tutorial from this website (Onsie vest tutorial.)

Mine is a little different, I wanted my vest to go all the way to the top of the onesie and I added a tie from ribbon.

I made the inside and outside of my vest from old men's shirts I found at a local Good Will (each $2.99)
The tie I folded into a point at the bottom and ran a stitch, and pinched at the top to create a ''tie" look. I then put a stitch in to hold the tie part and ran a stitch across the top.

As a beginner sewer, I will say that I had the hardest part with all the corners in the vest, if you are a regular sewer than this will be a breeze for you!

Happy sewing!

DIY purse notebook

I always like to have something in my purse to write notes or to keep track of things when I'm out. I think post-it's are great, but they get messy in a purse or bag getting bounced around so I covered some up with some card stock, added a monogram, and decoupaged a pen to match. Now I have a personalized notepad exactly the way I want it!

For this project I used:
Patterned cardstock
Pattern sissors
"W" cutout
Circle cutout
Pen
Post it's
Hot glue
Mod podge
Velcro dots

The first thing I did was cut my  cardstock down to size, this will be different depending on what paper you buy. For my post it's, I needed to cut mine to be 3.5" X 8. Place the post it with about 3.5" from the bottom and fold up and over from both ends. Make sure to make a crisp fold at each corner of your notepad.

 

Add a Velcro dot to the center and seal to adhere. As shown, I have a picture of a pen to match. I cut cardstock to match and covered the paper and pen with a thin layer of mod podge. This took some time to adhere. I rolled the pen to make the ends lay flat and applied a coat of mod podge to protect the paper. You may need to make your pen cap bigger to accommodate the paper, I did so using pliers. Below is a picture with no monogram, just to show that it looks nice without embellishment.

 

 

 I have seen something like this given out as a favor for a baby shower or a wedding shower with a rubber duck, rattles, or campaign glasses on the front. These are super easy and quick to make. A great idea for last minute Christmas gifts!

Happy crafting!!

DIY Small gift box

This weekend we wrapped all of our presents at our house, and late Sunday night I realized I forgot to wrap my work secret Santa gift. I looked through all our leftover bags, and found nothing useful, aand my gift was too small to wrap. So I decided to make my own gift box!

I used an almost empty cold pill box, covered it with a thin layer of decoupage glue, and cut scrap wrapping paper to fit!

This ended up being the perfect size for what I needed. I work with kids and am perpetually fighting off a cold, so I have an infinite supply of boxes! These would be perfect for gift cards, jewellery, or other small gifts!

Happy crafting!

DIY Thrift Store Chalk Board

At my last thrift store run I got a coat rack (Link to coat rack tutorial ), a mirror, and a few other things. I have wanted to make a chalk board for our kitchen for a while, but I couldn't find the right frame to make it in. The mirror I got was $10 and I got 2 cans of spray paint for about $6 each. The mirror started out looking like this:

I started out bu sanding the entire frame and mirror surface.Next, I painted the entire surface a high-gloss white, I needed about 3 coats. I waited a few days, then taped and used plastic to cover the white frame. I covered the mirror only part with the chalkboard paint and finished!
We use ours for grocery lists, notes, and reminders, not to mention it covers the fuse box!

For this project I used:
1 Large frame glass/mirror in
1 can of chalkboard spray paint (they also have available in brush on and is less expensive)
1 can of high-gloss white
Sand paper
Masking tape
Plastic grocery bags


Happy Crafting!

Christmas stocking hangers DIY

I have been looking for ways to hang my Christmas stocking without damaging my walls, and I didn't want to use the command hooks. I came up with the idea of using door knobs! I went to Home Depot to look at knobs and not knowing if I want to keep the knobs up as picture hangers later, I was not looking to spend a fortune. I ended up with plain wooden door knobs that look like this:

I painted them black then applied a opalescent coat over the top and applied a small gem in the center. This is the finished product!

I fastened them to the wall with the smallest command strips! To make your own stocking hanger you need:
Wooden door knobs
Craft paint
Small gem or embelishment
Paintbrush

This project took minutes to complete, but I think looks so nice with our color scheme. Best of all, it cost under $4!

Happy crafting!

Simple Christmas card ideas

My goal this year was to make all of my Christmas cards, however, I did not realize how lofty of a goal this was until I started! I had a hard time finding inspiration so I thought I'd upload some examples for those of you looking!
Happy crafting!

How to: DIY Decoupage

Now if you follow my blog, you know how much I love Mod Modge. And if you have ever purchased Mod Podge, you know it can be expensive. So you can imagine how excited I was when I found a DIY recipe for decoupage, and it only has two ingredients!  
You need:
1 bottle of glue
equal parts water
1 jar +lid

Empty the entire bottle of glue into your jar, I used an empty salsa jar, but a mason jar or a spaghetti jar will do just fine. Fill your glue bottle with water, and empty into your jar. The first time I made this I emptied the entire bottle of water and I found my decoupage to be runny. I found it best to add about 3/4 of the water, put the lid on (tight) and shake. Add the rest of the water accordingly.
The last time I bought a bottle of Mod Podge it was about six dollars and it was a small bottle. When I made my decoupage, I bought a bottle of glue for twenty cents!

Super easy and cheap wall art!

This is an idea I got off another blog ( http://salvagedior.blogspot.com) that I fell in love with! It is so simple and cheap, but has such a nice finished look.
What you need:
1 rubber floor mat
1 can cream spray paint
1 can primer

When I made this I used krylon spray paint (color: Champagne Nouveau). They have a ton of color choices, and even have good project ideas on their website (http://www.krylon.com/projects/index.jsp).
I first sprayed my mat with primer just so my mat had a more even coverage. I'm sure this is optional, but I just wanted to be sure. I waited 30 minutes for my primer to dry then sprayed my top coat. 

These pictures are not from my home, only because my house is not this accessorized! I hope you love this idea as much as I did! 

How to: Fun and cute 'Let it snow' wall hanging.

I'm in no way ready for snow, but I'm slowly getting ready for the holiday season. It seems like every store you go into there is Christmas music playing and holiday decorations everywhere! I've decided since I can't escape it, I may as well embrace it and what better way than crafting!

Perfect wall hanging to keep or give as a gift!

For this project you will need:
1 Wooden wall plaque  16"X4"
Brown craft paint
Medium blue craft paint
Translucent opalescent white paint (optional)
Mod Podge (Matte) 
Sand paper
1-3 foam brushes
"Let it snow" phrase cutout
Snowflake cutouts (several)
Snowman cutout

First sand down any rough edges on your wall hanging, then mix the blue and opalescent paint. I mixed just enough to give the blue paint a shimmer, this is optional I liked the shimmer for a little depth. Cover the entire wall hanging (edges included) with the blue paint and wait for it to dry. Depending on the paint and wood you may need a few coats to cover completely. Once dry, paint the edges with the brown paint and let dry. Once dry, give the brown edges a light sanding to give a "worn" look".
With the frame long ways, apply the "Let it snow" phrase at the top of the frame. Be careful to wipe all access glue away, it will dry glossy. Place snowman at the bottom of the frame and glue on. Between the phrase and snowman place snowflakes to look like they are falling. Once you have everything glued on, apply 1-2 coats of Mod Podge to seal everything down and protect from scratches.

You can also use white (opalescent) puff paint for snow. Either add small to medium dots or make snowflake shapes!
I hope you have as much getting into the holiday spirit as I did! 

How To: Easy to make Holiday luminaries

Today my sister-in-law and I went to a craft show and I was inspired. There were so many incredible things that I do not think I have time to make, but after a quick trip to Michaels and a lot of contemplation we decided to make luminaries.

I plan to make more in different sizes, and also square instead of a circle. I will post more as I make them!

 

 

Blurry, but a good idea of what it will look like light up.

Covered seam

What you will need:

1. Flameless LED Tealights (1)
2. Cardstock/scrapbook paper
3. Vellum
4. Christmas, winter, or holiday punch.
5. Glue
6. Scissors or paper cutter

You first need to cut your paper down to the size you want. I used 11X8.5 paper and cut it in half long ways (4.25") and then cut about 1" to make the final deminsions 4.25"X10".  As I have mentioned before, I have a Cricut and use it for most of my crafting, this project included. If you are using a Cricut make sure to move your blade down about 1.5" and over about 1" to center and allow room for overlapping. If you are using a paper punch, punch around paper, allowing room on both ends for overlapping to glue.

Flip your paper over after all designs are cut out and glue vellium to the back side of the paper. I found that my vellium wanted to curl up at the edges so I placed it under a book to dry for about 10 minutes, and it seemed about perfect. Be sure to get around the edges of your cutouts, or when you roll your paper the vellium will pull away.

 Once you have your design cut out and the vellium glued to the inside, bring the edges together and glue, making sure to wipe all access glue away. I used a hot glue gun to make sure I had a stron hold. If you do not have a hot glue gun, masking tape on the inside and outside to hgold the sides together while they dry may be a good idea. Another tip is to wrap it around something like a can or a peanut butter jar to dry. This way you can make sure you have a perfect circle!

I cut out trees, and glued red stars in the spaces between the trees. and a larger star to cover the seam where the sides are glued together. Other ideas are; gems, sequins, different punches, or bows.

How to create a simple and elegant Christmas card

I have been quite busy lately working on my (gasp!) Christmas cards. I cannot hardly believe it is that time of year already. I have been trying to make each one different, and so far I have been successful!

Here is one of the first ones I have made. It’s pretty simple, but elegant; most impotaint-fast!

Here is what you need:

1 card/envelope-blank

1 ornament cutout

1 small star cutout

Glue

Sissors

Christmas sheet music border stamp

Black ink

Ivory pearlescent paper

I use pre-made blank cards from the craft store for a few reasons, 1. I’m not sure how to make an envelope 2. if I did know, I’m not sure the post office would mail a self-made envelope, and 3. it saves so much time!

Cover the front of your card with the ivory pearlescent paper, I think the slight shimmer gives the card depth and the ornament stand out. Once the paper is glued on and dried, stamp your border with the music stamp. It is important to do this before placing the ornament on so you know where to place the ornament. Next center your ornament and place the star next to it; glue them both on.

It’s as simple as that! A easy and fast homemade Christmas card that takes little time, but comes out beautiful.