chalkboard closet

I've wanted to use chalkboard paint for a long time so when decorating my son's room I knew there was a chance to get creative with a chalkboard. I went through a number of ideas before i landed on this one - a chalkboard closet door. 

I like the fact that I can write messages on here, whether for encouragement of just to remember what we are doing that day and therefore what he needs to wear. I also like that the low level of the board on the bottom makes it the perfect doodle spot for him now. 

A quick tip on using chalkboard paint - read all the instructions about curing. Frankly, I was not aware of the process and how many coats I would need (x5) or the time I would have to wait before using the surface (3 days). It seemed to take forever and for my 2.5 year old the wait was torture but we are so pleased with the outcome that it was worth the wait. 

Hope everyone is enjoying the long weekend. 

I am linking to some super link parties - check them out. 

embroidered onesies - tutorial

Embroidery is an easy way to personalize and beautify simple items. It is especially nice for anything baby related. For this project I picked up a couple of white onesies for about $5 and turned them into something a little more special. 

To start out find the center of your garment so you know where to place the wording. Then using your embroidery hoop to stabilize the garment lightly write out the word you want to embroider in pencil. I write so lightly that you can barely see it but it's enough to guide you and then it will come out easily in the wash. You could also find some word art online to help you design your embroidery but I just free hand it. 

I used a simple back stitch for this. It is the most basic of stitches but it is nice and neat and for a lightweight garment like this it seems to work best. Just remember that when you are starting your first letter that you go one stitch length in from the bottom so you can back up to where you actually want the first stitch to be. 

The felt flowers are simple to make and you can find good tutorials for them here and here.

This kind of project makes for a great baby gift and of course you could personalize the garment with a name. 

I'm sharing this project at some super cool link parties - check them out. 

room makeover - furniture refurb

The painting is finished! On to the next and what feels like the 110th part of my project to turn our guest room into a little boy room was to  refurbish 2 dressers. These dressers have been around since my husband was a kid and he had them in his room. When he moved out, they moved with him and into our first apartment, our first house and now our son's room. If wood could talk.....

Dresser with white primer

Anyway, rather than buy new furniture I wanted to update these pieces because frankly, there was nothing wrong with them except the color and hardware.Spray paint is the way to go. I tried other paint and it is just not good. You can see the brush marks and it takes many more coats. Here is a tip though. I decided to spray paint inside - bad idea. Apart from possibly developing "the black lung" (Zoolander) it is such a mess. I covered everything near the direct spray but it created a mist that went everywhere. Luckily it's easy to clean up the 'dust' with just a vacuum or damp cloth but needless to say when I began the second piece of furniture I hauled it out to the garage.

Even with the mask I had paint up my nose - ick.

On the first piece I used a primer. It took longer but I think in hindsight it has a better gloss look because of the primer base so I would say it is worth the time to do that. The second piece is in navy blue so I didn't use a primer and the finish is slightly lacking. Still, it's good enough and I'll share that picture soon.

I had some crackling which made me crackle I can tell you. It wasn't cold or too hot when I was spraying so it may have been a substance under the paint that caused the issue. However, when I didn't use primer I didn't have any crackling. Not sure what that means....

Sun is shining very brightly! Almost makes my dresser look angelic. 

The hardware if from Home Depot. I was kind of limited because the old hardware was 64mm wide and the selection was not great. Still I think it worked out nicely.

So far I'm about halfway through the list of things to do in this room. Just finished the trim today and wallpapering starts this weekend - gulp. 

I shared this story at some awesome link parties - check them out. 

jammies

The other night my little one started complaining that his all-in-one pajamas were hurting his legs and sure enough they were getting pretty tight. He is 2.5 and I had him in 3T p.j.s but it was clear we needed to go up a size. Off to Target and of course there were no 4T footed pajamas left. I need to go online to get him some as we still have a couple of cold months left but to bridge the gap I scouted through my fabric stash and found this cute little woodland creature flannel.

Wide leg gives lots of room to move around

To cut the shape I simply traced around a pair of pants that do fit him well and sewed from memory. Since pajama bottoms were the first thing I ever learned to make a sewing class and it has been etched on to my brain. I made the leg a little wider than his regular pants so that they would be more comfortable for lounging and sleeping. I love making pajama bottoms - they take about 30 minutes for me to do and there is so little cutting and thinking involved!

The heart really makes I think!

I had some left over fabric so I took a t-shirt that had seen the last of its "day-time" wear (due to chocolate stain I can't shift!) and put a little applique heart on it. Given the time of year I think they are a super cute nod to Valentine's  Day and he really loves them so that's all that matters.

Love those toes :)

Linked to:

Pocket full of pink - Friday Frolic 

Ginger Snap Crafts - Valentine's Day Party 

30 Handmade Days - Pity Party 

Whipperberry - Friday Flair 

The Shabby Nest - Frugal Flair 


Be Different Act Normal - Show and Tell Saturday 


Rae Gun Ramblings - What we wore and made Wednesdays 


The Not So Functional Housewife - Functional Friday 


Tales of a Trophy Wife - Linky #27 


Simply Designing - Friday Link Party 


I Heart Naptime - Sundae Scoop Link Party 


Flamingo Toes - Think Pink Sundays 


Itsy Bitsy Paper - I Heart Projects Link Party 

bulletin board

I am slowly working my way through a long list of home projects the biggest of which is moving my little man from the "nursery" into his own "big boy" room. As I am working my way through turning the guest room into his room I am coming across various things that have been stashed in there, out of the way so to speak! This includes the little hand and foot print set I did 2 years ago and never put together - it's now proudly hanging in our bedroom. Better late than never.

I have so many frames that were in that room and I have no where to put them so I decided to do something creative with one of them and make a covered bulletin board. I found some inspiration online and did some pinning. Love Pintrest!

Here are some of my favorites.

I like the layering of the buttons on these push pins

great color!

Totally my favorite. Love it.  

simple and nice

dreaming.....

love the idea of painting on the board

So after browsing through these lovely examples and many more here is what I made! I painted the frame in some fun purple/grey paint I had and used some funky 1970s style fabric. I also made some pushpins by making fabric flowers and hot glued them on to the pins. I also roughed up the frame with some sand paper to create a shabby effect.

I need to add some hooks on the back so I can hang it up but for now it looks nice on the shelf in my kitchen.

I just love the fabric It's actually a whole jungle them when you see the fabric. It was so cool I bought it without a particular project in mind and I haven't found the right way to use it yet but this is a start.

Here are the push pins I made. So easy and cute.

Hope you like it!

MC


Linked to:
Sundae Scoop Link Party
Think Pink Sundays
Show & Tell Saturday
Friday Frolic
Pity Party 
Friday Flair
Frugal Friday

'A' for embellishment

Years ago I purchased a wooden letter 'A' from Anthro. I also purchased a 'Q' in an attempt to create a unique design on my office wall! Since that time, in a fortuitous coincidence my last name now begins with the letter A. The letter Q is in a pile marked "Yard Sale"(This is beginning to sound like an episode of Sesame Street).

Inspired by a blog post I can no longer find (sorry!) I decided to update and embellish this wooden letter for the holidays.

 Firstly I covered the letter with festive material and added in some fiberfill just to pad it out a bit.

Then I cut up a lot of little circles from red felt, plus a few from purple felt just to add some interest. 

I hot glued the circles on to the material and put them really close together to create a petal effect. 

I'm really happy with the finished product which completes my Christmas mantle perfectly.

Happy Holidays from the A's!

christmas bunting

I am so excited! I have completed my first holiday project of the season and my first using felt. Felt is so easy to work with, no fraying edges, so easy to cut and to glue. It is the perfect material for applique.

This mitten bunting is a total knock-off of this garland from The Land of Nod. I got the catalogue a week ago, saw these and thought, I can do that. So I did. I made my bunting 12 mittens long and I created my own designs for each mitten. 

Although I don't usually decorate until after Thanksgiving once I put these up I found it really hard to take them down. They are so cheery and fun!

P.S. I have made another strand just like this available in my etsy shop. I am also offering custom lengths.


This post is linked to Today's Creative Blog.

happiness is....

New supplies! A box of beautiful fabric arrived yesterday from fabric.com and I was so excited. My husband looked at me as if I had two heads while I fawned over the fabric! 

I ordered this lovely stack for a quilt I am planning to make for our bedroom. 

I have been wanting to get a supply of felt for a while because I have so many ideas for it. I've already started working on something for Christmas which I will share next week. 

I also have to say that Fabric.com is awesome. Not only were the colors of the fabrics so true to the images on their site but they also sent me a free queen size quilt batting. It was as if they knew what I was planning to make. They have won my future business for sure. 

quilted laptop sleeve

I got a new laptop a couple of months ago and up until recently I have been carting it around without any protection - shame on me. I had a couple of hours to spare the other day so I whipped up this little item from some bits and pieces I had in my stash. It is so easy to make a lap top sleeve I think I will post a tutorial so anybody can make one. Watch this space...

  You need no longer neglect your laptop.

I used a free quilting technique on the sleeve. It is so easy to do and you don't have to be bothered with drawing lines or concerned about making mistakes - just let your needle run free man! 

I had my laptop at class the other night and when I took it out of my bag a classmate complimented the sleeve and asked me if I bought the sleeve on Etsy. Why no, I said, I made it myself!

Candy Corn Hat Tutorial

Here is the hat I knit for my son. It's supposed to be candy corn! I think it's adorable but I would, wouldn't I? Want to make one for your sweetness? Here is the tutorial.