A Diamond in the Stuff » » DIY Spring

Nautical Pallet Flags

Courtney Carmean — Thu, 20 Mar 2014 05:00:05 +0000

The following review is part of the Jo-Ann Fabric And Craft Stores®National Craft Month campaign. I received compensation for this however, this is my personal, honest opinion based on my experience.

It’s NATIONAL CRAFT MONTH y’all! Did you know? Honestly every month is craft month around here…..but this is NATIONAL craft month!

I am sharing my Nautical Pallet Flags today as part of Jo-ann Fabric and Craft Stores® National Craft Month campaign. One of the hot trends this Spring is all things Nautical. And I have to say, I am falling for it! Like hook, line, and sinker ; )

Nautical Pallet Flags

Supplies:

-Rustic Pallet 11×11

-Frogtape

-Americana craft paint

-Paint brushes

-Sandpaper

I wanted to transform my wood pallets into nautical flags replicas. So I did some searching around and found some images of flags that I liked. I decided to stick with basic Americana colors for my flags.

All three pallets got started with a coat of white craft paint. It acted as a “primer” and an easy way to paint on the white areas.

Then it was time to tape off the pallets and create the actual flag designs. By the way, I love this painters tape!!! I used the blue and red craft paint to finish off the pallet flags. I tried to pick flags that would be easily replicated onto the pallets.

I wanted the flags to look old and weathered so I busted out the sanding block and got to work. I gave all the pallets a really good sanding.

I did end up spraying the pallets with some clear spray paint I had on hand to protect them. They were super easy to hang with the cross pieces of wood on the back of the pallets. You could add a picture hanger to it or just rest it on a couple nails.

I made three pallet flags because I love decorating in threes, just feels right. It also gave me the opportunity to make three different kinds of flags, each one different but coordinated.

I absolutely love these pre-made pallet signs! Jo-Ann stores has a variety of them now, in different sizes and shapes. They make doing a project like this a breeze! I have a ton of ideas for these, there are endless options!

Jo-Ann makes Spring crafting easy during National Craft Month with a $5 off $25 or more purchase coupon and a Spring crafting inspiration website. Seriously they have made it so easy for you! crafting inspiration to get you going and a coupon to make it happen!!!

I think these Nautical Pallet Flags would make great decorations to transition from Spring to Summer as well.

Are you loving the nautical trend right now?

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GIVEAWAY ALERT!!!

My Spring Craft Stash Giveaway is ending tonight at 12am CST TONIGHT!!! There are a bunch of super easy ways to enter and there is an awesome box of craftiness up for grabs!

DIY Spring Round Up

Courtney Carmean — Mon, 24 Feb 2014 11:00:04 +0000

I know a lot of you may still be surrounded by snow and cold but Spring is just around the corner. Even if it’s a little further off for some of us, it’s still a great time to start bringing Spring into our space. For me, Spring seems to bring a renewed sense of fresh starts and new beginnings. It’s usually time for Spring cleaning, organizing, and new growth.

For Spring I like to decorate with those things in mind. I keep things muted usually in colors that remind me of a Robin’s nest. Of course I incorporate a good amount of moss too. I love moss and Spring is a great excuse to bring it out in full force! I have decided to round up some of my favorite and most popular Spring DIY projects to share with all of you.

DIY Spring Round Up…..

Nest & Egg Cupcakes

Moss Wreath

Square Grass Wreath

Nest and Egg Specimen Art

Moss Birdhouses

Spring {Robin’s Egg} Subway Art

Spring Moss & Glitter Glass Banner

My Spring Mantel

Succulents & Thrifty Finds

Now I’ve showed you how I like to decorate for Spring, I’d love to know how you usher in the season???

Linking up to these great link parties!!!

My Spring Mantel {Updated}

Courtney Carmean — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 21:00:00 +0000

A couple years ago (wow has it been that long???) I created my moss covered Spring Mantel. Well as I usually do, I got restless and decided that this year it needed a little change up!!! I seem to actually reject anything that remains the same for too long, it’s probably the military wife in me. On any account….here’s My Spring Mantel {Updated}!!!

I was kinda over the bunnies that I have used in years past. Can’t really tell ya why….the bunnies are cute and all but they needed to go! A little color was needed on the mantel, so I decided to add some faux robin’s eggs to a glass apothecary jar. There is also a little nest nestled next to the apothecary jar with a few more eggs.

I added my two Moss Birdhouses that I made a couple weeks ago. Because we obviously needed more moss around here right??? Right. They look perfect next to my Moss Wreath.

Now my Spring Mantel contains some of my most favorite Springtime things: moss, birdhouses, nests, and robin’s eggs.

Linking up to these great link parties!!!

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Yesterday I shared my Bench Out of Chairs project! Have a few old chairs lying around??? Why not create a stunning bench for your porch or entryway???

Moss Birdhouses

Courtney Carmean — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 08:00:00 +0000

The weather here is gorgeous. The sun is shining, the wild flowers are blooming, and Spring seems to have already arrived. All these changes have put me in the mood for some Spring crafting. I have always been a huge fan of moss, but this year I have a sneaking suspicion that it will be making several appearances. I couldn’t contain myself anymore and decided to create some Moss Birdhouses.

I picked up a couple craft wood birdhouses at the craft store. I decided to grab two different sizes, I figured they would look nice sitting next to each other on a shelf.

Using some white craft paint, I painted the birdhouses except the roofs. I figured since you wouldn’t be able to see them there was no point in painting them. I ended up doing a couple coats of paint to completely cover the wood.

Then it was time to break out the roll of moss. Warning to those who have not used sheet moss before: it will get messy!!! The awesome thing about it is the mesh backing. It makes it easy to measure out the exact size you need and cut it to fit.

I cut out the exact size of sheet moss that I needed and used some hot glue to attach it to the roof of the birdhouse. Be careful with this step. It’s very easy to burn your fingers with hot glue through the moss. Trust me.

Your left with two super adorable moss covered birdhouses!!! Easy right??? But so beautiful and just perfect for Spring!!!

These turned out exactly how I had them pictured in my head. Now to find them a home! I just love these sweet little Moss Birdhouses!!! Don’t you???

Linking up to these great link parties!!!

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It’s been awhile, but yesterday I posted my Thrifty Thursday finds!!! Come by and see what goodies I scored and tell me about your latest thrifty finds!!!

Nest and Egg Specimen Art

Courtney Carmean — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 12:21:00 +0000

The other day I did a post about Specimen Art and decided that I really needed to try my hand at it. I had been wanting to do one for awhile but never got to it (as many of you can understand with mile long “to-do” lists). Since my Spring decor is really lacking, now seemed like the perfect time!

To make my Nest and Egg Specimen Art I used these items:

Craft plaque (or you could use a picture frame)

Paint: base coat, weathered wood, and a top coat

Oval paper punch

Scrapbook paper

12 small nests

I started by painting the craft plaque a light blue. I just used the cheap Michael’s craft paint because I knew most of it would be covered up. I picked up this paint 3/$1.

Then I took a foam brush and applied DecoArt’s weather wood sporadically on the plaque. I only wanted the crackle to show up in certain spots and I wanted it to vary with larger and smaller crackling.

I used DecoArt Snow White as the top coat. I didn’t worry about getting a good even coverage because I wanted it to look worn and aged. See that great crackle in the corner? Love it!

Next it was time to work on the eggs and nests. I used a paper punch to punch out oval shapes. The paper I choose for the eggs was from a pack that reminded me of robin’s eggs, lots of light blues, browns, and creams. Perfect for sitting in a nest! I used some adhesive foam squares for the back of the eggs, stacking 3 of them on top of one another. I stuck the eggs into the nests with the foam squares propping them up (I ended up having to use some hot glue because the adhesive wasn’t strong enough to stick in the nests).

I used hot glue to attach the nests to the painted plaque. Add a plate easel to prop it up, or you could hang it on the wall.

I love how the crackle came out!!!

Here you can see a close up of all the papers, they’re so pretty.

So what do you think of my first crack at specimen art???

Linking up to these great link parties!

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Head over and link up your latest projects over at Time to Shine. It closes tonight at 12am PST and features will be up tomorrow!

My Springy Mantel

Courtney Carmean — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 22:23:00 +0000

So I’ve moved some things around and I *think* I’ve found permanent homes for my new Spring mossy items!

I grabbed my Spring wreath and attached it to a chippy old window. I used a strip of muslin, looped it through the back of the wreath and tied it off with a bow.

Here’s the right side of the mantel. I love the little bunnies!

Now my hutch and front door are looking pretty empty, I’ll need to work on that!

Here are close ups of the wonderfully chippy old window. It was a Craigslist find and I was going to paint it, but for now I’m loving it’s natural wear!

There you have it, my new Springy green mossy mantel! I love it, so green and fresh!

Linking up to these great link parties!