Getting things done. And DIY ideas.

I have been doing A LOT lately to get things done before Chandler comes.....btw one month from tomorrow we'll get to meet our sweet boy!

Anyway I thought I would share some of my projects with you and maybe it will inspire you to get crafty in your own home.

It all started when Aaron stayed home while I went to Arkansas in July. He painted the living room, hall way and entry way. Since everything was coming off the walls I decided to keep them off and start from scratch.

So with fresh green walls, I began the transformation. I started with the wall that is in the living room, but leads to the basement.

This was before (say hi to my friends Ali and Aaron) :


After


I also had to redo the letters in Preston's room because soon it won't just be Preston's room. I decided it would be easier to just have the wall say Brothers rather than each of their names.
I also wanted to keep with the animal feel, so I made an alligator with the letters.

Before

After


Next I decided to decorate the wall between the kitchen a living room. I don't have a before picture, but all that was there was a picture of Taylynn when she was six months old.
My Grandma and Paw-Paw gave me an egg mold that they have had in their house for years. It was something I always really liked and wanted and now it is in my house and brings me good memories every time I see it.

So the egg mold was the first to go up in this spot and then I came up with another other idea to piece it all together.

First, I made a wreath and this is an easy DIY idea. I just bought a wreath at Michael's, used twine and hot glue and wrapped the wreath then added some embellishments.
Another DIY idea would be using small frames with letters in them to spell something. I bought these frames for $1.99 each and painted them to look more shabby chic.
Then added letters cut from scrapbook paper with a burlap backing.
The next step to this wall was getting a large open back frame and painting it, then I added chicken wire to the back so I could use it as a bulletin board. I did have a rough go at trying to make the frame look distressed, it does take a few days and lots of steps. A tip I learned was to paint one coat for the bottom color then once it dries add Vaseline on the spots you want the distressed look to pop out then paint your top color over that. The paint wont stick to the Vaseline, so it makes sanding real easy.For attaching items to the chicken wire I just use little clothes pins and you can hot glue anything on them for more detail.

I also made a fall wreath last night. I have enjoyed trying new things and if your on pintrest at all you have probably seen a lot of yarn wreaths. They are actually real easy and you can be as creative as you want.

I am working on a wall in the living room and I have started it, but I am still working on somethings. I thought I would go ahead and show you the "art work" I made for the center of the wall.

Here I just backed the frame with burlap and laid out what seemed like hundreds of buttons to form a design. I decided to do a tree because it's a simple shape. Once I got all the buttons where I wanted I began to glue them all on. I didn't use hot glue, but a multipurpose craft glue.

Last but not least I made a family name collage and framed it in a table top frame. I will probably be making a lot of these with different wording for the holidays coming up.

Things are getting checked off the list, but I seem to also be adding more :)

I am throwing a Kitchen Bridal Shower next weekend so be ready for some fun pictures coming up!