Extreme Room Makeover

Move Over Martha Edition

 

First off...let me apologize for not posting for almost two months now. I'm happy to say that my Etsy store is keeping me very busy with work which I'm so grateful for! Thank you to those of you who forwarded on the link to your friends and family.

In the chaos that has been my life lately, I did take some time out to redo my younger sister's bedroom. My family recently moved into a new home and my sister got a much larger bedroom. The style of her old room was a collection of past and present style preferences. She has been asking for new room decor for almost a year now, but with a tight family budget, it just hasn't been able to work.

That is, until this past weekend. I asked my mom is I could redo Kaylee's bedroom on a small budget while she was away as a surprise. I got the okay which sent my mind racing with ideas! The one specific idea I want to share with you, that I used, was the and use of "Con-Tact" paper to make wall decals. (As seen in the large leapord print on the wall)

The budget for this project is: low. The experience for this project is: beginner.

Supplies Needed:
*A roll of Con-Tact paper found at any hardware store
*Scissors or a craft knife
*A permanent marker

To begin this project I suggest that you research a design that you want. Then practice drawing it on regular paper. Once you are comfortable drawing your design, open and roll out the Con-Tact paper. (I had a hard time with it rolling back on me as I was drawing so find something small to hold the end down). Begin drawing your design out on the back side of the paper. This portion will be removed later to expose the sticky side of the decal prior to sticking it on the wall. Once your design is completely drawn onto the back of the contact paper, take your scissors or craft knife and cut the design out.

Prior to placing the decal onto the surface of your choice, be sure that it is clean of dust or dirt. You can wipe it down with a slightly wet paper towel. Now you are ready to place your design onto your surface. Take a corner of your design and begin to peel the back of the paper away. (Being careful not to allow the decal to stick to itself). Next stick the decal to the wall starting at the top, then sweep your hand gently over the surface of the decal towards to bottom. To ensure that it sticks you can take a credit card or something stiff like it and rub it onto the surface of the wall to ensure that it has adhered to the surface. To finish, step back and enjoy your new wall decal that has saved you money and is completely custom made.

Printable Instructions

It's official!

I have an Etsy store! I'm hoping that Etsy will be a good marketing tool for my products. The store is in the starting stages right now, but there are several products listed. Pease clink on the following link to visit: http://www.etsy.com/shop/MoveOvrMartha?ref=pr_shop

It would be greatly appreciated if you would give me feedback and also share the link with your friends and family. Thank you for your support! I greatly appreciate it.

Kids Say The Darndest Things

My "Biggest" Little Supporter

This beautiful and articulate girl is Julia. Or as most call her, JJ or Miss J to the J. It is easy to tell from her smile why she has a special place in my heart and I cherish her like a little sister. Just last week, prior to leaving for church, Julia was holding up the zebra print tutu that I had made her for her birthday and she said the following:

"Kimberly is a good sewing girl. She's a good girl at making things."

I'd have to say that those words melted my heart and are by far the biggest compliment I've received. I hope that this blog allows you to create gifts for special people in your life like I did for Julia. My "biggest" little fan!

How To Make A Tutu



Thanksgiving Table Accessories

Wire Turkey

Napkin Rings/Name Card Holder

When window shopping with my husband several weeks ago I saw that Pottery Barn was selling these beautiful metal turkey napkin rings. The price for them was out of my budget so my crafty mind set out to make them myself at a much cheaper price. The budget for this project is: low. The experience for this project is intermediate.

Supplies Needed:

*An empty toilet paper roll

*Needle nose pliers

*12 gauge jewelry wire in your choice of color

To begin this project unwrap about 6"-8" of the wire so it is straight and smooth. This will make wrapping the wire around the toilet paper roll easier for you and the 6"-8" of wire will be used for the head of the turkey. Leaving the extra wire just measured for the head at the end of the roll begin wrapping the additional wire around until you have 6 complete rings. Now you can begin forming the head. (This was the hardest part for me and will take patience.) Bend the extra wire at a 90 degree angle vertically off of the toilet paper roll. While keeping the wire vertical, begin to form the two small waves that sit just below the turkeys head. Next use your pliers to hold the wire where you want your beak to end. Take the wire and pull it around the pliers to form the beak. Once the beak is formed use your pliers again to bend the wire at a 45 degree angle. This will begin the front of the head. Continue to use your pliers to form the large rounded portion of the head. Once this is complete take the excess wire and wrap it around the next ring to secure the head in place. Be sure to put the excess wire in front of the next wire and then wrap it around towards the back. Cut the remaining extra wire off.

The next step in finishing the napkin ring is to make the tail. With the turkey sitting upright on the toilet paper roll, pull the wire at the end so that it forms 1/4 of the bottom of turkey. Next, using your pliers, bend the wire at a 90 degree angle towards the right. Then again at another 90 degree angle towards the left, and then again once more. You should have no made what looks like a square. To make the bottom of the square, use your pliers again to bend the wire at a 90 degree angle towards the right. Then take the wire and wrap it around the first side of the square that you made from the back around to the front. This will enclose the shape and secure it as well. Repeat these steps seven more times to create the tail. Be sure to increase the height of the shapes after each time until you have four different levels then decrease at the same rate four more times. To finish the tail, simple trim off the extra wire as you wrap around the last base of the shape instead of bending it again for another tail feather.

The only thing left to do is put a festive napkin in your newly created ring and write a name card if you wish and wedge it between the tail feathers. These napkin rings/name card holders are sure to be the perfect accessory to your table. Not only are they festive but they are also very useful too.

Printable Instructions

Reuse Renew Recycle...Makes Beautiful Fall Decor

Corn Husk Wreath

This corn husk wreath was surprisingly easy to make. It was the first accessory my home was decorated with this fall. The budget for this project is: low. The experience for this project is: beginner.

Supplies Needed:
* A circular dried hay wreath (Found at popular craft stores)
* 150 floral pins (Found at popular craft stores)
* 3 yards of 2" ribbon in the color of your choice
* Dried corn husks (Some craft stores sell these already dried and bagged for you)

The first step in creating this wreath is collecting corn husks. The craft stores in my area don't carry them already prepared so I went to my local farmers market and asked a merchant who sells corn if they had any corn husks that they did not need any more. To my surprise, the merchant presented me with three produce boxes full of corn husks. After obtaining the corn husks, I came home and washed them thoroughly. Then I filled the sink with warm water and two cap fulls of bleach. I soaked the corn husks for several hours to speed up the preparation process. Next, I rinsed off the bleach and water from the husks and set them in the sun to dry.

With everything ready to assemble now, I got a shallow bowl of water and soaked a handful of the husks in it. After they soaked for about 10 minutes, I took one out at a time and folded it in half. I then pinned the folded husk to the prepared wreath. I repeated the steps again, but when pinning the proceeding husk to the wreath I overlapped it about 1/2" to ensure the coverage was good and there were no gaps. After completing the row I proceeded to the next, overlapping the husks once again to create a layered look.

To finish the wreath, I tied the ribbon into a bow and then pinned it to the top of the wreath towards the back. I chose to use a yellow/orange color for fall but you can use any color that fits the color scheme of your home or personal taste.

Printable Instructions