tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22960408028440024612024-03-18T16:24:30.134-04:00Simply DIY 2So simple you can Do It Yourself Too!Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05757778965785802847noreply@blogger.comBlogger69125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2296040802844002461.post-53735473821627344062016-07-14T15:39:00.000-04:002016-07-14T15:39:34.754-04:00Ikea Tarva Hack - My Version<span style="font-family: "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;">**I started writing this post over a year ago when I finished this dresser. Now that I'm trying to finish the post, my memory is not quite the best when it comes to step-by-step instructions.**</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One day, my little guy will get too big *sniff, sniff* for his nursery and we'll have to send him off to the guest room. While this is not happening anytime soon, the guest bedroom does need a dresser for our guests. I figured that I might as well plan ahead and get a dresser that will eventually be for my son to use. Keeping with the nautical theme that we used for his first birthday party, I've decided to hack an <a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50221419/" target="_blank">Ikea Tarva</a> dresser to match this someday, nautical-themed, kid's bedroom. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now, there are A LOT of beautiful Tarva updates all over the internet and I decided that the "framed" drawer was my favorite update. This very simple dresser looks much more put together when the drawers have that small update. This project was a big project for me, as I'm not familiar with painting furniture. Sanding, priming, sanding, painting, waiting... I'm just not that into it yet. Buuuut, I figured I'd go out of my comfort zone to see what I could do.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I figured that it would be easier to frame and paint the drawers before assembling the dresser, so that's where I started. During my online research of painting Tarva's pine wood, some people came across problems with the knots still leaking a bit of sap through the paint. My favorite (former) DIY bloggers, YHL, presented a <a href="http://www.younghouselove.com/2014/02/ace-of-bases/" target="_blank">solution</a> to this minor problem. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">First, cover knots with wood filler, let dry, sand, then paint a thin coat of wood glue on top. This should help seal those knots and keep them from seeping. They also noted that you could probably skip that step and use a shellac-based primer instead, but apparently there are more fumes, so I decided to do the filler/glue route as well. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">While the filler and glue dried, I cut my furring strips with a <a href="http://www.homedepot.com/p/Stanley-Deluxe-Miter-Box-with-Saw-20-600D/100034395?cm_mmc=Shopping%7CBase&gclid=CjwKEAjw9bKpBRD-geiF8OHz4EcSJACO4O7TFlybhHS2UxRdAofvhN56rZiV8jRQmg8f7eFIIZTS6RoCMKzw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds" target="_blank">hand miter saw</a> that my neighbor let me borrow. This little machine is pretty darn cool and VERY easy to use. This was my first time cutting wood for a project, so using it wasn't intimidating like a big, electric miter saw could be. As well experienced carpenters say, measure twice and cut once !</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then I sanded the corners and used liquid nails to attach the frame to the front of the drawer. I used clamps, weights, and books to keep it together and weigh it down.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I filled in the corner cracks with wood filler.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: '"arial"', '"helvetica"', sans-serif;">Then it was time to prime and paint. I used </span><span style="font-family: '"arial"', '"helvetica"', sans-serif;">Benjamin Moore Aura Paint </span><a href="http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/patriotblue" style="font-family: '"arial"', '"helvetica"', sans-serif;" target="_blank">Patriot Blue</a><span style="font-family: '"arial"', '"helvetica"', sans-serif;">, Semi-gloss. (After the fact, I don't think the semi-gloss was the way to go. I'm not sure of the best finish to use, but the semi-gloss sometimes sticks and then peels a bit.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Once everything was painted and dry, I put together the dresser...this was the WORST part. I do remember thinking this was the hardest IKEA piece to put together. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I wanted different handles for the dresser, so I purchased some sleek thin ones from Lowe's, but I did use the original knobs for the top drawer (I also stained those with the walnut stain).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">I also wanted to switch up the legs for this piece as well and found a nice alternative to the plain rectangular ones that came with it:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I purchased these <a href="http://www.waddellmfg.com/Default.aspx?tabid=63&CategoryID=54&List=1&catpagesize=0&Level=1&ProductID=334" target="_blank">legs</a> in 6" height to give the dresser a different look. I stained them to match the top of the dresser.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: start;">AND, I forgot to order the leg plates when I ordered the legs. Luckily, Lowes had the exact </span><a href="http://www.lowes.com/pd_838-1380-2751___?productId=3044351&pl=1&Ntt=leg+plate" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: start;" target="_blank">ones</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: start;"> from Waddell that I needed. And, in the search for the leg plates, I found that Lowe's carries the legs as well...wish I'd known that before I paid for shipping!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: start;">Annnd...since the legs were not compatible with the dresser, I needed to attach a piece of wood to the bottom of the dresser to make a base for the leg plates to screw into.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I went to Home Depot to the lumber area and a nice man helped me find a piece of 1/2 inch thick pine wood. He brought me to the scrap area and cut a piece that measured 28 1/2 x 14 inches. Then, he just gave it to me ! $0 ! I don't know if that is always the case...maybe they had a lot of extra scrap...or maybe I was just looking pretty sweet that night ;) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For both the top of the dresser and the bottom flat piece, I put two coats of dark walnut stain and one coat of polystain. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After attaching the piece of wood with the leg screws and an extra five screws, the dresser was ready to stand up ! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;">I love how it turned out ! I probably won't be painting any furniture any time soon, but at least I can say I've tried it!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;">Any new IKEA hacks from you guys?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now you can Do It Yourself, Too !</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~Stephanie </span></div>
Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05757778965785802847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2296040802844002461.post-26858939672960012182015-03-02T20:47:00.001-05:002021-07-21T21:26:07.244-04:00Chalk It Up!<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I'm baaaaack. Yea, its been a while...sorry...again. Keeping up with my little guy sorta keeps me busy !</span><br />
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">My latest project makes me all giddy inside. Its a simple project that I've thought about doing for a while and I just bit the bullet and completed it. Back in the day, I used to babysit this boy who had a HUGE chalkboard on a wall in his kitchen and I just loved it. He loved it too...but I think I loved it more. It was good for coloring and learning. Now, my little guy isn't quite old enough to enjoy a chalkboard yet, but soon enough, he'll be making marks all over <strike>my painted walls</strike> the chalkboard wall.</span><br />
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I thought about putting the chalk paint on a blank wall we have in the kitchen, but decided to go with just a small area and use the side of our cabinets. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEchyphenhyphenKFHLycwArrlMwzcduXt7IIICT0ApsgF_Q3oU5kIvIg-q7adWnRYU4xIFQG563W3nPKXH4bsm-UTNobmtT3pWd8oH9u0j-hrsU3CHlPkr_bg-qsO57fqiGron4YZeqiSisaL_8gcg/s1600/IMG_5438.jpg" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEchyphenhyphenKFHLycwArrlMwzcduXt7IIICT0ApsgF_Q3oU5kIvIg-q7adWnRYU4xIFQG563W3nPKXH4bsm-UTNobmtT3pWd8oH9u0j-hrsU3CHlPkr_bg-qsO57fqiGron4YZeqiSisaL_8gcg/s1600/IMG_5438.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I purchased my <a href="http://www.homedepot.com/p/Rust-Oleum-Specialty-30-oz-Flat-Black-Chalkboard-Paint-206540/100141287" target="_blank">Rustoleum chalkboard paint</a> at my local Ace Hardware store, but any home store (or Amazon) has it. Everything else I had on hand to paint the cabinet. Its best to use a small foam roller. I also ended up using a small craft paint brush (not pictured) to cut in the corners and edges of the cabinet.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM_PPDga82KygyVDmFPCnXaiw9zg0PWm84xS5-_r6lH8StZPFXOsj6sJczKwDpXVsyqWbBacMZ-ZHOHglnxyi3FiuChKtmD-LsGuSq4jQJ3fWN43VZ_dU4cMwHrsDM-FsyzIU7DrfKmUU/s1600/chalkboard+materials.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM_PPDga82KygyVDmFPCnXaiw9zg0PWm84xS5-_r6lH8StZPFXOsj6sJczKwDpXVsyqWbBacMZ-ZHOHglnxyi3FiuChKtmD-LsGuSq4jQJ3fWN43VZ_dU4cMwHrsDM-FsyzIU7DrfKmUU/s1600/chalkboard+materials.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">This project was so easy that waiting for it to dry was the hardest part. I followed the directions on the paint can as guidance for the chalkboard. I cleaned the cabinet surface, painted two coats (I used a fan to help it dry faster) and conditioned the chalkboard (more on conditioning a chalkboard below). The can did say to wait three days before conditioning...I waited two...oops, I'm a rebel. It seems to be fine, so we'll see down the road. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVHZJwRfqnif40iMPTZA3aNssFIcfXV9R3q6d8kM5AoYtBr-M4pZZycAxblt-H2KdybrPFA9YcPm88L0B-P4dovTs2QTLyaW4C71W6-5fbi7pg9h_TCzBjh6zLzh-EsNg88-tKRFzrQ3U/s1600/2chalkboardcoats.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVHZJwRfqnif40iMPTZA3aNssFIcfXV9R3q6d8kM5AoYtBr-M4pZZycAxblt-H2KdybrPFA9YcPm88L0B-P4dovTs2QTLyaW4C71W6-5fbi7pg9h_TCzBjh6zLzh-EsNg88-tKRFzrQ3U/s1600/2chalkboardcoats.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I never knew that you had to condition a chalkboard before. Heck...I didn't even know what conditioning a chalkboard was about! Conditioning prevents your board from having permanent marks. All you do is cover the whole board with the side of the chalk and then wipe it down using an old rag or paper towel. Remember the days of cleaning the chalkboard with a wet sponge? Nope. Don't do that.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy1QoIfpNqKEyZ_bsA8aVQapLev9_6dDvYOBDJL_MYJ2XKMbuqRVeK0-tYuQtowoBHg88thbbiV8qNeY5qKmHUSbPC0WICmT1DO36dbVVFRAC5S3CenCqlgQuJHh025djZ0NoY9Y3oWb8/s1600/IMG_5435.jpg" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy1QoIfpNqKEyZ_bsA8aVQapLev9_6dDvYOBDJL_MYJ2XKMbuqRVeK0-tYuQtowoBHg88thbbiV8qNeY5qKmHUSbPC0WICmT1DO36dbVVFRAC5S3CenCqlgQuJHh025djZ0NoY9Y3oWb8/s1600/IMG_5435.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">After I conditioned the board, I wanted to add a place to put the chalk. I saw the most adorable idea like <a href="http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/2011/06/hmmm-thats-pinteresting.html" target="_blank">this</a>, using a drawer pull turned upside down to hold the chalk. I went to Lowe's and picked up a nice-sized drawer pull (similar to <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07TY46KF7/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B07TY46KF7&linkCode=as2&tag=simplydiy2-20&linkId=80d62fb1ab8dd9c7e6f352b82a11a39c" target="_blank">this</a>) and went to work. </span></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1_hrlfmmYZOLwLUQYlGFsBnxIU8YTVMoylvNpk2vslc_8nPoXqks2r0dFdtTZEX7jxysDpP1iI440vhr2VCa3qLCN7TCziNoZtth3adTaswy-1v_QCaJVOjZ6vXHMN8xrWU87oA0VpJg/s1600/IMG_5430.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1_hrlfmmYZOLwLUQYlGFsBnxIU8YTVMoylvNpk2vslc_8nPoXqks2r0dFdtTZEX7jxysDpP1iI440vhr2VCa3qLCN7TCziNoZtth3adTaswy-1v_QCaJVOjZ6vXHMN8xrWU87oA0VpJg/s1600/IMG_5430.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">And I take back about what I said earlier about waiting for the chalk to dry as being the hardest part. This simple task was a pain in my you-know-what at first. </span></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I wanted to screw it into the cabinets so I actually attempted to drill holes into the cabinet. That was an epic fail due to the fact that I really couldn't reach the spot where I wanted to drill. I did drill holes, but then couldn't get the screws in...it was a mess. </span></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I ended up using rubber cement glue and just glued it on. I bet liquid nails would work just as well. And looking back, I wish I would have put it near the top right corner, that way my little guy couldn't get to it. Right now its empty because he's always trying to eat the chalk (along with anything edible looking) Otherwise, I love it ! </span></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I know that chalk boarding everything is pretty popular now, but I think that it's a classic and we'll always be able to use it. Now, in my search for the paint, I also saw that you can prime it with a metal-type paint and it will be magnetic. That would be pretty neat for those magnetic Alphabet letters and numbers. And there is also a dry-eraser paint that can make things like a wipe board and you can use markers on it ! Who knew this stuff was out there?!</span></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I love it and I can't wait til my little guy can draw pictures and write his name on it. But for now, I'll be the one having fun with it.</span></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Has anyone used the magnetic chalkboard paint? Or the dry-eraser paint?</span></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Now you can Do It Yourself, Too !</span></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">~Stephanie </span></div>
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Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05757778965785802847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2296040802844002461.post-16774586233859092092014-10-15T22:42:00.001-04:002014-10-15T22:42:57.070-04:00Medal Finisher<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, my youngest sister has made a personal goal to run either a half or (eventually) a full marathon in each of the 50 states. While she has run quite a few half marathons in our home state of Pennsyltucky, her only other states are Tennessee and soon-to-be Ohio. She needs to get on that goal ! From doing each half marathon (and always kicking butt) she receives a participation medal. Along with the medal, she has her bib as well. What to do with these memorabilia from each race? You could scrapbook the bibs with some photos, and throw the medals in a keepsake box, but why not display them? I've noticed on my sister's Pinterest page (Oh, thank you Pinterest) that she has pinned a few bib/medal holders like this </span><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/181761172/half-marathon-race-bib-medal-holder-half?ref=related-7" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">one</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghSZoJ4lYYAT7Wsl9WUGtwuboUWpIDvRiYlWoDMNclLgEwGj12vPaXuQJcTmj4waYWXR1yXgW5KTicsSvtXtcwL5IvomGMoTiRbwaWRiDe-Y9FxMuQCTyHHglLHudrQtjbqu00KZfldcI/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-06-12+at+9.18.40+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghSZoJ4lYYAT7Wsl9WUGtwuboUWpIDvRiYlWoDMNclLgEwGj12vPaXuQJcTmj4waYWXR1yXgW5KTicsSvtXtcwL5IvomGMoTiRbwaWRiDe-Y9FxMuQCTyHHglLHudrQtjbqu00KZfldcI/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-06-12+at+9.18.40+AM.png" height="320" width="207" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I decided to give it the ol' DIY try and make my sister one of these for her birthday. This was a trial and error project, with lots of trial and lots of errors. Bare with me while I try to explain.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tools Needed:</span></b></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Paint brush</span></li>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Materials Needed:</span></b></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Paint color of choice</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alphabet stickers (color of choice)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mod Podge</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sand paper</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mug and/or cup hooks</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rectangular plaque</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some sort of frame hanger (I had <a href="http://www.aliexpress.com/item/SAW-TOOTH-HANGER-Slotted-Picture-Hangers-Picture-Hooks-Frameless-Picture-Frame-Clips-Picture-Hanging-Kits-TS/1614205507.html" target="_blank">these</a> lying around)</span></li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Y0aI3iNhI0ow9Emju2mN19P-73hAaqFD1U36QOv89KusomHI77f5D1QQvM2Rlujj-7cnXsCKEtMqQn0IAwmXcmIN91Hf36DRA57FEQ0nzmLAFsXE90uVCwJbka85Kid50-uLtXdq8ao/s1600/IMG_4035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Y0aI3iNhI0ow9Emju2mN19P-73hAaqFD1U36QOv89KusomHI77f5D1QQvM2Rlujj-7cnXsCKEtMqQn0IAwmXcmIN91Hf36DRA57FEQ0nzmLAFsXE90uVCwJbka85Kid50-uLtXdq8ao/s1600/IMG_4035.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u>The bad and the ugly</u></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I first purchased a French corner wood plaque from Michael's craft store. The size was 11x14 inches- a perfect size for words and hooks. I painted it with craft paint I had around the house. Then, I used my Cricit (I seriously love that thing !) to cut out the word "Runner" with sticker paper. I stuck the stickers on the painted plaque and then, the first error hit. As I went to paint over it with Mod Podge to give it a nice shiny seal and finish, the letters got soggy and started to peel up AND the Mod Podge was going on clumpy (I guess that's what you get when it is 12 years old). So I hurried and peeled off the letters and smoothed out the Mod Podge. I had to paint over it again to help smooth it out. It worked! Then I figured, I'd use a clear sealing spray paint and then put new sticker letters on it. My spray paint came put clumpy as well !! That was it. I gave up and decided to start over. No salvaging it now.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How bad was it? So bad that I didn't even bother taking a picture. I've saved your eyes from the horribleness of it all. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u><b>The good</b></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I went back to Michael's (coupon in hand, of course!), and sadly, they were out of the French corner plaque, so I just got a regular <a href="http://www.michaels.com/10042148.html" target="_blank">rectangular one</a>. It's just a little less fancy, but the size is still perfect. I mixed up my paints again and painted it a pretty blue/teal color. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Once it was dry, I sanded the edges to "frame" the plaque. I think the sanded edges gives it a nice look, especially on the French corner plaque version that didn't turn out so well. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYniz1SlHi-a2lBWgynSkEpT8fFGQcagnHlytDHIU61WIwD3Bqi49iPMoLmrtCzxYwM3SoluQ4QD6TVFPUBrdlvvbcfrb7tKo6UiLEWxM8TmRYkad-eo3T0zkqFFhpL5wrMs4jZDmmjws/s1600/sanding+corners.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYniz1SlHi-a2lBWgynSkEpT8fFGQcagnHlytDHIU61WIwD3Bqi49iPMoLmrtCzxYwM3SoluQ4QD6TVFPUBrdlvvbcfrb7tKo6UiLEWxM8TmRYkad-eo3T0zkqFFhpL5wrMs4jZDmmjws/s1600/sanding+corners.jpg" height="185" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Picture from first attempt with French Corner)</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After the edges were sanded and the paint was dry, I took white letter stickers and placed them near the top. I eye-balled the letters to make them centered. A ruler could help with this.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi12PF6As9i5Fj0oFluA_5RY73j4w7LghR6UWZP23mJS8LlEnPq8qJfK7lWcGHdtn3j_9OMw7-5aKnB82EQBelB6f5cZsTLkV_-7vnSrBSoKUV1UvY_7nZsQkO-zwgOu1PI9vyCLdKB9n0/s1600/IMG_4054.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi12PF6As9i5Fj0oFluA_5RY73j4w7LghR6UWZP23mJS8LlEnPq8qJfK7lWcGHdtn3j_9OMw7-5aKnB82EQBelB6f5cZsTLkV_-7vnSrBSoKUV1UvY_7nZsQkO-zwgOu1PI9vyCLdKB9n0/s1600/IMG_4054.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Once I smoothed on the letters as best as I could, I took my NEW Mod Podge and gave it a nice clear coat. No clumps this time! For the hooks, I used cup hooks for the bib part and the mug hooks for the medals. I took one of my smaller bibs as a guide for where the holes should be. I took a pencil and marked the holes. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIf-O147cw5C9tv9mSFo0KqtE5WFp_-4t_LP0TO8RuPsZXdq1IN7jCUas9JqJ2OijCZL3Rz3l67dCdNnISr7xwtzB0n6uIN4EcoOf8i8c5UAjCJbM-1zPkDZDTuHCvXraJOEO5Ej9kClg/s1600/IMG_4056.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIf-O147cw5C9tv9mSFo0KqtE5WFp_-4t_LP0TO8RuPsZXdq1IN7jCUas9JqJ2OijCZL3Rz3l67dCdNnISr7xwtzB0n6uIN4EcoOf8i8c5UAjCJbM-1zPkDZDTuHCvXraJOEO5Ej9kClg/s1600/IMG_4056.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then I used a drill to start a tiny hole for me to screw in the cup hook.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH5KC5Ial9cduISOsLkiTqD5CVK83YQ5XTPQI4JTd9i7tZA7zcIhuOxuUibvOPabfqA2pesmob8Ycro22U6NMQusIgEVxS3r-nQ2v_gnUmd2WqUDE5oXmYy_x1FXrPNK5glgeIJydQltQ/s1600/IMG_4058.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH5KC5Ial9cduISOsLkiTqD5CVK83YQ5XTPQI4JTd9i7tZA7zcIhuOxuUibvOPabfqA2pesmob8Ycro22U6NMQusIgEVxS3r-nQ2v_gnUmd2WqUDE5oXmYy_x1FXrPNK5glgeIJydQltQ/s1600/IMG_4058.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not every bib will be exactly the same size, so you may end up needing to hole punch some of the bibs to hang properly.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After that, I made seven holes for the mug hooks. I decided to stagger the hooks to give it a different look, but you could make the hooks in a straight line as well. Once the holes were started, I just pushed and twisted the hooks until they were tight. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaEZWHJTaf2T3nNMsuTYu7oRPUiLeL4lwoN4zsf1Sa1_exu7YLMMvdBtRd0DxEaUWWDMGit7PBP0N7v1KTTD73G3tbOONtte5Ab9F2mv2BHjbEKD_rB9xd48jUYOnium4rH01qklLLkow/s1600/IMG_4059.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaEZWHJTaf2T3nNMsuTYu7oRPUiLeL4lwoN4zsf1Sa1_exu7YLMMvdBtRd0DxEaUWWDMGit7PBP0N7v1KTTD73G3tbOONtte5Ab9F2mv2BHjbEKD_rB9xd48jUYOnium4rH01qklLLkow/s1600/IMG_4059.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDi079_WvRwlEsS31Vda6PrMbSfyxV58fObRWsoACr4TwqsdC0ktzZLcaqK7MCs16yS9Fk7tWezxEilsbynB8iBDqwWZV1jcpzyHRf7wnwXzVdA5nOudGGw-Bc7r6N2DpDrJnOagmf4Xc/s1600/IMG_4060.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDi079_WvRwlEsS31Vda6PrMbSfyxV58fObRWsoACr4TwqsdC0ktzZLcaqK7MCs16yS9Fk7tWezxEilsbynB8iBDqwWZV1jcpzyHRf7wnwXzVdA5nOudGGw-Bc7r6N2DpDrJnOagmf4Xc/s1600/IMG_4060.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To make it hang on the wall, I used a ruler to draw a straight line for my saw-toothed frame hangers. I nailed both in and voila. Done !</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibe1tQrPA315CDNAeupsJVcEs44pTJ30BA8LNl30JiHYMWCId4OJ7rWck9QTVe1ZrHW_-OF0Nz0LNrM1kx4veJ6bUMIbJkDX-9eOerritrK2SgVuCr7MivPKaBIM8LqRQ2TZ5ALjztzY4/s1600/IMG_4062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibe1tQrPA315CDNAeupsJVcEs44pTJ30BA8LNl30JiHYMWCId4OJ7rWck9QTVe1ZrHW_-OF0Nz0LNrM1kx4veJ6bUMIbJkDX-9eOerritrK2SgVuCr7MivPKaBIM8LqRQ2TZ5ALjztzY4/s1600/IMG_4062.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I tested it out with some of my medals and bibs and it looks AWESOME !</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtCLVOfKanG8JO28rH0VGkwzHI-bM0tqQGjwDr2vXTy93vSlxmR6J9S_81ARq7dkELjTxFbcuVEZzNu1MoaLviuxmPKV2jFFF6qfY_k5nQsRgPlSVJCX9BR0sZsgolY__WPvyEqvDKeDQ/s1600/IMG_4063.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtCLVOfKanG8JO28rH0VGkwzHI-bM0tqQGjwDr2vXTy93vSlxmR6J9S_81ARq7dkELjTxFbcuVEZzNu1MoaLviuxmPKV2jFFF6qfY_k5nQsRgPlSVJCX9BR0sZsgolY__WPvyEqvDKeDQ/s1600/IMG_4063.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv6nK3MF7R2-bkKXApEbbmOmoCRwq0gOxFF3VUAiM4YTJjj_Y0xB8Y5_DD2iD35SeEsQDO-CfuQ_LEdaAXs00Fg7IeWieihjDatfOUNOE3JjlTXKCu9l17i_DiIdmi6yhFV8hsKywywHA/s1600/IMG_4076.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv6nK3MF7R2-bkKXApEbbmOmoCRwq0gOxFF3VUAiM4YTJjj_Y0xB8Y5_DD2iD35SeEsQDO-CfuQ_LEdaAXs00Fg7IeWieihjDatfOUNOE3JjlTXKCu9l17i_DiIdmi6yhFV8hsKywywHA/s1600/IMG_4076.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My sister loved the gift and it is currently hanging on her bedroom wall...already pretty much filled up. Go Em !</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What other ways do you display sports memorabilia? Shadow box? Shelves?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now you can Do It Yourself, Too !</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~Stephanie</span></div>
Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05757778965785802847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2296040802844002461.post-5025228477561836812014-06-13T09:37:00.002-04:002014-06-13T09:37:56.441-04:00Crate Expectations: An easy storage solution<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hello ! It's been a while ! Our little one has been keeping me very busy with, you know, eating, sleeping, pooping, and playing. It's so exciting being a mommy ! I love every minute of it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have been doing some DIY projects around the house, here and there, but I've been very bad about blogging about them. One that I finished recently is a bookshelf made from crates.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As I looked around our living room, with baby stuff <strike>here and there</strike> everywhere, I realized that I have no "baby stuff friendly" storage. I needed a spot to throw his toys and books and other little things like teething rings and whatnot. I knew I wanted something "cube" like and small to fit under our bay window. We used to have a wicker basket trunk that sits in front of the window. Not too baby stuff friendly. I started looking where every person now looks: Pinterest. I found some ideas and figured that using some crates would be the perfect solution !</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I purchased my crates at JoAnn fabrics. Each time my husband or I were near JoAnn's, we would pop in with a coupon and get a crate. Each one ended up being about $8, so around $32 for all the crates. Could I probably have found them cheaper? Sure. But with a kid in tow and not a lot of time on our hands, $8 per crate was a good enough deal. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfNqC1LMQXvcEBgfL_bLJ2msxtfXYW6mrI5LunqiFsFnQgl9Agx71aDsFQU94G1G1ux0BjtruoOSrDJjlaUa6jzJG2fEHwNWBpWfgWQoDehjA2X8vCBVtA_Yb0RmYm6SBLvIwxkBOgdxY/s1600/IMG_9959.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfNqC1LMQXvcEBgfL_bLJ2msxtfXYW6mrI5LunqiFsFnQgl9Agx71aDsFQU94G1G1ux0BjtruoOSrDJjlaUa6jzJG2fEHwNWBpWfgWQoDehjA2X8vCBVtA_Yb0RmYm6SBLvIwxkBOgdxY/s1600/IMG_9959.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We had some leftover stain from the desktop that my father-in-law made a couple years ago and I had a sponge brush, so the only other things that I purchased were mending brackets to fasten the crates together.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfheACW9WXvi_663zhGP_SMzlZIHSOpAaIPepK5oEL08zchug4EKLdjofVGC6OPad9WUOL2jFAf1S4pRlpW99cqK3yNx4lKuVm7fryYxu0FYgpEZ8oW8qlEnH22BJhOPOXMd1fyy96HFE/s1600/IMG_4003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="display: inline !important; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfheACW9WXvi_663zhGP_SMzlZIHSOpAaIPepK5oEL08zchug4EKLdjofVGC6OPad9WUOL2jFAf1S4pRlpW99cqK3yNx4lKuVm7fryYxu0FYgpEZ8oW8qlEnH22BJhOPOXMd1fyy96HFE/s1600/IMG_4003.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First, I sanded the crates. Some parts of the slats were a bit rough and I didn't want to risk any splinters. Next, I painted each crate and let them thoroughly dry. The stain does have a strong fume-y smell, so outside is best to paint and let dry. Just make sure it doesn't rain!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYp-oNiad0J87kQ2ylUA1VfSVVS1_OQ5TnANixhf5Wgygp6nWGuGDv1QPvcgTxrx4uo7uxrjCpnJ4sXlOh9mmxlip96NUCsYE-hHFcKS-MMkM3lUSfuasXGcHzSGlXKGdORSCjL9Q9Ssk/s1600/IMG_9960.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYp-oNiad0J87kQ2ylUA1VfSVVS1_OQ5TnANixhf5Wgygp6nWGuGDv1QPvcgTxrx4uo7uxrjCpnJ4sXlOh9mmxlip96NUCsYE-hHFcKS-MMkM3lUSfuasXGcHzSGlXKGdORSCjL9Q9Ssk/s1600/IMG_9960.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After they were done drying, I used a drill to screw the mending braces on the backs. Make sure to do this on an even surface and have someone nearby to help hold them together while you fasten them. I used three big square ones at the top, bottom, and middle, then the smaller ones on both sides. I also put furniture pads on the bottom so they don't scratch the hardwood floors and to give them just a teeny boost off the floor. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSrM1A_DWoVlyki_oTiX6j-F4_2qKkOhlXiEC4PsmE3PjQfZb8Hc2HuEaY86MLLrFzgWGPh3KI1vw_sxvyTRcRkDojLGGF17WPuXMfA5GtcN53ep_cpV4V-jJGwvmtZHeODDEkEBk4IrE/s1600/IMG_4005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSrM1A_DWoVlyki_oTiX6j-F4_2qKkOhlXiEC4PsmE3PjQfZb8Hc2HuEaY86MLLrFzgWGPh3KI1vw_sxvyTRcRkDojLGGF17WPuXMfA5GtcN53ep_cpV4V-jJGwvmtZHeODDEkEBk4IrE/s1600/IMG_4005.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Wvt0hMO0w4PP4nQUz-Kaoaz6y6XlkNh4cZZFslyRL7BSaw2p7QbMCIiDn6jOL7xAPFFX9-_znozvCoupx2C1KdYoqqZNIK7NNt3kCgQW_8PZLuP0WwpWzduwVt-CeX2hI8_QoV3ah40/s1600/IMG_4008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Wvt0hMO0w4PP4nQUz-Kaoaz6y6XlkNh4cZZFslyRL7BSaw2p7QbMCIiDn6jOL7xAPFFX9-_znozvCoupx2C1KdYoqqZNIK7NNt3kCgQW_8PZLuP0WwpWzduwVt-CeX2hI8_QoV3ah40/s1600/IMG_4008.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When fastened together, accessorize ! I used my Cricut to cut out the word, "BOOKS." I just taped them to the back with regular ol' scotch tape. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPEp1Vo7ut8GYAzKLRWafzakGN08uiYAfIQKENRc5vCNzgwk5RSz0JsSEMfSHfOdhIm45kOxMpWi335yPjKiRGpkpQWG2z1hN0zFhC93fPiHwlUv-HfvDFN-_-j_-HgcGzMqBnb4eUCL4/s1600/IMG_4011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPEp1Vo7ut8GYAzKLRWafzakGN08uiYAfIQKENRc5vCNzgwk5RSz0JsSEMfSHfOdhIm45kOxMpWi335yPjKiRGpkpQWG2z1hN0zFhC93fPiHwlUv-HfvDFN-_-j_-HgcGzMqBnb4eUCL4/s1600/IMG_4011.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Eventually, once Kevin is crawling, I will attach the shelf to the wall so that he doesn't pull it down on top of him. Aaannd, the plants will probably have to go as well. Oh, baby-proofing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I love how they turned out and they perfectly match the IKEA furniture that we have in the living room. They are also a very functional piece of furniture for baby stuff. There is one bad thing. Our dog, Stout, would </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">put his paws on the old wicker basket (which used to be there before the crates) </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">to look out the window. Unfortunately, he hasn't quite taken to the crates and is a bit skeptical of the new setup. I'm sure he will figure it out soon enough so that he can continue his squirrel watching. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf1gyyo69Gyvx_IYrRrHacBQ0srKNnQBiZLiplNfZ8rsJc8iBkZAUmTJ2VC3I2Fcrf_Wx3h6BdO-CVtKGkMscoW7G2YfcKi25WvIsrmoRY78oH9Lw8rSXceMftoDf1YPaVYYQ_NVMNa0Y/s1600/IMG_4018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf1gyyo69Gyvx_IYrRrHacBQ0srKNnQBiZLiplNfZ8rsJc8iBkZAUmTJ2VC3I2Fcrf_Wx3h6BdO-CVtKGkMscoW7G2YfcKi25WvIsrmoRY78oH9Lw8rSXceMftoDf1YPaVYYQ_NVMNa0Y/s1600/IMG_4018.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">These would look great in a playroom or nursery, painted in bright colors. If anyone tackles that project, please share your after pictures ! I'd love to see them !</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now you can Do It Yourself, Too !</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~Stephanie </span>Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05757778965785802847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2296040802844002461.post-31640120209585625412014-02-07T13:41:00.000-05:002014-11-02T13:51:33.206-05:00KEEP CALM <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With our baby quickly approaching, as well as Valentine's Day, I found this <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/169821569/hanging-or-tabletop-bottlecap-holder?utm_campaign=Share&utm_medium=PageTools" target="_blank">bottle cap holder</a> an appropriate gift for my hubs. After all, he just purchased a beer making kit which I'm sure he will be putting to good use. While I could have purchased it, I figured I'd DIY it. Except for the slit at the top, it was fairly simple to make. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I purchased a shadow box, white letters, and sticker paper at Hobby Lobby. Make sure to buy two packets of letters. I forgot to count out </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">how many letters I would need and didn't have enough 'E's', so I had to make a quick (and yes it was actually quick) trip back to Hobby Lobby.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First, I used a pencil to draw a box/slit on the top of the shadow box. Make sure that it is big enough for the bottle caps to fall in to.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjROr2Ubj8s8bes4lQmy9rnIFX4PAzsrjoq50lu9l4-9J8FxITlwwJxu6kSLQ6T3mIGRH54xCOmtG6B8lxGslWOR8pxe-it2RbYtXlxeyFsha9rQclBjKpaOhZ4YdL06TM5NkjWsJYb9C0/s1600/IMG_9622.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjROr2Ubj8s8bes4lQmy9rnIFX4PAzsrjoq50lu9l4-9J8FxITlwwJxu6kSLQ6T3mIGRH54xCOmtG6B8lxGslWOR8pxe-it2RbYtXlxeyFsha9rQclBjKpaOhZ4YdL06TM5NkjWsJYb9C0/s1600/IMG_9622.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then came the hard part - cutting the slit. I'm sure if I had the right tools, like a certain dremel or drill bit, this would have been a lot easier. However, I don't. So I had to use some creativity and muscle. I started off with a box cutter. I repeatedly cut along the long ends of slit until the cutter went the whole way through. This part wasn't too hard. Then came the little sides. This was hard since the box cutter blade is much bigger than the sides. I used the box cutter as a starting point to make a small indent. Then I ended up using a drill with the smallest screw bit I had to make little holes. Then I took a flat head screw driver and a hammer and gently pounded out the piece of wood. Phew !</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After that, I actually had a pretty nice slit. I used some brown paint I had around and painted the inside so that it blended into the shadow box. The hard part is over !</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNAGj22VlEuV0JYIy_umSHtnfcPjvs3DmkvVkk2u0BP-X_AOeSsmwaufKqMH1hGV0sjtPGpyO1wfQHZW-lNC5X-3yK9KtkT0d7W6lGDGAaSCebnM0D5OBRx__hr4t3UmuAuZMWPzQgWig/s1600/IMG_9639.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNAGj22VlEuV0JYIy_umSHtnfcPjvs3DmkvVkk2u0BP-X_AOeSsmwaufKqMH1hGV0sjtPGpyO1wfQHZW-lNC5X-3yK9KtkT0d7W6lGDGAaSCebnM0D5OBRx__hr4t3UmuAuZMWPzQgWig/s1600/IMG_9639.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then I taped some looseleaf paper onto the inside to help me keep my sticker letters straight and centered. I started from the bottom and worked my way up with the words. It helped to have an exact-o knife (I have a scrapbooking one) near by for when I needed to pull up the sticker. Also, don't stick it down the whole way at first. The letters stick well to the glass and it is VERY difficult to remove the sticker once it is pressed the whole way.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmDD5boMYZcZz9r2_VfkpOBxFppQXSqIg8BScaEoUFPuWnGZs8dDLlI-X7E6txgouetABGf8n06yskjPD20NKU-1CJP6QVAXuNlwO6SaZoK5fcqKy8O4trMWYjkauVi_f_3TvZz02jlLM/s1600/IMG_9645.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmDD5boMYZcZz9r2_VfkpOBxFppQXSqIg8BScaEoUFPuWnGZs8dDLlI-X7E6txgouetABGf8n06yskjPD20NKU-1CJP6QVAXuNlwO6SaZoK5fcqKy8O4trMWYjkauVi_f_3TvZz02jlLM/s1600/IMG_9645.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl92TBFI6HKlpx2fhiPbxSsiB9Lgddg0ESyuizlfrnEaXcmf4ZVzix9lw-gNXknQwdPY2KrcQHwUJiyFu-pP6UjfDqlv50StzHlBWfqmYJGaxINAUEWfBcDHQjir6dN_-RoigVtvuDxR4/s1600/IMG_9641.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl92TBFI6HKlpx2fhiPbxSsiB9Lgddg0ESyuizlfrnEaXcmf4ZVzix9lw-gNXknQwdPY2KrcQHwUJiyFu-pP6UjfDqlv50StzHlBWfqmYJGaxINAUEWfBcDHQjir6dN_-RoigVtvuDxR4/s1600/IMG_9641.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For the beer mug at the top, I free-hand drew the mug on white sticker paper, then used my scrapbooking exact-o knife and slowly and carefully cut it out. Then I stuck it up top above the words. I think it looks great !!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNLpmf8Qn-f8r9coIB-5hlmPpDBlh4mjmsAsw-3Q8VxA3lQ4pEgm_lgEyH0lSYyQ6Ovlw-q1-qSPbx5QfpCVJ6Ll8nRSetgJqcBIc1wt6s7fvm2aK1tEfZBXp8vucurQQZHfhVD4sEwPE/s1600/IMG_3623.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNLpmf8Qn-f8r9coIB-5hlmPpDBlh4mjmsAsw-3Q8VxA3lQ4pEgm_lgEyH0lSYyQ6Ovlw-q1-qSPbx5QfpCVJ6Ll8nRSetgJqcBIc1wt6s7fvm2aK1tEfZBXp8vucurQQZHfhVD4sEwPE/s1600/IMG_3623.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What "pub-friendly" decorations do you use?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Happy Valentine's Day !</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now you can Do It Yourself Too !</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~Stephanie</span>Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05757778965785802847noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2296040802844002461.post-17081368582467387512014-01-20T10:21:00.003-05:002021-07-21T21:23:09.186-04:00Nursery Reveal !<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">With about four weeks to go until we meet our little one, we finally have our nursery just about finished ! It's painted, furniture is put together, shelves are up, most of the decor is up, and the drawers are just about stocked with clothes and diapers. Since we didn't find out the sex, it's fairly gender neutral. I figured I can add some pops of purple if its a girl and leave it how it is if it's a boy. Here's a little picture tour :</span><br />
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The curtains came to me as a revelation. I couldn't, for the life of me, settle on a pair of curtains ! I looked at IKEA, Target, Wal-Mart, and the internet and just couldn't find anything that fit the room. I was thinking of purchasing a fabric from IKEA, but fully making the curtains was a little intimidating for me (I made my bedroom curtains from scratch and I felt like it took me foooorreevverr to make them and vowed I would never do it again). Then, one day as I walked passed the bed sheets aisle in Target, I vaguely remembered reading about using sheets as curtains. Then I quickly Googled it (thank you smart phone) and read that it can be done ! As soon as I turned into the aisle, I found "the one" set of sheets:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW2cWf6lSd75Nr9UUrU1M-sSMwTuFi2RLhlXlW0gWUMg6ljMixAWpOcpaI-AdQiKkGp23mraan0ntydGieSQ7YrOZIgii_HNF94wfSKd4Sa2sDt6ZrYF2_e7rCpxKELVw0XI3ldc5qjmI/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-01-18+at+9.33.49+AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW2cWf6lSd75Nr9UUrU1M-sSMwTuFi2RLhlXlW0gWUMg6ljMixAWpOcpaI-AdQiKkGp23mraan0ntydGieSQ7YrOZIgii_HNF94wfSKd4Sa2sDt6ZrYF2_e7rCpxKELVw0XI3ldc5qjmI/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-01-18+at+9.33.49+AM.png" width="640" /></a><br />
<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I purchased a twin set of sheets. This print was PERFECT for the room, and at $15.99 (no, I didn't get that sale price) I couldn't beat the price for turning it into two panels of curtains. Since the nursery is "forest" themed, the leaves pattern was perfect and the teal and green matched exactly to the other teals and greens in the room. This is how I turned the sheets into curtains (sorry for no step-by-step pictures):</span><br />
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Step 1</b>: Wash and dry flat sheet.</span><br />
<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Step 2</b>: Fold flat sheet in half length-wise and iron the sheet (this helps to put a crease right down the middle to make it easy to cut).</span><br />
<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Step 3</b>: Cut the flat sheet right down the middle - now you have two curtain panels.</span><br />
<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Step 4</b>: Fold over, pin, and sew the long cut side to make a nice edge. Repeat for other panel. (I did read that some people use hem tape if you don't have a sewing machine)</span><br />
<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Step 5</b>: Depending on how tall you want your curtains will determine how you do the next part. I just folded the top of the sheet over about five inches and then sewed a horizontal line to make a rod pocket. </span><br />
<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Step 6</b>: Slide the rod through pocket and hang. Easy ! </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1OCrdSe2rCzrw9wvDJpjbWV57UHNdoONLk-gKNwHXRduKr1fm6b5dQ7gcw7OGOvr3njRUyda-YN9ydoopOmEYLOSxvOaIJG8XM-C0sjs3N9mMFZYYjTJWuc4hcOiLiiv58nZpc7GIqhU/s1600/curtains.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1OCrdSe2rCzrw9wvDJpjbWV57UHNdoONLk-gKNwHXRduKr1fm6b5dQ7gcw7OGOvr3njRUyda-YN9ydoopOmEYLOSxvOaIJG8XM-C0sjs3N9mMFZYYjTJWuc4hcOiLiiv58nZpc7GIqhU/s1600/curtains.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">There are a lot of other great tutorials out there with pictures that can help you as well. The sheets worked perfectly because of the print and color, but also because it was so easy to make. I didn't have to do a lot of measuring or cutting and I only had to sew four straight lines because the other sides and the bottom hem were already done for me.</span><br />
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">So that's how I got the perfect curtains for the nursery. The rest of the nursery is just a smorsgaboard of framed things, books, and stuffed animals. It's a pretty simple nursery.</span><br />
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The pennants on the wall were made out of scrapbook paper that I already had. I used a 12x12 sheet of paper and was able to cut out five triangles per sheet. Then I used a hole punch, punched two holes, and put the twine through. Pretend pressing of Staples "Easy Button."</span><br />
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The "Owl Always Love You" print was also made out of scrapbook paper I already had. I found a cute owl picture online, freehand drew it, and cut it out. I used my heart punch for the heart and my Cricut for the words and placed it in an IKEA frame. Done !</span><br />
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Lastly, the animal prints above the cube shelf were a bit more time consuming. I've decided on a forest theme pretty quickly and you guessed it...I had these pretty much made the weekend we found out we were expecting. I found these <a href="http://www.childreninspiredesign.com/content/forest-collection-8x10-set" target="_blank">animal prints</a> online for $88 for all four. Even though I loved them, I couldn't bring myself to spend that much. I kept looking at them, hoping I'd change my mind, and then I realized they looked like pieces of paper rather than an actual print. So I thought, "Hey, I can make these !" Over the course of a couple days, I freehand drew, cut out, and taped these little animals together. Each piece is cut out of scrapbook paper and taped with acid free tape to a piece of white 8 X 10 piece of paper. Then I placed a teal piece of paper behind the white to matte the picture. The frames are from, yours truly, IKEA. </span><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"></span><br />
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">So that's just a quick little tour of the nursery. Actually not too much was DIY, but what was DIY'd was made with love...with a few trips to IKEA (and a pit stop to the restaurant for their meatballs each time).</span><br />
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Here's a rundown of the items we bought for our nursery:</span><br />
<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> * </span><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Dresser: </span><a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20067829/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">IKEA Hemnes</a><br />
<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> * Knobs on dresser: from Hobby Lobby</span><br />
<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> * Crib: <a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/30248575/" target="_blank">SUNDVIK</a></span><br />
<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> * Cube shelf: <a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60255588/#/70103085" target="_blank">EXPEDIT</a> with 4" <a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20049538/#/20054563" target="_blank">CAPITA</a> legs</span><br />
<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> * Rug: <a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10177885/" target="_blank">GISLEV</a></span><br />
<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> * Curtains and Rod: <a href="http://www.target.com/p/room-essentials-easy-care-sheet-set-prints/-/A-14353108" target="_blank">Target Room Essentials Collection - Mint Leaf</a> and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MBEONFG/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00MBEONFG&linkCode=as2&tag=simplydiy2-20&linkId=16d6fd9b8dba477367a0d9b999b09b88" target="_blank">Ball Cafe Rod</a></span><br />
<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> * Paint: <a href="http://www.behr.com/consumer/ColorDetailView/790C-2" target="_blank">Behr's Silver Drop</a></span><br />
<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> * Frames: RIBBA series</span><br />
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">And since I don't ever post pictures of myself, here's a little bump picture for ya. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiejgdN4HaO98LXChtg60ljUev8aI_kiKoAXcvmlN-JvejS6V0FR4qrIUWegxyT4v4iQ3Pg_VS-rhelU7DUjKs4UOan6IzyvMwpGPJB4YCvGGCLPIdk0B0dYWFoZXSiyA0Yuw_JCH8N2Go/s1600/IMG_9464.jpg" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiejgdN4HaO98LXChtg60ljUev8aI_kiKoAXcvmlN-JvejS6V0FR4qrIUWegxyT4v4iQ3Pg_VS-rhelU7DUjKs4UOan6IzyvMwpGPJB4YCvGGCLPIdk0B0dYWFoZXSiyA0Yuw_JCH8N2Go/s1600/IMG_9464.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Hope you enjoyed the tour of our upcoming little one's room. Not sure how much DIYing I'll be doing once the babe is born, but hopefully once we get into a routine, I'll be doing more fun projects. Spring is around the corner and I'm bound to get a good garden this year a</span><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">nd I'm sure Pinterest will inspire some more crafty projects for me to take on as well. </span><br />
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">What was your inspiration for your little one's nursery?</span><br />
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Now you can Do It Yourself Too !</span><br />
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">~Stephanie </span><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span>Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05757778965785802847noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2296040802844002461.post-81847452984315681662014-01-04T18:21:00.000-05:002014-01-04T19:12:06.248-05:00Reading Rainbow: DIY Kid's Color Book<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Happy New Year ! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I haven't been blogging for quite a while due to working one of the biggest DIY projects of our life: a baby ! We are due in February and are extremely excited for our little person to join our family. The beginning of the pregnancy was rough but it has gotten much better. We have been working on the nursery and I'll reveal some photos once it is finished. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But on to the book I made. I know it's a little soon to be teaching our Peanut </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(yes...we are waiting to find out the gender) </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">his or her colors, but I couldn't pass up making a book like the one on this wonderful </span><a href="http://craftulate.com/2013/03/homemade-colour-book/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">blog post</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I found via Pinterest. I love colors and ROY-G-BIV and thought the idea was the cutest ever to help teach colors. I think it is great that there are different shades of each color to help the kid see differences in the same color. Plus I had some stickers and scrap paper lying around that needed to be used. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So when it came time to make the book, I dug up some swatches I had collected that showed off all the colors of the rainbow.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I decided to use a Zutter Bind-It machine that I got for Christmas last year. I've only used it once so far and figured this would be a great project to use it on. If you don't have a binding machine, you could staple it together or punch holes and use binder rings like my "pinspirational" <a href="http://craftulate.com/2013/03/homemade-colour-book/" target="_blank">blogger</a> did. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For extra support, I glued each swatch to a piece of white scrapbook paper (there are two swatches per white page - they are back-to-back). Then I rounded out the corners as well. After I did that, I used the binding machine to put all the pages together.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Once it looked like a book, I used a combination of letter stickers and my Cricut machine to label each color page with the corresponding colored word. I also put some matching colored stickers on each page. For the cover page, I used a star-shaped punch and punched out each color, stuck them on the front and used black stickers to say "My Book Of Colors." </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLaUEI36j5aPF10-PVuWLy_7CqMtl1ZoBvAIi5gUCBE9C2myp8gh5lAuEU1ot16l-pyPldyCDddtrxvzlcoMXBDvfq4oZj0pnPwPb2L5BCNNIbfLytw91CZQ4u_oGP5saKQf90kit5VQY/s1600/IMG_3609.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLaUEI36j5aPF10-PVuWLy_7CqMtl1ZoBvAIi5gUCBE9C2myp8gh5lAuEU1ot16l-pyPldyCDddtrxvzlcoMXBDvfq4oZj0pnPwPb2L5BCNNIbfLytw91CZQ4u_oGP5saKQf90kit5VQY/s400/IMG_3609.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's the final product:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtQ4B9BPHq9i_zc2jCTwDLKvda2LeFbrNzcbKsogpK9BVPTe-Zk_5DSxkLSkK6DJTuRppoDUucfVtgN6ormFhotBXUPY6zBxYl8U-VkAtFAcQIcVqL_YQr1qkZUAOlKDafbyLZLcbhLyw/s1600/IMG_3610.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtQ4B9BPHq9i_zc2jCTwDLKvda2LeFbrNzcbKsogpK9BVPTe-Zk_5DSxkLSkK6DJTuRppoDUucfVtgN6ormFhotBXUPY6zBxYl8U-VkAtFAcQIcVqL_YQr1qkZUAOlKDafbyLZLcbhLyw/s640/IMG_3610.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8RwbobAJcwfWs3j6n0_dQY_fOg7NWw3dK5ijH8W_QZ92HzEdZpbxxLqBHIj4V1-znbpqMTKYDbWhZAJBE5T7D4G_ENGkKUDIfd8-eV8MHClIE5YXAl2j-xYQWR2s7yG5Xg4P59u1zWrU/s1600/color+book+pages.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="603" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8RwbobAJcwfWs3j6n0_dQY_fOg7NWw3dK5ijH8W_QZ92HzEdZpbxxLqBHIj4V1-znbpqMTKYDbWhZAJBE5T7D4G_ENGkKUDIfd8-eV8MHClIE5YXAl2j-xYQWR2s7yG5Xg4P59u1zWrU/s640/color+book+pages.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So you'll notice there is no "indigo" and "violet" magically turned into purple. I can't remember teaching a kid (or learning when I was a child) the color "indigo" or calling the color purple, "violet" (unless, of course, when I learned ROY-G-BIV...or in Spanish class- violeta).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I love it ! I can't wait for our little one to learn his or her colors using this homemade book of colors. I'll probably add a few more color stickers to each page - maybe colored shapes or other animals for extra learning. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What educational projects have you made for your little ones?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now you can Do It Yourself Too !</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~Stephanie</span></div>
Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05757778965785802847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2296040802844002461.post-57548394082168486712013-10-10T19:56:00.009-04:002021-07-21T21:41:33.417-04:00Do You Have It? GUTS!<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">This is Kerry - I've decided to take over Steph's blog for a post and talk to you about something near and dear to my heart. No, I'm not talking about Stephanie - I'm talking about good old classic Nickelodeon television. If you were born in the mid 80s, you were a </span><a href="http://kidsinthe90s.tumblr.com/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">kid of the 90s</a><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> and know exactly what I'm talking about.</span><br />
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Growing up, I religiously watched Nickelodeon Guts. For those who don't know what Guts is - it is American Gladiators for kids…except with Ghostbuster Mike O'Malley hosting, and "Mo" refereeing. Kids would compete in various events with the finale being the <strike>Aggro Crag</strike>, <strike>Mega Crag</strike>, Super Aggro Crag (ok they seriously renamed it enough times). The Aggro Crag wasn't just any ol' event - it was a treacherous mountain climb (28 feet) with rock avalanches (foam boulders), nuclear flying crystals (glitter), and strobe lights. The winner of the game got a piece of the "radical rock" and hoisted it above their head in victory knowing they just did something that every 9 year old wanted to do. Come on, who isn't excited?</span><br />
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Several months ago, we hosted a 90s party complete with dressing up in our 90s gear that we dug out from the thrift shop…or had been holding on to since 1998. We also decked out the house with 90s gear, food, and brought out a Nintendo 64 in full standard definition. More importantly, we created a DIY, homemade Aggro Crag!</span><br />
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">You can buy (or make) foam ones on ebay and other places, but where is the fun in that? At first, I wanted to go super realistic and cast it in resin. It didn't get past the WAF - wife approval factor - so I had to come up with plan B. Plan B consisted of some cheap plastic materials, wood, some cement glue, some lights and an array of tools. So if you are looking to make your own Aggro Crag, here is how we did it and this is what it looked like at night:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG2QkQ_59uZ7-aD7AYtmuGfg3liWR7j8gY5bLShwYVaHxz7zHAK12iJ9RglZ23RlQik9AFWCGn3Zae3Wg5tWJTn5SwhE647OrfmW12tJYgYM3u2-ZjC0lefOVARC0U0aK2eRS3Y_kb-Uk/s1600/Crag_Josh.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG2QkQ_59uZ7-aD7AYtmuGfg3liWR7j8gY5bLShwYVaHxz7zHAK12iJ9RglZ23RlQik9AFWCGn3Zae3Wg5tWJTn5SwhE647OrfmW12tJYgYM3u2-ZjC0lefOVARC0U0aK2eRS3Y_kb-Uk/s320/Crag_Josh.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<u><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Materials</span></u><br />
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<li><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">2 Polystyrene Lighting Panels (you can pick this up at the local hardware store)</span></li>
<li><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">1 2x4x8 piece of wood</span></li>
<li><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017PP3IA6/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B017PP3IA6&linkCode=as2&tag=simplydiy2-20&linkId=45c58ea7035e728e302387cf901612d0" target="_blank">6ft+ of Electroluminescent Wire (EL wire) - green</a></span></li>
<li><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; white-space: nowrap;">Cement Glue</span></li>
<li><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08FTHWC94/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B08FTHWC94&linkCode=as2&tag=simplydiy2-20&linkId=e12a7549ac5a1b5227992d0488ef8857">Gluerious Mini Hot Glue Gun with 30 Glue Sticks for Crafts School DIY Arts Home Quick Repairs, 20W, Blue</a>" target="_blank">Hot Glue Gun</a></span></li>
<li><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; white-space: nowrap;">Screws</span></li>
<li><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073YHQ5ZD/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B073YHQ5ZD&linkCode=as2&tag=simplydiy2-20&linkId=c90cf04d0a2ec23c92dee10928a0ccfd">Sharpie Permanent Markers, Fine Point, Black Ink (4-Pack)</a>" target="_blank">Sharpie</a></span></li>
<li><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; white-space: nowrap;">Nail Polish Remover</span></li>
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<u style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; white-space: nowrap;">Tools</u></div>
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<li><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; white-space: nowrap;">Saw and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005AZI12O/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B005AZI12O&linkCode=as2&tag=simplydiy2-20&linkId=8f5093d38824f32ff15f15839da6fafc" target="">Dremel</a> if you have one)</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #222222;"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="white-space: nowrap;">Exacto/Utility Knife</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #222222;"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="white-space: nowrap;">Screwdriver</span></span></li>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">First thing was to get the right design for the Crag. Having studied the Crag <strike>in my youth</strike> my entire life (thank you Nick GAS), this wasn't too hard to do. Stephanie freehand drew the design on some extra paper we had lying around and then cut it out. It looked pretty good. The tall end was about 20.5 inches and the small end was about 8.25 inches. The base was 20.5 inches.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5WVV3e7Vtv6V12Bq_R9Kttno_K1yYZdEmHcamvcfCB6LqUStWWScU9HafMMDs2A6WEqUahTYfmGSGEzfUYwhkzBsRXPXi9BybadibAW-Ru-lr0LjQeZVYC4M-1kWVt34D4UMBru4wM7I/s1600/Crag_Template.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5WVV3e7Vtv6V12Bq_R9Kttno_K1yYZdEmHcamvcfCB6LqUStWWScU9HafMMDs2A6WEqUahTYfmGSGEzfUYwhkzBsRXPXi9BybadibAW-Ru-lr0LjQeZVYC4M-1kWVt34D4UMBru4wM7I/s320/Crag_Template.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">We then traced the design onto the lighting panels using a sharpie. The panels have 2 sides - one was smooth and the other had cracked texture. We traced the first one so the cracked texture would be facing out. So after we traced the first one, we traced it again on another panel. Don't forget though, if you want the cracked texture on the outside for both sides (I recommend), you'll need to flip over the crag template or flip over the panel. So now that we've got the patterns, it was time to cut out the Crag.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy7oxfqM8DhOARzNofwCidXQU_w4JEEqg0elgjMhH6_cLS5A70NR_8Qt_D2UrThUsELk5AnwPvaAfDCcjpiC5MFn03I__Ip4yfDg1Svg_6DAGAdCYLaVQLk0nt5FHXvi9ENbph4T_EwFs/s1600/Crag_Template2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy7oxfqM8DhOARzNofwCidXQU_w4JEEqg0elgjMhH6_cLS5A70NR_8Qt_D2UrThUsELk5AnwPvaAfDCcjpiC5MFn03I__Ip4yfDg1Svg_6DAGAdCYLaVQLk0nt5FHXvi9ENbph4T_EwFs/s320/Crag_Template2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">This was where it got a little bit ugly. Polystyrene isn't the easiest to work with - it is prone to cracking - and our trip to Lowes didn't prove fruitful in finding some other type of plastic that was both rigid, cuttable, and had a neat texture to it. There were a couple options for cutting the light panels - either a saw or using a utility knife and scoring. We went with option 2 and scored the plastic along our pattern (useful to use a straight edge to help guide you). Once scored, you need to <i>carefully</i> split it. If you put too much pressure, you will probably crack the plastic. So keep scoring until it comes off fairly easily. Be patient. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ0WxdOWVlewtiEcpCCPWDQ7Tjb7YW7RdHC4py492-RL76bA42-kmpgxz8agIW-qIEOnN1M5XKT2TrKX-NQvCywjdP01ZcxGb2U35SLb8SP24rSWrDO9vhtyFpvM84wyKtaSs0-I8Cbto/s1600/Crag_Score.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ0WxdOWVlewtiEcpCCPWDQ7Tjb7YW7RdHC4py492-RL76bA42-kmpgxz8agIW-qIEOnN1M5XKT2TrKX-NQvCywjdP01ZcxGb2U35SLb8SP24rSWrDO9vhtyFpvM84wyKtaSs0-I8Cbto/s320/Crag_Score.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">After the two main side pieces, we cut out the 7 top and side pieces to connect the two main pieces together to create the true 3D look. Some of this was trial and error to get the pieces to fit - luckily the pieces flexed a little bit. You can see the pieces in the picture below (obviously taken after the Crag was complete).</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN9_xz-K0uMTizo_stZliyvzQzekqewBnyRDGXcbyfggI-xEoWarx7zpK-ulfhFA8RpPqkZmxHkNmTILpEjF8F04Gx5REPB2KGOmrzo-8TdwzZP4j2iZn6AsabT1A6zCX7ASaIacnowTs/s1600/Photo+Oct+10,+7+44+24+PM.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN9_xz-K0uMTizo_stZliyvzQzekqewBnyRDGXcbyfggI-xEoWarx7zpK-ulfhFA8RpPqkZmxHkNmTILpEjF8F04Gx5REPB2KGOmrzo-8TdwzZP4j2iZn6AsabT1A6zCX7ASaIacnowTs/s320/Photo+Oct+10,+7+44+24+PM.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">So now that the plastic was cut, and the sharpie marks removed with the nail polish remover, we needed a base - we made it 22 inches x 6 inches and used wood to give it some weight. We cut the wood and screwed all the pieces together. Worried that the plastic wouldn't be stable enough, I used a Dremel to make some grooves in the wood (a saw would probably work too) that the plastic would sit in. After putting some wood glue over the screws and sanding, we painted the wood black and stuck a GUTS label on it.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJEvO0kBv1fqBMhG41fY-8gR4JiyoCHyUO7FFSnilFbdKMFfbtB4Bnpz70I1PXo-LHIB_-fH81HFFSsMGn8pgI0ruVbmOHqHPSMRzIFWSiL7z-oYOHoFDnsmV1WMyBdK_uI8UMFmsY2_s/s1600/Crag_Dremel.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJEvO0kBv1fqBMhG41fY-8gR4JiyoCHyUO7FFSnilFbdKMFfbtB4Bnpz70I1PXo-LHIB_-fH81HFFSsMGn8pgI0ruVbmOHqHPSMRzIFWSiL7z-oYOHoFDnsmV1WMyBdK_uI8UMFmsY2_s/s320/Crag_Dremel.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">At this point, you could just cement or hot glue the pieces together and place it on the base and call it quits. But I was going for the full on effect. With the <a href="http://amzn.com/B003J98LZA" target="_blank">9 feet of EL wire</a> I bought, the Crag would certainly have a "WOW" factor. We couldn't find any good glow in the dark spray paint, so we went with the EL Wire (see below). It actually ended up looking fine without the paint. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyX8DtK1kbFllYmLkQLyR9iTxp3-xVaowf_odVJZsU-1ohZ1mnDgv3re3UBagh0xvUMGlUiYIDAO0Z5ecyxKjGVC5mQg52N54PwjMBhMx1-fzDUrTErUDJWpJc67Pr4NsxXTW0swJRTqA/s1600/31dBiRO+3KL.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyX8DtK1kbFllYmLkQLyR9iTxp3-xVaowf_odVJZsU-1ohZ1mnDgv3re3UBagh0xvUMGlUiYIDAO0Z5ecyxKjGVC5mQg52N54PwjMBhMx1-fzDUrTErUDJWpJc67Pr4NsxXTW0swJRTqA/s320/31dBiRO+3KL.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">To put the finishing touches, we taped the EL wire to the inside of the Crag and velcroed the EL wire battery pack/switch to the inside of the base.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7MO2h-5i56MAP_Zg_bin6CDIiGYiqWEgCnxFSv_REy_dGxez-GcSO0L0OMS_Ipx0jA5zhyphenhyphenX5cHD-RZas-jhq9ROl-zRC2hLB1n8uSWD8kDsKLv7uhWvNl1EoP2Qs0tpB7jFsPoR-GFds/s1600/Photo+Oct+10%252C+7+43+14+PM.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7MO2h-5i56MAP_Zg_bin6CDIiGYiqWEgCnxFSv_REy_dGxez-GcSO0L0OMS_Ipx0jA5zhyphenhyphenX5cHD-RZas-jhq9ROl-zRC2hLB1n8uSWD8kDsKLv7uhWvNl1EoP2Qs0tpB7jFsPoR-GFds/s320/Photo+Oct+10%252C+7+43+14+PM.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">So this is what </span><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">the</span><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> finished product looked like: in the daylight and at night. Pretty rad, dude!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGAIdOq_rz26C6bxS-QCbVrXRXc3juXBDzb5earQ18_eU42pQlD0sCRqfPYCbZQ-YrY7ka9US2IO0oYzNzO7Mw5fFN8m5zsdNXFbgXtpaYiqPzVIZCGvlvPDATG72Xki1IEgNEMwz7PVE/s1600/Crag_Light_Dark.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGAIdOq_rz26C6bxS-QCbVrXRXc3juXBDzb5earQ18_eU42pQlD0sCRqfPYCbZQ-YrY7ka9US2IO0oYzNzO7Mw5fFN8m5zsdNXFbgXtpaYiqPzVIZCGvlvPDATG72Xki1IEgNEMwz7PVE/s400/Crag_Light_Dark.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Will it stand the test of time? Doubtful. But at least for a day, I can hoist a piece of the glowing radical rock and fulfill my childhood dream.</span></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Do you have it? GUTS!</span><br />
<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br />Quick update: The Aggro Crag has stood the test of time and a move! It is still delicate but the lights still work. I've occasionally brought it out for events and it this would make the perfect halloween accessory!<br /><br /></span>
<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Kerry</span></div>
Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05757778965785802847noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2296040802844002461.post-13033006942733931492013-09-16T16:49:00.001-04:002013-09-16T16:55:06.759-04:00'Wood' You Marry Me? 5 Year Anniversary Gift<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On September 13, Kerry and I celebrated our five year anniversary. I can't believe that we have been married for that long ! We actually aren't big gift givers for our anniversaries and we usually try to take a trip to celebrate. In the past years, we've gone to Arizona, Tennessee, Colorado, and this year we went the Lone Star State - Texas !</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, the suggested gifts for five years is wood or silverware. We really don't need any silverware and I couldn't think of any furniture needs either. But while I was in Texas, I did some shopping and spotted a block of wood with some twine that was used as a picture "frame." I figured, why buy it when I can make it, DIY style.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Materials:</b></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">8X8 wood block canvas (got mine at Michael's)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Brown paint</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Modge Podge</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thick twine or hemp cording</span></li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzwiJRN_hmgcNE3Y-HgTeXKycS_gjvPJS5IdsVP2n53alknvI5nkQfZUDYffoUxE-P3pThLVqkecCGvKNw7we8ltxdrTAUUMqqXDvQSVvMCPrD_r0tQun00WVe-6I8lgYjTb7Vv6YGKWM/s1600/woodblock+materials.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzwiJRN_hmgcNE3Y-HgTeXKycS_gjvPJS5IdsVP2n53alknvI5nkQfZUDYffoUxE-P3pThLVqkecCGvKNw7we8ltxdrTAUUMqqXDvQSVvMCPrD_r0tQun00WVe-6I8lgYjTb7Vv6YGKWM/s640/woodblock+materials.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tools:</b></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Paint brush</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Staple gun</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Glue gun and stick</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hand sander (or a piece of sand paper)</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First, I painted the front, four sides, and part of the back of the wood canvas. Once it was dry, I put a very light coat of Modge Podge just to seal it and give it a little gloss. The bottle looks like it is from the 60s (I've actually had it since 2000 and it is just about done) !</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Nv9XHll99R3fUjXkw0_z7UYAuLxIJEEjVhtkyUmmVdQx2c2DmAE_X_XP6rd5SrZ_FTpbLDMJcIGr6jZbZqfcSn8OofRcpG9D9VlXhTLeb8wxXLNC6nSvaIXoiTbylmbPABOl7IJDXlw/s1600/painted+block.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Nv9XHll99R3fUjXkw0_z7UYAuLxIJEEjVhtkyUmmVdQx2c2DmAE_X_XP6rd5SrZ_FTpbLDMJcIGr6jZbZqfcSn8OofRcpG9D9VlXhTLeb8wxXLNC6nSvaIXoiTbylmbPABOl7IJDXlw/s640/painted+block.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Once it was fully dry again, I took a little hand sander and sanded the edges to rub off some paint. I also did the corners a bit to "round" them. This gave it a little rustic/worn look to it. Ok - so the picture is taken inside, but I definitely didn't sand it inside, otherwise my next picture would have been of me vacuuming the floor.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF8jZHjimJOZITaQ_p4b2wiC-9O3RcCPro5p6FDT5riCkNvHGDS1-j1Mj8_jQdNWUxDxsqZTQr7p33i9aSK5nqFIQGBzHJm71CXMOY59OZ_7q9jaBDryMzGzqJYgg7seO4JG5xiDI48Hw/s1600/block+sanded.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF8jZHjimJOZITaQ_p4b2wiC-9O3RcCPro5p6FDT5riCkNvHGDS1-j1Mj8_jQdNWUxDxsqZTQr7p33i9aSK5nqFIQGBzHJm71CXMOY59OZ_7q9jaBDryMzGzqJYgg7seO4JG5xiDI48Hw/s640/block+sanded.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After that, I took the cording and stapled one end to the back, then wrapped it around about five times. I stapled it once while I was wrapping, then again at the end to keep it tight. Then I used some extra cording, tied a bow, and hot glued the bow to the cording. DONE! So simple and cute.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgycFXp7lgxKF6nKjov2mRDAwf9sHcnU9YmPDMl6ozhI9qL8x0ZZviDb0adY9RDDzKbF-KuaEFqa3q2nSQT52eUGvJ8RWE1eqJJ8ssvKZXsAC32jJoDjHYAUeKQStiQ9vltc7NJFyKooJU/s1600/block+string.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgycFXp7lgxKF6nKjov2mRDAwf9sHcnU9YmPDMl6ozhI9qL8x0ZZviDb0adY9RDDzKbF-KuaEFqa3q2nSQT52eUGvJ8RWE1eqJJ8ssvKZXsAC32jJoDjHYAUeKQStiQ9vltc7NJFyKooJU/s640/block+string.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPNFRQ2fzJyhsA7_7QSSW6MvyuzzbUWy4pxLwjeuUaABHBPAwcxoZoW2O6oQPA6VB-6qnRvwUx2Qq9mApKTdPALQMmB4Ln4GIY3s1gB-3d6GSECXwN8aa0PWHiu80-N-QoXByxyM6zlAI/s1600/block+string+done.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPNFRQ2fzJyhsA7_7QSSW6MvyuzzbUWy4pxLwjeuUaABHBPAwcxoZoW2O6oQPA6VB-6qnRvwUx2Qq9mApKTdPALQMmB4Ln4GIY3s1gB-3d6GSECXwN8aa0PWHiu80-N-QoXByxyM6zlAI/s640/block+string+done.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I found a nice picture of the two of us from a winery last year and popped it in there. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw4KPNS2ygjiTcYEAjiVgcpqUccYycbkSmV3TZW0PwEeqTwztiRq2HbXiAvlWMMUpJdV_l2P38N1mkCsj7HxVAQt1kPde8RL57l7xFDuIOtHqIVc0AsjvvyQNh9GdAWk2J_jss3Sn5QgM/s1600/block+done.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw4KPNS2ygjiTcYEAjiVgcpqUccYycbkSmV3TZW0PwEeqTwztiRq2HbXiAvlWMMUpJdV_l2P38N1mkCsj7HxVAQt1kPde8RL57l7xFDuIOtHqIVc0AsjvvyQNh9GdAWk2J_jss3Sn5QgM/s640/block+done.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I love it ! I couldn't wait to give it to Kerry. I had to go over to my neighbor's house to show her, otherwise I would have given it to Kerry a couple days early…I ruin surprises because I get too excited about them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This was such a quick and simple project. You could use any color paint and probably even put in a 5 x 7 picture as well. Love it ! And so did Kerry. It is in his office as I write this.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What else have you used as a frame for a picture?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now you can Do It Yourself Too !</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~Stephanie</span></div>
Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05757778965785802847noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2296040802844002461.post-83333011924503929352013-08-14T17:27:00.000-04:002013-08-14T17:27:07.035-04:00Artsy Lunchware<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This post is SOO long over due. I started this about a year ago, before last year's school year…</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The end of August brings me to setting up my classroom. I got this little idea from my school's fantastic art teacher. She has sets of IKEA plastic dishes connected by fish string and hung by color above her tables.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOKxOc0SwMuBKyqnL-5SA1LMAH9legDQ8VeFJshpwlFObuH0gibv3lUUPNDwkJetuU0D1xvN6t2PldMAxAGdDdj0l4UlpxfmcCMkPyMX65Y4bLKS4w2baiv98Xvd5CIv91NctLl09Ir5I/s1600/IMG_1735.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOKxOc0SwMuBKyqnL-5SA1LMAH9legDQ8VeFJshpwlFObuH0gibv3lUUPNDwkJetuU0D1xvN6t2PldMAxAGdDdj0l4UlpxfmcCMkPyMX65Y4bLKS4w2baiv98Xvd5CIv91NctLl09Ir5I/s400/IMG_1735.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So I just borrowed her idea, got myself some IKEA dishes, drilled some holes, added some fish string and got some pretty cool ways to group my students by colors. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhIC6S9yCffLSRi3-VuhYq7DTzQrbp9K1baahWTZcXYxYor_f4-L9zGI0dTRq9ve_dJ-BPtbFXeeo8aleHThkGn5M1VeJr14-Zwc7fclFCZ9WCvoj0vUosZWiHVx0C1m6W07oLwVi4YmI/s1600/drill+dishes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="419" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhIC6S9yCffLSRi3-VuhYq7DTzQrbp9K1baahWTZcXYxYor_f4-L9zGI0dTRq9ve_dJ-BPtbFXeeo8aleHThkGn5M1VeJr14-Zwc7fclFCZ9WCvoj0vUosZWiHVx0C1m6W07oLwVi4YmI/s640/drill+dishes.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGUL55B6EG5ABbMl8BTroR3o9GLyxonxihj_AV5CykYouPIhOiocAS245Aswbl2bOdH97yoddwcsy3voocXb0PJO06VDTFSEwT8X3aCqB1aGKPe5QWPsUAcJ6LIaldfWt_1syu7g2hT4g/s1600/dishes+together.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGUL55B6EG5ABbMl8BTroR3o9GLyxonxihj_AV5CykYouPIhOiocAS245Aswbl2bOdH97yoddwcsy3voocXb0PJO06VDTFSEwT8X3aCqB1aGKPe5QWPsUAcJ6LIaldfWt_1syu7g2hT4g/s640/dishes+together.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I just attached the fishing string to a paperclip and shoved them in between the ceiling tiles. Each color hung over either a row or a group of student desks…depending on how <strike>talkative</strike> well-behaved my students were at the time. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I actually never got a chance to stand on top of a chair all last year to take a picture, so you won't actually see a final result - but it was a great way to add color to the room and divide my students up.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How do you divide and label your student groups? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now you can Do It Yourself, Too !</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~Stephanie</span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05757778965785802847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2296040802844002461.post-83381626573100182662013-04-08T20:58:00.002-04:002013-10-30T17:59:50.630-04:00DIY Herringbone Art<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hello again ! We are finally getting some nice, warm weather down here in Virginia ! So glad ! Here is another post about my spring break projects. This one is about our master bath. Even though I put up a new <a href="http://simplydiy2.blogspot.com/2013/02/no-elf-on-shelf-here.html" target="_blank">shelf and word cloud</a> in our master bath, above the bathtub was in dire need of some artwork. See how bland looking this is??? </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2nov2R6VxY1pLvvtijvpOvBy-fttND9a8JWfv6D2JMXdx0xH_uhiWUM6jXHm_BXEyIxF0PsFdUhs9D_U4YyAzeqTs-fMKsKLLDUE9laOb9Tvly6eNlLCGslL4GLlHwrnC7Cidde2FpFk/s1600/IMG_3228.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2nov2R6VxY1pLvvtijvpOvBy-fttND9a8JWfv6D2JMXdx0xH_uhiWUM6jXHm_BXEyIxF0PsFdUhs9D_U4YyAzeqTs-fMKsKLLDUE9laOb9Tvly6eNlLCGslL4GLlHwrnC7Cidde2FpFk/s400/IMG_3228.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This big, blank wall has just been begging for something to cover it since we moved in and I haven't been able to find the right piece of art…until I came across this gorgeous picture:</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5lshZtAIXVZQiyH7xH8kfmSTRXwXdrbiYsCRXBMRje3GprFweqU4Z79VIfRF0PgR-yJ6Nyd2mw24wLwmI4OwVA3QaYNSPgoP6aBzx7JJlZKWCiA0PxaDBazkltIujXAKVVqh89U1oGFM/s1600/shop-wild-herringbone-cozamia2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5lshZtAIXVZQiyH7xH8kfmSTRXwXdrbiYsCRXBMRje3GprFweqU4Z79VIfRF0PgR-yJ6Nyd2mw24wLwmI4OwVA3QaYNSPgoP6aBzx7JJlZKWCiA0PxaDBazkltIujXAKVVqh89U1oGFM/s400/shop-wild-herringbone-cozamia2.jpg" width="340" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cozamia.com/gallery/Wild-Herringbone.htm" target="_blank">Source</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was love at first sight. I knew that I wanted to attempt to make this for the bathroom using sea blues and greens to match the teal in the word cloud I made a couple of months ago. Plus, I think that blues and greens are soothing and calming. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, I gathered my materials and went to work.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Materials:</b></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Canvas (any size you'd like - mine was 24 in. X 30 in.)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Painter's tape</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Paints of your choice (used acrylics - some are waterproof)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Paint brush</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Something to put paint in to mix</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Foam roller brush</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tweezers (if needed)</span></li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6O_rY1ZwU6xng04pIOnO5FuHjKmrb3ulWmCfd94KOlGuZpAbGJlWVg5LLgFgAiv1zrMVr7v6bVHvqost1Rwn3JR09csBxOLUKwW9n4RlpGMQThA1iW5IKchLXVaIEGhjml1ENLHUR0qg/s1600/canvas+materials.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="507" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6O_rY1ZwU6xng04pIOnO5FuHjKmrb3ulWmCfd94KOlGuZpAbGJlWVg5LLgFgAiv1zrMVr7v6bVHvqost1Rwn3JR09csBxOLUKwW9n4RlpGMQThA1iW5IKchLXVaIEGhjml1ENLHUR0qg/s640/canvas+materials.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I searched through my old paint class materials and found my disposable pallet pad. It is essentially a tablet of wax paper. It's pretty cool and easy to use because once you are finished, you just roll it up and throw it away. I just squeezed dots of paints onto the pallet, mixed colors, and painted a crazy meld of colors. Once the canvas was covered with paint, I almost wanted to stop here and put it up, but instead I proceeded to the herringbone pattern.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqJhrcQ7ETUWCMo2waCmd5kYe1ge-vY3kcFPC7zV_pdVcDOqDOLRDhQ94ottYaUbX4gNvm4py5eFvy1OTrSbzEHUujxX4XOCyxcjjkv0sQs0TcijyjsIFIl1RulFe06oQHB8J6ERNxD8U/s1600/canvas+paint.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="507" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqJhrcQ7ETUWCMo2waCmd5kYe1ge-vY3kcFPC7zV_pdVcDOqDOLRDhQ94ottYaUbX4gNvm4py5eFvy1OTrSbzEHUujxX4XOCyxcjjkv0sQs0TcijyjsIFIl1RulFe06oQHB8J6ERNxD8U/s640/canvas+paint.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I let it dry for about a day before I placed the tape on it. Cutting the tape was the most tedious part of this project. I cut about 108 pieces of tape at 4.5 inches each. It helped to stick the pieces of tape </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">on something as I cut it, hence the chair full of tape. I suggest cutting all pieces first, then place the tape on the canvas. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggI4wpQrU61V6zr9-hkdschmDNrBfv2PiOmSq4YWXM8CGKc6HHZOCQWVKA9M5RaDWTWfJuN53EXesfxdMSE5BPANsTK06_Wz48VHW0Ev136xabk9IF-_meYbwhREXMrxyHUiGB9fNBqtM/s1600/IMG_3214.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggI4wpQrU61V6zr9-hkdschmDNrBfv2PiOmSq4YWXM8CGKc6HHZOCQWVKA9M5RaDWTWfJuN53EXesfxdMSE5BPANsTK06_Wz48VHW0Ev136xabk9IF-_meYbwhREXMrxyHUiGB9fNBqtM/s400/IMG_3214.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For the tape, I started on the top left and placed the first piece of tape. Then I placed a second piece of tape perpendicular to the first, and then the third as parallel to the first - this picture might explain better:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxAhSsax-mXAYZnl5G2pK_HM6QyteLU_oVQ6_bfoh3_B5jqtoSfu5QKThhZBhS9TzR0e9tgSye96NcKLWw3JggcK19Cxb7Q-Pbutev8cNxmlUG2jeRxYQowHFVmrQPiVqhXYlc6OxE0PY/s1600/canvas+tape+pattern.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="544" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxAhSsax-mXAYZnl5G2pK_HM6QyteLU_oVQ6_bfoh3_B5jqtoSfu5QKThhZBhS9TzR0e9tgSye96NcKLWw3JggcK19Cxb7Q-Pbutev8cNxmlUG2jeRxYQowHFVmrQPiVqhXYlc6OxE0PY/s640/canvas+tape+pattern.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After I finished one row, I started the second row. After all rows were finished, I pulled some pieces of tape off to get the "blank" pieces. I ran out of tape midway so had to use a different brand of painter's tape that had some design on it, just in case you were wondering why there are two colors of tape.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqeqgVpFB5zGiPA7RRA6F23EeplLDzGOjKGTJxQ7eVs-6RwGEKrcEe4NIrrjnkBkGeQbv8U2Oh4qDWonUaSglJgP9DgRzEL7Aj_6LhiJx8f9eWIVfFRiFLl9MSgX5ANQjjast7yV0ID8Q/s1600/IMG_3218.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqeqgVpFB5zGiPA7RRA6F23EeplLDzGOjKGTJxQ7eVs-6RwGEKrcEe4NIrrjnkBkGeQbv8U2Oh4qDWonUaSglJgP9DgRzEL7Aj_6LhiJx8f9eWIVfFRiFLl9MSgX5ANQjjast7yV0ID8Q/s640/IMG_3218.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then I took my foam roller and white paint and rolled over the entire canvas. I only did one "thick" layer of paint. This part was fun !</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkL2k-n0apck1ds7LV-IEQtOHICrl9tXzdCvFhgPTeLNxDYzjagAvyRE2I7-tGHDFI3a-cw_hE_B5Ugz0XbA_emwsyAEbXsmNSEsQefEzh60JC7R_q0kM-1WPFDwdf5Jy9W8Ga7hThVXo/s1600/canvas+white+painted.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkL2k-n0apck1ds7LV-IEQtOHICrl9tXzdCvFhgPTeLNxDYzjagAvyRE2I7-tGHDFI3a-cw_hE_B5Ugz0XbA_emwsyAEbXsmNSEsQefEzh60JC7R_q0kM-1WPFDwdf5Jy9W8Ga7hThVXo/s640/canvas+white+painted.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While the paint was still wet, I started to peel off the tape. The edges were easy since there was tape to grab, but I needed tweezers to grab the corners of the other pieces in the middle. Some paint did get under the tape and left little splotches. I was able to carefully wipe some off, but I figured from far away no one would really notice. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt9hFWHgdEClPC95iN0abfialyxxZGJig75Mig-XHzJ1P4ed_ozkegp81L6AJLgKs0PWB8s8jYh9f8y4CD5VaCZuuksv5pYlFYTKbQsTcuN3Ppn61feee5w13658DUglb8XTzKIh5U778/s1600/canvas+tape+off.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt9hFWHgdEClPC95iN0abfialyxxZGJig75Mig-XHzJ1P4ed_ozkegp81L6AJLgKs0PWB8s8jYh9f8y4CD5VaCZuuksv5pYlFYTKbQsTcuN3Ppn61feee5w13658DUglb8XTzKIh5U778/s640/canvas+tape+off.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was pretty neat to see how the pattern came put as I continued to peel off the tape. Here is the finished product :</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT_GCI_D6ihQm1K3lelNO5zDvDJ_5Un7qN4p0gvxr9o5YFuoWxWYHhnvE27uqgyx-L9qUaRsgPkbXobVjJj0fLt6mqSl_vj5GiYCuN1uDZOKHVkufX_yKCiBEEfQaBBZgW0rzvr_SLezs/s1600/canvas+done.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT_GCI_D6ihQm1K3lelNO5zDvDJ_5Un7qN4p0gvxr9o5YFuoWxWYHhnvE27uqgyx-L9qUaRsgPkbXobVjJj0fLt6mqSl_vj5GiYCuN1uDZOKHVkufX_yKCiBEEfQaBBZgW0rzvr_SLezs/s640/canvas+done.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I love it ! The colors are great and the pattern looks awesome. The first row is a little slanted, but who would notice?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It didn't take long to dry and when it was finished drying I added some wire to hang it like I do my <a href="http://simplydiy2.blogspot.com/2012/07/ready-to-frame.html" target="_blank">frames</a>. Then I grabbed a picture hook and went upstairs to our bathroom to hang it. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHd1PNqIYctkE3TPuP3ND2xF25iNHsuuPESo3o4TQTiBNs8ugxjiMYFCf4vTPcOKtqiG36aDLDCkBJNvx-FufHRCn7GDQTci1XfNDi4tHo2oWSSkRpJjPPk8zqWrYyJf-zinunwgcMLp0/s1600/IMG_3231.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHd1PNqIYctkE3TPuP3ND2xF25iNHsuuPESo3o4TQTiBNs8ugxjiMYFCf4vTPcOKtqiG36aDLDCkBJNvx-FufHRCn7GDQTci1XfNDi4tHo2oWSSkRpJjPPk8zqWrYyJf-zinunwgcMLp0/s640/IMG_3231.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, let me tell you that once I hung it in the bathroom, I no longer liked the painting. I mean, I like the painting, but not in the bathroom. I think the colors are all wrong and the herringbone pattern is too much pattern with the tile below it. AND, I think that the canvas is too small. Ah crap. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It has been hanging up in the bathroom for over a week now and I'm trying to get used to it, but it looks like it might end up coming down. Then I'll be back to square one with a big, blank wall. The painting might end up in another room…or in storage until I find a better home for it. Even though it didn't work out in the bathroom, I'm glad that I made it because making the pattern with tape was a lot of fun. And painting brought back some good memories from my painting class in college.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now you can Do It Yourself Too !</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~Stephanie</span></div>
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Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05757778965785802847noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2296040802844002461.post-39133458079815355092013-04-04T20:48:00.000-04:002013-04-04T20:48:20.081-04:00Going Vertical<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This summer will be our third summer in the new house. Each year, I start a beautiful garden in the back with hopes of a fruitful harvest and each year (well, just the past two since we've lived here) I get <strike>squash</strike> squat. Actually I do get a zucchini or two, but my tomato plants rot from the bottom and only a handful of beans will grow. It is a pretty pathetic site. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This year, I am set on not letting it happen again. I've decided to take a different approach this year. Beans in the back up against a trellis, tomatoes in the front, and lots of potted veggies, like lettuce and bell peppers. Also in pots will be my herbs - but I always grow some hearty herbs in a pot...I suppose you can't really mess up herbs (Hopefully I didn't just jinx that).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have already started my garden in the </span><a href="http://simplydiy2.blogspot.com/2012/04/get-your-newspaperpots-that-is.html" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">little newspaper pots</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> like I did last year, in hopes of planting them into the garden in a few weeks. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By the way, Punxsutawney Phil needs to look for a new job - spring did NOT come early this year. The weather has been wacky lately. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We just had 4+ inches of snow last week - but hopefully it'll soon be warm enough to plant my seedlings. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP50nyu2uIcqYTqVSfuW9bCPU3JdSN6mgbQAGdNUortGqtxvDd905TRk_22C7g4Khb7LB0TfVAOUyP1jrWGM1lrI1KLH4waT3bhp6XGix0ZLdXgpJqiMhjk573_xptbM_KA5aoCf4Ohcc/s1600/IMG_3190.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP50nyu2uIcqYTqVSfuW9bCPU3JdSN6mgbQAGdNUortGqtxvDd905TRk_22C7g4Khb7LB0TfVAOUyP1jrWGM1lrI1KLH4waT3bhp6XGix0ZLdXgpJqiMhjk573_xptbM_KA5aoCf4Ohcc/s400/IMG_3190.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So on to making my garden better: the trellis. It is pretty simple to make, but I had to bring in some muscle to help me near the end (hubby to the rescue) to finish it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Tools:</b></span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hand saw (or saw of choice)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Drill</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wire Cutters</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pliers (if needed)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hammer</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Materials:</b></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3 pieces 1 X 2 X 8 treated pine </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cage wire</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wire Cloth Staples</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Screws/Nails</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF3jaLlisHcwA5DQpKrCR4r-_hp0itC7DhNyID41q6GXuGbs7vjRzeDd3Ya84qgD4rd0IsPCmo3fMt8biv5cOicMPVY2P6eMrrkN5OjDvbLpUxZKfKyBlQnwy7C4TLZq31xKrBeP9OO7k/s1600/IMG_3177.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF3jaLlisHcwA5DQpKrCR4r-_hp0itC7DhNyID41q6GXuGbs7vjRzeDd3Ya84qgD4rd0IsPCmo3fMt8biv5cOicMPVY2P6eMrrkN5OjDvbLpUxZKfKyBlQnwy7C4TLZq31xKrBeP9OO7k/s400/IMG_3177.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First, I sawed the wood to a little over 5 feet so it wasn't taller than my fence. I used two of the leftover pieces for the top and the middle. I used my drill to make holes and then screwed all the pieces together. I used some nails for extra reinforcement near the top. Here is what the frame looked liked:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfBE1EvCSD4Kw-aW5dejs4ko0ynQUKYQiVv7s7iW1ShfD8QIAfQ3sThlMU73riRaaTVvqy5__AbtHOL5KNV9rIWOwo5FNicCP_aQ0wSG4r4Wmf-HOI4tgBoa2r43bTBKCKMTZT7bbWlaA/s1600/screwing+trellis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfBE1EvCSD4Kw-aW5dejs4ko0ynQUKYQiVv7s7iW1ShfD8QIAfQ3sThlMU73riRaaTVvqy5__AbtHOL5KNV9rIWOwo5FNicCP_aQ0wSG4r4Wmf-HOI4tgBoa2r43bTBKCKMTZT7bbWlaA/s400/screwing+trellis.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After the frame was made, it was time for the cage wire. At first, I thought my heavy duty staple gun would be able to connect the wire to the wood - WRONG ! The cage wire was so thick that the staples kept popping out. Maybe the staple gun would have worked with a thinner wire (or a seriously heavy duty staple gun). So I had to run over to Ace and grab some staples that I could hammer in. Thankfully Ace is less than a mile away because there was one time when one of us (hint: not me) went there more than a handful of times in one day while doing another home improvement project. For this project, I just needed one visit :). </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK08R3rSjJcl0yUADSDIER8_TG5eQkDr_JckLf45MgxcgLU3FI59J9R558QgyAR7YLNOs8FeXOuml1LQAaCCnlAXdHrKA6glHni8sreMmAe62ptd0gsnuoSdi2Y2_WtKsVDlbv1k90PJY/s1600/IMG_3183.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK08R3rSjJcl0yUADSDIER8_TG5eQkDr_JckLf45MgxcgLU3FI59J9R558QgyAR7YLNOs8FeXOuml1LQAaCCnlAXdHrKA6glHni8sreMmAe62ptd0gsnuoSdi2Y2_WtKsVDlbv1k90PJY/s400/IMG_3183.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I used the wire cutter to cut the cage to fit across the cage - not up and down because the frame was just a bit too wide. This is where the muscle came in. Kerry had to finish cutting the wire because it was just too hard to cut. You would think cutting wire wouldn't be hard, but after getting an arm workout cutting just a few wires, I couldn't finish it. Once the hubby was done cutting, we hammered in the big staples over the wire. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We hammered the staples in about every 2-3 inches, sometimes closer to make sure the wire stayed on the wood. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Even some of those kept popping out too! It was like playing a game of whack-a-mole - we would hammer in one and a staple would pop out at the other end. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_DikK71oNNDxE5CMsQ0FgywA7967p9VgOMMp7g8HH7ilaEQKpHJ1nWUsSIzbYAXhUi5AvLCIyQNAnalwosuBnLS13XXYrZl9nCJmzBDqXp5e3euxWoowpYaCV9Q_glD1Eww2EkpuJbLM/s1600/stapling+wire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_DikK71oNNDxE5CMsQ0FgywA7967p9VgOMMp7g8HH7ilaEQKpHJ1nWUsSIzbYAXhUi5AvLCIyQNAnalwosuBnLS13XXYrZl9nCJmzBDqXp5e3euxWoowpYaCV9Q_glD1Eww2EkpuJbLM/s640/stapling+wire.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Once we were finished, I just set it in my garden and leaned it up against the fence. I used some floral wire to attach it to the fence so that it won't fall forward.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6WAh4zFgry-j_h4HMTN2ZewaEEE2O5whSZBgsLob3XnYEBWA9fQg4EuH8XYO4cCJVT-Tyj7NZbT1V_JA7iRVQK7virKYnlh0Ck8N5E58l14_Y1t_Xexyd7Ag2rurkFAWyyZogYx6PXG0/s1600/trellis+done.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="467" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6WAh4zFgry-j_h4HMTN2ZewaEEE2O5whSZBgsLob3XnYEBWA9fQg4EuH8XYO4cCJVT-Tyj7NZbT1V_JA7iRVQK7virKYnlh0Ck8N5E58l14_Y1t_Xexyd7Ag2rurkFAWyyZogYx6PXG0/s640/trellis+done.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now I just need my beans to sprout and some warm weather to plant outside ! We'll see how well this trellis holds up through the summer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How do you go vertical in your garden? What is your favorite vegetable to plant vertically?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now you can Do It Yourself Too !</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~Stephanie</span></div>
Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05757778965785802847noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2296040802844002461.post-33695810875112104592013-04-01T16:34:00.001-04:002013-04-01T17:19:13.384-04:00Coasting Into Spring: DIY Tile Coasters<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Boy, did spring break go by fast ! If you celebrate Easter, I hope you had a wonderful weekend full of family, candy, and eggs.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'd like to make a quick post about some coasters that I made. This is a fairly popular project around the internet and it is easy to do. Last year I made a bunch of these as Christmas gifts but now I'd like some for our house to use outside when we entertain.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Materials: </b></span><br />
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Scrapbook paper with the design of your choice (I've also seen people use pictures, maps, or pretty cloth)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">White 4.25 X 4.25 inch tiles (got mine at Lowe's)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A foam painting brush</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mod Podge</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sealing spray</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cork</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tacky glue</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cut your scrapbook paper into 4 X 4 inch squares. Then brush some mod podge on the tile to "glue" the paper on. Place the paper on the tile and carefully smooth it out with the brush. Make sure there are no air bubbles in the middle. You might also need to hold down the corners and edges for a few seconds so that they do not pop up. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrSS2oDH3jqlFqefvQhXOz_93dOM5CPGvZY-LGGNUNAHWKeIzRMemHc0gemjo5piZP4G7NUfNUSnLKBPDg6UhNEZVzQsDY7TQmuTnvFT8TDbYw4Cr7bJsVo8ld883Gz3EW5Kl1rN1q-ic/s1600/modging+coasters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="367" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrSS2oDH3jqlFqefvQhXOz_93dOM5CPGvZY-LGGNUNAHWKeIzRMemHc0gemjo5piZP4G7NUfNUSnLKBPDg6UhNEZVzQsDY7TQmuTnvFT8TDbYw4Cr7bJsVo8ld883Gz3EW5Kl1rN1q-ic/s400/modging+coasters.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then use the foam brush again to cover the entire top of the tile with the Mod Podge. This helps</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> to seal and protect it. Let it dry completely. Maybe a half a day or less. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Once it is dry, take the tiles outside to spray with a clear sealer. This helps to make it water resistant. I placed mine on a cooling rack on top of cardboard to make sure that the grass doesn't get stuck on the tile when it is sprayed.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiolYJAlq8rkCSbbOXrIsE4us7oD_y2ntZo51CZ1Oyf8u1Q2v4PIpjEmdBRlUc_kDKyIvNSixAMLWOGFZtNN11iyjUDrqBNOtylsrAD1N-Hy6cbOOAXz17VmK3iBW1kb7swstMb9p1eDRI/s1600/spray+coasters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiolYJAlq8rkCSbbOXrIsE4us7oD_y2ntZo51CZ1Oyf8u1Q2v4PIpjEmdBRlUc_kDKyIvNSixAMLWOGFZtNN11iyjUDrqBNOtylsrAD1N-Hy6cbOOAXz17VmK3iBW1kb7swstMb9p1eDRI/s640/spray+coasters.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let these dry outside for about a half a day as well. Sometimes the spray has strong fumes, so you might need to keep it out longer (as long as it is a nice day out). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Once the sealer has dried out, the tiles are ready for the backing. The bottom of the tiles are a bit rough, so you'll want to put something on the bottom so they don't scratch your table. I cut 4 X 4 inch pieces of crock from cork sheets that I purchased at Michael's a while back. You could also use felt or some other soft, yet firm material.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwsd-UiifQc4CYALDLioMkGH2ZE2Z6RqF9sD-SRuWPhNeWMIPoEhacf4HrHKSr2FCQRmnKk85fvjsclBRTQ4Dp9x2e_9RQO-UzNwMnEbqgELiTyt_AT92NNKRJQ5-dCnci032BUuSsT_c/s1600/cork+coasters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwsd-UiifQc4CYALDLioMkGH2ZE2Z6RqF9sD-SRuWPhNeWMIPoEhacf4HrHKSr2FCQRmnKk85fvjsclBRTQ4Dp9x2e_9RQO-UzNwMnEbqgELiTyt_AT92NNKRJQ5-dCnci032BUuSsT_c/s640/cork+coasters.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I just used tacky glue, spread it all around the back, placed the cork on and let it dry. Once the cork is on and the glue is dried, they are ready to be used ! </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsu7uZIeuw3pOElvxpD1J9g1kin3BrOtwvN4BL4N8FuQhYR3-IfApN4LHc2NEjdy60d_5olmNufXzrz5FdSZYxD62K46tEBljkkP5c7LtdDgklWxfqNaIKsARIzFNwo6EUQYlANDRKLq0/s1600/coasters+done.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsu7uZIeuw3pOElvxpD1J9g1kin3BrOtwvN4BL4N8FuQhYR3-IfApN4LHc2NEjdy60d_5olmNufXzrz5FdSZYxD62K46tEBljkkP5c7LtdDgklWxfqNaIKsARIzFNwo6EUQYlANDRKLq0/s640/coasters+done.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now we just need some warm weather and friends to pop over for some fresh drinks.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you're making them as gifts, stack them up once they are dry and tie them together with a pretty ribbon: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-mncAIIeV1Tq5OY6SrVZlrkpQh20FvJpiE8kcNn3zLQOBuPpkX3XymevjvxA9t45jpLquzOQlag6L3vAYEC0KwY_9E9bXheAKd0ySDL6fRkvjdZksHcs8g_GuexJAT1ccEEgivhD6JRg/s1600/coaster+gifts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-mncAIIeV1Tq5OY6SrVZlrkpQh20FvJpiE8kcNn3zLQOBuPpkX3XymevjvxA9t45jpLquzOQlag6L3vAYEC0KwY_9E9bXheAKd0ySDL6fRkvjdZksHcs8g_GuexJAT1ccEEgivhD6JRg/s400/coaster+gifts.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How are you getting ready for warm weather?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now you Can Do It Yourself Too !</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~Stephanie</span></div>
Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05757778965785802847noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2296040802844002461.post-88504594626474139842013-03-25T11:59:00.000-04:002013-03-25T11:59:14.841-04:00Yay for Spring Break !<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let's just say that my DIY'ing has been put on hold for a while due to being busy…duh. So before my spring break started, I made a long list of things that I wanted to do around the house + crafting. I have been pumping out projects like crazy !</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some projects are gifts for friends, so I won't be able to post those until later, but others are for our house. Once they are complete (some have been put on hold a little more since it started snowing…not so springy here) I will share !</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Come back later this week for some finished projects!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~Stephanie</span>Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05757778965785802847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2296040802844002461.post-54898172552083433032013-03-07T15:58:00.002-05:002013-03-07T16:00:20.796-05:00Springin' in More Towels<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last year, when I made some cute </span><a href="http://simplydiy2.blogspot.com/2012/04/spring-hanging-towels.html" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Easter hand towels</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, they caught my cousin's eye. So she asked me to make her some for this Easter and I did: </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixOSgmMRnXLKJ-zAL0FLbkOb_b2FKcv8AYFi6IFGa1_SxlTN-9cSOyQTsRa-XWosqg2rYDGk2k5_Kk_o52qy252xBfAmMIZ_kIclg3Ed1BLWW1RBgDiVb-PIGyoGLXlDdBImTH_SAiOaA/s1600/get-attachment-1.aspx.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixOSgmMRnXLKJ-zAL0FLbkOb_b2FKcv8AYFi6IFGa1_SxlTN-9cSOyQTsRa-XWosqg2rYDGk2k5_Kk_o52qy252xBfAmMIZ_kIclg3Ed1BLWW1RBgDiVb-PIGyoGLXlDdBImTH_SAiOaA/s400/get-attachment-1.aspx.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">^ Towels before snap and button.</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrB6aE8-KNPkcx8VlDcGBF0tdcm9Jr8bhXrvjAcBv22H5jq2n_MzJmtcj-tebHFr3NESylE6tW4sEVKXV-R9Bv87VNRm4IlUkbWRhfgvSAqr5q9dM70sBtJf75-TU8ZIMDrqXpXwU45zA/s1600/get-attachment.aspx.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrB6aE8-KNPkcx8VlDcGBF0tdcm9Jr8bhXrvjAcBv22H5jq2n_MzJmtcj-tebHFr3NESylE6tW4sEVKXV-R9Bv87VNRm4IlUkbWRhfgvSAqr5q9dM70sBtJf75-TU8ZIMDrqXpXwU45zA/s640/get-attachment.aspx.jpeg" width="640" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I purchased two towels last year when they were on sale and cut them in half, thus getting four hand towels. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is the </span><a href="http://simplydiy2.blogspot.com/2012/02/handling-in-towel.html" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">post</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> about the very first time that I made the hanging towel. It gets a lot easier to make them after you do a few of them. The longest part is tracing and cutting out the "handle" parts. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am still </span><a href="http://simplydiy2.blogspot.com/2012/03/snap-to-it.html" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">sewing snaps</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> instead of making a button hole because: 1. I still don't know how to sew a button hole and 2. I like the snaps better. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, there you have it. A little spring action for you. I've been lucky enough to have a couple snow days, but used it to clean instead of craft. It sure is nice being a teacher !</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now you can Do It Yourself Too !</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~Stephanie</span>Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05757778965785802847noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2296040802844002461.post-61678025070763919902013-02-18T17:01:00.001-05:002013-02-18T17:01:16.229-05:00Some Fabric Wall Art<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Finally, I have found something little to hang on our bedroom walls ! I'm sort of hesitant when it comes to hanging things up on walls…well, bedroom walls. A big wall, like our <a href="http://simplydiy2.blogspot.com/2012/12/framing-keys.html" target="_blank">stairwell wall</a>, is easy to decorate since it's one wall with a bunch of frames. But having to decorate FOUR walls in one room makes me a little anxious. Having to make it all flow together and look good is what makes me a little nervous.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Back in June, I hung up some <a href="http://simplydiy2.blogspot.com/2012/06/little-leafy.html" target="_blank">pictures</a> above our bed. That was easy because it seemed like a perfect space to hang some frames:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-yj-eP_7A59hFAuhxOOpShMALGcn4r1v4q4B3hY2tmIGQbZOqzbtkCNpZZf_6g_gjrrbFU1zCS9cPhvyINVPqwPmTCS8YWsz02rkxEOEPynrLmGFPtBe8fpyuuh4WXFkxo0i-iqY2Ij8/s1600/IMG_7361.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-yj-eP_7A59hFAuhxOOpShMALGcn4r1v4q4B3hY2tmIGQbZOqzbtkCNpZZf_6g_gjrrbFU1zCS9cPhvyINVPqwPmTCS8YWsz02rkxEOEPynrLmGFPtBe8fpyuuh4WXFkxo0i-iqY2Ij8/s400/IMG_7361.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, I have a bunch of wall space that still needs some love in our room. Since it still makes me a little nervous about what and where I should hang, I figured I'd tackle a small area. This little wall next to our bathroom door seemed like a good spot to hang something…b</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">aby steps.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ANC2qF57JkxLztzy3w7ltbB10bMUECxyDGczZ_s5-Bj2hKJuHZFzjTHybVi4KM9bfPzsYT_3E17dwYzXPfxpbUzriyBcJCZ-aelEEwv4fFGlPT0-AlOvI1k4fvVZjSBt2ZH_qY_oXyM/s1600/IMG_3143.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ANC2qF57JkxLztzy3w7ltbB10bMUECxyDGczZ_s5-Bj2hKJuHZFzjTHybVi4KM9bfPzsYT_3E17dwYzXPfxpbUzriyBcJCZ-aelEEwv4fFGlPT0-AlOvI1k4fvVZjSBt2ZH_qY_oXyM/s400/IMG_3143.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The other day, as I was browsing through Pinterest…again…I found the idea to frame fabric. Perfect! Kerry and I headed to IKEA today for some Billy bookcases and I made a pit-stop in the frame section and picked up two RIBBA frames for $9.99 each. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I still had some leftover fabric from the curtains I made for our room and felt that it would be a pretty pattern for the frames. As soon as we got home, I went to work on the fabric. I cut out a piece that would fit in the frame, taped it to the back of the matte, and hung it up. Soo easy !</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio5jvD2fouMIoPg3Qh6KumNJjrgJAACevsdc2Imz13UN96r8nJzQSUw-tubKcC4_z5E1_3xPI2p6Gpvw1l_8zFEnl4Wy-lh9bk7WVhGrOb3tUlZ5O23e3wSy1nSdm9nYdgbFmdWHknm8k/s1600/IMG_3147.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio5jvD2fouMIoPg3Qh6KumNJjrgJAACevsdc2Imz13UN96r8nJzQSUw-tubKcC4_z5E1_3xPI2p6Gpvw1l_8zFEnl4Wy-lh9bk7WVhGrOb3tUlZ5O23e3wSy1nSdm9nYdgbFmdWHknm8k/s640/IMG_3147.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I think it looks great…now for the rest of the walls in our room :/ This was a very simple and easy project to add a little more color and decor in the room.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How do you know what to hang up on your bedroom walls?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now you can Do It Yourself Too !</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~Stephanie</span>Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05757778965785802847noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2296040802844002461.post-73760933953831838432013-02-10T20:44:00.002-05:002013-02-10T20:44:20.253-05:00No Elf on the Shelf Here !<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Have you ever had some nice gifts from Christmas, wedding, or birthday that you want to put in your house, but just haven't found the perfect place for it? Well, Kerry and I have been married for almost five years now and we received two pretty shelves as gifts from family friends…we did register for them…and they have been sitting under our guest bed since we moved in. Now, give me some slack here - we did rent for our first three years of marriage so it was <strike>pointless</strike> hard to hang things up.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, I was inspired by a friend to get a move on figuring out a place for at least ONE of the two shelves. It now has a home in our master bathroom. Above the toilet was a nice, blank wall that needed some decor love, so I figured that would be the perfect spot for a shelf. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRzFZzHRyuWIFbR9nH8ji8jPwCJ34D6NCeBBV2NUfvKIx4t8NWbYa6jF14Y_ClTk7SMJ_Z0h8Kp2bERIKO3z79lKZd_mAE6TH1LeMEfBy84_1Ceg44_AINUBnBMaDj7fcxvGshX30QQeY/s1600/BARE+WALL+SHELF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRzFZzHRyuWIFbR9nH8ji8jPwCJ34D6NCeBBV2NUfvKIx4t8NWbYa6jF14Y_ClTk7SMJ_Z0h8Kp2bERIKO3z79lKZd_mAE6TH1LeMEfBy84_1Ceg44_AINUBnBMaDj7fcxvGshX30QQeY/s400/BARE+WALL+SHELF.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To hang up the shelf, I spread some painter's tape across the back from hole to hole. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I made sure that the top of the tape and the top of the shelf were of equal length so that it would be level.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfyhWQaqFc-44tfieCQ8fYLfoE4x5rQg1uN0mFOsUOl_e-bv482yJ666X56g_TFzxlEqYFcrcN4kX885ds1vzGP04Ac2lDfB74s1XBBml03WTcczqFylrBzdmEB9-lR6Vy3Ba141UJh6o/s1600/painters+tape+shelf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfyhWQaqFc-44tfieCQ8fYLfoE4x5rQg1uN0mFOsUOl_e-bv482yJ666X56g_TFzxlEqYFcrcN4kX885ds1vzGP04Ac2lDfB74s1XBBml03WTcczqFylrBzdmEB9-lR6Vy3Ba141UJh6o/s640/painters+tape+shelf.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then I just poked a tiny hole in the tape where the nails would go. Then I placed the painter's tape on the wall, made sure it was level, and drilled in two screws. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1RCBWET8iKUnAWnE2uSTr-IWtULqQjw7FW-O5QlsEzTuBoc1JBd_OQZazivh4w3jBWzwBGXNYIL5Y768NEmPw-iOYypFbZwlp1digllgT4qqt3QxgiOim9MMiVsT64J3Su1aXG3qcJ2Q/s1600/level+tape+and+shelf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1RCBWET8iKUnAWnE2uSTr-IWtULqQjw7FW-O5QlsEzTuBoc1JBd_OQZazivh4w3jBWzwBGXNYIL5Y768NEmPw-iOYypFbZwlp1digllgT4qqt3QxgiOim9MMiVsT64J3Su1aXG3qcJ2Q/s640/level+tape+and+shelf.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then I took off the tape and hung the shelf. Ta </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">da !</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgscKPLbKorMvG3qlAk9vgy22Fh-fxXvmO7DgHeig-BJgorQCijDtdqDJVXMBjSRwu_zQoXZYGID7SKVV_Oim4pw7sQQuKH6yHULapNNaObtUTSu82L7czNaccZ6CliwnnujnSJC7_Pizo/s1600/shelf+done!.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgscKPLbKorMvG3qlAk9vgy22Fh-fxXvmO7DgHeig-BJgorQCijDtdqDJVXMBjSRwu_zQoXZYGID7SKVV_Oim4pw7sQQuKH6yHULapNNaObtUTSu82L7czNaccZ6CliwnnujnSJC7_Pizo/s640/shelf+done!.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On the shelf, I placed an Elf on the Shelf…Just kidding ! I placed two </span><a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60236043/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">candle holders</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> that I purchased from IKEA awhile ago (which have also been needing a home) and a framed word cloud.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ69oWs8hNgFKQQPBSh2pHs09V5egHuyx2EtMXGaG_GxBWp_vwwX_3vqE_I2y_7aKQ8X9hcyLscKmbUmwrBqpeAqOTKTGXMRoanUmhYObk3uB2WeOSNu5sjietC4Ar3KqCW270lefKPWY/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-02-10+at+11.41.31+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ69oWs8hNgFKQQPBSh2pHs09V5egHuyx2EtMXGaG_GxBWp_vwwX_3vqE_I2y_7aKQ8X9hcyLscKmbUmwrBqpeAqOTKTGXMRoanUmhYObk3uB2WeOSNu5sjietC4Ar3KqCW270lefKPWY/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-02-10+at+11.41.31+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You can download mine <a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B105rROMjKH9MkFyNDBPQW5wNW8/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">here</a> or you can make your own</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><a href="http://tagul.com/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">here</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. There are other websites out there to make word clouds, but I find this one fairly simple to use. I printed out the cloud, taped it to some card stock I had on hand, made some circles, and placed it in the frame. Love it!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This was a quick and simple update to our bathroom and the the word cloud makes me smile when I see it. It also adds a little color to the bathroom since it is so neutral.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What little addition have you added to spruce up your home?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now you can Do It Yourself Too!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~Stephanie</span></div>
Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05757778965785802847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2296040802844002461.post-26337104521426681742013-01-22T23:14:00.002-05:002021-07-03T09:35:59.234-04:00Soy Perfect Candles<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Whew ! I've finally found a little time to get some things done around the house that I have been wanting to do. </span><br />
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">In light of the many natural disasters that have been wreaking havoc on our world, the internet has been bursting with ways to be prepared in case the power goes out (</span><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">or if you fail to pay your electric bill)</span><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">, your house gets flooded, or find yourself in a log cabin far away from civilization. I do have a little first aid kit, some flashlights, and three gallons of water in the basement…and that's about it. I figured I'd get to storing food and other things (</span><a href="http://orgjunkie.com/2011/10/emergency-preparedness-kit.html" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">like this</a><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">) later. </span><br />
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">However, I did find something <a href="http://teotwawkiblog.blogspot.com/2012/02/diy-survival-candles.html" target="_blank">fun</a> to do a few months ago...DIY soy candles. I've never made candles before and I figured it would be a fun craft to attempt. For Christmas, Kerry's parents got me a <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00WZ6N1QW/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00WZ6N1QW&linkCode=as2&tag=simplydiy2-20&linkId=82fd4b4df9399fa7381abed2deac282a" target="_blank">10 pound bag</a> of <a href="http://www.theflamingcandle.com/candle-wax/soy-wax/gw-415-soy-blend-wax/" target="_blank">soy wax</a> and a 96 pack of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B015W8DWUO/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B015W8DWUO&linkCode=as2&tag=simplydiy2-20&linkId=4e3e7418508fe296dd7c908d9749e318" target="_blank">6 inch wicks</a>. This past weekend I purchased <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B80TJUI/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00B80TJUI&linkCode=as2&tag=simplydiy2-20&linkId=7d4b620eb3234af3c5b46f3068f98f22" target="_blank">8 oz jelly jars </a>and got to work ! </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtGKcMhdav3xH7L2umenK9YgtvHI-gdi2H91jV1w4qy6AYpTcnSCdqk0CNds8pRzK03r_TfkSUYu6LIzqkMCFQW9q_5HeQcF0cD1-q1_3jtbqfmnLA6NcCUhEkeGxemPpKUrB0T75xeRY/s1600/IMG_8734.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtGKcMhdav3xH7L2umenK9YgtvHI-gdi2H91jV1w4qy6AYpTcnSCdqk0CNds8pRzK03r_TfkSUYu6LIzqkMCFQW9q_5HeQcF0cD1-q1_3jtbqfmnLA6NcCUhEkeGxemPpKUrB0T75xeRY/s400/IMG_8734.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">It was actually a really easy process and only took about an hour. The 10 pound bag of wax made 24, 8 oz jelly jar candles, plus two four oz jelly jars.</span><br />
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I used my canner and another pot as a double boiler to melt my wax. Since the canner has a rack in the bottom, it acted as a great double boiler. I filled the canner with water to cover the rack, added the second pot inside, boiled the water, and dumped the wax in the pot.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvvjc5vhtAJj3kDctAromiwniMyH-gH-W0_Iij5y48awjt3NXUOpMSXLTYpRS3tSdePNnx_Jm8MDUmRImkYiW7LgEapzecyO1D0J05EjrROhDrZY7JB6zsE9uVkq3NAPGEEverhjMs2KA/s1600/starting+and+pouring.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="449" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvvjc5vhtAJj3kDctAromiwniMyH-gH-W0_Iij5y48awjt3NXUOpMSXLTYpRS3tSdePNnx_Jm8MDUmRImkYiW7LgEapzecyO1D0J05EjrROhDrZY7JB6zsE9uVkq3NAPGEEverhjMs2KA/s640/starting+and+pouring.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">While the wax was melting, I trimmed my wicks to be just a little bit taller than the jelly jar and placed them inside the jelly jars. I made sure to straighten them out and place them in the center of the jar.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4xDaOJ1UVnfHnzHk1dYyG5197rptrh2ZEI41DMSZjMQAfwGLdGCIPa1fV_eSVnpFiR62V8dffFR1gUNKleCFPx2i-ILEgQnsI4Lsdt58U4FzSk19ulc4eD85Po1oop6MwLQw2gpt3VFk/s1600/wick+in.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4xDaOJ1UVnfHnzHk1dYyG5197rptrh2ZEI41DMSZjMQAfwGLdGCIPa1fV_eSVnpFiR62V8dffFR1gUNKleCFPx2i-ILEgQnsI4Lsdt58U4FzSk19ulc4eD85Po1oop6MwLQw2gpt3VFk/s640/wick+in.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The wax didn't take long to melt once the water was rapidly boiling…it was neat to watch it melt down.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn3ToyMm0n5YkU6o3w5QjkzJwglO77DXJgcsjiBEbfv_sFjWoHo7y9RXr2RU6r_0fXRKXnNDh3DhdzCkvDlvpraLPPyX6AB8PAX1azbP9B62baRP1pXEUMeDSwVspD016-YWgzGRPiHCU/s1600/wax+melting.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn3ToyMm0n5YkU6o3w5QjkzJwglO77DXJgcsjiBEbfv_sFjWoHo7y9RXr2RU6r_0fXRKXnNDh3DhdzCkvDlvpraLPPyX6AB8PAX1azbP9B62baRP1pXEUMeDSwVspD016-YWgzGRPiHCU/s640/wax+melting.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Once the wax was melted, I used a measuring cup to pour the wax into the jelly jars. I held a paper towel at the bottom of the cup as I poured to catch any wax that dripped...and a lot dripped. You could also try with a ladle (with a spout)…that might result in less of a mess.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjibGmEkWsF0jQ2t4KjFrlrbgyePWRmEdSH2HKBHuZI-3KeRP87Bg-1OIS_6tMhHsxdG-V8Ka45Yf8yPcGuUOuyIo-jPr2dsOteBBx77i8ggsml6PzoYhltfrS9FzXEJ25qiYEefmRKv7Q/s1600/measuring+cup.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjibGmEkWsF0jQ2t4KjFrlrbgyePWRmEdSH2HKBHuZI-3KeRP87Bg-1OIS_6tMhHsxdG-V8Ka45Yf8yPcGuUOuyIo-jPr2dsOteBBx77i8ggsml6PzoYhltfrS9FzXEJ25qiYEefmRKv7Q/s400/measuring+cup.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">After I poured the wax in, the wicks softened a bit and started to tilt to the side…so I went MacGyver on it. I used some thread around the jars to hold up the wicks in the center as the wax cooled. It was a pretty simple solution (2 pieces of thread on either side of the wick going across the box), but it worked surprisingly well. Had it failed, I would have had some sad looking candles that probably wouldn't be useful in a power outage.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWFakCJd5wC6R9PRXZNpV7BsCgWlKTgWeMh1BAdHNqnUw3xU2W9jI2IteWT1cD3S7woBdKr_Nfucqzv6AKGVwdUkG9iIa-13ohUzYsflwywDKNgza3irVacpgIMft1uI9-fcEIOwcYg_M/s1600/thread+to+straighten.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWFakCJd5wC6R9PRXZNpV7BsCgWlKTgWeMh1BAdHNqnUw3xU2W9jI2IteWT1cD3S7woBdKr_Nfucqzv6AKGVwdUkG9iIa-13ohUzYsflwywDKNgza3irVacpgIMft1uI9-fcEIOwcYg_M/s640/thread+to+straighten.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I let the candles cool over night before doing anything else to them. Some of them "cratered" at the tops</span><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">…</span><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">not sure why - perhaps some air bubbles got in there. Maybe I poured too fast or something, but otherwise they </span><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">looked</span><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> great !</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigczKGkk8IN5NwYHi9NO7lrjNBIBa5wvZ37E-Ts1x7Mu9T4ZhAmFOIcbNoNzFxL4QfuaEHVXGVY0s9J-n91mKRoKdbtSPLldBw-c5VK97CDPzt-MnbAS4dR51oH5i3RgwhDgVL73WHuTg/s1600/candles+done+1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigczKGkk8IN5NwYHi9NO7lrjNBIBa5wvZ37E-Ts1x7Mu9T4ZhAmFOIcbNoNzFxL4QfuaEHVXGVY0s9J-n91mKRoKdbtSPLldBw-c5VK97CDPzt-MnbAS4dR51oH5i3RgwhDgVL73WHuTg/s640/candles+done+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I trimmed the wicks some more so that they were level with the tops of the jars...</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmyO2stLtAUOPayMd7ZPaea5IENUNsDidAn5idBVNeuYvocaXmqW4dnBJ1CCEGKqy_sGbXmX0X5caS0SprrpPUTtCFTP2tySBkfPGxhrPqBVlB5hEYvMekG5MlZSWdwV3aqncgJYn24D4/s1600/candles+done+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmyO2stLtAUOPayMd7ZPaea5IENUNsDidAn5idBVNeuYvocaXmqW4dnBJ1CCEGKqy_sGbXmX0X5caS0SprrpPUTtCFTP2tySBkfPGxhrPqBVlB5hEYvMekG5MlZSWdwV3aqncgJYn24D4/s400/candles+done+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">...and then I fancied them up for some friends using paper cupcake liners like I did for my <a href="http://simplydiy2.blogspot.com/2013/01/dressing-up-jars.html" target="_blank">apple butter jars</a> back in December. I figured these could also be used as favors for a bridal or baby shower, especially the little 4 oz jars. I could attach a pack of matches with each candle. If you really want the candles for sniffing purposes, I noticed that Michael's craft store sells different scents that you could add to the wax. You could also jazz them up with color (don't use food coloring - you need to get a dye) for different seasons.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSncNpxpBpO9-PVeOV1l0ukWjFR8wXTrdYb_FL4wqXbgePGDlWQl9rzOVpuJLUq4H0Oe20G5VFww52eQRKkpvwClkHhoh2M7t_UaGQB9GzaCykBH8dcmKqDkq2FrMK_5QJtMnJp5dhH9k/s1600/candles+done+with+lids.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSncNpxpBpO9-PVeOV1l0ukWjFR8wXTrdYb_FL4wqXbgePGDlWQl9rzOVpuJLUq4H0Oe20G5VFww52eQRKkpvwClkHhoh2M7t_UaGQB9GzaCykBH8dcmKqDkq2FrMK_5QJtMnJp5dhH9k/s640/candles+done+with+lids.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I'm going to give some away to family and friends, but the rest are already downstairs in the storage area in my "work-in-progress" emergency area…which I hope is ready before the emergency comes.</span><br />
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I hope this helps for anyone who is thinking of making candles…it's a pretty easy process. And for those who already made candles, why did mine "crater" ?</span><br />
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Now you can Do It Yourself Too!</span><br />
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">~Stephanie</span>Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05757778965785802847noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2296040802844002461.post-27908193952180284272013-01-01T15:01:00.000-05:002013-01-01T15:01:45.165-05:00Dressing Up Jars<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Each year around the beginning of December, a few teacher friends and I get together and make homemade jam and apple butter. Then we can the jam and apple butter and give them out as gifts. Due to scheduling issues this year, we couldn't do it together. Luckily I had my sidekicks to help this year - Kerry to help can and Stout waiting patiently for any apple butter goodness to fall on the floor.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I made the apple butter in the crock pot, using applesauce and other ingredients, and let it cook slowly for about nine hours. Yum! Then I canned it with the help of my trusty assistant, Kerry. After the jars cooled off, they were ready to be dressed up for gifts. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Typically I cut out circles of cute holiday fabric with pinking shears to decorate the tops of the jars...but </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">then I found this <a href="http://simplykierste.com/2012/06/mason-jar-drinking-glass-gift-set.html" target="_blank">idea</a> on Pinterest and loved it ! </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJXZ-sFUn6e6NAuXXHDBTRTOj5cmzYTBRvu1_b9Q6XlhmlvHFY3zBkP6jp9-GJFIBJzHVJs0n9Vo-6mH8fQVWGMBZI-96eXg29ucKMf0DlRdhTX_zyroUgbsFtlrUjEFrDBQE9l2V__Jw/s1600/cupcake+jars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJXZ-sFUn6e6NAuXXHDBTRTOj5cmzYTBRvu1_b9Q6XlhmlvHFY3zBkP6jp9-GJFIBJzHVJs0n9Vo-6mH8fQVWGMBZI-96eXg29ucKMf0DlRdhTX_zyroUgbsFtlrUjEFrDBQE9l2V__Jw/s640/cupcake+jars.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I thought this was a genius idea and it saves a lot of time. I didn't have to trace out and cut circles to size. You can find cute cupcake liners ANYWHERE! I got these at JoAnn fabrics for less than $1.00…with leftovers for next year. I just hope everyone forgets the pattern by then!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The instructions are as so simple, a caveman, or unsuspecting husband, can do it. Just put the regular sized cupcake liner on top of the lid and then screw on the metal ring as you normally would. See? Easy !</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Since cupcake liners can be found in all sorts of themes, you could use this idea for baby/bridal shower gifts, birthday favors, or other holiday gifts. I plan on making soy candles in jelly jars soon and will probably dress them up with cupcake liners when I give them away as gifts.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How do you dress up your jars?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I hope that you all had a very Merry Christmas and have a safe and happy new year !</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now you can Do It Yourself Too!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~Stephanie</span>Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05757778965785802847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2296040802844002461.post-5459322978893230042012-12-31T17:19:00.001-05:002021-07-03T09:29:06.249-04:00Making A MEMOry Board<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">If you haven't noticed, I like making crafts. Not only do I enjoy making things for myself, I get really excited when someone asks if I can make them something. Even better…when I make someone for someone and they like it! Last year for Christmas, my sister, Emily, asked for a memo board and this year, she wanted another one! </span><br />
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I've made many memo boards, but surprisingly not one since I started this blog. There are plenty of other tutorials on how to make a memo board, but I thought I'd still share mine. Everyone's is a little different. Of course, you can find memo boards in the store, but they are usually over $15 or $20. Not only can you do them on the cheap, you can make it just the way you want it!</span><br />
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Tools:</b></span><br />
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<li><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Scissors</span></li>
<li><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Staple Gun and staples</span></li>
<li><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Needle</span></li>
<li><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Pliers/wire cutter (to pull out staples if needed and to cut floral wire)</span></li>
<li><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Ruler</span></li>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Materials:</b></span></div>
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<li><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01GGM5U46/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B01GGM5U46&linkCode=as2&tag=simplydiy2-20&linkId=86d8bef2501c0b602ed985ac4f5e5ca4" target="_blank">16 X 20 inch <b>canvas</b> </a>(usually purchased at Michael's with coupon)</span></li>
<li><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Quilt <b>batting</b> cut 16 X 20 inches or slightly larger</span></li>
<li><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Choice of ironed <b>fabric</b> cut 21 X 25 inches or slightly larger (you can always cut smaller, but not make larger - it's always best to go larger)</span></li>
<li><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">White fabric (or whatever color you want for the back) cut 15.5 X 19.5 inches</span></li>
<li><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07W7XTQM2/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B07W7XTQM2&linkCode=as2&tag=simplydiy2-20&linkId=3be6b800d16111e16bba61cf97e9acc7" target="_blank">Choice of <b>ribbon</b> </a>- I use 3/8" in width for all my boards. I usually buy a 6 yard roll.</span></li>
<li><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">5 buttons - your choice of color</span></li>
<li><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Thread</span></li>
<li><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Tacky glue</span></li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3u-kOZ1tFUxG9BJE4tI13OUYpV5wt_kVt3L-BjxTyWQj0u_7TJJpjshFeJ44vci_qAuayNxbc3svYk9U6hHkUNw9SR0Nh7RJYAXxs2ZPl7fyRLjM_pZrHfSLMSEvx6Q1aqHKuYFIezTI/s1600/memo+materials.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3u-kOZ1tFUxG9BJE4tI13OUYpV5wt_kVt3L-BjxTyWQj0u_7TJJpjshFeJ44vci_qAuayNxbc3svYk9U6hHkUNw9SR0Nh7RJYAXxs2ZPl7fyRLjM_pZrHfSLMSEvx6Q1aqHKuYFIezTI/s400/memo+materials.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">First you need to layer the fabric, batting, and canvas. Place the fabric (face down), then the batting, and then the canvas (face down) on top of the batting.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8h7utmOVDaUxb5GUrDTs7cKbahbUdAaDuB_IFboRDNl_9XFP61XX2967jDrnlLFzkmB_McJhlDp2WuFlYBL1oogAiZjzRMjbNUjtKs1AQHkJXLj8qMOvtAuGPp__B-D3KnLvL0hchM9E/s1600/IMG_2774.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8h7utmOVDaUxb5GUrDTs7cKbahbUdAaDuB_IFboRDNl_9XFP61XX2967jDrnlLFzkmB_McJhlDp2WuFlYBL1oogAiZjzRMjbNUjtKs1AQHkJXLj8qMOvtAuGPp__B-D3KnLvL0hchM9E/s400/IMG_2774.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Then, fold the bottom part of the fabric up and over the canvas and staple it three times: in the middle and on each side. Repeat for the top. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4H2Yh0P0ARdP-Kcydu8uLCaEAADJnudJRa203P3NcRS7-fmETz6JzbaRQFmk1Ak_pvkRP6vUOCGMjKK4nBZLKsRx0IPBXdlTU30s30WFSInK42sW7tt3uhyphenhyphendXb3rPPz7U6J42KVRh7t8/s1600/IMG_2775.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4H2Yh0P0ARdP-Kcydu8uLCaEAADJnudJRa203P3NcRS7-fmETz6JzbaRQFmk1Ak_pvkRP6vUOCGMjKK4nBZLKsRx0IPBXdlTU30s30WFSInK42sW7tt3uhyphenhyphendXb3rPPz7U6J42KVRh7t8/s400/IMG_2775.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> Then fold over and staple each side piece of fabric to the side of the canvas (three times).</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKu2KaszbMr0wnonUusJPiZZqGPNqIeo4FrFOBbQ5nCH5OfJXLMb1Oh5moW6xdS-p_9_3O9CcL82_ZNDsxP0aBFLgkvuh9m1DvUVtOPBCYH_Y-ylJmcu3RWJzTNR6c287MbInze-pIfwY/s1600/IMG_2776.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKu2KaszbMr0wnonUusJPiZZqGPNqIeo4FrFOBbQ5nCH5OfJXLMb1Oh5moW6xdS-p_9_3O9CcL82_ZNDsxP0aBFLgkvuh9m1DvUVtOPBCYH_Y-ylJmcu3RWJzTNR6c287MbInze-pIfwY/s400/IMG_2776.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Once you've done this, you can do the corners. Here is a <a href="http://www.wunderbars.com/videos.html" target="_blank">video</a> that you might find helpful, but I do <a href="http://simplydiy2.blogspot.com/search/label/Upholstering" target="_blank">mine</a> slightly different. Once the corners are folded, you are ready for the ribbon.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioc2yuJtwCM2NvZ6r-Xmc7WHbsa4eLu378p0iQ6tSnUY7TIKytATWJ2FIv_mrx3hcMz3stBK0wLUSvpgm7I6ki_FvH1J4TSI6daDtI2Cq080q4LsqOGXZNvWTns1GsrVviO_9Xo6jigrg/s1600/memo+board+corners.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioc2yuJtwCM2NvZ6r-Xmc7WHbsa4eLu378p0iQ6tSnUY7TIKytATWJ2FIv_mrx3hcMz3stBK0wLUSvpgm7I6ki_FvH1J4TSI6daDtI2Cq080q4LsqOGXZNvWTns1GsrVviO_9Xo6jigrg/s640/memo+board+corners.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I put a tiny dab of tacky glue on the top of each corner before placing the ribbon down. This helps keep the ribbon in place. Then I staple the first piece of ribbon on the back of the canvas from one corner to the opposite corner, creating a diagonal line. Then I cut the ribbon and repeat for the next corner. You will have a big X now.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvmBDtVdtL8LS8LvtSVj6FAixzmWhvI4nEXNYLVMYSGMDaTL6CHdMeJZG8QbAeMiC9xD66NvvBuFpMLqIe2Qak1L7V3gmvbc4XM5-ds68mP4hzE8DVt3F7iXK0f-w3-8A-yLByITVzCqQ/s1600/glue+and+staple+ribbon.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvmBDtVdtL8LS8LvtSVj6FAixzmWhvI4nEXNYLVMYSGMDaTL6CHdMeJZG8QbAeMiC9xD66NvvBuFpMLqIe2Qak1L7V3gmvbc4XM5-ds68mP4hzE8DVt3F7iXK0f-w3-8A-yLByITVzCqQ/s640/glue+and+staple+ribbon.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Take another piece of ribbon and staple it the top middle (imagine a line going straight up from the "X" you just made). Then I measure six inches from the "X" to the new piece of ribbon to make sure that the new piece of ribbon is parallel to the "X" piece. Once you've made sure its parallel, staple the ribbon on the side.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAPdquKD2dIf9C94_OnDBo0vtMndWs_6uPtA1-aLf7wgfI9j1JqwC2CqNbcRK1YC2HIod-8kBA3vKgz0E50e8iDxbaYj076WDqqv995F4m4Gm1ivlbkEKUIfSAItEgDD4YdXXzjePBurc/s1600/measure+ribbon.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAPdquKD2dIf9C94_OnDBo0vtMndWs_6uPtA1-aLf7wgfI9j1JqwC2CqNbcRK1YC2HIod-8kBA3vKgz0E50e8iDxbaYj076WDqqv995F4m4Gm1ivlbkEKUIfSAItEgDD4YdXXzjePBurc/s640/measure+ribbon.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7EX-m6Nzzi-biLbpaY53Al1a-BMJ4rqhZxV1Dh4ifPpLQD69X6jcwjWw3rc1fIlIymxbfYMqUCC0J2HM5QogOEkZoxuw1Rhj0DC6ud001AASd2PuLrb-6o8_oWh9DlhPHz4XdgIdW7zY/s1600/IMG_2786.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7EX-m6Nzzi-biLbpaY53Al1a-BMJ4rqhZxV1Dh4ifPpLQD69X6jcwjWw3rc1fIlIymxbfYMqUCC0J2HM5QogOEkZoxuw1Rhj0DC6ud001AASd2PuLrb-6o8_oWh9DlhPHz4XdgIdW7zY/s400/IMG_2786.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">You will repeat this step three more times to finish the rest of the ribbon. This is what it should look like once finished:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiFpQQz7hZk3iGSAf2PsugP04Cfkd48_LgodVyCmUaWPsWSID8R1Zaxlpsg8ZLq8NnCg9UH2a3fiHYgIrCe98TafUHcldTdJwNaQLfC8-9PnWsYYFCa7U6XBGG4Q7WMy-kmdPCQPbLewo/s1600/IMG_2787.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiFpQQz7hZk3iGSAf2PsugP04Cfkd48_LgodVyCmUaWPsWSID8R1Zaxlpsg8ZLq8NnCg9UH2a3fiHYgIrCe98TafUHcldTdJwNaQLfC8-9PnWsYYFCa7U6XBGG4Q7WMy-kmdPCQPbLewo/s400/IMG_2787.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Now it is time for the buttons. I cut a piece of thread about the length of the canvas - so about 20 inches, maybe a bit longer. I start with the middle section of the memo board and place the button in the middle. Then I just poke through the back of the canvas until the needle finds the button hole. Then I just sew the button on, making sure it is pretty tight. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ1Eh22JcXfwzzV6XPdSTbHZE1Qmhcy5lqgDbqYq3ya42V6XgP2omXE7INR_CQSDiieGHjOnir9JKFAWD12wNh83TAKaSRANYzBMaLz82aOXhMJ614Y0vb4bd9tSxuQJfoTliOul2kCh4/s1600/IMG_2789.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ1Eh22JcXfwzzV6XPdSTbHZE1Qmhcy5lqgDbqYq3ya42V6XgP2omXE7INR_CQSDiieGHjOnir9JKFAWD12wNh83TAKaSRANYzBMaLz82aOXhMJ614Y0vb4bd9tSxuQJfoTliOul2kCh4/s400/IMG_2789.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Repeat for four other buttons.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzavPj24mLCdbAGY0CQP4H-xDIlBDpE7ipikb7mo9sMWwaCHPvF0paDG62ochyVOxGB8rOJt3D3-0bjssv5WFQcz0xhplp7p-EA5paX2gAF9JU_gv3HDpeIJmUlhV6kj85Bwsdb9xW1V4/s1600/sew+buttons.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzavPj24mLCdbAGY0CQP4H-xDIlBDpE7ipikb7mo9sMWwaCHPvF0paDG62ochyVOxGB8rOJt3D3-0bjssv5WFQcz0xhplp7p-EA5paX2gAF9JU_gv3HDpeIJmUlhV6kj85Bwsdb9xW1V4/s640/sew+buttons.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">After the buttons are sewn on, it is practically finished! If you don't care how the back looks, you can skip putting on the white backing and go straight to stapling on the floral wire for it to be hung. </span><br />
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I stapled the white backing on to the canvas and then I used the wire cutter/pliers and cut the floral wire to about 26 inches. I stapled the floral wire about 1/4 of the way down from the top like I do for my <a href="http://simplydiy2.blogspot.com/2012/07/ready-to-frame.html" target="_blank">frames</a>. Done !</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF34DY4wNwnlVkAAfgL_4_KvtFJGVNCFkUxoGsw9rLU686PBL9xThwe4Kq6nurbTPxVVDYNn38Xm_8iLp7OeS1mvdcHrQrSIz3FW8FH07X-Jb6P6kizWoM7HnjY7TClC9mnLIzoCyxGHE/s1600/memo+back+done.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF34DY4wNwnlVkAAfgL_4_KvtFJGVNCFkUxoGsw9rLU686PBL9xThwe4Kq6nurbTPxVVDYNn38Xm_8iLp7OeS1mvdcHrQrSIz3FW8FH07X-Jb6P6kizWoM7HnjY7TClC9mnLIzoCyxGHE/s640/memo+back+done.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Here is Emily's Christmas present :</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmEwy-T8uBhiXR0JvsYWdC5q6epbts2jFrLTvKpOmFSceDJy_SZo-JutCznpF6QRkRyGLseBtdD9hWiFX4swtrUTuYvpCBRNvmCDostwlK-GhRstocrp96Jqved0wOwIsVlB6ey_b3c5w/s1600/memo+board+finished.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="545" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmEwy-T8uBhiXR0JvsYWdC5q6epbts2jFrLTvKpOmFSceDJy_SZo-JutCznpF6QRkRyGLseBtdD9hWiFX4swtrUTuYvpCBRNvmCDostwlK-GhRstocrp96Jqved0wOwIsVlB6ey_b3c5w/s640/memo+board+finished.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Here are some of my old memo boards I have made for family and friends in the past:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwYXQxVWcnTj3QPPXX9yfYPc_LNG-grmSLpJCEhWdYykKhbUt-YHRdUbcUPapw_lCpEyLZkdq1WLbhwNRyOZx_Uvg-nHaXxepCdX-3Kdr8IGKkRnRmwoYrraD3_R3hrFmxYbrjoZ5_VT4/s1600/memo+boards+collage.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwYXQxVWcnTj3QPPXX9yfYPc_LNG-grmSLpJCEhWdYykKhbUt-YHRdUbcUPapw_lCpEyLZkdq1WLbhwNRyOZx_Uvg-nHaXxepCdX-3Kdr8IGKkRnRmwoYrraD3_R3hrFmxYbrjoZ5_VT4/s640/memo+boards+collage.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">These are pretty simple to make. I think sewing on the buttons takes the most time. Now that you know how to make one, you can find any fabric to match any room decor, you could get college team colors and make one for a dorm, or find a cute baby pattern and make one for a nursery. I've also made mini ones using an 11 X 14 inch canvas. These make great gifts for Mother's Day, graduates going off to college, birthdays, baby showers, and housewarming parties.</span><br />
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I'd love to see your final products! Please share if you make one.</span><br />
<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">What kind of DIY presents did you give for Christmas?</span><br />
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Now you can Do It Yourself Too!</span><br />
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">~Stephanie</span><br />
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Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05757778965785802847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2296040802844002461.post-60323536489674434172012-12-27T22:03:00.000-05:002012-12-27T22:03:29.114-05:00One, Two, Box My Shoes !<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last week I was looking at my shoes in their respective shoe boxes and decided that it looked too disorderly:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgn0pX1A64TRmptysV8D46yNqmeRpKO-b8KpDBxgIv9ZOo_0AFG1T5o05rj3k7Jk3sflMWhhBy6zunHKWQg8LMvNJSasc2lWdYqfQRecD7U7-LnHEC6VMrP1L5SONLpaGKE6xY8cXVLoU/s1600/IMG_8462.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgn0pX1A64TRmptysV8D46yNqmeRpKO-b8KpDBxgIv9ZOo_0AFG1T5o05rj3k7Jk3sflMWhhBy6zunHKWQg8LMvNJSasc2lWdYqfQRecD7U7-LnHEC6VMrP1L5SONLpaGKE6xY8cXVLoU/s400/IMG_8462.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was time for some reorganizing. Some of my shoes were already in <a href="http://www.target.com/p/sterilite-6-qt-latching-box-plum-set-of-12/-/A-11861799#prodSlot=medium_1_23" target="_blank">plastic shoe boxes</a> from Target, so I figured I'd keep them all the same. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I went to Target and purchased a few more shoe boxes (about $2.50 each) and anxiously awaited my Christmas gift exchange with my friend <a href="http://ferdinandthebull-dog.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Mary Rae</a> who purchased the rest! I really like the purple latch on the sides, but you can find simple and cheaper ones at the dollar store.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXMwcTwL8MoqEG6Lo3tEmOcZB9vBlaCv-EdG4zkX47cumV1j-XN20Xt8u6quJ-FkMsuNo285b0KC3GVWd9Ci_5LL4j0lqVtkBpCk6b93Yo_zL8SZH9YvlFxUe2NhLWvnDc_mCjjXkdc7A/s1600/shoe+box.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXMwcTwL8MoqEG6Lo3tEmOcZB9vBlaCv-EdG4zkX47cumV1j-XN20Xt8u6quJ-FkMsuNo285b0KC3GVWd9Ci_5LL4j0lqVtkBpCk6b93Yo_zL8SZH9YvlFxUe2NhLWvnDc_mCjjXkdc7A/s320/shoe+box.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.target.com/p/sterilite-6-qt-latching-box-plum-set-of-12/-/A-11861799#prodSlot=medium_1_23" target="_blank">Source</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Even though the shoe boxes are clear, I wanted a way to label the front of each box. I'll be looking at the boxes head on and not from the side, so it makes more sense to be able to read a description of the shoe than to pull each box down until I find the one I need. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I remembered the self-stick chalkboard sheets that I used to make a <a href="http://simplydiy2.blogspot.com/2012/10/chalkin-up-frame.html" target="_blank">chalkboard frame</a> back in October and figured I could use those to label. Then, I thought about using my Cricut to cut out a pretty shape. Boom - idea complete!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I found the perfect shape on my Storybook cartridge. It's called Marquee1. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLrbK5OFAz2XgXobu1D4ayhD0V3UxdgNhVyEjDY2qNQKjuOQRcSrD15Hy6S-duMVYQRcynPTF-KUXthmYtkRqV-agfxJKqH_AHwubG67sIkHnVIccVIG4x_SSliVvFWuxghJTdJXyUhZg/s1600/storybook+cartridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLrbK5OFAz2XgXobu1D4ayhD0V3UxdgNhVyEjDY2qNQKjuOQRcSrD15Hy6S-duMVYQRcynPTF-KUXthmYtkRqV-agfxJKqH_AHwubG67sIkHnVIccVIG4x_SSliVvFWuxghJTdJXyUhZg/s400/storybook+cartridge.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I tested it out on a piece of scrap paper first to determine the size that I wanted. I tried 3.5 and it was perfect:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjHRMtJF6w6XjGPUi4oD_ydRVd1h-u1f5QjYAJcFQ-NId1nG6aqJNkFWzJ88lAic8E_UHz8wh5kk-qwpQTtar4VjYN4raNltXCBRpZX3poMrVogfX11JOACNHncEMQoSSpxLWpF3QCrGM/s1600/IMG_2639.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjHRMtJF6w6XjGPUi4oD_ydRVd1h-u1f5QjYAJcFQ-NId1nG6aqJNkFWzJ88lAic8E_UHz8wh5kk-qwpQTtar4VjYN4raNltXCBRpZX3poMrVogfX11JOACNHncEMQoSSpxLWpF3QCrGM/s320/IMG_2639.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiabL7i7PfQvEg4nrULyvnmk0_Zt8VRKu8A3YKxWW_WqMGnyMHg0i6tx-Lifo6kkinVLV0fuTx-duCtziV0JAukZiwqbrfbgpUVKR2l7gvR8pCUazAddVw1sBWfp6gzt4j_in3_tYBkNyI/s1600/IMG_2638.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiabL7i7PfQvEg4nrULyvnmk0_Zt8VRKu8A3YKxWW_WqMGnyMHg0i6tx-Lifo6kkinVLV0fuTx-duCtziV0JAukZiwqbrfbgpUVKR2l7gvR8pCUazAddVw1sBWfp6gzt4j_in3_tYBkNyI/s400/IMG_2638.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then I stuck the chalkboard sheet (not peeled) onto the Cricut mat, set the speed to 3 and the pressure to 5, and cut away.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF6nfvme2jMs416K8AgxHTF2Nq3ivP8tvF39XiZMtBcFSDY4KSCwkM1_anty4AZJB2uz25GaGirIqmHHSnMLd8SjTx5VseJ7qKh69y3DaeoaMPsxbiS22U_IHosFxfFWN29Soui5g5sgs/s1600/chalkboard+paper+cut.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="468" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF6nfvme2jMs416K8AgxHTF2Nq3ivP8tvF39XiZMtBcFSDY4KSCwkM1_anty4AZJB2uz25GaGirIqmHHSnMLd8SjTx5VseJ7qKh69y3DaeoaMPsxbiS22U_IHosFxfFWN29Soui5g5sgs/s640/chalkboard+paper+cut.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I carefully peeled off the marquee shapes, making sure not to peel it from the backing. Once I had them off the mat, I peeled off the back and placed them on the shoebox.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK3loyP1KcEYtb6KDpY1PdAekMZYi7qBRywaJkBVKUGgM7WAJjOV9aQAAHwWTI27w4g6ipfyI-YEOnkHf72QiTshdrSkaozYk4Lt1dnA-AKRUZZw1jt0M_3_suzAr_EDWgrsbvnkXSfGs/s1600/labeled+shoebox.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK3loyP1KcEYtb6KDpY1PdAekMZYi7qBRywaJkBVKUGgM7WAJjOV9aQAAHwWTI27w4g6ipfyI-YEOnkHf72QiTshdrSkaozYk4Lt1dnA-AKRUZZw1jt0M_3_suzAr_EDWgrsbvnkXSfGs/s400/labeled+shoebox.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So perfect !!! I went upstairs, took out my shoes from their old boxes, labeled the new box according to the shoe, placed the shoes in the box, and the boxes in the closet. Perfect and cute organization !!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixkr0DXCNm5xCdU3uEYeuke8pzpPgHSutfcu8kwyAuKxmQMEo7PV2YoLmUG8y34qQHFq7W8Hq2rJLLrV9l3hY33X4TfawkfWhyphenhyphennuiaQrwDkRN39eEaZMVgjLh29OdX5bEXfLZgjTLEU8c/s1600/shoe+boxes+done.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixkr0DXCNm5xCdU3uEYeuke8pzpPgHSutfcu8kwyAuKxmQMEo7PV2YoLmUG8y34qQHFq7W8Hq2rJLLrV9l3hY33X4TfawkfWhyphenhyphennuiaQrwDkRN39eEaZMVgjLh29OdX5bEXfLZgjTLEU8c/s640/shoe+boxes+done.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The chalk will smudge when I touch it, so I have to be careful how I grab the box. There are <a href="http://www.chalkink.com/ChalkInk.com/Homepage.html" target="_blank">chalk markers</a> that I will probably buy that won't smudge and only come off when wiped with water. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Also, the new boxes take up a little more space because they are a bit taller than the old shoe boxes. I was able to stack four old shoeboxes in a column, but now I can only get three. But the new ones are waaay cuter and make the closet look more organized. I love it !</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How do you organize your shoes in your closet?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now you can Do It Yourself Too !</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~Stephanie</span>Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05757778965785802847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2296040802844002461.post-15251945252419526702012-12-16T22:08:00.000-05:002012-12-16T22:08:00.125-05:00Framing the Keys<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First off…I can't believe my blog has reached 200,000 views ! When I started this back in January, I wasn't expecting many people outside my family and friends to view the blog. Luckily, I was wrong - Thank you to all my readers!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Speaking of readers…I've been pretty bad at making posts in recent months. November was such a busy month and December is no better. However, I did have some time to complete a quick little project that I have been meaning to do for almost a year.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When we cleaned out my Grandmother's house over a year ago, I found some pretty cool skeleton keys bunched together on a book ring. I nabbed those quickly and knew exactly what I wanted to do with them - place them in a shadow box! Last weekend, I popped over to IKEA with my neighbor and purchased a white one (among lots of other things…don't tell Kerry!)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Rd42dickP6EgfrYFtuSQdjwNGiotZGDTCQwvBt1neGSMQ6NbU4MsmGmr6zYgP-b-vQsqdTF6oS9xzhZHnE3dTxlVt2Gt4fqfu-NaefhUU_hlwhPODuEqTjMgtlQjcHcDju5IQswOaYA/s1600/keys+and+frame.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Rd42dickP6EgfrYFtuSQdjwNGiotZGDTCQwvBt1neGSMQ6NbU4MsmGmr6zYgP-b-vQsqdTF6oS9xzhZHnE3dTxlVt2Gt4fqfu-NaefhUU_hlwhPODuEqTjMgtlQjcHcDju5IQswOaYA/s640/keys+and+frame.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I dug through my endless supply of scrapbook paper and found just the perfect paper for the background of the shadow box. I grabbed some brown thread to match the keys and and my trusty scissors and went to work.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First, I placed the scrapbook paper behind the frame and also added some card stock to support the keys. I arranged the keys…several times…until I found the design I liked. This was my first layout, but I changed it up in the end. </span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn5FMatmhaNKf6u587pf9Fa65eULbHCFKb9-jlSdJOrQflBJUeRB-be_CMq7FwYdkXzshXiUh93IWYSGvcEpKdQ8WO5eQV-qazenRk_YtGtGxC8RYHkIJGugAZez01OPwR3KJxv4kJMhg/s1600/keys+placed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="342" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn5FMatmhaNKf6u587pf9Fa65eULbHCFKb9-jlSdJOrQflBJUeRB-be_CMq7FwYdkXzshXiUh93IWYSGvcEpKdQ8WO5eQV-qazenRk_YtGtGxC8RYHkIJGugAZez01OPwR3KJxv4kJMhg/s400/keys+placed.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A little helpful hint: Place some cork behind the matte to make it easier to push through the paper. Using the needle, I made little holes around the tops and bottoms of each key. This helped me to remember exactly where I wanted each key to be placed. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH4MMbwhxr2ONFsS_FMdZc8e51M7vyFEnFh4hL_ua5S4wYGi-jsZaWOHmMktmr-KgO_ivTVgWrSgD_HJYbUB_sJBH7a82OlE98LPKGvV0vruEpDdntWCfbk1pFBNaCe0gQMg8yeKZDxIE/s1600/sewing+keys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH4MMbwhxr2ONFsS_FMdZc8e51M7vyFEnFh4hL_ua5S4wYGi-jsZaWOHmMktmr-KgO_ivTVgWrSgD_HJYbUB_sJBH7a82OlE98LPKGvV0vruEpDdntWCfbk1pFBNaCe0gQMg8yeKZDxIE/s640/sewing+keys.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some people hot glue the keys, but I decided to go the thread route instead. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I took all the keys off and using the holes I just made, I sewed each key, one by one. I started from underneath the paper and sewed up and around the top, then pulled the thread down to tighten it, taped it, then sewed the bottom part of the key. I didn't make a knot because I felt that might loosen the thread. I just used a lot of scotch tape to secure it. Repeat for each key. </span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMlEN8K0-i8K1sRZo3bpXNSISHqNxUsZWgttOKTuzXzTOiPyZbe-CJl8Y2SXCRB7kWek9r-3eFT4ADVjiN2wNT85IJJU8zGRVbtWBR9ldmw6jsT7vme_HTE6MDtrS7fqqLhbjCATxiNJo/s1600/keys+sewed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMlEN8K0-i8K1sRZo3bpXNSISHqNxUsZWgttOKTuzXzTOiPyZbe-CJl8Y2SXCRB7kWek9r-3eFT4ADVjiN2wNT85IJJU8zGRVbtWBR9ldmw6jsT7vme_HTE6MDtrS7fqqLhbjCATxiNJo/s640/keys+sewed.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You can barely see the thread…even close up ! I attached the matte to the frame and jiggled it around a bit and they were pretty secure on the paper. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then I added some wire on the back of the frame so that I could hang it up (more on that <a href="http://simplydiy2.blogspot.com/2012/07/ready-to-frame.html" target="_blank">here</a>).</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9iVmc6Lsu3Z7bp3nidePLw-pgBq9ig9bkpbyCGw3RzxWehceok5pt9kmVMhpP2QmjMGtaEWoiUIz9mR4UeuWT2a79kFJeRkl13c1QUiB-R3a8CxEligFbtZkd4zPPwBR-IPWK7etfeH4/s1600/IMG_2767.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9iVmc6Lsu3Z7bp3nidePLw-pgBq9ig9bkpbyCGw3RzxWehceok5pt9kmVMhpP2QmjMGtaEWoiUIz9mR4UeuWT2a79kFJeRkl13c1QUiB-R3a8CxEligFbtZkd4zPPwBR-IPWK7etfeH4/s400/IMG_2767.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I hung it up in our stairwell hallway upstairs near the bedrooms with the other white frames. This wall continues to be a work in progress as I find fun things to frame (like the caricature we had made at Kerry's company picnic last summer. If you look closely, the bear is photobombing our camp fire shot).</span>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This was pretty quick and easy and it adds a little more character to our "white frame wall."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What have you framed lately? Heirlooms? Kids' artwork?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now you can Do It Yourself Too !</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~Stephanie</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05757778965785802847noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2296040802844002461.post-20127448366792005702012-12-09T22:20:00.000-05:002012-12-09T22:45:44.558-05:00YHL Book Signing !<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">November 28, 2012 was my very first book signing. It just so happened to be a book by the inspirational couple from <a href="http://www.younghouselove.com/" target="_blank">YHL</a>. If you can have a blog crush, I have one - on Sherry and John. Their blog is <strike>fantastic</strike> flippin' awesome! Let me tell you the short story of how I found Sherry and John...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Back in May of 2011 when Kerry and I purchased our first house, we were debating on where to put the area rug in our master bedroom. Kerry wanted it fully under the bed, while I wanted it partially under the bed with more rug coming out the foot of the bed. So, I googled "rug under bed," clicked on images, and I came across their <a href="http://www.younghouselove.com/2011/03/thats-the-way-uh-huh-uh-huh-we-like-it/" target="_blank">post</a> about the rug in their bedroom. It was placed partially under the bed with more rug coming out of the foot of the bed. I showed it to Kerry and he liked it. I won ;) But after that, I became obsessed (…like check every hour obsessed) at looking at their blog and how they DIY'd.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So fast forward to this year when they mentioned that they were coming out with a book. When it became available online, I purchased it...immediately. I was so excited when it came in the mail:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9uSFuJTrS5W92sHWU-XdTF9JuPy37OinNVfaTjQx-SdkL5_qp6_myJgx8aNkGhCqZRml8XC68uVaBj7JgPrutz5zpavZX7CKlehouJFaIfvQtiwWBB16VKZZ_-IuPOVqSOrEI22FUej0/s1600/YHL+book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9uSFuJTrS5W92sHWU-XdTF9JuPy37OinNVfaTjQx-SdkL5_qp6_myJgx8aNkGhCqZRml8XC68uVaBj7JgPrutz5zpavZX7CKlehouJFaIfvQtiwWBB16VKZZ_-IuPOVqSOrEI22FUej0/s320/YHL+book.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I found out that they were having book signings and there was in on DC, I got giddy - like kid in the candy store giddy. I couldn't pass it up so I signed up. I figured, why-the-heck-not. I've never been to a book signing and this is a book that inspires me. They essentially inspired me to start my own blog (not that it'll ever compare to theirs) that I hope will inspire you.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, on November 28th, Kerry and I (yes, my husband came with me !) made our way to Georgetown to a little carpet store called FLOR.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVx_4j5Rc0Sr48iur0eEznT2HyiyoiZGL32VzMbGJcwhyphenhyphenzemnX72siMqUXCX4ArDVH1jOG5lNzq8xhyphenhyphen31RPVhOvbrpQViPyaUG6a41YN9g8CdjSI-e6Fi2UiD_s3mU46NibE-7RpLSt6M/s1600/FLOR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVx_4j5Rc0Sr48iur0eEznT2HyiyoiZGL32VzMbGJcwhyphenhyphenzemnX72siMqUXCX4ArDVH1jOG5lNzq8xhyphenhyphen31RPVhOvbrpQViPyaUG6a41YN9g8CdjSI-e6Fi2UiD_s3mU46NibE-7RpLSt6M/s400/FLOR.jpg" width="340" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I would characterize YHL as the 'long line around the block' popular. The book signing confirmed just that. We waited three long hours in the cold…but <a href="http://www.captaincookiedc.com/" target="_blank">cookies</a> (seriously awesome cookies) and hot tea kept us warm. After freezing our behinds off, we finally made it inside to get my book signed. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sherry and John were as friendly and </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">amazing in person</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> as they are online.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We chit-chatted for a little bit and they each signed my book. I also brought a little tag tied to an old skeleton key that was my grandmother's. I'll eventually take the tag off and scrapbook it on "My First Book Signing" page. #DorkAlert!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Was waiting three hours in the cold worth it? Yes. Thanks John and Sherry for all of your inspiration!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What inspires you these days? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~Stephanie</span>Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05757778965785802847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2296040802844002461.post-78348084268177824762012-11-07T21:46:00.002-05:002021-07-18T08:40:13.399-04:00Fallin' For Tulle Wreaths<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Pinterest is at it again. While browsing Pinterest during my <strike>daily</strike> hourly look through, I found this pretty <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/108296599/autumn-fall-tulle-wreath-a-must-see" target="_blank">fall wreath</a>:</span><br />
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<img border="0" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8yLG2jDgLOM37ewoNtUFhZWHhL8GJ_PAQAvwKMrj9hPKW2aA-E9lF1x8U4lxte-lr3gki-7XVb0AK2AgBLISI9sjcs4k2LQDl8iklouxeG0EpLulyhCm-Tlc3t1mNxWScm4HuxCD-mkc/s320/fall+wreath.jpg" width="320" /></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Since it is on Etsy, I started to look for an online tutorial on how to make a tulle wreath. I've never seen one before, so I wasn't sure where to start. Google makes searching for things so easy and I quickly found <a href="http://www.itsamueggelife.com/2011/05/tulle-wreath-tutorial.html" target="_blank">this</a> tutorial. It was very helpful.</span><br />
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I got most of my materials at a store called WOW Outlets in Pennsylvania while visiting my family (yes, another trip to PA). The <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B091DJ69RV/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B091DJ69RV&linkCode=as2&tag=simplydiy2-20&linkId=2f3d26099560fd72cc6f636c57c384bb" target="_blank">foam ring is 11"</a>. I originally started with a 12" ring, but felt it was too big. I had almost the whole wreath covered with tulle, didn't like it, and took it apart for the smaller ring.</span><br />
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I got some of the tulle at the same store, some at the $1.00 section in JoAnn's, and had some cut from a bolt at JoAnn's. I also purchased some gold ribbon as well.</span><br />
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The flower, leaves, and scarecrow are all from fall decorations I had lying around the house.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZeRLrqIY0vpV-v7VqaAIaMH0BUu2HVLcv9s5TpGSJ4L405dI5iir3BNJA3DG8M88X2mJrBckVNvne7sifr-7a_zOGYhKl1dcijvPM8hBi2tAKVtF8kmH5vmoPjAP5XeglBhieC2oBbJU/s1600/IMG_2646.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZeRLrqIY0vpV-v7VqaAIaMH0BUu2HVLcv9s5TpGSJ4L405dI5iir3BNJA3DG8M88X2mJrBckVNvne7sifr-7a_zOGYhKl1dcijvPM8hBi2tAKVtF8kmH5vmoPjAP5XeglBhieC2oBbJU/s400/IMG_2646.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Each roll of tulle is 6 </span><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">inches</span><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> wide. I cut the tulle to 28 inches long. As I was making the wreath, I didn't like that length, so I cut it as I was making it. Each piece probably ended up being about 22 inches long. I would suggest starting long and cutting down. You can always take length off, but can't put it back on</span><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">…</span><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">unless you just cut a new piece of tulle.</span><br />
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Once I cut my pieces, I started to place them on the foam ring. I didn't really follow any pattern of color, just whatever looked good. Pictures are the best way to show how to put the tulle on. I can't really explain it. I have seen some tutorials that just tie the tulle in a regular knot. That looks good, too. I suppose whatever suits your taste.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1eF6dJ4F2fuAVkgDbwHLQjvj_uNozm3jAVob7wgEsurnMy2uVIxeCm-q48SB_JSVzfhyphenhyphenjzro6mvbMi7Ybi1uAV-tMVgLYwuvTMqWgtG9L4bJHdPVj8FlQt8eMId3YDO0y3Oof9eJqCIg/s1600/making+wreath.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1eF6dJ4F2fuAVkgDbwHLQjvj_uNozm3jAVob7wgEsurnMy2uVIxeCm-q48SB_JSVzfhyphenhyphenjzro6mvbMi7Ybi1uAV-tMVgLYwuvTMqWgtG9L4bJHdPVj8FlQt8eMId3YDO0y3Oof9eJqCIg/s640/making+wreath.jpg" width="292" /></a></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Here is an "in progress" picture of making the wreath:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwPeLX01FD12yQATzWtoEsuDMK2Bzj0g8JtOQ3FR3XId89DPqsKpPK-3taknX5DMNFESEn4cxORbz3leE8RN3oerWuG863Me4QUrKvntShyphenhyphenAUhW8PERQZLBkQsZxPArJIiOLxcOCQMxN0/s1600/wreath+in+progress.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwPeLX01FD12yQATzWtoEsuDMK2Bzj0g8JtOQ3FR3XId89DPqsKpPK-3taknX5DMNFESEn4cxORbz3leE8RN3oerWuG863Me4QUrKvntShyphenhyphenAUhW8PERQZLBkQsZxPArJIiOLxcOCQMxN0/s640/wreath+in+progress.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">This is when the tulle was still slightly too long and it needed a 'tullecut'. It was sort of like cutting hair so I had to make sure that all the tulle lined up so that it wasn't jagged around the edges. </span><br />
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The more tulle you have, the better that it looks. You want to make sure that the tulle is tightly scrunched up next to each other so that it looks fuller.</span>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Just about finished:</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdURSQVfjLacITcc4-PDTDstNH6udseACIgW-VxNum8dOUhV3sWzCwZJw6mqf_sClpKvvOwU5orTmiJaQyck8K0QKATVSHaY4QgW8Mws8pF8FCVnQVhrQWpsd6lC4v_b3Ih1cAZE9fWg4/s1600/IMG_2645.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdURSQVfjLacITcc4-PDTDstNH6udseACIgW-VxNum8dOUhV3sWzCwZJw6mqf_sClpKvvOwU5orTmiJaQyck8K0QKATVSHaY4QgW8Mws8pF8FCVnQVhrQWpsd6lC4v_b3Ih1cAZE9fWg4/s400/IMG_2645.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Once the ring was completely covered and I cut the tulle to the length I wanted it to be. Then it was time to hot glue on the decorations. I added the leaves first, then the flower, and then the scarecrow. I just used a hot glue gun to stick it to the tulle.</span>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Almost done!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHYXwp4lFJ-kKptd78TQTyVieCSAUsDUdo6BrSnRE2IS9iHlXvWHf5vhyxPbDt8X5KzYZpkhuUnuSqdSjPlomzl5zUsfjm8p2K3oM8N4qKi4P0XePRjl9_COH2XIlQG8GYuzfpuQ8-FMw/s1600/IMG_2647.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHYXwp4lFJ-kKptd78TQTyVieCSAUsDUdo6BrSnRE2IS9iHlXvWHf5vhyxPbDt8X5KzYZpkhuUnuSqdSjPlomzl5zUsfjm8p2K3oM8N4qKi4P0XePRjl9_COH2XIlQG8GYuzfpuQ8-FMw/s400/IMG_2647.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">In order to hang it up, I just cut some brown ribbon that I had and tied it around the top to make a loop.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUZ9gigUXZDaehMBH6A6-A-7HcxIfjjDYnndUpL95o92a3w9shYwyGT3VwQ5srhhhluNRoL-WeMM0YsV-yysFY6AZDRduzfSWNpKkxaOFVrOGe5N03dHYJjapL2o5rwBeXEqyfhSO3ZVw/s1600/IMG_2648.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUZ9gigUXZDaehMBH6A6-A-7HcxIfjjDYnndUpL95o92a3w9shYwyGT3VwQ5srhhhluNRoL-WeMM0YsV-yysFY6AZDRduzfSWNpKkxaOFVrOGe5N03dHYJjapL2o5rwBeXEqyfhSO3ZVw/s400/IMG_2648.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Now it is ready to hang on our </span><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="text-align: center;">front door.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhliTeYVlhlHnU1oqHo6KqdK-felcD9KqkazNc21_ES3Ig0XpbJJCC4Pk2u7cc0Ojpczh06TtDsX1NcavR4qMH3UoCbbmzBbgWFdifc_igbIIgMnZqn5r0pgaUyzPvjpoKMDtRJge6jWbw/s1600/IMG_2654.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhliTeYVlhlHnU1oqHo6KqdK-felcD9KqkazNc21_ES3Ig0XpbJJCC4Pk2u7cc0Ojpczh06TtDsX1NcavR4qMH3UoCbbmzBbgWFdifc_igbIIgMnZqn5r0pgaUyzPvjpoKMDtRJge6jWbw/s400/IMG_2654.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6GIXuggR7E4cxW447Ooj-Cn-2JwBcQXR9OUe_dBzfbyFVjZLzLS199gU75Of879Q4F2V9bnnqr6A9KBmVttJ8E9yKicj-Ywve7-FvR4gNStB_j9-yI9Ig1LUCUIcKEcVXE5hPEVs29II/s1600/IMG_2651.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6GIXuggR7E4cxW447Ooj-Cn-2JwBcQXR9OUe_dBzfbyFVjZLzLS199gU75Of879Q4F2V9bnnqr6A9KBmVttJ8E9yKicj-Ywve7-FvR4gNStB_j9-yI9Ig1LUCUIcKEcVXE5hPEVs29II/s640/IMG_2651.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">It looks so cute up against our red door and I love it. I like the cranberry/ wine-ish colors the most on the wreath. I think it really makes the wreath pop. I tried to look for a more golden/sunflower yellow tulle, but had to settle for a paler yellow. Someday I'll switch out the pale yellow for a more golden yellow when I find it. </span><br />
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">What a fun way to fancy up a door for the fall ! It was a pretty easy, simple, and fun craft to make. The hardest part was searching for all the tulle colors that I wanted. </span><br />
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I hope you enjoy making this craft. If you make one, please share. I'd love to see your take on it. Maybe a Christmas, Easter, or even a St. Patrick's Day tulle wreath (Kerry would love a St. Pat's one !).</span><br />
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">How have you decorated your door for the fall?</span><br />
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Now you can Do It Yourself Too !</span><br />
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">~Stephanie</span><br />
<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></span>Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05757778965785802847noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2296040802844002461.post-66286706763851495052012-10-26T18:10:00.000-04:002012-10-26T18:10:15.971-04:00Chalkin' Up a Frame<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another one of our weekend travels brought us a little further south in VA. A few weeks ago, Kerry's brother was married. His brother and now wife asked us to help take photos of their wedding. I like taking photos. I am very far away from being a great photographer, but I like to try. I just need more practice. So I took this as an opportunity to practice and to test out some props that I had seen in other wedding photos - chalkboards. Chalkboards are so popular now. I see them in paint form, frames, and labels. I figured I could incorporate one into their photos.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I stopped over at my favorite craft store, Michaels's, and purchased an off-white frame and self-stick chalkboard sheets:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT-Cgp8v9HZr152HZqmwC-NvV5OKRaFyS3NJCZWMkmIKAr5CMDkApExnDruMUq0dISQPAoCjin1NHCXYEsdwGuk3HEQsjKHuKOwRFp1c_JgAEjbt1eWtIMzkA397QM4RCZ2EaFLlLtekg/s1600/IMG_2362.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT-Cgp8v9HZr152HZqmwC-NvV5OKRaFyS3NJCZWMkmIKAr5CMDkApExnDruMUq0dISQPAoCjin1NHCXYEsdwGuk3HEQsjKHuKOwRFp1c_JgAEjbt1eWtIMzkA397QM4RCZ2EaFLlLtekg/s400/IMG_2362.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All I did was peel apart the back of the chalkboard adhesive and stick it to the matte of the frame.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG_jnucXzI3ENII5uPOnb1i0sUD2rFAGWziltukVrHr3lIyABXj4QCvVXgzkZA7oT_-ppJ1PCIeEtKGme_P2NivpQhFZi2XNy9eJFi6__epYWRq0VZ6FO9c4osoHgFf0LNUEW_1qjxUOY/s1600/IMG_2363.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG_jnucXzI3ENII5uPOnb1i0sUD2rFAGWziltukVrHr3lIyABXj4QCvVXgzkZA7oT_-ppJ1PCIeEtKGme_P2NivpQhFZi2XNy9eJFi6__epYWRq0VZ6FO9c4osoHgFf0LNUEW_1qjxUOY/s400/IMG_2363.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then I taped it to the back of the matte just to secure it.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdRTT9AaEc7EeZmOmYri9lfk7EmshMKlrQ6riQAI3EQ2lKC-IyH637qnNmplcWfFaPZl0ueN-lvyDj-2Xr1whsxlHcwFeq4dl0bqamZf5PDMQOwcGoQeBnXbCtEP2ENykAzRhMJrHwq6s/s1600/IMG_2364.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdRTT9AaEc7EeZmOmYri9lfk7EmshMKlrQ6riQAI3EQ2lKC-IyH637qnNmplcWfFaPZl0ueN-lvyDj-2Xr1whsxlHcwFeq4dl0bqamZf5PDMQOwcGoQeBnXbCtEP2ENykAzRhMJrHwq6s/s400/IMG_2364.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And that was it ! Nice and easy framed chalkboard. No painting necessary and it was pretty cheap. I believe it was under $6 for the whole project. And I still have three more chalkboard adhesives to use for some other future project.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6fbjuxo6t7aqlig2e9HfjuYuk52UQrc3-h4Q8Eek4fXme5xfYLfzeQ2q9lpNXDqjDh7S1lXsS1NHSjzKN707dcROvqx6hBw9aedJUJNPvQAEjxUX1E1RPZ12zVsDVJUd7X29m3UzyttA/s1600/IMG_2365.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6fbjuxo6t7aqlig2e9HfjuYuk52UQrc3-h4Q8Eek4fXme5xfYLfzeQ2q9lpNXDqjDh7S1lXsS1NHSjzKN707dcROvqx6hBw9aedJUJNPvQAEjxUX1E1RPZ12zVsDVJUd7X29m3UzyttA/s640/IMG_2365.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I used it with Kerry's beautiful nieces:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBNf1fHvprLKmcavE1LRkHaj6PuPjk2DLRiw0v6eMNbVzuhKxM7G9sWpMs6XoFf8wIRVG7u7S9fIjPgGayTng7dJJ0Uzki-PZ3mSBdan7V2R4IwgQ1wndLXNzbT8Af_-smIlE7KxPSm24/s1600/IMG_7948.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBNf1fHvprLKmcavE1LRkHaj6PuPjk2DLRiw0v6eMNbVzuhKxM7G9sWpMs6XoFf8wIRVG7u7S9fIjPgGayTng7dJJ0Uzki-PZ3mSBdan7V2R4IwgQ1wndLXNzbT8Af_-smIlE7KxPSm24/s400/IMG_7948.JPG" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And with his brother and his wife:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiGzh_kO0uqIy1kSgRTpCn3wD7Hbmt9SYJibxGRXlOdK5lSjjBiLBTe37KflrFy1k-QweI4bimFvrOsRx8SU8azb0W4WxDfiT7AP00JSGVbnomIXp4bYkKURPsmGpWH1mm73zPoINQL2o/s1600/IMG_2408_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="488" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiGzh_kO0uqIy1kSgRTpCn3wD7Hbmt9SYJibxGRXlOdK5lSjjBiLBTe37KflrFy1k-QweI4bimFvrOsRx8SU8azb0W4WxDfiT7AP00JSGVbnomIXp4bYkKURPsmGpWH1mm73zPoINQL2o/s640/IMG_2408_2.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;"> Congrats to Kerry's brother and his new wife !</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How do you fancy up your photos?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now you can Do It Yourself Too !</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~Stephanie</span>Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05757778965785802847noreply@blogger.com0