DIY Halloween Wall Art

 

I have a fascination with all of the "keep calm and ...." signs. They are everywhere, I know. Why I never purchased one, I'm not quite sure.  They look adorable, and a bunch of different Halloween versions have been popping up on pintrest lately. My original plan was to re-create a sign,  print it out on cardstock and then frame it.

 

I did do that, well, not the framing part though. Something is wrong with my printer, so the solid background just wasn't going to happen for me. I kept getting color fades and lines and it just didn't look all that great. My perfectionism was not about to let me settle, so a little brain storming was in order.

 

 I came up with a re-purposing project!

 

And I had to figure out how to paint particle board...

 

 A while back we had to replace our 8 slot storage cube shelf. At some point it had suffered some water damage to the top (I've given up trying to figure out how or why - I just know it involved my little people). Chris broke all of the pieces down so it would be easy to dispose of. While he was doing that, I noticed most of the undamaged parts were the same size and shape as the mock canvas art you can buy. So, we set aside the clean parts for future projects. I have to give my husband credit here, he doesn't even think twice anymore when I suggest things like this. Love him for that!

 

Can you tell where I'm going with this??

 

Chris cut down one of the longer sections for me, and I filled the holes with my hot glue gun. In the future I will use wood putty or something similar, the glue left divots. When I get excited about something I have a tendency to keep pushing forward even if I know there is a better way - oops!

 

After the glue dried, I lightly sanded the surfaces that I planned on covering with paint. I followed some directions I found on pintrest for painting the particle board.

 

 

Then I primed the board twice, lightly sanding it down in-between coats to even out brush strokes.

 

 

Once everything was dry, I applied three, yes three, coats of craft paint. I had to let the paint dry for over an hour in-between coats. The directions called for 21 days for the paint to cure, but I couldn't wait that long. I have just been very careful not to rub it up against anything. So far so good.

 

I whipped up a quick "Keep Calm" design in Silhouette Studio. The skull was a pre-made graphic from their shop, and the text was done by me using the font Impact.

 

I used vinyl here, but you could get similar results printing out a stencil and using an exacto knife to cut out the images, it would just take a little longer and more painting would be needed.

 

 

Using contact paper to keep the placement right, I attached the vinyl and there it is!

 

I looove this so much!

 

 

Have a great weekend everyone!

-Lisa

Upcycled sheets & Knitting

There are so many things an ordinary sheet can be transformed into. I thought I had seen them all, until I happened across this tutorial on pintrist. Speaking of pintrist, have you been there?? I love it! I have found so many new creative projects to try and recipes for the family. Not to mention house decorating ideas - and I need a lot of help in that department. Check it out, you won't be disappointed.

It's hard to believe this cute, soft and squishy little rug used to be a fitted bed sheet and two pillow cases. I just ripped the sheet into strips (the process is explained in the tute), and knit everything together. I used a seed stitch, and just knit until I ran out of fabric.

I got so excited with this project, because really, if I can knit a rug from a bed sheet, well then I think I could knit just about anything pliable. My husband was a little concerned about my level of enthusiasm with this one.

Another nice advantage to this rug is that as soon as it gets dirty, I can just toss it into the washer without having to worry about the weight of it throwing the balance of my machine off. That was an issue with our old rug.

And who doesn't love walking on soft pillowy cotton??

Handmade Nursing Pillow

The amount of items on my "can't do without" list when it comes to babies is not very large. In fact, after raising my first, I was shocked at how little a baby really needs as far as material things go. Something that I most definitely used on a daily basis for both of my children was a nursing pillow.

My first two shared the same one, but my youngest still uses it. She sleeps with it at night, and actually stays asleep. I couldn't possibly ask her to give it up for the new baby, but I really didn't want to spend money on a new one either.

So, naturally, I decided to make my own. It was sooo easy - almost too easy. Of course, it was easier because I had one to measure from. I do think it would be pretty simple to draft your own pattern for this, as long as you know the shape and size that you want.

To make my pattern template, I just put the old pillow on a large sheet of freezer paper and traced it by holding a pencil between my thumb and index finger. I used my first three fingers to provide a consistent width while tracing (my pinkie was in the air, while the outside of my ring finger followed the shape of the pillow).

I used a pretty thick fabric - think upholstery fabric for the actual pillow. I'm not worried about the drab color because I plan on making a bunch of covers for the pillow out of flannel and cotton, using the same pattern template (I'll post more on that once I can find fabric I love). The fabric I used was actually from a thrift store and it only set me back about a dollar.

I used a half inch seam allowance, and left a four inch opening at the top for the stuffing. These have to be stuffed pretty full in order supply decent support for you and the baby. I already had a 5lb bag , and used maybe a little over a quarter of that to fill it. Just stuff it tight and push down on it as you go along to get a good feel for how thick you want it. Once it was filled, I closed up the seam by sewing along the outside (it's not the most attractive finish, but will be sturdy and the pillow will have covers on it anyway) like the store bought version had.

So, all in all, the project cost me about $4 and took about 20 minutes start to finish. Can't beat that!

Styrofoam Jet Airplane on a Stick

I thought I would share some pictures of our jet airplane adventure... This was an Austin led craft - and he loved it! Notice how simple it is? Sometimes simplicity is the key (actually, it typically always is...) Anyway, here he is, painting the Styrofoam that we hot glue gunned together to look like a jet (again, his idea) After the paint dried, we stuck a small dowel rod in the bottom and off it went! Hannah of course needed her own shortly after that.

I have to say, though, I was pretty excited how it all started. Chris had just emptied out a box containing a mirror for Hannah's room. As soon as the white squeaky Styrofoam boxes appeared, he instantly declared that he needed them. We asked why and he informed us that "it will be for a craft Momma, a jet airplane, didn't you know?" And so we set them aside, and now he has his plane.

DIY leather and bead necklace

Hi Everyone!
I'm really excited to share this post with you! One of my favorite things to do when flipping threw magazines is to ask myself if I could make whatever I'm looking at. A lot of times the answer is yes, but for the price tag, it's not worth the time and effort. The last one I came across however completely was. I found this necklace in the August edition of Rachel Ray Magazine, in the Everyday Faves Style section. The necklace they feature is $128! Really?? For a strand of leather and three beads??? It's super cute and will pair well with a white T-Shirt (ignore my outfit in the finished photo - because it really doesn't go with that!) I went out and bought all of my supplies for this, which came to less than $4 dollars - and I could make at least 4 more without spending another dime! So here goes....

What you need:
`Leather string (found in the jewelry section of craft stores)
`Beads of your choice (1 large & 2 small) - make sure the holes in the beads are large enough to fit the leather string
`Scissors

1) Collect your supplies.

2). Cut the sting to the length you'll desire. You will have to fold the string in half and then measure. Be sure to add about and extra inch or two for trimming at the end. String your large bead, and let fall to the bottom center.

3) Tie a knot (looping both ends around your finger and then inside each other) at the top of the large bead, making sure that your end pieces are similar in length. Try and get the knot as close to the bead as possible.

4) Measure where you would like the necklace to fall on you, and then keep your finger in that spot when you remove it. This is where you will make your next knot (again, looping them both around and then threw).

5). Lay the bead down and line up the knots. Place a finger where you want to tie the next knot. Make sure there will be enough room to slide the large bead threw the gap. Then tie your second knot in the same fashion as before.

5) Here is an example of what it should look like:

6) String each small bead onto the ends of the necklace and decide how far down you want them to dangle. Then tie a knot under each bead to secure it in place. Make sure to pull the knots as tight as you can to make sure they won't come undone.

7) Trim your ends and you're done!

That's it! I love it! It only took about 10 minutes start to finish, and saved me $124 dollars (not that I would ever spend that amount on fashion jewelry, but still). Again, I think this will look great with a white tank or Tee - not what I'm wearing in this photo :)

Cardboard Fun! Uses for packaging inserts

We recently purchased a new set of stainless steal pots and pans to replace our old non-stick set. There are health and environmental reasons behind the switch that I'll delve into deeper at another time. For now, I just wanted to share the fun my children had creating new things out of what would have otherwise ended up in the recycle bin.

What You Need:
Cardboard packaging inserts
Glue
Embellishments
Markers

1. Let your kids get creative and do whatever they dream up. Help the smaller children where necessary.

In the photo above, the children created a bangle bracelet, and home/hut for transformers, and a princess crown. My son refuses to let these go, and we did this project well over a month ago. I was surprised with what they came up with, and everyone had a great time.

Have you re-purposed anything lately? Share with us in the comments box below!

Easy Wall Art

Welcome Back!

This was a fun project for my son. He's fascinated with reptiles, so we flipped threw some National Geographic magazines (super old ones, lol), and tore out the pictures he liked best.

The frames were in packs of two from the dollar store, and were unfinished.

What you need:

Photos or Magazine pictures cut to the size needed to fit the frame

Lightweight unfinished frames

Acrylic Paint

Paint brushes

1) Paint your frames in the desired color (Austin's room is based around the primary colors, so we plan on hanging these on the blue wall to follow the theme). Gather your photos or cut out the magazine pictures while the frames dry.

2) Insert the photos and you're done!

I hope you enjoyed this one!

Come back soon for more projects for you and your children.

Take care,

Lisa :)

DIY Memory Board

Welcome Back!

It's a Momma Craft day!

I'm always looking for ways to use the odds and ends around my house, so I'm delighted that this turned out as well as it did. I didn't have to purchase a single thing to make this, and it's going to look great in Hannah's room! This picture really does not do it justice.

What you need:

Cardboard (or any sturdy solid lightweight piece - I used foam core, I've also heard of people using styrofoam)

Fabric large enough to cover the entire surface of the board and wrap to the back (I used one of Hannah's old baby blankets)

Various ribbons

Scissors

Glue Gun

1) Cut your board down to desired size (you can make these small for inside of lockers and attach magnetic tape to the back)

2) Using the hot glue gun, glue one entire side and let set. Pull the fabric taught, and glue the opposite end, repeat with the other sides so that the fabric is pulled and there are no wrinkles or bumps.

3) Glue on the ribbon strips in whatever fashion you'd like. I did one entire angled row, and then did the opposite angles so I could see where everything was going to intersect.

4) Find a few intersecting points, and glue them down, but don't do all of them, that way you can slip in different sized photos and momentos. I glued on iron on appliques to these spots to cover the glue and give it more personality.

That's it! If you used styrofoam, you can put nails in the wall, and then push the board into it. If it's a small locker board, attach some magnetic tape to the back. I don't plan on mounting mine to the wall, but instead resting it against the wall on top of her short but long dresser.

If you have any questions on this project or any others, just let me know by using the comment boxes.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to visit often!

-Lisa

DIY Straw Toppers

Welcome Back!

This is a fun, easy and inexpensive project that your children will love!

What you need:
Straws
Scissors
Small Printed images - (we did an image search on Google for one of Austin's favorite character's)
Hole punch

1. Find and print out your images - square and rectangle shapes seem to be easy, but get creative here

2. Cut out your images, leaving enough room along the top and bottome to put holes

3. Put a hole at the top and the bottom of each piece, and then insert the straw threw each hole starting at the bottom of the straw (you will probably have to squeeze the straw at the bottom to make it fit), and then push to the top.

That's it!

I hope you enjoyed this project!

-Lisa

DIY Wooden Bookmark

Welcome Back!

Sometimes when I'm flipping threw a magazine, I come across something that catches my eye because I have one of those "I could do that!" moments. That's where this project came from, and I thought it was a cute idea - the real ones sell for about $6 I think. This one set me back about $.82 with tax because I had everything else on hand. This project is definetly for older children, and would make for a really cute gift too.

What you need:

Stamp
Ink pad
Thin rectangular sheet of wood (I didn't do a thing to this piece execpt sand the edges)
Ultra-fine sand paper
Ultra-thin tip black pen/marker (I used Micron at 0.2 cm)
Markers

1. Sand away any rough edges.

2. Choose your stamp, and then stamp the image onto the wood lightly. Take your thin tip marker and outline anything you want to show up black.

3. Color in any areas you want to have color in with marker.

That's it! You can also free-form draw your image - I did that with the heart in mine. Don't be afraid to improvise, and be creative. If you're going to give one away as a gift, you could also write a poem or note on the other side.

Don't forget to sign up for a free daily email subscription to this blog so you don't miss a thing!

Let me know how yours turns out, leave me a comment :)

Have a great day everyone!
-Lisa

DIY Art Deco Canvas Bag

Hi Everyone!

I'm really excited to share this project with all of you. This is something I used to do with my mom when I was younger. She has TONS of artsy tricks up her sleeve that I'll be sharing with all of you over the next few weeks - I'm sure she won't mind.

To do this project, all you need to do is decide on an image you like (you can draw it yourself directly onto the freezer paper, or you can cut the freezer paper down to 8.5 x 11" and print out a design).

This project is much easier than it looks, so let's get started!

What you need:

Art work - design your own or find some online and print it out

Freezer paper

Exacto knife

Iron & Ironing board

Cutting board, mat or thick magazine

Fabric paint or Acrylic paint

Canvas Bag

1. Decide on your design. For the bag above, I had my son sit down at the computer with me and come up with what he wanted. I used my design software, but you could very easily find a .jpeg image and copy and past it into a word document.

2. Once you have your design ready, cut down a piece of freezer paper to 8.5 x 11 and then you'll be able to print you image directly to the paper (just make sure the side getting printed on is the paper side and not the wax side, or you'll have an inky mess).

3. Using an exacto knife, cut out all of the areas where you want to have color filled in - I cut out all of the shadow sections to make the image above.

4. Turn your iron on it's highest cotton setting, and place the freezer paper design wax side down on the canvas bag so that the paper side is what will be coming in contact with your iron. You don't want the wax side touching the hot iron, you'll ruin your iron.

5. Press firmly with the iron until the paper is set to the fabric.

6. Paint over the image in any color you like. The wax paper is sealed to the fabric, so the paint will not bleed.

7. Allow to dry completely - probably overnight. I made the mistake of taking the paper off too soon with this bag, so some of my edges are not perfectly formed.

That's it! Now you have a completely customized canvas bag that you can use for shopping, to carry books, for the gym, to hold toys and much more. Get creative with this one, you don't have to stop with just one color. You can layer colors and designs, just be sure to allow each color to dry completely before adding the next.

What do you think? Did you try this one? Let me know how it turned out...

Thanks again everyone and have a great night!

-Lisa

Hairclip Holder

This is the very first "Momma Craft"!

As soon as my daughter had hair (literally just a few wisps), I started buying hair bows and clips. Most of them are so teensie that they keep getting lost or misplaced, so I came up with this idea and I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out. It's simple, but works great and also doubles as wall art :) The glue is still setting, but once it dries I will add a wall mount to the back of it and hang it up.

What you need:

Lightweight untreated wood piece in any shape
Ultra fine sand paper (or an emery board)
Acrylic paint
Ribbon
Craft Glue
Wall Mount

1. Buff away any rough edges on the wood piece with the ultra fine sandpaper until all of the ragged edges are gone.

2. Paint the wood in any way you desire. My daughter's room is pink and ivory white and the furniture has a brown wash over it, so I tried to mimic that. I painted the entire pieces ivory white, then mixed brown paint and water to create a wash (50/50 mix) and lightly brushed it over the top of the wood, then I took a dry sponge and went over it with the same stroke pattern to soak up most of the color. I painted the small rim around the edges the same pink as the ribbon I chose to attach, and then added a little dot pattern to the top that matched the edging on the ribbon. What's great about this is that you can do whatever you want - have fun with it.

3. After the paint is dry, cut a piece of ribbon the length that you desire, and attach to the back of the wood with the craft glue. I used Tacky craft glue and a good amount of it, so that the ribbon was completely saturated in that spot (about half an inch of ribbon). Make sure to position the ribbon so that it will hang straight down (I used a quarter to hold it in place - in a spot that was glue free), and allow to dry.

4. Once glue is dry, attach a wall mount and hang it up.

It's so easy and so cute, and hopefully I won't lose any more bows.