With a tweet and a whistle and a song in her heart, our next DIY Talent Parade participant is gliding….wait, no make that flying down the street! Whoa, well, I’m sure you’ve guessed by now that this talented gal is part avian. That’s right, I have the beautiful and exotic (because she’s from the Netherlands,) Marianne also known to her readers as Songbird.

Marianne, is truly a sweet and graceful creature. And she loves to surround herself with beauty wherever she nests. I secretly dream of flying across the ocean to be a guest in her home one day.

Her home is purely dreamy!

At Songbird Blog, you can learn all types of romantic decorating and decor tips. In addition to her top 7 tips for spraypainting.

Well, she’s swooping down with some beautiful silver strands flying behind her, so focus your attention skyward. Read more

Look up there! It’s a bird, it’s a plane, no wait…it’s Madigan Made! That’s right, Shannon from Madigan Made is here and she leads a double life. She’s the Clark Kent of the blogging world. By day, Shannon is a pharmacist and by night she moonlights as a creative magician and blogger.  This creative genius casts magical spells on ordinary objects and turns them into extraordinary home furnishings and décor.

One thing I love about Shannon is that she never fails to amaze me with her transformations. They are always fresh ideas and the fact that she has the energy to complete DIY projects and hold a full-time job leaves me speechless. Check out just a sampling of her projects.

And now I see some sparks glowing in the distance. They are moving towards us at warp speed, which only means one thing…Madigan Made is in the house! Read more

How was your weekend everyone? I had a truly fabulous weekend surrounded by some seriously creative and talented bloggers. I was in Salt Lake City, Utah attending the SNAP 2012 conference. Sadly, there was one blogger who is equally as creative and talented that couldn’t make it this year. (But, we’re going to have to tie her up and make her come next year!) This fabulously talented lady is none other than Colleen also known to the blog world as Mural Maker.

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Colleen and I have never met, but we’ve bonded online because we have similar fine art backgrounds. Colleen is equally willing to share her talents and help empower others to paint just like she does (with step by step photographic tutorials.)

Ooo, ooo, ooo, I think I see her marching up the parade path right now. She has a paint brushes in hand and WOW, look at her toss that spinning artist’s palette in the air like a pizza pie. Now that takes talent! The crowd is excited. The colorful paints are beginning to fly. So, settle back and enjoy the show. Read more

industrial style light DIY

TGIF, TGIF, TGIF!  Can you hear the crowd chanting? Yup, it’s Friday and today we have a real powerhouse of a DIYer in the Talent Parade. Here comes Gina with her baton in hand, she has the crowds on their feet and they are ready for a super transformation.

Before she gets to the grandstand, let me tell you about Gina and her blog: The Shabby Creek Cottage. Gina has single-handedly transformed her mobile into a beautiful cottage space for her family to live in. Seriously, you would never guess that this was a mobile home would you?

Gina’s home is one of my favorite online homes. She uses aquas and whites to create stunning magazine worthy rooms. She is ultra creative and always amazes me with her ability to design unique decor and furnishings.

But here comes that Queen of Transformations herself, so direct your attention to the parade route.

Hi! I’m Gina from The Shabby Creek Cottage – my blog where I share the adventures of transforming our shabby little cottage by the creek. I’m so excited to be hanging out with Brittany today – in real life (at SNAP) and here on Pretty Handy Girl – it’s truly an honor!

lighting before photoThis little light over our kitchen sink was a case of budget over beauty. I dreamt of one of those delicious Anthropologie lights, oozing with quirky style. However we had about $20 instead of $200, so we bought a Home Depot pendant and put a bucket on it – cute, but not quirky.

Anthropologie inspired light fixture I channeled my inner Pooh Bear, and did a little thinking. What did I have that would be me? Quirky, farmhouse, vintage inspired me? Then I remembered the roll of chicken wire I bought for $1 at my local Habitat Restore. Jackpot. The only tool I used was a pair of side cutters.

Chicken Wire Pendant Light Tutorial I cut a piece of the wire off the roll, about 10 inches by 12 inches. Cutting on the lines, I tried to keep the long twisty parts between the “combs” as long as I could to make the next step easier. I cut from the finished outer edge, so it could be the bottom of my shade.

how to make a chicken wire light I lined up the full first full roll of combs on each side to make a cylinder. I took the long twisty pieces where I cut, and wrapped them around the ones on the other side.

chicken wire light tutorial Once my cylinder was secure, I carefully started making a dome by pushing the unfinished edges towards the center. Kinda smush it with your hands to get the shape better.

industrial style light DIY You’ll need to make the hole in the middle work around the sleeve for the light bulb, which is kind of trial and error. Just take the coupler off that holds on the shade, then slide on the chicken wire and replace the coupler.

IMG_3304 You can make it look like a cloche, or smush it all wonky and make it more distorted – totally up to you.

chicken wire pendant light

A 10 minute DIY makes my Anthropologie lovin’ heart flutter…

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It might not be so cute anymore, but it sure is a bucket load of quirky.
Thanks, Brittany, for letting me share my tutorial today!

Seriously, that pendant light is adorable and Gina makes it so easy to replicate! I’m off to reclaim some wire from the chickens. Wait, I don’t have chickens, guess I’ll be heading over to Home Depot.

How are you enjoying the parade this week? Are you ready for more DIY Talent next week? Come back on Monday to see who’s marching down the street. And don’t forget to join the parade with your own talent on Friday with a special DIY Talent Link Party.

Welcome back to another day of the DIY Talent Parade! Do you see that flurry of pink activity? You know what that means, it is none other than Kelly from The Pink Hammer Blog!

Kelly is the gal behind those rockin’ pink tools. With a drill in one hand and a hammer in the other, there isn’t anything she can’t do! Take this bathroom renovation for example:

She took it from dark and dingy to sea-inspired-licious! The transformation is impressive, don’t you think?!

Today Kelly is going to whip up some creative containers for planting. And, boy oh boy does she have some creative ideas!  Take it away Kelly!

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