I did it! Here's my Pottery Barn/Ballard Lamp shade!

Their versions:

Here is my Pottery Barn/Ballard Knock off! :)

This is the original lamp shade, it was once black, after 20 years, it's not black anymore! Wow, that is a lot of dust and years for that fabric!

Lesson learned! Using burlap, does not make for see-thru lettering. Next time, I will not print out my lettering, and tape it to the inside, I couldn't see ANY words. I had to free hand all that writing! Augh! And I tried graphite paper to copy it, flash lights to light it up more in the shade to see-thru, nada... Next time I will use the light box, my copy of the font and sentences,etc; and then take the sharpie to the burlap or whatever fabric...

Lesson learned... after marking my pattern on the burlap piece it was just cut and paste! or hot glue... you know what i mean!

and this is the result!

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Cereal Boxes have so many uses don't they?

I'm amazed at all the uses of a cereal box! It's like t.p. rolls, so many uses! This project was intended to be a "tote" but because the box is large and perfectly square I thought it would be great as a garbage can in an office!

I was going to incorporate that ribbon up there... but didn't...

The brown paper was "up-cycled" from a roll of gift wrap. After the roll of gift wrap was used it wasn't an actual roll it was thick paper bag like paper I saved for postal use or a use like this, ha!


I took my trusty left overs from a atlas book that fell apart, glued it on and aged it with some acrylic paint. Just some nutmeg brown from those little bottles of "Deco Art" that a lot of us have or had...heh hee! I then continued with aging by rubbing brown chalk, a bit of black chalk, and some brown stamp ink all over it.
Then added the ribbed cardboard saved from some other packaging material.
Added the jute from a roll I've had forever!!!!

Last I used a rub-on of a clock and then aged that a bit. I sound like a bit of a "hoarder" (have you seen that show on A&E???? YOWZA!) but some junk ya just gotta keep!!!!!!

Quick project- just for fun!

Trash to Treasure- barbicide jars without barbicide!

I saw these Barbicide jars and thought how cool that would be to have doing multiple duties!

I don't own a salon or anything and I don't want to pay over 50$ for a real glass one... so this idea popped in my head:

First I took a can, pencil, some hard cardboard from the trash that I knew would hold up to the weight of pens.

I cut a circle that fit snug in the bottom of the can yet would slide up and down nicely inside.

Now- my youngest son likes to pick off the erasers of pencils... so I took one of those with a needlenose pliers and opened the aluminum that usually holds the normal eraser.

I peeled it back...

slipped it thru the bottom and added the trusty "goop" glue.
Let the Goop dry

I also tried it in this glass jar...

I stuck with the tin for my pens. (I think I'll use the glass one for Q-tips!) I then took some cute patterned paper and covered the outside of the can, the pencil, and the circle (top and bottom)inside (I did the bottom because it helped stabilize the vertical pencil. Because the point of the pencil is up and this one was sharpened/used, I covered it with a photo corner from my paper craft piles....

added some embellies!

a look inside at the bottom

I love how the bottom mirrors on the sides... therefore I chose not to cover the inside of the can... plus, I don't think it would slide up and down very well that way....

For the pic I just stuck some pens in. I currently have some small colored pencils in there. It helps as they can be slid up and I can see the color of which one I want!

Hand Towel holder mutated to Photo Display holder!

Awww! How ding-dang cute are they?! (Don't you just wish they could stay that way forever?)

ok, ok, on with the post....

This is a special pic that I did for my former hand towel holder!

Yep, Yep, I had this hand towel holder I bought (cheap) and turns out it didn't fit on my sad little counter in the main floor bathroom. I was looking through a scrapbook blog and saw this:

7gypsies Photo Display Holder

It reminded me of this:So I took the holder out of the dark bottom of the linen closet...

And I turned it into this! A Photo Display holder that I can change out whenever and however I want to!

A few close ups: I stamped a clothes pin... and made a couple ruffle flowers from some of my favorite leftover fabric.

Can't really see it too much behind this flower, but the first pic above has a better shot of the other one.

Used a jump ring on this cute heart charm and hooked it right to this bendable mesh ribbon.

And this is where I have put it for now, in my entryway! I think you could do this same idea if you have a horizontal paper towel holder!

(I noticed James the train is stuck in my poor fern after I got the picture downloaded on here...Awww, yes, those cute kids!)

Check out, DIY showoff Project Parade! Here!

Oh that Dollar Tree

And the Dollar Tree plaque has been turned into a painting!

Here's a Before:

and a closeup of after: Oil painting
5.5" x 5.5"
This above is my version from the original Frederic Remington version which I have put here for your comparison below.... Think I might have to go get some more of these hardboard plaques. They are a perfect size. Only took two days three days to finish this painting.

Placemat Project!

Took me long enough! Here is the idea I got at the beach house. Got any placemats you just loooove but don't want to use on your table? I found some cute ones at my beloved Flower Factory. Here's before:

During:
The placemats I found were hardboard with cork backs. Now when I messy cook (and I am a messsssy cook!) I have an easy wipe backsplash!
And after:
Still not sure if I like just the two on the end or three across as shown....

I wanted to find tile placemats but I haven't found the perfect ones yet. These will do for now!