Loverly to be Late....

Getting ready for school involves getting classroom procedures in order...and everything you need to make them happen, too. I want my students not to interupt the class when they come in late. I needed something that would hold a clipboard and a place for their admits. Well, well. I just happened to have this little item- I think it was a wedding gift, no less.

 I knew I would use it- one day! ;) I pulled it out of the garage, cleaned it up, took the hardware off and started painting. Our school colors are navy, blue and orange.

 I liked this color a lot. It's not too navy OR too bright. A couple of coats and we were good to go.

 I had a clipboard lying around (no joke. I'm like addicted to things with clips.) I taped the clip and spray painted it orange (obviously).

 After it dried I flipped it over, hot glued ric-rac to the back and covered it with felt.

 I had a piece of paper that was laminated- I put it inside the frame and made marks where the corners of the frame were, took it out and cut the rectangle out. Then I painted this laminated paper orange, too.

 I did the same thing with this piece of white vinyl. I printed 'Late!' on a plain piece of printer paper- and using my trusty razor I cut it out of the vinyl. I taped the printed word over the top and cut through both papr and vinyl.

 I printed "admits" out, too. I cut it out and fit it into the label holder.

 I placed the vinyl over the top of the orange-painted laminated paper. I printed 'sign in here', cut it out and simply taped it to the sign. (I free-handed the arrow...aren't you impressed?)

And here's the final project. A sign, a place for admits and a clipboard for them to sign-in with! One step closer to school starting as well!
 

Fancified Frames....Via Individual Rivalry and a DIT (Do-It-Too)

My friend Sheena from Individual Rivalry made this incredible frame on her site. I had to try it! I was fantastic - a frame and some glue. I decided to try it.

I had this old frame- completely nondescript. I wanted to use it for a really cute quote I hope to print.

I took Sheena's advice on her site and decided to give puff paint a go. I happened to have some from a craft I started and ended up going in another direction...like THAT ever happens, right?! {Gee, can you GUESS which holiday it MIGHT have involved?}

 

 

I'm not a great artist. My designs are not fantasmic. I know. I tried to copy a frame that I found on the Internet. This is to inspire YOU, okay?

I did the whole frame...I found that the different bottles had different 'flow'. The red came out more prone to air bubbles and splatters. I recommend buying at least two so that you can cover the entire frame and so that you have other means in which to fix flubs.

After the puff paint dried I took it into my garage and gave it ONE {yay!} coat of spray paint.

I did a few more small touch ups- just in case. (Actually, my youngest decided to pick some of the puff paint off and I had to do damage control.)

So now I need to find my way to a printer... but meanwhile- start thinking up some neat twists to this here terrific idea- Thanks Sheena!!

 

Check out MMMblog for our upcoming boutique announcement!!

Livening Up My Laundry Room

 This little project has been long time due. I purchased this vinyl from Pick Your Plum, oh, about a year ago. I bought TWO, actually. I usually do- just in case I mess up, I need a gift, I come up with a super-duper double idea...you know what I'm saying, I'm sure.

SO, unlike Artsy-Fartsy Mama, my vinyl was black to start with. I had these cute plaques already cut for me...they had a white laminate on them...so I worked with what I had. I first applied the {black} vinyl. Then I sprayed them with Krylon primer. Then when that dried {I think...I get kind of impatient.} I spray painted them with color. I used Valspar colors...if you are interested, let me know and I can get you exact colors.

I let those dry....more or less....and then I OH, SO CAREFULLY {you probably don't need to be soo careful if you let them dry properly} peeled the vinyl away from the plaque showing the white that I started with.

I did this thee times...one with each of the colors and plaques...to get this:

Then I had to hang them. I KNOW I pinned a pin SOMEWHERE about using soda pop tabs as hanging gear...or whatever the proper term SHOULD be. I just so happened to have hung on to a tab or three from a lunch this last week. {Not all mine...just two. ;)} 

 I couldn't find my trusty staple gun so I pulled out my next best option below  the hot glue I was also out of.

I let that dry as long as I could stand {a couple of hours because I left the house}. I used regular ole nails to attach them to the wall. I particularly liked using the pop tabs because I could 'mark' the wall with them to indicate where I wanted to hammer my nails.

 I hung these at about 1 am in the morning. After finishing some shipping for the store. Interesting that only ONE person woke up...to hammering...in the house...in the middle of the night.

I now don't think dirty laundry is my most pressing of my problems. ;)

Pop over to the store to check out the cute, cute items available this week!

Or over to Mindy Mae's Market blog to see what else is ORANGE!

Nikki's Niche- Metal Letter...Craft Fail...

Lest you think ALL crafting is perfect...I thought I'd show you my latest and not so greatest. I had this vision of a darling Pink and White Chevron 'W' on a burlap wreath I had made (without taking pictures {GASP!})

My Silhouette isn't working...so I resorted to the "old school" way of cutting vinyl. I printed out the shape from my Silhouette first.

Then I made sure it would fit my vinyl piece and my pre-painted letter 'W'.

Then I began cutting- note the safety scissors. These are the result of  more haircuts, furniture slashes and rock-star-esque wardrobe re-dos. At least I'm safe.

Now. Take note. What you see here IS NOT what you'll get. You'll get the opposite. This, my friends is what I WANTED it to look like...{sigh}.

I was soo anxious to start...I decided to PAINT it instead (the vinyl was more than I was ready for tonight). I took the letter outside, placed the vinyl - with backing still on it- as a template and sprayed.

This is what I got. Opposite of what I wanted. Boo.

Here is the wreath it will reside in after I redo the paint...

Happy Friday All...I bet you need it as much as I do! ;)