DIY Archives - Page 31 of 52 - Pretty Handy Girl

arts and craft, Crafts, DIY, Do It Yourself, Gift Ideas, gifts, silhouette, Tutorial, Uncategorized

DIY “Eat Your Veggies” Cloth Napkin Gift Set

Bringing a hostess gift to someone whose home you are staying in is apparently a pretty universal thing. I had never heard of such a thing until I was in my late 20’s. It’s not a mind blowing concept but I have come to appreciate the simplicity of the thoughtful gesture. Granted, if you are a “Real Housewife”, then I’m pretty sure if you don’t show up with a bottle of Cristal you get the stink eye. Hostess gifts don’t have to be spendy, they just need to be thoughtful. Today I am going to show you how to create an inexpensive gift for the hostess with a sense of humor. Gather around and learn how to make these “Eat Your Veggies” cloth napkins.

Materials:

Silhouette Cutter
Computer
Iron on Heat Transfer material
Napkins
Iron
Ironing Board
Towel
Tape Measure

Instructions:

Start by pre-washing the napkins. Measure how big the lettering should be by folding the napkin (half fold or quarter fold napkins) and measure the printable area.

Arrange the words as you would like them to appear on the napkins. Watch your dimensions! Duplicate the image as many times as you have napkins.

Right click on the image and flip the image horizontally. This will be the mirror image allowing the words to be read once they are applied to the napkin.

Send the wording or images to the Silhouette or other craft cutter.

Once the image is cut, weed out the negative spaces. Read more

August 13, 2014/0 Comments/by Jacque Knowlton

accessories, arts and craft, Build It, Chalkboard paint, Crafts, decor, DIY, Home Decor, Home Office, kids art, Lowe's Creative Idea, moulding, nailgun, Tool Tutorials, Tutorial

Chalkboard Memo Board – The Time I Made a 4th Grade Teacher Use a Power Tool

DIY Chalkboard Memo Board (4th grade project) | Pretty Handy Girl

Before the end of the school year a REALLY GOOD friend of mine asked if I would give a talk in her daughter’s class about what I do for a living. I hemmed and hawed because I rarely have the free time. But, the main reason I was hesitant was because I didn’t know how to talk to 4th graders about what I do. Saying I’m a blogger is something that is hard for me to vocalize. “I write a blog” sounds simple and easy. But, in actuality, I do so many other things to make this blog a reality. Just a few of my job descriptions are: writer, photographer, builder, crafter, teacher, photo editor, business woman, manager, social media coordinator, graphic designer, web designer and all around handy girl! How could I explain all of that to the students?

Suddenly, an idea hit me! I would waltz into that classroom and use my platform to break down the stereotypes about women and handy people within 30 minutes (or less!) Then I’d empower the 4th grade students by letting them build their own chalkboard memo board AND use a power tool! Lofty goals, but I felt sure I could do it. Little did I know that the students wouldn’t be the only one empowered.

The quiz:

I started out by talking to the kids about what a handy person is. They shared terms that fit the definition of a handy person: fixes things, builder, carpenter, plumber, woodworker, and home improvement specialist. Then I showed them a slide presentation and gave the kids a quiz asking them to tell me which of these people are handy:

I showed them one picture at a time and as expected, they got all of the answers wrong.

The answers: Read more

August 8, 2014/22 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

arts and craft, Decor Adventures, DIY, thrifting

DIY Clock

August means getting ready for the upcoming fall season, back to school, sports season and the holidays. Hi everyone, it’s Jessica at Decor Adventures and I have an easy project to keep you on time for all the activities you and your family have planned these next months, a DIY clock. Did you know you could make your own clock? It’s super easy to put together and you can paint or decorate it to perfectly match your home’s decor. Let’s get started.

Materials

Clock kit
Double sided tape
Wooden tray to make your clock
Paint (optional)
Decorative paper
Spray adhesive (optional)
Scissors
Pencil
Ruler
Drill and drill bits
Hanging hardware

Instructions:

1. To make this clock, I found a 99 cent tray at the thrift store. I knew it would be great for this project because it can hang on the wall and will conceal the clock kit inside the tray. You could also use a picture frame without glass or even some other creative object you’d like to use for your clock face. Make sure it’s something flat so your clock kit will fit into it.

2. The back of the tray will actually become the face of my clock. To prepare it, prime your tray.

Decide where you would like to put the hands of your clock. It can be in the exact center of the tray or off center for a different look. Mark where the center of the clock will be placed. Read more

August 6, 2014/4 Comments/by Decor Adventures

You know you’ve seen those knotty pine dressers from yesteryear. Their spotlight has faded and they are finding themselves at thrift shops, ReStores or worse yet…at the curb.

I’m begging you to let this knotty eyesore back into your home. It doesn’t have to be banished. It’s KNOT her fault she was built from cheap pine. All this dresser needs is a new coat of paint and some beautiful brass knobs and all her flaws and knots will be forgotten.

Extra observant points to anyone who realized that this blogger forgot to take a good before picture! She looked very similar to the knotty pine dresser shown above, except she had wooden circle knobs and an unfortunate set of bun feet. I did remove the bun feet from the dresser when I first brought it home. Mama ain’t got no need for buns in this oven (or on my dresser.)

Here are the details on how to refinish a knotty pine dresser and give it a complete makeover!

Materials:

Sandpaper
BIN primer
Damp rag
Paint brush
Foam paint roller
Quart of Benjamin Moore Advance paint (Deep Ocean)
Valspar asphaltum glaze
Brass hardware (I bought mine from House of Antique Hardware)
Drill with bits
Screwdriver
Level

Instructions:

This tutorial will be fairly brief, if you need more photos and explanation, you can view my previous dresser painting adventure.

Begin by removing all the drawers and knobs. Lightly sand the dresser and drawer fronts. Wipe off any sanding dust. Read more

July 18, 2014/22 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

bedroom, Contributor, DIY, drop cloths, painting, Sewing

DIY Striped Euro Shams

Every DIYer loves a little drop cloth project right? Jaime from That’s My Letter here to share how to make striped euro shams.

Using drop cloth and acrylic craft paint, I made these grain sack inspired shams to finish off our new poster bed.

I added piping to finish the edges. It wasn’t too hard, and it was worth the extra effort. Brittany has a great piping tutorial here or you could always leave off the piping if you choose.

I found my inspiration for these shams from a Country Living article in the June 2013 issue. The master bedroom in the featured home had the perfect striped lumbar pillow and I knew I just had to have my own!

Similar but different, these striped shams coordinate well with my Joseph’s Coat quilt. Check out how easy it is to make your own shams:

Materials:

drop cloth (2 – 26″ x 26″ square piece per sham)
cotton cording (2 yards per sham)
22″ zipper
painter’s tape
stencil paintbrush or stiff bristle brush
acrylic paint
pencil
clear quilting ruler
rotary cutter
self healing cutting mat
scissors
thread
sewing machine
iron & ironing board

Instructions:

Step 1: Measure your sham inserts and add 1″ to each side. (My inserts measured 25″ x 25″ therefore I cut the drop cloth at 26″ x 26″.) Tape the corners of the drop cloth to a hard surface. Slide a piece of cardboard under the drop cloth to protect your surface. Mark a 1/2″ wide stripe at the center and secure painter’s tape down either side of gap. Read more

July 16, 2014/3 Comments/by Jaime Costiglio