Cheap Art

So the other day my Honey comes back from the Dollar Tree and hands me this "home improvement" book by Ty Pennington.

This was obviously put out pre-Extreme Makeover, way before his "move that bus!" days, when he was just some cocky hot-headed carpenter on Trading Spaces. (Man I loved that show!)
Anyway, I think Honey got it for me in hopes that I would learn to depend on him less when it comes to DIY home repairs, but what he really got me was some soft-core porn and design inspirations. You think I kid...


It's full of basic repair stuff that you can find more informative on the net, but I did enjoy seeing how he redid his own house. He really does believe in leaving things natural and recycling. Simple and nice. The style was really masculine and a modernized throw-back to the rusts, olives, and harvest golds of my early childhood. The clip art before each chapter really caught my attention and I realized that it was a great color pallet for the Scientists room.

Remember this quick collage on his wall?


It's been in need of a revamp. His awards from 1st grade are now put away and saved, and his new ones are going in frames above his desk area. That leaves his bug collection and his eye chart.

Here were a few of my favorite pages, torn (with delicate care obviously) from the book.

They aren't magazine pages, they are more durable like poster board. From left to right, "outlet" , "foot print", "peg board" , "maze", and "angry beaver" lol

I trimmed them up to fit in frames I had on hand.

As you can tell, I had to lose a lot of the image because my frames were small, and I meant to uniform them all with spray paint in matching frames, but instead I used a little metallic paint and a little black gloss. I needed to use up a few cans that were "almost empty". That is how you achieve the mix and match look of a collage though. You use what you have and you make it work. I tend to be super matchy-matchy and my OCD side had to be taped, bound, and thrown into the dark closet of my mind. lol

Then I tried a few layout options.


I wasn't feeling the green page with the foot print. It seems weird to put someone else's print on the wall, but I did love the green. I modified the "outlet" page and put it on the green background. The "cord and plug" was an image stolen from a different page in the book. I also added the shelf, dino, and expanding color ball (items laying around the scientists room) to break up all the orange.

And here it is on the wall with a few ideas thrown in by the Scientist himself. By the way, love the Hercules Hooks! (Dollar Tree)

I think it's fun! I like that he can touch all of it and interact. A lot more fun than this:



And I have to say, seeing all his robots there at the end of the bed vs how it looks now:


Really shows how much his interests have stayed in the same subjects (robots, bugs, electricity, etc..) but evolved in just a year.

Thanks for reading!

From Frame To Couch

Today I found a beautiful framed embroidery piece at Helping Hands. I've always been drawn to them (especially the floral) but they are usually FILTHY and how can you clean them? Honey has terrible allergies and the dust collectors never get to come home with me.

Then I saw a fantastic idea on a blog, (don't remember it drat!) where a woman had taken the embroidery out of it's frame and turned it into a decorative pillow. WHICH CAN BE WASHED!

So after this light bulb moment, I couldn't find any more pretty pieces (of course). Some are just so ugly. I hate using that word because so much hard work went into them, but it does make me wonder if most everyone in the 70s was colorblind. It's also the type of thing that really borders on the "This should be in an old ladies house and not MY house" direction, but also gives a feeling of elegance when you decorate with such a detailed piece and the work put into each leaf and petal is beautiful and full of love. There is a story and warmth behind this type of artwork that I just can't help but appreciate.

I found the perfect combination of all those things today, hiding behind a string-and-nail art piece (that was actually made with thin copper wire on black velvet) of a horses head. Another type of tedious/meticulous art that I haven't found a fondness for quite yet. :/

I brought it home ($1!) and hung it on the wall in my kitchen for this picture, which didn't turn out that well and makes the coral colors look a little rusty orange, but it's my only before shot. It's all done on a burlap-type material.


It kind of made me pause for a minute wondering if I really wanted to take a chance of ruining it in the washing machine or taking it out of the frame because the coral colors and greens really went well with my persimmon Fiesta ware, but it was just so filthy it had to be washed either way.

Here is a closer shot of it before it was washed. Filthy but beautiful. A diamond in the rough.


It was framed really well and it took a little work to get it off (sewn tightly around a piece of particle board) but once i had it off, it was as easy as 1 2 3.

1. Take it out of the frame.

2. Throw it in the washer. I skipped the dryer and just laid it out and it was dry in 10 minutes.

3. Find some scrap fabric for the back, sew it and stuff it!


Ta-da!

It was so exciting to see the colors when it came out of the washing machine. The corner has initials and the date '77. Thank you G. F., it's beautiful!

Ps This is my first pin on Pinterest!

Bleached T

I've seen some of the neatest bleach designed T-shirts in Blog-Land. Some use a bleach pen, others use a stencil and a spray bottle. Just check out Pinterest for some awesome ideas.

With school approaching I finally decided to give it a try because, well.. bleach is practically FREE and I thought it would be a really fun way to spruce up some plain shirts.

I went for the spray bottle/stencil technique and used contact paper for my stencil because again, practically FREE. There are literally hoards of the stuff in thrift shops. I happen to have some on hand, and I know they have some at the Dollar Tree.

I made a stencil on the computer, piecing together some wings from one site and a guitar from another. It's not perfect, but I knew I could smooth out the lines with the Xacto knife.


You could just find any image online and print it out. I do have a tip now, having done this, that thin lines can get a little tricky, so going bolder will probably be your better bet.

I used a spritz bottle and read that the pump (up and down) spritzers work better than the trigger spray bottles, so I emptied out one that I had (dollar tree perfume gag) and filled it with bleach. I added a little water because my bleach was the thicker splash-proof, but most say to use straight bleach. Your call.

I stuck the stencil in place and sprayed parallel to the shirt, a good distance above, letting the bleach fall onto the fabric. The reaction was fast and I could see it happening right away. I brought it in, rinsed it off in the sink and then washed it. Here it is, still damp before I put it in the drier. (I was impatient to take pics lol)


Not too bad! The shirt is stretched out a bit (old shirt) but I think I put a little life into something boring. I like the simplicity, but part of me wants to add more next time, maybe embellish with some text or with a bleach pen. I think it would have made a bigger impact had I done it in the center, but the pocket made me stick it over in the opposite corner, and I think it looks more trendy there, but I'd love to see it pop more, or go over to the pocket.

The large lighter spots were a result of bigger droplets forming on top of the contact paper and then spilling over when I lifted it. Next time I'll pat it off with a paper towel and I think that will solve the issue. You can see the thinner lines of the guitar almost disappeared, and that is why I suggest going with a bolder/thicker image.

It actually photographed really bright. The overall effect is much more subtle, and even more so now that it's been dried. I will definitely be doing this again. It was really easy and I think tweaking the process will make it that much better.

If you get your T-shirt at Michaels or Hobby Lobby and use an online coupon, this could be a super cheap project.


He loves the shirt but was forced into this photo. I now have to give my undivided attention while he explains the cat trap he just built outside. I'm being rushed this very minute!

Domo Arigato

If you've followed my blog, you know that The Scientist loooves to pick up junk...er...collect "treasure". He is always asking me to help him make a robot out of his "precious finds", so today, while it was just us two at home ...



Here is the before, showcasing The Scientist's treasures in their "raw" form. Another man's trash...


The design is all his, and aside from a few structural changes (getting it to stand on it's own was no picnic!) and a little spray paint and glue gun help from yours truly, this creation is straight from the imagination of one (super talented if I do say so myself) 7yr old boy. I'm thinking he won't have to try so hard to talk me into helping with the next one. I LOVE IT!

It's going to be a fun Summer

Whipped up this quick little project today.


We made notebooks out of snack boxes. I was really surprised at how much the kids liked these. The Scientist made his a little "mood" book and is going to draw his mood everyday. Cutecumber will be using hers until there is no white paper showing. She's almost there already lol

I highly suggest the smaller sized pads because the hole punches get tiresome. The scientist was thrilled to do his Mini Oreo book but he crapped out on me during the Tangled Fruit Snacks and as I finished it my hand was getting sore. I did make them fairly thick (folding the white paper and binding the folded seams to go faster) using the box for the front and the back pieces. I used kite string to tie/bind them together and Wa-La!
Cutecumber's actually has an attached pencil.

Now for a few funnies:

Me: "What are you doing in here?"

Scientist: "Eating a cookie. You want one? It's fresh from the jar!"

------------

Me- (cleaning the stove after Honey made breakfast): "Look at all the grease on this towel!" (I show the Scientist with a look of disgust) "That went into our bodies!"

Scientist: "Yeah but nothing looks good on a towel. If I wiped a cake on it and showed you, you wouldn't want that in your body either."

Touche'

Lamp for the Scientist

When I saw the new trend of "naked-lamp-shades" taking over the blog craft world, I knew I wanted to do one up for the Scientist. He LOVES light bulbs. He's the first one to notice when one goes out (and will tell you daily until you replace it). He is fascinated by any bulbs that stray from "ordinary" and studies each one he can get his hands on, figuring out what went wrong and why it burned out. He's always questioning why various shapes are used and wants them (begging for them more than candy) so he can test them out and do hands-on research to find out what outcome the differences will produce. It's borderline obsession, but at this point I'm still calling it a healthy interest in science. He is aptly named on this blog. lol

So with a little spray paint (in red, currently his favorite color) and a lot (more than expected) of elbow grease to rip the stained cloth from an old lamp shade...



He absolutely loves it. Yay! I found the red party bulb at Walmart (they also have green, blue, and yellow) which works really well and isn't overpowering through the "naked" shade.

It was as easy as it looks, except taking a bit more muscle than you'd think to get the cloth off of the shade. Whatever glue was used was doing it's job extremely well lol. My only tip is to roll up a piece of paper (into a tube) and insert it into the socket (where the bulb goes) so as not to mess up any of the electrical working parts. I didn't prime it, and it's holding up really well. You know he's touching it more than necessary lol.

The shade, lamp, and red spray paint were all on hand. At just under $5 for the bulb I've got a really happy kiddo who thinks he has the coolest mom eva! :)

Easter Baskets for the kids

I really want to include a hand-made item for each kid this year and when I came across this cute idea @ Gluesticks I knew I wanted to make one for Cutecumber's basket.


Aren't they cute? Here is my take on the color game:




I need to get a better pic when the natural light is better, showing off their cute little headbands and hair. So sweet! I want to name each one myself. lol I might have to persuade Cutecumber a bit. I mean look at that Orange one. Is she not a Sophie?!
I got the wooden pegs and pots @ Hobby Lobby. I still need to spray them with a clear coat to protect the paint tomorrow and I think it will really make them look finished and bring out the colors. It was so seriously E-A-S -Y!

I bet you know someone that needs a set of these don't ya? Get crackin!

Globe Turned Birdbath

Remember when I saved THIS globe from the dumpster and envisioned a birdbath? Well I finished it yesterday and couldn't be happier with the results!



Lets take a look at where we started:


First I removed the globe and bought a plastic planter base from Lowes for $10. I looked through all my little birds (I have a bazillion) and I picked out one because it was black and wouldn't need a base coat. He was actually attached to a candle stick (thrift shop for less than a dollar) and I just easily broke him off. Then I did a dry fit to see if I liked it. And I did :)


(ignore my backyard, it's a work in progress and I promise to do a post on that when it's all said and done)

Then I got a drill and in like 2 seconds I made a hole through the planter base and with a little waterproof epoxy, I reused the screw that held the globe onto the base and affixed the "basin" onto the stand.

Then using more epoxy, I just glued the little bird on top of the screw. Next I painted the entire thing black and then did a final coat with Rustoleums Oil Rubbed Bronze. As soon as I hit it with that stuff, I realized why the entire blog world raves about it so much. It really added so much depth and luxury. (Looks a little splotchy here cause I touched it up and it hadn't dried)



I also picked up an iron plant stand yesterday for $10 on Craigslist. It's really sturdy and the lady I got it from was just a sweetie. A base coat of Rustoleum flat black and a topcoat of ORB...



Here is how rusted it was before:

Add me to the ORB fan club. I am totally on board.

Two $10 projects. (I know I need plants mmk)


Oh, and I just tried filling it with water and although it IS waterproof, it isn't balanced at the moment, making the water all go to one side and tipping it over, SO.. until I add a weight to the bottom, I love my new birdFEEDER lol

Quick makeover

I bought 2 little star mirrors the other day at Salvation Army for a quarter a piece. They were really beat up, but since the back was removable, SUPER easy to makeover.

Using the wallpaper I also found at a thift shop,some black paint, and black ribbon, I revamped them for the girls room. (They are each about the size of my hand.)



You can click on the picture to enlarge and see how icky they really were in the before shot. I wanted to make the ribbon have a bow at the top, but I knew Ms. Thang would veto that "baby-ish" idea. I think I made good choices here. A touch of whimsy and fun for Cutecumber, but the black gives it a bit of teen edge.

That's what I'm hoping anyway. We'll see what Ms. Thang has to say about it when she comes home from school.

I gave them their little bag of v-day treats before I sent them off.

Scented colored pencils (on clearance @ Big Lots in the school supplies)

Giant lip smackers from Target (The Scientist got Dr.Pepper flavor..his favorite soda that he never gets to have lol)

Hand shaped suckers from Walmart- The scientists is a "ROCK" hand, Cutecumbers is "I LOVE U" and Ms. Thang is "PEACE". They are really cute.

The girls also got some hair accessories (big pink rose headband for Ms. Thang) and the Scientist got some magnet clips shaped like flies for his magnet board.

Here are a couple of them holding the giant valentine his "wifey" made him out of flame printed duct tape. She couldn't have given him a better gift. He absolutely loves it.



Happy Valentines day to everyone! I hope your hearts are bursting at the seams! :)

Is Spring really in the air?

These are a few of the things I am really lovin' in my house right now and as I uploaded the photos, I realized they represent Spring. I am SO ready for SPRING!

Here are some tulips Honey bought me for absolutely no reason other than the simple fact he loves me.

They came at the end of a very hard day and a friend told me that means he is just very in tune to me. I loved that and I think they are so cheerful in that bright sunny yellow shade. They demand your attention and force you to smile.

And here is a shot of them from the other side of the room, showing that my bundt wall is finally complete thanks to a garage sale gift from my Grandma K.


Also on the list of things that make me smile are a couple of tiny birds I've recently found at thrift shops. I showed you a cute little blue guy earlier today, that I found yesterday, and then there is this little red bird I found a few weeks ago.


I set him atop a LIVE sign I also found at a thrift shop, and liked it so much, I glued him there.


Are any signs of Spring popping up around your house yet?

One down, one to go.

I finished one of the comforters for the girls room. This one is Cutecumbers. (sorry for the poor lighting but it's cold and I don't want to do one outside)


Here is a better shot of the fabrics:

Not the cutest out there, but the cutest in my colors and price range. ;)

I'm pretty happy with it. It's FAR from perfect, but it's a custom quilt for super cheap. Here is a little numbered break down of what's going on and how I did it.

1. This fabric is actually a thick curtain that I got awhile back on something like Craigslist. I got 4 of them and plan to use two as actual curtains in the room and then one cut and used on each of the quilts. There are two solid bands of this fabric on the quilt and a few squares of it here and there also. Doing the solid bands cut my "quilting time" in half.

2. My squares do not match up perfectly, but imperfect means "made with love" in my book. I want to add the yarn ties to it, but with the squares being off, I'm having a difficult time deciding where they should go because normally they go wear the corners all meet. I'm thinking white or black yarn.

3. I got the teal (its more green than it looks in the photo) flannel for the backing in a section of bolts for $5 in Walmart and there is enough on the ONE bolt to do both quilts. The other fabric was in the bin of scraps or on serious discount.

I am too cheap to buy batting so I used these blankets from Walmart on sale for $7 each and cut them to fit inside. Here is a quick tutorial on how I did it.


It has a really nice weight to it. (I would NOT suggest getting these blankets for anything other than and under blanket because they pull apart and leave gaps and there are strange discolored areas too fyi.) Then I just sewed it all up, turned it right side out and sewed around it again for a little added support. Hard to see here, but this is a close up of #3 in the picture above and shows the border.


I made it a little on the small side because bunk beds are a pain to make, especially if the comforter is large. I cut about a foot off along the edge of the Scientists comforter and sewed it shut for a better fit. Now if I can just do this again for Ms. Thang. Hers has the same fabrics, but she is adding zebra print to the mix of course and I'm going heavy with it. :)

Happy V-day from the Scientist

This year for his class Valentines, I am printing out this photo and sliding a real pixie stick in his hands thanks to precise cuts from an Xacto knife. (I used a digital one here for effect lol)



In the brick I plan to write who it is for with a sharpie. I think it will go over pretty well! (btw, this was picture 2 of 4. Not bad!) It's a spin on THIS idea.

**Update** here is a photo of the real deal hanging on my refrigerator. This one in particular is for Ms. Thang's bff who is also the scientists proclaimed love, or as he calls her, his wifey. lol

Epic Failure

I know what your thinking? Epic failure? Not Angel, never! But yes it's true. I figured it was about time you all learned I wasn't perfect!

I've hinted though haven't I? Telling you all I can't cook which is absolutely true. As a matter of fact I was on the phone with my Grandfather once, forgetting I was about to make some pasta. I smelled something burning and my Grandpa, who knows I can't cook, made the statement that I could burn water. The truth at that moment was: I had started water for pasta, and let it boil away into nothing. Of course I didn't mention that! Are you crazy? I'd never live it down! Anyway, my epic failure also involves the oven, but this time I prove that, not only can I ruin food with it, I ruin hair bows!

Katie over at Sack of Potatoes , showed us how to make some awesome korker bows. I decided it was time to try it out and make a few Valentine bows for Cutecumber. I actually talked to her on the phone (she had just went to a Goodwill and promised to blog about her finds *hint, hint*) and I got a more specific "recipe" for the korker bows.

"Use grosgrain ribbon, wrap it around a wooden dowel (or plain pencil) and bake at 325 for 5-10 minutes."

"It's SO easy" she says.

So I find a few dowels in my ribbon box, wrap my ribbon around them, pinching the ends with wooden clothes pins as Katie had suggested. I had a pair of St.Patrick's Day bows from Target that had come undone last year and decided to try out a few of the rickrack pieces from those. I never throw out ribbon. Although these had the same lines as grosgrain, with only a slightly satin sheen, these were NOT the correct kind of ribbon. I repeat, they were NOT the right kind of ribbon.

I put it all in the oven, and waited for almost 10 minutes. That's when I started to smell something like a melted crayon and decided that obviously they had been in there long enough.

This is what I found:



Of course I like to look for a positive, and prefer to think of this as a newly discovered way to strengthen a wooden dowel with melted ribbon coating. LOL Can you believe that? The rest of the ribbon turned out fine though, but I took this as a sign to quit for the day. lol

I did make these before the baking fiasco though. Aren't they cute?



Ms. Thang also made a few of her own. She's really been into the flower thing and recently said it will become her signature fashion statement. (No she doesnt watch Sex and the City lol) She made 3- a white, a purple zebra print, and a sun flower. (flowers are 50% right now at Hobby Lobby, and I got the pink ones @ Dollar Tree)



She's already had her step-mom try and borrow one which made her day. The ultimate compliment. :)

Feeling twitterpated!

Yeah I know it's a little early, but I'm feeling the love so why not show it?

supplies
3 packs of paper doilies from the Dollar Tree
1 long piece of kite string
glue

directions
glue the doilies together, smaller on top of larger. I used good ol fashioned Elmers glue.
thread the doilies onto the kite string

cost
$3 for the doilies
the rest I had on hand
I can make the same banner for the next 10 years with 3 packages I bought

I'm tempted to add letters and spell out "love" or "adore" or Xs and Os like you see all over blog land. What do you think?

Snakes and snails and candle pears

I bought a shadow box at The Salvation Army the other day. They have a new Target section, which is a room in the back filled with discontinued or damaged Target merchandise. I LOVE IT! I got the shadow box for $4 and they had a ton more. I should have bought more. Anyway, I used the shadow box frame and a few plastic "creepy crawlers" to make a cute little wall art project for the Scientist last night. It turned out so cute!



I just painted the back board grey, glued on the bugs (which are only a small portion of the critters the kids got trick or treating) and made little scientific name tags on the printer and glued those in place. SO EASY! I used silly names rather than real scientific names, which include things like Smurfity Coilus (blue snake) and Nosferatu for the bat. :)



I know this picture is not the best (so hard to photo the kids rooms with the window there) but I thought my little minpin Wednesday looked so cute posing there.


She's been sick lately, poor girl. I bought a can of Gravy Train food at the Dollar Tree because... well because I remembered the commercial from when I was a kid and impulse bought it and now my poor puppy is paying the price :(

Speaking of eating until you are sick, Katie sent me a present loaded with candy and a pear candle! It looks so good in my little autumn display don't ya think?



This is the one and only time it will be lit so I'm glad I got a picture lol. I would have taken a picture of the candy, but if you recall, I segued into this with "Speaking of eating until you are sick..."
Check out Katie and her wonderful quips, and words of wisdom @ Not so Much.