Framed Inspiration- DIY "Distressed" Wood Frame

I have the most wonderful sister-in-law. We have the best time together and she is always there for me! So when she asked me to re-create a frame she wanted, I jumped at the chance! Lucky for me it was a pretty easy task. It turned out beautifully and would make a great holiday gift for someone special in your life too.
Materials:
Matte Modge Podge
Foam Brush
Ribbon of your choosing (wired for best results)
2 pieces of Scrapbook Paper (one for base and one for mating)
Black Photo Corners
Old costume jewelry or "specialty findings" (found in the craft store jewelry isle)
1 sheet Transparency paper (optional)
1 piece of craft wood (desired size: approx. 5x7" for a 4x6" photo, or 8x10" for a 5x7" photo)
Hot Glue and Hot Glue Gun

Instructions:
1. Cut the paper to fit the wood piece. Coat the back of the paper and the top of the wood with Modge Podge. Place paper on the wood and fold into creases along the edge. (If you have overhang glue it to the back and cover the seam with ribbon.) If you want to protect the paper or create a hard surface, cover the top of the scrapbook paper with Modge Podge as well. Make sure glue is totally dry before adding the other elements of the frame.

This frame was covered with Modge Podge to protect the paper surface.

2. Measure and cut the ribbon to fit the frame. Cut a second piece of  ribbon for the bow. Secure ribbon to the frame with a dab of hot glue on the back.                          

3.Cut the complementary piece of scrapbook paper to fit the picture with a 1/2" to 1" outline. Modge Podge the second piece of paper in the center of the frame, on top of the ribbon. 

4. Form bow and hot glue to the top of the frame. Then use hot glue to secure the jewelry piece in the center of the bow. *I did not use wired ribbon because I bought the wrong style ribbon. However, I would recommend it because it holds its shape better than regular ribbon.

5. Use self-adhesive black photo corners to secure photo to the center of the frame. *Tip* Put the corners on the photo first then place it on the frame. This will make it easier to get the corners in exactly the right spot without measuring. If using transparency paper  to protect the picture, cut to size and gently slide into photo corners over the picture.

To give you a better idea of what this should look like, I have some inspiration photos and my final product. I hope she loves them!

Inspiration 1

My final Product 1

Inspiration 2

My final Product 2

Easy and Beautiful Fall Wreath

You might have noticed that I have been a little obsessed with wreaths lately. The only problem is that we don't have a lot of storage in our little apartment. So, when I was designing a fall wreath for our front door,  I knew that I needed something versatile enough to last through the Christmas season too. After much deliberation,  I decided on a simple, classic moss wreath with a big and beautiful bow. The trick is in the bow! I made the bow easily removable so that it can be removed and replaced with a Christmas bow in a couple of months. Here is how it all went down...

Materials:
Hot glue gun, bag of glue sticks
Reindeer Moss (approximately 4 bags)
18" Straw wreath
1 roll Wired Ribbon of your choosing for the bow
Ribbon Wire
Flexible hold hairspray (strong but not extra firm because that will change the look of the moss)

Technique:
-Remove plastic wrap from straw wreath. (This can be a little messy because the straw goes everywhere. I would suggest putting down some a cloth or newspaper to catch all of the falling straw.)

-Working slowly and in small sections, begin to glue the reindeer moss to the wreath form. Work all the way around the entire wreath (front and back). Every part of the wreath form should be covered. Then I sprayed the entire wreath with a light coat of hairspray to hold the moss in place.

-Now it is time to make the bows! If you didn't see my last post, here is a great Bow Tying Tutorial . I purchased two beautiful rolls of wired ribbon, one in fall colors and one in Christmas colors. I created my bow using the above tutorial.


**To secure the bow to the wreath I used ribbon wire instead of glue. This way I can easily change it when Christmas rolls around. There you go, a classic wreath that can take you from fall to Christmas with just a simple change!!

Christmas in September, why not? A beautiful Pearl Wreath!

The other day I was in Michael's looking for reindeer moss to make a fall wreath. They were out of the reindeer  moss. However, in wonderful strike of luck, I wandered by a tub of pearls that just called out to me! "What can I do with a tub of pearls," I wondered. So I carried the pearls around looking in every nook and cranny for the perfect project. Soon I stumbled upon the wreath making section of the store and there it was...the perfect idea. A pearl studded Christmas Wreath! So I gathered all the supplies and headed home.
The supplies I gathered were:
1- white Styrofoam wreath
1- tub of pearls ($6.99 -40% = $4.20!)
2- strands of large pearls (from the jewelry section)
1- Christmas floral pick of white/silver/clear bulbs
2- rolls of white satin ribbon
1- roll silver ribbon (optional for hanging)
Hot glue gun and glue


Here's how I did it:
1. Using hot glue, wrap white satin ribbon around the Styrofoam wreath. This will give a finished look to the sides and back of the wreath.

                                                        *Work in small sections, limiting hot        
                                                     glue usage to back of wreath if possible.

2. Separate the balls from the floral pick. Cut off the thin wire attached, leaving the base intact. Place the balls in sporadic areas around the wreath. When you get them where you want them push them into the Styrofoam.










3. Working in small sections, begin hot gluing the pearls to the top layer of the wreath.

4. When the pearls are all glued down and the wreath is complete, it is time to tie the bow for hanging. I used silver ribbon for this part of the project. If you are not confident in your bow tying capabilities this is a great tutorial: Ribbon Tying Tutorial .
So with no further adieu...
My Pearl Studded Christmas Wreath!!!!! (I actually plan to hang it in the dining room when I hang it for the holidays so that it will stick out more.)

All this ottoman needs is a little TLC...The Finale

Back to my bench project... you know the one that went from a 1 day project to a 3 day project. Just to recap, first I sanded and spray painted the bench being sure to get out as many imperfections as possible. But then my Dad found the termites and I had to fill the wood and re-sand so that the paint would look even when I reapplied it to cover the wood filler. Now it is time to re-paint and create the seat cover. Here are the materials needed for this portion of the project:
-Jute Webbing to stabilize the seat (*I did not remove the old caning because I wanted the extra support)
-1/2 yard upholstery fabric
-matching Gimp to cover staples
-staple gun
-glue gun
-spray paint and supplies from this post All this ottoman needs is a little TLC...Part 1


 

1st I went outside and re-sanded, re-primed and re-painted the stool. Then I removed the plywood top and covered the bottom of the stool (under the caning) in jute webbing, making a woven pattern as I went. -Sorry there is no picture of the webbing.

2nd I placed the foam on top of the stool and covered it with my fabric. I made sure that the fabric was centered and straight before stapling anything. In order to get the fabric to pull evenly over the foam, I put a staple in the center on each of the 4 sides of the bench. The staple keeps the fabric in place as you tug your way around. Then I went to work stapling all the way around the stool. When all of the staples were in place I carefully glued the gimp all around the edge to cover my staples.

 

 

 

So now without further adieu, the finished project. A little before and after action...

 I am so proud. I wish that the lighting in this room was a little better so you could see her in all her glory! Leave a comment and let me know what you think!
 

Cork, Cork and More Cork! Place cards and Cork board DIY!

OK I admit it, I love wine! After a long day at work there is nothing quite as relaxing as cuddling in with my hubby and a nice glass of wine. Apparently my friends and family love wine too. When I asked them to collect corks for my wedding place cards I had more than I could possibly need. (THANK YOU EVERYONE!) So here are some things that I have created with my wine corks... 

Wine Cork Place Card Holders
*To create these I hot glued three corks together and then used a heavy duty X-acto knife to cut a slit in the top of one cork. I was careful to glue the corks together so that you could see the pretty designs on each one. The best part? One of our best friends was able to reuse some of my corks in her own wedding. She spray painted them silver to match her beautiful winter theme.

After our wedding I was left with lots of extra corks. So I created a "cork board" for our kitchen. Take a look...

To make this I used a cheap shadow box frame, hot glue, rolled cork board and left over  corks. I tried arranging the corks a few different ways but this way looked best. After that I just hot glued the rolled cork on the frame backing. Then I glued the corks in place. Ta-da! A cork board worthy of any bar area or kitchen. Practical and cute!!
*I have also thought about making this into an appetizer tray by adding some antique drawer pulls to the 2 sides of the frame. That is a job for another day.
So you can have your wine and drink it too!

The Great Mirror Redo

Hello again! I hope you are all ready for my very first project as The Not-So-Domestic Housewife. Drum role please...da da da...The Great Mirror Redo! As you will find out Goodwill is one of my favorite furniture stores. Where else can you buy beautiful and unique furniture for practically nothing? So when I was there the other day I found this great mirror and all it needed was a little tlc.

I wanted something that would match the silver-blue of the beautiful bedding we received as a wedding gift, so I took myself over to the home improvement store to pick out some tile. I had a few criteria :
1. I wanted a relatively streamlined look to go with the rest of our furniture.
2. I have been dying to work with the trendy glass tiles you see on all the home shows...that was a must
3. It needed to make it neutral enough that it would fit in multiple places in our home if I wanted  to move it.


Soon I was off to the home store and this is what I found...

The materials included:
 3 squares of the small tiles
2 squares of the rectangular glass tiles...(if  you buy extra you can always return what you don't use)
Light sand paper, I used 150 grit
scissors
grout/adhesive in one, pre-mixed, they sell this in 1qt cans
trowel
sponge


This is how it went...
1st: I lightly sanded the wood base of the mirror.
2nd: With a clean rag I removed the excess dust from the wood. This gives the grout something to cling to on a smooth surface.
3rd: With the trowel I applied the grout/adhesive and started laying the tile.
            ***Make sure you know how you want your tile to lay. I went through a few different layouts before   
                I figured out how I wanted it to look. You might also want to make a template of the piece so that 
                you know exactly how it should look. 

Lay the grout in small sections as you work. If you grout the whole thing first it might begin to dry before you get all the tile down. 
4th: Once you have laid all the tile on the bottom layer of the grout you will apply grout over top of the tiles and then sponge it off. 
          ***Follow the directions on whatever grout/adhesive you buy. Each one has it's own specifications and the manufacturer knows best!
That's pretty much it, let me know what you think!
PS...Until we have a king size bed we can't use our new bedding. As a result, the mirror currently resides in our dining room.