Friday, December 30, 2011

Feature Friday: Thats My Letter

Hello Hello!!! Is everyone ready for New Years Eve Weekend? I sure am- I can't believe 2011 is already here and gone.


Today, before we completely leave 2011 in the dust I want to share another amazing DIY gal that some of you may already know. Jaime from the awesome blog That's My Letter has some great DIY projects she has completed for her home. She's a mom to 3 kids (how does she find the time!?) and does everything from building, to crafting to sewing. Is there anything this girl can't do?


Here are just a few highlights:


Adorable Table and Chairs for her kids. I've been looking for a cute table and chair set for the Con-Man- now I'm inspired to build one!





And check out this entry way storage unit SHE built! A-Maz-Ing!


Cute toy box- Love!!


And I adore this Trug she made. I have to make one for the Con-Man!!!!




A lot of the projects she has made are from the Anna White Website. She has truly inspired me to take on some large building projects of my own.

If you want to check out more of Jaime's projects or how any of the ones above are made check out Jaime's blog That's My Letter for all the how to's!!

Go Girl!

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Top Projects of 2011

So we're back from our whirl wind tour of the Southern states! Christmas was tons of fun- it was the first year Con-Man really got into opening presents and was super excited to see what Santa had brought him. As we're slowly unpacking the mountain of presents he got, and I thought that it would be a good time to look back and reflect on some of my top projects this year.


I usually don't look at my stats but here are my Top 5 Projects from 2011 as voted on you guys based on pages views! 

















And here are a few of my personal faves:










For 2012 I still have some tricks up my sleeve- the biggest things are working on Con-Man's new big boy room, maybe building a new dining room table, and finally reupholstering these bad boys:




Thank you to everyone who has been following this blog since the beginning and welcome to all the new faces! I really appreciate you taking the time to read and check out my work. 

I hope your ready for some new adventures in 2012! I sure am.



Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Awesome EIghties??!!

Are the 80's slowly making the comeback people said it would? Are you afraid?? I kind of am... 


What got me thinking about this was the bowls I made the other day. In the post where I got the idea for the DIY was a suggestions to paint the bowl neon to go along with the Neon Trend. And I did! I painted one bowl I made for my youngest sister neon green because I thought she'd like it. 




Need proof that the eighties is making a comeback? Have you seen those kids on the Disney Channel? They look like mini Madonna's!


Or this image from New York Fashion Magazine comparing then and now:




I don't know if it's because I feel like the 80's wasn't that long ago (30 years isn't a long time right?!) or if it's because I've been programed to think of the 80's as the tacky decade that should be forgotten. 

The 80's gets a bad rap because of trends like this:


Shoulder Pads


Work Out Gear


Big Teased Hair


Men with Big Teased Hair that Look Like Women


Jellies (Jury's still out on this one- I had several pairs of these when I was younger)

And of course 80's home decor, how can we forget?









Now I know that with any trend/ decade that makes a comeback it's usually in a more subdued and updated way. Like how Mid-Century has been the hot trend for a while- do people who grew up in that decade roll their eyes at people like me who think it's way cool? 

But the 80's? I'm still not convinced.

What's next? 90's grunge?


Lord Help us all!

What do you think? Do you like to see trends make a comeback? Are there some you'd rather see forgotten?

Monday, December 19, 2011

DIY Faux Porcelain Bowl

*** WARNING! If you are one of my sisters STOP READING THIS NOW!!! ***


Every Christmas I try to make something hand made to give to friends and family. This Christmas I am giving each of my sisters a unique piece of jewelry I found on Etsy and I thought it would be fun to give them a little jewelry holder to go with it.


Do you remember that clay you used to play with as a kid? The big giant hunk you get at the craft store? Well it's still useful today in a more grown up sense. I used it to make a Faux (sounds better than fake!) Porcelain Bowl. It was a cute idea I saw on Curbly the other day and had to try it out! It mixes the hot trend for the season- metallic and it's hand made!



If you want to make one of these yourself all you need it:

1. Air Dry Clay
2. Rolling Pin
3. Round Bowl or Cookie Cutter
4. Flat White Spray Paint
5. Gold Metallic Paint
6. Paint Brush

Start by chopping off a hunk of clay from your block.


Then roll it into a ball and flatten it a little. Next you'll use your rolling pin to flatten it out further; just like cookie dough! I placed it in between 2 pieces of saran wrap to it would stick to the counter or rolling pin. Roll it to its the width you want; I flattened it to about 1/4" thick.



Peel off the saran wrap and use your bowl or cookie cutter to cut a circular shape out of the clay. Really twist it in there good. Use a knife to cut around the edges if need be.


I used my same bowl as a mold for my clay. I lay the clay on the top of the bowl and formed it to fit. I let it dry like that for about 30- 45 minutes before I tried to take it off. You can place your clay on the inside or the outside of the bowl; depending on the shape of bowl you want to end up with.


I placed my bowls on a wire rack for even drying. Then let air dry over night, try to sleep even though you are really excited to see how your bowl turns out!


Once your bowl is dry its time to sand down any rough edges or wrinkles you don't want to show. Or just let it be- it depends on the look your going for- modern or natural.




Now it's time to paint! If you going for a faux porcelain look make sure to use FLAT spray paint. Do a few coats making sure the paint is dry in between each coat.


Now bust out your metallic paint- it's time to dress this baby up! Paint it however you want- I wanted to go for a dipped metallic look so I painted one edge of my bowl gold. It took about 3 coats to achieve the look I wanted.


Then your done! Stand back and admire your handi-work. Then internally debate if you want to make one for yourself. :)




Friday, December 16, 2011

Feature Friday: The Accent Piece

Hello All!! So I think I've finally caught up on Christmas shopping- Altus, OK is making me one heck of an online shopping expert!


Today I wanted to feature another awesome DIY Gal- Suzie from The Accent Piece. She works full time during the day and DIY's by night. Along with some amazing furniture makeovers she and her Hubby are fixing up their beautiful home one project at a time.


The project that first caught my eye was this great use of space in her friends laundry room:



A Washer/ Dryer pedestal! I could really use one of these in my laundry room. The even cooler thing? She and her friend built it themselves! Wonder Women!



Check out these others awesome DIY projects Suzie has tackled:




End Tables Built from Scratch!



Suzie gives a list of supplies and easy to follow instructions for all her projects. I am totally trying some of these in the near future! Check out the rest of her DIY creations and furniture makeovers over at The Accent Piece. 

Go Girl!