DIYing A Chalkboard Sign Or Banner

When I first started blogging, DIYs and tutorials were all the rage, and those type of posts were my favorites to read. I loved seeing how fellow young women were creating beautiful homes from flea market finds and revamping furniture pieces that were abandoned on the side of the road.

Then ... bloggers got all pro on me.

You know what I'm talking about. Tutorials started blowing my mind and looking like nothing I could ever achieve. DIY blog posts had big-time sponsors footing the bill, and suddenly these projects seemed unattainable, expensive, and way too time-consuming.

I'm here to share a little DIY today that is not professional, not sponsored (darnit), but something that I think just about anyone can do. It's just my easy way of decorating chalkboard signs and banners.

So, let's do this.

Above are the signs I've done so far, in order of completion. Nothing ridiculously professional, but not too shabby looking either, if I do say so myself!

Quick list of three things you will need:

+ Chalkboard sign or banner (I've purchased mine from Michaels using a 40% off coupon, but you can also find these at Walmart in the craft section or on Amazon HERE or HERE)

+ Bistro Chalk Marker (mine is from Micheals but it's also extremely inexpensive HERE on Amazon ... maybe even less than I paid at Michaels?)

+ And lastly, you'll just need some fun text to try to copy freehand ... you can google "calligraphy alphabet" or use those search terms on Pinterest. I usually just search Pinterest for inspiration. 

Okay, here's the basics on how I put mine together. You start off with your blank board.

To make it look less "pristine" and more like a normal chalkboard, I start off making some squiggly doodles on it, and then wipe it (mostly) clean with a slightly damp paper towel, leaving some streaky chalky residue.

This is when I turn to Pinterest to find some cute font ideas. I just freehand these on and do a fair amount of erasing and re-doing until it looks pretty enough. Pinterest also has fun ideas for add-ons, like embellishments. 

I find that if you go over your letters multiple times (instead of having just one "brushstroke"), the added dimension really helps it pop and look nicer.

And, the most important thing here to remember is that you will be your own worst critic. After a while you just have to step back and try to look at it as a whole and not pinpoint every little error you see. Chalkboards like this aren't supposed to be perfect ... you can leave perfection to a computer font. Let this one look homegrown and FUN! Happy chalkboarding!

Easy Kid Project: Stamped Apple Art

This morning we had Camille's friend Gigi over for a little crafty playdate. Staying at home with Camille full-time definitely challenges me to think of out-of-the-box ideas to keep her entertained and stimulated. But before you give me any credit, I completely swiped this idea from my Instagram friend Hilary!

I started off by creating an area for the girls consisting of a little table and thick light gray cardstock taped down with painter's tape. 

Camille's morning naptime bought me a few minutes to slice the apples in half and then cut out grooves on each side, making the apple easier for little hands to pick up.

We used three types of craft paint that I already had on hand, so the only cost for this project was the apples! (And the wedges I cut out of the sides were on the table in a little plastic bowl for snacking.)

While Gigi was here, I couldn't snap any photos of them doing the artwork ... I was more concerned with helping Camille make her art and ensuring that the paint didn't end up on her dress, in my hair, on our walls. But after Gigi left, we made three more pieces of stamped apple art to share with family. This time I was able to pull out my camera and grab some photos. 

Camille really grasped the concept of holding on to the apples. She needed a little help with the placement to fill up the page, but she did a great job and genuinely seemed entertained.

And here's one of the pieces we completed. The other three are a little more "freeform" which I also love (because I was able to relax and let her hold her own paint-covered apple).

Gigi's mother Sarah and I really enjoyed this easy and inexpensive craft, and it gives us something cute to hang on our fridge. 

If you have other ideas for fun crafts with little ones, I'd love to hear them!

Diaper Wreath DIY

For the baby sprinkle I posted about yesterday, I had a lot of fun putting together the sweet strawberry diaper wreath! It really was simple to make, and once you have the diapers, the other wreath "ingredients" are very inexpensive. The wreath is a nice way to greet guests at the door for a baby shower, and hey -- it's diapers -- what mom-to-be wouldn't be excited about leaving a shower with a few extra diapers on hand?

Pretty and practical!

Here's how you can make one using diapers, tulle ribbon, and a wreath form.

For the materials, you will want:

+ Diapers (I used size 2, and I chose this sweet strawberry print)

+ Tulle Ribbon

+ Wreath Form - got mine from Michaels with 40% off coupon

(If you are an online shopper, I included some easy shopping links at the bottom of the post)

Any size or type of diaper will work, but I just love the prints on the Honest Company brand, PLUS the mom that we were "sprinkling" uses their diapers with her son. 

Step 1:

Start off by affixing a diaper to each corner (if using a square wreath form, like me). If you are using a round form, you can just start anywhere. I chose to scoot each corner piece up so that the four corners stood the highest. You will not need to do this if you have a round wreath form. 

You will want to open the diaper and "sandwich" it around the form, then tie a piece of tulle ribbon around it to keep it secure.

Step 2:

After doing each corner, start filling in the rest of the wreath, securing each sandwiched diaper on the form with the tulle ribbon. 

Keep working your way around and adjust the diapers as necessary. Fluff out the tulle knots.

Step 3:

Hang your wreath, step back, and admire the fact that this is really the simplest DIY tutorial you've ever knocked out.

Such a pretty little wreath!

Here are my other favorite combinations of diaper patterns with tulle ribbon colors. All of these can be purchased through Amazon (my favorite) and the links are below.

 ONE

Honest Company Anchor Diapers

Emerald Tulle Ribbon

Royal Blue Tulle Ribbon

TWO

Honest Company Bloom Diapers

Lilac Tulle Ribbon

Yellow Tulle Ribbon

THREE

Honest Company Giraffe Diapers

Orange Tulle Ribbon

Hot Pink Tulle Ribbon

FOUR

Honest Company Balloon Diapers

Turquoise Tulle Ribbon

Orange Tulle Ribbon

Wreath Forms and Hangers:

14" Round Form

18" Round Form

20" Round Form

Wreath Hanger

I'd love to see some of your creations if you give this diaper wreath a try! Please link up your blog post below if you have photos to share. 

Springtime Wreaths

I've been on a wreath kick.  You've seen my Halloween yarn wreaths and my purple sparkly Christmas wreaths, and I also had some fall-inspired wreaths hanging on our front doors between those two holidays.  They were constructed from a mixture of silk mums in yellow, orange, and red with some faux gourds on grapevine wreaths -- my favorite.

What can I say, there's just nothing that I love more than sitting down with a glass of wine and a hot glue gun!  Now that we have two front doors in our home, I can have double the wine fun.

After we took down our Christmas wreaths, our bare front doors looked so puny and sad.  I'm happy to say that they are now sporting green springtime wreaths!

Supplies I used:

* 2 grapevine wreaths ... $3.99/ea

* 4 green berry sprigs from Dollar Tree ... $1.00/ea

* 2 bags faux moss-covered rocks from Dollar Tree ... $1.00/ea

* Green moss ... $1.99

I decided to use ribbon that I already had.  This green cut-out felt ribbon was purchased in January at Michaels when they put their holiday ribbon 80% off.  It was $9.99 so I got it for $2.

Then I simply figured out the placement I wanted and started hot gluing my heart out!

And because I am super fancy-schmancy, they are hung from our front door windows using Command hooks.  Maybe not the classiest, but they work perfectly!  The ribbon helps to camouflage them.

Not too shabby for wreaths that ended up costing about $9/each, right?!

DIY Ribbon Christmas Tree

During the holidays, there is nothing more that I love than cranking up the Christmas music, pouring a glass of cabernet, heating up the hot glue gun, and tackling a DIY project!

This past weekend I did just that.  During a recent craft store visit, my mental gears started turning and I found myself at the cash register with a few extra "ingredients."

So here's the final product of my DIY Ribbon Christmas Tree and also instructions on how you can make your own!

What you'll need:

• Foam tree
• 4 spools 7/8" ribbon (I started off with one spool and went back for 3 more)
• Wreath pick for the topper
• Straight pins ... hot glue may be used as a substitute 

So in regards to the ribbon, I think the spools contained 3 yards (9 feet) each.  After buying just one and then quickly running out, I went back for more only to find that I couldn't find 3 matching spools.  I could only find one.  So I have 2 spools each of 2 different gold ribbons, both the same 7/8" size, and I decided to alternate rows of the ribbon.

One was wired and one was not, and my preference for future projects is the non-wired ribbon.

Cut your ribbon into strips that are the same length -- mine were approximately 2 inches each.  Starting at the bottom, fold your ribbon strip in half and use a straight pin to push it into the foam tree form.  When beginning the second row, make sure those loops cover the straight pins you used for the first row.

Keep working your way around and upward until you are at the top.  Stick the wreath pin in the very top and fan it out to cover the raw edges of the ribbons on the top row.

Cute, right?!

Here's a cost breakdown of this project:

• Foam tree - $5.99 before using 50% off coupon from the Michaels iPhone app - best thing ever, by the way - so $3.00
• Four spools ribbon - $1/ea for a total of $4.00
• Wreath pick - $0.65
• Straight pins - $3.99
• TOTAL: $11.64

I had a lot of fun with this project, and thanks to Hopsy for letting me join in her DIY Holiday Gift Idea Link Up today!  Make sure to check out her post today to see all of the fun crafts that fellow bloggers have been working on.

PS - Looking for customized Christmas presents for family or friends?  May as well WIN some for your loved ones in my Preppy Cards giveaway, which ends this Thursday at midnight! 

Ribbon Bouquet DIY Instructions

I made my own ribbon bouquet for our wedding rehearsal.  It's quite easy, and as long as you can work a hot glue gun, you're all set. 

I started out by separating out my saved ribbons from wedding shower gifts into neutral colors and bright colors.  I wanted to make ribbon bouquets for my two sisters, who were my maids of honor.  I decided to use the really brightly-colored ribbons for their bouquets and make mine all white and ivory.

All you have to do is warm up your hot glue gun and grab a paper plate.  You'll also want scissors and a glass of wine.  {What?}

Your ribbons will be glued on the bottom side of the paper plate (I used a sturdy Chinet plate) so that the lip curves downward.  I used flat pieces of ivory grosgrain ribbon first and cut them so that they were long enough to lay straight over the surface of the plate and then slightly hang down.  Just glue it down and keep working your way around the plate.  Your objective is to cover all areas that look like, well ... a paper plate.

You'll want to use large bows to cover the surface area of the plate and just keep on keepin' on with that hot glue gun.  Save your prettiest bows for the very top layer so they stand out.

Instead of poking a hole in my plate for the handle on the back, I merely hot glued down a loop of the ribbon for me to slide my fingers through, so it looked like this on the back:

And you're done!  Take that last swig of wine and pack the ribbon bouquet up in your tub of items to go to the wedding site.