Large Twine Balls

I've seen homemade twine balls all over the web.

The one that really caught my eye was this tuturial over at Domestically Speaking.

I wanted a piece of that action, but I wanted them to be MUCH bigger for a larger impact.
So instead of using regular balloons, I used those cool punching balloons for kids.

Then instead of soaking my twine in a glue/water mixture, I used just regular glue. It needed a tougher hold.

I wrapped it around my balloon...

Waited for it to dry....

and POP!

hehe...

I made two of them and stuck them up on my bookshelf.

Ya like?

Hey, there's that faux window that I was supposed to do something with. Yeah, I obviously still haven't figured out what I'm doing with it.

Oh well, one of these days I'll do something to it.

It's the Little Things that Count

I've always said "It's all in the details" or "It's the little things that count."

Why is a house beautiful?

Sure, maybe you were blessed with a great grand staircase. But would that staircase really be that "grand" without all the intricate details in the gorgeous, well-thought-out architecture?

Didn't think so...

My house is plain. Plain Jane.

My problem is that I LOVE architecture! I could spend days in every city's historic district, just soaking in the beautiful architecture.

My house barely has any baseboard. I know, what house doesn't have baseboard?! Mine....yep.


No baseboard.......ugh.
Carpet covered unfinished REAL hardwood floors.....ugh.
Laminate "wood" covering REAL hardwood.....ugh.
An uninsulated AND non-sealed house addition....ugh.
Windows that are literally glued shut....ugh.

Woah, I'm getting way off base!
Anyways...a little time invested in bulking up trim can really add value to your home!
And my husband bought me a tool that can add trim without replacing (hence more major demo-ing) and trim.

I bought corner caps from Menards, and primed them right off the bat.

I put my corner cap UNDER my trim to mark where to cut (not over! Those measurements will be wrong!)

This is my Rockwell Sonicrafter. Check out the website to see all the things this powerhorse can do!

I began to cut through the trim.

Be careful to ONLY cut trim!! Yes, I realize that the corner is completely covered in cobwebs. Hehe.

Use a prybar or flat head screwdriver to pry the pieces out of the corner.

And you should have a hole like this...

Then apply wood glue to the parts of the corner post that will be touching the walls and ceiling, insert it into your hole from the bottom, then nail (toenailing!) it in place.

I use wood putty to seal everything in. Many people use caulk, but I'm not a fan of the stickiness.

After that has dried, carefully paint it, and you're set!

It's not a huge, oh-my-gosh, type change, but by adding trim here and there through your house, you just might be able to achieve that "grand staircase" you've always imagined!

It's Alive!

Woohoo! I'm going to have fresh herbs!
I think the last time I grew something from a seed was in elementary school...

They're looking good ;)

How NOT to Make a Candle

Why all the crafts lately? I have discovered Edin. My Utopia. Yes, I'm talking about Hobby Lobby!
WOW! I heard that place rocked, but I didn't know how truly awesome and incredible that place really is!

Since it is now past my mother's birthday, I can officially show you what I made her.

I started out with these supplies.

I put the wax crystals in a Ziploc bag. Then I slowly dumped my sample of perfume/cologne in it. Bonus if it's the same perfume/cologne that they wear!
Shake it all up for a while.

Put the wick in your votives and start slowly filling it with your wax crystals.

Put that in your oven on a cookie sheet on 170 degrees until the wax is melted.

Don't worry, the glass won't explode at this low temperature!

Let that cool. You can tell it's done when it is no longer transparent.

Cut the wick to size.

Then I ran some contact paper through the Cricut to spell out my mom's name.

Then I carefully put the contact paper on the face of the votive.

Then I used etching cream to engrave it.

You can find this stuff at Hobby Lobby ;)

And wouldn't you know it, I forgot to take an "after" picture before I wrapped it.

Okay, I'm going to tell you right now. This is NOT the right way to make a candle!! The insides sank like a cake taken out of the oven too early! I was graciously told by my much wiser step-dad that candles should be poured in layers. OOOooohhhh....so that's what those metal pouring cans were for.....

Anyways, it still wasn't bad for my first candle-making attempt.

As I've found in the past, most of my best accomplishments are made from my past's worst failures.

Plus, she's my mom. She will always love all my "iNperfections" ;)

My Own Pegboard

After making the message board for the giveaway, it made me realize that I really needed a new one.
This is the one that I've had for years:

It was just getting too small.

So I spied out this frame on clearance at Walmart.

I LOVE the medalion in the middle!

But this darn frame had a ledge of wood so that it would be more like a shadowbox. So that had to come out.

Then the tiny nails holding the wood in had to come out.

Then I gave it the same burlap treatment as my giveaway pegboard.

And now I have a much more beautiful pegboard!

Before

After

Now I just have to make those cute button thumbtacks and I'll be all set!

Sara from So Cute by Sara- You are the winner to the Pegboard Giveaway, but you need to contact me or else a new winner will be picked this Saturday! Click "Contact Me" above and shoot me and email!