DIY | - Part 2

Easy DIY Frames/Wall Decor

Posted on February 4, 2013 by Amy

DIY Frames Marked

Today I have a quick and easy way to fill up a blank wall in your home. These frames are similar to my Easy Decoupaged Monogrammed Frames, just slightly more involved. I just love how they turned out!

The supplies you will need are:

(1) wood 12×12 board {I got mine at Michael’s}

(1) 12×12 sheet of scrapbook paper

(1) piece of decorative trim/molding {also available at Michael’s, I also bought one at AC Moore}

craft paint in your choice of color {ideally to compliment the scrapbook paper}

a photo {you will need the size before you cut the trim so select this before you begin}

hot glue

sandpaper

double-sided tape

mod podge/foam brush

picture hanger

Start by painting the sides of your wood and the trim with craft paint. Don’t discard the paint, you will want to touch up the trim after you cut it.

step 1 paper and boards Next, using mod podge glue you will paint all over the wood, then attach your sheet of scrapbook paper {make sure it is cut exactly the size of the board}. I put a thin extra layer around the top edge of the paper to seal it but didn’t paint over the top of the paper.

side of board painted with paper

After it dries, tape your photo to the center of the paper. I used double-sided tape for mine.

taping picture on

Once you know the size of the photo, you need to cut your molding. I used a mitre box/saw because the wood is so thin it cuts easily. To measure for the cuts, I found it easiest to lay the molding on the photo then make a mark where the cut would start, knowing it would be a 45 degree cut. Then I cut a second piece in the exact same size so the trim pieces would be equal and square. Do the same for the shorter side of the photo and you are done.

frame molding cut

molding

Once they were cut, I sanded the insides down very well and gave them another quick coat of paint. Then I hot glued them right to the photo on the frame.

gluing molding

glue on molding

I tacked a picture hanger on the back and that was it!

frame hanger on back

done music pic

sideview done

finished 1 tall

I may make a third one for the top, I can’t decide if there is room?But in the meantime, I love how they came out. I will be back soon with a post on this room since these were the finishing touch to the space!

full view

XO,

Sharing at~

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Posted in Crafts, DIY, Projects & Printables | Tagged decoupage, diy frames, frame, living room, mod podge, monogrammed, project, scrapbook paper, wall decor | 1 Comment

Anniversary Pillow Tutorial–Perfect for Valentine’s Day!

Posted on January 23, 2013 by Christy

You guys know I’ve been playing around with pillow slipcovers lately (read about my house number pillows HERE). Recently, some of y’all might have seen the 2013 pay-it-forward challenge that made the rounds on Facebook…well, I decided to participate, and I knew I’d need to come up with a great gift idea for my friends who decided to do it with me.

Since we’re getting close to Valentine’s Day, what better way to commemorate the establishment of a family than an anniversary pillow? Here’s what I made:

Aren’t they cute? I had done one in a different size for our front porch and knew I liked the look, and the fact that it was personalized:

Wouldn’t this be a great Valentine’s Day, anniversary, wedding, or bridal shower gift? I’ll confess, I even made two of them for friends having January birthdays, because I knew they’d love them.

Here’s how to make these exact pillows. You’ll want to follow the step by step tutorial for Citrasolv fabric transfers that I wrote HERE, and if you want yours to look like mine, use canvas painter’s dropcloths from Home Depot as your fabric.

The pillow forms are from Hobby Lobby and measure 16″ x 12.5″. They go on 30% off sale about once a month, and that’s when I bought mine.

For the name, I used Century font in size 135 (for longer names) up to 175 (for shorter names). You’ll need to play with that a bit. For the “EST” (established), I used Respective font in size 125 point, and for the year I used Constantia in 125 point. Big Caslon and Freebooter script are also good choices.

These might be cute new baby gifts, too. Just put the baby’s name and birthdate on it, instead. What a fast, and easy way to make someone a personalized gift!

Thanks for stopping by!

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Posted in Crafts, DIY, Valentine's Day | Tagged Anniversary, pillow, Valentine's Day | 5 Comments

Decoupaged Hug and Kiss {XO} Wreath for Valentine’s Day

Posted on January 18, 2013 by Christy

I don’t usually decorate very much for Valentine’s Day, but I decided to make a wreath for my front door this year. I snagged some hot pink candles for my chandelier, and found the cutest pink striped and polka dot pillows at Southeastern Salvage for $5 apiece, so it seemed destined to be!

The wreath was so easy: I started with a grapevine wreath that I already had, and then I bought a cardboard “X” and “O” from Hobby Lobby. They were on sale, so probably about $1.50 apiece. I then selected two colors of scrapbook paper (also on sale) in complementary patterns.

First, I put the letters face down on the wrong side of the paper, and traced around them. I then cut the paper out to fit.

The X was a little too big for the 8-1/2″ x 11″ paper, but the pattern was such a busy one I knew that no one would notice if it wasn’t a continuous pattern, so I could use a small patch piece.

After cutting out the paper, I painted the backs and the sides of the letters. I used Anita’s Acrylic in Hot Pink. (The tops are covered with the paper, so didn’t need to be painted)

After the paint dried, I used ModPodge decoupage paste to adhere the scrapbook paper to the front of the letters. I brushed the paste on the top of the letter, and on both sides of the scrapbook paper. This gets the paper wet enough that it adheres well.

This is the part where you have to get your hands messy, as you smooth out any wrinkles and make sure that the paper is neatly folded around the edges and sides. As I suspected, you really can’t tell that the pattern is interrupted on the X at all.

After my letters dried, I used a hot glue gun to glue a florist’s wire to the back of both letters, and then wired them onto my wreath. You could certainly adhere them in other ways, but I thought this would make it easier to take them off and replace them with something else later.

I did try some pink flowers, then some pink tulle and mesh, but I didn’t like any of those things as much as I liked the plain X & O on the wreath, so I left it just like it is. All in all, it was a fun, fast, and inexpensive way to decorate for V-Day.

One other thing that would be SO cute: use “X O X O” or “BE MINE” to make a banner to string over the front door or the fireplace mantel, similar to what I did for Christmas (these are the same Hobby Lobby letters as the wreath project, by the way).

Thanks for stopping by!

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Posted in Crafts, DIY, Valentine's Day | Tagged Valentine's Day, wreath, XO | 1 Comment

Chalkboard Paint Dog Food Container

Posted on January 14, 2013 by Christy

**Don’t forget to enter our January giveaway here–it closes tomorrow (1/15/13) so don’t delay!**

I’m sure you’ve noticed I’ve been doing quite a few pet-related posts lately, because we’re now up to two dogs, a geriatric cat, and a hamster. There has to be a system in place, or chaos (and animal hair) reigns!

I saw the cutest idea on Pinterest, by TidyMom, and knew I’d have to try it. She spray painted a big old popcorn tin and made a dog food container that looks just as good as the Ballard Designs one that I’ve been eyeing (that goes for $50 a pop).

I hit Goodwill last week and they had tons of these tins for $0.99 each. The price was right! Here’s what I started out with:

I’m sure my neighbors laugh at me, because the grass in my backyard is always spray-painted in a variety of colors!

I covered the Holy Family with two coats of chalkboard spray paint, but of course any old color would do to suit your decor. The chalkboard paint means that you can stop there, and just write your pooch’s name on the can.

I decided to take it a step further, and used my Silhouette Cameo and some white vinyl to cut out a white dog bone (purchased from the Silhouette store for $0.99) with Sunny’s name cut out in the middle (Boyz R Gross font–one of my favorites). I love how it turned out!

This is a slightly smaller tin that I wanted and would be better for a small dog or a cat, but it works for now and I will keep looking for a great big one. I suppose if you had two big dogs who ate the same food, which I don’t, you could buy one of those great big metal trash cans and use that.

Add a decorative scoop to jazz it up a bit:

If you haven’t checked out my repurposed shutters-turned-dog-gate, click here to see another cute doggie project.

Thanks to Cheryl (aka TidyMom) for the Pinspiration, and thanks for stopping by!

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Posted in Crafts, DIY, Pets | Tagged canister, cat, chalkboard, container, dog, food, paint, pet, popcorn, tin | Leave a comment

House Number Canvas Pillow Slipcover Tutorial Using the Citrasolv Fabric Transfer Technique

Posted on January 7, 2013 by Christy

I’ve been going a little crazy with canvas painter’s dropcloths lately, because they’re an inexpensive way to purchase a lot of yardage, and because they’re my favorite color–neutral!

I’ve used them for window treatments in my kitchen:

I’ve used them to recover some chairs that are currently in my office:

And I’ve used them to make LOTS of pillow slipcovers. One with a monogram:

One with our name and anniversary year on it:

And a super-cute 11 Magnolia Lane pillow for Amy and Terry’s Christmas presents:

Yes, I’ve been sewing up a storm! But my favorite ones to date are the ones I finished yesterday: slipcovers for my front porch pillows that sport our house number!

The UPS guy really has no excuse now, does he?

I’ve used several different techniques to transfer ink, or paint, onto the canvas, but for these I used the Citrasolv to transfer the ink. There are tons of tutorials out there on how to do this, but I thought I’d make it easy for some of you who have asked and just type it up for you here.

1. Wash and iron your fabric–if you’re using dropcloths, they do shrink so don’t skip this step! I have children and pets, so the whole point of slipcovers is that I can take them off and wash them.

2. Measure your pillow and cut the front of your slipcover an extra 1″ all the way around for the seam allowance. I usually sew slipcovers for pillows that I already have in my house, but of course you can buy pillow inserts very inexpensively if you’re making a gift.

3. Cut two flaps for an envelope-style back. I saved myself time by using the edges of the dropcloths for this–they are nicely hemmed. The two flaps should overlap by about 2-4″, depending on the size of the pillow. Be sure you cut them the extra 1″ on either side, too. Set the flaps aside for later.

4. Print your design as a mirror image. Depending on what kind of computer and printer you have and what program you use, this might involve commands like rotate, flip, mirror image, T-shirt image, etc. You’ll need to look that one up on your own. I actually had to print my numbers out normally, scan them, THEN flip them, then print them out again!

5. Find a copier that uses toner. Sorry, ink-jet and traditional laser printers don’t work with Citrasolv. This was the trickiest part of the project for me. I tried Staples, Office Max, and Office Depot, and none of their copiers worked. Older copiers are best, apparently. I tried the one at our public library and it works perfectly (you won’t know until you put the Citrasolv on it whether or not the ink will transfer).

6. Put a towel under your slipcover top, center the image, and tape it onto the top so it doesn’t wiggle around while you’re working on it.

7. Using a paintbrush, apply a generous amount of Citrasolv to the image. I used about a tablespoon for all four numbers. A note about Citrasolv: in my area, I bought my bottle at a local art supply store. I tried Wal-mart, Home Depot, Lowe’s, Hobby Lobby, Whole Foods, and Michael’s, all to no avail. If you don’t have an independent craft or art supply store, click HERE to order through our Amazon affiliate program.
You’ll probably only need the 8 oz. size (unless you fall in love with the smell, like I did, and start using it to clean your house!).

8. I gave the Citrasolv a few seconds to soak in, and then I took the bottom of a spoon and started rubbing the image (you’ll have to rub pretty hard; your goal is to transfer as much of the ink as possible so your image is clear and sharp). You’ll see the ink transfer to the fabric almost immediately if you peek, which of course I did after so many failed attempts with different copiers.

9. After a few careful peeks to make sure that you’ve rubbed enough to transfer all of the image, go ahead and remove the paper when you’re done. At this point, I allowed my pillow tops to dry. You could certainly launder and iron them again once they’ve dried–this technique is supposed to be colorfast.

10. Pin your pillow top with your two back envelope flaps that you cut earlier. You probably already know this, but pin the right sides together to make a fabric sandwich. On the bottom, put your pillow top (facing up), then your top envelope flap (right side DOWN), then your bottom envelope flap (also right side facing DOWN). Pin your edges together and it should look like this:

11. Sew all around the four sides, about 1/2″ in from the edge. This ensures that your slipcover will fit snugly, but not too snugly. Trim the corners so you’ll get a nice tip, and then press the seams open:

12. Turn the slipcover right-side-out, and press again. I usually use a pencil to push the corners into nice sharp tips. Slide (or force:) ) the pillow into the slipcover and adjust.

13. Stand back and admire your work!

Let me know if you have any questions, and please leave a comment if you have any creative pillow ideas.

**NOTE–be sure to read the first comment below from our reader, Jess, who has some great tips for setting the transfer and laundering your pillows. Thanks, Jess!**

Thanks for stopping by!

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Posted in Crafts, DIY, Porches | Tagged house number, pillows, slipcovers, tutorial | 4 Comments

Dog Gate from Vintage Plantation Shutters

Posted on January 2, 2013 by Christy

You know that I cannot tell a lie…these might be “vintage” mini plantation shutters, but they’re also “salvaged,” which in my world means that I snagged them from the side of the road on trash day! Hey, cheap is good, but free is better!

I picked two sets of shutters up curbside about four years ago when we lived in Virginia Beach. My husband thought I was crazy (this happens more often than I care to admit), especially as we moved them twice before I figured out a use for one of the sets. I propped them up in our master bathroom window to add a little bit of shabby chic to the window treatment:

I was planning to use one of the other shutters as a cute repurposed bath rack–you know, propped on top of the tub to hold my book, loofah, bubble bath, etc–but I broke one of the louvers when I was trying to get the hinges off. That made me sad, but then I thought about how I haven’t actually taken a bubble bath since I was in labor with my 12-year-old son, and then I didn’t feel so bad.

If you follow us on Facebook, then you’ve read about how we adopted a two-year old golden retriever, Harley, in August, from our local golden retriever rescue program. Then, we volunteered to temporarily foster Sunny, a nine-year-old golden in the program, while his regular foster family traveled out of town for the holidays. Sunny’s been waiting for his “forever” family since August, probably because the older dogs don’t get adopted as quickly. Also, he’s–ahem–morbidly obese and at least 40 pounds overweight. He’s dropped 20 pounds since he was surrendered into the program, poor baby, but he’s still a hot mess. SO, you can guess what happened (my extra-smart husband figured this out before we even volunteered to foster him)…yes, we’ve adopted Sunny! Now we have two kids, two big dogs, a cat with senile dementia (don’t get me started), and a hamster, AND I’ll get to fulfill my dream of vacuuming more in the new year (sarcasm intended).

Here are our two boys:

Harley has gorgeous manners because he lives to please us, and Sunny is quickly learning the rules of the house, but sometimes we have small visitors who find two big dogs overwhelming. Also, after an unfortunate incident involving three dozen sugar cookies on Christmas Eve, we’ve decided the doggies need to be confined while we’re out of the house.

I was literally heading out the door to buy a baby gate, because my kids are 9 and 12 and we don’t have any of those accessories anymore. But I kind of wanted something pretty…and then I thought about my shutters and realized I was sitting on a real trash-to-treasure moment. So instead, instead of buying a baby gate, I ran to Home Depot and bought new hinges for the project, spending a grand total of $2.71.

I propped the shutters up in the doorway to figure out where to place the hinges on the door frame. Since the trim around the door goes flush up against the drywall in the hallway, I was going to have to mount the hinges in the trim rather than on the sides. No biggie–when we move I’ll just patch the holes and touch up the trim.

I made sure the shutters would be placed so that the hook would close correctly and the shutters would be level and not sag. I also opted to hang them about an inch above the ground so they wouldn’t drag on the floor and scratch it, although with two big dogs in the house, I am probably fighting a losing battle on that one.

Screw the hinges onto the shutters first. Since mine are vintage, there were already hinges in place, or at least, half of a hinge. I had to remove those and screw the new ones in. Then I marked the trim, used a drill to make a guide hole (the hinge package will tell you what size drill bit to use), and screwed in the hinges. It took me 20 minutes, including sweeping up the floor.

I love that when the doors are closed, I can adjust the louvers so they’re open or shut. I left them the chippy white that they were, but they’d also be cute if I spray painted them in a fun color. Maybe at our next house.

Here they are one more time, closed:

And here’s what they look like open, but let’s not judge how the room looks right now, okay? It’s been a busy month!

Sorry the picture quality isn’t the greatest. There’s never a lot of natural light in hallways, and it’s been overcast and dreary all week long.

Doggie gate–check. Next project–figuring out how to camouflage an ugly dog crate. Maybe I should slipcover it?!

Thanks for stopping by!

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Posted in DIY, Pets | Tagged dog, doggie door, gate, pets, plantation, shutters, vintage | 12 Comments

DIY Ruffled Burlap/Ticking Tree Skirt

Posted on December 19, 2012 by Terry

One of my most treasured wedding gifts was from my Grandmother. She made my new husband and I our very first holiday decorations. It was such a clever gift since we were young and just starting out. We really didn’t have holiday decor, certainly nothing that matched. But, as the years have passed and our family has grown I have been wanting to update my holiday decor.

This year I decided to try making my own tree skirt using an old round tablecloth. I loved the red and white plaid table cloth as it was so I decided not to have ruffles go all the way up. I did want some ruffles and loved the idea of burlap since many of my ornaments are rustic. I then decided to add the ticking as the striping contrast pulls it all together.

Here is my step by step DIY Ruffled Tree Skirt tutorial. (I apologize for the dark photos– My basement work space is in need of a lighting makeover!)

Happy Holidays!

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Posted in Christmas, Crafts, DIY, Winter | Tagged Burlap, Christmas, holiday, ruffles, sewing, Ticking, Tree Skirt | 2 Comments

Holiday Hot Cocoa Station

Posted on December 11, 2012 by Terry

A couple of weekends ago I spent a few hours selling hot cocoa at the local Illumination Parade to benefit my children’s school.

Another volunteer and I working the cocoa stand to benefit our elementary school.

We are always trying to raise a little extra money to support our children, the amazing teachers and staff who work there. It was truly and incredible experience as so many people came out to support our town and march in the parade. Thousands of people lined the streets of old town Warrenton as local businesses, schools, clubs, bands and veterans walked or “floated” by. I am not sure anyone expected such a huge turn especially in our small town but it created an unforgettable night filled with community spirit.

We sold three different flavors of hot chocolate that night and it inspired me to set up my very own “Hot Cocoa Station” in my house. It allows my holiday visitors to help themselves and indulge in a cup of cocoa. It’s an adorable holiday touch sitting on my dining room buffet. My kids love it too!

Check out those vintage mason jars, they were my grandmother’s and she filled these jars each and every summer with the bounty from her garden. She was such an inspiration to me and now I get to think of her every time I walk into my dining room. Cocoa anyone?

These vintage mason jars came from my Grandmother who canned everything leftover from her garden.

Here are some of the hot cocoa toppings we sold at our cocoa stand the other night at the parade. The peppermint cocoa was the most popular as the candy cane melts in the hot cocoa and really gives it a minty taste- YUM!

Stock Image

Peppermint Cocoa:

Regular hot cocoa
Whipped Cream Topping
Red Sprinkles
Candy Cane

Teddy Bear Cocoa

Regular Hot Cocoa
Whipped Cream Topping
Teddy Gram Teddy Bear Gram Crackers
Cinnamon and Sugar Sprinkles

Stock Image

Dark Chocolate Cocoa

Regular Hot Cocoa
Whipped Topping
Chocolate Sauce drizzle
Chocolate Jimmies
A Square of Dark Chocolate on Top

Enjoy!

We’re joining in Rhoda’s Christmas Vignettes Party, be sure to stop by and see all the fun!

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Posted in Causes Close to Our Hearts, Christmas, DIY, Entertaining, Holidays, Random Kindness, Winter | Tagged Chocolate Chips, Christmas, Dining Room, Fundraiser, holiday, Hot Cocoa, marshmallows, mason jars, Parade | 1 Comment

Advent Calendars: Let the Countdown Begin

Posted on November 30, 2012 by Terry

It’s almost December 1st do you have your Advent Calendar ready?

A couple years ago I created this advent calendar inspiration board. It was such a fun project and gave me tons of ideas for some holiday DIY projects. Unfortunately, I created it mid-holiday season which was a bit too late to really put to any good use. This year I decided to showcase it again since December first is right around the corner. If you don’t already have an advent calendar in place, there are some wonderful DIY ideas above.

If you don’t have time to do all 25 days why not just the last 12?

This year I actually have two advent calendars in place to help me and my family count down the day till Christmas.

I love the red and white string as well as the tiny clothespins.

Happy Birthday Gama!

The first calendar was a gift from my mother-in-law (aka: Gama). It is a simple design but I absolutely love the cardboard numbers and the clothes line design. The red and white “bakery” string reminds me of the NYC Italian cookies my cousin would bring to Christmas Eve dinner. I have hung this advent countdown from my mantel in our family room. I feel it is the perfect location as this is where Santa will magically sneak into our house on Christmas morn. It keeps things in perspective for my anxious and impatient little boys. Sitting above the advent countdown is my beloved Norman Rockwell print of Santa mapping out where all the “good boys” live on the globe. This is another good reminder for my children that Santa is checking his naughty and nice list. The overall feel of both the advent calendar and print gives an old fashion and nostalgic vibe which I personally love.

My second advent calendar is a small wooden house that I purchased 5 years ago. At the time, it was so difficult to find an advent calendar that would last. Most of the advent calendars were cardboard and hid little chocolates. I paid over $80 for this little house and it was money well spent. It is hand made, each little woodland animal is hand painted and there are 25 adorable doors. It is still one on my most treasured holiday finds. One of the reasons why it is so dear to my heart is because my boys love this holiday decoration. Each year, when we begin to decorate the house, it is the first thing they ask about. They cannot wait to get their hands on it and when they do, they carefully review each animal and strategically place them behind each numbered door. This year, my youngest son Lincoln hid his favorite animal the Bald Eagle behind the number 5 which also happens to be his age. He is so cute! It is those little memories that make this one of my favorite holiday things.

Check out #5!

Happy December!!

How are you counting down to the big day?

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Posted in Children's Activities, Christmas, DIY, Holidays, Inspiration Boards, Seasons, Winter | Tagged advent, Calendars, Christmas, decorations, holidays, santa, Woodland | 1 Comment

Easy DIY Magnolia Wreath for the Holidays

Posted on November 27, 2012 by Amy

I am running behind in holiday mode this year thanks to my daughter’s birthday celebration this weekend {I hope to show my party preparations at the end of the week} but I did get as far as my front door wreath–which I will show you at the end of the post. First, I wanted to jump back in time and share how easy it was to make this DIY magnolia wreath.

When Christy lived in this gorgeous home a few years ago, I left from a visit with an armload of magnolia leaves from the beautiful tree {that you can just barely see!} in the corner of this picture.

Having seen this article in Southern Living featuring these gorgeous wreaths I wanted to try to make one for myself, and it was really SO easy!

{click here for article/source}

Here is the stash of Magnolia’s that came home with us wrapped in wet paper towels stuck plastic bags in the back of the car. {No, my husband doesn’t even ask “why?” anymore!}

To create the wreath, I used a very simple foam wreath form and stuck the stems of the leaves directly in it. So, so easy…

Here is the end result. For basically a few minutes time, the cost of a wreath form and the bounty of a prolific magnolia tree shared by a friend, I got a beautiful door decoration for the holidays.

Sadly, I don’t have access to that lovely tree this year, but here is what I have on my door now. I found these boxwood wreaths at Home Depot for $15, added some burlap and one of my favorite chalkboards.