Monthly Archives: May 2012

Prints – {DIY canvas print tutorial}

Posted on by

4

A while back, I stumbled upon an amazing wall of frames on Young House Love. I immediately begged Brett to go with me to Ikea to snatch up a million frames to replicate this in our hallway. Unfortunately, our Ikea was undergoing some changes and the marketplace was not open. I’m sure you can imagine my devastation. I really loved how Sherry and John (YHL) made a whole hallway of frames…not just of pictures but of prints, pictures and special memories. I am the biggest sentimental sap there is.. so my mind was going crazy with ideas. One thing I did start searching for was prints that had meaning to us. I wanted to frame these so that they would put a smile on our faces when we walk by. Who doesn’t want to be reminded that you “can never be over-dressed or over-educated”? 

I surely want to be reminded of this everyday! So… on Pinterest I started searching for (and hoarding) all sorts of amazing prints. Some were ones I could order from sellers on etsy and others were free printable ones. The print at home ones just made me so excited… it is probably embarrassing to actually admit how giddy I got.  Since I have to wait for my Ikea to finish up their renovations… I have been getting antsy and wanting to use some of these prints elsewhere in our home.

Well, I came across a free printable this past weekend that I knew would be perfect for our little kitchen display area. I found it on Pinterest from a blog called Eighteen 25. They had this print in yellow, blue, gray and red and they were all free to download! I opted for the yellow and decided to attach it to a canvas to display in the kitchen.

What you need:

-Print of any sort (printed mine on cardstock for durability)

-Canvas

-Modge Podge

-Foam Brush

-Scissors or paper cutter to remove border from paper

-Clear acrylic gloss spray (like I used here)

What to do:

Once I printed this out, I just trimmed the edges down to fit perfectly on my canvas.

Then I brushed a light layer of modge podge on the back of the print and placed it in the center of the canvas. From there I brushed another light layer over the top and along the border of the paper for it to adhere better. I did a few layers of this. Make sure to let your layers dry in between otherwise the paper will get too wet and start to curl up or bubble. Once I was done with the layers of modge podge (I did 3 I think) and it dried, I sprayed it with clear acrylic gloss spray to seal it all in completely. It was as simple as that! And here is what is looks like done and displayed…

I think it came out really cute and I was so happy with how it looks. This will hold me over until I can plaster my hallway with dozens of prints like this. Ahh.. I can’t wait.

Have you downloaded any great printables lately? Let a girl know! :)

About these ads

As they say… a picture is worth a thousand words

Posted on by

0

I love good photography. Good photographs can capture a story or a moment. I have always been accused of taking too many pictures but I never want to forget a single great moment. With our Spare Time Treasures shop, we have been lucky enough to have an array of beautiful models and talented photographers. They take our products and portray them so perfectly and I am always so grateful when I see the work they have done. I wanted to highlight some of my favorite shoots and photographers for you guys today. I’m thrilled to be able to share some of their work with all of you! Make sure to check out their sites and their incredible skills!

{Max and Mimi Photography}

Photographer Kate did a shoot for me recently with her daughter which I was so excited for. Her website is packed with just the most beautiful “vintage-esque” shoots you could imagine. I lose track of time when I am perusing through her site… it is that wonderful.

They are just adorable. I can imagine as a photographer that commercial shoots are difficult because you have to make the scene right but also highlight the item the shoot is for. Kate does a fantastic job at make the headpieces a focus without over-doing it. If you are anywhere near her in Pennsylvania… you must check out her work.

{Bayou Belles Photography}

Ashley did one of my all time favorite shoots for me last year. We had made a Cinderella-inspired tutu dress and were looking some fun, playful pictures to show it off. Well Ashley went above and beyond what I had expected and constructed just the cutest series of photographs for us to use. Here are some of them…

Get it? She left behind her shoe! Just melts my heart haha. Bayou Belles is located in Louisiana for all your southerners near her!

{Sanders Photography and Design}

If I was a photographer, these are the types of photographs I would strive for. Angie Sanders has this amazing ability to capture such natural emotion in just the most beautiful settings. It doesn’t hurt that her daughter is stunning either :)

They are simple, bright and just perfect to me. Angie is based out of Iowa. I am pretty sure that if I ever find myself anywhere near Iowa, I would beg her to do a shoot of me… and I guess Brett could be in it too :)

Photography is such a common thing these days. Everyone has a digital camera and it doesn’t take much to call yourself a photographer after reading a few online tutorials. Good photographers are artists though. They see a moment in time and capture it perfectly. And to me… there is hardly anything more beautiful than that.  With our shop, it is so important to have good photographs to brand our business and we are so grateful for all of the photographers that have helped us along that journey. There are many, many more photographers that deserve a high-five on this blog… so be on the lookout because I am sure I will inundate you with beautiful photography again soon!

Are there any photographers that are just amazing and you need to share??

Sweet Chicken Nugget Recipe

Posted on by

2

Are you ready for me to change your life? Really. That is how amazing this recipe is. A few months ago, I found this recipe on Pinterest and if you know me, you know that chicken nuggets are part of my main food group…so I knew I had to try it. If you don’t know me… well now you know how near and dear chicken nuggets are to my heart.

This recipe claimed (and delivered) that they taste just like Chick-fil-a, which is just a great walk down memory lane for me. I originally went to school down in Florida and that was my first experience with Chick-fil-a… and I was forever changed. It is sweet and salty and so juicy. So without further ado…

Chicken Nugget Recipe (I mostly stick with the original… but made a few changes)

2 skinless and boneless chicken breasts (we cut them into little nugget sizes)
1 cup milk
1 egg
1 1/4 cups flour
3 TBSP powdered sugar (the original says to use 2…but I like it a bit more sweet)
2 tsp salt (with the salt and the pepper… we really never measure… )
1 tsp pepper

I bought Brett a little mini deep fryer for Christmas which works just great for the two of us. If we had a family… well we would certainly need a bigger deep fryer. We use vegetable oil in our fryer because Brett is allergic to peanuts and it wouldn’t be pretty if we used peanut oil. I am sure that canola oil would work just as great!

In a bowl whisk the egg and stir in the milk. Trim any fat away from chicken (I over-trim, or Brett does because I hate touching raw chicken) and then cut chicken into bite size pieces. Place chicken in milk mixture, and cover with some saran wrap. You are supposed to let it marinate in the milk for 2-4 hours… but if I did that when I got home from work, well we wouldn’t eat until 10pm. I usually just let it sit in the milk for 30 minutes or so and have never had an issue. This will make the chicken very nice and tender.

Then, in a gallon size ziplock bag combine flour, powdered sugar, salt and pepper. Seal and shake to combine. This is the perfect time to get your deep fryer heated up! We set it to 375. If you don’t have a deep fryer… I am sure you could pan fry it in a deep pot the same exact way. Remove cut chicken from milk mixture and place in the flour mixture. Seal and shake until nuggets are completely coated (my favorite step — I shake it like I have maracas). Place a few into hot oil and let them cook until golden brown. It is usually just a few minutes total for our deep fryer… but everyone’s is different. Always double-check to see if any chicken you make is cooked through. I always just make a tiny cut to see if it’s pink. Remove and drain on a paper towel. Repeat until all nuggets are cooked.

They are seriously delicious. I gave this recipe to my father to use for my brother’s sports banquet and apparently people were asking who catered the event. Yes. That good. You need to try this.

Try it and let me know what you think!

{original recipe from My Name is Snickerdoodle}

Pin it Up – {DIY Bulletin Board Tutorial}

Posted on by

1

I don’t know about you, but I am a list maker. I have lists everywhere, which drives me crazy because I like being organized. I tried for a while to make lists on my phone instead, but it doesn’t really work the same for me. I like being able to cross things off. Well, I needed a place to keep all my lists together and the obvious solution was a bulletin board. I remember when my mother redid my bedroom when I was in middle school… she covered my bulletin board in snake-skin fabric (it was cool at the time) and I thought it was so awesome. A covered bulletin board makes it a piece of “art” instead of an eye sore. So I got to searching for fabrics.

I am a huge fan of Waverly home decor fabrics. I drool over their patterns. I had come across one recently that I knew would be perfect. I wanted a pink fabric as the bulletin board would be going in my special built-in desk area… aka the only area in our home that I can put pink without having to beg :)

So this weekend, I dragged Brett to Jo-Ann’s to get some fabric to start this super easy project!

Here is what you need:

-Fabric (I got a yard because I like to have leftover fabric)

-Bulletin Board (got mine from Target for under $7)

-Spray Adhesive

-Staple Gun/Staples

Here is what I did:

I trimmed the fabric down to size leaving about 4 inches all the way around. This way I had enough allowance to wrap it around the back. Then I sprayed the adhesive all over the cork and very carefully laid the fabric down. Make sure to lay your fabric straight if it is a pattern. Otherwise it will look like your bulletin board is tilted, which is never good :)

After smoothing out the fabric to ensure there were no bumps and letting it dry for a few minutes, I was ready for the staple gun {by the way I just use a cheap $10 hand staple gun}. I made sure to pull the fabric taut and staple it down every inch or so. Then I trimmed the fabric and it was done! I added some white tacks around the corners to make it look fancy-schmancy. I’ve seen tutorials where people will add tacks or nails around the trim which looks really nice! Here is how it turned out!

I was really happy with how it came out. I decided to lean it against the wall at my desk instead of hang it up. I liked the “laid-back” feel of how it looked.

This can be done with a bulletin board or even those cork squares… and it was so easy!

My lists haven’t made it on there yet… when they do, you probably won’t be able to see the fabric. At least I will know it looks cute underneath, though :)

Have you tried this before? Or are you running to your bulletin board now imagining how adorable it could be…

DIY Nail Art

Posted on by

4

Hardware store nail art. Who would have thought? Certainly not me. For months now I have seen many tutorials on Pinterest for DIY state art made from nails. I decided I needed to try it. Brett and I moved to Connecticut about a year ago but we both grew up in Massachusetts and have a very strong attachment to that great state.

After finding many projects…

{Curiously Wrought}

{Our Mini Family}

I decided to finally try it and to see what would happen…

Here is what you need:

-Wood

-Paint (I’m sure spray paint would work just as well!)

-Foam brush if you decided to paint your wood like me

-Nails/Hammer

-Print out of the state you want to make

-String

Here is what I did:

I bought a wood plaque at Michaels which was perfect for me because I didn’t want to have to buy a huge piece of wood and then have to get it cut down to size. It had finished edges and everything. I gave it a quick sanding just to make sure it was completely smooth.

I decided to go with Martha Stewart Satin craft paint in a pretty pale yellow shade.

The wood SOAKED up the paint really fast. I probably went over it with 3 or 4 coats but it dried very quickly in between coats. I kept adding coats until I got the look I was hoping for. As you can see above, the first coat went on and look more like a stain than paint, so I started to worry a bit. Low and behold… it turned out great!

Then I printed out a map of Massachusetts from Google and just started hammering the nails in. I didn’t have problem with them staying in, but you could always add a dab of hot glue if you had a wiggly nail.

Massachusetts was a little trickier than I initially thought. I just kind of winged the coast line so it certainly isn’t geographically accurate but I am okay with that :) When I was done with the nails, I carefully ripped the paper out from under it. Some little bits stayed stuck under the nails, but I just pulled them out with tweezers and it was as though there had never been a guide there!

Now, I have never claimed to be good with tools. As you can see some of my nails are a little sideways. It just gives it a bit more charm… right? Oh! I also added a little heart in the center of the state. I wanted to add a heart on the south shore where I grew up and a heart in the center of the state for where Brett grew up… but it was too tight to fit all of that. I settled on the center because we love the state as a whole! Then came the string…

I started by wrapping the string around one of the nails in the heart and tying a knot. Then I just went nail by nail winding the string around and keeping it tight. As you go along, you will develop a pattern that works for your state. Cape Cod made this a little tricky but I made it work. Once I got to the end I tied another knot and it was done! Really… it was that easy.

And now it is proudly displayed between the living room and kitchen!

While it is FAR from perfect, I am really happy with it. It is a little touch of home and a little touch of modern art. I might add some hooks to the back and eventually hang it up on the wall. For now though, it is just adorable!

Have you tried making art with things you can find at the hardware store? Who would have known it could be so darn cute?!?

Paint your Pillow!

Posted on by

5

I have a throw pillow obsession. Recently, I have been drawn to pillows with bold geometric patterns and also ones with simple letters/words (opposites attract?). Nice throw pillows can be very expensive and as I have said before… I refuse to buy things I know I can make. Plus, when you make something, you are proud to display it in your home. Well… upon making loads of throw pillows recently, I came across a great tutorial for a stenciled pillow and tweaked it a bit to work for me.

What you need:

-Pillow cover. You can make this, use one you have or buy one. I got a really beautiful linen one here because I was looking for that neutral home-made shabby-chic look (I probably just made that “look” up)

-Letter stencil. I used Martha Stewarts adhesive stencils from Michaels. I will get into how much I love these in a bit.

-Fabric marker. I used a black sharpie paint marker and it worked perfectly.

-Cardboard

Here is what I did:

When I received my pillow cover in the mail, I just quickly ironed it and then got to work. I put a piece of cardboard inside the pillow cover so that the paint wouldn’t bleed through. It worked like a charm!

The stencils I used were perfect for a project like this. The adhesive letter stencils from Martha Stewart come in lower and upper case… which was great because I wanted only lower case letters for my pillow.

I decided to go with “You are my Sunshine”.  I started by placing the adhesive stencils on the pillow cover in the pattern I was looking for. You can move the letters around until you get the spacing just right. Then, I just used the fabric markers and painted in the stencils. It was like coloring in a coloring book! After each letter I painted, I removed the stencil right away to prevent the paint from drying onto the stencil and ruining the overall look. If you don’t have fabric markers, regular craft paint and a sponge-tip brush would work just fine with these stencils and this project as well.

The great thing about these stencils is that you can wash the paint right off them and they stay adhesive on the back for future projects. How great is that?!?

Overall it worked out really well for me and I am so happy with my pillow cover. This would be a great wedding/anniversary gift I think. Or even a great gift for a friend (maybe with the birthdays of their kids). The possibilities are endless! Let me know if you try something like this!

{original tutorial from wit & whistle}

Stamps as Art

Posted on by

2

When I was younger, my father always used to tell me about how his father collected stamps as a kid. He said that people would mail stamps from all around the world to him, as they were quite the Boston socialites back in the day. Since I first started hearing these stories, I would have bitten off my left arm to see these stamps but they were never found. Even when we sold my grandparents house, I remember my father looking for them but no luck.

Fast forward many years… about a year ago my father was rummaging through some of my grandparents old materials in our basement. We have some really cool stuff down there, like WW1 memorabilia and vintage highchairs etc etc. And wouldn’t you know, we found the STAMPS! I was just in awe at all of them. There were thousands. From every country you could imagine. They were amazing. I wanted to turn some of them into art for my office (Brett’s office, really) since we have an old world traveler theme going on in there. I decided that if I made some of them into art, it was a sentimental thing to me. And being the biggest sap on earth… it was perfect. However, we decided that we should probably have a stamp collector look at the collection and make sure none of them are worth millions before I slap them on a canvas and ruin them.

So I found an alternate plan… I found a shop online {Angela Ligiori} that sells real vintage stamps. Just like my grandfathers! Seriously! And at only $6 for 50 of them, I really couldn’t pass them up. I have dreams of buying hundreds of these and using them as confetti on the tables at my hypothetical wedding one day. But anyways… back to topic…

So I bought these….

It was so fun going through all of them and finding where they came from. Brett wasn’t as thrilled when I would shriek in delight that there was one from Greece or Morocco or another unexpected country. To say I was thrilled was an understatement. I had initially planned on framing some of the stamps and hanging them on the wall. But I didn’t have a nice frame on hand and I decided I would save the frame idea for my Grandfathers stamps when I get them one day. Instead I opted for a canvas!

Here is what you need:

-stamps (you can find them here)

-canvas (pick any size that works for you)

-Modge Podge (I used matte but I am sure glossy would work just fine as well)

-1inch foam brush

-clear finish gloss spray (I use Krylon and am really happy with it)

First I picked the stamps I wanted to use for this particular canvas. I made sure to have a variety of colors and countries. Then I mapped out (ha ha) exactly where I would put them. I wanted to make sure they would fit perfectly.

I went about this by brushing on a thin layer of Modge Podge in a small portion of the canvas and then placed the stamps down. I did it section by section so that the Modge Podge wouldn’t dry before I got to that section. Makes sense, right? (p.s. ignore the spray adhesive in the background…I was experimenting with other ways to do this)

I just kept going with this until the canvas was completely covered. Then I brushed an additional layer or two of modge podge on top. Note, be careful with some of the stamps when you are brushing the modge podge on. Sometimes if it isn’t stuck underneath perfectly the edges will curl up. As long as you brush the edges down with the layer on top you should be fine. Hopefully my giberish makes sense…

After I let this dry for about 2 hours, I brought it outside and sprayed it with my gloss spray. This just helps to seal the whole thing and gives it a nice finish. I let that set for about another two hours and this is what I ended up with…

I left the canvas white because I wanted the colors of the stamps to pop. But, you could always paint the canvas and then follow the same process! I bet it would look cool that way, too! I made two of these and they both live on our bookcase in the office.

I think it came out just great! While they aren’t my grandfathers stamps… they have the same sentimental tie to me. Let me know if you try any fun art projects with vintage stamps!

All in the details…

Posted on by

2

Well I am in the midst of planning a graduation party for my little brother, Greg and I figured I would start to share some of the goodies I have been purchasing/whipping up for the party! Greg is going to West Virginia University next year which is really special to me because our other brother Tim just graduated from there. So now my family, born and raised in Massachusetts, has a special tie to West Virginia and it is pretty great.

We are having the party in my parent’s backyard under a big tent. It is kind of our thing. We are known for having parties in our backyard, so I wouldn’t have it any other way. We are having a cookout but I wanted to make it more “special”. It would have been easier if my brother was a girl because its easy to make a party look “cute”. But instead I’ve had to come up with ideas so that it is put-together and stylish but still “manly” (okay boyish, he is my little baby and only 18).

I had seen some really great ideas on Pinterest for a better way to display utensils. I hate most of those wire baskets that people have to just grab their utensils from. Well, they wouldn’t work for this party anyways. So I saw this…

{from the ritzy bee blog}

I really like the wooden utensils shown in that picture… but it didn’t really fit with what my brother would want. I can imagine his friends thinking we were weird for having dainty wooden forks. There shall be another time for those…

I decided to roll with the idea of putting the utensils in a paper bag. I found these great kraft paper bags from PrettyTape on Etsy. It was only $7.50 for 100 of them! Perfect, huh? I opted for kraft because it’s a neutral and you can really embellish it however you want. I also got some blue washi tape from this shop as well to decorate the bag with. I wanted just a little splash of color on the front (plus it gave me an excuse to get more washi tape I don’t need…)

I also got some DIY printables from The TomKat Studio. I love these. You just send them the colors you want, fonts and what you need the circles to say… and then a few days later you get a PDF file that you can do so many things with! At some point I will show you what we have done with them for this party. All you need to do is use a craft punch to cut them out and then the possibilities are endless. In the past, I have cut slits in the top and used ribbon to make them into napkin rings. Or, I have also use them attached to toothpicks as cupcake toppers. I have used them for so many things. So versatile. Feel free to check out The TomKat Studio blog as they have great ideas for these printables. I haven’t done it yet… but the plan is to adhere one circle to each of the utensil bags. I’ll make sure to take a picture when I do it!

Well… today I received the utensils I ordered from Party City and the napkins I ordered from Shindigz and decided to start making these bags.

With the bags, I just put a little piece of washi tape randomly on the bottom somewhere. No rhyme or reason. In the center… envision one of those party circles that either says “Greg” or “2012″ etc etc in blue and yellow. Those supplies then turned into this…

Yeah, I know… most adorable thing you have ever seen. By the way, in case you are wondering, the baskets are from Dollar Tree. Gotta love that place. Each bag has a fork and knife, WVU napkin and a WVU mint. Yes, a mint. I had bought these mints for the party a while back and figured I would put them in a glass canister somewhere. But I started to worry that no one would even eat them… I mean given the option of stuffing my face with cake or grabbing a mint. Well I know what I would pick. I decided that putting the mint inside would just be the perfect little addition to these bags so people would see them (and eat them!).

And there you have it! To me, it’s all about those little details that leave people with a great feeling about your event. Be on the lookout for many more posts about all of the others things I have planned for the party :)

Chalk it up

Posted on by

0

I know… another post about chalkboard paint… forgive me. I just couldn’t pass up sharing this tutorial with you. It is for a DIY chalkboard platter. It can be used to label cookies, treats, cheese or anything you want!

Here is what you need:

-porcelain platter (I got mine from CB2)

-Pebeo Porcelaine 150 Chalkboard Paint (I got mine from Amazon) The bottle is small and around $10 but I hardly put a dent in it so I am thinking it will last me quite a while. Make sure to use chalkboard paint suited for porcelain and not just regular chalkboard paint.

-soft bristle paint brush

-painter’s tape (I didn’t have any at the time so I just did without)

Here’s how to do it:

The pre-work…I made sure to wash and dry the platter before I started. I think that goes without saying…but just in case :) If you want to mask off the edges with painter’s tape, go right ahead! I had every intention of doing this but oh well! Also keep in mind that this brand of porcelain paint says it’s not recommended for surfaces that come in contact with food. Therefore, use at your own risk! However, the paint is non-toxic and is water-based so I can’t imagine that it will cause any harm.

I applied the paint with a soft bristled brush. I started at the edges and worked my way from one side to the other.The brush strokes were really evident with my first coat. But after letting the first coat dry, I applied a second coat it looked just perfect! Once you are done painting, if you used painter’s tape, make sure to remove it carefully while the paint is still wet. You run the risk of peeling the paint off if you wait until it dries.

Let the paint dry for 24 hours. Then, follow the directions on the back of your paint bottle to bake your platter in the oven. This will help set the paint as well as make it dishwasher and microwave save. Convenient, huh?

I had bought two platters so I played around with one of them. Just painted a small flower to label just one thing… such as bruschetta! Yum… You can see the template in the background that I used for the flower. I made it from a craft punch that I had.

I haven’t had a chance to use them yet… but I think they will make a great stylish addition to any party!

Have you done anything fun with serving platters lately? Or maybe with chalkboard paint? Let me know!

{found this original tutorial on wit & whistle}

Upholstery… the easy way!

Posted on by

5

I have a slight love affair with Ikea. Granted, their products are inexpensive and therefore you would assume cheaply made… but I have never ever had an issue. I had been biting at the bit to upholster a table after seeing some inspiration on Pinterest.

Exhibit A – {west elm}

Exhibit B – {the clean slate}

My issue with most things in life is that I hate buying something that I know I can make… and make into exactly what I need instead of settle for what a store has in stock. So, I have been known to DIY things often. Where was I… oh yes, back to my love affair with Ikea…

Well while walking through Ikea one Saturday afternoon, Brett and I stumbled upon their Lack side table. In white, it was $7.99. Yes.. less than $8. I stopped myself from buying 20 of them out of pure excitement and grabbed one to upholster.

Lack Table – {ikea}

After picking up the table, we made a pit stop at JoAnn’s Fabrics to get some supplies.

-Two yards of home decor fabric. I would highly suggest getting good quality home decor fabric (I’m a big Waverly fan myself). If you just get regular cotton fabric it won’t hold up as well. JoAnn’s always has 50% off coupons so it drastically can cut down the cost of the fabric.

-4in foam. I was able to find a square cut of 4in foam that was the exact size of the table top. I probably got lucky but the foam wouldn’t be hard to cut down to size at all.

-Roll of batting.

-Elmer’s Spray Adhesive (had this at home)

-Hand-held staple gun and staples

-Sissors

-Hammer (because I am a weakling… you’ll understand in a bit)

Here’s how we did this…

I started out by spraying a good amount of adhesive onto the foam and stuck it to the top of the table.

From there we covered it with a layer of batting and fabric (the picture only shows the batting)

We then flipped the covered table top over and trimmed the batting and fabric down to make it more manageable. Then, I started to staple around the edges. Since I am weak, I had to hammer down some of the staples I didn’t get in all the way (now you understand my need for a hammer).

Once I had all the sides stapled down, we had to screw the legs back on. Brett made small cuts in the corners so that the screw could go through the fabric with ease.

Then once we screwed in the rest of the legs, we made sure to have a staple every inch or so. Better to have it be secure! After that I just trimmed off the rest of the excess fabric and it was DONE! All in all, it probably only took about 15-20 minutes and it was so easy. Ready for the finished product?

Yay upholstery!

This was a very simple project that ANYONE could do! Let me know if you try it!