Spoonful of Imagination

Add it to a Family for Something Beautiful

Adventure Awaits

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DIY_adventure_awaits_signHave you seen the fun yarn and weave crafts that have been going around?

It seems like there is a wave of wall art that is different and based on lots of textiles. I LOVE it. I have been so inspired by all the different materials and ways these textiles are being brought together to make something colorful and fun. Here are a few that have caught my eye.

Disclosure: Please visit the sites of these next few pictures to read more about that craft and maybe get the tutorial or even purchase that creation!

weave_placematWeave Placemat by Creative Jewish Mom

statement_weaveStatement Weave by A Beautiful Mess

yarn_dream_catcherDream Catcher by Alicia Lee of Lea Fibers

baby_mobilBaby Mobile created by OdPaAm

Adventure awaits_urban_outfittersAdventure Awaits Flag by Urban Outfitters

I love all the different possibilities with weaving. You can change up the color of yarns used, the size of your creation and add fun personalized touches all along the way.

I love yarn pom poms. I cant get enough and have been wanting to create with them more since I added one to my felt pennant.

The dream catcher caught my eye as well for the diverse possibilities! I love the idea of getting a bunch of ribbon and trims and use one of my embroidery hoops to hold them all together.

I loved the Adventure Awaits flag from Urban Outfitters. I love the message. What a cool short inspiration piece to encourage you in those rough down moments throughout the day! Quotes and inspirational phrases always get me, and they are a huge reason why I like to embroider and call that system my embroidery journal.

I got to thinking that there had to be away to incorporate all these fun elements that I am loving. I set out to uses pieces of each of these ideas to create my own.

adventure_awaits_wall_artI had never created a weave and honestly didn’t know where to start. I used the instructions from A Beautiful Mess to guide me. I found them easy to understand and the pictures were beautiful and spoke for themselves. My mom watched me as I started my weave and joked abut how it seemed like a first grade craft my brother did when he was younger. Yes, it really is that simple!

learning_how_to_weave

Easy_weaveOnce I finished my weave, I slipped the loops on a dowel rod and used a little hot glue on the back to hold them in place. Since this was only my first weave, I know there has to be a much better system to making sure the stitches stay tight. I will get there! Until then, I am so proud of my first little weave and it’s actually something I want to hold onto!

first_weave

secure_your_weaveNext, I needed to figure out how I wanted to add my inspirational phrase. I used creme canvas and folded a piece in half and then cut the edge to have a nice, simple point in the middle. I then placed my weave on top to give me an idea for spacing my words. I used a sharpie paint pen and just started doodling my phrase.

adventureIt was a little too plain for me with just the words alone, so I went back and added some gold paint accents that matched my yarn for another pop of color.

adventure_awaitsI then added a dowel rod and some fun rope to make sure my creation could hang on the wall.

DIY_pennantI then sewed around the edge, hot glued my weave to it at the top, and added some fun yarn pom poms to dangle down. I love it!

making pom poms

adventure_awaits_signI love how this simple wall piece incorporates several things that have been catching my eye. For now it hangs on my headboard, and every time I see it I smile. I love that I now have my own piece that holds ideas and elements that inspire me. I want to weave more. I may still do a dream catcher. I think I will definitely add more to this piece. Maybe some longer dangles? Maybe a painted arrow under the words? Maybe a fun trim at the tip to blend the weave and the flag together better?

I’m not sure yet. I will have to stare at it longer, and it may be weeks or months from now before I “see” what it needs. I am proud I started though. I tried something new. I used things that have been inspiring my to try and create something of my own.

What about you? Where do you find inspiration? Are you scared to try something new? New things can be hard, but we have so much to learn from one another and never know what we are missing out-unless we try it! Try something new this next week!

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“LOVE” Wall Art

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love_easy_wall_art

You know how a Target run can go. I went in for shampoo but then found myself in the lampshade and picture frame aisle. How that happened-I do not know, but I liked it. I found a set of four little white frames for less than $3. I grabbed them, knowing I would find a use for them somehow.

After a weekend of painting our foster care bedroom and stripping a funky furniture piece, I wanted a quick fun craft. I came up with this simple wall art with my little frames. Here is how I did it.

First, I took the backs off all my frames.

white_picture_framesI browsed my scrapbook collection and found a piece that I wanted to use. One 12″ x 12″ piece was enough paper for all four 4″ x 6″ frames. I used the glass from the frame to cut the paper the right size. Once I had four sheets of paper for my frames, I set them aside and started on the letters.

scrapbook_paperI used just plain brown wrapping paper and stenciled my letters on to it. The brown paper was to act as my guide to cut my burlap latter, since it’s hard to write on burlap. See below.

using a stencil

love_stencilI picked up my brown paper and placed a small square of burlap behind it. As I cut my letter out, I made sure to cut the burlap layer as well. This gave me a burlap letter without having sharpie markings on it (as sharpie might be the only thing that would have shown a stencil traced on burlap).

cutting_burlap

I then pulled some burlap strings out to make the letter look more rustic, just like I did on my greeting cards. I then dabbed a small amount of glue stick on the back of the letters and placed the letter in the middle of my scrapbook paper cut out. The glue stick just needs to be strong enough to hold the paper in place to get it in the frame. Once the wall art is in the frame with the back of the frame back in place, the rest of the burlap will lay flat on the paper as it is pressed together. I didn’t use my brown paper cut out letters, but you could use them to create a more layered look.

burlap_letter

burlap_lettersAfter all the letters were in frames, my new wall art was complete! It was such a simple craft. I love that I can easily switch this art out to use the frames for something else, but for now I have some fun, cheap wall art. I want to try this same idea, but with animal silhouettes instead of letters.

LOVE_framed_art

LOVE_artHave you created anything lately? A spoonful of imagination can go a long way! Thanks so much for checking in!

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A Safe Place

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One of the things I have been working on around here is getting a bed for our foster care bedroom. If you read my last post about when life happens, I hinted that we have a bed! I am excited to share it with you today.

After scouring Craigslist for weeks, I realized finding a daybed with a pop up trundle and two mattresses was going to be expensive-even if it was used. In a last resort kind of thought, I asked on facebook if anyone had one they would want to sell me. The next thing I know I had several comments and exactly what we needed was provided-for free! We had a beautiful bed given to us. I am still amazed and so thankful God provided through a really generous lady exactly what we needed.

Day bed makeover

After getting the bed, we decided to give it a quick spray paint job. We want to give the room the most “gender neutral” feel, so we had to paint over the floral decorations.

spray paintingSide note: do you spray paint in your pajamas barefoot with your six-year-old taking pictures too? 😉 

It took four cans of spray paint to cover both sides of the bed thick and evenly. I used my favorite spray paint (Dark Bronze), and I couldn’t be happier with how it came out!

spray paint metal day bedI will show you the bed put together, but first I wanted to also show you an inspirational pillow I made for this bed!

I took a $3.00 Ikea solid white pillow case and used a stencil to write a message I hope my kids (and any foster kids that come into my house) hold in their hearts: Believe in your dreams.

stenciling a pillowcaseAfter the stencil was outlined on the pillow case with a pencil, I used a dry brush technique to paint the letters in. I wanted it to look somewhat rustic, so I didn’t paint the letters solid and thick. If you have never done this technique, you can see this quick 60 second clip of me demonstrating how I do it.

I know the kids that stay in this room might not be able to read this pillow, but I will read it to them. No matter where we come from or what has happened to us, we all have dreams. Those dreams give us motivation, joy, hope, and drive.

believe in your dreamsOne tip for painting with this technique is to not dap a freshly filled paint brush all in the same place. It will create more of a “solid line” look rather than a “rustic by accident” look. You can see my mistake below. You can also keep a paper plate or something close by to tap the freshly dipped paint brush a couple of times before applying it to your fabric to get the more faint and dry look.

stencil a pillowI love the start of our foster care bedroom. We now have the bed complete! I have big plans for the rest of the room and will keep showing the process as it comes together. The ultimate goal is for the children to feel welcomed, loved, safe, and protected in our home. I hope our house and ultimately this room will give that atmosphere.

kids bed

Thanks so much for being on this journey with us!

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