Tag: DIY Craft

DIY – Halloween Decor

October 11, 2018 3:00 AM October 11, 2018

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As the seasons change one of my favorite things to do is decorate the house. In February of 2017, we moved into our home and I have worked hard to…

As the seasons change one of my favorite things to do is decorate the house. In February of 2017, we moved into our home and I have worked hard to be very picky when it comes to home decor. I really want to love the pieces we add, even if it takes time. As I pulled out the Fall/Halloween boxes this year I realized that there was an empty spot on our fireplace. Determined to find a fun item to put there I got to brainstorming – and that is how we ended up here. Time for a fun DIY – Halloween Decor project, Wooden Pumpkins!

One of my favorite stores is the Home Depot, during a recent trip I dug through the cull lumber (scrap/damaged/warped woodpile). In the cull lumber, I was able to find some 2×10 and 2×12, because cull lumber is not suited for building it is usually for sale at a deep discount. For my particular items, they were discounted 70%!

Once I decided on my plan to make wood pumpkins I had Aaron assist me in cutting down the wood.

I cut the wood into three different sizes:

Large Pumpkin: 12 x 16
Medium Ghost: 10 x 12
Small Pumpkin: 10X 12

After cutting each piece I sanded the fronts, sides and edges using 60 grit sandpaper. This cleans up the wood, cleans up the cuts and removes the markings from the factory/store.

**Be sure to sand out any paint or stamp completely before moving on. The stamp will bleed through the paint.

I used craft paint from Michales, foam brushes and paper plates. For my pumpkin colors, I mixed different combinations of orange, brown and yellow.

Once they were painted and dry it was time to move on to adding faces. Normally I would have just free handed the faces, I believe that would be just as great. But I ended up making multiple sets so I chose to make a stencil. To make the stencil I used Stencil Blanks I found at Michaels (see above).

Print out pictures of the faces you like.
Place them under the Stencil Blank and trace with a Sharpie.
Using a wood burner/soldering iron, cut out the design. (You can also use an Exacto knife.)
Pop out inside pieces and blue tape into position on your piece.
Using a foam brush fill in the stencil area, being careful not to get too much paint around the edges.
As soon as the design is painted remove the stencil.

See traced design on the Stencil Blank.

See Soldering Iron, cutting out design.

See final design placed on painted wood.

Use blue tape to lightly position stencil.

Allow drying for 24 hours before stacking.

I chose to paint the backs of the pumpkins so I can use them as fall decor in addition to Halloween decor! I love dual-purpose or reversible decorations!

I do plan on adding a stem to each one, but I ran out of time. Perhaps a piece of wood or maybe even some rusty re-bar. 🤔 I love anything rusty!

Thanks for stopping by, if you try these out let me know!

Also, in making this blog I did make multiple sets.

Love the idea, but not a DIY-er? Email/DM me for details on purchasing a set!

Will ship in the US.

xo,

Carolyn

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Back to School – FREE Printables

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August 16, 2018 3:00 AM August 16, 2018

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It is that time of the year again – school is back in session! Whether you are excited for the peace and quiet or nervous for the life changes ahead this…

It is that time of the year again – school is back in session! Whether you are excited for the peace and quiet or nervous for the life changes ahead this time of the year can be very busy and downright stressful. Between school supplies, new clothes, doctors visits and paperwork the last thing on many of our minds is the obligatory first-day picture.

To help take one thing off your list this year I have created two free downloads! In each download, you will find signs for all grade levels stretching from Day School to 12th grade. Click on the icon below, download the link and then print the page that works for your child. Voyla! One less thing. 🙌🏼

Download Now!

As we move into the fall and get the ball rolling on this school year let us all work to relax about the small things, be present at every opportunity and embrace our kiddos at every juncture. They grow up way too fast to sweat the small stuff.

Cheers to a successful 2018 – 2019 school year!

xo,

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Dollar Store Hack – Fingernail Polish Marbled Coffee Mug

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August 9, 2018 3:00 AM August 9, 2018

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Homemade gifts and personalized items are always on my preferred list and these Marbled Coffee Mugs check all the boxes. I am always on the hunt for the quick and…

Homemade gifts and personalized items are always on my preferred list and these Marbled Coffee Mugs check all the boxes. I am always on the hunt for the quick and fun DIY that is also easy on my pocketbook. This project comes almost entirely from the Dollar Tree with supplies totaling $ 11.00. This week my daughter, her bestie and I played with the marbling technique to create one of a kind coffee mugs.

Supplies

Before you get started you’ll need to gather the following supplies:

Coffee Mugs
Nail Polish (2-3 colors per mug)
Containers for dipping
Warm Water
Clear Gloss Sealer (find one here from Amazon or pick one up at your local Michaels – remember to use the coupon!)

Our local Dollar Tree did not have any plain white mugs so we chose to use these fun accent mugs!

First, fill each container with warm water. Next, dribble the fingernail polish around the water. After trial and error, we found that less polish worked the best during application. Once your design is ready dip your cup into the water, rolling it through the paint. Work to not double back in the paint. Although, if you do we found it easy to manipulate the paint directly after application. Once it dried it was not as easy.

Sealant

Once your paint is applied, let stand on a paper towel and allow to fully dry (at least a day). Once dried I used fingernail polish remover on a Q-tip to remove paint from unwanted areas, i.e. inside the rim, on the bottom or stray marks throughout. Next, I applied the Gloss Sealer to the painted area (only) using a foam brush. It is important to not apply the sealer where you will put your mouth. Also please note that these mugs are not dishwasher safe – please handwash for best results.

Have you ever tried this dipping technique? I’d love to hear your tips and tricks.

xo,

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Make Your Own Personalized Farmhouse Sign

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May 17, 2018 3:00 AM May 17, 2018

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Looking for a fun farmhouse sign to jazz up your existing decor? This fun personalized farmhouse sign is the perfect addition. Whether you make it for yourself or as a gift for…

Looking for a fun farmhouse sign to jazz up your existing decor? This fun personalized farmhouse sign is the perfect addition. Whether you make it for yourself or as a gift for someone else, your hard work and attention to detail will not go unnoticed!

Shopping List

Wood Sign
Wooden Embroidery Hoop
Sharpie Paint Pen – Water-Based (Blue ring at base, NOT pink)
Floral

I was able to pick up all of the needed supplies at my local Michaels. With their already awesome sale prices and my additional 30% off coupon in the App, I was able to pull off this fun project for less than $ 30.00. 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼 I really love Michaels new Personalize It shop! Such a fun area to wander around and get inspired! Check out some of their fun projects here.

Step 1

Before you begin you want to take a moment to space plan your space. Depending on your particular sign and size hoop you will want to space accordingly to give you plenty of space for your name. Once I decided where the bottom of my hoop would fall I marked it with a pencil. Using this as my max height I then lined out my space using this awesome tutorial by Amy Latta Creations, read it here. After lightly drawing my ascender, cap height, x-height, baseline and descender lines I found the center of my total area. Then it was time to decide on what to write. With the amount of usable space I had, I opted for “The Bidwells” as opposed to “The Bidwell Family”. This is a change you could make if your sign was bigger or your last name was shorter. Using your pencil lightly do your lettering. Also lightly letter the “est 2013” within your hoop.

Step 2

Once your layout is complete and your lettering is penciled in, begin by tracing the downward strokes with your Sharpie Paint Pen. In faux calligraphy, the downward strokes are always the thicker lines. Take this time to get used to your pen (the thin lines are less forgiving).

After you are happy with your downstrokes, begin connecting your letters with a single stroke, take your time! This is where the real magic happens!

Step 3

It’s time to prepare your hoop. Because my house is filled with darker woods I chose to spray paint the natural wood with Rust-Oleum Satin Coastal Gray. This step is optional.

Once it was dry I began to play with the placement of my greenery. Using my hot glue gun I secured the hoop to my sign as well as the greenery to the hoop. After letting the glue set for a couple of hours it was ready to hang. So excited with how it came out!

Any questions let me know. If you choose to create this personalized farmhouse sign tag me in the photo – I’d love to see! (@handrafted).

Carolyn

Love this design but not up for creating your own? This post was inspired by the lovely Brooke of Faith & Timber – click here for their Etsy shop!

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Beginner DIY Macrame Floating Shelf

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May 3, 2018 3:00 AM May 3, 2018

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In our home it seems like there are never enough horizontal surfaces for new plants to call home. 🤗 So naturally the next step is floating shelves. Conveniently enough, this…

In our home it seems like there are never enough horizontal surfaces for new plants to call home. 🤗 So naturally the next step is floating shelves. Conveniently enough, this also helps with keeping our family kitty 🐱 out of the new growth! (#winning). This shelf took less than an hour and came out surprisingly great! Perfect for Adreena’s boho/mountain themed bedroom.

Things You Will Need

Rope/Cord/Plastic Clothesline (that I picked up at the Dollar Store 🙌)
Sharp Scissors
A Piece of Wood (Check out this one at Home Depot or these from Amazon)

Measuring

This is very scientific… just kidding. You will need six pieces total. Measure by using your arms length. Four of the pieces will be two arms length and two will be three arms length. No need to be super specific, I trimmed the ends to be even at the very end.

Macrame Knots

Before getting started I highly recommend watching this video Chelsea is awesome at explaining the basic knots of macrame! She is so cute and takes the time to show them nice and slow!

For this piece we’ll be using the following knots:

Gathering Knots
Left Square Knots
Left & Right Square Knots

Working the Rope

To begin find the middle of the ropes, loop these around. (Optional: Loop the ropes through a metal ring for easy hanging). Cut another piece of rope (about 3/4 of one arms length). Use this piece to tie your first gathering knot. Next you will pull out two of the long pieces (I chose the two that seemed to be on opposite sides). Using only these two pieces begin working the rope in repeating left square knots. Naturally the piece will begin to spiral as you apply more knots. I used about 20 knots to achieve my desired look, this quantity is really up to you. Once you find a stopping point we will move down the ropes. You’ll need to split your core into three groups of four (working ropes that are closest to each other). Move 4-5″ down from your spiral and place a left and right square knot on each of the three groups. Work to keep these three knots as even as possible. Once complete you will move down another 5-6″. For this level of knots you want to take two ropes from one group and two from the neighboring group. Again place a left and right square knot. From here you can decide if you want to do another level of square knots or if you are read to place your shelf. I was happy with the length at this point so chose to finish off. Carefully place your piece of wood inside the rope sections, collecting them underneath. Decide where you want your shelf to sit and mark the rope. Remove the piece of wood and cut another piece of rope (about 3/4 of one arms length). Use this piece at the level you marked to place a gathering knot. Once tied off you are ready to place your shelf. Spread the ropes out along the perimeter and level out the shelf while hanging.

Voila! There you have a DIY Floating Shelf featuring some beginner macrame! If you wanted you could also skip the macrame all together and use twisted or braided ropes. That would be even easier!

Now my husband can’t limit my plant purchases based on counter space. 😜 #loophole

If you have any questions let me know, happy DIYing!

xo,

Carolyn

This pattern came from the lovely @crafty_ginger! Check out her awesome ideas! 👏

Disclosure: Please note that some of the links in this post are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a small commission.

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Looking for the Perfect DIY Wedding Gift?

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January 18, 2018 11:30 PM January 18, 2018

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As a gift giver I like to focus on handmade items that serve a purpose. I’ve tried many different gift options but this one in particular was pretty fun and…

As a gift giver I like to focus on handmade items that serve a purpose. I’ve tried many different gift options but this one in particular was pretty fun and came out beautifully.

Wood burning is a really fun technique that makes for the perfect DIY wedding gift.

When deciding on this particular gift not only did I want something functional for the bride and groom, but I also wanted something that would fit nicely in my duffel bag (cause who has time for baggage fees 💁🏻). With the materials I had on hand I decided on a custom key hanger.

Pick Your Wood

Now I had a few pieces of curly walnut in my craft pile, but if you don’t have a trust wood pile I recommend Wood Craft stores. They have a huge variety of wood types and colors! I tend to gravitate toward the scrap pieces that are much more affordable and user friendly for small project such as thing one. (Find a store near you by clicking here Also – join their mailing list for additional discounts!) From my selection I choose I nice rectangular piece that would make a statement. To prep the wood I sanded each side and edges with 80 grit sandpaper (be sure to sand in a well ventilated area with safety glasses and a respiratory mask😷). After the wood is even and smooth hit it again with 120 – 220 grit sand paper to get a nice smooth finish.

Create Your Design

Once my wood was prepped it was time to work on my overall design – for most of my designs I tend to use the text box feature in Microsoft Word. This is not the most scientific way to do it – but it works, and this project doesn’t need a whole lot of science. Pick your statement, font and size. **Not finding a font the fits your vision? I am a font junkie and absolutely love 1001freefonts.com. (Warning – it can be very addicting ) For more on how to download and install new FREE fonts check out this blog post. Once you have finalized a design, flip the image – THIS IS CRITICAL! Most of the time I find it easiest to use the Snip It tool to cut out the design, then I paste it to a Word document and flip the image using the Picture Tools.

Once your image is flipped and sized we need to prepare the wax paper. There are a lot of tutorials on how to print on wax paper. The method I prefer is to fold a piece of wax paper around a heavy weight paper and secure with tape. Once secured you feed the wax covered paper through your inkjet printer. After printing cut the wax paper away from the cardstock, flip the design (wet ink against the wood) and place on your wood. Rub the design on to the wood using your fingers – being careful not to adjust the placement. Remove the wax paper and the design will be left on the wood for you to trace.

Begin Wood Burning

Next is the fun part! Find yourself a comfy chair in a well lit room with a TV tray or work table. For wood burning I chose this wood burner on Amazon.com. I decided on this one for the range of heat settings and on/off switch. After having it for a while I have really enjoyed the variety of tips (although, in all honesty I use about three for most projects).

Once you’re all set up and your wood burner is hot begin tracing your design, shading in the areas with ink. This can be time consuming the more intricate your design – keep this in mind when choosing your phrase and font.

If you make a mistake – never fear! First, I like to think that handmade items should be perfectly imperfect. Next wood burning is pretty forgiving; your first option to cover your mistake is by making the line thicker to accommodate the mistake. If the mistake is not that easy to cover there is always the option to sand down and start over.

Seal & Finish

After your design is completely burned it is time to seal the wood. To seal my curly walnut I chose a satin finish as to keep the wood grain light (so the burning would be more prominent). The number of coats is all based on personal preference (and time). I tend to be a procrastinator, and sealing takes time – so one coat will do the trick. If your item will be exposed to weather or extreme conditions additional coats will be needed.

After your wood is cured it is time to measure out the hook placement. I picked up these hooks from Home Depot (the ones I purchased were brass – so I spray painted them for the desired look). I had the hubby measure out and pre-drill the holes so the hooks would go in straight and easy.

Last step is deciding how you want to mount the sign. I opted for two holes drilled with a router and key hole bit for a flush mount but using hardware from any picture hanging kit would work as well.

I was able to pack the key hanger in the bottom of my duffel with no consequence. Upon arrival I stopped by a supermarket to grab some gift wrap. Voilà – The Perfect DIY Wedding Gift!

If you have any questions please leave them below – and if you give it a try let me know, I’d love to see your handy work!

Carolyn

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