Playhouse Part 1

When we first moved in our basement left much to be desired. There was paneling all around, yucky carpet that needed to be ripped out and a dark brick fireplace. After discovering a leak and some mold when the carpet was removed, it became an area we worked on right away. Now that it's all clean and fresh my most favorite part is the playhouse my hubby built under the stairs for our girls!

I've always wanted to make it look more like a house but when he built it I was pregnant with our second, Ellena. Also, I had school, then a newborn, and then life. So needless to say it was left blank. A few weeks ago I got the itch to get started and so I did!

Never mind the inside of the house, that's further down the line! Also, never mind the unfinished fence. I ran out of vinyl!! By the way, I never knew how tedious it would be to put vinyl up on this house. I think the problem was the walls being textured. It took me two days to get where I am in the above picture. Although I am waiting on an order of vinyl, I still thought I'd share :).

The entire design was created using my Silhouette Cameo. I love to scrapbook, so I have had these images saved in my library for a long time. I love how easy it is to cut vinyl with the Silhouette. I used to own a Cricut, if you have one it'd do the job just fine! I still want to add a few more details to this side of the house. I'm thinking more garden bugs (butterflies, ladybugs etc...) and I also want to add clouds and a sun to the roof part.

There is still a long ways to go but I am hoping it'll be done by the end of summer. There is also a lot of touching up on the walls that needs to be done! We recently did a service change so the hallway leading to upstairs is still an ugly green, needs sanded, and repainted! So don't mind the random splotches of drywall mud, or areas that clearly need painted... like the window trim on the clubhouse! :)

Here are my plans for this baby:

-Finish the outside vinyl
-Paint the trim of the windows and the baseboards
-Create a flower box for the window and fill with fakes
-Create a working mailbox to be able to leave them notes
-DIY some curtains (I already have the fabric!)
-DIY a new kitchen (the current one is cheap and a spur of the moment purchase)
-Hang some art inside
-DIY a "welcome" sign or a playhouse name
-Add shelves inside?

Still lots to do but since I am working on a mini level I think it can be done by the end of summer. I can't wait to share it with you!

Thanks for visiting,

Amanda

Linking up: Yellow Bliss Road, Handy Man, Crafty Woman, Embracing Change, House of Hepworths

Instagram Photo Display: An Old Shutter!

Instagram and I are like BFF's. I love it. A lot of my favorite pictures have been shared through Instagram and I enjoy displaying them around my home. I made a chevron frame a few weeks ago but I wanted something bigger to display more.

I found this old shutter at an antique mall but I don't have any before pictures! My hubby recently got a paint sprayer so he jumped the gun before I had a chance to take any. Just imagine one side a 70's orange and the other side a brown. Pretty huh? Originally, I wanted a taller shutter that I can put in a corner but this was perfect for the space off of my entry.

The color of the shutter is Rainwater by Martha Stewart. I love looking at the "oops" section in the paint department of Home Depot. I snagged two tester's of this color for $.50! I think it's a really pretty shade of blue.

Once my hubby hung it on the wall for me, I used my Canon Selphy to print some of my favorite pics I wanted to display.

I like my Selphy but the only beef I have with it is it doesn't print a true 4x6. The edges are perforated so part of the picture comes off when you remove them. It's ok if you don't have a border around your photo, like the one on the right.

This is what it looks like empty. I still need to touch up the holes with more paint. I think around Christmas I will use this to display Christmas cards!

I took my prints and some medium sized clothespins that I purchased at Walmart in the office section and came out with this:

Cute huh? I will share my entryway soon. It's sort of bare right now but with fall on the way I will have it decorate and looking pretty in no time.

Are you on Instagram? My user name is avillarreal140 if you are!

Thanks for visiting!

-Amanda

Linking Up: handymancraftywoman, itsoverflowing, creativelylivingblog, abowlfulloflemons, craft-o-maniac

DIY Chevron Bulletin Frame

 

Hey everyone!

So I know it may seem all I update are picture frames, but when I saw my stash of forgotten cork board squares I had to claim another. I mean, these cork board squares are at least three years old so why not?

I grabbed one of the squares and a frame that housed our fall bucket list. It has sat unused in my basement ever since. *blush* It would be nice to redo another thrift store frame and save a good white one, but I didn't have any older ones big enough.

After popping out the old bucket list, I used the glass as a guide for cutting my cork board. It helps if you score it a few times with the X ACTO knife instead of trying to cut all the way through. You are then left with a perfect 8x10 (or whatever size you are cutting) with no frayed edges.

Let's be honest at this point. I enjoy scrapbooking. I have a Silhouette Cameo that cuts all different kinds of shapes. It only made sense to have the machine cut the chevron for me. I wasn't about to measure if I didn't have to! Math is not my strong point.

I decided to make a vinyl stencil so all I'd have to do is apply it to the cork and paint in the negatives. Making vinyl stencils are super easy and super fast. If you don't have a silhouette machine and are pretty artistic or handy I am sure you could find an image online and trace it onto the vinyl. Then use your X acto knife to cut around the image.

Once my stencil was finished I used my X acto knife to weed out the negative part of the image. Since we aren't dealing with letters, I just tossed the pieces aside.

Most people who craft with vinyl are smart enough to buy more transfer tape than vinyl itself so they never run out. I am not one of those people. I never seem to buy enough transfer tape and instead I am left with using Frog Tape. It works just the same. Actually, I am smart. This saves so much more money so HA to the vinyl companies out there. :)

After covering my image with the Frog Tape I "burnished" the edges with my fingers. All that means is pressing down real hard. A credit card works great in this situation, but so do fingers! After that's finished gently lift the tape off of the vinyl backing and it should come up pretty smoothly.

I don't have a picture of this step but once I placed the image on my piece of cork I "burnished" the whole image so it would stick to the surface. When removing the tape its best if you do it at an angle. If you see the vinyl is sticking to the tape and not the surface change your direction and move slower. Since cork isn't a smooth surface you sometimes have to change your direction a few times!

Acrylic paint is perfect for these types of projects. I wanted a gray color but since I don't have gray I went elementary and brought out white and black. If you do this, make sure you mix more than what you assume would be enough. The cork sucks up a lot of the paint and its hard getting the same color if you have to mix another batch. I may or may not know that from this project.

This is how your project will look. I heart vinyl stencils, they sure make for crisp lines... if you burnish real well! Before the paint dries it's best to remove the vinyl. Just be careful the wet part of the vinyl doesn't touch the unpainted part of the cork!

Once it is dry just put it back in the frame! I decided to display a few Instagram (avillarreal140) pictures in mine for now. I think it'd also be cute to display earrings or on it's own in a space that needs more texture.

*I like these cork squares because I remember them being pretty cheap. However, if you make this project to display pictures or memos I recommend doubling up on the cork. It is pretty thin and with one piece the push pins will be exposed in the back!

Thanks for visiting!

Amanda

Linking up with Yellow Bliss Road!

DIY Washi Tape Frame

If you were to visit my house and I gave you a tour you'd probably start questioning my cleaning abilities once we got to the basement. We have a partial basement and only one half of that is finished. It's become a dumping ground, especially in the unfinished side. Beyond home décor and DIY projects I enjoy scrapbooking. The unfinished side will eventually become a scrapbook room/office but until then, it's where we store clutter.

Included in the clutter are items I've purchased at thrift stores or yard sales waiting for a new life. Thrift store visits like... last summer. This frame was one of those purchases. I can't remember how much it was but I'm sure it was only a few dollars.

Isn't she a beaut?

I have a faux entryway nook in my living room and the area has been looking a little drab. Last year, my house was decorated for every holiday, this year? Not so much. Recently, we found a dresser that fits perfectly in the nook and it has inspired me to pretty up the area again. This is where the Washi Tape comes in.

I love Washi Tape. It comes in a bunch of different colors and patterns and you can maneuver it without leaving any residue behind. Since I scrapbook, it's the perfect embellishment. It's also the perfect accent to any project outside of scrapbooking, like my frame.

I started wrapping different pieces of tape around my frame without following a specific pattern. If it looked good, it went on. If a color was needed more in one area it was added. Simple process for quick project.

Since some of the Washi Tape I have is transparent, the wood frame was showing through beyond my liking. Another muse of mine is to browse the "oops" paint section of Home Depot. Often times they have test pots in pretty colors for only $.50! It's totally worth taking a look.

I must admit, waiting for paint to dry is horrible! I was so ready to put my tape back on and see how cute it'd end up being. I had to busy myself with other things. While I waited, I browsed my free printables & downloads board on Pinterest. I found the perfect printable that was free, colorful, and cute!



via

Is that not adorable? It comes in a bunch of different colors as well! I chose yellow because it seemed to add more brightness and color than the other options. Although, all of the other options are equally amazing!


So for roughly less than $5, I have a colorful new frame to display in my home!

It looks so nice against our gray walls and next to my white bulb vases! I like these types of projects, cheap, cute, and home made!


Thanks for stopping by!

Linking up with: Two Twenty One's All Things Summer Link Party!