DIY Chicken Wire Display Door

January 20, 2015 by Jessica 1 Comment

One of my favorite types of DIY are the kind where you take something that might not look of value to many and turn it into something new and useable. So I was super excited when DecoArt challenged me to use their Multi-Surface Acrylics on something that could easily be found at places like flea markets, etc.

I had a friend offer me some old doors a few weeks ago and there was one that I knew would be perfect for this project. Look at how beat up this door was!

It looks like it should go to the dump, but I saw that there was still some life left in it. In fact, I plan on using this as a garden door one day. I wiped down the door real good and took off the tape to prepare it for painting.

Here are all the supplies I used for this project:

Door with large opening
Chicken Wire
Americana Multi-Surface Satin acrylic paint(s) of choice. I needed almost 6 ounces to coat each side of the door twice. Amount needed will depend on how large your surface is.
Paint Brush and other supplies needed to paint (drop cloth, cup for paint, paint cleaner, etc)
Staple Gun and Staples
Wire Cutters
Pliers
Optional: Wood for inside of door, Glue, Clamps

I chose to paint each side of the door a different color. I used the soft jade on one side and coastal waters on the other.

The directions suggest at least two coats of paint, so I did two coats on each side. It has very good coverage. If this was a door that I would actually be using as my front door, I would have done one more coat just to really cover it well. I let it dry overnight. The good thing is this paint is self sealing so there’s no need for primer or separate sealer. And the paint is for indoor and outdoor use. Awesome right?

My hubby cut out four pieces of wood that I glued on the inside opening. This door’s middle was foam and I didn’t want that showing. I used a strong glue to glue the wood on and used some clamps to keep them in place while it dried. I let that glue dry overnight as well. Then I stained the wood with a natural stain according to instructions on the can. After that dried, I stapled on the chicken wire using a staple gun. Then I used wire cutters to cut off the extra wire. If you want, you can use pliers to twist the ends so they don’t poke out. I’m even thinking of going back and putting thin wood strips all around the back side to completely enclose the wire ends.

I love how it turned out! I’m still waiting to find the perfect vintage hardware to go on it (that is also in my price range!). I know that will add to this project even more.

And of course, once I have a garden area that I can make all my own, we will fix the side door crack and add this to the garden fencing. For now we plan on keeping it in the kitchen and putting photos and our children’s artwork on it. Always look for the possibility in things. They just might surprise you! See more Multi-Surface Acrylic crafting ideas and inspirations here. -Jess

I parterned with DecoArt for this post and received compensation for doing so. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting businesses that support Happy Together.

Mini Clipboard DIY

December 1, 2014 by Jessica 2 Comments

I love putting together little gifts to have on hand. One thing I like to add in those type of gifts are mini clipboards with a cute printable on it. I sometimes can find them ready made, but they either sell quickly or are more on the expensive side (in my opinion). So I found some supplies at Michaels to make my own. Now I can customize them however I want and not be limited to what I find in a store.

To make these, you will need (I found these all at Michaels):

Metal Clips (make sure they have a flat back)
Wood rectangle (I found these two sizes: 4.75″ x 6.75″ and 5″ x 6″)
E6000 Glue
Printables/Pictures (I find that the Project Life cards work well too)
Any other supplies to decorate your clipboard such as paint, glitter, stickers, yarn, fabric, fun papers, etc.

Start by painting and decorating your wood and clips as desired. I painted one clipboard white and left the other two plain. Then I painted two of the clips and added glitter to one of those.
Once everything is dry, add glue to the flat side of the clip and place on wood. I liked the top of the clip to hang off the top a bit myself, but you can put it where you like.

Let the glue dry and then add any other embellishment you want. I tied on fabric, yarn, and found some other little things to add like a glitter paper pendant and doily to put behind the main paper.

Now that you have some gifts made you can wrap them. I used some clear bags I found in the baking section at Michaels to package the clipboards in. I also grabbed a bunch of random stuff to use as wrapping decorations. I like to create fun packaging and the more supplies I have for that the better!

I stamped some tags as well (tags found here).

For this one, I tied a piece of fuzzy yarn on the outside. Then I cut a straw and used a mini clothespin to attach the tag to the straw.

I taped on a piece of streamer that I had ruffled on my sewing machine to this one first. Then I added some pom poms on top of that. I stuck a candy cane in the middle and then used a mini clothespin again to attach the tag.

This was the real simple one. I added some fake snow inside the bag, taped the tag on the outside, and tied the top of the bag with pop pom trim.

Do you have any go to diy gifts that you make? Look below to see all the other gift ideas brought to you by the Michaels Makers. Happy Crafting!

-Jess

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This post was created in partnership with Michaels. All opinions stated are my own. Affiliate links have been used. Thank you for supporting the sponsors that support Happy Together.

6 Ways to Style the Double Sided Fabric Headband

November 21, 2014 by Jessica 9 Comments

I have been making a handful double sided fabric headbands lately and wanted to share a few ways you can style them. Sometimes it can be hard to envision how something might look unless we have a good visual of it so here are six ways that you can wear this headband. If you have styled your headband a different way, please share! You can link here in the comments or tag me and use #happytogetherbyjess on social media to share. A big thanks to my friend Dorothy for modeling for me!

Number 1. Let’s start with the wrap around way pictured above. It’s really easy to do.

Tease the top back of your hair if you like for a little added oomph. Put the headband on like in the picture above.

Starting with the hair closest to your face, wrap over the headband. Keep adding more and more hair as you wrap it.

Once it is all wrapped, fuss with it a bit to get it nice and even if needed and use bobby pins to hold stray hair in place.

Number 2. You can do the hair wrap around with just the top half of your hair for a slightly different look.

Number 3. Adding a headband when wearing your hair up in a bun takes that bun to a new level. A better level. This is great for those days when your hair might not be at the top of its game, but you want a little more than just a plain ol bun.

Number 4. Add a headband to your ponytail style!

Number 5. Braids are still super in right now and you can add a headband to many of the styles. I did a simple dutch braid (which is like a reverse french braid) on my friend. As you can see, my braiding skills are not the greatest, but I’m working on it haha.

Number 6. Plain and simple. Wear it with your hair down. Pull out some hair in the front for a side swept bang look (even if you don’t have long bangs you can do this).

Be inspired as you wear your headband now and if you haven’t made one yet try one out. There is an adult size and a child size pattern available.

-Jess

Merry and Bright Light Bulb Ornament DIY

November 20, 2014 by Jessica 5 Comments

It’s almost time for full Christmas mode! I have some ornament ideas I have been wanting to try and just made this one last week. So I bring to you the Merry and Bright Light Bulb Ornament DIY.

I designed the merry and bright image on a piece of paper with a pencil and sharpie. Then I scanned it into my computer and brightened/contrasted it in PSE so the lines would be easy to be defined. I made sure to shrink the file size and then easily uploaded it into Cricut Design Space™. One day I do plan on learning Illustrator and all, but I wanted to show you that anyone can create their own custom image and do amazing things with it even with minimal tools.

To make one yourself you will simply need:

A plastic light bulb ornament (I found mine at Michaels)
Vinyl
Transfer Tape
Cricut Explore™ and Weeder tool
Choice of material for hanging (I used fabric strips, ribbon, and leather)
Graphic Image:

Save the image and then upload it into Cricut Design Space™ and create the size you need it to be to fit. Mine was roughly 3″ x 2″. Cut it out and then remove all the extra vinyl using the weeder tool.

Cut a piece of transfer taper that is about the same size and peel off the backing. *Pin is there to show you how small the Explore cut!*

Stick transfer tape on top of image and rub over vinyl.

Peel transfer tape off. The vinyl should be sticking to it. If it has spots where it isn’t, put back on and rub on that spot to help it stick.

Then stick image on light bulb ornament. I will admit, it’s a bit tricky. Take your time because you are putting a flat image on a curved item. I had to rearrange a few places to make it not overlap. If it is too frustrating, you can leave some of the design off like I did in the second picture in this post.

If you want to add some sparkles to the inside, rub some glue on the sides and sprinkle confetti or glitter on. Put ornament back together and add a ribbon, etc. to hang it with.

This would be a great idea for your tree or if you are involved in an ornament exchange this year. Let me know if you make one or it inspires you to create something of your own And, so you know, I will be back with a good deal for the Cricut Explore on Black Friday. So be on the lookout! -Jess

Disclosure: I am part of the Cricut Blogger Network and have used affiliate links. I received a complimentary machine to facilitate my crafts and though I am not being paid for this post, I am submitting it for a chance to win some fun prizes.

Felt Pumpkin DIY

November 12, 2014 by Jessica 1 Comment

Thanksgiving is coming up and I wanted to share this real easy felt pumpkin diy before it’s time to switch completely over to Christmas stuff. These little pumpkins are made with very few materials and can be added to napkin rings, headbands/hair clips/pins, gift tags, magnets, and whatever else you might think of.

After I styled the above picture, I thought they might look pretty on a wreath as well. Or what about a garland? See? Endless possibilities.

You will need:

Felt for pumpkin and stem (I used the cheap acrylic felt, but wool felt would work too. Since it’s thicker, you might only need to do 4 or 5 circles though)
Hot Glue Gun/Glue
Pen
Circle Pattern (here is a Felt Pumpkin Template if you need one)
Scissors

Trace six circles on your felt.

Cut circles out. Make sure to cut inside of lines so they don’t show on the circles. Cut a little pumpkin stem out as well.

Fold a circle in half and dab some glue in the middle fold. Hold in place for a few seconds until cooled down. Repeat on 4 more circles. There will be an unfolded one left.

Take a half circle and put hot glue down the folded side. Lay another half circle on top, matching up on the fold.

Repeat for the rest of the folded circles until it looks like above.

Glue on stem.

Open up the two outermost sides and glue the last circle to the back. It will help the pumpkin be “open” and will give a nice flat surface to add onto other things.

I added a pin on one and a hair clip on another to try out.

I plan on making these for little Thanksgiving gifts. If you make any, please let me know how you used them Hashtag your Happy Together projects on social media with #happytogetherbyjess

-Jess