DIY: terrarium ornaments

not my idea. found it. love it. gonna save it in the file for next year! click here for the DIY instructions!

DIY: chalkboard cabinets

i've mentioned chalkboard paint before. man i love that stuff. if the Lord blesses me with a boy some day i hope to do part of one of his walls with chalkboard paint. super cute.



in the meantime, i will use it in my kitchen. i have seen people chalkboard paint their cabinet doors before and loved the idea and wanted to include it in my kitchen redo on my pantry cabinet door.


boy am i glad i did. it was so simple. so fun.


supply list:
- chalkboard paint {i got mine at home depot for around $11. this stuff goes a long ways though, so you won't need much. i've also used the spray paint version. i did not like it.)

- chalk


how to:
1.) make sure your cabinet door is primed if you are painting over wood.

2.) paint with the chalkboard paint like you would any latex paint. i did two coats.

3.)very important - wait at least 3 days before you write on it. so hard to do!

4.) even more important - "season" the chalkboard by rubbing the side of a piece of chalk up and down the chalkboard until it is covered with chalk. then wipe it off with a paper towel.

5.) write something cheerful on your new, beautiful chalkboard. i did words that remind me of fall. maybe the words to a poem. a song. a verse. a recipe. change it for the different seasons. change it monthly and use it as a way to remember important dates. leave it completely blank for your children to write on. most importantly, enjoy it!

DIY: movie themed invite

here is an invite i created for a hollywood themed bridal shower my friend was throwing for her sister. i came up with the idea {an original idea! wow!}, but she put it all together and did an amazing job with it.

you should try it too!

supply list:
- black cardstock (29 cents a sheet - although it does go on sale for cheaper.)

- a square punch (at hobby lobby about $9 regular price. watch for sales or use a 40% off coupon)

- computer

-glue


how to:
1). first we cut the black cardstock so that it would fit into business sized envelops.

2.) next step was the hardest. my friend really hurt her hand with this one. punch the sides of the invitation to look like a movie film {up and down the long sides}. she made 40 invites, so i think her hand was really sore by the end.

3.) she used her sister's engagement pictures and microsoft word to create the rest of the invite. notice her use of movie terms in the invite: "palof productions presents...". you could also use words like "starring {bride's name", etc.

4.) cut the info part of invite so it fits in the middle of the punches on the cardstock and glue.



total cost: around 35 cents per invitation because we didn't use a 40% off coupon and there wasn't a sale on the punch. still very cheap and cute!

DIY: a language lesson from the kitchen

in my former life i was a spanish teacher. because of that i am always noticing different moods of language {i know. nerd alert}. the kitchen is all about the imperative mood {or commands.} think about the words you use while in the kitchen. cook. eat. whisk. beat. flip. add.


all of these are commands.


this {and a picture from the lettered cottage} inspired my art work for my newly redecorated kitchen. some of this artwork is a work in progress so you'll have to wait to see it. what i have done was cheap and easy.

supply list:
- again letters from hobby lobby. what i used are the super think letters. $1.99 each.

- paint

- two sided 3m mounting tape $2


how to:
1.) so simple. paint the letters.

2.) hang with the mounting tape to avoid the hassle of putting nails in the wall and making sure they are level.

DIY: pumpkin topiary

i had seen this idea in bh& g. i think martha does it too. for me, i had all of these things around, so making a pumpkin topiary was free.

supply list:
- urn or pot

- a grapevine wreath that fits into the opening of the urn.

- pumpkins; at least 2

- i used broom corn in between the layers of pumpkins which was free to me from my mom's garden. you could easily use fall picks from hobby lobby (1/2 price this week) or scavenge for fallen leaves


how to:
1.) set the wreath inside of the urn.

2.) start layering pumpkins. make sure they are steady and won't fall over. remove the stems of the pumpkins on the bottom layers for more stability.

3.) use your berries, leaves, etc in between the layers.

inspired? try it yourself. so easy!

welcome fall

here is my latest copy. so easy! it should look familiar to a previous inspiration post...



supply list:
- a wreath (i owned this, but if you get one half price at hobby lobby i think $5 would be enough).

- ribbon ($2 at hobby lobby)

- first letter of your last name (again, i bought this many years ago, half price, so $5)

- fall picks (again, half price. for 4 picks about $3.)

- floral wire


how to:
- using wire attach letter to center of wreath.

- put your picks into the wreath however you want.

- attach ribbon. seriously SO easy.


cost to me $5. about $15 if you have to buy the wreath. the good thing is that you can change out the picks and ribbon for different seasons.

go ahead, try it!

DIY: celebration sign

yep. that is me, the copy cat hosting a party. did i mention that is another one of my loves?

there are so many great blogs out there to give you ideas for decorating for baby showers, bridal showers, cute birthday parties, etc. i am a big fan of these blogs. once again, why go to all the trouble to create something completely original? it has probably been done before anyway.

this was an idea i found on one of these party idea blogs. a cute way to make a homemade banner. this party was for my friends' grad school graduation.


the supply list:
- ribbon {usually half price at hobby lobby, $1- $3}

- paper doilies {i used a 40% off coupon, so once again at hobby lobby $1- $3 depending on the size you get}

- scrapbook paper and white card-stock paper {again, wait for the hobby lobby 1/2 price sale. i spent maybe $1 on paper}

- scissors, tape

- letters printed off of your computer


how to:
1.) cut circles from your scrapbook paper. glue this onto the doilies.

2.) cut out your letters printed from your computer. trace them onto card stock. cut those letters out.

3.) glue the letters onto the scrapbook paper circles.

4.) cut slits into the circles so that your ribbon will fit through. don't cut your ribbon until you have all the circles on and know exactly where you are going to hang the banner.


total cost: around $4.

for some amazing party tablescape ideas check out these:

http://amyatlas.com/index.php/main/

&...

http://lifeoftees.wordpress.com/

& don't forget...

http://www.hostessblog.com/

DIY: growth chart

I have seen various charts that mark your child's growth. on etsy. pbkids.


again, i couldn't afford it.


so i came up with my own version of a growth chart. i think it is the easiest project i have ever done.



supply list:
- a tape measure

- a pencil

- paint (you can use acyclic from hobby lobby)

- a little paint brush

- number stickers (i got mine at archivers for $2.50)


how to:
1.) using the tape measure and pencil mark inches with short lines and feet with long lines. i did mine on my daughter's closet door.

2.) go back with your paint and paint over the pencil lines.

3.) stick your number stickers to the wall. i have not had problems with the numbers falling off. if you are worried about that, i am sure there are things you can do.




in an apartment but want the same look? you can have a home store like lowe's or home depot cut you a piece of wood that you can paint and place on your wall for the same look. you could even use chalkboard paint as the background color and you can chart your child's growth with chalk.



i plan on using stickers or initials for my daughter's height development. maybe i can find butterfly stickers. if i have another daughter, i will use a different type of sticker, like flowers.



see? so easy a caveman could copy it!

DIY: chalkboard tags

i love chalkboard paint. you will notice that i have used it in many projects.

i really like the idea of chalkboard paint tags for baskets. that way you can label what is in the basket. i've seen them in many magazines and stores. here is my version of it.

supplies:
- chalkboard paint (you can buy either a spray can for $5 or a quart for $10. i already owned chalkboard paint which made this project really cheap.)

- wooden squares (i found a pack of 4 at hobby lobby for 99 cents.)

- floral wire (i already owned this, but i think it cost like $1.)

- hot glue gun (prices vary)

- paint (the little bottles of acrylic vary from 67 cents on up

- chalk ($1.25)

how to:
1.) paint the squares. i painted mine white. let dry.

2.) tape off the area around where you want to paint the chalkboard paint.

3.) paint the chalkboard paint inside the square. let dry.

4.) hot glue the wire on the back of the square. let cool.

5.) using the wire, attach square to basket.

6.) after waiting (patiently) 3 days, write with chalk on the square.

if you don't want to use wire you could also use ribbon or twine.

here is how mine turned out:


total cost to me: 99 cents