Thursday, March 8, 2012

Chicken Wire...Who Knew



One of my new favorite things, or two new favorite things, are chicken wire and old wood!! Love! I had my husband pull some planks of old wood off of a house that he is remodeling and then the fantastic man that he is cut the wood down and made frames!! He also is the one responsible for grabbing some chicken wire for me! Love that man! So with my "new" products I decided to make myself a jewelry holder for my bathroom wall! Very rustic and gorgeous!! Not to mention EASY!!



All you need is:

A frame of your choice
Chicken wire
Wire cutters
Staple gun and Staples




It was simple enough. I just laid my chicken wire on the back of my frame and cut away the excess with the wire cutters. Once I had my chicken wire to the size I needed I started stapling. 




Above is what the back looked like after I finished stapling. The wood was a really tight grain and old so the staples didn't want to go all the way in. But with a little help from my friend the hammer, we solved that problem.  Below is a view from the front after we attached the wire!





This is just an extra picture to show you a little bit more of the frames that my hubby made for me.  He put some thin wood as backing, so once the picture is in place all you will see it the rustic edge! Love this frame, and its HUGE!!





Finished product on the wall!! Time to accessorize! 






I really love how this turned out! It is so rustic and goes great in my bathroom! I am thinking of doing another one for the kitchen. But with that one I might use some clothes pins to hold up notes, cards, kids artwork, etc. I also really love the wood for this. I did not do a thing to it, just keep it like it came off the house and its gorgeous!  Quick and easy project that you should definitely give a try!! Enjoy!!



Thursday, March 1, 2012

Birds Nest Necklace




DIY Birds Nest Necklaces...YES Please!! I love these necklaces and I said that every time I looked at a picture of one. Well I decided to go ahead and attempt one. They are so easy!! Plus you don't need a ton of supplies to make them!

Here is what you need...
Glass pearls (or any bead you like in whatever size you like)
20 or 24 gauge jewelry wire (whatever size and color you prefer)
Chain or twine
Jewelry Clasps
Needle nose pliers and wire cutters



To start string however many beads your using on your jewelry wire and go down about 3 in., then arrange them however you like and circle the rest of your wire around the outside of your beads.




Next you will wrap your wire around the backside of your beads 4-5 times to create a base for your nest.


Now hold the beads between your thumb and pointer finger and begin to wrap the wire around the outside of your beads to make the actual nest. How many times you do this depends on how large you want your nest. I like mine thicker, it makes for a bigger charm. Also I will say this, whenever you think you have yours thick enough add one or two more circles, when you run your wire through the nest it can have a shrinking effect (or to me anyhow).


Happy (Early) Birthday Dr. Seuss


Happy Dr. Seuss Week! Here at the Jackson residence we LOVE Dr. Seuss!! In case you have not seen all the posts, there is one of the boys Dr Seuss birthday party! We have also done the boys bathroom in Dr Seuss! I will have to work on Dr Seuss's actual birthday, so me and the boys celebrated a little bit early with some finger painting! Finger painting is my favorite thing to do with the boys! They love doing it! Partly because of the end product, but mostly because they get to make a big mess!! Its great for me because the finger paints are 100% washable!! 



Since the boys party was Thing 1 and Thing 2, and they are at the ages 1 & 2, I thought a Thing 1 and Thing 2 art project would be fitting! I got us ready by painting a simple canvas a bright yellow and letting it dry. Then I just hot glued some ribbon to the back of the canvas (we are hanging this on our playroom door).




I tried to get pictures of the boys doing their artwork, but no luck! Like I said they like to make a big mess! But below is their finished product! I painted the face and Thing spots for them and we were all done! Will (my 2yr old) points to this and claps every time he goes into the playroom!! Love this and so did the Kiddos!




Below is just  a picture of a quote in the boys bathroom! I just used my Cricut to cut it out and place it on the wall. Its one of my favorite Dr. Seuss Quotes and a good rule we try to always follow!!

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!!










Pinch Me



At our house we try to do our holiday finger paintings a bit early. That way they can sit on display in the living room for a while! So me and the boys got ready for St Patricks day with some Leprechaun Handprints! Since they are only 1 & 2 I get to help out a little extra, but thats just fine with me. One day, too soon, they will be big enough to do these art projects all on their own and then probably not at all :( (they grow up to fast). All I did was take a simple canvas and painted it a pretty sky blue. Once that dried I painted a rainbow and pot of gold! Now bring in the kiddos!!



Couldn't resist adding a sweet picture of each of my babies. It was impossible to get one of them in action because paint was everywhere!! But here they are having their post painting lunch! Are they not the cutest kids EVER (well to me they are)!!





Below is their finished product!! I added a face and we cut out some hats from construction paper to finish it off. Now it gets to sit on our mantel for everyone to see until its time for us to do our Easter Project!! So Fun!! Hope everyone has a great St Patricks Day (when it gets here that is :) ).