Holiday Gift for your Favorite Teacher!

I know, I know, you have gotten more than distracted in all of the holiday flurry and almost forgot to add your favorite teacher to the gift list! Well, here is something you can start and finish in under 10 minutes that your teacher will be sure to use and enjoy.

 

Make a simple framed and monogrammed cork board with some spare materials some of you are bound to have lying around the craft room.

All you'll need are these simple supplies: old frame, cork board sheet or pieces, buttons and hot glue!

Cut the cork into pieces to fit the frame backing just right, and hot glue them into place. 

Once you have the backing and cork back into the frame, lay out your buttons in your desired color scheme and shape, I chose the last name initial, always a classic!

Pin a little tag on with a spare thumbtack and you are good to go! Something she'll be sure to use and love for years to come.

 

Have any last minute gift ideas to share with us? Leave us a comment and a link to your great gift ideas too!

Happy Wednesday!

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State Love...{A Silhouette Project}

 I am sure you have seen some great 'state love' all over the blog world. I particularly remember a site I saw one time with a fabulous graphic/ geometric state cut out with a simple heart placed over the city in which you live. Well, as soon as I got my Silhouette SD several months back, I couldn't wait to make my own rendition.

 

Using the Silhouette Software, it was very easy to create. All I had to do was locate a clear state outline. I took mine from some free clip-art using google images. Using the software, you can select an area and have the computer trace an outline for us. It was so easy to do!

 

Next, all I had to do was select some great scrapbook paper to cut my design out on and send it to my Silhouette machine. 

 

I decided to frame my project using an old cast off. 

I took the picture and backing out of the frame, and glued the state with its little heart directly to the glass. I love the way it looks like it is floating in the frame.

 

Simple state love, my favorite! Can you think of something that would look great floating on a bookshelf near you?

I'll be linking to these parties this week, hope to see you there!

Happy Wednesday!

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DIY Graphic Wall Art

I have been having a little too much fun searching for and creating new wall art to add to our nursery lately. When I started looking for ideas, I was overwhelmed by the variety of things out there. I tried to stick to a simple style and theme, and just couldn't do it! There were too many things I loved! After finding a few different inspiration pieces on Etsy and various online stores, and seeing their price tag, I decided I was just going to set out to make my own instead! That way, I could infuse as many styles and ideas as I like without breaking the bank.

After I decided which direction to head, I hit a major road block: I am NOT a graphic designer. I wanted my art to look somewhat professional, but without photoshop or some other software, how was I to do it? My husband looked at what I wanted and prompted me to just use Microsoft word. Really? It could be that simple?

Well, he was right! A few fun fonts, custom colors, word art and character spacing alterations later and I had almost exactly what I was looking for.

(* I came across this quote idea on either a blog or etsy sight a while back, and cannot get back to find it, if you know where, let me know! I love it and definitely want to give credit where it is due! Thanks!)

It's difficult to explain exactly what I did, but I promise if you are even a tiny bit proficient at Word, you can figure it out in no time at all!

The last touch was to print off the fun designs in colored ink on just the right scrapbook paper. After printing and framing, you will be astonished at what you can produce on your own computer, practically for free, right from your own home!!

I combined my new designs with the vintage flashcards I shared last week, and am very pleased with the eclectic result. The cards were too small on their own, and didn't bring the pop of color I discovered I was really looking for.  Adding the new designs was just what I was looking for in this nursery space!

I'll be linking to these parties this week. Hope you'll stop by and check them out too!

Happy Wednesday!

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Coffee Grinder Meets Frame

My Dad has collected coffee grinders and potato mashers for a long time now and inherited several from his parents.  My sisters and I got to pick our favorite.  I fell in love with this one because of the writing on front and the touches of red.  I think this one came from New Zealand and it actually works.

It has been hanging right here in our kitchen for awhile now.  I love it so much but I always felt like it was lonely on the wall and needed something more.

One day while browsing the clearance aisle at Hobby Lobby, I spotted this treasure...a rectangular wooden frame.  It was a little beat up which is just the way I like my frames.

The best part was that it was only $1.80.  That is a price I can handle.  I grabbed that baby up quick and went on my merry way.  I did not actually have something in mind for the frame but it was a great shape and a great price so I couldn't pass it up.

I got home and noticed my poor little grinder all lonely on the wall and a lightbulb went off in my head.  I grabbed the new frame and tried it on for size.  It was as if it was a long lost friend of my coffee grinder.  I coated the frame with black spray paint, sanded the edges, and hung it up immediately.

Oh, so much better.  I love it.

The moral of this story:  A frame can fix (al)most anything! 


So, if something looks lonely on your wall, consider "framing it up".

Thanks for stopping by!  I'll be linking at these parties this week!  

Happy Tuesday!

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Giant Frame {On The Cheap}

I had been wanting to replace the barn picture on our mantel for awhile now.  I still love it but was ready for a change.  

I wanted a giant frame but did not want to pay a ton so while browsing the hardware store with the family one day, we came across these six foot pine planks for a privacy fence.

They were cheap at under $2 a piece and rough.  Perfect.  Jason measured and cut the angles.

We stained it using leftover stain we found in the garage from our nook project.  Jason connected each piece together using "L" brackets.

And my giant frame came to life at just under $12 total cost.  Gotta love that!

Then it was time to accessorize.  The giant frame would not cut it alone.  I added an old window frame and two old frames.  I painted one in my favorite DecoArt Spa Blue for a fun splash of color.  

  Filled the larger one with artwork by my five year old and the smaller one with a favorite wedding photo.  The little birdie I love and I gotta keep my Scrabble tiles handy for changing up the word on top of the toy shelf!

Of course, in honor of summer and because I am a sucker for a cute pennant banner, I had to make a mini one for the old window!  Makes me smile everytime.

I am calling it the "Happy Mantel"!

Thanks for stopping by.


I'll be partying at these blogs this week!

Happy Tuesday!

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Silhouette Project- Initial Frame Art

When I first got my Silhouette Machine I spent a lot of time playing around with the different designs the software and internet store offered. One of the first projects I made was a little initial frame for my daughters gallery wall in her bedroom, and I still love it!

 

All it took was a great scalloped design and some super cute scrapbook paper. I used the Silhouette Design Studio to create and design the look I was going for...

 

I fed the paper through my Silhouette Machine...

 

 Glued the initials to the glass part of the frame, and mounted the Silhouette design on scrapbook paper behind it. 

I can see this as being a great little addition to a birthday or shower gift? The ability to personalize it is endless, and it took less than 10 minutes to design and assemble! A total win, win!

I'll be linking to these parties this week. Hope to see you there!

Happy Thursday!

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A Silhouette Project: Frame Tray Refresh

You may not believe it, but I can think of at least one thing that has stuck around in my living room decor for the past year: The Frame Tray. I love it. It anchors my over-sized coffee table and serves as a somewhat stylish catch-all for remotes, drinks, etc. Though it has stuck around in grand fashion for a long while, I knew that in order to continue this record it would need a little re-fresh.

So, I put my fabulous Silhouette machine to work and made this:

I decided to order navy blue vinyl for two reasons; one, I was dying to try the vinyl, and two, I thought navy blue would be different. I have since decided that I need to stick with what I know for this project and maybe replace the navy with white, but it made the vinyl no less WONDERFUL to work with. It was pretty much a breeze, which is saying a lot since I had no clue what I was doing, and didn't slow down enough to read very many directions!

First, I used a font I liked and the Silhouette Studio Software on my Mac to design a quick monogram. (You will notice as we go that I am missing some step by step pictures. I got a little too excited and a little carried away, forgetting to take pictures along the way!) Then I just loaded my vinyl in and pressed cut:

And wouldn't you know it, I forgot to read some key instructions that reminded me to change the blade I was cutting with: oops! Lucky for me, I wasted just a couple of inches and the vinyl rolls seem to be never ending!

I also apparently overlooked the need for transfer paper which would have made this project much quicker! Apparently you can just rub that stuff right on after your cut out your shape? Then, it keeps the design in line to allow for a perfectly even transfer.

Luckily for me, I figured out how to proceed without, mostly due to the fact that the vinyl was incredibly easy to work with and would be peeled, stuck, unpeeled and re-stuck without harming the design in the least.

(For full directions on how to apply the vinyl, look here, or look on the insert that comes with your adhesive vinyl from Silhouette. They make it so easy!)

I first placed the design in the middle.

I knew that since I always have a vase of flowers on the tray, I would hate not seeing the monogram, so I quickly peeled and re-stuck it in the corner. The vinyl was beyond easy to use! (Now I am thinking I might change it back...thoughts? Does that really surprise anyone?)

I'll be linking to these parties this week. Hope to see you there!!

Happy Thursday,

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