Too Much time on my hands: December 2011

Get Schooled Saturday #4

Who is ready for a PAR-TAY?

It is time for

Get Schooled Saturday

Where you get a chance to "school" us on all the cool projects, recipes, tricks, crafts, and other nonsense you have been up to this past week.

Before we get started let's check out the top viewed links from the last party. If you were featured, grab a button.

At The Picket Fence

The Cargile Family

The Blue Velvet Chair

21 Button Inspiration Projects

A to Being Creations

OK people, let us have it. No rules, link up whatever floats your boat! Here is a button you can display if you feel so inclined.

Labels: get schooled saturday

8-Track Tape Clock Tutorial

What up my 70's loving friends?

I told you I snatched every last 8-Track tape my thrift store had in stock. The clerk was impressed that I still had an 8-Track player and when I told her that sadly I did not, but I was going to turn these tapes into I-Pod docks and clocks she looked at me like I had a screw loose.

Well, maybe I do, but WHATEVS!

Check out this rad clock!

It's the soundtrack from the movie Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid starring Robert Redford and Paul Newman-AWESOME

The tapes I used for my I-Pod docks popped apart so easily, however I almost chopped off more than one finger trying to pry this case apart at the beginning of this project!

TMTOMH can not be held responsible if you try this at home.

I used every pokey and sharp device I could to pop this son of a *$%@# apart. I am shocked I actually got it apart without breaking it.

I emptied it all out and the kids got crazy with the 17 miles of tape found inside...again. Apparently that game never gets old:)

Lucky for me there was already a small hole in the center. So I snipped off the bracket

and used the scissors to twist and turn and scrape to enlarge the hole to fit my clock parts.

again,,,please don't do this at home and hurt yourself

Then I popped in the clock insides

and attached the hands.

Now, I will admit, I was stumped at this crossroads in my project and this little clock sat just this way for about a month. I tried mounting it on a piece of wood and it just didn't look right. So I decided to paint a $1 IKEA photo frame black and I epoxied the tape to the edge of the frame.

I desperately wanted a way to attach the back of the tape as well, so the clock would look cool from both sides, but I just couldn't figure it out. I tried hinges, velcro, hooks. But nothing looked good, attached securely, AND was removable for battery replacement. So I decided to use a weathered piece of scrapbook paper in the actual photo slot.

I will probably try to find a print of the album cover to use instead. But it does look fun for sure!

Anyone need to keep some retro time?

Come on all you creative and inventive people out there. What else could I do with these tapes? I still have 3 from my first purchase and I grabbed 3 more the other day. I am determined to use these nostalgic and fun tapes for some cool projects!

Labels: "green", projects, tutorials

A New Pallet Sign

I've been chopping up everything I can get my hands on since my exciting purchases. I'm making quick work of all the pallets in my garage and here is a sign I made for a friend's family who just bought a mountain house.

I printed out 2 vintagey looking prints, mod podged them onto each side, and then roughed them up to match the lettering.

I cut one pallet into 4 equal pieces and am making 4 signs.

I used my trusty carbon sheets (which are lasting forever by the way) to transfer my wording and the coordinates of Breckenridge.

I am loving the blue with the color of the wood.

I used regular old latex wall paint that is leftover from other projects and then finished the entire piece with one coat of poly urethane to protect it a bit and still keep it rustic.

Painting these signs is so soothing and peaceful to me. Probably, my favorite thing to do of all my crafty stuff. I just zone out and my mind wanders. By the time I finish I feel more relaxed than when I started. Guess that's why I keep making them:)

Labels: "green", projects

Musique Box

I may be turning into a hoarder.

My husband, Ian, just shakes his head every time he walks into our garage and sees "My corner."

I keep accumulating things and slowly our guest room in the basement and the garage are filling up with "treasures" or as Ian calls it, "stuff." One little nugget that slipped deep into my corner was a small wooden toolbox looking thing. I needed something "Non-Christmasy" to work on and this was just the ticket.

I painted the box with my homemade mix of blue, black and white chalk paint.

Then I Mod-Podged vintage music sheets on the end caps of the box. I have REALLY gotten some use out of the 2 music books I bought for $1. I made this, and this, and this.

Then, I used carbon paper to transfer the word, "musique" onto the front and painted it with black craft paint.

Then, I scuffed up the edges and waxed the entire thing with ASCP clear and dark wax.

I sure do like it filled with pine cones and I think it is going to look great in my living room this winter!

Labels: projects

Love My "New" Chairs

Back at it with the chalk paint! This time I had to try black. When I visited and toured The Little Black Chair warehouse,

they were working on an A-MA-ZING black armoire.

So, I decided this pair of cruddy chairs could use the black homemade chalk paint treatment.

$2.95 each baby! What a steal

I mixed up the chalk paint myself using this secret recipe. I gave each chair one coat because I have been reading only one coat is OK with chalk paint. I think it is probably OK with the real Annie Sloan chalk paint, but for my DIY version I will be sticking with 2 coats from now on.

After the paint was dry and I roughed up the edges, I went ahead and used only the dark wax to antique it.

The fabric was another remnant from Hancock. $5 for a yard, which covered both chairs.

So, including the paint, fabric, the chairs came in at about $15 for the pair all said and done.

I like the price and they look AWESOME in my dining room!

Ahh, the dining room with the hideous green walls. I am plotting a Christmas takeover and going to do a stenciled wall in there over vacation! No, you're right, you have never seen me stencil before, "but go big or go home", right? I am doing the entire wall baby!

Labels: furniture, projects

Good Morning Sunshine!

Happy Day after Christmas. I always like today because it is usually an actually restful day. All the Christmas craziness is over and I get to sleep late and be lazy all day!

But not this year. We are flying back to Colorado tonight. I must say the flight out to PA went better than I had anticipated, I am just crossing fingers that this time one or both of the kids actually sleeps for a smidge of this 4 hour jaunt across the country.

During my relaxing and lovely stay with my family I had lots of time to play around and look at everyone's great ideas. Here are my faves from this past week. If I featured you go on and grab a cutie button....I have a few to choose from :)