Newspaper Nails!

I recently started following Love from Mallory's videolog a few weeks ago. And, oh my goodness she is super cute and has so many fun tutorials and fashion info! I found a tutorial called Newspaper Nails and I figured I would go ahead and give it a shot! Here's the videolog tutorial below and beneath that are my newspaper nails!

What You'll Need

*Nail polish & Top Coat

*Newspaper

*Scissors

*Rubbing Alcohol

*Small container

Here are the steps!

1. Paint your nails a light grey/lavender. I chose #37 Wet Cement by Sally Hansen.

2. Let nails dry. 

3. Cut up your newspaper into small squares (large enough to cover your entire nail) - you will need 10 squares!

4. Pour rubbing alcohol into a small container. 

5. Place newspaper squares into container so that is fully saturated. Place wet square onto nail and hold/press for 15 seconds. Repeat for each nail.

6. Seal with a top coat and...Voila! Awesome nails in minutes!

{It's kinda hard to see, so I enlarged it for you}

I hope you enjoyed this! Anything unique you've done with your nails recently?

What I've Been Up to Around the House!

This week I've done a lot of crafting and decorating around my home! I love decorating, organizing, and simply making my house a home. I have so much fun crafting and decorating, so I try to do it as much as possible. This week, the fabulous Melinda Lanier had a craft night with some awesome crafts! Unfortunately, I couldn't attend the craft night and instead picked up my unfinished order to take home and complete on my own time.

Here are some crafts that I finished this week!

Before

All three crafts ready to go!

Summer-time Knick Knacks

Recipe Holder

Fun Magnets

Menu Frame

After

Finished Summer-time Knick Knacks:
*3x4 Wood Blocks
*Brown Paint
*Teal Vinyl
*Teal Tule
*Mod Podge (gloss)

Close-up of Knick Knak

Knick-Knacks with my Seasonal Blocks

Finished Recipe Holder:
*Rectangular Wood Block
*Metal
*Burgundy Paint
*Beige Vinyl
*Mod Podge (glossy)

Recipe Holder in My Kitchen!

Menu Frame:
*8.5x11 Wood Frame ($1 store)
*Burlap
*Magnets
*Burgundy Vinyl
*Mod Podge (glossy)

I put magnets on the back so that I can stick it on my fridge!

Menu Frame on My Fridge!

The Menu Frame is definitely one of my favorite crafts that I've done so far and is super easy to do! You just pick up a frame at the $1 Store (or use one that is laying around the house) and frame burlap. You don't even have to use burlap. You could use another fabric, leftover scrapbook paper, gift wrap, etc. Place the vinyl on top of the glass - you can use a dry-erase marker to write on top of the glass next to the day of the week. To clean, just use Windex or a wet paper towel. So easy, and super cute right?! Just paint your frame the color you wish, fasten the pieces together, hot glue magnets to the back and...whalla! Your own Menu Frame! 

Check out these places for vinyl lettering:

*Lanier Creations

*Blessings by Brittney

*My Vinyl Designer

*Vinyl Ready Designs

Like I mentioned above, I've also been busy decorating! I went to Hobby Lobby this week...and after 50%-66% sales galore on like everything in the store...I made a few purchases and did some decorating. 

Downstairs Bathroom

For the past few months, I had been wanting to put something on the wall in my downstairs bathroom, but didn't know what exactly. Side note: Every time, I wash my hands my head automatically looks to the left, I don't know exactly why, and the wall is just blank. So I figured, if I do that maybe that happens with other people too and that it may be a good idea to put some kind of wall art on that piece of wall for people to look at while...you know. Well, finally I decided on creating a mini-cross wall in my bathroom. All crosses, are currently 50% at Hobby Lobby so I picked up a few and hammered those babies on the wall. I think it turned out really well!

My mom had some leftover incense that just so happened to match my black & white themed bathroom, so I put it on my little table next to the sink.

I bought this black & white frame back in the fall of 2010 and it has been sitting on my table in the bathroom pictureless ever since. I loved the frame, just didn't have a clue what kind of picture to put inside. Think about it - what kind of picture do you stick in a bathroom besides the typical flowers, beach scenes, and that is small enough to fit a small frame? You can't put a picture of your family or you & your spouse-that's got to be awkward for someone who is doing their business you know. Just sayin...LOL. So, in January, I was at Target for an after Christmas sale and stocked up on gift wrap. I picked up some beautiful black and white paisley gift wrap, that was marked down to less than a $1! After some thinking I decided on just cutting some of the gift wrap and putting that in the frame. How simple and easy is that! It looks pretty cool too! 

Guest Bedroom

I finally got my husband's painting hung up in our guest bedroom! And, it matches perfectly!

Close-up of Ray's painting of a waterfall. He painted this in 1998 for his grandmother.

The Beginning of a Cross Wall Upstairs!

The blue cross on the bottom was 66% off at Hobby Lobby (got it for $4) because it was on the Easter clearance. The cross itself isn't too Eastery and can be left up all year. Plus, it's teal and matches my home of course!

What have you been working on around your house?

Spring Wreath D.I.Y.

A few weeks ago, my sister and some girls from Hope Baptist Church's youth group Refuge got together for a craft day on a Sunday after church. My sister, Taylor, and I decided to make wreaths, each one being very different, and the others made collages.

All the girls and their crafts!

Sarah decided to  make a wreath out of old book pages.

Taylor made her wreath out of bird seed.

Chelsea, at the beginning of her collage.

Danielle working on her Mod Podge project.

I decided to make a spring time wreath like I made a year ago for fall. You can check out the fall wreath here. Making a wreath is very simple. All you need is a foam wreath (any size), yarn, ribbon, and decorative embellishments (flowers, butterflies, birds, etc.).

1. Gather supplies: Yarn, ribbon, foam wreath, hot glue gun, & butterflies!

2. Wrap foam wreath with yarn. Wrap the wreath twice so that no foam shows through. Tie knots on the back to secure the yarn in place.

3. Make a bow out of wired ribbon and hot glue it to your wreath. This video breaks down how to make a beautiful bow and its so simple! 

4. Place and hot glue butterfly embellishments.

5. Hang your wreath on your front door, wall, etc. 

Happy Crafting Everyone!

Spring & Easter Crafts!

On March 23, I went to an Easter craft night hosted by the wonderful Melinda Lanier from Lanier Creations. My mother and sister came along and we had an amazing time. Here are some crafts that I made that night!

6x24 Happy Easter sign: Baby Blue Paint & Brown Vinyl

9x9 Christ the Lord is Risen plaque: Brown Paint & Beige Vinyl

9x9 Spring Has Sprung plaque: Black Paint, Beige Vinyl, Sanded Edges, & Mod Podge (Matte).

12x12 Plant, Grow, Bloom sign: Black Paint, Beige Vinyl, Sanded Edges, & Exterior/Interior Varnish. Once my patio cover is up this sign is going outside. Exterior/Interior Varnish helps protect your project from weather/home wear and tear.

Easter Egg Knick-Knack: Baby Blue Paint, Brown Vinyl, White tulle,  and Mod Podge (Matte).

All of these crafts are easy to do! Many of the wood sizes you can find at your local craft store (i.e. Hobby Lobby, Michael's, and Jo-Anne Fabric). At these stores, the wood pieces are already pre-cut and sanded, all you need to do is paint. If you are feeling adventurous, however, you can always go to Lowe's or Home Depot to get your wood as well (often times it's much cheaper). Paint, tulle, Mod Podge, and Exterior/Interior Varnish can also be found at any craft store or local home improvement center. If you are looking for vinyl and can't find what you are looking for at a craft store, here are some options for purchasing vinyl online:

Lanier Creations
Blessings By Brittney

Say It On The Wall

Vinyl Ready Designs

My Vinyl Designer

Wonderfully Wordy

Have you been working on any crafts for spring?

St. Patty's Day Decor

Back in January, I attended Melinda Lanier's Craft Day to Save Sean's Heart. For this craft day all the home decor was Valentine's Day and St. Patrick's Day themed. In a previous post, I showed you all the Valentine's Day decor, now since St. Patty's Day is approaching I figured I'd show you the St. Patty's Day decor! Here ya go!

Luck Plate: White plate ($1 store), with green vinyl lettering
Seasonal Clover Knick Knack: 3x4 wood block, white paint, green vinyl, & green toile

Luck O' The Irish Plaque: 6x12 wood sign, white paint, & green vinyl lettering

Check out these sites for vinyl lettering

Blessings By Brittney

Lanier Creations

Say It On The Wall

Vinyl Ready Designs

My Vinyl Designer

Wonderfully Wordy

What crafts have you done recently? Happy crafting!

Getting Ready for Valentine's Day!

It's beginning to look a lot like Valentine's Day over here at the Morgan household! 

{Valentine's Day Decor on my shelf}

{Valentine's Day Arrangement in kitchen}

*DIY Valentine's Day Mailbox*

I wanted to do something fun this year for my husband for Valentine's Day. Every year for Christmas I do the 12 Days of Christmas, giving my husband a little gift, love note, etc., each day for 12 days leading up to Christmas. So I thought, why not try this same idea for Valentine's Day? For 14 days this month, I will be giving my husband love notes, love coupons, and candy each day leading up to Valentine's Day.

I found mini-mailboxes in the $1 section at Target and decided that I would decorate it and have this be where Ray will find his love notes and treats each day. Ray's mailbox turned out so cute and was so easy to decorate. I used stickers (that I also found in the $1 bin), extra tissue paper, and ribbon that I had at home. 

{Side view of mailbox}

{I used stickers and ribbon to decorate.}

{Front view of mailbox}

Here are a few steps to create your own mailbox! 

1. Once you've selected your piece of paper, measure the length of 12x4 inches and cut out. This will be used to cover the entire mailbox.
2. Pop off the lid on the mailbox and trace the inside and outside of the lid onto the paper of your choice.
3. Modpodge the mailbox and lid and place your paper accordingly. Make sure to smooth out the paper to prevent air bubbles.
4. Modpodge the top of the paper as well so you get a glossy look.
5. Let dry and then decorate! 

This project is so easy and affordable! This is also a great idea to do with children if you kids of your own! 

What do you think? What projects have you been doing lately? 

My Very Own Craft Binder!

In a previous post I gave you all a teaser as to what craft I've been working on lately. To recap the teaser was a stack of magazines...quilting magazines to be exact.

I got these quilting magazines from a dear family friend who loves quilting with a passion. I just recently started sewing and quilting (I made my first quilt a few months ago for my sis-in-law's baby shower you can view some of the quilt here) last fall. After showing Shirley the quilt I had been working on, she have me a HUGE stack of quilting magazines. As any quilting newbie would be, I was excited and a little overwhelmed with the sweet gift. I honestly didn't know where I was going to store the magazines (I hate magazine clutter), how I was going to read through each one, or accomplish each craft. That's when I decided to create my own craft binder!

In this craft binder, I would only keep the quilting patterns and directions that I liked and recycle the leftover magazines. Yes, this would mean having to flip threw all the magazines, but after two weeks I finally got it finished! I also decided that any other crafts I find along the way - it doesn't have to be sewing/quilting related - would be put into this binder as well. I was so happy that I came up with this idea because not only would this free up magazine clutter, but I would now have my own craft binder that I could go to choose crafts that I may want to make and I know I would like any of them because I chose them all by myself!

Here is my craft binder appropriately titled: "Sew Little Fabric, Sew Little Time...A Craft Book By Brittany Morgan"

{Cover}

{Spine}

{Back cover - I wrote verses from Proverbs 31 around the edges of the paper}

{Dividers}

{Table of Contents}

{Close-up of ribbon bookmark}

Divider Sections for My Craft Binder:

*Reference - Tips, skills to learn, etc.

*Templates

*Quilts - DIY, Patterns

*Wall Hangings

*Table Runners - tabletop

*Children

*Seasonal

*Other Crafts

What crafts have you been working on?