A couple days ago, I found out that one of my friends knits. In talking to her about it, she said she had just learned, but didn't think you could knit much beyond hats, scarves and blankets. I honestly didn't answer right away because my mind was buzzing with so many ideas of things you could make with your needles. Finally, I said, "When you knit you are making a fabric, so basically anything you could make with fabric you could knit". Of course, this is true for crochet, too. A wonderful thing these days is that you can find many knit and crochet doilies and tablecloths at thrift stores, so even if you don't have the skill, you can still partake in the fun by upcycling a secondhand find.

Anyway, as I was deciding what to post about today, I thought I would share some ideas, many of which contain patterns/tutorials for you to re create the inspiration. Click on the picture to go to the link. Enjoy!

I don't know about you, but I am LOVING all of the yarn bombing popping up all over the internet. You can imagine my delight when I walked into my favorite yarn shop, Blazing Needles, and found that they had brought the fun trend indoors and incorporated it into their holiday decor. The wonderfully smart thing here is that a pallet of red and white was used without anything that completely screamed Christmas, so this decor works throughout the whole of winter! I hope the beautiful creations (by the one and only amazing Carol) inspire you to bring the bombing inside and perhaps to your holiday table.

Here are a few more images of the lovely shop.

A couple weeks ago, while driving to my sister-in-law's house, I noticed piles of "trash" on the curb in front of many of the houses. Most of the mounds were branches from trimmed trees and bushes, but as I kept driving, I passed one heap with two pallets on top of it. I didn't get too far before turning the car around and loading up the pallets into my trunk. I had a few ideas in mind of what I could use these treasures for, but what I eventually landed on was a growth chart. For the last six months or so, I have had this project in the back of my mind. I have seen so many darling versions all over Etsy and Pinterest, but I really didn't want to go out an buy any supplies as my budget is basically nothing. So, that weekend, my loving husband helped me pull the pallets apart and cut them in to pieces so I could make the sweet creation in the picture below.

Materials:
1 Pallet, although we did use one board from the second pallet, but you could make your chart shorter or narrower
Saw/Hammer/Nails
Medium Grit Sandpaper (ideally along with a rotary sander)
2 Boards at 1" x 1 1/2" and the length of your chart
Paper/printer
Pencil
Foam Brushes
Acrylic Paint
Polycrylic Sealant
Fine Grit Sandpaper
Picture Hanging Kit

Directions:
Begin by breaking apart the pallets using your hammer to pry up the boards. It may be helpful to take a second hammer and pound the first to get it wedged under the board better. Remove the nails. I used the marks created by weathering to figure out the width and cut one board, then used that board to mark the rest. Sand down the front and sides of your cut boards.

Line up your pallet boards in the order you would like them to be, right side up, then flip the boards over and place each 1 x 1 1/2" board about 2" - 3" from the side and nail them to each board (I used 2 nails on each side for each pallet board). Wipe down your chart so that there is no sawdust left behind and let it dry.

Now comes the fun part; deciding what image to paint on your chart. I wanted mine to be gender neutral and I didn't want anything too juvenile so that it could hang in a more visible place then the bedroom some day. I modified an image I found online, then, to transfer the image to my chart, I remembered a technique I learned in 4th grade. The chart is basically broken down into 16 segments vertically (as in there are 16 pallet boards), so I segmented my image into 16 slices and used that to redraw the picture. For the ruler part, print this template on card stock to use as a stencil (the rectangle on the bottom left is to help place the letters). Periodically check the measurements as you are tracing the tick marks to make sure they are in the right place.

Here are the numbers: 23 45 6. Cut each number, making a straight edge along the left side of the digit. Then, using a pencil, color the back of the page. Position the number on the chart, using the rectangle from the stencil. Trace the number with the pencil and when you remove the page, there should be a number transferred onto the wood. 

Paint your image and your ruler marks with the acrylic paint. Once the paint has dried, go over the surface with your fine grit sandpaper, being careful not to remove too much paint, and follow the directions on the can to apply the polycrylic. Use the picture hanging kit to hang the chart on the wall.

A little over a year ago, my husband took me to Italy. We were accompanied by his sister, brother and both of their spouses. It was the BEST trip I have ever been on, including the fact that we carted our then 6-month old with us. We were only there for 10 days, but in that short time we drove in a big loop, hitting Venice, the Cinque Terre, Florence, Sienna, Rome, Assisi, Verona, and so much of the beautiful countryside. It was quite a whirlwind trip! I wanted some way to memorialize the trip on our wall so we could always remember the fun little moments there, which is how I came up with this next idea.

I found the frame at a thrift store and repainted it. I printed the pictures at Kinkos, but I wish I had used Shutterfly as they produce better pictures. The large photo that the other pictures sit atop was printed at Kinkos. I suggest that if you are going to do that, pick a picture that is primarily a texture and not a pattern as it gets too busy. I used some brads I found in the scrapbook section and some embroidery thread to mark the different cities. I tied the embroidery thread to the brads then poked them through the cardboard backing the frame came with.

If you remember from my last post, I redid my "getting ready" corner, as evidenced below.

After finishing my Necklace Hooks, I realized I needed somewhere to put my bracelets and my hair things. Originally, I was planning on keeping these things in the jewelry box I already had, but it was still just a jumbled mess, so again, I looked to the internet for inspiration and came across some DIY wall pegs for a child's room from Dot Coms For Moms. I used the basic construction, but I wanted to cap it with something clever. After racking my brain for a couple weeks and remaining stumped, I was standing in line at Michael's and looked down at the dollar bin to find some really cute, intricate little frames in neon hues. I grabbed a few and some chalkboard paint and headed home. (The tutorial for this is at the bottom)

So, the only issue remaining for this make-over was what to do with my hair ties and bobby pins. I figured that I could solve this through some finds at Ikea so off I went. In the kitchen section, I was lured by the Droppar Spice jars, but was unsuccessful in finding something cheap to attach them to the wall, until I hit the As-Is section. It was there that I discovered the Ribba Picture ledge, which worked out beautifully! I added a couple projects I found online (Crayon Melting from Her Campus and Mod Podge Silhouette from Tatertots and Jello) to complete the look and the make-over was done!

Bracelet Pegs Materials:
* 3 Small frames (about 3")
* Craft Knife
* Chalkboard Paint
* Foam Brush
* Chalk
* 1" Dowl cut into 3 2" sections (you can have this done at Home Depot)
* Drill
* (3) 1/4" Dowl Screws
* Pliers
* (3) #14 Plastic anchors
* Glue Gun and Glue Sticks

Start by opening up the frame and carefully cutting out the plastic with the craft knife and paint the frame if you so choose. Then paint the cardboard back with the chalkboard paint. (Make sure to shake the bottle really well, if it comes out watery, shake it up more. It should be similar to acrylic paint in consistency.) Draw pictures in the frames with chalk.

Next, if needed, sand the edges of the dowels, then find the center and mark. Drill a hole here, then with pliers, turn the dowel screws into each hole. Mark on the wall where you want the pegs to go, then drill a hole. Hammer in plastic anchors then screw each dowel into wall.

Put a large dollop of hot glue on the back of each frame and push onto the end of each dowel; holding for about a minute to set.

It wasn't long after we moved into our "quaint" condo that I bought this little vanity to make a space for me to get ready. It has been almost two years since and the tiny corner of our bedroom has sat looking pretty bland the entire time. A while back, I decided I was sick of trying to find my jewelry amidst the tangled pile in my jewelry box, which sparked a make over of the entire corner. I have to say, I am pretty happy with the results.

As usual, I started my quest by looking to the internet (specifically, Pinterest), and found some great ideas to pull from. Below are the inspiration photos:

So, today, I will post the tutorial from my Jewelry Hooks and on Thursday I will post the tutorial for the Bracelet Pegs. As for the wall itself, I found a tutorial with tips for picture groupings at Tipnut that you can check out.

Jewelry Hooks Materials:
* 13" of decorative moulding, preferably chair rail (you can buy this by the foot at Home Depot)
* Fine grit sand paper
* Acrylic paint
* Liquid silver leaf
* At least 2 foam brushes
* Lint free rag
* Nail and hammer
* 16-18 teacup hooks
* (2) 2" clamps (really cheap at Home Depot)
* Scraps of felt or thick fabric
* 2 Saw tooth picture hanger

Method:
* Start by sanding the edges of your moulding, then paint one coat of acrylic paint as a base, then let it dry and paint a coat of the liquid silver leaf and let that dry. Blotch on another coat of the acrylic paint and rub it off with the rag as you go.
* Divide the length of your moulding by the number of hooks you have and mark with a pencil Mark the center of the moulding on each line, then set up the moulding on the table with a clamp on each side to steady it and felt protecting the moulding from the clamps (as in the picture). Nail a hole at each of your marks.
* I found that it was easiest to take the clamps off and hold the moulding between my knees to screw in the hooks. Also, I used one of the pieces of felt to protect my fingers as I turned the hook.
* Turn the moulding so the backside is facing up. Divide the length into thirds and mark, then mark about 1/4" from the top. Center 2 saw tooth picture hangers on these marks and attach.

Attach it to the wall and you are ready to untangle your necklaces!

Perhaps my all time favorite product as an interior designer is 3form. Is the greatest stuff and it is made right here in Salt Lake City. Basically, they sandwich materials (anything from lace to grass to photos, you name it) between two sheets of resin to create beautiful panels that can be molded into anything imaginable. It is wonderful because it can be used as is or shaped into anything imaginable and it is durable. Not to mention the fact that the company is on a plan to have zero waste. Recently 3form came out with a few additions to their Varia collection and I have to say, I am in love!

They also have some Ready to Go options, including everything from Ceiling Features to Seating to Column Features and many more.

The 100 Percent collection displays that something made from recycled materials doesn't need to look recycled.

3form's LightArt is simply exquisite.

Needless to say, I LOVE 3form and for those of you who desire this awesome product but are low on budget, check out their Cool Stuff, you can get a bowl (I have one and it is pretty sweet). 

A while ago, when I was decorating my daughter's room, I was trying to decide what to put on the wall above her crib. The theme in her room is birds and I had some metal silhouettes of flying birds that I bought from Details, a local shop in Utah, that I wanted to use. So, I came up with an idea. Below is a picture.

To make this, I used:
* Paint
* Old Frame from the thrift store
* Metal Birds
* Berry vine from Michael's
* Glue Gun
* Staple Gun
* 1/2" Ribbon

I painted my frame and let it dry over night. Then I layed on the ground with the front down and staple gunned the vine into the corners and hot glued over that for extra measure. Once the glue was dry, I turned it over and placed the birds where I wanted them to fall. Then I tied them to the vine and hung it on the wall. You can get a picture hanging kit if there isn't something on the back to hang it with.

Since I first posted this craft, I have seen this idea manifested in a few ways. Last Christmas, my Aunt Jessie wanted one for her Christmas decor. So, we found another frame, bought some plastic snowflakes and a Christmas vine and did the same thing. (Sorry, no picture.) Another cute version I saw was featured on Studio 5. It was created by guest crafter, Mandy Douglass, who did a similar thing for Halloween, which is pictured below

I'm thinking that I may make one for Christmas to go on my door. It is too cute and with a white frame, you could switch out what you hang from it and use it all year!

Can we please talk about the Jamie Beckwith Collection®? Her wood mosaics are AMAZING! I love the idea of these for flooring, but really, they would be beautiful anywhere. Could you imagine a wall in this or a tabletop or better yet, jazz up a ceiling! She is a genius! Prepare yourself to be amazed then visit her site!