5 New Buttons for You!

I decided to make a few new buttons for my awesome guest bloggers and to just match the other updated buttons I've made recently... let me know what you think of these and please take 1 (or 2 or more)! (And feel free to re-size to fit your blog and design - I just made them a little bigger here so that you could see all the gorgeousness a bit better!)

As always, you can find the whole collection of buttons on the Badges page.

The first one is an update for the crafty scientists out there...


<br /><a href="http://www.thecraftyscientist.com"><img src="http://i1120.photobucket.com/albums/l487/CraftingScientist/Blog%20Basics/ImaCraftyScientistButton2-1.jpg" border="0" /></img src="http:></a>

And these are for those of you who guest blogged for me!


<br /><a href="http://www.thecraftyscientist.com"><img src="http://i1120.photobucket.com/albums/l487/CraftingScientist/Blog%20Basics/IRockedtheLabButton-1.jpg" border="0" /></img src="http:></a>
<br /><a href="http://www.thecraftyscientist.com"><img src="http://i1120.photobucket.com/albums/l487/CraftingScientist/Blog%20Basics/GuestBloggerButton2-1.jpg" border="0" /></img src="http:></a>

19 Guest Post: Christine of Projects Around the House

Today I'm honored to say that we have an awesome post from Christine at Projects Around the House! And not only that, but it's her first guest post so I'm extra excited and hope you guys will show her blog some love! I hope you enjoyed her interview and now she's back with an awesome wearable tutorial to help you look fun and pretty for spring!




I love making fake flower headbands. They are quick and easy and make great gifts. Plus they are so much cheaper to make yourself than to buy at the store. I made these headbands for my cousin for Christmas and my sister was jealous so I  decided to make her one too.
I started by pulling this fake flower out of my stash.



I pulled all the petals off of the plastic piece that attached the flower together. Then I played around with stacking all the separate pieces to find a shape I liked. I saved the extra pieces for a future project (because a true crafter can never throw anything away :P)



In addition for the deconstructed flower I also used a headband, two small circles of felt and a button. Plus my hot glue gun.


I started by gluing the flower petals to one of the felt circles. Every time I glued down a new petal, I would try to position it differently than the petal below to make sure the flower would look full. When all the petals were glued down I glued the button in the center to hide the hole and make it look more finished.



Then I glued the felt circle to the headband.




And put the other felt circle on top to cover up excess glue and give it a finished look.




I love the way it turned out! I want to keep it for myself so I know my sister will love it.








Thank you SOOOOOO much to Christine for sharing her first guest post with us! I hope you all enjoyed it and remember to check out her amazing projects (including Anthropologie-inspired necklaces and yummy recipes) at her blog, Projects Around the House!

0 Crafty Interview: Christine of Projects Around the House

I'm super-excited to introduce you to our next guest post-er - Christine of Projects Around the House! Christine is definitely multi-talented - she crochets and makes YUMMY food and drinks and jewelry... definitely some of my favorite things! I'm also extra-excited because tomorrow's tutorial will be Christine's first official guest post and she decided to share it here! So check out her interview answers and learn a little about this crafty chick, sneak a peak at her blog, and remember to come back tomorrow to see her awesome tutorial to help put a little spring in your wardrobe!

When and how did you start being crafty?

I have been crafty ever since I was a kid. My mom always encouraged creative projects. When I was younger some things I liked to make were friendship bracelets, cross stich and embroidery. Over the years the projects I like to work on has changed. Now some of things I like to work on are home décor projects, sewing, crochet and gardening.

When did you start blogging about your craftiness and why?

I started in August of 2011. I read a lot of craft blogs and I was making projects that I read about plus my husband and I are always working on projects around our house (my blog title J) and I wanted to share what we were making.

What's your favorite project (of everything you've made)?

It's actually one of my recent projects. I made a jewelry organization display that I am in love with.

What's your favorite crafty material or medium?

It's hard to narrow it down so I have two that I really enjoy. I love to crochet so that involves yarn. I also love to use felt since it is so easy to work with and doesn’t fray.

What's the biggest challenge you face(d) in blogging?

It has to be finding the time edit pictures and incorporate them into a blog post. I always have time to make the projects but I usually find myself writing multiple posts at once and scheduling them. Another challenge is coming up with new ideas to post about.

When you don't feel particularly crafty, what do you do to find inspiration?

Pinterest! I could spend hours looking at all the creativity. I usually find something that gives me that “Aha” moment and I think “I could make that.” I also love linky parties. There is so much talent out there and it really inspires me to see other bloggers sharing all their crafty endeavors.

How do you organize your craft supplies?

This is a constant work in process JI have my own room for crafting where I have a bookcase that I filled with boxes and baskets with different supplies in each. I have a drop leaf table that I can craft and sew on that doubles as an extra table for guests at Thanksgiving. It’s mostly functional but I am constantly trying to think of a better way to organize it all. I drool over beautiful craft organization on Pinterest all the time.

How do you organize (remember, find) tutorials and posts online that you like?

Pinterest again! Before Pinterest I bookmarked projects but I could never remember what they were and I would spend so much time looking at the links. Since I found Pinterest it is so easy to save all the projects I use for inspiration. It is really the greatest website idea ever. You can check out my boards here. I am constantly pinning new great ideas.

What's your best tip for new bloggers?

Blog about something you love and you will find it easy to make the time for it. Also I just discovered Windows Live Writer and I highly recommend it for writing blog posts. It has saved me a lot of time, particularly with editing photos.

What are some things you're loving right now (crafty or not)?

Spring flowers! Spring is my favorite time of the year. We are having an unusually early spring and I love seeing all the bulbs bloom. It makes me want to dig in the garden J

What question do you wish I asked (and please answer it)?!

What is your real life job?

I work for a bank as a systems analyst. It is much different from my crafty passion. We work on a lot of projects that never get finished so I get a lot of satisfaction out of completing my crafty projects. I like the sense of accomplishment I don't always get at work.

Are you married? A mom? To human or fur-babies or both? (Anything else?)

I have been married for 6 1/2 years to my awesome husband Mike. He is my biggest supporter for working on projects. We make a great team and we tackle a lot of the house projects together. We two doggy fur babies, Rufus and Abby. We also have a kitty named Missy and a fish tank.

  

What area of the country (or world) do you live in?

I live in North East Ohio. We have long cold winters and hot summers but this year we have been blessed with a mild winter and early spring.

Thank you so much for answering the crafty questions, Christine! Remember to check out her blog, Projects Around the House, and come back tomorrow for her tutorial!

1 11 Things Game: Part 2

I told you guys I was tagged to play the 11 things game, but it was going to take me some time... so while I'm taking a mental break, I filled out Darby's questions first and here are my answers! (And because I can't deal with posts that don't have any pictures, I'm throwing in some gratuitous puppy pics!)

Mr. Max and his delightful snaggletooth!

1. Why did you start blogging? 

I'd seen awesome crafty projects on blogs and made some of them and wanted to show them off. Plus, I wanted some feedback on crafty things from other creative people... and the boyfriend suggested I at least try it out, so I figured I didn't have much to lose (those last shreds of dignity disappeared long before the blog appeared). 

2. Do you have a bucket list? If so what are two things on it?

I don't really have a bucket list. I think I'm terrified that I'd either never get it all done (I can't live with an incomplete to do list) OR I'd get it done and then I don't know what's supposed to happen... It IS a bucket list... 

3. What is one thing you can’t live without?

Diet Coke. Sad but true. (And I’m not counting the pups, the boyfriend, or my Mac since the question said “thing” not people/kids… otherwise it’d be Sophie’s Choice around here.)

4. What was the last book you read? Did you like it?

Sandra Brown's Tough Customer. I finished it before bed last night. I like to read lots of incredibly UN-intellectual thrillers and mysteries/suspense novels. Some are more intellectual I suppose - I like the Kathy Reich's forensic anthropology stuff, Linda Fairstein's legal thrillers, and the books that have that historical adventure tone/sub-plot (like the templar books by Raymond Khoury or the Sigma team novels by James Rollins). I'm a huge reading nerd and I was also an English major in college so there's another fun confession/fact!

5. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?

It's a fairly short list - London (LOVE it) or Charleston, South Carolina (maybe Savannah, Georgia), San Francisco, California or Austin, Texas... I love those places!

6. What dish or recipe have you always wanted to make, but have been too scared to?

I'm not a cook/baker/domestic goddess much at all... so I wish the boyfriend had the recipe for or could make Chipotle's medium salsa (YUM!) and he's tried, but it's just not quite the same. But I love him for trying! 

Bella legitimately wrapped herself up with her blanket from my grandmother and my blanket and her toys without any help from anyone. And that baby cow is a Chick-fil-A kids toy my parents got at some point that Bella turned into one of her "babies."

7. Are you a morning person or a night owl?

Night owl. My natural sleep schedule is to go to bed around 8 or 9 am and wake up around 8 or 9pm. It's seriously weird. 

8. What is your pet peeve?

Bad grammar. And mean people. 

9. What is your idea of a perfect vacation?

The beach - sun, sand, the sea... and a few yummy frozen drinks would be okay too!

10. If you were given a million dollars, how would you spend it?

Lots of craft supplies! Plus a bigger place to live - where the pups could have a fenced in yard, outdoor beds, and maybe big doghouses. The boyfriend would also need a greenhouse and I'd be getting myself a legit elliptical. (Exciting, right?)

11. What is your guilty pleasure?

So many... Domino's pizza and HLN's evening line-up and weekend mysteries (I have no idea why I even like them... most of the hosts totally annoy me, but I still watch sometimes) are the worst guilty pleasures, I'd say!

Stay tuned for the next exciting edition... : )

14 27!

Today is my 27th birthday! I'm mostly trying to get my act together because a final draft of my dissertation is due to my committee tomorrow (that means my dissertation defense is in two weeks). So the result is that this is my fun for today... a collection of 27 facts and trivia!

(And yes, this was the fun part of my day... the break from working on my dissertation! As my mom pointed out, this may not be a birthday I remember the content of, but I'll always remember all about it because of the unfortunate dissertation timing... and hopefully I'll have a major accomplishment to celebrate my next birthday!)

1. Super-gorgeous Cobalt's image is included here because Cobalt's atomic number is 27. 
2. The chic flick classic "27 Dresses" (movie poster).
3. Pi digits poster because if you start counting with 0, pi is one of the few self-locating strings - 03.141592653589793238462643383279... (thanks weird internet trivia on pi...)
4. Uranus has 27 moons.
5. 27 is the total number of outs in a professional baseball game.
6. Forever 27 club of amazing musicians who died at the age of 27. Members of this club include Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain, and Amy Winehouse. 
7. Dave Matthews Band has a song called "27"... 
8. The number 27 is made up of the digits 2 and 7 and is the sum of the integers from 2 to 7: 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 = 27!
9. The European Union has 27 nations
10. Carlton Fisk - number 27 - of the Boston Red Sox had his number retired by the BoSox.
11. Twenty-seven is a perfect cube 3^3 = 3 x 3 x 3 = 27!
12. The Spanish alphabet has 27 letters (22 consonants + 5 vowels). 
13. The Hebrew alphabet is also 27 letters (also 22 consonants + 5 vowels).
14. There are 27 bones in the human hand.  
15. Pythagoras and Plato claimed that the number 3 cubed (as wella s 2 cubed, which equals 8) represent the Cosmos. (thanks to Wikipedia)
16. Fall Out Boy also has a song called 27. 
17. There have been 27 years of dot com domains... illustrated by this pretty Mashable infographic!
18. Florida is the 27th state. 
19. 27^3 = 19,683 and 1 + 9 + 6 + 8 + 3 = 27!
20. M27 is a planetary nebula in the constellation Vulpecula.
21. NGC 27 is a spiral galaxy in the constellation Andromeda. 
22. Apparently 27 is the number of grains in some Buddhist rosaries. 
23. 27 is the mode peak performance age for MLB position players according to sabermetrician Bill James (another helpful Wikipedia note).
24. The atomic weight of aluminum is 27.
25. There are 27 amendments to the US Constitution. 
26. There are 27 Geological epochs of Earth. 
27. Time Magazine published Volume 125, No. 12 of its magazine on March 25, 1985. The top story was Gorbachev, Moscow's new boss!

*27 cupcake

13 Guest Post: Laura of Smallgood Hearth

I'm SOOOO excited that Laura is sharing this awesome project with us today - it's perfect for March Madness (and NC State is even playing today so it's super-timely), upcycling, writers and sporty gals... so it's right up my alley! Here's Laura from Smallgood Hearth's awesome crafty tutorial!


Thanks Mel for a chance to guest post on your blog.  If y'all haven't yet figured out, Mel is the sweetest blogging friend ever.  Keep reading.

If you read my blog, you quickly learn I can't bear to toss stuff that could possibly be used for crafts.  So when I heard about a local upcycling business that was hosting a workshop on turning cereal boxes into journals, I was all over it like white on rice.

I loved that it really was pretty simple and it doesn't take much (paper, pasta/cereal boxes, needle/thread, tape), it will certainly help if you've got some special tools (bone folder and awl-- a little hole punch thing you can find in the scrapbooking section of a craft store).

First, cut off the top and bottom flaps of the box (the part you had to open up to get into the food and the opposite ends).  Next cut along one edge (go back to geometry class to remember the official use of this term) of a side panel so that the entire box can now lay flat.  You can cut off a side face/panel because you won't need it.  Smallgood Marmie turned hers into a side pocket though, so you aren't forced to cut it off.

For the opposite side panel, measure to find the middle.  Using a ruler to guide you, create a crease in the center (you will have two signatures or sections of paper for this journal).  The bone folder will help you make a clean crease.  When you fold that crease, you'll have almost an accordion fold (picture 3 above).

Cut and fold your paper.  Again, you'll have two signatures.  You can use your awl to punch three holes along the edge of the box.  Thread some embroidery floss and make a pamphlet stitch.  I promise you, this is super easy.  Don't be intimidated.  You can follow the woman along in this video.


You'll probably bind the spine with duct tape.  For mine, I covered the entire thing in college duct tape because it made me happy to go into March Madness with something that wasn't blue. ;) 

 

I'm using mine for all the notes I need to scribble down before I forget.  Lots of blog ideas in there.


Thank you SOOOOO much to Laura for sharing this with us and getting this tutorial made in about two seconds - I'm in awe of all this crafty talent! Hope you guys enjoyed her tutorial and remember to check out her awesome projects over at Smallgood Hearth!

1 Crafty Interview: Laura of Smallgood Hearth

 

I'm SUPER excited to introduce you all to our first guest post-er here - Laura of Smallgood Hearth! She's going to share an awesome (and timely) tutorial tomorrow, but today you get to learn a little about this gal! And I have to say that it's long overdue that I have Laura over to the blog to meet all of you because she's AWESOME and one of my earliest blog friends and one of my biggest blog cheerleaders. Plus, she has some serious creative talent in addition to being a pretty smart chica! Needless to say, I highly encourage you to check out her blog - Smallgood Hearth - ASAP and check back for her tutorial here tomorrow!

Without further ado, here are Laura's answers to the crafty interview questions...

When and how did you start being crafty?

I inherited craftiness from my mother and grandmother.  I learned through Girl Scout troop meetings and VBS fundraisers and summer vacations and block parties and elementary school projects.

When did you start blogging about your craftiness and why?

I started blogging about my crafts a little over a year ago.  I finally found myself with time to craft again (I formerly was a sad gal and didn’t find time to craft for several years of undergrad and first years of teaching).

What's your favorite project (of everything you've made)?

Hmmm...I for sure have a lot of fun decorating the mint tins.  Merging my desire to upcycle and my education background with crafting makes me delightful.  I really love the croquet mallet hat rack my husband and father-in-law helped me create too.

What's your favorite crafty material or medium?

Lately, I’ve been getting into wood, but usually I’m a paper, Mod Podge, and glue gun kind of gal.  I can’t think of many crafts I’ve done without at least one of those items.

What's the biggest challenge you face(d) in blogging?

Not having enough time to read all of the awesome blogs out there.  When life gets busy and I have to skim my Google Reader, I get sad.

When you don't feel particularly crafty, what do you do to find inspiration?

Complain to my husband.  He always says, “You’ll think of something.”  It’s kind of aggravating, but he’s always right.  I look at other blogs linked up to parties, I read (magazines or novels), I scan pinterest.  I go shopping.

How do you organize your craft supplies?

I have two chests of drawers that have paper and ribbons and paint.  It may not appear the most organized system, but I do know where everything is.

How do you organize (remember, find) tutorials and posts online that you like?

For sure Pinterest.  I have some issues with the legality of it, but I find it one of the best bookmarking tools.

What's your best tip for new bloggers?

Whatever I say will sound cliche, but it’s probably all true.  So stick to the advice that the people who’ve made it dispense.  The practical tips I’d suggest are learning just a smidge of code so you can create stuff, make sure you aren’t a no-reply commenter, and invest time to learn a bit of photography.

What are some things you're loving right now (crafty or not)?

Right now? S’mores, New Girl, the weather (perfect for spray painting or sanding or just being outside), flea markets, party ideas, and the book I’m currently reading.

What question do you wish I asked (and please answer it)?!

Where did the name for your blog come from?  Smallgood is a nickname that I garnered through my husband’s nickname.  He is Bigbad (though he’s neither big nor bad most of the time), so I became Smallgood (not that I’m always small or good).  Hearth is one of my favorite words, but it also represents the center, the activity, and affection of the home.  My blog includes all things that are going on with my home and my family, so Smallgood Hearth became the space to blog about all of it.

What area of the country (or world) do you live in?

North Carolina

Thank you so much for sharing with us, Miss Laura! And for indulging my nosy tendencies! Hope you all enjoyed learning a little more about this awesome gal and you check out Smallgood Hearth (and her super-cute blog design she's made from awesome free resources too!) and come back for her tutorial tomorrow! 

1 Tag, I'm It!

Months later and while I do not have time to be crafty, I figured I should handle this... some lovely crafty ladies tagged me to participate in this little game - Darby of Life with the Hawleys tagged me here and Jenna from It's Just Called Spicy tagged me here and Kelly from herringbone lane tagged me here to tell you 11 things about myself and then answer the 11 questions they asked.

I'm kind of terribly lazy and so I figured I'd post the rules, just tell you my 11 things once, then answer the questions from each crafty lady in subsequent posts (otherwise I'll never get started and I totally want to play!), and finally tag 11 people and call it a win... (Also, I promise I'll try to tell you new things and not stuff from previous posts where I listed random things about me...)

  

So here goes nothing!

The Rules

1. Post the rules.

2. Post 11 fun facts about yourself.

3. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post, and then create 11 new questions for the people you tag.

4. Tag 11 people and link them in your post.

5. Let them know you’ve “tagged” them.

My 11 Fun Facts

1.       I'm kind of ridiculous about punctuation and grammar and I fix it obsessively. Even when there is no good reason or it takes way way WAYYYYY too much time. Exhibit A would be the rules above that I just capitalized and made into sentences. 

2.    I love Bella and Max more than I love myself. Sometimes I get home and I really really really have to pee, but I know they do too and I always take them out before I go... I'm not sure they appreciate it, but it makes me feel better about not having taken them wherever I went. It also makes me feel like I'm proving to them that I do love them more than I love myself and I'm okay with how weird all of that might be. 

3.    I really love sports and know more sports trivia and facts than most people in the world. Guys or gals. It's a handy talent to have in bars when you can bet strangers who will underestimate a gal standing 5'3" tall and her knowledge of SEC quarterbacks for example...

4.    I'm obnoxiously hot-natured. I haven't always been, but now I keep the apartment crazy cold. The boyfriend affectionately calls it "the meat locker" and tolerates it by snuggling with the pups or wearing a blanket as a second skin.

5.    I find myself way funnier than most other people in the world (find me). I'm pretty okay with that. 

6.    The college course I teach is one that I never took in college or graduate school. Luckily I read the textbook before I started teaching...

7.     I used to think Tina Fey was watching my life and writing "30 Rock" based upon the ridiculousness of my life and my struggles to run the lab.

8.     The boyfriend is more than a foot taller than me - I'm 5'3" and he's 6'4". My parents enjoy having him change light bulbs and clean top shelves when he visits them. 

9.    When my lease ends this August, the boyfriend and the pups and I have no idea where we'll be living. We're hoping I have a job by then and we move there, but it's pretty up in the air.

10.    I'm not sure I've ever gotten so close to being at the end of a plan without having another one in place. I knew I was going to college and where before high school ended, I knew about grad school before college ended... and now we're just hanging out and it feels bizarre, but exciting.

11.      Max has a huge crush on one of the ladies that works at the vet's office. We ran by the other day to pick up something and so we took the pups to go see the ladies that work there because both of them love it and love them and when Max's fave wasn't there, he started barking a bit (and sort of talking to the other ladies in an unhappy tone) and then his fave came out of an exam room and he started BARKING. Loudly. And trying to run to her. When she left, he cried and didn't really want to leave. I'm not sure if the boyfriend and I are mortified or think this is cute... but I’ll keep you all posted!

So, those are my 11 facts about me! Check back for my answers to the questions from each crafty lady and the 11 ladies I'll tag (to be completed at some point when I have more time and/or am less worried I cant' make a complete sentence)! : )

10 Guest Posts + New Social Media Icons

First, I have to say thank you to those of you who have volunteered to guest post for me! I really REALLLLLY appreciate it and I'm honored that so many of you would like to post here - that's awesome! Hopefully some posts will start appearing here soon... my goal is to have 1 or 2 guest posts each week for the next 4 to 6 weeks while I get this dissertation done (ugh). If you haven't talked to me yet, but would still want to guest post, just let me know - comment (and make sure you have an email address with your comment) or email me at craftingscientist@gmail.com!

While I've been working on that schedule and fun stuff, I made some new social media icons for the blog. Basically I needed a break from writing and driving myself crazy so I had some fun with clip art and icons and made these little buttons...

Then I made this little guide to clarify what they're all for since I included some lesser-known/less-often-used links as icons!

What do you guys think? I'm kind of loving them and the fact that I just went with all the original fun colors and didn't try to make them monochromatic...

2 Guest Posts?

I can already feel myself neglecting the blog a bit, which makes me super-sad, but it's getting crazy around here trying to get my dissertation done and defended and finally finished! So the point is that I'm hoping that some of you guys might be willing to help me out a little bit and guest post! 

I'm pretty open to any kind of crafty tutorial - home decor, crafts, recipes/ cooking/ baking, painting, a blog-related or blogging tutorial, even a printable... whatever! You can post about something you've already shared on your blog or a completely new tutorial - it's up to you! I would ask you to complete the crafty interview questions that I've had all the other guest posters complete, but that's just a few quick questions! 

I'm hoping to get some posts for the rest of March and a lot of April. I'm not going to completely abandon the blog, but I just don't know how much I can get done and I realized that I know a ton of awesome bloggers and maybe I can get them to share some talent here AND hopefully get them a little more exposure or at least help them meet other bloggers that they don't already know (I tend to assume you all know each other already, which I realize is not true) so there's that awesome benefit. Plus, I'll be eternally grateful for you helping me out! 

If you'd like to do this, please email me at craftingscientist@gmail.com. (I'm really only accepting people with their own blogs - not freelance writers or who want to just sell things, sorry!)

9 My First Embroidery + Free Pattern!

I've recently taken up embroidery and I'm absolutely LOVING it! It all started with this book - Doodle Stitching by Aimee Ray. Best $8 I've spent in awhile (on Amazon Prime - free shipping)! I knew NOTHING about embroidery and now you'll see the project I'm working on... I'd say it's pretty darn effective!

 I've been busy making some things from that book, but then I wanted to make a little something for St. Paddy's Day and I realized that it's crazy easy to make little embroidery patterns! I LOVE the "Lucky" song by Jason Mraz and it always makes me think of St. Paddy's Day (or at least since it came out a few years ago). So I used a little quote from it and now I'm working on this little project...

I realized I needed to post the project ASAP if I wanted to say it was for St. Paddy's Day and so I haven't had time to finish it. So I'm just going to show you what I'm doing and where the project stands now...

And show it to you without the embroidery hoop still in place...

And then give you the free pattern to download here!

I've used mostly satin stitch and split stitch on this... and a lot of shades of embroidery floss to create some ombre effects. It's not perfect and I'm still learning a lot, but I'm pretty happy with it so far! I'll be sure to show you guys the finished product - without the tracing paper and all ironed out and pretty!

For now, have fun with it and I'll be sharing it at some of my favorite conferences! And don't forget about the St. Paddy's Day printables I made last year - download them from Box now too!

29 Quatrefoil Bulletin Board

With St. Patrick's Day coming up, it seemed like the perfect time to get my act together and post some pictures of my green quatrefoil bulletin board. This project started because I got a nice office with a real desk at school and I wanted to make it a little prettier and stop keeping all my important papers on magnetic clips on the side of a file cabinet. And this is what I came up with...

Here's what you'll need -

• Giant bulletin board
• Green, white, silver paint
• Big and little paintbrushes
• Quatrefoil stencil and pencil, erasers
• Paint tape (I used washi tape because that's what I had and it worked out okay...)

First, I covered the wood border in washi tape to protect it. You should probably use painter's tape, but the washi worked out okay. Then, I just painted the whole thing in solid green. I was going for a sour apple kind of color because that's my favorite color. It took a coat or two of paint to get it covered in a nice limey sour apple color!

Then I took my GORGEOUS quatrefoil stencil that Lindsay from Artsy Fartsy Mama sent me from her quatrefoil canvas art project (and that I used to make the quatrefoil paint chip art) and I'd already cut out the shapes so I just started lining up the stencil along the edge of the bulletin board and then tracing the quatrefoil shapes in pencil on the board. I had troubles getting it all lined up and pretty and ended up having to erase it a few times, but eventually I got it all perfect!

Then I used a small paintbrush to paint in the borders in white. That took some serious patience and at least two coats of white paint to look solid.

The white ended up being a little blinding and so I grabbed some silver paint and started putting a thin layer all over it all. But then the silver was a little weird and looked too dark so I started sponging it off with a paper towel. Sadly that whole process had to happen pretty quickly and I didn't get any photographs... just the pics of the end results. But I got those and I think it looks pretty cool!

It's not totally perfect everywhere, but I love it anyways and I don't think you can really tell!

So that's the bulletin board that I put up at work - complete with the little silver sheen! Sadly I didn't get a picture of the bulletin board at work, but I figured I'd still share this project with you all! I made a smaller version for my craft area at home too so I'm telling myself that this is part of my craft area make over and I'm finally getting some of that shared with you all!

I took some pics of the finished bulletin board and I was editing them earlier and I noticed something...



There's little Bella up at the top! She's almost in the center... but she's on the couch and it looks almost like she's perched up there... I just loved it!

Other than the cost of the bulletin board ($10 or $12 at Walmart, I think), I owned everything else I needed. And I think you can easily do this in less than 3 hours, but it took me longer because I erased the pattern a couple times and re-traced it to make it more perfect.

I'll be sharing this at some of my favorite conferences!