How to make a jewelry organizer from a picture frame

How is it that my 4 year old daughter has more jewelry than me?? Granted most of hers came from birthday party goodie bags and mine has come from my too-good-to-me husband, but the girl's jewelry box is seriously overflowing.  That's why I am so happy I have finally gotten around to making her the jewelry organizer that I've been planning.

This DIY jewelry organizer is super easy - and if you add a ribbon to one of the wood dowels - it doubles as a hair accessories organizer so it's like the ultimate.  The part I love best is just how simple it was to make.  All you need is a picture frame and some dowels (or one long dowel cut into a few sections).

For months I knew I would be making some kind of jewelry organizer out of his old silver frame.

 I wasn't sure what I would use for the actual jewelry to hang on, but when I was tasked by Hometalk to create a portfolio of dowel projects...a lightbulb went off.

DIY Toilet Paper holder from a planter and a dowel

You know when you have a moment of pure genius? Yeah, well, I had one today.  I was sitting there, on my kids' stool, waiting for my two year old to poop and the toilet paper holder next to the john caught my eye.  Why, you ask? Well, you sit in the bathroom for half an hour at a time as your kid stands - yes, stands - on the toilet seat pooping...you'll look at anything besides...

Anyway, I had just purchased a $1 large diameter dowel (about an inch) for another project I had in mind, when I realized it would be perfect for a toilet paper holder.  I've been in need of one for our tiny master bathroom.  I had this white planter in the garage that I've been dying to use for a project and guess what? It just so happens a toilet paper roll fits in it perfectly.

I also happen to have one of those floral foams on hand...put them all together and they make a toilet paper holder my day.

DIY 4th of July decorations: Paper stars for planters or center pieces

I started decorating for pthe 4th of July around the 4th of June this year...of course, if you read 2IY regularly, you already know this.  We've got the "Land for the Free, Home of the Viscounts" wood sign and the Pottery Barn knockoff burlap stars and stripes banner.  Well, my latest project is these festive paper stars that are great for indoor planters or center pieces. 

They're really easy to make and you can mix and match the paper to create different looks with very few supplies.   Here's what you need... (as always, I've created the entire supply list for you in Amazon so you can order everything or just what you need and get it right to your door):

• Dowel (I used 1/4 x 48 found at AC Moore for about .79)
• Scrapbook paper of your choice 
• Hot glue gun
• Circle Paper Cutter (optional)
• Zig Zag scissors (optional)
• Jute rope or ribbon

Start by laying your paper so the short ends are at the top and bottom.  You can either use a full size piece of paper or you can cut it down to make smaller stars.  Mine are about 6 inches wide. 

DIY Kids/Guest bathroom wall decor (Free Printables)

Two years after moving into our fully-flipped-minus-the-kids-bathroom-house I am starting to spruce up their space.  We plan to eventually re-do the bathroom by updating the floor, tub, toilet, vanity, paint, and adding a double sink - but for right now they're little corner of the world is kinda blah.

The colorful shower curtain helps the white walls...but it's not nearly enough for me to say it's "decorated."  Last week, as I was making this monogrammed chevron baby gift I had the idea that I could make something similar as kids bathroom decor.   Due to how the free printables from For Chic Sake were created, I could not add any more than three letters to the existing printables.  So I created a new set of my own chevron printables just for this project....yes, first world problems, I know! 

How to paint stripes on walls like a pro

Striped walls are like the new thing and I gotta admit I LOVE the look.  We have more than few rooms in our new house that are in need of some paint and I figured for the workout room I better go big or go home.  I decided on some big horizontal stripes on the wall and I couldn't be more pleased with the way it came out.

Here's how I did it:

I measured my wall from floor to ceiling then divided by five since I wanted five even stripes - for my height walls it came out to 22 inches.  Starting at the bottom I measured up 22 inches and made a mark.  I did this all the way around the four walls marking every few inches.  Then I used painters tape and a level to tape a straight line around the entire wall putting the bottom of the piece of tape at the mark.  From the piece of tape, I measured up 22 inches again and repeated above steps - only this time I put the top of the piece of tape at the mark.  This worked for me since I was only painting every other stripe and leaving the others white.   Starting at the bottom, I painted below the stripe then skipped a row and then painted the next.

You can use two contrasting colors or you can leave some of your strips white and only paint every other one to cut your painting in half.  

Once the paint was completely dry, I removed the painters tape and wa la I have a striped wall that looks like a pro did it - but no, I'm a DIYer, I did it myself -- and you can, too!

Thanks for stopping by 2IY.  If you like what you see we'd love for you to share it with the world by pinning it or "liking" it on Facebook! 

Project by: Stephanie

Posted by: Melissa

DIY baby gift: Monogrammed Chevron peg frame

My best friend from college and 3-year roomie just welcomed her second baby this week - another girl - and I immediately got to work on a baby gift for her.

With her girls almost exactly three years apart - I know she probably doesn't need many baby clothes or gear or blankets or useless silver plated booties.   Plus, I'd much rather make something so it can be personalized.

I immediately knew that I wanted to use this awesome monogrammed chevron printable from For Chic Sake that I had come across a few weeks ago.  I've been dying to use it for a project, but just hadn't found the perfect use for it - until now.  

 

This was one of those projects that just kept evolving as I was working on it.

At first I was just going to frame the monogram, like in the above example.  But then I remember I had the last of my three ugly old shadow boxes still tucked away.   (I mean if this doesn't go to show that you can turn an ugly duckling into a swan, I'm not sure what does.) I cleaned it up and spray painted the wood box and the back. (Click here to see how I used the other two to frame my daughter's first ballet shoes and an old family recipe from my late grandmother.)

DIY Doily Coasters

Today I threw together a quick set of new coasters after being inspired by a similar version I came across on Pinterest.  That version used a dye cutter to cut shapes out of scrapbook paper which were then decoupaged onto tiles.  The only problem is I don't have a Cricut or a Silhouette...yet.  The next best thing - my stash of left over doilies. 

I had four tumbled marble tiles left over from my DIY photo coasters project so I just used the remainder to make my newest set.   I started off by first spray painting two of the tiles and two of the doilies black.

Then I spray painted two more doilies almond color.   I originally left them white but they didn't match with the tumbled marble tiles so I just gave them a quick spray to match them a little better.

After they were sprayed, I cut them into various sizes.  Some I left pretty big and some I cut really small to use in the corners.  I applied a thin layer of matte mod podge onto the coaster and then a thing layer onto the back of the doily.

Then I put the two mod podge sides together and pressed down - using the off white doilies on the black coasters and visa versa.  Once I had the coaster arranged how I liked, I spread a medium layer of mod podge on top of the entire coaster and let it all dry for a good few hours.

Once they were completely dry, I sprayed them with two coats of arcyrlic sealer to water-proof the coaster and added little cork pads on the bottom to protect surfaces.

Wouldn't these make an awesome housewarming gift or maybe an end of the year gift for a teacher or maybe just a great addition to my living room?

Everything you need for this easy project is right here (you're welcome!)

As always, thanks for stopping by 2IY..and don't forget to check out some of the other fabulous DIY projects at these awesome blogs...

We're linking to: 

The Shabby Nest

Posted by: Melissa

Ikea lamp shade makeover: Easy Ikea hack

A few months ago, as part of my master bedroom makeover, I purchased two of these $10 gray Ikea lamp shades.  They worked fine, but I kept looking at them thinking they just didn't pop - perhaps it's because the wall is also gray.  I decided they needed a little TLC and so I had at one of them with a stencil and some white paint.

If you're looking for a fast way to spruce up a lamp shade - this is definitely it.  It only took me all of about 15 minutes to do the whole thing.

Here's what you'll need for this project...for easy planning I pulled all of the supplies into the Amazon slideshow below so you can just order all at once - or whatever you need - if you'd like.

• Stencil
• White Acrylic Paint
• Pouncers, foam brush or paint brush
• Tape
• Lamp Shade

Here's how I painted the lamp shade. I taped the stencil onto the lamp shade and then used one of the smallest foam pouncers from the Martha Stewart set to apply white acrylic craft paint.

Handprint art gift idea for "Hands Down Best..." (Free Printables)

Okay so I'm a little behind here...so stash this adorable DIY Father's Day gift idea away for next year - and by that I mean "PIN IT" now and do it later.   This gift is definitely last minute do-able.  Heck, I ran to Walmart on Friday at about 10:30 to get all the supplies and we had it done and ready for daddy by noon.  So here's what you'll need:

• Wood Board
• Metal Clips
• Fast Drying Spray Stain
• White Acrylic Craft Paint
• High Gloss Sealer (optional0
• Computer/Printer

Start by staining the wood board.  If you have time, it's much cheaper to use regular rub on stain, but for last minute people, like myself, this fast drying spray on stain will do the trick.   This was actually the first time I used spray on stain.  I liked it for its ease and fast drying, but it's pretty expensive for a small bottle that won't last you too long.

How to print white text on black or colored paper (Yes, it's possible -and easy)

So this isn't so much a DIY project as much as it is a tip and trick that I learned today as I was attempting to make a DIY Father's Day gift for my husband.  What I wanted to do was print out a document that looked like a blackboard with white chalkboard font.  But if you've ever tried to print white font you know it's not actually as simple as it seems like it should be.

You can't just stick a black piece of paper (or any other non-white sheet of paper) into the printer and get white text by selecting white or even a shade of near-white for your text. So how to print white text on a black background...This had me scratching my head and running around like a mad woman as time was running out.

DIY Monogram burlap picture frame

I have been working with burlap a lot recently as I fill orders on these cute July 4th burlap banners...I have been saving the scrap pieces of burlap knowing that I wanted to monogram and frame it.   Today I finally got around to doing it - or should I say I had five spare minutes -- and I pulled it together.

First thing I did was look through my stash of old frames.  I found this red leather frame with a picture of our now-adopted dog.  I wasn't really feeling the red any longer so I spray painted it with two coats of Almond-colored spray paint.  I put a sheet of foil in the picture opening to avoid any overspray.

To make the monogram, I just created it on the computer in a large, bold font.  I think my font size was somewhere between 250 and 300 -- but it depends on the font you pick and the size of your frame.  You don't want anything too dainty because very thin lines may have a hard time showing up on the burlap.

Chalkboard stickers: Easy DIY tutorial

Chalkboard paint is all the rage these days.  In our old house, I used it to paint a big chalkboard right on the wall - my daughter loved it, the white carpet directly below...not so much!   While I haven't put it on the walls of our new house, I recently bought a new bottle of chalkboard paint and today I finally figured out exactly how I would use it!

I have been thinking and thinking and thinking about how I could label the new DIY clothdrop covered baskets in my craftroom and was wanting to
incorporate the chalkboard paint.  I really didn't want to buy any more materials so I kept putting the project off....but, I also had to pull every unlabeled basket off the shelves to find anything. (Annoying!)  Finally, the craft gods came through today as I was cleaning out some old scrapbooking items and came across two packs of luggage tag-looking stickers -- chalkboard paint stickers, of course!  If you can't find tag-shaped stickers, you could even use large address stickers and cut off the corners on one side to create the same shape.

4th of July handprint art on canvas

And my July 4th decorations series continues, today with a festive handprint art project.  I adore kids handprint art.  I usually reserve kids art for the play room or the basement or craftroom, but this project is so cute I have it on my mantel along with a few of my other DIY Fourth of July decorations.


I had an extra piece of dropcloth lying around so I used that for the fabric, but you could really use anything - even a piece of cardstock. 

Paint your kids' hands with a generous amount of acrylic paint.  Don't worry about the stars - just add them later with a paint pen (I used a galaxy marker).

Here's the tricky part - once you're onto the second kid you only have one shot - or you'll have to start all over.   I'm not sure if it's harder to get my husband's hand painted plastered on our project or getting my kids' in one take - but I digress...

4th of July burlap party banner decoration (Pottery Barn knockoff on the cheap)

There's not much that gets me more excited than pulling off a Pottery Barn knockoff on the cheap.  This Fourth of July Burlap Party Banner is so easy and inexpensive to make.(Of course, if you're drooling over it, but don't have the DIY motivation - no worries! It's now available in my Etsy shop in three different sizes).


Pottery Barn's version (on the right) is no longer available (all the more reason to DIY for this July 4th decoration), but when it was available it sold for a pretty penny.

I ordered two yards of burlap from Joann Fabrics website.  Honestly, it's just easier for me to order stuff online than it is to drag a 4 year old and a 2 year old to the fabric store.  Kill me now...Anyway, shipping was .10...yes, 10 cents and the burlap was on sale!

Aside from the burlap, you'll need freezer paper (look for it near the wax paper in the grocery store), a computer and printer and some rope, twine, or jute, and spray adhesive is optional.

DIY July 4th decorations: Personalized wood sign

NEW: Now on sale and fully customizable! Scroll down for details. 

I don't usually decorate for July 4th, but this summer I want to put some USA pride on my mantel.  I thought and thought and came up with this cute DIY wood sign that I think will be the perfect start to my July 4th decorations.

So here's what you'll need

• Piece of wood (mine is about 13.5" x 3") but you can make it any size you wish
• Primer 
• White and blue (or red) acrylic paint
• Sand paper and/or sander
• Painters tape
• Wax Paper
• Card Stock
• Spray adhesive
• Computer/Printer
• Credit Card

Get a piece of wood -- could be a plank from a pallet, could be a 2 x 4 could be a piece you find in the back of your basement (this would be the case at my house!)

DIY leg warmers from a sweater for kids or adults

I may be a child of the 80's, but that doesn't mean I keep leg warmers around these days.  So when we were recently invited to an 80's party for a friend I knew I needed to make leg warmers to complete my 80's outfit.  I was short on time, so I looked around my closet (thankfully all I found was the leggings and the pink tank top) and the thrift store and pulled together this 80's outfit complete with DIY leg warmers.  


PS: All I have to say is thank GOD it's not the 80's any more! 

Repurposed desk and hutch into craft table and shelving

And the craft room makeover continues...but I have to say I'm finally making some major advances.  I've done the little stuff while I literally watch the paint dry - like make these awesome thought bubble pharmacy jars or these drop cloth covered storage boxes or this lazy susan craft caddy - but now I am finally moving and grooving and my craft room is beginning to take shape.

If you've been following along, this was our office/guest room.  To say it needed some organizing...is, well, a vast understatement.