VALENTINES DAY GARLAND DIY

When parties and holidays come around it has become a little tradition of mine to make and hang a festive garland in my home. Today I took some time to put together a cute little Valentines Day garland for our dining room window. 

Would you like to make one too? I knew you would!! This is what I did. 

 Supplies:

• Burlap
• Acrylic paint
• small paintbrush
• scissors
• heart shaped template
• yarn
• cardstock paper
• ruler
• pencil

1. I made a hand drawn banner template using cardstock paper, ruler and pencil. Then I used it to cut out my burlap banner pieces. 2. I placed a plastic heart template on the piece of burlap. 3. I painted a heart on each piece of burlap using pink acrylic paint. 4. After I painted and allowed the burlap banner sheets to dry. I folded the top of the fabric and sewed it onto the yarn with a scalloped stitch. It can also be hand-sewn or hot glued.   

When I finished sewing all the banner sheets onto the yarn, I hung it in place and attached paper flowers made from coffee filters that I had made weeks before. You on the other hand can use artificial flowers from the dollar store. Or you can make your own paper flowers twisting the coffee filter and dipping it into alcohol ink. 

 And done!! How freaken cute is that!! 

Have fun Crafting!! Don't forget to stop by and share your beautiful creation, I would love to see!!

XO, NANCY!! 

EASY PICNIC TABLE MAKEOVER

Hey there! Here at our house we are pretty big on hanging outdoors while spending family time and entertaining guests. That is why a couple of weeks ago my husband and I decided to spruce up our sort of boring outdoor space primarily focusing on our old picnic table. 

Today I'm excited to share how our picnic table went from old and shabby to chic with very little effort. Below are a few photos of how our picnic table looked before the update. 

  

If you ask me you can never go wrong with wood staining when it comes to changing up your furniture whether its for indoor or outdoor use. Its extremely simple to do, they come in about every color and your outcome is bound to look fantastic. 

We used black cherry from Rust-Oleum for our picnic table. First we sanded the table down until it was completely smooth and free of previous paint or stain. After sanding my husband wiped the table with Crown Mineral Spirits removing all dirt and particles before staining. Once the surface was smooth and clean he began to apply stain using a 2'' all purpose brush. Using a rag he spread the wood stain to give it a even color. We allowed the wood stain to dry for about an hour. 

Special big THANK YOU to my amazing husband for doing pretty much everything on the picnic table makeover!! Have a good one yall!

XO, Nancy!!

BASIC GLASS BEAD JEWELRY TUTORIAL

Hey guys! I know I haven't been writing much here lately, so let me fill you in. Things have been a little crazy around here since our little Renity will be starting preschool this month. Which means time has been fairly scarce, and it almost seems as if everyone in this house moves about a hundred miles per second a day. Literally! 

Today I'm sharing a very easy jewelry making tutorial. This is a very basic way to get started on your jewelry making journey. I promise once you get going you wont want to stop!

 Supplies: Small glass beads, beading wire, toggle clasp starter set, needle nose pliers. 

Very simple and basic supplies.

 First begin by cutting your wire. I cut my necklace wire at 19'' and for bracelets I cut my wire at 7''. 

Next place the crimping bead on one of the end of your wire.

Now place the clasp on the wire.

 Loop in the very tip of the wire inside of the crimping bead. Then use the needle nose pliers to squeeze the crimping bead( like shown above). Flatten the bead until your clasp is permanently secured. 

 Start beading in the glass beads to your desire. You can bead in the whole necklace or like me only do the front. 

Once you decide to stop beading,  repeat the previous four steps to attach the toggle on the other end of the wire. TADA!! Your done!

 Can you tell how obsessed I am with jewelry making? Here are a few items I've made using this simple method. 

 Making my own jewelry has to be on my top 5 favorite hobbies, its so addicting! Have fun with this you guys!

XO,Nancy!!

SUMMER BANGLES DIY

As I was digging for unwanted things to sell in my upcoming yard sale this weekend. I came across several pieces of jewelry that don't get much attention anymore. Inspired to upcycle a few, I decided to give them a colorful makeover. Using a set of three old bangles, ebroidery floss and a pair of necklaces with lots of pretty linked beads & charms I created these super cute summer inspired bangles. 

WHAT YOU'LL NEED

• Set of bangles 
• Embroidery floss in several colors
• Variety of charms and jump rings(or an old necklace you can take apart for its pretty charms like I did  ;] )
• LOCTITE Super Glue with Gel Control or E600 glue 
• pliers
• scissors
• toothpick 

1. Start by applying a small dot of glue on your bangle. Place the tip of the first embroidery floss on the area with the glue and apply pressure using a toothpick until its securely glued to the bangle. Start to wrap the embroidery floss around the bangle. 2. Continue wrapping the floss halfway around the bangle(wrapping gets a little tricky so just wrap a good amount and then gather it tightly with your fingers). 3. Once your halfway around the bangle stop and glue the end of the first color. Beginning at the end of the first color glue the tip of the second color of embroidery floss. Repeat step One. 4. After the second color is wrapped all around the other half of the bangle, glue the end of the embroidery floss where the two colors meet.     

Repeat steps 1 through 4 with the remaining bangles. When you are through wrapping the bangles use a pair of pliers to attach pretty charms.

Have fun with this you guys!! 

XO, Nancy!

DIY STAINED GLASS BOTTLES

Ever wondered what to do with all those useless/ pretty shaped liquor bottles? I mean seriously, some of them are too cute to throw away. Lately I've been hoarding every single glass bottle and jar instead of dumping them in the trash bin. Just because the small city of Clarksville does not recycle glass and I feel horrible throwing it away. 

One way to repurpose glass bottles is by simply adding a splash of color. Today I'm going to show you how I transformed ordinary liquor bottles into awesome decorative pieces for my home. Supplies needed; glass bottles, alcohol ink, pieces of felt, foam brushes and Valspar Frosting Spay.      

 Painting with alcohol ink is so much fun , but can be extremely messy since it is very runny and will drip everywhere. My advice is to lay newspaper down and set a designated work area. Please be prepared for colorful fingers! First I poured a few drops of alcohol ink onto a piece of felt and began staining my glass bottle. After I did a first layer of color using the felt I dipped my foam brush into the ink and added a second layer. As I used the foam brush I pressed gently allowing the ink to run down the bottle. The ink will somewhat spread out evenly. I continued dipping and pressing the foam brush until my entire bottle was covered all around.  

Once all three of my bottles were stained I allowed them to dry for a couple of hours. 

When my stained bottles were completely dry I added a coat of Valspar Frosting Spray. Giving my bottles a gorgeous frosted finish. Then, I placed my bottles aside and allowed them to dry for about an hour.

Something as simple as stained glass bottles will add a huge pop of color into any room. The best thing about this DIY is that you can customize it however you want. You can ditch the solid colors and create a marbled effect by adding all sorts of colors. It can be used as a flower vase, candle holder, center piece, decorative bottles. Whatever the use, this effortless DIY is sure to brighten up your home. Also, the fact that you get to repurpose some of those useless bottles into something wonderful is a SCORE. Have fun creating! 

XO, Nancy!