Tip Me Tuesday Submission!

One of my favorite sites, Tip Junkie, is hosting Tip Me Tuesday.  This site is awesome for tips, tutorials, and ideas.  Today is the weekly link party where you can find all sorts of projects and ideas from all over Bloggyland.  I’ve decided to add my DIY Boys Room Fabric Artwork Tutorial!

Click the link below to check it out!

DIY Boys Room Fabric Artwork Tutorial

I finally finished the piece of artwork I’ve been thinking about for months.  Whew.  Check that off my project list.

So back in my nursery dreaming days of the second trimester this photo popped in my Pinterest feed:

I immediately decided I wanted to incorporate it somehow- and it’s kind of been a part of the underlying “theme” to little man’s nursery.  I had no idea how to recreate it- but knew I wanted to use some fabric I had and create some sort of artwork.  So here’s the finished product!

Supplies:

  • plain white canvas (Hobby Lobby $5.99 for two)
  • tape
  • Microsoft Word or any program that allows you to create and print text
  • Sharpies
  • Fabric markers
  • Fabric- *Cut fabric with enough left over so that it wraps around the canvas edges
  • Staple gun-  (or you can use furniture or tacks if you don’t have a gun)
Here are my supplies!

 

 

 

 

 

And the fabric markers can be found at Hobby Lobby or any craft store.

 

 

 

 

 

Instructions:

Type your saying into your computer program and choose the font.  I used Microsoft Word and the font was 375pt Brady Bunch Remastered font.  I downloaded the font free off the internets!

After you print out your saying, you will need to piece it together on top of the canvas in order to get an idea of how you want your letter placement.

Use the tape to piece all of the letters together.

 

 

Next tape the entire piece to a window with a lot of light.

I measured my fabric out by placing the canvas on top of the fabric and cutting around the edges- making sure that there was enough fabric to wrap around the canvas.

Place your fabric right side up over the letters and tape the fabric tightly to the window.

Now you can trace the letters with your sharpie.  I like using the sharpie for tracing rather than the fabric markers because the sharpie created a cleaner and sharper outline.

Next I wrapped the fabric around the canvas and stapled it tightly into place.  If you don’t have a nifty neighbor with a staple gun like I do- then you can probably use tacks and a hammer to get the job done.

After my fabric was secure- I then used the fabric markers to fill in the letters.  You can use the sharpie to fill in the letters- which I initially did- but I discovered that the sharpie doesn’t color as evenly as the fabric markers and I liked the darker letter better.

Finished project!!  Yay!!

The nursery is almost entirely complete!  I hope to post full nursery photos soon.

Happy decorating!

Elizabeth

It’s a Boy Thing- Baby Shower!

I have such a wonderful family!  My sister, Jessica, and very good friend, Amanda, threw me a spectacular shower over Easter Weekend.  They did such a wonderful job incorporating my ideas from the nursery- I thought I’d show off their skills on my blog!

My nursery theme is a complete hodgepodge of ideas.  I’ve named it “It’s a Boy Thing” based off of some cardstock I purchased for the hanging wall letters.  The design is… pretty much anything having to do with being a boy and colorful will go in this room- This allows me to really add ANYTHING without fear of clashing.  So with that idea in mind, my sister and good friend decided to throw a family shower based on this “theme”.

Take a look!

And for the yummies…

I absolutely DIED when I saw this cake.  Dead.  Look how cute and creative this cake is!!  And I used to wear converse in high school so this meant even more to me!  Thanks to my great friend, Amanda, and her cake baking talents!

She even made coordinating Gluten free cupcakes for my family members that can’t have cake!

The food was an explosion of Pinterest boards and ideas.  All of it was very very good.

Pretzel buttons

The recipe for the candy above can be found here.  I warn you though- it’s addicting!

Cucumber Feta bites

Recipe for the cucumber feta bites is found here.

Bite Size Greek Salad

The recipe for the Greek salad bites can be found here.

The party was excellent- Baby Z came home with adorable outfits, pacifiers, blankies, and bibs.  He’s going to be one well dressed little man!

I was so amazed with how cute and colorful everything turned out!  They really did an amazing job with decor and design- and the best part was- almost all of the design elements were colorful toys, puzzles, and onesies that we were able to bring home and put in his nursery!  How clever!

Thanks for reading!

~Elizabeth

 

DIY Hanging Letter Tutorial

Look at me!  Look at me!  Two posts in one week!  It must be some kind of record.  :D

I just wanted to post a quick tutorial on how I did our little boy’s nursery letters.  After browsing Pinterest for ideas, I decided to DIY hanging letters from a curtain rod.  It was super easy and quick- which I like- because I’m totally running out of time.

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Materials Needed:

  • scrapbook paper- I purchased a book of scrapbook paper named “It’s a boy thing” from Walmart for about $5.00
  • cardboard letters – Hobby Lobby on sale for $1 a piece
  • exacto knife or other equivalent of a very sharp crafting knife
  • Ribbon
  • Glue
  • Thumbtacks
  • cheap curtain rod

First I laid out my letters onto the paper and cut around the edge to create an exact paper replica.

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Then I glued the paper onto the letter and let that dry.

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Next I attached the coordinating ribbon ( I cut each ribbon at about 18 inches I believe).  I attached the ribbon using a nifty little thumbtack to the back.

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Then I screwed my curtain rod into the wall and slid my letters into place!  Done!!!!

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I told you it was easy and fast!!

Thanks for reading!

~Elizabeth

Colorful Toddler Girl Room redo

Well this pregnancy is flying by.  One of the things on my to do list before I get too bloated and ginormous  pregnant was to redo my little girl’s room with the hope that she’d actually SLEEP in there.  So we painted the walls, repainted a nice twin bed/trundle we bought on Craigs’ list, and worked to organize her gazillion toys, books, and princess dress collection.  She is a connoisseur of sorts when it comes to Disney princess fashion…she knows her stuff.

So this is what we came up with!

The walls were painted Pebble Grey using Glidden semi gloss.  The bedding is from Bed, Bath, & Beyond- I had a hard time finding bedding that incorporated all of the bright colors I wanted to use.  All other decor is either Ikea or crafts that we’ve put together…or the old faithful Walmart Design Studio.

I am not a design person, by any means, I struggle with how to put things together- but I like how colorful the room turned out.  I knew I didn’t want to follow a theme, so it kinda resembles an explosion of toys, dolls, and bright colors- but she loves it!

She  had a blast helping me put stickers on the walls and helping decide where to put her toys and dolls.  Everything has a home.  :)

I think what I like most about it is that the walls are gray- so we can change decor without changing the walls.  I think this is a good room to grow up in.  She’s pretty stoked about having her own space….now if I could JUST convince her to STAY in her bed instead of sneaking into ours…

I’ll have to figure that one out later.

Thanks for reading!

~Elizabeth

Pinterest Inspired Stacked Frame Tutorial

I love Pinterest.  It’s like porn for crafty chicks.  I found this tutorial from Positively Splendid on how to make a stacked frame:  Image

Pretty cool right?  I thought so too.  So I went ahead and using this tutorial made my own version using chalkboard paint.

Supplies needed:

  • Chalkboard spray paint
  • coordinating color spray paint for frame
  • cheap 4×6 frame
  • wooden plaque
  • sticky velcro
  • picture hanging brackets
  • chalkboard markers

First I painted my plaque and frame.  I painted the wooden plaque (on sale at Hobby Lobby for $4!) with chalkboard paint and used about three or four coats for a nice even coverage.

I chose a black 4×6 frame and spray painted it red.  I didn’t sand it down first so the result ends up looking a little distressed which I liked.

Now I needed to add the hardware to the back of the plaque.  Once it was dry, I flipped it over and added the picture hanging brackets directly in the upper middle part of the plaque.

ImageOnce the frame was dry, I added the sticky velcro to the back.  I decided to add velcro to all four sides of the frame.  I also cut the back flap away so that there was no extra bulk when it attached to the plaque.

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Almost done!

Now I need to add the matching pieces of velcro to the plaque.  To do this accurately, I swiped some chalk onto the velcro on the red frame and then pressed the frame onto the chalkboard plaque leaving the markings of where I need my velcro to be.  Image

After I blew away the remnants, I was left with a distinct impression and was able to easily attach my velcro.

Now I can attach the frame to the chalkboard for the *almost* finished product!

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Now here is the fun part.  IF you are artistically talented (unlike my example I’m about to show you) You can decorate this frame with chalk or chalkboard markers.  I discovered chalkboard markers after I had already given the gift or I would have used those instead.  They are much easier to use and the colors are much more clear. 

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INSTEAD- I grabbed my daughters sidewalk chalk and quickly wrote the details I wanted on my plaque.  Please ignore my lack of artistry- apparently sidewalk chalk is not a medium I am fluent in…

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BUT you get the idea.  And hopefully when you make yours you will use the chalkboard markers and it will be much much prettier than my chicken scratch handwriting.

This frame was for super sweet newborn baby boy, but I’m thinking of doing something a bit bigger using plywood, an 11×16 frame, and hanging my wedding photos. 

Thanks for reading and happy crafting!

~Elizabeth 

Top Ten Fall Wreath Inspirations

I posted yesterday about the Halloween wreath I made, but I’ve decided that once Halloween is over next week- I’m gonna need a Fall one.

In Texas, Fall doesn’t really start until November because it’s hard to feel seasonal when it’s 90+ degrees outside.  Sheesh.  I’m so glad our weather is finally cooling off- because it’s been a brutal summer.

So I’m off to Pinterest and Google to get some awesome ideas for fall wreath inspiration!

I already have burlap- so I think I want to use that as my base- but I have no idea what I want to do with it or how to work with it.

1.  Check out this beauty!  I love love this wreath.  I like the fact that the burlap is ruffled and there is a nice tutorial explaining the process.  I also love the monogram.

  
Courtesy Sweet Passions on a Thrifty Dime

2.  Craftaholics Anonymous is always on spot with design for the holidays.  I love the simplicity of this wreath and the flowers are removable to change with the seasons.

Courtesy Craftaholics Anonymous

3.  I really like the fullness of this one and there is a link to the tutorial!

Courtesy Confessions of a Plate Addict

4.  This one is super cute!  I like the idea of using rosettes and a tutorial is linked.

Courtesy LaForce Be With You

5.  This one is using yarn and felt to create a Fall look and it includes a tutorial!

Courtesy Home Stories A to Z

6.  I really love the look of this one too.  Not sure how to recreate the moss effect though and I cannot find a tutorial for this wreath or the credit.

Courtesy Pinterest

7.  Here is another cool version of the one above in a square format:

Courtesy Pinterest

8. And another yarn wreath that is super colorful with a tutorial!

Courtesy Indie Spotting

9.  Here’s another using rosettes and a grapevine wreath.  AND did you know you can print ON fabric?!  Sweet!

Courtesy Flamingtoes.com

10.  I also like this idea of tying fabric scraps around a wreath form to create a fabric wreath.  I can use the rest of my Fall fabric I purchased last year!

Courtesy A Beautiful Mess

So many ideas!  I wonder how mine will turn out?  I guess we will see soon!

~Elizabeth