August 24, 2011

our happily ever after {another sign}

On my last trip to the Habitat ReStore, I found this great cabinet door. It immediately caught my eye because it was square, had this neat raised panel in the middle, and was only $2.

After some sanding, paint, and a custom vinyl saying purchased on Etsy from JanDeeCrafts, I have this great sign which will become the centerpiece for my photo wall.


I want to make this area over my stairs a photo wall. I just have to figure out how I'm supposed to get over the stairs to actually hang stuff on the wall. Any suggestions?





August 10, 2011

boy's Batman shirt

I rarely buy anything from BabyGap, but I can never resist stopping in just to see if I can score a bargain. The last time I visited, they had super cute Batman t-shirts that my son would love. And they were like $40. For a toddler t-shirt. So I made my own.





Materials:
black t-shirt (though gray would look good, too)
scrap of black knit fabric (I used an old t-shirt)
heat-n-bond lite
freezer paper
yellow fabric paint (or acrylic paint and textile medium)
paint brush
Batman logo template (I found one here)
black thread
sewing machine (or you can hand sew)




Prewash t-shirt. I purchased a pocket-less shirt (yeah!) at Target for $4.


Trace the Batman template onto the freezer paper and cut out around the oval. You can print the template out then place your freezer paper on top (shiny side down) and trace. Or you can wait until your husband isn't watching, put your freezer paper (shiny side down) right on your computer screen and trace lightly with a pencil.

Cut a scrap of black knit fabric slightly larger than the Batman logo and cut a piece of heat-n-bond lite the same size as your knit fabric. Following the instructions on the heat-n-bond lite, apply the heat-n-bond to the wrong side of the black knit fabric.


Place your Batman logo on the paper side of the heat-n-bond lite and trace the oval shape. Cut out around the oval.

Cut out the bat shape from the freezer paper, center it on the right side of your knit fabric (shiny side down) and iron in place.

Apply yellow fabric paint to the black knit fabric. (I used Delta Ceramcoat crocus yellow and Delta Ceramcoat textile medium.) It's best to either "dab" the paint on or brush from the freezer paper out so the paper doesn't peel up and you end up with paint under the freezer paper. I wanted a faded, vintage look so I applied two thin coats.




Let the paint dry. This is the hardest part for me as I immediately want to rip the freezer paper off and see my amazing creation. Bad idea. This is a good time to do some laundry or wash dishes. Or if you're like me, you go to Target. When the paint is dry peel off your freezer paper. (I waited 24 hours.)




Remove the backing paper from the patch and center it on your shirt. Iron the Batman patch to the front of your t-shirt. (The textile medium I used said to wait 7 days before heat setting the paint. I waited 24 hours. I cannot wait a week to finish a project.) I covered the patch with a cloth so the paint didn't destroy my iron and pressed for 20 seconds.


Using a sewing machine and black thread (or you can stitch by hand), stitch around the edge of the patch.






I spent $4 for the t-shirt. Everything else I had on hand.


Linking up to:


August 5, 2011

kids' tent

My son has way too much stuff. Too many toys, stuffed animals, clothes--everything. My husband and I try not to spoil him, but it seems like every time one of us returns home we bring something new to play with. (And don't even get me started on Christmas when you factor in all the grandparents and aunts and uncles.) With all the stuff kids have, it still amazes me that they really don't need much to create their own fun.

This past Wednesday while I was trying to clean the house, I heard frustrated cries coming from my son's room. He was trying to make a tent on his bed using baby blankets and wasn't having much success. His bed. . .






Yes, my son is 4 & 1/2 years old and the Fisher-Price Rainforest Musical Mobile (complete with dead batteries) is still attached to his bed.




Using a queen size sheet from my thrifted stash and a few clothes pins, we created this for my now-happy camper. . .







He played in it quietly for a good 30 to 45 minutes, and it only needed a few minor repairs during that time. If you don't have a bed like this, you could use a simple card table to create your own fort/tent.




August 3, 2011

"family" sign (from old drawer front)

Remember my ReStore adventure? Well I finally finished my first project from one of my 14 cabinet door/drawer fronts. I decided to start with one of the drawer fronts since it was smaller. Only $1 for this. . .


I sanded it and ended up using about 10 different coats of paint because I couldn't decide what colors I wanted and I didn't have a really good plan of what I was actually making. I also learned that spray paint (though a pain to use in the middle of a hot, humid Midwest summer) yields the best results.


I ended up doing a couple coats of satin black spray paint then a couple coats of Rust-Oleum navajo white. (All Lowe's had was gloss but a few coats of Rust-Oleum matte clear spray on the finished project took care of the gloss.) I sanded the edges to reveal some of the black paint and give it a distressed look. The word "family" was part of a rub-on I found at Hobby Lobby in the clearance sections for $2.14. Eventually this will be hung in a little nook next to my kitchen with family photos around it. (If I ever get the nook painted.) Now to figure out what to do with the remaining 13 doors. . .