It's Thurs-DIY!

It's THURS-DIY everyone! Tons of fun stuff to make this weekend. We're introducing two new amazing people to our group this week, Debi Beard and Cathy Attix.  Be sure to say hello to them.  They're amazing!

My crafty BFF, Margot Potter, makes BFF earrings and I'm wondering why she didn't send me a pair to wear? Margot! http://ilovetocreateblog.blogspot.com/2014/01/diy-bff-earrings.html

Cathy Attix rocks leather friendship bracelets with puffy paint!http://ilovetocreateblog.blogspot.com/2014/01/diy-neon-friendship-bracelets.html#

Debi Beard makes these delicious cake letters out of styrofoam.....Just yummy!http://debisdesigndiary.com/diy-faux-frosted-cake-made-from-styrofoam-and-tile-adhesive/

Cathie Filian and Steve spruce up a dollar store candle with glitter and stencils: http://www.plaidonline.com/5-minute-craft-gold-glitter-candle/5313/project.htm

Heather Mann shows us a Valentine's Day infinity scarf on Dollar Store Crafts:http://dollarstorecrafts.com/2014/01/tutorial-valentines-day-infinity-scarf/

Kathy Cano-Murillo (Crafty Chica) Tie dyes some onesies for your stylish tots! http://spoonful.com/crafts/tie-dye-onesies

Jader Bomb glitterizes your morning mug. Now that will wake you up!http://jaderbomb.com/2014/01/24/glittered-mugs/

Finally, I show you how to UP-style some $5 thrift store side tables here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BC0YTMH6DU4

Thrift Store Side Table Makeover

Thrift store side tables make me very happy! They're like a blank canvas for a DIY'er.  I grabbed these two for $5 each in my neighborhood and knew exactly what to do with them.  Now you know I wouldn't steer you in the wrong direction so make sure to grab some Americana Decor Chalky Finish paints for your next project.  No sanding, priming or prep.  Just wipe off and paint!  Deco Art also makes an amazing line of large French theme stencils that were perfect for this project.  Have fun and get decorating!  

Ooh la la! 

Magnifique!

Oui!

Americana Decor Chalky Finish paint in Lace and Carbon

Daubers

Large stencil

Paintbrush

Dust cloth

Sanding block

Masking tape 

$5 thrift store side tables......Pretty awful here, aren't they!

Here's the how-to video

Wipe down your piece and make sure it's free of dirt and dust and start painting! 

 These knobs were metal, but Americana Decor Chalky Finish paint is multi surface.

It dries to a beautiful chalky finish.  

When dry, take a sanding block and distress the edges. 

Use small pieces of masking tape to secure your stencil. 

Using a dauber, lightly fill in your stencil using very little paint and adding more paint as you go along.  Too much paint in the beginning can seep under your stencil and ruin the crispness of the images and lettering. 

You're done!

Americana Decor Chalky Finish paints come in 29 designer colors!

Fully Lined Ribbon Zipper Bag DIY

Everyone needs a zipper bag for change, cosmetics or pencils.  I make them for friends all the time and they love them.  Change the colors to your liking and experiment with different sizes.  For this project I used a regular sheet of copy paper for my pattern and a random long zipper just to add more color.  

Have fun and check out the video if you get stuck!

Ribbon Zipper Bags!

Here's the how-to video

You'll need

Scissors

1/4 yard lining

1/4 yard fabric

4 colors of 1" wide ribbon (about 12" of each color)

Sewing machine with zigzag stitch

Iron

10" zipper

Contrasting thread

Press your fabrics

Using a sheet of 8 1/2" x 11" paper as a pattern, cut out 1 piece of fabric and 1 piece of lining

 Cut your ribbons to size and pin them in place on your outer fabric

Zigzag stitch them to the fabric

 Place your zipper face down on the 8 1/2" edge of your fabric and stitch it in place

Take the other end of your fabric and stitch it to the other side of the zipper

Take your lining and place it on top of the zipper, lining it up with the fabric and stitch it across

*You are sandwiching the zipper in between the fabric and the lining

Stitch the other side of the lining on the other side of the zipper.

This is what it should look like

Cut of the END of the zipper only

Stitch across that side of your bag using 1/2" seam allowance

Unzip the zipper to the middle of the bag

Stitch across the other side leaving a 2" hole (so you can turn it right side out)

Turn your bag right side out through the hole and stitch your 2" hole closed

Tuck the lining inside the bag and then press the fabric around the zipper!

You're done!

$5 Boho Thrift Store Chairs DIY

Happy New Year everyone!  This week I'm tackling a bohemian style seating area for my back yard.  I've been obsessed with boho style for a while now and I finally decided to try my hand at it.  For this project I purchased several $5 thrift store chairs to experiment with and I absolutely love the way they turned out.  I'm using my new favorite paint, Americana Decor Chalky Finish paint from Deco Art.  No sanding, no priming, no prep!  Just wipe away the dirt and paint…Amazing stuff!  Check out HomeDepot.com or at DecoArt.com/chalkyfinish to grab some!

From mismatched to magical!

Set up for an afternoon lunch

My favorite of the set

Learn my process here! 

You'll need 

Americana Decor Chalky Finish Paint (HomeDepot.com or DecoArt.com/chalkyfinish)

Paintbrush

Dust cloth 

Thrift store chairs
Sandpaper
Fabric (to recover the seats)
Staple gun

The blue highlighted in green.