PBK Inspired: Collector/Book Shelves

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a safe and exciting New Year's Eve! I am excited for 2010 and hope it's even better than 2009. I have set some new goals, one of which is to get this new house decorated, so be on the look out for photos!

Below is a Pottery Barn Kids inspired project. They sell these "Collector's Shelves" for $49 each. Of course I wasn't willing to pay that but I sure did like the look. That's when I talked to my Grandpa, showed him a picture, and ta-da! There you have it- a PBK wanna-be! I love them! Not only were they inexpensive to make, but now my kids have sentimental shelves created by their Great- Grandpa! Thanks so much Grandpa!


Here is a sneak peak of my daughter's room, the flash made the colors a little off- gave it an orange-y hue

Here is a sneak peek of my son's room as well, and just for the record, that is beadboard wallpaper- love it!

Chicken Wire Bow Holder

I've seen the chicken wire memo boards all over blog world lately and thought I could easily turn one into a bow holder, so...
I picked this guy up at 1/2 off day at Goodwill for $3.99..... gave him a couple coats of celery spray paint, stapled chicken wire to the back...

and wallah- a brand new bow holder that might actually hold all of my daughter's bows. The best part is that I can hang it high enough where she can't reach it and pull them all off. Love it.

The Newest Addition to My Kitchen

Wow, I am on a roll! I have had a link everday this week for Melissa's party! Here's another one...be and sure and check out the others! You can also check out another one of my chalkboard creations here. I've wanted a chalkboard in my kitchen for sometime now. I always thought I would paint the inside panel of a pantry door with chalkboard paint...someday when I don't have sliding pantry doors. I wanted to be able to post our weekly menu as well as things I needed to pick up at the grocery store.
So I decided to give up a framed print that hung inside this frame, already in my kitchen. I am so pathetic that I didn't even remove the picture from the inside of the frame before painting it. I just sprayed right over the glass.
Overall, I really like it. It hangs high enough that the kids can't reach it and scribble all over it. Now if only I had taken my time when writing out this weeks menu it would have looked better!

Be Blocks

For those of you familiar with Pres. Hinckley's book, "Way to Be!" 9 Ways to Be Happy and Make Something of Your Life", these are just a decorative way to display and remind us of his inspirational words. Thanks to Not So Idle Hands for this cute idea! If you are in my ward, this is another craft that will be available for Super Saturday.What you need:
3- 3.5" sq. wooden blocks
sand paper
acrylic paint
foam brush
vinyl (click here to purchase)
spray sealer or Mod Podge

What you do:
1. Sand the blocks.
2. Paint the blocks, 2 coats works best. (maybe more depending on color)
3. Sand the edges of the blocks. (if that’s the desired look)
4. Cut out all large letters. Peel away backing (one at a time, as you work), and you should be left with a letter stuck to the transfer tape. If you have trouble with the letter sticking to the backing, rub the back of the letter with your finger or a popsicle stick to help release it onto the transfer tape.
5. Start sticking the letters on the blocks, rub really well to make sure they stick. 6. Then, peel away the transfer tape.
7. Add additional letters using the same process. You can place the remaining letters however you’d like to obtain your desired look.
8. Spray with sealer or cover in Mod Podge to protect the finish.

Family Mission Statement

I've seen this family mission statement done a few different ways and thought it was so neat. I decided to have mine printed on an 8x10 at Costco and mod- podged it to a routered board. I like how it turned out- other than the unforgiving mod-podge sticking so quickly that I couldn't straighten it in time! If you are in my ward, we will be doing something similar to this for Super Saturday.

Plate Painting

What you need:
stencil or contact paper to make your own stencil
ceramic paint ($2.00 at Michael's, same isle as acrylic paint)
brush
plate (you can always spray paint an old plate)

What you do:
1. Wash and dry the plate well. Clean top surface with rubbing alcohol.
2. Secure your stencil or contact paper onto the plate.
3. Evenly apply paint to stencil using either a paint brush or foam brush. I used a pre-made stencil and found a regular paint brush worked better.
4. Follow drying instructions on paint bottle. You can either bake it on or let it air dry for 21 days. (I'm letting mine air dry since it is above my cupboards, untouched).

Decorative Balls/Spheres

It's Frugal Friday over at The Shabby Nest- make sure and check out all the other cool stuff people have made!

I wanted to put a few decorative balls in my cloche since there isn't a holiday coming up real soon. The cheapest I could find these balls was $6.99 each. I knew I could make them for less so here's what I came up with-

What you need:

Styrofoam balls (I bought a 6 pack at JoAnn's for $3.00)

hot glue gun

rice

beans

sunflower seeds

acrylic craft paint of choice

foam brush

What you do:

1. Place sunflower seeds, rice, and beans in separate bowls.

2. Apply hot glue to each Styrofoam ball, small area at a time, then roll in desired texture (ie: beans, rice, seeds). Press texture firmly against ball.

3. Paint each ball using a foam brush. Let dry completely.

This project cost me $3.00, I had everything but the Styrofoam balls.

Chalkboard/Corkboard Art Display

This is another Pottery Barn Kids inspired project. You can purchase these cork board and chalkboard squares from PBK for $29.00 each/per tile. I thought it would be cute for above the kids art table, but not for $116.00! So off I went to Michaels to see what I could come up with. (obviously these tiles are not mounted to the wall yet in the above picture, so if they look a little skewed, that's why!)

What you need:
2 12x12 cork boards (they come in a 4 pack for $9.99, I used my 40% off coupon)
2 12x12 mirrors ($5.00 each)
chalkboard spray paint
alligator mounting brackets

What you do:
1. Spray paint mirrors. I did 3 coats. Let dry for 24-48 hours before drawing on them.
2. Attach alligator mounting brackets to the back of each square and hang!

Mini Chalkboard

Sorry for the lack of posting lately. I've had sick kids and now I'm not feeling so great myself. I went to Dollar Tree the other night and they had these plain wooden signs with pre-drilled holes in them in many different shapes. My mind immediately starting racing with all the things I could make out of them. So, this was my first idea and the others are to come.

What you need:
wooden sign (Dollar Tree)
chalkboard spray paint ($4.00 at Home Depot)
ribbon

What you do:
1. Spray paint the sign, I did 2 coats. Let dry 24 hours.
2. Tie ribbon through holes. I knotted mine in the back.
3. That's it...You're done! So Easy!
(don't write on the chalkboard for 24-48 hours)

Scripture Jar

I have two very young children so family scripture study has never been very successful in our home. My husband and I were recently discussing what we could do to make this work. We decided to fill a jar with important scriptures and read one a day. We each picked out 15 scriptures and I typed them up and placed them in a jar. (Of course the jar had to be cute if it was going to be in my house!) Each night after dinner one of the kids gets to pick a scripture out of the jar and we read it as a family. That's it, one scripture. We only wrote the scripture reference on the slip so that we would have to read it from scriptures and our children would have that visual and know what we were reading. We have had so much more success and my oldest actually gets excited now about family scripture study.

Serving Plate/Cloche Stand

I went to the dollar store and bought a plate and a sundae glass.
I came home and flipped the sundae dish upside down and glued it to the bottom of the plate with liquid nails (you could also use silicone).

I then added a little ribbon embellishment, threw some nice summer fruits on top and called it good!
$2.00!!!

So I have seen this done a couple of ways. Many people use candle stands, which works but mine was a dollar, and I like it better! You can also spray paint the sundae dish and the plate to have a perfect match. You'll want to finish it up with a coat of poly though. I just liked the look of mine and went with the green because I'm going to fill my cloche with citrus this summer and thought it would look good. Soo Easy and Soo Cheap!

Flower Clips

(don't ask me how my daughter ended up with blonde hair, I'm still trying to figure that out myself!)

What you need:

alligator clips (CVS Pharmacy, Sally's)

3/8" grosgrain ribbon

scrapbooking flowers, not the paper ones

decorative scrapbooking brads

hot glue gun

scissors

What you do:

1. Cut a piece of ribbon approximately 3 1/2" long. Apply a strip of hot glue to the entire back of the ribbon.

2. Pinch open the alligator clip and slide the ribbon in, glue side up, close the clip.

3. Continue wrapping the ribbon around the outside and around the bottom of the clip, trimming any excess ribbon. (YOU HAVE TO WORK QUICKLY AS THE HOT GLUE WILL DRY FAST!)

4. Layer your chosen flowers and feed a brad through the center holes. Flip the flower over and open the ends of the brad to secure.

5. Apply a small amount of hot glue to the back of the flower and place on the clip. Easy Enough!

Easter Decor

Now that St. Patrick's Day is over it'[s time to change the decor once again! I decided I wanted to fill this apothecary jar with some cute eggs for Easter. One problem, I'm cheap and cute eggs are not, especially when you need 34 of them! So I really liked the look of the splattered quail eggs. Here's how I made them:

What you need:

plastic Easter eggs, yes the cheap ones you put candy in (We all have too many of these things around our house)

sand paper

white spray paint

acrylic paint, colors of choice for eggs

brown acrylic paint, for quail look

sponge brush

old toothbrush

What you do:

1. Sand each egg just enough to scuff the shine off. This will help the paint to stick better.

2. Open each egg and place them on a paint drop cloth (outside). Spray paint each egg white. You may need a few coats. Do not spray the insides.

3. Once eggs have dried, paint each egg with acrylic paint. I gave each egg 2 coats.

4. Once they have dried, return the eggs to the drop cloth, still opened. Dip your toothbrush into the brown paint, turn it so that the bristles face the eggs, and run your finger down the bristles. (I used dark brown paint and then added a little white to it and went over the eggs with the lighter brown as well.) This may splatter up at you so make sure you are wearing old clothes or an apron.

5. Let dry. Close eggs and your done!

Once again here is my holiday cloche. I found this huge egg at Ross for $2.99! It fits perfectly. The pink beading is from Designer Blvd. To view my post on how to make your own cloche click here.

Lazy Susan

This was a Pottery Barn Kids inspired project. If any of you get their catalog then I'm sure you've seen their $49.00 version of this. My version on the other hand only cost $6.50!

So I loved the idea of having all the kids art supplies all in one place. The buckets are screwed in place and stable so there's no chance for spilled buckets! Wouldn't this look so cute on the kids table in the playroom?!

I did however have a hard time finding a wooden lazy susan for this project because everything now a days is plastic or stainless steel. I ended up finding this one second hand for $4.00. I bought the buckets on clearance at Walmart but any of the buckets at Target's dollar spot would be cute too. I wanted mine to be non-gender specific since I have both a boy and a girl.

What you need:

wooden lazy susan

sand paper

spray paint

5 buckets

5 short screws

What you do:

1. Scuff up the lazy susan with sand paper just enough to break through the finish.

2. Spray paint the lazy susan, I did about 3 coats. Let dry over night or longer.

3. Measure or just eye ball the position you want the buckets in, and make a slight pencil mark on the lazy susan for each one.

4. Poke a small hole on the inside center of each bucket to start your screws.

5. Position each bucket and screw down tightly, making sure your screw does not go through the wood entirely or it will prevent the lazy susan from spinning.

*If worse came to worse and you couldn't find a wooden lazy susan, you could always buy a plastic one and glue the buckets down.

St. Patrick's Day Decor

Time to switch it up again! I'm actually really happy with the way this one turned out. I bought my little Leprechaun at Hobby Lobby, then sprinkled confetti (pots of gold and gold and green stars) around him. I then wrapped shamrock wire garland (dollar store) around the outside. I was worried about the wire garland being to "cheapie" looking, but I think it turned out cute.

Happy Valentine's Day

Hugs & Kisses

Happy Valentine's Day! I thought I'd just share the banner I made. I purchased these letters at JoAnn's, (I'm sure you've all seen these there), they were actually in the Clearance isle, my favorite, and they were X's and Q's that I converted into O's! After all who wants X's and Q's right? I do! Just something simple and fun. I just threaded them on some pink ribbon I already had.

Embellished Apron....by request

I received a request a few weeks ago that I embellish a store bought apron. I bought this apron at Walmart for $2.99, it also comes in a canvas color as well.

*Always wash the apron before adding any embellishments.

So I decided to start of with a monogram. I freehanded a letter M onto a piece of Steam-A-Seam (can be purchased at any craft store). You can also trace onto the Steam-A-Seam as well. I then cut it out and followed the directions on the package. I did the same for the little birdies as well. I thought the apron still needed something...so I decided a pocket! I am going to use this apron as my craft apron so a pocket would be handy to keep scissors and pens in. I just zig-zag stitched the pocket on.

I think all in all, I made this for under $4.00! I already had the red dotted fabric and the Steam-A-Seam, so $3.00 for the apron and .75 cents for the fat quarter of floral fabric. Not Bad!

Thanks for the request Monica! I really enjoyed making this. If anyone ever has any requests, let me know, I'd be glad to help!

Picture Blocks

What you need:

wood block (whatever size you want)

sand paper

paint

foam brush

stain

wooden knob/drawer pull

ribbon

hot glue

mod podge

picture

What you do:

1. Sand blocks until smooth on all sides.

2. Paint block and knob with foam brush. Apply as many coats until desired color is achieved. Let dry completely.

3. Distress edges of the block with sand paper. Now apply stain (any color) using a white rag to the distressed edges. (this step is optional) Let dry.

4. Cut picture to size. Apply a smooth layer of mod podge over the face of the block and attach picture. Allow to dry completely.

5. Once mod podge has dried, apply thin layer of mod podge over the top of the picture to seal it to the block. Allow to dry.

6. Hot glue wooden knob to the top of the block and tie ribbon around.

The Master Cookbook

I decided the cover still needed something...so why not a little bling!

*for those of you who saw this post earlier, yes, I changed the name

This is what I like to call my "master cookbook". This binder holds all of my liked, successful recipes. These recipes are usually ones I've printed off the internet, or have been given to me, or ones I've made copies of out of cookbooks I own. I know that sounds weird, but I make copies from my cookbooks so that I don't have to remember which book it was in and I'm less likely to forget about the recipe. I always place a page protector over each sheet to protect it from splashes and spills. I love that I can write notes or alterations right on the recipe too. And heck, when the recipes fails...throw it away!

Anyways, I outgrew my last one and had to move on to bigger and better..... here she is!

Valentine's Wreath

*I've had a lot of questions about this wreath. Just to clarify, I used only one fabric above. The other color you are seeing is the reverse side. You can use as many fabrics as you'd like.

What you need:
styrofoam heart

pencil

tacky glue

scrap fabric (about 1/3 of a yard), cut into 2" squares

scissors

ribbon

What you do:

1. Fill a small bowl with glue.

2. Place the tip of the pencil in the center of the fabric square (print side facing the pencil), then dip the end of it in the glue.

3. Press the pencil tip into the styrofoam.

4. Remove the pencil and the fabric should stay in place.
5. Repeat steps 2-4 until entire heart is covered. (make sure it looks nice and full)

6. Tie a small loop around the finished wreath with ribbon, then thread enough ribbon through that to hang your wreath.

*I'm pretty sure I got this idea from Little Birdie's Secrets