Thursday, October 31, 2013

Spooktacular Mini Winner

And the winner is...

CASSANDRA A.

You are the winner of the Spooktacular Halloween Mini Album. You get the chance to choose how you receive your prize either as a free printable, a kit, or a finished project where you just add the picture. Congratulations! I hope you enjoy it!

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Pinspiration Sunday: Rag Wreath


I've seen a lot of rag wreaths floating around Pinterest and I finally decided to make my own. As I'm sure we all know burlap is pretty cheap....however, I decided to buy some orange burlap with gold threading...which looks awesome but was WAY MORE EXPENSIVE than the regular burlap and I was kicking myself for purchasing it. But to be honest...I LOVE the way this wreath turned out using that crazy expensive burlap. 

So here is what I used to make my wreath:

burlap (3 yards purchased but I only used about 2 1/2)
wire wreath form (18in with 4 wires going around)
glitter spiders from Walmart (which I had left from this project)
glitter spider and web from Michael's
hot glue and gun
Made my own "spooky" sign
ribbon for bow

To get started I cut strips of burlap in about 1 inch sections. I used the method of removing one thread then cutting along that line to help the burlap from fraying. (If you need further instructions on that I would be happy to share it...just let me know) Which gave me very long pieces. Then I cut those pieces either into 3rds or 4ths. Next I worked wire by wire, section by section, tying the burlap pieces on. Once I had all four wires in one section filled then I would move to the next section. This is a very long process and cutting and working with burlap is very messy (just a warning).  For a great video explanation on how to put this together, check out this video from Cassie & Co Blog.

After many hours...the wreath was finally covered. Make sure all your knots are in the back and strips of burlap are facing forward. 



Then it's placement of your decorations. I made my bow myself...and I'm amazed it turned out as good as it did...I have never made a "fancy" bow...and I had no idea how to do it. I used a no-wire satin ribbon...very difficult to work with. I would strongly recommend using as wired ribbon and look on YouTube for some great videos on how to make the perfect bow. I attached my bow with floral wire (which is actually still visible...but shhhh!)


Then I added the spiders and spider/web decorations with hot glue. 


I made my "spooky" decoration by using my Cricut machine, scrapbook paper (one piece was glittery) and wet glue. Once it dried, I hot glued that into place. 


Finally I hung it on my front door.



And there you have it...burlap rag wreath. Again I want to stress that this is time consuming and pretty messy. But it's worth it, I think. And it's pretty cheap (as long as you don't buy burlap with gold thread in it). 

REMINDER:
Oh and don't forget I'm giving away my Halloween printable mini scrapbook...you decide how you get your prize...you can get the download for FREE so you can print out as much as you want and assemble it, you can have me send you it in a kit form for you to put together OR you can have me assemble it for you! What an awesome giveaway, right!?!?! To enter the giveaway just go to this POST and leave a comment. I will announce the winner on Halloween morning! Good Luck, everyone! Thanks for stopping by!


Sunday, October 13, 2013

Pinspiration Sunday: Dresser Makeover

I’ve been wanting a new dresser for a very long time now. The dresser I had was from my Aunt and who knows how old it was…but that I got passed to my son when  he got too big for his changing table (we put the changing pad on top of the low dresser…works amazingly!) and I have his baby dresser/wardrobe. After we madeover our bedroom a few months back I wanted something that would fit in well with our new look. I searched online but just didn’t find what I wanted and if I did like it, it was way out of my price range. So I took to the thrift stores and hunted through yard sales…and one day I found this for $60!


But that was not going to fit into our new room…but after looking on Pinterest, I found a tutorial over at Adventures of a Middle Sister and decided that’s what I was going to do with mine. Now my dresser looks like this:



Here’s how I did it…

Supplies I used:
Electric sander
Medium and low grade sandpaper
Sanding block
Paint of your choice
Rollers/brushes
Sealant
Drawer handles/pulls
Spray paint and sealant
Electric screw driver
Drill bit
Screws
Wood
Stain

 First I sanded the entire outer surface with my electric sander. First I used a medium grit paper then a fine grit sand paper. Then cleaned off any dust.


Then I started painting it. I used a white, oil-based paint for outdoor doors, hoping that this will withstand some wear and trying to avoid priming it first. I put 2 coats on with 24 hrs of drying time in between. 


Next, I took my sanding block and removed the paint along the corners of the entire thing. I love that distressed look, but I didn't want to go too wild.


Then it was time to work on the top. I wanted to incorporate the gray from our bedroom color into this piece. I was orginally going to use wood from an old pallet that has been sitting outside, but with my RA, breaking it apart became quite difficult so I decided just to go by some wood at Lowe's. My husband offered to cut it to the size I needed to cover the top. There was a about an inch or so left in the back, so instead of cutting a strip to fit, I used the ends of the previous cut pieces. This is perfect to give a little back edge. My dresser will be pushed up against a wall with a register at the bottom so the dresser doesn't actually touch the wall and things often fall off the back...so annoying...but now I don't have to worry about that. I sanded the sides that would be stained...and look...they are ready for Halloween!


 I stained the wood using a stain from Lowe's. The color was driftwood. After the stain dried for 24 hrs (I used 2 coats), I set them into place.


Using a electric drill and drill bit, I placed my holes for my screws (one on each end...so 2 per piece of wood). Then screwed in all my nails.
Then it was time for the hardware. I bought new ones from Lowe's...some cheap ones (I'm not too picky) and I spray painted them orange (Valspar's La Fonda Copper) to match the rest of the orange stuff throughout our bedroom. I left them dry for 24hs, then sprayed them with an acrylic sealer and allowed that to dry overnight.

The box is already orange because I used it when I sprayed my book pumpkin from the last tutorial


While those were drying, I applied a furniture sealant for light color wood called polycrylic. I allowed the first coat to dry, then lightly sanded it with the sanding block, wiped clean and then applied another coat of sealant. I allowed that to dry for several hours. Then I placed the drawers back in just to free up some room in the garage until it was fully dry after 24hrs.




And there you have it....a thrift store dresser makeover. Hope you liked this tutorial and it inspires you to get crafty! Thanks for stopping by!






Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Today Is a Journey

Sometimes I forget to take each day as they come. Everyday is different and everyday there is a chance to do something amazing...no matter how small it is. Sometimes its hard for me to remember this. I get caught up in daily struggle of work, being a mom, being a wife and being myself. I made this birdhouse for myself....which is very rare. I almost never make anything that I plan on keeping for myself...no matter how much I love it. But this...this is for me. My daily reminder that today, anything can happen and today I can start a new journey.






I made this birdhouse by using Marion Smith Designs' Nirvana collection. I Used the pages, Family Record, Documented and Cloud 9. If your favorite craft store doesn't carry Marion Smith Designs' items yet, you can order through Amazon. The birdhouse template can be found at Marion Smith Designs Shop. I also used flowers from Michael's craft stores and the balls are from some floral picks that I had stored away. Hope you enjoyed this project. Thanks for stopping by!

Sunday, October 6, 2013

Pinspiration Sunday: Spider Jar

Here's another great Halloween decoration that is SUPER EASY and VERY INEXPENSIVE! What is it??? You can make your very own jar of spiders! I've seen a lot of these floating around Pinterest and decided to make a few for around my house.

Here's what you need:
Jar (I used Ball's jars that I had on hand)
fake webbing
fake spiders

optional: 
battery operated tea lights
spray paint
glue dots

I got my supplies from Walmart. Everything was priced at $2.50 or below. 


First you put some fake webbing into your jar, then add  spiders. You could be done right there. But I decided for in my house I was going to add a tea light. I applied 2 glue dots to the bottom of the tea light (I used glue dots so I can open it up and remove the light again and again to turn it off and on.



Then secure the tea light to the lid of your jar.


Then place your lid on the jar and your done!



My jar outside does not have a tea light in it because I didn't want to have to keep going out to turn it off and on. but if you place lights near it, you can still see inside the jar.



You can also spray paint your lid. If you used Chalkboard spray paint, then you could write something like BOO! or Open If You Dare! on it. Hope you enjoyed the great and simple Halloween decoration idea. And don't forget, I'm giving away a FREE PRINTABLE MINI HALLOWEEN SCRAPBOOK! Visit this post and comment on it to enter for a chance to win! Thanks for stopping by!

Friday, October 4, 2013

Spooktacular! A Printable Mini Scrapbook

Well here it is...my newest printable mini...Spooktacular...and in case you didn't realize it a Halloween theme! Check out the YouTube video.





As I've done before...I'm giving away this mini for FREE!!!! This time you decide how you want it! Do you want it pre-made? Do you want the FREE download? Do you want me to send you a printed out kit (which I will get printed at a place like Staples since my printer is cooperating with me)? You decide. And to make this entry a little easier...all you have to do is comment on this post. I will pick a random winner on Halloween! Good luck, everyone!