Covered Lampshade

I found a chandelier at Goodwill that I'm am in the process of re-doing for Payton's room in our new house.  But I couldn't find any cute lampshades to go with it.  The only ones that were cute enough cost about $10 a piece & I needed 5 of them.  So I found some green ones at Wal-mart for $2.50.

So I just took that ugly green material off and was left with a blank canvas!  I went to Hobby Lobby and found material that goes right along with her new bedding that I found at JC Penney.

I searched the internet for an actual pattern to make the cover for this lampshade.  BUT.... I never found one.  Just tips on how to make your own pattern.  So that is what I did.  You put your lampshade seam on a big piece of paper or cardboard and ROLL it around until you end up back at the same seam.  All the while you will be tracing it as it rolls, top & bottom. 

You can see where I started.







 And then you roll the shade &  trace the edge.



Until you get back to the seam.

Then I cut out my template and used it to trace onto my fabric.

Once I had my material cut out I used Elmer's Glue Spray Adhesive to attach the material to the original lamp shade.  This worked like a charm because it is initially repositionable so that you can smooth out any wrinkles.  Let me also say at this point that I originally tried to use scrapbook paper to cover the shade.  It was not nearly as giving as the material was and much harder to smooth out the edges.  It would work a lot better though if you were just making your own shade rather than covering an existing one. 

Once I had the lamp shade covered in fabric, I put ribbon around the top and bottom to cover the metal.

 

And there is the final project.  I think it turned out very cute.  So instead of spending $10 a piece,  I barely spent $15 for all five lampshades!  I don't have time today but I will scan in my pattern so that everyone can use it.  It is not as easy as you would think to trace a lampshade.  Did I mention that I can't wait to get into my new house!  We're supposed to be in by the end of June.  And I have SOO many projects to complete before then;)

Happy Crafting!

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Hand-Carved Soap

I saw this idea over at The Idea Room .  And since I'm getting ready to make several creations to go along with my new guest bathroom (see what's going on here) I thought I would try to make my own hand-carved soap.  Let me just tell you that although it didn't take but about 5 minutes, I don't know if I'll be making any more carved soap.  I hate to clean & this is MESSY:)

Step One:

I used my Silouhette machine to cut out the monogram stencil seen on the left.  I had gotten some Zest soap on sale at Kroger about 2 months ago for 99 cents.  And when I opened it up,  its the same color as my bathroom!!

Step Two:

I then used a safety pin to trace around the monogram.  This particular soap is soft and it was very easy to trace and carve.  And in the second picture you can see what it looked liked after I removed my stencil.

Step Three:

Close your safety pin and use the small end to carve out around the letter, being very careful around the smaller sections.  You can then use a moist q-tip to smooth out the carving marks.  I learned all these tips from The Idea Room.  So check out her site if you haven't already.

Finished Project:

For a first attempt, I'll take it! 

Happy Crafting & stay tuned for more Guest Bathroom creations.

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Guest Bathroom

Our new house will be done in a month or two and I thought I should be putting some colors together.  Why did I pick the guest bathroom first you ask??  Because I found a shower curtain that I liked.  That's it.  The only reason I started there.

The background is the color of the walls.  You can see the tile behind the vanity which will be laid at a diagonal on the floor.   The vanity is from Lowes.  I like that it has the appearance of a piece of furniture, but still has a toe kick.  I worried about cleaning under the vanities that actually had feet.  I think that would be a pain, especially since I HATE to sweep:)  The shower curtain I bought at Walmart for about $18.  I love it!  I'm going to carry that color blue into the guest bedroom.  But we'll get there another day.

Here is the layout of our house.  http://www.eplans.com/image-gallery.hwx/Q/Plan.HWEPL08620/ImageId.239513

The bathroom that is attached to bedroom/study is the one we're talking about today.

Let me know what you think! 

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Apothecary Jars

So...like everyone else I love apothecary jars.  And like everyone else I refuse to pay that much money for them at the stores.  I mean, really $30-50?? for the ones at hobby lobby!!  There are several tutorials over blog land for homemade apothecary jars, so when I saw these candlesticks at Goodwill, I knew what I was going to do.

75 cents each

I've had them for about 2-3 months waiting on some warm weather.  Friday after I got home from work, I really didn't feel like doing anything.  I didn't want to cook, I didn't want to clean, I didn't want to lay around.  It was just a really yucky mood.  So I finally decided to get crafty.  I just used 97 cent walmart spray paint.  I made sure to use small diagonal strokes to lessen the drips and paint lines.

Here's a glance before they were done.  About a month ago I was at Hobby Lobby and found some glass jars 50% off. 

The larger jar was $8.99 and the smaller jar was $5.99.  I used an epoxy to attach the candle sticks to the jars.  It took a good 4-6 hours for the epoxy to dry completely.  And here is the final project.

Keep in mind that I'm in the process of building a house and am currently living in a duplex.  So there is little to no decorating going on right now.  These will go directly from this counter top to a storage bin in my bedroom to be ready for our new house....which I hope will be ready in about a month and a half (unrealistic hope, I might add). 

I originally saw this idea at:

http://myworldmadebyhand.blogspot.com/2011/02/how-to-make-apothocary-jars.html

Her version is slightly different and a little more in depth but they look great! 

Happy Crafting!

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Monument Flowers

So, I realize that this is not every one's favorite topic.  And it may seem a little odd or creepy to take pictures of some one's monument for a blog, BUT I did it anyway.  My dad passed away last October very suddenly and unexpectedly.  He is the first person that I have ever lost and I've learned a lot through this process.  Because it was winter time and already snowing by the time we decided on the right monument, they couldn't place the stone until the ground was ready.  It has been up for about a month now and I have just now made the first "saddle" to go on top.  For the month of March I just had blue and white flowers in a ground vase (which you can get at the Dollar Tree) for March Madness & the only college basketball team that really matters:  THE UK WILDCATS!! 

Easter is coming up.  I wanted something nice in remembrance of Christ's sacrifice for us.  That sacrifice has become oh so real to me since the death of my dad.  I think prior to that I did take it somewhat for granted.  My problem with store bought flowers is that they always look cheap to me.  And to have a florist design one, gets to be VERY expensive.  So I tried it out myself.  My brother and I went to Hobby Lobby and picked out the flowers, which happened to be 50% off that day.  All together we had about $25 into this project.  That includes flowers, ribbon, wire, and saddle.

The cross in the middle came from the Walmart Craft Section.  It cost $2.37.  You know the little wooden crafts that they always have.  All I did was spray paint it white.  I also always go over the flowers with clear spray paint to put a protective coating over them, so they don't get mold or mildew on them.  I hear that there is professional spray,  but 1)I don't know what it is called 2)Spray paint is only 97 cents & 3)This has always worked for me before! 

1 TIP:  I tried to use an epoxy to adhere the cross to my styrofoam form.  And I know all you pros are out there laughing at me!  WELL.... it ate the styrofoam.  So then I just attached the cross to a pick and inserted that way.  It is pretty steady and the winds are furious today.  So I guess we'll find out soon enough if the cross is going to stay in!

Luckily, my grandmother has a friend, who has a friend that owns a flower shop.  She gave us some "GREEN STICKY GOO" to adhere the saddle to the stone.  If anyone knows what this stuff is called, please let me know because I would love to buy some.  It sticks wonderfully and doesn't leave any marks.  Its almost like that "putty" stuff you use to hang posters on the wall, but way stickier.

I also think that next time, I will just attach two "sticks" to the bottom of my styrofoam form and use the "GREEN STICKY GOO" to attach the sticks to the headstone.  I don't like how the saddle comes down over his name & it's not exactly flat to the top of the stone.

So please let me know how you think I did and if anyone else out there in blogland has made these, give me some tips!  I do plan to change it for at least each season, as I have done so far.

Happy Crafting (and sorry for the depressing topic)!