Mini Wreath Stand

When I was cleaning the other day, I came across a wooden candle holder my fiance made in high school wood shop years ago. It isn't really my style so it hasn't been used and I wanted to give it new life as something I would use. I decided on a mini wreath stand. It was a really easy project; the hard part was finding something to put on the top to finish it off and cover the candle hole. Even I was surprised at what I found. I debated on purchasing a finial of some sort, but I spotted something else, something I already had and didn't cost me anything...the end cap of an old tension shower rod. Isn't it an awesome feeling when you get that "Aha" moment unexpectedly?

Here is what I used for this project...


I spray painted the candle stand and the end cap with Krylon Dual paint. It took a few touchups to get in all the nooks and crannies of the holder. When they were finally dry, I cut a piece of ribbon and glued one end to the inside of the candle hole.

I used another found and unexpected item for the hook. I have a bunch of suction cups with hooks that I bought awhile ago, so I popped one off and threaded it onto the ribbon.



Then I folded the ribbon back and glued the other end inside, leaving the hook to hang on the outside.

Next, I adhered the shower rod cap on top.

And done.

I love that I found items around my house to use instead of going out and buying things. The spray paint was the only thing I had to purchase, so this project cost me less than five dollars.

Have you found things you already had and gave them new life? I'd love to see what you've come up with!

I've linked up with these fine blogs:



The Sasse Life, Sarahndipities, Mad in Crafts

Command Center

I'm sure I'm not the only person who experiences this...You spend time cleaning up the major rooms in your home and the next thing you know, they're a mess again. Happens to me all the time.

I spend a lot of time on Pinterest, it's one of my favorite sites and an inspiring way to waste spend time. During one of my browsing sessions, I found...

Source: lh5.ggpht.com via Shannon on Pinterest

If you go to Girl Loves Glam and check it out, she has free printables for this and more to create an entire Command Center. This exact layout comes from Brown Paper Packages. I love this idea, but I needed it to be more custom tailored for my home.

After some thought and consideration, I figured out what I needed done on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis, and I included annual and semi-annual chores as well. I'm apparently extra thorough.

I bought a cheap 10x13" frame at Wal-mart, and a can of Krylon Fusion spray paint in Red Pepper and some magnets at a local hardware store.

To make my schedule, I went old school. By that I mean I couldn't get it how I wanted digitally. So I used good ol' Word and printed the lists out and cut them to size. Then, I matted them to some light blue card stock and arranged them on a sheet of scrapbook paper. Since the scrapbook paper was 12x12" I made a top and bottom border from red cardstock to fill in the gaps.

At this point, I looked at the fridge where I planned on putting the schedule and saw the shopping list/menu. This is just a crumpled up piece of paper clipped to the fridge by a magnet. In other words, an eyesore. I had to do something about it, so I made a matching menu board.

After another frame purchase, I sprayed both of them and inserted the schedule and menu after they dried. Then, I super glued the magnets on to each corner for a total of eight magnets. I cleared the area I wanted these to go, started to place the first one, but......................the magnets weren't strong enough!

Ugh. Frustrating. So the next day I went back to the hardware store and bought two more magnets. The packaging on these particular ones said they would hold up to 16 pounds. That'll work; at least that's what I thought......I ended up having to adhere both of these new magnets to one frame for it to stay up on the fridge. Double ugh and after another trip to the hardware store, I finally got the schedule and the menu on the fridge.

When I spray painted the frames, I also sprayed  a couple of plain round magnets and three magnetic clips. I made sure to fold up small pieces of paper to cover the springs to ensure no paint got in.

(Again, I apologize that I don't have pictures of the creation process; I hadn't decided to start blogging when this project was made.)

Now I have my own Command Center complete with cleaning schedule, menu, a small place to record shopping needs, and clips to hold receipts, coupons, and other papers . Everything is reusable because I kept the glass in the frames and we use a dry erase marker so all marks wipe off cleanly.

I've linked up with
www.madincrafts.com

Smile String Art

As I mentioned in my first post, I work full time. My office is decorated with photos of family and friends and grade school artwork made by my son. Now, my son just turned 14 and is a freshman in high school, the items on display are from like first grade. What can I say, I'm a boarder line hoarder. I was straightening up the other day and saw this string art...

(It's been on my filing cabinet for a number of years, please overlook the discoloration from the magnet and the wrinkling.)

I had also just seen this project on Pinterest...

Source: goo.gl via Colby on Pinterest

So, I thought, let's put the two together. Instead of 'dream,' though, I thought of my absolutely wonderful co-worker who is always happy and a pleasure to be around. She is always smiling, so that's what I went with - smile.

I opened up Microsoft Word and typed out 'Smile.' After centering it and enlarging it to about 120, I scrolled through the different fonts until I found Script MT Bold. Then, I highlighted it, right clicked, and selected Font.

From there I bolded it and selected Outline - didn't want to be wasteful :)

I printed it out and paper clipped each side to a sheet of card stock. Next, I followed along and poked holes with a needle approximately one centimeter apart on the outline of each letter. (One thing I should tell you about myself - I am a perfectionist. I can't just "eyeball" something; it has to be precise. Otherwise, every little misplaced or crooked thing will bug me for eternity.) Make sure you have some cardboard or cork underneath so you don't scratch up your work surface. Also, a pin with some sort of top (a T pin or a straight pin with a ball end) or a safety pin might save you some finger pain.

After all the holes were punched, I taped my two strands of embroidery floss to the underside and went to work "sewing" from one hole to the next. This part is pretty random, much to my chagrin. Just make sure not to leave large areas where the card stock shows through. When I was finished, I decided to outline the words in a slightly darker thread, but I don't think I'll do that next time; I'll keep it all one color.

At this time, I feel I should apologize for not having any pictures of the process. At the time, the idea of starting a blog seemed odd. I mean, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of blogs about crafts and decor. Who is going to care about what I have to say? Plus, when would I find the time? Obviously, I changed my mind, partly due to many nights trying to get to sleep with a million different ideas swarming my brain. There had to be an outlet.

Anyway, back on point... The string art is done, but it needs something more. Since my co-worker is the epitome of happy (her mascot is the smiley face), and even she admits to being a little on the hippy side, I chose some scrapbook paper with the most 70's-esque images I had and created a border. I found a plain frame without an edge in my junk drawer and popped it in.

The finished product...

Sorry about the quality of the pictures, they're from my ipod - it really doesn't do it justice.

So there you have it - a fun, friendly project that's relatively inexpensive (it didn't cost me anything since I already had all the supplies) and rather quick (I think it took me an hour, maybe an hour and a half).

Supply list:

• Printed word
• Card stock
• Needle
• Pin (to save your fingers)
• Embroidery floss
• Scrapbook paper (optional)
• Frame

I hope you are inspired to do a string art, it's an easy project. If you have any questions or comments please feel free to leave me a message - I'd love to hear from you.



  

Welcome to my new blog, Fixing for Friday!

(Image source: http://www.magnificentmilestones.com/2012/04/font-friday-bickham-script-fancy/)

Welcome to my new blog, Fixing for Friday! I plan to focus on arts and crafts and home decor, but there may be some additional topics along the way. Please bear with me as I get started on this new adventure that is blogging. I must warn you - I work a fulltime job with an hour long commute to and from, so my posts will most likely be on a weekly basis.