The Wood Connection Guest Blog: Map Wall

I am glad to back blogging for The Wood Connection again. My blog for today is based on something that I love. I'm sure many of you feel the same way that I do. I think this quote is a perfect introduction into my project, “The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” –St. Augustine."

I love, love, love to travel. I haven't been to as many places as I would like, but that is why my Map project comes in handy. I have noticed an increase in map pins on my Pinterest account. I myself have been a map lover since elementary school. I have loved having maps around and being able to identify places on them. I wanted to come up with a cute idea, that I could keep on my walls, and remind of where I've been, and where I plan on going. 

To see the full project head over to The Wood Connections blog.

I hope you love this project as much as I do. Now, the real kicker, I bet you want to make them yourself! For that purpose the girls over at The Wood Connection have been generous enough to offer a $25 gift certificate to one of you. Follow the simple instruction below, and remember to leave a comment on my blog!

For one entry follow me on facebook:http://www.facebook.com/ThriftyAndNiftyChica?ref=hl

For a second entry follow my blog.

For a third entry, tweet, or include this project in a status update on facebook.

Don't forget to leave a comment on THIS blog telling me what you did. 

Apologies and Crayon Art

I can't believe it has been so long since I posted anything. I must apologize, I have been extremely overwhelmed by this summer. But, as you can see I still had a little time to whip out something that has been on my to do list since I saw it on Pinterest. I loved how it turned out. 

I was actually a really easy project. I started by sorting through all of my parents left over crayons. I then hot glued them to my canvas. I suggest taking the project outside for the next step. Then use a blow dryer and melt those babies till you like what you see. then you have a very colorful crayon art canvas to display as you please!

Spring has Sprung

 I feel bad, it has been an extremely long time since I blogged. I'm a major slacker. Sorry. I have been working on crafts with my Aunt for her girls room. These little girls LOVE pink! I think they like it as much as I do. I love how easy and thrifty it is to dress up anything with a few felt flowers. Their mirror now adds such a pop of fun to this room.

 Initially we were going to paint this wall into a flower garden, then I got the Silhouette Cameo. Oh how ideas changed. I simply cut out some flowers and made the stems myself. It turned out so cute. The girls now have their small reading garden.

Slowly, the growth chart is getting done. I saw this one on The Wood Connection blog. I suggested to my Aunt that she pick up a board and I would cut out the vinyl. She is going to go back and put all of the kids heights on the board. It's quite the process when you have 5 kids!

I promise not to slack anymore on the blogging. I have some fun projects in the works and I can't wait to share them with you.

Winner, Winner

StacyApr 23, 2012 11:56 AM

I love this! I want one in my own house!

Stacy, I will email to get your address and send you the gift certificate. I can't wait to see what you make! 

Check back for more giveaways coming soon. 

Guest Post: Distressed Cake Stand

I am ecstatic to be guest blogging over at The Wood Connection today. I am lucky enough to share with you one of my favorite techniques for making something new look old.

This is one of the easiest and most fun ways to quickly distress your new projects. Aren’t you so excited to see how to save time on your next project? You will need a base coat and a top coat. As you can see I was super anxious to get started and forgot to take a picture of just my supplies. I used a 12x12 , 9x9 and a 7x7 board. To create the layered look, I grabbed two of the short candlesticks. For the top I grabbed on of the big finials and they were kind enough to trim off the bottom so I had a flat edge to work with. It's going to be so cute!!

For your base coat you can use anything… Acrylic, latex and I have even tried spray paint.  I used acrylic here because it’s cheap, I had some on hand and it dries pretty quickly.  

First you want to put a coat of your base color on any surface that you want to peek through.  I like to distress the edges and corners so that is what I did.  You can paint the whole thing if you want it more distressed.

After that dries it’s time for the secret ingredient…… your Vaseline!  I said it, Vaseline!

I bought a tube of it in the baby section at Wal-mart. I think the tube is easier for application, otherwise you could have a real mess on your hands. Speaking of hands, they will be super soft after doing this. Yay!

Don't you love my trendy table protector? Yes, I use what I can get my hands on when the newspaper runs out.

I like to rub a little vaseline on any surface I want to show through my top coat.  Again I did my corners and edges but you can add more or less depending on the look you are trying to go for.  The Vaseline will keep your top coat from sticking.

I don't know if you can tell but it looks kinda greasy. 

After you have applied the Vaseline, its time to get your top coat ready. I used the Ivory Acrylic paint for the top coat. Depending on how dark you want it you may need two coats. 

Now let that dry for awhile. Once it is dry it’s time for the exciting part. Distressing!  I used a sanding block to distress mine.  Just rub your corners lightly to reveal the base coat.  The more you sand it the more awesome it will look.  Just sand it until you are pleased with the look!  So Nifty!

I love the old look. It reminds of something I could pick up at the consignment store, or at a cool flea market on the East Coast.

Next, we have to assemble the stand. I used a good wood glue and a ruler to make sure I got things all lined up. 

You may need a few eyes to look at the sides while you move things around and get them lined up. 

Make sure you let them all dry for awhile before you lift them up and move it around. Voila! You have an amazingly versatile cake stand/display stand. 

You can use if for many different displays. I tried to give you an idea of all the things you could do. I imagine that you are all very creative so you can come up with loads of ways to use it. 

Now for even more exciting news! The Wood Connection has given me a $25 gift certificate to giveaway. Leave a comment on  my blog  by Friday April 27th at midnight to enter the giveaway. For an extra entry follow my blog, and let me know in your comment. I will pick a winner at random, please leave your email address so I can email the winner.

S'more Bar and Spa Night

For my Church I an in charge of all of the Women's Activities. Last September I came up with the idea for a Spafondue night. It was a huge success. I decided that this spring we should try it again, but this time I wanted to give the girls another treat. S'mores! 

 I had heard that strawberries and banana slices were wonderful on S'mores. We tested it and agree. They are Wonderful!

 I soaked the end of the skewers in water for about 1/2 and hour, and then I felt like they were ready to face the flame.

 I just lit two cans of Sterno or chaffing dish fuel, and let the girls slowly cook their marshmallows. Although some tended toward the pyromaniac side of things, and we saw a few flaming mallows. I think it was a very safe way to cook them in the house.  

 The theme of the night was to realize that your worth is great. We must acknowledge our identity as daughters of God, and we have great worth, and a divine nature. We are beautiful. I got the free printable for Mormon Mommy Blog. It was perfect for our event. 

Fun was had by all. It was another great success. I recommend you all try a S'more bar for your next party. Try it, you won't regret it.