I want our home to reflect me and Jeff, not what a designer or a company that sells interiors says I should have on my walls and beds. I would rather make something, if I can, than buy it such as curtains, quilts, artwork, doilies, etc…
Now I am no artist but I can snap a picture and play on the computer a bit.
I’ve been looking for something like this to hang in our dining area but didn’t want to spend the money.
These place-cards are great for dinner parties.
Because they are made with chalkboard paint they are re-usable.
Cut a hardwood tree branch at about 1/8 or 1/4 thick with a miter saw.
Make sure they are dry before you paint them.
Sand one side if you want to, but that is not necessary.
Use chalkboard paint (a quart goes a long way) and a small craft brush to paint on two coats, letting each coat dry completely.
I took some dried hydrangeas and stuck them in a grapevine wreath. I left the stems long enough to twist into the wreath, you could use some floral wire if you need to. or even hot glue them in.
Then I spray painted it and let it dry.
And then added a strip of burlap and a bow.
What are your favorite fall decorations?
Linking Up at:
I received this as a comment the other day on this crocheting post. I was so humbled, encouraged and convicted all at once. This is from Jill:
Several years ago, you did a little series on young
entrepreneurs. One of them was Brianna, a crocheter. I showed my daughter, Sarah, that post. She had just started crocheting, and she contacted Brianna. They have become friends, penpals, and fellow crocheters. Brianna inspired my daughter to start her own business. I think Sarah had just turned 11 at the time.
Seeds are 20 cents a packet at Wal-Mart (ign
ore the 99 cent price listed there).
Cut some strips of brown paper from some paper lunch bags.
(I LOVE my paper cutter we picked up at a yard sale!)
Add a little twine and a note, and there you have it,
a very simple gift for your guest.
These are perfect for a spring wedding!
Jeff made this wonderful box to hold the seed packets for the wedding.
I love my little entrepreneur. I hear him from the other room trying to strike a deal with his 89 year old great-grandmother, he offered to tie her shoes for $1. Then his 9 year old sister scolded him for taking advantage of the elderly family member… and then says she will do it for 50 cents! Free enterprise is alive and well at the Brodock house!
Don’t constantly shower your children with all the material things they want or always pay for them to be involved in every club, activity and team. Let your children pay for some things, I promise you, they will get real creative and industrious! Great economies are built by families that know how to work!
Emma’s wedding is going to have a rustic theme, which really makes it easy for decorating. And because I have this creative-need-to-be-unique-on-a-budget thing in me, I figured I’d make the invitations. So instead of spending a lot of money, I spent a lot of time, but it was a labor of love that I think does reflect her personality.
I bought a roll of brown package paper at WalMart to line the back of the papers to give it a contrast of color, texture and thickness. This was less than $5. The problem was that it curled, so I ironed them flat after I cut a bunch of rectangles that gave me an inch or so of play on each side.
With having little girls in my house again I am looking for ideas to help them learn the basics of sewing and easy projects that will encourage them to keep their hands busy.
Cherish, who is 8, is working on a printed plastic canvas project that we picked up at Hobby Lobby. Just learning the simple basics of how to hold a needle and which direction to stitch in has been a challenge, but plastic canvas , a big plastic needle and yarn are perfect to learn these simple things.
Olivia surprised me with an early gift for over the mantel.
I love this phrase from the song, Come Thou Fount.
This is my heart’s plea…”never more to wander from Thee”.
Now I know our home is a bit different because my husband is a handyman, carpenter, and junkyard extraordinaire (a little sarcasm in that last one) and I am a crafty person so we usually have all kinds of junk…I mean supplies around. But even if you don’t have a bunch junk supplies around these take so little to make I bet you may even have a grandparent, an uncle or a neighbor that have these supplies in their garage.
Last week I shared about a really cool bench.
Did you know that:
You’ve got to look at this guy’s website and all of the different pallet sheds that people have sent him pictures of! Some are simple and some are simply amazing! There is everything from a woodshed, a hen house, to a children’s fort, to a get-a-way cabin, to an outhouse! Scroll all the way down!
