DIY Home Decor Projects

Looking for some fun and easy home decor projects to brighten up that winter gloominess?

Some of my projects were recently posted on DecoArt's projects page so I wanted to share them here with you. Just click through the links for a complete tutorial on how to make the project.

Mixed Media Treasure Box

This one will be listed in my Etsy shop soon! 

Country Cottage Earring Organizer

This one will be listed in my Etsy shop soon! 

Reclaimed Wood Wall Art

Want to order one just like it? Just contact me and I will be happy to make a custom order for you!

Just for You

Here is another fun and super easy card from the January Make & Take that uses Sale-A-Bration goodies! This one was a case of the catalog sample. 

• Basic Black Cardstock 5-1/2" x 8-1/2", scored at 4-1/4"
• Whisper White Cardstock (2) 4" x 5-1/4"
• Stamps: Botanicals for You
• Ink: Night of Navy, Mint Macaroon, Daffodil Delight, Calypso Coral, Wild Wasabi
• Accessories: Rhinestone Basic Jewels

Stamp the "just for you" greeting onto a piece of Whisper White cardstock in Night of Navy ink. Stamp the flowers around the greeting in Mint Macaroon, Daffodil Delight, and Calypso Coral. Add a few leaves with Wild Wasabi ink. Adhere this panel onto the card front with glue stick and add a small Rhinestone Basic Jewel into the center of the Calypso Coral flowers.

Take another piece of Whisper White cardstock and stamp the greeting from Botanicals for You onto the top of the cardstock in Night of Navy ink. Stamp a cluster of flowers in the lower right hand corner of the cardstock. Then just glue this piece inside the card with glue stick.

That's it! Super duper simple.

You Send Me Soaring

When I saw this plane stamp set in the Sale-A-Bration catalog I just knew I absolutely HAD to get it! My husband is a private pilot and likes to fly a Cessna whenever he can. So this would be perfect for his Valentine's day card and future birthday cards!

• Crumb Cake Cardstock 5-1/2" x 8-1/2", scored at 4-1/4"
• Basic Black Cardstock 4" x 5-1/4"
• Very Vanilla Cardstock 3-7/8" x 5-1/8"
• Gold Glimmer Paper 1/4" x 3-7/8"
• Stamps: Sky is the Limit, Gorgeous Grunge
• Ink: Early Espresso, Tip Top Taupe, Soft Suede
• Accessories: 15" Basic Black Stitiched Satin Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals, Stampin' Sponge, Crumb Cake Marker, 2-Way Glue Pen

For this lovely start off by stamping the plane and the greeting onto the Very Vanilla cardstock in Early Espresso ink. Stamp the smoke trail onto the cardstock in Tip Top Taupe ink. Stamp the large splatter image from Gorgeous Grunge onto the cardstock several times in Soft Suede ink. Then sponge around the edges of the cardstock with Soft Suede ink. Color in the fuselage of the plane with the Crumb Cake marker to make it stand out more.

Next use the 2-Way Glue Pen to adhere the strip of Gold Glimmer Paper onto the left side of the panel. Use glue stick to adhere this piece down onto the Basic Black cardstock. Wrap the Basic Black Stitched Satin ribbon around the top of the panel and tie it into a knot. Then stick this panel onto the card front with Stampin' Dimensionals.

For the inside of the card I just quickly stamped the plane image in Early Espresso ink and colored in the fuselage of the plane with a Crumb Cake marker.

This is a super fast and easy yet oh so pretty card that is perfect for a guy. 

You Are Loved

Anytime I make Valentine's cards for a Make & Take class I always try to have a masculine version and a girly version. Well today I'm sharing the girly version. The masculine Valentine was posted last week but you can see it again by clicking HERE.

• Basic Black Cardstock 4-1/4" x 11", scored at 5-1/2"
• Timeless Elegance Designer Series Ppaper 4" x 11"
• Pink Pirouette Cardstock 2" x 4-1/4"
• Very Vanilla Cardstock 1-3/4" x 4-1/4"
• Very Vanilla Cardstock 4" x 5-1/4"
• Stamps: Grateful Bunch
• Ink: Jet Black Stazon, Pink Pirouette
• Accessories: 12" Silver Baker's Twine, Sweetheart Punch, Blushing Bride Glimmer Paper, Stampin' Dimensionals, Banner Triple Punch, Tea Lace Paper Doilies

For this card start off by folding the Basic Black cardstock on the score line and using glue stick to adhere the Timeless Elegance designer series paper onto the card front. Use Paper Snips to cut a Tea Lace Paper Doily in half and glue it onto the left side of the card front about half way up the card.

Use glue stick to adhere the strip of Very Vanilla cardstock onto the Pink Pirouette cardstock. Stamp the greeting from Grateful Bunch onto the center of the banner in Jet Black Stazon ink. Use the Banner Triple punch to punch the right end of the banner.

Wrap the silver twine around the straight end of the banner and tie it into a bow. Tip: when tying bows in twine first tie a double knot, then tie the bow. This will make it easier to keep the twine tight around the cardstock and still have a pretty bow!

Adhere the banner onto the card front with Stampin' Dimensionals. Use the Sweetheart punch on a piece of Blushing Bride Glimmer Paper and adhere the heart onto the banner with a Stampin' Dimensional.

Stamp the lace trim along both short sides of the large piece of Very Vanilla cardstock in Pink Pirouette ink. Use glue stick to adhere the panel inside the card.

Now you have a pretty and girly Valentine's Day card to share with someone special!

Wildflowers

I'm back to sharing the Make & Take cards here on the blog! During my blogging hiatus last year I failed to post the Make & Take projects even though I still held my regular monthly classes. So now I'm going to be sharing these again. Yay! Here is the first featuring one of the lovely new Sale-A-Bration stamp sets. 

• Smoky Slate Cardstock 5-1/2" x 8-1/2", scored at 4-1/4"
• Mint Macaroon Cardstock 2-3/4" x 4"
• Whisper White Cardstock 2-5/8" x 3-7/8"
• Whisper White Cardstock 4" x 5-1/4"
• Mint Macaroon Lace Ribbon 4"
• Stamps: Hardwood, Flowering Fields
• Ink: Basic Gray, Jet Black Stazon
• Markers: Pool Party, Calypso Coral, Mint Macaroon, Wild Wasabi, Blushing Bride
• Accessories: Banner Punch, Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper, Stampin' Dimensionals, Tear and Tape Adhesive, Handheld Stapler

For this card start off by folding the Smoky Slate cardstock on the score line. Then stamp the Hardwood background image onto the card front in Basic Gray ink. Next up take the small piece of Whisper White cardstock and stamp three of the flowers from Flowering Fields onto the right side of the cardstock in Jet Black Stazon ink.

Take the markers and color in the flowers as desired. One of my favorite techniques to add areas of light and dark when using markers is to go over areas that you want darker with two coats of the marker. For example: I colored in all the leaves on the middle flower once then I went back and colored over only the top halves of the leaves a second time to get a darker hue of color.

Once everything is colored in use glue stick to adhere the flower piece onto the Mint Macaroon cardstock. Add a small strip of Tear & Tape adhesive onto the backside of the cardstock where the ribbon will fold over the panel. Remove the adhesive liner, wrap the ribbon around the panel, and press the ribbon into the adhesive.

Use the banner punch on a piece of Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper. Use the Handheld Stapler to attach the banner on top of the ribbon. Stick this panel onto the card front with a few Stampin' Dimensionals.

Now take the large piece of Whisper White cardstock and stamp a single flower in Jet Black Stazon ink. Color it in with your markers just like you did before then glue this piece inside the card with glue stick.

That's it! Your lovely card is finished!

Enjoy the Little Things Project Kit Class

Enjoy the Little Things Project Kit Class Join me Thursday, February 25th at 7:00 PM for a fun specialty class! We will be making the Enjoy the Little Things kit. This kit includes everything you need to make and display this lovely stand with 13 different artwork pieces to display. Change the artwork each month or according to your mood!  Inside the kit is everything you will need except adhesive which you can chose to order if you would like to add the adhesive to your collection, or for those that just want to put the kit together I will provide the adhesive. The class will take approximately 2 hours to complete these 13 different sheets. Then you are ready to proudly display your beatiful decor piece.

Please purchase the kit in advance by selecting the desired option and paying via Paypal. Or drop by in person to pay with cash or check. Project kits must be paid for in advance no later than February 12th.  Select the desired project kit package to the right ~> ~> ~> ~> ~> ~> ~> ~> Must be in desktop view to purchase.

Hand Painted Signs now in the Shop!

I've had an Etsy store set up for quite some time now, but I haven't been great about actually listing the items I make. So I'm working away this year to actually get my store stocked up. So yesterday I added my stock of hand painted signs and mixed media canvases into my little shop window on the internet.

If you want to take a gander at my wares just click HERE.

My Goals for 2016

I wasn't going to share a new year's goal list here on my blog. I mean really, its what every other blogger is sharing right now and who wants to read another goal list? But I think of my blog as my creative journal so why the heck not? It would be kinda fun to look back at the end of this year and see if I was able to stick to my goals or not. So here we go from lowest priority to highest.

5. Of course I want to get my home more organized and simplified by getting rid of things we don't use that is just taking up space. We have a somewhat small house, not tiny house by any means, but it's not huge. So every available storage space is important and needs to function. This is definitely something that requires constant attention by controlling what comes in as well as getting things out.

4. Post 2 new items into the Etsy shop each week. I have been meaning to actually make my Etsy shop a business for some time rather than just having a handful of listings. So I plan on posting at least two items per week into the shop. Now that could just be two pair of simple earrings or two complete jewelry sets, or some other crafty product.

3. Update the Etsy shop with my current inventory. I have several signs and jewelry pieces that are ready to be added to the shop. I just need to photograph them and list them. So I hope to spend some time over the next couple of weekends to get these listed. So I really consider this a short term goal rather than something to keep up with all year long.

2. And this is an important one... Don't get behind on college course work. I work full time and take 3 college courses during each spring and fall semester. It is so hard to catch up when you get behind and seriously makes me stress out. I don't want to be stressed all the time. So the goal is to get each week's assignments completed on time or early.

1. Since July of last year I have been watching what I eat and regularly working out 4 times per week. I haven't had an issue with this so far, but I want this to be a lifestyle change rather than just keeping up with it until I reach my goal and stop. So, if for some reason I miss a workout my goal is to make sure that I don't miss any more than one workout during that particular week and never miss two in a row. Unless its out of my control of course.

Since starting this weight loss journey last July I have been truly happy with myself and have more confidence in myself (which is something I was seriously lacking previously). I also feel great and have more energy. It doesn't make sense that by working your body harder you would have more energy, but it really is true. So far I'm 43 pounds down from where I started and I feel amazing! So I want to keep that momentum up and make sure I don't revert back to my unhealthy ways.

Above is a photo from December 2014 of me with my best friend Jessica. Below is a similar photo from this last December. Oh the difference 6 months of eating better and working out can make! 

So here's to a great 2016 and best wishes to all of you who are also setting goals or deciding on words for the year, or both!

Field Flowers Birthday

It's been quite some time since I've made a card based off a sketch and crafted just for fun. Between work, school, daily life, and making Christmas presents there just hasn't been time for anything other than my regular commitments. Well here is my take on this month's Creating Pretty Cards Sketch over at Craft Project Central.

• Stamps: Hardwood, Timeless Textures, Flowering Fields, And Many More
• Ink: Pool Party, Lost Lagoon, Blackberry Bliss, Jet Black Stazon
• Markers: Blushing Bride, Watermelon Wonder, Mint Macaroon, Pool Party, Wild Wasabi
• Accessories: Pearls, Stampin' Dimensionals, Lots of Labels Framelits, Linen Thread, 2-Way Glue Pen
• Blackberry Bliss Cardstock 4-1/4" x 11", scored at 5-1/2"
• Whisper White Cardstock 3-7/8" x 5-1/8"
• Soft Sky Cardstock 3-3/4" x 5"
• Blackberry Bliss Cardstock 1/4" x 3-3/4"
• Whisper White Cardstock 4" x 5-1/4"

I started off by stamping the Hardwood background stamp onto the Soft Sky cardstock in Pool Party ink. Then I stamped the two flourish images from Timeless Textures onto the cardstock in Lost Lagoon ink. I used glue stick to adhere the Soft Sky cardstock onto the 3-7/8" x 5-1/8" Whisper White cardstock. That layer was then glued onto the card front. 

I used the 5th from smallest Lots of Labels Framelit to cut a scrap of Whisper White cardstock then I stamped the flowers from Field Flowers in Jet Black Stazon ink. After coloring in the stamped images with the markers I wrapped about a 12" piece of Linen Thread around the top of the label and tied it into a bow. Then I adhered the label onto the card front with a few Stampin' Dimensionals.

For the greeting I stamped happy birthday from And Many More onto a 1/2" wide scrap of Whisper White cardstock. Next I used Paper Snips to trim the strip to about 2" long and cut each end into a dove-tail shape. To highlight the greeting banner I used my 2-Way Glue Pen to adhere a 1/4" x 3-3/4" strip of Blackberry Bliss cardstock onto the card front. The greeting banner was then added with a couple Stampin' Dimensions.

Finally I had to add a little more bling so I used three Pearl Basic Jewels. The final piece of Whisper White cardstock was glued onto the inside of the card.

It was so much fun to get to play around in the craft room for no reason at all! Head on over to Craft Project Central to link up your card to the sketch! 

Occasions Catalog and Sale-A-Bration!

The brand new Occasions Catalog has been released! Products from this catalog are available to order January 5th through March 31st. This catalog is chock full of some pretty amazing goodies! Click HERE to view the catalog in PDF format.

Sale-A-Bration is also starting January 5th and running through March 31st. What is Sale-A-Bration you ask? Well during this time for every $50 in product that you order (before shipping and tax) you get to select one FREE item from this special catalog. Click HERE to view a PDF version of the catalog. 

So are you ready to shop away on some pretty awesome new Occasions Catalog goodies and earn FREE Sale-A-Bration goodies? Good! Then just click HERE to begin shopping online 24/7!

I'm Still Here

I know I've been absent from the internet for most of the last year. I've been busy working away at my day job, taking college classes, and working out. Add that up with just trying to keep up with everyday life and something had to give. There just wasn't enough time for everything. So over the second half of last year I have greatly reduced my commitments so I have more time to breathe and more time to get into the craft room to make gifts or make something just for fun.

I'm sorry I left you hanging out there. Our sunroom is not totally finished, but it's at least usable and we have been enjoying it. I crafted away and made many gifts for Christmas but did not photograph a single one. I was out of blogger mode and didn't even think about it.

So my goal for this year is to post at least once a week with genuine content by me. In other words, that doesn't count Craft Project Central posts. I'm still designing for Craft Project Central, but now only every other month and I no longer do behind the scenes work for them.

I have been doing something I thoroughly enjoy and that has been doing projects for DecoArt using their variety of wonderful paint products. You can see several of my projects by clicking the photos below that will take you to the tutorial on the DecoArt website.



















So here is to starting fresh in 2016 with new content and a simplified schedule!