One More Cup of Coffee 'Fore I Go To the Valley Below (Winter DIY Series)

If you are as in love with Pinterest as I am, you've probably seen DIY projects to make your own customized dishes with some artistry and Sharpies.  Many people have gone back and forth over whether or not this project really works; doesn't the Sharpie just rub right off or get destroyed when the dish is washed? I decided to take the plunge and try it out by making a few unique mugs as gifts for people.

I followed this tutorial from A Beautiful Mess when creating my mugs.  Simply put, all you have to do is

• Purchase any inexpensive mug (check Target, they have simple mugs in all price ranges)
• Create a design in any color Sharpie (Don't be afraid to mess up! A damp cloth serves as the perfect eraser)
• Let the mug sit for about 24 hours to allow the design to cure (I did this with two out of the three mugs I made as a precautionary measure)
• Bake the mug in your oven for 30 minutes at 350-375 degrees.
• Allow to cool, and you're done!
• Be sure to hand wash the mug only, being careful not to scrub the design, just in case.

So far, the mugs I have made for my dad, brother, and boyfriend have all held up pretty well after following these procedures.  Today, I have included pictures of the mug that I made as part of my boyfriend's 21's birthday present...enjoy!

Mike loves the musical Rent, so I thought this quirky take on a line from
"Seasons of Love" would be witty and appropriate for his mug design.

The final product!

I also made a mug as part of my dad's Christmas present (to go with the coaster that I made in my last post).  His was a white mug with a burgundy design reading "The Mixed Breed; DC's #1 Band", along with the names of some of his band's songs (you can read about his band here).  I made my hot chocolate-addict brother a mug as well.  His was red with black lettering (his lacrosse team's colors) with a quote by Abraham Lincoln that read "Good things come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle".  All of them loved their mugs, making this simple DIY project a success!!

Love, Leaza

P.S. A belated Happy Birthday shout-out to my wonderful boyfriend, Mike!! He's 21 and all grown up now :)

The birthday boy having his first beer :)

Ring Around the Rosie (Winter DIY Series)

As I cry over the outcome of the Redskins playoff game, I bring you part two of my Winter DIY Series.  Like I said yesterday, these are simple projects that are fun to make and great gifts!! 

 

Today's project is a country-chic drink coaster made out of an old CD; easy and super easy to customize (depending on how you decide to finish it).

For this project, you need an old CD or DVD (mine is a Conair blowdryer tutorial), a long bit of twine, some felt, spray paint, and a simple glue gun (be sure you have many, many glue sticks on hand).

I started by wrapping my twine in a spiral shape from the center of the CD moving out, using my glue gun to attach the twine as I went along. 

After I completely covered the CD in twine, I cut the end and secured the loose end with an extra bit of glue.

Next, I traced my CD on my felt.  I cut out that circle and used my glue gun to attach the felt to the exposed underside of my CD.

After securing the felt, I filled in the center of the coaster (CD) with a small spiral of twine that I glued to the felt underneath.

After adding the center, I was essentially finished my project.  However, to give the coaster a more uniform look (and to contrast more with its companion gift), I decided to spray paint the top part of my coaster bronze with a multi-surface metallic paint.  After allowing the paint to dry, I had my brand new coaster (aka, half of my Dad's Christmas present)!!

Stay tuned for even more fun, easy DIY tutorials for any occasion.  Have a good night, all!!

Love, Leaza

Seven AM, The Usual Morning Line-up... (Winter DIY Series)

As I said in my last post, I've had a lot of extra time on my hands during break.  Since I've hardly had any time to myself since the summer, I have a mile long list of DIY projects that I have wanted to complete.  I've actually impressed myself with how many projects I have tackled over the past three weeks and I am thrilled to share them with you.  These are all super simple projects that have only taken me a few hours at most; these are great for the beginner crafter to try.

First up, I created an upcycled sweatshirt based on Jessica Simpson's top in this photo:

I have had a basic light brown sweatshirt for a long time that I never really wear.  I got it at Forever21 about a year or so ago when it was on sale as a "yellow-tag deal".  As cozy as it is, I find it spending more time in my backpack than actually being worn because it fit a little oddly and was just too plain... don't get me wrong, I love basic neutral pieces more than most people, there was just something weird about this shirt.

But of course, I love my warm clothes and couldn't stand to see this warm shirt go to waste.  It reminded me of a blank canvas, and though I wanted to upgrade it, I wasn't quite sure how.  So I searched sweatshirt DIY projects on Pinterest and was pin-spired by a tutorial that I found on the blog Wobisobi for this Jessica Simpson top.  It seemed simple enough to try and complete in about a day at most, so I gave it a try.  I didn't follow the tutorial verbatim, so take a look at my project!!

First, I cut the neck out of my sweatshirt.

This step terrified me, since I am never good with  freehand drawing, especially with
fabric paint.  Luckily, my abstract "leaf" pattern turned out pretty well.  I filled in the
outline by spreading my fabric paint with a paintbrush, making sure to stay within the
lines.  (To make this step easier, you could pre-draw and and cut out a stencil made
 of poster board or cardboard with an exacto knife.)

I then created a similar design in the bottom corner of my sweatshirt.  I filled in the
design by spreading my fabric paint with my paintbrush again.  After I made sure
that the pain was evenly spread over my design, I let it sit for a few hours to dry.

When the paint dried, I used fabric scissors (you could use a sharp exacto knife)
to cut out the cutouts that I had predetermined in my design.  After shaving away
a few loose threads, I had my brand new sweatshirt!!

I hope you give this tutorial a try to dress up any old, boring sweatshirts you may have!

Until next time, my awesome readers :)

Love, Leaza

Something's Coming, Something Good

Since I've been on winter break, I have a bunch of new DIY projects coming in the next week. Get ready to get crafty with me!!

In the meantime, check out these project sneak peeks:

Be back soon!!

Love, Leaza