"Give Thanks" burlap pillow

I'm going to re-post this tutorial now that Halloween is over and we can focus on Thanksgiving. You'll have to use your imagination and pretend that the "Boo" says "give thanks". I originally took pics for the "Boo" and "Boo Y'all" pillows, but the directions are the same except for the phrase.

Step One: Print out your word or phrase that you want on your pillow. Enlarge the word/phrase on a copy machine. (My home copy machine does not enlarge so I my print -outs it to the local Office Max self-serve copy machine).

Step Two: You can either trace your word/phrase onto freezer paper, or cut your freezer paper to 8 1/2 x 11 and run it through your home copy machine. (see more info about this in an earlier post by clicking HERE).

Step Three: Using your handy dandy Exacto knife, cut out your word/phrase from the freezer paper. With the waxy side facing the burlap, iron the freezer paper into place. I usually iron my big piece first, then add the "island pieces".

Step Four: Using regular acrylic paint and a sponge brush, carefully paint the inside of the stencil. Don't forget to put a piece of paper between the two layers to prevent the paint from bleeding through.








Step Five: Carefully remove the freezer paper. It is not necessary to wait until the paint dries.


Step Six: Enjoy!!

To see how to make the actual pillow with the self-fringe, click HERE.

I'm linking to Today's Creative Blog and A Soft Place to Land,

and It's So Very Cheri

Fun and Kid-Friendly Bathroom on a Budget!

Here's a shot of the "before": (Notice the plaster peeling off the wall and ceiling...lovely):

After:

Don't forget the before (makes you appreciate the "after" so much more!):

This bathroom was AWFUL when we purchased this house. However, for very little money, we were able to transform it into something really fun. My husband sanded and repaired the plaster on the ceiling, we painted the ceiling a fresh white, the walls a fun green, and added pops of red to make it more fun. We did replace the light fixture, sink, and faucets, but we kept the tile floor, walls, and toilet (although for $12 we did replace the toilet seat). I needed to make this a unisex bathroom so that all of my children could use without them feeling like it was a "boy" or a "girl" bathroom. So green paint was a good choice. My favorite thing about this bathroom? The row of ceramic rubber duckies on the window ledge.

Now if I could just kick the kids out of MY bathroom!

Beautiful Toile

This may be the last week that I get to enjoy this room! I LOVE this room. It is home to my two youngest girls. But sadly, they are ready to have their "own" rooms. They no longer want to share! They are growing up and I am so sad! So next week we'll move Kit Kat to the spare bedroom and rearrange this room. The girls have each shown me pictures of what they want their new rooms to look like. Ugh!

Bye Bye Beautiful Room!

Silhouette Name Cards

Hi Friends - I have to get out of town quickly this morning, but I promised to show you what I was going to do with Baby Girl's silhouette, so I quickly did this little project this morning. It could actually be a lot cuter with scalloped edges and/or ribbons and bows, but you will get the general idea. then you can go and make yours cuter than mine!



I started with this silhouette that I had drawn at Disney World last year for only $8.00. (I hope Mickey Mouse doesn't "get me" for some sort of copyright infringement!). I reduced it on the copy machine til it was the size that I wanted.

I then printed her name in a fancy font and printed it out on my computer. I cut and pasted (literally - with scissors and a glue stick, not with a mouse and cursor) the copies of her silhouettes and her name. I photocopied three to a page (of white carsdtock).

Using my Creative Memories oval cutter, I cut her silhouette and name out in an oval shape.

I embellished it by adding a contrasting border and a self-adhesive rhinestone in the center of the hair bow. This is where you could really have fun! you could use scalloped edges and/or really decorative paper for your border. You could punch a hole through the top and add a coordinating ribbon(s). Have fun with it! If yours turns out cuter than mine, blog about it and let me know! I'd love to see it!

Happy Wednesday!

I'm linking up to The Shabby Chic Cottage

Message Board with Mirrored Tacks

I made this fabric message board with mirrored tacks from a frame that I found at the thrift store. The frame was super cheap because it didn't have a pice of glass or a back, which is actually perfect for what I was planning. Cost of frame: $1.00!

Using a utlity knife, I cut a piece of foam board to fit into the frame's openeing. I also cut a pice of plain white cotton duck fabric and attached it to the foam board with this spray glue.

Using something I already had on hand (Mirror Mastic), I attached the small round mirrors to the tops of the tacks. You could easily use Liquid Nails in the tube if you don't just happen to have some Mirror Mastic lying around!

And Voila!

(P.S. Did you notice that cute silhouette of my baby girl? Come back tomorrow and I'll show you what I'm going to do with her!)

Happy Tuesday!

I'm linking to A Soft Place to Land for DIY Day.

Nautical Bathroom on a Budget

M and I share a lake "place" with M's brother and his family. They also have four kids, so it's a full house (but fun!) when we are all there at the same time. To call this place a lake "house" makes it sound too nice. To call it a lake "cabin" suggest that it is cute and quaint. And it is neither. It is basically a 70's style home with bare bones - no charm, no personality, no "cuteness." When I started decorating this "place", I knew that it needed to be both kid-friendly and budget-friendly.

The first place I started was in the upstairs bathroom. I found the red and white ticking at Wal-Mart for super cheap. I then cut a very thin piece of plywood the width of the bathtub. I printed off the nautical alphabet and using a ruler and a pencil (and a bowl for the blue circle!), I drew some of the nautical letters onto the plywood. I then used regular acrylic paint and a foam brush to paint the flags. I sealed it with a coat of polyurethane and attached to the wall with right angle brackets. Total cost: under $10.00.

I've always felt like "nautical" should be used at the beach and not at the lake, but I've always loved the bright, cheery, nautical colors and I really wanted to use them in the lake "place". I'm glad I did- it's happy and fun!

Happy Tuesday!!

I'm linking to Today's Creative Blog and A Soft Place to Landhttp://asoftplacetoland-kimba.blogspot.com/2009/10/diy-day-and-giveaway_19.html

and also tohttp://todayscreativeblog.blogspot.com/2009/10/get-your-craft-on.html

"I'm a Flea Marketeer" party

This is by far one of my favorite thrift store finds. It's an old/vintage solid wood library card catalogue.

Not only do I love the look, but I LOVE THE STORAGE! Each drawer holds different craft supplies: paint, glue, scissors, hole punchers, glue, glue sticks, glue dots, glue guns,glue pens, liquid nails...you name it!

The piece is much bigger than it appears in the photo. It measures almost 4 ft high and 41 inches wide. Probably 2 ft deep (but that's just a guess). I thought about stripping it, painting it, distressing it, etc. But I put it in it's spot in the house and it's original state has actually "grown" on me - I'm keeping it just like it is.
Happy Monday!

I'm linking to http://fleamarketstylemag.blogspot.com/2009/10/join-im-flea-marketeer-party.html Flea Market Style for their first linky party! Take a look!