DIY Cooking at Home

Hello friends! I'm really excited to show you how our fall mantel turned out this year. It's sometimes hard for me to strike the right balance between full, but not cluttered and the scale of things messes me up a lot, too. But I think I got it right this time. Special thanks to A Place For Us for her amazing paper bag flower tutorial! I followed her directions to the letter and was pleased to watch mine turn out just like I hoped. Perhaps you've already seen my pressed fall leaf pictures , but here they are again next to a couple of gourds I got at Hobby Lobby (during last year's 90% off clearance sale!). The green glass vase is from an upscale shop in Grand Haven, Michigan, but I got it on clearance. (I'm a sucker for green and blue glass.) And the leafy branch inside it is just from JoAnn's. On the left side of the mantel, I propped the acorn frame we made a couple of years ago from the hundreds of acorn caps we collect on our fall hikes. I ne...

About a year ago, I posted about this genius idea by 517 Creations , and I've finally got around to showing you how mine turned out. Lemme just say...this is a winner! Totally easy, a little time-consuming but not in a frustrating-why-did-I-take-this-on kind of way, and very inexpensive. Oh, and in case you were wondering, this is the other pencil-transfer technique project I alluded to in my post about my Z Gallerie Eye Chart Tray Knock Off . I used it for my Toolbox Turned Planter , too. Brace yourselves, this may not be the last time I talk about this even though you're probably sick of it by now. So here's my version of the DIY Growth Chart. This isn't where we actually have it hanging, but the lighting at its permanent spot is horrible, so I stuck it here for its photo shoot. Anyway, we've used it a few times already to mark the girls' height, and we love that it's a moveable record of how they grew so that if we do ever move again (God help u...

Remember my post about decoupaged terra-cotta coasters ? I thought it was a great idea, of course, so I had to try it for myself. And I love the way they turned out! I usually follow the directions provided by the bloggers who have gone before me, but I must admit, this time the process seemed so intuitive that I just went for it based on the picture alone. As always, the craft ideas I share with you are inexpensive, quick and simple... this one is no exception. Decoupaged Terra-Cotta Coasters Nap Rating = 2 naps Materials & Supplies Terra-cotta saucers Decorative paper Decoupage medium (I used Mod Podge in a gloss-finish) Scissors Pencil Paintbrush Spray paint in color of your choice Steps Spray paint the saucers with 2 thin coats and let dry completely Using a pencil, trace the bottom of the coaster onto the back of a decorative sheet of paper Cut out the circle, just inside the pencil line Using a paintbrush, coat the bottom of the inside of the saucer with decoupage med...

Hello! Remember these framed keys from Teal and Lime ? I was inspired to create some for our entryway; they just seemed to be a natural fit next to the front door. Ta-da! Speaking of natural...I loved the wood veneer Jackie used, but I decided to save some money and use some burlap I already had. I also kept the keys their natural color. I used some thrift store frames and just spray painted them white to unify them. My frames before I sprayed them...Jackie's instructions were great. The project is pretty intuitive, though, so I really just stole her idea (thank you for the inspiration!) and did it my own way. Framed Keys Nap Rating = 2 naps (1 for spray painting; 1 for assembling) Supplies Frames Spray paint (if necessary) Newspaper (if spray painting) Burlap Scissors Hot glue gun Decorative keys (I got mine from Create for Less ) Steps If necessary, remove glass and backing from frames, lay them on newspaper, and spray paint them in the color of your choice Meanwhile, co...

Hey there, fellow moms and DIYers, hope you had a great weekend! I haven't posted in awhile because my mom came up for a visit last week and we spent time with the kids, re-painted our family room and sewed curtains for our sliding glass doors. I'll share an updated project list with you and pictures of the room later, but for now I wanted to share a Copycat Craft with you. It's also the first time I've taken part in Under the Table and Dreaming's Sunday Showcase Party , as well as Skip to My Lou's Made By You Monday , so follow the buttons at the bottom of this post for more great ideas. Winder and Main's ruffled lampshade seemed like the perfect way to update our ugly floor lamp, so I went for it using her instructions . Here's her version: And here's a before picture of our floorlamp: And a couple of afters with a coat of Rustoleum's hammered bronze spray paint and the new shade: Nap Rating = 3 naps (but this depends on a lot of things lik...

I saw this idea on Pinterest , and gasped! Could it really be that easy? I had to try it. My husband and I were sick of our phones hogging prime real estate on the countertop, and I hated the dangling cord when we weren't using the charger. It was all just a major eyesore. So here's the inspiration from Make It and Love It . And here's mine! (Gosh, I need to up my photography game.) Nap Rating = 1 nap Skill Level = beginner Cost = minimal (I had all the supplies I needed on hand. Chances are, if you have kids, you have this exact type of bottle in the bathroom or on the changing table. The only other things I needed were Mod Podge, scissors, a marker, and decorative paper, which I also already had. So for me, this was FREE!) Instructions = Pretty much right on the money. Ashley over at Make It and Love It provides great instructions with wonderful tutorial photos. I did just as she said, except for a couple of things. I didn't sand the ink of my bottle because...

Introducing Copycat Crafting, a section of my blog I'm going to dedicate to trying some of the amazing ideas I find and pass on to you, dear readers. I love to think of myself as a compiler of information for all of you out there who want to inject personality into your homes and lives. I started this blog with a nebulous notion that I would tell you how I live MY life, and what I do to keep my sense of self through the very tasks inherent to being a mother. But as time passed, I became keenly aware that there was no way I could be the only source of content if I had a prayer of posting more than a couple times a month. So, I began posting ideas I'd seen elsewhere. But once again, that seemed a bit "been there, done that" by other bloggers, and I wanted to add some value-added content. So here I am, launching Copycat Crafting. I'm going to TRY (c'mon, you know life is going to get in the way sometimes) to reproduce some of my favorite ideas out there an...