Tutorial

{Giant Ruffle Lampshade Tutorial}

July 2, 2012 21 Comments

Remember this fun lamp that sports a giant ruffle in our bedroom?!

Today, I am going to share with you how you can make your own!
Yippy!
Ok, so start by measuring the circumference around your lamp shade and multiply that by 3 or 4, depending on how “ruffily” you want your ruffle to be.
This will be your length.
For the width, measure the width of your lampshade and visualize how much of the actual shade you want to peek out.
I wanted my shade to show few inches on either side, but if you want to cover the entire shade then make sure you add at least 1 1/2 inches to the width of your fabric for seam allowance, etc.

Fold your long sides down 1/4 inch then 1/4 inch again.
Iron in place and pin, then stitch.
Make sure you backstitch at both ends!
(Do this for both long sides!)

Next set your machine to the longest stitch setting and stitch about 1 or so inch away from the edge. DO NOT BACK STITCH!!!!
(Do this for both long sides)

Next pull ONE thread at the end of the long stitch to create your ruffle at one of the sides then repeat for the other long side.
Use your shade as a guide to see how much or little you need to ruffle and adjust accordingly. You need to make sure to leave about an inch overlap.

Plug your hot glue gun in and lay your shade on it’s side.
Then lay the ruffle on top of the shade with the end on top of the seam.
This is where you will begin.
Run a long line of hot glue along the end of the ruffle and press into place.

Next begin by running a strip of hot glue along the stitch that created the ruffle and press into place. I found that it works best to run a strip a few inches long at a time, press into place and repeat on the other side.

Fold your fabric back and continue to run strips of hot glue along where the ruffle stitch will touch the lampshade then press into place…
Make sure your ruffle is straight!
And remember to glue a few inches along one side then a few inches along the other side working your way around the lampshade.

Continue this until your ends overlap and run hot glue the end into place.

Once your ruffle is all glued to the lampshade,
you can go back and “tack” any places that may stick out funny, etc.

Now you have a super fun lampshade for your home!

Isn’t it fun?!

Yay for giant ruffles!
(and little ruffles too!)

Filed Under: Crafting, Decorating, Hot Glue, Inspiration, Make Your Own..., My House, Sewing, Thrifty, Tutorial

DIY Picture Frame {Tutorial} & Using Lacquer Spray Paint

June 25, 2012 1 Comment

Remember these fun frames that display the little’s photos in our master bedroom?!

They used to look ummmm not so cute…

I ~~busted out~~ removed the mirrors from the frames.

Then I whipped out a can of Rustoleum Black Lacquer spray paint.
I wanted the frames to look super shiny and elegant so the “lacquer” look was perfect for this project!

When using this spray paint, you want to take extra time to make sure that the surface you are painting is SUPER clean and free of dust, dirt, etc. This paint is SUPER glossy and a tiny spec of dust or sand will show up. After a thorough cleaning, make sure that your surface is COMPLETELY dry. Following the directions on the back of the can, paint your frames (or whatever you are painting). Use thin coats allowing the paint to dry completely before applying the next coat. Eventually, your surface will be super shiny and fabulous! TAKE YOUR TIME WITH THIS PART!

Once your frames are totally dry (I let mine dry overnight just to be super safe), get some twine, scissors and a staple gun.
(Note: you can use any type of wire, very thick string, etc)

Turn your frame over and staple the twine to the back of the frame leaving an inch or so sticking out on each end.

Then take the extra twine on both ends and staple it like this, pulling in the opposite direction:

See how they look from the front?!

I used tiny clothes pins to hang the photos!

Now you have super fun open back frames to display your favorite photos!
The best part is how simple it is to switch the photos out!

Filed Under: Decorating, Make Your Own..., My House, Spray Paint, Tutorial

How to paint perfect letters on wood! {tutorial}

June 11, 2012 4 Comments

I made these fun signs for our Master Bedroom.

I ran across this on Pinterest and fell HEAD OVER HEELS!

I loved the simplicity and sweetness.
I was so inspired and wanted to create my own version for our room.
I began by cutting out the words in vinyl using my Silhouette.

Then I used the negative and applied to vinyl to the wood signs.

I had wood left over from when I created the little’s silhouettes for our den,
so I decided to use it for this project.

Make sure you press the vinyl down REALLY well so it is completely adhered to the wood and the paint will not bleed behind the vinyl.

Then you will dip a stencil brush in your paint and blot until the brush is “dry” just like I shared in this Monogrammed Pillow Tutorial last week!
Next dab and dab and dab the paint on!

Peel the vinyl off BEFORE the paint dries and…

… you have an awesome, simple but oh so very sweet sign!
(and your letters look fabulous!!!)

If you do not have a Silhouette or Cricut then you can use this brilliant technique.

Easy peasy, right?!
Happy stenciling!

Filed Under: Decorating, Make Your Own..., My House, Silhouette, Tutorial

Monogram Pillow {Tutorial}

June 7, 2012 10 Comments

On our bed, in our “new” master bedroom is this fun monogrammed pillow!
Today, I am going to share how to make it so you can make one too!

I cut two rectangles out of the fabric of your choice.
The size of the pillow is totally up to you and depends on where you it to be!
I cut my fabric 15 inches by 13 inches.
(remember to cut TWO rectangles)

Now using your Silhouette or Cricut, cut out the initials you want on your pillow.
(for our pillow the initials are nPr – this is our “married monogram” you put the first initial that is in the alphabet, then the initial for your last name, then the second person’s initial that comes later in the alphabet – So “N” in Natalie comes before the “R” in Ross – got it?!)

Take one of your rectangles and apply the negative of your letters for the monogram.

I cut my letters out separately and placed the negative part of the vinyl onto the fabric, starting with the middle initial.

Make sure to place some cardboard or a paper towel under the fabric so that paint will not bleed through onto your work area!

Get a stencil brush, dip it into paint and then “dab” the excess paint off so that the brush is almost dry.
This will prevent the paint from bleeding under the vinyl and ensure that you have straight, clean edges.

Dab the paint onto the fabric like this:
(See how light the paint it is?! This way it will not bleed!)

Apply numerous thin coats until the fabric is no longer showing through the paint.

Once your letter is completely stenciled onto the fabric, gently peel off the vinyl…

And then move to the next letter.

Peeling the vinyl off before the paint dries is key to achieving a clean look!

Once your letters are stenciled and the vinyl is removed,
you should have something that looks like this:

Once the paint is completely dry, place your two pieces of fabric right sides together and stitch around all four sides leaving a 4-5 inch opening at the bottom center of the pillow to allow you to stuff it!

Turn your pillow right side out.
(See the opening at the bottom?!)

Now stuff your pillow until you are happy with the fluffiness.
Then hand stitch or machine stitch the bottom opening closed.

And now you have a fun monogram pillow for pennies!
(seriously, this cost me less than $2!)

Yay for custom pillows!
Happy stenciling!

Filed Under: Decorating, Make Your Own..., My House, Tutorial

DIY Monogram Lampshade {Tutorial}

June 4, 2012 12 Comments

In our new master bedroom is this fun lamp with our monogram on it!
If you have shopped around, then you know these are NOT cheap!
Actually, I was shocked when I found out how much just a monogrammed lampshade can cost!
But I LOVE the look of it, so I got to thinking and created this:

I found this super cute lamp at Target for less than half the price of a monogrammed lampshade, but knew it needed a little something!

Using my black vinyl from Expressions Vinyl and my Silhouette,
I created and cut out our monogram.

Then I applied the vinyl directly to the lampshade and…

Now we have a super fun,
semi-custom lamp in our bedroom!
And it cost WAY less than those fancy monogrammed lampshades!
The best part – it took me about 10 minutes make!

Gotta love achieving an “expensive” look without spending the big bucks!
Oh yea,

and because we love YOU,
tune in tomorrow for a fun Expressions Vinyl giveaway!

Happy Monday!

Filed Under: Crafting, Crafts, Decorating, Inspiration, Make Your Own..., My House, Silhouette, Sponsors, Thrifty, Tutorial

Simple Teacher Appreciation Gift {Tutorial}

May 3, 2012 18 Comments

Showing teachers how much they mean to our children is so important!

This year I wanted to give Cliff and Harper’s preschool teachers something practical and fun without breaking the bank!

Yesterday, they proudly gave these to their teachers:

These were simple to make and so much fun!
Here is what you need to make these fun lemonade cups for your little’s teacher:

Cups – found at Walmart

Lemonade – found at any grocery store or Walmart.

Small gift bags – found in the cake decorating section at Walmart.

Tags – I already made them for you! Print from Scribd below.

Start by printing the tags below on thick paper or cardstock:

Lemonade Mix Tags

Cut out each tag.

The larger tags go on the outside of the cup and the smaller tags so on the lemonade packets!

Punch a hole in the top left corner of each LARGE tag.

(I used a small hole punch)

String with some ribbon or twine.

Then tie to the outside of each cup like this:

Next fill small gift bags (found in the cake decorating section at Walmart) with 2 Tablespoons of lemonade mix.

(I put 4 bags of mix in each cup)

Then adhere the SMALL labels to the front of each packet.

(You could use any kind of sticky tape)

Now you should have something like this:

Toss the packets into the cups, screw on the lids and your little one is ready to take a fun, meaningful, simple gift to his/her teacher!

Aren’t these so much fun and super cute?!

Happy Summer!

*You could also purchase individual sized packets of lemonade if you wanted to!

Filed Under: Gift, Make Your Own..., The Boy, The Girl, Tutorial

Spring Wreath {Tutorial}

April 12, 2012 3 Comments

Earlier this week, I showed you my new Spring Wreath!

Here is how it is made:

For this wreath,

I used a very thin flannel.

I am sure you can use burlap or pretty much any medium weight fabric!

You will need:

Light weight flannel (or any med – heavy weight fabric you want!)

A large wire wreath (Found at Hobby Lobby)

Scissors

Floral Wire

Cut your fabric into strips.

Mine were about 7 inches wide and about 28 inches long.

(I used 2 strips for this wreath)

Fan fold the end of one strip of fabric and “thread” the floral wire through all of the folds.

Tie the end to the wire wreath using the floral wire like this:

Begin loosely weaving the fabric in and out of the wire wreath…

Fold the fabric back over then weaving it through again, making sure the front side of the wreath is covered.

…Keep weaving in and out…

Don’t freak out once you reach the end of the strip!

Simply grab the second strip of fabric, fan fold, thread the floral wire and attach to the wire wreath just like you did with the first strip!

Continue weaving the fabric in and out until the entire wire wreath is covered and then fluff away to your hearts desire!

Flip the wreath over and tie twine or ribbon to the back of the wire wreath.

Now gather your little wooden rectangles (found at Hobby Lobby for 50 cents), Chalkboard Spray Paint and little clothes pins.

Paint the wooden rectangles with the chalk paint…

Write cute letters on them and clip them to the twine in the center of your wreath with your little clothes pins!

Now you have a simple spring wreath that can easily be used for many seasons!

Yay for Spring!

Filed Under: Crafting, Crafts, Decorating, JIAD, Make Your Own..., Spray Paint, Tutorial

Chevron Pennant Banner {Tutorial}

March 28, 2012 8 Comments

I made this Pennant Chevron Pennant Banner
for Harper’s Bow Tie & Tutu Birthday Party!

I ran across this Chevron Pennant Banner created by the fabulous Jen over at TT&J and fell in LOVE!

Jen created hers using her Silhouette!
I could have easily made mine with my Silhouette,
but decided to create a tutorial for those of you who do not have a Silhouette…
because I love you THAT much!

Alrighty,
here is how you can make you own Chevron Pennant Banner sans a Silhouette!

Gather your fabrics and cut your pennants out.
Mine were about 7 inches long and 5 inches across the top!

Cut a strip of Heat n Bond and apply to the backs of your fabric according to the directions on the package.
(I cut my Heat n Bond about 3.5 inches wide and 8 inches across)

Next find or create a chevron pattern on your computer and print it out.
Then Trace it onto the back of the Heat n Bond.
Trace about 5 pennant chevron lines per pennant.
Tip: You can line the chevron pattern up with the first line and trace the bottom line to save time!
Once you are finished tracing your chevron pattern,
cut them ALL out!

Peel the paper off of the back of the chevron pattern and apply to the front the of the pennants according to the directions on the Heat n Bond package.
Trim the excess pieces of fabric as needed.

Now it is time to assemble the actual banner!
Get your twine, ribbon or whatever you want to use and cut it to be as long or short as you want your banner to be!
Remember to leave room at the ends for hanging the banner up!

Lay your twine out in a straight line and then lay each pennant where you want it to be on the banner.
Turn each pennant over and put a strip of hot glue across the top of the pennant.
Carefully place the twine on top of the glue and press into place!
Repeat this step for all of the pennants!

I wanted to make the banner a little more girly,
soooo…..
I decided to add lace trim to the top of each pennant!

Cut the lace trim into strips.

Add hot glue to the top, front of each pennant…

And carefully place the lace trim on top of the pennant.

If you want to add a little more happiness to your banner,
cut strips of fabric about one inch wide and 19 inches long.

Tie the strips onto the twine between each pennant and…

You have a super cutie Chevron Pennant Banner!

Filed Under: Crafting, Decorating, Hot Glue, Tutorial

Scrappy TUTUorial!

March 22, 2012 14 Comments

These tutus were a HIT at Harper’s Bow Tie & Tutu Birthday Party!

The little girls looked so cute in them!

Here is what you need:

Elastic

Hot glue (with the gun)

Fabric scraps cut into strips (mine were about 17 – 20 inches long)

And a cute little girl ready to sport her new tutu!

Cut the elastic to your child’s waist size.

(These little girls are about 2-3 years old. I cut the elastic into pieces 15 inches long.)

Put a good amount of hot glue on one end of the elastic.

Press the opposite end of the elastic firmly on top of the

hot glue and hold in place until dry!

Make sure your elastic is not twisted and that it creates a circle.

(Confused? See next pic)

You should have something like this.

Gather all of your fabric strips.

(Because I am insane… I was making 12 of these… you will most likely not need THIS much fabric!)

Lay one strip of fabric down then place the elastic on the center of the strip and fold the fabric strip over the elastic like this:

Next tie the fabric strip into a knot to secure it to the elastic.

(I ended up putting the elastic band around my thigh so it was pulled tight like I did in this tutorial.)

Continue tying knots… and tying knots… and tying knots…

until all of the elastic is covered up.

Then you will have this:

Now you have a Scrappy Tutu!

Happy Thursday!

Filed Under: Crafting, Crafts, Hot Glue, Make Your Own..., Tutorial

Fishin’ Game Tutorial!

March 5, 2012 16 Comments

I recently made Harper her very own Fishin’ Game!
…and she LOVES it!

I pinned this a while ago, thinking it was linked to a tutorial…
but it was linked to a store!

…bummer…

So in true JIAD style I decided to would make my own version!
I went through Harper’s sock drawer and found a few socks that were
too small or had no match…
Then I got some stuffing and got to work!

Stuff the sock with stuffing.

Work the stuffing with your thumb into the sock.
Once the stuffing is down in the foot part of the sock tie it off with a tiny rubber band.

(see the next picture if you are confused)

Hot glue a little magnet to the bottom of the sock…

…where the toes would go.

Make sure to press firmly and use a good amount of glue!

Next get some felt (I used scraps) and hot glue whatever shapes or designs you want

onto the fish! Remember hot glue LOVES felt!

Cut little circles out of felt and add some eyes…

Then cut a strip of felt long enough to go around the tail of the fish so that it covers up the rubberband and make a bow!

And now you have a super cute little fishy that will attach to any metal surface!

To make a fishing pole,
take a dow rod and cut it to your desired length.

Cut a strip of ribbon long enough to make your “line.”

(remember to add a few extra inches to the final length you want when cutting)

Hot glue one end of the ribbon around one end of the dow rod.

Next, grab a metal “hook” from the peg board in your husband’s tool room and hot glue the ribbon around the straight part of the “hook!”

Finish off with a bow because everything looks better with a bow!

And if you want to,
you can cut a little piece of felt and hot glue it on the ends of the dow rod to make sure there aren’t any sharp edges from cutting your rod!