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Give Thanks Place Mats: A JoAnn Fabric Celebrate the Season Craft

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While I have been compensated for this post by Jo-Ann 
Fabrics and Crafts, the thoughts and opinions are my own.
 

Thanksgiving is right around the corner and I thought it might be fun to have a week of preparing for one of my favorite days of the year. I know that there has already been a lot of talk about that holiday in the winter with the trees, wreaths, and cards and such, but around here I do like to celebrate Thanksgiving with a little something (speaking of a little something, at the bottom of the post is a coupon to Jo-Ann Fabrics and Crafts just for you).

 

Since so much time will be spend in the dining room for Thanksgiving, I decided to make some Thanksgiving placemats using some supplies from my favorite craft store Jo-Ann Fabrics and Crafts. These were extremely inexpensive and simple to make. They only took me about an hour to create.

Supplies.
2 yards of burlap
Stencils
Black Acrylic Paint
Pain Brush or Paint Sponge
Scissors
Measuring Tape
Scrap Paper

 

Tricky Measuring: Burlap is a fabric that frays very easily, so in order to cut down on having a huge mess of threads, it is important to cut it in a straight line. To do that, I measured my fabric and marked on the fabric how big I wanted each placemat. Then, at the edge of the fabric, I very carefully tugged the thread closest to my mark and gently pulled it all the way through to the end of the fabric.

 

 

You will notice a gap in the fabric where there used to be a thread. I did this wherever I had marked my fabric and then I was ready to cut.

Careful Cutting: When all the threads had been pulled, I cut in all the places where there was a gap in the thread. I was very careful to stay within the gap as I was cutting. When I was finished, I had eight placemats.

 

Clever Stenciling: I thought of a few of my favorite words when it comes to Thanksgiving, and using a paint sponge, black paint and some letter stencils I carefully painted the words in the bottom right hand corner of the placemats (NOTE: Make sure to place scrap paper or cardboard underneath your placemat as you paint as you don’t want to paint on your table or flat surface).

 

Let the placemats dry over night or for a few hours before using them.

 

I am so happy how they turned out. They are the perfect addition to our table for Thanksgiving.

 

 

 

To see this craft or to browse other Thanksgiving craft ideas visit the Jo-Ann Fabrics and  Crafts catalogue HERE.

Also, as a THANK YOU, Jo-Ann Fabrics and Crafts is offering my readers a coupon to create your own #TurkeyTablescape.

 

Happy Thanksgiving, and stay tuned the rest of this week for other Thanksgiving ideas and recipes.

If you like this post and would like to read more about DIY, gardening, cooking, baking or all other things domestic, become a Home Everyday follower! For blog updates or to see other places I write follow Home Everyday on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.

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Spooky Silhouette Curtains Tutorial: A JoAnn Fabric Celebrate the Season Craft

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I have been compensated for this project by JoAnn Fabrics, but all thoughts and opinions are my own.



When JoAnn Fabrics asked if I would like to participate in their Celebrate the Season Campaign, I jumped on this opportunity in a heart beat. I have always been a JoAnn shopper when it comes to crafts and DIY projects around the house.

For Halloween, the theme is Spooky Spaces. Nothing says spooky to me more than some creepy night time forest creatures. With all the windows we have in the front of our house I thought it would be spooky to have some creepy creature silhouettes hiding in the windows.

 

While I could have cut some shapes or painted some silhouettes onto some plain white paper, I really wanted these decorations to last from year to year. I decided to make them out of fabric and then I can hang them every year for Halloween as well as give them a quick wash in the washing machine if they happen to get a little dusty. We all know, that I don’t sew, so I had to think of another solution. When I was walking around JoAnn, I found sheets of iron on fabric adhesive. PERFECT!

Supplies:
White Muslin Fabric
Black Muslin Fabric
EZ Steam Fusible Web Adhesive Sheets
Stencils or Silhouette Pictures

 

Measure, then Measure Again (and then Maybe one more time for luck): I carefully measured each of the windows. In my case, I wanted to make sure that the white fabric completely covered the glass portion of the window. I, then, cut all my white fabric to size.

Create Some Stencils: While I can do some things free hand, I thought it would be better to trace out the creatures. I searched via Google Images and found a bat, a crow, an owl and a spider. I enlarged the photos and printed them on card stock, and then carefully cut them out. (The tree was too large to print, so I did draw that myself).

 

 

Stencil printed and cut out on card stock

Trace and Cut: Using my stencil, I traced my spooky creatures onto the paper side of the EZ Steam sheets in PENCIL. I did not want there to be any chance of marker on the fabric or blending through onto anything, so I thought that pencil was the safest way to go. (Note: Since I was doing silhouettes I did not really worry to much about which way they were facing, but keep in mind you want to trace your stencils right side down so that when you iron them on your fabric they are facing the correct way.) Next, I peeled the wax like backing off the EZ Steam sheets, and carefully pressed them onto my black fabric. Using the tracings as a guide, I carefully cut out the shapes.

 

Adhesive webbing with traced creatures affixed black fabric.

Heat it Up: Once all the shapes were cut out of the black fabric with webbing still affixed, I carefully arranged the shapes onto the white fabric. Once I was happy with their placement, I began ironing. I laid a cloth napkin over the black fabric cut out, and using a medium setting on my iron, I pressed the creature onto the white fabric for a few seconds. (Note: Different brands adhesive webbing have different instructions, please make sure to read carefully.)





Hang Them Up: There are several ways to hang these curtains in the window, but because the fabric is so light, I just used a bit of duct tape in the corners of the windows to hold the fabric in place.

 

Here are my creepy creatures hanging in the window. I think they are pretty spooky, and I am thrilled that I can use the decorations from year to year.

To see this craft again or more spooky spaces from other awesome bloggers, check out the JoAnn Fabric Creativity Made Simple site HERE!

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Linking up at Hope Studios for Tutorial Tuesday.




Don’t forget, you can check out more creative inspiration here:  http://bit.ly/creativitymadesimple

Not Just a Hobby

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I have always enjoyed crafting and DIY, but I can actually pin point the exact moment that it became an almost obsession. I was 18 and got invited to my first Creative Memories scrapbooking party. As part of my graduation gift, my Dad bought me my first starter kit of pages and tools and paper.

I was bitten by the scrapbooking bug, and I loved it.

 

Sometimes I got made fun of a little bit for being an 18 year old girl that would prefer scrapbooking over chillaxing. However, Scrapbooking was a wonderful hobby for me. I loved that I could kind of go to a cathartic creative place and cut and paste and journal to my heart’s content and kind of forget about the problems of the day.

I recently sat down with my kids and we looked through some of the albums and we giggled and talked. Then, they asked me to break out the baby books (Caroline’s still in progress) and they asked all sorts of questions about what each of them was like when they were babies.

In that moment, I was incredibly happy for having taken some time to document a time that was incredibly chaotic. There is no other way to describe having three kids in 33 months except chaotic. But, I was thankful that I stayed up late some nights to write stories in those books for them to recount forever, perhaps someday with their own children.

In that moment, I realized that my scrapbooking was not just about buying fancy paper and cutting and taping, but it had a real purpose of preserving our memories.

 

As my kids get older, it is getting harder and harder to find the time to scrapbook, but I still write everything down and save tons of pictures and ticket stubs and their drawings for the days that I will have time to scrapbook again.

No matter your creative hobby, stick with it. I am sure that you will find that it has real purpose. I’m sure every quilt you sew, photo you take, scarf you knit, piece of furniture you build, cake you bake, card you stamp, or album you make will just be a wonderful reminder of a period of time in your life that you don’t want to forget.

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It said Martha Stewart on the Package So I Bought It

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A few months ago I saw this awesome stencil at Michael’s. I didn’t need it for anything.

There were a few factors that played into this purchase. I am sure anyone who does even a little bit of impulse splurging can relate.

1.) I had a coupon.
2.) Sometimes buying craft supplies makes me happy (there I said it).
3.) The packaging was so pretty.
4.) This stencil made me feel like I had the power to make anything have this pretty pattern: curtains, furniture, walls, crafts, anything at all!
5.) In a nutshell, it said Martha Stewart on the package so I bought it.

As you know, I like Martha Stewart, but I know not everyone has the same esteem I have for Martha Stewart. However, you cannot deny this stencil is adorable!

Once I bought the stencil, it went in the craft cabinet while I thought of a project for it. I kept thinking I wanted to save it for something absolutely perfect. Then, of course like anything that goes into the craft cabinet, I forgot about it for awhile.

Recently, I was doing a little cleaning, and low and behold I found it. The pretty Martha Stewart stencil in its pretty package just waiting to make something pretty.

 

That is when I decided to start small. I found these cork squares, and thought it would be cute to make some trivets.

 

My friend Colleen and her three children came over last week for a playdate. I organized a craft for them (will share soon), and since the paint was out I asked Colleen if she wanted to make something cute for our kitchens.

 

Colleen and I are long time scrapbook buddies, so working on this craft was like old times when we had time to sit for days and complete a scrapbook.

 

This project was so easy, and it was also pretty inexpensive. The stencil (with coupon) cost about $10 and the cork squares were $3 for a pack of four. I already had paint and brushes on hand.

Colleen and I were happy with how they turned out.

I am thinking these would make cute gift. Thank you Martha Stewart.

If you would like to read more about my craftiness or Gardening, DIY, Cooking, Baking and all other things domestic you can check me out on Facebook or become a follower of Home Everyday here. 

 

I Was Tired of Being a Taskmaster So I Made a Chore Chart

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My children are at wonderful ages. They are young enough to think helping with chores is fun, and they are old enough to start doing them without a lot of direction or intervention from an adult.

Mostly, because they are still little, the kids just need a subtle reminder of ways they can help around the house. I have been a little tired of repeating myself and feeling like the taskmaster this summer. So, I thought it was time to make a chore chart for each of my kids. 

 

I scoured Pinterest looking for the perfect one. I saw printable ones, sticker charts, pocket charts, magnetic charts, and popsicle stick charts. I was not at all prepared for the options available and to be honest I was a little overwhelmed.
So, I took the best parts of all the ones that I saw around the internet, and made my own magnetic chore chart for each of the kids. 

 

Here is how I did it.SUPPLIES

Metal Board (I found mine at JoAnn Fabrics)
Letter Stickers
Child’s Photo
Glass Beads with Flat Bottoms (JoAnn Fabrics or Michaels)
Mod Podge (Gloss or Matte finish)
Sponge Brush
Heavy Duty Magnets (Michaels)
Double Stick Tape
Hot Glue Gun with Glue
1 inch diameter circle punch (Creative Memories)
Pictures of various chores (Google Images) printed on card stock 

 

Step 1: As Bella Karolyi would say, “Stick it!” 
The first thing I focussed on was making the boards that the magnets would stick to. I found these adorable and colorful boards at JoAnn Fabrics. I liked them because of the small holes all around the edges that would make it easy for hanging them anywhere using some 3M hooks. Using some double stick tape, I secured a photo of my child to the board. Then, I added some large stickers with the kids’ initials and created two columns with the words “to do” and “done” 

 

 

Step 2: Print it out!
This part was the hardest for me, but I did find some cute photos of chores that I liked. Once, I found images I liked, I printed a few trial pages to make sure they were the right size to be punched out. I printed on a medium to heavy weight paper because I thought it might be more durable, but honestly, I think regular paper would be fine. The chores I chose to include (FOR NOW) are Get Dressed, Make Bed, Clean Dishes, Pick Up Toys, Brush Teeth, Read a Book, and Be Kind. I thought they were all good reminders for my kids, and appropriate for their ages.Step 3: Cut and Paste (the old fashioned way)

Yes, I had to use actual scissors, a hole punch, and actual glue (Mod Podge) for this part of making the magnets. I used a one inch diameter hole punch and cut out the images. 

Next, using Mod Podge I brushed the front side of the image with a thin layer.

 

I pressed the flat side of a glass bead to the image.

 

Next, I brushed another thin layer of Mod Podge to the back of the image, and let dry overnight.

 

 

STEP 4: Magnetize!
Once the Mod Podge was dry, I used a hot glue gun to attach the heavy duty magnets to the backs of the glass beads with the images. 

 

Step 5: Admire your genius!
I was so impressed with how these turned out I took a few minutes to enjoy how awesome they are.

 

 

 



Step 6: Hang them up!
Since the magnetic boards I used already had holes, I was able to use two 3M hooks to hang them on the wall.

 

The kids already love them, and so do I! No more taskmaster!

 

If you would like to read more about my craftiness or Gardening, DIY, Cooking, Baking and all other things domestic you can check me out on Facebook or become a follower of Home Everyday here. 
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Linking up at Serenity Now Weekend Bloggy Reading.

It’ll Take Longer Than You Think: Yarn Letters

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I like to keep it real at Home Everyday. I don’t give any false impressions that everything around here is perfect, or that I spend my days in an apron cooking, remodeling, baking and gardening. My house does indeed get messy, currently we have laundry stacked to the rafters, and I should probably wash the kitchen floor.

There are also some projects that I start with the best of intentions, and they kind of become well a fail. Similar to this recipe post of yore.

Recently, I started a project with the kids that I thought would be a ton of fun, and be a cute addition to their bedrooms.

I saw these cardboard letters at JoAnn’s for less than $3 a piece.

Then I found this yarn in the clearance bin.

I thought we could wrap the letters in yarn, and the kids could have little monograms hanging on their doors or over their beds.

The idea of this project was adorable. I couldn’t wait to do it. My kids on the other hand, lost patience with wrapping the string in about ten minutes. I realized that this is a project that would have to be done a little bit at a time, and I also thought maybe it was something we could do on a rainy day or watching a movie or something.

Nope.

Every time I ask the kids if they want to work on their letters, the answer is a resounding, “NO!”

So, we play outside instead.

That is ok, I will finish them eventually, maybe after I put all the laundry away.

A Little More Classy: Fabric Lined Cabinets

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Yesterday, I showed off our living room and dining room, and revealed at how moving a little bit of furniture can transform a room. In the dining room, you may have noticed that  our Ikea hand me down cabinets looked a little more classy. That is because I lined the back of them with some fabric I found at JoAnn Fabrics for 40% off!

This is a project that I wanted to do for ages, and while I knew it would be a transformation, I cannot believe how much better these cabinets look.

I got a little help from A Thoughtful Place, and the quick tutorial on how to line cabinets with fabric. Now that I kind of had an idea of how to do this, I got to work.

First, I did the hardest part of the project, and measured the fabric to fit exactly to the back of the shelves. I did have a bit of an allowance because I thought it would be better to finish the edges to avoid fraying and also to make the edges perfectly straight.

As most of you know, I do not own a sewing machine, so it was time for Hem Tape again. Although, this time,  I had to use the non iron hem tape. The fabric I used is indoor outdoor fabric, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to iron it.

There are several no iron hem tapes out there (Fix it Fast). They work just like a double stick tape. First, you lay the tape where you want it on the fabric. Remove the backing. Then, fold over. It is very similar to iron tape, except NO IRON.

Once everything was measured and straight, I lined the fabric up, and hot glued it to the back of the cabinet with a large dot of hot glue in each corner.

NOTE: I could only do half of each cabinet at a time because of the shelf being in the way, so I only needed four large dots of glue. However, if you were using more fabric, or lining the back of an entire shelf, I would use more glue around the perimeter to make sure it stays in place.

Finally, I loaded the shelves back up.

 

I am so happy with this transformation! It was easy, inexpensive, and really made a big difference.

Measuring Up: Pinterest Challenge

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Last week when John and Sherry of Young House Love,  Katie of Bower Power , Megan of The Remodeled Life, and Michelle of Decor and the Dog announced their quarterly Pinterest Challenge Link Up, I knew exactly what project I was going to tackle.

 

These giant rulers to measure the kids are something I have seen all over Pinterest. Also, it is something that I have been meaning to do for awhile, and actually had bought the lumber a few weeks ago.

 

After reading a few tutorials online, I thought I could handle it, but I had two concerns. The first, I didn’t want to use a standard 1″ x 6″ or 2″ x 4″ boards. I didn’t want anything that heavy hanging from the wall. Especially something that the kids would be touching or wanting to be near often. The second problem I had was that I wanted three. One for each kid. I thought it might be fun for them to have their own measuring stick to take with them someday as a memento.

The planning began. The first thing I did, was walk around Home Depot (aka my second favorite store) with Brian and take a look at trim and other types of thin woods. We then looked at plywood. We saw 1/4″ plywood and realized that instead of buying three different planks of wood, we could just ask, someone to cut this in 6″ wide pieces right in the store. This was perfect, and much cheaper than buying three pieces of trim.

 

The next thing I did, was decide how to personalize their measuring sticks. Each of my kids has been kind of assigned a color. We color coordinate a lot in this house, toothbrushes, sippy cups, water bottles, etc. It keeps everything straight, and the kids picked their own colors to represent them. So, I decided to color coordinate their sticks too with some leftover paint I had from painting bedrooms.

 

Now, that I had figured out my concerns it was time to get to work.

Supplies:
3 1/4″ x 6″ x 7′ boards cut from 1/4 inch plywood at Home Depot
Paintbrushes
Letter and Number Stencils
Paints (I used Behr’s Pink Reverie, Behr’s Palm Breeze, and Behr’s Rainwashed)
Tape Measure
Pencil
3 or 4 Permanent Markers

 

 

Process:

1.) First, I gave the boards a light sand. Then, I painted each board a different color and let it dry for about 6 hours. After a quick inspection, I thought it best to give them another coat of paint, and I let it dry overnight.

2.) Once the paint was dry, I then grabbed my tape measure and pencil I marked inch by inch the length of each board.

3.) Then using my stencils and permanent markers, I created a ruler line for each inch on the board. To make the board look more like a ruler, I created a one and half inch (1 1/2″) mark for every six inches and then drew 3/4″ lines for all the other inch marks. Basically, every six inches the mark to indicate an inch is longer (here is a picture).

 

4.) Then, I grabbed my number stencils and traced some numbers to mark each foot on the board. TIP: I knew that I would have to hang these boards a few inches from the floor, so I marked the first foot, at the six inch mark. When I hang them, I will make sure they are six inches off the floor to allow for the trim on the wall. (If you are planning to hang your ruler right next to the floor, you can skip this tip). Once that was done, I stenciled the rest of the numbers 12″ or 1′ apart.

 

I still have to hang them, and I might have to trim a little off the top to allow for ceiling height. Also, I have all their measurements since birth in their baby books, so I thought it would be cool to mark the boards with their birth length, and each year until now so they can see how much they have grown.

I am thrilled with how they turned out.

 

The kids like them too.

 

 

 

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Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: A Crafty Project

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Every since I was little, I have had this love for taking care of the environment. Maybe it was because I was a Girl Scout or maybe it was because I was elected to Student Council as the Ecology Chairperson in 7th grade (I bet you’ve never heard of that job before). Either way, I have an affinity for doing things that leave the world a little better off than I found it.

When I saw this cute, inexpensive, and easy craft that reuses old candle jars, I was thrilled.
FOR TUTORIAL CLICK HERE

I have a few of these candle jars lying around, and I thought they would be nice to reuse for anything from small vases, to storing craft supplies. (Please keep in mind that these are not food safe).

I first followed all the steps in the tutorial. Putting them in the freezer over night helped for the residual wax to just slip out in one piece. Then in true Erin fashion, and added a little something.

I found these really cute labels at Target in the $1 spot.

 

I added the labels to the jars, and filled them with a few things we use. They now reside in the freshly painted upstairs bathroom.

 

Also, it is worth mentioning that if you are having trouble removing the fragrant candle smell from the jars and lids even after thoroughly washing them, try mixing a little baking soda and vinegar in the jars and put the lids on and let sit overnight. Then wash again. That should do the trick.

PS Also, check out my latest on South of I-80. I’m discussing marathon running… or lack there of.

Almost There: Bathroom Art and FREE PRINTABLES

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I finished painting the upstairs bathroom over a week ago, but there have been a few other things that I wanted to do before showing the finished product. One of the things I wanted to do was add a little bit of art. There are lots of blank walls in this space, and with the new neutral wall color, I wanted to add some fun color and a bit of texture.

I created these.

 

I scoured the internet and Pinterest looking for ideas. I saw a few things I liked, but nothing that I loved. Also, I decided to create a few things of my own using PicMonkey (which I’m sharing with you today).
I first found some 8 x 10 frames at Target (on sale of course). I thought it might be fun to incorporate something personal and fun. I was happy when I found a great link for free chevron printables. This is one of my favorite patterns. I couldn’t decide on just one color, so I decided to do four. I printed them out on card stock. I had to trim them slightly to fit into the frames.
Then, I found these cute free printables at Hollywould Blog. I liked that they were simple. The Lather, Rinse, Repeat is my favorite. I also printed these on cardstock. I trimmed them and then using some scrapbooking double stick tape centered them and attached them to two of the chevron sheets of paper. They were then ready to be framed.

 

Finally, I had some trouble finding any other bathroom printables I liked so I decided make my own. (If you would like to download these for yourself, click the caption)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD

 

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD
I printed, trimmed, and attached, and was amazed at what I was able to do in PicMonkey. I think they came out pretty cute.

 

This might just be one of my favorite art projects. It was easy, fun, and only cost me the price of the frames.
Thank you to my wonderful husband, Brian, for helping me figure out how to use Google Drive 🙂