Lamp Transformation!

I had put out a request on Facebook for table lamps that anyone might be looking to get rid of or toss. One of our AWESOME neighbors came through for us! I wanted to take the lamps and make pillar candle holders for our patio that could withstand high winds and, also, look impressive on our table. I had never met, Jessica, in person until yesterday and this is what she gave us! She gave us two of the sassy brass lamps and the pink lamp. The brass lamps are SUPER heavy! So... this is what we did: The Mr. removed all of the electric components from the lamps. Then, I have the lamps a good coat of spray primer. Primer is a MUST when you are dealing with brass. Oh, and we had these three crazy small bundt pans that we never used... the Mr. drilled holes into the pans and attached them to the lamps to hold a candle. Since we have a tendency to get a strong wind some days on our patio we will be able to "screw" the candle down onto the pan. After the lamps were primed, I sprayed them with Krylon Indoor/Outdoor Ivory. Once that dried, I added a vinyl "R" to the former pink lamp. Now, I just need to find those candles and we are good to go for a night on the patio!!!!

Tutorial: How to make a chalkboard stand for treats!

Happy Weekend!!! I wanted to feature a tutorial today based on some items we have had around our home. We had made the candle chandelier for our gazebo and I had changed the globes for new ones. We had the old ones left so this project is based from three glass chandelier globes and 3 pieces of MDF boards. First, I took the three pieces of MDF and primed them. After priming the boards, I sprayed them with chalkboard spraypaint. You only need to do one side since the other side will not be seen. Once the boards are primed and painted with chalkboard paint. Let them sit for 24 hours. Then, you must "prime" the boards by covering them with chalk. Afterwards wash the boards clean. To add an extra special "touch," I hot glued ribbon around the edge of the boards. After you have primed your boards with chalk, wiped them clean, and attached the ribbon, it is time to attach the glass globes to the board. I suggest a strong glue such as E6000. Once the glue has set, it is time for a celebration!!!! You could use these for appetizers, or breakfast treats with a sweet message. The possibillites are endless!!! Please note: do not put food items directly on the chalkboard. Always us a plate between the food and the board.

Valentine's Day Project and Giveaway Reminder

Don't forget to enter the Aviator hat giveaway by joining this blog as a follower and "liking" the Goosie and Boomer Bowtique Facebook page!
Now, onto business :). I had seen this tutorial on popsicle stick bracelets covered with fabric. It is a GREAT tutorial but I wanted to cover mine with all the yarn that I end up having left over from projects.
First you soak the sticks in hot water and leave them all day.

Next, take them out of the water and place them inside a small up with flat sides... leave them all night.

In the morning, they should be dry and you can pop them out of the cup!
I decided to cover mine with yarn. Since my daughter will most likely be the one wearing them, I did reinforce the yarn ends with some hot glue (just hide it on the inside).
You could embellish these with felt flowers, buttons, fabric flowers... just about anything! This is a SUPER cheap project and easy for kids!
(please note, yes, I had red popsicle sticks left over from a previous project. the color simply came off in the water when soaked... it didnt' really make a difference.)

Trash to Treasure for your holiday decor!

As most of you know, we are a military family. Being a military family means many moves, many furniture dents and sometimes even lost pieces of items and you often wonder where things went... inevitable. Really.
We had a cheap 3 legged decorator table. You know, the $10 side table for your bed? Well... the legs disappeared. So we had a $10 table top ;).
Throw it away? We could have or....
I could spray paint ;). If you know me well, you know I love to spray paint. This time: Chalkboard paint. I primed the top with two coats of primer and then sprayed about 3 coats of chalkboard paint. I let it set for approximately 2 days and then "primed" it with chalk. After you spray anything with chalkboard paint you should rub the entire surface with chalk to "prime" it. Then wash it completely.
I leave message on this board for our kids all the time. It sits on the sideboard in our living room. If you really want the chalk on there for a while with out smugging, use chalk pens. They are work every dime.
For Christmas, I used my cricut cutter and cut an "X" out of a cereal box, covered it with glue, and then used glitter to cover it. Then, I used the chalkboard pen to leave a message.

Inexpensive and Easy Holiday Decorations

or... we could just call it what it is: cheap and SUPER easy ;). Blogland is full of the jars with candles and fake snow. Well... it is, also, full of this idea: Epsom salts as fake snow. Yep, you just need some of this:

along with any jars you may have empty and a tea light.
Pour some of the epsom salts in the bottom of the jar, drop in a tea light and ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh... automatic Winter decor! It's an easy week here at Goosie and Boomer Bowtique!

Personalized Cheer! Giveaway reminder

The above picture is a project I worked on for our family. I love all the subway art and various personalized canvas that you see in the stores and online. Here is my version :).
Don't forget to leave a comment on the blog so that you can receive an extra entry in the giveaway! Thank you for stopping by! I appreciate each and every one of you!

Days until...

We seem to countdown quite a bit in this house of little ones. It is fun to countdown the days until a special event. Check out this sign! It could be yours! The sign is a chalkboard with white vinyl. You can write the number of days and the event!

Vintage glass carrier {makeover}

This past Sunday we went for a drive. Hunting for flea markets and antique shops, we drove to several small towns. One item that I purchased was a brass vintage glass carrier. I'm not a fan of "sassy brass" so out came the paint. I sprayed it with primer and then some black spray paint I had left from another project. I'm not sure if it will continue to be a candle holder but for now it will be a great outdoor addition. With some burlap, small jars, and dry beans... I now have a candle holder for the Summer!
Enjoy!

Candle Chandelier for our Gazebo

We recently purchased a canvas gazebo for our back patio. I REALLY wanted a candle chandelier but did not want to pay the money the big box stores and Pottery Barn were charging for candle chandeliers.
Boomer and I went to a local thrift/antique/consignment store and found a brass light fixture. The owner helped rip out all the electrical parts and we flipped the light fixture. It worked perfectly. I sprayed it with Krylon black Primer and then Krylon oil rubbed bronze. I love it! I can't wait to light it for the first time!!!

Spring/Easter Teacher Gifts

In an effort to make useful teacher gifts this Spring, I worked on several clipboards for Goosie and Boomer's teachers this year. I used wrapping paper, plain clipboard, modge podge luster, and ribbon. Along with the clipboards, I made post-it note holders by using plastic 5x7 photo frames, scrapbook paper, and ribbon. Enjoy!

New Year... new craft

I am embarking on a new adventure this year... knitting... stay tuned for the finished project. I'm thinking leg warmers for Goosie next ;)

Repurposed Shutter

I have seen a few people take an old shutter and use it in new ways. Well, the Mr. found a shutter for me to use to display Christmas cards and the best part... it already had some green paint! He used a wire brush to weather it and remove all the loose paint. Then, I used a burgundy paint and brushed over the shutter in spots to keep it looking worn. With some clothes pins, we now have a way to display our Christmas cards!

You Scream... Ice Cream SOCIAL!

cupcake toppers made with the assistance of the Cricut :)

Yummy toppings!

Simple decorations... topic of this post!

This year the MR. and I decided to host an ice cream social for his office. And... we decided to plan it in a week and a half... normally, I like a month :)... that's because nothing can be simple with me for some reason.
We had done some very easy decorations one year for Halloween and believe it or not... they made the move last Summer. I revamped them for this party and it is a very simple outdoor decoration!
All you need is:
mason jar
sand
ribbon
raffia
skewers
hot glue
shapes cut from paper or one of these cute fans
(the fans came from Oriental Trading and the ice cream cone shape was from my Cricut)

Tie raffia around the top of the mason jar/then do the same with the ribbon.
Fill the jar with sand (play sand will do just fine... and it's on sale this time of year)
Hot glue paper shapes or fan to a skewer and then stick into the sand
Now, I don't suggest you do this on a windy day and then put them near food...
it could make the food a bit gritty to say the least :).
I, also, printed out the word "welcome" on some card stock, cut it out, and tied it with some gardening string.
If you need lots of outdoor adornments, you can do a dozen in no time at all... and if you shop around for the jars... it is inexpensive, too!

What's YOUR fortune?

I do not proclaim to be a talented scrapbooker by any means but... I came across this neat project when "surfing" blogs one day and it is one of my favorites! I found the instructions here.

If you use your Cricut, I found that doing the circles in 3 1/2 inches gave you nine circles per 12x12 page. I know that the instructions in the link said 4" circles but I made mine a bit smaller to maximize the use of paper. I liked that the link had fortunes included if you wanted to use them. AND... I liked that it isn't a gender specific craft! Also, I used a hot glue gun to keep mine together and it worked perfectly. I didn't have the adhesive tape the instructions required so I tried my trusty glue gun and it worked!

Now... I want some Chinese food :)!