DIY Large Burlap Star on my $0 Budget

This project was inspired by two posts I pinned a while ago. The first was Choose to Thrives DIY tin stars. I have wanted to make one for a long time but just never knew how I wanted to finish it. Then I stumbled upon my second inspiration The Douglas Family where she took a metal star and covered it with burlap. I knew I had a DIY project merging the two ideas together.

I made this star using a tin oven liner I purchased at the Dollar store months ago and then covered it with burlap I had left over from my custom burlap covered cardboard storage boxes.

Using a 12 inch star I cut out on my Cricut as the shape, I added 1.5 inches around the outer edges to enlarge it. I traced the star onto the tin, plus the width of my ruler, with a scoring tool that came with my Dollar store craft knife kit.

 

Here is what the scored tin looks like.

I then cut along the lines with my craft scissors; I thought I might have needed tin snips but the scissors did a great job.

I had to unravel a couple of the edges of the liner to get the points.

Here is what it looked like after it was cut out.

Using a good ruler, I scored from the center of each star point to the middle. By scoring it you can see how the star is taking shape.

I then flipped the star over and scored the lines from the center to where the two points meet. I made the shape of the star by using these score marks as the creases.

I decided to give the outer part of the start a quick coat of white spray paint so that I wouldn't see the shiny tin through the burlap.

 I covered the entire outer star with ModgePodge and flipped it over to stick on the burlap.

I cut around the star leaving about 1/2 an inch of excess burlap to fold over the back. Here is where I had to play around for a bit. I had a few failed attempts securing the excess burlap but eventually got it to work.

First I tried ModgePodge to secure the excess burlap on the back. That didn't work at all. Then I thought I would use a little clear tape to hold it until the ModgePodge dried...well the tape could not stick on the ModgePodge. So I puled out my favorite backup tool...duct tape :)  Yes, it worked but it looked horrible. I know that no one will see the back but I just couldn't live with it.

I don't know why I didn't think of it earlier, but hot glue worked the best. I ran a bead of hot glue and folded the burlap over. Stuck instantly and gave nice clean edged.

I had a ribbon and bow saved from a Christmas gift I got; I love to save these because the bows are perfect (something I can never seem to master). I glued the bow to the middle of the star and then the ribbon to the corners.

I had made the star to hang over one of the most difficult spots I have had decorating in my house, my three sided fireplace. This fireplace is huge and such a focal point in our family room and kitchen.

Here is what I have so far. I moved my toilet paper art from the dining room to here. I am still not 100% happy but feel I am getting closer.  Please HELP if you have suggestions.

 

Please don't mind the plastic on the candles, I am not sure if I love them so I refuse to take off the plastic :)

What do you think? Any suggestions?
Stephanie

Framing a builder grade mirror that is not between two walls

I promised quite a while ago that I would give directions on how to frame a builder grade mirror that is not tight between 2 walls (like my first post here).

My daughter's bathroom has a mirror on a long wall and we needed to find a way to conceal the mirror when looking at it from the side (since the frame sits on top of the mirror).

In my master ensuite bathroom our mirror is fitted tight between two walls, so we adhered the frame directly onto the mirror.

We used the generally the same materials and mostly the same method to create this frame. For detailed instructions on how we made this mirror frame, please refer to this original post.

I am only going to show you how this frame differs from the original post.

This frame was much more difficult for my husband to create. We could not just create a frame with straight cuts and not have to worry about how the molding was finished on the sides. Since the frame is adhered to the mirror, we had to determine a way to hide the mirror when looking at it from the side and we also had to finish the crown molding and flat trims (making it into a 90 degree corner) so that it was finish nicely.

We used a smaller crown molding for the top because the bathroom light was tighter to the top of the mirror and we did not think we had room for a large, detailed piece of molding.

In order to hide the side of the mirror, we measured the depth of the mirror and purchased a thin piece of molding that was the exact depth of the mirror. We painted it to match the frame, cut 2 pieces to be the exact height of the mirror and secured them onto the wall on both sides of the mirror.

Using the same techinique as we did in the first post, we created the rest of the frame.

Once the frame was secured, we used some filler (like DAP or caulking) to fill in the seams between all the pieces used to create the frame. This gave the frame a nice finished look. It made the frame look like 1 piece and not a bunch of little pieces stuck together.

The hardest part by far was getting the angles for the crown molding and flat trim. If you search online you can get the exact cutting angles needed to achieve a perfect corner. Remember though, the caulking can hide errors :) ...this we know first hand.

Please let me know if you have any questions. Enjoy!
Stephanie

This little light of mine...well not mine but my sister's

 

My sister is truly amazing.  When she told me about one of here most recent projects I kept thinking about that old show McGyver. You know...the guy who can make anything out of the most basic materials.

Here is how the story played out in my mind. My sister (a.k.a. McGyver) was given a challenge by her tween daughter to create a beautiful light for her bedroom.  McGyver was given one day and only a handful of materials to complete this challenge. Here is what she had to work with: Embroidery hoop, various beads in the tween's color of choice (sparkly white, purple and pink), thin gauge wire, an old lamp base and some spray paint.

You and I would look at this and laugh thinking there is no possible way...but my sister McGyver knew there was a way of doing it!

 McGyver spray painted the old lamp base Heirloom White and while it dried she started to work on creating a beaded shade. She strung a variety of colors and sized beads down one long piece of wire being sure to place a large bead at the bottom for weight.

This strand was then attached to the metal embroidery hoop by simply looping it around, making sure it was the length she wanted. McGyver repeated this step until the embroidery hoop looked 'full.' Then McGyver knew her tween would want some more bling, so she added some beads around the lip of the embroidery hoop.

Now that the shade was done, McGyver set out to create the ceiling light. She cut the plug off the end of the lamp and pulled the chord through the base. She drilled two holes in the base of the lamp so it could be hung onto a standard ceiling light fixture.

Using some more fine gauge wire, McGyver secured the new beaded shade onto the light base.

Another successful mission...McGyver wins again :)

Great job McGyver...oh sorry, I mean Carol!

Linking to some great parties including: Story of A2Z

How to Upgrade your Builder Grade Mirror - Frame it!

I love framed mirrors in the bathroom but I really don't like the idea of ripping out a large builder mirror to replace it with a smaller framed one. Not only is it hurting the environment, it hurts my pocket book. So at our first house we framed our builder grade mirror with some cheap MDF molding and ever since, we have been hooked on this cheap, but with a huge impact, solution.

I saw on Our Suburban Cottage, over a year ago, an amazing mirror that she created in her bathroom. Using her design, my husband was able to create this stunning addition to our master bathroom's mini-reno. I fully intend to redo everything out of this bathroom when time and money permits; but for now we had to do cosmetic changes that have made this bathroom livable for a few years.

We did two bathrooms with this type of frame. This bathroom mirror is between 2 walls so I will give these instructions. When I have some time I will show you how to do a bathroom mirror that is not butted against two walls.

Before (when we bought the house):

After (after some minor and inexpensive changes):

 

Materials needed:
1x4 MDF trim (to go the entire way around the mirror)
Thin trim with one side rounded (2 times the width of the mirror)
Crown molding (the width of the mirror)
Paint
Liquid nails (be sure it adheres to glass!)
Caulking

Method:
Paint all the trim both back and front. You might not think of painting the back side, but take my word, you will see the reflection of the back side in the mirror.  I spray painted the trim and I loved the smooth look; I personally have issues with getting my paint smooth so this was my only option.

Measure (twice) the width of the mirror and cut 2 pieces of 1x4 trim and the rounded trim. Paint the ends that have been cut.

Attach, with liquid nails, one of the rounded trim pieces to the 1 inch side of the 1x4 piece. Be sure to keep the back side of these 2 pieces flush because they will be up against the mirror..a flat surface. Do the same with the other 1x4 and rounded trim (the second glued "trim to 1x4" will be used for the top of the mirror, that I describe below).

 

We then secured the one 1x4 and rounded trim to the bottom of the mirror. We used liquid nails to attach the peice to the mirror and used my son's lego as a support it until it was dry.

After determining exactly where we wanted the top of the frame to be, we measure the distance between the top and the bottom molding and then cut two 1x4 pieces for the sides. These two pieces were then glued to the mirror tight against the bottom piece.

With the second glued "trim to 1x4", we flipped it and glued the crown molding to the opposite side of the 1x4. Once set, this piece was then glued to the top of the mirror. We did put a couple triangle pieces on the back of the crown to give it additional support, but this is optional.

 

My husband caulked the seams to make it the frame seamless and not look like pieces of wood.

Isn't it absolutely AMAZING!?!?  I think in total it cost under $30 to do this frame. Worth every penny in my opinion.

 In total for this mini-renovation we painted the entire bathroom, framed the mirror, replaced the counter top with an in stock piece from Lowes, bought two beautiful raised sinks on clearance at Lowes, purchased 2 new lights from a cheap local store, made some roman blinds out of a scrap curtain and bought a couple new faucets.  These simple things have made a huge difference. I still hate the shower but I can live with it for a few more years :)

Here it is from a few different angles.

Oh and I almost forgot...I made a pendant lamp that hangs above our large soaker tub from a really cheap lamp shade ($10 at Walmart) and a pendant kit from Lowes. I love it too :) It has one low watt bulb it in which is great when you are soaking in the tub. Not much brighter than a few candles but enough to read by.

What do you think? I love it every day I walk into the bathroom.

Answers to the clip questions: There have been questions about the clips holding the mirror on the wall. On all of our mirrors, we have flush/flat metal hooks that holds the mirror to the wall. You can see the metal clip on the photo below, it is immediately below the light. We were able to put the molding right over the hooks without a problem. We know that when we want to remove the mirror we will have to destroy it..the builder glued it to the drywall. If you have the plastic hooks that are not flush (with the screw through them) you will not be able to do this unless you replace them.

1 month, 15 projects, 100s of family hours, $0 = Priceless

It has been 31 days since I stepped foot in a Dollar store, home decor store and craft store! I have not spent a dime on crafts, clothing and home decorating. I am shocked and can't believe it myself!

To start I want by thanking everyone for their words of encouragement over the past month; we have read and enjoyed every comment and email. Just a quick reminder tomorrow is the $0 Budget link party and everyone is invited to stop by to share their ideas.

When my husband and I gave up spending for the month of March, I never thought I would accomplish what I did. I am amazed at how I was dependent on running to the store to buy something in order to complete a project. I just need this or that..but could I do it with what you have one hand? I proved the answer to that is yes.

I will admit it got tough towards the end. I ran out of hot glue pretty early on (I should have planned a little better :) ), I am nearly out of mat Mod Podge and had to resort to glue sicks..horrible little things. I ran out of black spray paint in gloss so I have had to substitute with Satin.  But in the end, shockingly, I still have enough supplies to go one more month (maybe even two-but that is just crazy talk now) which as you know is what I have to do. I am keeping this $0 budget going until Easter.

Not only did I accomplish so many fun and amazing projects this month, I also got so much done around the house. By not going shopping, I had the time to do things I thought I never had the time to do.

• I cleaned, defrosted and used up so much in my freezer. 
• I purged my pantry of all old and expired food (I am embarrassed at how much I had to throw out because it was bad). 
• I cleaned my linen closet and donated old towels and sheets that we haven't used since we moved it. 
• I purged the hundreds of books in my office and donated bags full to a local charity.  
• I cleaned my kids closets and organized a system for laundry. This is a huge step for me because I hate doing laundry!
• We spent many hours playing games and spending time as a family! This is by far the best thing that came out of this month. AMAZING.

Since tomorrow is my big party and I have one more amazing $0 budget post (you will see it tomorrow...it is breathtaking!!!!). I thought today I would do a summary page of my favorite top 10 $0 projects.  Here are my top 10 favorites..let me know if you agree:

#1. The stair basket out of an old cardboard box.

# 2. Custom cutlery drawer divider using hard board.

 

#3. Framing my Favorite Quotes

 #4. Wood Dice out of a 4x4

 

#5. Conversation Cards

 #6. Toilet Paper Roll Art

 #7. Dry Erase Freezer Inventory List

  #8. Magnetic Board with Old Picture Frame and Roofing Flashing

 #9. Recovering Old Photo Albums

 #10. Teacup topiary

My flat screen TV frame is not included in my top 10 but is my absolute favorite for the month.  I can't include it because it was not with a $0 budget. I had purchased the materials a couple of months ago anticipating making it...so I don't think it fits into my top 10 $0 projects. But I will show it to you in case you missed it.

Remember tomorrow (or late tonight) is the $0 Budget party. Please stop by to share all your craft, home decor, gift giving tips, family secrets...anything you want as long as you did it with stuff you had on hand. I am looking forward to seeing ideas that will get me through one more month with a $0 budget!

See you tomorrow.

Stephanie