[make] Book Page Garland

Yesterday, Nate and I went "junkin'" (garage/thrift store/estate sale hunting) with another couple who are friends of ours. We had such a good time rummaging through other people's treasures and making a few our own... we got some GREAT deals that I cannot wait to share with you!

One purchase I made was a hardcover book for $1. It was published in the late '50s and I had no desire to read it, but instead to use its yellowed pages for a craft... I wasn't sure what craft until I perused Pinterest and found Meegan's Book Page Garland... umm yes, I sure did make one too!

Old book. Torn pages. Fan pages into quarters (three folds). Hole punch in the middle and string onto twine. DONE. Super easy, but kind of time consuming. This garland hangs above our mirror in our dining room and it's a little over 100 pages. Not very long, but you can spread them out if you are covering a longer area. The way the pages spin on the twine is fun too!

I start in-service on Friday this week and then next week begins every.day.in-service. I suppose I can say "buh-bye" to summer, but it was a great one! Now to prep for my classroom :) The FUN part!

Have a wonderful week!

"When I am afraid, I put my trust in you." Psalm 56:3


See where I link up: Monday Made it @ 4th Grade Frolics, What I Whipped Up Wednesday @ Sugar and Dots, Craft-O-Manic Monday @ Craft-O-Manic, Monday Funday @ C.R.A.F.T./Lines Across/Uncommon Designs/That's What {Che} Said/Creatively Living, Whatever Goes Wednesday @ Someday Crafts, Show Me What Ya Got Linky Party @ Not JUST A Housewife, {Wow Me Wednesday} @ Ginger Snap Crafts, Link Party @ Destination: Craft, The Inspiration Exchange @ Clean & Scentsible (and others), Before & After Party @ Thrifty Decor Chick, Weekend Wrap-Up Party @ Tatertots and Jello, What I Wore Wednesday @ The Pleated Poppy

[teach] It's Gettin' Crazy Here...

Y'all. School starts in 3 weeks and 2 days. Where did summer even go?!

One of my summer projects was to organize my Pinterest "School Days" board, the board where I "pin" all of the school ideas I find. As I went through this... wow. I realized I had a bajillion categories to fill! It was a bit tedious/time consuming, but it is so much easier finding what I need/want to make/want to implement in my classroom!

Here's an example... Instead of searching through ONE "School Days" board for that cool art project I want to make with my kiddos, I can go to my "School Days: Art" board and find it in a jif!

If you are interested in getting specific pins, here are the links to my forty-billion School Days boards: enjoy!

School Days: Reading/Phonics

 

 School Days: Math

School Days: Science

School Days: Social Studies

 

 School Days: Writing

School Days: Videos and Brain Breaks [my kiddos LOVE these!]

School Days: Classroom Organization, Helpful Tips, and Decor/Set Up [my favorite section!]

School Days: Documentation/Assessments

School Days: Art

School Days: Centers/Fast Finishers

School Days: Technology

School Days: Holidays and Themes

School Days: Behavior Management

Whew! I know, OVERWHELMING. But isn't it better to identify the specific thing you're looking for instead of having ALL of these ideas in one place?! Yikes. My heart likes organization, thank you very much.

Hope this helps, fellow teachers! And if you're not a teacher, maybe you'll find a fun idea to implement with your kiddies at home? No kids? Maybe your nieces, nephews, or even for you at your own workplace! You never know what you will find on Pinterest :)

Have a good weekend! Sorry for the lack of posting... we have been out of town, and then I have been prepping for our Vacation Bible School (I'm the director) and working in my classroom. Very very VERY busy week! Hopefully I'll have more to share soon, but in the meantime... have fun perusing my Pinterest boards!

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens." Ecclesiastes 3:1

[make] Guest Bathroom Inspiration

I am back at home and ready to get back to regularly scheduled posting! I know, you're all on the edge of your seats :)

This week's project inspiration has come from Jesse Kate Designs. Unfortunately, the blog has been removed, so if you know where it was relocated to (or anything about its whereabouts), just let me know in the comments so I can give proper credit to the photo below! 

With all of our traveling this summer, we have acquired quite the tiny toiletry collection. You know, the small shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, bar soap, etc. that hotels leave for you in your room. I actually saw this pin before our trips, so I made a point to collect any and all tiny toiletry items for our guest bath. This is a small upgrade, but it really adds some impact for your guests and their time at your home (I think, anyways)!

[image taken from Pinterest via www.jessekatedesigns.blogspot.com]

This week, I plan to add this plus a couple of other fun touches to our guest bath before, you guessed it, we go out of town again this coming weekend. I just have to remind myself... "Live it up, it's summer!"

Stay tuned! Have a great week!

"Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." Psalm 51:10

[make] Calligraphy Canvas Art

Well, I didn't have that many guesses as to what hymn I used for my version of calligraphy art, but here is what I did!

Did anyone internally guess "It Is Well With My Soul"? I just love that hymn. The story behind it, the power with the words. I thought it would be a fabulous reminder to have around the house.

I started with a blank canvas that I had originally painted something else on about three years ago, but I painted over it with gray and then distressed it some with a scrap of burlap fabric. I used a white art marker for the writing: I'm not sure where it's from because I inherited it from my aunt along with a b-u-n-c-h of other craft supplies. I'm sure you can find one at Hobby Lobby or Michael's.

I used a scratch piece of paper to make sure I knew all of the words in the right order, and then I sketched out how I wanted the calligraphy letters to look on each line. Of course, by the time I got to the bottom on the actual canvas, I ran out of room... but that's okay!

I used my white marker on the canvas and wrote slowly in cursive, adding little flairs here and there throughout the wording. 

This is how Emily's calligraphy trick works: the first picture is the original, and the second picture is the calligraphy trick. She adds a thicker line to all of her downward strokes. As in, when I write a "t", my marker starts at the top and goes down. As soon as the marker begins to go up for the letter "h", my thick line stops until my marker starts to go down again. I hope that makes sense, but if not you can always click the link above to see her explanation!

Ta-da! Isn't it gorgeous? I like how it looks like chalkboard since I used gray paint and a white pen. A happy accident since I was not intending to that originally! 

I hung it in our living room below our engagement canvas that people signed at our wedding [our photographer's idea: we took a photo in downtown Dallas, Deep Ellum, in front of a brick wall, and it now looks like graffiti with all of the signatures! Super cute idea!]. 

Who else is a fan of calligraphy? I am thinking about doing a large canvas piece next, but that makes me so nervous! It was fun though, very therapeutic to focus on the strokes and alignment of the words... Does that make me a nerd or what?

[P.S. Who is stuck watching Game 7 with their hubs? #iam #gospurs #onlybecausetheyarefromtexas #reallygomavs #cantstandspursorheat]

[P.P.S. I have 201 followers: you all followed through, yeaaa!!! Thanks!!!

Happy Thursday!

"Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I love, in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations." Matthew 12:18

[make] Calligraphy Inspiration

Do you read Emily's blog at Jones Design Company?  I adoreee her style both in the home and how she dresses, so classic and chic. Anyways, I think I've blogged about this before, but she teaches an easy way to do "calligraphy" by adding a thicker line to all of your downward strokes. That is my project this week, and ahem... I've already done it ;) BUT I will show you these inspiration photos before I reveal the finished product tomorrow!

This beautiful piece from Life Made Lovely

Source: lifemadelovely-blog.com via Chrissy on Pinterest

This gorgeous art from Kate's Letters (etsy shop)

Source: etsy.com via Chrissy on Pinterest

And this piece from The Nester... stunning!

Source: thenester.com via Chrissy on Pinterest

Classic hymns in beautiful lettering make for an amazing and sentimental piece of artwork. Hint: I also used a classic hymn... any guesses as to what it may be? I'll give you a multiple choice test and maybe you can guess ;)

a. "Great Is Thy Faithfulness"
b. "It Is Well With My Soul"
c. "How Great Thou Art"
d. "To God Be The Glory"

This should be fun! Check in tomorrow to see which hymn I used for my piece of art.

Happy Wednesday!

"The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy." Psalm 126:3

[make] Chalkboard Glass Bottles

Another summer project crossed off the list! And it is s-u-p-e-r easy too. I actually finished these well before my vacation last week, but we were too busy having fun for me to write a blog post on it! I figured you all would understand :)

I used an old Mason jar, a Sta*bucks Frappucino bottle, and a Sweet Tea bottle. Any glass would work, really! Just depends what you'd like to use.

This stuff is fantastic. Chalkboard spray paint, yes ma'am. 

I took the bottles outside and used an old gift box top that I had on hand as their base to stand on while they got their new look... I did two coats on them, plus laid them on their sides so I could get the bottoms. Consistent spraying back and forth will prevent drips (although I did have a couple of drips still... ugh).

I love the way they look vintage-y and matted. These would look awesome if you had a bunch lined up on a shelf too!

But the fun does not stop there. I plan on using a 3-lettered "theme" word for each month to write on the bottles. This may change over time if I move them to another place in my house, but for now, they will be themed art :) June's word is "SUN" since summer is officially here!

Here's what I have for the other month's so far... the ones that are blank I cannot think of a 3-lettered word that "goes" with that month: I only have half of the months figured out!!! If you have any suggestions, feel free to share!

Jan:
Feb: LUV
Mar:
Apr:
May:
June: SUN
July: USA
Aug: ABC (Since I'm a teacher and all, and it's back to school time!)
Sept:
Oct: BOO
Nov:
Dec: JOY

Happy Monday!

"So I commend the enjoyment of life, because there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany them in their toil all the days of the life God has given them under the sun." Ecclesiastes 8:15






***update: I just noticed that I am TWO followers away from 200. I mean, I know that isn't a big number for many because so many of you are well past that! BUT one of my 30 before 30 (I mean, that is still 3 and a half years away, so I've got time) is to get 1,000 followers. Let's see if I can make it to 200 by the end of the day or at least the end of the week! Tell your friends ;)


See where I link up: Monday Made it @ 4th Grade Frolics, What I Whipped Up Wednesday @ Sugar and Dots, Craft-O-Manic Monday @ Craft-O-Manic, Monday Funday @ C.R.A.F.T./Lines Across/Uncommon Designs/That's What {Che} Said/Creatively Living, Whatever Goes Wednesday @ Someday Crafts, Show Me What Ya Got Linky Party @ Not JUST A Housewife, {Wow Me Wednesday} @ Ginger Snap Crafts, Link Party @ Destination: Craft, The Inspiration Exchange @ Clean & Scentsible (and others), Before & After Party @ Thrifty Decor Chick, Weekend Wrap-Up Party @ Tatertots and Jello, What I Wore Wednesday @ The Pleated Poppy 

[make] Chalkboard Bottle Inspiration

Hello, hello!

I hope everyone has had a fabulous weekend so far! We have had a relaxing weekend with no plans, no time frames of places to be... It has been great! However, today after church, I totally tripped and fell IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET. I have small spots skinned on my elbow and knee, most likely bruised hip, but the thing that hurt the most was my pride: ha! My wedges will not be worn at church again, although my giant purse helped cushion the fall a bit!!! It is scary to fall as an adult!

Anyways, this week's inspiration project that I **hope** to complete are these gorgeous chalkboard bottles. I first saw them in Young House Love's book:

[via The Sweetest Digs: who actually met John and Sherry!]

Another version from Pinterest that caught my eye: 

[via DIY On the Cheap]

[via Yuppie Love]

Hopefully I will get these made this week! I am also participating in Sew Caroline's Instagram link up for June: a #handmadesummer! Every day, we are showcasing through Instagram a handmade object we have created. If you would like to join us, here is the info! Find @sewcaroline on Instagram and don't forget to follow me too @chrissydj :)

[via Sew Caroline]

 Have a wonderful week!

"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing." 1 Thessalonians 5:11

[make] Weekly Inspiration: Upholstered Bench

Hello there, happy long weekend and happy Memorial Day! Thank you to all of the veterans, past and current, who are working to keep our families and country safe. You are a blessing from God and we thank you for your service!

Now that I am OFFICIALLY on summer break (yee-haw!), I have decided to focus on at least one project a week, unless we're on vacation or something, that I can share through the blog. I'll share the inspiration Sunday night/Monday morning and hopefully get it done by the end of the week.

This week, I plan on turning a coffee table into a upholstered bench for the foot of our bed.

We have this coffee table from Ikea:

The top comes off as a lid and the inside of the table can be storage. We plan to put it at the foot of our bed and store blankets, throw pillows, etc inside of it, OR maybe turn it into a dog bed with some hinges and handles... we'll see. For now, a bench will do. This past week, we got a new coffee table (which I'll have to share photos of later this week: it is so beautiful!) so now our old one can be turned into something maybe like this:

from here:

from here:

from here:

I plan on using quilt batting, fabric, and a staple gun :) Maybe even stain the bench or paint it? We will see! Have a great week!

"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God." 1 John 4:7