Tag: diy craft (page 6 of 6)

Repurpose an old window into a Chalkboard

Hello Everyone!

As many of you already know I was working a project for a Mental Health Awareness charity auction. We were all repurposing and painting old windows. Here you can see my post about creating a shabby chic message board. Today I am going to walk you through how I made this chalkboard with an old window.

Repurpose an old window into a Chalkboard

 

Materials:

~Old window. This window had pealing paint and a crack in the Plexiglas, so it was perfect for this project.

~ Cleaning supplies and sandpaper

~ Paint, brushes, and tape for the frame

~ Primer, chalkboard paint, and brushes for the chalkboard part.

 

Instructions;

~ The first step is to prep the window. Not the most fun, but it is necessary for a successful project. I sanded all the edges until they were smooth and ready to paint. This took a while because the window was so rough.

Repurpose an old window into a Chalkboard

~ Then you paint the frame. I did tape off the Plexiglas because I am not the neatest painter. I used Artist’s Loft in Metallic Cobalt Blue, I love the iridescent quality of the blue paint.

Repurpose an old window into a Chalkboard

~ Paint away. Kitty help is essential to the success of any craft project Smile Starlight is my favorite kind of help, lol.

Repurpose an old window into a Chalkboard

Repurpose an old window into a Chalkboard

I did 2 coats of the blue

Repurpose an old window into a Chalkboard.

~ After the frame had dried for a day I taped off the frame part and prepped the Plexiglas. First I lightly sanded the glass so that the paint would adhere. Then I put a coat of primer on according to the directions. I used Kilz primer.

Repurpose an old window into a Chalkboard

~ Once the primer was dry I painted 4 coats of chalkboard paint on according to the directions. I used Rustoleum Chalkboard paint. Once it was dry and cured for 3 days I conditioned the chalkboard according to the directions.

Repurpose an old window into a Chalkboard

Repurpose an old window into a Chalkboard

~ Once it was completely dry and conditioned I took a stencil and painted a design in the corners and added some flowers and that is it. A new chalkboard for an old window

Repurpose an old window into a Chalkboard

Have you painted and or repurposed an old window? How did it turn out? I would love to see pictures!

Vintage Button Magnets

So as you all probably know by now I love buttons. I made this letter S a few years ago and I still love it. Buttons are so much fun to go through and sort and reminisce about. I think they are one of my favorite crafting item.

So I made another craft with buttons. This time I made button magnets.

In addition to the crafting I decided to reopen my Etsy store and sell some of the things I make here on this blog. Stop by and check it out: TakeTimeToCreate.

Here is how you can make your own button magnets

Materials:

~ Buttons (so many buttons!!! And this is only a small portion of what my mom gave me! She is the best!)

Box of buttons     Buttons

~ Magnets

~ Glue (I am using my trusty E-6000)

~ Clippers or something to cut the shank off

 

Instructions

~ prep the buttons. You might need to clean them a bit or snip off the shank. Be careful because pieces of plastic might go flying.

Cut off the shank

~ Stack the buttons to create a different looks. Glue the stacks as necessary.

layer the buttons     layer the buttons

~ Glue the back of the button and add the magnet

Glue on the back of buttonAdd magnet to backAdd magnet to Button

~ Wait for them to dry and then put them up on your fridge. You can see I use them to hold pictures of Cole. I love his monster and dino magnets he made when he was little. So cute! Sigh he is not so little anymore.

Stay tuned for DIYs on how I made the little canvas magnets and the bottle glass magnets.

Display button magnet     Display button magnet

Here are some of the completed magnet sets that I have on Etsy just to give you an idea of what you can do with magnets and buttons. These make great house warming gifts!

Button magnets     Button magnets

Button magnets     Button magnets

Make Yarn Out of an Old T-shirt

Hello Everyone!

I hope your years is getting off to a great start. I am pretty excited because I have started on a project that I have been wanting to get started on for a long time. I got this huge stack of old t-shirts that had the wrong logo on them (this pic is only part of what I got). And since the shirts can’t be sold my friend gave them to me to make into yarn. This is not a new technique, but it is new to me and I am pretty excited in how it turned out. It is a perfect activity to do while I am watching TV. I am only part way through the stack, but eventually I will be done and then I am going to make rugs out of the yarn. Great way to upcycle old t-shirts and make something new.

stack of shirts

I didn’t connect the balls of yarn to make one big ball because I am not sure if I am going to braid the rug or crochet it. (if I crochet the rug I will need to combine the yarn, if I braid it then I will need to sew together the strips.) Either way when I do the rug I will be sure to do a  tutorial for you guys.

Here is how you turn in old t-shirt into yarn.

Materials

~Old T-shirt (make sure it is washed, if it is new this will take the sizing out and if it is from a thrift store it will make sure it is clean)

~ Scissors

~ ruler if you want, I didn’t use one but a ruler might make it easier to cut the strips.

Instructions

~ Lay the clean shirt on a flat surface. As you can see from the pics I am working on the floor, but that is just my preference. Make sure the shirt is flat and as smooth as possible.

~Cut the top off right under the sleeves. (I am keeping this top part, not sure what I am going to do with them but I just can’t throw it away) Then Cut off the bottom hem. (I threw that part away)

 

Cut top and bottom off

top cut offbottom cut off

~ Then you want to cut the remaining shirt into strips. I cut mine about 1-1.5” wide.

***This is Important! Make sure you don’t cut all the way to the top! You will need this uncut area to make the yarn into one continuous length.

cut into strips

angeled cuts to make 

(This is what the top looks like with the uncut areas. You will cut it at an angle to make the strips, starting at the right end)

~ For this part refer to the pics, and please let me know if you have any questions.

To make the yarn cut off starting at the last strip and make an angle cut to the edge. Then cut the rest of the strips in an angle until you get to the end. I place the shirt on my arm and make the cuts on there, that just helps me keep track of were I need to go next.

 

cutting t shirt yarnwhere to cut for t shirt yarn

~ Once you have cut the entire shirt you should have on long length of T-shirt Yarn. Then gently stretch the yarn and then wrap it into a ball. I made individual balls because I am not sure if I want to combine them into one length or not, but this way I am keeping it all nice and neat until I am ready to use it.

stretch yarnwrap yarn

I know this may seem a little confusing, but I am here if you have any questions. Have any of you made t-shirt yarn before? I would love to some tips and tricks to make it better and or easier.

DIY Altered Necklace I wore to my Birthday Dinner

Hi All!

I am happy to be back in the swing of things and I am starting today off with a DIY necklace. I showed you this necklace last week, it is the one I wore to my birthday dinner with my hubby. It is just a simple alteration to make it more my style.

I think the results work for me, what do you think?

Linda getting ready for her birthday dinner

Here is how I did it.

Materials:

~ Necklace

~ Needle Nose pliers

~ Jump Rings or extra chain length

~ Metal Clippers

 

Instructions

~ I found this necklace at Wal-Mart on clearance. Yikes, it was a little much for me. I am not very tall (as in I  reach 5’1” if I stretch Smile  ) so when I wear  a necklace that is too big for me it looks like I am weighed down. For someone of my height more is not always better Smile

~ Take your necklace and cut off the parts you don’t want. I am saving them for another project.

alltered necklace

~ After I took off the parts I didn’t like I found that that the necklace was a little short, so I added a length of chain so that it fit me.

~ When you cut off the unnecessary pieces, save what you can  you might need it for later. I reused the metal clips holding the two pieces together.

Altered necklace cutting instructions

 

altered necklace reattached instructions

And that is it! Simple alteration to make the necklace into a necklace that I will wear all the time.

20160103_160703

Wake Up And Be Awesome

Wake up and be awesome is my motto. Everyday you have a choice of what you want to be and awesome is my answer. It is not always easy, but I do try.

So what better way to show my love for awesomeness than to make a wall hanging? It is fun to look at first thing in the morning and they day is always better when you start off with a smile.

wake up and be awesome diy project

Materials:

~old painting that you are willing to cover up. I found mine at Goodwill

~ paint (I am using acrylic paint that I found at the craft store)

wake up and be awesome diy project

~ Alphabet stickers, I was looking for big stickers and I found mine at Target near the poster board section

~ Rhinestone (of course I need rhinestones! I think this is a prerequisite for all my crafts Smile)

~ Glue to glue on the rhinestones (I am using Aleene’s Jewel-it glue)

wake up and be awesome diy project

~ Foam paint brush

 

Instructions:

~ Take your old painting and wipe clean. A damp paper towel should do the trick. I found this painting at Goodwill. It is not an actual painting but a print on canvas. The style doesn’t match my décor but the colors do. So I thought it would be perfect for this project.

wake up and be awesome diy project

~ Gather your supplies

wake up and be awesome diy project

~ I cut out the letters and laid them out to make sure everything fit.

wake up and be awesome diy project

~ Stick the letters on the canvas. Really press them down to make sure no paint seeps under the letter

wake up and be awesome diy projectwake up and be awesome diy project

~ Start painting.  Cover the entire canvas. Take your time and make sure it is all covered and looks good.

wake up and be awesome diy projectwake up and be awesome diy project

~ Before the paint completely dries take the letters off and throw them away. Check for sections where the paint might have seeped under the letter and clean it up. I used a Q-tip to make the letters look crisp.

wake up and be awesome diy project

I am not sure how anyone gets anything done without a little cat help. Smile It seems like every time I start a project Starlight has to be in the middle of it. But she makes it more fun.

wake up and be awesome diy project

~ Then I started adding rhinestones. I think everything is better with a little sparkle. I just added a few to the left edge of the each letter in the word Awesome. I think it added just the right amount of sparkle.

wake up and be awesome diy project

~Hang it on you wall (mine is in our bedroom) and get ready to wake up and be Awesome!

wake up and be awesome diy project

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