Tag Archives: projects

Ombre Vase Fillers

A few years ago I put together these ombre vase fillers for a quick spring project. With spring coming soon I thought it would be a good time to re-post this project that was originally a part of my Girls Want Pearls series. It was a lot of fun choosing the colors to use and creating a custom look using my own shading.

Are you as ready for spring as I am? I’m done with winter and to prove it I’ve got a fresh new pearl project to welcome in warmer weather when it finally gets here. Welcome to Girls Want Pearls #29!
I want to show you a super easy project with high visual impact.

You’ll need:
3 straight skinny clear vases (you can find them at most dollar stores), pearls and beads in various colors, water, and 3 flower stems.
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I love ombre shading! I knew I wanted to create an ombre effect with dark to light colored pearls / beads. I went to shop for the perfect combination of colors but wasn’t quite coming up with what I needed. What do you do when you can’t find what you’re looking for? You make it!
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I did some paint mixing with my craft paints to create 4 of the colors in my design: the cocoa brown, the bright green, and the two lighter shades of pink. I would have much prefered to buy what I needed, and I’m sure you can find the exact right colors online, but in case you can’t, or you like to dabble in paint mixing, here’s the solution I came up with. I placed a dollup of the mixed color in a small plastic container with a lid (butter tub, coffee can, etc.). I dropped in the desired amount of white pearls, put the lid on and shook them up. Then I poured them out on waxed paper and let them dry, jiggling them periodically to keep them from sticking. If you want a more translucent color, add a little water to the paint.

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Once the pearls are dry, place them in the vase, add water and flowers. BTW, I did get lucky when it came to my flower purchase. I knew I wanted light pink tulips for this project. Any color would be lovely but that’s what I pictured. I went to Walmart and they had them! Exactly what I needed at the first place I looked! Bam!
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So there you have it, an inexpensive way to bring a good dose of spring to your home using pearls.

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DIY Pearl Daisies

Here’s a quick DIY project that you can do to bring flowers into your décor while you wait for spring to bring the real deal. I originally posted this DIY Pearl Daisies project as part of my 52 week series,
Girls Want Pearls.

For today’s project I raided my button stash and grabbed some pearls, wire, and twigs from the yard to create…

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To create the daisy I simply threaded the wire through the back of the button and, using one long continuous strand of wire, threaded pearls on and looped each petal, twisting together in the back before creating the next loop. Then I attached the flower to the twig with wire.

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You can glue on lace or burlap leaves to complete the look.

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I like the juxtaposition of the rustic twig with the fancy pearls. I placed mine in a “vase” of corroded copper pipe to give it even more of a rustic feel. The look can be easily changed up by using buttons in various styles and colors. Have fun with it!

I’m really ready for winter to be over.
I miss my bicycle.
And green grass.
And fresh air.

Only 39 days until spring!

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DIY Heart Garland

My favorite kind of crafty project are the ones that are quick and easy and inexpensive. And if I have most or all the supplies on hand already, even better. Whether you already have the supplies for this project or not, there are very few things needed. With Valentine’s Day coming up (and being a lover of seasonal decorating) I went to work thinking up a simple project to celebrate the holiday. This DIY heart garland is what I came up with.

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Actually I came up with two different DIY heart garlands. It’s difficult to see the second, smaller one in this picture so I will show it again later in the post.

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Along with wanting it to be simple, I wanted it to have an organic feel. So I dug around in my craft supplies, found a bunch of leather strips and knew they would be the perfect material to use.

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And like any good hoarder crafter, I also had a bunch of neutral fabric scraps and lace that would complement the leather and soften the design.

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For the smaller garland I cut heart shapes out of an old leather belt. It was a little bit more work than the first one but I like the way it turned out.

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The belt I used had grommets which added a nice texture and also gave me a good place to string the skinny piece of leather for the garland.

You could easily change up the design with whatever colors you like. It’s a fun project to complete in an afternoon.

All you need to make your very own DIY heart garland is leather strips that can be found at your craft store, fabric and lace scraps, and for the smaller garland you’ll need a leather belt or leather scraps that can also be found at craft stores. You’ll also need glue (I used Loctite), scissors and a pair of pliers.

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Now to create. The process for the larger garland:

STEP 1: For each heart, cut two strips of leather, 7 3/8″ in length for the outer strip and 6 1/2″ in length for the inner strip. The width of my leather ranged from 1/8-3/8″.

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STEP 2:Cut strips of fabric (and leather lace if desired) to desired length for the “tails”. They will be doubled over so you will want them to be twice the length to allow for that. My cut strips ranged in length from 12-20″ and in width from 1/8-1/2″. I used 2-3 per heart.

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STEP 3: Find the center of each piece of leather and using your pliers pinch it to form the bottom point of the heart.

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STEP 4: Fold over one end of the heart and glue a little further than halfway down on the other side.

STEP 5: Allow to dry then overlap and fold over the other piece, gluing in place as shown in center picture above.

STEP 6: Once that has dried glue one end of the second (outer) strip to the first heart at the top, center.

STEP 7: Allow to dry then glue the other end in the same manner.

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STEP 8: Take the strips of fabric and/or leather lacing and attach each to the bottom of the heart with a slipknot.

STEP 9: For the final step, thread them onto the length of leather to complete the garland. I used 1/8 inch deerskin lace leather for the garland length, cut to approx. 5 ft. and I used the extra for some of the hearts’ “tails”.

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To make the smaller garland:

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STEP 1: Draw or print a heart shape in desired size (mine is approx. 1 1/2″ x 1 1/2″). Using the paper heart as a template, draw around it onto the leather to make five hearts.

STEP 2: Cut them out using heavy duty scissors or a razor knife. Don’t worry if the edges are ragged and uneven, the lace will cover that up.

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STEP 3: Decorate each heart with lace, covering entire heart or using it as a trim around the edges. Glue lace in place and trim.

STEP 4: Cut a leather lace or strip 2-3 feet long. This will be your garland base.

STEP 5: Unless you happen to have grommets in your leather hearts, you will want to attach them by punching a hole at the top of each heart. You can use a nail and hammer to do this or a leather punch. After punching a hole in each heart, attach them to the leather garland base, tying them on with small fabric strips.

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Love is in the air!

As always, feel free to ask questions and please let me know if you need clarification on my instructions. :)

Be sure to check back in a few days for more Valentine-themed fun.

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Farmhouse Dining Room Part 2 & My Desk Space

Before I show you my drastically improved desk space in Part 2 of my dining room reveal I would like to share a few shots of my ironstone collection.

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You may remember the “Bethany” plate. Most of the pieces were great bargains that I picked up for just a dollar or five. The smaller pitcher was gifted to me by my mom several years ago and the little creamer sitting on the oval dish belonged to her as well.

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I still have room for a few more items!

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Just to the left of the buffet and hutch is where I sit as I write each blog post.

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This is what it looked like before.

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Yikes! It looks so much worse than I remember.

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Seriously?

The tangled mess of wire was such an eyesore. I tried numerous ways to keep them tucked away neatly but they always eventually got out of control.

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So when I started making over the dining room and desk space I was determined to end the wire octopus. The armoire became my solution. I’ve had it for years, sitting in the living room. It held our television and kept it concealed when we weren’t watching it. But last Christmas our kids gave us a flatscreen TV. With the armoire now empty, I knew it would be perfect behind my desk.

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The doors don’t shut completely and a few wires show behind the desk but it’s SO much better than it was. I added a metal basket to the side for holding jars with pens and pencils.

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I placed 2 doors on top of the armoire that I had removed from the hutch. I feel like I’m getting more décor bang that way, by allowing my ironstone to be fully exposed while at the same time having a great backdrop on top of the armoire.

I hope you enjoyed a peek into one of the spaces in my home that I love and use the most.

And here’s this week’s tip on A Little Bird Told Me.
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Have a productive week! :)

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Linking with: Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson,The Scoop, Between Naps on the Porch, From My Front Porch to Yours, Cozy Little House, A Stroll Thru LifeIvy and Elephants, Shabby Art Boutique, French Country Cottage, Amaze Me Monday, Funky Junk Interiors, Savvy Southern Style, The Charm of Home, Vintage Charm

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Creative Way to Present a Gift Using Bag & Tissue

With Halloween just a few days away and the holidays approaching there will be many opportunities for goodies and gift giving. Today I have a tutorial that will show you a creative way to present a gift. It’s a twist on using a gift bag and tissue.

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I chose plain brown paper bags but you could use any solid color. My love for baby boo pumpkins inspired me to use tissue in an aged beige color. The pumpkin would be very cute in orange too.

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For the star I used a smaller bag. My plan was to use a matte gold tissue paper but the store I went to didn’t have it. They did have this beige and gold glitter paper so I decided to give it a try.

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Now for the very simple instructions and supply list.

1) Gift Bag
2) Tissue Paper
3) Scissors
4) Glue
5) Pencil

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Right click to save the above template to your computer and print it in the desired size

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Trace around the star onto the bag

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Cut tissue paper into 1 1/2 inch squares. You will need 35-50 depending on the size of your bag, etc. Crumple each square up into a ball and then open back up enough to pinch from the middle and create a sort of pointed blossom.

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Begin gluing blossoms in the center of the star, dotting the pointed end with glue and pressing onto bag. It won’t have defined edges during this part of the process but keep the bottom (glued portion) of each blossom within and against the pencil border.

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Once the glue has dried, define the star shape by pinching, pressing and scrunching the outer edges.
Any simple shape will work and the design could be adapted to fit any occasion.

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Here’s the template I used to create the pumpkin bag.
Feel free to use, pin and share!
Happy creating!

This week’s tip for A Little Bird Told Me is on a subject I loathe ~ cleaning.

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This is how I clean my oven door and it works beautifully!
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Linking with: Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson,The Scoop, Between Naps on the Porch, From My Front Porch to Yours, Cozy Little House, A Stroll Thru LifeIvy and Elephants, Shabby Art Boutique, French Country Cottage, Amaze Me Monday, VMG206, That DIY Party, Funky Junk Interiors, Savvy Southern Style, The Charm of Home, Vintage Charm

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Farmhouse Dining Room Reveal

I decided to show you the dining room reveal while it’s arrayed in its fall glory. Along with all the other rooms downstairs, the dining room got a couple of coats of Benjamin Moore Crystalline to brighten it up and bring more cohesion between rooms.

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It was previously (and for several years) this pumpkin color.

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A little bit different now, huh?

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The change I was most eager to make was to move the chippy old hutch
off the top of the corner buffet…

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and place it on top of the longer, more suitable white buffet.

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I love it in its new home. Along with moving it, I purged the brown transferware,
leaving only shades of white ironstone.

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The architectural header made the perfect topper and a day at the orchard last week
yielded my ever favorite bittersweet.

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I flanked the hutch with a pair of Italian sconces. I love their elegance in juxtaposition with the rustic farmhouse hutch. The sconces are each located right next to a window so their dripping prisms really sparkle on sunny days. When I show you my entry hall you will see
where the sconces previously hung.

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I love how much lighter everything feels now. One of the things I still want to do is make over the dark trestle table and chairs. That will have to be a 2016 project.

At the opposite end of the room sits my desk. I will show you what I did to make that area so much more appealing in part 2.

This week in “A Little Bird Told Me” I am sharing a tiny tip that made a huge difference in my life.

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Anyone who suffers from debilitating migraines should really give this a try!

Linking with: Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson,The Scoop, Between Naps on the Porch, From My Front Porch to Yours, Cozy Little House, A Stroll Thru LifeIvy and Elephants, Common Ground, Shabby Art Boutique, French Country Cottage, Amaze Me Monday, VMG206, That DIY Party, Funky Junk Interiors, Savvy Southern Style, The Charm of Home, Vintage Charm

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