Toomey A Favor: Hand Painted Sign

My friend Danielle can't draw.  I tell you this because, while she can't physically draw anything herself, it doesn't stop her from needing things drawn constantly.  Get Well signs, Birthday cards, kitchen placards...you name it.  And most of the time, when she needs one of these graduation/bar mitzvah/baby shower signs made she comes to me and says, "hey Mandee, do me a favor?" and after hearing that phrase over and over ad naseaum, she earned herself the nickname "Toomey a favor".  (Her last name being, of course, Toomey...in case you didn't get that.)

Her most recent request to "Toomey a Favor" was one of my favorite projects of the Summer so far.  Her family has a little lake house with a dock that needed replacing and when the old dock was torn up, Danielle, never one to miss out on a project, saved some of the weathered chunks of it and brought them to me.   And they are awesome!

  

They are perfect and raw and full of stories never told.  I wanted to keep the integrity of the wood but make it more weather-resistant so I whitewashed the front planks and secured them together with some twine to add to the just-off-the-boat, nautical look of it.   Then I painted a gigantic anchor on it, symbolizing the Toomey family's anchoring down and establishing roots, their name & wedding date and I'm really happy with the results. 

Now I just need to figure out the perfect thing to paint on my section of the dock.  Maybe something in a giant serpent lady with wings and an American flag halter top?  You know, something classy.  Ideas welcomed.  

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...CRAFTING!

It snowed the other morning.

For me that means it's Christmas time.

So even though it only snowed for 3 minutes and it was mixed with rain and none of it stuck to the ground...it still snowed. And now it's Christmas time!!!

More specifically, it's Christmas CRAFTING time!!  Here are some of my favorite Christmas crafts from years past to keep you busy while I stretch out my glitter coating, wreath making, snowflake cutting muscles. It's important to ease into these things lest you pull something and have to sit out the rest of the season.

 

           D.I.Y. FIREPLACE         UGLY CHRISTMAS SWEATER

UPCYCLED CATALOG CHRISTMAS TREE

KID-FRIENDLY DIY SNOWGLOBES

I'd love to see any projects you make following my tutorials or any projects you've made on your own!  

Merry Christmas Crafting season!!

Geometrical Block Printed Planter Makeover

I made this beautiful block printed planter first thing this planting season and then forgot to share it.  This essentially means it never happened at all and all of my priming and painting and sponge cutting was for not.  So I'm posting it now, just in time for the end of planting season.  Luckily, I think it's going to look just as lovely stuffed full of Mums and tall grasses as it looked chock full of petunias.  

And the best part of this project?  It  was completely free!

It was super easy (and free!) and would make a great weekend project.  

It took me about 4 hours start-to-finish including the time it took the paint to dry.  

Here's how I made it...for FREE!  (Did I mention this project didn't cost me anything?)

1. I took an old banged up pot that wasn't being used and gave it a good scrubbin'.
2. Then I sprayed the inside of the pot red with some paint I had on-hand; spray the inside first because there may be some over-spray
3. Then I primed the outside of the pot white and covered the over-spray
4. After that I gave the whole thing a coat of Cream colored paint and let it dry.

Cost so far: $0.00

While the paint was drying I made the stamp.

1. To make the stamp you'll need an old sponge, scissors, a Sharpie & a ruler
2. I used the ruler to measure out a 2" x 2" x 2" triangle
3. and drew it on the sponge with my marker
4. Then I cut along the lines and now I have my stamp...and it's still FREEEEE!

Now you should test your stamp to experiment with how much paint to use, 

how hard to press down on it and to decide on the pattern you're going to use. 

I used a piece of blue painter's tape to create a line to follow while I stamped.  

This helped a little bit but it would be ok without it also.  

I continued to stamp all the way around the planter, 

moving my piece of tape to the next row as the paint dried.

Then I removed the tape and I had a perfectly printed, perfectly d.i.y.'d, 

perfectly FREE brand spankin' new planter!  And, I can't remember if

I told you this or not yet but it didn't cost me a thing!!  

Rit Rooooo!!  (that's a whistle noise)

I'd love to see your pictures if you decide to make one of your own. 

Thanks for stopping by.  Have a wonderful weekend!  

Dresser Makeover: Recreating a $799 dresser for $42

Recently I was approached to recreate a beautiful dresser with a staggering price tag.  The Collage Dresser retails for $799 and I'm sure it's well worth it- the dresser is lovely- but "in this economy" (aka the catch phrase of the 21st century) who can really afford it?  The recipient also wanted a decidedly less "shabby chic" version of the dresser with no distressing or faux wear on the paper.

To make this dresser I started out with my basic supplies.  My client already had an old cheap dresser in her house so we saved money on having to buy one though you can always find cheap dressers on Craigslist if you were looking to do this project.   Cost of project: $0.00

I also had some semi-gloss, oil-based white paint left over from another project and used that to paint the dresser.  It's a good idea to use a gloss or semi-gloss on dressers so that you can wipe them down if necessary.  I did 3 coats of the white with a roller.  So far the cost of this project is still $0.00.  Excellent.

I ordered some vintage wallpaper on Etsy from 2 shops, Vintage Sheet Addict and Threads & Memories, I spent about $16 at each shop and the paper is awesome.  There were so many cool designs it was really hard to decide which ones made the cut.  Cost of project now: $32.

I laid the paper out on the drawers and experimented with placement until it looked right. 

One drawer in particular gave me a considerable amount of trouble.   I got it right on the 3rd attempt. 

I glued the wallpaper in place using Tacky Glue and then smoothed it out using a brayer.  (You can find them both at Michael's, AC Moore, Blick, etc.)  This worked better than Modge Podge because since this is vintage wallpaper that's been rolled up for God knows how long- it didn't lay as well as regular paper would and the corners kept curling up on me.  Because the Tacky Glue is true to it's name and "tacky", it was easier to make the edges stick to the drawer.   

Then I spent $10 on some basic black knobs from the Target General Super Store and my dresser was complete.  Bringing my grand total to $42 and some change.  Not bad considering this project was done as a trade- I got to spend a week at my client's house on Cape Cod in exchange for creating this dresser for her.  I think I got the better end of this bargain.

Thanks for coming by!  I hope you liked my project.  If you did, let me know in the comments below and don't forget to go "like" me on Facebook.   (I told my Mom I was popular...I don't want to disappoint her.)

OMG! OMG! OMG!I'm Featured on Ecka & Pecka!! (no big deal)

Hey dudes.  I got the best email this morning from a sweet little thing named Meream over and Ecka & Pecka telling me they featured one of my projects on their adorable blog!  Huzzah!

And this little boost could not have come at a better time as I am exactly 6 weeks into my maternity leave today and have been wondering how in the world I'm going to fit painting back into my new life of bottle washing and diaper-figuring-outer-ing.  

It's amazing how such a little thing can help make a girl feel re-energized and ready to paint!  Thank you Meream- you dream boat!  

(Maybe I'll even get the paintings I've been promising my very own daughter done now too....baby steps.)

Kids Crafts: My Pet Rock

This is a fun and easy project to entertain kids on a hot Summer's day and, depending on the supplies you have on hand, it could even be free.  

For this project you'll need:

• some rocks
• spray primer (optional)
• acrylic paint
• googley eyes (never optional)
• a couple of kid-friendly paintbrushes
• tacky glue
• some chil'ren

Start out by collecting some rocks.  

This comes as naturally as breathing to my 5-year-old niece so luckily after a day of adventurin' I already had a pocketful of rocks to start with.  If you can't find any "good" rocks, you can always buy some at a craft store.  

Next, using a spray primer lightly coat both sides of the rocks. 

This helps the paint to adhere to the rock's surface and allows bright colors to show up better on darker colored rocks. 

Once the primer is dry (about a 1/2 hour on each side) put some aprons on some kids (some that you know preferrably), put out some paint and let them get creative.  

Encourage the kids to paint monsters with big mouths, stripes, polka dots, animals they like, flowers...anything that gets their imaginations going.  

 
If there are globs of paint on a rock, the googley eyes may be able to stick right to it.  If not just glue 'em on.

Acrylic paint is non-toxic and washable before it's dry.    

And now, if your little people really love you, they might just give you one of the rocks they just painted.  I was lucky enough to have this rock gifted to me.  "She's a girl on this side and a boy on the other"....obviously.

trash to treasure: twine-wrapped planter

I accidentally broke my favorite purple pot (aka my only purple pot) and just couldn't bear to throw it out.  I considered gluing it back together but some of the pieces shattered so there would be holes all over it and the dirt would fall out.  Then I considered smashing it into little pieces and making some sort of mosaic out of it but then I remembered that I don't like mosaics.  (No offense if that's your thing, it's just not for me.)  I also thought about taking a bite out of it like the girls on that TV show but my heart's just not in it.

The only thing left was to fix it and figure out a way to cover the crack and make it super adorable- and I did just that.

Here's how:

For this project you will need the following items:

• a broken pot (or lamp or decorative vase or a little trash can, etc)
• twine
• glue gun/glue sticks
• epoxy

Start off by washing your broken pot in hot soapy water.  **Careful to not burn and/or cut yourself!!**  This will remove any oils or dirt from the pot and make the epoxy hold better.

Next, mix your epoxy and add a generous amount to the break in your pot.  You should wear gloves during this and work in a well ventilated area, this stuff is smelly.   Put your pieces back together.

**You can put globs of the epoxy on since the seam doesn't need to be beautiful because we'll be covering the whole thing with twine.   Smear the extra epoxy around with a toothpick after putting the pieces back together to make a water-tight seal.

Now let your epoxy dry.  Mine says it takes 7 minutes to set.  

 Now you're ready to start wrapping your newly fixed pot in twine.  I turned my pot over and started from the bottom.

 Begin by gluing the end of the twine to your pot and start wrapping, gluing the twine to the pot as you go.  

 I put a dot of hot glue about every 3-5" on the entire pot.  This string's not going  anywhere!!

When you're done wrapping, throw a plant in there and you now have a custom, hand-wrapped planter to wow your friends with.  I'd recommend keeping this pot inside as rain or snow will get the string wet and it could possibly get moldy and gross.  And we wouldn't want that.    

Thanks for reading!

Giving in to Trends: Ombre Paint Chip Art

I spent a good portion of my teenage years rejecting all things trendy and popular.  That habit has stuck with me now into my late 20's (ok, early 30's) whenever I see something adorable on another craft blog and/or everybody's favorite website, Pinterest.  (See, I'm even trying to pretend like I don't totally love Pinterest.)  Instead of happily jumping on the bandwagon and admitting that something is adorable, I dog ear it and come back later, trying not to make eye contact with it and acting like it's not so great. 

Today I decided that it was time for me to make eye contact with paint chip art and I'm glad I did because it was a fun and easy project (not to mention practically free!) that only took about an hour to finish.  

Here's how I did it:

First, go to your favorite paint store and grab some paint chip samples from the big wall of colors (or use different colored construction paper).  I actually felt a little bad about taking so many so I asked the guy behind the counter if it was ok.  He shrugged with complete indifference and I was guilt-free.  

Next, find a small circular object to outline onto the paint chips to utilize as much of the colored area as possible- I used a small roll of tape- and cut out your circles.

Experiment with the layout of your circles until you have 'em just how you want 'em.

Prepare your frame- I got this white matted frame for $5.99 at the Christmas Tree Shop by my house- the frame has some dings in it but I'm writing them off as "shabby chic."

Remove the mat and backing from the frame and outline the opening of the mat directly onto the cardboard backing.

Now, starting and the bottom and beginning with the lightest layer, glue the circles to the cardboard using a glue stick.  The second layer should overlap the first slightly and the circles should become progressively darker towards the top of the cardboard.

You only have to fill in the area inside of the outline we made but be sure to overlap the edges so that none of the backing shows.  

To add a letter, take another paint chip in a coordinating color and draw your letter backwards on the BACKSIDE of it.    

Cut out the letter, glue it into place wherever your little heart desires and presto- you're an artist.

I decided to let some of the lettering from the names of the paint show on my final product.  It gives it extra home-made-i-ness.  

Now you have a personalized gift to give as a new baby or shower present and no-one has to know about the ridiculous internal struggle that it took to make it.   

Happy Friday!

Commuter Crafts: 30-minute Wrapped Earrings

I have almost all of my best ideas while r-u-n-n-i-n-g out of the door to catch the bus to get to work.  (Usually at the exact moment I run out of time to actually do anything about it.)

Last week as I was throwing things in my bag in an effort to leave only 4 minutes after I was supposed to- it hit me, "I should make some custom earrings to wear with this outfit."






Of course!  I'm 4 minutes late leaving to catch the bus that only comes once an hour, I ran out of time to make my lunch and already nixed that, my hair is a mess and I don't think I brushed my teeth but of course- of course there's time for custom earrings.  Why wouldn't there be?

I grabbed some cheap silver hoops from my collection and embroidery floss from a friendship bracelet I was making for a friend and ran out the door to chase after my bus.

Once on the bus (I made it- with seconds to spare I might add) I set up my workspace on my lap and began to wrap the hoops with the embroidery floss.   I chose salmon, beige and black for my colors. 

Tie a knot with all 3 colors on the post side of your hoop (above) and begin wrapping the end of the string with your first color (below).  Keep the floss held taught while wrapping to keep it uniform.  

Switch colors and wrap with each color to create your design.

At the end, quadruple knot the floss, cut as close as possible and you're done!

In about a half an hour you've made some new earrings that you can now wear into work and give the impression that you are a grown-up who wakes early, puts together perfectly matched outfits complete with earrings and who doesn't leave the house cussing at your cat or wrestling with your jacket.    

(No-one has to know what really happened this morning.) 

Why don't you make me?: Three-Tiered Terra Cotta Planter

With limited space in my small city yard every inch counts so each Spring I am faced with a decision: do I want pretty flowers or a functioning vegetable garden?  I envision myself having friends over for dinner and quickly running outside with my schears to an adorable, and lovingly attended to, little vegetable garden- I'd grab fresh herbs for the potatoes, pluck some peppers and lettuce for the salad and maybe bring in some grape tomatoes for my friends to snack on before dinner.  They just love that.  Then, after dinner we'd all get in my spaceship and go visit Unitron, the home of the last living unicorn.  In other words, it's not going to happen.

What did happen however is this- a triple-decker half veggie/half flower tower of compromise.  I'm taking baby steps to becoming the world's best hostess by growing only the greens to my future salads and I still have room for flowers! 

Here's how I did it:

First, I invited Liz over who did everything.  (This was an important step because Liz is wicked good at this stuff and because I have a cast on my right arm up to my elbow right now.) 

Next, we took pots from the pot graveyard on the side of my house and selected 3 in decending sizes.  (These don't have to match perfectly, as you can see.)

Pick a sunny spot in your garden to place the biggest pot- we nestled ours right into this Vinca Minor- and fill with soil until just below the top.


Add a small dowel or bamboo rod into the largest pot and thread themiddle pot onto it burying the pot about an inch into the soil of the largest pot.

Then trim the dowel until about 3-4" is showing to be inserted into the smallest pot.

Now have Liz thread the smallest pot right over the dowel and press into the dirt on the lower level burying it slightly.  Great job Liz!

And finally, you are ready to plant your Garden of Compromise.  Liz and I decided on some green lettuce, purple lettuce, white & purple flowers, 2 small cascading plants and topped the whole thing off with a ponytail fern.

Now we truly can have our garden...and eat it too.

Thanks Liz!! <3 <3 <3

Day 2: Craft Day!

It's Saturday, aka craft day!  I decided to try my hand at the trash-to-trasure example from yesterday:


the recycled bottle cell phone charging station.
















 For this project you'll need the following supplies:

• a bottle destined for the recycle bin
• 1/4 yard of scrap fabric
• mod podge
• X-acto knife
• sandpaper
• outlet cover
• sharpie
• paintbrush

To create this charging station, cut your plastic bottle in half, you're creating a small cup.

Cover this cup with your scrap fabric using your paintbrush and mod podge.  

On the back of the cup, add a long piece of fabric to attach to he outlet cover. (seen below)

 While that dries, cover the outlet cover with the same fabric.  Follow my tutorial here.

Once both pieces are dry, cut the fabric extension into 3 pieces and cut out the middle piece- you'll be left with 2 strips on either side to adhere to the outlet cover.

Place the cover face down on a surface that is level with the cup and mod podge the pieces together, below.

Allow to dry, plug in your phone and you're done!

Day 2: Recycled Crafts for Kids

Teaching kids at a young age what it means to reduce-reuse-and-recycle is always something taught in school but to really drive the point home, it's important to incorporate those things into real life.  Here are a couple of great crafts to do with kids to show them ways to recycle bottles into something fun and  useful.  

Ages 9+: Ashley over at Make-It-&-Love-It made this awesome cell phone caddy out of a lotion bottle.  This craft would be great for older kids, especially those just getting their first cell phones or iPods.

Ages 5+: This awesome bowling set made by CreativeDish would be perfect for kids old enough to wield a glue gun and is a great way to keep 10 bottles out of a landfill!

Ages2+: And finally, check out this "lava lamp" made by Rainbows & Unicorns (great name by the way!) made with a plastic bottle, oil, water, food coloring and complete with sea creatures!  This is a wonderful project for little ones- also consider throwing in some glitter or sequins!

Happy Friday!!!

Day 3: Plastic Bottles in the Garden

It's 3 days 'til Earth Day and 30-days into Spring so today on the 10WAYS/10DAYS countdown I'm taking it to the garden with 5 easy ways to repurpose plastic water bottles in your garden.

You can use plastic soda bottles to create a hanging garden like Recyclart did.

 http://www.recyclart.org/2011/08/plastic-bottles-garden/

Or use bottles as a cloche to protect young seedlings from weather and help them grow.

http://garden.lovetoknow.com/vegetable-garden/winter-garden-vegetables-oregon

Another style of cloche from House and Gardening Addicts.

I love these clever self watering pots by Desperate Gardner.


http://www.desperategardener.com/2011/03/creative-containers.html









And finally, the automatic plant waterer by Practically Living.






I hope these ideas motivate you to reuse some things you already have...I'm off to dig in my recycle bin for inspiration right now!  

Day 4: Reusable Bags: Not Just for the Grocery Store

By now, pretty much every body I know has caught on to using re-usable grocery bags as part of a daily routine.  They all have a small cache of them to bring to the grocery store or to a weekend farmers market.  What's not common practice however, is to use them when they're out shopping at clothing stores, junk shops, the beer store, etc.

Re-usable bags can and should be used in place of plastic bags whenever possible.  Today's easy way to save the planet is to try to make it your practice to carry a small reusable bag with you wherever you go for those impulse buys you weren't expecting like a quick stop at the drugstore or when you just can't resist a sale at Forever21.  

You can buy small EcoBags for just this purpose.

To help understand why it's so important for all of us to lessen our dependance on plastic Inspiration Green laid out these statistics for us:

Each year, an estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide.
That's over one million plastic bags used per minute.
planetgreen.discovery.com/home-garden/plastic-bag-facts.html

Every year, Americans reportedly throw away 100 billion plastic grocery bags.

www.worldwatch.org/node/5565

The average American family takes home almost 1,500 plastic shopping bags a year...
NRDC www.nrdc.org/media/2008/080109.asp

Americans use and dispose of 100 billion plastic shopping bags each year
and at least 12 million barrels of oil are used per year in the
manufacture of those plastic grocery bags.
The Wall Street Journal

Less than 5 percent of plastic grocery bags are recycled in the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency.

Plastic bags can take up to 1,000 years to break down,
so even when an animal dies and decays after ingesting a bag, the plastic re-enters the environment, posing a continuing threat to wildlife.

www.worldwatch.org/node/5565

There is now six times more plastic debris in parts of the North Pacific Ocean
than zooplankton.

www.acfnewsource.org/environment/plastic_plankton.html

And for those times when you simply cannot use a re-usable bag, please please please recycle it or repurpose it. 

To find a recycling center near you go here.

(Did you know you can recycle the plastic that toilet paper comes wrapped in?!  Me either!!)

Or!

Weave them into a rug like Homestead Weaver or make a rainjacket like PenFelt on Etsy.



JUST SAY NO!  to plastic bags.

Makeover Monday: The Red Credenza

Makeover Monday (Tuesday Edition):

The Great Credenza Makeover of 2012

Last Thursday, on my daily trip around Craigslist, I found this beautiful 1960's style credenza living in the garage of the nicest seller in the history of Craigslist for $25 bucks! 

The drawers and the sliding doors turned out to be the only real wood on it.  The rest of it, as far as I can tell, is made of cement mixed with whatever the heaviest thing on earth is.  Seriously, this thing weighs a ton.  Luckily my wonderful (and hilarious!) friend Zach was nice enough to throw on some sweat pants and go pick it up with me.  Thanks Zach!  (Sorry you had to wear sweat pants to class.)

We got it in the house as far as the living room where it had to stay because Zach had to go to class (in sweats) and, as I may have mentioned, this thing weighs at least 300lbs (and I can only bench press 275) so I can't move it alone.  Living room it is.  I began to unscrew the legs...there were 7.  Interesting.  

While it was flipped over I realized that the entire thing was 3 separate pieces connected by 2 brackets and the common top.  I unscrewed the brackets and top, had it quickly inspected by Fonzie and the pieces came right apart.  I love it so much as one piece but at 8' long I have nowhere the entire unit would even fit. 

Plus, now that they're separate I can actually move the pieces all by my lonesome.  Holler!

I sanded everything- doors, drawers, legs, etc.

And primed them with Zinsser.  This was my first time using Zinsser and I love it!  It dried really fast and covered everything.

I painted the outer parts of the credenza (here after 1 coat) with Rustoleum 'Gloss Sunrise Red'.  I chose the Rustoleum because I wanted a high shine and I loved this perfect color red.  The inside was painted flat 'Olivewood' grey.

Now for the doors.  I decided not to prime the doors, just sand them mostly because I didn't want to tape around that little metal handle bit.  Also cause I just didn't think they needed it. 

I put the doors in the credenza where they'll eventually live and traced the line where they overlap.

Next I laid my doors on the amazing decorative paper I'm using to cover them and cut around their outline using an X-acto knife.  Using the line we drew on the second door I allowed for a little bit of overlap so that the image would appear as one piece when the doors are closed. 

Once you're happy with your paper placement Mod Podge it into place.  Cover the entire surface with Mod Podge, lay your paper down and smooth out any air bubbles.  Be sure to work quick, this stuff dries fast.  When it's in place, cover the entire surface with Mod Podge.  (It's a good idea to use M.P. Hard Coat for this project.)

At first the glue will be cloudy but never fear, it will dry to a beautifully clear finish in no time.  I chose a matte finish and also decided to cover the second set of doors with a 2nd paper option because I just couldn't pick one.

I put the top back on, screwed on the legs and slid the doors in and the results are a sophisticated yet playful piece of furniture that I absolutely adore.  I cannot wait to fill it with carp...I mean crap. 

***TIP from my Mom***
Instead of wasting time cleaning paintbrushes that you're just going to use again for the second coat, wrap them in plastic wrap or a grocery bag and pop 'em in the freezer until you're ready for the next coat of paint.  This way you only have to wash your brushes once at the end of the project which will help seriously reduce the desire to just abandon the project halfway through because washing paint rollers is such a gigantic paint in the a**.  Thanks Lady!

Rockin' Out for Shelby

I painted these colorful rocks to my lil' cousin Shelby's 2nd birthday last weekend.  They're a great way to teach kiddos to spell their name which, coincidentally, is every child's favorite word.  These rocks were a huge hit with the grown ups but Shelby had her eye on something else...

My nephew Pete made Shelby a pet rock and blew my silly little alphabet rocks out of the water.  

I was trumped by googly eyes.  I shoulda seen it coming.

To make them we used acrylic paint on smooth river rocks and sealed them with a high shine acrylic sealer.  You can make your own or contact me and I'll make some for you & you can just take credit for them.  It's a win/win.     

Make Me: Upcycled Wrapping Paper Covered Light Switch

Due to a lackluster showing this winter from the Snow Gods my Spring Fever has kicked in earlier than normal this year.  The fact that the sun is shining and there is no snow on the ground makes me want to sweep the porch, get out the plastic flamingos and fill every pot I own with flowers.  Problem is, even though the sun is technically shining, it's still only about 40 degrees outside.  Brrr.  That's a little cold for flowers.  So, while I wait for the weather to warm up outside, I decided to bring my Spring Fever inside this weekend and make this green leaf  upcycled wrapping paper covered light switch.

For this project you will need:

• a light switch cover
• matte mod podge
• a paintbrush
• some leftover wrapping paper and/or tissue paper
• the cutest miniature screwdriver I ever saw

To start, pick a light switch cover that needs a pick-me-up.  

Look at this guy, he's completely let himself go.  

Remove it from the wall with a tiny little screwdriver that is so cute!   

A-hem, or just use a regular screwdriver.  Wash the cover to get rid of oily fingerprints and dust.


Lay your cover on top of your chosen paper- I chose this wrapping paper that I've been hoarding saving for the perfect project since rescuing it from a present I received a couple years ago.  

Cut around the cover leaving about 1/4"extra on all sides. 

Wrapping paper works very well for this project because it is soft and bendable but remains sturdy even when wet with glue.  Card stock is too stiff for this project and tissue paper can be difficult as it tears easily.

Cover the entire surface of the light plate with Mod Podge and lay the paper over the top, paint a layer of Mod Podge on the surface of the paper as well, smoothing out any air bubbles as you go.  

Once dry, about 20 minutes, flip the cover face down on your surface, cut the corners with an X-acto knife and glue the paper around the corners like you're wrapping a present.  

Add Mod Podge to both sides of the paper to make it pliable and secure the paper to the light plate.  

Cut an 'X' into the backside of the paper where the light switch goes (this is much easier if the paper is completely dry if it is still wet, wait for it to dry or you may rip the paper), add Mod Podge to both sides of the 'X'd paper and glue down. 

Allow to dry, about 15-20 minutes, if desired add another coat of Mod Podge to the entire front of the light switch to ensure it's fully sealed and you're done.  


Grab your adorable little screw driver and put him back on the wall.  

                                                       
Muuuuch better.


Now there's nothing left to do but sit back and wait for Spring.  Only four days until Daylight Savings-  We're almost there!!

Why Don't You Make Me?: The Sew Free 10-Minute Sweater Makeover

I know this tutorial would have been more helpful yesterday morning but I didn't even have the idea until yesterday morning and then there were cupcakes to bake, cards to catalog and fascinators to fasten.  Let's just call this post a jump start for next year.  I'm so ahead of the game.  

To make this sweater I took an existing boxy red cardigan that I never wear (due to boxiness), added $.69 worth of eyelet lace and in 10 minutes came out with something that I absolutely love!  

(Plus, and this is just between me and you, I hot glued that shit on there.)  

 For this project you will need:

• a sweater that could use some snazzing up
• 1 yard of eyelet lace
• glue gun/glue stick
• scissors
• cutting mat or piece of cardboard
• 1-2 seemingly oblivious cats

Begin by cutting your yard of lace into 8 equal parts.  The lace I'm using is an antique white eyelet lace I got for $.69, can't beat that.  You can use whatever your little heart desires and/or whatever's on sale.  

Be sure to get a second opinion on whether or not the parts are equal.  It's best if your helper ignores you the entire time she's sitting on the project you're working on.  

Now, slide an appropriately sized cutting board, piece of cardboard, some paper, etc inside of the sweater to keep from gluing the front to the back. 

Lay out your lace to see how you'd like it to look.  I like the standard tuxedo on the left side but ultimately decided to go with the more heart shaped configuration on the right.  

Add a small amount of glue to only the band of the lace a little bit at a time and begin to glue the lace to your sweater.  

**Make sure this is a sweater that you're ok with altering forever.  Once dried this will not be removable.**  

Glue down the top of the lace and then work your way down, adding glue as you go and secure the lace every inch or so into your desired shape.

Your ends will look like this when you're done, not very pretty. 

Just trim off the excess lace with some scissors to make it look right.  

And you're done.  

In 10 minutes you've turned a plain old sweater that lives in the back of the closet into brand new custom tuxedo front cardigan that now get's it's very own hanger.  This would also be a great idea for a tank top, a t-shirt or even a throw pillow.  The possibilities are endless. 

364 days left until next Valentine's day.
I'm so on top of things.  

Easy Stool Makeover: Before and After

Stool: $4 at a garage sale
Can of spray paint: $3.95
Time: 10 minutes to sand/spray, 1 hour to dry
Result: adorable new red plant stand

To keep the natural character of this stool I chose to only lightly sand the varnish off before painting it.  This way, all of the wear-and-tear and naturally acquired flaws still show through after painting and you're left with an adorable stool that looks like it's  always been red.    

Total cost: under $8.  Not bad.  

**TIP** If you want to make this project extra easy, set the stool and the spray paint outside and tell Liz you'll do it in a minute.  She can't resist!

Pop-Up-Heart Trader Joe's Valentine Card

I made this Valentine for a friend of mine who tragically *dramatic pause* lives in a Trader Joe-less part of the country.  **Cue inspirational music**  A part of our great nation where grocers don't wear Hawaiian shirts and two-buck-chuck is a story heard only in fairy tales.  I hope to, within my lifetime, see a world where everyone can get fat free black bean dip and Orangeboom regardless of their geographical location!  Where Oklahoma and Arkansas can share not just a border, but a love for free samples!  Can I get an amen?!

For this project you will need:

• one piece of red 8.5x11" cardstock
• one Trader Joe's bag
• scissors
• a glue stick
• a sharpie
• a cat butt (optional)

Step 1: Start out by laying your cardstock on your cut proof mat.  For quality control purposes your cat should immediatly come sit on whatever it is you're doing and act like she doesn't see you.  Once you've passed this rigurous inspection process move on to Step 2.

Step 2: Fold paper in half (use handle of scissors to create a nice crease) and cut along fold.

Step 3: Fold both halves in half again to create a card shape.

Step 4: With paper folded in half, draw the outline of 2 hearts on one of the pieces of paper.  The outer heart should leave a space at the farthest edge connected to the paper.  Leave about 1/2" connected. 

Cut outer heart (leaving 1/2" connector!) and fold back.

Then cut the inner heart out entirely.

Leaving you with this cute pop-out-heart card.

Step 5: Cut the side out of a T.J.'s bag (this is technically upcycling) and place your card over it to frame your image. 

(I decided on the wine bottle with a trace of the "traderjoes.com" visable just in case my recipient a. doesn't realize what the background is or b. doesn't check my blog.  In either case, she's kind of a jerk.)

Step 6. Now, glue the background to the back of the card, making sure not to glue down the heart or else it won't pop-up anymore.

Add the other half of the cardstock to the back of the card to make it pretty.

Write your message and you're done!

One of the great things about this card is that it makes you seem sweet, wanting to share a little piece of Trader Joe's with someone less fortunate but in reality you're kinda just rubbing it in their face.  Awww, I love friendship.  Happy crafting!