Angel Moroni String Art

String art has circulated throughout Pinterest, and I was sucked in by it. I showed my husband some of the pictures online and he came up with the idea to make our Mom's an Angel Moroni string art for Christmas. We worked on it together, and did our own for our mom. They turned out a little different, but that's what made them unique and the perfect homemade gift. 

Here's what you will need to make your own: 

• String (We used gold embroidery floss, but any color will work)
• Short nails 
• A board (We used old barnwood, but you can buy precut wood from craft stores or have a board cut for free at Home Depot)
• A silhouette of the shape you want to make

I printed out the shape to the size I wanted it and taped it down to the board. Then I got to hammering the nails in so they were about halfway in the wood and halfway out. I spaced them about a centimeter apart from each other. (My husband did his a little further apart and hammered the nails in further.) This project can be done however you think looks good. I then ripped the paper out, tied a knot on one of the nails and started randomly stringing it. Then tie it off and you are done!

If you are confused on who Angel Moroni is, you can learn more here. 

New Job // New Life

Hello world!

I feel like this is the longest day of my LIEEEFE. (That was "life" in a really dramatic tone).

But it was super great.

Today I started my job. Day one, uno, number 1! It was full of HR packets, tax information, insurance policies, and a history on my company. Yum.

But look at me and the hubster:

We have the most awesome opportunity to work for the same company. Different floors, but lunch together is definitely an option most days. How sweet is that?! We are legit coworkers for an awesome company. Power couple say what?! Just kidding but really it is so exciting to get out in the work field.

After work today, I got to come home to a full night of grad school homework. Ick. Plus I now have to figure out dinner, cleaning, and crafternoon time so I can blog awesome shtuff! (Obvs my husband is awesome and has already started taking over a ton of housework stuff).

First and foremost though, my husband will come first, next my job and work, so sadly my blog will be on the back burner for a while. No that doesn't mean I will quit blogging. I am still here, alive and well. You just may not see me as much. Sniffle sniffle. Come May, I will be finished with my masters degree and ready to take on the blogging world again with a BANG!

Okay, maybe I will still be blogging just as much. Maybe I'll be seen in the halls at work typing a crafternoon post on my phone of a craft I made at my desk out of paper clips and washi tape. Oh or shredded paper and staples with a few rubber bands thrown in there. Who knows where this new journey will take me?

Until next time :)

Polka Dots for Days-- DIY Coffee Table Tray

Hello! 

I hope you are all going out tonight to a pumpkin patch while eating carmel apples! Cliff and I will be going to a foodie fest here in Las Vegas with some of the top food trucks in the nation! I'm stoked. 

I am also stoked to share this super easy and adorable DIY project. Cliff and I recently got this coffee table for FREE. Immediately after receiving it I knew I wanted to put a tray on it. After searching for the perfect one, I wasn't satisfied with how they looked or the price tags on the trays I loved. I decided to do what I do best and craft one! 

So here we go! I scored this tray at goodwill for a couple bucks. It was black to begin with. It wasn't ugly, but I wanted to spruce it up a bit. I started by using some left over primer from my desk to entertainment center redo found here if you haven't seen it. Zinsser cover stain primer is my personal fav. This just covers up the black and allows for the paint to stick. 

          

I decided to do white and gray so I painted a few coats of paint. I just used craft paint, but any type would work. I taped off the edges of the white just to give it a clean look before I painted the gray.

Then I used a round foam brush to polka dot away! I started one row at a time. NO formal measuring required, just a good eyeball to make sure it's even.

I wanted it to look a little worn with love so I used sandpaper to sand the actual dots and the corners and edges of the tray. 

 

I topped it off with some flowers, a thrifted old book, and a candle. Tada! Project complete!

October Time Crafternoon

October is here! Time to bring out the scarves, cardigans, costumes, and pumpkin flavored EVERYTHING! Okay, confession time.. I have been burning my B&BW Pumpkin Latte candle and eating pumpkin cupcakes, pumpkin doughnuts, pumpkin spice hershey kisses, and pumpkin cookies since the middle of September. I couldn't help myself! Even though the weather here in Las Vegas is still warm enough for me to lay out by the pool, I am trying to create my own season of fall. I can't get enough of fall and Halloween! Oh and Hocus Pocus! Can't wait to watch it.

So with that said, I thought I would share some of the October/Fall love with a quick crafternoon pumpkin tutorial. (What's a crafternoon you might say? It's simply crafting in the afternoon. Or any time really).

What you need:

Tacky Glue

Glitter

Plastic Pumpkins

Paint

Small Foam Brush

So my pumpkins started out looking like this. Not so pretty. Of course I thrifted them for cheap.

I started by cutting off the awful leaf and curly bit. I then used an old brush to paint on tacky glue. I used a paper bag underneath to reuse the extra glitter because when you're using glitter, it's gonna get messy. I went for a gradual ombre type look for this pumpkin.

 

 

For the other pumpkin, pictures didn't really happen... My bad. It was easy enough to cover the pumpkin with a few coats of white paint. I then applied the tacky glue in a circle on the pumpkin, sprinkled with glitter, and bam.. Two chic pumpkins right in time for the holidays.

 

        

   

Stay tuned for more Halloween tricks and treats!