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!

Jewelry tray

I saw something similar on Pinterest, so when I found this little glass tray when unpacking, I was quite excited. I painted the BACKSIDE of it, and decoupaged the paper into the sections, and: Ta-Da! Glamourous tray!

Painting Pots

I know this is nothing new, but I sure do love painting (though I'm not fantastic at it), and this week some Terra cotta pots have fallen into my hands (via the 99 cent store) and I have had trouble finding pictures to reproduce onto their curvature. When I do find images I like, I can only take pictures with my phone. Trying to paint from a picture on my phone, with the back light going off after 30 seconds, and locking after 45 seconds is incredibly tedious!! I was trying to upload the pictures from my phone, but it is apparently hemorrhaging from all the extra attention.

 This teal pot is unfinished, I have only really worked on the petals. The stems are only there for spacing, mostly; I haven't begun to shade them at all. And there is one more side that has no flowers at all...yet.

 I was going for a watercolor kind of look. Definitely not my forte. I think I may have liked it better before I added the brown sketches. I got the idea from a plate at Target.

This last one is unfinished, obviously. I have only done the background and the lip. But I like it.

A Washing We Will Go!

So, I had this genius idea to make a little wash-cloth pocket for bar soap. Ya'know, so it will lather up nice without slipping away. It actually worked out pretty well. BUT! You have to wring out the washcloth when you are done, or it kinda fuses to the soap, and neither dry. I think to upgrade this, if I make it again, I would  add a sort of plastic lining that has small holes in it.

Here's what I did:
I took a hand towel and measured around the large bar of soap my husband likes to use.
I cut an over-sized strip from the hand towel and hemmed the raw edges.
Then I folded one side over, so it would come to the top of the soap edge. I (took out the soap), held it in place and stitched the edges down (with a machine).
Then I folded the top of my "envelope" down enough to hold the soap in, but allow me to get it in and out, and I stitched it down.
The End.
  If you want more details on exactly what I did, let me know.

Homemade Deodorant

I finally made my own deodorant! I really like it. It doesn't have an annoying scent that alerts me of my current perspiring condition. I just put it on, give it a few seconds to absorb into my skin, and then go about the rest of my day. I have heard a few tell of the need to re-apply, but thus far I have found myself in no such circumstance.


For those of you who are interested, here is the recipe:

• 1/4 c. baking soda
• 1/4 c. arrowroot powder (if you can find it, otherwise use cornstarch)
• 6-8 Tbl. cocnut oil (solid state)

mix it all together. Can use hand blender, wood spoon, I used a pastry blender and it worked great! It should be about normal deodorant consistency. If it is too dry, add a little more coconut oil (i used about 7 Tbl.), if it's too wet, add more arrowroot (or cornstarch). You can even put it in your old deodorant containers! 

They say it lasts 1 person about 6 months. Here's the problem thought: Coconut oil has a very low melting temp. (76 degrees or something). So, you need to keep it cool. It's fine if you have good A/C, but if it gets too warm, yup, you guessed it! Stick it in the fridge! I would take an alternative for traveling, unless you are prepard to baggie it, and fish it out of the ice chest!  If you have any other questions about it, then check out this link: http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2010/02/homemade-all-natural-deodorant.html

www.passionatehomemaking.com is credited for the recipe and photo.

the wide-mouthed half-pint jars are a good allt. to old doedorant containers