Old book frame

http://cinnaberry-suite.blogspot.com/2010/06/im-supposed-to-be-guest-posting-this.html




Here is what you need:
Old frame glass

Old Books

Old frame back, rubber band and pictures!

Okay are you ready? This is going to be REALLY difficult! Can you handle it?
Rubber band it all together!

Tie it with cute ribbon!

Make a fun tag!

Here it is in all of it's cuteness!
One of my besties, MAGS was wondering what to do for Father's day... I think these would be fun for a Father's day gift. Maybe use twine or rope or a more masculine ribbon. They would be perfect on your dad's desk. I don't know if he even has one;) You could put an old picture of him and his dad together. Or a picture with the grandkids in sepia. Just a thought!

Butterfly Artwork

Butterfly Artwork And A Winner!
I've had a lot of questions about the butterfly artwork hanging in our playroom. This is such an easy project to do, and you don't have to limit yourself to butterflies.



After finding a Martha Stewart punch and trying it out on everything in sight, I found what worked best for my project. It sounds silly, but using this punch is so fun it can be addicting.



http://sixtyfifthavenue.blogspot.com/


I finally found a use for all my old magazines.


Finding textures and colors you like is part of the fun.




I printed a layout using Excel so it would be easy to space the butterflies.



I laid the template over my project paper and used a sharp pencil to transfer the positions. I used textured scrapbook paper.

Once I had my layout, I used glue dots to attach the butterflies. I bent the wings a bit to give them a three dimensional look.



The matte has a plastic edge that creates a deeper space. I bought the frame and matte together as a set at Hobby Lobby.




Now you have a one of a kind piece of artwork!

Refinishing a Cutting Board

http://toolsareforwomentoo.blogspot.com/

How To Finish A Cutting Board
Here is a small cutting board I made out of walnut scraps. It measures 10" x 10" and is over 1.25" thick. It has a little heft to it, which makes it a pleasure to use in the kitchen. Today I am going to tell you how I apply a finish to a cutting board.

Here you see the board sanded down completely with 220 grit sandpaper. I did most of the sanding with a flat sanding block. The flatter your board remains, the better.



Now I am going to show you an old woodworkers trick. I am going to raise the grain back up a little, with a damp paper towel and some water. What you are trying to do in this step is to raise all the wood fibers up evenly. You don't need to soak the wood or paper towel. You just want to dampen it a little.





Let the wood dry completely. The pores of the wood will now be open and free of clogging dust particles. The fibers of the wood will be raised and ready for a second haircut.





Time to sand again. Start off with your 220 grit. Then 320. End with 400.






I always use pure mineral oil on cutting boards. Nothing else works as well. Mineral oil is as food safe as it gets, unlike cooking oils that can turn rancid.




Wipe it down with generous amounts of oil. Let it soak in really well. Wipe off the excess after a couple hours. You want the wood to absorb as much of the mineral oil as possible. Apply a generous second coat and let it soak in overnight. Wipe off the excess again. It should look something like this.





All that is left now is to enjoy a little brie.




Never put a wood cutting board in a dishwasher. Reapply some mineral oil occasionally, as needed. Wash with a little dish soap and running water. Air dry your cutting board by standing it on end if possible. That's all there is to it!

By the way, a good wood cutting board is a real treat to use and is much easier on your knives than plastic. Wood boards also tend to clean easier and better than plastic and wood can also be resurfaced.

While wood requires trees, plastics require landfills. A good wooden board will last many years.

Glass Etching

http://graphicsfairy.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2010-06-11T21:03:00-04:00&max-results=4




First, you'll need a piece of vinyl with an adhesive back, like the vinyl you buy for vinyl wall decor. You can buy rolls or sheets of it at craft stores (if you must have some today) or you can buy some great vinyl much cheaper from one of my sponsors, Expressions Vinyl. If you don't have a craft cutter of some sort to cut the image for you (like I did), then you can trace an image, shape, or letters on the vinyl and then cut it out with an exacto knife, or utility knife. (And I haven't tried this but I think you may be able to do the glass etching technique with a piece of contact paper, if you're going to be cutting out your shapes free hand with an exacto knife.)



Then peel away the shapes, leaving the negative space all in one piece. (Keep in mind if you are using an exacto knife, to not cut through the negative space. Cut away the shapes/letters, but leave the main piece together, without cuts or tears in it.



Then place a piece of transfer paper (you could use contact paper for this too I'm guessing...) that is sticky on one side, to the front of your vinyl.



Then peel the vinyl backing away. (The red side that you see below is the sticky side.)



Then place your vinyl against your glass, making sure to center the image just where you'd like it. Press down firmly, then pull off the transfer paper/contact paper.



See how there are air bubbles? Press those down firmly with your fingers. If they are far from the opening of your image, don't worry about them. You just don't want the etching cream to get in under the edges and mess up the image.



Then apply a layer of your etching cream on the exposed glass. (I found this cream at Michael's.) Follow the instructions on the bottle and allow the cream to sit and rough up the glass surface. (I left mine to sit for about 10 minutes.)

**Again, this process makes the etching permanent. The cream is an acid, and etches away at the surface of your glass.......transforming the look of your glass permanently. So you cannot rub or wash the etching off.


Then I rinsed off really well with water and used my fingers to rub it all off. Then I peeled back the vinyl and rinsed again with soap and water.
Dry your glass and admire the beautiful etching, all done for you by the cream.



Such a great techinque, right?

And just think.......you could put together some pyrex dishes for a newly married couple, etched with their new last name. Then throw in some hot pads, cooking utensils, and your favorite recipes. Perfect gift.

Framed Magnetic Scrapbook Page

http://littlebirdiesecrets.blogspot.com/



Framed Magnetic Scrapbook Page Tutorial

Supplies:
*12 x 12 frame (I found mine at my local Ben Franklin)
*12 x 12 fabric paper, or any patterned paper or piece of fabric
*12 x 12 tin sheet (this one is by Paper Accents, but you could also cut your own or have some cut at a home improvement store)
*Flair buttons (these are Dear Lizzy for American Crafts, but check out the adorable custom buttons over at Button Boutique, too)
*1/2" magnets
*E-6000 glue

1. Remove frame backing and glass from 12 x 12 frame. Discard the glass carefully (or save for another project--I'm working on one!).


2. If you're using Dear Lizzy fabric paper, it has an adhesive backing. You can peel off the paper and stick the sheet to your tin piece. Or not. I opted to not so I could change it later if I wanted. In that case you'll just put it in the frame on top of the tin piece. If you are using a piece of patterned paper or fabric, you can attach it to the tin with glue, or not. :) I really like this particular pattern of fabric paper because it already looks like a designed scrapbook page with zero work by me!


3. Put the tin piece back in the frame, paper side out. Put the frame backing back in place.


4. Now it's time to make some button magnets. If you're using American Crafts Flair buttons, peel the adhesive off the button and glue on a magnet.




Stick them on your board, add a picture, and you're done!

Fairy Garden

http://sixtyfifthavenue.blogspot.com/2010/05/our-fairy-garden.html




The fairy garden is finally done! It was so easy to put together once I had everything we needed.



I found this plaque the other day and couldn't pass it up...it was perfect for our project.



If you were reading last week, you will remember the bench planter I found at the flea market. I gave it a paint job using rustoleum spray paint (my first time spray painting) and can not believe how fast and easy it was!



I used a piece of hard plastic with small holes for the bottom of the planter and burlap to hold the dirt in.
I planted the groundcover close together because I didn't want a lot of dirt showing since ours would be used to play in. These plants grow fast, so you could space them out and it will fill in just fine.



Once everything was in place, I gave the burlap a trim to even it out and make a little skirt.






As you can see, the fairy garden is a dinosaur garden right now.



I'm sure that will change from week to week.



We are having so much fun playing together in this magical place....



Here is a list of the plants I used...
Creeping wirevine for the side of the trellis
Veronica reptans Sunshine
Irish Moss
Spicy Orange Thyme
Dwarf Curry
Succulents for the little urns
And the little flowers are Alyssum

I found a place that sells accessories here and some garden centers have them...have fun!

Fabric Rack

http://happybabydesigns.blogspot.com/2010/05/fabric-rack.html







I've been trying to think of ways to organize my crafts so they can be put away when we need the room to function as a dining room. However, I also want to be inspired in this room at the same time.

I picked up this little jewel at a thrift store the other day for about $3. You may even have one laying around your house. It's a wooden CD rack that has been painted black. You may be asking yourself, "how in the world are you going to use that in a craft room?". Just wait, I promise you're going to be blown away!

First, I painted it this fun apple green color (which is also the color I painted our bedroom since I'm also doing a makeover in there...stay tuned for that before and after!). I did prime it first since it was black and I had to paint 2 coats of the green.


I only painted one coat on the sides, because...


I Mod Podged some super cute paper on the sides.


The bird paper wasn't big enough to cover the entire side, but instead of trying to match another piece up to the first, I decided to use this coordinating striped paper. I really love the look of it and I think it adds such a fun detail, I'm glad the bird paper wasn't big enough!

Still wondering how I used this (now cute) CD rack? Check it out...


As a fabric rack! I absolutely LOVE how it turned out!


Obviously all of my fabric is not going to fit on this little rack, but I'm using it more to display some of my favorites.


I just love to look at all of these beautiful fabrics and it really is inspirational! It's so nice to SEE all of my beautiful fabrics rather than have them folded up in a drawer or cabinet. It will also be useful for hanging fabrics that I'm currently using on a project.

Do you love it as much as I do? I think this is a great way to kick off my Craft Room Makeover! Stay tuned for more projects!

Hanging Herb Garden

http://www.bystephanielynn.com/2010/05/hanging-coffee-cup-herb-garden.html


I don't know why blogger is making it so difficult copying pictures, crafts are easier if you can see pics. Ugh, I'll just try to be patient.

Hanging Coffee Cup Herb Garden







I have always wanted a little herb garden within easy reach for some fresh herbs when cooking. I've tried the kitchen window sill method but the plants never seem to make it due to not getting enough light. I decided this year to create a little hanging garden that I can hang outdoors ensuring the 'right' conditions and still have fresh cuttings to use within an arm reach.


I began by finding four enamel coated metal coffee cups that were perfect to withstand the outdoor elements. {you know, the ones that are normally used as camping cookware}

Using a hand drill, I drilled holes right above the handles that will be used for hanging the cups.





Each cup received a coat of spray primer and a light sanding to the edges as I wanted the final product to have a distressed finish. Using the hand drill again, I then drilled a few holes into the bottom of each cup to help with water drainage.





For a colorful fun, whimsical look, each pot then received a final coat of spray paint. The colors used were Rustoleum Harbor Blue, Krylon Gloss Celery, Krylon Bright Idea, and Krylon Satin Ivory. Once dry the edges were sanded once again.

I then planted four of my favorite fresh herbs into each cup; Sage, Thyme, Dill and Parsley. Tiny pebbles were place in the very bottom before planting to help with drainage and prevent root damage.

For markers, I took apart two wooden clothespins leaving me with four 'stakes'. Each received a coat of ivory spray paint and the edges were sanded. Using some scrapbooking mini alphabet stamps, the names of each herb were stamped using black ink.

Twine was then tied to each up {using the pre-drill holes} to hang at cascading levels.






A metal key ring was used for the hanger in which each piece of twine was looped on.

I just adore my new little hanging herb garden!

So far these plants are thriving in their new home. I like having the option to quickly move them to a new spot though, if for some reason I see them starting to fail.

As an added plus I'm lovin’ the fun whimsical colors it brings to my outdoor space too! Enjoy!

Washtub Planter

http://brownpaper--packages.blogspot.com/






{washtub planter}



I love this old washtub. I love it in the fall especially, full of pumpkins, and stacked with cornstalks on my front porch. But I loved it so much, that I wanted to be able to use it year round.

So, I poked a few holes in the bottom for drainage, filled it with potting soil and flowers, and then made a cute chalkboard sign on the front. It's perfect for my back porch! When fall comes around again, the chalkboard will look darling with "pumpkins" written on the front.

Washtub Planter

ITEMS YOU NEED:
metal washtub--old, or new
painters tape
chalkboard spray paint
DIRECTIONS:

1. If you are using an old washtub, wipe off the outside of the tub well, and let dry.



2. Using the painters tape, mark off the size of chalkboard that you would like.








3. Following the directions on the can, apply the chalkboard paint. I applied two coats, 20 minutes apart, then let sit for 24 hours.





4. Peel off the tape. You can now write on the chalkboard.

5. Plant your flowers, and enjoy!