Category: DIY project

October 2, 2013

DIY Jewelry Organization Makeover

My jewelry collection was an eyesore. Let’s just put it at that (you’ll see). I would forget about pieces buried in the bottom drawer of my jewelry shelf, all those necklaces had a tendency to get clumped together, and it just gave me a headache to look at it. Finally, in an attempt to make little spaces like this of my home environment more cozy and put-together, I decided to tackle the jewelry organization project head-on. With a little perusing on Pinterest, I put together some rough ideas of what I wanted the finished project to look like and headed to the thrift store.

I went through about three phases of putting this project together over the course of about a week, so I’m going to share those with you in case it provides some inspiration for you too:

Phase I

Thrifting a jewelry holder and giving it a makeover

What began its life as a collector spoon holder (I think??) is now the bearer of all my jewelry.

I went to the thrift store with the sole purpose of finding some old forgotten knick-knack shelf to repurpose, since they’re usually quite easy to come by. After perusing the correct aisle, I didn’t come across any that I was satisfied with. The selection was pretty picked over at the time I got there, so I went on my next mission in the store, to find some 16×20 frames. By chance, I returned to that original aisle again to return something I decided against buying and did one more quick sweep. This ugly gem was hidden under some other nondescript wooden things. It’s really made out of some quite durable wood and had that nice drawer on the bottom for earrings and such. Score!

After work the next day, I took a trip to the hardware store and stood a full 5 minutes in the paint aisle trying to decide what color I wanted this bad boy to be. I had green in my hand, but I was still debating. Our bedroom is green, but what if it didn’t quite match? I finally thought, why not make the jewelry shelf match some of the jewelry itself with a fresh coat of silver? While I was at the hardware store, I also picked out two drawer knobs and some ring screws to add to the shelf for extra storage.

The finished product. A HUGE improvement!

Hubster helped me find the right screw length for the side knobs, but I did all the work! These knobs and extra screws on the bottom provide extra storage for longer necklaces and such.

Phase II

Cleaning the jewelry

While I was going through my jewelry, deciding what to keep and what to donate, I came across a few pieces I still really like but that have become quite tarnished with age. With a little research online, I decided to try lining a glass casserole dish with tin foil, sprinkling baking soda over the jewelry, and pouring water over the top. This worked for some of the jewelry, but I had to go back and rub toothpaste on a few items to really get them to shine again. No expensive jewelry cleaner required!

Phase III

Jewelry organization

In order to tame the chaos that my jewelry had become, I wanted the finished project to be as orderly and visually appealing as possible. The first thing I did was gather some silver cardstock from my scrapbooking collection. I made these nice earring cards by simply poking holes in the folded cardstock with a thick tapestry needle that I had, but I’m sure a safety pin would’ve done the trick. I absolutely adore how my earrings are all organized and easy to grab now. I can get a good look at them all with one quick glance. And none of them are buried in a mess, only to never be used again. In fact, today I’m wearing a pair of earrings I had forgotten I even had!

Next, I strung all my necklaces on the spoon holder thingies, which turned out to be great necklace holders. Hubster happened to have a nail that perfectly matched the silver shelf, so I used that to affix the organizer to the wall behind our dresser. Now all my necklaces are completely visible, making getting dressed in the morning quick and easy.

Before

It pains me a bit to even show this (bad lighting notwithstanding) “before” picture. It’s really unnerving to keep my jewelry in such a disarray. And you can’t even see the dust bunnies collected there. *Shiver*

After

Not only does my jewelry look much better, but now my collection of glass perfume bottles is also on display again. Those pretties were kind of shoved behind my jewelry shelf and piled on with…random things. Now they’re all out for show again, just as I like them.

I’ve been collecting these pretties since High School

Ah much better

I forgot I even had this little ring holder in all my mess of things. It came in handy since I didn’t really have any other viable, convenient place to store my rings. The ring holder came with a matching vintage mirror and brush/comb set that I have on the dresser too. The vintage “dressing table” theme suits me perfectly!

That’s a wrap! I feel much more comfortable in my room now that I don’t have to look away from my dresser. Tackling these small spaces in my home, one at a time, has done wonders on my comfort level. I am so completely satisfied with these results and pretty satisfied that I tackled this project all myself.

How do you organize your jewelry at home? I’d love to see pictures or hear about your solutions too.

September 26, 2013

My Second Ever Quilt

I never thought I wanted to tackle a quilt. However, after my first experience, I started gathering supplies for two more quilts before I was even finished binding up the first one.

This second ever quilt of mine is made with a vintage flower theme, mostly pinks and greens. I chose a fleece blanket for the lining instead of batting due to cost. I actually paid less for an actual fleece blanket than for as much batting as I would’ve needed, and I figured it would be really warm. See, Hubster doesn’t mind the pinks as long as the blanket is warm. Win-win, people!

The backside is a queen-sized bed sheet I found at the thrift store.

The quilted side is made with squares of fabric mostly from the clearance section at JoAnn’s and Walmart, cuz that’s how I roll.

Quilt top/fleece blanket/bed sheet

My grandma, the very person who taught me to sew, was very tickled when she saw my project one night when she came over for dinner. I just told her to not look so closely at the seams. I’m a total mess when it comes to sewing perfectly straight and all professional-like.

Peanut’s quilt is up next. His will be much more masculine, with fabric from several men’s 3XL flannel shirts and remnants I found at the thrift store. The back will be a cuddly soft deer-themed fleece blanket that he just fell in love with. It’s maybe a little too country for my taste, but it’s not my tastes that matter when it comes to him.

While I was all motivated and stuff to sew, I also whipped up some other projects that I’ve been thinking about for awhile. You see, Peanut has two Build A Bear animals that needed some more wardrobe items to choose from, particularly pajamas. So, I found a few tutorials online and took Peanut to the fabric store to pick out his own fabric. He liked the sailor anchor theme for the pajamas and the checkered racing fleece for the sleeping bags.

Tiger and Mr. Fluffy

There’s even a cutout for the tails! Be careful with the

tutorial though. The way you’ll be sewing the shorts isn’t

quite what one might expect.

Roll-up sleeping bags, aren’t these the cutest?

Sometimes I just really get on a roll with my sewing. I mentioned before that my Environment, particularly my home, is one of my biggest priorities in life (after God, family, that sort of thing). Home is the most important place on earth. I strive to do things that improve upon the comfort, serenity and security we feel at home. I tell ya, that quilt of mine is sure doing a number on my love for our bedroom. I just smile every day when I see it. Next up, I’ve been working on framing some pictures for behind our bed and DIY-ing a new jewelry shelf. You’ll see…

What projects have you been working lately?

September 26, 2013

My Second Ever Quilt

I never thought I wanted to tackle a quilt. However, after my first experience, I started gathering supplies for two more quilts before I was even finished binding up the first one.

The backside is a queen-sized bed sheet I found at the thrift store.

The quilted side is made with squares of fabric mostly from the clearance section at JoAnn’s and Walmart, cuz that’s how I roll.

Quilt top/fleece blanket/bed sheet

Tiger and Mr. Fluffy

There’s even a cutout for the tails! Be careful with the

tutorial though. The way you’ll be sewing the shorts isn’t

quite what one might expect.

Roll-up sleeping bags, aren’t these the cutest?

What projects have you been working lately?

August 20, 2013

DIY Workout Stick

Ever since I saw my first broomstick workout in a magazine, I’ve been smitten. I love how using something as simple as a stick can really change the angles and depth of a workout. It can give you a better stretch, offer you a bit more stability during challenging balance moves, and allow you to move deeper into certain moves.

Today, let’s make a simple fun workout stick, shall we? You can use a regular broomstick–or even a straight stick you find outside–to do the workouts. But wouldn’t it be much more fun to create an artistic workout stick that you can use whenever the mood strikes? I thought so…

Just a quick announcement: now that I’m qualified to be giving some exercise advice, I have put together three separate workouts that you can do with your new workout stick. I’ll be releasing one per week for the next three weeks! So stay tuned for that, and feel free to share on Pinterest!

Workout Broomstick Tutorial

Materials

3/4″ (or thicker) wooden dowel from the hardware or craft store
Washi tape
Decorative duct tape
Acrylic paints (or other wood paint) and paintbrush
Any other decorative items you’d like to deck your stick out in

Dowel

Washi tape and acrylic paint

Directions:

If you’d like to change the color of your dowel, use acrylic paint (or any other appropriate paint for wood) and give your dowel a few coats. Let dry. Paint stripes or designs with other paint colors if you’d like and allow to dry completely before moving on.
Now, use your washi or duct tape to create fun patterns and stripes across your stick. I went with a simple light blue and green theme, punctuated by some polka dot decorative tape on the ends.
Feel free to get creative with your stick design. Maybe you’d like to add some rubber elements for a good grip or add tassels to the ends of the stick. Your imagination is the limit!

Voila! Your very own workout stick for any broomstick workouts you might find online or here on my blog. I kept mine pretty simple, but feel free to get creative with your art supplies. It almost feels as though you get to play with a grown-up version of a baton. Check back here next week for my first of three broomstick workouts!

Project Details:

Washi tape from here and Target
Wooden dowel from Lowe’s
Acrylic paints from my own stash (maybe originally from Ben Franklin?)

June 2, 2013

DIY Yoga Mat Holder Tutorial

If there’s one thing that makes me feel like I’m contributing to a more sustainable lifestyle, it’s by reusing and recycling items that I already have or have bought secondhand for new uses. One such project that was born from my recycling efforts is this DIY yoga mat strap.

I used the black holder that came with my yoga mat (from Target) as sort of a guide when designing my mat holder. The way the strap loops around itself inspired me to produce something similar with a more aesthetically pleasing piece of fabric.

A scarf is the perfect piece of long piece of finished fabric that you can use for this project, and you can usually find scarves in an array of colors and patterns at your local thrift store or your closet. Mine was from St. Vincent de Paul. If you wanted to use other fabric, simply stitch up the edges and then follow the steps below for the looping effect.

You’ll need a scarf, sewing machine (you could do this by hand), and thread that matches your scarf.

1. First, you’ll want to loop one end of your scarf around itself the way this black strap does.

First loop one end under the rest of the scarf:

Then, loop the end back over on top of the fabric and pin the short end in place.

Do the same with the other end and pin in place.

Then, sew along the edge where you pinned the scarf together. Be sure that the wrong sides of the fabric are facing each other when you sew. Repeat on both ends. You could definitely do this simple sewing by hand.

That’s all you have to do, and you have a handy little carrying strap for your mat. Pretty easy, right?

I do think I would’ve liked a little bit longer scarf to create a longer shoulder strip. I can fit this one around my arm, but it really is more the length of a hand strap. I will surely take a trip back to the thrift store for some more scarves. This makes a great gift for the health nut or yoga enthusiast on your list. And it literally takes only a few minutes to put together, once you get that looping thing down.

I’m thinking about doing a giveaway with one of these. Let me know what you think in the comments. If you do use this tutorial, leave a link for me so I can see what you made. Happy sewing!

March 9, 2013

Paper Airplanes and Map Bunting Banner DIY

This travel-themed banner was created for a male in my department at work. I didn’t want to use any of my girly frilly banners for him, of course. I wanted to make something a little more fitting. So, I came up with the map bunting and paper airplane banner.

The paper airplanes were created from scrapbook paper that I already had on-hand. Here’s how I made them, but really you could fold them however you like:

Cut out a rectangular piece of paper. I think this was about 2×3.

Fold the paper in half with the pretty patterned side on the inside.

Fold one corner back, flush with the folded side.

Do the same with the other side:

Now, fold that same side of the paper down again on both sides:

Here’s your airplane. Make a bunch of them until you have enough to form a small air force.

Use your string of choice for the banner. Just glue the open center of the airplane around the string. Elmer’s works fine.

Here’s the finished paper airplane banner:

To make the map bunting, I just cut up an old road atlas. I used some of my son’s triangle blocks as a template for the triangles. I used a stencil and a black Sharpie to color in the letters. Then I stapled the triangles to some ribbon. That’s it!

You put them together, and you have a unisex “Happy Birthday” banner. Pretty cute, huh?

For even more DIY banner ideas, check out the other birthday banners in this series:

More Mantra Madness

Oh, the power of a mantra! No new DIY mantra ideas have popped into my head lately, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t been on my mind–or placed in front of me out of nowhere! Take, for example, my current computer wallpaper. There I was, minding my own business, when a tweet came up on my feed about a free “‘make it happen” wallpaper design. Of course, I immediately clicked.

This beautiful wallpaper is the design of the talented designer, Breanna Rose. Add this wallpaper to your computer background to remind you every day about your goals and that you have the power to make them reality. Go ahead and search your own personal mantra on Pinterest, and you might come across some beautiful prints or backgrounds like this.

Source: blog.imbreannarose.com via Mackenzie on Pinterest

Handstamped Jewelry: Stamping a mantra into a bracelet is another fantastic way to keep your mantra within sight at all times. This particular mantra is something I say to my son every night: “Dream Big.” I want him to grow up knowing that he is only restricted by the bounds of his imagination and determination. I never want him to feel that his dreams are only pipe dreams. He can Make Them Happen. Those sweet little nothings we whisper in their ears can mean so much, can’t they?

By the way, you can buy a basic little handstamping kit at the hardware store for less than $10. Harbor Freight carries them for around $7. Handstamping is such an easy little art, once you learn how to do it. All you need to do is hammer the letters into an aluminum disc like this, color in the letters with permanent marker, and sand over the top to give it shine and remove the surface ink. I went to a craft night at a little local handmade shop and learned just how to do it.

If you haven’t checked out my other mantra projects, check them out here:

Running Mantras

Walking Mantra Meditation

DIY Mantra Workout Towels

DIY Bleach Painted Workout Tank Top

My Favorite Mantra is Everywhere

February 14, 2013

Birthday Banner DIY: Tassels

I love a good tassel. I’m not a fan of tasseled shoes or curtains, but give me some pretty yarn tassels in a bunting banner, and I just might swoon. I’ve seen some tassel DIY’s out on the interwebs, but I just wanted something really really simple. So, I decided to create my own DIY.

First, cut and gather a handful of 12″ strips of yarn. Let’s say, about 10 strips total for a thinner tassel. Add as many more strips as you’d like to beef up the effect.

Fold the strips over the top of what will be your hanging string.

Then, take one side of the tassel, wind it around the other tail,

and form a knot around the banner string.

By wrapping one tail around the other, versus just tying a knot at the bottom,

you create the tassel-like effect seen here:

Continue making and attaching tassels until you get the desired effect.

I then made a “happy birthday” banner overlay using alpha stencils and matching scrapbook paper.

*Brushes hands together* That’s it, my friends! Another birthday celebrated in handmade style.

Check out my other birthday banner creations:

One: Fringe Benefits Banner DIY

Two: Lacy Doily Banner DIY

January 23, 2013

Show and Tell

C’mon, we can still have show and tell as adults in a virtual world, right? I think so.

Well, the story is that I was completely inspired by this post from Rachel Denbow over at Smile and Wave to make a quilt. I have never felt anything close to desire to sew a quilt before. I thought they were too fussy, too old-lady, too time-consuming, and all those other really bad stereotypes. Boy, was I proven wrong! Rachel actually made it seem doable to me–and stylish! I actually wanted to make one. If you know, me, that doesn’t seem possible. But, on a quilting adventure we will go.

The lucky recipient of my very first quilt is my little nephew who turns ONE this Sunday. I chose colors that were youthful, but that would still grow with him, the theme being yellows, greens and browns. Some of the pieces are leftover from a Christmas stocking that I made him, so it will have a special link. I used a 40″ x 60″ fleece blanket as the backing, so the size of the blanket also leaves room for him to grow. I chose a pre-made fleece blanket for my backing, because it’s cheaper to buy a fleece blanket at the store than to buy fleece fabric by the yard. Go figure!

I made my own binding using the “cheater method” that Rachel recommends. I am all about “cheats” and “shortcuts” when it comes to sewing, as long as it doesn’t affect the integrity of the finished piece. And actually, making binding from the leftover quilt fabric is so much more amazing than just buying premade binding. It matches and it’s so pretty.

Here is the final product, all bundled and ready to be presented to one handsome little guy. I hope he snuggles his face into it as he likes to do with other soft things. That would truly warm his auntie’s heart.

See that stack down there? That is the beginning of the next quilt I plan to tackle. I want to make a quilt large enough to fit our bed and warm enough for my husband’s liking. He didn’t even mind that there were a lot of pink vintage florals, as long as the quilt is warm. It will be three layers “deep,” with the quilted cotton top, cotton sheet backing (rescued from the thrift store) and a plush fleece blanket for the lining. That oughta do it, right? Then, my Peanut has me on commission to make him a quilt too, even though his great-grandma already sewed him a beautiful one. Who am I to resist his request though? Warms a momma’s heart.

Can’t wait for the next round of show and tell. It will mean that I have finished quilt #2. I mean, wow! I never thought in a million years I would be showing you a quilt I sewed. Anything is possible with the right motivation. Thanks Rachel!

January 10, 2013

Birthday Banner DIY #2: Lace Doily Banner

The second installation in my birthday banner series is the Lace Doily Garland.

Thrift stores are littered with doilies, and they are often quite reasonably-priced. I always wondered what I could do to rescue those pretty little lace things. I would never put them under lamps or use them as coasters like in times past, but I thought they must still be good for something this day and age. Enter, the birthday garland.

I happened to find a stack of lace doilies that were all exactly the same. This works perfectly for a banner, but I think it would look neat with mis-matched ones too.

All I did was measure a piece of white thread the entire length of the banner. Simply place the doilies side-by-side to figure out how long you need the thread.

I then started at one side and folded each doily in half. Once halved, I sewed big stitches across the top. These don’t have to be perfect by any means, they should just do the job.

Continue on down the line until all doilies have been attached to the thread.

Leave extra thread on both sides to make loops for securing the banner later. I knotted mine in a loop.

Then, hang as desired. I made an actual “happy birthday” banner to go over the top using alphabet stencils and scrapbook paper, similar to my last one. I think something like this would also be pretty to use for DIY wedding decor too. Enjoy! Oh, and Save the Doilies!