DIYW: Wine Cork Reef

Yesterday was not a good day.

The initial signs of this pregnancy have started to rear their ugly heads. Luckily, the morning was about the worst of it and after a good nap, thanks to the hubs for watching the kiddos, I was able to feel up to getting this project done last night.

So where to begin...

Well I think this madness started when I was at Goodwill last weekend trying to find a nice desk, which was a bust. However, no trip is ever a failure. As I perused the store I ended up happening on this huge bag of corks for $7. Most looked like they came from local wineries from our area and the wheels started turning.

So, I decided I had to have them and I was going to make something personal, especially with us leaving this beautiful place soon.

Well, I'm one of those dorky people who loves front door decor and reefs. Christmas, Halloween and Thanksgiving. I totally have those covered. But, the warm season I just never really had anything because well, they don't really make any that fit our style. We're also hanging down in San Diego alot during the summer so we aren't really home any way. Nonetheless...

So I took the corks, bought some burlap ( on sale for like $2 a yard), a $3 reef, and a little welcome sign. Cause you know, I like people to feel welcome in my home. Solicitors...ehh not so much, but I have a different sign for them.

I took the reef and cut a strip of burlap about 12" long and wrapped a section of the base, then hot glued it down.









 To make the bow, I took another 12" section and folded it in half.  I sewed the section together and flipped it inside out so the seam was on the inside. Crimping the inside I pinned it then sewed a 3" x 3" strip of the same burlap and folded it in half and sewed the sections again, Making a 1 1/2" strip for the middle of my bow. I then removed my pins and adjusted the bow with the center section then sewn the back of the strip together on the machine to keep it secure. Then, hot glued it down on the wrapped burlap.

 Next I took my cork, found some plain pieces, and cut a them down for filler for some of the open sections of the reef. I just took an ordinary steak knife to do it (my Leatherman was MIA).





After I had my pieces prepped I laid the welcome sign down as a marker, so I knew how far I should go down, and started hot gluing the corks to the reef (using the filler where needed to get the corks to lay the way I wanted).
















In some spots I had to lay hot glue in between the corks for a better grip. If there were globs (no clue if that's a technical term) I just took a paper towel and wiped them away. I highly recommend not using any appendages if at all necessary, that stuff is molten sometimes.

Once I had the corks in place, I removed the "welcome" and began painting. I took a simple blue and painted sections of the sign, then covered them with glitter (Martha Stewart). Now you don't have to use the glitter but my daughters love............ glitter. So mom got vetoed out 2 to 1.
















Let it dry for about half and hour then hot glue the sign in place and done!
Hang it in the house, place it on a table, or in our case, the front door.

Welcome those you love into your home! Or just have an awesome little piece of decor that you can brag about because it has something local on it. I know it will remind us of home while we are overseas.





































So until next time peeps, have fun with this stuff, and especially have fun with the kids doing it.
 It never hurts to include them...

-Lisa

DIY Wednesday: Scarf (T-shirt) Headband

 Hey All! So it's already Wednesday....where did the time go? Oh yeah I've been cleaning out every closet and cabinet in our home. Getting ready for the move.

Amazingly I have a billion old scarfs that I haven't seen or worn in years. But that doesn't warrant throwing them away.

However, thanks to the wonders of Pintrest I was able to find a very awesome idea on how to revamp old clothes (t-shirts to be precise) into a custom turban wrap headband. You can find the original pattern on Honeybee Vintage (her link I posted below). I highly recommend checking her out because she has some great revamp ideas for other items as well.


http://www.honeybeevintage.com/search/label/accessories

First I sifted through my find and pulled out a yellow scarf that I love but is way too long to wear. I'm only 5'2" so that sometimes happens.









I then ironed the material and laid it out for measuring. The original recommendation was 4"x20" but since my material wasn't as stretchy so I cut it about 4"x24". Once the pieces were cut I took one and folded it in half and pinned it along the edge. Once it was as secured as I could get it, I sewed the seam along the length of the fabric and closed one end. Then I flipped it inside out so that it looked like a tube.


I repeated the process again with the second piece then crossed them like an "X". Once they are about centered, I folded them in half so that the loops connect like a link.








Taking the ends I pinned them and attached them together doing a zigzag seam but you can also do a single stitch to link them together. If you sew your finished product will probably cleaner than mine was. I'm getting a little better though.








Once you are done attaching the piece turn the sewn seams in and you now have a brand new headband.

 Hope you enjoyed this DIY. It was super easy and doesn't take much time. I'm now off to the park to have some fun with the kiddos!

Until next time...


Lisa

DIY Wednesday: The Chalkboard Table

  Well I don't know how many people use chalkboards in their homes, but we have two. Well had two. One is our menu, event, etc.. board and the other was used by the kids for drawing and letter lessons. 

However, the one we had for the girls also tended to become a hazard around the house.

Then last week, while Mommy was trying to sweep up the floors, some little ladies decided to leave it on the floor concealed by some blankets. Needless to say, Mom found it an unconventionally painful way.

Well the board had a good run but the Mom was not in the mood to buy another health hazard, I mean chalkboard.

Well hello Pintrest!.... What's that?.... You have a crafty solution. I'm all in.

It wasn't exactly a chalkboard table I found but a small kids bench (you can find the same table at http://www.shanty-2-chic.com/2012/07/playroom-kids-table-diy.html). I thought it was awesome, but a little big for our house.

Then I got to thinking, hey, why not make the top a chalkboard!
 We needed to buy a new one and I always need a good excuse to check out an antique store.

I went down to our local Old Town area and checked out one of the larger antique warehouses in the neighborhood. They were super helpful and I found the perfect table, and a suitcase...don't judge me.


I brought home the table and the next morning I began one of my favorite things, refinishing the tabletop.

Unfortunately when I started there was a veneer, or what appeared to be a veneer, on top. I had sanded down enough to find the true top but the sand paper was not doing the job to clear the surface.





Dad and HGTV luckily taught us when you have veneer, find an iron. Laying the heated iron on the surface will usually loosen the adhesive and allow you to pull it up easily.

In my case, I had sanded the hard top off so I just ended up bubbling up the remainder of the sheet and peeled it off, with the kids help. They were getting a kick out of it too, future DIYers???

Once the veneer was off, I used a sanding sponge to remove any remaining glue residue so I could get a nice smooth surface. Then I cleaned off the surface with some simple household cleanser to remove any sawdust and dirt.

Now the fun part, The Primer!. I put on a couple coats, then waited about an hour for them to dry.








Next, chalkboard paint. I bought some Rustoleum brand at Home Depot for about $9.57. They also make a custom color version, but for $13.97 a can, I was just fine with the black. I also picked up some molding for finishing.

It took about three coats but the final finish was nice and even.

Technically all the work could have finished there. But, I decided to put a boarder on so the chalk wouldn't fall off the table onto the floor. Ask any parent how fun it is to clean up shattered chalk....
 

 With my husband help, we measured, cut, and nailed in the molding. Then using some wood putty to fill in the nail holes. I then painted the molding white to give it more of a picture frame look. The finishing doesn't have to be perfect either, it's supposed to look like a weathered table.

 
  Viola! A brand new chalkboard and thanks to the little shelf that came with the table, a new storage area for the munchkins books and toys that are downstairs (I already had the basket). Altogether it only cost about $70.00 (I went a little high end with the molding). 

They were really enjoying it this morning. So happy!

So if you want to do this, I highly recommend finding a good piece of old furniture. This table is solid wood so it was easy to refinish. Particle board or MDF, unless heavily layered, doesn't do so good.

DIY List of Supplies:

- Sturdy coffee table or any low table that will fit your space.

- Sandpaper (and a sander to save some time)

- Sanding Sponge

- Primer paint

- Chalkboard Paint (I used Rustoleum brand)

Optional:

-Molding or edging to make a frame (or you can find a picture frame to fit).

-Nail gun

Hope you all enjoyed this, I'm going to go get myself another band aid.......don't ask.

Just kidding!

Happy DIYing!

-Lisa

"B" is for Bird: DIY Table Art

So in an urge to sketch out some new tattoo ideas, I stumbled onto some photos of small birds a couple weeks ago. I have wanted to get another bird since I had my owl half sleeve done.

I do love me some owls (an Owl ADDICT you might say).

One of the little birds was so adorable I wanted to recreate a version of my own. However, it wasn't quite tattoo worthy. Then I thought maybe I'd make a decor piece with it, but how? 8Ponder, ponder...

Ah...last weeks shopping trip  now comes into play...

I had bought some additional letters to make some monogram canvases. Instead, I decided to try something a little different this time. Something that would be associated with the little bird I found. Maybe something that could be fun for the kids to looks at ( and even, perhaps, secretly prep Little Miss K for her impending Kindergarten attendance this Fall). Why not make an Alphabet Canvas!

I fished out a single B from my little pile of letters and traced it onto the canvas panel I had bought a while back and traced the B out. 
Now canvas panels are a little different from normal canvas. It's like writing on a book cover.

I'm a sketch artist so painting and I, well, let's say we have a love hate relationship. 

Panels mended our shattered bond. 

It gives me a much more stable surface to draw, and a paint friendly surface to finish.

*If your not into drawing you can also trace then transfer onto the panel as well.

 Once I had my letter stencil down, I pulled my little bird up on the laptop and drew out the rough sketch. 
I then grabbed my new Martha Stewart (sorry Mom) stencil kit and placed a branch under the bird's feet.This also gave me a chance to figure out the placement I wanted.

Now comes the fun part, the Sharpie! I fine tuned the bird and used it to shade some areas to add more definition to the sketch.

Now if you so this with a extra fine tip, you have a little more control over the lines. A fine tip is ok to use as well. Just be aware of the pressure on the panel.

Then I let the ink dry, about 15 minutes.


Grabbing the stencil once again and tapped down all the edges to the panel to avoid accidentally moving it during the painting process.

I selected three main colors for the picture. Then started working them on the stencil. Dabbing in a direct up and down motion.




 Much like a stabbing motion when your dealing with customer services agents and they give you another phone number which you must call to get help.
 

 Once my colors were down I slowly peeled the stencil back and let the paint sit for at least half an hour, plus some. The more paint you use the longer the dry time or something like that.

 While the panel dried I painted the B with a combination of blue and white paint. Then set it aside to dry as well.

Break to make dinner....eat, nom, nom....knit a little...then back to work.

Now to paint the bird. I used some of the same blue color that I used to paint the letter and mixed it with a little water. Creating the soft pastel affect of the feathers. The used the true shade of blue (no mixing) and shaded.

 Then using the color from the branch, a touch of white, and little water, I finished off the inner shading on the belly, tail, and around the eyes.

 Sharpie Time again! Time to trace all the lovely branches and berries to give them a little more definition. Also, going over the bird again to bring back the bold lines I covered up in paint.








To finish, I used a combination of water, white paint, and the small amount of light blue mixture I had left and shaded in a sky blue background around the bird and branches as well as the "B" outline.

 Another all time favorite, wood glue. Spreading a thin layer on the back of the letter, I pressed it down firmly onto the canvas and let it dry.

 With the canvas dry, the letter secured, and my Sharpie bleed dry with a signature, the picture is done.








I found an old frame I bought at Ross long ago and set it in (no glass please).

Now to sit back and enjoy my new piece of personal art...

So if you want to try this yourself, you will need:

-Pencil (and tracing paper if needed)
-An Extra Fine or Fine Sharpie pen
-Panel Canvas
-Paint
-Water
-Stencil ( I highly recommend Martha's)
-Wood Glue
-1 wood letter (4")

Have fun! XoXo,

Lisa