Southern Scraps

  I love chalkboard projects and have been meaning to do more of them. I made a framed chalkboard  in 2013 and haven't gotten around to anymore. I decided that coasters would be a fun thing to paint. I started with these chipboard coasters from Michael's that were in my stash waiting for a makeover. No offense meant if you like roosters, but these were not for me. These coasters were coated so I lightly sanded them first to make sure the paint would adhere. I ended up putting more coats than recommended by the directions on my paint because of the surface of the coasters. If you are working with plain chipboard or tile, then the standard two coats should be fine. I used the Michael's brand Craft Smart chalkboard paint. Once they had dried and cured, I decided to decorate them in a them that is appropriate for Valentine's Day. I used a red chalk ink marker. I'm not really good at free handing script or art so I used some stencils for a little help. Th...

Welcome to my little "love shack"- one for love birds. I have a small stash of unfinished birdhouses and decided that now would be the perfect time to add one as part of my Valentine's Day decor.  I started out with this:  An unfinished wood birdhouse from Michael's and some sandpaper. It's always a good idea to sand these down smooth. It's a little obvious after painting that I should have done a little more sanding.  This was one of those projects where I had an overall idea of what I wanted but didn't have the details together. They just sort of came together as I worked. I knew it was going to be red and pink. I used Americana paints Baby Pink and Craft Smart cherry cobbler. Both are acrylics.   My original idea was to have hearts on it somewhere. I have also been itching to try out some new stencils so I went to Michael's with a gift card in hand. I purchased the Martha Stewarts adhesive stencils in the scrolls set. (no he...

  I was in Michael's recently and came across these rhinestone connectors. Jewelry, especially bracelets with words and symbols are so popular right now, so I decided to snatch them up and make my own bracelets. I have these chain bracelets in my stash that I got at a yard sale a few years ago. Yes, I know, I should have done something with them by now, but that's why it's called a STASH.  I chose three of them to work with. All I did was cut away some of the chain from the middle and replace with jump rings and the connectors. Done. Even if you have to cut chain and add clasps, you can still make all three in 10-15 minutes.  If you are just beginning with jewelry, here's the break down of supplies: Wire cutters pliers charms/connectors about 20 inches of chain (depending on the length you want them, 20 inches should do all three) 6mm or 8mm jump rings clasps Thanks for stopping by! Linking up here: Think Pink Sundays * Under th...

  I've got a stack of unfinished wooden frames that need to be turned into fun usable frames, so I dug in and created this chevron ladybug frame with the help of chevron shaped Frog tape. I don't know why I didn't try it sooner for chevrons. It's great! I got a nice clean finish with it.

  Painting or refinishing an old piece of furniture can be fun, but what do you do about the hardware? You have two choices- replace the knobs and handles with new ones, or clean and paint the old ones. I chose to paint the old ones on my student desk makeover.   Here they are before- pretty gross!   I took a sheet of 600 grit sandpaper and started sanding away the grime. Make sure you don't use too coarse of  sandpaper or you will leave scratches that will show through your paint. You want to sand just hard enough to remove the grime and scuff the handle enough for the paint to stick. Here it is after some sanding: After sanding I cleaned each handle with alcohol and then let it thoroughly dry. I painted my handles with Rustoleum satin nickel, according to the directions on the can.   I'm happy with my new updated handles and  a can of spray paint was cheaper than new hardware. Sharing here: Think Pink S...

  If you are limited on time, you will love this little Easter craft. Following this tutorial from Gluesticks, I whipped up this little bunny in just a few minutes. I improvised to use what I had on hand. Instead of filling my bunny with beans, I used some quilt batting. I glued on some googly eyes and a button nose. I think he needs a mouth and a tail, but I skipped those features. My bunny is also not the same dimensions because it ended up being a little shorter after I squared up my fleece scrap.  I have a few more sewn up ready to fill and embellish, so I'm going to try a few things different. I may send one to my 2 year old niece and the eyes and button nose would not be very safe for her.   However, this little crazy-eyed guy will be just fine on display at my house. Thanks for stopping by. Sharing here: Think Pink Sundays * Under the Table and Dreaming * Sundae Scoop * Suburb’s Mama Sunday link * DIY Sunday Showcase * Craftomania...