Framed Peg Board

I'm loving my new framed peg board. I found a stellar deal on a black custom frame at Hobby Lobby, and I immediately knew what I wanted to do with it. I stopped by Lowes on my way home to get some supplies, and then I got to work. By the way, if you don't have a saw, the guys at Lowes will be happy to cut your wood for you. Just bring your frame into the store, and they can measure it out for you.

Here are the supplies I used:

• Primer (I used Rust-Oleum spray primer)
• Spray Paint (I used Rust-Oleum High Performance Enamel in White)
• 1 picture frame (mine was about 29-in x 34-in)
• 1 peg board (cut slightly smaller than the frame)
• Staple gun 
• Staples (my staples were 3/4-inch... make sure they're long enough to go through the peg board)
• 2 (1x2 board cut slightly shorter than the width of your frame)
• Hammer
• Nails (I used 1-inch nails... make sure yours are long enough to hold everything together but not too long that they will go through the frame)
• Picture frame hanging kit

I couldn't believe the deal I got on this frame... Originally $165 on clearance for $20.

The first thing I did was prime the peg board. This is important because the peg board is porous, and you don't want your white paint to soak into the board giving you a splotchy look.



Once the primer has dried, you can spray paint it white. I did a couple of coats on each side.

Once the white paint has completely dried (overnight), staple the peg board onto the back of the frame. I put a staple every 4 or 5 inches around the peg board, and I feel like that is sufficient. By now you should have a beautifully framed peg board.
But wait...
We're not finished yet.

You don't want the peg board to be flush with the wall because you need to stick the little "pegs" into the holes. You don't want the pegs scratching up your walls, so you need to place a piece of 1x2 wood on the top and bottom part to give you room in between for hanging the pegs.

Make sure the wood is straight, and nail it on. I used about 8 to 10 (1-inch) nails just to make sure it stayed on.

This is what it should look like now... a piece of wood on the top and bottom of the frame.

 The last step was attaching the frame wire onto the back of the peg board. Now it's ready to hang.

See; we have plenty of room in the back for the pegs.

Now your frame is ready for decorating with your favorite craft tools.

Vintage Jewelry Magnets

I made these magnets for a special friend for Christmas this past year. We went to Anthropologie and saw some adorable magnets that had an un-adorable (if that's not a word, it is now) price. It looked like they took vintage jewelry and glued a magnet on the back.

So that's exactly what I did! I bought some vintage clip-on earrings and used pliers to carefully take the earring back off. Etsy and the thrift store... or even your grandmother's jewelry pile are great places to look for earrings, brooches, necklaces, etc.

Once I took off the back of the earrings, I glued a round magnet to the flat surface with a hot glue gun. I think they turned out really cute, and I almost didn't want to give them away. I'll surely be making more of these in the future. They make great gifts, and they look so pretty on the fridge.

Sweet N' Spicy Brown Sugar Scrub

I made several of these sugar scrubs for Christmas gifts. I tried some out as I was making it, and it left my hands feeling so soft. It smells delicious, too! It reminds me of those scrubs at Bath and Body Works, and most of the ingredients are probably already in your pantry. The only thing I may try differently next time is using something other than almond oil. I had a hard time finding it in the grocery store, and it was almost $7 for an 8.45-ounce bottle. I may try peanut oil unless anyone has any other suggestions.

Want to make one of these for yourself? You'll need the following:

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup granulated white sugar
3/4 cup almond oil (or more)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 (16-ounce) glass container with lid (I got mine at World Market)
1 Cinnamon stick

In a medium-sized bowl, combine all ingredients until thoroughly blended. Be sure to break up any lumps from the brown sugar or from the spices. Spoon into the glass container and secure with lid. Scoop a teaspoon or two of the scrub on your hands and gently massage in circular motions onto your skin. Leave on for 3 to 4 minutes before thoroughly rinsing. The scrub will tighten on your skin.

Source: Domino Sugar

Headband

I sent this headband to go along with the shoes I made for my cousin's baby girl. I love the way the flowers curl up and look like they have petals.

I couldn't find any baby headbands, so I bought an adult one and re-sized it. I just cut a chunk out of it and sewed it together.


There are so many possibilities of crafts (besides headbands) using these flowers. You can use them to embellish pillows, sweaters, lamp shades, and purses. You can also use a large bead or rhinestone for the center instead of seed beads.

You'll be surprised at how easy these are to make. The only tools you need is a hot glue gun and a pair of scissors.
If you want to make these, you can find the tutorial at Make It and Love It.

Cutsie Little Tutu

I made this tutu for a friend whose little girl, Reagan was turning 2. It looked so adorable on her, but she didn't know what to think when her mama put it on her. It wasn't until her mama put it on herself (just playing around) that Reagan really wanted to wear it. It was too cute!

I've made a couple of these so far. One with elastic and the other with a satin ribbon. My favorite one is with the ribbon. The knots tie much tighter on the ribbon, and I feel like it's more secure. I also like the pretty bow in the front (or back, if you choose)

If you want to make a tutu like this, you can find the tutorial here. Have fun!!

Felt Heart Wreath

Aubrey went hunting this weekend, so this was the perfect craft to keep me busy while he was gone. I stopped by JoAnn Fabrics and bought 3/4 yard of red felt, 12-inch styrofoam heart, and some straight pins. I cut out circles from the felt and pinned them on the wreath. It took a few hours to get everything finished, but I watched "27 Dresses" and "Definitely Maybe" while working on it. I was really happy with how it turned out.

I have a little felt left over, so I'm going to try to tackle another craft. Crafts are really great de-stressors for me. I only wish I had my crafting buddies a little closer by so we could exchange ideas more often.
I got this tutorial from The Idea Room. You should check out that blog and see other things she made with her felt. The Valentine's topiary is really cute!

Pete, the Pumpkin Penguin

Meet Pete:

My brother-in-law's girlfriend absolutely loves penguins. Every time I see a penguin, I think of her. I was browsing blogs this past week, and I came across this penguin pumpkin... I knew right off the bat who I was going to make it for.

Making this little pumpkin was easy, and it sure was therapeutic after a hard week at work. If you get the urge to make one, the directions are on the Wyldhare's Hollow website.

Have fun, and Happy Halloween!

Tailor-Made Tea Bags

Happy Mother's Day!

Wow! I haven't made a post since 2008... This is loooong overdue.
I saw this idea in the Martha Stewart magazine, and I knew it's what I wanted to make my mom for Mother's Day. She loves tea, especially mint.

I didn't use the embellishments that Martha used (yes, we're on a first name basis) because I really didn't want to spend money on tools that I probably wouldn't ever use again. I had some of these flowers left over from scrapbooking, and they worked out perfectly. However, I did buy the cotton string.

I wish I would have bought a larger tin so more tea bags would have fit, but I've promised the rest of the tea bags at a later time. I cut out some scrapbooking paper to fit the inside of the tin's top so the tea bags could be labeled.

Each flower represents a specific tea flavor

I used cheesecloth for the actual tea bag. I cut out a rectangle (8-in x 16-in) and put 2 TBSP loose tea at the center of the top. I rolled it up and folded both sides over and tied with the cotton string. Then I put a flower at the tip of the string and tied a knot so the flower wouldn't fall off.