Simple Autumn wreaths

So, I have some empty space I wanted to fill with those dried grape vine wreaths (they look like sticks). I found exactly what I was looking for in an unlikely place: the dollar aisle @ Target. I found small 7" wreaths AND loose leaves, and sunflower heads! I had lost my hot glue gun, and not finding a simple alternative to it, I set out for Michaels to procure a new one. I happened to stumble on some fall berry sprigs on sale ($0.60/ea.) and some "value-priced" ribbon. So, for a total of $6.60 I now have these!

Feelin Fall

So, I know it's only officially the 3rd day of Autumn, but I LOVE fall! I pulled out my few decorations, and found then miserably sparse! So I scavenged through my canvases, paints, and painting magazines. I combined a little together, and now I've got this little guy to put on my wall tomorrow!

Laundry likeness

I just finished a simple canvas to hang in my laundry room.

I painted an 8x10 canvas 2/3 blue on the top, and the bottom 1/3 light green. I blended some light blue into the blue sky portion. I painted two thin brown posts, one on the left and one on the right. Then I painted a thin black line draping from the top of one post to the top of the next. I painted some grass into the light green area with a darker green, then added some flowers. I cut out simple clothing shapes from some patterned paper: dresses, pants, shirts & socks. When the canvas was dry, I used decoupage to adhere the paper clothing onto the painted clothing line on the canvas. And that's it!

Growth Ruler

So, I know this isn't all that original, but I've seen this "ruler" floating around Pinterest and I've decided to make my own. It's a 1 or 2x6 that is painted with numbers and tic marks to look like a ruler. But it is about 6 feet tall, and mounted on the wall and can be used to creatively chart your children's growth and stages. Some have mounted 4x6 framed pictures on the wall beside the ruler of the kids @ each mark/stage. It's a clever sort of timeline.

I found a 2x6 that was 7 feet long, cut it down (using a combination of a miter saw and hand saw) and pulled out the sander. I had found some cans and samples of "mis-tint" paint at Lowes for $5 and $1, respectively, and used a nice light grey to cover the wood. If I had stain, I might have used that, but I don't. I just finished painting the base coat when it was time to pick up my Kindergardener from school.

So, I set up the tape measure and marked the inches from bottom to top, paying special attention to the 1/2 foot (6") and each foot mark. Starting from the bottom, I painted the tick-marks, making the 6" and foot marks more bold than the rest. Now, here is the part you have to pay attention: I placed the 1' mark @ 6"s from the bottom, and continued from there. The reason being that I can hang it 6" off the ground- for spatial/visual aesthetic, room for floor moulding, or what have you. So, the ruler will go from six inches up to six feet, six inches. Make sense? I am in the process of putting the numbers on, so I will post more pictures when I finish.

Home decor

Decoupage, canvas, a calendar & a box

I have an old calendar that I have been hanging onto for some time, and recently I have acquired some decoupage. I had an idea for making some pictures to brighten my stairway, and the calendar pictures seemed the perfect thing. I got canvases that were on sale, so they didn't fit perfectly. But with a little paint around the edges, it was an easy fix. On top of that, my husband frequently comes home with boxes from games that he empties into his collection. It seemed a shame to let such sturdy boxes go to waste, so I employed them into my collection as well. I picked up another calendar at Michaels for $2 to afford myself a wider variety, and now I have a new collection of fresh "artwork" with which to adorn my stairway. I didn't do any complicated painting, although I had been tempted to pick up some crackle paint that would have complimented the images nicely. It only took a couple hours.

Cheap decor

If you are on Pinterest, and interested in DIY projects @ crafts, you've likely seen the painted jars & vases making the rounds. I had some shelves with nothing to top them, save some un-coordinating teacups & saucers and I thought this would be the perfect addition. Best part is: I can use whatever colors I want to coordinate with the existing decor. So I used acrylic paint because it's all I've got laying around. It didn't move very well, so I added a small amount of water. In some cases it worked great, in others it created bubbles that dried fine. I had one case in which the watered part dried up & evaporated leaving a clear stripe on each side. I've read of some people using latex paint. Anyway, they look great! I found the glass vases at Michaels, Hobby Lobby and the 99 cent store. I don't think I paid more than $1.50 for any of them. Simple decor for a dollar or more!