Ribbon Organizer and Dry Erase Frame

A while ago, when I started making bows for my niece,  I purchased most of my ribbon online in bulk.  The prices and variety were great online but unfortunately most of them didn't come with the spools.  I've seen so many great ideas online on how to store ribbon but most of them use the spool.  I didn't come up with this idea until I started cleaning out my craft room and came across a shelf I had purchased several years ago

The shelf was in desperate need of some new paint.  It was painted a teal color but it was missing a few coats so the dark (black I think) color wasn't covered completely.  It needed a little sanding and paint and was ready to go.  

I just picked a color from my stash and then I put some antiquing glaze on it.  I found my glaze at Lowe's for around $8. I've used it on several projects and haven't put a dent in it.  A little goes a VERY long ways.  This glaze is so simple to use and adds character to painted pieces. 

I then picked up a few wooden dowels to wrap the ribbon around.  The top one as you can see, has the towel sticking out both sides.  I can easily remove ribbon spools or add new ones in.  For the middle dowel, I drilled a hole partially through both sides of the shelf with one side deeper than the other.  It isn't one that I want to remover very frequently but it has enough give on it that I can.  The final dowel is held up by ribbon that is attached to the back of the shelf.  The ribbon is looped around the dowel instead of glued so I can easily remove it.

The four dowels on top are permanent.  I just drilled partially down into the shelf and then glued the dowels down.  I have them spaced far enough apart that I can put spools on later or I can add more vertical dowels.    

The final thing I did was make a dry erase frame to go next to my ribbon holder.  I often have so many ideas in my head that I forget about most of them.  I wanted somewhere I could write down things that need done, reminders, and future projects.   

 

All I did was paint it and use the antiquing glaze on it.  I then cut some scrap fabric that fit just behind the glass and then closed it up.  Finally, I just looped some ribbon at the bottom to store the marker.

Just Like Daddy...Little Boy Ties

I hate going to dress my son for church and realizing he has nothing nice to wear.  For girls, it seems to be so easy to just put a cute little dress on.  I'm too cheap to spend a lot of money on boy outfits that he will only wear for a few months before he grow out of them.  I was so excited when I went to a church activity where they were teaching us how to make these adorable ties.  

I put this project on the back burner for a little while and then finally pulled them out and finished them.  I used the excellent tutorial found at Hideous! Dreadful! Stinky!  It is a great tutorial for those who don't have a sewing machine at their disposal.

I am now going to raid my local thrift stores and my husband's closet for more ties.  

 

Car Punch Frame

I've decorated my son's room with a transportation theme but now that he is a toddler, I need to incorporate some older looking decorations.  So I came up with this...

It was such a simple and cheap project and I think it would make a great baby gift.  I originally got the idea from my friend, Leslie on her craft blog, Side Notes.  To go with the them of the room, she took off the backing and glued the butterflies directly onto the glass.  So cute!

To start off my project, I found a cheap but oh so cute frame at one of our thrift stores.  I absolutely LOVED the frame design and the square shape.  It was also a huge plus that it came with an adorable looking mat.  Upon closer examination...I discovered it would be difficult to remove the picture so I just glued he the paper I'd chosen on top.  Before gluing the paper on, I painted a thin black line on the edge of the picture to give the finished project a more layered look.  

I recently got a 50% coupon from Michaels that I needed to use up so I got my wonderful new Martha Stewart's car punch.

I then went through my stash and picked colors that went well with the background paper and the frame and mat.  To give the cars their raised look I used something similar to glue dots.

I put the frame back on after a little touch up paint and Ta-Da!   

 I'm still trying to decide if I want to hang it with ribbon instead of using the hook on the back.  Would the ribbon be too much for a boy?  Any thoughts?

I linked up with The Shabby Nest Frugal Friday.  Go check out the other amazing frugal projects.

Shirt Samples Quilt

FROM THIS......

TO THIS...!!

 I FINALLY finished the quilt I made for a wedding gift for my sister and brother-in-law.  I had to cut each block out and sew every square together with a temperamental sewing machine.  I actually hate the way it looks but my husband convinced me to give it to my sister in law anyways.

 I made this quilt for a total of $7.  All of the samples cost me .25 cents total and I didn't even use half of the samples.  The backing is a sheet I found at a thrift store for $4.  I found the batting at a flea for $1.50.  I used one spool of thread which was $1.25.