Tip Tuesday

Fall has arrived so that means a it's scarf season.  I love the T-shirt scarves, they are super easy and super inexpensive to make. They also make great birthday/Christmas gifts. These are two of my favorites to make.

To make the red scarf lay your T-shirt flat ( I like to use extra large T-shirts) and cut along the side seams of your shirt so you have one long piece of fabric.  You can use a paper plate as your guide and start cutting circles, you will probably end with about 10-12 depending on the size of your T-shirt.

Then fun part begins, start cutting each circle into a spiral, just pick a spot to start your cut and then continue to cut into a spiral until it looks like this.  Once you have all of your circles cut stretch them out and shake off the excess fabric.  Lay them flat one on top of the other and then take one of the pieces and wrap it around the center of the scarf and tie into a knot to secure the piece.

The Grey one couldn't be any more simple.  Cut the T-shirt right below the arms, lay flat and cut even strips about 4 inches each.  Once they are cut pull each strip so they create a curl, there ya have it.

So grab some old T-shirts and get to cuttin'!

Tip Tuesday

As most of you know Pinterest is my playground, rather it be food, cocktails, crafts or a DIY project I can find it on Pinterest.  I'm sure most of you are as guilty as I am when it comes to pinning and not doing.  Well that all changed 2 years ago when I was in a situation that caused me to put my pins to use.  When my BFF of 35 years was diagnosed with Stage four lung cancer I knew I wanted to make her support system interactive and creative.  We didn't want to be just hand holders we wanted to create life long memories and give her something to look forward to.  So our first project was the melted crayon canvas. I think we did really well considering none of us really knew what we were doing.  As the months went by we created more projects and made tons of food and created fun cocktails.

What I enjoyed most about our "Tuesdays with Steph" were the conversations we had. While we were busy being creative the conversation flowed with ease we discussed our fears, hopes, dreams, life and death.  Our situation was unique, we knew our friend was dying so we didn't want to make it the elephant in the room we put it out there.  I will never forget the conversations we had and how close we all became. Regardless of the situation your loved one wants to take their mind off of their situation and enjoy time with you. If you know someone who is experiencing a difficult time surprise them with a much needed distraction.  Find a project on pinterest ( it doesn't have to be over the top)  gather the supplies, a bottle of wine and get ready to enjoy some much needed quality time with your loved one.  Here are some of our favorite projects just to give you an idea.  We did the T-shirt scarf, this one is super easy and very inexpensive. Michael's has T-shirts 3 for 10 bucks most of the time.

We also did the glitter in a bottle, again super easy and inexpensive. Dollar Tree vases, glitter and some Pledge floor cleaner, at the end you will have a super cute vase.

Anyway you get the idea, keep it simple, make it fun and don't worry about messing up the project, it's more about spending quality time with your loved one than the project itself.  

Tip Tuesday

I am the spray paint Queen!!  I love spray paint because it's so easy to use and wow what a transformation it can make on any object.  I have a box full of spray paint, all different colors and brands.  I can't tell you how many pieces I have transformed with just a can of spray paint.  Spray paint works well on glass, wood, plastic, pretty much anything you want to transform it can be done with a can of spray paint.

I do want to caution you no two brands of spray paints are the same.  My favorite spray paint to use is Rust-Oleum ultra coverage it goes on smooth and even.  I love the nozzle it has, makes for a great even spray.

I find with the Krylon the nozzle it tends to give a more sporadic spray

But really it just comes down to preface and what you like best.  If I'm doing a project where I know I'm going to use two different paint colors I will use a cheaper generic brand for the bottom coat and will use my Rust-Oleum for the top coat.  As you can see in the example below I used Walmart white for the bottom coat and Rust-Oleum for the top coat.  If you know you are going to be layering colors there is no need to use the expensive paint for the whole project. I'm going to take a piece of sandpaper to this piece so I want the good stuff on top since the white is only going to be peeking through in spots no need to use the more expensive paint as your bottom layer.

You will want to do your spray painting on a day where the temp is above 70 degrees with no humidity.  Your paint will crack if it is humid outside as you can see in this picture. Fortunately for me I was going for the shabby chic look so it worked for me, but if I wanted a smooth look I would not have achieved it.

If you are going to be doing a large project then you will want to get one of these puppies, trust me it will save your index finger.  I honestly had a numb finger for weeks after spending the day spray painting wine bottles.  You can/will thank me later, I promise :)

I want to encourage to find something in your house that you are not in love with anymore and give it a spray paint makeover.  Be bold and unafraid to try a new color and see what happens.  Worst case is you won't like it, but guess what you can always spray another color over it. Of course best case is you will love it and fall in love with your piece all over again.  I am excited to see/hear how you do. 

Ready, Set, Go!

Woohoo I finally created my "All things Pinterest" blog.  I have been making so many cool up-cycled, re-purposed products and have yet to showcase the when, who and how.  I will be posting about the projects I've created and show you how to make them or if you don't want to make them how you can purchase them directly from me.  I'll give you a little sneak peek of some of the projects you will be seeing from me and of course how you can make them. These little cuties were made from cabinet drawers, who would of thunk it?!? See those lovely pallets in the background, just wait until you see how I transform them.