Category Archives: Craft

Playroom Reveal

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We recently remodeled the basement and created a space for a playroom for our son and daughter who will be arriving in June.  I had looked at different pictures of playrooms online and on Pinterest and had a good idea of certain elements I wanted to include in the room.  I also wanted to have some sort of organizational system to attempt to keep the room organized (we’ll see how long that lasts!)  I also wanted to leave room to add different elements as the kids grow such as a kitchen, work bench, train/lego table, and a dress up area.

One of the areas I wanted to include was a reading corner.  I wanted to make it cozy and inviting with access to a lot of books.  I got this teepee and rug on Etsy.  The sheepskin rugs inside the teepee are from Amazon.  I also saw them at Ikea.  The bookshelves are from Etsy.  They came in a natural wood color and I painted them white. All of the pillows are from IKEA, Amazon, and Target.

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I made the felt ball garland that is on the teepee.  I ordered the felt balls from Amazon and just strung them together.

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The prints in the frames are from Etsy and the frames are from Amazon.

Here’s a tip for when you’re hanging more than one object on the wall. Trace the frames onto paper and cut them out and then tape them on the wall to see how you like the placement.  This saves you from drilling unnecessary holes in the wall if you don’t like the original placement.

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I made the alphabet banner using index cards and alphabet stickers I got from Michaels.  I got mini clothespins from Amazon to attach the index cards to the rope.

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I made this garland using paint chips so it was very inexpensive to make.

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I had different size circle punches that I used and just glued them to the crochet thread.

The other major area of the playroom is the are center.  I wanted a place where the kids would be able to create art and have a place to display it.  After searching Pinterest, I decided a gallery wall would be the best way to display their artwork.

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I got most of the wood frames at Michaels and painted them different colors. I also glued clothes pins onto the frames so I could easily display artwork and it could be changed easily.

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For the two clothespin displays, I painted some wood that I had white and glued colorful clothespins to it.IMG_2695

I also created some of my own art to add to the gallery wall.

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This pencil is from Etsy.

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When hanging a gallery wall, especially one with so many elements, using my paper trick is a BIG help.  I am always moving different things until I am happy with the placement of everything.

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Another trick I use is to put these velcro tabs on the back of each object after they are level so that they don’t move.

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I left space on the right to hang baby girl’s name after she is born.

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The wall decals that say Masterpieces and Collin’s name are also from Etsy. The chalk/magnet board is also from Etsy.

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The table and chairs are KidKraft and the rug under the table is from RugVista.com.

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I made this rag valance using material from the Hello Bear fabric collection which I got on Etsy.

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The world map is a decal from The Lovely Wall on Etsy.

The blue felt board to the left of the TV is from Amazon.  The storage shelves are from IKEA and the colored bins are from Target.IMG_2716

The rug in the middle of the room is from Land of Nod.

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One of the other great things about the playroom is the walk-in closet for toy storage.

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I created labels for all of the bins in an attempt to stay organized.

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Hope you enjoyed the tour!

Imagine, play, create,

Geralyn

 

 

Easter Egg Ornaments

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I have this “tree” I keep in my dining room.  I started decorating it for holidays last year.  I did Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Valentine’s Day.  Then I got pregnant and I was exhausted so I pretty much stopped doing everything except sleeping and eating.  So now that my little boy is here, I am able to craft again while he naps. Yay!   These polymer clay Easter Egg ornaments were super easy to make and came out really cute.

Materials:

–polymer clay

-egg shaped cookie cutters

–stamps

-acrylic paint

-rolling pin

-string

–mod podge

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First, you roll out your clay using a rolling-pin just as you would cookie dough.  Use the cookie cutters to make your desired shapes.

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Once you’ve cut out all of your shapes, you can use the stamps to add some texture to the clay.  Next, bake the clay in the oven for 12-15 minutes at 250 degrees.  Once the clay has cooled you can begin painting.  I painted a base color on each egg and then went back after it was dry and added some other colorful designs to each egg.

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After the paint is totally dry, use the Mod Podge to seal it.  Then just tie the string and hang.

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Happy spring!

Geralyn

Painted Easter Egg Rocks

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I had collected a bunch of rocks from the beach a while ago for some craft that I never got around to doing. I found them in my craft room recently and thought they were perfect to make these painted Easter Eggs for the centerpiece on my dining room table.

Materials:

-rocks

-acrylic paint

-Mod Podge

1. Clean rocks with a damp paper towel to remove any dirt or sand.

2. Use acrylic paint to paint the rocks a pastel base color.  I put two coats of paint on mine.

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3. Next, I painted different designs on the rocks using different color acrylic paints.

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4. Once the paint is dry, coat with Mod Podge to seal the rocks.

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Peace, love, & craftiness,

Geralyn

 

 

Shamrock Ornaments

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I made a wreath for St. Patrick’s Day and had some left over wooden shamrocks from that project.  Since I have been decoration the little tree I have in my dining room for every holiday (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine’s Day) I decided to use the shamrocks for St. Patrick’s Day.

 

Materials:

-wooden shamrocks

-scrapbook paper

-acrylic paint

-string

-hot glue gun

-hot glue sticks

1. First, paint the wooden shamrocks using green acrylic paint.

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2. Trace the shamrocks on the scrapbook paper.

3. Once the paint is dry, use to Mod Podge to attach the paper to the wooden shamrocks.

4. I then used the paint to outline the shamrock.

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5. Next, use the hot glue gun to glue the string in a loop on the back of the shamrock for hanging.

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Simple project especially since I already had them done from the wreath.

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Luck & blessings,

Geralyn

St. Patrick’s Day Wreath

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I love the way this wreath turned out!

Materials:

-wooden shamrocks (3 different sizes)

– craft ring

–Mod Podge 

-scrapbook paper

-paint

-hot glue gun

-hot glue sticks

-ribbon

-staple gun

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1. First I painted the craft ring and the wooden shamrocks using different shades of green acrylic paint.

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2 . While I was waiting for the paint to dry, I traced the shamrocks on different pieces of green scrapbook paper.

3. After the paint was dry, I used the Mod Podge to put the scrapbook paper on the shamrocks.  I coated the wood and then after I placed the scrapbook paper on I put another coat on top of the scrapbook paper.  This will create a protective coat over the paper.

4. After the Mod Podge was dry, I outlined the shamrocks with green acrylic paint.

5. Next,  I used the hot glue gun to glue all the wooden shamrocks on the craft ring.

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6. I then used ribbon I found at my local craft store to make a loop for hanging.  I used my staple gun to attach it to the back of the craft ring.

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And that’s it! It’s a simple wreath that looks great on our garage door.

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Luck & Blessings,

Geralyn

St. Patrick’s Day Bunting

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I’ve been on a crafting spree.  When Collin is napping I use that time for some me time…so I craft.  This project was really easy to make.

Materials:

-burlap

–no sew fabric glue 

–painters tape

-paint

-twine

First I just cut 5 burlap triangles.  Make sure to leave a little extra room on top to fold over the twine.  Once you have your flags cut, decide on a pattern you want to paint on the burlap.  I kept it simple and decided on green stripes and gold dots but a chevron pattern would be cute too.  For the stripes I used painters tape to mark the stripes.

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Once you have the tape on the burlap just paint the burlap that is showing green.  Do not paint the part above the first tape line because you will be folding that over later.  This is the paint I used for the project but you could use any thing you have.

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Let the paint dry completely before removing the painters tape.

I freehanded the polka dots using the Liquid Metal first.  After that was dry, I went over it with the glitter paint.

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After the paint is completely dry, use the no sew fabric glue to attach the flags to the twine.  Squeeze a line of the glue along the top of the flag and fold around the twine.  Press down to make sure it is secure.

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I hung the bunting from the shelf in my dining room.

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Luck & blessings,

Geralyn

DIY Clay Hearts

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For every holiday I’ve dressed up the branches of my dining room table centerpiece.  Here it is on Thanksgiving and Christmas.

For Valentine’s Day, I decided to make yet another Pinterest inspired project.  I am more than a little obsessed with Pinterest.  You can check out my boards here.

For this project you will need:

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First, roll out the clay using a rolling-pin.  My rolling-pin was upstairs, so I just used a large paint tube.  Next, stamp different designs using your rubber stamps into the clay.

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Use cookie cutters to cut out heart shapes.  I used two different sizes.

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I used the end of a paintbrush to make a small hole on the top of the hearts.

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DSC_0704Next, you are going to follow the directions on the clay package and bake the hearts in the oven.  I baked mine for 15 minutes in a 250 degree oven.

After the hearts cooled, I painted them with Martha Stewart Pearl Paint.  Once the paint was dry, I tied a string through the hole for hanging.  I used a black Sharpie to color in the letters.

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xoxo,

Geralyn