DIY crafts Archives - Page 2 of 2

Personalized Ornaments

December 3, 2012 by Fotini Filed Under: chalkboard, Christmas, Christmas Craft, Christmas ornaments, diy, DIY crafts, ornaments, Personalized ornaments 6 Comments

I headed to Hobby Lobby with a project in mind… I was on the search for small wooden rectangles and a chalk pen. Did you know chalk pens existed? You must go buy one!! Anyways, I found four {4} thin, wooden rectangles (about 3”x 2”) for $1.47, score! Once I was home, I sprayed the wooden rectangles with chalkboard paint, with two full coats, each side. Let dry completely. My lovely hubby drilled a small hole into the top for the twine I’d be threading through! To “activate” the chalkboard effect, rub chalk over the entire piece and wipe off. I grabbed my new love, the chalk pen and wrote some of my favorite Christmas-y quotes: Joy to the world, Merry & Bright, Peace on Earth and drew a cute snowflake! Previously, I had bought red and white bakers twine at the Target Dollar Corner for $1, so I used this for hanging the ornament on the tree!

How cute are they?! And you can personalize them to say anything you like! Great as gifts or for the kids 🙂

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{ Fab Pins of the Week }

November 30, 2012 by Fotini Filed Under: BHG, Christmas tree, Country Living, DIY crafts, fab pins of the week, glitter, Pinterest 2 Comments

1. { source, Country Living } 2. { source, Crazy Wonderful }

3. { source, BHG } 4. { source, Kate Sears }

1. How stunning is this rustic Christmas tree? It dons custom tag ornaments with old family pictures and/or Bible verses, etc. I LOVE this idea, and have my own version I will be sharing with you next week!!

2. I adore this glitter reindeer silhouette from Crazy Wonderful! Be sure to head over and take a look at her entire entry way, it’s stunning!!

3. These “snow” covered white pine cones and with pops of red really caught my eye! This would look stunning hanging on my front door!

4. Love the simple-ness, yet sophistication of this living room! Perfect!

Yarn Letters – JOY!

November 25, 2012 by Fotini Filed Under: Christmas crafts, Christmas decor, crafts, diy, DIY crafts, home decor, Joy, paper mache letters 40 Comments

So, I thought I’d hop on the bandwagon with trying out the paper mache letters wrapped in yarn. I love the way they look and I knew they would look fantastic above my fireplace for Christmas! I chose the word “J O Y “, it’s short and sweet and there’s so much to be joyous for during the Christmas season! There are so many shades, texture and varieties of yarn. I went with a bright red yarn with specks of silver. I tend to decorate with red, white and silver for Christmas, so this would be perfect!

Here’s what you’re going to need for this project:

Paper mache letters of choice
Yarn, one spool should be enough (I had lots left over)
Scissors
Glue gun and glue

Since this was my first time doing this, I started with my “O” so I could get the hang of things without having to pull out any tricks.. I cut off about 2 feet on yarn to start with and glued one end to the back of my letter and began wrapping. I chose to leave some spacing in between mine so you could see the brown color of the paper mache. I like how it looked 🙂 I continued doing my letter in small sections, gluing as I went along until the entire letter was complete! Next I did the letter “Y”. This is where a little experience would come into play… I began with the shorter, top sections of the letter first. Then, I went to the middle, placing a small glue dot on the front and pressing to hold the yarn into place. Continue for as long as needed, wrap the bottom and glue. So, as I was saying about experience… I should have started by cutting small pieces of yarn for the “tops” for several rows of the “Y” and gluing into place. This would of given it a more completed look. I quickly learned my lesson, and did this with my remaining letter, “J”. It takes an extra minute, or two but really makes a world of difference.

And there you have it, adorable, personalized letters perfect for your mantle!

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Book Page Wreath

November 17, 2012 by Fotini Filed Under: book page wreath, diy, DIY crafts, diy project, DIY wreath, home decor, up-cyled books, wreath 57 Comments

So, I attempted to do a coffee filter wreath this week.. Major fail for me 🙁 I used a foam piece I already had and you could see the bright yellow right through the filter. The filters laid beautifully, but I think the next time I try it I will use the brown filters! Any who, I was feeling a little bummed my project didn’t work out, so I decided to try something else.. How about a book page wreath?!

Here’s what you’re going to need:

foam wreath
unused book ( at least 200 pages )
brown craft paint, paintbrush
glue gun, glue
twist tie

To give the pages a worn feel, brush the edges with brown craft paint, let dry. Rip pages out, one by one, and begin to twist into a cone shape, and glue into place. It’s best to start on the inside, bottom of the wreath. Work your way around the entire piece. At this point, flip your wreath over and press firmly on a hard surface, causing your pages to lay flat. Start the next row directly behind the previous, adding them to the center of the other ones, creating a pattern. Once you get to the “top” of your foam piece, you will still want to create a cone shape with your page, but at the bottom you will create a crease and glue into place. Continue in a pattern for the rest of your wreath. Go back and fill in any spaces you feel is bare, just by simply adding glue to the bottom of your book page and sticking it it ( it will blend!). I glued a twist tie into place for hanging! You could also use a small piece of ribbon and two push pins to create a loop for hanging. This works well for me 😉

I love the fullness of this wreath! What a great gift this would be for a book lover or teacher!! I hope you enjoy it, it’s a beauty to look at!

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