It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…CRAFTING!

It snowed the other morning.

For me that means it’s Christmas time.

So even though it only snowed for 3 minutes and it was mixed with rain and none of it stuck to the ground…it still snowed. And now it’s Christmas time!!!

More specifically, it’s Christmas CRAFTING time!!  Here are some of my favorite Christmas crafts from years past to keep you busy while I stretch out my glitter coating, wreath making, snowflake cutting muscles. It’s important to ease into these things lest you pull something and have to sit out the rest of the season.

 

           D.I.Y. FIREPLACE         UGLY CHRISTMAS SWEATER

UPCYCLED CATALOG CHRISTMAS TREE

KID-FRIENDLY DIY SNOWGLOBES

I’d love to see any projects you make following my tutorials or any projects you’ve made on your own!  

Merry Christmas Crafting season!!

Geometrical Block Printed Planter Makeover

I made this beautiful block printed planter first thing this planting season and then forgot to share it.  This essentially means it never happened at all and all of my priming and painting and sponge cutting was for not.  So I’m posting it now, just in time for the end of planting season.  Luckily, I think it’s going to look just as lovely stuffed full of Mums and tall grasses as it looked chock full of petunias.  

And the best part of this project?  It  was completely free!

It was super easy (and free!) and would make a great weekend project.  

It took me about 4 hours start-to-finish including the time it took the paint to dry.  

Here’s how I made it…for FREE!  (Did I mention this project didn’t cost me anything?)

1. I took an old banged up pot that wasn’t being used and gave it a good scrubbin’.
2. Then I sprayed the inside of the pot red with some paint I had on-hand; spray the inside first because there may be some over-spray
3. Then I primed the outside of the pot white and covered the over-spray
4. After that I gave the whole thing a coat of Cream colored paint and let it dry.

Cost so far: $0.00

While the paint was drying I made the stamp.

1. To make the stamp you’ll need an old sponge, scissors, a Sharpie & a ruler
2. I used the ruler to measure out a 2″ x 2″ x 2″ triangle
3. and drew it on the sponge with my marker
4. Then I cut along the lines and now I have my stamp…and it’s still FREEEEE!

Now you should test your stamp to experiment with how much paint to use, 

how hard to press down on it and to decide on the pattern you’re going to use. 

I used a piece of blue painter’s tape to create a line to follow while I stamped.  

This helped a little bit but it would be ok without it also.  

I continued to stamp all the way around the planter, 

moving my piece of tape to the next row as the paint dried.

Then I removed the tape and I had a perfectly printed, perfectly d.i.y.’d, 

perfectly FREE brand spankin’ new planter!  And, I can’t remember if

I told you this or not yet but it didn’t cost me a thing!!  

Rit Rooooo!!  (that’s a whistle noise)

I’d love to see your pictures if you decide to make one of your own. 

Thanks for stopping by.  Have a wonderful weekend!  

Dresser Makeover: Recreating a $799 dresser for $42

Recently I was approached to recreate a beautiful dresser with a staggering price tag.  The Collage Dresser retails for $799 and I’m sure it’s well worth it- the dresser is lovely- but “in this economy” (aka the catch phrase of the 21st century) who can really afford it?  The recipient also wanted a decidedly less “shabby chic” version of the dresser with no distressing or faux wear on the paper.

To make this dresser I started out with my basic supplies.  My client already had an old cheap dresser in her house so we saved money on having to buy one though you can always find cheap dressers on Craigslist if you were looking to do this project.   Cost of project: $0.00

I also had some semi-gloss, oil-based white paint left over from another project and used that to paint the dresser.  It’s a good idea to use a gloss or semi-gloss on dressers so that you can wipe them down if necessary.  I did 3 coats of the white with a roller.  So far the cost of this project is still $0.00.  Excellent.

I ordered some vintage wallpaper on Etsy from 2 shops, Vintage Sheet Addict and Threads & Memories, I spent about $16 at each shop and the paper is awesome.  There were so many cool designs it was really hard to decide which ones made the cut.  Cost of project now: $32.

I laid the paper out on the drawers and experimented with placement until it looked right. 

One drawer in particular gave me a considerable amount of trouble.   I got it right on the 3rd attempt. 

I glued the wallpaper in place using Tacky Glue and then smoothed it out using a brayer.  (You can find them both at Michael’s, AC Moore, Blick, etc.)  This worked better than Modge Podge because since this is vintage wallpaper that’s been rolled up for God knows how long- it didn’t lay as well as regular paper would and the corners kept curling up on me.  Because the Tacky Glue is true to it’s name and “tacky”, it was easier to make the edges stick to the drawer.   

Then I spent $10 on some basic black knobs from the Target General Super Store and my dresser was complete.  Bringing my grand total to $42 and some change.  Not bad considering this project was done as a trade- I got to spend a week at my client’s house on Cape Cod in exchange for creating this dresser for her.  I think I got the better end of this bargain.

Thanks for coming by!  I hope you liked my project.  If you did, let me know in the comments below and don’t forget to go “like” me on Facebook.   (I told my Mom I was popular…I don’t want to disappoint her.)

Parenting Project #1: Homemade Baby Wipes

In honor of today being the first day of Spring, I thought we could start our Spring Cleaning by focusing the most important object in the house: the baby.

And more specifically- her bottom. 

When my little Sadie Jean was a mere 1 week old she got the most hellacious diaper rash I’ve ever seen.  (**it should be noted here that I’ve probably only seen 3-4 diaper rashes in real life but still, it was BAD!)  So- I started asking around to my circle-of-Moms to find out what they use to cure them and more importantly- to prevent them and was handed down this awesome Do-It-Yourself Butt Wipe recipe from my friend Katherine, who’s the mother of twin boys, and I’m happy to report that Sadie is now 12 weeks old and has remained diaper rash free!  This is a big deal in my life.  (Thank you Katherine!!)

So, without further ado, I give you the…

KATHERINE’S RECIPE FOR A HAPPY BABY BUTT

• 1 roll paper towel, cut in half
• 2C water
• 1/8C baby oil (that’s 2 Tbls)
• a squirt of baby wash (just a dab’ll do ya)
• 5 drops tea tree oil (a natural antibacterial)
• a rubbermaid container with a lid

To make these wipes, first cut a roll of papertowels in half.   

(I use Viva because they feel the most like cloth)

Remove the inner cardboard tube and pull out the first square of papertowel.

Now mix your ingredients.  I put mine in a seperate jar and then dump them over the papertowels while already in the Rubbermaid but you can do whatever you want.  It’s your party. 

Swirl the ingredients gently to mix but don’t shake them up or it will get all foamy and not soak into the papertowels right. 

 

Put the half roll of papertowels into the Rubbermaid, pour the mixture of the entire roll and let sit for at least 15 minutes to get them completely wet and you’re done!  You’ve made your first batch of butt wipes.  These are not only a nice way to cut down on the amount of chemicals being used to clean little Juniors rear end but they’re also economical.  For this roll of 88 wipes the total price was $.98!!  You just can’t beat that!!

Hopefully these work for you as well as they’ve worked for us! 

Diaper rash free in one-three!!

$5 DIY Googley-eyed Fall Wreath Tutorial

I’m not sure what’s happening to me but I felt an overwhelming urge to make an Autumn wreath this year.  I’ve always been into decorating, and over-decorating, for the holidays but I usually keep it to giant fake spiders, severed hands and glittery skeletons.  Your standard October stuff.  So when I found myself shopping for a wreath making supplies, nobody was more surprised than me.  It was as if I blacked out and woke up at the register with a wreath form and fake foliage in my hands. 

So, I’ve accepted it, I like wreaths.  There, I said it.  

But that doesn’t mean I have to make a button covered, gingham scarecrow country crafts with a giant bow type of wreath.   I can like wreaths and still make them look like me.  It doesn’t mean I have to buy high waisted Mom jeans or run out and lease a mini-van.  Not yet anyway.  

So here is my tutorial on how to make a quick $5 Googley-Eyed Fall Wreath:

SUPPLIES (I got the $1 supplies from the dollar store)

$1 wreath form

$1 fall foliage x3

$1 5pk mini squashes

ball of twine (had on hand)

googley eyes (had on hand) 

wire cutters (had ’em)

glue gun/glue sticks (had ’em)

To begin, start by tying the end of your twine to your wreath form and wrap the twine around the wreath for a space about 3″ long.  This is purely decorative. 

Next, arrange your 3 bouquets of fall foliage and begin snipping them off of the main branch with your wire cutters.  Arrange the new seperate pieces so that you have 2 equal bouquets (if you plan on making 2 wreaths…which I did because I have a double front door.)

Now begin adding the plastic foliage to your wreath just under the 3″ band of twine.  I used hot glue to keep the plants in place and then wrapped more twine around the base of each one- mostly because it looks cute but also to secure it in place.  

When you reach the end add another 3″ section of wrapped twine to finish it off.  You can stop here and have a perfectly lovely Autumnal Wreath to hang on your front door but I feel like it’s just too regular.  It needs something. 

In my case, that “something” almost always ends up being googley-eyes.  Or “guurely eyes” as my niece calls them.  

From the 5 pack of mini squashes I scooped at the dollar store, I grabbed a couple of ’em and gave them life.  I am not unlike the good Dr. Frankenstein in this way.  

Take your freshly googelied squashes and arrange them at the base of your fallin’ foliage until you are satisfied and hot glue them into place.  

**Note: my squashes are made of styrofoam which means they basically melt when the come in contact with hot glue.  Turn your glue gun to the lowest setting if you have that option or put the glue on the wreath first and allow it to cool for about 3-4 seconds before placing your squash so that it doesn’t turn into a puddle.**

And finally, add a twine hanger to the top of your wreath and hang with pride from your front door(s).  

Together these wreaths cost me less than $10 and they can be left up through Halloween and all the way through to Thanksgiving.  I hope you like them as much as I do. 

happy fall!

Kids Crafts: My Pet Rock

This is a fun and easy project to entertain kids on a hot Summer’s day and, depending on the supplies you have on hand, it could even be free.  

For this project you’ll need:

• some rocks
• spray primer (optional)
• acrylic paint
• googley eyes (never optional)
• a couple of kid-friendly paintbrushes
• tacky glue
• some chil’ren

Start out by collecting some rocks.  

This comes as naturally as breathing to my 5-year-old niece so luckily after a day of adventurin’ I already had a pocketful of rocks to start with.  If you can’t find any “good” rocks, you can always buy some at a craft store.  

Next, using a spray primer lightly coat both sides of the rocks. 

This helps the paint to adhere to the rock’s surface and allows bright colors to show up better on darker colored rocks. 

Once the primer is dry (about a 1/2 hour on each side) put some aprons on some kids (some that you know preferrably), put out some paint and let them get creative.  

Encourage the kids to paint monsters with big mouths, stripes, polka dots, animals they like, flowers…anything that gets their imaginations going.  

 
If there are globs of paint on a rock, the googley eyes may be able to stick right to it.  If not just glue ’em on.

Acrylic paint is non-toxic and washable before it’s dry.    

And now, if your little people really love you, they might just give you one of the rocks they just painted.  I was lucky enough to have this rock gifted to me.  “She’s a girl on this side and a boy on the other”….obviously.

trash to treasure: twine-wrapped planter

I accidentally broke my favorite purple pot (aka my only purple pot) and just couldn’t bear to throw it out.  I considered gluing it back together but some of the pieces shattered so there would be holes all over it and the dirt would fall out.  Then I considered smashing it into little pieces and making some sort of mosaic out of it but then I remembered that I don’t like mosaics.  (No offense if that’s your thing, it’s just not for me.)  I also thought about taking a bite out of it like the girls on that TV show but my heart’s just not in it.

The only thing left was to fix it and figure out a way to cover the crack and make it super adorable- and I did just that.

Here’s how:

For this project you will need the following items:

• a broken pot (or lamp or decorative vase or a little trash can, etc)
• twine
• glue gun/glue sticks
• epoxy

Start off by washing your broken pot in hot soapy water.  **Careful to not burn and/or cut yourself!!**  This will remove any oils or dirt from the pot and make the epoxy hold better.

Next, mix your epoxy and add a generous amount to the break in your pot.  You should wear gloves during this and work in a well ventilated area, this stuff is smelly.   Put your pieces back together.

**You can put globs of the epoxy on since the seam doesn’t need to be beautiful because we’ll be covering the whole thing with twine.   Smear the extra epoxy around with a toothpick after putting the pieces back together to make a water-tight seal.

Now let your epoxy dry.  Mine says it takes 7 minutes to set.  

 Now you’re ready to start wrapping your newly fixed pot in twine.  I turned my pot over and started from the bottom.

 Begin by gluing the end of the twine to your pot and start wrapping, gluing the twine to the pot as you go.  

 I put a dot of hot glue about every 3-5″ on the entire pot.  This string’s not going  anywhere!!

When you’re done wrapping, throw a plant in there and you now have a custom, hand-wrapped planter to wow your friends with.  I’d recommend keeping this pot inside as rain or snow will get the string wet and it could possibly get moldy and gross.  And we wouldn’t want that.    

Thanks for reading!

Giving in to Trends: Ombre Paint Chip Art

I spent a good portion of my teenage years rejecting all things trendy and popular.  That habit has stuck with me now into my late 20’s (ok, early 30’s) whenever I see something adorable on another craft blog and/or everybody’s favorite website, Pinterest.  (See, I’m even trying to pretend like I don’t totally love Pinterest.)  Instead of happily jumping on the bandwagon and admitting that something is adorable, I dog ear it and come back later, trying not to make eye contact with it and acting like it’s not so great. 

Today I decided that it was time for me to make eye contact with paint chip art and I’m glad I did because it was a fun and easy project (not to mention practically free!) that only took about an hour to finish.  

Here’s how I did it:

First, go to your favorite paint store and grab some paint chip samples from the big wall of colors (or use different colored construction paper).  I actually felt a little bad about taking so many so I asked the guy behind the counter if it was ok.  He shrugged with complete indifference and I was guilt-free.  

Next, find a small circular object to outline onto the paint chips to utilize as much of the colored area as possible- I used a small roll of tape- and cut out your circles.

Experiment with the layout of your circles until you have ’em just how you want ’em.

Prepare your frame– I got this white matted frame for $5.99 at the Christmas Tree Shop by my house- the frame has some dings in it but I’m writing them off as “shabby chic.”

Remove the mat and backing from the frame and outline the opening of the mat directly onto the cardboard backing.

Now, starting and the bottom and beginning with the lightest layer, glue the circles to the cardboard using a glue stick.  The second layer should overlap the first slightly and the circles should become progressively darker towards the top of the cardboard.

You only have to fill in the area inside of the outline we made but be sure to overlap the edges so that none of the backing shows.  

To add a letter, take another paint chip in a coordinating color and draw your letter backwards on the BACKSIDE of it.    

Cut out the letter, glue it into place wherever your little heart desires and presto- you’re an artist.

I decided to let some of the lettering from the names of the paint show on my final product.  It gives it extra home-made-i-ness.  

Now you have a personalized gift to give as a new baby or shower present and no-one has to know about the ridiculous internal struggle that it took to make it.   

Happy Friday!

Tufa Pots by Jennifer!

My very talented friend and gardener, Jennifer McCabe, recently started a blog (follow her here) and just announced that she’ll be selling her handmade Hypertufa Pots at Scrub Oak in Nantucket starting June 10th.

Hypertufa pots are lightweight pots made of a cement & peat moss mixture.  They’re durable like cement, lightweight like a regular pot and make beautiful additions to gardens, porches or table displays.  Jennifer’s Tufa pots are all one of a kind, shaped by hand and cured to withstand the elements.   You can also learn to make your own tufa pots from Jennifer herself during workshops she’s leading at the Nantucket Garden Festival, July 25th & 26th.  Contact Jennifer for more information or to sign up for a class.

Commuter Crafts: 30-minute Wrapped Earrings

I have almost all of my best ideas while r-u-n-n-i-n-g out of the door to catch the bus to get to work.  (Usually at the exact moment I run out of time to actually do anything about it.)

Last week as I was throwing things in my bag in an effort to leave only 4 minutes after I was supposed to- it hit me, “I should make some custom earrings to wear with this outfit.”

Of course!  I’m 4 minutes late leaving to catch the bus that only comes once an hour, I ran out of time to make my lunch and already nixed that, my hair is a mess and I don’t think I brushed my teeth but of course- of course there’s time for custom earrings.  Why wouldn’t there be?

I grabbed some cheap silver hoops from my collection and embroidery floss from a friendship bracelet I was making for a friend and ran out the door to chase after my bus.

Once on the bus (I made it- with seconds to spare I might add) I set up my workspace on my lap and began to wrap the hoops with the embroidery floss.   I chose salmon, beige and black for my colors. 

Tie a knot with all 3 colors on the post side of your hoop (above) and begin wrapping the end of the string with your first color (below).  Keep the floss held taught while wrapping to keep it uniform.  

Switch colors and wrap with each color to create your design.

At the end, quadruple knot the floss, cut as close as possible and you’re done!

In about a half an hour you’ve made some new earrings that you can now wear into work and give the impression that you are a grown-up who wakes early, puts together perfectly matched outfits complete with earrings and who doesn’t leave the house cussing at your cat or wrestling with your jacket.    

(No-one has to know what really happened this morning.)