Spring Decor – A Diamond in the Stuff

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!

Spring {Robin’s Egg} Subway Art

Courtney Carmean — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 07:00:00 +0000

I love subway art. If you have been following along for awhile you probably know that. There are so many kinds of beautiful subway art out there. I was sitting at home thinking about making some beautiful Spring subway art when suddenly the idea of a beautiful blue Robin’s egg came into my mind. I decided to combine the two and created my Spring Robin’s Egg Subway Art.

I had a 12inx14in piece of cut pine board and I painted the board with some Aqua spray paint by Rustoleum. The board needed to have some brown speckles like natural Robin’s eggs have, so I mixed up some dark brown craft paint and just a bit of water. I used an old toothbrush to “flick” the watery paint onto the board.

Once all the paint was dry I cut out some Easter and Spring inspired subway art with some white vinyl. Then the sign was done!!! Doesn’t it look just like a speckled Robin’s egg???

I love the random speckles on the pretty aqua. The whole sign feels like a real Robin’s egg to me. I am absolutely in love with this Spring Robin’s Egg Subway Art.

Linking up to these great link parties!!!

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The party is already hoppin!!! I’d love if you’d come over and link up to the Time to Shine party!!!

Spring Moss & Glitter Glass Banner

Courtney Carmean — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 07:48:00 +0000

If you’ve been reading along the last few weeks you know that I’m in love. With moss. Well ok, I’ve always been in love with it….but this Spring it has hit me hard! I just want to cover everything with it. I may need to go to meetings. But not before I share my Spring Moss & Glitter Glass Banner.

I started with a roll of moss (you know it comes on a roll right?), some chipboard pennant shapes, German glitter glass, and chipboard letters. I also used some twine, Mod Podge, and clear spray paint to finish things off.

I started the project by cutting the roll of moss into pennant shapes, using the chipboard pennants as guides. Then I used hot glue to attach the moss to the chipboard pieces. Since the sheet moss is fabric like but heavy I wanted to give it more stability and structure.

For the letters, I used some Mod Podge to add the glitter glass to them. I applied a thin layer to the letters and used a spoon to sprinkle the glitter glass over them. Once they were dry I gave them a shot of clear spray paint to seal the glitter in.

I attached the letters to the moss covered pennant shapes with some hot glue. Then it was time to get it all strung up. I grabbed some twine and attached it to the back of each piece.

I can’t tell you how much I dig the natural and earthy moss paired with the sparkly and shiny glittered letters. This pairing make me so happy. Why? I’m not sure, it’s just so visually appealing to me. I hope you enjoyed my Spring Moss & Glitter Glass Banner as much as I do!!!

Linking up to these great link parties!!!

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I decided to update my Spring Mantel this year. Yes more mossy goodness. I told you…it’s an illness. I’d love if you would come over and check out the changes I’ve made!!!

HAPPY FRIDAY!!! Enjoy your weekend!!!

Moss Covered Star

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

I am still on my moss high from making my Moss Birdhouses. I am absolutely loving them and I am chomping at the bit to do some more moss crafting. So I started looking around my house for some more inspiration, things I could cover with moss. I scoped some stars and instantly decided to make a Moss Covered Star.

A long time ago I scored several of these plastic stars at the 99 cent store. I have used them for crafting in various ways. The minute I spotted them in my stash I knew they would be my newest moss covered subject. I painted the star a mossy green to begin with. I didn’t want any rouge colors showing through the moss.

I had more of my moss roll leftover from the birdhouses. So I grabbed it and got started gluing. I simply added hot glue to one point of the star, pressed the moss down, and then cut the excess away once it was dry. I did this to all of the points on the star until it was completely covered.

It was pretty easy to make and I love how it turned out!!! I think it would look great hanging on the wall, maybe in a fun wall gallery. Or propped up on a bookshelf to add a pop of greenery, without the hassle of watering it!!!

Doesn’t it look so cute next to my little birdhouse???

Linking up to these great link parties!!!

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Do you struggle with your decoupage projects??? Just can’t figure out what your doing wrong??? On Wednesday I posted my 12 Decoupaging Tips. Come check them out and see if I can answer any of your questions….if not, please feel free to ask away and I’ll do my best to answer them!!!

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!