Simply Living

String Art Pumpkin Frame

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly) — Mon, 23 Sep 2013 16:17:00 +0000

Hello! Happy Fall Y'all! I don't think I'm quite southern enough to say y'all all the time, but I can't resist that little saying ;). It is really starting to feel like Fall here in Oklahoma and I'm loving it. For some reason it seems like I am a lot more crafty when the temps start to drop. So with that, I've been on a spray paint binge. I recently bought a can of gold metallic spray paint, I was so amazed at how well it covered, I've just been picking stuff up all around the house and just spraying them gold, lol.

But anyway, back to the topic of this post, Fall crafts and and this String Art Frame!

A few weeks ago Bethany at Pitter and Glink posted an adorable back to school frame with string art and an apple, I thought it was the cutest thing ever. (seriously go check it out, so cute.)

I knew I wanted to make one, and with it being the beginning of pumpkin season, what better shape to use than that?

First, just like Bethany did, I sketched out a pumpkin shape onto paper. Then nailed small nails along the outline. After that I randomly strung string around the nails. I did the orange first and then the green for the stem. I actually had this string on hand from an jewelry project I did a while back. Love it when I can use stuff in my stash!

Once I had the stringing all strung, I thought it needed something more, so I taped off stripes and painted them a cream color. I like how it added an element but didn't take away from the pumpkin. Plus stripes are about the easiest thing to do.

This was so easy, my 4 year old even helped me nail some nails in. I think it would be adorable with a heart or any other non seasonal shape!
I love string art of all kinds and this mini version really makes my heart skip a beat. :)
I hope its starting to feel like Fall where ever you are, thanks for stopping by!

Craftomanic ~ Under the Table Dreaming ~ Today's Creative Blog ~ Tip Junkie ~ Organize Your Stuff Now ~ Shabby Creek Cottage ~ The Crafty Blog Stalker ~ See Vanessa Craft ~ Southern Lovely ~ Grits and Giggles ~ Thrifty Decor Chick ~ It's Overflowing ~ Creatively Living ~ 52 Mantles ~ 30 Handmade Days ~ The CSI Project ~ The DIY Dreamer
~ Tatertots and Jello

DIY "Pull Down" Map

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly) — Thu, 19 Sep 2013 16:12:00 +0000

Hi there! I shared my son's bedroom makeover a few weeks ago, and one of my favorite DIY projects for the room was this faux "pull down" map. I love the trend I have seen around lately using maps, my son loves maps so I knew I wanted to add one in his room. As I looked for a real working pull down map to buy, I realized how expensive they were, since I had a small budget for this makeover I decided to try and make one that gave the look of the pull down. This was super easy!

First off I found a map on Amazon, I was beyond thrilled when I found it because of the bright colors that matched the color scheme for the room. To top it off it was only $6.00! Yes! I got it even if my idea didn't pan out like I planned. When it came I realized it was pretty thin paper (hence the reason it was so cheap) so I had to be super careful to not crease it as I was working on it.

(I looked for the map I bought but can't find it on Amazon now, but this one is very similar.)

Once the map arrived I bought dowel rods from Home Depot. I got one 1" diameter for the top and a 1'2" one for the bottom of the map.

I screwed a washer and a 1'2" screw into the ends to give it a little more mechanical feel. I had to screw it in slowly in order for it not to split the dowel.

After I had the screws in the ends, I took the 1'2" (bottom) rod and marked the middle. Then attached a picture hanger with the screws, to look like a pull down tab.

For the 1" (top) rod I measured one forth of the way from both ends and screwed a picture hanger in, for the map to actually be hung with.

Next, I carefully laid my map out on the ground and lined up the rods across the top and bottom. I had to trim the sides of the map a little to make sure it was the exact same width as the rods.

Then, I used a tacky craft glue to attach the map to the back side of the rods.

When gluing the top rod on, I made sure the picture hangers were towards the back so the screws would be touching the wall when it was hung, that way it would hang flat.

Finally, when the glue dried I attached picture hanger wire to the top two hanger tab things. (Very technical term) ;) I'm so in love with how it turned out! It's big and bright and perfect for the space.

I might just do another one for somewhere else in our house because I love it so much!

Thanks for checking it out!!

Linking up here...
Craftomanic ~ Under the Table Dreaming ~ Today's Creative Blog ~ Tip Junkie ~ Organize Your Stuff Now ~ Shabby Creek Cottage ~ The Crafty Blog Stalker ~ See Vanessa Craft ~ Southern Lovely ~ Grits and Giggles ~ Thrifty Decor Chick ~ It's Overflowing ~ Creatively Living ~ 52 Mantles ~ 30 Handmade Days ~ The CSI Project ~ The DIY Dreamer
~ Tatertots and Jello

DIY Floating Shelves

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly) — Sat, 24 Aug 2013 15:06:00 +0000

Hi! Today I am sharing how I made those floating shelves in my sons bedroom makeover I posted about the other day. This was so simple and so cheap, my two favorite things in DIY. :)

So first off, I went to Goodwill and found a book for .99 cents. I needed the book to be pretty big but not too big. The one I found is about 13" x 9".
Once I had my book I headed to the hardware store and bought a 4" L bracket and 1/2" screws.
I got the 1/2 screws because that was about how thick the book I found was. If you have a thick book you may want to use longer nails.

Once I had my materials I was ready to drill! I opened up the back cover of the book and placed the L bracket facing down to the ground. Then just screwed my screws straight into the book. I had to hold the pages down tightly so the screw would go all the way, but made sure it didn't come out the front cover of the book.
(*note: if I was doing this again I would use two brackets spaced apart for more stability once its on the wall.)

After I got the bracket screwed into the book I simply used hot glue to attach the back cover and hide the bracket.

When the glue was dry I was done and it was ready for the wall!

I anchored my screws into the wall when I hung them up. And added all of Carter's favorite books! This is such a fun element, and the fact it was so easy and inexpensive makes it even better!

You can check out the whole room makeover here.
Thanks for stopping by!

linking up to these parties...

Craftomanic ~ Under the Table Dreaming ~ Today's Creative Blog ~ Tip Junkie ~ Organize Your Stuff Now ~ Shabby Creek Cottage ~ The Crafty Blog Stalker ~ See Vanessa Craft ~ Southern Lovely ~ Grits and Giggles ~ Thrifty Decor Chick ~ It's Overflowing ~ Creatively Living ~ 52 Mantles ~ 30 Handmade Days ~ The CSI Project ~ The DIY Dreamer
~ Tatertots and Jello

Little Boy Bedroom Makeover

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly) — Sun, 18 Aug 2013 22:52:00 +0000

Hello!! Wow, it has been so long since I posted last!
I quit my job in the Spring and it seems like I am busier now that I stay home. It has been an awesome summer staying home with my little boy though, I'd have to say.

Besides playing Lego's and... more Lego's this summer, I have been working on his bedroom makeover. It had been decorated the same since before he was born, which is going on 5 years now, and it needed an update to something that fit his personality more. Once I started to brain storm about what he likes the most, the choice was obvious, because he is obsessed with cars... and trucks... and vans... and jeeps. :) As he says, in that order. Another request from him was his favorite color green and the beach. It was fun incorporating all of his favorite things, I'm really excited at how it turned out, and Carter loves his "big boy" room too!
So here is the finished room!

So first lets take a look at the before, dark green walls and dark furniture. I had a baseball theme going on that never really got completed. We never went in this room except when Carter slept, and it was like a cave at the end of our house. This photo was from before he was born, with all of our new baby gear piled up, waiting to be used!

So the first thing we did was paint. I used Valspar Polar White for the walls. I knew I wanted it bright, I thought about blue, but decided whats brighter than white? lol. Paint makes such a huge difference. One of my favorite elements of the room is the painted ceiling, I used Valspar Chopped Chive. At first I wasn't sure how the room would feel with the ceiling painted. His room is pretty small and I didn't want it to feel like the ceiling was coming in on him. But I think it did the opposite, it lifts the room up and actually makes it feel bigger. I'm glad I just went for it and tried it because it makes such a statement and completes the space. I think Carter was pleased we used his favorite color. :)

Something else Carter loves is maps, and I am in love with vintage pull down maps, so the next thing on the list was to get one. Trouble was they are so expensive! I came across one on Ebay that would have worked, but then missed the end of the auction. I thought I was out of luck with the pull down map and then thought, I'm sure I could just make one. This was so easy to make! And cost less than $20. I found the map on Amazon and used dowel rods from Lowe's to look like the pull down part. I love how it came out and it's nice because it takes up so much room on the wall!

The duvet cover and sham are from Pottery Barn and the pillows I made. I LOVE the car material, Carter actually picked it out and it was really the inspiration for the entire room. It is from Modern Made Fabric on Etsy. I used The Shabby Creek Cottage's easy zipper tutorial. I was nervous because I hadn't ever attempted a zipper before, but her tutorial explained it so well and it came out better than I thought it would. As for the C, I used material from Sew Fine Fabric, and ironed it on with transfer paper. Both of these material shops on Etsy, have so many cute patterns!

There were two large blank walls in his room so I knew I wanted to do some kind of gallery because it is an easy way to take up a lot of space. I started with the C in the middle. I actually made it to look like an old sign letter, I wanted to have something a little more 3D on the wall.

I also wanted to have a place for Cart to hang his artwork, he loves putting it on the fridge so I thought he would like to have it as art in his room. I found an old metal wall hanging at a garage sale, and painted it white. Since its magnetic he can just switch out his latest masterpieces easily.

The prints of the cars and truck I found here. They were free (awesome!) and couldn't have matched any better! I gave the frames a little more detail by gluing two different sized frames together from Hobby Lobby's unfinished wood section. I love those frames because they are so cheap, you can paint them or leave them as is like I did.

I also made an instagram photo display from this tutorial. Super easy, just glue some mini clothes pins onto a shadow box, I added some paper to the back to give it a little contrast.

The print of Cart on the beach I made in Picmonkey.

We use the drawers under Carter's bed for his clothes so I needed easy access to them. I got this shelf at Ikea, and the crate at Michael's. I already had the casters so I added them to make it even easier for Cart to move the crate out of the way to get to the drawers under his bed. It makes perfect storage for extra books and his favorite animals he sleeps with every night. The orange lamp is from Ikea, and the clock I found at Goodwill.

Across the room from the gallery wall there was the other large blank wall. He needed storage so this unit from Ikea was perfect. The baskets are from Ikea as well and let me tell you they hold a ton of stuff! Seriously it is so easy to just toss stuff in there that doesn't have a home, like marshmallow shooters, robots or other random toys. They are so deep that even tall awkward shaped toys fit. And the shelves make perfect parking for all his construction trucks. :)

The mirrors are also from Ikea, I loved them because they kind of reminded me of water, they add a little movement into the room.

Since I was going with a beachy feel, I used some pictures from our trip to the beach, which is one of Carters favorite times of the year. I thought this area needed something else besides the frame and lamp, so I took a page out of a vintage Dr. Suess dictionary a friend of mine found at a garage sale. D being for our last name. I love that vintage look, I just glued the page onto an old frame backing I had.

I got this Slug Bug at Ross, it goes perfectly! The book underneath is the book I took the letter D page from.

I was also really excited to finally use this book shelf I made in my college furniture making class. It has been sitting in or garage for the past 5 years, and I never had the heart to get rid of it because of all the sweat and sawdust that I went through to make it, lol. I think it is a great touch in here since its kind of a surfboard shape, and the unfinished wood fits right in too. Little did I know when I was making it, that it would end up in my sons bedroom one day!

These floating shelves are the last little DIY element I added. There is a small wall by his door and the closet and I knew I wanted something up there, and I've always liked how fun the invisible shelves were, so I made these myself by screwing a L bracket into the bottom of a book and into the wall. Ill post more later on the steps it took, it was so easy and only $3 a piece.

I am really happy with how it turned out, and I am really happy I am finally done with it! ;)

But, most importantly, Carter loves it!

If this is your first time to my blog, thanks for stopping by! I hope you come back!
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Linking up to these parties
Craftomanic ~ Under the Table Dreaming ~ Today's Creative Blog ~ Tip Junkie ~ Organize Your Stuff Now ~ Shabby Creek Cottage ~ The Crafty Blog Stalker ~ See Vanessa Craft ~ Southern Lovely ~ Grits and Giggles ~ Thrifty Decor Chick ~ It's Overflowing ~ Creatively Living ~ 52 Mantles ~ 30 Handmade Days ~ The CSI Project ~ The DIY Dreamer
~ Tatertots and Jello

Easy Teacher Gift Idea

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly) — Thu, 09 May 2013 18:16:00 +0000

Hello! I have been so sparse on here, like I have said before I do most of my blogging from work, and about a month ago I was able to quit my job. I am so thankful to God that I am able to stay at home for now! It's definitely an answered prayer. So that being said I don't have my fancy computer that I had at work and my computer at home is basically slower than a snail, so I will blog as much as I can stand to be on it. ;)

This week is Teacher Appreciation week, I have seen a million ideas out there for gifts so I thought why not add one more. ;)

My sister and I were shopping at Michael's and found these adorable note cards. They had the cutest colors and patterns, and I love anything with an initial. We thought they would make a perfect teacher gift. To make it a little more festive I wrapped it in a cellophane baggie and added a tag.

"Thanks for being a 'note'worthy teacher!"

I am really getting into these cheesy puns. LOL

Carter was excited to give it to his teachers! Now we are ready for Summer break!

Linking to...

DIY Painted Wall Art

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly) — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 00:25:00 +0000

I have slowly been changing the colors in our living room. It was basically brown and beige, pretty dark and has been the same since the time we moved in almost 5 years ago. I am working to make it brighter and cheerier than the dull browns and khakis it had going on. I have been incorporating whites, blues and other bright colors to do that, and last week I created a piece of wall art that was really easy and helps add the brightness I am looking for!

Originally, I had these two wooden pieces hanging on either side of a large mirror. They were just hollow wood with a fleur-de-lis carved into them, I got them on clearance from Hobby Lobby years ago.

After seeing this piece of art, I fell in love and I was inspired to just make my own art using paint and paper to replace the fleur-de-lis.

I didn't want to spend a lot so, instead of buying canvases, I just took the two existing pieces and covered them in a canvas material using my staple gun, and it worked out great thankfully!

Once I had the pieces covered in the canvas fabric, I brushed on a brown/gold acrylic paint randomly all over, the fabric absorbed the paint pretty quickly so it didn't spread as much as I was expecting it too but I think it helped give it the aged and worn look I was going for, luckily, so I went with it.

After I had the goldish color on, I topped it with a aqua color, randomly covering the whole thing going over the gold in some places.

Next, I used a quartrefoil stencil I had left over from something else, I placed it asymmetrically on the canvas and painted over it with pink, adding the pink color all over as well.

All of the colors start blending together and fading off each other creating a neat effect.

Finally, I used the same stencil to cut out book pages. I modge podged them on and mixed a tiny bit of paint with the glue so the pages would look like are aged as well, almost like they are being exposed from underneath.

I also very lightly used sand paper on some parts of the paper.

I really like how this turned out, and I am not a painter, usually every time I try to paint something on a canvas it looks like my 4 year old did it, lol. Since this is an abstract piece even mistakes can look like they were meant to be.

I just love these bright colors and they tie in nicely with the scarp paper art I made for the wall across the room from these.

I want to make a few pillows and paint a table then I think I will be finished with the living room. So hopefully I get those things accomplished before I decide to switch things up again. Ha!

Linking up to these parties...Craftomanic ~ Under the Table Dreaming ~ Today's Creative Blog ~ Tip Junkie ~ Organize Your Stuff Now ~ Shabby Creek Cottage ~ The Crafty Blog Stalker ~ See Vanessa Craft ~ Southern Lovely ~ Grits and Giggles ~ Thrifty Decor Chick ~ It's Overflowing ~ Creatively Living ~ 52 Mantles ~ 30 Handmade Days ~ The CSI Project ~ The DIY Dreamer

Mini Spring Cupcakes

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly) — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 14:07:00 +0000

Hello! Happy Spring to you! I hope you all had a wonderful Easter!

A couple of weeks ago I made mini cupcakes for my friends baby shower, and I've kind of become obsessed with them. They are so cute and tiny! The perfect size for one bite, I feel way less guilty eating 6 of these bad boys than I do eating a couple regular sized ones. And lets face it, I always eat more than one regular size cupcake and feel guilty so making these it a winner for me. lol

Today I'm sharing this easy treat with you. It is so easy because it came from a box! :) I am not much of a baker, I'll have to say. I love to try out recipes for cakes and cookies, but they just never seem to be as good as the work and time they took to make them. So I am not ashamed to say I use the mix straight from the box. :) And for these I used my favorite, which is confetti cake!

I also found some Spring colored sprinkles to top them off.

What really had me excited about making these is that I realized mini cupcakes are the perfect size for an egg carton. This makes it so easy to transport and makes an adorable neighbor gift!

I found these cartons in the Easter candy aisle at Wal-Mart for $1, they had marshmallow candies inside, but any egg carton will work. I added this cute little tag to the top, to make it a little more festive, and so my neighbor didn't think I was randomly bringing her some eggs. ;)

If you'd like this image you can right click and save as.

I'm so happy Spring is here! I think these bright and cheery cupcakes are a perfect way to celebrate.
I hope it starts feeling like it around here, I am ready for my flip flops!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

linking to these parties...

Woodland Creature Baby Shower

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly) — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 19:16:00 +0000

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Yesterday I shared the Wreath I made for the shower we threw last weekend for my friend Jennie, and today I wanted to share the other elements that we came up with for our Woodland Creature theme. Jessica and Katy did most of these details, and they are SO cute!

The Welcome table, we had a book for everyone to sign when they came in, as a keepsake. It would be so fun looking back when he's older to see what everyone wrote.

Katy made these adorable "Squirrel Snacks" which were trail mix in mason jars, I will say it was good, I had the whole jar finished before I knew it! I wish I would have taken more than one ;) I just love the burlap around the jar.

Since the mommy to be isn't a huge fan of cake, I made these bite size cupcakes instead. S'mores, strawberry, cookies and cream, and peanut butter cup. It was easy to just pop one (or 5) in you mouth! ;) I found the recipe for these here.

Katy made these moss covered letters, Jennie's nursery is woodland themed so this would fit right in.

Jennie's sister-in-law made the "acorn cookies" and Jessica made the "Gnome Walking Sticks" which were chocolate covered pretzels rolled in nuts. YUM! Again I wish I had taken more leftovers ;)

Jessica and I made these flowers out of paper bags, via Martha Stewart. They were super easy and inexpensive.

We had more food made by Katie, the soon to be aunt of Eli. Which was awesome, she did the food at our wedding reception and I still think about how good it was! I didn't get any good pictures of the other food, but I think you get the overall idea with these. We had so much fun celebrating, and now that the showers are over I can't wait to meet those little babies!!

Sharing here...
Craftomanic ~ Under the Table Dreaming ~ Today's Creative Blog ~ Tip Junkie ~ Organize Your Stuff Now ~ Shabby Creek Cottage ~ The Crafty Blog Stalker ~ See Vanessa Craft ~ Southern Lovely ~ Grits and Giggles ~ Thrifty Decor Chick ~ It's Overflowing ~ Creatively Living ~ 52 Mantles ~ 30 Handmade Days ~ The CSI Project ~ The DIY Dreamer

Woodland Creature Wreath

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly) — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 18:58:00 +0000

Hi there! For the past month or so I have been in baby shower mode, two of my best friends are expecting back to back and we threw them a shower back to back. A couple of weeks ago I shared the pink and teal shower we threw for Katy. This past weekend we celebrated Jennie's soon to be little guy with a Woodland Creature theme.

We had so much fun putting all the details together for this one! Today I wanted to share this cute little wreath I made that was inspired by her invitations.

Jennie was a gnome for Halloween once and for some reason, every time any of us see one, we think of her, so these invitations were perfect. :) And the perfect inspiration for a wreath!

Since I love felt and wreaths are my specialty ;) I was really excited to make this. Using the cute little guys on the invitation as a guide, I cut the gnome and hedgehog out of felt. Then wrapped a vine wreath with twine and glued my felt guys onto it. For the flag I cut the letters using my Silhouette Machine and glued them on the felt.

The little hedgehog was one of my favorite parts of the invite so I had to include him! He just makes me want to squeal he's so cute! lol

I love the woodsy feel of the wreath contrasted by the soft felt!

My other friends Jessica and Katy threw this shower with me and everything they did was so adorable, I will share more pictures tomorrow!

Pink and Teal Baby Shower

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly) — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 21:27:00 +0000

Over this past weekend I threw a baby shower for one of my best friends, Katy. The past few weeks my other two girlfriends and I have been focused on all the details of it, we love throwing showers! And it is exciting to go from wedding showers to baby showers now.

I thought I would share some of the elements we did, because I thought it turned out so cute! We first thought of a theme, more a color scheme, of pink and teal and burlap.

We had such a great time celebrating, everyone was really FIRED up at one point...I'll get to that in a minute. ;)

A little welcome sign for the guests.

We took our sofa out of my living room to make room for table and chairs, we wanted everyone to be comfortable, and have a place to set their plate and drink. It's always the worst trying to eat something with a fork while holding your drink!

These adorable table runners were made by the other hostesses, Jennie and Jessica. That's Jennie in the picture, she's another soon to be momma!

It is always so fun to see your friends baby pictures and trying to imagine what their new little baby will be like! Jennie rounded up some branches from her yard and we made a little baby picture display, by clipping on the pictures with tiny close pins. And I made the banner with burlap and my silhouette machine.

We loved the idea of writing advice or thoughts on a diaper, maybe it will give them a little laugh or smile during those 3am diaper changes.

For me my favorite part of showers is always the food. ;)

Jessica made this beautiful cake! I'm in love with the ombre effect, she is an amazing cake decorator and it tasted great too! (Jes and I love making cakes she was my partner in the garden cake I posted about last year.)

Here I am with the mommy to be! We had such a fun day celebrating Katy and her little baby girl that's on the way!

I also made this sash for her a few weeks ago, I hadn't ever heard of a belly sash until she mentioned it to me. It is amazing how quickly trends change about babies. Carter is only 4 and things have changed so much since he was a baby! I love this belly sash trend though, super cute!

You can see this in my Esty shop if you would like one of your own.

So when I said everyone was fired up, I mean literally there was a fire in my living room at one point!

It went kinda like this, the winner of one of the games got a prize, which had tissue paper in the bag. Katy's mom opened the gift, and the tissue paper fell into a candle on the table. Seconds after she gets the gift I heard a commotion and look over and Katy's mom is waving a flaming tissue paper, with a shocked/terrified look on her face, and the fire just kept growing! No one knew what to do, I am stunned holding a piece of cake in my hand, Im pretty sure I was jumping up and down, like that would help things. So the girl next to her mom grabs the tissue, by now it is just a ball of fire, she runs a few steps towards the door, with pieces of burning tissue paper flying off. At this point I thought, wow my house is literally going to go up in flames right now. lol. I start to stomp a small piece of tissue that is flaming in front of me, and she can't hold the paper anymore since its all fire, it falls on the carpet and she frantically stomps it out, completely burning her shoe in the process.

Finally it was all over, it seemed like 10 minutes but Im sure the whole thing was more like 30 seconds. Phew! After we realized everything was safe we all started laughing and recapping the whole thing to each other. We are so thankful no one was hurt or it wasn't worse! Once things settled down we went back into shower mode like nothing happened :) It was a memorable day for sure!! Luckily we were able to get the burn spot out of the carpet too, so alls well that ends well! :)

We played Bingo as one of the games, I made a card for it and you can download it below if you would like to. Just hit the arrow button in the bottom right. For personal use only.

You can fill in the squares with items the mommy to be may receive as gifts, and as she opens them, the guests mark off the item if it is on their card. First to get five in a row wins.

We are throwing Jennie a baby shower in 3 weeks, she is having a boy so it will be fun to go in a totally different direction with hers, I don't think we will be using any candles either. ;)

Craftomanic ~ The DIY Showoff ~ Under the Table Dreaming ~ Today's Creative Blog ~ Tip Junkie ~ Blue Cricket Designs ~ Organize Your Stuff Now ~ Shabby Creek Cottage ~ The Crafty Blog Stalker ~ See Vanessa Craft ~ Southern Lovely ~ Grits and Giggles ~ Thrifty Decor Chick ~ It's Overflowing ~ Creatively Living ~ 52 Mantles ~ 30 Handmade Days ~ The CSI Project ~ The DIY Dreamer

Cookies and Cream Popcorn

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly) — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 17:05:00 +0000

Happy Valentines Day! Last night I made these yummy treats for Carter to take to school today. I had made them before for his birthday party, and it is so good I knew I had to make it again!

Cookies and Cream Popcorn

Recipe:

1/3 cup of popcorn kernels

3 Tblspoons of oil

2 sleeves of Oreos

Vanilla candy melts

I also added pink and red candy for V-day.

In a skillet pop the popcorn in the oil and set aside in a large bowl, crush up Oreos into chunks and add to the popcorn.

Melt the vanilla candy melts in 30 second intervals until smooth, then pour it over the popcorn Oreo mixture.

Stir together so the melted chocolate coats everything.

Spread on wax paper and to let the chocolate set.

That's it, I bagged it up in these little bags and made a cute tag for Cart's friends at school.

I'll warn you this stuff is sooo good!! I had to get on to my husband because he kept grabbing spoonfuls. ;)

Hope you all have a wonderful day full of LOVE!

A Girly Valentine

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly) — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 16:44:00 +0000

Target is so smart for having their dollar section right as you walk in, it is a total magnet for me and I fill my cart up with useless stuff before I'm even 10 feet in the door. I can't pass it up though, everything is so stinking cute, and a dollar at that! A few weeks ago when they started to put out their Valentines things I saw the cutest nail files and had to get them. Then I remembered seeing these cute mistletoe gifts around Christmas and thought doing something similar with these nail files would be a cute little Girly Valentine!

The one thing I love about Valentines Day is you can basically put any cheesy saying on the tag and it works! ;)

So, I got the nail files and twine in the dollar section of Target, then got some nail polish to go with it. On another day I actually saw nail polish in the dollar section too.

As for the tags, I made them on Picmonkey.com it is my favorite place to quickly edit photos or make little tags, they have a lot of fonts and almost all they offer is for free.

Here's the tag I made if you want to right click and save as.

Since I have a boy and there's not a lot of girlishness around my house, these were really fun to make!
It just made me want to give myself a manicure. :)

Linking up here...
Craftomanic ~ The DIY Showoff ~ Under the Table Dreaming ~ Today's Creative Blog ~ Tip Junkie ~ Blue Cricket Designs ~ Organize Your Stuff Now ~ Shabby Creek Cottage ~ The Crafty Blog Stalker ~ See Vanessa Craft ~ Southern Lovely ~ Grits and Giggles ~ Thrifty Decor Chick ~ It's Overflowing ~ Creatively Living ~ 52 Mantles ~ 30 Handmade Days ~ The CSI Project ~ The DIY Dreamer

Valentines Wreath

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly) — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 19:48:00 +0000

Hello there! I hope you are having a great new year so far! Here in Oklahoma our weather can't make up it's mind. One day it's 35 degrees and the next it its almost 70. Typical Oklahoma! So this weekend it was really pretty, we got to get out of the house and try out some of Carter's new Christmas gifts like his new bike and scooter. It made me excited for Spring to get here so we can do more outdoor stuff!

Since it was so pretty I was inspired to make, what else...? you guessed it, a wreath! This one is for Valentines. I feel really behind on the Valentines decorating. It seems like people are decorating earlier and earlier for the holidays! Although, I don't really do anything inside for specific holidays beside Christmas, more seasonal. Mostly because I don't have enough room to store anything!

Since I don't have a lot of room to put stuff, I always use this same straw wreath form by covering it and pinning stuff on rather than gluing, that way I don't have 10 wreaths lined up in a closet or tossed in the attic.

I kind of made a semi-resolution this year to try and use up scraps I have before buying anything else and that is what I did here!

I had the wreath, which was wrapped with burlap from another wreath I made last year. The sun had faded the burlap on some parts, but I think it adds to the rustic feel. That's what I'm telling myself anyway. ;)

Since I always pin on the embellishments I have a lot of flowers already made in my stash, I grabbed a couple to add.

And as for the heart, before I painted it, I cut it out of cardboard then peeled off the top layer to expose the corrugated center. I LOVE that textured look, and it was completely free!

I used a kabob skewer and felt for the arrow, and glued it onto the heart. Then I stuck it on with straight pins, that way once Valentines is over I can just change it to something else! I do love Valentines though, love in the air, red and pink everywhere. :) So do you decorate for every holiday??

Thanks for stopping by!

Linking up here...

I've been a mom for 4 years now

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly) — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 20:55:00 +0000

Today is Carter's 4th birthday. He has grown up so much this year. Every day he says something new that makes us laugh. It is hard to believe he has been on this earth for 4 years, but when I think back to the morning that I had him, it seems like so long ago. Jamie and I were just talking this morning about that day. We had no clue what we were going to do. We hardly knew each other it seemed, much less trying to raise a baby! But now here we are 4 whole years later and each day is better than the one before.

We had so much fun with Carter this past year, he is our little buddy that has conversations with us and makes us laugh.

Some things small things that I don't want to ever forget:

When I ask him what he wants to be when he grows up he says, I don't want to grow up. Smart kid, I don't want to grow up either. ;)

His favorite color is green, just because it is Dad's favorite. Sometimes it is blue.

He wants to do everything just like Dad, not Mom. He'll ask a question and if I answer he'll say, no I was just talking to Dad.

He loves, cars, trucks, vans and jeeps. We literally have hundreds of hot wheels, and he plays with them all, lining them up saying they are parked and going to a party. He loves to point out every kind of car that we pass. He has all the logos memorized. And always wants me to draw them out so he can guess which one it is.

He doesn't eat much, I am hoping this changes one day. Nuggets, pizza, PB&J's, that's about it.

He is so sweet and tells us, I love you, multiple times a day. Even multiple times an hour for that matter lol.

He loves making new friends and will with anyone he meets.

He is rough and strong, like seriously could tackle me to the ground, lol.

He is so easy going, what every we ask him to do he may not at first but then says, Alwright.

One of his new things he says is So... your wearing your black shirt today, huh? or So... you're cooking dinner huh?

When I put him to bed at night I lay next to him until he goes to sleep, if I think he is asleep and start to get up, he'll barley be able to open an eye and say still can't sleep, so I lay down for a few minutes longer, until his breathing lets me know he has drifted off into dream land. I love these moments because it's the only time he is still and I just look at him and can't believe that he is so big and that he is mine.

He is Jamie and I's best friend.

These four years have flown by and I want to remember every little second of him because I know it will keep going faster and faster.

Happy Birthday Baby Boy!

Favorite Projects 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly) — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 18:54:00 +0000

Happy New Year! I have taken a bit of a break from posting it seems. December already passed by and we are already in 2013! It sounds so weird to say, I'll probably still be writing 2012 on everything in March, lol. I had such a nice Christmas break spending time with my family, and I was off work for 2 weeks which was really nice too. :)

Now that I am back at work, and that is where I do most of my posting, I can finally post my favorite projects from 2012!

This year seriously flew, it seems like every year they go faster than before. But when I was looking back through my posts, some of them felt like I did them more than a year ago! So anyway, here they are, a look back at my favorite and most popular posts from 2012.

At the first of the year last year I made this colorful HAPPY BIRTHDAY WREATH. I just love the texture of the felt and the asymmetry. I actually gave this as a gift, and kinda wish I still had it. ;)

I gave an old brown jewelry box from the Goodwill a makeover, although I couldn't ever convince my husband to put his watches and ring in there. Hmm.

This BOOK PAGE LETTER was one of my favorites because it was so easy, just a $2 cardboard letter and pages from a book I found at a garage sale. Simple and personalized!

I updated my bathroom from dark to light and used frames from the thrift store to make SIMPLE AND CHEAP WALL DECOR.

This is one of my favorite rooms in our house, probably because its completely finished, decor wise, Im never fully satisfied with the other rooms in my house, it's always a work in progress! But this one I love!

I seriously love this SPRING SIGN, the bunnies are made out of cardboard, which in turn made this super cheap! Are you sensing a theme here...? That I really like making things cheaply? :) This makes me excited for Spring just looking at it! lol

My friend had a baby at the beginning of the summer so I made this little gift basket with little baby pool essentials, swim suit, towel, sunglasses, and toys! I added his name to a bucket from Hobby Lobby to personalize it. Fun in the Sun! :)

And finally, I used some more book pages to make this BOOK PAGE WREATH.

Oh wait, here's another one that was pinned quite a bit, I love it too! SCRAP PAPER ART

I was feeling really inspired at the beginning of last year, I had a lot of ideas that I had fun doing, but then towards the last half of the year I felt like I was just doing stuff just to have something to post about. That's not what I want to do this year, I want to make things and share them because I like to do it not because I feel like I have to.

I am feeling inspired already though so stay tuned :) Thank you for all your comments and following along this past year!!

Candy Cane Wreath

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly) — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 22:58:00 +0000

Hi! Happy December! If you read my last post about our Elf on the Shelf experience, I have to say it is going a little better, we have put "Simon" out everyday and Carter laughs when he sees him, but still is like, yea I don't want him around. LOL. But, not only did Carter rain on my Elf on the Shelf dreams parade, he isn't really liking the Christmas music I've been playing. Seriously kid? And I was giving my husband about getting into the spirit this year, and here Carter turns out to be the Scrooge. LOL! No, he's not that bad, I guess he just doesn't want to waste his time listening to Jingle Bell Rock, when he needs to listen to Prince's Purple Rain for the 150th time (for real lol). He is so funny, I never would have thought having a kid would be so entertaining. ;)

So I digress, I wasn't really planning on making a Christmas wreath this year, but I had a wreath form already. And I found this bright and blingy red ribbon that inspired me. It didn't require gluing, so that always cuts down on ~~burns~~ time. Here's what I did...

For this I needed:

A wreath form wrapped in white fabric

red ribbon

stems and picks in various shapes from Hobby Lobby

straight pins

I started this wreath out with THIS one I made last summer. The fabric was pinned on so I just took it off and it left me with a white base.

I pinned the beginning of the ribbon to the back of the wreath then wrapped it tightly around, then just pinned it in place.

Next I stuck the stems and picks under the ribbon, which was tight so I didn't need any glue or pins for this, they just stayed in place.

Once I got my sticks how I liked, I used another red ribbon (this time mesh, I got it for $1 at Dollar General) and tied it into a bow. Then pinned it onto the wreath. I kind of just tucked and pinned until it looked good.

That's it!

I LOVE it! And since it's pinned I can just take the embellishments off and reuse the white base after Christmas.

So, I think that is all for my DIY Christmas decorating, now onto presents! :)

Thanks for checking it out, have a great week!

Linking here..
Craftomanic ~ The DIY Showoff ~ Under the Table Dreaming ~ Today's Creative Blog ~ Tip Junkie ~ Blue Cricket Designs ~ Organize Your Stuff Now ~ Shabby Creek Cottage ~ The Crafty Blog Stalker ~ See Vanessa Craft ~ Southern Lovely ~ Grits and Giggles ~ Thrifty Decor Chick ~ It's Overflowing ~ Creatively Living ~ 52 Mantles ~ 30 Handmade Days ~ The CSI Project ~ The DIY Dreamer

Chalkboard Christmas Countdown

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly) — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 17:29:00 +0000

Hello there! I am really glad we had a week after Thanksgiving before the first of December, anything to stretch the Christmas season a little further. Every year I want to make an advent calendar, I think they are so cute and there are so many creative ways to make them. But, since I'm trying not to do too much this year, I made this simple chalkboard Christmas Countdown! I just LOVE chalk art, I had so much fun this summer with Carter's sidewalk chalk, more fun that him probably. :)

I have been wanting to make a chalkboard for our house for a while, and then I thought that making a chalkboard countdown would be easy and cheap, which it was because I had all the supplies on hand. Oh yea!

I used, a frame, chalkboard paint, and a white paint pen.

I painted the glass of the frame with the chalk paint, doodled the "Days until Christmas" onto it and that was it!

First I wrote the letters on a piece of paper just to practice and see how I wanted them to look. Then used a pencil to lightly draw them on the chalkboard for a guide. I like making letters like this because you don't have to be that precise.

I love how it turned out!

So we also started Elf on the Shelf this week, I have been dreaming of the day we could do it, since Carter was still a little to young to get it last year. I had envisioned all the silly little set ups to do and Carter cracking up at the little Elf. I hyped it up to Carter, saying Santa has a special book for him, etc. I was so excited I just knew he would love it!

Well... as I was half was through the book, Carter looks concerned and shuts the book, saying I don't like this book and shaking his head.

I'm like, why he's Santa's helper?

Then his lip curls up and he starts to cry, saying I don't want him here!

Jamie and I started laughing just because I had built it up so much, and Carter was the exact opposite of excited about it. Poor guy.
My Elf on the Shelf dreams were crushed! LOL

I guess the thought of a tiny Elf creeping in your house is a little scary, for Carter at least, I'm pretty sure he's the only kid in America that doesn't like it! What I really think is that he just didn't want the Elf to tell Santa on him. Which makes it even more funny.

I just knew it would be a ~~great bribing tool~~ fun thing to do until Christmas! he he :)

Maybe next year??

Do any of your kids not like the Elf?

Linking here..
Craftomanic ~ The DIY Showoff ~ Under the Table Dreaming ~ Today's Creative Blog ~ Tip Junkie ~ Blue Cricket Designs ~ Organize Your Stuff Now ~ Shabby Creek Cottage ~ The Crafty Blog Stalker ~ See Vanessa Craft ~ Southern Lovely ~ Grits and Giggles ~ Thrifty Decor Chick ~ It's Overflowing ~ Creatively Living ~ 52 Mantles ~ 30 Handmade Days ~ The CSI Project ~ The DIY Dreamer

Favorite Christmas Projects

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly) — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 16:47:00 +0000

Hi! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving, I did, and now I am so glad the Christmas season is here! This year will be so much fun with Carter since he really knows about Santa and can really get into the excitement too. It will be so fun to see his face light up on Christmas morning! I am trying not to go overboard and stress about having the cutest Christmas decorations or crafts or gift wrap or neighbors gift. I feel like last year I let all of that take priority over the real reason for the season. It can get to be too much and then it's over without even enjoying the moment. So this year I am determined to step back and not care so much about the material things. Carter is only this age once and I want to make it as special as I can for him and our little family!

But... Since I did go a little overboard last year, here are my favorite projects... :)

{Monogramed "Manly" Wreath}

{Styrofoam Peppermint Lollipops}

{Photo Ornament}

{Burlap Santa Wreath}

{Paper Tree}

These are all really easy and fun to do! Just don't get caught up in trying to do too much unimportant stuff this year, like I did last year! I hope you all enjoy the little moments this Holiday Season!

No Sew {Turkey Flag}

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly) — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 17:47:00 +0000

Hello! Can you believe it is already November?? And a week into it at that. I cannot, this year has flown by, but I am really excited about the holidays coming up! I'm ready to put my Christmas decorations up, but I don't think my husband would be up for that yet, so I'll try to wait just a couple more weeks. :)

So onto my latest project! I may have turned my love of making wreaths into something else... garden flags! lol Yes, this is another post about a garden flag, I'm sorry, I know its really redundant, but this one is so cute I just had to share! :) My mom wanted me to make her a Fall one like the one I did here, but I had something else in mind. Since she is hosting Thanksgiving for our family this year I thought a turkey would be super cute!

These flags are SO SO easy to make I'm telling you! I know I say that about everything I make, but seriously this is simple as it gets. And for this one I used up the rest of the scraps I had from my from my Fall tree one. I love using up scraps! I had the burlap, so all I needed was a piece of felt for the body, that was .25 cents!

For this one I cut a piece of burlap about 12 inches wide, then cut 7 pieces of fabric for the feathers. I cut one piece then used it as a template for the other 6 pieces.

After that, I cut a body shape out of felt. I didn't sew a single thing on this. I used fabric glue for everything, making it even easier!! I put glue along the edges on the back side to keep it from fraying and used a paint brush to paint on the glue to the fabric pieces.

Finally, I added little eyes, beak, and legs out of fabric too. I love how he looks googly eyed, my husband said he looked like a South Park character, lol. I think he is super cute!! :) He kind of reminds me of a Shawn the Sheep character, have you seen that? If you have kids you should watch it on Netfilx, it's claymation and it cracks me up!

Just to let you know how strong the glue is, the first garden flag I made held up really well, in rain and everything. The possibilities are endless for garden flags, especially if you have fabric scraps to use up! I'd love to know if you try to make one.

Like I said before I can't believe it's almost Thanksgiving, but I am so excited for all the festivities. Gobble Gobble, I hope you are having a great start to the Holiday season!

Painted Silhouette ~ and a product road test

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly) — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 02:48:00 +0000

A few weeks ago Linda, from Craftaholics Anonymous, put out a request on Facebook for "Craft Product Road Testers". The request was something like "do you like free craft products, crafting, or showing off crafts?", so yea... that basically sums me up... so I immediately applied! :) I didn't think I would ever get chosen, but I actually did! Yay!

I was super excited because the product for review was decoupage, besides hot glue, it is one of my most used mediums in my crafting projects. She sent us 4 bottles of the medium, 2 matte and 2 gloss, we picked either gloss or the matte for our project. I picked matte, so I needed to do 2 projects using the 2 different matte bottles then review the differences/similarities. Did you get all that?? lol You can read all about it on Linda's site here. The brands are kept a secret until after everyone submits their reviews.

So onto what I did! I am in the process of re-doing my living room wall, I wanted to incorporate more family photos than what I had, and that means our dogs too, of course. :) I have had an idea of doing a dog silhouette for a long time, but haven't really gotten around to it, but since I needed 2 projects and I have 2 dogs I thought Yes! This is a perfect time to get it done.

So, another suggestion Linda had for this test was to use things already in your craft stash, which I loved, because I need any excuse to use up all the stuff I have in my craft closet. The only thing I did buy for this were the 2 small canvases, which I actually just now thought that I could have used cardboard and then I wouldn't have had to buy anything. Oh well, maybe you can do that if you try this project out! :)

So onto the supplies:

Large canvas

2 small canvas' (or cardboard)

book pages
decoupage

paint

paint brush

I didn't take step by step pictures because this was VERY very easy to do. And it didn't even require a cutting machine, Score!

First, I cut 1 inch strips of book pages. And used the decoupage medium to glue them randomly onto the small canvas. I used one bottle of the medium on one small canvas and the other bottle on the other small canvas.

Next, I took a picture of my dog's profile and printed them out on regular copy paper and cut them out around the head. I decoupaged these over the book pages.

Once it was dry, I just went over the printed picture with acrylic paint.

Then I glued the finished canvases to a larger canvas so that they would be more like one piece of art. I added stripes to the larger canvas to match this one I already have in our living room as well.

And... done! So easy!

I didn't really go into this thinking I would paint the silhouettes, I was just going to leave the photo as is, but in black and white, I thought it would look old and newspapery, but it really just looked weird, ha. So, as I was painting the sides of the small canvases with a blue to add some color, thinking that would make it look less weird. I thought, Hello! Just paint over the pictures! That made a huge difference, and I loved how it turned out. I was so stoked because I didn't have to use any kind of a stencil or cut out, that would have added another step in the process and the less steps the better, am I right?

Although it's kind of funny because the dog on the right's head is actually about 4 times smaller than our other dog. But if I would have done the proportion right, his silhouette would be like the size of quarter. No really, he's that small. LOL

So onto my thoughts on the craft mediums, the 2 matte bottles I selected were labeled with a red top and an orange top. I used the orange bottle first... this is our dog Weezy he's lazy and scared of his shadow, but we love him.

And I used the red bottle on the second... This is Marty, he has pencils for legs and only wants you for your warm lap to sit on, but we love him too ;)

Overall each of these were pretty similar. They both had a good matte finish, but side by side I thought the red bottle had a slightly more matte look, not much but in comparing the two it was.

The major thing that I did notice is that I only used 1/4 of the orange bottle and ended up using half of the bottle of the red bottle. It seemed when I was using the orange bottle I didn't have to keep dipping my paintbrush back in the decoupage like I did the red bottle. That's kind of a big difference, so if I had to choose one or the other I would choose the orange, just for the fact it would last longer.

This was so fun getting to compare 2 different mediums and seeing the differences/similarities. Thank you so much, Linda, for letting me road test these products out!

If you have any questions about this project just let me know!

Linking up here...

Halloween Garden Flag

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly) — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 15:03:00 +0000

I shared this Halloween Flag over at Delightfully Noted last week, I thought I would share it here too in case you missed it, my posts have been pretty light this month! I guess I have been busy! I did take the time to make this flag, which was really no time at all! See...

I just love the way a little garden flag can add a some personality to the front of your house. This one didn't take long to make, with just a few simple steps.

First, I cut a piece of material 12" by 21"

Then I sewed around the edge of the fabric and frayed them out.

Once I had the fabric done, I cut out a candy corn shape from felt. I lined up the felt and kind of just sketched a shape with a sharpie then cut it out.

After I had the shape cut out and lined up the way I wanted, I used fabric glue to glue the pieces together. Fabric glue holds up so well, I would have never thought, but once it dries, its going to be there a while!

Then I cut three pieces of felt about 3" long, and glued the top and bottom to the back side of the fabric, in order to insert the flag rod through.

Finally, I used the fabric glue again, to attach the candy corn to the fabric, then hung it up! That's it! So simple, and there are so many variations you could to too, I thought a ghost or an owl would be cute, maybe a witches hat. Not only is this easy, but it's really inexpensive as well. Sometimes the flags you buy at the store can be pricey, but this is cheap and one of a kind! :)

I love the gray chevron against the bright orange and yellow. I think a giant candy corn says "Hey, this house is ready for Halloween!" :) I've had this hanging for a couple weeks, and even though it's fabric and felt, it is holding up nicely in the weather!

I think Garden Flags are my new "thing" lol, so you know I'll be making a Thanksgiving and Christmas one! :)

There's still time for a few more Halloween Crafts, check out Delightfully Noted's Wicked Craft Week for some easy and cute ones!

Thanks for stopping by!

Linking up to these parties...

Wicked Craft Week {Delightfully Noted}

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly) — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 14:56:00 +0000

Hi friends! Today I am sharing a fun Halloween craft at one of my favorite blogs Delightfully Noted. She is hosting a week long Wicked Craft Week with some super talented people, I was so excited that I was asked to even be in the same line up as these ladies! So far there have been some amazingly cute and simple Halloween craft ideas, go here to check them all out, you wont be disappointed!! :)

fabric scrap {garden flag}

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly) — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 18:54:00 +0000

Hello! I hope everyone is enjoying this lovely Fall weather we are having, I know I am! Now that the season is changing, I needed to change my little flag in our front flower bed. I had one all summer I bought at a local nursery that was bright and said "cool off" which was perfect for our blazing summer. I have had this thought about making my own flag for a while. I thought about getting some outdoor fabric to make one, but didn't want to spend the money on MORE fabric. So I decided just to make it out of burlap and some use up fabric scraps I had on hand! And I LOVE how it turned out!

I used the flag I had for the summer as a template to cut the size of burlap, then folded down about 2 inches at the top and glued it to make a pocket for the rod of the flag holder to go through.

I saw this pillow a long time ago and it came to mind when I was thinking of what to do. I knew I had a bunch of fabric scraps I could stand to get rid of, so after rummaging around in my fabric tub, I was so happy to have found some Fall colors I could use as leaves!

After I cut leaf shapes and a trunk, I used fabric glue to glue them onto the burlap in a tree shape. I wasn't sure if that would work very well, but I was too lazy to sew all the way around all of those leaves. ;) Luckily it worked just fine!

Although, I did sew about 1/4 of an inch around the edge and frayed it out. (Do this before you glue the top down.) This is not a weather proof flag, obviously, so I have taken it in a couple times in case it rained. I don't know how well the glue would hold up in the rain. But we have had the most beautiful weather lately so it has gotten to stay the night outside a lot. ;)

This was SO easy!! It didn't take long at all, usually I work on a project off an on for a few days, but this one was easy enough that I just did it all at once. I love it! I love the colors especially against our green shrubs. And my basil too, that thing is taking off like crazy lately. yum.

Projects that use what you already have on hand are the best! I have so much left over stuff piled up in my craft closet, it is nice to get rid of some of that in such a pretty way! :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Linking here...

scrapbook paper fall wreath

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly) — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 18:43:00 +0000

Since Fall is basically here, although it's still in the hundreds this past week here in Oklahoma, I knew it was time to get busy on a Fall wreath. :)

If you have followed this blog a little while then you know my favorite things to make are wreaths. I hadn't had a cute one on my door for a while. The last one I made was my OKC Thunder wreath. They lost that night I put it up. whaa. My husband said I jinxed them, lol. So I thought, well I'll just take it down. But they ended up losing every game after that. double whaa.

Since then my door has been totally bare, which gives me major anxiety, I must have cute door decor! ;)

Anyway, I'm totally loving how this one turned out! I didn't want to spend very much money on it, so I thought what can I do for $5? I got a wreath form for 2 something because I had a 40% off coupon from HL, it was originally $3.99. Then I was feeding my addiction, ahem, I mean browsing the scrapbook paper aisle and came across this burnt orange chevron and thought, YES! I can use this, the same way as I did the book page wreath.

Then I found a really cute piece of paper that coordinated with the chevron. It had Fall words written all over it, I had to get it.

After I cut feather shapes out of the paper, I glued them half way around.

I used the paper to make flowers by twisting it into a flower shape. I used a blue piece I already had, and burlap the same way. Then I added a button for an extra texture.

Once I got the paper and flowers glued on I thought it needed something else, a little bunting always makes everything better! I printed "FALL" onto an actual book page, and glued it to burlap. I painted the branches of the wreath a blue before adding the bunting.

So, I spent $2 something on the wreath, another $1.50 for the paper, and I had the paint and burlap, so that is definitely under my $5 budget!!! I was really excited about it. :)

I love how the colors complement each other, and I liked adding the not so typical Fall color as well.

There are endless styles and colors of scrapbook paper, so the possibilities of this kind of wreath are infinite. Plus it doesn't break the bank!

Thanks for checking it out! :)

Linking here...
Craftomanic ~ The DIY Showoff ~ Under the Table Dreaming ~ Today's Creative Blog ~ Tip Junkie ~ Blue Cricket Designs ~ Organize Your Stuff Now ~ Shabby Creek Cottage ~ The Crafty Blog Stalker ~ See Vanessa Craft ~ Southern Lovely ~ Grits and Giggles ~ Thrifty Decor Chick ~ It's Overflowing ~ Creatively Living ~ 52 Mantles ~ 30 Handmade Days ~ The CSI Project ~ The DIY Dreamer

Pallet Sign - laundry edition

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly) — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 15:13:00 +0000

Using repurposed wooden pallets has been very popular over the last year or so. I for one love how they look and how you can make so many different things with them. I've been wanting to make a sign out of pallets for so long and I finally got around to doing it. I needed something to go above our shelves in our laundry room so I came up with this.

This was so super easy, the hardest part was prying the boards off the actual pallet, that took a little time and muscle. The first one came off pretty easy, so I thought it was going to be a piece of cake, but the rest took so much prying and pulling and hammering! I totally broke a sweat, but once I got them off it was smooth sailing after that! :)

All I did was paint the boards white, then painted laundry onto it with a blue acrylic paint. Total cost for this sign was under $2 because I had the white paint and the boards were from my husbands work! Score!! All I had to buy was the blue paint.

Jamie screwed in two boards on the back to hold them all together and then two smaller ones on the top to hang it by.

That's it! I love the way it looks in our laundry room, I'm almost finished getting everything just how I want it in there. These things take time! And money, which is why I love projects like this, cheap and easy! :)

Have you done anything with wood pallets?

Check out more projects at these linky parties...