Eileen

Eileen from Just Measuring Up

Angela from Simply Beautiful by Angela did a great job making a plain flat door interesting with some paint and plywood!

Um, did you know that you could clean things (besides your teeth) with toothpaste?! Chas from Chas’ Crazy Creations shares all.the.things she cleans around her house with toothpaste, and I’m blown away. Be sure to check it out!

I am loving this refinished trunk from Mary at The Boondocks Blog. It’s looks gorgeous and she used one of my favorite products – Old Fashioned Milk Paint.

This week’s most popular post goes to Debra from Shoppe No. 5 with her cozy sweater pillow. Be sure to check out her creativity.

Sweet Inspiration Party Rules

First, it would be appreciated if you follow us on at least one social media.
You can link up to 3 posts, DIYs, Home Decor, Crafts, Recipes anything family friendly goes!
Yes, you can link up posts with affiliate links.
Please link up your own work, no ads. And please no link parties.
Linking gives us permission to share a credited photo on our social media accounts. Please keep in mind that linking up with stock photography or using photos without express permission by the photo owner is not allowed. Links of stock photography or photos that are not owned by you will be removed without notification.
Also, if you wish to pin the features please do so by going to the original post.

Click the button to link up below! Get inspired, have fun & share!! Don’t forget to comment on your favorites.

I hope you enjoyed the Sweet Inspiration Link Party! Please don’t forget to visit the links and comment on your favorites. I know I find it so inspirational to see what other DIYs others are working on. Next week, we will be back – same time, same place – for more weekly DIY inspiration.

Have a lovely week!

Easy Swing Out Wall Shelves from Scrap Wood

February 15, 2019 by Eileen 28 Comments

DIY Swing Out Wall Shelves Post Preview: This post will show you how to make these easy wall shelves that swing out, providing ample wood storage for small spaces.

In an effort to share more creative DIY ideas and generate fresh content, my friend Megan from Two Feet First and I have co-organized a group of fun DIY challenges.

For every month, there is a theme, and almost 40 talented DIY bloggers will be participating and sharing their how to projects focused on that theme. The themes are really fun, such as building a whole project with a 2×4 or building a piece of furniture cheaper than buying it – you can find more here – At Home DIY.

This month’s theme is to Build to Organize, and my hubby put together these DIY swing out wall shelves for my craft room. Be sure to scroll to the end of this post to check out everyone’s “Build to Organize” projects. There are some awesome organization DIYs!

DIY Swing Out Wall Shelves

I love a good storage solution – a creative way to store something, a hidden pull-out cabinet, furniture that folds out from the wall.

In fact, the tiny house shows are my favorite. I am always oogling at all the ideas to create more storage.

I have a little craft corner in sitting room off our bedroom, where I thought I had completely maximized my wall storage space. However, I found a seven-inch area on the end of a cubby shelf we built, where I could add more storage.

When thinking about organizational ideas, I was thinking of making just a simple shelf to hold some of my acrylic paints, and then my hubs comes along and turned my design into a swing-out shelf, that would hold three times the paint bottles.

Who can say no to that?!

After all that, it looked just a little too plain, so I added the colorful background.

The best part of this design is that you can build just the simple shelf, or you can build both pieces, making this easy DIY swing out wall shelf. The simple shelf holds one row of paints, and the second piece holds two rows of paints. If you build the whole thing, like we did, you’ll have three rows of shelving.

Here our my hubby’s instructions on how he built these swing out shelf cabinet.

Design for Swing Out Shelves

Here is the design for the swing out wall shelves that I sketched on my computer:

The swing out shelf was going to attach to the end of a cubby shelf I had built. We love to maximize all the space everywhere.

The project consisted of two vertical boxes of shelves. Either one could work as a stand alone shelf, but we like to kick things up a notch. So I planned on hinging the shelves together for maximum storage efficiency. The left box would swing freely, and the right box would be affixed to the wall.

For the freely swinging box, I had to put small ledges to prevent items from sliding off the shelves while opening or closing the unit. I also had plans for a small magnetic catch to keep the shelves closed when not in use.

Tools and Materials

Material for the Shelf

3/4″ plywood OR board for frame
Strips of 3/8″ plywood for individual shelves
Small hinges
Construction adhesive
Finishing nails
White Paint

Tools for Building the Shelf

Table saw / miter saw for cutting the wood
Drill for the hinge screw holes
12″ Bar clamp to hold the frame together while nailing

Making the Colorful Background

Mod Podge
Card stock – Here is the patterned paper I used
Foam brushes

Instructions for Building Swing Out Shelves

To start this project, I used my table saw and cut out a piece of 3/4″ thick plywood, about 30″ x 12″. This piece would be used to construct the frames for the two shelving units. I actually wanted to use boards for these shelves, but I didn’t have any lying around the garage.

So plywood would have to do.

The disadvantage of the plywood was that I would have to glue on some trim to hide the exposed plywood edges. Also, plywood doesn’t have as smooth a surface as boards. However, I love a good scrap wood project, and this route worked well.

Cutting Grooves for the Shelves

With my plywood cut, I used a pencil and ruler to mark the positions of slots where the individual shelves would go. I planned on cutting grooves to insert 3/8″ thick plywood sheets for the shelves.

Here’s a picture of the marked up plywood with shelving grooves outlined:

I used my table saw to cut out the shelving grooves. Since the table saw blade was only 1/8″ wide, I had to make 3 separate cuts to get each 3/8″ wide groove required for the shelves.

After each cut, I slide the plywood over by 1/8″ until I achieved my desired groove thickness.

Here’s a close-up of one of the grooves being cut by the table saw:

Times like this I wished I had some dado blades. I would be able to stack multiple blades together to make a 3/8″ cutting surface, and cut out the grooves in one pass, instead of three.

Here’s a picture showing all the shelving grooves cut out:

Cutting the Strips for a Swing Out Wall Shelf Frame

Next, I used the table saw again to cut the plywood into strips to be used to construct the shelving boxes:

Constructing a Frame for the Swing Out Wall Shelves

To join the plywood pieces together to form a frame, I used construction adhesive, a bar clamp, and my finishing nail gun.

Here you can see I clamped together some plywood strips to get ready for nailing:

Here’s a close-up of the finishing nailgun in action:

Once I joined four pieces of plywood to make a frame, I nailed on a backing strip of 3/8″ plywood:

To build the second shelving box, I repeated the same steps for the first box. However, I omitted the the 3/8″ plywood backing sheet, as it was not needed for the second box.

Here are both shelving boxes assembled:

Cutting and Inserting the Plywood Shelves

Next it was time to cut 7.5″ long strips of 3/8″ thick plywood for the individual shelves. Theses were going to be inserted into the grooves I cut earlier.

I used the miter saw to quickly cut the strips:

Here I am inserting the 3/8″ plywood shelves into the boxes:

Here is the completed pair of shelves:

Trimming and Painting the Swing Out Wall Shelves

Next I used the table saw to cut strips of 3/8″ plywood trim for the shelves:

I used constructive adhesive to attach the trim to the plywood boxes:

Here are the completed shelving boxes with trim:

Now it was time for a paint job:

Decorating the Swing Out Wall Shelves with Patterned Paper

After the paint dried, I wanted to the give the inside shelving box a colorful look. So I planned on cutting out rectangular sheets of patterned paper and adhering it to the back of the shelves with Mod Podge:

Here’s some of the card stock paper I used for this step:

The inside shelving box was completed. It looked awesome with the patterned paper:

Now it was finally time to connect the two shelving boxes with a hinge. Here I have placed a hinge on the two boxes, and marked the center holes to pre-drill for screws:

Mounting the Swing Out Wall Shelves

With the hinges attached, I needed a way to mount the shelves on some custom built cubbies I made recently. Instead of just screwing the shelves to the cubbies, I opted to mount the top and bottom with some metal plates, as seen below:

Finally, it was time to mount the shelves! I positioned them in between the metal plates attached to the cubbies, and screwed them into the plates.

The metal mounting plates (also called mending plates) worked out great because I didn’t have to see screw heads holding the shelves on.

Also, I didn’t have to put any visible screw holes into the cubbies in case I wanted to move the shelves somewhere else in the future.

However, if you’re doing a similar project, you may not have a mounting area with the same height as your shelves.

So it’s just as easy to mount the shelves to a wall. I would suggest using screws with washers to fasten the plywood backing of the inner shelving box to the wall. The washers would help prevent the plywood from ripping through the screw heads and falling to the ground under load.

Swing Out Wall Shelves in Action

Here are some pictures of the awesome mounted shelves. Here is the shelf mounted and empty. You can easily see that the swinging part can hold two rows of acrylic paint.

Here is the closed swing out shelf. It’s actually three rows deep – the first two rows of paint are on the swinging door.

And, here is the swinging shelf open:

I used all scrap wood for these swinging wall shelves, so the budget was very low – under $15 for the hinges. Even if I had to purchase the wood though, I can’t image it being more than $35 in total to make this project.

Let me know if you try it out!

Be sure to check out all of the below projects – all featuring builds that organize. Enjoy all the inspiration!

1905 Farmhouse, Abbots at Home, Bitterroot DIY, By Brittany Goldwyn, Creative Ramblings, Cribbs Style, Delicious & DIY, DIY Beautify, DIY Danielle, Dukes and Duchesses, Girl, Just DIY, Happily Ever After, Etc, Health, Home & Heart, House by the Bay Design, House on Longwood Lane, Just Measuring Up, Kenya Rae, Little Bits of Home, Living Letter Home, My Kitchen My Craft, Pinspired to DIY, Red Cottage Chronicles, Refashionably Late, Renovating Mapleson Manor, Savvy Apron, Shine Your Light, Shrimp Salad Circus, Songbird Blog, Southern Revivals, T.Moore Home, The DIY Dreamer, The DIY Village, The Frugal Homemaker, The Handyman’s Daughter, Two Feet First, What Meegan Makes, Zucchini Sisters

Sweet Inspiration Link Party #144

February 15, 2019 by Eileen 3 Comments

Hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine’s Day!

My kids and I always make a scavenger hunt for my hubs each year – and it’s so funny. We make rhyming clues, hide them, and then watch poor Ash run around the house looking for them. It usually turns into a hot/cold game, which the kids love.

I love having little traditions for holidays, especially ones that keep the focus on making things for others and having fun.

We got back in the garage this week and have an organizational build coming up later today! But for now, check out our wall art post below. I created a world map “canvas” from wood and a stencil. Perfect if you have spaces above a couch or a bed that need a longer piece of artwork

Sweet Inspiration Link Party

I loved seeing everyone’s posts this week! So many fun DIYs and projects! And a special thank you to you – for reading and linking up!

And now, on to the party!

The Sweet Inspiration link party starts on Fridays 7am EST and runs until Tuesday. By joining us and linking up every week, you’ll be able to grow your blog and gather inspiration from others.

Lidia from Design Inside the Box

Eileen from Just Measuring Up

I love Debra’s DIY of a simple key holder from Shoppe No 5, and I love how adorable it is too! Not to mention how perfect it is for Valentine’s Day!

I love these suggestions from Carol at Comfort Spring Station for organizing the photos on your phone. I always have a ton of photos on my phone, and so many of these ideas would be so helpful for keeping them organized and easy to find. If you are anything like me and always swimming in photos, be sure to check this out!

These gorgeous wall prints from Katrin at Northern Feeling are my favorite this week! These are perfect to frame for Valentine’s wall art or they would be really sweet in a kids room or nursery.

Our most clicked most this week is from Claire at Pillar Box Blue with 9 lighting ideas from upcycled maps. This collection of upcycled maps is amazing!

Sweet Inspiration Party Rules

First, it would be appreciated if you follow us on at least one social media.
You can link up to 3 posts, DIYs, Home Decor, Crafts, Recipes anything family friendly goes!
Yes, you can link up posts with affiliate links.
Please link up your own work, no ads. And please no link parties.
Linking gives us permission to share a credited photo on our social media accounts. Please keep in mind that linking up with stock photography or using photos without express permission by the photo owner is not allowed. Links of stock photography or photos that are not owned by you will be removed without notification.
Also, if you wish to pin the features please do so by going to the original post.

Click the button to link up below! Get inspired, have fun & share!! Don’t forget to comment on your favorites.

Have a lovely week!

Turn Cardboard Boxes into Storage Bins with this Genius Trick

February 8, 2019 by Eileen 4 Comments

Getting organized can be expensive.

At first, storage bins seem cheap because some only cost a few bucks.

But, multiply that by the number that you need – and you’ll find that getting organized is super pricey.

It’s easy to use old Amazon boxes or cereal boxes for organization, but then the bins don’t look as nice.

And, I love when things match and look pretty – like the expensive ones in the store.

If you’re like me, I have super simple solution for you.

It will help you save money by creating your own storage boxes but the solution will keep you from having to look at Tony the Tiger while putting your things away.

DIY Storage Bins with Three Materials

You can easily reuse old cardboard boxes and cover them in contact paper. Add a knob and you’ll have yourself a little storage bin that can be easily pulled out.

For full instructions, hop on over to my post how to make storage bins from cardboard boxes.

I have these homemade storage bins all over my house, in various sizes and colors, and they are easy, thrifty, and they keep your house looking nice.

DIY Storage in the Nursery

I made the first set of DIY storage bins when I was pregnant with my son, and I couldn’t find changing table bins that were the right size for his discounted changing table. So, I put these together and absolutely LOVED them. They used the changing table space perfectly, provided plenty of storage, and were really durable.

I lined the insides with contact paper too – for easing cleanup.

The thing that makes these storage bins so perfect is the knobs. They’ve held up for so many years – even after the constant pulling when grabbing diapers. Check out the how-to post to for easy instructions on this.

DIY Storage in Closets

Since the DIY storage bins turned out so nice, I started organizing everything in my home using random boxes and contact paper.

One of my favorite places I used these cardboard box storage bins was in my hall coat closets.

Using boxes keeps everything so organized. Everyone in my family has their own boxes for gloves, hats, etc. The knob makes the storage drawer easy to pull too.

I love how it maximizes the space too. Every bit of space is used – from the shelf to the ceiling.

We actually have double shelves in here – so I can fit 8 of these storage boxes in the closet!

DIY Storage in the Pantry

In the pantry, I also have these bins. I don’t like resting food and drinks directly on the floor, so I originally used baby wipe boxes.

I had some leftover contact paper from the closet project, so I whipped these together. How much better does this look?!

DIY Storage for the Office

The last thing that needed major organizing was my hubby’s office, which is filled with every computer part there is. (And after watching Marie Kondo, it definitely needs to be revisited…)

I saved up all the diaper boxes for months and covered them in black contact paper.

One type of contact paper had a leathery look, which was cool, and the other was chalkboard contact paper.

This made it fun and easy to label 🙂

I loved how different and modern the chalkboard storage boxes looked. It shows how you can achieve any kind of look you want depending on the contact paper.

Other Places for DIY Storage

You can use these DIY storage bins anywhere that you need smaller compartments to organize things.

They are great for toy storage because the boxes are sturdy but light – and the knob makes it easy for kids to pull. You can make these storage bins to fit into cubby shelves too.

The DIY storage bins could be used a filing system for papers or mail.

You can use the storage bins on any kind of shelf. For example, if you have a bookshelf, but toys line the bottom – this is a perfect way to hide those toys in a stylish way.

To Do 🙂

Basically, save all of your old boxes, pick up some contact paper at the dollar store and start getting organized!

Here’s one more look at our changing table – the original inspiration for the cardboard storage boxes.

Happy organizing!

Upcoming DIYs + Sweet Inspiration Link Party #143

February 8, 2019 by Eileen 5 Comments

One of my favorite things about blogging is all of the DIY inspiration.

It’s so much fun to see what other creative minds think of and how they bring their projects to life.

My hubby and I are working on planning our home projects for the year – starting with some fun organizational builds, some thrift store makeovers, and some projects that have been sitting around the house waiting for their moment. And, then there’s also the half bath that my son and I decided needs a little love this year.

So many things! The more you DIY, the more you want to make everything over 🙂 The list always gets longer, even when we are constantly crossing things off!

This week, we’ve been finishing on our organizing kick – making everything look neat and pretty! I’ve gotten my children involved in the organizing and cleanup – and they are really taking to it 🙂

The post we have for you this week is about a great trick that we’ve been using with cardboard boxes. Make sure to scroll down to check it out – and then start saving your cardboard boxes 🙂

It’s one of my favorite tricks, and I know Marie Kondo would approve.

Sweet Inspiration Link Party

Starting this year, I am now one of the hosts of the Sweet Inspiration Link Party! Sweet Inspiration is a fun little place where bloggers come together and share their projects for the week. I co-host with Amy and Lidia, and if you haven’t been to their blogs, definitely check them out! They are so talented and always come up with awesome DIY projects.

And a special thank you to you – for reading and linking up! I love seeing all of the inspiration and projects that everyone brings.

And now, on to the party!

The Sweet Inspiration link party starts on Fridays 7am EST and runs until Tuesday. By joining us and linking up every week, you’ll be able to grow your blog and gather inspiration from others.

Lidia from Design Inside the Box

Eileen from Just Measuring Up

Claire from Pillar Box Blue created lovely Valentine’s Day decor using pine cones and paint – so cute and it makes for interesting art!

I’m loving this IKEA Moppe Card Catalog Hack from Fresh Vintage by Lisa S. You won’t believe what it looked like “before” OR how much Lisa paid for it!

Rebecca from Zucchini Sisters made this beautiful DIY Moss Topiary Tree for less than $1. I can’t even believe the price! Hop on over to her blog to see how she did it:)

Our most popular post comes from DeeDee at Clover House with her Air Fryer Ranch Roasted Chickpeas. Looks delicious!

Sweet Inspiration Party Rules

First, it would be appreciated if you follow us on at least one social media.
You can link up to 3 posts, DIYs, Home Decor, Crafts, Recipes anything family friendly goes!
Yes, you can link up posts with affiliate links.
Please link up your own work, no ads. And please no link parties.
Linking gives us permission to share a credited photo on our social media accounts. Please keep in mind that linking up with stock photography or using photos without express permission by the photo owner is not allowed. Links of stock photography or photos that are not owned by you will be removed without notification.
Also, if you wish to pin the features please do so by going to the original post.

Click the button to link up below! Get inspired, have fun & share!! Don’t forget to comment on your favorites.

Next week, we will be sharing one of our DIY organizational builds for the craft room. If you love crafting, you’ll definitely want to check it out.

Have a lovely week!

Organization + Sweet Inspiration Link Party #142

February 1, 2019 by Eileen 2 Comments

Aside from the winter decluttering we have going on, we are getting ourselves more organized over here.

We’ve donated tons of clothes, home decor, and books.

I know, I know… I said I would never get rid of my books.

However, I was holding to some books for no reason – like Travel Germany 2006.

In clearing off space on the bookshelf, I have a new little section where my son can easily see and access all of this coloring and activity books, which were previously stashed in drawers. We now have all of his learning books on the other side, so I can easily grab those too for our little lessons.

There is just such an amazing feeling that comes from having organized spaces!

Aside from just organization and decluttering, I am trying to teach my kids how to be organized too.

For example, my son likes to practice cutting with scissors. His face lights up when you give him scrap paper. It’s so sweet! However, seeing a hundred little pieces of scrap paper on the living room floor for days isn’t so sweet.

So, I gave him two little bins and told him that if he wants to use scissors, he needs to make sure he has a scrap bin ready first. Guess what?! It’s working!

I’m also doing other little things such as giving five minutes of clean-up time before we transition.

These little things are already working! And thanks to this organization obsession, I am now spending less time agonizing over the mess – and more time enjoying our home and the people in it 🙂 Keep reading for my project this week – which was an awesome entryway makeover!

Sweet Inspiration Link Party

Starting last week, I am now one of the hosts (along with Amy and Lidia) of the Sweet Inspiration Link Party! Sweet Inspiration is a fun little place where bloggers come together and share their projects for the week.

And now, on to the party! Last week we got so many amazing crafty and Valentine’s Day posts. They were so fun and inspiring! I’m sure they’ll be a ton of awesome ideas this week too 🙂

The party starts on Fridays 7am EST and runs until Tuesday. By joining us every week, you’ll be able to grow your blog and gather inspiration from others.

Lidia from Design Inside the Box

Eileen from Just Measuring Up

I’m always up for a good upcycle and this one is no exception. Victoria from Dazzled while Frazzled turned an old hot dog warmer into a chalkboard!

I have a weird thing for clocks. I can’t hardly walk by the clocks in a decor store without stopping to look. So, I was in love when I saw this DIY Embroidery Hoop Wagon Wheel Clock from A Hippy and A Redneck. You must check it out!

I am loving these upcycled pillow covers from Angela at Simply Beautiful by Angela. With all the Marie Kondo organizing going on, it’s nice to see old items getting a new use!

Last but not least, our most clicked link was these adorable faux fur pom-poms from Christina at Art, Decoration, and Crafting.

Sweet Inspiration Party Rules

First, it would be appreciated if you follow us on at least one social media.
You can link up to 3 posts, DIYs, Home Decor, Crafts, Recipes anything family friendly goes!
Yes, you can link up posts with affiliate links.
Please link up your own work, no ads. And please no link parties.
Linking gives us permission to share a credited photo on our social media accounts. Please keep in mind that linking up with stock photography or using photos without express permission by the photo owner is not allowed. Links of stock photography or photos that are not owned by you will be removed without notification.
Also, if you wish to pin the features please do so by going to the original post.

Click the button to link up below! Get inspired, have fun & share!!

Hope you enjoyed the Sweet Inspiration Link Party! Don’t forget to visit the links and comment on your favorites. I find it so inspirational to see what other DIYs others are working on.

Have a lovely week!

Tidying Up + Sweet Inspiration Link Party #141

January 25, 2019 by Eileen 4 Comments

A few years ago, I was getting my hair cut and my hairdresser was raving about a book that changed her life.

I love a good book, so I was all ears.

She told me that it was called “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up,” and that it was all about organizing your home.

Hmmm how can that be life-changing? I thought. My house is already pretty clean…

Fast forward to now and I had to see what all the fuss on the Netflix show was all about.

And, ohmygosh, I am obsessed!

First of all, “Tidying Up” is the perfect show to watch because it makes you feel motivated to get off the couch and tidy up your home.

Second of all, I have such a terrible time getting rid of stuff. If you have been following my blogging journey, you know that my mantra is always to build more storage, so I can keep everything 🙂

Well, Marie Kondo breaks it down – if it doesn’t bring you joy, it goes.

So simple and so remarkable.

I’m loving opening my kids drawers and seeing everything organized – and staying organized.

This weekend, my and hubs and I plan to tackle the garage.

It should be interesting because my hubby’s mantra is keep everything – because you never know when you’ll need it. Maybe if I leave “Tidying Up” playing when he works out, he’ll soak it up. He definitely needs the inspiration.

Sweet Inspiration Link Party

Speaking of inspiration, I will be hosting the Sweet Inspiration Link Party starting today! Sweet Inspiration is a place where bloggers come together and share their projects for the week.

I’m joining Amy from Health, Home, & Heart. Amy is a super talented DIY blogger with awesome projects and beautiful decor on a budget. I’m also joining Lidia from Design in a Box, who is also amazing and has the most creative organization and design ideas!

And now, on to the party! I’m sure they’ll be a ton of awesome ideas – including lots of tidying and organization posts too.

The party starts on Fridays 7am EST and runs until Tuesday. By joining us every week, you’ll be able to grow your blog and gather inspiration from others.

Lidia from Design Inside the Box

Eileen from Just Measuring Up

This Valentine’s Day bunting from Kippi At Home is so sweet and chic, I absolutely love it! And the materials are simple as well!

I love this laundry room makeover from Jeanette at Snazzy Little Things. She has brightened up her small laundry room and made it more functional for her family. I particularly love the counter above the washer/dryer. It has got my DIY wheels turning… Ha!

I am loving this glitter ball and heart banner from Candice at She’s Crafty. She took a few crafty supplies and made a gorgeous banner for Valentine’s Day. It’s easy, creative, and festive 🙂

Last but not least, our most clicked link was “A Winter Change,” from Amy at Amy Kins, showing how to turn Christmas decor into winter decor.

Sweet Inspiration Party Rules

First, it would be appreciated if you follow us on at least one social media.
You can link up to 3 posts, DIYs, Home Decor, Crafts, Recipes anything family friendly goes!
Yes, you can link up posts with affiliate links.
Please link up your own work, no ads. And please no link parties.
Linking gives us permission to share a credited photo on our social media accounts. Please keep in mind that linking up with stock photography or using photos without express permission by the photo owner is not allowed. Links of stock photography or photos that are not owned by you will be removed without notification.
Also, if you wish to pin the features please do so by going to the original post.

Click the button to link up below! Get inspired, have fun & share!!

Hope you enjoyed the Sweet Inspiration Link Party! Don’t forget to visit the links and comment on your favorites. I find it so inspirational to see what other DIYs others are working on.

If you haven’t checked out “Tidying Up,” add it to your list. And, definitely let me know how you like it 🙂

Have a lovely week!

DIY Nursery Wall Decor on a Budget

January 22, 2019 by Eileen 4 Comments

DIY Nursery Wall Decor on a Budget Post Preview: Make your own DIY nursery wall decor with this simple tutorial. This easy wall art is perfect for anyone to make on a budget for their child’s nursery.

While wandering around the craft store, I found a fun sale item – a few rolls of adhesive fabric. It was discounted and it was pretty, so of course, I bought it and stashed it in my craft room.

Lately, I’ve been working on my daughter’s nursery, bringing in some brighter colors and textures – leading me back to those adhesive fabric rolls.

I got out the fabric and a few other things from around the house – and threw together these easy DIY nursery wall hangings. If you are looking to decorate your nursery, before you start shopping on Etsy or at Target, check out this easy tutorial – anyone can do it and you’ll save a ton of money. I also have the baby animal outlines available to you for free.

Baby Animal Nursery Wall Hangings

This DIY wall art is so simple to make. Below are the materials you’ll need to make this adorable nursery decor. If you are worried that you aren’t very artistic, almost no skills are required. With the free baby animal templates, all you need to do is cut it out and attach. This is a perfect first DIY project that you can get done during naptime.

Nursery Wall Art Materials

3 8×10 Picture Frames (If you can’t get to the store, there’s these frames )
Adhesive fabric (I found these at Michaels but I LOVE these textured ones)
X-acto Knife
Scissors – Use a really good pair of scissors. You’ll get a much nicer edge with a great pair.
Optional: card stock – keep reading for more on this 🙂
Baby animal outlines (see below for free wall art templates)

Material Alternatives

If you can’t use the adhesive fabric, you can certainly use scrapbook or card stock or some other material you find around your home. I’m all about using things from around your house! If your material doesn’t have its own adhesive, you can use mod podge or adhesive dots to place on the back.

Print & Cut Baby Animal Outlines

After you gather your materials, you’ll want to print out the baby animal outlines. If you can, print it on card stock.

That way when you cut it out, you’ll easily be able to trace the card stock cut-out onto the fabric. If you don’t have card stock, no problem. You’ll just be extra careful when tracing.

Trace Baby Animal on Fabric

After you have printed and cut out the baby animals, trace the animals onto the BACK of the adhesive fabric. You’ll get a better cut cutting from the back (less tear on the fabric) and you won’t have to worry about pencil lines. I traced onto the front the first time – and while it looked nice, using the back was much easier and gave a cleaner look.

I also made sure to center the animals vertically and horizontally.

Cut Out the Animals

Find a hard board, big old book, or some other surface that is fine to cut on. Then, use the X-acto knife to carefully cut out the baby elephant, lion, and giraffe. Remember you are using the outside of what you are cutting – not the animal itself.

If you’ve never used an X-acto knife before, it’s super easy. Just practice first to make sure you can the hang of it.

I found the easiest way to use the E-xacto knife is to pivot the sheet when you to make a turn, rather than picking up the knife constantly. When you are finished separate the baby animal from main piece.

Place Fabric onto Background Paper

Choose a background to place the main piece on. I was planning on using card stock, but my card stock choices weren’t cutting it. The white looked way too harsh against my fabric. So I found some watercolor paper that wasn’t as pure white and gave the animal a little texture.

Then, I carefully separate the fabric from the adhesive. I found the best way to do this was to peel off about the first inch going across.

Next, I placed this part directly onto the watercolor paper. I then carefully pulled the backing as the fabric part slid onto the watercolor paper. You can also slide a ruler across the fabric – but be careful not to stretch or misshape the fabric.

Placing the fabric onto the watercolor paper was very similar to using contact paper.

Frame Your Animals

Last, choose a frame for your baby elephant, baby lion, and baby giraffe, and you are finished! How’s that for nursery wall art on a budget?!

If you don’t have the adhesive fabric, you can very easily use something else – such as card stock, wall paper, wrapping paper, or anything else you can find around your home. Save your money and use what you have 🙂

Time & Cost

This project should only take you about an hour or so to complete. I hem and haw over everything, so I feel like things take me longer at times. However, I finished the project before my daughter woke from her nap.

Nursery Decor on a Budget

My total cost for the nursery decor wall art was less than $20 – and almost all of that was spent on the picture frames. I did get two frames on sale and with a coupon from the craft stores. The third frame I took off my wall and painted white when I decided to add a lion one too. The adhesive fabric for the nursery prints was $5 on sale.

To save more money, check thrift stores and dollar stores for cheap frames and look around your house at materials you can use or reuse.

If you’re looking for nursery decor, definitely think about making it yourself. Not only will you save money while still getting nice quality art work, but you’ll have something special that you made yourself for your son’s or daughter’s nursery. And, if you aren’t that artistic – don’t worry! With the free baby animal templates. all you have to be able to do is cut.

This easy nursery decor craft makes me smile every time I look at it. Hope it does the same for you 🙂

How to Make a String Art Nativity Scene

December 2, 2018 by Eileen 23 Comments

This Christmas I haven’t done any projects with the nativity scene, which is what Christmas is all about. So of course, I wanted to incorporate a nativity scene into my holiday DIY this week.

This week is the conclusion of our holiday blog hop – Deck the Home, which is a five-week series of amazing Christmas DIY projects of the home. Hundreds of projects have been shared by 25 very talented DIY bloggers. Be sure to scroll to the end of the post to check out everyone’s home decor. And even though the hop is ending, we have quite a few weeks before Christmas, giving you plenty of time to work on some of your favorites.

So back to the nativity scene project. I wanted to create a giant nativity scene for the yard, but my hubby insisted on a simple reindeer and Santa sleigh instead. Since it was the last week of the hop, it was final chance to incorporate the nativity.

I had also been wanting to try DIY string art because I’ve seen so many cool designs. Therefore, I decided to try my hand at creating a DIY string art nativity scene.

How to Make a String Art Nativity Scene

Here are the steps I took to create the DIY string art nativity scene. Since this was my first time doing string art, I hope you find all the string art tips and tricks for beginners helpful.

Tools and Materials for DIY String Art Nativity

- Piece of wood
- Saw to trim wood (if necessary)
- Stain – I used my homemade natural stain
- Nails – This scene used over 100 nails. I used silver nails, which made the scene look lit up 🙂
- Hammer
- Embroidery floss string – white
- Template – Free download below

Drawing the Nativity Template

First, I drew the nativity scene on a piece of card stock. I figured the 8.5×11 paper was about the size that I wanted the nativity. You could draw the design out yourself or you could use the one I drew.

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Marking the Nail Holes

The next thing I did on my DIY string art project was I marked my nail holes with a black pen. You want your nails to be about 3/4″ apart. The more consistent, the better because then you can make more even/symmetrical patterns. In fact, you could even use a spacer (grab a drinking straw and cut it down to 3/4″) to be consistent.

In Hindsight: Some of my nails were marked way too close. I did this to try to get the curves of Mary and Joseph and a tight outline of the manger. But it makes your string harder to tie – and the pattern more confusing to follow.

Also, I ended up leaving the hand off of Mary because there wasn’t enough space in between her and baby Jesus to give a nice outline. When you are drawing and marking your nail holes, be sure to have a nice clean outline of your shapes or people.

Tapping the Nail Holes

After I marked the nail holes, I taped my picture to a piece of wood. Then I took one nail and started tapping it through the paper into the wood, to mark the hole.

I used the same nail and continued to do this for all of the holes.

When I removed the paper, I had each of my holes marked for the string art.

If you look at the below picture, you will see that my holes are marked too closely between Mary and baby Jesus. Again, you want to make sure that each area has a clean outline. It shouldn’t be hard to decipher, like this part.

Trimming the Wood to Size

Next, I used my table saw to trim off the top of the wood. I sanded down this side and any rough areas too.

Stain the Wood

After my nativity scene pattern was on and my wood was trimmed, it was time to stain the wood. I used a homemade natural stain for this – which I absolutely love.

Hammering in the Nails

After the stain on the nativity scene dried, I then hammered in all of the nails into the wood. It took about a little over 100 nails. Here are the results:

Wrapping the String

I did a lot of research to learn how to wrap the string around the nails to create beautiful string art. However, everybody the same thing – there’s no right or wrong way to do it. Although true, I like a little more guidance than that, so here are my DIY string art tips for beginners:

First Things First

Decide you want to use the positive space or the negative space. I went with the negative space – which means instead of filling Mary, Joseph, Jesus, the star, etc in with string, I left them blank. Instead I filled the space around them with the string. When you are thinking about positive and negative space, think of using a cookie cutter in dough. The actual cook is the positive space and the scraps around where the cookie cutter went are the negative space.
Take your string and start in a corner. Wrap your string around the nail and tie it a couple of times. Be sure to leave a tail on your string so you can hide it later.
If you are starting with a busy scene or design, such as this nativity scene, then start with an outline of your scene. It will help you see your pattern and go from there. Here I am using my pattern to making an outline with my string.

Wrapping string around nails in a wooden board to create DIY string art nativity scene

Here is the finished outline of the nativity string art. I’m sorry for poor pictures – I get most of my projects done at night when the kids are sleeping. 🙂

Making an outline with string for the DIY string art project nativity scene.

How to Wrap the String

To wrap your string, you can use a variety of different ways.
- You can weave the string around the nail holes in an almost zig-zag pattern – like if you were running an obstacle course lined with cones.
- You can wrap the string around each nail hole in a loop. This is good for keeping a straight line or for anchoring your string once in a while.
- You can make patterns – such as lines coming out from one point, zig zags back and forth, or up and down hills with the string, making almost triangular mountains.

Basically, you can wrap your string any way you want it.

Once you have your outline, bring your string over to where you want to start “filling in” the nativity scene.
To bring back your string, you just keep wrapping it or weaving it around the nails until you are in the desired place.
Then, start “filling in” the nativity scene using one of the ways above – or using your own way to wrap the string.
Be careful not to cross the string over any areas you don’t want filled in. I did that waaaaay too many times.

Below is a picture of me starting to do a zig-zag pattern with the string art, working my way around the picture.

You’ll keep wrapping your string and filling in your picture until you are content with it. I used a ton of string and kept wrapping and weaving in all sorts of patterns to get a filled in look.

More String Art Tips

If you feel like you are losing the shape of any of the things in your nativity scene, then work your string to the point and outline it with the string again. To do this, just work your string around the perimeter of your shape. I did this with the star – I had so much string everywhere and I had only outlined the star once, that I felt that the star got lost.Then, I just worked my way around its perimeter again and again until I was happy with how it looked. I also went around the perimeter of the stable a few times too, to give it a nice clean outline.

Finishing your DIY String Art

Once you are satisfied with your string art scene, then bring your string back to your starting point. (Do this by weaving or wrapping it until you are in the desired place).
Then, take your ends and tie them together.
With the tails, you can either weave them through your string art (easiest way is by using an embroidery needle). Or you can just hide it underneath.

Here is my finished string art nativity scene. Not bad for my first time with string art!?

Here is a close-up of the star:

Time and Cost

It was a little time-consuming to hammer all the nails and to wrap the strings. However, wrapping the string was very therapeutic. Like doing a puzzle or coloring. Of course, you had to pay attention to your outlines – but overall it was a very calming activity.

As far as total time, I would say maybe about 3-4 hours total. The cost for me was just the string, which I bought for a buck or two. The nails and wood we had – and I made the stain with ingredients from my pantry.

Also, factor in whether you are going to add hanging hardware to back. I think I’ll keep ours leaning on the wall.

If you are looking for a fun, calming holiday DIY project that you can decorate your home with or give as a gift, definitely try string art. There’s no fancy skills involved!

Just you and some string 🙂

Decorating for the Holidays?

Don’t forget to check out the other room decor projects in our Deck the Home blog hop. I’ll be back on Wednesday to feature my fav 🙂