Valentines Decor

I guess I'm getting a little antsy or something because its not even new years day and I already have my Valentines Decorations out. I think its because the sooner Valentines Day comes, the sooner the warm weather comes. This is another snowed-in craft for you, which you could use your creativity to make so many different variations.

I had a long block of scrap wood I was trying to get rid of so I decided I would use it as a base for my Love letters. All I did was mod podge some decorative paper all around it...it was kind of like wrapping a present. I added a few tulle accents then called it good.



Then I made my Love letters out of a card board box. I printed some letters off from my computer then traced them onto the card board. I cut out the letters then traced those reversed on my printed paper. I simply mod podged the paper onto the letters then added a few stickers and they were done.



Finally, I hot glued my letters on top of my block and now I have a fun decoration that, essentially didn't cost me a dime.

"Snowed in" Craft

Many of you might be thinking, "what in the world is a snowed in craft?" Let me explain...a snowed in craft is what I call a project where I have to use everything I have on hand at home. No last minute trips to the store, just pure resourcefulness. Sometimes wonderful creations are produced and other times I am glad I didn't spend any money on my unsuccessful attempt. Either way, I save money and time.

I wasn't actually snowed in when I made this craft, but I was unable to leave the apartment because we only have one car and my husband takes it to work. I had needed to get a dollar store wreath form for weeks but never got around to it so I decided to make a snowed in wreath.

Christmas time is the season for adds. I thought I would put those adds to use for my wreath. I crinkled up several adds, (try to make them similar in size) then hot glued them together to create a circle. You can use as many or as few adds to make the desired size of your wreath.



After I had a circular shape of adds I covered the circle in plastic wrap to hold its shape (make sure the plastic wrap sticks to itself.) Once I had a pretty sturdy form, I covered the wreath in an old t shirt that I cut into strips. Since the plastic wrap would melt with a hot glue gun, I glued the fabric to itself as I was wrapping the wreath.

Now, you should have a wreath form that you can use and cover with whatever you would like. I made tissue paper flowers dipped in glue then glittered and hot glued them all around the wreath. Here is the outcome.




So whether you are literally "snowed in," stranded, or just not motivated to go to the store, look around your house and you may be surprised at what you can make with what you already have! Happy crafting!

Snickerdoodles

I know there are many recipes out there for Snickerdoodles and I have tried my fair share but, this one is my all time favorite. I have had it memorized since I was 11 years old. Try it and it may become your favorite too!

Ingredients

1 C Shortening (I use butter instead)
2 Eggs beaten
1 1/2 C Sugar
2 3/4 C Flour
2 tsp Cream of Tartar
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt

Cream shortening and sugar. Add beaten eggs and mix. In a separate bowl mix flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. Add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and stir. Form dough into 2 inch balls and roll in cinnamon/sugar mixture. Preheat oven to 375 and bake 8-10 minutes.





If my cookie dough ever turns into actual cookies, I consider it a miracle. I love to eat the dough but to help cure my addiction I like to roll out all of the dough then freeze it so I can have hot and doughy cookies instead of raw egged dough. Once your dough is formed into balls, set them in a container or pan in one layer. Put the container in the freezer and leave for1 hour. After one hour your dough should be frozen enough to move to a ziplock bag to store. To bake the frozen dough I just bring out the desired amount then preheat the oven. By the time the oven is preheated, my dough is ready to be baked. Then you have as many (or as little) cookies as you want in ten minutes. Yum!

Dry Eraser Boards

If you are anything like me, you require a list directly in front of you to remind you of the things you need to do. I love the idea of a dry eraser board in every room to continually pester me to get things done, but I don't always love the look of a stark white board on my walls.

I was reading someone else's crafting blog, (of course) where they said that you can actually use a dry eraser marker on glass. Finally, a way I can keep my brain in check and not have an eye sore on the wall. I just collected a few frames I had sitting around the house, cut decorative paper to use instead of a photo, and hung them on the wall.

Now I have a little organizing station that can be changed into a piece of art with a swipe of a napkin. And, when I get bored I can switch out the paper to match my mood.

Another Chair Makeover

We got these chairs from my parents when they updated their home two years ago. They were thinking of throwing them out but I quickly interjected and made plans to re-upholster them.

These chairs have beautifully carved backs and legs (wish I could say the same thing for myself.) The only thing in need of a makeover was the cushions. We found this great textured fabric from a local upholstery shop and began the transformation. We saved the original foam, but you can easily change it out for your own chairs. We used a staple gun to attach the fabric to the chair and used the same technique as our fabric wall art (pulling on opposite sides to create tension.) After the fabric was attached, we cut the excess off and covered the trimmings with gimp.

I must admit my husband did most of the work, and I'm sure he did much better than I would have being the perfectionist that he is. I think they turned out well and look much better in our living room than they would have in a dumpster!

Necklace Holder

I don't have a picture of this necklace holder before but, just so you can picture it in your head, it was pink with flowers and just a bit too young looking for our bedroom. It was quite charming when I was five, but I figured it was time for an update.




It really wasn't hard to make all I did was sand, paint, and decorate. I used brown ink to antique the edges and hot glued flower brads to the top. Do you have anything that could use a 2010 revamp? Don't hesitate, it might be easier than you think.

Thanksgiving Place Settings

This year I am in charge of decorating for Thanksgiving...no pressure right? As excited I was to receive this assignment, I was a little nervous as well.

If you haven't noticed yet, it is quite apparent that I am a "thrift seeker." My crafts usually consist of things I have laying around the house or items from the dollar store. I didn't go to the dollar store today for my Thanksgiving decor, but I came pretty close.

I bought the table cloth, paper plates, and napkins at Wal-Mart for $1.50 per pack. I used scrapbook paper from Michaels (.44 cents) as my placemats and a fat quarter of fabric ($1.00) as the napkin rings. I gathered a few leaves from the parking lot and got a gold gel pen to write on them.

I used my fall decor for the center piece and made these favors as name place settings. After all was said and done I spent under $30.00 on the entire presentation. Not bad right? I'm sure our friends will not be paying much attention to the decorations anyway...the food is the most important part of the day. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Canvas Cover

Well, I've got one more DIY wall art post for the moment. Like the others this project is fun, simple, and cheap!

I bought a framed canvas from Michaels (using my 40% off coupon) but wasn't quite sure what to do with it. I literally had a blank canvas as well as a blank brain on what I could do with it. I had seen someone else cover a canvas frame with tissue paper and I loved the look but couldn't find any tissue paper with a fun design. So I went to my local scrapbook store and found this hand-painted paper, which would soon cover my blank canvas.



I cut the paper to fit the canvas leaving about 2 inches extra on each side to fold over the back. I used Martha Stewarts decoupage glue and sealer to adhere the paper to the canvas (be sure not to use too much or your paper will wrinkle.) Then I folded each side around the back as if I were wrapping a gift.

Total time for this project 10 minutes
Total cost for this project $10.00

So, pick out the paper of your choice and create an expensive look for a low price!

Shutter Art

I had wanted shutters to put on my wall for a long time but didn't know where to find them. Its not like you can just go to the store and buy cheap, worn-out shutters right? Well my husband surprised me one day by taking me to a Restore near our home and I was in heaven. All the old shutters you could ask for and for $5.00 per pair! I was sold. We bought two pair to put on our wall and I am pleased with the outcome.



We didn't want to have too many nails in the walls but we wanted all four shutters to be even. So we used some old scrap wood on the back to hold all four shutters together then screwed in picture framing hooks and hung it on the wall. Now we have another wall filled for under $15.00...not bad right?

Fabric Wall Art

Buying wall art can be expensive. Occupying large walls with little cash seems impossible at times. Well, here is a solution that will make your empty walls and wallets more full.



This craft is fun and simple to make. Here is what you will need:

Wood to build a frame (we used 2x4s from Home Depot)
Decorative fabric (amount will depend on how big you want it to be, we used 1.5 yards)
Staple Gun
Interfacing (optional. We used it to make our fabric more substantial)

We started out by building our frame the size we wanted the art to be. If you have a saw you can cut the wood at 45 degree angles to create a picture frame.

After the frame was built we stretched our interfacing over the frame and started stapling. Its best to get at least one staple in the middle of one side then staple on the opposite side to create tension. Continue stapling along the edges and switch off opposite sides occasional to keep the interfacing taut.

Once the interfacing is done, repeat the same process with the fabric. The corners were a little tricky but we used the "wrapping paper" technique and just acted like we were wrapping a present then stapled the extra fabric on the back corner.

If you have a design on your fabric, you may want to continually check that the pattern is centered.

So...if you want a fun thrifty project to fill up those empty walls this is a great way to make a statement without breaking the bank.

Pottery Barn Rug

Last year I found some Pottery Barn carpet squares at a sale for $2.00 a piece. The squares were too small for a rug on their own, but I thought if I sewed a few squares together I could have a Pottery Barn rug for a steal. I sewed the pieces together with embroidery thread and now I have a great quality rug for a total cost of $15.00.

Tissue Treasure

I have officially fallin in love. Its light, easy to store, it comes in many colors, and it makes so many different things. Yep, its tissue paper. I'm always looking for something to fill up my walls that is inexpensive and creative. During my daily blog surf, I came upon this and knew I had found my next project. You can use any color to match your decor, they are super cheap and easy to make, and so creative. Thank you MADE for the inspiration!

Dollar Decor

As a stay at home mom I don't get out much, hence the "stay at home." Since I don't always get a chance to make it to the craft store, I try to make projects with things I have lying around the house. The day my baby was born I made this...

Total cost= $1.00
I know I'm kinda crazy when it comes to keeping things others would consider trash in order to make them treasure, but this time it actually paid off. My husband's bike was packaged with styrofoam pieces that were perfectly even and all the same size. As he reached for the trash I stopped his hand knowing/hoping I could use them for something. A few weeks/months later I made this art display to put over my baby's crib. I wanted something light weight to prevent injury in case of something falling so these worked perfectly. I simply covered the squares with tissue paper, made some fun pictures to glue on top and glued ribbon to the back to hang. There are many options to what you could put on top of the squares: photos, different scrap book paper, ribbons, etc. So...next time you start to throw that packaging away, picture the possibilities.

Planter Redo

My mom gave me this hand-me-down planter box with a faux ivy topiary...it had its days but when our friends' little one started using it as a baseball bat, I decided it was time for a change. So, I got ride of the ivy and began the transformation. The box had flower foam in the bottom and I tried to cut it out at first, but it was not as easy as I had planned. So once I emptied the majority of the foam I soaked it in water. The water worked wonders as the rest of the foam peeled right out and I was ready to paint. I just used craft paint then wrapped textured paper around the outside and glued. Done! Now I have a decorated box I can use to store pretty much anything I want and for free!

Chair Transformation

We were given this chair by a friend who heard we re-upholster chairs.  My wonderful husband had the idea to paint the chair first then pick a fabric to match.  We really loved how it turned out.  Here's the before...

And the after

Fall Decor

I have finally figured a set up for my fall decorations that I am content with.  I did it on a super tight budget this year...drum roll please...$1.00!  I purchased most of the decorations last year and just did a little re-arranging for this years presentation.  Although I did this years set up for nearly nothing, I was able to buy the decor last year for a great deal as well.

Garland: Biglots $8.00

Candle Sticks: Goodwill $5.00 a piece

Assorted Fruit: Michaels $2.00

Wooden Pumpkins: Tai Pan $2.00 a piece

Wreaths: Kirklands $9.00 (glued to cardboard)

Everything else was given to me from weddings or other various occasions.    

A New Beginning

Welcome to an inside view of bits and pieces of my life. I love looking at other blogs and getting ideas for decorations, crafts, and recipes. So...in order to fully satisfy my obsession I have started a blog that will hopefully inspire others to create just as i have been inspired by them.