Fun Friday Crafty Project= DIY Time!

So many of you know we recently moved and with that comes organizing and finding homes for everything!  Okay so I think I have that part pretty much under control- just wish the little people in my house would keep with the system I created!  HA!  


Next comes the FUN part- DECORATING!!!!!!  We have been having fun changing things in the house.  I have to say I am pretty lucky that my Big Guy is so willing to do some of the work I envision because without his skills I would be calling a Handy Man or the men from Lowes or Home Depot to come do it!  So my Big Guy has changed out the lightining in the master bathroom, the entry hall, the dinning room, and installed 3 ceiling fans so far and a light for my office or I should say our joint custody office.  :-)  While he has been doing that on the weekends I have had fun hanging pictures, arranging furniture and putting my spin on the house.

   So where does the DIY part come from....well we had 2 chairs my Mother in Law gave us 4 years ago and they were in need of some tlc- wish I had a before picture.  The paint was chipping off and rust was starting to form.  So I sanded them down, then put a rust primer on them, and then next layered on the new Almond color.  I think they turned out pretty good and look nice on our new enclosed patio.  :-)

Once in awhile my hubby gets involved in the decorating which can be challenging sometimes!  HA!  No seriously he has a good eye but when he decides to go the Sport Route leads me a bit crazy.  He has this Packer Thermoter that we got when we went to Lambeau Filed last summer and he has been waiting to hang it somewhere......yep he found a home for it!  We needed new cushions for our patio set as the other ones were pretty worn out after 6+years.  So I needed to find something that could coordinate with the proud Green and Gold but take it up a level of sophistication if you get my drift!  And thankfully I found these pillows- LOVE THEM!  Then I found some simply Khaki seat cushions and we are good!

     Now onto my new DIY project that will begin this weekend! 

 Our Kitchen table!  Okay when you are military and move as much as we do pieces of furniture need to be transitional.  This was our Kitchen table back in Navarre, Fl four years ago but when moved into our townhouse we did not have room for this and our dinning room set.  So this table became a night stand in our bedroom.  Yep- how crazy is that?!?  Our bedroom was that big that the table could be a nightstand.  The 4 chairs that went with it I had no need for and they were in pretty bad shape so we donated them.  Fast forward to here....we have room for the table but I needed chairs 

and I want to paint the table black to go with the house.  I found 4 chairs at Home Goods- love that store.  They have a weathered gray finish on them and I think they will look really sharp with the table when it is black.  So that is my new DIY project- to paint my table black.  And the big Guy will be putting in a new lighting fixture too this weekend.  

So stay tuned.....I am excited for the results!!!!


Happy Fun Crafty Friday!


~Jennifer

Guest Post! for Fun Friday Crafty Project

Sorry I missed last Friday- hubby had the day off and that always gets me out of sink!  Thankfully we knocked out some house projects around the new Casa and made a list of what I still would like to "reasonably" conquer.  :-)

Fast forward to this week where one kiddo got diagnosed with Strep Throat on Tuesday and then the other one came down with it yesterday.  Not much crafting taking place this week as I have been running back and forth from clinics, pharmacies, etc...  As well as becoming the queen of Lysol.  I am just hoping this is not a sign of my year to come with the kids at a new school and new environment.

My fabulous friend and dowline Kris Brown made me the most original and CUTE gift before I left Virginia! You can find Kris here and if you live in the NOVA area you should attend her fun monthly workshops!  I miss Kris' monthly inspirations at club!

 I adore this and I am so happy to have found the PERFECT spot for this in our new Casa!  She told me that she loves to make these for wedding gifts- what a great idea!  I think they are the perfect gift and adds such a classy touch.  I was so surprised when she broke down how easy it is to recreate!

You say you like it too???  Okay so here is what you need:

a black frame(size of your choosing).  Your are going to take all the mattes and paper out and just leave the glass.

a drill(going to have to drill 2 holes into the top of the frame to thread your ribbon through)

Ribbon- fun ribbon to coordinate with your project.  For this frame Kris used our Dark Chocolate Striped Grosgrain Ribbon.

Vinyl- so 12x12 or 12x24 vinyl sheets to use in your Cricut to cut your letters out.  I would love to hear from my readers of the places they shop at to find the best prices and selection of vinyl to use with their Criuts!

And really that is all.  You pick your font or fonts you want to use with your Cricut, size of the lettering and then just put together!

I love the possibilities of this and I am so grateful to Kris for such a thoughtful handmade gift and one that gets my crafty energy peaked!

Here is hoping all are healthy in your house and that you have some time for a Fun Friday Crafty Project!

Creatively Yours,
Jennifer :-)

Fun Friday Crafty Project!

Make your own Coasters!  FUN and easy to Do!

Run on down to your local home improvement store and grab some 4x4 tiles- choose whatever style you like.

Then come home clean them- just wash them off and let them dry.

Next thing I did was pick out a fun Alphabet Font to use for the tile.  I love our E size alphabets.  I used the Baroque Alphabet.  And the E size alphabets are now a NEW lower price at just $29.95!  All of our Stamp Sets have NEW lower prices and I just love that!

I then loaded the letter I wanted (for us B for Bohnart :-) ) and dipped it in the Stazon Black Ink.  Then take your time and line it up where you want it on the tile(love our clear blocks for this project).  Be sure to press down firmly and not wiggle your block.  Let it dry and you are good to go.  I also added those small felt pads for the bottom or you could use the small plastic bumpers- whatever you think would work best it is up to you.

This makes a great house warming gift or any gift for a family.  Personalized Coasters are great!   Let me know if you like this and if you decide to make them!

Enjoy and HAPPY Crafty Friday!

~Jennifer  :-)

Fun Friday Crafty Project!

Hi Bloggin Friends!
   Okay so I have decided that each friday I am going to post a FUN, cute, and paper crafting project!  You may see me use old paper or new just depends what strikes my fancy!  One of my favorite things about paper crafting is creating fun unique gifts to give family and friends and I love sharing with my crafty friends my creations so I feel like this theme for each Friday will be a great fit!


Also it is going to work great to show you the FANTABLOUS new Cricut Cartridge that is exclusive to Close To My Heart!  I am so excited about this cartridge and how it will help bridge that gap between my love of CTMH and paper crafting.  The cartridge has fun exciting features and one of them that I LOVE is how it works with some of our stamp sets!  I know I have several crafty friends that were always hoping for a punch here or there to work with our stamps BUT this is SO much better as it is in one spot and not a million clunky punches stuffed in a basket or drawer somewhere!  So I look forward to creating with you and sharing my fun new projects using the Cricut. (and shhhh....I am a Cricut newbie!  so maybe you all could teach me a trick or two!).

     Today's  Fun Friday Crafty Project uses one of those metal 12x12 Scrapbook Frames you can pick up at Michaels or your local Craft store.  I love making these for my daughter's friends as Memo boards, dry erase markers, and fun decor for the bedroom is right up their alley!  Ireland has a birthday party to attend tomorrow and we were trying to think of a fun gift to give her and that is when it hit me...Cute Memo Board!  So Ireland and I got to work picking out paper that would coordinate with her friends room and then picking themes for each of the squares.  And here is what we came up with....

And what I love is using my stash of paper to create something unique and special!  


Here is wishing you a FUN Friday and hopefully you can make some time for a crafty project or two!


~Jennifer :-)