A turn of events ...

Now that the So you think you're craft competition is over, I feel like I have nothing to blog about, haha! && then I remembered that Emmie is getting married in 8 VERY SHORT MONTHS [which I have to type that in all caps so emily can fully understand the magnitude of the situation]. so in a turn of events, we are switching to wedding DIY for a bit.

To complete all of the crafty projects for Emily's wedding, we are bring back 'Wedding Tuesdays'. Basically, on the first Tuesday of every month, we gather together friends and family for a girls night. After luring them in with pizza, soda, and sugar we put them to work on all things Wedding DIY. It is always a blast and we get so much accomplished. First on our list are decorations to hang from the tree's around her reception, table runners, and tea lights. We will post pics asap!

In other news: Happy First Anniversary to yours truly! I must say, everyone warned me that marriage was hard and although they were not lying, the failed to mention how fun it is. I can honestly say that my honey makes my day, every day & I love him to pieces.

Let's leave with a darling picture to reminisce ...

www.ParisMountainPhotography.com

 ... wasn't my photographer FANTASTIC!!!

Photo Display Light Fixture

Looks like I have posted my last craft on SYTYC :(
I was so busy with finals to even notice! But I am so proud of myself for making it into the top 3 && am so excited to receive my prize for 3rd place :) 


Although no1 else seemed to like my light fixture - I LOVED IT! I think what I love most is that it works as both a hanging light and another fun way to display photos. I was trying to be new & innovative - I thought the goal was to be original?!? I guess it was just a bit before its time :)


Here is my craft from last week:

I love shopping at thrift stores for craft inspiration & other goodies ... I am not ashamed to say that some of my favorite clothes once graced the racks of Goodwill :)  On a recent trek, I scored some funky shaped lampshades and decided they would make the perfect base for my project this week. I also found a cute fitted sheet & a few t-shirts that I shredded up to make some funky flowers. What I created was a funky, fun light fixture for my spare bedroom that I can also use to display pictures! 

I added in the ribbon to add a pop of color && used bobby-pins to attach pictures to the lampshade frame. 

 

This light fixture was SUPER easy to make & only cost me 

... FIVE DOLLARS!!! 

Fun Photo Board

I can't believe that I won last week! I was so busy with college finals [4 of them to be exact] that I didn't really even have time to check the results all week - so to find out I won was fantastic. Unfortunatly, I didn't make a tutorial as i made this project but I can certainly tell you exactly how I made it :) 

1. I found this large wooden board at a local thrift store for $1.50 but you could easily use a 1X4 painted in your color choice. 
2. To create a cute background on the board - cut scrapbook paper down to size & use cute scissors to create an interesting border. Using stick glue, attach the paper to the front of the board
3. Next, add the ribbon. Cut the ribbon into 6-8 inch strips and drape it across the front in a criss-cross pattern. Using a stable gun, staple the ends of the ribbon onto the back of the board to hold it in place. 

     4. To hold artwork and pictures, I glued clothes-pins onto the top and covered them with       

          scrap-book paper and a bow.

     5. Lastly, I cut out different shapes from scrapbook paper and glued them all over the board 

          to add a little something extra. 

 

My goal this week was truly to make something that "KIDS CAN DO". I am confident that most children could create this with the help of an adult and it turn out just as cute as my creation. Thanks for voting :) 

Antique Button Monogram

Last week was grueling but I made it && I am one week away from scoring some AWESOME prizes! 

Here is my craft from last week:

Upcycle is by far my favorite theme because upcycling is what I love to do!! I love the idea of using something old and ick in a new and innovative way. This week I used the following ingredients:
- and old beat up plaque [which you could make yourself uber-easily using remnants from the home depot]
- antique buttons I scored at a thrift store for $1
I added a bit of paint and some hot glue ... and here is what I came up with:

 

 This little beauty is not little at all, it is massive but lightweight and is adorned with a great little monogram for some newlyweds I know. They plan to hang it over their bed next to a cute little sign that says "always kiss me goodnight" .... how sweet??? 

 

I hope you all love love love it!

Knock-Off Director's Chair

I made it another week on so you think youre crafty!!! I am so excited but that excitement came to a screeching halt when I realized that I am towards the bottom in this weeks challenge :( I am feeling a little bummed about crafting because I think my talent is not showing through. My aesthetic is SO much different than the other girls in the competition. I am not a seamstress nor do I claim to be, and week after week - the winning craft has been something sewn! Hopefully I can pull through this week because with Summer Semester at a close I think I can really rock out the last 4 crafts and win this thing :)

Here is my craft from last week:

I love knock-off week - I fact, I knocked off 2 ideas into one project ... eek!!!! I guess the idea of making something that costs BIG BUCKS yourself & saving yourself tons of money is my favorite! I have been dying for some new furniture for my patio & keep eying these adorable director's chairs at Pier 1 for sometime ... Unfortunately, they are $50-$60 a piece plus the cost of the cover ... that is WAY out of my price range! So on a recent visit to my favorite thrift store I nabbed these beauties for $10 for the pair!!! I couldn't just make a boring cover so I found this SuperFancy vintage burlap fabric on Etsy [which cost $149 .... gasp] & decided to replicate it on some burlap I got at above mention thrift store for $1.

&& the finished project [drum roll please .....]

 

 I must brag that this project only cost me $11! && they look so stinkin' cute on my back patio ... yay!

SYTYC - Dollar Store Week

I was extremely nervous about this weeks theme. It seems like such a stretch to create something that looks expensive using only materials found at the dollar store! My goal was to find things that most people might have laying around the house and use them in a fun and exciting way. What I came up with was this adorable sun-catcher wind-chime!

 My supplies from the dollar store were spoons, forks, glass beads, ribbon, metal planter riser, and silver wire. Who would have thought I could make something so cool with stuff at the dollar store! I wish I could record the noise it makes when the wind blows - different from a traditional wind-chime, but a calming clinking noise that I LOVE but my favorite part is when the sun hits it and reflects funky colors off of the different glass beads attached. 

 

You could definitely use the same technique on the forks and serving pieces for a funky addition to any dinner party or place setting :) 

Believe it!

So I have a confession - I am EXTREMELY embarrassed to claim this project as my own :( Terrible thing to say I know ... but due to some emmie lu chaos I was forced to throw this project together pretty last minute! I would say it is a good job considering the amount of time I spent on it :)

So needless to say I am EXTREMELY relieved that I didn't go home last week! Fortunately, I worked my booty off on this weeks challenge && I think it really shows in the quality of my work! This is probably the first project in forever that doesn't have a quote on it so it will be a little harder to pick out of a crowd. I will admit there may be a few clues in the picture that will tell you its me, but they were accidental and really hard to spot :) ... happy hunting!