EAT { Kitchen Decor }

Our kitchen was lacking a little something "shiny" or "blingy" or "sparkly".

And those of you who know me, know I love those things so this is a really cheap and quick project to spruce up your kitchen space.

You can spell out any word you like, switch it up for the bathroom and say "BATH", etc. You get the idea...



You could even do something in nickels to do silver, which I absolutely love but I wanted to do something I don't normally go for in color so I chose the copper for the pennies ( that and it's cheaper)... literally! haha

Here is what you will need



Paper Mache letters (got mine at HL for $1.49 each)



Acrylic Craft Paint in copper color (I thought I would add some silver for dimension, but didn't end up needing it) on sale at HL for $.89



Saw tooth hangers that have the points to push into the back of the letters ( HL see the package for the price, super cheap!)



Paint brushes, or foam brush



Pennies, lots of them... I used our change jar and then had to go to the bank and get a couple of rolls :)




E6000 glue in clear ( you can use a glue gun, but you will burn the crap out of your fingers... so don't!) you can find this at Wal-Mart now and it runs anywhere between $2.99 to $3.99 depending on the size of the tube and the area you live in.

Your craft store will have this too. I recommend this glue because of the strong bond it creates. It is a bit smelly so use a good ventilated area :)


Let's do this thing!



Take your letters and paint them front and back, letting them dry on each side in between

After the letters have dried take the pennies and glue them on row by row. I did some heads up, some down, some were shiny and new and others were old and patina.
I did three rows, one at a time and overlapped the middle row after the first side by side rows were done. Let each row dry in between.

Once the rows are completed, let them dry overnight.

Take the saw tooth hanger and push it through the back of the letter by hand with a little bit of force.

Hang them on your wall how you would like them to be displayed and enjoy! They are so pretty when the light reflects off them.

Feel free to pin!
Thanks for stopping by my blog
I hope you enjoy my projects as much as I enjoy making them!

Kadi

"Sorry Out of Candy" Halloween Sign for those little beggars on Halloween night

We ran out of candy last year, and the year before, and well... I can't honestly think of a year that we haven't!

  I accepted the fact that I wasn't going to buy $50 of candy for our trick or treat night so I came up with this sign.

Here are the supplies you will need:

scrap wood or ( I bought a craft board at HL for $1.99)

acrylic paint ( had on hand)

paint brushes ( on hand )

1/4 dauber foam circle stencil brush and a large dauber ( you can find these next to the stencil section of your craft store)

print out of the saying you want to use, I originally had , Out of Candy... ( I changed it to mind my manners...... Sorry, Out of Candy) like the sorry really matters when your telling people you don't have candy???? haha!!

pencil

assorted ribbon

drill and bit

poly spray paint to seal it all off when you are done painting it

This is the 1/4 inch Dauber and the other "foam dauber" I am not sure the size on. I love these because they make great perfect circles for polka dots.

 

 

I painted my sign base green

 

 

Once that dried ( front and back) I painted the polka dots with the foam dots in purple and orange

 

No science to this, just random placement, have fun with it :)

 

Once that has dried completely, take your pencil and your saying that you have printed out. 

 

 Turn it to the back side of the print out ( where the letters are not printed) , and rub your pencil along where your letters are on the front of the paper. ( You are creating a transfer or carbon type paper) . 

 

 Make sure you have gotten the entire saying covered on the back side.

Center the print out ( printed side facing you up) onto your dried sign and tape the corners onto the sign

 

Take your pencil and outline each letter of the saying carefully not to poke through the paper completely.  You can lift up the bottom two pieces of tape to check your work to make sure the letters are "transferring" ok.

This is a great technique that allows you to use any font imaginable online for any project you can think of. 

 I am planning on making this "transfer" technique to really good use for Christmas. ( Yes!  I said it..... Christmas!!!) it is sneaking up on us people!!!  Get your Craft-on!!

 

Once you have traced around all of your letters remove the paper printout, and paint the letters in carefully using the smallest brush known to man kind.. haha..

 

 

Spray the poly on for all weather protection and years of useabilitly ( I made up a new word!)

 

Drill one hole in each corner to hang the ribbon through and decorate with additional ribbon!

 

Check out this sweet thing!

 

Our doorbell better stop ringing once this sign goes out!  haha...

 

Last year it was past 9pm our light was out, and that didn't seem to matter :)  This sign means SERIOUS business!  ;) ( Yeah right)

 

Hope you all have a safe and fabulous Halloween!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chevron burlap wreath

Okay I must confess... I'm a chevron addict. I don't know how or when this happened,  all I know is that it has taken over my house.......fabric, picture frames, pillows...( I need to stop!)

   I love the look of burlap wreaths but the original color was just a little to "prim" for my style so I spiced it up a little when I saw this printed burlap in rolls.


 Hobby Lobby has several prints and now that they offer online shopping with their coupon codes, anyone can take advantage of their great pricing.
And let's face it..... I love this Christian based company and the values they have.

Here is what you will need=

Metal wreath form (mine was a 22 inch ) $ 3.49, you can go smaller if you want

3 rolls of 5/8 inch burlap if your choice ($4.99 roll, it was 50% off) score!! If you have a smaller wreath frame or larger buy accordingly

Wooden letter of your choice, $1.99

Spray paint, free in my stash

First I would go outside and take your letter, spray paint a light coat of paint and come back inside to relieve yourself of the fumes.

 I have been doing a little too much spray painting lately... whew!!

The second step is to take the roll of burlap and gather a bit in your fingers and push some through the other side of the wreath.  Take roughly the same amount and repeat, staggering as you go.

I like to bunch it to the left push through, bunch it to the right, push through... gathering roughly the same amount in your hand each time.

 Keep going...... and going.... you get the idea...

This is what one roll looked like completed. To start the new roll just repeat the beginning of the process.  There really is no wrong way to do this :) Well maybe I'm doing it the wrong way, but I like to live on the wild side...

Now that your living on the edge, go give your letter another coat of paint...

Ta-da!!! All 3 roll on this baby....

 Added my letter M, don't mind the faded burgundy door, this has a new face lift now to a rockin' gray!

Pay no attention to the baby behind the glass!! ( he was mad I stepped outside to snap this picture) lol

Enjoy this wreath!  I love the way it turned out and I think it is a great project for anyone wanting to give wreath making a try.

 Besides these sell on etsy for an upwards of $80 so forget that business (unless that's your business) :)

  I made mine for under $25!

Kadi

Dollar Tree Fall letter fun

I wanted to post a really quick project I did in record time... ( like 5 minutes) seriously... CUTE!

Dollar Tree had these cute little pumpkin magnets that I thought would be adorable for Hudson to play with on our entry way door.

 I thought I would add his name on them for a little letter recognition fun. I realize he is not quite 2 but I think starting early never hurts :)

I think my local DT just started to put out our fall stuff so check yours soon if you don't see them quite yet.

 

They are about 3 inches tall and maybe 2 inches wide, the picture makes them look really small but they are super cute!

 

Then I just took a black Sharpie and wrote his name on each letter.  I tore one by accident so I pitched it, you might have to purchase more than one package depending on the length of your child's name.  You could have a lot of fun with these and write the alphabet, numbers, etc.  Older kids could even build up sight words!

 

 

*Here is a little tip too- I didn't like the way I wrote my U so I took some Isopropyl Alcohol and a cotton pad and wiped off the Sharpie and it came right off for me to start again!  Pretty sweet!!  All the more reason I "need" a vinyl cutting machine :) LOL

 

Have fun!!

 

 

My very un-wreath door wreath

So I was surfing Pinterest and I liked this post that showed a burlap fabric stretched in a embroidery loom and then a letter painted on the inside and I thought I would like to switch mine up a bit ( that and I can't leave anything alone).

 I like the look of the burlap one too, so I may still try this for my Fall door.  Here is the post for that if you would like to take a look http://lifeasathrifter.blogspot.com/2012/09/favorite-fall-decor-from-past.html?m=1

Here is my version :)

Supplies you will need

*Large Embroidery Loom or Hoop ( I don't know the technical term) haha! I got mine for $8.99 with 50% off at Hancock Fabric

*white or cream neutral canvas fabric or heavy duck cotton cloth (had mine at home in my stash) leftover Ikea curtains!

* any fun colored fabric for your letter , a scrap will do

* Heat and Bond- this is a paper type product for those who have not used it, comes in a package or by the yard
 ( found even at Walmart $2.99 pkg) or even cheaper by the yard at JoAnn or Hancock

* Iron

*Ironing Board

*Scissors

*printer, computer, and paper to print your large letter onto ( I just Googled the letter M and it came up with a ton of free images and I picked my favorite and printed it in an 8x10)

Now that you have your supplies, let's do this thing!!

Take your cream colored fabric and stretch it across your hoop and pull tight, put the other hoop over top and tighten the top of the hoop to stretch the fabric across.
Once it is tight and smooth across the top, go ahead and cut off the extra fabric hanging off the sides.

The finished top will look like this baby!

Go ahead and Google search your letter and print it out in the 8x10.  Since my letter was an M, I didn't need to trace mine in reverse onto the Heat and Bond paper.

 If you have a letter that needs to be reversed just turn your print out over and trace it in the mirror image so that when you go to iron your fabric letter on, your letter won't be backwards.

If you have never used Heat and Bond paper it is an applique paper that you will trace onto the paper side and then on the rough tacky side you will iron onto the WRONG side of your fabric.

Let me repeat... iron onto the WRONG side of your fabric ( the side without the print ) there have been many coffee deprived days where I have gone to iron an applique and I have ironed the right side of the fabric and it will ruin EVERYTHING!!

And you will have to start over :) So... grab your coffee, chug it like a champ, and iron the WRONG side of the fabric:)

Trace your letter to the Heat and Bond

Iron onto the WRONG SIDE of your fabric ( the side without print) I use the cotton setting on my iron (check the Heat and Bond directions)

Cut out your letter, and remove the paper backing and center into the cream hoop and iron onto the fabric

 

 

 

 

 So simple, so pretty, and so EASY!!  From my nest to yours, enjoy!

 

Kadi

 

iPad mini stand ( or any tablet )

I was wanting to find a better way to view my recipes on the iPad mini without getting my cover full of flour and food stuff.

Here is what I came up with

unfinished wooden plaque ( any shape you want ) $2.99 Hobby Lobby
stain ( your choice of color ) already had on hand
wooden dowel (3/4 inch) $.59
small hand saw
wood glue
drill and  3/4 inch bit
sandpaper
antique white spray paint or color of your choice
wood decoration ( if you want ) pkg of 2, $.99 Hobby Lobby

Let's do this thing!

Take your plaque and glue the embelishment onto the top with wood glue
measure across your bottom of the plaque and cut the dowel to fit across for the tablet holder at the bottom and glue
wait for the glue to dry.....la...la...la...

Once the glue is dry, apply the stain to the entire piece with a paper towel and let it dry.

hum...hum... hum.... ( yeah right, like I have nothing better to do then sit and let the stain dry) I have 3 kiddos!

After the stain is dry,  measure the remaining dowel for the back to use as a stand.
I just propped mine up on the table and marked the back of the plaque where I was going to need to drill the hole for the dowel so it stood upright.

Then let's take this baby outside for a couple coats of spay paint. I did two thin coats, letting them dry in between.  I forgot to take my stand part of the dowel out to paint, but I can touch it up later.

Let the entire piece dry and then take your drill and bit at an angle and drill the hole for the dowel stand for the back.  I just went really slow, you don't want to go through the entire piece!  I then put some wood glue into the hole and propped up the stand with something and let it dry overnight. 

Morning!!  Okay, so the stand is almost complete, I just wanted to distress it a little since I can't ever leave anything alone :)  Take your sand paper and go at it!  I then wiped it with a clean damp cloth and took some more stain to the areas I sanded. 

Ta...da!! 

Done!!!   Enjoy your new tablet stand, I know I will ( and I won't be getting food all over my cover) :) 

Lovin' Command hooks by 3M

So I was going to bake a cake and I was ferociously digging through our utensil drawer for our measuring spoons and cups.
 After looking through the bottomless drawer I was frustrated and still 1 tbsp short.  I finally scrounged it up and got to measuring away and thought to myself, I am tired of looking for these little spoons!  I want them easily accessible when I want these little dudes. 
A light bulb in my brain went off!  3M hooks!  I had some coupons around Christmas for them and I bought up a ton for little odds and ends and had a lot left.

I went to work in the inside of my cupboard!  What I love about these little babies is that they leave no damage behind. 
 I took a piece of painters tape and a level to make a straight line of tape.
I made sure not to hang the hooks where the shelf was on the opposite side.
  Then I eyeballed the hooks apart from each other and ended up with this!

DIY Fabric Softener

I must say I was a bit skeptical when I saw a blog post on DIY fabric softener. I thought to myself (is this really worth the trouble?)
My answer is YES!!!
This sweet little concoction has produced the softest fluffiest clothes I have ever had!  And the kiddos and superman with sensitive skin are doing great with it.

Here is what you will need to whip this stuff up!

6 cups of HOT water
3 cups white vinegar
2 cups of Suave Conditioner ( I used a green one with a fresh scent)

Mixing

Mix conditioner and hot water well until the conditioner is dissolved completely.  I used a screw on lid container from the Dollar Tree just like my detergent one.  I combined them and shook it up

Add the vinegar and mix well (or shake)

Store in a large container.  I just mixed mine and stored it in the same container it was mixed in.
I eyeball 3 tablespoons into my fabric softener compartment and wash!

The fabic softener (green)  and the detergent (white)

So easy, SO CHEAP, and so worth it!! SOFT clothes RoCk!

Home Made Laundry Detergent {H.E Safe}

I have been a tad bit busy in my day to day Mama duties so I have slacked a little with my blog.  I have been also working on my etsy site!  It is mcvaysnest@etsy.com if you want to check it out!

Here is what you will need for your ingredients { all found in the Wal-mart} detergent isle

Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda- half a box
Borax Detergent Booster- half a box
Bar of Fels-Naptha heavy duty laundry soap or I used pink Zote Soap, I liked the scent and color - half a bar grated or cut up in chunks and added to a food processor
Purex Crystals - entire bottle in your chosen scent
Arm and Hammer Baking Soda- half a box

The initial products to make this cost about $15 but this will far outlast any pre-made Tide, All, Gain etc .

You can do the entire batch instead of 1/2 boxes but the recipe I used made a ton so I just saved my remaining ingredients for a second batch later.

I used my food processor and cubed up the soap before I processed it vs using the grater.  I thought this sped the process up quite a bit ( I have no patience). 

I dumped all of the ingredients into a plastic tote so I could incorporate them well and then poured them into a screw top container I got from the Dollar Tree. 

Isn't it pretty??

Use 2tbsp per regular load or 4 tbsp for a heavy duty.  Don't be alarmed when you see it does not produce suds.  It is supposed to react that way.  That's because it's not filled with chemical junk! 

Enjoy! I know I really like it.  I even gifted some for my sister's and Mom at Easter with the recipe attached in case they feel a little DIY.

Chapstick Cozy

I saw this adorable chapstick cozy on http://www.littlebitfunky.com and I had to make my own version to put my lipgloss in :)  I am a lipgloss girl, forget the chapstick!

Here is what you will need-

home decor fabric (duck fabric some people call it) or a heavy cotton
D ring's ( find at JoAnn's or Hancock in the notions section)
iron
sewing machine
thread
1/4 inch sewing foot ( or use your footplate for measurements)
chapstick or lipgloss

The full instructions are listed on the above website but I changed mine up a little!

You will first need to cut 2, 9 inch long by 2 1/2 inch wide pieces of fabric

put right sides together and sew along with 1/4 inch seam foot along 3 sides of the 4. You will leave a bottom open to turn right sides out.  I used 2 different patterned fabrics but you can just do one if you want. 

Turn fabric right sides out leaving the unfinished seam open.  Go ahead and press flat, tucking in the unfinished seam as you press.  Then you will take the bottom (finished end) and bring it 2 inches from the top of the cozy and press flat.

Then you will sew around the 3 corners with an 1/8 inch seam.  Then pause to listen for your sleeping baby to make sure he's not up to disturb your project.

Now that your 3 seams are done, insert your D ring at the top where the unfinished seam is.

After inserting your D ring press flat and sew 1/8 seam at the very end of the fabric to make sure you finish off the seam and attach the D ring.

And there ya have it folks!  Chap stick cozy! "Lippy Lipgloss holders" as I call them! Enjoy, and make some for friends! They will love um!

Now get them on your car keys for no more purse diggin'!