Mason Jar Chandelier: A Knockoff

Okay, this picture is pretty bad.  I admit it - but no one else was awake in my house to hold onto this so I had to wrap the wiring around a doorknob so it would drape like it will when it's installed.  I was inspired by Pottery Barn's Exeter 5-Jar Pendant.  It's on sale right now for $103.00.  (Let's just say so far my version has cost less than $35 and I have 8 jars left for my stock of canning jars ;-)  Also, my version is only 4 jars.  I was worried about the weight of 5...

This "chandelier" is for my Dad's house.  His current dining room chandelier has been on life support for at least a year and it's a horrible Tiffaney-esque builder grade chandelier.  It's ugly and it's broken at one of the leaded pieces.  His house is kind of lodge-y so this will fit right in.  I still haven't figured out exactly what will cover the wires at the installation site.  I have a cover I got at Home Depot, but since it's going to hold all 4 wires, I'll have to drill out the center hole.  I've made lamps before, so I just used my experience to make this.  I'm a bit too scared to put out a tutorial for how to do this, especially since I'm not an electrician, but luckily I found one for you ;)  If you need step by step instructions that ANYONE can follow, check them out here at Kara Paslay Designs.  She explains everything well and has great pictures.  Her version has different size jars and is a really fun version, but heavy!  I might use her version of a cap to cover the fixture wiring etc. at the top, if the one I have won't work.  Also, I might go back and drill a hole in the lids to let heat escape.  No one likes an exploding chandelier. 




So, this has been a fun project.  I have a few battle wounds (those jar lids are SHARP!) but I think it's turning out quite nicely and I can't wait to see it installed. 

PS-Thank you to my father-in-law for drilling perfect holes in the lids for me.  Want to help me drill the opening for the outlet cover?  :)  Also, I'd love drill press lessons for Christmas ;)

PPS-If my name shows up under these, it's only because Blogger thinks it should be that way.  Ugh!

I linked this to Get Your Craft On at Today's Creative Blog. 

Winner of Snazzie Drawers Giveaway

The winner of the Snazzie Drawers giveaway is Linda at Craftaholics Anonymous!

Thanks to everyone who entered!  I totally can't get enough of this shop...The pictures are just gorgeous! 

Okay, I'm done for now.  I'm headed to Ohio this weekend to see some of my favorite family members ;)  My nephew Mason is having his first birthday party!  I can't believe he's one already!  It goes by WAY too fast, especially when you don't live close enough! 

I've got a few things scheduled to dazzle you this weekend.  Hope you enjoy them and I'll "see" you next week ;)  Have a lovely weekend!

Thanks again to Joy for offering some of her beautiful patterns to our readers.  I can't wait to see which ones Linda picks!

While the Cat is Away the Mouse Will Play

So, while my hubby is out of town I'm going to paint our kitchen cabinets while he's gone...

[pic found here]

Just kidding!  What would you do if your husband was out of town?

PS - Sorry Babe!  Hope I didn't make you too anxious!  Isn't this kitchen pretty though? ;) 

PPS - I wouldn't have thought of gray cabinets, but I LOVE them ;) 

Jewelry on Display

Okay guys, so I OBVIOUSLY haven't fulfilled my New Year's Resolution of taking pictures...Please just pretend that these are fabulous pictures, k?  Thanks! 

This is my hanging jewelry box before I cleaned it out and got rid of some jewelry that I almost never wore.  I was looking at it when I cleaned it out and thought, I should totally show everyone how to make one of these...They're SO easy!  Pottery Barn used to make a glass front jewelry display just like this.  It was about $100!  Too pricey for me...

My friend Kathryn told me she was going to make one with a shadow box and I thought it was a great idea, so we did it together.  This was a few years ago now, so I don't have a tutorial per se, but it's super easy. 

Start with a front loading (This is the MOST important part!) shadow box.  We got ours at Hobby Lobby (like pictured above).  They come in 2 or three colors, I think.  I know for sure they have black and white, but I think they also have a more natural wood finish.  This is the 16" x 20" size, which is regularly priced $49.99.  We got them when they were 40% off.  Gotta love Hobby Lobby!  At the time, I wanted mine to go in our bedroom which was very nautical, so I bought fabric to go with that.  You could just as easily leave it the oatmeal like colored fabric that comes in it - or choose a fabric to match your room.  Get a piece of fabric at least 18" x 22" or so, as you want some overhang to keep it from coming out.

You'll use a screwdriver to remove all the backing screws.  Once you do this, the backing piece comes out pretty easily.  You can then cover the backing piece with your fabric.  We used two pieces of coordinating trim to hang earrings from.  If you're using a backing fabric, put it down first.  Then, put your coordinating trim pieces down on top of that.  I taped both of these taut to the back of the black backing piece.  Then, you put all of these layers back into the shadow box frame.  While holding them into the frame, check the front for wrinkles and positioning.  When it looks good to you, replace the screws. 

You can use glass headed pins to hang necklaces from and hang earrings with the hook style post on the coordinating trim pieces.  The bottom ledge can accomodate earrings and watches that won't hang somewhere else.

Then, since it's front loading, you can open it while it's hanging on the wall and pick out your accessories for the day!  I moved mine to the basement stairway which is right by my coat and the door to the garage.  This makes it super easy to pick some accessories on my way out!  Plus, since I like to be super casual at home, it makes it easy to return them to their proper place...meaning my husband doesn't get mad at me for having jewelry all over the house.  Now, if only I can figure out a system for everything else I leave all over the house.  Well, another day, right?

Please let me know if you need further instruction or more detailed how-to's on this one.  It's a VERY quick and easy project!  If you wanted to glam it up a bit, you could even monogram your initials into the glass :)  Pretty!

-Heather

PS- Sorry for the picture weirdness.  I tried editing them in Picnik and got a few different effects.  I really will work on picture improvement sometime soon!

I'm linking up at Frugalicious Friday's where there's already over 100 cool projects!  Check it out :)

A Child's Apron

This. is. not. my. son!  My son REFUSED to wear this apron I made for him.  This is my friend Brigett's well-behaved little boy, Adam.  Brigett, Adam and his little sister, Amanda came over today to craft and have a little playdate.  It was one of those times when you are excited, thinking your child will love to have a little friend to play with.  It turned into one of those times when you are certain your child has been replaced with a naughty stunt double!  Holden didn't want to share any of his toys, stole the toys Adam brought with him and even pushed Amanda, a BABY one time.  Of course after they left, he was napping like an angel within an hour and woke up just as sweet as could be.  Thank goodness the doppleganger saw fit to leave us in peace for the afternoon!

As for the apron, I made it this weekend, using the tutorial I found at Fireflies and Jellybeans who got the idea from Our Daily Chocolate via Dollar Store Crafts...Aah, the tangled web that is the internet!  :)  Anyway, I made it and tried to put it on Holden.  He wanted nothing to do with it.  He cried if I even tried to put it on him.  I even tried to bribe him with a brownie...no go!  Let me just tell you that at that second, I thought he might have been switched at the hospital.  Just kidding - but those were definitely his dad's genes, because I would do nearly anything for a brownie!  

I didn't make the individual crayon pockets.  I used the pattern in the placemat to make a few different sized pockets.  I also used Holden's torso measurements to decide how deep to make the pockets.  I have several more placemats that are going to become aprons this next week.  Some will be gifts and some will probably make it to the Etsy shop...

-Heather

PS-I'm linking to A Soft Place to Land's DIY Day!  Check out the HUNDREDS of cool projects linked up there :)






 

Edit: I'm linking this to Get Your Craft On at Today's Creative Blog too :)  Check it out too.  Their are SO many amazing, crafty people out there!  You are sure to be inspired!

Post Edit: New Linky Parties are always fun, so I'm linking at My Frugal Family now too!  Check it out...This is her third week, but there are LOTS of cool projects already linked up!





PS-Brigett is amazingly sweet, so I KNEW she would comment that Holden wasn't that bad. Isn't it nice when you have such wonderful friends?!? She is really the best!

Adding Linen Fabric to a Peg Shelf

I had this green shelf I bought at a junk store for $10 a few months ago and wanted to do something with it so I could use it for coat hooks in my laundry/mudroom.

Here is the back..I forgot to take a before front picture. The green wasn't so bad...it was just a glossy paint and looked ragged (not shabby chic).

I sanded it and gave it a few coats of black matte acrylic craft paint using a foam brush...can't spray paint because it's too cold here in Michigan.


I measured and cut the size of the fabric I needed. I used linen..it looks a little like burlap.


I measured where the holes should go and cut small holes to fit the pegs through. I tucked under the edges with a knitting needle.

I used Mod Podge and completely coated the black part of the shelf where the linen would go. I put the piece of linen in place and smoothed it out with my hands making sure it was completely flat and glued down well in all areas.
This picture is a little out of order..sorry. I ended up adding a skinny piece of black grosgrain ribbon to frame off the fabric area. It looks much neater now. I also glued small black wood stars with old black buttons glued on them to cover the screws.

I used some very big screws and drywall anchors to hang it so it won't fall off the wall.

The stars/buttons had to be glued on after hanging so I taped them with painter's tape while the glue dried.

This is how it turned out. I hung two bird tin art pieces I bought at T.J. Maxx for $10 each above the shelf. Now I have a place to hang coats!

Have a Great Day!

Erin

also linked at: Blue Cricket Design

A few handmade gifts

My grandma loves birds, so I appliqued this store-bought (had to make some short cuts in this handmade holiday) tote with a wintry cardinal scene.  I just printed a children's coloring page to use as a stencil for the bird.  Then I just cut out the branch and slapped some "snow" on it.  I'm going to put the kleenex cover I made inside with a cross I got for her at a craft show.  I didn't get it for Christmas but I forgot about it until now.

Then, I made this plate for Holden with a few others I can't show you yet...Here's how they'll look on Thursday night.

 

I (very roughly) followed the tutorial at Just Something I Made.  Though I didn't follow the steps exactly, I dd get the idea and the supply list there.   I used a few plates I got at St. Vincent de Paul in Spring Arbor and a few I got at Wal-Mart.  The Wal-Mart plates didn't have a good lip on them, so they'll turn out a bit different.  I'll show them to you later this week (after I've gifted them)!

Though my progress is a bit slow with a toddler running around, I'm getting there.  I'll show you more as I get things finished!

Hope to "see" you soon!

-Heather

PS - I'm linking this to DIY Day at A Soft Place to Land. (technically Tuesday, but I posted late last night and am modifiying on Tuesday.  That counts right?)

Cookie & Craft Exchange: Holiday Traditions

Every year, the married women in my Dad's family get together around Christmas for a Christmas Craft & Cookie Exchange. It's a fun little party where everyone brings one craft they made and a half dozen cookies for each person in attendance. Some of us are craftier than others, but it is just as much fun to laugh at each other and some of the crazy things we've come up with. My Aunt Debbie brought a papier mache Santa that used a light bulb as a base, and had a bit of a club foot. The Santa is passed around between my aunts and uncles, with each of them trying to avoid the odd shaped, googly eyed decoration! But, we laugh and recall the failed crafts of years before. One year my cousin Alicia made a cork wreath and her dogs ate it.  She had to come up with another craft VERY quickly! 

Nw that I think about it – we talk about the crazy, not-so-attractive crafts WAY more than we ever reminisce about the pretty, more displayable crafts! As much as that is true, given my love of crafting, I just can't help but try to come up with something that everyone will love. We draw numbers when we get to the party, so you never know who will get your craft. For some reason, in the 5 years I've been married, my Grandma has gotten my craft and vice versa for 2 or 3 of the years.

Anyway, our party was this past Sunday and I procrastinated more than usual. I had a general idea. I wanted to make a white velvet kanzashi, but I wasn't sure whether to make it an ornament, or really what to do with it. I had an old velvet coat that I loved, but wasn't very practical (being white) and was kind of a pain as it had to be ironed every time it was worn. The lining was a little too small, so without ironing, it bunched up at the bottom and just looked funny. I decided I wanted to use the velvet rather than wear the coat this year. I made the kazashi flower, and I decided (Sunday morning) to add it to a scarflette made from what had been a sleeve of the same coat. It's attached with a pin back so that you can wash the scarflette or use the flower as a separate brooch.  Here's my mom displaying the result:

My mom really didn't want to be my model, but luckily she's pretty accommodating where my brother and I are concerned. You just gotta love her! Besides, I got half my crafty genes from her, so she should've been prepared for the inevitable modeling job, right?

For my cookie this year, I made Cracker Cookies. I got the recipe from my mother-in-law and this will be a cookie I make again and again. They were SO EASY and SO FAST! Here's the recipe:

1 sleeve club or saltine crackers

2 sticks butter

1 cup brown sugar

12 oz. chocolate chips

nuts

Line a 15" x 10" pan with aluminum foil and lay out the crackers, covering the bottom. Melt the butter. Mix in brown sugar. Bring to a boil and boil for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and pour over crackers. Bake crackers at 400˚ for 5 to 7 minutes. Spread chocolate chips over crackers. While they are melting, spread them out so they'll cover evenly. Sprinkle with nuts. Let cool for 15 minutes and then refrigerate until cooled. Cut or break into pieces.

These taste like toffee and are Oh-S0-Delicious! I don't know how easy or hard toffee is, but these take hardly any time at all. I loved them. I did take out 2 tablespoons for the 2 sticks of butter without any taste or consistency change. My mother-in-law was going to try taking out 3 tablespoons. I'll let you know if it worked out…

I should've taken pictures of all the crafts my family did, as I really have a lot of crafty relatives – but I didn't think of that until after the party was over. Sorry! I'll do that next year, for sure! Hope you enjoy your crafty holiday traditions, and since my Grandma got my craft again, I hope she stays warm and flowery this winter!

-Heather

PS-I'm linking this post to A Soft Place To Land's DIY Day and Get Your Craft On at Today's Creative Blog.

Heather's Handmade Holiday - The Grandma's

As part of a gift for my Grandma's this Christmas, I made these Kleenex covers. Both of them seem to have tissues at all times and carry the little tissue packages in their purse, so I thought it would be fun to dress them up a little. I used this tutorial at Skip to My Lou. I did add a slight overlap on the front. I had seen this somewhere else (I'm not sure where – sorry!) and I liked the look of it. So, you can overlap or not; your choice! Anyway, I made these out of some vintage fabric I bought at a flea market a while back. I think they're kind of fun, but pretty too! These are REALLY easy to make with very basic sewing skills. I think these would be great gifts for lots of people: teachers, daycare providers, Grandmas, Aunts, Hairdressers, etc.

I have to say that with all these crafty people out on the web, a handmade holiday is much more do-able! I think if I was to do it on my own (without everyone else's wonderful ideas) I might only have a few different things. This way, I can make something that each person will enjoy and maybe even treasure! I love the internet. It's one of the few reasons I don't want to be Amish – LOL!

Are you having a handmade holiday? Or maybe making a few more things and buying a few less things?  I'd love to hear about what you're making this year!

-Heather

PS-I'm posting this to A Soft Place To Land's DIY Day!

Felt Food for Christmas

I decided that this year would be a handmade Christmas for us.  Heather's Handmade Holiday.  Huh, I love alliteration!  Anyway, I'm working on making a play kitchen for my son and I wanted to make a bunch of felt food.  This is my first finished food.  Ha, there it is again.  

I'm not sure what to do about sauce for the ravioli.  I guess I'll have to look around some more at felt food posts.  But, I was pretty happy with the ravioli themselves.  I just cut the felt into rectangles and folded some quilt batting inside and stitched them together.  Then, I cut the edges with pinking shears.  Really fast, really easy.  My kind of project!  

That's all I've got tonight, but keep checking back for more of Heather's Handmade Holiday.  I think I just have to do it a few more times and I'll get it out of my system :) 

Also, a first for us, I'm posting this to a diy "party" at The Shabby Chic Cottage.  Follow the link below for more information!