Posts Tagged ‘DIY’

Berry Letter T Wreath

When I first laid eyes on this pin from Our Unexpected Journey, I knew I had to have it. I loved it for a few reasons. First, it was wintery without being overtly Christmasy. Second, nothing says wintertime like a bushel of cranberries. Third, I love me some door décor and was happy to get away from the traditional wreath.

You certainly could go the easy route and use a wooden or black MDF letter from any craft store for this project. The thing is, the letter T can be a bit of a crapshoot when using premade letters—often it is very tall and narrow or the fonts available are on the trendy side. I wanted something a bit more classic looking, so I opted to make my own.

Berry Letter T Wreath

What you need:

  • Letter on paper (in a font of your choice)
  • ¼” plywood  (Any type will do, I went for the cheapest one. You want a lightweight piece.)
  • Jigsaw
  • Sandpaper
  • Spray Paint  (optional)
  • Glue gun
  • Berries
  • Picture Hanger
  • Ribbon/Burlap

Step 1:

Choose a font for your letter. Select the size that looks best on your door. The dimensions for my T are 12” x 14”.

You can print it out and tape your paper together, as it will likely be bigger than 8.5 x11. Since we have access to LCD projectors at school, I used one to trace my T onto a single sheet of large paper. Convenient crafting tools–one of the many perks of being a teacher.

Step 2:

Cut your piece of wood into a square or rectangle that is close to the dimensions of your letter. This way you have less excess wood to work with as you cut your letter.

Tape your cut out letter to the piece of wood and use it as a stencil to trace your letter onto the wood.

Step 3:

Use your trusty jigsaw to cut out your letter. After it was cut, I used sandpaper to smooth out the edges. My husband made a second letter for Gracie, who used hers in a different craft.

Berry Letter T Wreath

Step 4:

Before I glued the berries, I decided to spray paint my T red. I figured that if any wood showed through the gaps of berries, it would be less contrast if it were the same color.

Step 5:

Prepare for a berry gluing marathon. I chose to cut the berries off of my stems the day prior to making the T. Berry branches were on sale at Michaels after Christmas 2012, so I grabbed a whole bunch. Any extra sprigs went towards other Christmas décor- you can never have too many Christmas greens/foliage.

Berry Letter T Wreath

Use your glue gun to glue each berry onto the letter. I wanted a crisp outline, so I chose to glue berries around the perimeter of my T before filling in the center. As the first layer firmed up, I went back and put a second layer of berries in order to cover up the gaps from the first layer. This is mindless work; I just put on some TV and got to it!

Step 6:

Hang her up! For the letter T, I decided to use 2 small picture hangers for my ribbon because I didn’t like the look of just one hanger in the center of the letter. I secured 2 picture hangers on the back with some hot glue. I then used some leftover Christmas ribbon and voila, my door décor was complete.

Berry Letter T Wreath

 

I think it’s classy and fabulous. Almost everyone who comes over when this is on the door asks where I got it, which is always a huge compliment. We love it, and I hope you love yours too!

Berry Letter T Wreath

 

 

N is for Nursery

Nursery2   Nursery1
The inspiration for L’s nursery came from this print, a little gem I found at Home Goods. I laid my eyes on it before I was pregnant. I loved the colors and whimsy. It reminded me of an old fashioned nursery. When it went on clearance for 10 bucks I knew it was meant to be. So I bought it and hid it from the hubs it sat in a closet for almost two years.

Nursery4

When we found out we were having a little girl, I imagined a girly, timeless and crisp nursery. I wanted L’s room to be a functional space that can be easily transitioned into a big girl room down the line.

After staring at dozens of paint chips taped around the inspiration print, I chose a subtle lavender with a slight gray undertone (barely lavender by Valspar) or as my husband calls it, purple. We went with no VOC paint, a must for nurseries and pregnant mommas. For this small space I wanted to create a focal wall that would open things up a bit and add some interest. I thought about stripes, stencils and vinyl decal. Perhaps it’s the math teacher in me that made me go with the geometric open circles. I think they mirror polka dots which is a classic pattern and a personal favorite.

When it came to the furniture we chose pieces that were made in US and constructed with natural non-toxic materials (paint, sealer, fabric, etc). I was in love with the crib we initially picked out. The little details in its design and the gray-white wash color made it the perfect compliment to the white book shelf we already owned and the wall color. But it was out of stock! The manufacture put us on the wait list. We waited and we waited…Imagine the horror when you are 34 weeks pregnant and still no crib! Yes, L didn’t actually sleep in her crib till she was 5 months old but I didn’t know that.  And let’s be honest, we know who this nursery was really for. Out of fear, we settled for our second choice made by the same company. The design is girlier than the original and it’s white (I didn’t want matching white furniture), but I think it compliments the circles on the wall nicely. The rocker and matching ottoman, though were made by the same company, were sold by two different stores. We bought both online and crossed our fingers hoping that the “sage” color were the same. We got lucky!

Nursery8    Nursery7

Her dresser/changing table was a thrift store find that my husband refinished and painted. He wanted to make something for his little girl. I think it’s so sweet. The space above the dresser needed something to balance the circles on the opposing wall. This something needed to be the right scale, nursery friendly and the right colors. I looked to Pinterest for inspirations. Then I came across these alphabet cards by The Handmade Home. “H is for High Heels”, perfect for a little girl’s room.  Swoon! And these are free printables!

Nursery6  Nursery5

I added a few DIY-ed finishing touches in yellow and orange to tie everything together.

Nursery9   Nursery3    Nursery10

Stayed tuned for more posts on the DIY projects in L’s nursery.

Mantel Love- Paper Bag Garland

I know I am not the only one out there that just loves decorating her mantel. Seriously, I can’t get enough of it. The months after Christmas are the best for mantel decorating because it gets a makeover monthly. It’s a whirlwind, but like Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn from Wedding Crashers, I welcome this frenzy with open arms.

Ladies and Gents: It’s Mantel Season!

February (well, actually, January 10th, when I sadly deconstructed Christmas) marks my first mantel of the New Year. And best yet… it cost me next to nothing.Wait until you get a load of my Easy Paper Bag Garland.

I’m kind of pumped about February’s mantel-scape because I did not spend a cent to create this little no budget beaut!

Let’s have a look at her…

February Mantel

 

The lamps are old—a gift with purchase from Ulta in 2004. The shades, however, are newish. Newish in the sense that I recovered them, but that fabric on the shades… not so much. That fabric happens to be from a pair of my husband’s flannel boxers (they were clean!!).  There is not really a how-to about this one because I just grabbed my glue gun, cut some of the fabric, and wrapped it around the shade. In fact, because I am sometimes impulsive, there is a gap at the back of one of the shades. It faces the wall, so no big deal.February Mantel

I used one of my husband’s beer growlers, shoved some white lights in there, and stuck in some glittery hearts on sticks that I bought at The Dollar Tree a year or two ago.

February Mantel

The HUGE matted frame usually remains on my mantel year round. For this mantel-scape I found a picture I gave to E for Father’s Day, which I thought encompassed the feeling of love (it’s a picture of the boys wearing the sweatshirts he wore when they were born, and pictures of E holding the boys when they were born), threaded some burlap ribbon through it, and voila! Layers are in, people!

February Mantel

To add height and interest on the other side, I took a mason jar, shoved (apparently there was a whole lotta shoving going on for this mantel) some pinecones in there, cut some branches off a tree outside, and decorated them with hearts. The hearts were super easy to slap together. In fact, I had my little guys help. They used the heart punch to cut the hearts and made heart sandwiches (two hearts, baker’s twine, and glue in the middle).

February Mantel

And then there’s the brown paper bag garland. Easiest thing ever.

 

February Mantel

 

Here’s what you’ll need for the Paper Bag Garland:

-          Brown paper bags (as many or as few as you’d like)

-          Items to decorate bags (I used some craft paint, but washi tape could look lovely…)

-          Twine

-          Tape (I used clear packing tape)

 Here’s what you’ll do to make the Paper Bag Garland:

Step1: Cut a V out of the open/top of each bag. I just stacked them up and cut the V out of the entire stack.

Step 2: Paint/washi those bad boys.

Step 3: Measure out some twine or ribbon to the length  you would like for your space.

Step 4: Tape the twine to the back of each flag and space appropriately. (note: you could probably punch a hole and thread the twine, but I was being lazy and wanted the easiest route possible)

Took me all of six minutes.

Paper Bag Garland

And there she is. My free-loving Valentine’s Day Mantle.

Paper Bag Garland

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