Mantle Clock Makeover

Josh gave me this clock for Christmas when we were dating. It has been sitting on top of the Entertainment Center since that day and never changed. That was 7+ years ago. I was itching for a change but didn't want to buy a new clock. This one is special to me. So, I decided to give it a facelift.

Before

This was the simplest, cheapest project ever! I found a piece of scrapbook paper that I liked and used mod podge to glue it over the existing blue mat. I used the same scrapbook paper to wrap the candle in the Apothecary Jar to tie it together. I then printed out the saying "Families are Forever" from my computer and it's held in with scotch tape. I can change out the quote at any time. It took about 10 minutes total and cost less than $1. I love making something totally new out of something I already own. It's better than shopping!

My First Furniture Makeover!

One of my favorite sites to follow is http://www.infarrantlycreative.net/. She does some amazing things with a can of spray paint and someone else's trash. She calls these roadkill rescues. I'm a fan of Craigslist and I happened across this entertainment center listed for FREE! Free is always better. She looked a little dirty and worn but, with a little paint and some new hardware I knew she could be a real looker.

Here's a Before shot. I fell in love with all of the storage space. It is way bigger than the entertainment center we had before. It's missing the glass door in this picture. Josh had to reglue the frame back together.

This is one of my favorite features about this entertainment center. One side is for DVDs and the other CDs. We have put all of Lil Man's DVDs in there. It is perfect!

Pic of the original hardware. I wasn't a fan.

Ta Da!! I gave her a couple coats of primer for laminate and a few coats of black paint. I added brushed nickel knobs for an update. I liked all of the shelf space but, I didn't like that you could see everything in there. I don't like clutter and it was very distracting. So, thanks again to Infarrantly Creative I came up with this;

I bought some coordinating fabric and pinned it up with flat head tacks. So much better. It's amazing what one piece of fabric can do to the whole piece. I also used the fabric trick on a glass cabinet in my bathroom.

I'm not going to lie this took a lot of work and I wanted to give up halfway through but, with a lot of encouragement from my husband it is now sitting in my living room and I love it!

Homemade Apothecary Jar

I love Apothecary Jars but, I am not willing to pay the price for them. I happened across the site http://www.dollarstorecrafts.com/ and found this simple tutorial. I spent about $10 total. I couldn't think of what to put into it so, it's been sitting naked on top of the entertainment center until the other day.

I bought a bag of river rock and a tall glass candle from Dollar Tree. Then, I wrapped scrapbook paper around the candle and tied it up with rafia. The paper is removable so I can change it out. I attached it with scotch tape. Last, I LOVE the beaded vines. They are literally all over my house so of course I added one around the base.

I love how it turned out and I'm really excited that I can change it out for seasons and holidays. I think I might monogram it too. What do you think?

Dry Erase Board

Disclaimer: Please exuse the crap-tastic photo. My camera and I are on the outs. I'm in the market for a new one. Any suggestions?

I first saw this idea on http://www.makeit-loveit.com/. I just love her site. You must check it out! She makes the most adorable baby and toddler things. Anyway, this is a photo frame that I purchased on sale at Michaels for $5. Then, I cut scrapbook paper to size and slid it on in. I added velcro to the side and to the marker. Then, I glued magnets to the back. I placed it on our fridge so, as soon as we are running low on something we write it down. I also put to-do lists on it and notes to my hubby. I love it because you can change out the scrapbook paper to whatever you want. I am looking for a big frame to make a big dry-erase, magnetic calendar for our very busy little family. That project can be found at http://www.infarrantlycreative.net/. She does amazing things with home decorating and you have to check out her awesome Road Kill Rescues.

Trim a Lamp Shade

For this inexpensive project grab the desired lamp shade, a utility blade, pencil for marking, soft tape measure, and ribbon of your choice.

I placed my tape measure right above the trim. I made marks every inch. You can play with the spacing. Then, you take the utility knife and make vertical slits the length of the ribbon. Next, weave your ribbon in and out.

I did the top and bottom. I think it turned out pretty cute.

Here's the after pic of our bed area. I added red ribbon around the pics above our bed too. I still am going to make some fun pillowcases for our bed when I get some time. Our room looks totally different and I love the change. All together I spent less than $40 for the whole room. It will be closer to $50 when I make the pillowcases.

Master Bedroom Redo

I was getting b-o-r-e-d with our bedroom. Sometimes you just need a little change. I despise painting so, I wanted to add color without the mess. I also didn't want to spend much money so, I used things from other rooms in the house. It took me a while to figure out what color I wanted to add. I am not what one would call bold or daring. But, I sure took a chance with this. I chose red. I think it's sassy (so not me). So, here are some before and after pics of our room. I knew HGTV would one day rub off on me.

I just added red candles to my candle holder on my dresser. $1

These are my wedding flowers. I bent the stems a little to fit better inside of this picture cube that was in our dining room. Now I just have to add some different pics to personalize it. This cost $0.

Here they are together. I didn't add anything else because I like clean, clear surfaces. I'm a big fan of Peter Walsh.

This I made on our computer with the awesome software that Daddy got me for Christmas. I put this over the light switch. It's a nice touch of red and it's a great reminder. I used an extra frame that I had here at home. $0

Before: We were in desperate need of new curtains and color! I had a hard time finding red fabric that I liked and that wasn't too expensive. As luck would have it I found some interior fabric at Wal-Mart for $5/yard. I spent $27 on fabric and $8 on ornate curtain tie backs. This was where I spent the money. I used the excess fabric to make 2 throw pillows for our bed. I already had the poly-fil from making Peanut's Mr. Chicken Nugget.

After: I love the curtains. I think they make everything "pop" a little more. This was my first attempt at curtains. I don't think they turned out too bad. I guess we'll find out when I wash them for the first time.

Simple project to add color. These were already in our room. I bought a roll of red satin ribbon and I glued them around the candle. $2 for the ribbon.

Before: This is still my work in progress. So far the candles have been wrapped in red ribbon and there are 2 throw pillows on the bed to match the curtains. Next, I think that I want to weave the red ribbon through our lampshade on the night stand. I'm also considering changing out the pics over our bed. Any suggestions? I am open to ideas.

Subway Art

Have you heard of Subway Art? It is sooo much fun. The first I heard of it was here:

http://www.infarrantlycreative.blogspot.com/. I so admire this very creative, talented momma. She linked to http://www.tatertotsandjello.blogspot.com/. I checked out her site as well and LOVED it! She has so many examples of subway art in her blog and tutorials. My bathroom has been a work in progress for....let's just say a very long time! ; ) I haven't been able to find the right decorative hangings so it just has blank walls. So boring. So, after seeing these awesome examples of Subway Art I thought our bathroom would be a fun place to try it out. Plus, it gave me a great excuse to play with my Silhouette SD. If you haven't heard of them check out http://www.silhouette.com/ and http://www.howdoesshe.com/ for the cute projects and what it's all about. So, here is what I came up with:

Sorry that it's a little hazy. My camera is seriously outdated and it was late so the lighting wasn't the greatest. I think it turned out adorable! I just sat down with a notebook and thought of all the crazy things that happen in our bathroom, found a fun font, and then played with the arrangement until I liked it. You could do this with any room or even holidays or your children. The craft options are limitless. Now I just have to find the perfect 11x14 frame. I am thinking one of those floating frames or a regular frame with some fun scrapbook paper matting. Input would be great! I'll post another pic when it's hanging!

Happy Crafting

~Tabitha~

Naptime Sign

I don't know about anyone else but, I have a definite fear of someone knocking on my front door or ringing the doorbell while my lil man is napping. This is an extremely important part of my day. My personal freedom to do what I want and it can all be sucked down the tubes with one knock on the door (it sets our dog into hysterics). So, I recently acquired a very awesome gadget called a Silhouette SD. It can do so many things that I was overwhelmed and didn't know quite where to start. I happened to come across a cute little sign about naptime. Inspiration hit and I knew exactly what I wanted my first vinyl project would be. Here is my first project.

I didn't spend a dime on this project. I already had all the materials and since it was the first project and I was super afraid of screwing it up in some way I used unlikely materials. Mostly, you see these signs on a piece of wood that's been painted. I got a little more creative (or cheap whichever you prefer).

Materials:

piece of cardboard. This was actually a flap off of a diaper box.

Black construction paper

Vinyl Lettering

Ribbon

Mod Podge-the greatest stuff ever!

All I did was apply my vinyl to the construction paper. Then, cut the construction paper to fit the cardboard. Coated the cardboard with mod podge and applied the construction paper. Then, I coated the top with 2 coats of mod podge. I used a Philips head screwdriver to punch holes in it and then added the ribbon hanger. And there you have a cheap Naptime warning sign. I am going to add a sign to the back of it about removing your shoes upon entering. That way I make use of both sides.

The real kicker of this project is this is the second day that I've hung the sign at naptime and someone had the nerve to ring my doorbell! My husband of course told me that he knew this would happen and found it to be quite funny. I wasn't amused due to the fact that I was dead asleep because I worked until 3am. Plus it of course woke up my son and then naptime was over. I wanted to cry.

Moral of the story: Please call before showing up on someone's doorstep or at least read their signs.

Happy Crafting

~Tabitha~