New calendar

This used to be how our family kept track of all the things that we had going on in the month or week but after my window project I didn't have a big frame anymore and didn't feel like spending money on a new one so I had to come up with a cheap yet great alternative:)

Here's what I came up with, I had a bunch of frames from a previous decorating project that I wasn't using anymore so I painted them green and distressed them. I used vinyl for the lettering and turned the two smaller frames into windows.

For the calender I stuck the grid and the days of the week on the paper inside the frame so that I could easily change the month that's on the front of the glass. I also got a bunch of old broken bits of pallets from a wood factory in our village and I used a stencil to write 'The good life ' on one of the pieces I got, there's also a little bumble bee on the sign but it's a bit hard to see.

I had a nice picture of Rothenburg in Germany that we bought last time we visited the city and thought I'd make another 'window' and put the picture in the frame.

I couldn't get a shot of the whole thing because it's in a very narrow hallway that also never gets any light but it's right next to our front door so we can't miss it:)

Linking to these parties:

Moss topiary tutorial

Still trying to bring more spring into our home I decided to finally make a topiary. I had plans to make one with fabric flowers for months now, even bought the fabric and everything but it just seemed too time consuming, so I went with the moss idea I saw in a store.

Supplies you'll need:
pot holder
Styrofoam ball
the foam stuff you use to poke flowers into (that long rectangle thingy in the picture)
dowels
fake moss
fake flowers
glue gun

The top picture isn't completely accurate because I ended up getting a darker moss and smaller fabric flowers. I also thought I'd paint my dowels but I was too tired so I made it as simple as possible. you could be a lot more creative with this project!
I started by using my hot glue gun to glue the moss to the Styrofoam ball, mine isn't really well covered, you can see some white bits but the moss wasn't really cheap so I only bought one small bag.

I then held 3 dowels together and pocked them into the ball and the other ends went into the gray foam stuff which I had cut to size so it would fit in my pot.
I covered the bottom with the lighter moss and glued little pink flowers to the topiary. Have a nice week end!

'old' window tutorial

I've been looking for an old barn window for ages now, it is almost impossible to find one since most houses dont have windows with wooden frames in Switzerland. I went to thrift stores, ask farmers if they had anything lying around, I even went to a company who makes windows just because someone told me to ask there...oh and I checked the local dump....but no luck. I'm not exactly a patient person so I came up with an idea to make a window myself:) I like how it turned out but I especially love that it only cost me 3 dollars to make!

What you'll need is a frame the size that you want your window to be, I was lucky to have a frame just the right size, I was using it as our planner/grocery list so after the window project I had to come up with a new planner (I'll be posting about that later). You'll also need long thin pieces of wood from your local hobby store (or thick depending on the effect you're looking for). Mine where triangle shaped but I'd also bought some flat ones which I ended up using for another window I made later. Then you'll need paint, I used dark brown for the base coat and my favorite off white for the top coat. You'll also need some strong glue and sand paper.
To start decide what you want your window to look like, so where you want to place your sticks. Then just cut them with a hand saw, I also used my miter box which made things a lot easier. So the main part is just a lot of measuring and sawing. Oh and I just did a straight cut, I didn't cut anything at an angle.


My frame was already dark brown so I just went and put the top coat on it making sure to paint the back, the front and the inside of the frame!!
Then I gave my sticks a dark brown base coat, I didn't worry about painting anything very well since I was going to sand everything down later. In some places I even left big blotches of paint so when I sanded over it it just came all off and gave it a nice old look.
Once all my coats of paint were dry...painting took most of the day, I sanded ALL the edges of the frame and the sticks....this took a bit of time as well.
Once the sanding was over I glued the mirror to the inside of the frame and after about an hour (just to make sure it was properly dry and wouldn't pop out as soon as I applied pressure) I glued all my sticks to the front of the mirror.
And you're done! I think it looks pretty authentic, but that's just my opinion.


I could have sanded it even more but my arms where in pain and quite honestly I love distressing but not when it's too much.
I had dried a few of the roses that my husband got me for valentine's day and I thought they looked better upside down than right side up so I attached them to the back of my window (frame) with some push pins. I hope you enjoyed this project!!


Linking up to: Under the table and dreaming
I love naptime
Shanty 2 chic

Just got featured!

A little bit of spring

I was at my favorite hobby/gardening store the other day looking for supplies for another project that I will be sharing with you shortly, I think was having a very creative day because I ended up leaving the store with supplies for at least 5 projects instead of just the one. The most expensive item I bought that day was that adorable watering can on the right! I love how the whole thing turned out with very little effort...now we just have to see how long the flowers will last....I have a bad history.
The idea for this project came to me when I saw this piece of fence for only 5 euros (about 6 dollars)!
I made a vinyl stencil using my silhouette, of course and placed the words where I wanted them on my fence. Oh, and don't forget to keep the inside of the letters so you can stick those on your project as well!
The I used my favorite off white color which is a very thick varnish with a satin finish and used a special stencil brush to dab the paint inside the letters.
I waited until it was completely dry before removing the stencil and then I went over the paint with some sand paper to give it a more rustic look and flatten out some of the letters that got too much paint.
I bought some cheap potted plants and just left them in the pot they came with, just your basic terracotta colored plastic pot.


I think the stencil adds a nice touch but I'm sure it would look nice without it as well so go on and give it a try!

linking to: the shabby nest and I love naptime

Featured!

I know I haven't posted anything in a while, but I have tons of projects I'm working on right now so I'll be posting soon. I just wanted to announce that my post on pillow stenciling was featured on Totally Tutorials! How exciting!:) Have a great day!