Infarrantly Creative

Giveaway: Silhouette Cameo + Tote

Beckie — Thu, 24 May 2012 13:42:00 +0000

It is Silhouette giveaway time!!! But before we get to that….this month’s promotion is for the rolling travel tote. I actually travel quite frequently with my Silhouette. In fact, I am going to Chicago for Memorial Day weekend so my Silhouette is all packed up ready to go with me. If you are going to make the investment of buying the Silhouette and you plan to use it outside of your home I highly recommend the rolling tote. $54.99 is an awesome price for this. I paid $60!

Using this link you can purchase the rolling tote for $54.99 or the Silhouette Cameo and the Tote for $309.99.

But one lucky IC reader will get one for free!

Giveaway details below…

Some of my other friends have a Silhouette giveaway going now too hop on over and enter them all:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Adding Curb Appeal

Beckie — Wed, 23 May 2012 17:08:00 +0000

As one of the Lowe’s Creative Ideas bloggers I get the opportunity every month to receive a gift card to do home projects. Each month we are challenged with a specific area of our home. This month’s challenge is adding curb appeal. I was so grateful for this challenge because I have lived in this house for 4 years and we have not done a single thing to the outside of our house. All of the time, energy, effort and money went into the inside. It is time to match the exterior of my home to the beauty of the interior.

The Plan:

1. Upgrade light fixtures

2. Repaint shutters

3. Add some flower pots

4. Trim back shrubs

The exterior light fixtures on our house were the builder basic brass lights. Over the years the sun has burned them and the wind had loosened them, not to mention, we were too lazy to replace the bulbs so they weren’t working.

With my gift card I purchased 4 new black lantern type lights (Brand: Portfolio $29 each) and changed out the old brass light fixtures. That made a huge difference.

Up next was repainting my shutters. After a terrible Indiana hailstorm our roof needed to replaced. So last year while I was getting a new roof I had them take down the shutters for me to paint. Umm….yah…that was last June. Yikes! So our house sat naked without shutters for almost a year. I finally got around to painting (tutorial soon!) the faded purple vinyl shutters to black.

I purchased a barrel planter, potting soil and some flowers to add some color to the front.

Then we trimmed up the shrubs in the front.

I want to rip out these three large shrubs and add some prettier landscaping. But, to be honest, I know nothing about landscaping and plants so I might have to get some help on this one.

But I think the few changes I made really ramped up our curb appeal. What do you think?

Just like the interior of my house the projects are never done. I would like to repaint the front door, add a tree ring around the little tree with some flowers inside of that. I would also love to rip out the shrubs and add some more color there with some flowers and maybe some hostas.

Do you have any advice for that front bed? I would love to learn from those who are more knowledgeable about landscaping.

Disclaimer: I received a Lowes gift card to do these projects.

Planting a Raised Garden Bed

Beckie — Tue, 22 May 2012 01:12:20 +0000

I have had gardens in the past. In fact every year since we moved to Indiana until I had Kayla I had a garden. Isaac loved gardening with me. Here is a post kicking way back showing Isaac with some of our garden treasures.

That year I had Kayla I was too tired to do a garden. But now she is at the age where I knew she would love gardening with me. So I decided to do raised cedar beds. I started out small with only 4 cedar boxes. I figured if I set myself up right even if I had to take a break for a year the beds could sit empty and still look halfway decent in our yard. Or I could always do a fresh cut flower garden the next year. We will see. The key is I wanted flexibility. Doesn’t it look pretty?

I followed Ana White’s plans for her Cedar Raised Beds. And this is what I learned – I am not a builder. I can repurpose with the best of them but building something from scratch kicks my butt. BUT I AM DETERMINED to grow in this area. I finally understood how when I tell you something “is so easy and takes 20 minutes” why it takes you 4 hours to do it. When you don’t do it for a living there is a huge learning curve. So while it takes Ana 20 minutes to build these it took me about 4 hours. So after the first one I literally cried! But I put on my big girl panties and started again. I will say the 4th box probably took me only an hour to complete. And I felt such a huge sense of accomplishment when all four were done. Anywho…

I got all of my cedar fence posts at Lowes. They were $1.95 each at mine. So each box cost about $11 in wood.

If you decide to make these I highly suggest using a nail gun to tack a few nails in to temporarily hold them in place while you drill the screws in. It was my saving grace.

How to Make a Raised Bed Garden

Step 1: Rent a rototiller to loosen up the soil and get the ground level. Our Ace Hardware rents them for about $26 for 4 hours. My honey helped put my garden in for Mother’s Day. He even had a good attitude – bonus!

Step 2: Lay down some black landscape cloth to keep any weeds from growing through. Make sure to overlap the cloth.

Step 3. Edge your garden in cedar posts.

Step 4: Measure your boxes to make sure they are evenly spaced. Then add pea gravel or bark dust around the boxes and then add some garden compost mix to the boxes. (Note: I recommend using a little larger of a shovel for this…giggle!)

Step 5: Grab a little garden beauty girl (see above picture) and plant your fruits and vegetables. We added a little Whitney Farms Organic Plant Food to each bed as well.

I got all of my plants and seeds from Lowes. And here is my garden plan:

So I am still a newbie gardener do you have any advice?

What did you plant this year?

Disclosure: As part of the Lowes Creative Blogger Team, Lowes provided me a with a gift card for purchasing my garden supplies.

Whitney Farms Organic Gardening

Beckie — Mon, 21 May 2012 21:31:34 +0000

This post brought to you by Whitney Farms. All opinions are 100% mine.

Recently I showed you my new raised cedar garden beds. I love not only the way it looks but also how functional they are. My daughter has really taken a liking to gardening with me this year. I love sharing this experience with my daughter and the awe in her eyes when a seedling emerges. I also love the little bit of responsibility it is teaching her to water and care for the plants.

Before we planted our plants this year we used some Whitney Farms® organic plant food and fertilizer. Now I must admit I am a newbie to “all things green” and really had no clue what I was doing. I did hear through the gardening grapevine that a good fertilizer was important. So I was thrilled when Whitney Farms sent me theirs to try out so that I could add it to my organic soil.

All I had to do was sprinkle the right amount into my soil. My little garden cutie helped out. Then I worked it into the soil and I planted all my fruits and vegetables.

Try out Whitney Farm organic products with a $3 off coupon .

Bracelet Display Tutorial

Beckie — Mon, 21 May 2012 15:30:59 +0000

Last week I showed you the vintage sign I made from an old playpen. I took the bottom of the playpen and made a personalized vintage sign. But there was all those spindles left. I couldn’t throw those away, that is against every fiber in my being. So I repurposed them into cute little bracelet display stands. I showed this tutorial on my local lifestyle show, Indy Style last week below.

Check out the video…and yes I am getting heckled by Hal Sparks. GAH!

Supplies:1/2” dowel rods

Spray primer

spray paint: I used Krylon Peekaboo Blue, Ocean Breeze and Coral Isle

scraps of wood cut into rectangles or squares

Drill press or electric drill with 1/2” paddle bit

Gorilla Glue

Old Knobs

Chop saw

Sander and sand paper

So here is where we began…with an old vintage playpen that I tore apart and got a bunch of spindle or wooden dowels.

1. Using a chop saw or miter box with saw I cut down some 1’’ x 4′s” to my desired size. I didn’t measure at all, I just cut varying sizes.

2. Then sand down the rough edges to make it smooth.

3. Cut your 1/2” dowel or spindle to your desired size. Sand edges smooth.

4. With a drill press or electric drill and a 1/2” paddle bit drill a hole in your wood block in the middle. Then stick your dowel rod in your drilled hole. I didn’t glue mine so they could separate from the base and be used for ribbon or other things.

5. Spray prime the entire piece.

6. Once dry spray your color of choice over the entire piece.

7. Once dry add a little bit of Gorilla Glue (very sparingly!) to your knob and attach to the top. Let it sit overnight.

Add your bracelet and display in a prominent place on your dresser or vanity.

5 Ways to Decorate with Washi Tape

Beckie — Sat, 19 May 2012 18:00:00 +0000

One of the biggest crafting supply sensations of the last year is a Japanese import known as washi tape. Made from sheer paper, washi tape comes in an almost limitless array of colors and patterns. It’s easy to tear by hand, you can write on it, and it comes in different widths. Crafty ladies have been going nuts with it on cards, scrapbooks, banners, and other paper crafts. Recently, I’ve started seeing it pop up in home decor projects, too. At first it was just to add a little color to containers or clipboards, but the washi phenomenon is really taking off inside the homes of creative minds, everywhere. And why shouldn’t it? Even though it adheres to surfaces easily and stays put there, washi tape can be removed without difficulty and even reused! It used to be available only through online shops, but washi tape is hitting the mainstream, now, with stores like Target offering rolls at just $1 each. What’s not to love about a material that’s cheap, pretty to look at, and can be used more than once in many different ways? If that description alone hasn’t convinced you to find some washi tape of your own, then check out these 5 Ways to Decorate with Washi Tape.

1. Lighting

At It All Started with Paint, Linda had a novel approach to personalizing a drum shade. She used washi tape to line the inside of the shade. I love this idea for a shade that is up high in a room, since people below will be able to look up and see something interesting.

2. Clock

Jen of Tatertots and Jello made this cute, colorful clock with her washi tape. She turned each of 12 different tape patterns to replace the numbers for a funky look.

3. Curtains

Who knew?!? Washi tape can be used in fabric decor projects, too. The 36th Avenue‘s Desiree ironed it on to her new kitchen valance to create a delightful, patterned trim. Easy, peasy!

4. Walls

If wallpaper and stencils are too much trouble, but you still want a pattern on your wall, Jenny has the perfect solution for you at Little Green Notebook. She created this patterned faux-wallpaper with–you guessed it!–washi tape.

5. Artwork

Sarah Hearts washi tape so much that she turned it into artwork. Check out this fun gallery wall she created with just a few canvases and her colorful collection of washi tapes.

The possibilities are endless! What have you done–or what do you want to do–with washi tape?

Project Curb Appeal (+$100 Lowes Giveaway)

Beckie — Fri, 18 May 2012 15:51:00 +0000

This month as a Lowe’s Creative blogger we are being challenged to bring a little curb appeal to our homes. I am so grateful for the challenge because I need a kick in the pants to make this happen. If you are like me then you spend all of your time and attention on making the inside of your house beautiful. For the past 4 years I haven’t done a single thing to the outside of my house and it was OBVIOUS! Last year while getting our roof replaced I had them also remove my shutters so I could paint them…ummm…yahhhh…that was last June. So not only does my house have no curb appeal it looks a little naked without the shutters on it.

The first thing on my list is to change out the dingy, cheap, sun burned, builder’s basic, brass light fixtures with some updated black lantern looking ones from Lowes.

I will also a few pops of color by adding a couple of planters with flowers. But the biggest improvement will be painting and hanging my faded purple shutters to black. When we first moved in they were an eggplant color. The sun has sure taken its toll on them. They became a light purple almost pinky color. Egads!

Lowes want to help one of you create some curb appeal with $100 gift card!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Painting Plastic Planters

Beckie — Thu, 17 May 2012 02:00:39 +0000

I am absolutely in love with this project from the East Coast Creative girls! I have never really spent money or time outside until this summer. I have a whole bunch of outdoor projects on my list this year and adding pops of color is a must. Spray paint is a miracle worker don’t you think? Taking plastic planting pots and a few cans of spray paint you can create these same color block planters yourself. Take it away Monica…

Hey, It’s Monica from East Coast Creative. Have you ever noticed how incredibly expensive planters are? For about $40 I could get one itty bitty planter, that’s not even cute. No thanks. I decided I would DIY planters that would work perfectly with my new painted door and rockin’ house numbers. I didn’t want anything too frilly or girly. I wanted the style inside my house, reflected on the outside too! This project cost me $20 each, was incredibly simple, and totally fits my style.

Supplies:

Plastic planters (mine were from Target)

2 colors of spray paint

1 color of latex paint

Dirt, Mulch, Plants, Etc.

I started with these plain Jane planters from Target. You can’t really tell how big they are, but they’re pretty big (I can’t wrap my arms around the top of the large one- I tried, so that gives you an idea and a weird mental picture). They cost $7 for the medium and $13 for the extra large.

The first step was to spray paint the middle color. I used Valspar’s grey primer because I love the color.

You don’t need to worry about the top or bottom at all. Just get a nice, even coat on the middle. I did two light coats on mine.

I painted the top color block with the same color I recently used on my front door. I’m a bit obsessed with it. I didn’t need to tape for a clean line, because the planter had a lip that I was able to use as a guide. Also, make sure you paint down pretty far on the inside. I’m assuming your house guests will be taller than the planters, so they’ll get a peek down inside.

The next step, made this DIYer do the dance of joy (remember Perfect Strangers?) because it saved me so much time! I used a paint can opener to pop the bottom off the planters. I’ll warn you, it will sound like you’re breaking them, but you’re not! They’ll pop right back on when you’re done painting them.

Taking the bottom off, meant no need for tape or cutting in. Just spray paint the bottom whatever color you’d like. Put the pieces all together and you’re left with cool, color block planters.

They’re nice like that, but I wanted to take it up a notch! I wanted some height, so I stacked them up. I didn’t do any permanent attaching or anything, just fill the bottom with dirt, plant your flowers, add the next planter, and repeat.

Again, remember the angle people will see them from when they walk in… mulch is a must. No one wants to see this…

I used white wave petunias on the bottom and a boxwood on top.

Here was my porch a few weeks ago. It was a sad situation… trust me, I know!

Take a look now!

I think it’s just a tad more welcoming don’t you?

For a grand total of $40 and about an hour, I got two color block, tiered planters that perfectly match my style and house colors. (You can see the door and house numbers Here)

The only question now is, "When are you going to make yours?"

**Since my mom loved my planters, she kind of hinted around to wanting one of her own. Here’s what she got for Mother’s Day this past weekend! Black and Red to match her house!

My Blogging “Must Haves”

Beckie — Wed, 16 May 2012 20:34:00 +0000

I guest posted on Just a Girl’s “Must Haves” series last week. It is a great series with a lot of your favorite bloggers posting their “must haves” on different topics from paint, to building blog friendships, to decorating spaces. Chris asked me to talk about my must haves for blogging. I am kind of a gadget girl and I am into anything that will make my life or blogging easier. So here are my “I can’t live without” tips to making blogging easier.

1. Windows Live Writer

I do all of my blog writing in Windows Live Writer (sorry Mac users, this isn’t available for you, boo!). It is a software program that you sync your blog to and you do all the writing of your posts in that program. It is wonderful because you don’t have to be connected to the internet to write a post. You also don’t need to upload your pictures – you just drag them where you want them in your post in Windows Live Writer. If you post in blogger or WordPress – this little nugget will change your life. Your welcome.

2. Rafflecopter

I run about 4-6 giveaways and month and Rafflecopter has made it so much easier to keep track of. You login to Rafflecopter and set your giveaway up and then they give you code that you then add to your giveaway post. All of the entries are stored on Rafflecopter so they don’t clog up your comment section. You also can announce the winner onto the widget when the giveaway has ended and you email the winner from the site as well. This is what the widget looks like on your post.

3. Google Next Bookmarklet

Do you read blogs via Google Reader? You can install the Google Next Bookmarklet into your browser and then you just click a button to see the next blog. You can find the "Next" bookmarklet on the Settings page under the Goodies tab.

Google says ”The next bookmark is an innovative way to read your subscriptions. It allows you to use Google Reader through just one link – clicking on it takes you to the next unread item, marking it as read in the process. It is particularly useful for subscriptions which only include snippets or when you want to read an article in context.”

Plus it helps give your favorite bloggers pageviews, which is a nice way of saying thank you. This is what it looks like in your browser (mine is Google Chrome).

4. My Blog Planner

I have to give a shameless plug for my blog planner. It took me hours upon hours to design a planner that would work well for the creative blogger. This planner allows me to stay on top of guest posts, project ideas and giveaways. Plus I offer it as a free printable for you right here.

5. Mom Blog SEO by Kelby Carr.

This e-book is amazing if you want to take your blog to the next level. You work on it for 30 days and Kelby teaches you how to write blog posts to attract more readers and allow Google to crawl your page better. This boosted my traffic about 20% after the first month of implementing her strategies. SEO confuses the junk out of me but this certainly took the guess work out of it.

So what blogging tools? Widgets? Plugins? or short cuts do you use? I would love your feedback.

Disclosure: This post contains an affiliate link.

Wood Slatted Sign {Roadkill Rescue}

Beckie — Tue, 15 May 2012 13:21:20 +0000

I was challenged this month on Indy Style (the local lifestyle show I am on monthly) to repurpose an old playpen from like the 1950s. Now, I am not a safety freak but this thing is scary to put a small child or baby in. Holy nelly! But the piece was solid and it had plenty of potential for upcycling. It was getting ready to be tossed in the trash when Dianne submitted it for me to rescue. I hope she is glad she did!

Here is what it used to be…

There was no way I was restoring this piece to its original state, so I busted it all up to use the pieces.

Supplies:

Minwax Polyshade in Mission Oak

Electric sander with 100 and 150 grit sandpaper

tack cloth or other cloth to wipe down wood

old t-shirt for applying stain

Black Premium Vinyl

Transfer Paper

Silhouette machine or Vinyl from Say it on the Wall

Spray primer

1. I decided to use half of the wood slatted bottom to make a vintage sign. I sanded it down starting with 100 grit sandpaper and then finished it with 150 grit. After wiping it clean I applied a light coat of the Polyshade in Mission Oak just to refresh the wood a little.

2. While it was drying I designed some vinyl in the Silhouette studio program to apply to the new wood. The font I used for the last name is Chopin Script and the other font is Chaparral Pro. I then applied it to the sign transferring it with some transfer tape. If you don’t own a Silhouette Cameo machine you can buy the vinyl from Laura at Say it on the Wall. Next I sprayed some spray primer lightly over the letters. Then I immediately pulled the vinyl off.

Oh my goodness I love it. The white primer gives it a barnwood look and the wood peeking through the letters is beautiful!!!

3. After the primer was dry I sanded it down to give it that old look.

I love it! I love it! I love it! I still have the other half of the piece left over and Tim wants me to make a Farrant sign for us.

Stayed tuned tomorrow to see what I made with the spindles.

Click here to order some vinyl to make your own sign.

Do you own a Silhouette machine? All vinyl is currently 40% off using the code “IHEARTIC”.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.