Tag Archives: crafts

Pinterest Challenge: Corkboard Jewelry Display

Whew! Well, this Pinterest Challenge really lived up to its name! It was a challenge, not for skills required but in satisfaction with the results. I still don’t know if I love it, but it’s a lot better than where I ended up after the first try! So, like with many things, let’s look at where we started to understand where/how/why things ended up like they did 🙂

A few weeks ago, I saw the pin below from Cutting Edge Stencils, (the original comes from Southern Lovely).

I had an old corkboard lying around so I figured I’d give it a go. I started out by painting the frame a darker coppery color.

I wasn’t in love, but I thought once I added a design on the cork itself, it’d look better.

Not. So. Much. Once again, my crafting impatience struck. Partway through, I decided I wanted a more random pattern than a uniform one. And I was experimenting with different shades of purple. Yea…… not loving it. So, out came the black paint for a frame re-do. Then, I only had the cork to contend with. I was over painting at this point, so I tried craft paper.

Ugh, seriously?

In the end, my fabric scrap bin came in for the win!

And looks much jazzier than craft paper. I like jazzier.

Did you take on the Pinterest Challenge: Winter Edition? Check out more pinspiration in action from Megan, Katie, Sherry and Michelle!

Chalk Art Notebooks

I’ve been at it again! Still loving the chalk-art look, on any surface or in any medium I can muster 🙂

I used paint pens to create this one. I’d love to play around with different colors and combinations of paint pens – I think the effect could be really cool!

I used a black pencil for these; I liked the contrast with the bright washi tape.

Now that I’ve got the hang of the lettering down a bit better, I want to play with embellishing the space, with flourishes or ribbons or things like that. Have you tried chalk art lettering? Any tips to share? I’ve yet to try it on an actual chalkboard, haha!

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DIY Washi Tape Notebooks

Washi tape seems to be the hottest thing in crafting right now. So I recently bought a few rolls to see what the fuss was all about. I don’t know if I’m hooked, but I’m definitely having fun coming up with crafts and ideas to use it! I’ve seen a few “dressed up notebooks” around Pinterest and Etsy lately, so I thought I’d try my hand at creating my own washi tape notebooks!

I found sets of 3 Moleskine kraft journals on Amazon for a pretty good price. I chose the kraft covers because I thought the tape would adhere best to this surface, and because the fun tape colors and patterns really pop against the neutral kraft paper! I especially love how the purples and blues look! These are my favorite combos.

Molly was my “photo assistant” for the day. Here, she wants you to see how cute these miniature rolls of washi tape are!

Are you a washi-fan or a washi-foe? What sort of cool washi-projects have you done? I’d love to know/see pictures!

Looking for more simple crafts and gift ideas? Try these easy silver-rimmed bowls (perfect for jewelry, lip balms and small trinkets) or a set of beautiful gilded votives that can be made in minutes!

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Weekend Recap

My holiday weekend was pretty low-key… it was so nice to have the extra day to look forward to! Why can’t every weekend be a 3-day weekend? Sigh… I really think we’d be a happier, more patient society if we just had a little more time to relax!
Anyway, my weekend included a bridal shower, a trip to the mall, and a trip to Panera. Oh, and watching pretty much *all* of Season 2 of Downton Abbey. I realize I’m ridiculously behind… please! No spoilers!!!

We also scoured a bunch of furniture stores in search of good President’s Day deals. We ordered a sofa for our bonus/game room upstairs! And I forgot to snap a pic of the upholstery/pillow fabric combo. Ooops. Guess you’ll just have to wait until it gets delivered in a month 🙂 Aaaannnd, we found a dining room table that we love! But I think our checkbooks would appreciate it if we wait a month or so to make that purchase.

And lastly, and I know, most-excitingly, I organized my growing washi-tape collection. (I was kidding about the “most-excitingly” part.)

Check back tomorrow for a washi-tape diy to see these puppies in action!

DIY Valentine’s Bookmark

Need a last-minute Valentine idea? How about a bookmark!

What you’ll need:

– scrapbook paper

– cardstock

– ribbon or yarn pom (optional)

What to do:

Measure and cut both your scrapbook paper and cardstock to the same dimensions; the ones I made are about 6-inches x 2-inches.

Glue your scrapbook paper to your cardstock. Add any extra shapes, letters, whatever you please. I “embellished” mine with some scrapbook paper hearts I made with a paper punch.

If you want to add a tassel, yarn pom or ribbon, use a hole punch at the top of your bookmark, and thread through.

Add a little hand-written note on the back to your special Valentine <3

What’s your favorite romance novel or romantic story? Mine is clearly of the Jane Austen variety 😉