It’s the end of the year and I know y’all have been busy. So, I thought I’d give you the cliff notes version of Pretty Handy Girl in 2011.

Gift Bucket Liner from Goodwill Pants

How to Paint a Dandelion Wall Mural

Fork Photo and Note Holder

Spring Paper and Button Flowers

How to Paint Doors the Professional Way

 

How to Paint Like a Pro Series:

 

Build Your Own Ladder Display Shelves

Photography Secrets for Shooting Indoors

 

Toilet Repairs Series:

 

Dream Big Butterfly Window

Backlit Cut Out Bookcase

Rustic Wine Crate

How to Replace an Ugly Hollywood Strip Light

Board and Batter Tutorial

How to Make a Branch Towel Bar

Light Bulb Comparison

How to Install Low Voltage Landscape Lighting

Ombré Paint Chip Lampshade

 

Cabinet Door Revamped to Chalkboard Message Board

Kitchen Cabinet Turned into Shoe Storage Bench

 

Dollar Tree Placemat Garden Flag

 

Beveled Glass Light Fixture Ornaments

DIY Matchbox Car Race Track

 

And Finally, A Whole Slew of Power Tool Tutorials:

Compound Miter Saw

Jig Saw

Finish Nailer and Compressor

Cordless Drill

Circular Saw

Table Saw

Band Saw

I don’t know about you, but I’m super excited for 2012! I hope you’ll stick around for some more DIY tutorials and empowerment!

Did you have a favorite post of mine this year that I forgot to mention? Do tell! Chosing from almost 200 posts makes for some tough decisions.

Today I want to share with you an easy craft tutorial. I call these my citrus themed glass plates.

Before my 4oth birthday party, I had been scouring the stores for some pretty citrus colored plates to serve sweets on. I was coming up empty-handed, was running out of time, and was concerned about my budget.

I happened to stumble upon some glass plates I bought at Goodwill awhile ago. And then the idea hit me! Why not make my own decorative plates!

Materials:

  • Mod Podge Glossy
  • Paint Brush
  • Jar of Water
  • Glass Cleaner
  • Paper Towels
  • Scrapbook Paper (thin works better)
  • Glass Plates
  • Recycled Jar or Cans to Dry Plates on
  • Scissors
  • Pencil

Instructions:

1. Clean the bottom of the glass plates with glass cleaner.

2. Trace around the plate on the scrapbook paper.

3. Cut out the circle.

4. Snip four slits into the circle but NOT all the way to the center.

5. Snip four more slits centered between the first set of slits. You should end up with eight cuts equally spaced.

6. Cover the bottom of your glass plate with mod podge.

7. Center the cutout circle onto the bottom of the plate, pattern side down. Gently press the paper onto the plate allowing the paper to overlap slightly at each slit.

8. Liberally apply mod podge over the scrapbook paper.

9. Use your finger to smooth out the wrinkles in the paper. But, be gentle or the paper will tear.

10. Lay the plates upside down on the jars and cans until dry. Add more mod podge if needed to seal the scrapbook paper and glue it down.

Turn them over and enjoy your unique decorative plates.

Note: Do not fully submerse the plates in water, wipe them off and wash the tops so as not to mess up the paper side. Stack them with a paper towel in between so they don’t stick together.

Load them up with some light citrus sweets and they will be the hit of the party!


The possibilities are endless with these plates. Think about personalizing them with photos or monograms. What are your ideas for making your own plates?


 

Matchbox Car Racing Ramp

Do you have a little free time over the Christmas break? How about taking some time to make a wooden racing track with your kiddos!

If you have boys, I’m sure you have Hot Wheels cars in your home. They go hand-in-hand. My boys play with their race cars for hours!

They have several of the plastic tracks. And even a curly-Q racing ramp. But, honestly they seem to play with my scrap pieces of wood more than the plastic tracks. Chances are, if you or your spouse build things, you will have all the scraps of wood on hand to make this racing ramp.

My 7 year old and I worked together on this project. (He was my design consultant and he also helped with some of the assembly.) But, imagine the surprise on a child’s face if you made this ramp as a holiday or birthday gift!

Materials:


  • 2 – 1 x 4 x 13″ boards (tower sides)
  • 1- 1 x 4 x 9″ board (tower roof)
  • 2 – 1 x 8 x 33″ boards (ramp sides)
  • 1 – 1 x 6 x 33″ board (ramp)
  • 1 – 3/4″ dowel rod (cut to 12″)
  • 1 – 1/8″ dowel rods
  • 1 – thin rectangular strip for a divider 33″ long
  • 1 5/8″ screws
  • 1″ finish nails
  • 2″  finish nails
  • Gorilla Glue
  • Sandpaper
  • Primer
  • Spray paint
  • ScotchBlue Painter’s Tape
  • X-acto knife
  • Clamps
  • Cordless drill
  • Handsaw or miter saw
  • 3/4″ spade bit
  • 1/8″ drill bit

Start by cutting all your boards to length. Grab the ramp board (1 x 6 x 33″) and cut one end of the ramp at a 30Ëš angle.

Glue the narrow strip onto the center of your ramp using a small amount of Gorilla Glue.

Clamp the strip and add a few 1″ finish nails to secure the strip.

Set up your boards as shown. Tilt the ramp up at the back, the angled cut will rest on the floor (not shown.)

Drive a few screws through the side walls and into the ramp with your drill.

Line up the tower sides approximately 2″ from the back edge of the ramp walls. Then secure them in place with a few more screws.

Drill a hole into each tower side large enough for the 3/4″ dowel rod to fit through.

Slide the dowel rod through and center it on the ramp.

Mark the location of the center of the left and right tracks onto the dowel rod. Measure the distance between the dowel rod and the ramp. Use this measurement to cut 2 pieces of 1/8″ dowel rod 1/2″ longer than that measurement.

Remove the 3/4″ dowel rod. Drill holes 1/8″ wide halfway through the big dowel rod at the locations you marked for the centers of the tracks.) Wrap a piece of painter’s tape around the drill to indicate a depth 2/3 of the way through the 3/4″ dowel rod. Then don’t let the bit go further than the tape into the rod.

Mark the location where the dowel meets the outside of the tower wall.

Drill a hole all the way through the large dowel rod. Insert the 3/4″ dowel rod through the holes in the tower walls. Glue the 1/8″ cut dowels into the halfway holes. Then cut and glue two more 1/8″ dowels to go through the 3/4″ dowel on the ouside of the tower walls. These will anchor the large dowel rod and keep it from slipping out of alignment.

Nail finish nails through the tower roof and into the walls of the tower.


That completes the building portion of this tutorial. Hopefully your ramp resembles this one:


Now it is time to add some pizzazz! Ka-chow!

My design consultant demanded fiery red flames and black on his ramp. (And what he wants, he gets!)

I lightly sanded the wood race track. Added a coat of primer and some red and yellow spray paint.

Then I cut out a flame design using ScotchBlue painter’s tape (4 pieces overlapping) and an x-acto knife on a cutting board.

I gently lifted the tape and adhered it to the side walls.

After a coat of metallic hammered metal spray paint, I removed the tape to reveal:

What do you think? Do I have a shot at a job on Orange County Choppers??!! The “logo” on the top was made by pressing letter stickers over the primer, then I taped off around the words and sprayed some red and yellow spray paint. The lines are made with black graphic adhesive lines.

On your marks…get set…

and GO!


Nice two wheel stunt!

I hope you will make one of these for your little stunt driver.

Sleigh Gift Wrap

This is it, the last day of the Creative Gift Wrapping tutorials. I hope you have had fun with some of these creative gift wrap ideas. In case you missed any, here are the previous days of gift wrapping:

Day #1 – Monogram & Name Plaque

Day #2 – Frosty & Rudolph gifts

Day #3 – Butterflies & 3-D Tree 

Day #4 – Chalkboard Tags

Today I have my favorite gift wrap! I have to admit that the polar bear is my favorite animal, so I might be biased. But, it is a really easy look to re-create.

Materials:

  • Wrapping paper
  • White card stock paper
  • Snowflake hole puncher
  • Key tag
  • Satin ribbon
  • Jingle bell
  • Black & white pom poms (nose & tail)
  • Small black button
  • Elmer’s glue
  • Hot glue gun

Wrap a present with gift wrap.

Using the template below (click on the photo for a larger version and then print it out), cut out the polar bear shape on white card stock. Better yet, if your printer can handle it, print it out on card stock and then flip the bear over to the white side.

Glue the bear onto the gift package.

Punch out some snowflakes. (I used some white and some light blue that would show up better on top of the white bear.)

Cut one piece of red ribbon for the bears collar. Glue the collar and snowflakes onto the package using Elmer’s glue. Use hot glue to attach a button and pom pom for the eye and nose.

Thread a jingle bell onto some satin ribbon, then tie a bow onto a key tag.


Hot glue the bow/jingle bell onto the bear’s collar.


Factoid: Did you know that a polar bear’s skin is actually black? And the bear’s hair is actually transparent hollow tubes. This serves three purposes:

  1. The tubes are hollow so they store air in them. This acts as an insulator.
  2. Plus, it helps the polar bears buoyancy while swimming.
  3. Remember how I said their skins is black? Well, because the fur is actually transparent, it allows the sun to reach the bear’s skin and help warm them. Cool, huh?!

Materials:

  • Wrapping paper
  • White card stock paper
  • Satin ribbon
  • Sprig of rosemary or other evergreen twig
  • Hot glue gun

Wrap a present with gift wrap.

Add a ribbon on the diagonal corners.

Click on the dove silhouette below to see the full size image. Print it out on the cardstock paper and cut out the shape to use as a template, or use the reverse white side of the shape.

Use a hole punch to cut out the eye. Hot glue the dove to the package and hot glue the rosemary underneath the dove’s beak.

Have fun with this creative package. Add the words PEACE, or bend the wings up to make them three dimensional.

This dove will work on a variety of sized gifts. Try one on a vertical present.


“Peace on Earth, Goodwill Toward Men”

Bonus: Here are two more creative gift wrappings to try. The holly leaves are simply pieces of scrapbook paper folded and glued onto the package.

The sleigh was so much fun to create! I wrapped pieces of foam board and cut out a scrapbook paper sleigh.

Glued cotton balls for snow and some buttons and buckles make this a gift the recipient will want to stare at instead of open.

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas day, a Happy Holiday and a terrific New Year!

Chalkboard Tags for Gift Wrap

What is better than a creative gift wrapped package? A creative gift wrapping that can be re-used again and again and again! Chalkboard tags made from foam board are adorable and can be used after the gift has been opened.


Materials:

  • Chalkboard paint
  • Foam board
  • Chalk or chalkboard pen
  • Wrapping paper
  • Ribbon
  • Hole Punch
  • X-acto knife
  • Pencil
  • Ruler

Measure and cut out a 4″ x 6″ rectangle of foam board. The trick to clean cuts in foam board is to use a brand new x-acto blade! It is that simple.


To make perfect diagonal corners, measure 1″ from the corner (across and down) and make  marks. Then draw a diagonal line connecting the two points. Cut off the triangle.

Use the hole punch to put a hole in the middle of the top edge.

Spray paint or paint chalkboard paint onto the foam board. Let it dry.

Season the chalkboard rectangle by rubbing chalk all over the board. Then wipe it off. This will eliminate the chalk message “burning” into the chalkboard and will allow the recipient to re-use the board.


Write a message on the chalkboard tag.


Wrap the present with wrapping paper and a big bow. Attach the tag to the bow.


Now your gift recipient has a cute little re-useable chalkboard tag.


 Merry Christmas, Renee!


Materials:

  • Chalkboard paint
  • Foam core
  • Chalk or chalkboard pen
  • Wrapping paper
  • Ribbon
  • Hole punch
  • X-acto knife
  • Pencil
  • Ruler
  • Clothespin
  • Silver or Gold acrylic paint
  • Paintbrush
  • Hot glue gun (or Elmer’s glue spots)

Follow the instructions above for making a foam core chalkboard. Eliminate the steps on cutting diagonal corners and adding a hole for this one.

Take apart a clothespin and paint both sides using the silver or gold acrylic paint.

Wrap the present with wrapping paper.

Wrap ribbon around the present, but don’t tie a bow. Just make a knot.


Make a separate bow out of the same ribbon and use hot glue (or Elmer’s glue spots) to attach it to the clothespin.


Clip the clothespin over the knotted bow on your package and slide your chalkboard into the clothespin.


“Merry Christmas, Baby!”

Only one more day until Christmas! Better get wrapping people! I’ll have a final wrapping paper tutorial for you tomorrow, I bet you can’t wait!