I started this gravel art project six years ago and finished it one year ago. I’m finally getting around to blogging about it. The project didn’t have to take five years to make, it just got set aside often to finish other projects, such as my kitchen remodel. It does, however […]
I learned how to cross-stitch in my preteens. I didn’t stick with it for long because I found it tedious. My mind wandered out of boredom, and soon I’d discover that I’d made a mistake five stitches back, and I’d have to pull it out and start again.
And the cutesy-folksy cross-stitch […]
When I originally made this, sunburst mirrors from the 1960s-1970s were making a comeback in a big way, and I’ve yet to see their popularity fade. Sunburst mirrors are ubiquitous, and rightly so. They’re usually gold or silver, pricey, and generally designed to make a big statement on a wall.
This one […]
I bought this mail sorter on clearance at Target a couple years ago. It’s seen better days, and it’s not exactly the look I go for anymore. To quote my sister, it’s “really ugly.” So I gave it a makeover. A little paint, two label holders, and three cup hooks […]
I wanted a big, bold clock to make a statement on my wall, but I couldn’t find anything like what I imagined, so I made my own. I started with a $7 Snudda Lazy Susan from Ikea (now $13). And — surprise — I got two clocks […]
I originally made this as a Christmas wreath, but now that I see it again, it works just as well as a Valentine’s Day wreath. It’s the easiest project I’ve done so far.
Admittedly, it looks candy caney. But that’s the beauty of this project: You can choose any ribbons you want. […]
In case you haven’t noticed, my day job has been eating up my blogging time for the last year and a half. So, I thought I’d share a little of my day job with you.
Recently, I took a business trip to Salt Lake City, Utah, and I stayed in a lovely […]
My grandmother and great-grandmother were both crafty. My great-grandmother specialized in tatting, crochet, and ribbon roses. My grandmother dabbled in many handicrafts, including painting china, sculpting clay roses, découpaging, quilling, welding, and making 3D pictures (I’ll teach you the latter someday). She even made adorable […]
Lately I’ve been working with wire and wire mesh. First I made jewelry holders, then a jingle bell ornament, and now this decorative light fixture. I call it the Snowball light because it reminds me of the giant snowballs that terrorize Scrat, the acorn-obsessed saber-toothed squirrel in the movie […]
This giant riveted sheet-metal magnet board was the centerpiece of my office makeover that Sylvania sponsored. And now I’m going to show you how to make it. This is the first of a few tutorials from the Sylvania Blogger Makeover Challenge. Next week, I will show […]
This is the third and final post in my Victoria magazine series. As I mentioned in my last post, hats were commonplace in Victoria magazine. In fact, every issue included at least one woman wearing a hat. Below are some of Victoria’s […]
Whenever I speak to my dad on the phone, he always asks, “Miss me?” This past month I’ve been getting concerned emails, so apparently some of you missed me — or at least my weekly blog posts. I’ve missed you too. I think I just needed a break. But I’m happy […]
I could hardly wait to show you this Popsicle stick craft! These snowflakes are fun, easy, and so inexpensive to make. The smallest snowflake is 12 inches across; the largest is 24 inches. I had some rhinestones left over from my Christmas tree advent calendar, so I glued some at the […]
I was given a box of 1,000 craft sticks, and I had no idea what to do with them. I wasn’t about to start building 1980s Popsicle stick jewelry boxes. I eventually came up with some Christmas ideas. This is my first craft stick project. Click here for my giant […]
First rule in government spending: Why build one when you can have two at twice the price?” Any guesses what movie that line is from? (Answer at the end of this post.) I loved these salvaged window frames so much, I bought both of them. This one was […]
One of my friends referred to this as the “ugly mirror.” Another friend said, “Whatever you paid for it, you paid too much.” I get more excited about a project when I hear comments like that because I think, “Just wait till they see what I do with it. Mwahaha!” For […]
Happy Earth Day everyone! I found these artichoke plates at a thrift store while hunting for dishes with which to make cake stands. I loved the flower shape of them so much that I bought them all. I have plans for the rest, but these three were […]
The last tutorial that Heika is sharing with us is how she painted an intricate handmade stencil on her daughter’s bedroom walls. She writes, “This project was quite time-consuming, but the final product was worth all of the work. I made this stencil the same way I did […]
My friend Heika DeHart beautifully transformed her daughter’s bedroom. One of her handmade projects in that room were these stencils. And she’s sharing how she made them. She writes, “This was a simple, inexpensive project. I thought it would be sweet to have silhouettes of my daughter hanging on her wall but […]
My new friend Heika DeHart shared these images of her daughter Aspen’s adorable bedroom. Nearly every decoration in the room was created from scratch by Heika herself. My favorite project is the stunning dresser. I loved the result so much, I asked her to share her instructions with all of us. […]
I saw this interior window frame at a salvage yard and coveted it for a few months before finally buying it. Instead of the opaque Plexiglass it came with, I inserted mirrors. I love mirrors because they can make a small space feel airy and bright. This one offers an added […]
I told you I have a lot of tatted doilies from my great-grandmother. I decided to frame a few more for Christmas. I bought these 12-inch square collage frames at Michael’s. I replaced the mats with $1/yard fabric from Walmart. I love how the doilies look […]
Last year, I asked for suggestions on ways to display my postcard collection. Everyone had great ideas. But this postcard “tapestry” idea came to me, and I had to try it. It would also work well for photos or Christmas cards. You can easily rotate in new ones whenever you like. […]
Do you have drawer pulls, pants hangers, and photos (or your children’s artwork) lying around? With a few supplies, you can hang them on the wall in minutes — and easily swap them out when the fancy strikes. The best part is drawer pulls look like antique picture hangers — for […]
Ever since I saw it hanging on Vanessa’s wall in a photo of her home, I adored Ikea’s plastic Ung Drill picture frame ($25), but the cost of replacing the glass with an oval mirror was prohibitively expensive. Then I found this carved […]
I found these shutters at a salvage yard. I loved their shape, but couldn’t decide what to do with them. Then it occurred to me that shutters were the perfect way to cover a bulletin board (which can look messy). It hangs right inside my entry — a great place for […]
My great-grandmother lived to be 93. And she loved to tat. She made me and my siblings dozens of doilies, collars, and hankies over the years. Her tatted doilies are so beautiful that I hated to see them packed away in a box in my closet. But I wasn’t about to […]
