Easy Valentine's Projects

Here in NC we are experiencing something we don't get to experience very often - snow.  And I love it!  So while we are hunkered down, enjoying our milk and bread that we frantically ran to the store yesterday to acquire - maybe a little crafting is a good option.  Monday I shared a glimpse of some of the Valentine crafts I had been working on, today I have a bunch more.

First up, a sweet and easy fabric hoop wreath.  Hoop wreaths are my new favorite thing.  For this one I used some leftover burlap, both felt and paper to make the little bunting and some little letter embellishments.  Of course, hot glue was my friend here.  No sewing required.

If you don't have a pattern punch, I highly recommend one.  This little garland was quick and simple.

After punching out a ton of flowers from some craft paper I simply glued two together along a strand of yarn.  These little garlands are now adorning our living room shelves.  My little deer also got in the spirit and is sporting a little felt rose boutonnière.  

These pinwheels are so sweet and simple.  I loved making them and you can whip a bunch out in a very short time.  Make sure you check out this tutorial - its awesome.

Another easy and simple, no sew option for a banner is knotting strips of fabric or ribbon on a strand of yarn.  I love the simplicity of these things.

We are getting pretty vintage up in here for Valentine's day.  To pull everything together I just walked around my house and stole things here and there that I liked and thought would flow together.  Such an easy way to change up a space and plus its free.

Slowing down for a moment and making something with your own two hands is such a mind clearing activity.  The theme of Valentine's day is love and I couldn't help but think clearly about the theme of our God - which is always and forever will be = Love.  His love is the only love and what all other loves spills out from.  We love because He first loved us.  What a beautiful thing to take some time to reflect on.

But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. 1 John 3:18

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39

Ok, I'm off to sled down some snowy hills, make a snowman, eat some snow cream and probably check out all of my favorite blogs.  

Thanks for stopping by!

An Easy DIY Reindeer Silhouette

Am I the only one who wishes the rain was snow?....thought so.  But the rain is a beautiful reminder of God's grace, it falls on the righteous and unrighteous and no one really deserves it, but God provides even so.  Its always something we usually take for granted and complain about when it ruins our plans but what a simple yet complex way for God to continuously reveal Himself through his creation.  And since its raining, its a great time to write a blog post, think about God and make reindeer silhouettes.  It all goes together somehow in my head, so let's make a reindeer...

I had so much fun making this little guy.  I don't know if I haven't really sat down and made something from scratch in a while or what but it was enjoyable.  I made this in under an hour and with things I already had.  That's always my favorite kind of craft anyway.  Using items on hand forces you to think a little bit more creatively.  Here are the supplies I used:

- an embroidery hoop (you can find these in any craft store and they are inexpensive)
- felt
-paper
-fabric (I used an old sheet)
-pencil, sharpie and scissors
- hot glue

To start off this project you need a reindeer template.  I decided to just free hand draw a simple silhouette to use.  But, if the thought of free hand drawing freaks you out then calm down, take a deep breath, I have some great news - you can find many places online that offer free printables you can use like here or here!  Bloggers are awesome like that.  Thank you awesome bloggers!  After you have your deer template ready you just need to trace it on your felt, I used a sharpie because it was just easier that way and then finally cut it out.  Simple!

Now its time to get the embroidery hoop ready for your awesomely easy ready to go reindeer.

You don't have to sew things to have available fabric to use for this.  I couldn't find anything I liked in my stash so I opted to use an old sheet I really didn't use anymore.  I've used sheets, tablecloths, shower curtains, t shirts...you get the point.  Fabric is everywhere in your house and if its not being used on a regular basis then its fair game for me to cut up.  So, I cut out a piece the right size, pulled it tight around the hoop frame and trimmed off some of the excess.  Then just for a nice clean and neat finish, add a little hot glue to the hoop backside and fold over the fabric ends to finish the back.

Now all that is left is hot glueing your sweet little deer right onto your fabric hoop.  Done.

You can make this!  I know it!

And then you can admire your reindeer from near or from afar.

I used one of those removable hanging strips to secure him to the wall since I'm feeling he is more of a festive Christmas deer that will be up only during this the holidays...although I'm kind of growing an attachment to him so I'm either going to have to make a new replacement or just keep him.  We shall see.

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day...whether its rain, snow, ice or shine!

Painting Our Old Medicine Cabinet

If you live in an older home you probably have an old medicine cabinet somewhere in your house.  We had two - (now down to one after replacing the other with a pretty mirror).  So, I've already updated the outside of our old bathroom cabinet using washers and spray paint and I finally got around to freshening up the inside.  It was much needed as there was a little rust going on and just overall blah-ness.  It just took a little time, some paint and fabric.

Here's the before cabinet - yucky I know.  And, I have never really taken any time to organize it so things would just pile up in there.  It was easy to remove the cabinet from the wall - I did it by myself just by unscrewing it.

Once I had it out, I took it outside and taped off the part I wanted to paint.  I decided to paint the door with chalkboard paint and paint the inside just a glossy teal - both which I already owned so I didn't have to buy anything new.  After the chalkboard paint dried, I taped off the next section and spray painted it.  Remember to just use nice light even coats.  I used two coats on both sections.

Next I re-installed the cabinet and decided to use fabric to cover the little shelves.  I grabbed some leftover shower curtain fabric from our ottoman project and cut it to size.  I used a little hot glue to hold it down on the shelves as I covered it and then covered the fabric a with clear cabinet liner to make it durable and wipeable.  Just fabric would get ruined quickly.

After that I just needed to add some little bins for organizing.  I think I might go back and label the bins to just help with keeping it organized.  So far its working just fine - actually much, much better than before.

I love the addition of the chalkboard door for notes - I mean come on, I will paint anything with chalkboard paint.  So here's the before and after - so much better right?  And I just used things I already owned.

You really don't have to spend a ton of money to make some fun updates to your home.  I love it when I can do something for nothing.  

Thanks so much for joining me today!  Anybody else making some no-cost updates to their home?  Share with me!

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An Easy DIY Chalkboard Canvas

I promise I'm still here. Last week was just one of those tough weeks that included a pretty sick little boy.  Thankfully Silas is feeling much better, we have gotten some rest and things are feeling back to normal.   Honestly, taking an impromptu break from the blog was actually kind of nice for me.  I really was able to think about some different ideas and projects that I want to do and continue to try and learn some new bloggy things, so I was good with taking a break.  I have a a full week of blogging ahead to make up for last week and I'm looking forward to it.

I have a quick and easy project to share today as well as a few random weekend happenings.  First up is an easy chalkboard canvas.  This project actually comes via my sister.  A couple of weekends ago we had a big spray painting party and worked on a few things together.  My sister had this large canvas she wanted to change up and decided to try her hand at her first chalkboard project.  I was of course excited since I love a good chalkboard.  Here's the canvas before...

Just and old canvas print she had from a while back.  A couple of coats of chalkboard paint later and it was looking good.

My sister is kind of a newbie when it comes to spray painting but she learned quickly that lighter coats are better.  Spray paint can gloop and glob quickly so you just need to keep your can moving and keep the coats light to get the best coverage.  I believe though after this that she has caught the spray painting bug.  After it was all dry she decided on the text she wanted and we were done.  This was super easy.

Soon I'm going to grab some photos over at my sisters house so you can see where the canvas ended up.  They had this crazy design dilemma that I think they conquered well so I'm eager to share it.

Okay, on to some random things.  I think being gone a week from the blog is causing me to over share today.  I just missed connecting with all of you!  So, is it spring anywhere?  Because here in NC we have been thrown back into winter - its strange and we are so anxious for warmer weather.  Even so, we had a big easter egg hunt at our church this weekend.  We were glad to get Silas out of the house even if we had to be inside the gym to hunt eggs - it was so much fun for Silas.

Oh, this also occurred at our house this weekend.  This is not a new gallery wall technique - its a little thing called March Madness.   Each year Justin holds a big bracket challenge and the best and most fun way to do it is by hanging them all over your living room walls.  Its just a tradition that started a while back and has continued from house to house.  Lets just say that this year my brackets are awful.  I'm just pulling for Florida Gulf Coast to win it all now.

It feels so good to be sharing here today.  I have some more projects to share this week, a guest blogger, some garden inspiration and some more blog updates all happening.  Come back and visit with me!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  How was your weekend? Any crazy March Madness traditions for you?  Share with me!

Pegboard Organization

I love a pegboard.  They are so versatile and great for organizing.  I wanted a way to pretty up the fridge clutter - you know the stuff that accumulates all over the outside of your fridge?  As well as a way to keep it organized and neat - so a pegboard was the answer.

This was super easy and quick.  I actually had a leftover pegboard already but this stuff is not expensive if you want to go buy some.  I gave it a quick two coats of paint.  This is a paint sample that I grabbed for a dollar a while back when Lowes was trying to get rid of all of their pre-made samples.  From time to time I browse the oops paint section and pick up super cheap paint for little projects like this.   I love this soft color, its called Glass Tile by Valspar.  

Next I just needed to tie in a few pieces of yarn and add a few clothespins.  I love that this is quickly customizable.  I can add more yarn or change the placement easily.

I used these magnet hooks and some twine to secure it to fridge.  I have almost thrown these away a few times - so glad I held onto them.  

Now we have a pretty way to corral all of the fridge clutter.  

Thanks so much for joining me today!  Anyone else love a good pegboard?  Have a great pegboard organizing tip to share?  Have a great day!

Spring Wreath DIY

I always love this time of year.  Things start warming up, the days start getting longer, you see little buds and blooms pop up, the grass turns greener, the air is fresh - its just wonderful.  Then the pollen comes and the humidity is quick to follow...but we won't talk about that.  Today is all about feeling springy and cheery.  I have a little wreath/embroidery to share with you today.  It meets my three criteria for projects- easy, simple and cheap.  For projects like this, just use what you have already and be creative.  No need to spend a bunch of money on seasonal decor.  I used pretty much leftover supplies from other projects to make this one.

For this project I used:

- Embroidery Hoops  (4"&12")

- Scrap Fabric

- Scrap lace ribbon & felt

- Embroidery Thread

You will also need a hot glue gun and needle

First step is getting your fabric framed inside your small hoop and then you just cut your felt and ribbon to the size you want and lightly hot glue it down to your fabric.  Cut a longer strip of fabric for the bigger hoop and wrap it around the entire hoop.  I used a little hot glue and the beginning and end to secure it.  I kind of love the frayed ends and shabby chic feeling of this so no need to fret over frays or fringe.  This fabric is actually a leftover kitchen towel from my luggage rack redo and the shower curtain I used when we built our fabric ottoman.  Both are from Target in case you are wondering.

Ok, don't let the next part scare you.  I simply stitched a little "happy" into my embroidery.  I was going for a vintage/shabby chic feel so its just a quick free-handed embroidery.  Really, really easy.  I don't sew at all and I can do this - so can you!

I also made a few rosettes out of my scrap fabric/kitchen towel for the larger hoop.  I used the same technique as I did with these felt no sew flowers.  They are super easy to make.  

Finish it off with a little lace ribbon and you are done!  Now my little faux mantel is starting to look all springy and bright.  

This milk glass vase and turquoise ball jar are two of my favorite things.  Now I just need some of our flowers to spring up so I have something to put in them.

Aren't you guys ready for pretty spring days?  What kind of springy projects are you working on?  Share with me!

Have a great Wednesday!

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Cleaning and Organizing the Pantry

Our "pantry" was in chaos.  Well, let me back up a bit - when I say pantry I mean old cabinet/hutch.  Old house = no real pantry.  So we have improvised and use an antique cabinet for a lot of our kitchen storage needs.  Its not that big so it tends to get overrun a bit - and by a bit I mean a lot.  It was definitely time to clean this little "pantry" out and give it better function and organization.  So here we go...

First, the mess - we had things shoved in some places and then we were not utilizing some areas that well at all.  We really just didn't have a plan or any kind of organization (obviously).  It was pretty much just a free for all.  Something I am learning through this "get organized" process is that small spaces need plans.  

I don't even know what to say, it was just obviously not working.  So first thing was first, everything was all emptied out and gone through.  There were definitely things in there that needed to be tossed and some things that needed to be scaled down.  Taking the little packages out of the bigger boxes really freed up a ton of space.  

After everything came out, all of the shelves received a good wipe down.  I also decided to line the bottom shelf.  I just measured and cut wrapping paper and then covered it with clear contact liner to make it more durable and easier to clean.

Next came the grouping of items.  I just tried to keep similar things together.  Like drink mixes, baking items, canned goods, snacks. paper goods, etc.  I had several plastic bins leftover from my big laundry organization project so I was able to just use what I already had.  I didn't have to buy any sort of organization item or container for this clean -out!

I decided to add a few labels to the bins to just help keep things neat in the future.  A simple label maker and a little washi tape was all I used.  If you are looking for just a basic label maker, mine is from Target - is was around $18, which is a super price for one of these.

Its nice to have everything cleaned out, neat and in its own place.  I feel like the space is being much better utilized now.

One small step at a time and things are getting organized around here and its so nice.  More things to come!

So are you guys getting excited about the Pinterest Challenge on Wednesday??  I can't wait to see what you have come up with!  I'm still working on getting my project completed, its organization related and I'm loving it.  Come by and link up your projects this Wednesday!!  It can be anything big or small!

Have a wonderful week!

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