Spring Has Sprung!

Spring has Sprung!

Well,....sorta. At least it pretty much stopped snowing for us. Now its just rain....at least it will melt all the snow and make everything green! We have grass but nothing is really green yet.

I am SOOO ready for nice weather!

What about you?!

Anywho...

Here are a couple projects I recently made.

I can't take credit for these ideas....I found them out in blogland.

First thing:

I made this springy colored table runner.

I got the idea from here:

Allie Belle Designs

The idea is to make a shortcut to a patchwork table runner.

It involved gluing your squares down with regular white glue (like elmers)...then sewing over it and throwing it in the wash. It gives you a really ragged runner. I washed mine once and its frayed up some. The more I wash it, the more frayed it will get.

The other project I did are these cute FLOWERS!

Got the idea from Homemade Ginger.

Cute huh?

Its styrofoam balls with Q-tips sticking out of it.
The only thing I did differently is use watered down paint instead of food coloring to color the Q-tips. These were pretty simple to whip up.

 I think both projects go well together. Very SPRINGY!

I am ready for color.

 

Linking to these Parties:

Signs...SIGNS...everywhere!

I was in the mood to make something and wasn't at the same time.

I also didn't feel like doing something complicated...I go back and forth.

Know what I mean?

Do you guys do that too??

When I finally decided on something to make...after probably FOREVER of just looking at things on my laptop. I decided I wanted a couple new signs.

First one.

I wanted a sign to go with our "Art Gallery" in our apartment. Its what everyone calls it....so...I thought it needed a sign to make it more....official...and cool. =D

So...simple sign.

Painted it black....cut white vinyl from my Cricut (the best invention everrrrr).

Sanded the edges and added hangy thingys on the back.

I think it looks pretty neato.

Check it out!

 

The next sign, I decided to make was this one. I went about this one a little differently.

No vinyl....just a sharpie. Nothing fancy...but its still cute.

When I get tired of it, I can paint over it.

The saying comes from "Big Bang Theory"

Does you guys watch that show?!

Its so FUNNY!

I love Sheldon!

So...this is his little song he likes to have sung to him at bedtime.

Plus.....if anyone knows me....you know I love animals

and especially my kitties!

 

"Soft Kitty, Warm Kitty, Little Ball of Fur.

Happy Kitty, Sleepy Kitty, Purr, Purr, Purr...."

 Oh LOOK!

Its one of my sleepy kitties...Rem!

 Have a great day!

 

Linking to These Parties!

Crafty Get Together!!

So a couple weekends ago...I had a Crafty Get Together!

I have had a few people ask me recently to get together and

work on crafts projects. 

So to (sorta) make it easier, I thought I would have one day...

and everyone over at the same time.

So I did a little blog-land research looking for ideas on how to do this.

There isnt a whole lot out there!

So I kind of winged it...and I think it turned out not too bad.

So here is an explaination of what I did and all that crap. =)

 First I decided to pick a couple projects that people could choose to do. I also put a price to each project, because I went and picked up all the supplies, and the price would reimburse me for the supplies.

I also made my version of the projects before hand...so I had them as examples in person and that way I wouldn't be busy working on a project and could help people.

So here are my projects:

 

Project #1: Baby Food Jar Tea Lights $3-4

This is my version.

I got the idea from here and instructions from here:

Prudent Baby

 

Project #2: Wooden Sign with Vinyl $6

This is my version.

I didn't get the idea from one place....

I used my Cricut to cut the vinyl saying and stuck it on a painted piece of pre-cut wood from Lowes.

 I had about 9 girls here, 10 including me.

I have a big living room/kitchen area, but only so many tables to work on.

I had no idea how it would go....so everything was kind of

trial and error to see what works, and what doesn't.

The one thing that I probably should of done differently....was that I had to cut everyones sayings on my Cricut from vinyl, and it took FOREVER! I didn't really get a chance to help with much else or mingle or whatever....but thats OKAY! Because...how was I suppose to realize that. So...my thought for next time I need to do something like that, maybe get everyones sayings ahead and work on cutting at least some of them ahead of time.

The only thing....is some people didn't know what they wanted to write on them right away and they needed to look at my cartridges and get an idea of what font they wanted and anything else. So....maybe I couldnt of avoided it. Owell.

AND because its winter....we had a crazy storm that day, so some people had to hurry and leave early, so some people finished the projects at home.

I think all in all....everyone still enjoyed it!

Let me tell you, I sure was tired by the end of the night!

 

Here is some Food!

Couple recipes I used:

Taco Dip

Fruit Dip (a pack of cream cheese mixed with a small jar of Marshmallow Fluff, mmmmm)

Here are some photos....I didn't get photos of everything...SORRY!

My niece actually went around taking photos for me.

And I also tried not to post photos with the girls in them....just so no one would come after me! haha...

 

 Painted Wood drying.....

 

 Here are someones Tea Lights! I like the Rhinestone!

 

Some more tea lights! I love the colors and the rosettes!

 

The little Black & Decker Laser Picture Hanger Thingy....was really handy!

 

Paints, buttons and scissors....OH MY!

 

Only SOME of the signs that were made:

Good Food

Good Friends

Good Times

  

I'm not spoiled

people are just really accommodating

 

Don't tell me the sky is the limit,

when there are footprints on the moon...

 

You're such a good hunter....

you caught me didn't you?...

 

Hot Ham

(Play on the last name Hotham)

 

http://www.r-jay.com

(My 12 year old nephew was over near the end, and he wanted to make one, and he came up with his own website address...it is NOT real, just for fun)

 

Sue's Place

(she likes turtles, which that one I hand cut, at the time I didn't have one on a cartridge)

 

Stephen's Room

 

Little Party Favors

 

Flower Pins

 

Chapstick Keychain Holder

(Which I learned how to make here)

So what do you think?!

Will anyone plan something like this??

I will def. do it AGAIN!

 

Parties I am linking to:

My Headboard!

Looky, looky!

I made a headboard for my new King sized bed!!

I have been wanted a headboard foreverrrr! There isn't much choices around here in the very few furniture stores that we have.

So I stumbled across this tutorial for a headboard, 

at Don't Disturb This Groove.

Check it out!

(Sorry I haven't posted for a while...I know, I know...I say this all the time,

but I have been so busy with work) 

So here are a couple photos of my headboard. I'll explain what I did below.

(Excuse my non-matching pillows. Most of my bedroom is hand-me-downs and miss-matched) 

 

I pretty much did the same thing as the tutorial, except a few minor differences.

I went to Lowes the other day with the my bed measurements and looked and looked and looked....and well, looked some more. 

Finally I settled on a piece of wood that was 6 feet long, and about 2 feet-ish wide for about $14-15.

(I don't remember exactly off the top of my head).

I used a piece of wood because I didnt have any cardboard big enough.

I kind of wish I used cardboard or thinner wood, because this piece made it heavy...but its still standing, so it must be okay!

 I also walked up and down the molding aisle....over and over.

I was kind of looking for something close to 2 inches wide...so I could add an extra 2 inches on all sides.

I finally found a 5 pack of 7 foot molding that was 2 inches wide and primed white...for like...$12!! Shyeaaah!

I bought some liquid nails and the caulking gun thingy.

Then while I was at Walmart, I noticed in the paint section, they had little bottle samples of Glidden paint! For like...$2 something! Saaaaweeeeet!

So I bought a bottle in Bittersweet Chocolate. I wanted something in brown...so it can just match with whatever. Then I looked around for fabric with my mom, and couldn't find anything I really wanted.

So I decided to stick with a fabric I had a lot of at home already...

I didnt really want a pattern...or funky colors...I wanted something kind of neutral that will match with a lot of things. So the fabric I used is sort of like canvas and its a taupe-olive color. It goes well with everything!

Then I followed the tutorial. Since my headboard wasn't as high as Don't Disturb This Grooves was, I added molding all the way around. My husband helped me some. I couldnt do anything too fancy, since, again.....I am in an apartment with no access to a garage or workbench or even a little outside area (plus its winter). So we cut the molding by hand in my kitchen/living room-room....since its one big huge room.

I put a little batting on my big piece of wood and then covered it in fabric and stapled it on the back. Pretty simple.

(I still think its needs a little something something...maybe some furniture tacks or something to add more decoration to it, hmmm.....)

The gluing process was tricky. Very very tricky. Clamps work good to hold the corners of the molding together while it dries. And be prepared to sit on the floor and hold the rest of the molding in place for a bit. Then find all kinds of heavy things in the house to put on top of it and hold things in place.

I let it sit overnight. I wasn't able to work on it the next day, since I had to work, but I worked on it the day after. I needed more stability on the back....so I glued some foam board all over the back. 

Then I painted all the molding with my paint sample. I did 3 quick coats and still had a tiny bit left in the bottle! WOW!

Then when it was all dry, I brought it into my bedroom and propped it against the wall behind my bed, and pushed my bed into it. Thats it.

Thats IT! thats it...crazy huh?

It wasn't that hard at all.

Would of been a little easier if I had a miter box and put foam board on the back from the beginning and used clamps from the beginning to hold things, instead of listening to my husband say nooo...we need to sit here and hold this in place. haha.

But ya....not too shabby.

It ended up costing just under $30 with everything I picked up!

So that was my latest project.

What until you see what I have in store to post next week.

Just you wait!

 

Parties that I am linking to: