Christmas Magic Sign

With Christmas quickly approaching, I’m glad I can say that I am FINALLY finished with my Christmas Magic sign.  This project was super simple to make and looks amazing in our living room!  Although, next year I’m going to start crafting in November so that my new crafts can be enjoyed for a little bit longer! :)  Anyone else feel like the holidays have snuck up on them this year?!

Want to make your own?

Materials Needed:

• 1/2” plywood cut into a 19” square
• Beadboard cut into a 11” square
• Black acrylic paint
• Wood glue
• Painbrush
• Ribbon
• Metal scroll
• Wreath
• White ornament
• White vinyl
• Mod Podge (optional)

After your wood has been cut to the correct dimensions, sand all of the edges so that they are smooth and slightly rounded.

Using a black acrylic paint, paint the front and edges of both the plywood and beadboard.  {I like to use a foam paintbrush because it is easy to use and they can be used for both the paint and Mod Podge part of this project.}

After the paint has dried completely, sand the edges down to get a distressed look.  Now, using wood glue, center the beadboard to the center of the plywood.  Let it dry completely.

Using a vinyl cutter, cut out the saying for the top and bottom of the project using white vinyl.  Weed the vinyl and adhere it to the wood.

To ensure that your vinyl does not come off, apply a thin coat of Mod Podge over all of the wooden surface.  Let it dry completely.

Using a few dots of hot glue, attach your wreath to the center of the beadoard.  And now for the fun part…

GLITTER SPRAY! =)  Love this stuff!  Spray an even coat over the entire project.  {And this stuff needs to be sprayed in a well ventilated area….I learned that the hard way! :)  }

Now for the last step…drill holes at the top of your project to attach your metal scroll {which I found at my sister’s local craft store}.  Using red and black ribbon, attach the scroll to the top of the project.  Wa-La!  Cute sign, ready to go! :)

I LOVE decorating for the holidays!  I have a few more quick projects to post in the next week so stay tuned! =) 

Distressed LOVE Sign

As I’ve mentioned many times before, I LOVE Pinterest!  This idea came from  one of my daily Pinterest searches…I’m seriously addicted ya’ll! :)  I thought it was super cute and knew I could recreate my own.  And what was even better is that I had all of the supplies already, so this project cost me zero dollars!!!  LOVE, LOVE, LOVE when that happens!

Ready to make your own?

Start with a fence panel (or something similar).  Cut your panel into approximately 24” long pieces.   (Since the panel was super long, I was able to make 3 of these cute signs….I’m thinking Christmas presents! :) )

Using a dark walnut stain, paint a thin layer of stain onto all surfaces of your wood panel.  Let it dry.

 

Using my Sure Cuts A Lot 2 Software and my Cricut, I cut out a stencil using vinyl to use on top of my fence piece. 

NOTE: You can definitely do this step with stencils or free hand if you don’t have Sure Cuts A Lot 2 or a Cricut.

Using transfer tape, attach your vinyl to your wood piece.  Remove the vinyl and rub the vinyl so there are not any gaps or air bubbles.

Using white acrylic paint, paint the letters onto your wood.  (Remember to use a tapping method when you paint so that you don’t get any paint underneath your stencil.)  Let it dry.  When your paint is completely dry remove your vinyl.

Lightly sand over top of the letters to create a distressed look.

I LOVE how it turned out!

Painted Vase Upcycle

 

 

On a whim, I recently purchased some new curtains that do not go with the rest of my color scheme.   I usually decorate in reds and earth tones so I’ve been slowly crating items that blend my aqua curtains with the rest of my living room.  Here are the curtains I bought:

With my hubby, you have to make changes slowly or he freaks out!  So, no full out redecorating for me….I replace things over time as to not alert the hubby!  {Good thing he doesn’t read my blog, or he’d know my little secret! =) }

 

You’ll need:

**  Old vase

**  Spray Primer

**Spray Paint

** Spray sealant

 

Awhile back my amazing parents sent me flowers.  I’ve been saving the vase ever since because I knew it would make an amazing upcycle.

 

To start out, make sure your vase is clean and dry.  Using a spray primer cover your entire vase.   {I’m partial to Zinsser 1-2-3 Bulls Eye Primer because it sticks to EVERYTHING!}.  Let it dry for several hours.

 

Once your primer is dry, coat the entire vase with the color of your choice.  Since I’m trying to add some “curtain matching colors” into my house, I chose aqua.

 

Our local hardware store did not have the aqua colored spray paint in a gloss finish, so I finished off my project with a clear gloss.

 

And, to my surprise, the clear gloss added a sort of crackling texture to the vase.  Love it!  I’m not sure why it happened, because it only happened in some places, but I’m digging it! =)

 

Finally, I added some white vinyl to the front of my vase using the following fonts:  Arial and Freestyle Script.  I love how it turned out and especially love that unexpected crackle!

 

Now, I just have to find the perfect place to put it!

 

 

Hanging the Laundry

I LOVE that my laundry room has a door that I can close to hide my laundry piles!  Although, I’m now dreaming of a laundry room that is large enough to do all of the folding and of course, decorate!  For now, I’ll settle for decorating the laundry room door!

Awhile back I fell in love with this vinyl decal from Right on the Walls!  Love it, but not the $39.95 price.  I knew I could make my own with some of my favorite tools: Cricut, Sure Cuts A Lot 2 software, and vinyl from Expressions Vinyl.

To make your own, start out by cutting out your vinyl in a variety of fonts.  After you have weeded your vinyl, apply transfer tape.  I LOVE the 6” roll of paper transfer tape because it is so easy to work with.  I just tear different pieces to cover the vinyl I’m working with.  Apply this vinyl to your surface.

Now cut out your clothespins.  I originally wanted a clothespin for each letter like the example I was following, but it seemed a little busy after I put it up.  So, I changed it so that there is a clothespin on every other letter.

Here is what it looked like with clothespins on every letter.

And with just a few clips.  I’m still on the fence…should I keep all of the clips or keep it simple?

Subway Art Flower Pot

My inspiration for this project came from all of your amazing subway art projects out there in blog world!  I wanted to add some character to this flower pot and thought subway art was the perfect way to go!  This project was for a Mother’s Day gift but would be perfect for any occasion.  I’m planning on making one for myself in the near future!

To add a personal touch, I added my children’s handprints to the side of the flower pot using acrylic paint.  {{What Grandma can resist their grandchild’s handprint!?!? =) }}  To make the handprints you’ll need:

• flower pot
• acrylic paint
• some sort of paintbush

Paint your little one’s hand and quickly and carefully place it where you want on the bottom of the flower pot.  {{My 3 year old was MUCH better at cooperating with this project than my 2 year old…but it all turned out great!}}  Instead of painting both the left and the right hand, I just painted one hand and turned it so that it looked like a right and left hand on the flower pot.

While my handprints were drying, I cut out my vinyl words using my Sure Cuts A Lot 2 program.  It is SO simple to use…love it!  All I did was choose different fonts for the words and lay them out on my mat the way I wanted them. When I was finished, I hit cut and my Cricut did all the work! 

Once your words are cut, you’ll need to weed out the parts you don’t want…like the middle of the closed letters.  I usually use my fingernails for this part put Cricut makes some great tools to help with the stubborn pieces.

After weeding, apply transfer tape to the top of the words.  I use the paper tape and love it.  It is easy to work with and you can still see through it.  Rub the transfer tape with quite a bit of pressure so that your words stick to the transfer tape.

Apply your transfer tape to the upper lip of your flower pot.  Rub the letters firmly and then carefully pull the transfer tape away to reveal your lettering. 

Now plant your flower and you’re finished!  I had some wonderful helpers to do the planting! =)

I LOVE how it turned out!  Since this project was a Mother’s Day gift, I just wanted to say that I hope you all had an amazing day and got to spend some quality time with your families!

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!