Easy business card holder

I'm a fairly social person, who is just in the beginning stages of my business, and I am making A LOT of contacts. I noticed that I either didn't have any of my cards on me or I had to dig through a purse full of Target receipts to get to them. Really professional, right?

Oh, one more quick thing about me...I'm cheap...err...frugal:)

So I looked through one of our junk drawers (I have two because I am an overachiever, don't hate) and found an old bandaid holder. Voila, instant business card holder. It happened to be Super Mario Brothers, which is totally rad in itself, but not my thing. 

So here is what I used:

Bandaid holder-metal

Gold or silver sharpie (optional)

Scrap paper

mod podge

I had to use a metallic sharpie since my bandaid holder top was curved and hard to cover with paper. So I decided instead of leaving it blue I could quickly paint it. 

If you are not rushed, you could spray paint the whole tin. That would look truly professional. I quickly colored the blue parts with the gold sharpie, and it looks amazing! 

After you are done painting any exposed metal, cut your scrap paper to size. 

Once your paper is cut, simply mod podge it onto your tin. Be sure to smooth out any bubbles and give it a nice even top coat. 

Let dry and you are finished! 

Ugly outlet cover solution

I came up with this idea awhile ago, and I made mental note to put this in my "invention notebook", the one that does not exist. I keep on meaning to write down all of my genius ideas, but they are so fleeting, and I always forget:)! Anyway, this was one of those ideas.

That outlet is ugly, cream, and right in my face.

See, it may seem like nothing to most, but my counter height electrical outlets drive me nuts. I often find myself plugging in those small wall wax warmers just to stick something in them.

Then I thought, "why not a picture frame?".  I thought of using a frame with an outlet plug cover to jazz things up.

A quick trip to the Dollar Tree was in order to gather my supplies. I needed a lightweight 4x6 picture frame, lightweight and cheap!

This is what I decided on. Pretty basic.

Back view

 Next I removed the cheapo stand, a quick pull and it was gone, leaving a nice flat back.

Photo stand removed

 I then held my frame up to the wall outlet to see where I should position the outlet cover (that we all have leftover from when our babies were sticking their fingers where they shouldn't).

Position and THEN glue

 I then simply hot glued the outlet plug onto the back of the frame, and there you have it!

Add a photo!

Add a printable (I have a chalkboard "You Are My Sunshine" print in this picture)

Easily use it as a dry erase board. Just insert plain or patterned paper into the frame and use a dry erase marker in the glass!

Hope you enjoyed this easy project!

Easter mason jars

Adorable, right? Adorable and easy as well! 

Here is what you need:

Mason jars

E-6000 glue

Spray paint

Easter figurines, found mine 3 for $.49 at Goodwill, dollar tree is also a great source. 

So basically you glue the figures to the jar lids with E-6000 and let cure at least overnight. The next day you can start painting. Allow at least 10 minutes between coats, using very light coats. 

After the lid is dry, fill however you like!

So adorable!!! Now if Spring could just get here:). 

Back at it

Well, I am back after a wonderful break. My youngest is in kindergarten now and I have a bit more time for fun and creative outlets. Next year she will be in school FULL TIME and I decided now is my time.

Make it happen. 

Have fun while doing it.

Do what you love, what you enjoy. 

Yep, I can do that! 

I figured, why wait? I've had experience and feel confident enough now that I can make this into something. I mean, I have been thrifting long before Macklemore told me it was cool. I already wore my grandma's clothes, costume jewelry, loved her style. I adore an estate sale, and not to resell things, but for the stories they tell. I love seeing the potential in old furniture, or decorating with unusual found objects.

I also love creating. Pinterest has been the best and worst thing to happen to me since I joined 6 long years ago. I know many of you agree with me. I've had more "I can do that!" moments than I can count, and I can also blame that same site with the 5 pounds that won't leave, despite all of my fitness inspiration pins:).

So follow me on this journey! You can expect many crafty tutorials, pictures of my vintage and antique finds, along with pictures of pieces I am refinishing and selling.

Oh, and while you are here, check the links on the left to follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook!

The too easy earring holder

So I have been looking for a nice looking easy way to display my earrings. I was inspired by the numerous radiator and chicken wire frames that are out there and decided to search my craft room and raid what I already had instead of buying more stuff. So lets get to it.

Here is what you will need:

Embroidery hoop (I used a 12 inch one, which cost me $.99 at the thrift store years ago)
lace or a doily (I found an old table runner at the thrift store for a dollar)

No real instructions, just place the lace/ doily inside the hoop and pull tight. Snip the excess material and fabric glue it around the back if you like.

A nice touch would be to paint the hoop as well, I like it bare so that I can always reuse it for its original purpose later in life:).

Oh, and aren't those earrings the cutest??? I made them and I think they are my most treasured pair. I can work on a tutorial for that too if anyone likes.

This was also linked to the Metamorphosis Monday post on Between Naps On The Porch!

Moss covered monogram- tutorial

I love how this turned out...and I love the price even more. The whole thing cost me less than $5, thank you Dollar Tree:).

Here is what you will need:

*12" letter- mine was from Hobby Lobby and was $1.99, near the unfinished wood products.
*paint- I used spray paint, Krylon's oil rubbed bronze.
*Spanish moss sheets- from the Dollar Tree. I used 2 sheets.
*Ribbon of your choice- for the letter shown I used 48" total, 24" on each side. The Dollar Tree has this too!
*Hot glue gun

Step 1:

Paint your blank letter and let it dry.

Step 2:

Get out your moss sheet and dry letter.

Step 3:

Cut the moss in the shape of the letter. I needed two sheets due to the width of the "M". I would imagine other letters may only needs one sheet. Now learn from my mistake. I put the moss under the letter and free cut around the letter. The BETTER way to do this would be to hot glue the sheet(s)to the front of the letter then turn it over and cut around it. Duh!

Step 4:

Examine the back of the letter and trim as needed.

Step 5:

Attach the ribbon. Fold over first then glue pretty side up on the back of the letter. You are going to want to glue the ribbon near 45 degrees to avoid puckering once the bow is tied.

Step 6:

 

Hang it on your door (or anywhere) for all to admire!

Tutorial- braided fabric elastic headband

Browsing the $1 section of Target looking at all of the things I don't need (but want), I saw something I swore was mispriced. Nope, 6 elastic headbands for $1. I knew a tutorial was in the works. So here we go!

So gather your supplies!
Fabric scraps- coordinating or happily mismatched (I only needed 21 inches for my headband)
elastic headband
sewing machine or needle and thread

Getting started:
Step 1- Tear or cut (3) half inch strips of fabric

Step 2- Stack strips on elastic band 2 on top, one on the bottom. Sew to elastic band, front and backstitch to secure.

Step 3- Attach the band to something stable, I used my lampshade.

Step 4- Braid all the way around band, braiding the band WITH the 3rd piece. Move your clip up as needed.

Step 5- Finish the braid leaving 2.5-3 inches unfinished. I went with 3 inches for comfort.

Step 6- Repeat step 2 and securely sew the strips to the band.

Step  7- Snip off excess, at this point try it on to see how it fits. You may need to take out the stitches and bring it up a bit (and sew again) if it's too tight.

Step 8- Show off your smoking hot new headband...after taking 75 pictures of the top of your head, all of which focused on the kids behind you, the floor, or your armpit. And be proud of yourself! You did it all by yourself! Enjoy!

Tutorial- Wooden twig / wood branch / tree branch buttons

While in the backyard, picking up you know what, I noticed that there were plenty of tree branches laying around after our last snowfall. So what is a girl to do? Leave the cleaning up to her darling husband and go inside and make buttons! This may be one of the easiest projects you may ever complete, and it's very rewarding to see your finished project.

So let's get started, here is what you will need to make your own DIY wood tree branch buttons.

Branch or twig
Hand saw or table saw
Sandpaper
Drill- I used a 5/64 bit and it was perfect
Wood polish (optional)

Step 1
Find a nice looking branch or twig. The sturdier the better, and you want to make sure that your bark is intact and doesn't peel off too easy. OR you want the bark to peel off really easy if you like the look of barkless buttons. Mine turned out half and half, not ideal for me, but not as bad looking as I thought.

Step 2
Saw your branch into 1/8 inch pieces. If your branch is very sturdy you could go even smaller. You will figure this out after your first cut. Now, I started off using my husbands table saw but that turned out not so well. Let's just say that I still have both eyeballs, but it was a close one. So I quickly switched to a hand saw, fine toothed. Unless eye patches are cool where you live, I recommend a hand saw too.

Step 3
Lightly sand the surface and sides of your button. This is to prevent snags but truly this isn't meant to be a functional button for me, just decorative, so I didn't go crazy with this step.

Step 4
Drill 2 or 4 holes into your button, depending on the look you want. I go for 2 since I am a lazy button sewer kind of lady. Also, the middle of my branch was so weak that I just set the drill on top and a hole was punched in the center. Next time I will look for a better branch. Weak bottom branch.

***No pictures here. It is really hard to hold a camera and drill tiny holes at the same time~ 


Step 5
Completely optional, and after completing this step I won't do it again. If you want a darker button face then this is a good way to get the look. I tried 3 different types of wood cleaner and polish that I had on hand. My favorite was the wood conditioner that I had on hand for our wood handled steak knives.

Step 6
Arrange your buttons on a crazy pretty bird plate and admire how very crafty you are. I suggest a cup of coffee too. Oh, I mean, put your button on something cool and show it off! I am currently looking for the perfect piece to attach it to. Those pics are to come!

Tutorial- Fabric covered cork board

I am in the process of making the guest room into a craft room, and I LOVE it! I have hit just about every thrift store this weekend looking for storage solutions and cute vintage finds. I came across a plain little memo cork board that I needed but decided on making it a bit better. So I went over to my favorite local fabric store, the Fancy Tiger, and bought some cute fabric (any excuse for fabric shopping!) and got started.

Here is how to make your own:

Supplies

Cork board
fabric
Craft Bond spray adhesive
scissors or rotary cutter and board
acrylic paint
brush
trim (optional)
glue gun (optional)
glitter (optional)

Step 1
Lightly sand the cork board frame and paint it.


Step 2
Measure the inside of the frame where the fabric will lay.

Step 3
Cut your fabric to the above measurements.

Step 4
Tape the edges of the frame with painters tape.

Step 5
First cover your spraying surface with newspaper so that your work space remains clean. Then spray the cork with Craft Bond. Immediately cover with your fabric and smooth away any bubbles. At this time you can gently lift the fabric and reposition if need be.

Step 6
Fix your mistakes:) I misjudged with my placement. One side was short, one was long. So at this point I cut the long edge with a razor and went through all of my notion boxes for some trim to fix the problem!

Step 7
Add your "oops" trim with your glue gun.

Step 8
This step is completely optional, but I really love glitter and wanted a chance to have my husbands workshop all sparkly.

Step 9
Voila! Admire your handy work!