{Home Sweet Home} Pumpkin

I have a SUPER easy fall idea for you today…it seriously took me about 10 minutes to make.  I {HEART} quick crafts!

I bought this cute little fake pumpkin at our home improvement store today for $2.99.  It was on clearance since Halloween is just around the corner. 

Using a Cricut or Sillouette, cut our your vinyl and weed it.  {This was definitely the most complicated step in the process since the pieces in the scroll design were so little….we crafters are so persistent! :) }

Using transfer tape, apply the design to the center of your pumpkin.

And you’re done!  I told you it was an easy one! ;)  I think I’ll spray a thin coat of sealant over it before I store it for next year to ensure that none of the vinyl comes off.  I LOVE the way it dresses up the top of our entertainment center!

Bloom Sign

I recently had the opportunity to guest post over at Lemon Tree Creations!  For those of you who didn’t get the chance to see this super cute project….I thought I would share it again, on our blog!

ENJOY!

Now for my tutorial…

Bloom Sign

We have an AMAZING craft store where I live….which is where I bought my pre-cut wood to create my Bloom Sign, but you could easily cut it yourself!

You’ll need:

*Acrylic Paint {Black, 2 shades of Green, Cream, Yellow}

*Fine Glitter {Green & Yellow}

*Scrapbook Paper {3 different pages}

*Vinyl Lettering {Where You Are Planted}

*Wood Glue

*Mod Podge

*Foam Brush

*Sealant Spray

If you are cutting your own:

*2x10 Pine Board {to cut your “B”, “L”, “M” & Flowers}

*1/4'” thick pine board to cut flower embellishments

*2x4 to cut base flowers sit on

*Scroll Saw

Now, to get started…..

*Lay your letter “B” on your chosen scrapbook paper.

*Trace your letter {making sure the front of the letter is facing down}

*Cut out the letter “B”, just inside your lines.

*Paint your wooden letter “B” black {this may take a couple of coats"}

*With your foam brush, brush a coat of Mod Podge on the front of your wooden letter.  Apply your scrapbook paper “B” and smooth out, so that there are not any bubbles.

*Set aside to dry.

*Once Dry, sand all of the front edges with sand paper.  This will sand off all of the extra paper hanging off the front of the letter.

*Lay your letter “L” on your chosen scrapbook paper.

*Trace your letter {making sure the front of the letter is facing down}

*Cut out the letter “L” just inside your lines.

*Paint your wooden letter “L” black {this may take a couple of coats"}

*With your foam brush, brush a coat of Mod Podge on the front of your wooden letter.  Apply your scrapbook paper “L” and smooth out, so that there are not any bubbles.

*Set aside to dry.

*Once Dry, sand all of the front edges with sand paper.  This will sand off all of the extra paper hanging off the front of the letter.

*Paint your flowers {tops cream & bottoms green}

*Paint base flowers sit on black

*Paint the flower embellishments {yellow and light green}.  When the paint is still wet on the front of the embellishment, dip in your glitter.

*Let Dry

*Apply the vinyl lettering to the base the flowers sit on.

*With the wood glue, glue the embellishments onto the flowers.

*With the wood glue, glue the flowers onto the base.

*Lay your letter “M” on your chosen scrapbook paper.

*Trace your letter {making sure the front of the letter is facing down}

*Cut out the letter “M” just inside your lines.

*Paint your wooden letter “M” black {this may take a couple of coats"}

*With your foam brush, brush a coat of Mod Podge on the front of your wooden letter.  Apply your scrapbook paper “M” and smooth out, so that there are not any bubbles.

*Set aside to dry.

*Once Dry, sand all of the front edges with sand paper.  This will sand off all of the extra paper hanging off the front of the letter.

****Spray everything with your Sealant****

That’s it…..you are done!!  Now, you just have to find the perfect spot for your creation!!

A Few Favorites…{{Red, White, and Blue}}

I’m pretty sure the 4th of July is one of my favorite holidays!  You can’t go wrong with parades, barbeques, picnics, spending time with family, and of course fireworks!  But, most of all, I LOVE the colors and decorating for the big day is so much fun!  I’m a sucker for anything involving red, white, and blue!

Since the holiday is quickly approaching, here are my top 10 favorite ideas for the 4th {in no particular order}!  If your idea has been featured, don’t forget to grab our button!

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10…

{Star Chalk by From Glitter to Gumdrops}

9…

{4th of July Printable by The Crafting Chicks}

8…

{Smores on a Stick by Whimsical Creations}

7…

{4th of July Printable by Landee see, Landee do}

6…

{Chocolate Dipped Rice Crispy “Popsicles” by Twig & Thistle}

5…

{4th of July Punch Art by J & M’s Eye Candy}

4…

{Beadboard Flag by Brown Paper Packages}

3…

{Red Hots and Blue Wreath by Tater Tots and Jello}

2…

{4th of July Cookie-Cake by Plum Pudding}

1…

{Old Glory Sign by that’s my letter}

What great projects…I hope you’re feeling inspired!

I’m currently working on my own 4th of July project.  I’m super excited about it and can’t wait to show it to you on Tutorial Thursday! Come back and check it out! (:

Personal Picture Clock

Isn’t this oh so cute???  I am ordering the items to make this…I was in love with it the instant I saw it!  Wouldn’t this make a perfect wedding or anniversary gift??  Click here to learn how to make it too!!

Family Name Stacker Blocks

I recently had the honor to be a guest poster over at Craft-O-Maniac!  Thanks again Jen for having me!!  In case you missed my post, here is my tutorial.

First you’ll need to get a 2x4.  The biggest reason I love this project is because of the price…if you don’t have a 2x4 lying around your garage they are so inexpensive to buy! 

Cut your blocks into the following lengths:

First Letter of last name - 8”

Last portion of last name - 8”

Established date - 6”

Then, using an electric sander, sand the edges until they are rounded and smoothed.  {You could definitely do it by hand if you’re so inclined!}

Now for the paint!  I decided to start by painting my sanded blocks brown, knowing that the majority of the front surface would be covered with scrapbook paper.  {And, I finally found a use for those frequently purchased diaper boxes! =) }

After the paint has dried completely it’s time for Mod Podge!!  {I heart you Mod Podge!!!} 

Apply a thin layer of Mod Podge to the front of the block and smooth down your coordinating paper precut to the dimensions of the front of the block.

I don’t wait for the first layer of Mod Podge to dry, I immediately coat the top of the scrapbook paper with another thick layer of Mod Podge.  {Pretty sure I’m not following the Mod Podge directions but it all turns out okay!}  I like to see the brush strokes, so I add quite a bit!  Using an old credit card, or something similar, smooth out any excess bubbles.  As it is drying, it will seem to bubble slightly.  **Don’t stress…they seem to flatten out as it dries!**

I like the rustic look, so using sand paper, I roughed up the edges and took some of the paint off of the edges.  Now it’s time for the vinyl!  Using my Sure Cuts A Lot 2 software and my favorite font, Larger Mine, I cut out the letters using my Cricut.  {What did I ever do without you Sure Cuts A Lot!?!?!  SO much easier!}  I apologize, but I don’t have any pictures of this step.

Now stack your blocks and you’re finished! 

Hanging Stars

Are you looking for a cute idea for filling an open space???

I have always loved stars, so I thought this was perfect when I saw what my mom did to fill her open space between her entryway and her stairs!  If I had an open space like this….there is no doubt in my mind that this is what I would do!  It is so simple & inexpensive….yet beautiful!!

Want to know how to create this beautifully elegant look???

What you need:

• Christmas tree star decorations
• Fishing line
• Clear push pins

She simply took the star decorations and strung fishing line through them at varying lengths.

Then spaced them evenly between the open space and hung them up with a clear push pin!

So easy, yet so elegant and beautiful!!!

Button Flower Garden

 

Did you get a chance to link up your creative projects and recipes to our What I Made Wednesday linky party???

If not…..click here,

you have until Friday & you might get the chance to get featured (who doesn’t want a little love sent their way?)

 

 

Button Flower Garden

 

This idea came to me one day….possibly because I literally cannot wait for spring to come, or because it has been snowing on and off this week {{I know, it is not supposed to snow in April right??}}

and I just want a little bit of Spring in my home!

 

 

Supplies:

• Frame (mine is an old frame I wasn’t using at the moment)
• Scrap fabric
• Buttons
• Ribbon (1/4”, 5/8” and 7/8”)
• Hot glue

To start off, simply cut a piece of thin cardboard to fit in your frame.  Then, take your fabric and cover your cardboard, hot gluing it onto the back.  It does not have to be perfect on the back (no one will ever see that part), but make sure the front side is smooth and tight against the cardboard.

Start laying out your buttons into a flower pattern.  (I prefer to lay everything out before I glue.)

Once you have all your buttons arranged how you would like them, you need to start cutting your ribbon for the stems.  I used 1/4” ribbon for this and simply laid the ribbon on the fabric and cut to my desired length.

Carefully slide the buttons up so you have room to glue your stems.  Heat seal the ends of the ribbon.  Hot glue the stems on the fabric using a small strip of glue down the middle of the stem.  (Make sure your ribbon goes to the very end of the bottom of the fabric so you will not see the ends when it is in your picture frame.) 

To start gluing your buttons on, start with the center (green buttons) and glue them on the ends of the ribbon.  Then glue the other buttons around the center button so you don’t see the end of the ribbon.

Now it is time to cut the leafs.  I used a variety of colors of green ribbon in 5/8” and 7/8” and it turned out adorable.  The greens do not have to match.

Start with a 3-4 inch section of ribbon and free-hand cut a leaf shape.

Heat seal all sides of the leaf {{they actually curl slightly when you heat seal them, giving them a slight 3-D appearance}}

Put a small amount of hot glue at the base of the leaf on both sides, lift up the edge of the ribbon where you want the leaf to be and stick the leaf in so that you can’t see the base of the leaf anymore.

Place your fabric covered cardboard in the frame and secure the backing on the frame (if there is one).

TaaDaa….

You now have a Button Flower Garden!!