Christmas season DIY ideas

Sorry I haven't been posting lately! I'm getting pretty excited for the Christmas season, which is weird for me since I'm usually a scrooge until the week before the big day! But I wanted to share a few DIY ideas from pinterest that I am planning on trying out with my niece and nephew before the holiday. Have you tried any of these yet? I would love to see how they all turn out in real life. But I will let you know when I have tried them on my own.

This is a great idea! Get a plain ornament and use a sharpie to write some favorite memories from that year. I would also put the year on the bottom and probably do 2 separate bulbs for the kiddos.

This is super simple! Spray paint a canvas a nice holiday green color. Then use red and white paint and make fingerprint candy canes and glue a big bow onto the front of the canvas.

Take wax paper and draw with plain elmer's glue. Once the glue dries it peels off the wax paper and you can use them to decorate a variety of ways. You can also decorate them while they are wet and make faces or whatever!

This is the simplest thing I have seen in a while that looks so elegant! Take some old wood and glue or nail it together. Then nail 5 nails into the wood and wrap a wide red ribbon around the nails to form a star.

This is a great way to display the Christmas cards that tend to clutter up the counters in our house. Use an old empty picture frame and wrap ribbon around and staple/glue/tape (whatever) it to the frame. Then just hang the cards on the ribbons. The only issue is that the ones that open right to left instead of up and down wouldn't work too well on this.

Final reveal: Chalkboard paint coffee table

I finally finished the chalkboard coffee table!!! {Well actually, my dad finished painting it for me, mostly because he was sick of it taking up space in his pole barn. Though he'll say he was just trying to be helpful!!}

It turned out great! Better than I expected actually. Here are pictures of the finished project:

I think it will look great in my living room area, when that happens to come together eventually!
I put my feet on it the other day and it is the perfect height for me. I'm thrilled, as you can probably tell!

I also heard a tip that before writing on the chalkboard paint you should cover the entire area with chalk and wipe it off, that way whatever you write isn't ghosted on the paint forever! So I did that as well. Here is a picture of what I mean in case you can't get a visual:

I would love to see some pictures of any projects that you are doing with chalkboard paint! It is so popular right now, and for good reason!

My t-shirt upcycle scarf project

Do you have any old t-shirts that you loved once upon a time, but they don't fit anymore, have holes or stains in them, or just don't work in your wardrobe anymore? The color might be nice, but the shirt just doesn't work as a shirt anymore. I have a solution: make a fun scarf out of it. No sewing required, just some scissor skills! It's so easy that your kids could even do it.

Here is a photo tutorial of what to do:

Just a plain shirt that I  never wear anymore in a fun color

Cut the shirt across just under the arm holes. The line doesn't even have to be straight!

Make slits 1/2 to 2/3 of the way up from the bottom, leaving the fringe with a hem

Cut it all the way around. Precision is not necessary.

After cutting the fringe, pull gently on each to cause it to twist and slim down. Final product is a fun and unique scarf!

You could also use fabric paint to create a pattern on the scarf before you cut the fringe to make it even more personal.

Another t-shirt upcycle: The next project

I am generally in a constant state of planning and dreaming about what project I will tackle next. Because of this I sometimes have a hard time finishing projects because I can't wait to get to the next project! I just get too excited about DIY!! Here is the next thing I want to try.

It's a t-shirt scarf. I have a ton of old t-shirts hanging around that need a new life. Many of them I will never wear again, but they have such good memories attached to them. I have one particular teal shirt that may very well be the first victim in this project! I am also thinking about painting a pattern onto the shirt before I cut it up to make a fun patterned scarf.

I found this on Pinterest and thought it was a great idea:

Use an empty toilet paper roll and fabric paint to create a pattern.

Chalkboard painted coffee table

Knowing my love of DIY projects, a coworker gave me an old coffee table that she didn't want anymore. I was pretty sure it could be fabulous with the right touch! I wanted something neutral that could go with my olive/hunter green couch and beige walls in my basement living room. I also wanted something kind of fun that the kids could enjoy as well.
I found myself standing in the spray paint aisle at Home Depot for a long time staring at the wall of colors in front of me. There weren't any "OMG! I have to have that color" moments. I ended up giving up and going with white. But the chalkboard paint caught my eye and then it was a magical moment!

I started out my sanding it down a bit. The top was pretty scratched up, so that got the most attention, but after that I just did a light scuffing to make the spray paint adhere better. Here are a few pictures to help you visualize what I'm talking about:

The top was pretty scratched up

My dad insisted I wear a mask, even though 2 huge garage doors were open to ventilate the barn. he didn't want me getting high. Always a good idea to be safe!

I love the lines of this coffee table!

Not too sure why my dad had this contraption in his barn, but it came in handy for this project!

The square on top that is still wood will be chalkboard paint next. Just waiting for the white to dry.

I finally have a dresser!

If you have been reading, you may know that I have been waiting on a dresser that was promised to me for free! I didn't want to push my luck by requesting the thing get there on my time table, so I have been patiently waiting as best I can! I figure I was living in a den out of a laundry basket for 5 months so I can do it for a little longer. Plus, now I have a closet to hang stuff at least!

I am happy to announce that the dresser arrived yesterday!! It is a bit smaller than I was expecting, but that is actually better for me.

Here are a couple pictures that I snapped yesterday. It will be painted {probably white} sometime soon I hope. I'll keep you posted on that too. But until then, here are the pictures:

I love the detail in the drawers! They have quatrefoils {the symbol of Phi Mu Fraternity which I am a sister} and it is such a unique touch! Those handles have to go as soon as possible though.

duct tape kids craft

Last night my niece came home from grandma's house with a new craft project for us to do together! She told my mom that she wanted to do them with yaya (that's what she has called me since she was a baby!) because I'm crafty! Her craft came in a kit, but it would be simple to buy the pieces separately or use things you may already have and create your own little kit.

Here is what you would need:
~ plastic (or really any kind of) bangles. {These could be old wooden or plastic bangles that need an update or I'm sure they sell plain plastic bangles at craft stores}
~ funky duct tape {Any color or pattern that you want!}
~ scissors

You can either cover the whole bangle with tape or just make different patterns on top of the existing color. Wrapping the duct tape around the bangle is pretty simple. The only thing to pay attention to is that it makes it easier if you start at an angle and wrap by overlapping a bit. Not only does it make the tape bubble less, but it also helps to make sure the tape covers the whole bangle.

I took a few pictures of the process, but I will add more when we work on them again.

She's really excited!

So you can see some of the steps and ideas you can take from this project. It is really easy and great for kids. Plus, it really helps kids with fine motor skills. Teachers will like that!!