DIY Lace Lampshade

 I was inspired to make this lamp shade for my home office from an idea I saw on Pinterest.  You can check out the website I found it HERE

I started with a blue base from Target ($10) and a white lamp shade from World Market ($10).  I bought a yard of lace from Hobby Lobby using a 40% coupon so I think it came to about $4 or so.  I measured and cut the lace so that it fit width-wise across the shade.

I then took some Krylon Easy-Tack Re-positionable Adhesive and sprayed the shade and laid down the lace.  This was not as hard as I thought it was and I was able to reposition as needed.  I think used Valspar Gloss spray paint in Red to color the negative of the lace.  My only regret... I wish I would have spray painted a heavier layer of red.  I was concerned that the color would bleed and make the lace design not as crisp but it didn't at all.  I have some lighter red on one side but I just turn that part to the back (shhhh..... don't tell anyone)  I also removed the lace right away to let it dry.

Overall a success!!! And a great DIY project for beginners.

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DIY Pen Holder & Updates

Hi All! Sorry I have been so MIA lately...... let's just say "life happen" and sometimes family, kids, work need to come first. I am back though and have become addicted to Pinterest and DIY projects. Steve & I have been on a new mission to make our home truly ours. We have lived here for almost 2 years and, although we have decorated, I want to make it more representative of who we are. Just like anything else, cost is always a factor so I have been scouring Pinterest looking for inexpensive decor ideas. So much fun.... here is my first attempt at my own DIY.... a pen holder for my office. I bought the white vase at Goodwill, added a Hambly Studio's Owl sticker, blue paint on the inside, and some rubber bands. Total Cost: $1 for the vase

Daily Junque Album

Here are some pictures of a Daily Junque album I purchased as a kit from Archiver's. The kit is from House of Three and Pink Paislee. I made this album/journal for a friend for her 30th birthday. The employee at Archiver's said it would take about 5 hours to complete -- ha, I did it in 3. This was a really fun, easy gift to make for a friend. It retails for $25 and was so worth it.


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Daily Junque Kit

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Mickey Mouse Picnic Table using Vinyl as Stencil

I got this toddler picnic table free, yes free from the curb that is. A neighbor had it out one afternoon and I grabbed my husband and snuck it into my car before I could face the awkwardness of a neighbor seeing me. The table was in pretty bad shape but I knew I could make it look great! Some paint and a couple nails would make it look brand new.


My son, Lucas, loves Mickey Mouse and I had been dying to try out creating vinyl stencils so I decided to do a Mickey Mouse theme. I first painted the picnic table with a primer and than glossy black, red, and yellow paints from Valspar.

I downloaded the Walt Disney font and used that for "Mickey Mouse". The profile of Mickey was a free svg file I found on the internet. I imported the file into Sure Cuts a Lot 2 to cut using the Cricut.


My only regret on the stenciling was that I didn't have the stencil down well enough. Some of the yellow and red paint bleed through. I went back later to touch up those areas.

Total cost for project: about $30 for paint and about 25 cents work of vinyl!

Sticky Notes Holders

Usually when I decide to do a project last minute my husband groans. When I decide to do it last minute on Christmas Eve, he starts immediately be expecting to rush lately to church for Christmas Eve mass. I must say though when I decided to do these sticky note holders last minute I was super impressed with myself. Not only did I get all the supplies in less than 30 minutes, I was also able to get home and complete not just 1 but 5 of them in under an hour. For a first try that is not bad. I got this idea from Kerry's Paper Crafts (thanks Kerry - this was a great idea!)

I purchased 4x6 acrylic frames from Walmart for less than a dollar each. I also got there the sticky notes (mainly had to stick to bright colors -- think about this when choosing papers and embellishments) and the pens

I then visited good 'ole Hobby Lobby and got the ribbon, paper, and flower embellishments (had to pay full price for the flowers - boo!)

Instructions:
1. Cut paper to fit inside of frame and insert
2. Tape the sticky note to the front
3. Tie patterned ribbon at top into bow (I hate tying bows - this took the longest out of everything)
4. Add flower embellishment - I glued on for better adhesion
5. Tie large ribbon on bottom
6. Slide pen between ribbon and sticky notes

I gave these as small gifts to friends and family over the holidays. A token of appreciation - and cute to boot!