Category Archives: Tutorial

DIY Boys Room Fabric Artwork Tutorial

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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

DIY Hanging Letter Tutorial

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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

Pinterest Inspired Stacked Frame Tutorial

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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 

Tutorial: Halloween Tulle Wreath

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I made a Spooooky wreath!

This month has flown by.  I’ve had some things happen in my personal life so there hasn’t been much time for crafting or sewing or blogging, but I managed to make my Halloween wreath and here’s how you can make your own.

Supplies:

1 wicker wreath $1    (Dollar Tree)

Did I mention that I LOVE LOVE LOVE Dollar Tree?

5 tulle spools $3.99/each  (Hobby Lobby)

When I went they were having a special of 50% off!  Score!

I used 3 spools of black, 1 spool of purple, and 1/2 spool of orange

2 spools black ribbon $1  (Dollar Tree)

1 “BOO” sign $1 (Target $1 bins)

  • You can also find cool Halloween signs at Dollar Tree and Hobby Lobby as well

1 spool of floral wire $1  (Dollar Tree)

Total price of wreath is  ::drumroll::  $15!

I followed my friend Jill’s tutorial on her hilarious blog, Baby Rabies

This tutorial is super easy to follow and the gist of it is:

  1. Wrap the wreath in ribbon so the entire wreath is covered in black ribbon
  2. Cut tulle into strips- mine were about 8 inches long but the length will depend on how fluffy you want your wreath
  3. Tie strips onto wreath making sure the knot faces outward- I used three spools of black tulle, one spool of purple, and then 1/2 spool of orange.
  4. Attach sign using floral wire- you can attach anywhere you desire.  It’s up to you!
  5. Fluff and trim to your liking!
I apologize for the lack of step by step photos- I literally made this wreath so quickly and had to fly to Connecticut after half of it was completed- so it was very last minute and unplanned.

There is little room to fail on this project which makes it one I LIKE.  Even if your strips are uneven- like mine were- it still turns out okay!

Happy Hallowcrafting everybody!

~Elizabeth

Silhouette Framed Art Tutorial

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At about 5:35 pm on my drive home on Friday an idea hit me for a Father’s Day gift.  In true Liz fashion- procrastination leads to inspiration.  I decided I wanted to make my husband a framed silhouette of our little girl with her two little hands on the side.  This is how the finished project turned out:

I have seen a couple of tutorials for these like this one here at Scissors and Spatulas, so I decided to attempt this for Father’s Day.

Supplies:

  • 1 kid
  • Construction Paper
  • 1- 8×10 Frame
  • 2- 5X7 Frames
  • beige and white cardstock
  • Coordinating ribbon

First I took a digital photo of my little girl’s profile.  I downloaded this to the computer and then printed off a copy in an 8×10 format.

Using regular scissors I cut (very carefully) around the profile of her head to make the template.

Then I applied a glue stick to one side of the cut out and then pasted the profile on to a piece of black construction paper.  I wanted her profile to face left so I applied the glue to the picture side and then pasted the picture side to the construction paper.

I then cut around the profile again very carefully to create the silhouette.

Next, I traced around her little wiggly hands on a piece of black construction paper and then cut those out as well.

I used an 8×10 piece of white cardstock and applied the head profile in the center of this.   I also wrote in the date on the bottom right hand corner.

I cut two 5×7 pieces of cardstock and applied the hands to the center of these.

Next I framed the pieces and used a ribbon to hang them from the wall.

So easy!  And I was able to complete it while my husband was taking a nap!  He loved it.

Happy crafting!

~Elizabeth

Easy Reusable Gift Bag Tutorial

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I threw my three year old a story book themed birthday party not too long ago.  Details are here.

The gift bag was a collection of a book, suckers, cookies, whistles, and other little tiny pieces of dollar store crap that you love stepping on in the middle of the night when you are trying to make your way to the bathroom to pee.  To my friends who came- you are welcome.  :)

But I couldn’t find a flipping bag to put all this crap in and I was NOT going to go store to store on some crazy gift bag hunt.  Plus I’m cheap frugal and If I can’t find it for close to free it ain’t makin it into my cart.

I’m a master procrastinator.  My motto for years has been:  Procrastination leads to inspiration.  Mark that one down people- because it’s TRUE!!  The party was Saturday.  Thursday I was sitting at my desk all bummy and stuff because I didn’t have a cute bag to put all the kid crap stuff into.  And then it dawned on me…like a spotlight being shined in your face when you are pulled over at night by the cops and you have been drinking..(not that this has happened to ME..I watch cop shows is all…I swear.)  Anyway- my moment of clarity arrives and I realize I CAN SEW!!  I’ll MAKE my own bags!  Woot!  It’s Thursday.  The party is Saturday.  I’ve done NOTHING to prepare yet.  Procrastination at its finest.

So I ran home that day and got to work.  This is what I came up with:

To make this easy five minute bag you will need:

Cute fabric

Thread

Sewing machine

Scissors

I chose a different fabric when taking the pictures because this was my test piece.

Cut a rectangle of fabric for the height and width you need with seam allowances.  My fabric was 11 X 24 to accommodate the book.  I put the book on the fabric, folded the fabric over it and cut.

Fold the rectangle (with right sides together) to make a square- zig zag the edges to prevent fraying and then reinforce with a straight stitch.  This will make your rectangle into a square little bag.

You now have the bag part.  Next finish the upper edge by folding over the top and using a straight stitch all the way around.

Don’t laugh at my uneven edges.  I was in a hurry!

Now you want to make the handle.  I thought about adding a nice drawstring or ribbon handle, but I did not have the time so I decided to just put in a little rectangle to create a handle.  Easy stuff.  I like easy.

To do this, I folded the bag in half and cut a little square close to the top of the bag.

Next I needed to zig zag around the edges of this little square in order to keep from fraying.  What I SHOULD have done was finish this edge better, but again…last minute Liz.  So instead, I chose a tighter zig zag stitch and went over the edge a couple of times.  If you are not waiting till the last minute like me, I would say to spend a little more time making this part look pretty.  It annoyed me after wards that it looked so unfinished.

Finished product!  A nifty little reusable bag that creates less waste!  AND only took about five minutes so I really didn’t care what happened to it after it left my house.

The party fabric is much much better I think.

I’m using mine this weekend when we travel to hold my curling iron.  :)

Happy sewing!

~Elizabeth