Keeping it Together and a "new" magnetic board

Some weeks just fly by...just like my last one. I was feeling a little guilty that I didn't have a project to share but then I reminded myself, this should be about having fun and fitting into my life as I know it. Priorities are something that I believe everyone struggles with. How do I get everything done?

Here's the reality: you just cannot do everything you want to. I don't know if you've noticed a little quote I have on my sidebar. It's there because it is something I need to continually have to remind myself.

I forgive myself for all the things I don't have time to do.

I'm not quite sure where this came from. Someone had clipped it out of a magazine and put it on the bulletin board at my massage therapist's office. I just had to write it down.

This is something I try and teach my kids as well. Having one perfectionist daughter can make for lots of stress when all the school assignments arrive at the same time. Once again it's all about priorities, getting the most important things done and forgiving yourself for the rest.

I did finally get around to one project that will help keep me organized and it's been one I've had on my to do list for months. I had this metal sign I picked up at Michael's in my kitchen before my reno. I loved it but hanging it above my sink was not a great plan as it ruined the decorative paper on the sign. I knew I could make it over though so I kept it. Here's what I did this afternoon...



To start I peeled off the loose edges off the sign and then sanded off any bumps in the paper. I wanted to be able to get a good bond.


I actually got pretty excited about putting this project together quickly so this is a photo from another project I have yet to share but it uses the same idea. I used the Claudine Hellmuth Multi-Medium as an adhesive. You can also use things like ModgePodge or collage glue but I used what I had on hand and it worked well. Just brush on your surface generously and apply the paper quickly and smooth out any air pockets or wrinkles. It should dry quite quickly.



I used a patterned paper by Graphic 45 for this project. I cut it down to size and after adhering and drying, I sanding the edges for a distressed look. A sanding block is a great tool I use a mini one by Tim Holtz but you can use a larger one from the hardware store as well.

For this project I also stamped and inked up a quick tag to embellish the simple project. By layering the inks I came up with an almost exact match for my paper. Most of the stamps are from a stamp set I designed for Cornish Heritage Farms called On the Desk.


And here's my final project all hung up on a little piece of wall in my kitchen. Because the board is metal, I'm going to make some coordinating magnets and hang up photos or important notes I can't forget about.

That's it! Just breathing a little bit of new life into an old piece using things I already had on hand. I'm lovin' it! I'm so glad I found a little beauty here today.

Have a beautiful day!

Julia

This post links up with Funky Junk Interiors Saturday Night Special.

Vinyl Scraps

I have a hard time throwing things away. It's always amazing that there can be so many uses for one product. The other day when I was creating some vinyl wall art, I was left with some scraps of vinyl that were too small to work well in my Silhouette Craft Cutter. This got me to thinking about whether I should throw them away or whether I could use them for something else.


I could cut these pieces by hand, with a paper trimmer or I thought it would be fun to try running them through my die-cut machine, the Cuttlebug. I found the above sweet little die and tried it out.



The Cuttlebug is super easy to use and you can just layer your die over the vinyl between two B plates. If you don't have a die cut machine, usually a local scrapbooking store will allow you to use theirs for a small fee or if you take part in a crop night. Just turn the handle and the die will pass through the machine.


This die left me with both a positive and negative shape. I'm actually loving the negative shape best but I'm going to use them both up. The flower ended up on a little tin...

and my negative shape was super quick to apply to this tin canister I use for storage in my craft room. Here it is on the shelf...


Wouldn't this be a fun idea to personalize things with? How about letters on storage containers in a kid's room or to organize things in the back hallway? To personalize a vinyl binder? Hmmmm.... I wonder what else I can come up with!

Do you have some fun ideas for vinyl?

Happy creating!

Julia

progress

Remember this?



And this?


It's done! It's been a long process with many side trips but I can now sit in my room and just love it. My very own creative space. I couldn't have asked for a better gift. Seriously...I even get a little sappy and get tears in my eyes.

So I now have it all tidied up and photographed and I'm just working on getting a very long post ready for tomorrow.

In the meantime...here's a sweet little frame I created for my room. It's made from Craft-a-Board...a chipboard like product and some scrapbooking supplies. I think I'm going to have to make some more as I love this one so much. Grandma would love one for a gift I know.


Tutorial and step outs for this project can be found in the CLASSroom.

See you tomorrow!

Nine Nifty Magnets

I've been collecting for my creative space for a very long time. A few years ago I had a store credit at my local scrapbooking store and invested in this great Making Memories Magnetic Boards for my room. They've been patiently waiting in a closet and are so glad to be out in the sunlight. I've hung them on my craft room wall right beside my desk to help me stay organized.

My little boys had taken them over but I cleaned all the lovely crayon drawings off the other day and reclaimed them for myself. I didn't have any magnets so I picked up a package of blank magnets and set out to make my own. Now if you're worrying about the prolific artwork pile and some hurt feelings...it's all good. Mommy has a plan for them that they are excited about. I just need to find a little more time to work on that next.

So here's how to make nine nifty magnets....

Flowers: simply hot glue them on the magnet. Isn't this Prima flower stunning? What more could you need?

Buttons: For this sweet and easy magnet I wanted a vintage look. This darling little chipboard button was tied and then adhered over a white blossom. Simple and sweet.




Stickers: Add some letter stickers to personalize a purchased magnet. I picked two of these up at Michaels. (Note to self: ceramic magnets don't do well when dropped on concrete floors.) I did rescue it and turn the magnet into the stamped magnet variation.



Printed Chipboard: I have a lot of beautiful chipboard pieces. Glue together, add a little heart and you're done.



This and That: Mix it all up. I found all these sweet little pieces in a box of loose embellishments. Layer, layer, layer and use it up.

Stamped Magnet: Stamp and ink up a piece of chipboard, cardboard or whatever and add some goodies.



Fabric: Now I think this one is my favorite. A piece of Prima canvas fabric is adhered to the back of the acrylic piece. (I used Ranger Glossy Accents but any clear liquid adhesive should work). Allow to dry and then adhere a few found items from your drawer.





Felt: I love these colors! Stack the felt, add a button and you're done.



Ribbon: I love ribbon! Here it's mixed up with a flower and some sweet Maya Road scrapbooking product



So here they are all together...


And here they are beside my desk.


The best things about this project, they used up scraps of stuff I had on hand, they personalize my space, keep me organized and it was a super quick project. I'm pretty tickled with how cute they look.

Which one do you like the best?
Have a great weekend!

This post links up with Funky Junky Interior's Saturday Night Special

Simple Custom Photo Frames

I'm busy trying to get over the flu, get caught up around the house and squeezing in a few minutes here and there to finish up my creative space. I'm so excited...it's almost done! The other day I came up with this super simple project to customize one of the photo frames that I purchased for my room.

I bought it on sale, of course, and loved the clean lines and great look. I have this thing for square photos. Now this frame is not square but the photo opening are and I just love it. I brought it home and sat it on the shelf. It looked great but then I got the idea to give it a finishing touch.

Rub-on transfers look beautiful on glass. Did you know that? I've used them on frames before and thought that I'd show you just how easy it is. Rub-on transfers have been a bit part of the scrapbooking/crafting market over the past few years and I've amassed quite a collection. I love how clean and easy they are to work with and they can be rubbed onto a lot of different sufaces. Glass, ceramic, paper, cardboard, plastic, wood. Fun huh?

This particular rub-on was found in my drawer. I love the sentiment...Life is Good and the very pretty ornate border. While the style does contrast with the clean lines of the frame, the shape coordinates well and I love mixing up past with present. You won't be able to find this particular rub-on transfer any longer as Daisy D's has gone out of business but a visit to your local scrapbooking store should give lots of options.



May sure your glass surface is very clean and dry. No fingerprints, dust or oils as they will interfere with the adhesion.



Trim out desired rub-on from sheet. Remove backing and carefully apply where desired.



Use a popsicle stick (most packages come with one) or a rub-on transfer tool to rub firmly onto glass. Be careful not to shift the rub-on.



Keep rubbing until all of the design is transferred. You will see the image become lighter. Remove film carefully.



Turn film over and lay over your rub-on. Lightly burnish to make sure you have a good bond.



And that's it!

Enjoy your pretty frame.

Happy creating!


This post links up with Kimba's DIY Day at a Soft Place to Land

Banner Fun

Banners are super hot right now and sooo fun to create. I like the idea of making one that you can leave up all year though. How about a magnetic banner? Sound fun? This banner is made from Magnetic Masking Material and I've placed magnets on the back of my letters so that I can spell whatever I wish, whatever the season. I started off making three pennants but I'll be adding more. I'm thinking WISH, DREAM, CREATE, LOVE, GROW etc. depending on the season.

This is a project I created for the CLASSroom. You can check out the tutorial and step outs here if you wish.

This post links up with The Twice Remembered Cottage's Make Your Monday linky party.



Happy Monday!

Julia

White Christmas Crafting...a canvas tree & a mitten frame

Friday was a super fun day for me. I somehow managed to squeeze in a bunch of simple holiday crafts. While I was out Friday morning picking up the styrofoam wreath for my Tassel Fringe Wreath, they had darling little styrofoam tree shapes as well. I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do with it but thought glitter perhaps. Well, as you can see in this photo, I kind of went the other way and just covered it with long strips of canvas. A simple shabby look. I had some canvas left over from my canvas pillow project and thought a monochromatic look would be pretty. To cover the tree, I just wrapped the styrofoam with 1" torn strips of canvas and pinned on as I went. The fun thing is that if I want a different look next year, I can just un-pin it.


And here it is at night. I love that little lamp I picked up at Wal-mart in the fall for my back hall table. It's so much cozier and more welcoming than the bright overhead light. To complete my winter whites arrangement, I added in a candle, a sequin star, an old clock face I purchased on ebay, a little verse quote display that I have on the table all year and tied them together by grouping onto a white plate from my kitchen. I'm pleased with the simple look and of course the price was just right.


I had thought I was finished crafting for the day and went to work sorting mittens, hats and scarves and just getting organized for the colder weather. I guess it doesn't take too much to sidetrack me though as I came across this sweet little hand-knit mitten in almost new condition. Unfortunately, one of my little kittens had lost their other mitten. As I couldn't match it up, I started thinking. Last year I would have sighed and thrown it out. But not THIS year. Now I'm thinking creatively with more than just paper.


A Goodwill frame I picked up made a great holiday accent when spray painted white. I don't recommend you spray paint in the basement like I did because of the cold. Yuck...the fumes were not nice. After taking out the glass, I filled the inside of the frame with yet another piece of leftover sweater from the sweater pillow, tied the mitten with some of my scrapbooking supplies and adhered it to the frame. Super quick and super fun and I love all the recycling I did on this project.



This post links up with DIY Day at a Soft Place to Land





Have a creative day!

Julia

The Tassel Trim Wreath

I've been having a fun time tasseling lately. I think I'm a tassel addict as they are so fun and easy to create. When I went to stock up on tassel fringe and trim, there was a lot of beautiful trims on sale. I just had to buy a lot. Of course now I have a huge bag of it to sort through every time I want to create a tassel. This ended up a good thing though as I had a light-bulb moment with the green trim. I did not own a wreath and it got me to thinking about creating one.

You Need:

• 12" Styrofoam wreath shape
• 2 yards of green trim (you'll probably have some leftover to tassel with)
• straight pins
• ribbon to hang it with... I used 24" of black and gold ribbon

To Create:

• Starting at the outside edge, start pinning the trim to the wreath base.
• Pin every 2-3" to secure well
• Once the first circle is completed, spiral trim until you have completed 3 passes and wreath is covered.
• Fluff up trim and enjoy.

So what do you think? I'm having fun with it and it looks so pretty and festive. It's fun to find beauty in the supplies you already have.

This post links up with Funky Junk's Saturday Nite Special.


And The Inspired Room's Holiday Linky Party



Have a great weekend!

Julia