picture wall

Ever since we bought our house in May, the hallway that leads from our main living space back to our bedrooms seemed so long and daunting. At over 13’ long we had a lot of wall space to deal with. We knew that one or two pictures weren’t going to cut it…they would get lost all on their own. When I stumbled across this picture on Pinterest I knew I wanted to recreate a similar look for our hallway:

hallway from Pinterest

our hallway

I thought creating those two horizontal lines was going to be the trickiest part. Nothing in a 1950’s home is completely square and even. Everything is a little bit wonky – which adds charm and character but makes hanging pictures straight more difficult. Luckily Adam had a laser level that had been his grandfathers.

We started by figuring out where we wanted the tops of our bottom rows of pictures to be and where the bottoms of the top row of pictures should be. We decided to created a 5” horizontal void between the two rows. We put a small finishing nail in the wall and hung the laser level on it. Once level, we ran a line of blue painters tape along the laser line. We moved the nail up 5 inches, leveled it again, and ran a second line of blue painters tape across the wall. We figured that 2 small nail holes would be easy to patch – and I believe doing this method we avoided a lot of other “oops” nail holes along the way (trust me – there were still a few, but luckily they are being disguised by our newly hung pictures).

After we had the prep work done, we took our collection of picture frames and started laying them out on the family room floor. Having them all laid out the way we wanted them made it easy to pick up a frame, take it into the hallway and hang it in the correct order. Having a game plan of where each frame went saved us a lot of time and headache because 1) we knew exactly where all the frames were going before we started and 2) if we didn’t like the layout when they were on the ground, they were a lot easier to move around than opposed to moving them around after they had been nailed up on the wall.

flower headband

Little girls in headbands are something that I absolutely love. This tutorial is simple and fun - and in 1 hours time you'll have an adorable headband to give to a friend or to keep for your own little one.

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Here is what you'll need:

1. Felt (any color you choose)

2. Elastic ribbon

3. Scissors

4. Pinking sheers

5. Rotary cutter (optional)

6. Hot glue gun

7. Scrap piece of cardboard (a cereal box works great)

[NOTE: I chose to use hot glue because I'm impatient and I don't like to wait for regular glue to dry. Just be warned that you might burn your fingers constructing the flower petals with hot glue... You could always use a regular fabric glue in place of the hot glue].

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paper flowers

I'd be the first one to tell you that I sort of went crazy with DIY projects when we got married back in 2011. I had so much fun with wedding planning I knew that the small details were really going to make it memorable for us and our guests. One of my projects involved attaching paper flowers to ballpoint pens which then sat at our "guest book" table - they were not only functional but they were cute!

photo by Heather Brincko

We loved them so much that we now have these paper flowers a few different places in our home. They are fun, easy to take care of, and are a unique alternative to the real thing. 

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Here is what you'll need to make your own paper flowers:

vellum paper

another type of construction paper (I used a bamboo paper)

Scrap piece of cardboard

Pencil

Compass

White glue 

Floral cloth stem wires

Scissors

Decorative beads (mine are pearl-like)

Needle nose pliers (not pictured - but they'll come in handy)

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Start by using your compass to make a 3-1/4" circle template with your cardboard. You'll use this template to create the circles on your vellum/bamboo paper for your flowers.

Trace and cut out 10-15 circles (the more - the merrier... trust me, once you get started you'll want to make a bunch!). Follow the steps below (fold your circle in half... then again in quarters... and finally once more in eighths). You'll end up with a pie shaped piece.

Next, take your scissors and cut your wedge into an "ice cream cone" shape. Then, unfold your circle. Cut off a single petal on your flower (you'll now have 7 petals).

Add a few small drops of glue to a petal next to the one you just cut off and overlap the two petals to form your flower.

Allow your flower to dry. 

Once dry, crease each petal in half to give your flower a more defined look. Using a cloth stem, poke a small hole in the bottom of your flower. Slip a bead on one end of your stem and fold the wire over and wrap it around itself a few times to secure the bead (this is where those needle nose pliers come in handy)! Slide your stem through your flower and secure with a small dot of glue.

Repeat the steps above to make a whole handful of paper flowers to put in your house. These are the best, because they never die and you don't have to water them!

                              

paci holder

I have seen these clever inventions before, but I decided to make my own to go along with my sister-in-laws other baby shower gifts. Babies are famous for throwing their pacifier on the ground, so hopefully this cute little holder will save Laura from the “if I drop it I know you’ll pick it up” game…

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Here’s what you’ll need:

small piece of fabric (roughly 3” x 15”)

a suspender/mitten clip

small piece of Velcro

pacifier with a loop

iron

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reversible headband

If you’re anything like me, you can understand the importance of a good headband. My hair has a mind of it’s own and it sometimes takes more than just a little (ok…a lot) of hairspray to tame it. After my mom shipped me a whole box of fabric left over from her quilting projects, I couldn’t wait to make something I could use right away. I had seen some of these fabric headbands on Etsy but couldn’t bring myself to buy something I knew I could make…this little headband is what came from my fabric excitement.

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What you’ll need:

1.     Two different pieces of fabric

2.     Headband template - or make your
own with an existing headband

3.     Small piece of elastic (I used elastic ribbon)

4.     Iron/ironing board

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diaper strap

Last weekend was my sister-in-laws baby shower. Miss Sadie is due in March and we couldn’t be more excited to for her arrival. When I saw this diaper strap on Pinterest, I knew that it would be perfect for a busy mom like Laura. You can wrap up a few diapers and some wipes, toss it in your purse and go. Plus, it’s cute… which is key. 

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Here is what you’ll need:

1.     Two pieces of coordinating fabric

Main fabric: 9”x15”

Accent fabric: 9”x4”

                                               …or you can use a single piece of fabric  (9”x19”)

2.     Piece of muslin: 9"x19"

3.     Small piece of velcro

4.     Coordinating embroidery floss

5.     Coordinating button

6. Liquid Stitch (or other fabric glue)

7.     Iron/ironing board

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a cactus house

I’ve been wanting a terrarium for a really long time and I just couldn’t find the right vessel for it. I wanted something unique and unusual but nothing I saw was really cutting it. I’m very lucky that my husband has a creative mind and can see the potential in different objects. This isn't so much of a "how-to" as a post that will hopefully inspire you to make your own unique terrarium. Here is where our terrarium story began...

This past Christmas, there was an oddly shaped present under our Christmas tree. I wasn't allowed to look at it, touch it, shake it, move it or think about it - I just had to sit and rip the paper off of it when I was told to do so. To my surprise, it ended up being this – a beautiful vintage glass light (minus all the inside pieces and parts that a light usually has).

Although, it wasn't so pretty when Adam bought it at Resource York and few weeks prior. From what I was told, it was a little dirty and it was brass (totally outdated).

handmade labels

I’ve been wanting to make some personalized labels to put onto my “handmade goods”…something little and simple that helps make things look a little more official. I’ve seen a few different ways that people have made tags but when I stumbled upon Iron On Quick Fuse fabric sheets at Joann’s for $5 (for 3 sheets) I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to give it a shot. Here’s how they turned out…and a simple how to on how to make your own.

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What You’ll need:

Iron On Quick Fuse fabric sheets

Computer (with Microsoft Word or Adobe)

Ink jet printer

Iron/ironing board

Scissors, rotary cutter, mat, etc.

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little man hat

There isn't much of anything that is cuter than a little guy in a hat. When my aunt asked if I would make a hat for my cousin's soon-to-be 2 year old, I was excited to take a stab at a sewn hat (I've always made her knit hats in the past). I think for my first hat it turned out cute...and I can't wait to see it on his sweet little head this winter.

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Here's what you'll need:

main color fleece

accent color fleece

(amount depends on hat size you’re making)

A small piece of embroidery floss or string 

(to secure your pom on top)

Scissor, cutting mat, rotary cutter, etc.

Pencil or white charcoal to mark fabric

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hand embroidered note cards

I love projects that you can start and finish within a matter of a few hours (or minutes in this case). These embroidered note cards are fun and easy to make. They’re also great to have on hand to send “thank you” notes or “just because” letters. 

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Here’s what you’ll need:

1.     Blank folded note cards

2.     Scratch paper

3.     Pen and/or pencil

4.     Needle for stitching

5.     Needle or thumb tack for poking holes

6.     Embroidery floss in assorted colors

 (note: I like to use a thicker scratch paper because once you 

make a template you can use it again and again)

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