Welcome to June’s DIY Challenge. Our theme this month is 4th of July. I love decorating for the 4th, so this challenge was right up my alley! I decided to make a red, white and blue pillow.

A great big thank you to Terrie from Decorate and More With Tip blog for hosting the DIY Challenge every month. We truly could not do this without her.

Have you ever looked at something and thought how cute it was?

And in the next instant thought, I could make that!

Well, this is one of those cases.

Supplies:

Felt:  red, white and blue. 3 sheets of each

Scissors

Cardstock

Pencil

Fabric Glue

Pillow cover: I got mine here at 50% off.

Step 1:

Make a template.

I made my petal template using the lid of a prescription bottle.

Simply trace the bottle top onto card stock using a pencil, then add a 1/2 inch x 1/4 inch rectangle at the bottom.

Cut out your template.

Once that is done trace your template onto the felt.

When you have finished tracing your templates, cut out each petal.

Even though I didn’t use all of the petals I made, I made 80 of each color.

Step 2:

Once you have all of your felt pieces cut out, it’s time to glue the stem.

You will need felt  pieces and fabric glue.

Just put a small dollop of glue in the center of the rectangle.

Pinch the sides together.

Because the glue I was using didn’t dry quickly I used clothes pins to help hold them together until they dried.

Step 3:

To help get a wreath shape, I used a small bowl to lightly draw a circle in the middle of my pillow form.

Next, insert a piece of wax paper inside of your pillow form to keep the glue from gluing the pillow form together while you are workin on your wreath design.

Note: your pillow form should be washed, dried and ironed before starting to make the wreath.

Step 4:

Glue the petals to the pillow cover using fabric glue.

I used my photo of my inspiration piece to decide how many petals went where.

Gluing the petals went together pretty easy by working in sections of 4 rows.

I started with 2 white and 2 red felt pieces glued directly onto the circle.

These pieced are going sideways.

Next in rows of 2 of one color, glue 4 petals up.

I feel as if by doing it this way, I did it backwards, however it was the only way I knew of to get it to start and stop where it should.

Occasionally you may have to add an extra petal here and there to fill in any holes.

Continue adding sections for 4 rows – two white and two red – on 2/3’s of your wreath.

Once you have completed the red and white rows, fill in the rest of the wreath with your blue petals.

Step 5:

Make felt stars.

To make sure that I had nice, crisp star shapes, I used star stickers.

Simply put the stickers on your felt and using super sharp scissors, cut around the stickers.

Step 6:

Glue the stars, here and there, on the blue felt area.

I let my felt wreath dry over night before putting a feather pillow form into my pillow.

This is an 18 x 18 inch pillow cover.

I inserted a 20 x 20 inch pillow form to fully fill out my pillow cover.

Here’s my finished red, white and blue pillow!

I’m super happy with the way it turned out and can’t wait to use it in my 4th of July decor.

Now I hope that you will join me in visiting Jodi from The House House to see what wonderful 4th of July inspiration she has for us!

Then be sure to head on over to all of the other participants for some red, white and blue fun!

Decorate and More with Tip

Patina and Paint

The House House

B4 and Afters

Cloches and Lavender

Blessings by Me

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Welcome to the DIY Challenge! Every month, on the First Wednesday, our hostess Terrie from Decorate And More With Tip issues a challenge to a group of fun bloggers. This month’s challenge is to Upcycle! I will be sharing my reversible Spring / Easter sign that I made from pallet boards.

If you are coming from Cindy’s at Cloche’s and Lavenders, I am so happy that you are here! Doesn’t she make the prettiest decor items?

Last week I shared my Spring mantle with you. In the middle of the mantle, the showpiece of the design, was a few signs that said Spring. Guess what? It’s reversible! I have to admit that my reversible Spring/ Easter sign may just be my favorite decoration this year.

When we built our pool last spring, everything that was ordered came on a wooden pallet.

Some we gave away, some we threw away and some we kept, thinking that we would use a few for projects.

Well, today is the day!

I asked The Hubs to grab me a couple of boards to use to make a reversible sign.

And because I’m a sharing kind of gal, here are the instructions to make one for yourself!

Cut your boards

After taking the pallets apart, I had The Hubs cut 2  of each 7″, 6 1/2 ” and 6″ boards.

Paint the boards

After giving the boards a good sanding I painted all of the boards white.

Place the “kick stand” on your boards

You will need a way to ensure that your boards will stand up.

To do this, all you need is a small dowel rod and a hole the circumference of the dowel in the bottom of your board.

Find the center of the board and drill the hole.

Cut the Dowel Rods

Using a small Miter box, I cut the dowel into 6 – 2 1/2 ” pieces.

To make your boards stand up, simply slide the dowels into the holes that you drilled into your boards.

If you are using the “Spring” signs, you will push the dowels all the way through, flush with the front of the board.

The dowels will then stick out the back, forming a “kick stand” to make your boards stand up!

Place Lettering on Boards

To put lettering on the boards, using your computer to print out the lettering of your choice on your printer.

Flip each letter over.

Using a pencil color around the edges of your letter. You should be able to see the letters through your printer paper.

Flip the letter over to the right side and place on your board.

Using a stylus, or your pencil  trace around your letter.

Your letter is now transferred to your board.

Paint your letters

Using the paint of your choice, paint the letters.

Embellish the letters

Now this is the fun part!

I painted a decorative edging around the outside edge of all of my boards..

Added highlights to each letter to make them stand out.

And added a little glitter paint to give them a little depth.

Oh, who am I kidding?

I added the glitter cause it’s fun!

So let’s take a look at my reversible Spring / Easter sign.

Here’s the Easter side.

And here’s the Spring side.

I’m seriously loving my reversible sign!

Now that you’ve seen my upcycled item, it’s time to head on over to CD’s at Pallet and Pantry to see her upcycled project!

Don’t forget to visit all of the DIY Challenge participants to see what upcycled items they’ve created!

DECORATE AND MORE WITH TIP | Blessings by me | JUNK TO GEMS | CLOCHES AND LAVENDER

PATINA AND PAINT | PALLET AND PANTRY | B4 & AFTERS | PURPLE HUES AND ME

SWEET SOUTHERN GRACE

It’s the first Wednesday of the month, which means it’s time for the DIY challenge.  Terrie from Decorate And More With Tip sent out a DIY glass ornament challenge. The rules? Take a clear glass ornament, any size and create anything that you wanted. Woo Hoo! Challenge accepted.

Before I go much further with the challenge, if you are coming here from CD’s, Pallet and Pantry, Welcome! I’m so happy that you are here.

I dug around in my craft closet and came up with 2 different sizes of clear glass ornaments.

Are you surprised that I already had some?

Well, don’t be.

I’m an ornament maker from way back!

I don’t tell you this to brag, just to explain that coming up with a new idea was going to truly be a challenge.

Muslin angels, hand painted,  glitter, beaded, vinyl and wooden ornaments, I’ve made them all.

So I worried about what to make until I just decided to make the first thing that came to mind.

Which ended up being not one ornament, but three!

step 1

My first ornament was a glitter ornament.

Take the top hanger off of your ornament.

Pour  Mop N Glow into the inside of the ornament and slowly roll it around, making sure to cover the entire inside walls.

Once this is done, pour out any excess.

I didn’t have any Mop N Glow, so I used some polyurethane.

step 2

Next, pour glitter into the inside of your ornament.

Just like in step 1, slowly roll the glitter around in your ornament, making sure to cover the entire inside.

Pour out any excess glitter.

Tip: For the shiniest ornament, I use Holographic glitter.

step 3

Paint the outside of your ornament.

Using glass paint or a multi-surface paint, paint on your design.

Tip: I like to roll up a towel and lay my ornament on it to keep it from moving around.

step 4

Once you have your design painted, let it dry thoroughly, then add a holographic glitter paint top coat.

This just gives it a little more shine and it helps protect your design.

On two of my ornaments I added the year on the back of the ornament using a oil base paint pen.

step 5

Add a bow to your ornament.

On my chinoiserie ornament, I chose a blue and white check ribbon and added a tiny bit of raffia.

I painted 3 different ornaments, all using the same steps as I’ve shared above, and on all three ornaments I added a different type of bow.

My blue glitter initial ornament is sporting a fun blue netting bow with a pink pom.

This sweet snowman ornament has a traditional red plaid bow with a gold jingle bell in the middle.

I loved doing this DIY Glass Ornament Challenge and hope that you found some inspiration to create a few ornaments of your own.

Now it’s time to head over to Paula’s Handmade Space and check out her ornament.

I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to see what Paula and all of my other talented friends have come up with!

Decorate and More with Tip|Purple Hues and Me|Cloches and Lavender|Pallet and Pantry

Patina and Paint|Paula’s Handmade Space|Stilettos and Shiplap|Sweet Southern Grace

The House House|B4 and Afters

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Our November DIY Challenge is shopping your home, DIY Christmas.  In other words, at least in my case, it’s “Get busy finishing up all the projects you bought from last year.” Procrastination, in this case, is a good thing!  Seriously, we were challenged to make Christmas decor out of the things we already had, without buying anything. So what did I make? A Christmas Advent Calendar.

If you are coming here from Cindy’s, Cloches and Lavender, WELCOME, I’m so glad that you are here!

Also, I want to extend a great big thank you to Terrie from Decorate And More With Tip for a fabulous job of hosting.

I found this paper mâché advent calendar box last year and couldn’t wait to get started on it.

However, we all know that didn’t happen.

It got put in the back of my craft closet until I had more time.

Good news, if you want to make one, they are on sale for 50% off right now at Hobby Lobby.

I dug around in my 5000 pages of scrapbook paper and found 5 different complimentary patterns to cover my boxes with.

To help count down the days, these felt stars and trees with wooden numbers were a perfect size for the front of the small boxes.

I found these last year also, however, they have them at Hob Lob again this year.

Step 1

Spray paint your boxes.

Honestly, if I’d had red spray paint I would have used it instead of the black.

Still, the black looks good with my paper.

Step 2 and 3

Lay the front of the small boxes onto the paper and trace around the box.

Then cut them out.

Once you have your paper cut out, paste the paper to the front of the boxes.

I used Mod Podge, however regular glue would work also.

I also covered the outsides of my main box with paper.

Tip: I painted glue onto my boxes, positioned the paper, then painted a thin layer of  Mod Podge on top of the paper and box.

Step 4:

Once the boxes are completely dry, put the boxes back into the main box.

Then it’s time to put the numbers onto the fronts of the small boxes.

My numbers went from 1 to 24, however there were 25 boxes.

On the 25th box I placed a felt Santa face for the 25th.

These numbers had sticky dots to attach them to the boxes, however I added hot glue to the dots to ensure that they didn’t pop off.

Step 5

Add a festive bow to the top.

I thought that it would look cute to make my calendar look like a Christmas present.

It’s just not a present without a bow!

I dug out my Christmas ribbon and made a bow from scraps.

Step 6

Add a name tag.

Since my Christmas Advent Calendar is going to my sweet great niece, I added her name to a wooden tag and glued it to the top of the box.

Just like you would with a Christmas present.

Step 7

Add treats, candy, or money to the boxes.

What better way to make it fun than by adding tiny inexpensive treats to each box?

When my boys were little, they couldn’t wait to open each box daily on their Christmas Advent Calendars.

I’m going to try and fill the boxes with fun things my niece will love.

I’m so glad that our DIY Challenge was to make something out of what you had.

Otherwise I might have never finished this Advent calendar!

Next on our stop, is Michelle’s from Blessings By Me!

Then, I hope you will join me in visiting all of the other DIY Challenge participants.

I can’t wait to see what they have done!

DECORATE & MORE WITH TIP | cloches & Lavender | PATINA & PAINT

BLESSINGS BY ME | BLUESKY AT HOME | JUNK TO GEMS

PALLET & PANTRY | THE HOUSE HOUSE | B4 & AFTERS

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Welcome to October’s DIY Challenge.  If you are coming here, from  Corine’s Junk to Gems, I’m so happy that you are here! This month Terrie of Decorate and More With Tip asked us to give all of you lots of pumpkin inspiration. So that’s just what we did! Today I’m sharing  how to make a Faux Sweater Pumpkin.

I’m sure all of you have seen those gorgeous  sweater covered pumpkins.

So pretty.

All you have to do is cut up an old sweater and cover the pumpkin.

But what if you don’t have an old sweater?

Well, you create a pumpkin out of yarn!

Here is how you turn a plain little Dollar tree pumpkin into a beautiful faux sweater pumpkin.

Step 1:

Remove the pumpkin stem.

Which is super easy as it is only attached with a toothpick.

Step 2:

Cut a hole in the top of the pumpkin.

Step 3:

Paint the Pumpkin.

I recommend painting the pumpkin a color close to the yarn you will be using.

Your yarn will leave “holes” where the pumpkins color can peek through.

Step 4:

Braid the yarn.

I started off by cutting 9 – 26′ pieces of yarn for each braid.

Gather the 9 strands at the top and tie them off.

Then divide the 9 strands into 3 groups.

Keeping the yarn flat braid the 3 groups together.

Tie off the bottom of the braid just like you did the top.

You will need approximately 10 – 12 braids per pumpkin, depending upon the yarn you use.

Step 5:

Apply the braids to the the pumpkin.

Put one end of the braid into the hole of the pumpkin, then wrap around the pumpkin and place the tail of the braid into the hole.

Keep doing this until the pumpkin is completely covered in braids.

Step 6:

Give the pumpkin a stem.

Add a wine cork or tree branch to the top of the pumpkin.

Just stick it into the hole, the braids will hold the stem in place.

Step 7:

Add leaves to the pumpkin.

I chose to add these felt leaves, but really any leaf would do.

To attach them I cut out the felt, gathered the end and hot glued it to a piece of wire.

Once dry, I stuck the wire into the pumpkin hole.

As with the stem, the braids will hold the leaves in place.

I made a couple of the faux sweater pumpkins.

One with a variegated yarn and another with a chenille yarn.

Both are cute, but the variegated is my favorite!

It really does look like a cable knit sweater.

I’m a big fan of the faux sweater pumpkin.

No more looking for sweaters to cut up and it’s fun and easy to make!

Now, I hope that you will join me and visit Carol at Bluesky at Home.

I can’t wait to see what pumpkin inspo she’s cooked up!

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