Birthday Wreath Tutorial!

My Little Man is turning the big 3 tomorrow (please excuse me while I wipe away tears) so I wanted to make something special for him we could pull out every year so he would know his special day is coming!

Of course I got on Pinterest and searched frantically. His birthday snuck up on my BIG TIME this year. I came across the Birthday wreath. Some people make it with balloons and bows, some with only bows, some with streamers etc. You get the picture. I decided to go with a classic balloon theme.

Here is what you will need:

A wreath (foam or straw, I used straw- remember to keep the plastic on it!)
Floral pins (get a pack of at least 200 at your local Walmart or craft store)
Balloons (You will need at least 200 balloons to make a small wreath)
Optional: pipe cleaner, bows etc.
A LOT OF PATIENCE

I know that this sounds like a lot of balloons. But fear not. You can find packs with a ton in them for super cheap at Walmart.

First, if you purchased different sized balloons you will want to pin the larger balloons on first. Just pin them randomly on the wreath. To pin them pull the balloon in between the floral pin with the neck of the balloon sticking out one side and the head of the balloon sticking out the other.

Next, if you are going to use any pipe cleaners you may want to go ahead and pin some of those on too. I just twirled some around my finger to get that "boing" look, as my son likes to call it, then pinned them randomly around the wreath.

Finally, you will want to go ahead and pin in your smaller sized balloons. Please note, don't try to pin a bunch at once with the same floral pin. You will not get a good effect and the balloons will lay limp. Just pin down one balloon at a time. Be sure to pin them all close together.

Now if you have any bows or ribbon you should go ahead and pin them in.

The last thing to do is to place the wreath upright wherever you will be hanging it. You will want to check for any open spaces and make sure you got the sides covered good. You don't want to see any of the straw on the wreath. You can fill in any spaces with more balloons or pipe cleaners.

I hung the wreath with a pipe cleaner because I don't have a wreath hanger.

And there you go. Simple. Fun. You can use it every year. And it didn't break the bank to make it!

Enjoy! ~ Miranda

Small Apartment 'Mud Room'

Recently my family downgraded from a 3 bedroom house to a 2 bedroom apartment. One of the biggest challenges, especially when you have kids, is the lack of an entryway to put your shoes and bags. This is how I solved my problem:

*First I got frames from Ikea for $1.99 each! http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80188456/
I used these as dry erase calendars for the family to remind them of upcoming events. They're perfect for dry erase boards because their plexi and not glass. Instead of putting a picture inside, I used dark scrapbook paper so my dry erase markers would stand out. It's hard to see but it's really cool paper with a light chevron design. Finally I wanted some cool colors so I got a pack of neon dry erase markers from Target.

*To mark who had which calendar, I got wooden letters from Michael's and painted them the color of my choice. For easy removal, I put them on the wall with velcro.

*For our key's I used reusable plastic hooks with double sided tape. These are perfect for apartments because they don't destroy the wall!

*I used 3 Robe Hooks that I found at Target for hanging up belongings like diaper bags and purses. I chose robe hooks because they hold 2 items per hook and are also meant for heavier things.

*AND finally my husband has to have somewhere to put his phones and wallet so I purchased a frame shelf from Ikea. It's perfect for small things because it's like a shelf with a lip at the the end so nothing falls off and it's not too deep :)


That's it! Not a lot really and it's completely transformed the way we organize our things we we come in. For shoes, which are our biggest clutter issue in our house, just put a basket or boot holder on the floor beneath!

Happy Crafting!

-Kelsey

Lamp Shade Re-do

My little family is currently moving so we're (should I say 'me'?) trying to update our new home without breaking the budget. Now, I picked out a color scheme for my new bedroom that I loved but nothing I already owned worked with my new ideal colors! Would I need to go buy all new things!? I don't think I could convince the frugal hubby that was a necessity so it was time to get crafty. Never fear, lamp shade tutorial is here:

I found this scruffy looking lamp shade/lamp base (a matching set, actually) for $5 which was a total steal because they were just ugly not broken. I then went to my local fabric store which happened to be Joann's and found the perfect fabric for my new bedroom. Now, these lamp shades are large so to be on the safe side I got them to cut 1 1/2 yards.

If I had a drum shade, which is a perfect circle, I could just wrap the fabric around the lamp shade and glue but I have a classic lamp shade and that's a more complex shape.

What I did is made a pattern with tracing paper and it's easier than it sounds:

1. Take tracing paper (OR any paper that can bee seen through like newspaper) and lay it against the  lampshade and tape with scotch tape.
2. Keep taping tracing paper all the way around the shade until it is completely covered.
3. Make sure to tape all of the pieces together so when you pull them off it's all in one piece
4. Take a marker and trace the edges of the lamp, top & bottom.
5. Carefully pull the tracing paper off and secure further with tape if needed.
6. Cut out the pattern but cut and inch or two outside of the lines to give some lee-way.

Phew! That was a lot of explaining!

Now what you should have is a semi-circle:

Ok, now all that's left to do is warm up the hot glue gun (fabric glue would work just as well) and pin your pattern to your fabric.

After pinned, cut it out and adhere it to the lamp shade with your glue of choice, making sure to leave a little overlap of fabric on top and bottom so that you may fold it over the shade for a clean edge.
*You may not line the fabric up correctly at first or need to get out some wrinkles, in other words, it's perfectly normal to do some adjusting. I know I did!*

Here is my finished product:

I spray painted the lamp too! It's 'Rustoleum Metallic: Satin Nickel'

Happy Crafting Y'all!

-Kelsey