To Soon for Fall?

Where did summer go to? I am pretty sure it never arrived. Or maybe I just spent most of it hibernating at my study table. Yeah that was probably it. So I figure if pumpkin has hit Starbucks it must officially be fall, right? So the first project of the fall is a new wreath for the front door. I LOVE!!!! how it turned out. It cost me about the same amount to make my own unique wreath as it costs to buy one. It is super easy to make and easily changed to fit everyone's style and preferences.

What You Need

Grape Vine Wreath

Fake Flowers/leaves/pumpkins...etc

Clips

Quick Grip Super Glue

Wooden Letter

Paint

String

1. Start by clipping off the flowers or leaves you want to use on your wreath and attaching them to the clips with the super glue. Make sure it is super strong glue or the first sign of wear and the flower will fall off!

2. Clip the flowers around your wreath

3. Add leaves and other such decorations around your flowers. I added leaves for the outside and made a circle of leaves for the inside

4. Paint your letter(My last name initial is H but I liked the K better in the style of letters they had so I went with K)(Give it a good 3 coats)

5. Cut a 18 inches of ribbon and glue onto back of letter

6. Attach ribbon to top of wreath or to wreath holder

7. Hang and prepare for compliments! :D

Happy Fall!

Art or Something Like It

My most vivid memory of my art ability is from when I was in elementary school. Anyone who didn't like art in school can relate to the dread you get when you are asked to draw something for an assignment. I was probably 7 or 8 and I don't really remember what the assignment was, but I remember I drew a buffalo. The teacher walked by and said, "oh, what a nice squirrel." Yup, I was scarred for life. I decided at that moment that I sucked at art and would never, ever be an artist of any kind. Like NEVER. I pretty much have stuck with that throughout life. It is actually that memory that made me decide I wasn't an artist, a crafty person, and I lacked all imagination. Talk about a life changing moment. I may have taken it to heart a little too much(can you really be that overly dramatic at 7? apparently you can). But I started giving up on at least part of that resolution a couple of years ago when I started crafting. My sister did a lot of sewing and made her own centerpieces for her wedding which were fabric birds stuffed with rice. We had a fight at some point during the wedding planning and as a way of calling it a truce and mending bridges I offered to help her with the birds. I had never done any kind of sewing before that(remember, I was sure I sucked at those kinds of things plus I tried to stay as far away from all kinds of needles as possible). I think I finished 1 bird the 3 hours we worked on them and my sister did the other 7ish. I didn't immediately get into crafting, but some time after that I decided to learn to quilt. It was the beginning of everything. Crafting has been something my sister and I have shared ever since. It has become one of my passions. However, I did not give up the notion that I was not an artist of any kind. My baby sister is the artistic being and I was going to leave it to her. But, then this week hit and I needed a new type of stress reliever. I took my medical board exams in July and I was awaiting the results that only come out on Wednesdays. So Tuesday nights have been brutal for the last 4 weeks. This Tuesday I decided to try my hand at drawing just for fun and I might have a new obsession. Let's just say that it is an excellent stress reliever, but I stand by the I will never be a da Vinci. However, I think for someone who has avoided art of all kinds for 15 years, I am doing alright. I also did some painting which I have decided I also really enjoy. Mediocre or not I am definitely enjoying it and I figure what the heck I'll share it will all of you! I hope to post a tutorial for taggies early next week. I am very excited to get back into blogging and I may even start a second blog to share my adventures as a medical student. Until then...

DIY Jewelry Board(Guest Post)

So at almost 9 months very pregnant I was getting very bored and quite anxious to meet our little lady. I decided one random Saturday that I needed a project. I decided to make a jewelry display! I went to the local hardware store and I needed a board about yay by yay size (picture a 5 foot very pregnant woman telling a pimply teen to cut my bored about so big, shown with hands spaced a ways apart, yikes!). In reality it's about 2 feet wide by 15.5" tall.

I painted the entire bored in a minty green/blue. I started in the corner and attached diagonal strips of tape all the across the bored, to ensure even spacing. Then I removed every other piece and painted the open spaces with silver glitter paint.

I picked out 14 drawer knobs, 6 drawer pulls, and a package of lace. My husband attached each piece to the board in the layout I designed. I also added a strip of wide lace that I just taped to the back to hook earrings into. 

I LOVE the piece. It looks beautiful in my room and is very functional. If I were to do it again, I'd make a few changes:

1. This project costed me about $100. Yikes! Next time I'd hit up an antique shop or catch the drawer pulls half off at Hobby Lobby. 

2. I'd fasten my lace better. Heavy earrings really pull it down. Maybe using hot glue on the back and every so often on the front would help. 

Note: I'd like to give a big THANKS to my sister Jamie Roberts for writing this post and helping me to get back into my blog after the crazy busy few months of preparing for my board exams!