Chalkboard Wall

I've been wanting to do a chalkboard wall FOREVER! I've read some on line reviews & they all said they loved having a chalkboard wall, but it was a huge pain to paint over. So I had my Hubby cut a 1/4" piece of MDF board down to fit where I wanted the chalkboard wall to be.

It took 4 coats...I then had to condition it by rubbing chalk over it.

And Hubby mounted it to our half wall.

Peepers really enjoys it...

He wipes it off & starts all over...

It works out great to be right by his desk.

Thanks, Karla

Rhinestone Bracelet knock off

There are so mane great rhinestone bracelets out there ( but some of them are ridiculously expensive).

I made one using all stuff I had on hand: existing cuff bracelet, rhinestone bracelet, rhinestone trim (from a sample same 13 years ago... the trim card is even yellowed), glue, bias cut silk & some clothes pins.

Using super glue I glued the rhinestone bracelet on on the center of the cuff bracelet.

I then glued the rhinestone trim to either side of the center rhinestones.

Pretty as is right?

I then added a drop fabric of glue & wrapped the silk fabric around the bracelet.

Held it in place with a few clothes pins & made a bow to conceal the clasp.

The Finished Product...

Thanks & Happy Thanksgiving! Karla

Wine Bottle Cozy

Hi all, You may have seem these from other craft blogs, but here is my version.

I went to a party last night & I took a bottle of wine as a gift - But it needed to look more "gifty" that just a bottle of wine, so I made a wine bottle cozy.

Take an old sweater that you no longer plan on wearing (if it is wool you can felt it by washing it in HOT water & drying it on HI HEAT). Cut off the sleeve & stitch up the bottom (can be done with a sewing machine or by hand).

Tie a fun ribbon around the neck of the bottle. Voila - a fun little wine bottle cozy for FREE!

Or you can embellish it with other things if the wine is only part of the gift.

I made a fun SCRUNCHED BELT to go with my wine so my friend can show off her figure.

" Hubba Hubba "

Love, Karla

Fall Wreath

I had enough newspaper bags left over from THIS WREATH that I was able to make a fall wreath.

Thank you, Karla

Easy Art Wall

Here is how I did an easy art wall in our new craft space. This way I don't have to have all of Peepers lovely keepsake art hanging on the front of the refrigerator.
I used Command Hooks (seriously, I don't know what I did before this invention came along... they are literally the best thing since sliced bread & we use them in almost every room & closet in the house!!!) That can be a lazy day blog post...Hmmm... Maybe I should be a paid spokes person for these.

I had plans for this to wrap around on to 2 short walls so I figured out I needed 6 hooks ( 3 for each row). Since I planned to have the table nestled into that corner. So I measured how high up from the floor they should be (allowing room for the art to hang down).

I them measured the length of the walls & cut my ribbon a little longer (about 6") to allow for slack & the loops. At first I was going to use clothes line rope, but I liked the though of the thought of the extra pop of color (Plus it was left over from our wedding). I sewed the loops, but you could tie a knot if you want (allow extra ribbon/rope for knots).

Once hanging, I just started placing clothes pins & art along the ribbon.

From this photo you can see I folded my ribbon in half width wise so that it stayed on the hook. Once I had enough art & clothes pins hanging from the ribbon the weight kept in in place better.

I love this art wall... this could be fun way to display Holiday or Birthday cards too.

Thanks, Karla

Autumn & Winter Blocks

Hi All,

Remember THESE BLOCKS???

Well, here is the Autumn/Winter version is hot off the of craft room table. I did the the exact same way as before & really think they turned out well.

This is in our kitchen above the sink.
For the Winter blocks, instead if using a brown ink pad to make them appear aged, I used GLITTER MOD PODGE for a glistening snow effect. Of which by February I will not be able to stand the sight of another snowflake. Don't get me wrong, I love snow for Christmas & for my Birthday, but if it melted away 3 months earlier & I would be happy as a clam!The glitter Mod Podge was fun for this project - give it a try.

Karla

Sewing/Craft Room Makeover - Finally

Hi everyone,

You may remember my blog post from 6 months ago about the disaster my sewing/craft room was in. Well, last week I took off a week from work (sent Peepers to day care) & finally did something about it! Most of the stuff for the room had already been purchased, it was just a matter of getting it done. Here is the BEFORE POST

First off, I need to thank my Hubby for helping me sort thru all kinds of CRAP (I mean treasures) before the magic could happen. We had a keep pile, a toss pile & a Craig's List pile.

Two years ago I had Artie ( My handy guy) install new task lighting... it is wonderful & a must for a room in the basement. I started out by painting the ceiling. It was very dingy and judging by how much @#$%! popcorn ceiling texture came off, I suspect it was the first time it was ever painted (see nice white square).

I painted the upper half of the exterior wall Light Lichen (left over paint from the porch). I also used this for the toddler table & chair set that goes in the craft room. Four years ago I bought the paint that I wanted to use for this room. So I had to take this back to the store & get it shook. I can't tell you the color because it was a "mistake paint" for $5.00.

DURING

AFTER

The wonderful wall of shelving.

the Closets ( I painted the trim too). What lies behind these doors still needs to be sorted thru & purged.

Anders Art Wall
Chalk board door, cork board wall & hooks.

Filing cabinets

Peepers & I are already enjoying the sewing/craft room. I'll post more photos about everything that is going on in the room soon. I just LOVE how it turned out. The color is pretty intense (yes, you feel like you are underwater) But, I like to think of it as being in a different world.

Thank you, Karla