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Old photo frame with glass Paint and paintbrush Chalkboard spray paint (got mine here) Vinyl letters (got mine here Instructions: Paint / redecorate your old frame. Spray the glass with chalkboard paint, let dry. Affix vinyl letters. Now I'm just waiting to get my colored chalk in the mail so I can begin writing love notes to my family! I'm not the first person ever to do this, so while my post is a tutorial, I'm sure you can find lots of other tutorials on the web! Now all I have to do is get two strong guys to help me hang it! Supplies: Old bulletin board Acrylic craft paint and brush Fabric Iron or steamer (optional) Stapler and staples Exacto Ribbon (I used burlap ribbon found here) Thumbtackes How I Slogged Through It: First, I painted the trim. The acrylic paint allows the wood grain to show through, which made it look like a bright cherry stain. Use another kind of paint if you don't want the wood grain to show through. I used only one coat and it looked exactly as I wanted it. Don't worry if the paint gets on the cork; you want to make sure the inside of the trim is painted also, and the fabric will cover the paint on the cork. Next, I stapled the fabric to the cork, getting as close to the edge as possible. Again, don't worry about being perfect -- you will be covering it with ribbon. Once stapled taut, I cut the excess fabric with an exacto knife. Finally, I tacked down my ribbon with the thumbtacks. Was able to make my own birdseed today using the languishing ingredients from my pantry: raisins, stale cheerios, pecans, flax seed, rolled oats, bulghur wheat, wheat germ, and leftover crackers.
If unintentional plant-slaughter was a crime, I'd be locked away for a long time. I've tried over the years to master houseplants, herbs, flowers -- you name it. But all have died a swift death at my hands. Consequently, I have a collection of old planters and flowerpots that I avoid looking at in the garage lest I feel a pang of guilt. I decided to repurpose them with fake plants. Yes, fake plants have come a long way, and these that I bought at Joanne's look very lifelike. Guilt gone, more room in the garage. Supplies:
Old flowerpot Paintbrush Paint Floral foam Fake moss Fake plants How I Slogged Through It: This was really simple. I painted the outside of the pot and let dry. I put floral foam in the bottom, plugged in the fake plants, and covered the foam with fake moss. Excited to read Neil Gaiman's new book, The Ocean at the End of the Lane. I love all of his work, and especially recommend Anansi Boys, The Graveyard Book, and American Gods. My neighbor Robert is going to build a treehouse for Zoe this fall. I'm collecting ideas on my Pinterest board and would love your ideas also. I want it to be something that will grow with her, a getaway she can still use in high school if she wants. Speaking of her treehouse, wouldn't this be a great lighting idea? And a great way to use up all those fabric scraps. I look forward to making these mini fabric lamps. Last year, Zoe and I had lots of fun with our first garden project, a 4 x 4 raised bed. This year, we'll expand our project with 2 more raised beds and a compost tumbler. Our garden plan is below -- PLEASE let me know if you have any suggestions for improvement! We also will paint the wood with plant-safe paint this year. Here's the colors Zoe and I picked out! For more of our future backyard oasis plans, please see the board Zoe and I created on Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/akkland/deck-backyard/
I dropped the ball on making Valentine's Day treats for Zoe's classmates, so I'm hoping to redeem myself with St. Patrick's Day goodies. These are cute treat bags that were a snap to make. Supplies (found all at Amazon.com) you'll need:
My daughter loves alphabet games, so I decided to repurpose some old Jenga blocks to make her a new game. Supply list:
Scrapbook paper or designs printed on paper (see dryicons.com or allvectors.com for free designs.) Wooden pieces of idential size Scissors or cutting board Small foam brush Mod Podge glue -- matte or glossy Sandpaper Mod Podge sealent -- matte or glossy Instructions: Cut paper design to fit block size (Jenga blocks are 7.5 cm x 2.5 cm). Use a foam brush to apply a thin layer of Modge Podge glue to the block and adhere the paper. Let dry for several hours. Sand the edges of the blocks -- this will make them softer, will remove any excess paper, and give them a more homemade look. Lightly spray each block with Mod Podge sealent. Let dry for several hours. You are welcome to the patterns I used for my blocks. Download the PDFs below. For holiday presents, I'm going mostly homemade this year. Here are the projects I plan to gift to friends and family:
1. Dinner in a box 2. Music CDs 3. Body scrubs 4. Cookie mix in a jar 5. Photo coasters 6. Alphabet blocks 7, Bath salt 8. Rosemary olive oil This winter, I'm reading...Kristin's story is quite a tale of someone that spent their life running from themself only to be confronted with their reality in a brutal way. Interesting book written from the soul but as if you are talking to a good friend and she is telling you this story over coffee. Kristin is a talanted and extremely funny actress and now author and all I can say is its great to have her back. The Dark Tower series is my all-time favorite storytelling saga about a ka-tet of four gunslingers, one from Midworld, a mirror world to ours, and three pulled into Midworld from New York City. Stephen King has created his own genre in The Dark Tower, his teenage dream of combining The Lord of the Rings with a good western. I read all seven books as soon as I could get my hands on them, and was delighted that Stephen King's characters from The Dark Tower series had more to say, after all, in this eighth novel. I absolutely loved Catherynne Valente's first book, The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making, and I was even more delighted with her second book, The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There. If you are a fan of imaginative, intricate tales, you need to be reading this series right now. Every page is a magical treat filled with new and inventive ideas -- teapots living in samovars, shadows in their own little underworld, and goblin markets that produce exactly what the buyer is pining for. The descriptions are beautiful and full of life. I feel like the author pulls me right into her stories and I wish I could stay for weeks at a time. I'm Admiring...My love of the color combo turquoise and terra cotta got kick-started after visiting Cenote, a cafe and eatery located in east Austin. The decor is so soothing! I'm definitely going to incorporate these ideas (below) into the covered porch section of my new deck! Label LustHalf the fun of making homemade gifts, for me, is the packaging. I've pinned lots of free and/or inspiring label ideas and templates on my Pinterest board, including some of these lovelies: Amazing Places I Intend to ExploreIngredients:
1 1/3 cup all purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup & leveled 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup cooking oats 1/2 cup m&ms (I used the red and green ones I got from www.amazon.com) 1/2 cup chocolate chips 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed 1/2 cup white sugar 1/2 cup chopped pecans 1-quart jar, with lid Instructions: Layer the ingredients in the jar in this order: 1. flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt 2. oats 3. m&ms and chocolate chips 4. brown sugar 5. white sugar 6. chopped pecans Pack each level down really tightly or else it won’t all fit -- trust me on this one! The ingredients should be flush to the top of the lid when you seal it up. Include these instructions with your gift: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir dry ingredients in a large bowl and add: 1/2 cup (almost melted) butter, 1 slightly beaten egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract,. Combine thoroughly. Roll into 1 1/2 inch balls & bake for 10 minutes. You're welcome to use the labels I made for packaging. They are sized to fit Avery® 22807 Easy Peel® Print-to-the-Edge in White Round Labels, Glossy, 2" Diameter. Wake Up Foot Scrub1 cup sugar (white, brown, cane) 5 T. coffee grounds 1/4 cup oil (veggie oil, almond oil, extra virgin olive oil, baby oil…) 2 tsp peppermint extract Mix sugar and coffee. Add oil and extract. Mix well. If you find it a little watery from the oil, just add more sugar and/or coffee. Vanilla Almond Sugar ScrubMix 3 parts white sugar and 1 part honey. Add 2 Tablespoons of safflower oil. Add vanilla and almond extract to suit your intensity preference. The consistency should be somewhere between A) Not oily runny everywhere, like the honey won't mix all the way in, and B) not breaking apart and lumpy like there is too much sugar. .See more Christmas projects here.
Everyone has nights where they don't know how they are going to get dinner on the table. A lovely gift for busy families is this dinner-in-a-box idea. Minestrone Soup in a JarIngredients: ¼ cup red lentils ¼ cup green split peas ¼ cup barley 1/3 cup vegetable bouillon powder 2 tbsp. parsley flakes 3 tbsp. onion flakes 1/3 tsp. dried thyme 1/3 tsp. pepper 1 tsp. dried basil ¼ cup ditalini pasta 1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes 1 can of sliced carrots 8-10 oz jar with lid In the jar, layer from the bottom in the order given, from lentils to pasta. Seal jar. Attach gift card with instructions. Give with cans of tomatoes and carrots. Include these instructions with your gift: In a very large saucepan combine 8 cups of water, a 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes, a can of sliced carrots and soup mix. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for one hour or until peas are tender. Fluffy Cornbread Muffin MixThe trick to making cornbread that is fluffier, less grainy, and doesn’t have the bitter aftertaste is to add yellow cake mix to your cornbread mix.
Ingredients: 1 box Jiffy cornbread mix 1 box Jiffy yellow cake mix 8 x 8 disposable baking pan Combine cornbread mix and cake mix. Seal container. Combine with soup mix, baking pan, carrots, tomatoes, and dish towel for a lovely gift. Include these instructions with your gift: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 x 8 pan. Combine cornbread mix with 1/2 c. water, 1/2 cup milk, 2 eggs, and 1/4 c. oil. Bake 30 minutes. The cornbread is ready when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. |
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