Easter Stitching

I know Easter has long-since past, but I didn't want to wait until next year to share this quick little craft project. I am all about quick!

I've never really had much interest in stitching - but for some reason, the urge hit me right around the Christmas holiday, and I found so many cute patterns online that I decided to dive in.

This Easter stitching is one of the first ones I've ever done and I LOVE it. The pattern is a free download from Twin Stitchers on You Can Make This (an incredible crafty website!).

Finished Easter stitching, framed and on the  mantel

The frame is a quick crafty project too. I had a stack of these wooden frames I had purchased from the Target $1 section a few years ago (gotta love that Target $1 section) and I painted one in a turquoise acrylic craft paint, then gave a couple of coats of Modge-Podge for shine and seal and roughed up the edges a bit with some sandpaper.

I layered a sheet of polka-dot pattern scrapbook paper over top of white cardstock for the background. Then I just glued the finished stitching to the paper. Quick and easy!

If you haven't tried your hand at stitching, it's so super easy - I promise you can do it! You Can Make This even offers a free downloadable guide on Stitching Essentials that will teach you everything you need to know. It's how I learned! The perfect portable craft to take with you when you're sitting around watching your kids do whatever sport/activity they're involved in.

Cute Owls

About a month ago, Roeshel posted this beautiful PB Inspired Easter Vignette where she showed how she painted several bunnies to match her decor. I loved that idea - and when I saw these adorable (yet kind of gaudy) owls in the Target $1 section, I knew I could do something similar.

Cute but not-so-great owls

Aren't they cute? But I knew they'd be cuter with a little love - and paint.

I painted them using a sage green acrylic paint I had in my stash (several coats) and then I rubbed on a little glitter glaze I had on hand as well, to give them a bit of shine. Now they look perfect on my new mantel.

Owls all painted up

Perfect addition to the mantel

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Easy Beach Decor

Beachy Summer Mantel

I'm so ready for summer to get here. We moved to Nebraska in February during crazy cold and snow and this spring has been pretty dreary. Plus the wind is just blowing like crazy this year. I keep thinking it's because we have moved to the plains of the Midwest but DH assures me that's it been windy everywhere this year.

Glass vase filled with sand and shells

So I decided to add a little beach to my mantel decor to help speed summer on its way. While cleaning out my craft room, I found a bag of sand from who knows where and a bunch of sea shells. I was about to put them in the Goodwill box but instead I grabbed one of the 10,000 vases I had just unpacked from our move, poured the sand in, topped it with the shells, and voila - easy beach decor.

Group a starfish and large shell with vase

I love it.

I added the star fish and other beach items and now my mantel is looking a lot more summery.

Hurry up summer!

Sharing this on My Romantic Home's Show and Tell Friday...

   

Bulletin Board Rescue

This bulletin board didn't survive the move - the only thing that got broken, if can you believe it. But I was feeling thrifty and decided to keep it and use it anyway instead of shelling out $20 for a new one. The corner of the cork itself was broken, and the frame had come apart as well.

The bulletin board frame didn't survive the move...

...and the bulletin board itself was a little broken up.

It sat on my office desk, covered it it's usual collection of papers and photos for 2 months before I finally decided it's time had come. I remembered this post from Tatertots and Jello about her office redecorating project and thought I could do something similar with some fabric I had on hand.

That's how the craft urge generally comes over me - I think I don't have any creativity left in me and then one day, I just get a wild hair to do something.

I had to reconstruct the broken corner. I evened out the rough edge with scissors (an exacto knife would have probably been better but oh well) and then layered some cardboard to create a new corner.

Preparing to reconstruct the corner after trimming off the broken part

I glued the triangles together to get the approximate width I needed to match the bulletin board and then hot glued it into place.

Corner all glued back in place

Then I hot glued the fabric to the cork board. Staples would have worked too but I'm a hot glue gun girl. (Funny story - I STILL can't find my trusty glue gun. It's been lost in the move somehow. I had to buy a replacement glue gun and it's not nearly as good as my old one. I keep hoping I'll find it one of these days.)

Wrap fabric around the back and attach with staples or glue

Tip: Iron your fabric before you attach it. Duh. Again, I'm just too impatient to think these things through thoroughly. I ended up trying to iron it AFTER I finished the project, which worked only partially.

I painted the frame in white acrylic paint, then covered it in Mod Podge to seal it up and give it a bit of sheen.

Paint and seal the frame to give it a new look

Then I put the fabric-covered cork board back into its frame, hot-glued the frame back together and hung it on the wall with Command Picture Hanging Strips. Love these hanging strips! They are like velcro and make hanging anything on your walls super fast and easy.

And there you go - a DIY-salvage project. So pretty. Love how this new-to-me bulletin board makes my office feel more homey.

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