To the Moon and Back

A coworker asked that I make this sign for her little granddaughter for her 2nd birthday.  The cute little knobs on the bottom are for all her necklaces and bracelets.  I think this will be a cute way to keep up with all baubles and bangles!

Scrabble Tiles

A sweet friend recently asked me about making 'scrabble tiles' with their family names.  It took several tries to get them just like I wanted them to, but I think it's a success.  The wood was a 4 x 4 post sliced into about a million 5/8 inch thick pieces.  I sanded them smooth but after sealing with a water based sealer, the grain opened up and was roughed up again. I re-sanded and then used an oil based sealer and that was just what was needed.  They really soaked up the sealer - ( probably because of the end grain) but the grain sure looks pretty.  I cut the letters and the tiny numbers out of card stock with my silhouette and glued them down using a little Mod Podge and then coated them with another couple of coats of sealer. 

This is just spread out on the driveway.  I can't wait to see them on the wall.  The tutorial for these were found at http://www.remodelaholic.com   I am not very good at following directions :} so I probably could have saved myself some time if I had read them again when I got ready to actually start these.

Signs

I have started crafting/making signs to help my husband come up with money for his on-going mission trips to the Amazon region of Peru and to Kenya.   He is working with the organizations of Reaching Souls International and Water 4.  Reaching Souls International trains and supports local pastors in Africa as well as other countries.  Water 4 brings water wells to remote areas next to churches. When people come to get clean water, the pastors of these local churches share Jesus with them and give them the opportunity to also have the Living Water.  The nationals are trained in drilling during this process so they can go out and bring water to more areas.

These are some of the projects that I have done this weekend.  They have been so much fun and I have so many more I am anxious to get done.  Trip to Peru is planned in September....

Thriftiness

The office where I work uses Character First as a way to build integrity, teamwork and to boost employee morale.  Each month we study a different character trait.  This month the study was on thriftiness.  Of course, this is one of my favorites!  I love to be creative and re-use and re-purpose and thrift stores are a great resource for items to re-purpose.  As a way to kick start ideas among our co-workers and to promote the trait of thriftiness, another co-worker and I hit the thrift stores and our own stashes to come up with various plates and candle holders to re-purpose into something new.   (Of course I had to try this first, you know, to make sure I could actually do it before making a fool of myself in front of my co-workers.) 

I had found this one particularly  ugly dated candlestick that I almost did not buy, but thankfully did.  The pieces were screwed together, so after disassembling it, I painted the metal with a glossy black and the green center a light blue.  I then glued a glass salad plated (that I had painted with the same blue) to the top and...

 

                                                                           

This is the after!!
I have to say - It is my favorite!!  Not sure how I will use it, but it is quite striking.

Some of the plates and candle holders were painted, but most were left as we purchased them.  Everyone seem to enjoy the process of creating something new and there were some really cute pieces that were created that day. 

Don't you think these are adorable!

I really hope these are used by their new owners. 

The best part of the activity was hearing others begin to think of ideas for things that they already had that were no longer useful, but could be re-purposed into something new.


Of course I have to use my Silhouette any chance I can so I added a little something to one of my pieces for a friend!

The idea for these came from  Burlap and Blue as well as the Crafty Chicks and Pinterest.

Loving my new Silhouette

I have a new Silhouette and I know I am probably really slow getting on the silhouette band wagon, but I am loving it!  This is the second sign I have made and it is text my youngest D-I-L asked for.  I think it turned out pretty good (considering I wasted the whole first roll of vinyl trying to figure it out).  I found a great place to buy cabinet doors for signs is the Habitat Resale Store.  The were $2.00 each and were just sitting on the shelf begging someone to pick them up and beautify them!  I painted this one turquoise then distressed and glazed it before adding the vinyl. 

Baby Bedding

Here is one post where 'stitches' come into this blog.  A really dear friend is expecting a baby girl next month and I love making 'baby anything'!  I talked her into letting me make her bedding.  She showed me a picture of what she wanted and I copied as best as I could.  I loved the fabric that she chose.  I love anything toille!

This is the fabric that was chosen.  First step was making yards and yards and yards of piping. 

Okay - we can skip to the finished projects:

All ready for Baby McKinley!!  Thank you Father for the ability to create for others!

Book Page Wreath

This is my version of a book wreath I had seen in a decorating magazine.  Even if I could not read it, I really wanted the writing to be in french, so I ordered a book entitled 'Seven French Novels' from ebay.  I will admit, nowhere in the description did it say what language the book was written in, so I assumed it would be in French.  Needless to say, when I received the book, it was in English!  Although a little disappointed in the book, I was very pleased with the finished results.  Next one will be made from an old hymnal.  Eventually I will find a French book.

What's cooking?

This is the play kitchen I made for my oldest granddaughter for Christmas this year.  A good friend had this entertainment center sitting in her garage and when I mentioned I was looking for one to make over into a play kitchen, she offered me this one. SCORE!

After removing the glass from the doors, I replaced the large door (refrigerator) opening with wood and the smaller (oven) door with Plexiglas.  The smaller door had hinges on the side, so I moved them to to bottom for it to open like an oven.  The 'sink' is an aluminum dog bowl.  Primed and painted, it really is starting to look like something other than an entertainment center. 

Painting the refrigerator and oven silver gave it every girls dream of 'stainless'.  Stove top burners are discs of wood painted black with little wire 'stars' picked up at a dime store glued on top.  Oven and stove top knobs are wooden drawer pulls also painted black.  A free online photo of zebras and a rainbow seemed like the perfect view.  Printing in 4 sections and laminating it made the window panes with wooden strips surrounding them.

Curtains and a chandelier completed the look for the front, but one more addition was needed - chalkboard paint on the side.  A little shelf with pegs held an apron, bucket of chalk and a frilly little tassel!  Can't get much more 'girlie' than that.

Voilà - Ready for someone special to play!

Stitches and Nails

Welcome to Stitches and Nails - sewing, decorating, and building projects coming soon.