I write daily for Babble.com. As part of my Spring Cleaning series I’ve rounded up some of my favorite idea for organizing the garage! Let the de-clutter begin…..
Click the image below to view the gallery!
Starting a Project…..of 2,000 Buttons
February 15, 2012 By 32 Comments
So here’s a perfect example of how I start a project…..on a whim. I never quite know what I’m going to make each day. It all usually depends on how I feel, what I run into that morning, something I might see in passing. Today is no exception…..since I have chemo tomorrow and I don’t have a ton of energy today I decided to start a project I can do from the couch. Another piece of button art…..recorded for another process video. I have an entire series of portraits I want to do now!
In case you missed the other two pieces Boo and I have made…..check out the process on time lapse video….you’ll see Boo eating ice cream on the artwork in the Mona Lisa one…..and I have LONG hair!
Project Playroom: The Market Awning
January 16, 2012 By 41 Comments
I’ll call this series of posts Project Playroom because it is a work in progress. Lots of little projects leading up to one big reveal. I just have to pace myself and work on things as I feel up to it! We took the old LBB office and cleared it all out into a much bigger office. It was going to be the nursery but those plans are on hold for a bit until I am cancer-free and we figure out how we want to add to our family. So NOW it’s my new “writing room” and Boo’s new playroom….we needed a room JUST for that almost-four-foot-tall Barbie dream house she got for Christmas.
Boo loves her kitchen and she’s always wanted a market/grocery store to go along with it…..so I thought I’d devote one small corner to just that. Mr. LBB found this old awning that someone had tossed out:
I took off the existing awning to reveal the frame and Mr. LBB got out the power tools to make it a tad smaller. He’s always so great when I ask him to do little projects….you know I love my power tools, but I’m not feeling quite as strong as I used to so I don’t trust myself with the saws right now….I’d like to keep all my fingers and limbs if I can:
I used my seam ripper to take apart the existing awning cover. This is the easiest way to make a new pattern! Just take apart something old, trace it onto new fabric, and then put it back together the same way! That’s how even the biggest of companies do it!
I bought some bright yellow canvas, bias tape, and thread at Joann’s. Hey, did you know Joann’s has an app now that you can load your 40% and 50% off coupons right at the register? LOVE that.
I traced all my awning pieces onto the new canvas:
I sewed the pieces together and tested the fit of the awning on the frame. Looks good!
I made a little template so that I could cut the bottom into a scalloped edge:
I stitched white bias tape all around the raw scalloped edges:
The finished edges!
I used a simple freezer paper stencil to add the word “MARKET” to the front. The letters could be cut out by hand but my Silhouette machine cut them out in under a minute. You can see more about freezer paper stenciling here in my beanbag tutorial.
I used a sponge to dab white fabric paint onto my letters:
While the letters were still slightly damp, I carefully peeled off my freezer paper stencil and touched up the letters with a small paint brush:
Mr. LBB hung the market awning up in the playroom. Now I’ve got to create the actual market and stock it with lots of goodies!
I just ordered this antique milk scale off of Ebay the other day to hang in her market! Isn’t it cool? It will be the perfect addition.
Click here to check out Project Playroom for all of our related projects!
Ombre Dyed Streamer Garland (A Tutorial)
December 29, 2011 By 23 Comments
Boo and I made this beautiful silk streamer garland over the past two days. It was a super easy project…I just spread it out to work on as I felt up to it. The streamers were dyed using a subtle ombre dye technique so the bottom of the streamers are a darker shade than the top. We used 1″ rolls of silk habutai from Dharma Trading (each roll has about 70 or 80 yards on it) and it’s so soft and amazing to the touch you could almost sleep on it:
We used one roll of silk 1″ habutai per color…..my garland strands were over 2 feet long so for a shorter garland the silk ribbon would go a long way.
Note: 5 rolls at 2 feet long ended up with about 4′ of garland…..so a 1 ft long streamers would end up with about 8 feet of garland to give some perspective.
Stenciled $1 Coaster Sets (A Tutorial)
November 28, 2011 By 8 Comments
I used Martha Stewart holiday stencils and metallic paints to make some easy holiday coasters. The coasters came as a set of 6 from the dollar store! The metallic paints make the coasters festive and sophisticated.
The holiday kits are great because they cover a range of holidays….not just one:
Work of Art: Kitschy
November 3, 2011 By 9 Comments
My favorite show on TV right now? Work of Art. I’ve decided to play along at home when I feel up to it health wise…..so bear with me because I’ll be a few episodes behind for a while.
The first episode the artists had to use pieces of “bad” or “kitschy” art and use it as a basis for their own piece. Funny….I actually really liked some of the art that they deemed “bad” art….beauty is in they eye of the beholder, right?
I decided to make my own version of “re-done” kitschy art. My goal was to use some old thrift store art we had in our garage and not spend any money on new supplies. Here is the original art:
I transformed them into these fun pieces:
First, I traced the images with tracing paper……
…..and used transfer paper to put the image onto another piece of canvas:
I used black liquid acrylic to sketch out the images:
Now just a doodled outline of the original:
I spray painted the 80′s gold frames into a bright red:
A new modern look:
Of course I just love making things that are pretty….I don’t think much about meaning or what the audience might think. I never had any interest in art history either….so the judges would rip my stuff apart!
But I love a challenge!
If you haven’t watched Work of Art check it out! I drool over the studio they get to work in…..all those materials and the creative minds at work. I dream of being in an environment like that and I love the weekly challenge! So fun!
10 Simple DIY Fall Wreaths
October 3, 2011 By 2 Comments
I’m not a wreath person….seriously, I’m lucky to get Christmas wreaths up once a year. I love this wreath (by Proverbs 31 Life) made from…..who would ever guess?! toilet paper rolls!
I’ve rounded up 10 simple fall wreaths that I might attempt because I love how simple and uncluttered they look! Click to image to check out the gallery roundup with links to the tutorials:
Photo of the Day: Design on a Dime
October 2, 2011 By 6 Comments
Boo and I are redesigning the house and both studios. I already exhausted thinking about it…..but I’ve got a gazillion great projects planned. The goal is to spend as little as possible but make it look incredible. It will be a fun thing to document on the blog soon!
We measured all the existing furniture today to make floor plans:
Make a Distressed Trick or Treat Sign (A Tutorial)
September 26, 2011 By 8 Comments
Another Citrasolv project! Using an wood board, some old book pages and a photocopy Boo and I made an easy distressed Halloween “Trick or Treat” sign to add to our decor. I’ve attached my PDF template that you can print off at the bottom if you like….the image is already reversed and ready for transfer!
(more after the jump)
Chalkboard Tags (A Tutorial)
August 31, 2011 By 13 Comments
I recently reorganized my pantry and made little wood chalkboard tags to keep everything in the right place. I found these distressed crates at The Alley a local import shop:
And I bought these value packs of wooden 3″ circles from the craft store:
I was able to drill a hole through a pile of the tags all at once:
Once I sanded and smoothed the holes, I sprayed each tag with chalkboard paint:
Once they were dry I added a small ball and chain clasp (from the craft store):
I wrote on each tag with chalk:
And put everything in its place:
Organized!
This post is part of my new series Getting Organized:
