DIY gift – A Diamond in the Stuff

Baseball Cross Coach Gift

Courtney Carmean — Tue, 09 Jun 2015 13:00:49 +0000

My son has fallen in love. It happens in many young boy’s lives. That would be, the love of baseball. He has fallen completely in love with the game. Luckily he had a really great group of coaches this past season. I wanted to thank them for all the time and love they put into working with these little boys! I had several ideas rolling around in my head until I decided on this Baseball Cross Coach Gift.

Here are the supplies that I started with:

Baseball

Wood plaque

Wood Stain

Red embroidery thread

X-acto knife

Foam brush

The first step is to take the baseball apart. I used my super sharp x-acto knife and cut in-between the stitching of the baseball. Please be very very careful with this step, take your time, and cut one thread at a time! We don’t need any stab wounds during this project!!!

As you cut through all of the stitching, the leather will start to pull away from the yarn wrapped center of the ball. There will also be little red threads all over the place.

Continuing cutting the thread until both of the leather strips can be removed from the ball. Side note: Did you ever know what the inside of a baseball looked like? Now ya do! Remove all of the cut up old red threads and throw them away.

Now we need to replace the red thread (I know, seems counterproductive to remove it only to replace it but stay with me). I used a large needle and bright red embroidery thread to weave through the pre-existing holes in the leather strips.

I “sewed” the baseball edges much like I would if I was hand sewing the edge of something. I followed the direction of where the previous thread had been, went all the way around each strip, and then knotted the ends on the “back” side.

Meanwhile, I took my wood plaque that I bought at the craft store and stained it “special walnut” by Minwax.

I was unsure what I should use to glue down the leather strips in the shape of a cross but I ended up going with hot glue. Don’t mind my horribly messy hot glue gun. It really should be replaced but we’re been through so much together and we’ve only had a few little run ins.

The hot glue seemed to work perfectly. I just took extra time to make sure that I glued everything down facing the “right” ways. Looking good right?

The last step was to add a vinyl quote (which is of course a bible verse). I cut some white vinyl with my Silhouette Cameo and placed it at the bottom of my stained plaque.

The new stitching looks perfect and you wouldn’t even know it wasn’t the original. Without it I think the leather wouldn’t stand out as much as it does. I mean, what’s a baseball without the iconic stitching right?

I thought the verse was perfect for the occasion and more versatile than a “thank you Coach….” thing. Hopefully this is something my son’s coaches can display in their homes as a huge reminder of the joy they help to bring these little boys.

In the end the project is pretty inexpensive, it takes some time to create but overall the project isn’t too difficult. My hope is that the coaches will really appreciate their gifts!!! What are some great coach gifts you have???

Linking up to these great link parties!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Looking for another awesome BASEBALL project? I have a full tutorial up on how I created these super cute baseball signs…..

{Father’s Day} Sports Subway Art

Courtney Carmean — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 07:00:51 +0000

Father’s Day is just around the corner. Do you have a hard to buy for Dad on your shopping list?

I know I do. My hubby is almost impossible to buy for. If you ask him what he wants it’s almost always “nothing” so then I’m left to get creative. If your looking for a creative way to spoil a daddy in your life why not create some subway art and Sports Subway Art may just be the way to his heart!!!

For the golf lover….

For the basketball lover….

and for the baseball lover….

I had some others that I wanted to create but just didn’t get to with this nasty cold (or whatever) I have. I whipped these up to put in my booth for some Father’s Day gifts. Looking for a tutorial to makes one of these for the dad in your life? Here is my step by step tutorial for creating painted subway art: PAINTED BASEBALL SUBWAY ART.

So what are you getting or making for the father’s on your list this year???

Linking up to these great link parties!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Time to Shine link party is OPEN!

I’d love for you to come link up and check out the other links while your over there!!! Lots of good stuff already linked up!!!

Wood Pedestal Chalkboard

Courtney Carmean — Fri, 10 May 2013 07:00:01 +0000

In September I held a Make & Take where we made some Wood Recipe Holders. I absolutely loved them. So much that I wanted to make a bunch more and find all kinds of purposes for them. My head was just spinning with ideas. I decided that I wanted to turn one into a Wood Pedestal Chalkboard.

Here is a breakdown of all the pieces it took to make the pedestal. If you want even move info you can visit my post about making the Recipe Holders.

I painted the pedestal a beautiful aqua color using some craft paint I had on hand. I wanted to distress the paint and bring out some of the wood underneath, it kinda went with a whole beachy look that was happening!

I went back and forth between using chalkboard paint and chalkboard vinyl. In the end I decided on using the vinyl, the wood was pretty rough and I wanted the writing surface to be nice and smooth.

Once the paint was dry, I applied some satin clear coat for a little added protection. Then I cut the vinyl out to fit the front of the pedestal and applied it to the front.

The Wood Pedestal Chalkboard is so perfect for the kitchen! I am planning on making more in different colors because I love these so much! Wouldn’t they make great gifts, maybe even Mother’s Day gifts!!!

Linking up to these great link parties!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yesterday I shared my latest Thrifty Thursday find, come check it out!!!

DIY Mother’s Day Gifts

Courtney Carmean — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 07:12:22 +0000

Mother’s Day is quickly approaching. Year after year so many of us struggle to find just the perfect gift for our moms, mother in laws, and other moms we love. Let’s face it, at the end of the day nothing says “I love you” more than a gift made with our own hands. Especially for moms.

So I decided to round up some of my DIY projects that would be perfect Mother’s Day Gifts for those special moms on your list!!!!

For the nature loving mom….

DIY Photo Flower Pot

Moss Birdhouse

For the photo loving mom…..

Wood Photo Holder

DIY Photo Tile Coasters

A mom who sews….

DIY Framed Pin Cushion

Sewing Subway Art

A wine loving mom…..

Wine Cork Topiary

Wine Subway Art & Wine Bottle Hurricanes

A mom who loves to cook….

Recipe & Photo Holder

Subway Art Kitchen Jar

So there is just a few ideas for some great DIY Mother’s Day Gifts. Hopefully my little list at least sparked some ideas for you. Feel free to keep looking around the blog for more inspiration if you need it!

Linking up to these great link parties!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Have you seen my latest furniture transformation? Come on over and see how I took this bottomless chair and turned it into a salvaged beauty!

Wood JOY Blocks

Courtney Carmean — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 16:30:00 +0000

I don’t like to see anything go to waste around here, that includes wood scraps! In October I had a craft class where we made some Boo Blocks and I ended up having several leftover block sets. I couldn’t just toss them though, I wanted to come up with another use for them. Something Christmasy! So I created these Wood JOY Blocks.

I made them the same way that I made the Boo Blocks, so come check out that tutorial for an easy how to! These blocks are made from a 2×6 cut to 6, 7, and 8 inches tall. The block set ends up being a pretty big size and they look great sitting on a shelf or table top!

I ended up making several sets of these and I had a lot of fun mixing and matching fun Christmas scrapbook papers with each other. I’m loving this Christmas chevron paper that I found!!!

So why not make yourself a set, there’s still time! And make one for someone else while your at it, I think they would make a great gift! They can be made to fit any decor or Christmas theme!!!

Linking up to these great link parties!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

With days left until Christmas we are counting down the days!!! Come take a look at my Christmas Chalkboard Countdown for a fun way to mark off the days!!!

Decoupaged Ball Ornament {Tutorial}

Courtney Carmean — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 08:00:00 +0000

Last year I posted a day full of DIY ornaments. Some of the most popular ornaments were my Sheet Music Ornaments, German Book Ball Ornaments, and my Map Ball Ornaments. At the time I hadn’t posted a tutorial and since then I have had tons of emails, comments, and messages asking for one. So it is FINALLY a time to post my Decoupaged Ball Ornament TUTORIAL!!!!!

Here are the supplies that I started with:

Clear glass ball ornaments

Old maps, sheet music, and book pages

Circle punch

Mod Podge

Glitter

The first step and maybe the secret to my decoupaged ornament success: circle punch. I use a 2in circle punch to cut circles out of whatever paper I’m using. Punch out a stack of circles to cover an entire ornament, the amount you will need depends on how much you overlap the circles and how large your ornaments are.

Now that you have your circles punched out, it’s time to decoupage!!! I cover the back of the paper circle with Mod Podge and stick it on the ball ornament. You will have to work with it a bit to get the entire circle to stick down. There will be little parts where the circle kind of folds in on it’s self, this is totally okay, just make sure that you press it all down as much as you can.

I start at the opening of the ornament and work my way around the top. Then I work down the ornament until I get to the bottom. I overlapped each circle enough so that there weren’t any gaps or ornament showing through.

Keep decoupaging until the entire ornament is covered. Let everything dry for a bit and then cover the entire ornament with a good coating of Mod Podge to seal and protect.

If you want to add a little sparkle like I do, you can decoupage some glitter onto the metal ornament cap. To do this, add some Mod Podge to the metal top then sprinkle some fine glitter onto it. Shake off the excess glitter and let it dry. Once it’s all dry add a coat of Mod Podge over the glitter to seal the sparkle in. When everything is dry, put the metal top back onto the ornament and it’s all ready to hang.

If you are doing the map ornament and you want a certain area to be visible, I would suggest covering the ornament with pieces of map from the surrounding areas and then go back and add the pieces that you want visible on the top layer.

I loved the writing in an old German book that I found, it just screamed Christmas to me. I used these book pages to create my German Ball Ornament. You can use any old book that you desire; dictionaries, children’s Christmas books, or any old book you can find at the thrift store.

I absolutely love the Sheet Music Ornaments. I am on the search for some old Christmas sheet music to make more of these beauties!!!

I hope that this tutorial has helped some of you out. Of course if you have any more questions please let me know and I’ll try to help you out! If you are loving these ornaments but don’t want to make them, please visit my Etsy shop to buy some of mine.

Linking up to these great link parties!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Time to Shine party is open!!! I would just LOVE if you would come link up and party with me!!! Also, don’t forget to link back to my using my button in the sidebar….I’d love to feature you!!!