Pinterest Project Parade

This week my spectacular parents have entertained Will-zilla during his Spring Break and mommy has enjoyed her own break.  Of course I haven't really relaxed...I've been completing pinterest projects!  I know I will never accomplish all my pins but I feel a great sense of accomplishment for what I have done in 3 days!

Monday Projects

 

 

 

 

 

On Monday I got out my sewing machine and my hole punch.  Usually those two tools don't go together but I am loving my new garlands of paint chip circles all sewn together!  They will look great for our Spring mantel and Will's birthday next month.

Find the inspiration here

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 I also
1. completed all of Will's birthday invitations (more on our color changer themed party in a few weeks)

2. cut dog design from too small long sleeve shirt and sewed onto just right short sleeve shirt...I'm thrifty and proud of it!

3. refashioned a sweater I no longer wear into a baby hat...so easy but I will have to test out to get the perfect fit



and 4. Mod podged the Fruits of the Spirit

I tried my hand at transferring a copied picture to a canvas using Mod Podge and I'm pretty happy with the results.  I would love to try using Gel Medium next time but I was too impatient to wait to buy when I had Mod Podge sitting right there.


It is distressed looking and there are a few places where the yellow print rubbed off completely but it will look great on my new display wall....that project is waiting for the next Mimi and Pops are in charge.

Find inspiration here

 

 

 

 Today I was in a baking mood so I:
1. made all Will's "4" cookies for his birthday party...can't believe he will be 4!!!
2. baked my first NO FLOUR, NO WHITE SUGAR, NO BUTTER cookies

Recipe here

3. Made HOMEMADE CADBURY EGGS!

recipe here

I am thrilled that I had the time to try out all these projects but I am more thrilled to bring Will-zilla back home tomorrow! 
What pinterest projects do you have waiting that you could accomplish in a day?
Let me know if you try any of these!:)
Love,
Andrea

Tie-Dyed Easter Eggs

I seem to always need to make projects more challenging than they need to be so when I found an idea to color eggs with silk ties I was up to the challenge.  Who wants dye tablets and vinegar, right?!?!

Check out this tutorial here:
Tie Dyed Eggs


I am pretty happy with how they turned out for the first try.  I will be trying again soon and searching for more cheap ties too!:)













Although I don't think Will-zilla would be much help with sitting at the table and waiting for the colors to work he was thrilled to help...um...steal my ties!

When you get your ties back...here's what to do:

1. Find some 100% silk fabric and cut to size to cover the egg tightly.










2. Cover a fresh egg tighly with the fabric, trying your best to cover all of the surface.  As the fabric overlaps or creases it may add swirls to the design and add to the character of your finished egg. 

3. Tie with a twist tie or string.













 4. Wrap again with plain cloth. I used a knit tee and tied with a string.  This helps to hold the dye close to the egg.

 5. Boil for 20 minutes in a pot of water with 1/4 cup white vinegar.

 

6. Cool then reveal!

The navy blue was my favorite of the three.  The red one was textured already so it added to the uniqueness of the transfer.  I was slightly disappointed in the paleness of the green but I do think it fits into pastel Easter motifs!:)  So....I will be trying again this week after 1. Finding great steals on brightly patterned ties (remember 100% silk) and 2. concentrating more on the wrapping for the best outcome.

On a side-note, the same day I dyed these eggs my Nana sent me a magazine clipping on this VERY project!  Great minds think alike! 

Let me know if you try it too!
Love,
Andrea

HELLO! WELCOME!!

This weekend we had about 35 guests working out in our garage gym.  Although most were men and probably didn't even notice my new welcome sign I worked a little each day on this new artwork to add a warm, quirky "hello" as everyone entered. 

It's not perfect!

It took a little longer than planned!

It was basically free!

I used my new circular saw!

I was inspired and hope you are too...
Johnny in a Dress



So....first I used my circular saw to trim the wood down a little on the side.  Extra thanks to my hubby for the moral support and the huge tire to use as my work station! 

Then I stained with Rustoleum we had left over from my Christmas gifts. 
I sketched the lettering on large paper and cut out my "stencil". 

Another way that made it free was using the yellow paint from our front door makeover.  If I were to do it over I would probably free-hand the lettering on the sign and hand paint it without the stencil.  I ended up needing to touch up all the edges after removing the paper and still have a few yellow smudges. 

After finally getting the yellow done I coated with polyurethane.  Again my hubs came to the rescue and recommended using glossy poly (he even applied it for me) and I love how it makes the letters stand out even more. 

The last step also took a couple days as the board I used was super thin so we had to glue a wood shim to the back and then attach hangers with small nails. 

Overall I love it!  The imperfect-ness kinda goes with the rest of my projects. 
Hope you are inspired to embrace your imperfect side and make something welcoming and quirky too!

Love, Andrea