DIY Beach House Sign

It's a beautiful morning and I am sitting on the back porch enjoying the sun and breezes we get here.  I love that I can sit out here and work to the sound of the birds, the waterfall and the chimes - such sweet music to work with - if we could just have it year round. Ahh, yes...
Today, I thought I would share the Beach House sign I made for our Spring/Summer mantel with you.  I am all about keeping things as simple as I can so I used Chalk Couture's chalk paste and transfer to make a sign that would I would be able to use through both seasons.

Summer Mantel

Summer has officially found its way to the beach. Sunny blue skies, ocean breezes, and hot, hot temps.  That means it's time for me to change our Spring mantel to a Summer mantel.  I love changing my decor but, I want it to be as easy and quick as I can make it. So, switching the Spring mantel over just took a couple of changes and it was done in less than 30 minutes. This is how it looks for summer.

DiY Winter Wreath Using Yarn

With all the wintry weather we have gotten this year, I thought it would be appropriate to make a winter wreath for our front door.  This was a very simple project that took very little time - using items I had lying around the house. A flat white styrofoam wreath form and some cream colored yarn are the base of this winter wreath.  The rest is just bits and pieces I had in my craft stash.  It's a fun project that is easily done while watching your favorite Netflix programs. And, it makes your front door just a little more inviting during these cold wintry days as you can see below. Let's get on with the very simple instructions so you can make one for your front door.

Fall Mantel with Wood FALL Sign

 Although we have escaped the worst of Hurricane Irma - I have to say it has been a roller coaster ride this week.  Our evacuation orders were rescinded, however, we still received some winds, rain, storm surge and tornado threats - much better than what they were predicting at the beginning of last week.  We lived in central Florida for 20 years and have many friends and family still there - my heart goes out to them - let's remember them in our thoughts and prayers as we go about our day. Let's also pray Hurricane Jose stays out to sea - it's way too soon to go through this again.
Besides the weather threats here we are also having some much awaited cool temps and fall-like days.  I have been anxiously awaiting these.  With these cooler days, it feels more like Fall so I thought I would share my Fall Mantel decor with you all today.

Spring Market Basket Remake

Hi everyone.... can you believe it's been almost a year since I last posted.  I've been meaning to write something for a while now but it just didn't get it done. During  my hiatus I worked on lots of great projects to share with you and will be doing so in the next few weeks.  But today I would like to share an easy spring project that can be done in an afternoon. 

I made a pretty little spring basket for our dining room table out of a plain old market basket my DIL brought home with fruit in it this past Christmas.   

I found it sitting around in the garage taking up space this past month and decided to put it to good use. 

So I painted it.  I used Valspar's Gravity Gray to base paint it - inside and out using a craft brush.  Then when it was dry I simply used a dry brush of white craft paint and brushed lightly over the entire outside of the basket to make it look aged and vintage.

Here you can see how the white is just lightly brushed over the gray - the effect is wonderful.

Then I filled it with "faux" blue hydrangeas, white stems and some variegated ivy I found at Michael's at 50% off.  I then tied a black check wired ribbon around the top of the basket.  I love this look - it goes so well with my "new" dining table I will be sharing at a later date. 

I placed it on a vintage doily my Mother crocheted many years ago.  Then placed my vintage ceramic rabbit next to it.  I now have a pretty little Easter/Spring centerpiece.  I'll just take the rabbit away after Easter and leave the basket for a few more weeks.  I love versatile and effortless decorating.

I also love how you can take a plain ole basket and turn it into a lovely one of a kind centerpiece in just an afternoon.  

That's it for me today - what have you been up to?  Would love to hear from you in the comments below.  

I will be sharing this with the link parties listed on my Where I Party page.  

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#3 Vintage Box

Good morning everyone. 

 My it has been a long time since I have done a post.  I have been on a fairly long hiatus after undergoing a heart procedure that took more time to recover from than I had anticipated.  But I am  finally feeling like my old self and have lots of fun things planned to share with you soon.  While I was recuperating "T" and Papa were busy doing some projects around the house, we have a high school graduation coming up some DIY projects, and the big event this year is my grand daughter Sissy's wedding.  We are doing lots of DIY for her very vintage rustic wedding that is being held in an old barn here.  Loving all the great ideas she has and I know you all will also.  Well, enough for what is happening in the future  - let's get on with today's project. 

I found this cute little vintage wood box at my favorite thrift shop for $1.  I love finding little things like this because they are so simple to remake into something that fits into my vintage, rustic decor.  

First of all I cleaned it well with a little vinegar and water (mixed in equal parts)  to get all the years of gunk off it.  Then I mixed up a little bit of chalk paint.  I used what I had on hand which was a sample jar of Valspar's Polar White paint that I added some Plaster of Paris to.  When I do a small project like this I just mix a teaspoon of  Plaster of Paris with a teaspoon of water until it's smooth.  Then I add about 1/4 cup of paint and mix the two together well.  If it's too thick you can add more water to it but do so in very small amounts.   It should be creamy, smooth and a bit like pancake batter.

Then I painted the little box with this mixture.  This gives it a very chalky appearance that is easy to distress.

Next I stenciled the number three on the front of the box.  I simply used a Sharpie to do it. Very easy and you have more control than with a brush filled with paint.

Next I distressed it a bit so it had more of a vintage feel to it.  I simply used a medium coarse sanding block and just went over the edges and places that I thought would have received some wear and tear over the years.  Then I put a thin coat of Johnson's Furniture Paste Wax on and when it was dry just buffed it a little to give it a nice smooth feel and appearance.  This step also makes the distressing  a little more apparent.

When I was finished I decided to use it as a small flower container so I put a small block of Styrofoam in the box and covered it with some dried moss.  Then I placed two burlap flowers in it that I bought at the Dollar Store and a little blue bird I bought there also.  

I love how it turned out and will be using this in our decor.  So cute and those burlap flowers are so fitting for the vintage feel.  Such a quick and easy update for a cute little thrift store find.  

What have you been up to lately -  would love to hear about it in the comments below.  

I will be linking to parties listed on the Where I Party page.  Please go by and visit  - you will find so much great inspiration and creativeness at each one.


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Pastel Spring Mantel Done with Books

Good morning friends. 

 I don't know about where you are but Spring is in full swing here and I am all about bringing some of that bright color and sunshine into our home after this long winter.  I have been busy adding small touches to our decor to reflect the beautiful pastel colors of Spring. I started this process by adding a lot of pastel color to our mantel in a very simple way - using books.

18 Amazing Back to School Ideas

Hi everyone, 
I am having trouble believing that it's really time for school to start - but it is indeed.  Next week "Miss A" has her first day of 5th grade and "Sissy" will be away at college.  Our "Mimi" is entering her senior year in high school and "Bubba" is starting high school - then our other grands in Delaware are going to be a freshman and a first year middle schooler.  My how time flies.  
Needless to say we have been busy getting things ready for all these kiddos to start back on the right foot.  So when Elizabeth Joan Designs put together a round up of amazing back to school ideas I was thrilled to find so many awesome ones to help us start this school year.  But then I was really thrilled to see that they had included one of our very own ideas - DIY Dorm Decor - we put together for "Sissy".   Don't just take my word for it check these out and visit a few - I'm sure you'll agree these ladies put together the best of the best!



Elizabeth Joan Designs 

Beach Inspired Decor

Hi everyone.  Hope you're able to keep cool during these ever so hot days of July we are having.  We are doing a lot of indoor projects or going to the beach since its just too hot to go out until evening.  So today I thought since it is beach weather around here I would bring you a few of the beach inspired projects I have done to give our home that beach feel I so love.  
  

DIY Raffia Wrapped Votives

Hi everyone. 

I have a really cute and simple little craft for you today. Bright beach inspired  DIY raffia wrapped votive candles for your patio or anywhere. They are also budget friendly as all the supplies came from the Dollar Tree.  Aren't they adorable in this little beach vingette.

I started with a couple of votive candles in jars and a couple of rolls of raffia that I found at our Dollar Tree. The raffia comes in packages of three skeins - a royal blue, a turquoise and a lime green - bright, very fun colors.

I simply wrapped each votive jar with the raffia using a little hot glue here and there to keep it in place.

Then I added a little bit of twine by winding it around and tying it in place.  I glued a shell over the knot and wallah - you have a very cute little votive to use on your beach inspired patio or any where that you like.

Here are mine on my Twine Wrapped Table I made.  I placed them in a little beach inspired vignette with a "faux" beach glass painted bottle wrapped with twine and filled with some beach grasses and a bucket of shells and twig balls.

So cute - so beachy - and so quick to make. I love these bright colors.

Do you have a beach decor going for the summer?  These would be perfect for it.  Tell me about what you have been doing - love to hear from you in the comments below

Until next time - have fun creating something you love.  

I will be linking up to the parties listed on Where I Party page.  Please go by and check them out - you will find so much great creativeness and inspiration at each one.

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10 Most Popular Posts of 2014

Good morning everyone.  Hope you all are enjoying the holidays as much as we are.  We had a little bout of the flu bug but everyone is on the mend now and enjoying our beautiful weather - sunny, 70's and breezy.  What more could one ask for in December?  
Speaking of December - 2014 is fast winding down and we will soon be ushering in a new year.  I thought it would be fun to see just what posts were the most popular last year. Which ones you all liked the most.  So I am going to share the top ten with you starting with number 10.

10. Spring Mantel

Faux Fishing Buoys

I think I have probably done an over kill on the beach inspired decor this summer but, living at the beach gives me so much inspiration.  Believe me, I could probably fill a year with fun beach inspired projects.  On that note I will tell you that this is the last one for this summer.  That is unless I find one I just can't resist!

My New Creative Space

I am a person who loves to create

and

as most people who create - I need a special space to do this in.

I had a very lovely space for just this until 

we had to move things around for our ever changing family needs.

So, I had to come up with an alternative solution 

to fit my needs.

As every corner of this house is pretty much taken, I chiseled out some space

in our master bedroom.

Painted Dishes

I have an open space area above my kitchen cabinets

that a lot of houses have these days.

It's an area that I have seen merchandised so nicely 

in a lot of magazine pictures

and 

I wanted to do the same thing.

Stenciled Canvas

Written by: Cathy Carroll

I have totally been hit with the stenciling bug.
I find myself looking for things to stencil.

I also have Spring fever - there is no hope for me.
By combining the stenciling bug and the Spring fever I was able to come up with
this cute little stenciled canvas.

Drop Cloth Pumpkins

Good morning friends...

This morning I am going to show you my drop cloth pumpkins I made.  I have seen so many kind of pumpkins, made out of so many types of mediums this fall and I am in love with all of them.  Especially the cloth ones- sweaters, velvet, old shirts, burlap, vintage handkerchiefs.... so, I decided to go to my favorite fabric and make drop cloth pumpkins.

Mustache Bash Banner

 

 

Today I am going to continue the theme of the

Mustache Bash Party

by explaining how to make the banner.

 

 

This banner is quite simple to make but was really one

of the main pieces of our decor. 

It has a lot of steps in the process however,

none are at all difficult...

 

You will need:

 

Drop cloth fabric or burlap

Black card stock

Scrapbook paper with print of choice for the flowers

Scrapbook, wrapping or other paper of choice for the pinwheels

Stapler and staples

Hot glue gun and glue

Letter stencils

Twine

Clothespins

Optional tassels:   5 Fabrics of choice

 

 

 

Now, as I said this is quite simple to make

but,

I did receive a little help with mine...

These ladies helped with some of the paper cutting

and

pinwheel making...

Thank goodness because it can be quite time consuming...

So let's get started.

 

 

Step 1:  We used black card stock to draw letters for the words

we were going to spell out and then cut them

out.

I used a package of letter stencils from

Wal-Mart for about $3 I think...

 

 

Step 2:  I made a template of a flower to use.

 To make the template I used a round

bowl the size I wanted it to

be.  Then I used a cup to draw

around the outer edge of the circle

until I had the shape that I liked.

I then cut this out and used it as our template.

I used chalk to draw with because I could erase it easily if I didn't like one of the circles.

 

 

 This is what I came up with ...

Not quite perfect but - it really did look OK when we put everything together...

 

 

Step 3:  I picked a pink print scrapbook paper I had on hand for all the flowers.

Then we cut rectangles that were 5" x 5 1/2".

I glued the flower in the center of the black square.

One for each letter of the word.

 

 

Step 4:  I then used Ice Stickles glitter glue by Ranger

to outline each flower.

This is my favorite glitter glue.

The tip is a very nice size on the 1oz bottle for larger lines

of glitter.

But, they also carry a .5 oz size that has a very

small tip for finer projects.

I used to sell this in my scrapbook store and I absolutely

love this product over all others.

I used the Crystal Ice color on this project because it nearly

dries clear but still gives that bling that little girls like so well...

 

 

Here is one done - the glitter glue is still wet in this picture.

 

 

Step 4:   The pinwheels -

I am sure most of you have done this in

grade school by making fans..

You just have to carry it a little step further...

 

 

I used newsprint wrapping paper - but, I really think

book pages would have been just as cute

maybe, even cuter...

Cut 2 squares for each pinwheel

measuring 4" x 4".

 

 

Start by folding a 1/4" fold on any side of the square.

 

 

Accordion fold the entire square

until it looks like this...

 

 

Staple it in the center.

At this point you can round your ends or cut them off at

an angle to make your pinwheels a little more decorative.

We used all three ways in our decor

just to keep it interesting.

I have also seen some people use a long edge punch

and

punch two opposites side before folding

then accordion fold so the punched edge is the ends.

These make very decorative lacy pinwheels that

are adorable....

 

 

Place hot glue along the edge of one of the accordion pieces

and then glue it to another accordion piece

facing prints together.

 

 

It will look like a pleated bow tie when done...

 

 

Next, hot glue along the side from the staple out -

 

 

Bring the other end of this glued side up to meet it

and

hold it for a couple of seconds until it is bonded.

You will have a fan shape as above.

 

 

Do the same thing to the other side.

 

 

Now you have a pinwheel.

 

Step 5;  Glue one pinwheel in the center of each of the flowers

on the black card stock...

 

Almost there....

 

 

I am using one picture for the next two steps...

Step 6:  I cut rectangles measuring 6"x10" from drop cloth material

then

pulled a few strings from all sides to make them slightly frayed.

Next, I hot glued a black flower square on top of each

drop cloth square

making sure they were centered.

 

 

Then last but not least....

 Step 7:  I glued one of the letters to our words in the center of each pinwheel...

 

 

And here it is all put together...

I used clothespins to clip each square to a twine rope

that was draped across the

drop cloth background.

 

For the cloth tassels

I cut 6 each of 3/4" by 14" strips of 5 different

fabrics and tied them in the center.

I used drop cloth fabric, a pink cotton print, a black toille print,

and two kinds of lace.

Then I tied them to the banner in the center

and

on each end. 

 

 

 

I love how it brought the theme together and made it look

so glitzy, girly vintage...

Such an easy project that made such a big impact

on the overall look.

 

Banners are so simple to make

and they make

such a statement.

Think you might try one in the future?

 

That's it for today - a rather long post.

Have a great rest of the day

and

get out there and create something you love...

 

 

 

I love to hear from you so leave me a comment below

I answer them all through email...

 

I would also love it if you would follow me in some way.

Just click on one of the options in the side bar.

Leave me a message and I will follow you back.

 

 

 

You can find me linking to these great parties this week: