Turn Drop Cloths Into Nautical Pillows

Whoever knew that painters drop cloths could be useful for sewing projects? I bought a package at Canadian Tire to make nautical style curtains by using paint and stencils. Luckily, there was enough in the package to make throw pillows as well! For just a little more than $30.00 for fabric that's a bargain!
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I washed the fabric first and almost no fraying occurred. It was super easy to iron, with a little steam of course. The pillows were made to be small throw pillows measuring about 12" X 12" with an overlapping closure at the back to allow for easy removal for laundering.





The patterns were bought online and my friend used her elaborate embroidery machine to create the finished product. The pattern includes a guide to buying all of the colors of thread needed for the project.





We were both impressed with the high quality of the painters cloth and it created a perfect nautical look when they were completed.





The sand dollar design was my favorite but my friend said it took a long time to complete the sand dollars because of the large number of stitches used to create it! But the machine pretty much does it on it's own with a little supervision of course!





They look so beautiful in my nautical guest bedroom! Who knew drop cloths could look so pretty?






Original article and pictures take http://www.hometalk.com/11535778/drop-cloths-become-nautical-pillows site

Creative uses for a tall cabinet pantry - not for just food anymore!

All cabinetry organization items available with cabinetry purchases at designsbybsb.com

Original article and pictures take http://www.hometalk.com/115356/creative-uses-for-a-tall-cabinet-pantry-not-for-just-food-anymore-all-cabinetry site

Simple Christmas Swag

Maybe I'm cheap, but it always hurts buying Christmas wreaths every year. It's so easy to drop $40-50 just to buy two wreaths for the front and back doors, only to throw them out not long after New Year's. Starting last year I got tired of throwing that money away and decided to make my own super-simple swag for our doors.

We're lucky enough to have a lot of hemlock trees behind our house, so I took some clippers and headed out to trim back some branches that needed to be cut anyways. Our dog followed me out to "help" - and by help I mean run around with a branch I cut. If you don't have suitable trees in your yard you may be able to get away with using the trimmings off your Christmas tree or you can buy bundles of hemlock or fir tree at the grocery or craft store for pretty cheap.





I made some smaller cuttings and started fanning them out, making a rough diamond shape.
Once it was getting close to what I wanted, I used some hand clippers to trim long pieces back into shape. If you have holly or other greenery you want to add, now would be when to do it.





Once I was pretty happy with it, I used some craft wire to bundle it together. You want to make it pretty tight so none of your branches slide out over time as you open and close the door. Use some extra wire to make a loop at the back for hanging.





Now add your bow. I had our bows made at the local garden center a few years ago. They had spools and spools of different fabric ribbon available, I picked the pattern I wanted and they made me up a couple of matching bows. I think they cost me $7 each, but I reuse them every year so it was definitely worth it! These bows have some wire in the back to attach it to the swag. After you add the bow, do any final trimming of the greenery.





This finished swag cost me nothing this year since I already had all the materials, and that's just fine by me ;)





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Original article and pictures take http://www.hometalk.com/11529133/simple-christmas-swag site

Washi Tape Snowflakes

You can turn a handful of clothespins into pretty, colorful snowflakes in just a few minutes with washi tape. This is a great craft to do with kids because it's quick and easy and there is virtually no mess.

Simple apply washi tape to the surface (one side only) of clothespins. You can be random about it, or more structured and do a pattern.

Once clothespins are covered, you need something sturdy to adhere them to. I used old vintage cardboard milk caps but anything circular would work as long as it's sturdy.

Clip the clothespins around evenly. This might be the best part for kids, as they can easily take them apart and redo if they don't like or to get different looks!

My daughter is planning to add these to her pink Christmas tree, but they would be equally pretty hanging from fishing line from the ceiling!

Interested in more ways to use washi tape? How about 101 ways?? I'm giving away a copy of Amy Anderson's book Washi Tape Crafts, which comes with 10 rolls of washi tape! The giveaway runs through Sunday at noon. You can enter at my blog, www.diybeautify.com or by clicking on the link below.

The washi tape snowflake are pretty on their own or even stacked for more impact!

Original article and pictures take http://www.hometalk.com/11529129/washi-tape-snowflakes site

Pallet Wood Snowman/In the Woods

There are a lot of good and interesting pallet Holiday projects to view, I thought I would share another. Especially for the energetic pallet crafter. This project uses a full pallet and is painted using acrylic paint and finished with two good coats of Rustoleom clear gloss.

The background was primed with one coat of Zinsser primer then to a second coat of primer I added phthalo blue . A light mix of this color coated the entire space then using straight color I worked down from the top blending it with the still wet under coat and gradually allowing the color to lighten to give the suggestion of depth.(while blending you may need to add a little more of the base color because some drying does occur.) Using a 3" brush and mixtures of color I based in the background trees.

The snowman was then added, based in so I would know how to place the upcoming parts. He will have 3 or 4 more coats added before he's done, partly to build his form and mainly because he'll get other colors on him as the painting developes. The foreground now can have some blues and purple color added for the under coat for the snow.

At this point I added the middle ground trees and snow and some grasses. The tree color is a mixture of burnt sienna black and a little white. I used the chisel edge of a 3" flat brush for the trunks, and a liner brush for the limbs. A fan brush was used for the snow covered leaves.

Now to the foreground and bringing some personality to Mr. Snowman (nope I didn't give him a name/ the friend who is picking him up soon will though.) I mixed a little blue with white for the first coat of snow and did not cover the entire base coat. once this coat is dry I added pure white. Some people suggest adding a hint of yellow to the top coat, that is up to you of course. For the scarf I first painted it a deep red/orange then a straight red over top. The lines in the scarf are yellow. The right edge of the body is light blue, I add a thin layer of white to the inside edge of the blue to help it blend in to the body.

Lastly I added a hint of snow to his hat, a Cardinal, and a Rabbit for extra character. I did neglect to mention the highlighting. For the trees a very light blue was added to the edges of the trunks and branches, and the grasses and stump had white and very light brown. You can simplify the painting and add your own personal touches.

Original article and pictures take http://www.hometalk.com/11528002/pallet-wood-snowman-in-the-woods site

Upcycled Tin Can Christmas Nesting Dolls

This is a fun and simple project that can be used as a decoration or as a fun gift wrap for a small gift.
Supplies you will need
Printer and printer paper
Free Template below
Scissors
Tape
Glue
4 Cotton Balls
1 Empty 24oz can
1 Empty 15oz can
1 Empty 10oz can
1 Empty 6oz can
Safety can opener


Step 1 - Cook some tasty dinners, wash, remove labels and save your empty cans. Be sure to use the safety can opener that allows you to put the can lid back on top of the can.
Step 2 - Print out the templates available at the link below

Step 3 - Carefully cut out template pieces and assemble according to template instructions.






Step 4 - To finish Santa Hat unroll one cotton ball almost to the end. Cut off small end piece and glue to tip of hat. Gently pull on the remaining piece of cotton until it reaches around the bottom of the hat. Attach with glue. Make two folds in hat and glue to 24oz can lid.






Step 5 - To finish Mrs. Claus. Glue one cotton ball to center of 15oz can lid. Take a second cotton ball and gently pull it into a circular shape to cover the entire lid of the can. Secure it in place with glue. Glue one more cotton ball on top to make a hair bun.






Step 6 - To finish Reindeer. Glue circular cut out to top of 10 oz can lid. Attach the antlers so that they will lay down inside the can lid when the cans are nested.






Step 7 - To finish the Elf. Do not attach the elf's hat to the 6oz can lid as it fits inside the can when the dolls are nested.
, Crafts







Original article and pictures take http://www.hometalk.com/11527735/upcycled-tin-can-christmas-nesting-dolls site

DIY Upcycled Chip Bag Christmas Decorations Tutorial

Would you believe all these decorations are made from empty snack bags? They are light weight, non breakable and eco- friendly. But best of all they are easy to make. I made them for my Christmas Tree last year but the cats had a great time playing with them too.

All you need are some empty chip bags, a ruler, a marker scissors, rubber cement and some thin flexible wire.





I used small snack bags but larger ones would work too.











You can easily make your own shiny chip bag decorations, everything you need to know is in this video.
DIY Tutorial Silver chip bag chain, snowflakes and Christmas balls,
, Crafts






Original article and pictures take http://www.hometalk.com/11527312/diy-upcycled-chip-bag-christmas-decorations-tutorial site

DIY Metallic Snowflake Ornaments

I am putting the finishing touches on my blue and silver Christmas Tree and needed some fun filler ornaments. Instead of just running to the store, I challenged myself to see if I could DIY something with items I already had around the house. I came up with the perfect solution with these metallic snowflake ornaments, and you are not going believe what they are made out of!

Here is the supply list to make these metallic snowflake ornaments: straws, brads, metallic spray paint and scissors.

If you liked this project and are looking for even more like it, visit the One Mile Home Style blog at www.onemilehomestyle.com. Thank you for supporting bloggers!

Original article and pictures take http://www.hometalk.com/11527090/diy-metallic-snowflake-ornaments site

Wire Fencing Turned Christmas Light Decor

This was a post written by one of my contributors, T. She found some wire fencing and put creative spin on it for her outdoor Christmas decorations.

She hung it on her front porch and used it to form a Christmas tree out of her Christmas lights.

This is the wire fencing she found in her barn. She unrolled it and measured her porch where she wanted to hang it.

Once the wire was flattened and on the ground, then secured with wood to hold it down, she measured and cut the wire. Next, the wire needed to be attached to the porch. This was done by placing a few nails at the top and bottom of the porch railings and hooking the wire on, then hammering the nails closed a bit to hold the wire in place.

What do you think? I think T had a fabulous trash to treasure idea!

Original article and pictures take http://www.hometalk.com/11525607/wire-fencing-turned-christmas-light-decor site

How I Dressed up My Front Porch for Christmas and the Winter Season.

This is how I dressed up our front porch for Christmas and the winter season. I have to give credit to Deborah Silver's blog, http://www.deborahsilver.com/blog/category/detroit-garden-works/ , for a lot of the ideas and just used what I had, with only purchasing a few items. Proven Winners and Proven Winners Color Choice Shrubs FB pages have also shared a few video's with similar looks.

I just used the pots that I had boston ferns growing in during the summer. I chopped off the dead ferns. I gathered norway spruce, white pine, curly willow and red twig dogwood branches from our property. I also had a river birch limb to cut up into shorter pieces. I purchased some small shatterproof ornaments, ting-ting and a few other "blingy" picks at Michaels. I also used a sting of white lights in each pot.

I placed the stinger of lights in the center of the pot. Then poked the red twig dogwood and curly willow in the the center also. I trimmed off shorter side shoots from the large limbs of the spruce and pine and poked them in the soil at an angle so they would lay flat. You can also place some upright. I then poked the ting-ting and other bling in until I was happy with the appearance. Final touch was to hang the small ornaments.

This year I added the plastic candy canes that I have had for years.

I purchased a plain wreath with a bow and added inexpensive shatter proof ornaments to dress it up.

At night.

Original article and pictures take http://www.hometalk.com/11524143/how-i-dressed-up-my-front-porch-for-christmas-and-the-winter-season site