Arts n’ Crafts

She's crafty.

Just a quick update as to the state of my stellar office/craft room. She went from this:

 
To this:
 

So far, so good! It’s amazing what a little paint and some refinished floors will do! I’m currently trying to figure out the best way to organize my crafting supplies. Who knew a gal could obtain 50+ rolls of ribbon in her lifetime :-/

 

The closet in this room is actually pretty deep so I think adding some additional shelving down the road might make sense. I’m also on the hunt for large, dark brown shelves for one of the walls but have recently struck out. A proper desk and chair are also on the list. Sigh. OK, so maybe this room needs more work than I had thought…..
  • Remove wallpaper
  • Paint walls
  • Refinish floors
  • Install large wall shelves
  • Install closet organization system
  • Add new chair and desk
  • Hang art
Are you lucky, like me, to have your own personal office/craft space? What are your keys to organizational success (besides a few trips to The Container Store!)?
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Front porch preview

 

With all of the guests coming over last weekend, I knew I wanted to give our front porch a bit of a holiday update. I’d been pinning away for the past few weeks and had all sorts of ideas in my head. And after painting the front door that bright yellow, I knew it’d be a great base for a fall makeover.

I was all hell bent on making my own fall wreath, but by the time I got home from work, cooked dinner and walked the dog, I was in no mood for crafting. I drug my butt to Michael’s anyways and found this fun feathered thang. Throw in a 40% off coupon and I didn’t feel so bad about not DIYing.

I also picked up two small pumpkins to create those Mr. &Mrs. ones. A few shaky brushstrokes later with black acrylic paint and they were good to go. I had read about printing out templates, spray glueing them to the pumpkins, etc. but I just free handed these babies saving myself probably 5 or 6 steps! I’m not sure how the paint would hold up on an uncovered porch with rain, but they seem fine enough when covered.

The vintage box actually came from our storage shed. I’ve got quite a few cool looking ones – real cobwebs and all! – left by the previous homeowner. Add a few gourds – some spray painted gold – and you’ve got yourself a happenin’ holiday front porch!

How are your garnishing your ghoulish front porch this year? Are you a total DIYer or do you cut a few corners like I do?

 

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Sew awesome!

After a long and tiresome event season, I decided it was time to treat myself! I’d taken a beginner sewing series (see previous posts) and was hooked. I wanted nothing more to come home and create something. SOOOO….I did some quick internet research and found a good, entry level machine and a few days later it was mine. To have unlimited sewing at my finger tips…oh man. This was exciting stuff.

I also horded some craft store coupons and picked up the more expensive items for 40-50% off. OK, so maybe I had to go back to the store every day for 3 days, but I got them at a good price darn it! I was determined not to break the bank with this new hobby. Update***Who knew how addicting fabric shopping could be? I need to find a discount fabric source STAT before I spend an entire paycheck on fun fabrics. Ugh.***

So far, I’ve made a second placemat to match the first one as well as a special blanket for Miss Stella. I think pillow cases and some cute fabric casserole holders will be next on my list.

Have you picked up a new hobby lately without breaking the bank like hobbies seem to do??

Supplies in hand.

Cutting mat & cutter – so necessary!

The final product!

The happy customer šŸ™‚
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A sewing sneak peek!

Just a lil sampling of what’s to come – my first sewing project outside of class made especially for my favorite furry friend. Stay tuned for the final product!

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Sew fun no. 4!

The final product! (The pillow, not the chair)

Mastered buttons and the holes they go through. Yeah buddy!
 
So I’ve graduated sewing class and to celebrate, I’ve purchased my first sewing machine! It’s an entry level Brother CS600i that vaguly resembles the high end machines we used in class. A lot of the bits and pieces looked the same so that made me feel like I could manage it without too much hair pulling. It also had rave reviews on Amazon so that must mean it’s legit, right?
 
Not sure what I’m going to make first on it…..I should probably stick with something I know so I can fully finish a project without too much frustration. Patience usually isn’t my middle name and sewing requires a lot of that. Stay tuned for my first creation!
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