Babies are almost here... time to finish up the nursery with one more craft!

I love the painted signs you can find at craft shops. I always admire the pretty paint jobs, but I some times gasp at the price. I came across a link on Pinterest to a tutorial for printing your own professional looking letters. 

I decided I could make my own sign for the nursery using this method. Best of all? I had all the supplies I needed, so the project was essentially free!

First, I found a nice scrap board in the garage. I cut it down to the approximate size I needed and proceeded to stain it.

Like my staining bench? It's a big cardboard box in the basement that I use so I don't get paint or stain anywhere. I started on the back of the board, then I did the sides. This way, I was doing the front last, so I could make sure it blended in well with the sides.

I'm kind of impatient, so I barely let the stain dry 15 minutes before I moved on to the next step. In Microsoft Word, I typed the phrase, "We love you to the moon and back." I used the font Optima ExtraBlack in size 110. I printed it off and was ready to proceed.

I cropped the bottom of the page off, so there was an equal margin at the top and bottom of the page, and then I centered it side to side and top to bottom on the board. I secured it with scotch tape. As you can see, my stain wasn't quite dry, because it bled through the paper, but it didn't affect anything.

I was skeptical of the next step, but it worked like a charm. I used a normal ball point point and traced over the letters. It was really hard not to peek, but I didn't want to risk pulling up the paper to look and then not getting the letters lined up again!

If I was going to do this step again, I might trace over each letter twice. It made a good imprint in the wood, but because the stain was dark, it was challenging to see.

I filled in the letters with acrylic paint and a small paint brush. After all of the letters were painted, this is what I had:

I decided it needed something else, so I found some star and moon clipart online, and I repeated the imprint process at the top and bottom. And here's the finished product:

This was seriously a super-easy project. From start to finish, it took a little over an hour. The technique is fool-proof! The sign is now hung on the nursery wall, so these babies can come at any time!

Nursery crafts numero tres

I was inspired by this link on Pinterest. I thought it would make a cute addition to the nursery wall. Like many things on Pinterest, it was easier said than done. However, a few headaches later, I completed my own take on the sunburst mirror:

Here's how I did it.

First, the tutorials on the web called for paint sticks. I felt straight-up weird going to the Lowe's paint counter and asking for 50 paint sticks. I considered swiping them from the unattended counter at Walmart, but a few months ago, I took about 30 paint swatches for another craft project, and I still feel a twinge of guilt. So, I started thinking of other options. I considered wood shims, which is what the link above used, but I wasn't sure how smooth of a finish they would have. I also thought about buying $.50 yard sticks at Wally World and cutting them down. Then, I realized I teach shop, and I have an endless supply of scrap 2x4s! So, as luck would have it, I had a couple of students who had nothing to do, so I put them to work. They used the table saw to rip the scrap boards into approximately 3/16 inch thick pieces. Then, they used the miter saw to cut them to 9 inch lengths. Voila! Problem one solved.

Next, I took the pieces home and painted them with acrylic paint, using the four main colors I'm decorating the nursery with. I started with 40 sticks, because I had no idea how many I would need to go around my 9 inch mirror.

I knew I couldn't glue the sticks directly to the mirror, so I decided to lay out the sticks on a cardboard cake circle. I used an 8 inch circle, since my mirror was 9 inches, but I later put a 10 inch circle behind it for reinforcement, and you can't see the extra cardboard behind the mirror once it's on the wall.

During this step, I also cut every other stick down to 5 inches. This helped free up room and gave the project some dimension. I used a ruler to divide the cake circle like a pie. The long sticks went down two inches on each line, and the short sticks went in between.

I used some hefty craft glue to glue the sticks to the circle, then I placed some heavy books on top while the glue dried. I repeated the same process to glue the mirror on top of the sticks. Two days later, I called it good!

So, here's how that wall of the nursery looks now:

I'm going to attempt one more craft project tonight. Details coming soon!

Nursery Crafts... Part 2

In the last post I shared Greg's and my big news. I also mentioned a few craft projects I've been doing to get ready for the little ones. Today, I have another quick, easy project to show.

I started with a blank, 11x14 canvas from Hobby Lobby ($5.97 for a pack of two.) I also had an assortment of paints, in cream, yellow, sage green, navy, and brown. I picked up a pack up round sponge brushes ($3.97, also at Hobby Lobby), and I went to town.

I started at the top with the biggest foam brushes, and I worked my way down, incorporating smaller dots and leaving more white space. In between brush sizes, I used my blow dryer to dry the previous coat.

I can't paint. It's a known fact. That being said, I guess I shouldn't be too upset with how this turned out. Hopefully it will add a splash of color on a nursery wall.

Back to the blog

So it's been a while since I've updated the ol'e blog, but here I am again. Since I posted last, Greg and I made it Facebook official, with this photo:

Yep, after some ups and downs in the baby-making world, we're expecting... TWINS! We are very excited to meet our little ones. They're anticipated arrival is May 1, though they could make their appearance sooner. Most common question I receive: how are you feeling? Answer: pretty good. I had some severe vomiting for about the first three months, but it's down to about once a week now. I'm getting some energy back, and as long as I can work around my growing belly, I seem to be pretty productive. Second most common question I receive: are you finding out what you're having? Answer: NOPE!

Anywho, I've been working on some craft projects to get the nursery ready. The first one is not one I would replicate, but thanks to the help of my handy crafting partner, Toni, it's finished!

We're not really decorating with a theme, but the people that lived in the house before us left literally hundreds of glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling, so we're working in some star and moon accessories with the colors navy, brown, cream, gold, and sage green.

To complete this project (which in case you can't tell, is a yarn-ball mobile), these are the steps you need to follow:

1. Blow up balloons. We used 7 inch round balloons and 5 inch "super soaker" balloons. We started with 8 big balloons and 8 small balloons.
2. Create a mixture of Elmer's glue and water. We couldn't find any good web tutorials, so we had to guess here. We used a big, plastic bowl, poured in Elmer's, and watered it down so it was the consistency of a melted milkshake. This stuff gets really messy! We regrettably didn't cover the counters, but we should have.
3. Next, cut off a large section of yarn in the color of your choice. We used pieces that were 7 arms-lengths long. The large balloons would have been better with more yarn. Go with what you think will work. 
4. Dip the yarn in the glue mixture and wrap it around the balloon, alternating directions. We found the best system was to have one of us dip it in the glue, wipe off the extra glue, and hand it the other person, who wrapped the balloon.
5. After the balloons are completely covered, sit them on wax paper to dry over night.
6. Once they feel sufficiently dry, pop the balloon and pull out the pieces from the middle. (We experimented with spraying them with starch, thinking that the starch would help add stiffness to the yarn, but it really just made the glue wet again, and we ruined a couple of balloons. Without the starch, the yarn balls are strong enough.)
7. Cover an embroidery hoop with yarn or ribbon and attach a hanging system to the top. We used yarn in a cross pattern for that role as well.
8. Tie yarn to each yarn ball and hang it from the embroidery hoop in a pattern you like.

Voila! A complex project, but one I'm glad to see finished! Thanks Toni for your awesome help! Total cost break-down:

• Four spools of yarn: $11.88
• Two bottles of Elmer's: $2.46
• Two packs of balloons: $1.94
• Two embroidery hoops: $5.88
• Total cost for two nursery mobiles: $22.16

Our front door

One of my goals for this year is to keep something on our front door all the time. I think it makes our house feel more welcoming. Plus, it gives me a project to do every month and a half or so when I change out the door hanging. 


The best of today's project was it's cost. It was CHEAP. Here are the materials I bought, all from Wal-mart.


1 grapevine wreath: $2.50
1 bunch of silk hydrangea: $3
1 bunch of silk roses: $.94
1 bunch of silk honeysuckle: $.94


Total cost: $7.38


(I also used a glue gun and a stick, which I already had on hand. Also, I didn't use all of the flowers, so I saved them for another project.)


The second best part of today's project was the time it took to complete. Literally, in three minutes it was hanging on my door!


Here's the finished project:

Happy crafting!

Simple Welcome Plaque

I've been seeing all of these cute Valentine's wreaths on Pinterest, but I haven't being feeling all that motivated to try one. Nonetheless, I have been thinking our front door needs a little somethin', somethin'. I was cleaning the garage the other day, when I found these 1/8in plywood pieces I had cut down for another project. I had a pinkish colored spray paint, so I figured I could do something with them. I was right!

The best part of this project is that I had everything I needed on hand. After spray painting the plywood, I picked out a lighter pink sheet of scrapbook paper and some white cardstock. I freehanded the biggest heart, and then I traced it on the white paper and trimmed it smaller. I repeated the process with the third heart. I glued the three together and onto the plywood with a glue stick. I pulled out the white letters from my scrapbook goodies, and I glued them to the plywood with a glue stick also. I put a couple layers of Modge Podge over the whole thing. The white ribbon was in my scrap drawer, and I put it on the back with my trusty glue gun. I also glued a strip of scrap felt on the back at the bottom, so when the wind blew, the plywood didn't knock on the door.


Up went a wreath hanger on the door. On went the plaque. Project finished!

Making a house a home... part 2

Earlier this week, I blogged about making a house a home. I talked about my desire to have everything perfectly decorated and cozy.


And then I cleaned.


What a difference sprucing up the house with some elbow grease makes! I like to keep a clean house anyway, but there's nothing like the smell and feel of pristine floors and a scrubbed shower. I make an effort to spot clean every other day or so, but a good deep clean does wonders.


This week I tried some new recipes for supper, too.


It's not rocket science, but good, wholesome food is almost comforting. I love that Greg and I sit down for supper almost every night. We set the table, we have a meal (even if it's leftovers), we pray, and we talk about our day. It's just plain nice.


So, maybe having a "home" doesn't need to cost a fortune. Why not start with the simple stuff?

Making a house a home

I did a quick Google search for "making a house a home." Lately, I've been almost restless. I have this innate desire to have a perfect, Leave it to Beaver type house. Of course, my current addiction to Pinterest does little to help. 

We've lived in our home for a year and a half now. I'm really proud of how Greg and I have worked together to fix little things here and there and make it just what we want it to be. Yet, I feel like I should be doing more. 


As I Googled, blog after blog of Do-It-Yourself and home improvements came up. However, it was the fifth website that caught my attention, from www.bible.org. It was an article titled, the Influential Woman: Making a House a Home. 


While I didn't completely agree with every aspect of the article, I did agree with the timeless passage from Proverbs 31:10-12:

A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.
Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.
She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.

Perhaps making a house a home isn't about having it decorated to a t, immaculately cleaned, or perfectly presented. At the end of the day, a house filled with love is a home. This year, I'm going to attempt to be more like the Proverbs 31 woman. 

But, I'm still not giving up Pinterest. :) 

Feelin' Crafty

Today, I hung up my latest craft project. 

Before you get too excited, you should know that it's the key hanger, not the painted slate. I have some crafting ability, but come on, that's a pretty amazing Block O... definitely outside of my talent level.


Nonetheless, I'm still pretty excited about the key hanger. It was super-easy to make! I started with an unpainted 1x4 (this one happens to be 18in long.) I marked out where I wanted my hooks to go. This board has four hooks. 


Then, I applied tile pieces mosaic style. I started with 8x10" tile sheets from Hobby Lobby (roughly $7 a sheet) and snipped them into small pieces. Two notes on this: 


1. Put newspaper down before you start snipping. The tile pieces tend to make thousands of shards. 
2. I like to have everything in order and in clear patterns. I started with that in mind, but I threw it out the window. I had to keep telling myself that mosaics are supposed to be asymmetrical. As soon as I got the swing of it, I did fine for my first project like this.


As I cut pieces, I laid them on my board. I got everything laid out how I wanted it, leaving my hook marks uncovered, and then I used craft glue to glue the tile down. I let the pieces dry over night, and then I mortared around them. The mortar was part of a kit I got ages ago, so I don't know how much it cost, but you could easily use plaster of paris to fill in the cracks, which is very affordable. 


After the mortar dried, I scraped it off the tile pieces, leaving just the cracks filled. I put two picture hangers on the back, and voila! 

Happy crafting!