newday-newdiy

[newday-newdiy]

Getting stuffed for Christmas!

DIYers! I am back and I have for you my very last DIY project. While this is all so very bittersweet I am incredibly excited about this week's final project! When I first started my blog I covered the basics and then I covered florals, Fall and Halloween, and while it's a tad early, I had to take this opportunity to cover the most wonderful time of the year- that's right, this week is Christmas themed!! It's no secret that Christmas is my favorite time of the year. I love all the music and lights and of course the trademark occasion, decorating the tree. Being my last DIY I wanted to choose something that would put to test skills that we haven't tested out yet. So that being said, the project that I chose for this week is pretty different from all my past posts, this one is deceiving. On the outside it looks simple and straight forward but when put to work it takes time and a LOT of patience. So crack out the needle and thread because we're making Christmas tree pillows!

For this wintery DIY project you'll need the following: one yard of three different fabrics, pillowing stuffing, a needle, thread, cardboard, a sharpie, scissors/ a knife,  white lace ribbon, yellow felt, a hot glue gun, and mini jingle bells.

To start off you're going to want to trace out three different sizes of Christmas trees. I found that cutting out the tree stencils with scissors was pretty difficult so I switched to a knife and it got somewhat easier. Once you have all three sizes cut out next comes tracing and cutting the fabric!

When you begin tracing the fabric, it's easiest to double up the fabric, inside out, and cut the two sides together so that they're the same size. After everything is traced and cut out leave the two sides inside out so that you can jump right into sewing!

So this part is a doozy! This takes up a majority of the time to make the DIY so sit down with your favorite show because you'll be here for some time! If you have access to a sewing machine I recommend using that but because I didn't I had to use the old fashion needle and thread. As you're sewing leave the bottom portion of the tree open. And if you aren’t as sew savvy like me, I’ve included a how-to video that will help you get started! 

Use the opening at the bottom to flip the shell of your Christmas tree pillow right side out. After you've flipping everything and gotten the arms to your tree straightened out, it is now time to take your pillow stuffing and give your tree some life! Once there is a substantial amount of stuffing sew up the rest and repeat two more times for the other pieces of fabric.

So now that you have your three different trees all stuffed and sewed it's now time to accessorize! For my smallest tree I decided to line the outside with white lace ribbon. Use your hot glue gun to line the outline of the tree and stick the white ribbon right on top.

For my middle size tree I decided to decorate with mini jingle bells! To do this you'll need your needle and thread again. Thread the needle like you would for any regular sewing and just loop as many mini bells as you desire!  

For my last tree, the largest size, I decided to go with something simpler, just a yellow star. Take another piece of cardboard and trace a star. Once you have your stencil trace it onto your yellow felt and cut out two halves like you did previously for the larger fabric. Sew one half to the top of your tree and hot glue the other half on top of that to hide the thread. Once you have the star placed you can sew another mini jingle bell on top for some extra flare!

And there you have it! You have successfully made your very own Christmas tree pillows! Try out this DIY to start decorating for the holidays or put your skills to the test to try and make a unique and personal secret Santa gift!

[newday-newdiy]

I'm back DIYers! I feel like it's been so long since I posted my last DIY Halloween centerpiece! This week I have something equally fun and new for you all, something I'm very excited about. When I search for new DIY possibilities I always like to make sure that it is something I can get a lot of use out of and won't get tired of immediately. I really like the DIY that I choose for this week because it's something that you can get use out of all year round! And give or take a material or two, I was able to complete this DIY with a lot of materials that I had laying around the house. This particular DIY is a little time consuming so grab as many hands as possible! And now that I've made you wait enough I'd like to present to you my seventh DIY, wine bottle decor!

For this fun and lovely DIY you'll need the following: Four wine bottles of different size, white yarn, tan yarn, a hot glue gun, spare buttons, pom-poms, one single flower, and four flowers of your choice to stick in the bottles.  

[newday-newdiy]

Three little ghosts!

Hey there DIYers! Halloween time is upon us so I think it just makes sense that this week's Do It Yourself be Halloween inspired. And of course I have to give credit where credit is due and my mom deserves a gold medal for this one. She pulled the idea out of nowhere and let me tell you, it is cute enough to sell in the store! This week's DIY involves two of my favorite things, wine glasses and candy corn! For those of you on a budget, and lets be real we all enjoy a good deal without having to sacrifice the look of the final product, this DIY won't break the bank but will still be the talk of any Halloween party. So buckle your seat belts and get ready for this spooky DIY because this week we're making wine glass ghosts!

Thankfully a majority of the materials needed for this week can be found and the dollar store! To complete this week's DIY you'll need the following materials; wine glasses, white glossy spray paint, fine white glitter, black stick on gems, a hot glue gun, white ribbon, scissors, a tray, battery operated candle lights, candy corn, and any Halloween decorations you want!

When picking out the wine glasses, my mom had a good idea to get three different shaped glasses so that each of the ghosts were unique! These you can get at your local dollar store. So once you've picked out your three ghosts you have to paint them their signature color. To ensure that your glasses aren't transparent, give them two coats of spray paint. After you have spray painted the outside, sprinkle white glitter all over the glasses while the paint is still wet.

When your glasses have dried completely, take your black stick on gems and give those ghosts some eyeballs! To be safe we stuck them on with hot glue to make sure they weren't going to fall off. It's a personal  preference whether or not you want to give your ghost a cute smile or anything else.

Next you'll need the hot glue gun again. Take your white ribbon and cut it in equal length strands and lay it over the top of the wine glass. This step isn't entirely necessary, again it's a personal preference, but there's no harm in giving your ghost a little extra flair! Now it's time to grab whichever Halloween decorations you decided to get. Since my mom and I have an unhealthy obsession with pumpkins we chose those for what we wanted to put on top of our glasses. We also chose little bat and spider stickers to use to go the extra mile and really pull the whole DIY together.  The last decoration we picked out where the Halloween themed ornaments. These decorations were all found at Michaels.

Now that you've completed your glasses, it's time to break out the candy corn! Just the tray and wine glasses looked a little bare so we were trying to think of what we could use to cover the bottom while adding a nice pop of color. My brilliant mom was the one who came up with the idea of candy corn! Now technically you could use any candy you wanted, if candy corn wasn't your favorite. My mom and I liked the idea of candy corn though because it's a Halloween specialty, color contrasts the clear tray and white glasses perfectly, and is a hard candy that isn't sticky and wont melt which means no mess!

You're now entering the final stretch! To tie the whole DIY project together you need the most important item, the battery operated candle lights! This adds the perfect spooky touch of the flickering lights without the hassle or worry with using a real candle.

And that's all folks! You've made the perfect Halloween center piece that everyone will want. This wouldn't have been possible if it wasn't for my oh so talented mom and her wonderful ideas!

Unfortunately we're nearing the end of this class assignment, but don't get sad just yet! We still have three weeks left and I'm going to make sure the last two DIYs that I choose involve a little bit of everything to really put all your new skills to the test!

With that being said, Come back next week to check out and see what new project I have in store for you!

[newday-newdiy]

Lets hang!

DIYers! I am back and I bring to you my fifth DIY project. This week is going to be a little different because we shift gears somewhat. Instead of floral DIYs on the easier side, my mom and I have picked a DIY that requires a few more materials and a lot more of your time! This week's project has probably been my favorite so far just because it was a lot more hands on and really puts your skills to the test! So saddle up and break out your drills and saws because this week were making a door hanger that you can customize!

               These door hangers are so fun because they are unique to each person who makes them! You're able to switch up the colors of the boards, the flower choice, and what you choose to use for your letter. So let's get started! For this project you'll need: wooden boards, stain/paint, sandpaper, a saw, a drill, nails or liquid nails, wood glue, a hot glue gun, flowers, and rope!

               When my mom and I first started this project, we initially had bought pre-made boards. On the drive home, we began to feel like we were cheating! Buying something already made isn't doing it yourself! So we returned the pre-made boards and set out to find a store that would let us have one of their wooden shipping pallets. My mom was very against just going behind a store and taking the pallets so after the kind people of Napa Auto Parts gave us two, we began!

               Now you don't have to use wooden pallets, you can use whatever boards you have on hand. But the first thing we had to do was take the pallet apart. Taking the pallet apart was a DIY project in itself! Once we finally got all the boards we needed, we had to cut them in half and sand down the edges.For those who want to try and use a pallet, I’ve included an easy how-to video on the best way to take a pallet apart!

               Once the boards are cut to size, stagger them to your preference and secure them together. With the assistance of my dad, we were able to use liquid nails but regular nails would work as well. If you do decide to use a liquid nail, let the board sit overnight so that you are sure it is securely together. After 24 hours is up your board should be ready to stain!

               Staining was a PAIN. It took my mom and I two days to find the right combination between paint and stain that didn't look completely awful. To achieve the look, mix 1 part white latex paint and 2 parts water. Cover the board and let it dry while wiping off excess occasionally. Once the paint is dry dip a towel in a dark stain and gently swipe back and forth across the board. This will give it a more worn effect. Let this dry  for a few hours before you glue your letter on and figure out how to arrange your flowers.

               Once the stain has dried, you're going to center and attach your letter to your board. If you want, you can buy blank letters and then paint them however you want, but my mom and I found letters at Michaels that we fell in love with! This time around we just stuck the letters on with wood glue and placed a heavy object on them while they dried.

               While it dries you can begin to place your flowers however you want them. For the best result, cut the stem off the flower as close as you can so that it lays flat. Once you have them all cut and positioned, hot glue them down to the board.

               We're so close to being done!! For the most part your letters should be dried, but just in case leave something on top of them overnight. So without disrupting the letters, measure across where you want the two holes for your rope. Take your drill and drill a hole through the board, wiggling it around in a circle to make the opening bigger.

               The last step is to thread the rope through the opening and knot off the end to hold it all together. Leave it for the rest of the night and tomorrow you're ready to hang up your new customizable door hanger for everyone to see!

               This was such a rewarding DIY to do! I sent the final results to some family and friends and so many have already asked if I can make them one! My response? Read my blog and do it yourself!

               Thanks so much for reading this week! Check back soon to see what else I have in store for you all!

[newday-newdiy]

FALL-ing in love with pumpkins

I'm back! Can you believe this is my fourth blog post? It seems like just yesterday I was sharing the four most essential DIY tools to have around at all time. To recap last week, I showed you all how to transform those old socks into adorable fabric pumpkins. This week, my mom and I just couldn't stay away from the pumpkin theme, she chose the DIY for this week, and it just so happened to be the opposite of a fabric pumpkin. So this week, we're making mason jar pumpkins! This is such a great DIY because you can use it outside or inside, you can make it big or little, another must have Fall decoration that's versatile. So let's get started!

               To complete this DIY you'll need the following: your choice size of mason jar, sandpaper, green and orange paint, a piece of wood, ribbon, and a hot glue gun.

               First you're going to want to take your sandpaper and sand the entire outside of your mason jar and lid. This will help the paint stay better and give it that more vintage look!

               Once you have finished sanding the outside, paint the outside of your jar! Orange on the bottom and green on the lid. When the first layer has dried, give it one more coat. As a personal preference, you can sandpaper the outside again once the paint has dried. This will make it look even more worn and vintage.

               To continue, grab your glue gun and your piece of wood! Simply glue your piece of wood to the lid of your mason jar.

               Last but not least, take a piece of your favorite Fall ribbon! Outline the lid of your mason jar with hot glue and stick your ribbon to it, fastening it at the end with a nice bow!

               And that's it! You've made a mason jar pumpkin that you can pair with your fabric pumpkins. To brighten things up, you can add a tea light to your mason jar!

               That's all for this week! Grab your mom or your closest besties and try out this fun DIY to get ready for those Fall nights!

[newday-newdiy]

Pump, pump, pumpkin it up!

Hello again DIYers! I am back and I come bringing my second DIY project for you all! This week my mom and I are more excited than ever! The reason I am so excited about this particular DIY project is because I am in the sunny state of Florida, gathered with family. Not even a wedding can stop me from doing and sharing my next project.

               So now, let's get talking about what we're going to be completing today. I know I say this about all of my DIY projects, but I REALLY love this one because we're going to be making a cute Fall decoration with a stylish twist.  Any guesses? This week, we're making fabric sock pumpkins!

               I couldn't believe when I stumbled across this DIY because I had been looking for a decoration that was specifically for Fall and that would be unique.

               To get started, you'll need to gather the following materials; old socks, scissors, a sharpie, a hot glue gun, a dinner plate, various sizes of sticks, and your choice of fabric. If you want to vary your pumpkin sizes, cotton batting. And to and a little extra to your pumpkin, it's optional to add leaves.

               To begin, grab your socks! For each pumpkin you want to make, you'll have to cut off the toe end of the sock. To keep your pumpkins round and plump, you'll want to cut off as little of the sock as possible.

               Once the sock has been cut, you're going to turn the sock inside out and then begin rolling it up into itself.  Make sure that when you are done rolling, you tuck away the ends so that nothing excess is showing.

               When that is complete, you can set your rolled sock to the side for now, because it's time to grab your fabric! To start sizing your fabric, turn it over and set your dinner plate upside down. You'll then grab your sharpie and trace the outline of the plate onto the fabric. Cut along the traced line and  now you have the funky outside of your pumpkin!

               To continue, you'll want to grab your sock pumpkin again, grab your different fabrics, and grab your glue gun! To start off, set the fabric velvet side down, so that the sharpie outline is facing upwards. Take your glue gun and fill in the center of your pumpkin. Take a side of the fabric and press it down into the center, right into the pile of glue. As you go around the sock, pressing the fabric into the center, you'll want to keep adding little drops of hot glue so that everything stays in place. Once you have it all glued into place you can move onto the next step, adding the stem!

               Are you ready for the next step? This one is a hard one. Take your glue gun, take your small stick, and glue it right into the center.

               You think you might be done but only one fabric sock pumpkin isn't enough! You want to have different fabrics and sizes to show all your friends! So now it's time to create the bigger version. To do this, grab that cotton batting that was mentioned earlier.

               To keep the full and plump effect going, you'll want to layer up your cotton batting four times. Once you have your four layers, measure six inches across and cut it top from bottom. This next part is tricky.

               Unroll your four layers of cotton batting so that it is laying in one continuous strip. From right to left, roll the batting into itself and then roll it from bottom to top. As you're rolling from right to left, I found it easier to place a little dot of hot glue as you go so that it stays in place. Once you get to the end, safety the end with hot glue so that it stays all together.

               Next, grab a different piece of fabric and flip it upside down once again. Place your dinner plate upside down as well, but this time, trace the circle about three inches away from the plate itself.  Now that you've rolled your cotton batting and traced your larger fabric circle, you can repeat the previously mentioned steps of filling the center with glue and pressing the fabric into the middle. To finish off once again, hot glue your stick as the stem!

               And that's that! You've just successfully completed your second DIY project, a fabric sock pumpkin! Bring this cute decoration out when the leaves start to change and the mood gets a little spookier!

               I hope you all enjoyed this DIY, I know my mom, my whole family, and I did! I've already got ideas for next week so check back soon to see what I'm doing next!

[newday-newdiy]

Let’s get stringy!

Hey DIYers!! I'm back and I'm so excited to share my first DIY project with you! If you weren't here last week, to recap, I went over a couple DIY essentials that will make the DIY process a piece of cake. This week was one of my mom's and I's favorite DIY projects because it’s simple yet the perfect home decoration!  You'll need to grab three of those essentials I mentioned in my first post, a pair of scissors, your hot glue gun and some tape, because we're making string art!

               String art is the perfect first DIY project for beginners because all you need to know how to do is trace a picture and hammer in some nails!

               To begin, you'll need to grab the following materials; a wooden board, nails, string, an outline of a mason jar, a sharpie, tape, scissors, a hot glue gun, and some of your favorite flowers!

               First, center off your mason jar outline and tape it to your wooden board. It's better if you keep the jar more towards the bottom so that when the product is finished, your flowers aren't too tall for your board.

               Next, you'll want to take that sharpie and make little dots all the way around the outline. These dots are going to be where you decide to put your nails so make sure they're not too far apart or else your mason jar will lose its shape.

               Once all your nails are in place you can tear off that mason jar outline and start wrapping your string! To do this you'll want to knot one end of the string around the nail you plan on starting at. As you continue stringing the nails, you'll want to wrap the string two or three times around the nail so that the outline becomes thicker and stands out more.  

               When you come to your final nail you'll want to again knot off the end of the string so that it stays in place. You should now be able to look at your string art and see the outline of a mason jar on your wooden board!! This means you're that much closer to finishing your first DIY project.

               The last step you need to do is fan out your flowers! The best way to go about is to stagger them in height, this will give them a fuller effect. Once you get them to where you want them to be, hot glue them down so they won't shift out of place!  

               You  have now successfully made string art!!

Take a look at the ones that my mom and I did! 

               Check back next week to see another fun, but slightly more challenging, DIY that I have planned for you all!!!

[newday-newdiy]

Essentials to the perfect DIYs!

Hello DIYers! My name is Jackie and one of my absolute favorite things to do is find new and unique DIY projects that my mom and I can do together!  

Imagine- You're scrolling through Facebook and you find the cutest Fall DIY project that you just have to share with your mom! So you send her the link and before you know it you're both sitting dow- WAIT. You're missing half of the materials needed to complete the project, Nothing is worse than finding the PERFECT DIY project and then realizing that you don't have all the materials you need, so, that's where I come in! I'm here to give you the inside scoop on all the essential DIY materials that you should have stocked at all times!

                A hot glue gun- This is perfect for one of those pesky projects that may require a bit of sewing or heavy duty stapling, two things you may not be the best at. Whether it's DIYs with florals, furniture hacks, or upgrading your wardrobe, hot glue guns will always be a saving grace.

               Scissors- This one may be a given because everyone has at least one pair of scissors laying around their house. I'm not talking about any ordinary scissors though. If you want to excel at DIYing you need scissors that can cut through fabric, pipe cleaners, artificial flowers, and anything else under the sun that you can think of.

               Paint- When you're looking to make old furniture look new again, paint is the way to go. When you want to brighten up your walls with some new abstract art, paint is the way to go. When you want to transform those cereal boxes into trendy desk organizers, paint is the way to go. Catch my drift?

               Tape= Tape is good for everything. It's perfect for when you need a stencil to stay in place, or for when you need to keep the lines on your abstract art perfect every time. Tape has many uses that shouldn't be overlooked.

And there you have it! These are some essential materials that all DIYers, beginners or experts, should have handy! Check back next week to see what fun and exciting DIY project I have waiting for you! To hold you over until then, below are two links to my favorite blogs! Enjoy!

http://abeautifulmess.com/

https://www.papernstitchblog.com/