✥ Guest Post: Ruffled Burlap Union Jack Pillow ✥

Good morning lovelies! 

Today I'm guest hosting over at Cherished Treasures with Terry! I'm sharing a ruffled union jack pillow project there and would love to see you guys there too!

 Terry has a darling little blog where she shares her goodwill shopping adventures and her love of spray paint! Not to mention she's head over heel for scrapbooking. While you're over there make sure you check out her pantry makeover- using gift wrap!!
Terry is a real sweetheart and I know you'll think she's great.

Make sure you add her weekly Linky party, Sunday Blog Love, to your list. I make it a point to be there each and every week!
See you there!!

DIY Cardboard Letters [Paper Mache Tutorial]

So this is like a Pinterest challenge, times 2! I have been in love with this whole pic for the longest time. Not just for the ombre dresser, but also the giant B- this blog ain't called from Gardners 2 Bergers for nothin' yo!

Then I saw this pin about making your own cardboard letters with cereal boxes and paper mache! Say what!!  The "B" I was envisioning was bigger than a cereal box- I stuck the idea in my brain for later and that was that. Until, dun, dun, dun (that's supposed to be climatic music) I was in the gift wrapping isle and saw the answer- 24 inch gift boxes! Word! 

Now, here's how I made my own paper mache letter.

You can use any sturdy cardboard to make the letter. I think a thin cardboard would work better, like a quality gift box or a cereal box. I don't know for certain, but I'm guessing that a regular cardboard box wouldn't work that well. It seems more porous and I think the coats or wet paper (paper mache) would warp it- but if you try it and let me know what happens!

I drew my letters using a tupperware lid and ruler as a guide. 

Then I cut it out with an Exacto Knife. 

Using the cut out letter as a stencil I traced it on the bottom half of the box and then cut that baby out.

For the sides of the B I used the sides of the original box. I used scotch tape to attach the sides to the bottom. Then created the insides of the B the same way. Next you was to add the top of your letter and tape it on the same way. I probably used a whole roll of tape to make this secure. I wasn't sure how well it should be adhered and figured, better safe than sorry.

Next step- paper mache! I used this step by step for the paper mache. Here's what I did.

YOU NEED:

flour, water, paper (preferably newspaper), and your letter

You want to make the paper mache paste- it's equal part flour and water. I used about 1c flour and 1c water to paper mache the entire letter one time. {Are you thinking to yourself now that maybe I did it more than once? Yup- 3 times!}
 

Whisk the mixture until the lumps are gone. You have the consistency of pancake batter, it's OK to add a little flour or water, which ever you need, to get the right consistency. The paste will still work even if it's a little thick or thin- if it's a little thin it may saturate the cardboard too much, if it's a little thick it may take longer to dry. See the thick/thinness in this BH&G pancake batter pic? That's about how my paste looked.

I used our old phone book for the paper {recycling?} That's the type of paper that works best. You want the paper in strips from 1-2 inches. Don't cut them, instead tear them to the right size- torn edges adhere best. 

Really liked the mixture of sizes for different parts of the B. Curved portions did best with thinner strips where the flat surfaces would go faster with larger ones.

Wet the strips in the mixture, remove the excess then apply to your form. Make sure your apply the strips in a criss-crossed manner. There was no way I could apply the paper mache and take pics- and since I do all my crafty stuff at like midnight or later no one was around to play photographer!


After the whole box is covered you're done for the day- or the night like in my case. You should wait 24 hours in between paper mache coats. If you add additional layers when the bottom isn't dry then you can get mold. Eek!


So, I did 3 coats of paper mache, over the course of 3 days. It's pretty much hard as a rock at this point. If you had an easier letter, like I or J, then I'm pretty sure 2 layers would've worked fine.

I painted it with some 59 cent spray paint- it's the same stuff I used on my Z Gallerie lamp copy and the mantel clock makeover. That can has gone the distance- seriously!

I used some gray and some brown glaze- the faux glazing stuff you tint yourself {Behr Premuim Plus Faux Glaze, from Lowe's}- and kept layering until it looked like something I found instead of something I made the other day!

You can see from the side shot that the B is really sturdy and is probably 4 inches thick. I initially imagined it on the wall- but it can pretty much go anywhere since it's so thick. So now I have a 2 foot tall- giant- B!

I found these awesome book ends thrifting- they're bronze and amazing and I painted the lampshade myself awhile back. Have you paper mached lately? I have another project planned for paper mache clay-I can't wait to start, it'll be A-May-Zing!! Thanks for reading!

Looking for places to link up your projects? Check out my Party page.

I'm also linked up here.

3 Chalkboard Projects {DIY Chalkboard Paint Recipe, too}

Holy chalkboards, Batman! These are all projects I did in a mad rush to get my guest room and bathroom ready for my super rad Grandma to visit. Cause, heaven forbid, she sleep in my hoarders paradise I mean project storage room/slash spare bedroom without a major overhaul! ;-)

Chalkboards aren't anything new in blog world- so I bundled a few of them in this post. They're all chalkboard projects, but they're all different!

First up- I had this a wood frame, but no backing. I thought it would make a great chalkboard for my bathroom. Cause every great bathroom design includes a chalkboard!? lol   I cut a piece of hardboard/masonite to fit the back of the frame and used E600 glue to affix it to the back. 

I wanted a place to keep the chalk so I cut the hardboard the size of the whole frame- NOT the frame's inset opening where the picture would go. That way there's a little ledge to keep chalk! See {^}?    

I wanted a chalkboard paint that matched the gray on the room, so I made my own. I used the same flat paint base color {Blind Date by Allen + Roth for Valspar} that I used on my DIY chalk paint headboard. I looked up recipes for chalkboard paint- and they all looked super easy...

But I already had Plaster of Paris from the headboard, and I didn't have unsanded tile grout- which the recipe called for. Soooo, I winged it and MADE MY OWN RECIPE!

But it turned out great, like, it's a chalkboard- so here's my recipe! 

You need 1 cup flat latex paint, 2 tbsp Plaster of Paris- and a few drops of water- only if paint is too thick. I painted several thin coats, maybe 5-6 of them. It only took about 10 minutes to dry in between coats, if that.

Next one- I got this frame many moons ago at the same yard sale that I got the headboard and the materials for my framed faux grain sack bulletin board and the painting I used for my over-the-couch ombre art and a bunch of other crap amazing finds! The frame was ridiculously bad! It had a cheetah print, with a cheetah print mat and the FRAME had little cheetah holes in it! Like holes all over the frame! I got it for free so I figured they might be fill-able and brought it home. In the end, and I do mean in the end cause I tried to painstakingly fill them with wall Spackle first, the electric sander, thankfully, took care of it.

I used DIY chalk paint to paint the frame- then waxed the heck out of it with Johnson's furniture wax. Remember you need ventilation with that stuff cause it smells fierce!

There was still a bit of texture left over from the cheetah spots- but I think it just looks vintagey-old, so whatevs at this point. I never want to see cheetah spots again. Ever.

 

I used the chalkboard spray paint for this one. I did several light coats of spray paint, building slowly- probably 5-6 total. I sprayed right on top of the glass. I love how you can do that cause otherwise it would have been cost me 15 bucks to have a large piece of masonite cut down to size. The glass also provides a perfectly smooth surface.

Lastly-I  had these {^} two frames hanging in the guest bathroom before I did my little makeover.  

The frames had gold speckles on them {I know what you're thinking, but I promise they were in style when I bought them!} and the mats were tan and beige.

This last project was sort of a throw away. Meaning, if it didn't work I would have thrown it away! ;-)
When all this chalkboard painting madness was happening I threw the frames AND the MATS in the pile and painted them too. 

{PS. Pics in these frames are by my super, duper talented friend, Emilie Johnson- check her out!}

Surprisingly, the mats weren't ruined! Crazy, right? I had to do SUPER light coats of spray paint to make sure the paint couldn't puddle on the porous paper. I think it adds a little bit of punch to an otherwise very calm guest space. So now you {and I} know, you can paint outdated or not your style picture mats! Yay!

These were my first chalkboard paint projects ever. I pretty much dove in head first!! I loved the DIY version- it's pretty fantastic to be able to make your own chalkboard paint in any color.
Have you guys tried it already? Do you have any tips for me?


Looking for places to link up your projects? Check out my Party page.

I'm also linked up here.

Monogramed Soap Dispensers [Tutorial]

Know what's missing in that bathroom of yours? Nooo, not an oh too obvious role of toilet paper. Uh-ah, certainly not that ugly, dirty, filthy toilet plunger. Nope sillies, it's a customized hand pump soap dispenser. I have been working on some majorly time consuming projects- as well as dealing with some medical crap with the hubs- so I thought I'd share one last pre-holiday project I'd "pumped" out.

Since there are a zillion people to thank around the holidays I made some monogrammed soap dispenser bottles. I saw a tutorial fromThe Idea Room about a bazillion months ago and saved the link.

Here's what you need:
-Soap Bottle
-Something to help Remove the Label from the bottle {I used Goo Gone}
-Transparency Sheets
-Monogram
-Laser Printer
-Scissors

1] Get the monograms-I browsed the Net for free source monograms. There actually weren't a ton to choose from. You could absolutely make your own- and I would have if I weren't in the pre-Christmas crunch. 

2] Copy and Paste the monograms to a Word doc-Select the Size you want the image to be. Measure your bottle, make sure you know how much blank transparency needs to be under the monogram so the transparency can rest on the bottom of the soap dispenser, keeping the monogram right where you'd like it. See the dashes in the above pic? That's a rough estimate of where my transparency is placed.

3] Print up the transparency-I had my transparencies printed up at Staples-cause I go there for everything, they're cheap! Since I was already printing up a page, I might I have thrown a few "B's" on the page for our own home! May as well fill that sheet, right?

4] Cut out the monogram {leaving the space at the bottom that I just mentioned} and Insert into the bottle- I just curved mine, like shown in the pic, and popped it right in the bottle. I used my little finger to push it  against the front of the bottle.

There you have it, an easy peasy way to show your gratitude!  And, a very nice way to encourage people to wash their filthy little hands.

For anyone wondering- The artichoke tea light holder is from Anthropologie and both soap dishes are from West Elm. 

Now get to pasting, printing, placing, and pumping!

Looking for places to link up your projects? Check out my Party page.

I'm also linked up here.

Family Tree Word Art [Tutorial]

So, Christmas is the most wonderful time to show your family just how "GANGSTA" you are with DIY. I had to come up with gifts for the type of people who have enough "DOUGH" to buy whatever they need/ want! Perfect time to "SHOW 'EM WHAT YA GOT!" I saw this type of family tree and thought it was just perfect for my family, minus the $50 price tag.

Polymer Clay Skeleton Keys [Tutorial]

Let me start with a disclaimer...I am in no way a clay artist or professional, or whatsoever. But I am happy to share what I've learned with those of you who've asked me to!!
I basically picked up some clay because, well,  I live in Utah and there aren't any rockin antique stores around here {that I've found, anyway} and I don't want to pay Ebay prices for a key.

But then this little key appeared on Pinterest and I had to at least try to make my own.

For this project you need polymer clay, I bought a tiny package of Sculpey for $2 something at Joann's. With this teeny, tiny bit of clay I was able to make 6 skeleton keys.
Why 6? Well, I made 3 for my Christmas tree but was too busy to make a tutorial, or take any pics while I did it. I think I was doing something like 15 projects that day. Anywho- I made 3 more keys so I could show you all how super, duper easy it is.

Here are some of the images I used to select the skeleton keys I made.
I helped mucho to have an idea of what I needed to do.

First- The clay came perforated into 4 sections. I took one of the sections and rolled it out with my hand. My hand worked better than a little rolling pin because it warmed up the clay and helped keep it from cracking. One section can be rolled out into a long "snake" which I split the into roughly three pieces and cut it with a sharp and thin knife to keep from will "mooshing" the clay and instead make a clean cut. These three pieces form the "shank" of the three keys. {PS I had to actually Google these terms for keys- like seriously- "shank", say what?}
Second- Making the teeth of the keys. When you cut the shafts down to size, keep the extra and use it for the teeth.  Cut the little pieces of clay to the size you want, then cut them in half, length-wise. {See the third pic in a row, up above} Then lay them on top of the shank. Keep building them up to mimic the look of a key.


Third- Create the top of the key. I mimicked the shapes for the tops of the key without using any special tools. I stuck to a few knives, a screwdriver, and also I used the end of a pen to punch out circle shapes.
Fourth- I used a second block of clay to roll out some more snake -like pieces of clay to use for embellishments. I referred back to my inspiration keys a lot for these parts. Using a mixture of rounded embellishments and then others I flattened. Just let your imagination go.

Fifth- Getting ready to bake the keys. Preheat your oven for the directed temperature. I think each clay needs a different temp and amount of time. Placing the keys on parchment paper is recommended.
With polymer clay what you see when you put it into the oven is what it will look like when it comes out. So you want to make sure the shaft of the keys are perfectly straight for baking, the lines are straight and fingerprints are smoothed out.

Fifth- Bake it!


Now that they're all done, I sorta want to paint them!

If I could do anything differently, I would get a true white clay. Mine is  like a cream with some sparkles and shine in it. Now I am undecided whether to spray them white or oil rubbed bronze {although I DO like the look of clay- I think they look kind of sweet}.

Either way the clay is so easy to work with, you guys would find it a breeze to make something simple like keys! Thanks for stopping by!

Looking for places to link up your projects? Check out my Party page.

I'm also linked up here.