Autumn Banner Tutorial

Hello again!

I feel like it has been an entire year since I have blogged! For real! But I am so glad to be on here tonight. I'm just going to get right to the point. I have been crafting up a literal storm in our house. I have been making soap, this other product I can't even talk about yet, signs, banners, cards, letters for my walls, and all kinds of random home decor projects.

Tonight I want to talk about this "autumn" banner my co-worker, Nikki, and I made the other day. We made quite a few actually, but this one is our favorite because it's going up on Lacy Ln today, and I am so excited! I am actually excited because there are quite a few new things going up in Lacy Ln in the next couple of weeks and I could not be more ready and happy to share them all with you!

Back to the sign:

Here is a quick and [hopefully] easy tutorial:

Gather your supplies:

• Paper [background color(s) and BLACK CARD STOCK] Not construction paper, or computer paper, or anything else, card stock (trust me we tried the others)
• Hole Punch or Pen
• String, Yarn, or Twine, etc.
• Glue gun or stick glue
• Chalk
• White paint and tiny brush or a white paint pen [whichever you find easiest]
• White board eraser 

Directions:

• Cut out the shape that you desire [it doesn't have to be exactly like ours]
• Cut out a smaller version of that shape, 1 centimeter works great
• Use these as your template and trace on the colored paper your bigger shape and on the black paper the smaller shape
• Cut them out
• Paint your letters on each of the black ones
• Let them dry completely
• Use the chalk and smear it all over each of the black pieces 
• Erase [be careful not to completely get rid of the chalk, just gently erase it]
• Glue the smaller on top of the bigger shapes
• Let completely dry
• Punch Holes with your pen or hole punch about an inch inside the outer edges on each side
• Sting your string through the holes
• Loop it on each end 
• Hang
• Enjoy!

If you like it but don't have the 20 minutes to sit down and make this you can buy it by clicking here.

I hope this was helpful! Have a blessed day! 

Pin-Wednesday Holiday Gift Guide { Week 4 }

DIY Cinnamon-Vanilla Latte Body Scrub

Makes 6, 4oz jars

Ingredients

2 Drops Cinnamon Extract

1/2 Tsp Vanilla Extract

1/2 Tsp Almond Extract

1/2 Cup Coffee Grounds

1 Cup Granulated Sugar

1 Cup Brown Sugar

1 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions

1. Mix Granulated Sugar, Brown Sugar and Coffee Grounds together first
2. Add all extracts, mix well so there are no clumps
3. Add Extra Virgin Olive Oil mix until there are no clumps then add to jars
4. Let sit for about 5 mins before closing containers
5. Close add finishing touches
6. Do NOT use for at least 24 hours

Wedding Planning {Flowers} Oh! And I forgot to tell you...

So, I decided a long time ago I wanted to make my own flowers out of paper or fabric for my wedding.  I looked up some tutorials and started making flowers. THEY TOOK FOREVER! I was following a Pinterest tutorial I found a while ago, but 20-30 minutes per flower. No Thank You!

I got tired of that quick so I started playing around with the fabric and made up my own way to make a few different looking flowers. Some of them didn't turn out exactly as I wanted them to, but most of them did. I am so excited about the boutonnières and bouquets!

Coming Soon! I am preparing a few tutorials for 5 minute flowers. Check back to this post next week for all of them.

Also, I forgot that I didn't tell you that Caleb gave me the "real ring" and here it is. YAY! (0:

I meant to tell you all that story, but I clearly haven't been the best blogger lately. He gave it to me the Tuesday after he proposed, and it's so perfect! It's not huge and gaudy or over the top. It is kind of a rounded square shape, but the middle is a circle and it makes it look a little bit vintage and it doesn't have any annoying stuff on the sides of it to scratch my other fingers. It's absolutely perfect! I couldn't believe it when I first saw it. I love it, and I love the wonderful man that gave it to me!

Speaking of that wonderful man, I am about to go meet him to finish registering! I hope you all have a wonderful and blessed Friday! God is so good! It's a beautiful day, even in the midst of hard days or rocky roads, God is faithful, I just wanted to remind you of that today. I encourage you to go outside and see His wonderful and beautiful creation today! It's just a good reminder of His majesty and glory. It's refreshing and lovely and great! Just a word to the wise, God is GREAT!

Remember all those things I promised you?

Okay so it has been crazy lately (or at least I feel like it has) God has been doing awesome things.
I feel like because of those things I haven't been able to blog as much lately, BUT those crazy things are more important if we're being honest, right? Yes! Right! So, update on the crazy AWESOME things He is doing first:

My sister decided to give up a few months of her own agenda and life to go to Canada and serve as a volunteer with a church and help with all of their stuff. She truly went up there on faith and trusting that God would provide and show her each and every step that He has planned out for her. It has been an adjustment, but God is totally in control and I know He has big plans for her and her ministry there. I am so excited for her, because God works all things for the good of those who love Him and who have been called according to His purpose, and that purpose is perfect! So what more could we want, right?

He has been teaching me personally a new a refreshed sense of my need for Him and ONLY Him. How he really and truly is Everything and He alone can meet absolutely every single one of my needs. He is good and He is righteous. I love it, but there is some discipline that comes along with learning that over and over that is hard to truly submit to somedays. Dying to ourselves isn't an easy calling, but it's one that is rewarded with ETERNAL SALVATION and Life with an AWESOME God! On top of that, I have been trying to just rest in the freedom that He gives us to boldly live a life that glorifies Him and His name above all other things. I feel like there has been some pride and insecurity in my life that I haven't truly let go of or handed over to Him until very recently and there is NOTHING that compares to giving up our absolute ALL to God, seriously, nothing! To live in the freedom and power that God gives us through the Holy Spirit is mind boggling sometimes to think about, but worth every ounce of giving up "ME" for Him and His wonderful purpose.


Okay, now for those little things I have been promising you, the updates on DIY/Craft projects, Before/Afters, etc.

Here's the first:

Do you remember this little post? 

DIY Frame Letters (or anything else you can think of)

Here is the reveal of Krissie's birthday present

DIY Recycled Wreath

Supplies Needed:

• Pool Noodle (mine was a little rough with some chunks taken out of it from kids, but it still worked great!
• Old clothes ( I used an old shirt that was in my recycle/giveaway bag
• Hot Glue Gun
• Duck Tape (Dollar Tree kind works perfectly)
• Super Glue
• Scissors
• Old book pages
• Buttons
• Wire or Paper clip

Make Strips and Flowers ahead of time

Duck Tape Two Ends Together

Instructions

• Super glue then, duck tape two ends of the pool noodle together
• Add and extra piece or two or three to make sure it's secure
• Cut Clothes into 2in X 1ft pieces or as long as you wish to make it easy on you
• Make your paper flowers and your fabric flowers
• Wrap strips of fabric around the noodle one at a time and use hot glue to apply them
• Add paper clip or wire for a hanging mount on which ever side you want to use as the back 
• Glue all flowers on
• Hang and enjoy!

The strips and flowers can be time consuming. It is always best to make these before you start and then grab them as you need them. I keep a basket of fabric flowers and embellishments stocked for projects like this. I get on a roll when making them all at once and do it when I am bored or watching TV.

DIY Frame Letters (or anything else you can think of)

So for my boyfriend's sister's birthday I decided to make her and her husband something for their home. I have made a total of three projects now, but I just couldn't settle on any of them. I think it was because I wanted Caleb to take part in it and help me with it, so it was genuinely from "us" and we didn't just put that on the tag. So, tonight we got started. He washed and scrubbed part of it that we found in a trash barrel (I can't tell you what that is yet, just in case she sees this tutorial before next Friday- I hope not though and it was a trash barrel for old scrap wood so it wasn't really that gross). I started on the Framed Letters and well, really that's all i did, he did most of the rest of it. She told me the other night about her recent burlap project. So here is the tutorial:

Supplies:

• Frame - $2.96 at Wal Mart
• Burlap - $1.49 for 1/2 yard (or whatever you want as the background)
• Paint Pen - $1.95 at Wal Mart
• Letter (just printed in the size you want on a normal sheet of paper)
• Tape

 Start by taking out the handy dandy "fake photos" from the frame to cut out your background (burlap)

 Take everything out of the frame and put the glass back in securely (be extremely careful during this part) Then tape the letter or number or phrase on backwards in the frame.

 Next near a light source trace the letter with the paint pen. They dry fast and you can't go back over where you have already drawn or it looks like a dry erase marker on a white board, so do this part in sections if you have to. I outlined mine first and then colored in the middle in sections.

Last take the paper off, turn the glass around put the background, fake photo (backwards) and the backing in the frame and close it. Then Wah Lah! You're done! 

This is one of my most favorite projects I have ever done and I am making a few that are just a little bit harder and adding some things to them for my store. I will show pics later, but I hope you enjoy I would love to see pictures if any of you use this technique. It is so fun, and it's fast and simple!

P.S. The other day I was so excited to be on Blogs by Christian Women! It was an honor and I was so thankful for the opportunity! If you have just a minute check it out! 

Crafty Nights

Alright, do you remember all those cool things I promised you that I have been doing lately and haven't had time to blog because of? Well, it's okay if you don't, it's been a while. Here is one of my favorite ones! I decided to make up my own version of the chalk paint and here it is:

 $1 clipboard from Dollar Tree

I hope you enjoy! This is one of my favorite new craft projects and it's easy! (0: I hope you are having a wonderfully blessed day! God is so good and He cares for you!