Create a Beach Votive with a few Dollar Store Treasures.

Create a Beachy Votive with a few Dollar Store treasures.

A cheap and easy beachy decoration.

A great way to display those small shells collected on vacation.

I purchased the Parmesan Cheese Shaker* and a Flameless Candle Votive*

To make the Beachy Votive here’s what I used:                             (*affiliate link)
Disclaimer:  This blog uses ads and affiliate links.  If you choose to make a purchase using one of the links, I receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you) that helps offset the costs of maintaining this blog.  Thanks for your support!

Directions:

  • Wrap wire around a pencil for a spiral handle.

  • Using the needle nose pliers, make a small loop on each end of the wire.

  • Find two small shells with natural holes on the end.  Tie them together with a small piece of string.

  • Thread burlap ribbon through both looped ends of the wire and tie around the top of the parmesan shaker.  Add shells on string as you knot the ribbon.
  • Glue top of broken shell onto the knot of the burlap ribbon with Beacon Fabri-Tac Permanent Adhesive*.
  • Add approx. 1″ of sand into the parmesan shaker.  Add small votive and shells.

The Beachy Votive looks good with or without the lid.

How to make a Floral Chalkboard

DIY Chalkboard with Adornit…

The Floral Chalkboard makes a fun decorative Home Décor piece and is really easy to make.

To make the Floral Chalkboard you’ll need…        (*affiliate links)

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Directions:

  1. Apply an even coat of Mod Podge* over the larger Wood Bracket shape.  Lay decorative scrapbook paper over shape and smooth with your hand.

2.  Using an x-acto knife and cutting mat, cut excess paper away from the Wood Bracket.

3.  Rub Vintage Photo Distress Ink*onto the outside edges of the wood shape using the Ink Blending Tool*.

4.   Paint the smaller wood shape with the Black Chalkboard Paint*.  Add small white dots around the outside of the wood shape with the white paint marker*.

5.  Stencil the words “be Happy” onto the chalkboard using white acrylic paint and the Deco Art Americana Decor Stencil, Inspiration*.

6.  Cut a few flower shapes using the second sheet of scrapbook paper.  Apply a thin coat of Mod Podge* to the back of the flowers and glue to the front of the chalkboard.  Add decorative pearl embellishments to the inside of the flowers.

7.  Glue chalkboard to the front of the floral base using Beacon’s Quick Grip All-Purpose Permanent Adhesive*.

8.  Drill two holes on the top of the chalkboard and add Twine* for hanging.

    

This Chalkboard was sponsored by Adornit as an“it girl” Ambassador.

If you liked the Floral Chalkboard, you might also like the DIY Bloom Floral Plaque.

You can see the full tutorial here.

     

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*Disclosure:  This blog uses ads and affiliate links.  If you choose to make a purchase using one of the links, I receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you) that helps offset the costs of maintaining this blog.  Thanks for your support!

 

How to make a Chippy Window for Spring

Happy Spring!

To celebrate the first day of Spring I’m sharing how I made this cute little Chippy Window.

To make the Chippy Window…

I started with a 7gypsies 8×8 Shadowbox Insert that I painted with white acrylic paint

 

To achieve the look of an aged, worn, old chipped painted window…

I alternated layers of Deco Art Media White Crackle Paint* and

Deco Art Media White Crackle Paste* from DecoArt.

Allow plenty of drying time between each coat.

*Disclosure:  This blog uses ads and affiliate links.  If you choose to make a purchase using one of the links, I receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you) that helps offset the costs of maintaining this blog.  Thanks for your support!

For the background of the window…                                                                          

I cut a piece of 7 3/4″ x 7 3/4″ decorative scrapbook paper and adhered it to a thick piece of

mat-board.  I cut down  a couple of 3″ x 4″ journaling cards from the

“Tealightful” collection from Pebbles Inc. and adhered it to the back of the window

frame before attaching the covered mat-board.  Because the mat board is heavy,

I used a Beacon Adhesive Quick Grip Glue* to attach it to the frame.

I added loop screws onto each side of the window frame approx. 1/2″ in and added a thin chain

to the loop screws for hanging.  Ribbon would also work.

To create the floral swag

I snipped a few sprigs of artificial flowers and attached them together in the center with

a thin floral wire.  I tied a simple bow to cover the wire.

I attached the floral swag and wood embellishments to the front of the frame with

Beacon Adhesive Quick Grip Glue*   

FYI…I found the “Welcome” and “Butterfly” embellishments at Michaels.

I added the Spring Window to the center of a wreath and hung it on the front door.

I found the greenery wreath yesterday at Homegoods.  It was just what I was looking for,

the perfect backdrop for my Chippy Spring Window.

FYI…Having a problem finding a window pane to use or would like one that’s even bigger?

  (*affiliate link)

Hampton Art Jillibean Soup Mix The Media Window Frame-14 X16 White* 

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Sue’s Favorite Projects of 2016

best-of-2016

Do you ever wonder which of my projects are my favorite?

Like most DIY people, I try really hard with all (or most all) of my projects…

some of my projects are a hit and some are a miss.

And some are just my favorite…

So… I decided to share them again with you.  (just in case you might have missed one)

Enjoy!

Click on post titles for project instructions

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Graphic 45…”A Place in Time” Valentine Frame

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A little throw back Thursday…

to one of my favorite Valentine projects.  (made 4 years ago)

On the frame, I used Graphic 45’s “Place in Time” collection and a little cut and paste .

Which is now available as a Deluxe Collector Edition. 

(*affiliate link)
Graphic 45 4501470 Deluxe Collectors Edition Place In Time
*I am an Amazon Affiliate.  If you choose to purchase from Amazon using the above link, I receive a small commission that helps offset the cost of running this blog.

Splatter Painting

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After working in the booths all day on Saturday and Sunday at the Creativation Show,

I decided on Monday I was going to take some time to do something fun.

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At the show they had a clear acrylic booth set up called the “Splatter Room”.

It was sponsored by Pinspiration, 3M and DecoArts.  (so much fun!)

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Dressed in a hazmat suit and goggles…

I went to town choosing paint and splattering it onto a 12″ x 12″ canvas.

Oh, what a glorious mess.  It was the highlight of my day.

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Here’s my finished Art.  (still need to remove the masking)

I already have it hanging on the wall.

If you ever get the chance to do some Splattering.  I highly recommend it.

 

I’m home from Phoenix, but I haven’t had the chance to sift through all the pictures and stuff I brought home.  I will be sharing my journey in the next day or two.

A Joyful Village

As the Christmas Season gets closer…

I wanted to share this simple little wood project that I made for the “Creating with Joy” blog.

Being Joyful, is my goal not only at Christmas but throughout the entire year.

For my “Joyful Village”…

I  started with some wood trim scrap pieces cut into simple whimsical house shapes.

My pieces measure 4″ x 2″, 3″ x 2 3/4″ and 3 1/2″ x 2 1/4″.

I painted the house with a couple coats of Americana Decor Satin Enamels 8oz-Grey Taupe*.     (*Amazon affiliate link)

After painting the houses…                                                                             (*Amazon Affiliate Links)

      • I created a roof using Black Corrugated Paper*.
      • I added color to my white iron-on embroidered letters by dampening them and rubbing color directly onto the letters using my Distress Mini Ink Pad-Fired Brick*.
      • After the letters are dry, glue the letters onto the houses using a craft glue.
      • I created a mini wreath and mini pine swags using Pine Craft Stems*.
      • I created small number charms by printing the numbers onto white cardstock and punching with a small circle punch.  I added the numbers inside Metal Type Charms by Tim Holtz Idea-ology*.
      • I tied the charms onto the wreath and swags with thin twine and glued them onto the front of the houses along with a little tiny bow.

The village wouldn’t be complete without a cute little red truck.

I picked up the tiny red truck at the Elkhorn Flea Market in Wisconsin and I glued three little

bottle brush trees to the back of the truck.  I rubbed the trees with clear glitter glue

for added sparkle.

This project was sponsored by Joy SA and DecoArts.

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*Disclaimer:  This post uses ads and affiliate links.  If you choose to make a purchase using one of the links, I receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you) that helps offset the costs of maintaining this blog.  Thanks for your support!

Making More Sock Snowmen

It looks like everyone’s in love with making sock snowman.

They’re really easy to make, with so many ways to add personality

And…I just can’t seem to stop making these cute little guys.

This year, to add to the mix,  I decided to create a Snow family.

Mom, Dad, a couple kids, all made from socks.

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Disclaimer:  This blog uses ads and affiliate links.  If you choose to make a purchase using one of the links, I receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you) that helps offset the costs of maintaining this blog.  Thanks for your support!

snow-family-close-up-sues-creative-workshop

Here’s What You’ll Need:                    (*affiliate Links)

Here’s how I made my Snowman:

  1. Tea dye a new white sock, crew length or bigger.  Or if you have boys you could use one of their dingy ones.  (It’s better not to use a sock with the grey toe and heel.)
  2. Cut the top of the sock off, right around the heel.
  3. Turn the sock inside out and attach a rubber-band tightly around the top of the sock.  Because rubber bands wear out with time, I added a good squirt of Beacon Fabri-Tac Permanent Adhesive* in and around the rubber band.  (I left the rubber band on)
  4. Turn the sock right side out and fill sock about 1/2 way with rice.
  5. Fill the remaining portion of the sock with fiber-fill.
  6. Wrap a piece of twine or string tightly around the top of the sock to close the sock.
  7. Tie a piece of twine about 1/3 down around sock to create the head.
  8. I used mini black buttons for his eyes, the tip of a bamboo skewer colored orange for his nose and a simple sewn black thread for his mouth.  I purchased a small felt hat from JoAnn’s Fabrics for Dad’s hat.  I added a band around the hat using a small folded piece of flannel.
  9.  For the flannel hat… Cut a piece of flannel that will go around the head of the snowman.  Create a band on the hat by adding and gluing a fold on the long end of the flannel.  Glue flannel together to create a “tube”.  Allow to fully dry.  Glue onto snowman.  Tie top of the tube with twine to create hat. Trim if needed.
  10. Dress with Snowman with part of an old sock.  Add a couple of buttons for added detail.  A  fringed piece of fabric works great for the scarf.
  11. For the kids… I used the left over piece of sock from the original snowman to create a smaller version.

snowman-couple-with-red-buffalo-plaid-sues-creative-workshop

And because I’m really into Red Buffalo Plaid again this year…

I made this cute little Snow Couple too.

The Snowmen measure approximately 7 1/2″ .

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DIY…”Merry” Canvas

Make the holidays “Merry” with this mini decorated canvas.

Create frosty, glittery goodness with this fun mini canvas project.

To make the Merry Canvas you’ll need:                                      *affiliate link

*Disclosure… This blog uses ads and affiliate links.  If you choose to make a purchase using one of the links, I receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you) that helps offset the costs of maintaining this blog.  Thanks for your support!

Directions:

  • Wrap twine around canvas and embellish with jingle bells, greenery and bow.

“This is a sponsored post.  As a member of the Joy® Design Team I have been provided product and compensation in exchange for my creative ideas.  The views and opinions are my own.

Holiday Diamond Art

Christmas Carol Set - 25 Favorite Songs, Delicious Holiday Recipes, Party Ideas & More!

Holiday Centerpiece or Party Serving Stand

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Tis the season for Holiday Parties and decorating…

around my house, it’s starting to kick in full steam.

Instead of stressing out, I try to create items with more than one purpose.

My Holiday Centerpiece also works wonderful as a Party Serving Stand.

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I started with a Deflecto 3 Tier Dessert Stand* (affiliate link),

wrapping paper, glue stick and cutting mat.

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  • I traced around all three of my circles onto the back of the wrapping paper.
  • Apply the glue stick generously around and inside the circle.  Lay circle onto wrapping paper and smooth out any air bubbles.  (The nice thing about using wrapping paper and a glue stick is that you can easily remove the paper and glue by soaking stand in warm water.)
  • Trim around circle and inside channels using a craft knife and cutting mat.

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  • Glue lace around the outside of each circle and assemble stand.

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Add ribbon and holly berries and you’re ready for a party.

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Or add small ornaments and decorations for a fun Holiday Centerpiece.

“This is a sponsored post. As a member of the Deflecto Design Team I have been provided product in exchange for my creative ideas, views and opinions.”

Disclaimer:  This blog uses ads and affiliate links.  If you choose to make a purchase using one of the links, I receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you) that helps offset the costs of maintaining this blog.  Thanks for your support!

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