Garage Sale Halloween Wreath {DIY}


garage sale halloween wreath

 

I have two front doors and I never know what to hang on them.  Do I just hang one wreath?  Do I leave them plain?  Oh, and it can’t be anything heavy that will scratch the paint when the wind blows or the door opens.  And one more thing, I don’t want to spend a lot of money, because I like to spend all my money on fabric 🙂  That being said, I found these red berry wreaths at a garage sale for $1 each.  I actually think these might have really been my wreaths from 20 years ago 🙂  I knew they had some Halloween potential.Halloween Wreath 2

Black spray paint is your best Halloween decorating friend.  One coat of shiny black spray paint, some chevron ribbon left over from last year and a black crow…..It’s the perfect CHEAP Halloween wreath for my door.

halloween wreath diy craft

Halloween Wreath 1
And there are two of them!  Cheap, won’t scratch, and spooky!Halloween wreath 3 Halloween wreath 4



G

Men’s Shirt Re-Fashion

menshirt

 

I found this pattern for making a girls skirt out of a men’s button front shirt in this book, Never Been Stitched.  The book is full of fun new sew or low sew projects.  Great for involving kids!

neverbeenstitched

 

Essentially you get a men’s shirt and cut it up, creating a skirt.  I bought a size XL shirt and it made a size 8 girls skirt.IMG_8390

Sally wasn’t too thrilled about the idea until I made this cute whale shirt to go along with it.  I used some of the left over fabric and used Heat n Bond EZ sheets that you run through the printer.  Click HERE for the whale pattern.
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I even used the existing front pocket from the shirt to be a high side pocket on the skirt.
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Flour Sack Pillow


 When I was out in Lucketts, Virginia, I bought this flour sack pillow case.  I think it was a flour sack first, then someone sewed it into a pillow case.  I don’t have much of a need for pink and aqua roosters in the bedrooms of my house; I do, however,  NEED a THROW PILLOW adorned with pink & aqua roosters in my house – who doesn’t?

I cut the pillow case down, attached some aqua trim, sewed, turned, and stuffed!

Now it is one of my favorite pillows ever!

Amanda

Gallery Wall Start to Finish

I love putting together gallery walls.  This is the last project I did for my friend’s home in Virginia.  Here is a step by step tutorial for creating one from laying out the frames to how to properly hang the frames. (The wall paint is Home Depot’s Behr Paint in Dolphin Fin)
Step #1 Gather your frames and play around with the layout on the floor.  
For this gallery wall I wanted different sizes, different shapes and different texture frames.  The trick to getting a good layout is to either have it perfectly symmetrical and all frames matching and squared up, or in this case, having none of the frames align.  I was careful not to have the frames line up ant the top, bottom, or in the center.  This picture is not the final layout!  Once you get your layout how you want it – take a picture of it so you can remember!

Step #2 Create Footprints
Get out your old wrapping paper and trace each frame to make a footprint to be arranged on the wall first.

Step #3 Paint
I get all my frames at garage sales and thrift shops.  For this bathroom, I had specific colors in mind to paint the frames: orange, green, navy, and yellow. I always use spray primer first.  It totally helps your paint go farther and cover better!

 Step #4 Attach Wire for Hanging
I took a picture framing class 14 years ago from a gal who framed art for the Smithsonian.  I have never forgot what I learned in that class!

It is best not to use this kind of hanger – it is too hard to get the picture to hang level.

Instead, measure about 2.5″ to 3″ down (depending on the size of your frame) on both sides of frame.  Attach eye screws.  If it is hard to get the eye screws started, hammer a little nail hole first.

Cut a piece of picture hanging wire and loop it through both the eye screws, winding the excess around itself.
It’s ready to hang now!  What is nice about using wire is you can make adjustments to the height of your picture if you don’t get the nail in the right place and it will always hang level.

TIP
If your frame has a stand on the back, you must remove it or it will also hang funny because of an uneven weight distribution.  Take your pliers and rip the thing off!!

Step #5
Clean the glass of each frame and place your art or photo in the frame.  For this gallery wall we choose some fun, retro bathroom prints.

This one is three Waldorf Toilet Paper Advertisements.

This one is a retro bathroom with a child brushing her teeth.

I found this retro Kleenex advertisement and it was in the colors of the bathroom!
Step #6 Tape the footprints to the wall with painters tape
This is important because you get a good feel of how it is going to look.  I actually ended up changing a few frames around from my original design.
Step #7 Use picture hanger nails
I hammered my picture hangers into the wall through the paper so I knew it would be perfect.
 
Step #8 – Hang your frames & admire!
You’re done!  I love how this one turned out!! 

Amanda

The Cutest Curtains Ever!!! {tutorial}

 I spent a week in Virginia helping my friend decorate her house.  She has this big window in her front room and it needed some curtains.  Here is how you can make them too!

We bought this 2-pack of canvas drop cloths at the Home Depot.  They were $10 for the pair.  We liked these because they were a little more gray than tan.

Some of the other canvas drop cloths were only 1 in a package.  The ones we bought were perfect because we needed 2 curtain panels.

They ended up being the perfect width for our window.  You may need to adjust the measurements to fit your window.  Measure how long you want them and then add 3″ for the hem.  Make sure to consider how you want to hang them.  Ours were hung with curtain clips on a rod.  Cut off the extra fabric and hem.  Our hem was rolled once then again about 2 1/2 inches.

We bought a Queen size flat sheet at the thrift shop it was on sale for $3.

Snip the sheet at 4″ increments and tear apart.  (Do this the long way so you have enough length to ruffle.)  We used 6 strips per panel.  Adjust depending on the size of your curtains.  The combination of the warn, softness of the sheet and the tearing gave the ruffles a nice vintage edge.

After the strips are torn, cut the hemmed edges off the strips so they are raw on all 4 sides.  Sew a gathering stitch down the center of the 4″ strips.  Gather.

Draw a line 1/3 the way up from the bottom of the curtain.  Then draw a line every 6″ to the bottom of the curtain.  You should have 6 lines for 6 ruffles.

Adjust the ruffle to fit the width of your panel.  Pin the gathered seam along the pencil line.  Continue pinning all 6 ruffles.  Sew a straight stitch over your gathering stitch.  It’s a little awkward because the drop cloth is a little thick. 


 Keep gathering and gathering and pinning and pinning – you can do it!!

 Once you have sewn the ruffles on, they are ready to hang!!  You could easily make a pocket at the top if you don’t want to use curtain clips.  We bought our clips and rod at Target.

We finished our project at 1:00 am.  We hung them up and sat on the couch and admired them for quite some time.  They gave the room such a darling, finished look.

 In my house in California, I have shutters on all my windows, so I don’t think I will be able to have my own set of these curtains in my house.  That makes me sad.  I took lots of pictures so I could remember how cute they turned out!!

Amanda

A little Easter

 I have a few little bunnies popping up all over my house!  I love springtime!!

 I never know quite how do decorate “around the TV”.  There are not many choices – tall things on the side I guess!!
I found these brown bunnies at the thrift shop.  I gave ‘um a coat of Heirloom White spray paint.  Did I mention I love bunnies??

 I found this silver tray at the Goodwill.  It was marked $29.99 – YIKES!!  But it was blue sticker half price day and this had a blue sticker!!  So I got it for $15!!  (It still seemed a little pricy for a thrift shop)


Amanda

Painted Armoire


 I bought this armoire on Craig’s List on Saturday.  I needed something for my 5 year old’s room – the mess is out of control in there!  I paid $125 for it – she originally wanted $200 so I felt like it was a pretty good deal.  (I am used to garage sale prices!!)  The armoire was from an antique store in Beverly Hills – sold!! 

I got it home and immediately sanded it and painted it…in the dark!  I might be the world’s most impatient person!
 
By Monday morning 3 coats of paint had been applied.

I decided to distress it a touch.  I like the “shabby” feel of it.  I love the detail of the flowers – perfect for the princess Rapunzel room!!

 When I was done with the distressing, I rubbed Minwax Finishing Paste on it – it’s my FAVORITE way to finish furniture.  I love the feel it gives it!


 It is hard to photograph in my daughter’s room – but we got it all moved in last night – yea!!!



Amanda

Bookshelf Re-Styling


I spent some time re-styling my bookshelves.  Its kind of a fun process.  I got out everything around the house I thought might work, put it in a pile and then proceeded with some trial and error.  I am happy with how it turned out!

 My friend gave me this little owl and I love him.

I love turquoise Ball jars and vintage hankies.  I could have a room full.

 I hung this flower painting to the back of the bookshelf.  I got it at a garage sale for $2.  I bought it for the frame but I decided I kind of like the flowers!

I also got this lamp at a garage sale.  I sewed some ruffles and glued them to the lampshade. 

Amanda

My Red Kitchen Has Got To Go!!


Welcome to the Jedi Craft Girl blog!  I am entering this post in the Creating with the Stars contest from East Coast Creative.  It’s such an exciting contest and there are so many amazing applicants!!
  
I have lived in my Southern California tract home built in 1989 for the past 9 years.  When we moved in I painted my kitchen red – Tomato Red to be exact.  Lots of things change in nearly a decade and the kitchen had to go.  Unfortunately, living in California is not cheap and neither are renovations.  It was left to me, my paint brush, and thrifty mind to fix this place up.
This is the after.  Ahhhhhh… just a sigh of happiness when I look at this photo! 
It’s amazing how big the kitchen feels now just by changing the colors.

 I removed all the cupboard doors, sanded, primed, and painted and painted and painted white.  Then I sanded and distressed the doors and frames so some of the red would show through.

For the pantry doors, I applied paintable textured wallpaper to the insets and painted them red then aqua.  A light sanding and you can see how the red shows through the detail of the wallpaper – love it!!!  (Click Here for the full details of that project)

 
I found this kitchen table on Craig’s List for $25. Whoo Hoo! It was honey oak.  I did a chalk paint treatment in white (click here for those details).   The chairs were given to me by a friend.  Four cans of spray paint in four different colors = HAPPY!!
Next up, a rolling cart I found on the side of the road.  I wheeled it home a half mile while on a walk.  Several coats of paint, distress, electric sander to the top and some custom mixed stain and now I have the perfect place for my Pyrex collection!
I love my big kitchen window.  I found this vintage looking fabric and sewed a pleated curtain with red pom-pom trim.  I nail-gunned it to a board then to the ceiling.   It gives it the perfect airy look.  I hung the custom hook board above and now I can display my vintage Strawberry mugs.


Sometimes I think my kitchen is too cheerful and colorful – like there should be a birthday party going on everyday in there!  But then I think – “What could be better!!”

Amanda

Garage Sale Saturday

It’s Saturday which means I set my alarm and get up earlier than I do the entire week to go Garage Sale-ing!  I was quite happy with my finds today!!!

Wood frame – I wonder what color I am going to spray paint it!! $1

 I found this vintage Arts and Crafts book.  I love the owl on the cover – it’s going on display in my sewing room.  $1

 I found a new Pyrex dish I don’t have – I was super excited almost in tears when I found it!  Mint condition $1

 I got this cute little bird china plate – it’s not vintage but has a vintage look.  50 cents

 I love this antique barrel.  It had an antique store tag on it saying $85 – I paid $5!!

And lastly, my FAVORITE….a vintage hand made, hand quilted bow tie quilt.  I couldn’t believe it was just laying on a lady’s front lawn.  It was calling my name – I NEVER find anything like this at garage sales.  It had an antique store tag on it $385 – I paid $5 for it!!  I am on a shoppers high 🙂 
Do you like to go to garage sales?

Amanda