Monogram Candle Holder

I have been making some pretty amazing things lately with the help of my glass etching kit. Its a special cream that is applied to a glass service and gives it a frosted or etched look. I've played around with frosted glass spray before, but the etching cream is superior. Etching is perfect for projects with a lot of detail and washable items. I found that the spray wipes off and is not super durable. So the etching cream is perfect for making custom wine glasses and things like that.

Here is one of my latest projects, a monogramed candle holder. It came out looking pretty snazzy. I stuck in my guest bathroom because it needs a little decor. 

Here is how I made it: 

Materials & Tools:

• Etching Cream 
• Contact Paper 
• Exacto Knife 
• Glass Vase 
• Gloves 
• Foam Brush
• Candle 

Instructions:

1. Create your stencil. I went with a monogram, but you can use whatever image you like. I recommend something simple and not very complicated. Draw your design on contact paper and cut it out with your exacto knife. 
2. Clean your candle holder and then apply your stencil to it. Make sure to press out all of the air bubbles. 
3. Before applying etching cream, wear protective gloves! That stuff is serious business and can damage your skin. 
4. Apply a few coats of etching cream over the stencil. 
5. Allow cream to dry. Some of the manufacturer directions vary, but I found waiting 24 hours gets the best results. 
6. Take your candle holder and run it under warm water and take off the stencil. You will noticed your design has been etched! 
7. Fill your candle holder with whatever decorations you would like. 

Iron Craft Challenge 8 - Spring has Sprung - Teired planter

Spring is finally here!!!! This means I can start sprucing up the outside of the house. The front of our house needs a serious pop of color. It is very white. I thought a painted planter would help! 

This planter project also meets the requirements of the latest Iron Craft Challenge # 8 - Spring has Sprung! The task for this challenge was to make something inspired by spring or Easter. 

Since big planters can be kind of pricey, I thought about making a tiered planter. Since terra cotta planters are inexpensive, I bought three of varying sizes. I took them home and spray painted them with some color. I painted the top rim gold and the bottom a dark green. After I put it together I realized it looks like a Zelda inspired planter which was no my intention. 

After painting, I began to layer them together with soil and plastic planter turned upside down. That way you don't have a ridiculous amount of soil. After putting it all together it didn't seem very sturdy. I was worried about the wind blowing it over. So I had a dowel in the garage and was able to use that to keep it all together. 

It came out pretty fantastic! Now I just need to put some flowers in it! 

Iron Craft # 5 - A is for ....

So I've take a bit of a break from the last few Iron Crafts, but I am back! 

This time around the challenge was called, 'A is for...' Crafters were given to task to do something either inspired by the alphabet or something that begins with the letter A. One thing I love about these Iron Craft Challenges is that they are open to interpretation. So I went with A is for applique! 

I recently got the fabric blade for my silhouette machine. I was excited to be able to put it to good use! It was incredibly easy to use and the results are pretty amazing. 

This challenge was coincided with distaste for my couches throw pillows. I was sick of them so I decided to make a few new ones. I wanted to make one featuring my two favorite dopes, Gyspy and Bmo. I also made one featuring a stag head, I just think its an image that looks cool. 

I still have two more pillows to replace. I've got a few ideas of what I can do, I'll be sure to tell you all about it. 

We Call them Miracles....

Inspirational quotes can be lame unless they are coming from Doctor Who. Since I've been going through a lot of stuff emotionally I've been looking up pins on of my favorite geeky things (because that always cheers me up) and I kept coming across this quote from Doctor Who. When the Doctor monologues and you just know his big quotes are about some epic adventure they are in the middle of, but out of context, this quotes can be applied to everyday life. I had some canvases around so I decided to paint it with my favorite quote.

The canvas I used measures 12" X 24". For the base coat I did an ombre technique fading from light blue to black. I forgot to wipe off the canvas and there were little specks of stuff still on there. I was annoyed at first, then I realized the specks made it look like stars in a galaxy. I then use my silhouette machine to format the text. After sticking the letters on there I went over it with a coat of mod podge (that helps paint from seeping through) then painted the letters.

Its a little off and slanted, however I still love it and I hope you do to.

Entryway Makeover

Since we had some time on our hands and some Home Depot giftcards we got around to doing a house project!

We have a little entry way cove area that was pretty boring. There is a closet there, however we never use it! A few times when I have hung guests jackets, they have been forgotten. The closet is good for storage, but when it comes to hanging up coats we needed something easier.


It was fairy easy, paint a board of wood and attach some hooks. To spiff it up a bit, Tim asked if I could do some sort of distressed technique to the wood board and I white washed it. We had it finished right before our Super Bowl party and it was a good test, because we were able to fit a lot of coats on that thing!

Before we built the coat rack, we had to give this area a splash of color. Since it was a small area we were able to paint it pretty quickly. It took more time to tape up around the moldings!

The space above the coat rack needed something. I had a left over canvas and thought an image of Long Island was appropriate. Its a bit off center and there is a blank space because Tim is going to make a little something. Eventually.

Decorative Plates

I've gotten really sick of stark bare walls and I've been trying a few different things to really liven up our dinning room. I found this mirror for 20$ at Marshall's (score!). It was a little cracked and boring white. So I gave it a goat of gray to really spiff it up. I hung it opposite some windows. That is a design trick that is supposed to make the room feel bigger. I have our Parisian street art pictures hanging on another wall, along with a little flying birdie my friend Margaret got me. However that still left some blank spots in the room. What to do?

Originally I had planned to start collecting graphic plates and hanging them on the wall. That hit a snag when I did not like anything I was finding, either in the design or price. So I decided to put my own DIY spin on it and made some plates of my own! I abandoned my plan of an entire wall of plates and decided to hang them on each end of the windows. It makes it look balanced and we now have plenty of visual interest in this room!

Materials & Tools

• White glass plate 
• Spray paint (two contrasting colors) 
• Contact paper 
• Exacto Knife 
• Plate hanger 

Instructions 

• I recommend purchasing plates from the Dollar Tree because they come in different shapes and sizes and they are only a dollar so if you make a mistake its not a big deal. 

• Plan out a design, make it simple and not too intricate. Trace and cut out the design on contact paper (or if you have a silhouette machine just use that) 

• In a well ventilated area, spray paint a base coat. (this should be the color you want your actual design to be) Allow design to dry. I recommend letting it sit over night.

• Peel out your design and stick it on the plate

• Spray a top coat of a contrasting coloring and allow to dry. (don't wait too long because you run the risk of peeling off the paint from your design) 

• Allow the paint to dry for at least a day before you hang it up. (otherwise your house is going to smell like paint fumes) 

Linking up with: 

Craft-o-maniac