Capture the Details

colorful knife block

I have a knife block on my kitchen counter. It was a light colored wood, but now, it's a pop of color! I decided to add some splash to that corner of my counter because my cabinets, my canister set and the knife block were all similar in color.

I was inspired to do this by a pin I came across on Pinterest. It's a very simple DIY project - give the wooden knife block a coat of primer, then a coat or two of color. It was nice and sunny and warm today, and it took me less than 20 minutes to give the knife block a face lift. I chose a bright, fun orange since I have some other orange elements in my kitchen.

Before.......

And after.......

Much better! :-)

mouse

I have one cute mouse made and two more to go. Two are for birthday gifts, and the last will be for Sarah. She fell in love with Miss Mouse when she saw the completed project.

I found the pattern in the book, Sewn Toy Tales from Melly & Me. There are a dozen adorable characters that you can make.... and love! :-)

Ben is 11

I know the saying is cliche, but where does the time go? My baby boy is now eleven years old.

I've been told by several people that knew Todd as a young boy that Ben looks like a young Todd. :-) The brown eyes and freckles throw me on that because his daddy has neither. Those are from me.

He spent the day working on some new Lego kits. And, he lost a tooth today! I made waffles and ice cream for dessert tonight and we put a candle in his and sang Happy Birthday to him. His family party was last night, so we needed something to put a candle in on his actual birthday! :-)

divine twine topiary

I made a pretty spring topiary for Styrofoam Brand Foam using jute twine and felt. The cone shape is wrapped in twine - very simple, just wrap and wrap until it's covered. I made pretty flowers using colorful felt, and accented them with beads and pearlized pins.

For a supply list and full instructions, go to the crafts 'n coffee website here. :-)

what a Valentine present!

Sarah got a great present for Valentine's Day - her braces are off! The one thing she wanted to do after they came off was chew gum. So, I made her a bouquet of a dozen packs of gum for her Valentine gift.

I hot glued long lollipop sticks to the bottom of each pack and let the glue set up.

Then, I added a bit of clear tape to help secure the pack to the stick. I wrapped florist tape around the stick to make a stem, and added a few silk leaves to make gum *flowers*.

I gave them to her when we got home from the orthodontist this afternoon. Here she is with her gum bouquet and a lovely smile....

She loved it. And I got the biggest thank-you hug. :-)

fresh flowers...... (almost)

I put together a bouquet of fresh flowers picked from a country garden. Well, not really, but I'm loving them anyway! They are actually from the craft store. Shhhhhhhhhhh

Silk flowers are amazing, aren't they? Right now there is snow outside my kitchen door, but I'm dreaming that I walked outside through my garden and picked gerbera daisies, ranunculus, allium, hydrangea and sunflowers.

My arrangement sits on top of my china cabinet. I wanted something colorful and showy up there and I think this fits the bill. 

Now, if only spring would come for real....... :-)

Instagram love

A few Instagram shots from today...

From left - at the fabric store. The specialty fabrics are so beautiful they make me weak in the knees. LOL 

The most beautiful tissue box I have EVER seen. Very whimsical, and I just love owls.

Bring on the warm weather - I have flip flops! I got a great deal at JC Penney with a coupon - only $2 for all four pairs! :-)

tip for hanging items around a thermostat

I have an area on my one studio wall that has a light switch and a thermostat. It's difficult to hang a picture there because the thermostat is right smack in the middle of where the picture should hang. When this room was my living room that same spot was bare for over 13 years because of that issue.

I got out my box of decorations from the "before remodeling" era in our little house and I came across a project I did a few years ago. I made a photo collage from embroidery hoops and fabric paper. Remember these?

I thought they would work great in that area because it's not one large item trying to fit in that awkward space, it's a bunch of smaller items that are flexible with their layout.

A great tip for when you are hanging a bunch of items is to make template of each item first. I traced the circle shapes onto paper and cut them out. I used Washi tape to hang the paper circles on the wall - it's removable and won't damage the paint, and it lets you play around with placement of your items before committing to nails in the wall.

Once you have your items placed how you would like them, you can hammer your nail through the paper. The paper rips off leaving the nail in position.

Now my studio wall has a nice collection of photos helping to disguise the thermostat.

Little by little I am filling blank walls in our remodeled house. :-)

 

cabinet makeover DIY - brighten the inside

I have a china cabinet that I inherited from my grandmother, along with the whole dining room set. I decided to brighten up the inside a bit with a simple DIY project. The wood is a dark color, cherry I believe. The area I wanted to brighten was the back wall on the inside, behind the dishes. I used foam core board and wrapped it with fabric - very simple. Plus it can easily be removed without harming the antique cabinet.

I started by measuring the height and width of the back area on each shelf. My foam core board was about 2" short on the width, so I cut a piece to fit and taped it all together. I used plain old packing tape.

I cut a piece of fabric large enough to wrap around the back on all four sides (press the fabric with an iron to remove wrinkles). I taped the two shorter sides first, pulling the fabric tight.

I used my iron to press the corners flat before folding the top and bottom sides over.

Make sure to have the fabric pulled tight as you are taping the edges on the back. Tape all the edges to keep the fabric secure on the board. Flip it over and you have a nice, new back for your shelf.

I covered the three back wall areas and it's amazing the fresh look it now has!

The dishes are all back in place and I love the change.

It's subtle, but I notice the difference. :-)

 

'Shades of Pink' Valentine Yarn Wreath

Wrapping a Styrofoam Brand Foam wreath with yarn is an easy way to get a great base for any themed wreath. (I found it's easier to wind the yarn into a ball before starting... it's easier to pass the ball through the hole in the center of the wreath.) I made a really cute Valentine's day wreath using a multi-colored, chunky yarn in pretty shades of pink.

I added a ribbon banner that is decorated with X's and O's that are strung on with mini clothes pins. I used glitter and foil cardstock for my letters... the cardstock holds its shape better than regular patterned paper - less curling. I used my Revolution die cut tool from QuicKutz and the 'Abigail' font. You could use any die cut machine to make your letters.

I made hearts from the same papers and added a few as an accent to the bottom of the wreath. I added foam pop dots to the smaller hearts to give the area some dimension.

If you'd like a materials list and directions to make this wreath you can visit the Crafts 'n Coffee blog. Sharon has my wreath featured there and she will be posting other Valentine wreaths throughout the week as well. Make a pretty new craft for the holiday!

Happy Valentine's Day! :-)