West Elm Stenciled Curtains Knock-off

Stenciled walls, ceilings, furniture and such are definitely "In" right now. Twenty Something is going to start a new trend with her stenciled curtains. These are a West Elm knock-off.

Twenty Something is also the Knock-off Champion at 733. If you missed, the knock-off link up, you can check it out here for a ton of inspiration!!!!

Last Minute Mother's Day Ideas

I have a few ideas for last minute Mother's Day ideas for you!

A Profittable Life shares this beautiful "Best Mom" printable. It comes in a few different colors! Use it as a card or frame it!

Or there are a few different really cute printables at KiKi Creates. I love this saying about mother's by Abraham Lincoln.

Tattered and Inked has an awesome printable that would make every mother happy! A frame would finish off this sweet saying!

And don't forget to check out the ideas from the Mother's Day Categorically Crafting party (or link up your Mother's Day gift for all of us to see.)

Faux Chenille Applique

Peanut To Princess tried a faux chenille technique on an applique for a shirt. I think it looks fabulous! While a normal giraffe applique would have been cute, this technique adds a lot of texture. Cool idea!

See the faux chenille applique.

Ikea Mirror Knock-off

Sara's Closet shows you how to make a super easy and really cute Ikea knock-off! Looks great on a wall!

See the Ikea mirror knock-off.

Spring Tissue Flower Topiary

Bring spring flowers into your house with these colorful tissue paper flower topiaries. My Own Road shows you how to spruce up your home with this pop of color!

See the Spring Tissue Paper Flower Topiary.

Potting Bench Tutorial

With Spring planting time here, you may want to consider making a potting bench. Not only are these adorable, but they can be a cute outdoor decor item for porches and yards! Backwoods Cottage shares a two-part post about how to build one.

See the Potting Bench Tutorial.

Yesterday's Party Highlights (5)

Here are a few of the lovelies I found in yesterday's party! There are a ton more!!!!

Look at the eye candy in this remodeled kitchen. It's beautiful and Shabby French Cottage did it on a very tight budget!!! I wish my kitchen looked so open and dreamy! She makes those open shelves look so stunning!

I'm drooling over this ornate camera strap cover from Originate and Renovate! It has everything cool - trendy fabric, giant ric rac, rosettes, scrabble tile, ruffles and a button. Wow!!!!

See Kate Sew ALWAYS has outstanding ideas. And who wouldn't love her latest creation of a vintage suitcase chair? It's one of the cutest things I have ever seen!

Make a stylish homemade coat rack with Stephanie@Home. This is a great solution for people who don't have a coat closet near their front or back door.

Zebra stripes are outrageously cool. This drawer set is beautiful! Get the low down on how it was painted at Salvage Savvy! Great painting tips!!!

Check out more links at the Whatever Goes Wednesday party!

2 Paint Chip Wreaths

I'm liking both of these wreaths I saw at yesterday's Whatever Goes Wednesday Party!

This cute paint chip wreath was created by a 13-yr-old at Live. Love. Craft. She's got her own blog! Way to go, Alyssa.

Turn your paint chip samples into this cute wreath made with paint chip flowers. Darling! This was made by AliLily.

****For the record, I do NOT advocate hoarding paint chips for the purpose of crafting. I do think it is a good idea to use paint chips that you have accumulated from painting projects for crafting purposes. Most paint chip projects can also be done using cute scrapbook paper (which I highly recommend.)*******

Giveaway Directory #55

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Here is your best chance at FREE stuff on the web!!! Join these giveaways!!!! If you don't know what this is, the giveaway directory is a place to promote a giveaway on your blog of your "goods" (or even someone else's). Link up the giveaway.

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If you are looking to win free "stuff," visit the other blogs and enter. It's that easy!!!! Some of these giveaways only have a few entries so your chance of winning is great!

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I only leave this link open for 48hrs because giveaways are time sensitive. So if you are going to have a giveaway in the future and want to link it up here, please plan it accordingly:)

Lace Framed Photo

Sorry I don't have a bunch of highlights from the party today. The weather is getting better and we had to have a multi-family BBQ at our house or else Spring would not be here!!!! I'll post a highlight post tomorrow.

This is one idea from the party today that is easy and sweet. Love Stitched glued a little lace around a mat/frame to create a vintage feeling to a photo. What a cute and simple idea.

See the lace framed photo idea.

Whatever Goes Wednesday #64

Welcome to this crazy day of linky love and blog exploration! I love to see what is new out there in blog land. Get started clicking away to view everyone's creations!

GREAT NEWS!!!!!

Thanks to all of you who voted for me! I made it into the top 15 for the Vintage Revival Epic Room Makeover! Now I have to be chosen to be in the top 5. And then, I need you ALL to vote for me so I can breathe easier in my own house. I need a House makeover!!!!

NEW SPONSOR

With all the upcoming summer babies being born and weddings to attend, you may be interested in learning about Aria Bello! You can find reasonably priced tuxedos for boys and blessing/christening gowns for girls. Gorgeous and handmade!

MOST VIEWED LINK LAST WEEK!

With the end of the school year coming so quickly and many schools having Teacher Appreciation Week, it is no wonder the most viewed link last week is something special for teachers! (I used to be a SPED teacher and I loved getting little special gifts from my students!) Head over to TaiDye Originals to download this printable tag for a teacher!

Don't forget to check out the Giveaway Directory tomorrow! It amazes me how few people enter giveaways. This is your chance at free stuff! FYI, this link is only open for two days. If you are going to do a giveaway and want to feature it here, make sure you link it up sometime on Thursday or Friday.

.The Mother's Day Categorically Crafting show is going on right now! Click here to see or add to the great projects. I hope to see ideas for grandmothers, mothers, sisters and women in general. We want to see some great Mother's Day ideas we can use!!!

You know what to do. Enter your project (up to 4 links), tip, idea, recipe, whatever. Visit others. Leave comments. PLEASE NO ETSY SHOPS! Come back again in the next few days more projects are added throughout the week. Let the fun begin! (Because blogging is not my full-time job, I will not be able to visit every link. I apologize.)

Stylish Fenced Garden

I grew up having a very LARGE garden. Where we live, there are deer that come and eat our plants:( I'm loving this little garden/sitting area at Tidbits From The Tremaynes. They dug out some grass and now have a beautiful fenced area for some veggies and herbs and whatever else they want. Plus, there is some built in weed control with the bark! The deer and neighborhoods kids can't trample all over it.

See the stylish fenced garden.

Please go vote for me (#111) at Vintage Revivals for the epic room makeover. I need to win it so my baby's room will be decorated before he arrives!!!! You have until midnight to vote!

Scrapbook Paper Pillow AND Last Chance to Vote For ME!!!!!

Have you ever loved a piece of scrapbook paper so much that you wish they made it into material? This idea from Crafty CPA is awesome. She took the inspiration from a favorite scrapbook paper and turned it into a pillow. You gotta check this out!

See the scrapbook paper pillow.

AND everyone, PLEASE DO ME A FAVOR!!!!! If you enjoy reading my blog, please go to Vintage Revivals and vote for my entry for a room makeover by clicking on the star underneath #111. PLEASE! I'm Begging!!!!

Mini Brad Charms

Lil Blue Boo has a great idea of turning scrapbook brads into necklace and bracelet charms. What a sweet little, easy, inexpensive idea for Mother's Day or any other day!

See the mini brad charm necklace.

How To Style A Bookcase/Shelves

I don't know about you, but my bookcases look messy and cluttered and full of....stuff. When I see beautiful bookcases and shelves, I'm a little jealous at their loveliness. All About Vignettes offers some advice and direction about how to make a bookcase look magnificent and shows some great pictures.

Learn how to style a bookcase/shelving.

Oh So Comfy Skirt Tutorial

This simple, but elegant skirt made by Smashed Peas and Carrots looks so comfortable and easy to make. The waistband looks like heaven. (I even think a pregnant lady like myself could wear it!)

See the "Coming Up Roses Skirt" tutorial.

HI Everyone! If you haven't voted for my entry at Vintage Revivals, I really need YOUR help in making it into the top 15 so I can get a better chance of getting Mandi at Vintage Revivals to come to my house! PLEASE VOTE FOR #111 RIGHT NOW!

I'm desperate! Just go to this post, scroll down to #111 and click on the star below my entry! THANKS SO MUCH!

****If you want to vote for my entry more than once, you have to vote from a different computer. Go to a computer lab:) You can vote for upto 5 entries****

Guest Blogger - Wannabe Crafty - PB-Teen Chalk Movie Sign

I am thrilled to be unveiling my latest crafty project here at Someday Crafts! What an awesome privilege, thank you Michelle!!

Hi! I’m Nicole from Wannabe Crafty, where I blog about all kinds of creative endeavors like sewing, crafts, and home décor. I’m a SAHM to an incredible nine month old boy, and a wife to an absolutely amazing guy. Beyond crafting, I love participating in triathlons and traveling!

It’s hard to choose just a few, but here are some of the tutorials you can find on my blog:

Collapsible Growth Chart

Favorite Baby Boy Neck Tie Pattern

Subway Art… with a Twist

For a complete list, check out my Tutorials page, or my Project Gallery.

Now for today's tutorial!

A PB-Teen CHALK MOVIE SIGN!!

We are a movie-loving family, so when I saw this chalk movie sign from PB Teen, I knew it would add some fun anticipation to family movie nights! The $49 price tag was pretty steep, but I knew I could make it for a fraction of that. In fact, I had most of the supplies on hand so this project cost me just over $5!

(PB’s 18” x 22” dimensions were a bigger than I wanted, so I shrunk all the measurements down by about 70%.)

SUPPLIES:

One 12.5” x 15” piece of wood (3/4” thick)
Two 1.5” x 15” piece of wood (1/4” thick)
(I recommend using actual wood with a smooth surface, not particle board like I did)
One 1” binding post screw
Drill and drill bit the width of the binding post (mine was 13/64”)
(If you don’t have access to a drill, you could glue the top clap piece in place; it just won’t be able to open and shut. If this is the case, you don’t need the binding post)
35” of white vinyl
Black chalkboard paint
E6000 or other craft glue
Sandpaper
(Optional) White acrylic/craft paint

MAKE IT!
The PB chalk movie sign had curved bottom corners, so I took my large wood piece and traced a spray paint can for my cut line, then used my jigsaw to cut the curve. If you don’t have access to a jigsaw it’s no big deal, just leave all your corners square.

Now take your two skinny wood pieces. In order to open/shut the top clap board, the edges of these skinny pieces will need to be cut on an angle. I used my miter box to cut the ends off on a 40 degree angle (because that’s the angle of the white/black stripes on the clap pieces). If you don’t have a miterbox, you can easily accomplish this with a regular hand saw.

Smooth all your edges with sand paper.

Now it’s time for paint! I got my chalkboard paint at JoAnn for $4.20 (with coupon). Make sure to read the manufacturer’s directions because they'll be different from regular paint. I had to wait at least one hour between coats, and then let the paint cure for 24 hours once I was done.

It took me two coats to get full coverage.

After your chalkboard paint has cured, make sure to prime the surface by rubbing a piece of chalk across the entire board. It wipes up easily with a wet rag. If you don't, everything you write will leave behind a ghost sketch even after it's cleaned.

Once your paint is dry, it’s time to assemble the sign. Position your bottom clap piece 1.25” below the top of the large wood piece and glue it in place.

Now take your binding post and your drill. This is what a binding post looks like. One piece is long, smooth, and hollow. The other is short and has screw threads. I got mine in the hardware section of Lowe's for $1.

Use a scrap piece of wood to make sure your chosen drill bit is the correct size for your binding post.

Line up the top clap piece so it's flush against the one you just glued down, and drill a hole like this:

Place the long, smooth post through the hole from the front of the chalk movie sign. The shorter, screw-like piece goes through the back. Tighten as desired. Mine is tight enough that the top clap piece will stay in position if I leave the it up, but loose enough that I can still hinge it open and shut.

You're almost finished. Now it's time to cut and apply your vinyl. If you have a Silhouette and want the cut file I used for this project, shoot me an email at nicole(at)wannabecrafty(dot)com. At 35”, it is a long run of vinyl but I show you a little Silhouette secret in this post about how to cut it all in one piece. If you are cutting the vinyl by hand or with another digital cutter, remember that the stripes on the clap pieces are angled at 40 degrees.

To apply the stripes, first remove the binding post. Start from the hinged end and place your first white stripe right over the binding post hole, then make a slit in the vinyl over the hole and replace the binding post.

If you want to, add a dab of white paint to the binding post to help it blend in more.

Apply vinyl to the main part of the movie sign.

If you have any vinyl that hangs over the edges, just turn the movie sign upside down and trim off the excess vinyl with an exacto knife.

That’s it!! Now you have a super cute PB-style accessory for your home theater J. Now I really need to get me some of those wet erase chalk markers!

I also thought it would be fun to make these a little smaller for kids to play with. I sure messed around with my parents’ video camera a lot growing up and would have absolutely loved to feel “official” with my own movie clapboard! Simply change the vinyl text to say “Director, Take” etc. and you have the perfect gift for your little Hollywood Star in the making!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this tutorial! Please come visit me at Wannabe Crafty!! Thanks so much for having me, Michelle!

Thanks, Nicole! What a fun project! I know a couple of teens and tweens who would love to have one of these. Head over to Wannabe Crafty to see more excellent projects. Her bathroom projects are adorable!!!!