Under $25 Makeover: Kitchen Details & Linky Party

I'm going to share some of the details of the kitchen makeover up close and personal and then, you can join in the fun by linking up your thrifty projects. Remember, first one to link up gets a $10 gift certificate to my store.

Here's the accessories on top of the cupboard.


Aren't those poppies great? Here's the shelf details.



And finally, here's my favorite grater.

It's my favorite because it has a curved body. It gives it a nice architectural quality to it. Kitchen utensils as art. It doesn't get much better than that!

Link up your thrifty projects below. Remember, first link gets a $10 gift certificate. All other links get entered into a fabulous drawing for a prize package (seen here) at the end of Makeover Month!

Happy Crafting!

Under $25 Makeover: Guest Room Details

The details of any makeover can be what truly makes the room. So today, before you share your links, I'm going to share some of the details of the guest room/office.

First, I promised some details about the small dresser next to the bed. Here's a side by side of one drawer sanded and one not.


Did I mention that the drawers are made from these?


Dynamite crates! Awesome.

Some other details in the room include a vintage ceramic lamp for the tiny nightstand.


A memo board made out of a vintage tin tray.


And finally, another small project I did was to paint the frame of this vintage print. The eclectic art wall needed some more color and painting the frame was a simple solution for that.


Now for the details of the linky party. You can share your links to any posts for a inexpensive project you've done. It doesn't have to be a new project, just thrifty! And please if you do share, check out others' links while your here. Also, don't be afraid to grab a Under $25 Makeover button on the left sidebar.

*Don't forget that at the end of August, everyone who's joined an "Under $25 Makeover" linky party will be entered into a random drawing for a prize package. I will be announcing said prize package next week.**

Happy Crafting!

Baby Blanket #1 Finally Finished!

Okay, so I've been promising to show you this for awhile now and I'm just getting to it. Sorry! I can only hope that showing you now makes up for it. I mentioned awhile ago that I was working on a blanket in my boy color scheme (black, red and white). I struggled a bit with the last seam on it, but I finally finished it today. It's a rag quilt. I loosely (very) followed a tutorial like this. (I can't find the exact one I used anymore.) Here's the final result:



(I just realized how narrow it looks in this pic. It is not that narrow, just my ugly camera skill rearing its head again!) I love how this turned out! I didn't follow the tutorial exactly in that I just used one large piece of batting in the middle and one piece of red minky for the back. I tacked the batting to the front piece before sewing on the back. Here's what the back looks like:



Here's a close-up of the front so you can see the "rag" seams and the fabric:



All the squares are cotton flannel. I used natural cotton batting for the middle and minky (blend) for the back. Once I was done sewing everything together, I washed and dried it to get the rag look on the seams. I kinda wish I would've sewn it together with individual squares on the back as well, but live and learn I guess.

This turned out so cute! I can't wait to get started on my next project! (Again, going overboard and getting ahead of myself here!) I bought this Michael Miller panel:



It's from the "At First Sight" line. I'm not sure if I'm going to do another blanket, or something else entirely with it. If I do make a blanket, it's just going to be a lightweight one without any lining/batting in the middle. What do you think I should use it for?

Happy Crafting!

50 Projects in 2010

So, I am pretty addicted to the site known as Craftster.org. It's a great community of crafters who post on variuos boards about the projects they do. It also has a great swap system, where crafters from around the world can exchange crafted goods. I am frequently involved in swap or two over there.

Towards the end of last year, I became busy with this blog and Twitter and Etsy and didn't post much over on Craftster. This last couple of weeks, I've found myself sucked back into all the great stuff that's available over there.

One of those things is a craft-along board under the topic 50 projects in 2010. Check it out here. The premise is simple. You make a list of 50 projects that you want to complete by the end of the year. You post your list and then occasionally post your project on completing that list. I don't have a full 50 items on my list yet. (I'm leaving room to add projects throughout the year.) but here's what I have so far:

Stuff in bold is done, Stuff in red is a work in progress
1. Crib sheets (3-4 sets)
2. Baby blanket/quilt for my little one
3. Baby quilt for friend
4. Shirt for myself (already have pattern and fabric)
5. Dress for myself (already have pattern and fabric)
6. 3D blocks for baby out of fabric
7. Magnets for office board
8. Apron for me
9. Pillows (at lease 5-10 to sell)
10. Knit something (been meaning to learn this for years)
11. Finish wedding scrapbook (a year and a half later...)
12. Embroider something (need to learn this too.)
13. Sew a plushie of some kind
14. Infinity dress for myself
15. Recover dining room chairs
16. Recover club chairs from living room?
17. Window hanging for nursury
18. Memo/message board with shutters
19. crochet baby blanket
20. Make at least 10 gifts (birthday, holiday, whatever)
21. T-shirt quilt with old school shirts
22. Finish crocheting Mom's large doily (started this several years ago)
23. Felt some soap
24. Try wet felting something (scarf maybe?)
25. Needle felt a 3D object
26. Carve a rubber stamp (been wanting to try this)
27. Redesign logos for all of my stuff (blog, Etsy, etc)
28. Make some Rapunzel scarves with yarn stash (at least 2)
29. Make book page wreath
30. Learn to crochet with wire (jewelry)
31. Finally finish organizing craft room
32. Decorate onsies for the baby

So far that's a pretty good list. I have two projects done, so my total for the year so far is 2/50 (at least as far as the list goes!). I will be posting pics of the finished items later today (and maybe a sneak peek at the wip).

I thought I would share my list here as well to encourage those of you out here in blogland to join in the fun! Come up with your own list of projects to finish throughout the year. It doesn't have to be 50. You can participate in this craft-along by joining in on the fun over at Craftster, or simply put your list on your blog. Let me know if you're joining the fun. If enough people decided to join in, we may be able to make this into a linky party!

Happy Crafting!

Great Audio Book/podcast

Today I wanted to share with everyone a really great audio book/podcast I found. It's called "The House of Grey" by Colin Earl. I went to law school with Colin, but had no idea he was such a talented writer! The book is audio only at this point, but there is talk of it being published later this year. The book is free to listen to either at the book's blog or as a free podcast download on iTunes. Here's the author's description of the book from his site:

"14-year-old Monson Grey faces the same challenges that any freshman high school kid would. Difficult classes, weird teachers, food fights...girls. Except Monson Grey is not Monson Grey. At least, when he looks at himself in the mirror, the scarred face staring back is not someone he recognizes. Now he finds himself attending an extraordinary school, the recipient of an incredible scholarship, among ridiculously rich classmates, and with no memory of how he got there or what to expect. As bizarre events start to unfold around him, Monson wonders what secrets lay locked in his hidden past. Add all this to a mysterious silver stone, an Indiana-Jones-copycat professor, Merlin the wizard, and even Atlantis, and you'll find yourself in a fantastic tale in which magic does exist and everything is never as it seems."

I can't say enough about this book, I love it sooo much! I'm on chapter 6 or 7 (can't remember which) and I am hooked! Check it out for yourself!

Happy Crafting!

Spreading Christmas Cheer

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve and I am excited! I love everything about this time of year, the snow (Welcome to Minnesota!), the tree, the trimmings, baking, family, and yes, presents! I thought I would do a series of small posts today and tomorrow to spread some of the Christmas cheer that I feel. For this post, each number in the list has a link to a web page with some inspiration.

1. According to one of my favorite silly movies, Elf, "The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear."


2. Of course, it wouldn't be Christmas without the tree. But here's some things that say Christmas tree in a non-traditional way.


3. I also love baking! Nothing smells as good as gingerbread men baking! I love the smell so much, I even have a gingerbread scented reed diffuser in my office.


4. I also love the snow. There is nothing more beautiful than a snowy Christmas Eve.


5. And finally, it wouldn't be Christmas without family! Nothing is more heartwarming that watching little ones open their stockings Christmas morning, their eyes filled with wonder.

Hope you enjoy the links!

Happy Crafting the Christmas Spirit!