DIY Manuel... Making Much Out of Little...: 2011

Christmas Time is Here...

Ok, so I am a little late on posting decor pics of my house and the posed picture of Parker mounting the star on the tree... but, believe me, it has been aseason to remember!

HAHA HIS FACE LOOKS LIKE HE IS STRUGGLING!

The start of December was me with this awful flu strand... yes it lasted a WHOLE week, even caused us to have to postpone our Christmas Party. Anyways... got through that, then spent a day in the hospital with my poor hubby who totaled my car (not

his fault by the way)... praise the Lord he is fine and backin working order :). I am in constant praise for his life these days, each moment is so very precious. Oh, did I mention we got the "move forward" to go to North Africa/Spain from our church...? Yea, we leave in January (stay tune for updates). So, im telling ya, it has been a whirlwind.

But, for now enjoy these pics... they take me back over the couple weeks... entirely glorifying our Father, for life, blessings, family, friends, and each other!

OUR FIRST VILLAGE!

YAY IT IS FINISHED... AND IT THERE IS A FEW PRESENTS :)

OUR LITTLE FAMILY!

"O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree"

House is decorated (pics to come)... and the last thing to purchase was the tree

! It's done and yet it isn't decorated yet because unfortunately I came down with something... oh well I am "resting" and hoping it will get done before our 2nd Annual Christmas Party tomorrow night... sooo much to do!!!

We were going to start the tradition of cutting down a tree ourselves, but we hear

d they aren't always the best and usually overpriced (any other experiences on that

?), so we went to ol' faithful, Home Depot!

I LOVE our tree, it's the best yet! Ha ok we have only had one before, but still

the best yet!

"O Christmas Tree" Is Up!!!

Back from a Busy Season.

You ever get so busy you can hardly get the energy to make your own bed or simply make the food you need to eat?! Ok, I got to that point not too long ago... WOW it was not fun! Nursing school, work, marriage... everything in my life was BUSY. Most of you know that my whole life has been consumed with doing lots... always busy! BUT, the difference was in this situation... I was miserable being busy. I usually embrace and love being busy, when I love what I am doing. So I had a serious heart to heart with the Lord for several weeks! The resounding question being WHAT AM I DOING? WHY I AM IN NURSING SCHOOL? WHAT'S THE MEANS TO THIS END? Ok, you get my point... I needed answers fast. I either needed to grab hold of nursing, embrace it and find a love for it and move on... or I needed to let go and trust that God had greater plans!

Longer story short after much prayer and thoughts, I was at peace knowing I was to withdraw from nursing school. What a stinking humble thing it was. My pride was getting the best of me saying "this is what you have worked for the past 7-8 yrs... what are you thinking?" But, the spirit within me was directing my steps. "Man makes plans but the Lord directs His steps," Proverbs 16:9. I know I will get people thinking I am crazy over this, but life happens, plans change... and I know the Lord will reveal His perfect plan for me in time. But, for today... I love for today and am so free knowing I am in His perfect will!

So you ask what now?!? Good question... I am back to the free life I was once living! Freedom to bake, cook, blog, craft, clean... you name it! I love life and I love this life the Lord has allowed me to have in this season. So, me and mom will begin pushing Crafts-N-Trends a lot more, I will continue cleaning, and DIY Manuel will be back in action!!! Hurray!

I have sincerely missed you all! :)

In the meantime check out October Orange and be tuned for more DIY's!

Back from a

I have sincerely missed you all! :)

In the meantime check out October Orange and be tuned for more DIY's!

Fall Is Near...

Oh the most wonderful time of year... it is the season I said "I Do," it is full of color, the weather is beautiful, smores are eaten, bonfires begin churning, friends and families have picnics, the buggies are almost gone, and it is a time to be thankful! I LOVE FALL... I can say without in hesitancy that it is my most favorite time of year! I can't hardly wait to start the cider, make caramel apples, sit snuggled by the fire with my honey, watch as the autumn leaves fall from the trees.... oh I just love it all! I especially can't wait to celebrate Our 1 Year Anniversary in the Smoky Mountains in the peak season of Fall! Oh how great it will be!

Well, in preparation of Fall... I have slowly started changing things around my house. There will be many more posts to come on this... but for now... here is a start!

You remember that DIY Wreath we did months ago that many of you loved... well take that same wreath, do a little tweaking of colors and create this....

Any vases laying around the house??? Through some orangy, red, yellow flowers in there and voila you have a fallish look on your coffee table!

Bunting... oh I LOVE bunting! I took a simple triangle and made a pattern to cut fabric. I had ld scraps lying around, therefore I decided to collaberate some fun fall colors and make some bunting! Measure off your wall, find some old string-rope (I used hemph), simple cut out how many triangles of fabric you will need and fold the backing around the rope, hot glue it and then voila- nail it to your wall and you have transformed a regular room to look fallish!

Oh, do not forget the mums! I started with a few yellow, but am out to get more burnt red colors too... but to start plant you some mums to spice up your front yard!

The scarecrows have made it out of the back closet just haven't found their grounding yet... we will though! And I will let you know how it goes!

Did I mention how big our 'puppy' Charlie is getting? He is huge! And for all those that love first day of school pics... Here is one of me into nursing school!

Have a great week! Hope this helps in brewing your mind toward Fall!

When I am weak, He is so Strong!

Ok all my wonderful followers who have been asking about posts... I am tired!!!

Many of you know nursing school started for me 3 weeks ago! Man oh man has it kicked me in my can! With upholding Sparkling Clean, Crafts N Trends, a marriage, and now school... life is getting so busy and I DON'T like it! Boy was I spoiled as I was able to cherish the sweet chill months of Jan.-Aug., but it's over! I praise the Lord for that time because it rarely happens. I am a go getter and love life... which results in being busy and full of fun! On the other hand, as much as I have wanted to post all my in-between activities that I have been doing around my house... I can't find time! But, as I am learning to balance, the Lord has been my strength through it all. My ear welled up with tears this morning at church as the song came up "Jesus Paid it All," I hear the Savior say, “Thy strength indeed is small; Child of weakness, watch and pray, Find in Me thine all in all...." that's about when I lost it! He is my strength even when I am weak. And I am weak! I could go on and on of the overwhelming sensations I am currently having, but I refuse, I decide to lay it on the Lord and to lead me through it all. He brought me to nursing school after many years of agonizing requests for it... and now He will bring me out of it too! I am sure you are facing something in which you need to cry out to the Lord today, for His strength... I encourage you to do so!

"Where We Came From" Wall

My ongoing project in my room is finally COMPLETE! I am so thrilled to finally be able to post this! My husband is very sentimental... as I am too (he would just beg to differ). He is sentimental in the little things (all things), and I am more sentimental with few things! But, we both hold very dear to our hearts "Where we came from..." our family!

Therefore, when I had a huge open wall available in my room, I knew the project would be this: find all the pictures possible from both of families of where we came from... grandparents, great grandparents, parents, etc... anything and everything! The oldest pictures that could be found, were found.

So lets get started on how this all started and how it panned out...

First of all was the picture frame search. As many of you shoppers out there know, frames aren't cheap. My first SCORE was going to a garage sell many months ago and landing about 10 picture frames at .$10 each! So, for a $1 my project had officially started!

Then, I took a $2 can of off-white spray paint (to match our colors in our room), carefully took out all the glass pieces, and began spraying!

Ok, after that was complete they hung empty on my wall and out of the wall for a while. I knew this would be a time consuming project and wanted to make sure I had plenty of time to tackle it!

We had made a trip back in June to NC for a wedding and in the mean time was able to stop in and see Parker's family. Me and his mom (Cheryl) had a great time one evening looking through tons of pictures and scanning my favorites. That was one more step in progress (slowly coming along)...

Then for my pictures, I waited til my mom had some time to look through pictures with me and we had a great time of laughing through memories and missing loved ones as we saw them. What beautiful thing it is that we are able to have pictures to reminisce on! I love Pictures!!!

With a few steps left to do, I knew they would be the most challenging ones... so I waited til I had a long morning and sure enough... this past Saturday Parker was working, I was caught up on the house and on hair bows... so I began to tackle the next steps! After going through pictures I quickly realized that 10 frames was not enough.. so I had to get more so I first went to Goodwill (first Saturday of the month the whole store is 50% off) and I was able to get about 11 more picture frames!

Well, I then came home, measured each frame and carefully marked how many pictures of each size I would need (TIME CONSUMING!). After that was complete I printed pictures off.... and I was soooo close to being done!

I contemplated spray painting all the frames off white, and then I thought it may give an eclectic look if I don't spray the new frames, so I didn't... I collaged the pictures on the floor like I wanted and carefully hung them each on the wall! And almost with tears in my eyes, the project was finished... I can't go in my room without loving on that wall! It is more than just a wall... It is Where We Came From!

(Oh and do you like my chandelier? Craigslist find for $15!!!)

Thanks for hanging with me on this post... I know it was long, but I had to share the details since I have been waiting SO long to finish this and share!

Lately...

Woo Wee, we made it through the crazy months of June and July! I have hardly been around to sit down long enough to re-post. It saddens my heart :(... BUT, we are back which means we are back DIY'ing!

It has been a fun and interesting summer (like I am sure yours has too). We have been on family vacations, wedding trips, friend trips, etc... but oh it's good to be home! Some more exciting news is that I have recently been accepted into nursing school. As many of my friends and family know, this has been a long long journey for me and the Lord has proved Himself faithful once again! Therefore, August 25th my life will be turned around (again) as I start back school (again)! Bare with me as you probably won't be seeing as many posts during the week... but, I will be sure to update as much as possible every weekend so you can have things to keep you busy during the week!

It has been exciting to hear from many of you (my faithful followers) how you have been attempting certain projects... wreaths, furniture, renewed painting, etc... keep up the good work!

See you around!

Ruffle Your Pillow

One thing i'm learning in decorating is that little changes make BIG differences! I am thinking of re-vamping my pillows in my living room, and this is what I will do...

All you need:

- 1 1/2 yard of fabric of choice

- scissors

- thread

- sewing machine

What to do:

Voila! This will look stunning in a bedroom, living room, or babies room! Give it a try!

Mason Jar Soap Dispenser

If you are anything like me {and my house}, you have a ton of masonjars lying around... if not they are easily accessible at your local Walmart! You can find us drinking out of large, medium, and small jars, you might fight candles in some... maybe flowers... and now soap!

I am in love with these Mason Jar Soap Dispensers, and better yet, it is cheap and easy! My favorite!

This is what you will need:

A drill, mason jar, soap dispenser, and glue.

What to do:

*Drill and appropriate size hole in the top of the mason jar lid. If you need to use a razor to smooth edges out, you can do so.

* Place your dispenser pump in the mason jar and secure the edges with a hefty glue.

*voila... you just DIY'ed a awesome soap dispenser!

* You can put different colors in the jar to match your kitchen or bathroom!

Enjoy!

Roll Cart to Kid's Cart

Do ever pass by these at the thrift store and think of a Old Persons home or something tacky? I know before I put on my DIY glasses, I thought that!

First of all, I did receive one from my friend, Brittany Devault (@thedailycupcakewithbrittany.blogspot.com), and she had given me the idea of making a craft cart out of it... which I did! I now have a mobile craft cart that I take to ever one of my craft shows. On the other hand, I didn't think many other people would actually need something exactly the same... so what did I do? I got my ideas and supplies together...

The supplies consisted of: A paint brush, a can of chalk board paint ($12 @ Lowes), and a cheap can of hot pink paint from the local Humane Resale Store ($1). Now I am ready to work!

I put my imagination into the idea that I had my very own little girl around the age of 4-7. And boom, it hit me... a mobile chalkboard/ toy storage cart! Therefore, that is exactly what I made. I found this cart at The Samaratin Thrift for $3 and went to work!

I simple painted all the brown parts hot pink... I left the stainless steal, stainless steal- I liked the look it gave. Then I put 3-4 coats of chalkboard paint on the top of the cart.

I absolutely love this... and ended up selling it, because I don't have a daughter yet! Also, an idea would be that you place a couple of baskets on the bottom shelf for some of her favorite toys! I can just envision a mom cooking dinner while this little cart sits in the kitchen while the little girl is calmly coloring on the top (Ok I know the world of children can get crazy... but, it is just a idea!)

Table Placemats {How To}

Placemats and napkins are a easy way to spice up a kitchen table. Whether for spring, summer, fall, or winter you can design your very own season fit scheme.

DIY Placemats:

Shopping List:

- 1 yard of 2 different designed fabrics (1 yard of each)

- sewing machine

-needle and thread

- measuring ruler

-pencil

How to:

*Cut 4- 14x18 rectangles (of each fabric design)

*Pin your corners to match perfectly so you will get a straight edge when sewing.

*Sew with a 1 in. hem around the edge of the placemats.

* Begin pulling excess strings on ends to give the edges a frayed look.

Voila- you now have a reversible placemat.

Napkins:

Shopping List:

- A Bundle of Layer Cakes- found here.

- Sewing Machine

-Pins

How To:

* Simply match 2 layer cakes together until there are no more in the bundle.

* Pin the corners to make straight edges (Inside out)

* Sew inside out leaving a gap to be able to pull the fabric through.

*Pull fabric through and sew an outer edge to finish off your reversible napkin.

And that's the #2 post of the kitchen series!

Hope you enjoyed.

Made to Fit Signs {How To}

With my new crackled island came a desire to paint other things that same color... so...

I found some old picture frames lying around the house that I had not been using and went to work.

What you Need:

2 old picture frames

Paint color of your choice

piece of scrapbook paper

wood letters of desired word (Hobby Lobby- $.49 a letter)

hot glue gun and sticks

Getting to Work.

First of all take all the backing off of both frames. This will allow you to paint the frames without getting paint all over the glass.

Then paint the frame your desired color (you could even spray paint... this would be quick and easy).

Once the frames are done drying you can begin putting the frame back together. For the frame with words (such as my "Cafe" one) you can leave off the cardboard backing and just place the glass back inside. For the dry erase frame- take the scrapbook color of choice and cut and size it to the frame and glue it (I used hot glue) to the cardboard.

Your dry erase board is now complete... I use mine as a "Menu" board and "Shopping List", feel free to use it however it fits in your house!

With your letters, you can leave them a rustic wood color or paint them your desired color.

Once the paint is dry you can hot glue them to the glass of the frame.

Total of Project:

The Crackled Island

Parker, my handyman came to the rescue when I needed more storage and counter space for my kitchen! Little did I know how much I would fall in love with his carpentry skills!

So, he took perfect measurements for it to fit in the spot we wanted and got to work.

This was the initial build (that actually sat in our kitchen for months- well without the primer marks).

Months went by and while I grew to fall in love with this extra piece of storage in our kitchen along with the amazing whole in the middle to dump trash into... we were a little weary of the basic wood color.

So... off we went to Lowe's to choose our paint color...

Not only did we love this color... but, we decided to "crackle" it. People, if you have never got your hands on crackle... you need to make that a priority! WE LOVE CRACKLE!

After a base coat and several steps of painting... we had a rustic red, crackled island!

We also, found a random mirror around the house that we weren't pleased with the spot it was currently in.... and guess what- crackled it! It fit perfectly above our newly remodeled island... and just like that... we had our very own hand-made red, crackled island!

Painter's Drop Clothe Curtains {How To}

Most women would agree with me that if the kitchen is clean, organized, and homey... your entire house feels the same way. Therefore, to make our small rental home feel like our own we have started with a few DIY projects in our kitchen. This will be a series of posts, so stay tuned for more projects that you could do simply and cost-effectively.

It makes sense that this was incorporated in our kitchen since Parker is the CEO of Perfection Painting and I am a want-to-be seamstress :)!

Lowes Shopping List:

1- 4x5 painter's drop clothe ($4.68)

Found in my home:

Sewing machine

Ruler

Extra Fabric

Curtain Rod (which was $2.97 at Walmart)

Do It Yourself:

As I attempt at being a seimstress, I have quickly realized the importance of a straight line. Many of you know I am far from a perfectionists.... therefore, I am trying to teach myself to be one as it is very much necessary in this hobby! So, remember when cutting, a straight line is important!

Ok.

-Measure your window to determine the length you want the curtain to be (keep in mind to add 2-3 in.-depending on your curtain rod- for your hem).

- For the width of my window it worked out perfect to simply cut the tarp in half. It may be different for you, so measure the width you want the curtain to be and cut.

-Sew your hem at the top leaving enough room for your curtain rod to fit in.

(I left my edges raw for a unique look. If you want to add a hem around all edges you can do that also.)

-Choose the color of fabric for your accent ties.

-Choose the length in which you want the tie to hang, then cut and add a hem to it.

- Hang and adjust ties to wrap around panels and voila... your curtain is done.

Final Cost:

$7.65

Gardening 101

Garden Restored!

You heard about our awful garden flop several weeks ago... and we told you that we would re-post as soon as the flop was fixed. So, here we are with new ideas, recommendations, and maybe a few words of wisdom from ones who tried and failed before!

This time around we started with 3 bags of manure, 3 bags of topsoil, and several bags of coffee grounds from starbucks... along with marigolds from Lowes (which are suppose to help insects stay out of your garden), tomato plants, okra, green beans, green peppers, and jalepenos. Yes, they were not all self-germinated, but it was our last resort!

We spent one Friday evening re-digging up our entire garden and re-planting! We made sure the soil was nice and moist and that we didn't make the same mistakes as before!

We evenly spaced out our garden, watered with some miracle grow, and patiently waited to see what would happen!

I am now a proud gardener! I am out watering my garden at 6:30 every morning and tending to it like they are my babies! I love it and can't wait to bite into my first fruit from this garden!

Here is a word for you today... "If your garden flops the first time, try again!" :)

Garden Flop:

I have to admit... I had big dreams and visions for our self-germinated garden this year... it was going to be great! Well as all of you crafters or DIY people out there know, every project doesn't turn out the way you hoped... and I am here to be vulnerable with you and let you know when mine did not!

I planted my self- germinated garden a little after April 15th (the garden date, or AKA tax day). It was a perfect evening and the weather was beautiful! Well, that didn't last long... many of you who live on this side of the country realize that rain has been nothing but our best friend this spring season. To say the least a day after my garden was planted, it rained for at least a week straight to then only bring more rain after. This would have been great had I not self-germinated my plants... but, since they needed rain and sun and did not get that... they drowned :(

My heart was broken, all that work into all my little plants.... and now all it is is a pile a weeds...

Such a sad day....

But, I do not leave you with that... because my herbs have been doing great!!!

And there is hope for the future... tonight me and my ever so helping husband are going to replant... no it won't be with my self-germinated plants, but they will be with plants that will survive the storms!

We purchased lots of manure and got Starbucks coffee grounds to help nourish our renewed garden!

So, we will have tomatoes, peppers, jalepenos, okra, and lots of fresh flowers!

I am ok with this...

Our Self- Germinated Garden

So this year we decided to go with the DIY Garden... in other words, the cheap way! We germinated our own seeds and watched over 8 weeks as our jiffy cups went from being dirt to baby plants!

This post will take you step by step on how to germinate and grow your own garden (keep in mind this is the first year we are germinating... so mid summer you can determine whether this was a successful DIY or not!)

What you will need:

*Jiffy Cups (you will need 1 jiffy cup per plant)- $1.79 @ Lowes

*Seedlings (flowers, fruits, and veggies- whatever your heart desires)- apx. .$70 a piece @ Lowes.

*Top Soil- apx. $4

*Water

*Shovel if desired

TOTAL COST: (for my garden)

$15.00

Step 1:

-Sketch out your garden.

Where are you going to have your garden?

Do you have enough room for all the plants you want to plant?

Will your dog attack your garden?

These are all good questions to ask yourself when you begin sketching out your garden.

Me and Parker talked about the herbs, veggies, and plants we wanted this year and then went from there.

teiling

(sorry for the late night image... and thanks to my hubby for your awesome landscaping abilities and tilling the ground for my garden!)

Step 2:

-Prepare your jiffy cups.

Simply fill your jiffy cups til they are almost full (leaving apx. 1 1/2 in. at the top)

Step 3:

GERMINATE!

Place a couple of seedlings in the center of the jiffy cup on the top. Then cover the seedlings with dirt til the jiffy cup is full of dirt and your seedlings are good and covered.

Step 4:

Water! Watch! Water!

Place your jiffy cups near a window inside where it can get good sunlight (especially if you are doing this near early spring, you do not want your plants to die). Be sure to water daily or as needed. Continue to watch.. maybe for the next 8 weeks... you can continue on your daily tasks... don't feel as if you have to hover over your first garden! :)

Step 4:

SPRING IS HERE!

PLANT!

- I am organized and a planner therefore I made a layout of my garden before planting. This is important because if you do not give certain plants enough room in the garden they will overtake your whole garden. Or if you plant mint in with your garden all you will have is mint and you will be eating mint in your sleep! SO, PLAN or you will regret it come July when you wish you had tomatoes!

I decided to put my herbs in clay pots this year. I added a little bit of chalkboard paint to it and voila... I was able to label my pots!

Hope your garden turns out GREAT... I hope mine does too! I'll keep you posted on how it's coming!

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