Wall Organizer {Get it Done Already!}

I apologize for the tardiness of this post. Between being out of town & Halloween this week has just flown by! I wanted to share with you a project that I worked on.

 

How many of you have counters like this? Yeah that's totally mine. Papers, mail, boxes...."organized piles" I like to call it. I know where everything is it just so happens to share one space with everything else. Mr S was sick of the clutter and I was too. Something had to be done & that is where my wall organizer idea was born. I really liked the ones at Pottery Barn, but it was just too spendy. So I put on my repurposing hat and used things around the house.

 

I started out with a curtain rod & collected my organizing items. There were quite a few ideas I saw on pinterest of wall organizers. I settled on my magnet board, calendar frame & mail bins {I'll tell you what I used in a minute}

 

I used screw eyes & shower curtain loops to attach my organizing items to the rod

For my mail bins I spray painted some old bread pans that I had. They were rusty & couldn't be used for bread making anymore. I nice shiny black spray paint job made them shiny & new. I wanted them "stacked" on top of each other. Drilling two holes on the handles of the pans I ran I had Mr. S string galvanized wire through, leaving loops at the top.

 

Then I pulled out the Silhouette & cut some numbers for the bins. You can easily use the number stickers/vinyl that is at your scrapbook store.

Strung my organizers onto the rod and there you go! My very own, custom, wall organizer.

I would caution you on the weight you put on the curtain rod, it can only hold so much.

 



 

So glad that it's done already!!

 

We hope that you have enjoyed our Get It Done series & hope that it has inspired you to get it done already.

Got some things done?

 Next week {November 11th} Nan will kick off our Get It Done Already Linky Party Get those pictures & posts ready to show off  YOUR Get It Done Already crafts!

Nursery Wall Art {Get it Done Already}

 

I'm hoping that Nan has inspired you all to Get it Done Already with those cute throw pillows. I was actually at a Walmart over the weekend and spied some similar fabric that she used for those pillows and then had to remind myself that I already have a looooong list of things I need to get done!

Top of my list: Nursery Wall Art

 

I've had a sign similar to this one pinned on my "Must Craft Soon" board for a long time now. This last summer I made strides by getting my hands on a uber cheap cabinet door and thought, "this is what I will use for my sign." Then the door sat. And sat. I got a cute shade of teal paint. And it sat. And sat.

 

Then the gal I borrowed the paint from needed it back {I'd had it since December} So I painted it really quick and as it sat drying I realized I needed some more supplies to finish the project and so it sat....and sat.

 

A few months {yep months} later I got the supplies that wanted and moved foreword with the lettering. I used the trusty Silhouette to cut out my letters. Goodness I love that thing! I'm one of those crafters that needs to get it done right the first time or I don't do it at all. Be sure to measure your board to figure out height & spacing of the letters. I also like to use scrap pieces of paper to get a little closer to those measurements and lay it out before I move forward with cutting.

 

After cutting out my letters {keep the stencil part of the paper!!!!} I created the layout like I wanted it.

 

Then I stenciled {see you are going to use that paper} the letters on with a pencil....can you see it or is it too faint?

 

 

Then ....and this the BIG secret to perfect hand lettering. Get a paint pen and retrace the stencil. The paint pen creates a great outline. Be sure to test it out on a piece of paper before writing on the actual sign. After it's dry take your paint & a small brush and fill in the letters.

After I did this the sign was well...technically finished, but I was contemplating ageing it to make it look vintage and then I thought maybe I should create some kind of a knot to place through those two holes on the bottom {where the handle used to be} the sign then....yep you guessed it....sat for a few more months while I tried to decide what to do.

I guess this post could be re-labeled as "Get it Hung Up Already" because after weighing my options to age or not to age {which if you are going to age a sign you need to have that in mind before you even paint - if you want it done right} and realizing that I could be making a perfectly cute sign ugly {you can't go back after you age a piece.} I decided to leave it be and hang it up.

 

So there you go. After months and months it's done and up and I love it!

Do you have a craft that needs to get done? Get it Done Already and join us at the end of the series for a linky party where you can show it off!!

1 Ugly Painting 2 Cute Crafts : Canvas Sign

 

Remember this little bad boy I got a yard sale? Remember Part One of our transformations? Are you ready for part 2?

Well, grab that canvas & lets start making our:

 

 

 

Along with your canvas you will need:

Sandpaper

Scrapbook paper (5-8 12x12 sheets)

Vinyl Letters

 (I have a Silhouette cutter that I cut my letters with, but you can buy vinyl letters in any craft store)

Mod Podge

Sponge brush

Black Spray Paint

 

Here is our canvas! You want to sand down all of those leafy trees & happy clouds so the canvas has a smooth{er} surface. No need to sand the picture away because you are going to cover it anyways.

 

Once sanded you will apply your scrapbook paper to the canvas. Put a thin layer of mod podge on the back of the paper to make it stick and then brush mod podge over the top to seal it to the canvas. Now here is where you are going to let your creative juices flow. I wanted a bright/hippie-ish vibe with mine so I stuck with a color theme & chose a few different patterned papers. I ripped those papers and layered them over each other {with the exception of the top & a slight crack that got left open, but it worked out just fine, so ...I'm just going to say that I planned it that way} I used a Mod Podge with an antique finish on it because I wanted to add a bit of shabby-chic/vintage with my bright/hippie look.

{TIP}If you want an antique look, but don't want to buy antique mod podge? Coffee stain it. Get an old cup of strong coffee and after you have applied your scrapbook paper paint on the old coffee to the degree of brownness {is that even a word?} you want.

{TIP} I would suggest that you cover the entire canvas with scrapbook paper. It was late at night for me and I had limited coordinating papers to work with so I left a boarder of canvas around my paper. Cover it all, don't leave a boarder. I will point out why later on in the post.

 

Measure your canvas & figure out how large you want your letters. I wanted "home" to be the biggest and "you" to be the next. Pull out the ruler & start making notes. If you are like me, you want to get it right the first time!

{TIP} I cut pieces of scrap paper to the size that I want to make sure everything will fit when gauging how large letters should be. You don't have to cut each and every letter. Squares in the sizes that you want work out fine for figuring out spacing & room.

{TIP} Use vinyl that you don't want/like/need anymore/mismatched colors/on sale - you will see why later on.

 

Apply your vinyl letters

 

{TIP} I like to apply letters or words starting with the top and then doing the bottom, leaving the middle for last. I find that helps me with my spacing. Same thing for the letters in the words. When applying the "YOU" I did the O first so I could use the space wisely with the Y & U.

 

 

Now you have your sign and as you can see I ran out of vinyl & had to use some other pieces I had on hand. It really doesn't matter because once you have it on a tarp or drop cloth you will......

 

Spray paint the whole thing black. Yep. Cover that baby up with black, black, black. I wish I had taken a picture of Mr. S when I told him I was taking it out to spray paint it! He didn't know what I was doing, but I'll show you the method to my madness

{TIP} Do this step at night. That way you can let it dry and air out for a nice long time instead of anxiously testing it to see if it's still tacky. Spray it. Sleep and wake up to a nice, dry & less stinky canvas in the morning. Be sure to keep it away from timed sprinklers, neighborhood cats & trees that are dropping leaves.

In the morning bring it in and start peeling that vinyl off {you use and throw away alot of vinyl in this project} Do you see the awesomeness underneath??

I'm really happy with the two triple toned effect I got by layering papers and accidentally leaving a gap for the original painting to show through. I don't even mind the spray paint that eeked underneath the letter. It gives it that vintage/hippie/shabby chic effect that I wanted.

Please note: by leaving the canvas border and even doing multiple layers of paper will make your canvas uneven when looked at up close...do you see it. So cover your entire canvas and if you are using multiple papers be aware it won't be even, but still look uniform with that black paint.

And when you peel it all off you are left with this......

 Your canvas sign! Love it! Cherish it! Show it off to everybody that comes to your house! I'm debating on how to hang it. Part of me wants to use those tacky wall cling things so it's just mod and hanging there. Another part of me wants to attach ribbon and hang it with that - any input would be most appreciated.

 

So happy to share this with you and I would be excited to see if any of you do it!

If you make a sign PLEASE brag about it and post it on our She Said Facebook wall so I can smother you with compliments!

 

Missed out on Part 1 of our Ugly Painting remodel? Check out what I did with frame HERE

1 Ugly Painting 2 Cute Crafts : Memo Board

 

Welcome to our two-part series! Where we take this awesome piece of outdated beauty and turn it into something new....and pretty....and updated....

 

This isn't the actual picture of the painting, but it's pretty close & gives you the idea of what I saw at a yard sale earlier this summer. I snatched it up for a $1 and went home and pried it apart. I will be trading in this 1980's-esque painting and turning it into 2...that's right two! Cute crafts I will be happy to have hanging on my walls. Let's begin with.....

 

You will need:

Scissors

Hammer

Needle nosed Pliers

Staple Gun

Twine

cute Paint

paint brush

Sandpaper

 

Turn the painting over & remove any paper backing it might have {mine didn't have any, but more professional paintings do}. Remove the canvas...be careful because you will be using this later. To get my canvas out I had to take my needle nose pliers and pull out the little nails that held the canvas in. Once the canvas is out and placed in a safe place, behold your frame!!

 

Sand down your frames finish. I'm a very impatient person and hate sanding, but have yet to go to the supply store and buy that primer stuff, so ....sand it down. Paint your frame whatever sweet color your choose & let dry.

 

Once the frame is dry turn it face down {be sure there is something under it so the paint doesn't scratch} and grab your staple gun, twine & hammer. Take the end of the twine and staple it to your starting point at the bottom {or top} corner of your frame. Keeping it tight go back and forth from one end of the frame to the other with the twine creating a zig zag pattern, stapling your twine at each end of the frame. It is important that the twine stays tight {think guitar strings} so it can hold up a picture clipped to it. For me the staples didn't hold the twine down enough. I pulled out the hammer and after I would staple the twine in place I would hammer down the staple securing the twine down against the frame.

 

Turn it over & hang it up {I chose to keep the original wire hanger}. Add a few pictures clipped with clothes pins and you are ready to go!

I've seen some people add rolled fabric flowers to the corners which I think is adorable, but this is in the kitchen and I knew Mr. S wouldn't be as excited about the cuteness as I would so I just left mine mod & plain.

It now is home to Baby S's artwork, photographs & baby announcements . I love it!! I hope you do too. Another bonus on this craft is that it is easily done in an afternoon {as long as you are painting with acrylic paint!}.

Stay tuned for Part 2 and see what I do with the canvas!!

Can you feel the love tonight?

There is something about rainy days that bring out the crafting bug in me. It is cold, wet & dreary outside but inside it can be warm, happy & crafty! So today, this rainy, wet day - I share with you a craft...a fun {slightly naughty}craft.

I made this for a dear friend of mine for her bridal shower and since June or "The Month of Marriage" is just around the corner I thought you would enjoy a quick, easy & fun shower gift!

This double sided pillow is easy to make and is great at re-purposing items you have around the house.

"The Honeymoon Pillow"

One side says Tonight

The other side says Not Tonight

Great right? Are you already thinking of who to make one for {maybe it's yourself!} Let's get to it!

You will need:

Pillow to re-cover or pillow form

Fabric {I actually used a large shirt for the pillow pictured. It was the perfect shade of gray & it was very soft} you will need to have enough fabric to cover your pillow.

Sewing Machine

Wax Paper

Silhouette HD (or an exact-o knife)

Iron & Ironing Board

fabric paint & sponge brush

1. Make a simple pillow cover. Place the right sides of the fabric together sewing three sides.

2. Slip the pillow inside of the cover and either hand stitch it closed or -in my case the fabric was stretchy enough - sew it closed edges tucked in to create the finished side.

3. On your Silhouette HD (sorry I don't own the Cameo) Open a new file. Choose your text option. Pick the text you want. Make the text size large enough for your pillow space (I wish I would have made my text larger).

You will then need to flip your text backwards: Open your Replicate Window {upper right}. Then choose Mirror Left. This will make your text go backwards & delete the original text...yes you want the backwards text, trust me.

 Pick the "thin media" option, blue blade tip and load your wax paper {wax side up} onto your sticky mat. And cut.

*3. {For those who don't have a Silhouette} On your computer, open a word document and create your text words in the font & size that you want. Attach your wax paper {wax side down} to your screen. This will create a light box effect. Trace your letters with a pencil and then exact-o knife them out on a cutting board. *Remember the more detailed or fancy the font is the more detailed your cuts will have to be.*

You can get rid of the actual letters, but be sure to keep all the little pieces, like the insides of the "e" or "o" for the next step.

4. Place your pillow on the ironing board and place the wax paper {wax side down} onto your pillow (your words shouldn't be backwards now). Press a warm iron down on your wax paper. The heat of the iron will melt the wax of the paper and create a temporary bond. Don't forget to iron on the dots that create the centers of "e"'s or "p"'s etc.

5. Once the stencil is in place on the pillow you can brush on the paint to evenly cover the words. Be sure to have full coverage with the paint, but don't push it too much with the outer edges {sometimes the paint will sneak under the edge and it won't look clean}.

6. Let dry. Once the paint is set {it can be a little tacky} pull off the wax paper and Ta-Da! You have your wording.

7. I had some extra scraps of fabric and created flowers and flower buds for my pillow. Mine were really simple, but I recently found a great gathering of fabric flower tutorials on Kojo Designs.

There you have it! Put it on your bed or put it in a gift bag! Enjoy!

I know I made this kind of a quick tutorial if you have questions please feel free to ask or e-mail at shesaidblog@yahoo.com

If You Have 5 Minutes: Clean Your Microwave {earth friendly way!}

Happy Earth Day!!

source

To celebrate Earth Day I am sharing with you my favorite, easy & earth friendly {i.e. no chemicals} way to clean out your microwave and then BEST part is....it will only take you 5 minutes! Yep! 5 minutes to have a sparkling, happy, good smelling, chemical free microwave!

Does your microwave look like this right now? {please say that it does so I don't feel like I'm the only one}

Start the clock at 5 minutes!

5 Minutes: Combine one part Lemon Juice with two parts Water in a microwave safe dish {there are alot of pins on Pinterest for one that calls for vinegar - I'm sure that works too, but lemon juice smells better I think}

4 Minutes: Wash and dry the microwave turn table tray and replace back in the microwave

3 Minutes: Put your lemon water mixture into the microwave for One Minute and grab some paper towels while it's going

2 Minutes: Using paper towels, wipe down the inside of the door, sides, top & bottom of the microwave. The steam that has been created by your lemon water has helped loosen the grease and grime in the microwave.

1 Minute: Still some gunk in there that won't get off? Add 2 more minutes of time by re-microwaving your lemon water mixture and wiping it down again. OR take some time to wipe down the outside of the microwave handle, key pad & door. And there you have it! A clean microwave.

Here are some more earth-friendly posts that we have shared on She Said

Green Packaging using magazine pages

Clothing Swap! Instead of throwing it away swap it with a friend

Dry Erase Book - repurposing an old board book for a new use

Green Packaging

Phew....how quickly a month has gone by!!! Sorry for the delay in posting, but life is life here in our neck of the woods. Between me recovering from that awful cough cold that has been going around in time for my performance in Steel Magnolias and Nan's laptop crashing and waiting for a new one to come in the mail time has gotten away from us.
But we are back...what did we miss?

In honor of our past holiday of St. Patricks day (did you wear green? I did. Even baby S. celebrated by having green coming out of his nose) I'm taking my own twist by focusing on the word GREEN. With some
                                                 Green Packaging.
Next time you want to mail a box and throw out some magazines, take a second and make that box look really special/festive/fun to open...I think tax documents should come this way {so I wouldn't drag my feet to do them}

All you will need is:
The package you are going to send.
Magazine paper(s) that have a great pattern/picture/colors on it
Sissors
Tape

I sent this package to one of our lucky winners of a previous giveaway we hosted. I found this magazine page that had sweaters, scarfs & purses in really cute fun colors. Since the box was small I just needed two sheets. For larger boxes have more than one sheet to cover it all - you don't want any boring brown to show!

Choose what page you want as your front. I wanted the really brightly colored one so I used another sheet that had a really cute dress on the back. Tape it onto the box like you would wrapping paper.

There you go! A bright, cheery, package to send to someone special. You are happy sending it. The recipient is happy getting it and the earth is happy that you reused something. {Psst if you still need to see some actual Green look at the lower right corner...there is green there!)