Sunday, January 27, 2013

THRIFT FINDS: PART II

 
Some more of my favorite finds!

1. Painting with frame $5
2. Steve Madden Heels $2
3. Star Mirror $1
4. Messenger Bag made from recycled billboards $4

-Jerica-

Thursday, January 17, 2013

TREE STUMP END TABLES

This is probably the first DIY that I will not say is super easy and quick! I've been working on these guys since November I believe, slowly picking away at the bark each day with a screw driver and hammer. This was the definitely the longest part, but I've heard if the bark is dry enough it will slide right off. Mine did not!
I got the stumps from my aunt's pile of firewood, but I know other people have gotten them from wood yards for super cheap. Just gotta watch out for termites and spiders! Some people suggest placing the stump in plastic trash bag and then leaving it somewhere like a garage for a few months. This will allow the bark to dry out and will prevent new bugs from getting in and old bugs from spreading around your garage.

I made these shorter because I will put them next to my bed, which sits about a foot off the ground. (To get a better look the bunting I have up, click here!)



MATERIALS
Tree stump(s) 
Flathead screwdriver
Hammer
White paint
Sandpaper
Polyeurthane

DIRECTIONS
1. Use a hammer and flat-head screw driver to pry off the bark. Be careful not to jam the screwdriver into the side of the wood, but just skim the surface. There were a few spots that still had large branches, I broke those off then used the hammer to flatten it out.
2. Sand away! Get as much of the left over bark off as you can. 

3. I painted the top of the stump white. You can do whatever you want! This blog has tons of different ideas for how to paint your stump. Use several layers.
4. After the paint is dry, make sure all the dust is off. I used a clean paint brush to get the sawdust off.
5. Paint on the polyeurthane. Let this dry a few hours between layers. This will help seal and prevent anything from staining the wood. The brand recommends using three layers, but you can use more if you want a glossier look. HOORAY NEW TABLES!
-Jerica-

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

PAINT BY NUMBERS ART


 I saw this upcycle a while back on A Beautiful Mess, of course! I have to say that a lot of my ideas/inspiration for crafts come from that site. When they did it, they bought pre-made adherent letters and spray painted white over it, then peeled them off. Way easier. However I wanted to do a longer phrase (from one of my favorite Animal Collective songs) so I would have had to buy a few packages of letters. So I set out to do it the hard way! I've had this idea in the back of my head, while I kept an eye out for a Paint-By Numbers piece of art at the thrift stores. And finally found this one! It is super faded so I realized the color scheme kind of looks like camouflage.. but I was desperate okayyy! 

Materials
Finished paint by numbers artwork
White paint


I printed out the phrase I wanted, "Kissing the wind through my window screen" in the font I wanted and the size I wanted, to make sure it would all fit on the picture. Then I just free-handed it, looking at the font and size for reference. Paint white around the letters and you're done! The font I chose was kind of a hassle because of the little details, but I love how it turned out! Also, choosing a more bulky font will allow you to see more of the original picture behind it!
-Jerica-

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

HOT SPINACH ARTICHOKE DIP


There are lots of cold spinach artichoke dips out there but nothing beats a warm gooey cheesy one! This recipe made a very hearty portion and a lot of the ingredients I had already. Feel free to substitute any of the ingredients with a low fat option as well. This is great when having people over, or devouring half of it yourself like I did. Whatever gets you off!
INGREDIENTS
  • 1/2 (10 ounce) package frozen or fresh spinach, drained and coarsely chopped
  • 1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped
  • 4 ounces cream cheese
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 clove garlic, grated
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili sauce (optional)
  • 1/4 cup grated parmigiano reggiano (parmesan), grated
  • 1/4 cup mozzarella, shredded
DIRECTIONS
  1. Simply mix everything and pour it into a baking dish. I also put an extra layer of mozzarella on the top before I threw it in the oven.
  2. Bake at 350F oven until the sides are bubbling and cheese has melted and turned golden brown on top, about 20-30 minutes.
Original recipe found here.
-Jerica-