She's Crafty - Jewelry Board Frame

In my peruse of pinterest, I've stumbled upon a few different pins about putting your jewelry on display like this one and this one. Since then, I haven't been able to get the idea out of my head. To be able to see all my jewelry! Then I wouldn't be stuck with wearing the same pieces day after day. I would be able to check out my choices. Daily. I was bouncing with joy as I started this project. A month ago...

I already had some of the supplies I needed. Small frame for earring holder? Check. Paint? Check. Pegboard, big frame, pegs, chicken wire? UNCHECK. It also took me a few days to convince the hubbs that these were necessary items for my latest crafting idea. Somehow, he just doesn't see the pictures in my head. Weird, right? I bought the pegboard and hardware cloth at Home Depot, pegs from Walmart, and frame from the Albany ReStore.

After spending what was probably too much money, I started out making the small frame for earrings. I actually have had this one done for a while. I used two coats of the silver finish and two coats of gloss clear coat. Because the frame had slots where plexiglass fit in, I was able to slide the hardware cloth right in and not use staples to keep it there.

The one part that took the longest to get was definitely the frame. I had to find or make the perfect one. After searching a lot of goodwill, salvation army, and thrift stores I found what I was looking for at a reasonable price. I wiped it down, coated it with two layers of a white base, then painted three layers of silver coat on top of it. Followed by a layer of clear coat, I just had to get the pegboard fitted.

Good thing I have strong men who have and know how to use power tools...namely a table saw. Us poor women are just so lucky to have them around. (Please read the heavy sarcasm layered in there) But man, they are nice to have around. 

the hubbs and my dad

With four coats of my favorite color paint on the pegboard followed by what seemed like seven layers of clear coat - I couldn't seem to get the even gloss - the pegboard was ready to go into the frame! I can't even begin to tell you how excited I was for this moment! I kept running back and forth looking at the wall, looking at my frame, trying to figure out what else I had to do to get this on the wall. Securing the board in with teeny tiny nails, this bad boy was ready. Note that I did take off the hanging wire and loops from the back and used just the saw tooth hanger on top to mount it.

It was a little difficult to get the frame straight at first because you can't just hang it straight on. It's heavy towards the one side. Then you add on your jewelry and it slips the other way. I unloaded EVERY SINGLE PIECE of jewelry that I own from my standing jewelry chest and placed all necklaces, dangle earrings, and bracelets I had. I also got the chance to go through it all and ask myself if I really wanted it. I have a nice little baggie awaiting the yard sale I plan to have this summer. 

I am incredibly happy with how this turned out and it's definitely a HIT. What do you think? Ready to tackle your own?

What can I craft this Tuesday? Christmas Garland

In preparation for the Christmas season this year, I raided Hobby Lobby a few days after Christmas for some fantastic deals on their holiday decorations. Typically any leftover stuff they have on the shelves gets reduced to 50%, 75%, and finally 80% off. I snagged two nine foot garlands for about $5.00 total. Go me, for the win. 

Of course, by the time I bought them (in January), they were put away with the Valentine's Day decor. That was a joy to try and find again. Once we did find them, they promptly sat on the couch for two weeks while I got my act together. And boy did I. Here's what I started with:

That's one garland, a string of white 100 count LED lights (1/2 price at Walmart after Christmas), some muslin fabric, and one ripped bed skirt. Yep, you read that right, a bed skirt. We got itfor our wedding and in the one year we've lived at the apartment, seams are tearing, pillows are exploding, and the bed skirt was ripped. I don't think we're all that crazy in bed (don't read too much into that) but I didn't expect this thing to be falling apart at the seams! 

This year our tree is again blue and silver so I thought that it would be a good filler for my garland. After separating it from the white stuff, I proceeded to cut it into a bajillion 1" x 6" strips. Then I tied, and tied, and tied. With some pinspiration, I thought it would look neat wrapped around the garland. 

I tied two strips of fabric between each set of lights. Then I cut up the muslin in the same fashion and repeated. There were so many strips to tie. 

Here's what it looked like once I was done with the fabric.

Then I wrapped it around my garland and set it up on my mantel. I think it looks pretty damn nice. Maybe next year I'll make it fuller with other ribbon, ornament, or pine cones. What do you think? What should I add?

What have you done for your house to get it in the holiday spirit?

Good Things to Come

Ryan is quickly recovering from his wisdom teeth removal. While I made him a delicious potato chowder, he quickly realized he wanted "real" solid and warm food. He was eating popcorn chicken and waffles two days after the surgery. Soon he'll be back to his old habits and snacks. I'm sure he can't wait.

Last weekend, I raided my parents house again for something to upcycle. I found a french provincial night stand that I plan on painting and possibly distressing. Be sure to look out for that blog soon. It may continue to be a a night stand but there's a chance it's being changed into something resembling a wine cabinet. Although, my mom did warn me that whatever I do to this one, when she finds it's mate, I'll have to redo the other one in similar fashion. We'll see where it ends up.

I also have an old soda crate that I stole saved from the basement. It has probably 30 years worth of dust, grime, and oil stains on it. All it needs is some extra quality time with a mouse sander. I however, need to remember to use a face mask. Blowing my nose afterwards was slightly horrifying when the tissue is pretty much black. I've spent about 30 minutes so far and will probably spend another 30 sanding it again. Then I'll give it a good hose down and put an extra special stamp on the side.

Last, but not least. Ryan has the beginning of his keezer. Don't know what that is? Well, I'm kind enough to let you know that it's a freezer, modified to fit kegs in it. So Ryan can finally begin to keg his beer. However, since we bartered this bad boy off craigslist, it's not the prettiest freezer among the bunch. Needless to say, I have a plan for it. Ryan's vetoed the idea of a bead board jacket but we'll figure it out together. THAT blog will most likely not be up for a while. While I'm sure we'll be kegging soon, I don't have enough time to make it look pretty right now.

So I hope you're sticking with me. Do you have any projects going on right now? What's keeping you busy?

What can I craft this Tuesday? Spice Shelves

My parents basement is a treasure trove. It has so many neat things in it. Possibly because they live in the house my grandfather was building and most likely because he was what you would have called a hoarder. Any way, I get to benefit from it! My parents want the stuff out and I want things to repurpose.

While I was perusing the basement a few weeks back I had been eyeing these drawers that used to hold various building materials like nails and screws. These drawers are old, dusty, and grimy. Literally, after I cleaned them I was blowing black snot out of my nose (sorry for that picture). What one person might deign to the burn pile, I salvaged and made kitchen storage! Go me.

Here's what I did:

Step 1. Scrounge your favorite basement, garage sale, etc for the perfect drawers. Note that these may not be in ready-to-use condition.

Step 2. Using a wire brush, scrub away years of grit and grime. You may need to vacuum out dust before and after.

Step 3. Wipe away any loose dirt and grit. Let dry and then wipe down again.

Step 4. Envision your wall and think strategically. Measure and screw in two d-rings on each side of the drawer. For larger drawers, you may want to add a third. Then get to nailin'. In the future I think I'm going to add another drawer lengthwise so that I can put taller spice jars there.

my future fourth drawer (please marvel at my photo editing skills)

Step 5. Now that I've got my drawer shelves hung, I had to get my spice jars ready. I have a spinning spice rack that has all your basics, but I have a ton of extra spices (for refill and other ones like nutmeg, ginger, and cinnamon). I didn't want to just hide them away in my cupboard and, let's face it, having to dig through Penzy bags is just a pain. Thankfully I'm a hoarder thoughtful and keep empty salsa, cherry, and topping jars. I brought out my chalkboard paint and painted their lids so I could label my spices. For some reason, just by looking I'm always confused by basil and parsley. Please, please, don't judge my cooking skills because of that. I promise everything I put on here's delicious or at lest not awful.

Step 6. I put two coats on the lids and didn't bother priming the paint (by rubbing it down with chalk) I just went ahead and wrote the spices after the paint dried overnight.

Step 7. Fill those shelves up to your heart's content. Then marvel at your crafty-ness and ingenuity.

Here's my shelves filled with spices! I love it and I cleared up a shelf in my cupboard. Win-win. Now I just need to find a way to cover up that old phone jack. Ideas are more than welcome!

those spice jars are pretty darn handsome

Where do you keep all your extra spices and seasonings? What would you do with an old set of drawers?