Pin-Interest #2

Ready for another installment of Pin-Interest? Well, here we go! I have been ogling all the organization pins I've seen out there lately. Especially since I have zero organization skills myself. But I DO have crafting skills. So I thought I'd give it a try. I decided to replicate a measuring tool organizer (found here) and have provided you directions to make one as well. Let me tell you- it was easy AND only cost me $5.77.  What?! YES!

Follow the instructions below to make your own...

1. You will need to purchase wood and hooks. I went to Lowe's and bought a 1/2 x 2 x 36 inch piece of  pine. Did you know that the kind people of Lowe's will make 2 free cuts for you? Just head to the back of the lumber section (let the sound of electric machinery lead you) and ask the nice man to cut your wood into two 12 inch pieces. I also bought a box of 7/8 inch cup hooks.

2. Paint your wood pieces with standard acrylic paint. Then measure and place markings on your wood to indicate where each hook should be.

3. For this next step I painted the measurement words on using a white, sharpie paint pen and then outlined the words with a thin black sharpie. It you don't want all the hassle, buy number/letter stickers to use instead. I varnished my wood with a cheap acrylic glaze after I added the letters to give the piece a finished look. 

4. Screw in your hooks. If you have a drill I suggest using it! But, I  didn't so I just used my fingers and tried to put the hooks in as straight as possible!

Since I live in an apartment I used 3M removable stickies to hang the racks on the inside of my cabinet.

And there you have it! A finished rack for hanging your measuring tools!

Photo Sewing

Time for another tutorial! Sewing on photos is a fun and unique way to embellish your favorite pictures. Plus it's really easy. Follow the instructions below to make your own!

Ready? Begin...

1. After you have your photo, draw your design or words onto the photo with a hard pencil. This will put enough of a dent onto the photo so that you can see it.

2. Now some may say that you need to use a foam board for this next step but we all have couches, right? Poke holes along your design using a needle. Place closer holes around curved edges.

3. The stitch that I used for my projects is a back stitch. To start, insert your threaded needle from the back of the picture in the second hole into your design. Pull the thread through, making sure to keep a short tail left at the back.

4. Then, go back down through the front of the picture through the first hole in your design. 

5. You have your first stitch! 

6. Continue in this way, coming up through the next empty hole, and going back down back through the hole before it. This is why it's called a backstitch!

You can create lots of unique designs onto your photos. Words, shapes, designs, what have you!

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial! Have a good weekend!

Valentine Puzzle Box

Need a last-minute, easy Valentine idea? I made this puzzle box using the instructions from my girl Martha (found here). All you need is one 12'' X 12'' piece of double sided scrapbooking paper. Don't be intimidated by the need for a "bone folder" in the supplies list. I couldn't find mine and used the side of a pen instead- worked great! Fold it up, draw some cute hearts, slip a note inside and you're done! I snuck mine in Danny's lunch bag for a mid-day Valentine surprise! 

Happy Valentine's Day, my friends!

Personalized Photo Letters

Ready for something new? Well I've got another tutorial for lil' old...

Letter photos are all the craze! They're perfect for wedding gifts, baby showers, etc. But rather than using photos that other people take, why not make it a bit more personal? Find letters from a couple's Alma Mater, a friend's hometown or your favorite vacation spot. Be the artist yourself! You can do this!  Once you start looking for letters you will see them everywhere. So start a letter scavenger hunt and then read my tutorial on how to use Picnik to go from a snapshot to a piece of letter art!

Get instructions after the break....

Easy Cross-stitch Necklace for Valentine's Day!

I've been wanting to make this necklace for a while and I finally got myself together to do it this year! It was super easy and quick. Here's what I did:

Supplies:

- scrap of fabric

- red embroidery floss

- needle

- 3/4 inch button cover kit ($1.50 at JoAnns or Wal-mart)

- 3/4 inch bezel setting (purchased from Ornamentea)

- chain, jump rings and heart charm (all purchased from Ornamentea also)

Steps:

1. make a cross-stitch pattern on a scrap of fabric with 3 strands of the floss.

2. cut the fabric with the template on the back of the button cover box

3. using wire cutters, take the loop element off of the button back

4. follow the directions on the button cover box to complete the button

5. glue the completed button onto the bezel setting

6. after the glue is dried assemble the necklace with the jump ring, chain and charm

7. wear your new, fabulous valentine necklace!

Pin-Interest #1

Are you addicted to pintrest? You know you are! And if you're not on pinterst, what are you waiting for? Get yourself over there and start an account! Well we all pin every cutesy-patutsy thing we see, but how often do we actually make use of those pins to make our own lives more awesome? (enter cricket sounds here) This is the start to a personal adventure of turning pinterest-interests into reality, and I hope to have many more. So, without further ado, let me present the very first "Pin-Interest"!

There are so many sting art pins floating around on pinterest. I decided to create my own string art to pay homage to my hometown, lovely Cleveland, Ohio. 

  Here are the supplies you will need for this project:

-wood plaque (i got mine for about a dollar at JoAnn's)

-paint and glaze (both from Michaels)

-plain ol' nails

-hammer

-embroidery floss (i pulled out my stash from my 4th grade friendship bracelet stage)

-felt

-velcro hanger by 3M

Steps:

1. paint and glaze your plaque. Don't skip the glaze! Its a super easy thing to do to make your piece look so much more professional! Look for it in the same section you buy paint from at the craft store.

2. Print out an image of your chosen state. I just searched "ohio outline" in google images. You may have to print it out several times in different sizes until you find the one that fits your plaque just right.

3. Transfer your outline. 

*Robin's super-duper tip: If you don't have transfer paper, don't worry! Turn your paper over and color on the back with pencil. Then turn it over to the right side agian, position it onto your wood and using a lot of pressure, trace your outline. When you lift it you should see your shape drawn in pencil.

4. Time to pull out that hammer! Hammer your nails in along the line of your shape. Try to nail them close together, while leaving just enough room to move your string in between.

5. Now the fun part! Start stringing! Make a little knot on one of the nails and then start randomly stringing the floss around the nails. Don't be worried about perfection, but try to get all the areas covered. When you are happy with the look make another little knot. I then added a touch of glue to both knots to secure them and make the tails come in neatly.

6. Add a hand-cut felt heart and the velrco backing to  complete your piece of art! Hang and enjoy!

Here is how we arranged it on our wall! The "Love Always" print is a free PDF from my dear friend Martha. (found here) 

Hope you enjoyed my first Pin-Interst. Now go make your own!