Whats for Dinner?

This project I just completed was actually inspired by my husband. The other day he was bugging me about what a waste of time Pinterest is and laughing at me as I pinned picture after picture to my boards, so I told him, "Tomorrow I am going to find a craft on Pinterest and I am going to create it! And then you can't say it is a waste of time." So I did. 


This craft was inspired by this picture (from Pinterest):

(Originally from here).

This is the one I made!

Step #1: I took two boards of wood (I found them in a scrap pile in our garage...) and with the help of my husband, attached them together by laying to crosspieces across the back and screwing them in. 

                             (Back)                                                                      (Front)

Step #2: I measured and cut scrapbooking paper to the size of the boards and using Mod Podge, glued the paper onto the boards. I also painted Mod Podge on top of the paper to act as a varnish.

(As you can see I chose one main color and for the 

top and bottom I used an accent color.)

Step #3: I brainstormed 44 different dinner ideas and printed them out onto scrapbooking paper (I used a color similar to my accent color on the board). I also printed out some labels for my board.

Click Here to Access Printout of Menu Items

Click Here to Access Printout of Labels

Step #4: It took me FOREVER to figure out this next part because I did not have magnets, but I was determined and finally got it. This part was a little tricky. I used the first letter of each day of the week and made it into a little pocket by putting glue (with a glue-gun) around three edges of the square. Then I took little corner pieces and measuring with my Menu Items I glued them on in the same way as the weekdays, to make little pockets on the other side. The picture below will clarify the confusion above (hopefully).

The one above shows how the Menu Items 

           are inserted into the pockets. 

This one is a close up of the pockets by themselves.

Step #5: At this point I laminated all the menu items so that they would be more durable.

Step #6: Make an envelope using your accent color, label it with Menu Items label.

Right now it is stuffed with the Menu Items

Step #7: Create a mini dry erase board next! This is for your shopping list so you can write down whatever you need. I made this by cutting out a square, glueing on a border and laminating it! Also find some way to incorporate the Shopping List label.

(You can also attach a sticky note pad if you would prefer like
the Pinterest picture at the top of the page.)

Step #8: Put your Whats for Dinner label at the top of the page. You can use the one provided or create your own, I used a mixture.

Step #9: Just to be safe paint another layer of Mod Podge over any exposed paper that is not laminated.

Step #10: Glue everything on and accessorize like CRAZY!!! I put flowers, buttons, ribbon, stickers, etc. everywhere. This will really add the finishing touches and complete your board.

And there you have it, Pinterest IS useful, not a waste of time:)

Finished Product (I still have to figure out how to hang it on the wall...)

P.S. I added a secret envelope onto the back to store all the extra Menu Items that wouldn't fit in the envelope on the front!

Hair Flowers ... Again!

I admit that I might be a little bit obsessed with flowers and headbands (roses and daisies).... BUT these ones are SO cute. My little sister, Amalie, came home from a youth activity with one and I had to try it. So I got her to teach me how to make them and we took pictures all along the way, as well as a photo-shoot of us wearing them after!

Here is what the one my sis made looks like:

All you need:

Fabric

Needle

Thread

Headband

Bowl

Marker

Buttons

Hairbands/elastics/clips

Step 1: Trace a circle on the piece of fabric.

Step 2: Cut the fabric into circles:)

Step 3: This is the hard part. Take the needle and thread and stitch loosely around the entire edge of the circle, so you can pull it like a drawstring. 

Step 4: Pull it like a drawstring so it forms a little bubble of fabric, make sure the pattern is on the outside.

Step 5: Then bush the bubble down in the center and take a button and glue gun the button in the middle, overtop of the hole on the top, make sure glue gets inside the flower so that it stays flat.

 

Step 6: Glue the flowers onto the hairpieces.

AND THEN style them!! 

Haha, we got a little carried away with the pics! But how could I resist my little sis is just so darn cute!

Unique Ways to Display Your Jewelry

The other day my husband picked up a ziplock bag on out bathroom counter filled with my jewelry and said, "What is this???" I explained to him that I had nowhere to put my jewelry so that was containing it for the present time (we just moved). He told me that it looked kind of ugly on the counter and that I should hide it, haha. It got me to thinking, what would be something cute and inexpensive that I could hang my jewelry on so it is not all tangled in a ziplock baggie? SO I went to the trustworthy Pinterest site and found some AMAZING answers to my problem. Here they are! Pin if you like!

  

 

                                         

This last one is my favorite, you take an old cheese grater and paint it over. So cute! Well I hope you enjoyed these awesome ideas as much as I did, check out my pinterest board: artsy crafty things and $o Vintage, for more great idea's like these! 

Revamp your Lamp

I was browsing online today for some new craft ideas and I found one that I cannot wait to try! The article I found was from Better Homes and Gardens and was called "9 Ways to Revamp Plain Lamps". I'll just post my four favorites but check out the article for a bunch more great ideas on how to revamp your lamp!!!







My favorite way was to take a plain lamp shade and do a bright colored chain-stitch design:

         (You can google

instructions for doing a 

chain-stitch if you don't know how.)

The next was to use three dimensional stickers to accessorize your lamp base, or shade I guess. Three dimensional stickers can be found in a scrapbook store, or the craft section of a regular store. You might not be able to see from this picture but the stem stickers on these flowers are actually rows of little tiny, sparkly, plastic diamonds. So cute!

The third one I really liked that I will definitely try next time I buy a lamp was the "paper tile base". This one seems a little more difficult but very cute, you cut scrapbooking paper into pieces like tiles, and then you decoupage them onto your lamp base. It gives the stylish impression of a tile based lamp.        



And lastly there was a simple one, that used only ribbon. You take a ribbon that matches your shade, and using a glue gun, glue it around the top and bottom rim of the shade.  This is a very cute and easy way to accessorize your lamp-shade.

I loved these simple but darling ideas. I also realized when I was reading this article that white lamps are so cute, so maybe I'll get one. If I do I will definitely be sure to update!

Vintaging Your Photos

So I was trying to find a way to edit your photos and make them look more vintage before facebooking them and I found this awesome website called: Foto Flexer! It is completely free and very user friendly. So I decided to make a quick tutorial on how to use this program to "Vintage" your photos!

Step 1: Go to http://fotoflexer.com

Step 2: Click on the button that says Upload Photo (I put a pink star beside it so it would be easier to find).

Step 3: Click upload again! (find the pink star:) A window should pop up that will allow you to choose a photo from your computer to edit. You can also choose the options on the side, edit from facebook, grab from web, etc.

Step 4: Once your chosen image has uploaded click the button near the top left of the options that says 'effects'.

Step 5: This will bring you to a bunch of different options, choose the one that says 'retro'. You can then adjust the strength of your vintaging effect:)

Now you are done and it was that simple!

Simple Hair Flower

While I am talking about flowers for hair pieces I found this little picture which shows how to make the most darling little flower which can easily be added to a hair piece. It is so simple I don't think anything more is needed but the picture!

What you need:

1. thin felt or some other cute colored fabric

2. Needle

3. Thread

Fabric Flower Headpieces

I tried making flower headbands the other day and it was actually quite easy! All you need is scraps of fabric, a glue gun and a plain headband (hair clips, barrettes or even bobby pins would work as well)! 

Step 1: The first thing you do is cut the fabric into little strips about one inch thick, the longer the strip, the bigger the flower but make sure it as at least eighteen inches long to be safe. 

Step 2: Then take the strip and fold it in half, dot a bit of glue at the end to hold it in place.

Step 3: Put a little glue on the outside and then roll it tightly to create a center for your flower.

Step 4: After you have a good center start twist/rolling the rest of the strip around the center, dabbing glue inside as you go, until the flower is the size you want it.

Step 5: Once you are done this you are done the hard part. All that is left is to turn the flower over, cover the back with glue and place a piece of fabric (or felt, thats what I used) big enough to cover the back of the flower onto it and then you are basically done. 

Last Step: All that is left is to take the flowers, glue them on a hair piece and then wear them! Good luck!