Shutter Flag

I love when I get to restore items that once had true quality and craftsmanship.  These shutters where being tossed out after being removed during a renovation.  I see things for what they can be, not what they are.

To begin..

• First find some old shutters (I love to garage sale or go to second hand construction stores, they have a wide variety)
• Sand down and remove any defects you find
• Prep a surface to paint the base coat, I used white for this flag project
• Stencil in a star or hand draw into a section of lathe to represent the square
• Now paint the blue square at the top around the stencil star
• Find the horizontal lathe and paint two at a time red (resembling the stripes on the American Flag!)
• I used a Gloss paint to have a high resistance but if you choose a more subtle finish you may need to clear coat over to seal in the paint
• Find a spot indoors or outdoors to show off your American Pride.

Tonka Planters

Make a statement with this great idea using your old Tonka equipment.

All you need to do...

• Find metal Tonka trucks (plastic ones may damage easy)
• Purchase potting soil
• Find rocks or bark for the rear of the truck to hold in the soil
• Fill up soil surrounding any assortment of flowers
• Water, sun and enjoy!

DIY Pop Bottle Vase

This is a cute way to use those old glass pop bottles. I used the pick a pop bottles but you could use coke, 7 up, or any other classic glass pop bottle.

Materials:

• 1x4 Pine Board
• Miter Saw
• Drill
• Drill Bits
• Spade Drill Bit
• Air Nailer & Nails
• Wood Glue
• Tape Measure
• Pencil
• Sandpaper
• Clear Coat Polyurethane 
• Glass Pop Bottles
• Flowers and Water

Directions:

1. Make sure you have all of your materials ready. 
2. Measure out how long you will need each board based on the number and height of your bottles. Mark your cutting lines.
3. Cut your boards to the correct lengths. We cut ours to put them together at an angle. 
4. Hold the boards together to make sure they fit together and are all the correct length. 
5. For your top board where the bottle will come through, measure out and mark where you need to drill the holes. 
6. Make a small hole with a regular drill bit first. Then use a spade bit to make the hole big enough for the bottle top to come through. 
7. Sand your boards to get out any rough spots and edges. 
8. Glue and nail the ends together. It will become more sturdy once the glue drys. 
9. Carefully sand any other spots on the boards. 
10. Check to see if the bottles will fit into their spots. You may need to sand down the bottom edges of the holes to give a little more space to get the bottles in. 
11. Once the bottles fit and the glue is dry it is ready for the clear coat. Remove the bottles before painting the clear coat. You could also stain this to match your decor. The natural wood goes well with the decor in our home. 
12. After everything is dry place the bottle back in their spots.
13. Fill the bottles with water and add your flowers. 
14. Use your new DIY decor as a centerpiece for everyone to see. Enjoy!
    
    
    

DIY Painted Welcome Signs

Everyone needs a welcome sign on their front step!

Materials: 

• 10"x6' Pine Board (3/4 inch thick)
• 6" Stencils
• Sand Paper or Power Sander
• Pencil
• Acrylic Paints
• Paint Brushes
• Clear Coat Polyurethane 

Directions:

1. Sand the board to get out any rough spots or marks. Wipe it clean.
2. Line up and measure out your stencils. You want the letters to be straight, centered and evenly spaced. Then trace the letters.
3. For the O in Welcome you can draw and paint anything you like. Flower, pumpkin, snowflake, sports ball, etc.
4. Paint the letters and your design for the O.
5. Once the paint is dry, paint on a coat or 2 of the polyurethane. Let it dry. 
6. Place on your front step to welcome your guests. You could even make these as gifts. 

Pallet Shelf /Organizer

A rustic decor organizer!

Materials:

• Find a pallet (sizing of your choice)
• 1 x 4 board
• White Chalk paint
• Mason Jar
• Copperhead Nails
• Hose clamp *make sure the clamp fits around the mason jar you chose
• 1 short screw
• Fine Sandpaper 
• Tools (Hammer, Saw, Drill, Tape Measure, Flat-head Screwdriver or Nut Driver)

Directions:

1. Flip the pallet over so top boards are against the ground.
2. Measure and mark to your desired shelf height.
3. Using the saw cut at your marked height.
4. Measure space on bottom and cut the 1 x 4 board to size to creat the pocket.
5. Nail shelf supports from front with copper nails. The copper nails are more decorative than regular nails. 
6. Sand down any rough spots with the sandpaper.
7. Find center of shelf and screw on the hose clamp.  
8. Tighten the hose clamp around the mason jar. 
9. Hang on the wall, we screwed it to a stud to make sure it was secure. You could also add hanging fixtures to the back to hang it. 
10. Fill with painting or craft supplies and enjoy!

Old Window Picture Frame

I found this old window and had to do something with it. 

             

  Materials:

       

• Old window
• Hanging Hardware
• Favorite Family Photos
• Clear Tape

Directions:

1. Find an old window
2. Clean it up. Do not scrub to hard, you don't want to take away any of the distressed look. 
3. Add the hanging hardware on the back. 
4. Add your photos using small pieces of clear tape. 
5. Hang it up!

DIY Wood Pallet Coffee Cup Holder

My husband helped me make this wood pallet coffee cup holder. It was a fun project for us to do together. I found this pallet this size but you could break down a larger pallet to make it the size you want.

This pallet is 2ft x 2ft

Materials:

• Small Pallet
• Extra Wood
• Drill and Screws
• Coffee Mugs
• Hooks
• Letter Stencils
• Acrylic Paint
• Paint Brush

Directions:

1. Find or make a small pallet. 
2. Add a couple small boards to create a shelf. 
3. Using stencils, paint the word coffee across the top.
4. Add the hooks for the coffee cups. 
5. Now it is ready to hang. It is heavy so we screwed it into a stud on the wall. 

Rainbow and Pot of Gold

Rainbow Finger Prints & Pot of Gold

This was a fun St. Patrick's Day Craft I did with my kids. 

Materials:

• White & Black Construction Paper
• Paints (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple)
• Glue; stick & liquid
• Gold Glitter

Directions:

1. Have all materials ready. I put a small amount of each of the colors of paint on a paper plate so they were ready for the little fingers. 
2. Cut a pot out of the black paper. Glue it towards the bottom and one side of the white paper. 
3. Starting with the red paint, make finger prints in a rainbow shape. Continue with the other colors in the order of the rainbow. Wash your hands between each color. 
4. If you would like you can add some fingerprint shamrocks around the rainbow. 
5. Using the liquid glue, spread some around the top of your pot. Sprinkle the gold glitter on the glue. 
6. Keep your artwork laying flat to dry. Hang it up!

Red, White & Blue Party Favor/ Thank You

Thanks for Coming!
***
Now let's get Star Spangled Hammered!

This is a fun a easy party favor to use on many occasions. I used these for a red, white and blue themed Bachelorette party. Your guests will love their Red, White & Blue Thank You.

Materials:

• Can of Sprite
• Mini Vodka Bottles
• Thank You Note
• String

Directions:

1. Create Tag. I typed up and printed off the thank you, used decorative scissors to cut out the note and a colored paper, then glued the two together. I whole punched the tag and tied a small string on to make a loop. 
2. Tie a long sting around the mini bottle, add the note, then tie it all around the can of pop. 
3. Set them out for your guests to enjoy!

Variations:

• You could use this same concept but add a different theme tag or just a simple Thank You note. (Green tag with an Irish thank you, Red tag with a holiday thank you, etc...)
• Change the type of alcohol or pop for a different kind of drink.

Painting Mess Free

My sister did this with her kids for Easter. So Cute!

Materials:

• Canvas
• Paints
• Plastic wrap
• Newspaper
• Paint brush 
• Black permanent marker

Directions:

1. Have all of your materials out and ready to use. Put the canvas on newspaper.
2. Squirt dots of paint on the canvas.
3. Place plastic wrap on top of the paint and wrap it around the edges of the canvas.
4. Let your child rub the paint around. Having the plastic wrap over the paints makes this safe and mess free for little fingers.
5. After the canvas is all painted, peal the plastic wrap off and let it dry.
6. To make the bunny footprints, have your child sit in a chair with clean feet.
7. Paint one foot with white paint. Make sure it is thick so you get the whole footprint.
8. Stamp the foot on the canvas so their toes are pointing down and there is space for the ears above the heal.
9. Do the last 2 steps with the other foot or another child's foot. If you have more kids just add 1 foot for each of them.
10. To add the ears to each bunny, use a paint brush to paint the white long ears first. After that drys a little, add a center pink stripe for the inside of the ears. Use that same pink paint and add a small dot in the center of the heal for the bunny nose.
11. Once all of the paint is dry you can add the details. Use the black permanent marker to draw a face, write Happy Easter, and add names and ages by each foot.
12. Hang your canvas and cherish those little toes or you could even give this as a gift.

Tips/Variations:

• You could do the mess free painting for any occasion and with any colors of paint. 
• If you do hand or foot prints be ready to clean them off between each. 
• If your canvas is small enough you could put it into a zip lock bag for the mess free painting. 

Antique Window Photo Frame

This is a great country chic way to show off your family photos!

Materials:

• Old Window Frame
• Sandpaper
• Chicken Wire
• Wire Cutter
• Staple Gun/Staple Hammer w/staples
• Hammer and Nails or other hanging Materials
• Clothes Pins
• Favorite Family Photos

Directions:

1. Prepare your window. Mine was an old screen window from a cabin. I had to remove the old screen from the window before I could start. 
2. Sand and clean the wood lightly. I left a lot of the original paint and just lightly cleaned it. You may want to add some paint and give it a little distressed look.  
3. Cut the chicken wire to the size you need with a wire cutter
4. Staple the chicken wire to the back of the window. Be very careful not to get hurt. Ask someone to help you if you need. 
5. Make sure there are no wires sticking out that could poke into your wall when you hang it.
6. Hang your window up vertically or horizontally.  
7. Add your family photos using clothes pins.
8. Show off your beautiful family and hard work!

Tips:

• Find an old window at a craft/antique shop or online. 
• Use fun clips for hanging your photos for a little extra personality. 

Bunny Kids Painting

I loved how easy this was. My kids had so much fun doing some finger painting with this project.

Materials: 

• Small Canvas
• Washable Paints
• Stiff Paint Brush 
• Bunny Stencil
• White Paint

Directions:

1. Get all of your materials out and ready and cover your painting surface when you have kids doing the finger painting. 
2. Paint the whole canvas with all of the colors you chose. Use light colors first, like yellow. If the colors start to mix to much they will turn brown. 
3. Let it dry completely. 
4. Pick the spot you would like to put your stencil. Tape one edge down with painters tape. 
5. Use a stiff paint brush to paint in the stencil using a tapping motion. Do not have a lot of paint on the brush and be gentle so the brush does not get pushed under the edges of the stencil.
6. Pull the stencil off when you are done painting.
7. Let dry and enjoy the artwork through the season. 

Tips/Variations:

• You could use many different paint colors and stencil shapes for this project. For Example; red, white and blue with a star, greens with a shamrock, kids favorite colors with their initials, etc...

Painted Mason Jar Cup

These are very easy and quick to make. Create one or even more of these for cute pen holders, kids school supplies, colored pencils or markers, or paint brushes. 

Materials:

• Small Jar (1 pint)
• Chalky Paint (any color you like)
• Paint Brush
• Fine Sandpaper
• Mate Clear Coat Spray Paint

Directions:

1. Wash and dry the mason jar.
2. Paint on the chalky paint and let dry.
3. Use the fine sandpaper to lightly sand off a few spots and sand over the raise areas of the jar.
4. Spray with clear coat and let dry. 
5. Put the lid ring back on and add a ribbon if you would like.
6. Add you office or craft supplies for a cut holder on your desk!

Tips:

• To make sure the jar is extra clean before adding the paint, use rubbing alcohol on a cotton ball. Clean the surfaces where you will have paint and then let it dry completely. 

First Post!

HELLO! My name is Tasha. I am starting this blog to share some great DIY (Do It Yourself) projects. I am excited to get started on some of my long waited projects! It will be a fun process and I hope you enjoy doing your projects too!😃