Glass Mosaic Table

I started this project 6 months ago in the summer. Life got busy and forgot to buy grout so the project got pushed back. I finally had some free time so I completed the table! I love it! This will look great in our back yard in the spring and summer. I used super glue to hold the glass pieces in place and once it dried I added groat. Make sure you use a sponge and wet cloth to get the excess groat off the glass pieces. You can buy the mosaic tiles at any craft store. If you're lucky enough to live near a beach, sea glass would be a beautiful mosaic element. 

Wine Cork Ornaments

All you need are wine corks, a glue gun, and a paper clip. You could also use a flat pin or jewelry wire in place of a paper clip. For a big size ornament use 10 corks for the tree and one for the trunk. A small ornament uses 6 for the tree and 1 for the trunk! So much fun :) go grab a glass of Merlot and get to crafting. Happy holidays!! 

Wedding Ornaments

I had a New Year's Eve wedding an our decorations were super festive. I loved the red and sparkles of silver and gold. When the wedding was over I saved some of the ribbon, flowers and other decorations thinking I'd do a shadow box of some sort. Instead, I found some glass ornaments at Michaels craft store for around $3 and used those to make some holiday ornaments out of the wedding decor. Super easy and sentimental! Even if your wedding isn't holiday themed you can make these ornaments and they will look lovely on your tree! 

Instructions not needed- just fill your glass ornament with whatever you chose and hang on the tree! 

First Christmas

This idea is all over Pinterst and I was so excited to make one of my own. I got the glass ornaments at Micheal's craft store for $3. They ornaments come in a pack of 4. I used cherry red acrylic paint and a silver Sharpie. This would make a cute gift for the newlyweds in your life! If you're like me there are A LOT of newly married couples this year ;)

Make sure you left the extra paint drain out by turning it upside down and balancing it on top of a cup. There will be plenty of extra to drain out. You can add a decorative ribbon to the top to add festivity!

Our First Christmas as Mr. and Mrs.

Other ornament DIY ideas:
Baby's first Christmas
Cat or Dog's first Christmas
New address
In memory of
Cancer free date
Graduation

Awareness ornament

Christmas Holiday Wooden Sign

Super easy and cheap curb appeal for Christmas!

What you need:
* spray paint
* acrylic paint and paint brush
* various sized wooden boards
* drill
* medium wood screws

The directions are simple- spray paint the boards the color of your choice and let them dry. Chose what sayings and phrases you like and use acrylic paint. Let the paint dry and then use a drill to make small holes on the boards to avoid the wood splitting. Then screw in the wood screws. Ta--da!! You're all done. Now display outside to brighten up your entry way.

Cheap Dollar Store Halloween!

I haven't posted in awhile and for that I am sorry!! I have been busy with a new job and enjoying my graduation from graduate school :) however I just HAD to post these awesome cheap Halloween crafts. 

If you're like me Halloween is our favorite holiday but budgeting for the overpriced decorations isn't nearly as exciting. I got ideas from pintrest and then hit the local dollar store. 

I went to Dollar Tree and bought three pumpkins, orange ribbon and plastic spiders. Then I went to Joann's and got a foam wreath and black sparkle tulle. I used coupons at Joann's for some scary savings yo! As long as you have a glue gun you're all set. 

Aren't these crafts BOOtiful?! 

Graduation ideas!

I recently went through the graduation ceremony process for my Master of Social Work degree. I don't actually finish class until July but it still felt like a sense of accomplishment! My friends and I decorated our caps for graduation but then didn't know what to do with them. So I thought of using a shadow box to display my cap, hood, and tassel. It turned out fabulous!! I love how my sorority bow peaks out underneath the cap. Now I will remember my accomplishments whenever I look at this shadow box!

Another idea I had for graduation was to give my friends journals to record their first few years in the field. I got this idea from a previous professor in my elementary education program. He stated its important for first year teachers to record their experiences and later reflect on what they have learned. I think this is true for any profession. I found these inspirational journals and used fun glitter stickers to personalize the front. I wrote a cute letter on the inside cover page too. 

Pallet Jewelry Organizer

Super easy DIY Pallet project. First I cleaned off the dirt with a dish cloth and water. I let it dry then I painted it. I used a white wash technique by adding 1/4 paint 3/4 parts water. I applied it with a sea sponge in a washing motion. I love the faded turquoise look. 

I bought white screw hooks at the craft store and drilled holes to make sure the hooks would screw in. I did put hooks all the way down one side because I knew I wanted to hang my scarves. I alternated the hook spacing to avoid my necklaces from tangling. 

I'm so in love with it! Now we need to find wall anchors for this pretty piece because she weighs about 50 pounds! Who makes a pallet out of oak anyway?! 

Wedding Invite Frame

All three Shade children got engaged in the same year and said their vows in the same year. However, every single one of our weddings were different and unique. I loved all three wedding invitations and tried to come up with a way to display them. I bought a 3 window 4x6 frame on amazon for $12 and took out the divider. I think the final product is so cute and personal. You can tell just by the invitations how different our weddings were, but we all had our family love in common. :) 

Perfect Hammock

I do not have two strong trees in my back yard so I thought my dreams of having a pretty hammock were over. I was talking to my mom about it and she suggested I use posts instead... duh! I did some research online and then the hubby and I headed to Lowes. Here is what you will need to make a post hammock set up:

* 2 eight foot 4x4 treated posts
* "Post Digger"- It's like a shovel with two blades on it
* 2 fifty pound bags of concrete
* measuring tape
* level
* 2 eye hooks, 3" long
* 2 s-hooks strong enough to hold a person

To position where you will dig the post holes- add 12" inches of the length of your hammock. This helps create the height you will need so when you lay in it your butt won't hit the ground. No one wants that!

You will need to dig at least 24" down, more if your soil is sandy. The hole should be at least twice the diameter of the posts, example: we used 4X4 posts so our holes were 8", if you use 6X6 posts you're hole will need to be 12".

Measure 12" from the top of the post and screw in eye hooks, do this before you set the posts in the hole.

Mix the concrete and water together one bag at a time and pour into the hole. Make sure your posts are level. Each hole should use one bag of concrete.

Make sure you let the concrete set over night (24 hours) other wise the posts may become crooked.

Put the s-hooks through the eye hooks and then hook on your hammock! YAY :)

The pillow I added is from Target and it was on sale! Also you can tell I'm planning another DIY project if you look carefully in the background. Pallets :) Enjoy your spring everyone!

Kitchen Chair Swing

About a year ago I found an old kitchen chair by someone's trash can and although it only had one leg left, I took it home with me. I swear Jared is sick of me filling our garage with such items, but you never know when inspiration can strike! 

Today I finally decided it was the perfect day to mess with the one legged chair. I knocked off the remaining leg which was very easy. I found some old hemp rope in the garage too. I put the two together and made a cute swinging chair in our back yard. It's perfect for reading outside on spring days like today :) 

If you find a chair that's not made of pretty wood- paint it a bright color! Pops of color will make the design even more whimsical. Now go outside and enjoy this weather!