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Posts Tagged ‘decorating’

Party Decoration Idea: Photo Lanterns

In Crafts, Tutorials on February 10, 2010 at 8:00 am

As if you haven’t heard enough about Elle’s Chinese birthday party, this is my last post about a last minute decoration idea for the party. I made paper lanterns with photos from her 1 year photo shoot hanging from the ceiling. Quick decoration requires a quick tutorial.

Supplies:

paper
something round for a circular pattern
photos
glue stick
string
clear tape

1. Make paper lantern. Fold lengthwise. Make 1″ marks all the way across the folded end of the paper. Then cut from fold to about 1″ away from the open end of the paper.

2. Glue the two short ends of the paper to make the lantern.

3. Glue a strip of paper as the handle at the top end of the lantern.

4. Using something circular to trace circles on the photo. Then use the same pattern to trace circles on matching paper. Cut them out.

5. Using about a yard of strong per lantern hanging, tie string at the handle of the lantern. Make sure to leave about 12 inches of string above the handle to hang from ceiling. Put the string through the inside of the lantern.

6. Glue photo to the circular paper backing with the remaining string in between the photo and the backing. Do to both photos or however many photos you want to dangle under the lantern. On the last photo, make sure the string ends in the middle so you don’t have a string coming out of the bottom of the photo.

7. Hang from ceiling with tape.

What are some of your party decoration ideas? I need ideas for the next birthday party… Nathan’s 30th.

Tags

decorating, ideas, party

▶ 3 Comments

BTB Tips: Custom Framing

In Arts, Back to Basics on February 1, 2010 at 9:00 am

My years of working as a custom framer I have one advice to give for picking out frames and mats for whatever it is you are framing. Make sure you design the frame and matting to fit the image/picture you are framing. Don’t pick out styles or colors to match where you want to put the picture.

Surprisingly, that is one of the biggest mistakes people make. They know where it is going to go in their house, so they pick out that bright blue mat to match the wall coloring. Ooops. What happens when you repaint the wall? Or when you want to put the frame somewhere else in the house?

Tags

decorating, design, tips

▶ 3 Comments

Friday’s 5 at 5: Bunk Beds

In Friday's 5 at 5, Products on January 22, 2010 at 5:00 am

I am a bit eager to bunk Elle and Kaye. I was looking at some bunk beds last weekend and found my favorite five. Well, the pink one was actually Kaye’s favorite because it’s pink. Click on images to see where I found them.

Tags

decorating, lists, shopping

▶ 4 Comments

Original Artwork Bird Tree Canvases

In Arts on January 11, 2010 at 9:00 am

I can’t help it. I am kind of proud of this one. This was my very first canvas artwork. I have always wanted to do one. Just didn’t know what to do. Now that I finally did it, I love it. And thank you for all your kind words regarding my first original canvas painting. If you know me, you would know that I’m not the painting, drawing artistic type. So this was quite the accomplishment for me.

This is how the Bird tree canvases came about. Yes, uppercase B because we are the Birds. During the process of making over our bedroom, I couldn’t find a canvas print that I liked and large enough to fill the huge empty wall. I am extremely selective about the artwork in our home. Part of it is my love for art. Part of it is my many years of framing art professionally and seeing exquisite as well as horrendous artwork.

Many of you know of my love for trees. So I thought, a few days before the big bedroom reveal, that I could attempt to paint a huge tree. I sketched and sketched and came up with a design of a large tree. But when I went to purchase the canvas, I couldn’t find the size I wanted. I ended up purchasing two medium size ones. Hm… back to the sketchbook for a second design that uses both canvases.

With some inspiration and suggestions from Nathan, I decided it would be two separate trees. But when put together could look like perhaps it is one tree. I sketched the trees onto canvases then painted it. I used magazine pages for the leaves to add color and uniqueness. I had plenty of magazines to scrap.

Now this is my favorite part of the canvases. The two blue birds and the birdhouse. They have personal meanings to them. The birds: Our last name, Bird. Since this goes in our room, there are only two birds. In other words, no kids allowed. Just a little reminder for us to make each other first in our lives. The birdhouse: Our home. Then I Mod Podge the whole thing a few times and sprayed it with a sealant.

Some of you have asked if I would be willing to reproduce this Bird tree canvases and sell it. I am flattered that some of you like it enough where you would want to have it in your house, too. Wow. First, since the leaves came from magazine pages, I can’t make exact replicas of the canvases. Second, it would be quite costly due to the size of the canvases (24″ x 36″) and the amount of time it takes to create it. Then there’s the shipping cost for something this big. Taking these two points into consideration, if you are still interested in purchasing this then email me at tiffany{at}simplymodernmom{dot}com.

Thanks for all your positive feedbacks. I read all your emails and comments. I love hearing from you.

P.S. My watermark logo isn’t really on the painting. It’s on the photos.

Tags

decorating, design, favorites, reuse

▶ 34 Comments

Hours Before the Photo Shoot

In Home on January 8, 2010 at 9:00 am

Messy room and no corner shelves.

Hours before the photo shoot of our bedroom we were still putting things together. Goes to show I DO need deadlines. We were pressed for time as we had a few consecutive dark and rainy days here. I couldn’t take pictures since I used natural lighting in all my photos. I finally scheduled the photo shoot for the day before the reveal when it was forecasted to be sunny outside.

Either way, we still had tons to get done before the shoot. The morning of the shoot I was still finishing up one of the drapes, putting wire on the tree canvases I painted and cleaning up the room. Nathan was out exchanging wall shelves and putting them up along with the canvases. Just wanted you to know that we are like every other family out there. However, I do have an amazing husband who took time off work to help me pull it off in time. No complaints. Just kept asking me, “What can I do next?” Isn’t he great?

My handy man, Nathan helping me put up the canvases. He is very precise with his measurements for wall hangings. I love it.

Elle wanted to help, too. She loved playing with daddy's tools and going through mommy's bags.

Tags

cleaning, decorating, organizing, photos, thoughts

▶ 6 Comments

Friday’s 5 at 5: Leftover Master Bedroom Projects

In Friday's 5 at 5, Home on January 8, 2010 at 5:00 am

Although the bedroom has been revealed, there are still a few things I want to change and do to our room. Many of you have all ready noticed and mentioned many of the things I still want to improve in our bedroom…

Light fixture/ceiling fan. I thought about finding a beautiful chandelier for it, but we really need a ceiling fan since we live in the South. I would like to upgrade to a nicer ceiling fan. This is our current ceiling fan. Just the basic model that the builder put in when they built the house.
Bed skirt. Many of you saw this. This blue one was from when we were first married. We thought we wanted to do a beach theme to our room. Oh were we wrong. This will probably be the first thing to be replaced.
Alarm clock. The clock on my bedside table I got while in college. I want to trade it for an antique looking silver clock.
A few more decoration pieces. We still have a few empty spaces in the room where we can add more decoration. I would like to find things to go in the cube shelf at the end of the bed.
A reading chair. I would like a comfy reading chair in this empty corner. It’ll be a place I can cozy up with a quilt and read on a rainy day.

Tags

decorating, lists

▶ 1 Comment

Bedroom Makeover Q&A

In Home on January 7, 2010 at 9:00 am

Thank you, thank you. Thanks so much for all your comments, suggestions and questions regarding my master bedroom makeover. I was overjoyed by the responses. Many of you gave great suggestions and I will be working on those next. Many of you also asked wonderful questions that I wanted to answer…

Why are the empty wall frames so high above the bed?

Two reasons actually. One, Nathan and I both like to sit up in our bed leaning up against the wall for support. We do this mostly as we read in bed. Having the frames lower would mean it would be in the way of our heads or backs when we lean against the wall. Two, Nathan pointed out that eventually, when we do get a headboard for the bed, the frames should be high enough where we can keep them there. You can call it laziness.

How much did you end up spending making over the room?

Knobs on the wall — $32 for 4 (used a gift card we redeemed with our credit card points)
Wall paint — $32 for 2 gallons (used a gift card we redeemed with our credit card points)
Corner shelves — $20 for 2
Decorations from HomeGoods — $200 gift card from The Inspired Room and I think I went over by $17
Thrift store frames — $15 for 4
White spray paint — $15 for 3 cans (used coupons)
Drapery fabric — $20 for 6 yards (on sale + coupon)
Drapery rod set — $13 (on sale + coupon)
Blank canvases — $30 for 2 (on sale 40% off)

Total out of pocket expenses: $130

Everything else we had in the house.

What brand of paint did I use to paint the room?

I love Ralph Lauren paints. And Polaris comes from their Thoroughbred Collection. RL has the best colors. All the colors in my home comes from RL. However, I have yet to use actual RL paint on my walls. It’s a bit too pricy for our budget at this time. So I get Home Depot to match the RL colors. One day though, I will be using the actual RL paints. Some day.

Where can I find the tree canvases on your wall?

I am glad so many of you share the same obsession I have with trees. In fact, the other day Nathan and I watched (500) Days of Summer for the first time and in the scene where they were at a wedding reception at night I noticed the gorgeous tree. I said aloud, “I love that tree!” By then, the scene had passed and Nathan said, “There was a tree?” He had to go back to that scene to see what I was talking about. Trees. Love them.

Anyway, the tree canvases is an original artwork by myself. I have a whole post dedicated to the tree canvases I made coming next Monday.

Why are the shelves placed so high?

Two reasons. One, I like to use the high spaces in the room. I think it makes the room look taller. Two, Nathan is relatively tall, 6′2″ to be exact. He comes from a family of giants. The shortest member of his family is his mother at 5′6″. One of his youngest brothers, a twin, is 6′6″. So when we put thing at eye level on the wall, it’s a bit higher for Nathan. Which is fine with me (at 5′6″ myself) in some instances because I have a fear of running into things and hitting my face if it is exactly at my eye level. Maybe I’m a klutz?

Why don’t you put artwork or something in those empty frames?

I am plain and simple. You probably all ready knew this about me seeing the design of Simply Modern Mom. But may I add the word elegance in there? I like to describe my taste as simple and elegant. I enjoy lots of white spaces, open spaces and empty spaces. It’s another way I feel relaxed. I think we all need to bring back the white space. Simplicity is good in a world of busyness.

Although, some of you have given me some great suggestions about what I can put in the frames if I ever decide to do so. Probably some natural elements coming straight out of my backyard.

Why don’t you have more colors in the room?

It was intended to have Polaris as the color in the room. Then white everywhere else. That’s our how we define tranquil and relaxation. The bed spread, guitar, a couple of the bowls and tree canvases provide a few other colors in the room.

Please keep asking questions. I love answering them. Maybe I should do Q&As more often. What do you think?

Tags

decorating, design, questions, tips

▶ 1 Comment

DIY Mounting Knobs on Walls

In Home, Tutorials on January 6, 2010 at 9:01 am

I think knobs can be such great decorations on the wall, especially antique knobs. We have knobs in the children’s playroom to hang their artwork. The ones in this tutorial were for our master bedroom room to hang frames above our bed. There are so many other decorations you can hang on these knobs mounted on walls. But first, let’s learn how to mount them. It’s easier than you think. Don’t forget about the tutorial on how to reuse frames to make ribbon hanging wall frames.

Supplies:

cabinet knobs or any types of knobs that uses screws
strong bolt cutter
screws (most store bought knobs come with screws)
wall anchors that fits screw size
electric drill
hammer

1. Use the bolt cutter and cut off the closed end of the screw.

2. Measure where you would like to hang the knob and drill a hole. Look on the wall anchor packaging to see what size drill bit you need.

3. Place the wall anchor in the hole and hammer it flat into the wall.

4. Screw the knob into one end of the double open ended screw.

5. Screw the other end of the screw into the anchor all ready in the wall.

Tags

decorating

▶ 6 Comments

DIY Ribbon Hanging Wall Frames

In Home, Tutorials on January 6, 2010 at 9:00 am

I decided to make hanging wall frames and the knobs as two separate posts. These are the frames that hang over our bed substituting a headboard. A cheap and simple solution that can decorate any plain walls in the house. Having worked as a custom framer for four years in college, I knew how to do the frames pretty easily. I knew exactly what to look for in a good sturdy frame as I searched the thrift stores. And don’t forget the tutorial on how to mount knobs on the wall for the complete look.

Supplies:

wooden frames
screw eyes (2 for each frame)
ribbons
spray paint
paint primer or a sander if the frame has a seal on it.
measuring tape
awl
hammer

1. Take out the glass, backing, artwork and any matting that were in the frame.

2. Wipe the wooden frames with a slightly dampened cloth or paper towel. Allow to dry completely.

3. If the frames have a sealant on the wood, you will need to cover it with paint primer or sand it down to the original wood. And if you sand it, make sure you wipe off all the dust with a clean damped cloth or paper towel. Then let it dry completely.

4. Spray paint the frames. I used Krylon’s spray paint and it worked great getting the sides and creases of the frames.

5. Remove any staples that held the glass and backing of the artwork using a flathead or pliers.

6. Measure and mark where you want the screw eyes to go. Since you will be tying ribbon to it, you will want it closer to the top corners that will hide the ribbons better. Do to both sides of the frame.

7. Use the awl and hammer to punch a small hole in the back of the frame. It doesn’t need to be very deep, but deep enough where it can hold the screw eye while you screw it in the frame. Do to both sides of the frame.

8. Screw the screw eyes into the holes. Do to both sides.

9. Cut and tie ribbons through the screw eye holes. Do to both sides.

Finished! And with the finished product, you can put artwork in them, or put vinyl lettering on the walls within the frames or hang other items or decor within the frames. The ideas are endless. What would you do?

Tags

decorating

▶ 7 Comments

Master Bedroom Makeover Reveal

In Home on January 5, 2010 at 9:01 am

This is now my favorite room in the house… and currently the only clean room in the house. The makeover for our bedroom began in October when I won the gift card to HomeGoods from The Inspired Room. Since then it has been a journey. One that I could see never ending if I didn’t commit to a deadline. And today is it.

Nathan and I talked about what we wanted for this room, our room… tranquility, relaxation and peace. We wanted a room inspired by nature and the color white. When we shopped at HomeGoods, we were drawn to all the white decorations in the store. We purchased beautiful decorations for the room using the $200 gift card. We also bought a drapery rod on Black Friday. Then I made simple drapes, actually two set of drapes. The first set were too cream colored for me. Those will be going in another room. And we painted the room a grayish blue color called Polaris. I am in love with this color. Everything else is accented with white and nickel colored metal.

Here we go with the before (and more before info here) and the after pictures…

So, what do you think? I love it. Other things we’ve done to the room… First, the craft supplies from the cubed bookshelf are now in my newly finagled craft closet downstairs. I needed a place where ALL my craft stuff can call home rather than some here some there throughout our house.

Second, the ugly covered green couch has relocated to the children playroom. That’s something they can spill on and jump on without me worrying about it.

Third, still no bed frame or headboard. But I concocted a simple solution using thrift store frames, ribbons and door knobs. Tutorial for this coming tomorrow.

Forth, at the last minute (as in last Thursday), I came up with an idea to paint a tree on canvas for one of the large empty walls in the room. I have an obsession for trees. Nothing more beautiful in nature than trees. I finished the canvas painting right before the photo shoot with only one layer of sealant. I will be finishing it up this weekend. But it did make it in the shoot. More on this tree canvas in a later post.

Fifth, my parents gave me the wall shelves that I asked Santa for this Christmas. Then we purchased a couple corner shelves. It worked out perfectly. Nathan also sanded the square framed mirrors and spray painted them white.

Sixth, we moved the cubed shelf to the end of our bed and filled with with white colored spine books. Minor details.

And lastly, the filing cabinet moved into our closet and replaced with this table purchased from HomeGoods.

That’s it. That’s the tour of our new room. Any suggestions?

Tags

decorating, ideas, organizing

▶ 91 Comments

Goodies from HomeGoods

In Home on January 4, 2010 at 9:00 am

September 3, 2009: I entered our despairing master bedroom in a contest at The Inspired Room. Melissa of The Inspired Room was giving away $200 gift cards to HomeGoods. This was when our bedroom was the storage room for all things that didn’t fit anywhere else in the house. Hence, despairing. See link for proof.

October 2, 2009: The winners were announced for the HomeGoods gift cards giveaway and Melissa picked me as one of the winners! And the journey of our bedroom makeover began.

This week I will focus on our bedroom and the transformation it has gone through since winning the gift card. Tomorrow will be my big ta-da! bedroom reveal. There will be an abundance of before and after shots. And I won’t forget about posting about our first date night for Project 52: Date Nights. Wednesday I will post a few home decor tutorials. Thursday, we will hear from Melissa giving priceless tips for the home. She is an amazing woman. Someone who really knows how to decorate. Lastly, I’ll have Friday’s 5 at 5’s list of things I still need to do to our room. It’s an never ending project, isn’t it?

Now back to how I spent my $200 gift card at HomeGoods. It was so much fun spending money that doesn’t come out of my own pocket. I had never stepped foot in a HomeGoods before until that day. Shopping at HomeGoods was a treasure hunt. There will always be something new each time you go in, never know what to expect. If they have it, they have it. If they don’t, check back next time. Or that may be the last one they will ever have. It was adventurous hunting for the best bargain and matching decors. I had to really control myself from purchasing items for the kids’ rooms, bathrooms or the kitchen. I was dedicated to spending the full $200 on just our bedroom. I made three HomeGoods trips before spending all $200.

I gave you a sneak peek back in November of some of the items I purchased. Now you can look…

2 torch lamps… just my style.

1 large milk jug and 2 sets of the dry plants.

2 lanterns.

4 gorgeous flower vases. I absolutely love these.

Another view of the vases.

1 clear vase and 1 package of natural potpourri to go in it. Our room smells divine.

1 set of weaved fruits and 2 bowls to put them in…

1 jewelry tree stand I have been wanting eons ago.

1 table with a drawer.

2 metal wall hangings.

Tags

decorating, shopping, store, winners

▶ 5 Comments

Twisted Paper Snowflake Tutorial

In Crafts, Holidays, Tutorials on December 23, 2009 at 9:01 am

I am being featured on Bloom today! Emily of Bloom invited me to guest post on their site and I was more than excited to do so. I even came up with a forth snowflake design for the special occasion. If you haven’t been over to Bloom before, you will have to visit. Anne and Emily of Bloom are full great articles about family and motherhood.

Back to the snowflake. I got a bit crazy with this one… probably because I have been cooped up in my house for the last few days. But did you noticed that this time I used double sided cardstock paper? Yes, I upgraded my snowflakes. This is the last one I promise. I’m sure you’re quite sick of them now. Just in case you are not, here is a picture and links to the other three previous snowflakes. The piping paper snowflake, the twirly paper snowflake and the cookie cutter paper snowflake. This twisted paper snowflake (nicknamed crazy octopus) is a combination of both the piping and twirly snowflake.

Supplies:

cardstock paper
8 markers, pens or pencils
4 pipe cleaners/chenille
paper cutter, scissors
ribbon, string or thread
needle
hole punch or other embellishments for the center
glue
low adhesive tape

1. Cut 9 strips of cardstock 3/4″ x 6″.

2. Place glue at one end of the first strip. Then make a ring, only to one strip of cardstock.

3. Fold one end of the remainder 8 strips at 3/4″.

4. Tape one of the strip diagonally to the markers, then wrap it around and tape the second end. Do to all 8 strips. Allow the paper to settle for at least an hour. The longer the better.

5. While waiting for the twists to settle. Take your pipe cleaners and mark at the edge of the ring where the holes need to be. There will be 8 holes all evenly spaced.

6. Unwrap the twisted strips then apply glue to the end where you had previously folded at 3/4″.

7. Glue the strips of twisted paper onto the ring according to the markings previously made with the pipe cleaners. Make sure they are all equally spaced.

8. Use a small hole punch or scrapbooking hole punch with hammer tools to punch holes in the middle of each glued ends on the ring.

9. Pull the pipe cleaners through the holes across from each other. Then wrap the curls around the pipe cleaners.

10. Trim off excess pipe cleaner ends.

11. Use needle to attach ribbon or thread to the snowflake to hang. Optional, apply embellishments to center of the snowflake.

Tags

christmas, decorating, design

▶ 4 Comments

Gingerbread Houses ‘09

In Food, Holidays on December 16, 2009 at 9:01 am

Our family holiday tradition, building gingerbread houses. It’s a contest although none of us actually declare a winner. We all trash talk each other houses and declare ourselves the winner. Enjoy our parade of homes gingerbread style. I built the one pictured above and the back of the house is pictured below. It has a pond in the front of the house and French back doors. That Twizzler sticking out of the ground was supposed to be a fountain. Didn’t work out the way I expected it to, so now I call it a small tree.

Tags

christmas, decorating, design, families, friends

▶ 2 Comments

Blanket Stitch Christmas Stockings

In Crafts, Holidays on December 15, 2009 at 9:01 am

I can’t take credit for this one. My amazingly talented and fun spirited friend, Marcie, came up with the patterns and designs for my stockings. This is actually a set of six stockings… gingerbread men and a candy cane are the other two designs. See all six designs below. They were so simple and cheap to make -felt, fleece, floss, buttons and scrap fabric. It’s a simple blanket stitch all the way around. I was able to finish all six in one day.

Tags

christmas, decorating, design, friends, ideas, sewing

▶ 17 Comments

DIY Microwavable Dough Ornaments

In Crafts, Holidays, Tutorials on December 14, 2009 at 9:01 am

A tradition Nathan and I started when we were dating was add a new ornament to our tree each year. Something that reminds us of that particular year. Last year, we couldn’t find any store ornaments that represented our year, so I decided we would make our own microwaveable salt dough ornament. It was quick and easy with only THREE ingredients for the dough.

Supplies:

2 cups flour
1 cup salt
3/4 cup hot water
toothpicks
cookie cutters
rolling pin
microwavable glass plate
paint, acrylic or tempera
glitter, optional
Mod Podge
paint brushes
ribbons
cooling rack

1. In a bowl, mix together the three ingredients – flour, salt, and water. Mix well, then roll flat on a flat surface (counter or table top). You will want the ornaments to be less than 1/2″ thick.

2. Using cookie cutters, cut out the ornaments.

3. Use the toothpick to make a whole at the top of the ornament to string ribbons through for hanging.

4. Place similar sized ornaments onto a microwavable glass plate. Heat in microwave until water has evaporated from the mixture. And since all microwaves are different, I would start out heating 2 minutes, check it, then continue in 30-second or 1-minute increments. If you heat too long, the top and bottom of the ornaments may start to brown. A little browning may be OK if you use a darker paint color over it. And most ornaments will crinkle a bit at the top. There is not much you can do about that except sand it down later. The ornaments will be extremely hot.

5. Allow the ornaments to cool on the cooling rack. Then paint. Once the paint is dry, you will want to seal it with a couple layers of Mod Podge.

6. String a ribbon through the hole and hang on tree.

Tags

children, christmas, decorating, families, ideas

▶ 9 Comments

Tatertots & Jello Giveaway

In Events, Giveaway on December 8, 2009 at 9:00 am

**This giveaway is closed. Winner will be announced Dec. 23.**

I may have to call Jennifer of Tatertots and Jello the burlap master. It is incredible the things she has made from burlap. Week after week I am once again impressed by her originality with countless uses of burlap. The best part, she has created tutorials for many of her inventions. However, she is not only good with burlap, her blog is full of other fun and innovative ideas for the home. She is a mother of four who loves to craft, decorate and find ways to make life more beautiful. Go meet Jennifer now, you will love her stuff.

Jennifer is graciously giving away 3 of her burlap gifts. The first winner will receive a burlap magnetic board. The second and third winner will each receive a burlap bracelet. All pictured below. This giveaway includes all my international readers for the bracelets. The winner of the magnet board will have to reside within the U.S. Just everyone enter and I will figure it out when the winners are announced.

To enter, do ANY of the following. For multiple entries, do more than one and make sure you leave a separate comment for each entry.

Leave a comment below and tell me what is something you can’t do without in the winter season.
Go to Tatertots & Jello and tell me your favorite thing Jennifer has made.
Blog about this giveaway and leave a link to your post in a separate comment.
‘Share’ this giveaway by doing one of the ‘Share’ options below (Twitter, Facebook, Kirtsy, StumbleUpon, or Email).
Subscribe to Simply Modern Mom by RSS, email or Twitter. All ready subscribing? Just tell me in a separate comment.

This giveaway will close Tuesday, Dec. 15 at 10 p.m. EST. The winner will be announced Tuesday, Dec. 22. To see a list of other giveaways going on now for the Winter Days Giveaways, click on the image below or see the list at the top right bar.

And don’t forget about your surprise. Each entry you do for any of these sponsored giveaways during The Winter Days Giveaways will automatically enter you to win a set of my fake mustaches on a stick! So the more entries you do, the better chance you have of winning the sponsor’s prize as well as a set of fake mustaches. Enter away and good luck!

Tags

decorating, fashion, websites

▶ 169 Comments

Twirly Paper Snowflake Tutorial

In Crafts, Holidays, Tutorials on December 7, 2009 at 8:59 am

Last of the 3 part snowflake tutorial series. Hope you have been having fun making the other two snowflakes, cookie cutter paper snowflake and piping paper snowflake. Then a surprise forth snowflake, the twisted paper snowflake.

Measurements and sizes are according to the snowflakes I made for this tutorial. You can adjust to make a snowflake bigger, smaller or fuller.

Supplies:

cardstock paper (must use a thick type paper like cardstock)
paper cutter, scissors
pens, pencils or markers
stapler
ribbon, string or thread
low adhesive tape
hole punch or other embellishments for the center
glue

1. Cut your paper into 1/2″ x 6″ strips. Cut 6 strips.

2. Tape one end of the strip diagonally to a pen, pencil or marker. Twist the rest of the strip around the marker, then tape the second end. Do to all 6 strips. Let it sit for about an hour or so.

3. Unravel the paper from the marker.

4. Take two of the curled paper and join them together in the center, they are across from each other. Then take two more curled paper and space it evenly between the previous two strips.

5. Staple that first portion in the center.

6. Take the last two strips and space it evenly on the open part of the snowflake. Staple it again. You may want to staple a few more times to keep the strips secured.

7. Hole punch a different colored paper and glue the punched circles to the center, covering the staples. Or add other types of embellishments.

8. String it with ribbon or strings using glue or tape on the back.

Tags

christmas, decorating, design

▶ 23 Comments

V & Co. Giveaway

In Events, Giveaway on December 4, 2009 at 9:00 am

2009 11 11_0642_edited-1

**This giveaway is closed. Winner will be announced Dec. 18.**

Oh yes. The ever so popular Vanessa of V & Co. is doing a giveaway on SMM! What I love about Vanessa is that she is so generous and supportive of everyone. I can’t imagine what her daily schedule is like being a mommy and a designer of beautiful things. She has been busy putting out a new project week after week at So You Think You’re Crafty and putting out tutorials of her creative crafts. Go vote for her there.

Vanessa has a shop, Uptown Jane, where she sells some of her crafts and PDF patterns of her gorgeous crafts such as pillows, home decors and her famous fabric bracelet.

Vanessa is giving away 4 of her PDF patterns to ONE winner. The winner will pick any four patterns from her shop. Lucky you! And since the patterns are in PDF form, it will be emailed to you instantly. It also means this giveaway is opened to all the international readers.

To enter, do ANY of the following. For multiple entries, do more than one and make sure you leave a separate comment for each entry.

Leave a comment below and tell me what kinds of tutorials you would like to see more of on SMM.
Go to Vanessa’s shop Uptown Jane and tell me your favorite product there.
Blog about this giveaway and leave a link to your post in a separate comment.
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This giveaway will close Friday, Dec. 11 at 10 p.m. EST. The winner will be announced Friday, Dec. 18. To see a list of other giveaways going on now for the Winter Days Giveaways, click on the image below or see the list at the top right bar.

Tags

decorating, sewing, websites

▶ 282 Comments

Piping Paper Snowflake Tutorial

In Crafts, Holidays, Tutorials on November 30, 2009 at 8:59 am

Continuing with the 3 part snowflake tutorial, this is #2. Here is the cookie cutter paper snowflake, the twirly snowflake and then a surprise forth snowflake, the twisted paper snowflake. See all three in the picture below. And if you make this, please link up in the comments so I can check it out!

Measurements and sizes are according to the snowflakes I made for this tutorial. You can adjust to make a snowflake bigger, smaller or fuller.

Supplies:

cardstock paper
pipe cleaners/chenille
paper cutter
ribbon, string or thread
needle
hole punch or other embellishments for the center
glue

1. Cut cardstock paper into 3/4″ x 6″ strips. Cut 7 strips.

2. Glue the strips into circles.

3. Use the hole punch to punch holes into the circled strips. I used a scrapbook hole punch and hammer for smaller holes. Gently bent the circle in half then punched a hole through both sides so it comes out even. Do only to 6 circles.

4. To do the holes for the center circle, lay the chenille over the circle like the picture below and mark with a pencil where all 6 holes will go.

5. Then repeat step 3, but do it three times ending up with 6 holes.

6. Pull chenille through the holes, aligning the circled strips in place. Trim off excess chenille.

7. Glue the outer circled strips at their touching points.

8. String it with ribbon or strings using a needle.

Tags

christmas, decorating, design

▶ 16 Comments

Cookie Cutter Paper Snowflake Tutorial

In Crafts, Holidays, Tutorials on November 24, 2009 at 12:38 am

It is winter, meaning snowflake season. I designed three simple paper snowflakes you can use as decorations, tree ornaments or just something to get you in the mood for snow. I am not a snow person myself, however, I do like decorative snowflakes. I made these snowflakes with single colored cardstock. Next time, I’m planning on using designed double sided cardstock.

I am doing each snowflake tutorial separately to prevent extra long posts. Here’s the piping paper snowflake tutorial, the twirly snowflake and then a surprise forth snowflake, the twisted paper snowflake. If you make some snowflakes, please leave a link or email me so I can see these snowflakes in action.

Measurements and sizes are according to the snowflakes I made for this tutorial. You can adjust to make snowflake bigger, smaller or fuller.

Supplies:

cardstock paper
paper cutter
ribbon, string or thread
needle
hole punch or other embellishments for the center
glue

1. Cut cardstock paper into 3/4″ x 6″ strips. Cut 7 strips.

2. Fold one end of the strips at 1/4″. Do to all the strips.

3. Keeping the 1/4″ folded, fold the strip in half.

4. Open the half and fold in the two ends, with the 1/4″ still folded, into the center.

5. Apply glue to the 1/4″ portion of the strip and glue the other end to it. It should be diamond shaped.

6. On the outside of the diamond, apply glue to the center point and to the left point of the strip. Then attach a second diamond strip to that. Continue until all diamonds are glued together at the center and the touching points.

7. Hole punch a different colored paper and glue the punched circles to the center. Or add other types of embellishments.

8. String it with ribbon or strings using a needle.

Tags

christmas, decorating, design

▶ 27 Comments

Did You See Me on Tangled & True?

In Crafts, Featured, Holidays on November 17, 2009 at 9:01 am

Did you see me yesterday on Tangled & True? The lovely Brittany from Tangled & True invited me to be a guest on her blog and I posted the Thanksgiving garland that is super simple to make. You can also find the tutorial on my TUTORIAL page or this link. Thanks, Brittany, for allowing me to experience Tangled & True. It was fun!

Tags

decorating, ideas, thanksgiving, websites

▶ Comment

Thanksgiving Garland Tutorial

In Holidays, Tutorials on November 16, 2009 at 8:21 pm

I love this time of year when we reflect on the many things we are grateful for in our lives. The last couple of years, I wanted to teach my 3-year-old Kaye to express gratitude for the many blessings in her life. Thus began the tradition of our Thanksgiving countdown. A little tradition that began with construction paper chain links a few years ago. The main idea: Write down one thing we are grateful for each day in November. Each member in the family participate in writing down things they count as blessings. Then we display it somewhere visible as a daily reminder of the things appreciate in our blessed lives.

This year, I upgraded the construction paper chain links to a leafy garland. Here is a simple tutorial for you to count your blessings in November with a garland.

Supplies:

paper – white, scrapbook, paper bags, construction, printer, etc.
scissor
pencil
pens
raffia

1. Draw your leaf pattern. If you need inspiration, collect some fallen leaves outside then trace. You will want to make the stem about 1″ long. Then cut out the pattern.

2. Trace the leaf pattern on various different types of paper. Trace 30 leaves for each day in November.

3. Crumble the paper with the tracing on it. Then smooth out and cut.

4. Give each family members a few leaves and have them write their blessings.

5. This is an optional step, but it makes the garland look fuller. Cut out smaller size leaves to put in between the large leaves. Luckily, I had a large leaf punch.

6. Gather about 6 or 9 strands of raffia then tie a knot on one end.

7. Begin braiding. Braid about 3-4″ before adding leaves into your braid, sticking the stem of the leaf into your braid.

8. If you are using the small leaves for a fuller garland, insert the small ones into some of the braids between the larger leaves. Keep going until all the leaves are gone or you have reached your desired length. Make sure to do 3-4″ of plain braids before ending the raffia with a knot. If you need a longer length, add more raffia into the braid.

A back and finished view of the garland.

If you make this garland this Thanksgiving, please leave a link to a picture of it so I can check it out!

Tags

children, decorating, families, ideas, lists, thanksgiving

▶ 27 Comments

Master Bedroom Sneak Peek

In Home on November 11, 2009 at 9:00 am

Remember way back when I won that $200 gift card to HomeGoods from The Inspired Room for our despairing master bedroom? Well, I finally got around to doing something with it this last weekend. I was so excited when it arrived in the mail, I was geared up to go shopping. But then things got crazy around here and it got put on the back burner. I visited our nearby HomeGoods and I didn’t find anything I totally loved. So we planned a trip to another HomeGoods quite a ways away and scored some great deals on some fabulous stuff. I’m still not through with the shopping yet, still $60 left on my card. But here’s a sneak peek to a few things I bought. The full reveal will come when we have a moment to clean and decorate. What do you think?

Tags

decorating, shopping, winners

▶ 7 Comments

Adorn That Door With Wreaths

In Crafts, Home, Inspirations on November 4, 2009 at 9:00 am

To tell you the truth, I own only two wreaths. Some of my neighbors have one for every season and they keep the off season ones hanging in the garage. I see them when I walk by and wonder if I should be ramping up my door decors. I am picky about my wreaths because I’m not into the fake flowers and plastic fruits glued to wreath shaped foam. If you can’t tell, I’m the simple and classy kind of gal. The wreath above is my fall wreath. I purchased it last year.

This wreath I made two winters ago. It’s was the first wreath I owned. I had been on the hunt for a Christmas wreath and couldn’t find one I loved within my price range. That’s right, did you know that wreaths could be outrageously prices? Some of the ones I liked were around $80. I decided to attempt designing and making my very own. Nathan laughed because I ended up spending more than I wanted to on it, but still nowhere near $80.

Here are some other wreaths that I like and would like to try one day. Click on photos for more information about each of the wreaths.

Dried flowers and vines.
Photo embellished.
Green gourds and leaves.
Pearl.
Shimmering rectangular leaves.
Quick and simple tape to the wall.

{image by BHG}

Tags

decorating, design, ideas

▶ 5 Comments

Creative Pumpkins

In Holidays on October 22, 2009 at 9:00 am

halloweek

Pumpkins is in style again, at least for the next few months. Don’t just carve, try some of these. Some link round up of creative things to do with your pumpkin this year. Click on photos for more info and tutorials.

Pumpkin posies vase.
Pumpkin candles.
Bat-o-lanterns.
Mod pumpkin.
Gilded pumpkins.
Mr. Pumpkin Head.

{image by BHG}

{image by Parents Magazine}

{image by Family Fun}

{image by Parents Magazine}

{image by Country Living}

{image by HGTV}

Tags

decorating, design, halloween, ideas

▶ 3 Comments

The Procrastinator’s Halloweek: Decorations

In Holidays on October 19, 2009 at 9:00 am

halloweek

Yes, we are a bit over a week before Halloween and you know what? I don’t have a thing prepared. Nothing made. No decorations. Na-da. So this procrastinator’s week is actually for me. However, if you need ideas or encouragement… you came to the right place. Each day, we’ll focus on different parts of Halloween to get you ready for the big day 12 days away. Today is decorations. Tomorrow, kids’ crafts. Wednesday, costumes. Thursday, things to do with pumpkins. Friday’s 5 at 5, goodies to hand out other than candy.

A link round up of simple decorations. Just click on photos for more information and tutorials.

Candied candles.
Spooky photos.
Window silhouettes.
Mummy heads.
Witch ornaments.
Skull wreath.

{image by Country Living}

{image by Good Housekeeping}

{image by Parents Magazine}

{image by BHG}

{image by marthastewart.com}

{image by HGTV}

Tags

decorating, halloween

▶ 1 Comment

I Can’t Believe It

In Giveaway on October 2, 2009 at 8:48 am

{via The Inspired Room}

I can’t even tell you how many giveaways and contests I have entered on other blogs and sites hoping to win something cute, fun, or useful. And when hundreds of other people enter into the same giveaway, it lessened my chance of winning and I have yet to win anything. That is until now. I can’t even describe the shock and excitement that overwhelmed me when I found out I won a contest I entered about a month ago on The Inspired Room. My fingers had been crossed ever since wanting to win one of the three $200 gift cards Melissa was giving away to TJ Maxx or HomeGoods. I am so excited to go shopping! I am lucky enough to have both TJ Maxx and HomeGoods nearby. Thank you so much, Melissa!

My entry was our Despairing Bedroom… which has gotten a bit better and a bit worst since the entry a month ago. It has continued to be the storage room as I decluttered our house from attic to floor and collected piles of stuff for our yard sale a few weekends ago. Then my craft stuff spewed into the main part of the room as I pre-washed and ironed all my fabrics getting ready for some projects. Hey, it had to get worst before it got better right?

Even though the winner of The Inspired Room contest wasn’t announced until now, I have been motivated by it to change the condition of our room. We had a maximum budget of zero dollars, so I came up with some creative ways to upgrade just a tad. First, we painted over Labor Day weekend using gift cards redeemed through our credit cards.

And one night, while in the shower where I get my best ideas, I thought it would be fun to make a photo studio in our room but disguise it through decorations. I know, it doesn’t sound nice. But it will be, I promise. Our room has the best natural light of all the rooms in our house. It also has the largest walls for backdrops. Perfect for a little DIY home studio makeshift. However, I didn’t want a rod and backdrops hanging from the walls of our room when the studio part is not being used. That’s when I dug into my creative juices a little deeper and came up with the idea consisting knobs, bamboo, frames, and ribbons. It’s in the works right now and, don’t worry, it will be posted when I’m done.

Now, with a $200 gift card, our room get the makeover it desperately needed. Once again, thank you The Inspired Room! There will be transformation updates and before/after pictures coming your way.

P.S. Hope you didn’t missed this week’s tutorial on fake mustaches and Back to Basics Tip on yard sales.

Tags

announcement, decorating, winners

▶ 5 Comments

Friday’s 5 at 5: Permanent Decorations

In Friday's 5 at 5 on October 2, 2009 at 5:00 am

Things I will always decorate my home with…

Personal photos. I love seeing pictures of my family throughout my house, a personal touch.
Canvas paintings. I especially like landscape paintings.
Black and white wood furniture. The classic colors.
Leather couch. I like them slick and not clunky. As long as I have children in my home, I will always have leather couch. It’s so easy to clean.
Glass vase. What I fill it with is another thing. You can always rely on fresh flowers.

Tags

decorating, lists

▶ 1 Comment

Laboring Day

In Home on September 7, 2009 at 12:42 pm

We are under construction here on Labor Day. After entering the Fall Nesting contest at The Inspired Room, I decided that we needed to paint our room Labor Day weekend. It’s Nathan’s only time off until Thanksgiving. I hope I win the contest so we can make improvements to the rest of our master bedroom. Two gallons of paint doesn’t solve all other problems with our bedroom.

Tags

decorating

▶ 2 Comments

The Despairing Master Bedroom

In Home on September 3, 2009 at 9:00 am

Here is my plea in hopes of winning a contest at Inspired Room’s Fall Nesting. I’m an avid reader of Melissa’s website, Inspired Room, and she is giving away $200 gift cards to HomeGoods/TJ Maxx and I desperately need one to give our master bedroom a major makeover this fall. So please pick me.

HISTORY

Even before I got married, I promised myself that my master bedroom would be a relaxing haven where my husband and I can turn to each night. I have this dream of light blueish gray painted walls, lots of whites, and nature inspired decorations. Then we bought our house, three years ago this October, 2 months after Kaye was born. We had minimal furniture and absolutely no decorations. Over the last three years, we obtained a few IKEA furniture pieces and mostly hand-me-down stuff from friends and family.

Then life got crazy. Nathan lost his job. My mother diagnosed with cancer. Nathan going back to school for his Master’s. Elle came into our lives. Nathan started his own business while going to school. And the house got neglected as I was trying to help everyone else. Our master bedroom became the storage place for things that didn’t fit in other rooms.

THE DESPAIRING MASTER BEDROOM

Our master bedroom is relatively large. I haven’t put anything on the walls in hopes of painting it first. Three years later, still plain, empty walls. The white dressers are from IKEA and our bed is new. Everything else are hand-me-downs. Part of the problem is Nathan’s office in our room. It doesn’t create a relaxing atmosphere. Another problem is I don’t have a craft room. So my craft supplies are scattered throughout our room to keep the kids out of it. I would love to store it all in one place.

INSPIRATIONS & IDEAS

The feel of the room: relaxing, simple, natural, classic. I don’t exactly want to go for a theme, but I like the contemporary style without too much jazz. We need to upgrade the lighting, adorn the plain walls, decorate with whites and grays, organize craft supplies with decorative storage, lay a rug, and place a few furniture pieces. I am against having work in the bedroom, however, since the girls are taking up the other rooms, perhaps a nice partition to separate the office part.

{Image by Good Housekeeping}

{Image by HGTV}

{Image by Better Homes and Gardens}

Tags

decorating

▶ 8 Comments

Ribbon Board

In Crafts on July 27, 2009 at 9:00 am

My parents gave me back an old cork bulletin board I had on my wall in my bedroom in high school. The cork was frail and I had written stuff all over the frame with a permanent marker. Not wanting to toss the board, I covered it with quilting padding and a cute fabric. Then I stapled ribbons crisscrossing over the front of the board. Finally, I used twisted pins for furniture to tighten the ribbons where it met and glued buttons to cover the twisted pins. A quick and simple makeover and now it is hanging in Kaye’s room.