Dollar Store Magnet Board

Last week, I was the guest host at one of my favorite craft sites, Dollar Store Crafts. The project I made for the site is a magnet board, which was made for very little money, and totally customized.

I had meant to post about it here as well, and never got around to it. Here are a few pictures of the board I made, and a link to the tutorial over at DSC's!

This would make a cute picture frame, and a totally customizable gift for a graduate, bride, or teacher!

This post is linked up at the link parties listed here.

Craft Hacking Grandin Road

It all started with a message on Facebook from my mom. She found some wall art she really liked, but the price was just insane. She asked me to wrap my head around it, and see what we could do to recreate it.

It was very clear to me that we could indeed do it for much cheaper than Grandin Road wanted for it.

Here's a photo of the original art work she loved.

It's 3 canvases across, and 4 canvases down, for 12 total canvases. In this instance, it resembles a telephone pad. The canvases are sold separately, at a cost of $119 each for 16x16, and $159 each for 24x24.  To buy 1 each of the 16x16 canvases, you are looking at spending $1,428. Want to splurge on the larger size? $1908 in all.

Well, it was a no brainer to me. Obviously we could do it a LOT cheaper than that, and fully customize it while we were at it!

This weekend, I drove over to her neck of the woods with my older daughter Raegan, and we got started.

Telephone Pad Wall Art

You'll Need:

1. 12 Canvases- we went to Dollar Tree and picked up 12 of the bird printed 5x5 wall art picture, which are stretched like a canvas around a wooden frame, but the "canvas" is more of a plasticy feel.
2. Mod Podge
3. Scrapbook Paper or Fabric- We used 2-3 patterns for each canvas, but the scraps left over on most of them were large enough for some numbers or contrasting. I would recommend 12 sheets of 12x12, and 4-6 sheets of 12x12 for extra paper
4. Distress Ink
5. Stencils or computer print outs of numbers- we used stencils on some, free hand on some, and computer print outs on some
6. Paint brushes
7. Buttons- we used these for dots on the number 3 block, but this can easily be skipped.
8. Scissors

All in all, supply wise, we spent $12 on the canvases, and we spent roughly  $15 on scrapbook paper, with plenty left over. The buttons we found came in 3 packs, but only 1 large one per pack, so we bought 3 packs at $2.99 each. Split that down to what was used, and it was $1 per button- but this could easily be "On Hand" with buttons you have, or circles, or even just using the number 3.

We picked up the stencils for $3.50 after a 40% coupon, and they're totally reusable, so I'm not counting that as a cost necessary to this project. I had Mod Podge, but we also bought some, again with 40% coupons. I had everything else on hand that we needed.

So total costs:

Canvases- $12
Paper- $15
Buttons- $3

For a total of $30 spent, probably less when I subtract papers not used. $2.50 for each of 12 pieces for this large wall art. I -freaking- love it. We "saved" $116.50 on each piece we made, for a total savings of $1398. Almost $1400 saved by "Doing It Yourself!"

And now, for the tutorial.

1. First, do as I say, not as I did- match each paper up with 1-2 contrasting papers for the numbers or design. Trust me. Once you've matched it, lay it all out in the order you want them in- rearrange so you don't have all orange on top, and all green on the bottom have the colors matched up where you want them. Take a photo, and number the backs of the paper in pencil. Trust me. 
2. Decide which paper will be the back ground. We decided to crumple some, and leave some flat. The crumpled paper got distressed immediatly. From there, start covering the canvases. You'll want to measure the paper out to about 1/4" wider than the canvas, give or take a bit.
3. Spread the top of the canvas with Mod Podge (we used Matte, and it turned out great), and smooth the paper on. From there, start folding and Mod Podging it around the edges. Take care to remember where the hanger is on the back, and don't podge over it.
4. As the canvases dry, distress them to your liking. We used 4 different colors, so some were more brown, some had a touch of black, some red, etc. 
5. Once all the canvases are papered, it's time to start cutting out your numbers. While we did do the phone pad, we didn't do a number, precisely, on each one. The 4, for instance, spells out FOUR in a square, instead of the number 4. The 5 is hash marks. The 3 resembles a dice with 3 dots. Be creative. Also- this is where you'll notice that while a large chunk of paper A stands out nicely against paper B, when cut to a thin number, it blends RIGHT in. Ugh. This is where chunks of scrap paper came in nicely to form blocks behind some of the numbers. I also took advantage of my distress ink to high light edges, or create square blocks behind numbers.
6. When you are satisfied, start to podge over the tops, adding the numbers. 
7. Seal the top with more podge.
8. Viola! You are done!

All in all, I was surprised at how quickly this project went. We made 12, and granted, there were 2 of us working on it, but the entire project only took about 2 hours from start to finish.  And without further ado, some photos.

A few of the paper covered canvases

Trying to figure out/remember what papers we picked to go with which papers. Oops- this is where my stressing of doing this first came in.

A few finished canvases

This one, we wound up going back and outlining the letters with a cranberry colored marker, because while the print stands out, the letters themselves blend in, and it was very hard to read the letters FOUR. I did not, however, get a photo of it outlined.

(I just LOVE the 2 with the circle around it!)

And finally... The whole thing!

The entire project, put together- isn't it fantastic? The awesome thing about this? Well, aside from being FRUGAL? It's totally customizable when you DIY. Don't like the colors? The fonts? Want letters instead of numbers? Totally doable. It came out great, and we had a lot of fun making it!

I'm hard pressed to pick an all out favorite, because I love the entire project. And I also love that I "saved" us almost $1400 with some ingenuity and craftiness. 

One last comparison:

Once my mom gets it hung, I'll get some photos of it, but I was too anxious to post this wicked awesome project to wait for them!

This post is linked up at the link parties listed here.

Hoppy Easter!

Typo, but it stays. :p

Over the past week, I've been doing a LOT of web searching for easy Easter crafts, and came across a cute wreath. I remembered the basics, but of course, can not remember where I found it (I really need to start book marking these fabulous ideas!).

If anyone knows where I might have found this wreath, please let me know so I can give props to the mad genius behind it!

Michelle helped me find it! The original was done by Cindi over at This Is My Life.

Easter Egg Wreath

You'll Need:
Cardboard (the lid to the empty take out pizza box laying next to the trash may or may not work, I admit to nothing)
Regular sized plastic Easter Eggs- I used 29 for the bottom, and 11 on the top row
Easter Grass
Fake Flowers*
Ribbon*
Glue gun & like 5 sticks of glue

*optional- the wreath I saw didn't have either, but I did add flowers to mine, and considered a bow, but felt the wreath was busy enough on it's own.

For this, I dug out my "Box O'Eggs"

.....yes, I really have a "Box O'Eggs". I'm -always- in charge of the egg hunts at various relatives houses, and have amassed quite the collection. Unfortunately, I seem to have an affinity for odd eggs. I had no where near enough plain, regular sized eggs. Plenty of jumbo eggs, lots of minis, and a lot of shaped things- like peep shaped containers, and Spiderman shaped eggs, etc.

I had to make a run to DT just to make the wreath, even with a box of eggs this big.

1. Use a plate to draw the outer circle of your wreath shape on the cardboard you choose which may or may not have come from that pizza you grabbed when you felt like cheating for dinner the other nigh which probably came from a cardboard box you were right to save. For the total width of the wreath, you'll want it about 2 to 2.5" wide, so hunt around for various items, or just eyeball it for the inner circle. I had a foam wreath form, and used the inner circle to make my inner circle.
2. Take out your eggs, and hot glue the rounded "butt" end of the egg, and slap it on the form on the outer circle, with the point facing outward. You'll want to only use about half the space, because you will be adding an inner layer next.
3. Once you have filled up the outer circle, do an inner circle. If you find some areas where they don't have enough room, add a bead of glue to the outer eggs, and glue them straight to those.
4. Now the messy part. Take your Easter grass and the glue gun, and squirt glue into the center spaces between the inner and outer circle of eggs. Drizzle glue around the inner sides of the eggs as well. Then, stuff it with Easter grass. It doesn't have to be perfect. I tried using a pencil to shove it in place, but it created a bigger mess of glue and grass. Keep doing this until there is grass in ever space of the middle section. 
5. Start gluing your eggs again- you want to place eggs along the top, all around where the grass is, so that each egg is resting between the inner and outer layer. 
6. Once the top layer of eggs is complete, it's time to give your wreath a hair cut. I strongly recommend doing this over top of the trash, because it's messy. Just clip and trim until you are happy with the amount of "hair" left over.
7. I had some yellow and pink flowers hanging around, so I took the heads off, and glued them in little spaces all around the wreath. You could use bigger flowers, or skip it all together, but I like them. Of course, once I was done, I found my purple flowers. Oh well!

Because of the cardboard form, this is likely not a weather-proof wreath for outside, but it sure is cute for inside! I considered using a "real" wreath form, but I think it would have been much harder to fill out with rounded objects on a rounded surface.

Total costs:
Eggs:  $4 spent on a total of 72 eggs (18/$1 at dollar store), but only used 40 eggs- $2.22 worth
Wreath Form: Free (after a fashion...)
Grass: $1 (thought I had some, but I couldn't find it)
Flowers: On Hand, or $1 at dollar store

A fairly inexpensive wreath. Probably even more so, had I not been so picky about my eggs. I had enough medium eggs, if I had used patterned, printed, eggs with cutouts, clear eggs, metallic eggs, etc. But, I wanted plain, solid colors.

Talented Tuesday & A Light Box

Good morning! It's bright and early, and I have a sick little girl staying home today. My youngest woke up with a bad cough, so I'm going to be taking her in later to be seen.

Last week, I found out how to make an inexpensive light box, and I went ahead and made it. I've talked about it some, and had several people ask me how. I was going to post it yesterday, but we had a busy day in the morning, then eye appointments in the afternoon. After the drops they put in my eyes, staring at the computer was one of the last things on my list of things to do.

I'm posting it now, though!

Light Box

You'll Need:

5 sheets of white foam board, found at Dollar Tree or Walmart
1 sheet of white poster board, found at Dollar Tree for $.50
1 white plastic table cloth
Ball Point Straight Pins
2-4 Metal clamping "Shop" lights, found at both Walmart & Hardware stores
Bright White light bulbs- it was recommended to me to use Sylvania Daylight bulbs, which I never found. I used Reveal light bulbs, and they have some yellowing to them, which I edit out of the pictures digitally.


In the original instructions I followed, the person used white masking tape (please note- if you use tape, do NOT use duct tape!! The lamp(s) get too hot)

1. Frame a box shape with the foam board. To hold them together, I used straight pins along the seams. 
2. Once the box is placed together, you can run hot glue along the seams, but I only did half, then regretted it, which I'll explain later.
3. Decide which side is the top & bottom. Foam board is rectangular, not square, and I chose for my box to be wider side to side, than taller up and down, so I could fit more items in it. Cut a notch on both sides about 2" wide, and about 4-5" tall, for clamping lamps. This is necessary- the lamps are not close enough, otherwise, and create more shadows.
4. Using tape, attach the poster board to the back wall on the inside of the box, curving down, and attaching it again to the bottom side of the box. This will help create the seamless background look.
5. For the tablecloth- it can be used the same way as the poster board, but it covers more area, and can be used to hide the side seams as well as the main seams. It is a bit trickier to work with, though, and it does bunch up. I am currently trying to find a different alternative that would work better than these two.

For the hot glue- Once I had this box assembled, it's HUGE. I had no where to put it. The cats were trying to take it apart. The kids wanted to play with it. I finally decided that it would be best taken apart and re-assembled when needed. I had used glue on two seams, which did not come off.

It created a bi-folding section. But, with the pins out, and the box not assembled, I can hide it behind my desk, where the cats won't tear it apart.

For the lights, I bought 1 at Walmart for $6-something. Then, I stopped at the hardware store, where the week before hand, the same lights had been on sale for $4 each. Well, no one had taken the sign down, so I grabbed two more for $4 each. The guy at the counter looked mad when I asked if they were the ones on sale for $4, but he gave me the posted price.

I used 2 lights the first time. While the photos looked nice and white in the camera, on my computer they were pretty yellow, and the colors did not look true. I asked for some advice, and was told to add the third light, so I did. I did not notice a big difference with the third light, until I played with my camera's settings.

I have a point and click. Well, an advanced point and click, but still just a point and click. If that's what you have, and you notice the yellowing, play with the PASM settings. Ultimatly, I chose to use a 1/200, and a +2.0 on the S setting on my camera. That really whitened things brightly.

From there, I use PICNIK, a free online photo editing tool, to clean up any residual yellowing. For the settings, here is what I do.

1. Under the EDIT tab, go to COLOR. Choose Temperature. If your photo has a blue tinge to it, slowly go up into positive numbers. If your photo has a yellow tinge to it, slowly go down into the negative numbers. It won't need much, between -10 and +10 is all the further you'll really want to go. Much farther, and the setting will turn the photos blue or yellow in tinting.
2. Under the EDIT tab still, go to EXPOSURE. This is to help return the colors to a more true state. Up both Contrast and Exposure. Usually no more than 10-15 for Contrast, and 8-12 for Exposure. Contrast should be slightly higher than exposure.

 This little bird from the dollar store was photographed in my light box before I figured out how to adjust the camera settings properly. Notice how peach the left side is, and how much more yellow his breast is. On the right side, I've used the Picnik settings listed above to adjust the colors on the photo, making it much more clear to see.

In addition to the settings above, a white matte frame works to whiten the edges nicely on any photograph. One of my favorite settings is Orton-ish, which I will admit, I over use at times. But it's such a fun setting! Below shows a photo where I used the steps above to white & brighten, then added the white matte, and the Orton-ish setting.

Overall, there is a lot you can do just in editing, to fix the photos up. Below are some of my shots with my new lightbox.

This is with 3 lamps, and the correct light settings. This is as white as I could get the photograph without fading the items out.

This is the exact same photo as above, after editing it on Picnik.com. I whitened it a bit, and rounded the corners. 

This was also taken with the correct camera settings. Overall, even with as white as I could get the items on the camera, they still take a bit of editing.

Since taking the box apart, I've taken to only using two sheets of foam board to take photos. I lean one against the wall, put one on the floor, then I use a chair to clamp my lights to. 

I haven't noticed a difference. So, in the end, you can easily get away with just 2 sheets of foam board, and either a plastic white table cloth, a length of white fabric, or a sheet of poster board.

And without further ado, here's Talented Tuesday!

The Rules

1) Post a blog about something you've made- a refurnish, recipes, a craft project, a sewing project, room decoration, anything you've done!

2) Add a link to your blog post- not to the blog itself, but to the individual posts! You can post more than one project, just add more links! The links should look something like:

http://theherberfamily.blogspot.com/2010/01/love-banner.html

and NOT like this:

http://theherberfamily.blogspot.com/

3) Add the code below to each post you link to the MckLinky, so that others can post their projects here as well! The list will accept new links through Saturday, so if you make something new, come back and post it! Don't forget to look at the links on the list, and let people know where you found their post at!

This MckLinky will remain open and accepting links through Tuesday evening!!

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Dollar Store Arrangement

Today, I worked on making a light box for taking better photos. In the process, I had to test out lots of photos, readjust settings, and photograph various items.

I came up with this arrangement during one of the "photo shoots", and just love it! I have to find space for it somewhere, now!

 

Of the items pictured, only 1 was bought at Goodwill- the little sundae dish that the candle is in. The rest is all Dollar Tree.

Total spent:

Plate- the most gorgeous shade of Robin's Egg blue, $1

Plate Stand- $1

Blue Bird- $1

Candle- $1 (very complimentary color to the plate, but I don't like the smell so much)

River Rocks (hidden in with the candle) $1

Moss- $1

Daffodils- $1

Tall vase/candle/thingy- $2 ($1 for the candle stick, $1 for the candle holder turned vase thingy)

Ok, I lied- the eggs were from Hobby Lobby, and were cheaper than $1.

But, this arrangement can be easily made with items on hand. I had picked up the plate to make a cake stand. I can see now, though, that I'll be needing another plate for that. The sundae dish I've had kicking around for a while, waiting for a purpose.

The bird I bought, cause, well, it's cute. And already distressed. And it fits that whole Pottery Barn feel of my Easter decor this year. The candle was bought at the same time as both the plate and the birdie. The plate stand I've had for a while, though I never used it for the reason I bought it. It works great for displays, though.

The daffodils were bought to make a wreath, and a few got put in with the vase. The eggs were bought for the vases, as was the moss.

I do feel I must find a place for this whole arrangement for Easter, though. Somewhere that neither cat nor kid will knock it all over and break it. Like Mars. Or possibly Jupiter. Cause, ain't no place in my house where said cats and said kids won't knock it over. 

 

Another arrangement from earlier. I loved it- till I made the one above. I prefer the one above.

Dollar Tree St. Patrick's Day

This past weekend, I was in Michaels when I decided I wanted to do just 1 more small St. Patrick's Day item. I'm not really into the holiday, but since I started blogging, I've seen the crafting value in every holiday. I made a lot of stuff for Valentine's Day, including 3 wreaths, and loved all of it.

I wound up deciding (as I sat pondering the items) to make a wall hanging. I am not in love with the bows on it.

What I used:

1 Dollar Tree "Canvas" (it was pre-printed)
3 Wooden Hearts from Michaels
3 Foil Cardboard Hearts- On Hand
Shamrock printed ribbon from Michaels
Paint- On Hand
Goldish wide sheer ribbon- on hand, but I got it at Dollar Tree
Matte & Golden Shimmer Mod Podge- On Hand

I love the sign itself. I hate the ribbons used. I painted the canvas brown, then used "Shamrock Green", forest green, and darker brown to streak the canvas. I loved it! Lastly, I coated the canvas in golden shimmer mod podge, to give it a bit of that pot of gold feeling.

I painted the larger wooden hearts forest green, and the cardboard side of the foil hearts Shamrock green. Word of advice- if you have it, skip the cardboard and use wooden hearts, these things curled horribly, and kept tearing when I put my fingers on them. Mucho Re-paint-o.

I mod podged the cardboard hearts to the centers of the wooden hearts with matte finished. I wasn't going to add any gold to it, but it kind of stood out against the golden shimmer background, so I wound up adding a layer of golden shimmer.

Lastly, the ribbon. Oh, the ribbon.

I noticed right off the bat that the white shamrock ribbon was too white against the rich, earthy tones I had used. I had some thing sheer tan ribbon, so I added that, made a bow, glued it on, and called it good over night.

Looking at it today, I hated it (though, to be fair, I hadn't really loved it last night). Today, I got the bright idea to distress the ribbon with brown ink. It wasn't horrible, but not great. I have a regular green ink pad, so I used that, too. Big mistake- while that pad works for distressing the edges of paper, it really soaked into the ribbon, leaving green blobs.

Being truly frugal, I was not about to give up on that bow, so I glued it on. Let it sit. Ripped it back off. Dollar Tree plasticy canvas is a lot stronger than one would think, as it's held up to having the bow ripped off it twice now.

I decided to stain the ribbon with the left over coffee from this morning. It accomplished 2 things. 1- it washed all the ink distressing from it except two random, huge green blobs. 2- it stained it. Faintly. It was far more white now than it was before staining it, since it washed the ink off.

I finally gave up. I pitched the hideous bow. It was useless. I really do like my sign without it, but since I don't have a stem for the shamrock, I felt like I should have something there.

Well, whose going to judge my 3 leaf, stemless clover? No one, it's in my house, not an art museum!

 

And while this photo was taken early on, before the ribbon debacle,  this is what it looks like again. Well, except I did skip a step. That wide sheer ribbon I had? I used it to make a hanger for it. 

See? The top part, not the ugly bow.

This post is linked up at the link parties listed here.

Talented Tuesday & A Twilight Craft Box

Happy Tuesday everyone! Hope everyone's week has been going great so far!

Welcome back to Talented Tuesday, where you, my awesome readers, strut your stuff, and show us all the cool stuff you've made recently. From food, to furniture, to clothing, and so much more, you guys continue to amaze me with your fun projects.

Below is one of my weekend crafts- a wooden box made over in black, white, and red (with pink, since I had a very hard time finding just dark red printed scrapbook paper, after stopping at 3 stores). My oldest daughter is going to be 14 soon, which is enough of a shock to my system. Right now, she's very into Twilight, so I've been making Twilight inspired crafts.

I found a cubed wooden box at the local grocery store, of all places, on clearance for $2-something. Perfect! I snagged it without an immediate project in mind, but it only took a few days to come up with an idea. When I had my Girls Day Out with one of my good friends last Friday, I picked up some fun supplies- scrapbook paper (like, a ton!), Glitter mod podge (ooOOOOoOOoo...), ribbon, wooden 'knobs' (a 3 pack), lots of felt, 2 Distress Ink ink pads (black soot, which I am NOT in love with, and Fired Brick, which I do love), and much more.

Below is the project. I was overly zealous, and did not stop to take any before or during photos (that's becoming a bad habit...), so all you have is the finished project. I also didn't stop to paint the box first, but... that's not really something it -needed-, just thought it would be a nice touch.

What I Used:
5 Sheets of Scrapbook Paper (not a whole sheet needed of each, but I wanted a different pattern on each side)
1 Wooden Knob
Paint
Mod Podge
Distress Ink

1. Measure and cut your paper. I used 5 different patterns. Because the lid has edges, I tore the paper in half for a more distressed look. In some instances, I had to tear more off to allow for where the wood meets.
2. I used Black Soot Distress Ink on the red paper. I don't feel the black soot was up to the same quality as the Red Brick I also bought, or the Vintage Photo I have had for a few weeks. It got ALL OVER my hands, and it did not dry anywhere near as quickly- when I mod podged it to the wood, it smeared on the first one. You can kind of see it in the photo above, on the red swirly side of the box.
3. I used Red Brick Distress Ink on the black & white sides, and it worked wonderfully. For the most part, I distressed all the sides of the paper (all paper used, actually), and a few smudges here and there in the middle of the papers.
4. For the top section, I tore each of the four edges. 
5. I used Matte Mod Podge to attach the paper to the box. Once it was dry, some of the paper had an over hang on the corners, so I sanded down each corner and edge on the box, and some of the sections where the lid meets the box, so the paper wouldn't get in the way. 
6. For the top coat, I went with Glitter Mod Podge, so it sparkles, like the Vampire Wannabe's in Twilight. (can you tell, it's not my favorite book ever?) Glitter Mod Podge sparkles nicely, and I can't wait to use it in some Easter crafts.
7. While this dried, I painted one of the wooden knobs. I first thought the red I had on hand would be too bright, so I added a few drops of black, but the color came out all together too rustic and brownish, so I wiped as much of it off as I could, then repainted it red. The dark color showed through in some spots, for a distressed look, so my mistake? Totally on purpose to distress it. Or so I'll tell anyone who asks. I also added some spots of black ink around it with a foam brush, for added depth to the color.
8. When the knob dried, I used E6000 to glue it to the center of the lid, then I mod podged over it with Glitter Mod Podge. 

And, really, that's all she wrote. It was an easy craft. Unfortunately, when I went back for more boxes, they were sold out. But, I did score a really cool, unfinished wooden jewelry box. Can't wait to try that one out!

I wish I had the Glitter Mod Podge on hand last week, when I made a springy heart in twilight colors. They match, but not totally, since I used Gold Shimmer, and used the Vintage Photo Distress Ink, which is brown. But, there you have it. I now have 2 Twilight inspired crafts for Raegan's birthday in April.

Hopefully, I'll come up with more before then!

 

  

 

This post is linked up at the link parties listed here.

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The Rules

1) Post a blog about something you've made- a refurnish, recipes, a craft project, a sewing project, room decoration, anything you've done!

2) Add a link to your blog post- not to the blog itself, but to the individual posts! You can post more than one project, just add more links! The links should look something like:

http://theherberfamily.blogspot.com/2010/01/love-banner.html

and NOT like this:

http://theherberfamily.blogspot.com/

3) Add the code below to each post you link to the MckLinky, so that others can post their projects here as well! The list will accept new links through Saturday, so if you make something new, come back and post it! Don't forget to look at the links on the list, and let people know where you found their post at!

This MckLinky will remain open and accepting links through Wed night, so feel free to come back and add more links if you post new things!!

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