Spoon Hanger

SUPPLIES:
~2 paint colors (main color for bottom, and a color to dry-brush top)~any craft store
~Floor board~Lowes, oak base $6.56
~Small nails~ Ace Hardware, 15x3/4" nickel plated bracket nails $3.00
~Old antique spoons~ Flea markets, antique stores, garage sales
~Hammer~
~Drill and small drill bit if possible~
~Paint brush~
~Saw tooth hangers~ Hobby Lobby, $1.47












These are pictures of the finished product. I also knitted a dish cloth, which I am not very good at so I am not giving instructions on how to knit. My idea was to hang this in my kitchen so that I can hang dish cloths on it. Want to make one? This is how!













You will need to start with a can of paint ( or a tube of acrylic) and a basic floor board. First, you paint the base color on the floor board.




















Next, Make sure your base board is completely dry, and your brush is completely dry. Than, dip the brush into the color you want to brush over the base coat. paint on a piece of scrap paper to get almost all the paint off your brush, then lightly paint over the floor board. This produces a weathered look and is called "dry brushing".
















Grab all the spoons you want to use. I found mine at a few Flea markets and Antique stores. I suggest using an odd number of spoons, because it is more appealing to the eye when it is all said and done.





















Here is where it gets tricky. In the end, you want two small holes in the spoons. One at the very end of the handle, and one right in the middle of the cupped part of the spoon. (they must be small enough so that the nail head does not go through when hammering the spoon to the base board!) I tried hammering the holes first. I found it extremely hard and tiring because of the thickness, so after breaking my dads small drill bit, I asked my neighbor who had a small drill to drill the wholes. This is the best way to do it if you can. USE A DRILL. When the holes are in place, bend the spoon as best you can to form an arc so that there is room to hang things from it.



















After all the spoons had holes, place them on the floor board and spread them out how you want them, and simply hammer the small nails into the holes. The nails will go through the back of the board, so you will need to hammer them flat against the back so they are not sticking out. When this is complete, line up the saw tooth hangers on the back ( I suggest using 2) and hammer them in. Now you are finished!!

Homemade Soap!

SUPPLIES:
~Glycerin soap~ Hobby Lobby, $14.99
~Fragrances~ Hobby Lobby, $2.99 each
~Coloring~ Hobby Lobby, about $ 3.99
~Moldings~Hobby Lobby, about $ 2.00
~Spices,cornmeal, oatmeal, anything you want to experiment with
~Drying rack~
~Microwave safe bowl~
~Extra virgin olive oil~






















I would highly recommend a "Soap Making 101" instructional book for beginners. This one had some really great ideas and a very large variety of soaps.



















These were the first two, which were done by the basic soap making process....2 cubes of soap in the microwave for 20 seconds at a time until melted, add 24 drops or more of fragrance, and pour into mold. Then I added coloring drops in four corners and left it there, and it made a sort of tye -dye effect.















Oatmeal and Cornmeal are great for your skin. The cornmeal is a natural exfoliate and the oatmeal softens the skin. They also make great texture in your soap and come out very nice. They have a distinct natural look to them.



















These are the finished soaps. There are not many step-by-step instructions because of how easy it is to make soap! The more natural, earth toned colored ones you see here are made through a "hand-milled" recipe. That is simply 2 cubes of soap in microwave for 20 seconds at a time until melted, and then 1 Tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, 1 Tablespoon of water, and then add whatever you want to it to get the smell and look you want.

*TIP****** Cinnamon, and Peppermint oil are great fragrances. They are strong enough to over-power the smell of the glycerin.That bright blue soap you see is made with peppermint oil. It clears out your sinuses and has a very clean crisp smell.

Signs of the seasons

These boards are from Lowes, isle 16. the shorter/ fatter ones are
$ 1.99 each, and the skinner/longer ones are $1.45 each. Aspen wood, the cheapest.

If you would like to see the finished products, scroll down past all the instructions.

Anita's Acrylic Paint : Hobby Lobby, $.67 apiece. Not bad! It's the cheapest you can go.

Have a large rang of paint brushes ready. I have collected them over time through out my crafting experiences. It's always good to keep a stash on hand.

Get creative and try out some fonts before you paint. I always measure out the letters and spaces in between as well as write out in pencil what I am writing before I paint. Then you can just trace it!

Lastly, you are going to measure and mark where you want the ribbon to go through. pull out your drill, and finish it up! When that is done, pull the ribbon through and tie a bow on the top to hang it by.

Signs of the seasons

MONEY SAVING TIP: All the ribbon was bought from Hobby Lobby. It was $1.99 no matter the width of the ribbon. The key is to go when it is 50% off. Then all their ribbon is a dollar. It's a great deal and Hobby Lobby has constant sales. If what you want isn't on sale, wait one more week.

Halloween decorations are fun too. You can really get creative!

I found that the more effort you put into the detail of the small things, the better the result. Little designs on the words make them pop out to the eye!

Trios are fun to make too. Just think of the words that best describe Fall to you. It adds a nice touch to the Fall decor. The ribbon on the back holding the three boards together is done with a hot glue gun.

Signs of the seasons

I love these signs! They are the perfect decoration for Fall. Just throw in some Pumpkin Spice Yanky Candles, and your home could not get more cozy in Autumn!

Window Message Board

So, here is the finished product so that you can decide on if you even like it before you invest time in it. It's a chalkboard that is attached to an old window pane. I use it as a grocery list/message board to hang it in my kitchen. It makes for a great quick way to jot things down on and is fun and creative too!

Want to make it? Here is how! ( I am new to this blogging thing, so my instructions are in reverse order. Just go to the oldest post where there is a picture of a chalkboard and start there.)

Your last step is going to be hammering in tiny nails along the line that you drew. Make sure you put enough nails in to make it secure. Be precise- you don't want to have a nail sticking through the front of your chalkboard because it missed the wood! If you don't want to use a window, frames work great too! It's the same idea in a different style.

Now, lay the chalkboard on the back of the window and draw a straight line across the back, where the wood frames are on the window.

If the glass is still in the window, put some gloves on and knock it all out. It might break. It's okay it's trash ;)

Find an old window. I found this one at a garage sale for $5.00. Honestly, people don't understand what they are selling! You can find them for very cheap.

It should look like this when you are done. Frame completely torn off.

When you get home, use a tool like this (i don't know what it is called. Hey I'm a home-maker, not a tool man) and wedge it in the sides of the frame on the back of the chalkboard. Use the hammer and gently hit the end of the tool to pry off the frame.

Buy a chalkboard. $7.99 at Hobby Lobby