diy project Archives - Farmhouse Chic Blog

Chevron & Burlap

August 5, 2013 by Fotini Filed Under: burlap garden flag, burlap wreath, chevron, chevron burlap ribbon, chevron ribbon, craft, diy, DIY craft, diy project, garden flag 26 Comments

I might be obsessed with updating my wreaths and flags, so what?! While at Hobby Lobby I purchased an adorable 9 foot roll of faded black chevron burlap, which just happened to be 50% off!!

Once I was home, before cutting the burlap I gathered a long length and created a bow with long ends. I fish-tailed the ends to hang loose on the wreath and attached it with a small piece floral wire.

I used the same technique as my last garden flag, you can view that here! This time I used regular burlap, and stenciled on the words “Welcome To Our Home” in black craft paint. While that was drying I created a nice full bow and, again, fishtailed the ends. I secured it to the burlap using a generous amount of hot glue from my glue gun. I also sewed the tops of the bow into place since this is a heavy material, I didn’t want it to sag forward.

I love the combination the faded black chevron along with the burlap! It dresses up the front walkway and door perfectly 🙂 I can’t wait to make a flag for Fall!!

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{ Kitchen Picture Update }

April 15, 2013 by Fotini Filed Under: chalkboard, chalkboard paint, chalkboard pictures, crafts, diy, DIY crafts, diy project 16 Comments

Since buying our home last Spring, it’s like I want all new decor.. I’m not the only one this happens to right?! We put a good bit of money in our home fixing it up, so my budget for decor is slim to none! Instead of buying new stuff, I’m updating what I have! The pictures in todays project were a pair of pictures I bought when I first moved into my own place! I just wasn’t feeling those dreary old flowers anymore and I knew just what they needed… Chalkboard paint!!

First start by using painters tape to tape off the sides of the pictures. To apply the chalkboard paint, make sure you’re using a well ventilated space. Generously apply chalkboard paint in swiping motions (back and forth) until the entire piece is covered. Let dry. I recommend repeating this step at least three times for even coverage. Allowing the chalkboard paint enough time to dry, is very important!! Once fully dry, take a piece of chalk and lightly brush over the entire piece. This “activates” the chalkboard effect.

What I love most about these pictures is that I can change it up as often and I want! The chalkboard paint makes it super simple to customize for birthdays, holidays, grocery lists, and so much more!

After first coat!

In the process of drying!

Displayed the menu for a birthday celebration that weekend!

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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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Picture Makeover

November 13, 2012 by Fotini Filed Under: diy, diy project, easy project, fabric, home decor, picture makeover, up-cycle 40 Comments

Is it just me, or when you move do you want all new decor for your house?! I have some one-of-a-kind pieces I could never replace, but some things I just want to toss.. Instead of tossing them out, give them a makeover! I had three pictures in particular that I had in mind for this project… I purchased these about 5 years ago when I got my first place and I just wasn’t into them anymore. Last week, I showed you a no-sew French-inspired pillow I made, and I used the same fabric for these!

For my large canvas picture, I spray painted it with an almond color paint, and let dry. Then I taped four horizontal lines completely across the canvas, and spray painted the canvas white. Once dry, remove the painters tape. I decided to add a canvas I made here a few posts back, for a special pop! Simply grab your glue gun, heat and add glue dots in numerous place and press into place. This picture looks SO different now!

For the two smaller pictures, I wanted to wrap them with the pretty fabric I had, so just lay your fabric out, grab you picture and cut to size leaving an additional 2 inches on each side. Make sure your fabric isn’t bubbly or wrinkly, pull taut. Attach to the picture backing by gluing with hot glue to the top and bottom. For your sides, fold the insides in as if you’re wrapping a present and glue into place. And that’s it! You can give any old picture a whole new look with any of your favorite fabrics and a little bit of glue 😉

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{ Favorite Quote Canvas }

October 19, 2012 by Fotini Filed Under: art for the home, bible quotes, canvas, canvas art, diy project, easy craft project, favorite quotes 2 Comments

Creating pictures using canvases really couldn’t be simpler! Using them to display your favorite quote, saying, wedding vows, etc. is such a great way to personalize art in your home! I took one of my favorite quotes from the Bible, and in one of my fav. songs. I chose “where you go I go, where you stay I stay” from the chapter Ruth.

Begin with your blank canvas. I used scrap-booking stickers to write out my quote evenly. Once you’ve got your quote completed, take to a well ventilated place for you to spray paint. I used my garage and sprayed on scrap cardboard. Evenly spray the entire canvas, including the sides. Let dry, and check for any spots you may have missed. If this is the case, spray again and let dry completely. Once your canvas is dry, simply begin peeling off the stickers to reveal your masterpiece! I added the chapter and verse in permanent marker on the bottom.

That’s it!! You’ve just added a personalized piece of art to your home 🙂 You can do so many wonderful projects (and gifts!!) with this!! Have fun creating 🙂

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Charming Fall Banner

October 5, 2012 by Fotini Filed Under: banner, book pages, diy, diy project, fall, fall banner, fall leaves 96 Comments

I’ve, slowly but surely, finished my Fall mantle! And thanks to my charming fall banner, it now looks complete 🙂 I found this wonderful idea for this banner at Simple As That- The Blog. Please be sure to take a look at hers, too! Ours are very similar, as I’m sure yours will be if you re-create it too. So, lets get to it.. Here’s what you’re going to need:

Unused book, at least 10 pages ripped out
leaves ( real or fake )
craft glue
scissors
double sided tape
jute

For this project, I used 10 pages. Begin by trimming your pages to your desired size and cut a pennant shaped design at the bottom. / When trimming your pages, keep in mind you will be folding over the top, so leave about a half inch for this. Once your pages are trimmed and cut, begin to glue on your leaves. I opted for fake leaves. We don’t have very many trees around us and I wanted to be able to re-use this next year! I bought mine at Jo Ann Fabrics ( 30 pieces for $1.99 ). You can use your desired craft glue, I just used Elmer’s because it’s what I had around 😉 Let dry. Measure how long your jute will need to be. I left about two inches on each end of mine and about a half inch in between each page. Fold the top of your page over the jute about a half inch, and use a piece of double sided tape to adhere. Continue for your remaining pages. Hang and you’re done!!

I just love it!

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DIY No Sew Pillow Cases

September 29, 2012 by Fotini Filed Under: diy project, fabric, linen, no sew pillow cases, pillow cases, wheat wreath design 55 Comments

The other day I posted my inspiration for my Fall mantle. I really loved the wheat wreath pillows that I found, but they were Ethan Allen and $134 each, no thank you! So I was on the search for something similar! I went to Hobby Lobby, Marshalls and TJ Maxx….Nothing!! I ended up at Jo Ann Fabrics and picked out two fabrics I liked.. I was going to attempt my first pillow cases… These were going to be no sew, of course!

I was feeling brave.. I was going to attempt the wheat wreath design that I loved so much! You’re going to want to start by measuring your fabric and pinning it to the pillow. I determined the middle of my pillow and taped my letter “R” stencil onto the fabric, and removed the pillow. I did this because I didn’t want the marker I was going to use to bleed onto the pillow. Yes, that’s right, I said marker… I pinned a couple things on Pinterest recently about using permanent marker on fabrics, so I decided to give it a try. Worked like a charm! I placed a notebook under my fabric and began to trace and fill in my stencil. Remove your stencil when finished. Next, I was on the search for a good sized item I could trace in the shape of a circle. I opted for a large plate, and traced it in pencil. I added “leaves”, mine look more like arrows, to the circle in pencil as well. Once completed, I carefully went over the entire design with the marker. Grab your pillow and situate your fabric evenly. I used a no-sew, no-heat fabric glue for this project. I folded the extra fabric on the back of the pillow sort-of like a present and glued each into place. Let dry.

For my second pillow, this was just a rectangular throw pillow I hadn’t used for awhile, so I decided to give it a makeover! I chose a beautiful, chic quatrefoil design in turquoise and cream. Again, I measured the fabric to the pillow, cut and glue. I took an additional piece of extra fabric and tied it into the center, vertically, to create a “cinching” look. With another piece of extra fabric, I made a bow. All done!

So, I made two pillow cases, so far, and I have plenty left over to make at least one more of each.. My total fabric cost was under $8. That was for 2 yards of linen and 1 yard of the quatrefoil design.

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{ My $3 Fall Wreath }

August 28, 2012 by Fotini Filed Under: burlap bow, cheap project, diy fall wreath, diy project, dollar store, dollar tree, fall wreath 29 Comments

I posted some absolutely gorgeous Fall wreaths yesterday. With those in mind, I headed to the Dollar Tree. I know, sounds cheap, and it was. I got the supplies for this project for $3 and have extras leftover for another small project! Can’t beat that… This was my first time making a wreath, so I didn’t want to put too much money incase it didn’t work out! I was pleasantly surprised with the Fall selection that the dollar store had. Lots of goodies, so it wasn’t hard for me to find what I was going to use.

Here’s what I got:

Pre-made branch wreath in dark brown ,$1
Maroon and cream mums, each bundle, $1

Grab your glue gun and scissors. While your glue gun is heating up, play around with the design and placement of your flowers. I pulled the flower heads right off the stems, no mess! I glued the first cream flower, and surronded it with two additional cream flowers to give it a fuller look. I then surronded these with a maroon flower on each side. I ended up doing this three other times around the wreath, for four different bunches on the wreath.

I took some extra burlap I already had from another project, cut it into 4 strips. One of the strips would be used as the wreath ribbon. Grab two pieces of the additional burplap and make two loops, arrange one facing up and the other facing down. Grab your last piece of burlap and wrap it in the center, tie it in the back and now you have a bow! Glue your bow to the top of your burlap ribbon. I added a twisty-tie I had and made it into a loop and glued it to the back of the bow. This will allow it to hang on my door hook!

You’re all done!! You can play around with this project, the possibilties are endless! I’m pretty happy with how my first one turned out, and I will be making another one real soon!

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{ Fabulous Fall Wreaths }

August 27, 2012 by Fotini Filed Under: blog love, diy, diy project, fall, fall wreaths, front door decor 18 Comments

This week I will be making a fabulous Fall wreath, I can’t wait to share! I love wreaths.. They dress up the front of your house, and set an impression before your guests even walk into your home! Your possibilities can be truly endless, so have fun and make your front door look fabulous!

Let me just tell you, if you are even some-what crafty, try making your own wreath, you may surprise yourself! Buying wreaths at the store pre-made can be costly! And you can make something just as beautiful at home, for a fraction of the cost!

Here is where I’m getting my inspiration for Fall wreaths this week, enjoy!

Made In A Day

Shanty 2 Chic

Every Creative Endeavor

Keeping up with the times

Craftberry Bush

Be different act normal

Better Homes and Gardens

Monogrammed Canvas

August 15, 2012 by Fotini Filed Under: canvas, diy, diy project, little girls room, monogram, paint, pearls, pink, Pinterest 14 Comments

I have been taking it slow hanging things on the wall at our new house. As for Isabella’s room, the only thing she has hanging on her wall right now is her bow holder! I had a super cute name banner from her first birthday party, hanging above her crib and some how she ripped it down and tore it to shreds (ha!).

We were at Hobby Lobby yesterday and they had their two pack canvases for $5.99. I didn’t know exactly what I was going to do with them but I knew I could do something fun! I bought two packs of scrap booking pearls in large and small. These are already sticky so it would cut out a step for sticking to the canvas! At this point, I had decided I wanted to write her initials with the pearls. Each pack was $2.99.

Once we were home, I wanted to spray paint the canvas pink. I already had Krylon’s Ballerina Slipper in Gloss. I made several even coats on the canvas, and let dry. I played around with so many different designs for this project. I used a beautiful stencil and tried to align the small pearls for the letter, it looked awful… I made a simple “I”, felt too plain… I added a small piece of burlap and added an “I”, didn’t like it… I don’t know what was coming over me, haha! I finally decided to embellish two of the sides with a short and long row of peals and paint her initials, which are ” IRV”. I had a sample of Valspar paint in a beige color. I started with the “R” in the middle of the canvas. I painted right over the stencil, and repeat for the remaining two letters. Once dry, I smudged a little bit of silver paint on the letters to give them a worn look. I put two small pearls between each letter, to act as a period for the initials.

I was happy with the end result, and it only took about an hour to complete!

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