Ballard Knockoff Chalkboard

              The enormous chalkboard is finally finished!  I even hung it on the wall.  Well, not really me.  My husband hung it.  Not because I couldn't, but because he does not trust me to keep the walls of my new studio intact, evidently. 

I am very good at keeping things intact, actually.  But, I let him win this one.  Plus, I don't really enjoy the hanging of items.

I painted right on the plexiglass with Rustoleum chalkboard paint.  It took three, maybe four coats.  I lost count.  I used green Frog Tape to tape off the frame and it worked GREAT.  Love that stuff.

My plan was to write some really trendy quote that maybe I found on Pinterest on the board.  (Maybe then I would fit in with the cool kids.)  But, then my handwriting looked all crooked and I got tired of erasing.  Nobody really talks about how not fun that part is.  Maybe it's cause I have antique chalk.  I don't know, but the words do not want to come off.  And dealing with all of the chalkdust.  Not fun, either.  But it looks really good, right?  Hard to tell, but just trust me.  Or, maybe I should paint the frame...

Halloween Apothecary

You have probably seen these all over the internet, but this is my version of DIY apothecary jars.

I had everything but the candy corn for filler.  (No, I am not going to eat that after sitting in open air.  But don't trust me not to offer you some.)

I used the same Goodwill candlesticks and glass from the Easter Apothecary that I made here.  The fuzzy trim was in a box of remnants that I have had forever.  I've used it in a mini album and a Halloween banner and STILL have some left.  I cut the letters out of paper from DCWV with my Cricut machine and glued them onto black cardstock.

 

Necklace

My sister Jena made this necklace to look like one from Francesca's Boutique. 

She put together this post on a cd as a birthday gift for me.  My birthday is in June.  It took me this long to figure out how to get the pictures right.   I left it pretty much as is because I thought her notes to me were sorta funny.  (I did not insert a better word.  I really could not think of one.  Which is weird.  I usually have a wealth of very specific words in my head.  To the point that I get teased.)

You will need 4 things (Jamie insert a better word) of thread and approximately 3 packs of Jump Rings.    

Unravel all of your thread together and make one very long piece.  Then double it and triple it until you get the length you prefer.  Keep in mind the extra inches each knot will take of your thread, it will shorten quite a bit from its original length you started with.  About 6-8 inches from your starting point, add your first knot and 2-3 inches of Jump Rings, followed by your closing knot.

This is what your knot should look like.  It helps to twist the thread like a candy cane around your finger to make the threads all lay nice and form a good knot.  

This is what your sections should look like. (below)  Measure your distance between each by the amount of jump rings you would like.  It’s your necklace so make it how you choose just make sure you measure the same distance for each to make it uniform.  

That’s the twisted candy cane part I was trying to explain.

When you find yourself towards the end of your necklace the last knot should be the ending knot of your Jump Rings section as well as the knot to complete the necklace.  Tie the two together in a square knot at the end of your jump rings and pull tight.  It will loosen over time so it’s ok if it bunches up the jump rings but be sure and tie the knot as tight as you possibly can cause this is the final knot to secure the necklace.

Thanks, Jena!  I wasn't giving up until I figured out how to make this work.  Vouloir c'est Pouvoir!

Halloween Mini Album

Halloween will be here before you know it.  (Anyone know where to find costumes no one else will be wearing without spending a fortune??)

I like this Making Memories album because it is not nearly as hard to scrap the costume pic as doing the full 12 x 12 layout.  I got the kit several years ago, but I just saw the puffy alphas and some of the embellishments from this line at Michael's.

Nice and easy.  That's my style.  Not really.  I like to make things as complicated as possible until I (and everyone around me) is ready to scream. 

See?  Picture and a few doo-dads.  Done.

Oops!  Gave away my secret.  I never put last year's pic in and now it is almost Halloween again.  Oh well.  Maybe I will get it finished before next year. 

Then again, maybe not.

Mini Flags

You know I love anything miniature.  And anything that I can make using stuff I already own.  I did not buy anything to make this little project.  But, it is so small, really it didn't take much stuff.

My mom gave me a container of random little wooden pieces a long time ago.  My daughter loves to paint them.  This little spool was in there.  I had the paper scraps from a banner I made last year.  They are from the Martha Stewart Halloween collection.  The white tiny alphas are Making Memories and leftover from my Disney album.  The pearls were purchased to use in my sister's wedding album, which is on my table being finished right now.  Shhhhh!  Coming soon!  and you won't want to miss it! 

The baker's twine can be found at the cutest little scrapbook store ever in Scott, Louisiana called Create 365.  The best part was I only had to buy a tiny bit of each color instead of an enormous spool that I will never finish. The yellow mini alphas were purchased there as well for only one dollar!  Visit the store or visit them on Facebook. 

 I know those look like toothpicks, but they are called craft picks and I have no idea what their purpose is, but they were perfect for this.  I have a sneaking suspicion they are circa 1982.  Good thing my mom keeps everything.

This tiny project was inspired by Janet Hopkins and hers is much better so check it out here.

Linked up at http://www.paperissues.blogspot.com/.

Chalkboards

Remember these ugly frames from my daughter's birthday? 

I decided to add hardboard to them and paint them with chalkboard paint.

I know lots of folks out of blogland have seen these, but lots of my people have not. 

not sure why this pic is fuzzy

The purple one is hanging in my classroom and the other is up for grabs.

I might possibly be addicted to chalkboards.