Shabby Chic Bird Key Makeover

Hello, lovelies! I am terribly sorry for my absence this month, but I have been on Spring Break for the past two weeks. So,  I have been super busy working. I was able to get a job for the spring and summer at a beautiful greenhouse/garden shop in my hometown. But, I did not take pictures of it. Shame on me!

I do have a quick project to share with all of you though. I mentioned this project in one of my previous posts from this month: March Craft Projects.  What I originally intended to do was to recreate the Refurbished Key Portrait Tutorial  from Amy's blog Mod Podge Rocks:

However, I have yet to find a pretty frame that I am happy with.  So, for now I have just given my rot iron bird key a shabby chic makeover.  Here is a close up of the the finished product:

 Here is a shot of my shabby chic bulletin board and my key:

I decided to hang this key above my shabby chic inspired bulletin board that I made last year.  I hope you like it!  I used Apple Barrel Ivory White Gloss Paint that I purchased for under $2 at Wal-Mart.  I used a dry brush technique to give the key a shabby chic feel.

I absolutely can't wait to display this in my apartment one day.  I hope you are all doing well!! Leave me a comment below and tell me what craft projects you are working on this month.

Don't forget to follow me on Pinterest:  Owl Enthusiast 

Love,

March Craft Projects

Hello, everyone!  I hope you all are doing well.  This week, I thought that I would let you know what is on my craft agenda for March.

As of lately, I have been even more addicted to Pinterest! This has given me many craft project ideas that can be achieved by simply re-purposing things I have and giving items much needed makeovers.  I cannot wait to get started on creating and designing these projects!

Here are some of the projects I hope to accomplish this month:

1.  Spray Painted Folding Desk Chair:  As some of you may not know, I am a college student who lives on a budget.  Therefore, I have to make do with what I have. So, I thought I would give my ugly folding chair a new look.

I would like to try to achieve something similar to The Moon and Me's makeover that you can access here: Paint Your Wagon - Or at Least Your Folding Chairs. Here is a gorgeous picture from the makeover on this blog:

 I hope this can be done by purchasing one can of spray paint!  I haven't decided on the exact color yet, but I am leaning toward lilac.

2.  Framed Key Wall Art:  I love wall art, and I especially love creating my own.  One post that has particularly been on my mind since seeing it is this Refurbished Key Portrait Tutorial on Amy's blog Mod Podge Rocks:

I just so happens that I have the perfect key to complete this project that my mom purchased for me at Hobby Lobby not too long ago.  She has a ton of old keys displayed on the wall of her craft room at home, and she knows how much I love them.  So when she saw a vintage looking, rot iron key with birds on it, she just had to buy it for me--I LOVE birds.  If I remember right, it wasn't more than $10.  I absolutely can't wait to paint my key a fun color and pick out an ornate frame as well as a fun background graphic.  I definitely plan on hanging this near the entry to my apartment in the Fall. 

3.  Drawer Dividers:  As some of you may know, I am obsessed with pretty storage and organization ideas.  I just love knowing where something is at a moments notice without having to dig for it in the process.  That is why I absolutely cannot wait to try this Cereal Box Drawer Divider Tutorial from Jen over at I Heart Organizing:

Don't you just love the bright colors and how everything has it's own neat little place!  I have the perfect scrapbook paper to achieve this project.  Also, this project is of special interest to me, because I keep all of my jewelry in my desk's only drawer in my dorm.  Let me tell you, it is a mess.  So, this is going to be the perfect transformation. 

I can't wait to get busy on these projects and show you the before and after processes!  I hope this post inspired you, gave you some new craft ideas, or gave you some new blogs to follow.  Happy crafting, everyone!  What are you working on for the month of March?  Let me know in the comments below. 

Don't forget to follow me on Pinterest here:  Owl Enthusiast

Love,

Makeover of Storage Bins!

I am all about organization in my life, so naturally I have tons of storage bins.  I use them for anything from storing cosmetics to tools.  I have a set of storage bins that I purchased at two different times from Dollar General for $3 a piece.  I would like to display them in my bathroom once I move into an apartment, so I decided to give them a much needed makeover. 

Here is the before: 

 
 Not the prettiest thing to look at, right? It just so happens that I found the perfect fabric to cover these bins while browsing at Walmart a few days ago.  You can see it hiding underneath the bins in the above picture.  Today, I went and purchased 2 1/2 yds. of the lovely floral print, and I got to work. 

I didn't really follow any kind of tutorial, because I have done projects like this before.  Let me tell you, it is a very time consuming process, and I burned myself with my hot glue gun I don't know how many times. The project took me a couple of hours to complete in total because of all the measuring, cutting, and gluing.  So much gluing!  But, the finished product was completely worth it.

Here is the after:

I absolutely love how they turned out, and I am so happy that they are a matching pair now!   There is just something about pretty storage that I just can't get enough of.

 Here is a close up of the front next to a close up of the side: 

Thanks for reading!  I had so much fun doing this project, and I hope you all are working on some fun projects as well.  Happy crafting!  Don't forget to leave me a comment or ask me any questions below.

You can follow me on my Pinterest here:  Owl Enthusiast

Love, 

Fabric Covered Cork Board Tutorial!

This is one of my favorite projects to do over and over again.  I don't know what it is, but I just love making fabric covered cork boards.  I started making my own bulletin boards in high school, and the first one I made was very elaborate and time consuming.

Then, my freshman year of college I started making them for all of my friends as gifts.  It just became a therapeutic hobby for me. I even gave a demonstrative speech about how to make a fabric covered cork board in my college speech class.  Let me tell you, it was a pretty kick ass speech!

Over the past few years, I have refined the process, and it now only takes me about 30 minutes—give or take— to create one.  Today, I thought I would share my process and pictures of the one that I have made recently to match my room decor with you.    

You will need:

1. A hot glue gun
2. Plenty of glue sticks
3. A spool of ribbon
4. Several tacks
5. A pretty piece of fabric of your choosing
6. A cork board
7. A pair of scissors 
8. Command strips

After you have gathered your supplies, you are ready to create your own beautiful fabric covered cork board.

• Step 1:  Cut your fabric to size.  Make sure that you leave two inches of slack all the way around, so you can adhere the fabric to the back of the board.  
• Step 2:  Heat up your hot glue gun.  Flip your fabric upside down, and place your cork board upside down on top of the fabric.  Adjust the cork board until it is centered on the piece of fabric.
• Step 3:  Fold the extra two inches of fabric and pin it to the back of the cork board all around the edges.
• Step 4:  Take your hot glue gun and apply a thin layer of glue underneath the folded fabric all the way around. Remove the tacks as you go.

 At this point, you could technically be finished with your fabric covered cork board, or you could have fun and decorate it.  I generally opt for decorating it. 

• Step 5:  Take your ribbon and cut six pieces. (2 pieces long enough to create an x shape across the entire board, and 4 pieces to apply to each corner of the board.)
• Step 6:  Place each piece of ribbon on the board as mentioned above. Tack the ends of the ribbon to the back of the board like you did with the fabric.  
• Step 7:  Remove each tack individually and glue as you go.  
• Step 8:  Take 5 tacks and cut out pieces of fabric large enough to cover the tacks.
• Step 9:  Glue the fabric to the tacks, and apply the tacks to the board.  
• Step 10:  Add pictures or memos.  Attach Command adhesive strips to the back and hang on the wall.  

Here is the finished product:  

 I have made dozens of these over the years, and this one has to be my absolute favorite!  Here is a close up of one of the fabric covered tacks:

I just love all the colors that are incorporated into this fabric.  It has a little bit of bohemian and modern feel to me.  It matches the colors of my current bedspread marvelously.  Also, I have had my eye on it for quite some time.  I spotted it this past summer at Walmart.  There were three beautiful modern bolts that all had the same color scheme. I already used the paisley fabric that compliments this one when I decided to give my mismatched storage boxes a makeover.

You can see this bulletin board in its new home and those storage boxes in this picture:

I just love the way this cork board ties my room decor together. Thanks for reading!  Feel free to leave me comments and ask questions below.  Happy crafting!

Don't forget to follow me on my Pinterest:  Owl Enthusiast

Love,