Paint Chip Nursery Decoration

Since I haven't had too much time to be crafty myself lately, I wanted to share a beautiful craft project that a friend made us for Cameron's room. Using a tutorial from Blue Velvet Chair, she created this cool "C" framed creation! You can easily make this for your own child, as a shower gift or as a birthday present for a little one.

Using paint color samples and a star hole punch (rather than a plain circle one), here are the final results -

Once we put his new white and pine colored dresser together, this will hang proudly on the wall above. Thanks Allison!

Valentine's Day Craft Ideas

Since I've been wrapped up in baby planning, I figured it might be a good distraction to think about the upcoming Valentine's Day holiday, since it's a perfect time to be crafty. Whether you are making favors for a kids party, food crafts or something for your honey - there are plenty of fun and unique ideas to choose from.

Here is a gorgeous project that I discovered last week from Paint Me Plaid (via Theresa Cifali) - click here for the full tutorial.

This next project, from Delish via Peter Piper Picked, is perfect as an inexpensive decoration and doubles as a sentimental gift. Using a small vase or candle holder, pictures and any type of heart-shaped or red candy, you can create these adorable decor pieces for just about anyone; significant other, best friend or even kids. In fact, I think I will attempt this for our house with some pictures of the baby and my hubby. Of course, the baby has to get here first!!

This may have something to do with my third-trimester junk food cravings (seriously, I made it to the final month before I started craving cookies all day) but I love this Valentine's Day Shortbread Cookie recipe from Diamonds for Dessert. Shortbread is one of my favorites and the cute colors and tiny shapes make these even cuter!

What kind of fun and festive ideas do you have in mind for Valentine's Day?

Holiday Decoupage Plates

To follow-up on my decoupage plate tutorial, I wanted to share some holiday plates that I've recently made. 

Classic Poinsettia

Gingerbread Men

Christmas Kitties

 

Glittery Snowflakes

  

Christmas Dogs w/ lace trim

(the glitter Modge Podge I used for this one didn't photograph well)

Which holiday plate is your favorite?

From the Archives - Decoupage Fabric Plates

Every so often, I like to post popular tutorials from my archives - here is a full tutorial on how to make decoupage plates, using clear glass plates and cotton fabric. Don't let the Yankees fabric fool you, I am a proud Boston Red Sox fan!
 
I'll be posting some holiday plates this weekend that I have recently made, to give you some ideas for gifts. These are great for cookie swaps, neighbor or teacher presents also. 

Here's what you will need to complete this project: 

• Round or square glass plates
• Cotton fabric, in any design
• Modge Podge, regular or with glitter
• Scissors
• Table covering
• Paint cans to hold the plates while they dry
• Matte or gloss clear spray paint

Start by finding some inexpensive glass plates, either at the consignment store or home goods store. Wash them and dry them completely. Next, cut the fabric about 1-2 inches wider than the plate you are using.

Put your first plate face down on a paint can and the piece of fabric face down on the table covering. Cover the back of the fabric with Modge Podge, flip it over carefully and cover the front generously as well. Then, lift the fabric off the table and place the design face down so that the design of the fabric is facing out (see picture). Use additional Modge Podge if necessary.

Use your hands to work out any air bubbles in the fabric, from the center out. Depending on the thickness and texture of the fabric, this may take some time. Move the plate to another paint can to dry thoroughly. Modge Podge goes on white and dries clear so you will be able to tell when it is ready for the next step.

Repeat for as many plates as you have. I made 3 New York Yankees plates, a gray & pink bird plate, which are both in my Etsy Store and a black striped plate, which didn't turn out the way I wanted and was scraped before the final step. Here is a production picture of them drying.

Once dry, carefully trim the excess off with a razor blade so that the edge is flush with the plate. (step not shown) 

In a well ventilated area, place the plates face down again on the paint cans. Using your clear spray paint, spray the backs of the plates completely. 

Finally, clean off any excess glue or fingerprints on the front with glass cleaner and paper towels. 

When you are all finished, your plates should look like this:

 
Happy Crafting - feel free to send me a link or picture if you try this project!

Ice Skate Winter Centerpiece

Before I introduce my latest creation, I'd like to thank you all for bearing with me while my posting efforts have been a little lax. Weather was crazy here in the Northeast last week - for the second time this year and I've been getting increasingly tired as my belly gets bigger!

I'm happy to be back in action and show you a centerpiece that I've been working on. I'll be honest here and admit that I started this project last year but couldn't get inspired to finish it until recently. I went to Goodwill looking for the ice skates and shockingly, was able to find a size 4 girl's set of ice skates in white. I still took the time to spray paint them white to make sure they looked perfect. After that, I positioned them in a basket, surrounded by greens...and that was where I stopped last year. 

I recently rummaged through my Christmas accents and decided that I was going to decorate the corners and make a sort-of arrangement in the skates to make a centerpiece that will look beautiful throughout the entire Winter season. 

I started by using my trusty hot glue gun to secure poinsettia leaves, pine cones and ornaments in alternating corners.

Next, I used some faux glitter flowers, holiday accent pieces as well as some wood, swirly picks to fill out the openings of the skates. Again, using hot glue to make sure everything stayed in place. 

Because there was soooo much glitter on the flowers, I managed to get quite a bit of it on the skates. Rather than try to tediously remove the glitter, I decided to embrace it. I mixed some loose red glitter with clear, silvery sparkle paint and painted a thin coat all over the skates. 

To finish off the piece, I glued single gold bells in the greens and attached a small painted slate to the front that said "Let It Snow", which I think tied the whole thing together. 

Considering this project could have ended up in the "craft fail" pile, I was very pleased with the way it turned out. If you would like to try this project on your own, definitely check out your local Goodwill or Freecycle.org for the skates, to keep your costs down. Also, find plenty of Christmas pics and accent pieces at Michaels, either at the end of the season or with their regular 40% off coupons in the Sunday paper. 

I just wrapped this piece in cellophane with ribbon to sell at the craft fair I'll be doing on November 19th. I'm excited because it is usually a great show and it's the only one I'll be showcasing in before this little peanut arrives!!

 

Decorative Fall Arrangement Vase and Frame

I saw a great idea online the other day, to use a vase as a picture frame so I decided to add a twist on that idea by making a fall decor mantle piece that doubles as a frame.

Here are the supplies that I started with:

• Apple ornaments (bought at a tag sale for $0.50)
• Pumpkin accents (can be found at any craft store for about $2-$3)
• Pine cones, in differing sizes (real or decorative, I got these off of Freecycle)
• Raffia decoration (also from Freecycle)
• Krylon spray paint in Caramel Latte color
• Cynlinder vase

I started by trimming my picture with a paper cutter, to ensure straight cuts, and lining it up in the front of the vase. I put two small pieces of clear tape on the sides to keep it in place. Then I started stacking the pine cones, apples and pumpkins on the bottom, with some raffia to fill in the gaps. 

I spray painted a handful of the pine cones and pumpkins to give the arrangement more character. I didn't cover them entirely and liked the way that effect looked.

 I continued to layer the pieces until the vase was just past the top. Here is the view from the back: 

And the view from the front - I love this black & white photo of me and my hubby dancing at my friend Kerry's wedding last year.

This could easily be used for any season; replace the pine cones and pumpkins with Christmas bulbs or plastic Easter eggs for Spring. I just love the idea of using interesting glass pieces as frames!

Painted Boston Red Sox Pumpkin

Tonight is the last night of regular season MLB baseball and like every other Red Sox fan, I'm on the edge of my seat hoping that they can lock up a Wild Card playoff spot. Here's one of my favorite crafts ever - a fall pumpkin that I hand-painted to show my spirit!

Helpful tip - I covered the entire pumpkin with a clear coat of spray paint to extend the life of the design.

Arched Mirror Frame Makeover

I found this hunter green arch frame, in need of a little love, about a year ago for $2.00 at a tag sale and haven't had time to make it over until this past weekend. Here is a "Before" picture - dirt and all!

I was going to tape off the mirror part to paint the frame when I was pleased to discover that the mirror was able to be detached from the frame. However, in my excitement, I cracked a corner of the mirror - doh!

With a little tacky glue, I glued the corner back on and hoped it wouldn't be too noticeable by the end.

Next, I added two coats of a light green paint to the frame, breaking in between so it could fully dry. This frame is going on a dark blue accent wall and the rest of the room is this same light green color.

Because I had painted the frame flat on the newspaper, I had to do a tad bit of sanding on the backside to make sure the edges were clean and neat. After that, I cleaned the mirror and put it back into the frame, securing the rivets on the back and also adding some hot glue on the corners for added staying power. 

Once the frame was put back together, I added a few fabric leaves for effect...and also to cover that pesky little crack in the bottom corner, from earlier. 

And finally, here is the frame hung in its proper place; the hallway entrance to our bedroom. 

It looks great against the accent wall - for just a couple of dollars and a few hours of work, I couldn't have found a more perfect wall hanging in any store!

Beaded Lamp and Fan Pulls

My little brother is just about settled into his new digs and he asked me to make him a couple of ceiling fan/lamp pulls. He wanted one with a turtle, since he has been obsessed with them for as long as I can remember, and one with a butterfly to honor the memory of our Nana. They were supposed to be a birthday gift but since I was without power (and supplies) the week of his birthday - he will be getting them this weekend instead. What do you think? 

Crafty Links - Babycakes Approved

I'm back on track and ready to post some crafty links on this sunny Tuesday -

• Perfect for back to school - check out these easy-to-create Apple Shaped Cupcakes from Make-and-Takes. Any teacher would love these!

•  Here is a great DIY gift idea for a baby shower or an afternoon project for a kids room in your own home - thanks to Blue Velvet Chair for sharing.

• Perfect for the upcoming Halloween holiday, here are 25 Ways to Decorate Pumpkins (mostly no carve) from The New Home Ec. My favorite is the chalkboard pumpkin, it's making me excited to buy pumpkins already!

• These Homemade Pizza Pretzel Bites would be perfect watching football on Sundays. They look like they might take some practice but you can't argue with those results... From Sweet Pea's Kitchen 

Hope your week is off to a great start! 

Deal of the Day

While my Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins are in the oven (smelling delicious!) and my newest project, a memory box for the baby, is drying from the first coat of white paint, I thought I would share my latest Deal of the Day. 

I picked up this package of 8 inch paper stencils from Plaid for only $0.97 at Michaels! Includes all letters of the alphabet! The package shows them used on fabric pillows but I'll probably try them out on some wood panels that I found in the garage, to make something for the nursery. I'm hoping to begin working on it this week...

The Unofficial Start of Autumn

With Labor Day having come and gone, along with the fact that the weather is hovering around 65 degrees today - it's obvious that Autumn is upon us! As I get ready to embark on some new, fun craft projects for the nursery, here are some fun Fall crafts to get you in the creative spirit.

Gerber Daisy Decorative Cube tutorial by Save-On-Crafts

Fall Acorn Magnets tutorial by Make and Takes

Leaf Candle Centerpiece by Better Holmes and Gardens

What crafty plans do you have in the works for the changing of seasons?

Nursery Lamp Makeover

As I've mentioned over the past week, I threw myself into a project for the nursery - it's the first time I've had the energy or the inspiration to come up with a new crafty project in quite some time.

Looking at cribs, play yards and nursery decor can be overwhelming so I decided to create some custom pieces for the new nursery that will be appropriate whether the baby is a boy or a girl. (Only one more week until we hopefully find out!)

Starting with a plain lamp that used to be in our living room but we recently replaced - here is the 'before' picture: 

There are 6 panels in the shade so I decided to use an alternating design, starting with some cute monkey fabric that I had stashed away. First, I measured each panel and marked them with small tabs since each one had a slightly different measurement.

 

Then I created a form out of scrap cardboard so I could trace it on the fabric for accuracy. I had to make three different forms (and mark each cut piece) so that the panels lined up correctly.

Once I had the panels cut out, I set them aside and got to work on the panels that would not have the fabric on them. 

Using a full bottle of bright yellow, soft, fabric plaint and a regular paintbrush, I painted the alternating panels as well as the top and bottom trim of the lampshade. 

After letting the paint dry completely, luckily I only needed one coat, I began working on the fabric panel parts. I spread a thin coat of Modge Podge on the back of the fabric panel and then placed it on the corresponding panel. 

The Modge Podge made the panels a little longer and wider so since the panels were measured very specifically, they had to be trimmed while wet which was a little messy. Since I knew I was adding a trim to the panels afterward, it would have been smart to cut the fabric slightly smaller than my original measurements.

Once the panels were lined up, I took small amounts of Modge Podge on my fingertip and spread another thin layer on the front to secure it to the shade. Repeat this step for all three panels. 

While the panels were still sticky, I used Tacky Glue to attach faux pearl trim to the edges of each fabric panel. This helped hide any rough edges and blend the panels in with the painted sides. 

Lastly, I used the Tacky Glue again to attach bright yellow pom-pom trim to the underside of the lamp shade so that only the pom-poms hung down from underneath. It helps to use a clothespin to hold the start of the trim while you attach the remainder, approximately 6 inches at a time until you reach the beginning. 

Here is the final product, with the matching wall art that I created last weekend - 

Creating your own nursery decor is easy - scope out your own items, tag sales or thrift stores for your starting piece and add your own flair from there. Hey, if Jessica Alba can do it, so can you!