Frame of Frames

This has been a looong awaited post.  I know I've teased you multiple times with this project but I have been so excited about it that I couldn't keep it to myself..but I also couldn't seem to finish the darn thing!  I still haven't finished it..but I can't finish it for another couple of weeks..you'll see why, but I couldn't possibly wait that much longer to share!  So... here it is!

So here is what happened...

We were selling those cute frames and I couldn't seem the kick the "need" for a bunch of them.. but I needed a fun way to display them.  Then while at Lowe's, I saw this...

I snatched me up 4 pieces

{after carefully examining all the pieces to make sure I had the very best ones}

We painted them white, measured twice and then cut...twice. ;)

Then I grabbed the stencil I bought from Cutting Edge Stencils

and we painted inside the frame, using the same color white we used for the moulding.

I kind of loved it like this, but knew we couldn't leave it like...

I grabbed 4 measuring tapes and measured them out on the floor.  Then, I arranged {and re-arranged} my frames until I was happy with the way they fit.

As you can see, I ended up changing the layout anyway.  I then put the above image in photoshop and dropped colors on the various frames until I was happy with  what color went where.. I debated on doing patterns, stencils, etc. on the frames but with the stenciling in the background, it just got to be WAY too busy.. So.. I just got to painting...

After I was done painting, I plopped them all back down on the floor
{for about two weeks}.

Finally, I turned them all face down and measured where each keyhole fell within the "giant frame" made from the moulding.

Then we got to hanging...

Don't mind that my house is a complete disaster.. I thought about cleaning up the area but realized... reality is.. my house is a mess - why fake it?!

In the bottom left frame I put chicken wire, where I plan to clothes pin some pictures...

In the bottom right frame I put a sheet of metal, where I plan to magnet pictures...

In the top blue frame, there is also some chicken wire, where pictures will be pinned...

Three of the frames will contain pictures {that are being taken on the 5th, thus the reason I can't "finish" the project yet}

Two frames will contain adorable printouts that I have yet to find!

The top left window was a find at a consignment shop that I spend WAY to much time at..

And the empty space at the bottom.. is for another special project that I hope to share soon {another reason I can't "finish"}!

xoxo

-Courtney-

Pocatello Channel 6 News

We were invited up to visit with Haley of Pocatello's Channel 6 News.  We had so much fun and can't wait to do it again!  Don't mind the fact that we got about 3 hours of sleep the night before and appear to be a little spastic! :)

Segment 1:

Segment 2:

Met some really great people, learned a lot, and plan to improve and keep on keepin' on!

HUGE shout-out to all of our customers that make it possible for us to continually grow, learn, and make new friends! xoxo

Fabric Button Accessories

Heidi really gave MMM some love with this post..gotta love that girl! xoxo

Fabric Button Accessories Tutorial

I've been bitten by the accessory making bug. BIG time. They're so fast, easy and fun that I've made way more than I will ever be able to wear. I will most definitely be adding a bunch to my Etsy store (grand re-opening very soon!) for those of you who don't have the time to make them yourselves. But, if you're a crafty do-it-yourself kind of girl like me, here's the lowdown on how to make your own: 

First, gather your supplies. You'll need some fabric scraps, bobby pin or ring blanks, scissors, a button covering kit (available here - I'm using flat-backed size 30 buttons), and some E-6000 Adhesive. I purchased my fabric scraps, bobby pins and ring blanks from Mindy Mae's Market.

Mindy Mae's doesn't alway have fabric scraps, and when they get them in stock they sell out quickly, but they are soooo worth it! If you "like" Mindy Mae's Market on Facebook you'll get the inside scoop on when they'll be available. I just had to show off some of these prints because they're totally adorable!

Cut a fabric scrap into a circle (or circle-ish! it doesn't have to be precise at all) large enough to cover the entire button and wrap around the edges. Lay the fabric circle over the larger sized bottom piece of the button making tool (print side down).

Place the button top face down into the bottom of the tool with the fabric. You may need to trim off the excess fabric a bit at this point. There should be enough fabric left that it fills the button and overlaps the edges, but not so much that you can't get the button backing to fit on. Place the button backing on top of the fabric, and use the small part of the tool to push the back into place. It will snap into place easily as long as you don't have too much excess fabric. Finally, use your E-6000 to glue the button on to the bobby pin. Easy peasy! It literally only takes about a minute and a half to make each hair pin!

Now go make them in every color and pattern you can think of ! I'm warning you though, it's highly addictive!

Fabric buttons also make super cute rings! I got these filigree ring blanks from Mindy Mae's Market as well. You'll want to stock up so that you can make rings to go with every outfit, naturally!

This post is compliments of the ever talented Heidi K. from Mom's Crafty Space.

This chalkboard necklace is a fun and easy craft that would be perfect for gift giving (Mother's Day is coming up!), and it's a great way to use up leftover bits of chalkboard paint or even small scraps of
chalkboard vinyl.

First, gather up your supplies. I used DIY chalkboard paint (you can purchase the kit at Mindy Mae's Market), so my supplies were: acrylic paint (house paint works well too!), non-sanded grout, a necklace bezel, a small mixing container and a paintbrush. I mixed a large pinch of the grout in with the paint, and then poured the entire mixture into my necklace.

Tap it on a level surface to get rid of any air bubbles, and then use a toothpick to pop any that remain. I finished mine off by gluing on a cute little pink bow, but it looks just as cute without it! I love that I can change the message as often as I want...so many possibilities!



DIY Dry-Erase Calendar

First and foremost, please don't judge the photos!  We couldn't find our SD card and ended up using my phone and that was before Instagram was available on Droid, so I couldn't even fake it! :)

Things you'll need:

Frame (size of choice) with glass

Striping Tape (Mindy Mae's Market has some available if you ask)

Silhouette or other vinyl cutting machine (can do without as well)

Large desk calendar and/or a ruler.

Dry Erase Markers

For ours.. we used my bridal picture frame!  You know, that large picture of yourself you display at your wedding as if you aren't standing right there..

Well the hubs wanted to hang it, and that was a solid no, therefore it had been sitting under our stairs putting a perfectly good frame to no use.  So we ripped out the picture and got to work.

Here it is after ripping out the picture and tearing off the backing.



Clean your glass really well.

{I was out of Windex so we used Lysol, don't judge!}

Place your frame face down {so that the pin striping is on the backside}.

Place your calendar sheet wherever you'd like it placed within the frame and start tracing the lines with your pin striping.

We suggest when you are pin striping to do the horizontal stripes first, then your vertical.  That way you have clean lines when looking from the front, because you can hide the ends of the vertical striping on the horizontal stripes.

When we were done with the pin striping we printed out the days and a couple of "side-notes" for our frame.  If you don't have a vinyl cutter, just write it in!

No biggie! 

Remember, you'll want to cut them so that they are sticky on the front side, so that you can adhere them to the backside of the glass.

Then grab your dry erase marker and get to work!





The plus side of doing all your vinyl on the backside is when you clean the glass to move onto a new month, you don't get dry-erase dust stuck to the vinyl and it is a smooth surface to work with.

As most of you know, I {Courtney} don't have kids.. so Carpool Mondays was simply for effect ;)

xoxo



Jute Flower Bouquet

When I saw this trio of buckets at Tuesday Morning for just $10 I snatched it up! Then I had to figure out what to put in them! I decided that jute would look great with the antiqued buckets, so I played around and came up with jute flowers (inspired by hydrangeas) with upholstery tack centers. I purchased the jute ribbon and upholstery tacks from Mindy Mae's Market.

 

Cut your jute ribbon into two inch squares.

Fold in half.

 

Fold in half again.

 

Hold the folded corner and trim the square into a petal shape.

 

When you open it you will have your flower!

 

Dab white paint randomly on the flowers.

 

Cut a styrofoam ball in half and cover it with masking paper

(purchased at Home Depot).

 

Fill the bucket with floral styrofoam (purchased at the Dollar Tree).

 

Join two of the flowers with an upholstery tack, then push the tack into the styrofoam ball. Repeat until the bouquet is full.
The beauty of using tacks is you can reposition the flowers as desired to achieve the fullness you prefer!

I just love it!

Be sure to check out more of Morena's creations over on her blog!

Tulle Easter Basket

Morena spiced up Easter with her little metal bucket "Easter basket" for the boys, and for the girls...

Would you believe that this started as a basket from the Dollar Tree? I liked that it was painted silver (perfect for a princess) and decided to use tulle to dress it up!

I measured the length from the top of the basket to the bottom and then added an inch. I wrapped the tulle several times and then cut one end

(as pictured above)

I then twisted the folded end twice and used hot glue to adhere it to the basket.

Once the basket was surrounded in white tulle I started making freaking rosettes. I cut a 5 by 4 inch piece of tulle.

Fold in half lengthwise twice.

Roll into a rosette and hot glue over the tops of the tulle.

Add beads to make centers for the rosettes. I glued them on.

And there is your updated one dollar basket!

It is so hard to photograph tulle! I made several attempts but these pictures just don't do it justice. You will have to make one to see for yourself!

Perfect for carrying toads around the yard!

Or depositing leaves and grass in!