diy { vinegar stain }

 

So I am sure you have seen the DIY vinegar stain ALL over Pinterest for a while now.  I have looked for tutorials.  And looked for other tutorials.  And found a wide variety of directions.  And I have done it a few times myself.  So I thought I would share this easy, affordable process and my experience with it.

Materials:

Wood to be stained

2-4 Tea Bags (optional= for darker color)

Vinegar (any kind)

Steel Wool  (finer is better, they say)

Gloves (or your hands will be stained for a week)

Cheap Brush

Two Mason Jars + a Lid

Plastic Wrap

Coffee Filter or Paper Towels

Fine Sand Paper (optional)

Clear Wax or Polyurethane (optional= for shine)

Directions:

1. The vinegar and steel wool need some time to become friends.  For a big batch, I put 3-4 “pillows” of steel wool into a large mason jar and fill it to the top of the steel wool with regular white vinegar.  Basically you need enough vinegar to coat whatever you want to stain (and it takes time so you want to be sure you have enough the first time around), you want to stuff that amount of vinegar pretty well with the steel wool.  The recipe does not have to be exact.  I use a mason jar, put plastic wrap lightly over the top and barely screw a lid ring on lightly over that so it can breathe.  It stinks so I put it outside for 24 (medium color) to 48 hours (very dark color).  There is going to be a chemical reaction inside the jar which creates pressure, and on my first attempt, it actually popped the lid off my Tupperware container and splattered dark stain all over my kitchen (washes off with scrubby sponge).  Once it gets going, you will see bubbles and hear fizzing much like carbonation bubbles.  The vinegar does not really change color like you might expect, so don’t be waiting for it to get dark in the jar.

2.  Optional, if you want darker color: This step can be completed ahead of time or just before staining.  Steep some tea bags and let the tea cool.  I steeped 3 tea bags in 2 cups water.  Adjust this for how much water you need to coat your project.  Toss the tea bags and simply brush the tea all over the wood you are going to stain.  Let dry.  This will not change the color of the wood, but later will aid the chemical reaction with the vinegar and the wood, creating a darker color during that process. 

3.  Pour the vinegar mixture through the coffee filter or paper towels to strain out any debris in the liquid.  Brush the stain onto your wood.  This is the fun part.  You don’t usually see an immediate color change, but it will start to gradually change and keep changing for a few hours.  Here is a shot of the change a few minutes in:

and here is a shot showing freshly applied stain at the top of the stack and about 30 minute-old stain at the bottom:

Don’t mind my messy kitchen!  If you look closely at the crate stack you can see that the top, fresh, stain is more grayish, while the middle is a little reddish and the older stain at the bottom is almost purplish.  This change happens as it dries.  After it is several hours dry, it returns to a regular brown.  If there is any reddish or purplish color left after it dries you can very lightly sand it to remove some of that residue.

One tip: since there isn’t an instant color change, be slow and careful to make sure you get every bit of the wood covered.  Otherwise, after you are into the project or even finished, places that you missed will show up.  This stain is more forgiving than regular stain because it is just vinegar and dries slower, allowing a more even finish.  But if you allow it to dry all the way and then try touchups, they will show.  Try to get it all the first time.  The beauty of this process is that once the vinegar is dry, it can be handled again and is not tacky like real stain.

4.  So here is what you have now, compared to raw wood:

You can either be done now (for an outdoor project I would leave it at this), or add a coat of wax or polyurethane for shine and protection.

I have not tried Polyurethane, but I know that other Pinners have.

I had Annie Sloan Clear Wax on hand so I added a coat of that to Mark’s adaptable frames.  You can see the dimension it adds to the wood grain, and the nice shine that it adds…

You can also see how dark and true brown it dried.  All my projects have been pine, ranging from common board, stain-grade plywood and cheap craft store crates, and they all are a very slightly different hue.  I did the tea wash on the adaptable frames (above) which is why they are darker, and skipped that step on the crates so they are lighter.  On the crates I sanded them lightly, especially hitting the corners and edges, and it really gave them a worn and cozy look.  I have not tried this, but here is a pin I found on achieving different colors with the stain.

One last tip: I have seen pinners use the mixture after two weeks (very dark), but you probably can’t keep this for projects too far in the future... 

Oh, also there were warnings about how serious this chemical reaction was and how you should wear gloves, eye protection and a mask and leave the mixture outside.  So I’ll go ahead and pass those along so I don’t get sued.  I did not wear a mask but I did work in a well ventilated area, and after the first kitchen mishap, I did let the mixture steep outside the other times. Tiny amounts of the steel wool dissolve in the vinegar (so I’ve read) and so I could imagine it would not feel good to get vinegar and steel dust in your eyes.  I will wear eye protection next time.

Cost for my initial supplies was about $10 and it made me about 4 good sized batches of stain.

 

So there you have it.  What do you think?  Is this process more or less daunting than store bought stain?

diy { another chalkboard globe }

 

I <3 globes. 

I haven’t gotten a new one in a long time… I must get thrifting and remedy that.  I want a whole collection of them.  So far I “only” have six. 

One of them has been in the kids’ rooms for as long as I’ve had it.  For Mark’s room refresh, I did a little work on it.  Then, as any globe-a-holic would, I stole it for myself.

But I had my reasons.

Have a look…

I was never totally happy with the globe for the kids’ rooms because it isn’t very colorful – I know it has some colors, but not the bright, vibrant hues I picture when I imagine a globe collection.  But I always kept it in their room in hopes of just that – a collection of globes.

Well the collection is slow going and my patience is lacking, so I decided to have my way with this one, as I’d had my chalkboard ways with one in the past.

The how-to:

I gently spread the bar that attaches to either end of the globe (it’s like a spring-loaded clamp), in order to remove the globe.  Then I bent and inserted the end of a metal hanger into the hole and hung the globe outside.  I cleaned the globe and applied a good coat of gray spray primer, and followed it with two good coats of black chalkboard spray paint.  I let that dry about 48 hours before I tried writing on it. 

In the meantime, I added two coats of Rust-Oleum antique bronze spray paint to the stand. 

I rubbed a chalky eraser all over the globe first to prime it.  Then, looking at another globe and following the mountain ridges on the chalkboard globe, I drew in the continents.  Some small islands may have been lost / forsaken during the makeover of this globe. 

 

Then I got going on Mark’s room.  When I hung up his adaptable art frames, and tried to layer in the refashioned globe in front of them, it was toooo much neutral/gray.  And the kids were already trying to spin it which it has never done gracefully, and were leaving oily, dark fingerprints all over it’s dusty chalkboard goodness...

That’s when I snatched it up and marched it down to my room.  And it lives with me now.  And now I love it. 

     

     

     

It just needs one thing…

words.

There’s a big ol’ Pacific Ocean just screaming for a message.  I can’t decide what to write.

I think right now the frontrunner is “He’s got the whole world in His hands.”  It would certainly be a much needed reminder for this worry wart.  That’s a gross expression when you write it.  :/

Anyway, what do you think?  What word or phrase would you write???

I have to go buy some more globes now.

 

PS: that crazy striped wall is killing me.  I liked it at first but it’s too busy.  Husband says this wall is a circus and the other walls in the room are too dark.  He wins.  Soothing Palladian Blue walls coming right up!  Well, whenever I get around to it. 

PPS:  click the links to read past blog posts about other items seen above: map-covered clipboard, multi-colored plank wall and Ashley Anne inspired shelves seen in my master bedroom reveal, bowl full of postcards, and the TNT stands for “Ty N Tasha” and also dynamite ;P… as for sources, the “&” is a print by the talented Katie Daisy from her Etsy shop the wheatfield, and most everything else is thrifted or heirlooms.  =)

diy { lego head }

 

When Mark saw this idea on Pinterest, he had to have one. 

I obliged.  He twisted my arm.  Nearly off.

 

It was very easy and it’s a fun “secret” place for the little man to hide his prized Lego Ninja guys. 

 

Supplies:

Red Vines Licorice container

spray primer

spray paint (mine is Rust-Oleum in Gloss Marigold)

black and white sheet vinyl

scissors

Instructions:

1. Clean and dry Red Vines Licorice container.

2. Prop the container (upside down) and lid over something so you can spray the outsides without the containers resting on the ground.  Spray on a coat of primer.  Follow according to instructions with two coats of gloss yellow.  Allow to dry thoroughly before handling and attempting next step.

3.  Black and white sheet vinyl adhesive can be purchased at most specialty craft stores by the foot.  I printed this image on printer paper and cut out the facial features, using them as stencils to cut out the shapes from the vinyl.  Then stuck the vinyl facial features onto the container.  Done!

 

It brings a nice pop of color to the dresser.  With those gray-on-brown adaptable frames, behind the white dresser… now I gotta work to get some color into this room!!  This board has a few more ideas for this room, mixed with ideas for later down the line.

Well, the boy had five days on vacation with Grandma, so this week it’s back to Homeschool!  I have a new schedule and I’m loving it.  It was nice to have the little lady to myself for a week, but now I’m ready for some structure again.  Bring it on, week! 

Blessings!

diy { a pillow cover from the archives }

 

I have had these photos sitting in my blog photos folder for ever.  It has coincidentally been forever since I’ve blogged.  Almost three weeks.  Oh my word, where has the time gone?  Well it’s boring enough around here that I am finally pulling these photos out of the archives and making a post.  But, I will have you know, I have not been blogging because I have been doing some serious projects, so it will be my goal to photograph those and share them with you in the next couple of weeks.  Big stuff.  I’m so excited.  Now, back to the archives.

So I am not a Martha Stewart, prim and proper style seamstress. 

This pillow cover is made using a method I learned from MacGyver seamstress, Ashley Ann, which I pinned here.  Her photos taught me, hands down, the quickest method for a pillow cover.  I am married to this pillow cover making  method and I will never leave it for the rest of my life, being loyal to it and to no other for as long as we both shall live.  Seriously.

Here is  my description of the process.

Materials:

cutting mat

cutting guide

rotary cutter

standard pillow case for pillow back

fabric for pillow front

pillow form (20x20 is the same height as a standard queen pillow case which makes it simple)

iron

sewing machine and thread

Instructions:

Press your pillow case flat, and press the fabric for the pillow front.

Using the rotary cutter and your guide, cut your fabric for the front of the pillow.  Find the measurements by measuring width and height from seam to seam on the pillow form.  I don’t even bother adding seam allowances.  I use feather pillow forms from IKEA which settle over time, and they’re so easy to stuff in, the dimensions don’t have to be rocket science.  If that stresses you out the door, go ahead and add them in.  =)

Now trim off the seams and folded edge on the top, bottom and closed end of the pillow case (NOT the HEMMED open end).  For a 20x20 pillow form, the case is already the right height.  You want to just barely trim off the seams and folded edge so that we can reposition the hemmed edges to be an envelope closure for the back of the pillow cover.

You should now have separate front and back pieces from your pillow case, each with three raw edges and the original hemmed cuff edgea still intact.

 

Now we are going to use those hemmed ends of the pillow case…

 

First some simple calculations… So take your pillow form width… mine is 20 inches.  Add a couple inches for overlap… I added 2* so that = 22 inches.  Then divide in half = 11 inches.  *=My cover gapes a little – I recommend adding more like 4 inches for overlap.

Stack your case pieces with hemmed edges together and measure in from the hemmed edge, 11 inches in my case… and cut the two layers of the pillow case.

So in the above picture, I measured from the left hemmed edge, cutting the pillow case on the right edge of the guide at 11 inches.  There are two layers here, so each layer will make half the back of the pillow cover and they will slightly overlap.

Next, you simply lay your pillow front right-side up, then your pillow backs on top of that, right-side down (so it’s like the pillow cover is inside out), and pin around the edges.  Your pillow case hems will overlap in the center. 

In this picture mine are already sewn but you can see the layout…

Once it’s sewn together, turn it right-side out through the gap in the back.  Then slip your pillow form into half the pillow cover through the opening in the back like so…

Then pull the other side of the pillow cover back around the rest of the pillow like so…

And that’s it.

Here is the pillow on our bed, where it no longer lives.  Hey, I told you the photos were from the archives.  It’s in one of my wooden pub chairs in the living room now.  I got the flour sack at Farm Chicks in 2012.  My favorite part is the random “NRA” (National Rifle Assoc.) stamp on the bag and the hand pointing to where to open…

 

So what do you think?  Can you handle a simple pillow cover like this???

roundup { diy flower headbands }

a looooong time ago, before my trip to cali, when I photographed this little sweetie pie, I made some headbands.

true story.

and I couldn’t share them with you back then because they were a surprise for the little miss and her mama.  and they have been in my blog photo folder ever since.  needing to be shared.

and now they are shared…

After I pinned these ideas, it took some digging around to find tutorials, free tutorials, good tutorials… you how it goes when you pin something, buy the stuff, and then realize it’s not actually a tutorial.  Yeah.

So left to right, here are the tutorials I pieced together to create these beauties…

1.  Giant rose: this was the inspiration ($10 for tutorial), this was closest free tutorial I could find

2.  Tiny bow (my own creation), made of lace trim, hot glued onto the headband

3. & 4.  Felt flower headband tutorial (how to make the headband portion and also gives age/sizes for headbands)

5.  Felt flower tutorial (they made theirs into clips / I put mine on headbands)

6.  Pinwheel tutorial (it’s for paper but I used the process with felt)

So there you have it.  If any tiny girl people in your life need some pretty hair things… well, now you have no excuse.  =)  And if you want to check out my photoshoot here, you will see some of the headbands on my baby homegirl. 

 

Have a blessed day!

diy { spend/save/give jars }

 

My hubby and I went through Dave Ramsey’s Financial Freedom courses several years ago, and have handled our finances based on this education ever since.  The principles are simple, biblical and attainable (with some hard work).  If you’re interested, I recommend reading his book, Total Money Makeover.  It’s an easy read and well organized.

Dave talks about starting children young on a - give / spend / save - division of funds. 

We have worked to teach our son (age 6) the value of working hard and tried not to allow the spirit of entitlement to creep in.  Our daughter (age 3) is still a little young.  But we’re working on saving for her first big thing right now (which she has yet to pick out).

This might seem a little backwards, but for us phase one was Spend. 

I first tried to get my little man to work and save, but quickly was frustrated with his lack of motivation.  I found to teach him about money, the experience of (short term) saving for that little $6 toy that they can do two or three special chores for (we paid especially well in the early stages), and walk in the store and hand over their hard earned cash and walk out with a toy, is a big “aha moment” for the little ones.  Our son didn’t “get” money until we let him spend some.

That first spending trip was for a little item, but we quickly worked in the next phase: Saving.

We would take our son to the store and let him pick out something more expensive, that he didn’t have enough money to buy.  We would remind him of this when he was working for money, encourage him to keep working for it and counting his money each time until he had enough to go buy it.  He usually has something he is saving for at any given time; recently he bought a scooter, and has purchased many Lego sets with his own money.  He quickly became very interested in saving.

Well now it is time for phase three.  Giving.

It’s starting to bug me to hand them change out of my purse as they head for childrens’ church.  To hand them cash out of my grocery budget for the charity fundraiser at VBS.  I want them to have a heart for giving.

So it was time to implement the Dave Ramsey recommended piggy banks to make a place for designating “give” funds. 

Which, of course, I had to DIY.

 

     

Girly Give / Save / Spend Money Jars:

Supplies:

3 Bonne Maman jelly jars and lids

floral scrapbook paper

pencil

scissors

Mod Podge

paint brush

3 tags

Sharpie (fine tip)

baker’s twine

washi tape

Instructions:

1. Cut your scrapbook paper into three circles.  Each circle should fit perfectly inside the little ridge that goes around the top of the jar lid.

2. Mod Podge the area inside the ridge on the jar and apply your paper.  Immediately Mod Podge over the top of the paper, and just over the edge so it seals it from grubby little hands.

3. Write “spend” “save” and “give” on your tags.  I printed the words out, put my tag over the top of the word, held it all against a window, and traced a perfect outline of the word in pencil.  I then traced it in Sharpie, erased the pencil, and colored it in with Sharpie.

4. Loop baker’s twine through the hole in the tag, and tie a knot just past where you want to fasten it to the lid.  Put a short strip of washi tape between the two strands, taping one strand to the lid.  Then criss-cross another short strip of washi tape across that one, taping down the second strand.

 

And if it’s a little man you’re planning this for, check out my boy take on the project for my son…

     

Boy Give / Save / Spend Money Jars:

Supplies:

3 canning jars and lid rims

cardboard

map paper

pencil

scissors

Mod Podge

paint brush

Exacto knife

Tacky Glue

3 tags

Sharpie (fine tip)

baker’s twine

washi tape

Instructions:

1. Cut three circles of cardboard.  Each circle should fit perfectly inside the lid.  Then cut three map paper circles the same size.

2. Cut the holes in the cardboard where money can be deposited.  Mod Podge the map paper circles to the cardboard circles.  When dry, cut a slit with “v”s at the ends like this: >--------< in the map paper inside the deposit hole of the cardboard from the back side with an Exacto knife so that you can fold the map paper sections to the back and secure with washi tape.  Mod podge the tops of the map paper lids.  Then assemble your lids: I added a circle of tacky glue around the lid edge to hold it together permanently.

3. Write “spend” “save” and “give” on your tags.  I printed the words out, put my tag over the top of the word, held it all against a window, and traced a perfect outline of the word in pencil.  I then traced it in Sharpie, erased the pencil, and colored it in with Sharpie.

4. Loop baker’s twine through the hole in the tag, and loop one end around your jar lid and through the deposit slit.  Tie.

 

I hope you like these simple little projects.  I am excited to emphasize adding money to the “give” jars as they earn money now.

And I should add that we do not pay our kids for doing chores.  In the beginning we did a few times, just to get the ball rolling, but now they are expected to be responsible for themselves and their belongings without monetary reward.  They get paid for doing harder, longer jobs that are above and beyond their normal responsibilities.  Those jobs also pay well.  =)  We by no means have it all figured out, but I thought I’d share what has worked for us thus far. 

 

Have a great day!

DIY { map covered clipboard }

 

I got several maps for $2/each at Farm Chicks this past summer.

And I have a serious stash of clipboards going on.  I buy every one I see at thrift stores and have no purpose for them and bring them home and layer them leaning against the wall on my desk.  Then I slowly find projects for them.  I made a chalkboard out of one this summer.  And eventually I’d like to have a wall of ‘em, like this one.

With this one, I decided to combine my map love and my clipboard love.

I simply traced an outline of the clipboard onto the map with pencil and cut it out.

Then I had to cut out a hole in the top end for the clip bracket.  This was tricky.  I have no magic advice for you.  I used a scratch piece of paper and practiced fitting, tracing, and holding it in place and slicing with an exacto knife.  Then when I kind of had it figured out, I did it with the map paper.

Then I worked in small sections (rows) and Mod Podged the map onto the clipboard from top to bottom. 

Then I used sand paper to sand the edges; this just makes it look softer and hides any cutting mistakes you made.

When the Mod Podge had dried (I’ve learned letting the adhering coat dry before applying the topcoat is the trick to avoiding bubbles and wrinkles) I added another coat over the top to protect the map.

That’s it!

    

It now hangs above my desk, next to some clipboard cousins...

Pretty easy.  I think it’s really cute.  Plus, I’ve even used it – so it’s totally functional!  HA!

Hope you have a good weekend!  Godbless!