Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Let It Snow Table Runner

For Christmas this year, I made my grandma and mother-in-law a table runner. Since they turned out so adorable, I think I need one for myself...


Supplies:
-(2) burlap pieces cut to 16" x 48"
-white 1/2" pom pom trim
-white paint
-stencil

First thing you want to do is stencil on with white paint your design onto the burlap.

Steps Not Pictured:
1. Sew white pom pom trim onto the two ends of one of the pieces of burlap.
2. With right sides together, sew the front and back together. Leave a hole at the bottom so you can turn it right side out.
3. Iron the table runner so it lays flat.
4. Sew a cute stitch around the runner. This will close up the hole. I used the edge of the foot as my guide.

Display for all to see.

Reversible Table Runner:


I tweaked the second Let It Snow table runner's design. I glued some snowflake gems to the snowflakes and instead of leaving the back blank, I made a Valentine's Day side. I also zig-zagged the edges together so the burlap won't unravel. I used white thread on top and red thread on the bottom.

Close-ups:


On another note, I was contracted by relatives to make a couple of things. They turned out cute, so I thought I would share...
A large ruler

A picture holder

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Wood Snowflake Tutorial

I completed another Pinterest project that I have been meaning to make for a while... a wood snowflake for my front door. I used THIS tutorial for my inspiration.



Supplies:
- (2) 3"x 6ft cedar fence slats
- (4) 48" lathe slats
- brad nailer
- staple gun & staples
- wire cutters
- wood glue
- white paint
- painting supplies
- sander

Cut List:
- 3" cedar fence slat cut in half (lengthwise)
- Cut (2) 29" pieces
- Cut (2) 13.75" pieces
- 3 lathe slats cut to 24"
- 6 triangles
- cut lathe slats into 5" lengths (you need 12) then miter the ends

Since I didn't want the snowflake fat and bulky in the middle, I mitered the 13.75" pieces to fit against the 29" cedar board. I put wood glue on the ends then stapled the pieces together.

Keep in mind that your nails will be longer than the wood thickness, so you may have to use your wire cutters and cut the nail ends off during the whole project.

Next, I nailed & glued another 29" slat piece on top of the "X" we just made.

For extra stability, I nailed & glued a smaller lathe piece to the back of the wood pieces.

Here is how the snowflake should look at this point.

Next, I nailed & glued the 3 lathe pieces in place. Like so...

On those lathe pieces, I glued and nailed the wood triangles to the ends. Like so...

Next, I nailed & glued the mitered lathe pieces to make a "v" on the end on each cedar (29") pieces.

Paint...

Distress...

Display!



A whole front porch shot...

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

What To Do With Extra Munchkin Pumpkins

I got A LOT of munchkin pumpkins from my garden this year. More than I could ever use. So I put together a little gift for my Visiting Teaching ladies.

My mom told me about this cute poem a few weeks ago that I thought would make a great handout with these little pumpkins.

People Are Like Halloween Pumpkins

A pumpkin is ready to harvest
when the vine begins to die back and
the pumpkin has reached a good color.
It is then cut from the vine with a sharp
knife, taken inside and washed to remove
all the dirt. The pumpkin is now ready
to be carved into a wonderful Halloween
masterpiece.

Like a pumpkin is harvested, God
lifts us up, takes us in and washes off
all the dirt. He opens us up, reaches deep
inside and scoops out all the yucky stuff,
including the seeds of doubt, the pulp of
hate and the slime of greed. Then He carves
us a new smiling face and puts his light
inside of us to shine for all the world to
see.

The supplies...

I put three pumpkins in a small treat bag.

Then I tied a ribbon around the bag and attached the poem.

It turned out really cute!

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Stump Pumpkins

A few years ago, my sister saw at a local business, pumpkins made out of tree stumps. She took a picture and filed the project away. Last year, her neighbor cut down a tree and my sister inherited the stumps. This year, we finally got around to making our very own stump pumpkins.

First thing you want to do is get the bark off each stump. I didn't get a picture of this step. Then, with an angle-grinder sand each stump until smooth.
Like so...
At Home Depot, have the paint department tint some water based stain. We used a Glidden color called "Glowing Firelight"
Paint the stain on each pumpkin. You may want to do a couple of coats.
Let the pumpkins dry.
Next, cut a piece of tree branch to make a stem and glue or nail it onto each stump.
Display for all to see!
My sister has her porch decorated all cute like. Me, not so much....

Friday, September 19, 2014

Simple Treasures Craft Boutique

As I did last year, I contributed some of my items for a photoshoot for a local magazine.

Here are some photos of my booth for this year's Fall Simple Treasures Boutique...

Go HERE read how we made the PVC booth frame.

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Halloween Countdown

One day, while I was searching the internet for a cute Halloween Countdown idea, I came across this PIN, and loved it, so I went to Photoshop and made my own. After I designed it, I sent the file off to Staples to have an engineer print printed. For a 18"x 24" print I paid $1.80!

After Matt cut a piece of MDF backerboard, I painted the sides with black acrylic paint.
Now, take the engineer print, trim the white margins off, and cover the front with a piece of Contact adhesive paper. I found a 1.5 yard roll of this at Dollar Tree for $1! If you cover it with Contact paper, it will make the Countdown reusable.
Next, spray the MDF backerboard with spray adhesive and carefully lay the engineer print on top and smooth it down until all bubbles are gone.
Now, take a 1/2" drill bit and drill two holes at the top of the board.
I cut a 40" long x 2" wide piece of burlap and zig-zagged the edges with black thread, then tied it to the countdown board.
Next, I cut 31 circles on orange card-stock with my Silhouette. I found some cute foam Halloween Stamps at Hobby Lobby, so I used the pumpkin stamp and stamped the front of each circle.
Here is a picture of the Countdown without any days marked off.
I attached the pumpkin circles with a 1" piece of Washi Tape. I bought my Washi Tape from Oriental Trading. You get (6) 16 yard rolls for $5!
I love it! I am selling them in my Simple Treasures Boutique booth this week.

You can make your own by purchasing the digital file from my Etsy Shop HERE for $5!