DIY: Monogram Door Hangers

Well, I did not one craft but TWO crafts in the same day.  I've been wanting to spruce up our home a bit and trying to get as much organization done before the summer was over.   I've been wanting to make some door hangers for our front and back entrances of our town home. Our doors were so lonely as I only really put a hanger out during the winter...don't judge me. I was looking for something that could stay up during the spring and summer months.  

I started at one of my fave places, Hobby Lobby.  They usually have a great assortment of things that I can use for my crafts.  It was definitely my favorite place when completing DIY projects for our wedding.  I apologize in advance that I got a little too excited and started things before I took pictures, but I'll explain what I used and did.  

Materials: 

• Wooden letter
• Spray Paint or Paint and paint brush
• Drop Cloth (or plastic bag)
• Glue gun
• Ribbon

After one coat

First, I needed to decide which type of letters I wanted.  Hobby Lobby (and I'm sure JoAnn's and Michael's have them too) had a nice assortment. I decided on unfinished wood letters because I could choose any color I wanted.  They are a little rough so you many want to sand them if that suits your needs. I didn't personally.  Next, choose any color paint you want.  I went with yellow because it is a spring/summer color and matches with our living room decor.  I ended up using 3 coats of paint, letting each coat dry in between.  One thing that you should know is that the unfinished wood soaks up the paint, which is why I used 3 coats.  






I let these dry overnight (I made two) and came back in the morning to apply the ribbon. Again, I got a little happy and forgot to take pictures.  You now need your ribbon and glue gun.  This is where you have to use your own judgment.  Please take into account how far you want your monogram to hang and measure accordingly.  I kind of eyeballed it and I cut 2 pieces of ribbon the same length.  I turned my dry letter over and placed the ribbon on each side of the letter, in a slightly diagonal pattern.  This was to help evenly distribute the weight. 

I then TRIED to tie a nice pretty bow on top and hung it on the door.  I still need to work on it.  Finished products!

   

Try to make a hanger and let me know how it turns out!

Happy Crafting! :)

DIY: Chalkboard Mirror

So, I got my crafty itch back.  I've been doing some cleaning around the house and wanted to do something to spruce up the place a bit.  I've also wanted a chalkboard to put in the kitchen.  We had a vinyl one but the application ended up being crappy and I got tired of looking at it.  Sooooo, naturally I perused on Pinterest to see what I could find.

My first project was a chalkboard mirror.  I already knew how to do one of these because this had been a plan on mine for a year now.  I went to Target and picked up a Room Essentials door mirror for $5.99.  A steal right?!  It is a cheapie mirror but it's perfect for the purpose of this project. I chose the black frame because all the picture frames in the kitchen are black.  I already had chalkboard spray paint at home, so that was all I needed.

I came home and went to work.  I just laid the mirror down and spray painted the reflective portion.  I ended up using two coats, letting each coat dry in between.  It helped that it was 80 degrees outside!

   

The next day, I brought the board in the house and primed it.  Priming is when you take a piece of chalk and lay it sideways and cover the whole board with chalk. You then take a dry, lint-free rag and wipe the board.  It is then ready to use!  This step is really important because without priming, you could have your writing or image be imbedded in the paint...and you don't want that!

And voila, here is the finished product:

It's a nice place to put quotes, leave messages for the Hubbs or to make a grocery or pantry list.  I actually got this quote from the Fixer Upper show and I think it fit perfectly for our home for the week!  I challenge you to make your own and comment on your experience, why not post a picture?!

Happy Crafting! :)