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DIY: Dipped Servingware

I recently did a super simple DIY and I wanted to share it with you. But first, a little disclaimer. This is not an amazing idea I came up with. It’s something that everyone has been doing lately and I just jumped on the bandwagon. And I’m okay with that :) Sometimes you just gotta try things out for yourself!

Has everyone been noticing these awesome painted servingware floating around on Pinterest these days?

Love the pastel colors. Pinned here. Found here.

These are for sale if you don’t want to make your own. Or if you want vintage wooden spoons. Pinned here. Found here.

Love the stripes. Pinned here. Found here.

I have even seen some done with regular silverware, also super cool…

I love how they don’t match and yet, because of the paint, they do :) Pinned here. Found here.

So what’s a girl to do? Well, duh! I had to make my own :) I really don’t think there is anything as simple as this project. If you can open a can of paint, you can make these.

First, I bought some salad utensils at the Dollar Tree. So, um, ya, they cost $1 for the set.

Next, I opened my can of paint and dipped them in. The hardest part was having the patience to wait for them to dry :)

I haven’t gotten a chance to use them yet but I can’t wait. I know I won’t be able to wash them in the dishwasher but since they don’t get used regularly, I don’t really care. Besides, they only cost $1! Wouldn’t these make a really fun DIY gift? I’m thinking I might have to go get some more so I can have multiple colors. Or stripes. Or zigzags. Or polka dots. Or all of the above :)

So head down to the Dollar Tree and get your own salad utensils and start dipping. Your salad will thank me!

In other news, I have been doing some spring cleaning here at my house and so I have been updating my shop with some stock that I would like to clear out. In an effort to do this, I have put these items on clearance! In the 5 years that I have had my Every Jot & Tittle shop I have never had a sale. So this is earth shattering people! Most everything is on clearance and most of it is 75% off. Once these items are gone I won’t be making any more of them. Plus, I am also adding some other items that I have found while spring cleaning and I will be adding more as the weeks go on as I continue cleaning things out. Things like garlands and such from parties I have thrown. Everything is marked really low so be sure to head over and get yourself a treat :)

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Tagged: DIY, DIY Gift Ideas, Every Jot & Tittle, Tutorials

Sew Merry: Gallery Wall Art

Today’s project started off really good. I was really excited about how it was turning out. But then, when it ended up taking longer than I expected, it started going downhill a little. Mostly because I was running out of time and patience to finish it. But the concept is there and so I’m still going to share it with you. The good and the bad :)

For starters, let me apologize for the photos. It is a dark and dreary day here and I couldn’t get good photos so they are dark and grainy to go along with the outdoors. Wow, that’s a lot of disclaimers before I’ve even gotten started on the project!!

It all started with my gallery wall. Since I can’t do the string art like I did at church, I thought I would do a version of it at home with my gallery wall. So far, so good. This was the very first Christmas project I started this year. Back at the beginning of November. And, it ended up being the last one I finished, halfheartedly I must say, today. When it ended up taking me longer than I thought, I completely lost momentum and just now finished it because there were only two more frames to fill and Christmas is only 3 days away! Shame on me for putting it off for so long :)

Here is how I did what I did: First, I cut all of my paper to the sizes I needed for the frames. Then, I sketched on the back of the paper what I wanted them to look like. The photo above is an example of the star I made for the littlest frame.

Next, I poked holes on all the points for the string to go through.

Then, using a needle and thread, I connected the dots to make the shape or saying.

Ta-da! A finished star. After I got quite a few done, I put them in the frames thinking I would finish up the others quickly and be done. But, like I said, I kept putting it off, doing other projects instead. Until finally, today I figured I’d better finish. Here is where I got lazy. I did finish all of the string part but when I put the last two larger ones in the frames… I didn’t feel like actually putting them in the frames. This involves removing the old art and replacing it. Oh no, I was much to lazy for all of that. Instead, I stuck it over what was already there.

Can you see the spot of yellow poking through on the middle frame. And the top left one is a little wonky too. But you know what? At this point I don’t even care. In a matter of a few days it will all come down anyway :) Up on the wall is all I care about now.

Some of the first ones I made I really like. Including this one. So ya, the concept is good, the execution not so great :)

Have you ever done that? Gotten tired of a project in the middle of it and finished halfheartedly? Please tell me I’m not the only one!!

This is the point of the season where I’m really excited for the actual day of Christmas but I’m getting tired of the decor. Probably because I have been thinking about it since this summer. Maybe next year I should start later so I don’t get tired of it so quickly. There’s a thought :)

Want to see all of Sew Merry? Click here.

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Tagged: Christmas, DIY, Tutorials

Sew Merry: Felt Letter Banner

One week until Christmas! Are you excited? I am :) Sometimes I still feel like a little kid because I look forward to Christmas so much! Although, I do sleep better on Christmas Eve than I did when I was a kid :) I remember waking up every hour, just too excited to sleep. Now I sleep in and it is wonderful!

I have a little Christmas banner to share with you today. I have it displayed in my entryway and it’s probably the first thing that is noticed when you walk in our door.

As with many projects that I make, I used materials that I had on hand. I love not having to run to the store for something! I used fabric for the banner (a piece from a painters drop cloth), felt, a wooden dowel, iron on hem tape, and yarn.

First, I cut a rectangle out of fabric. I wanted the edges to be raw so I didn’t hem it. Then I used iron on hem tape and ironed it on about 3 inches from the top.

Next, I folded the fabric over and ironed it to the hem tape to create a little pocket for the dowel to slip into.

For the bottom, I folded it in half and then cut diagonally toward the center.

Once it’s unfolded, it creates this inverted point. You also could make it the opposite way too so it looks like an arrow.

Using felt, I cut out letters to form the saying I chose. I free handed these because that is the look that I wanted. You could use a template if you want (or even easier, iron on letters). Then, I used more of the iron on hem tape, cut in small strips, and ironed on the letters. No sewing required! Yay! Lastly, I tied on the yarn on either end of the dowel and hung it from a nail in the wall.

I like the saying I chose. It’s not really a Christmas song but it is what I want Christmas to be about!

What about you? Any last minute projects for the holidays? We attended two Christmas parties this past weekend and now it really feels like Christmas!! Bring it on, I love it!

Want to see more Sew Merry? Check it out here.

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Tagged: Christmas, DIY, Tutorials

Sew Merry: Shade Banner

Last year I made a few paper banners for the Christmas tree out of kraft paper (obviously one of my favorite crafting supplies around the holidays!). They were fun and simple to make and rather than throw them away at the end of the year, I saved them. This year, when I was pulling everything out of the Christmas box, I ran across them and had the perfect idea for one of them:

See it there? I added it to the shade in my dining room. Such a fun little way to bring something Christmas-y into the space. To make the banner I used an overhead projector and traced the design onto the paper then filled it in with marker. I love when I can reuse things from the year before in a different way. It makes it more fun :)

Obviously when I put it on, I wanted to be able to take it off again with no damage to the shade. So I used double sided tape and it seems to be holding up really well. So far it has been up for about 2 weeks and it’s still holding strong.

I’ve never thought to decorate my lampshades for the holidays. It’s a new space I will have to keep in mind in the years to come. Who knew? What other spaces might I be overlooking?!

And that is what I call a shade banner :)
Want to see all of Sew Merry? Click here!
A bonus… check out Sarah’s blog Me & My House. She was inspired by my black & brass theme last year and used it for herself this year! I love seeing what others do for this magical holiday :)

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Tagged: Christmas, DIY, Tutorials

Sew Merry: Stick Ornaments

I have another really simple project for you today. Yesterday, I showed you my snow globe winter wonderland and in the midst of that wonderland is a silver mini tree. Here is a reminder of the display:

See the little tinsel tree on the right? Just like my other white tree, I kept the decor simple but I did make some little ornaments that I thought I would share with you all today. here is a close up…

See the wood ornaments? Here is how you can make some for yourself. I’m telling you, they are a no brainer!

Remember those little cups of ice cream you ate when you were a kid? I loved them. In fact I still do. Ice cream is one of my favorite desserts but a whole carton of ice cream is just too tempting so I buy these little cups… instant portion control. It works great for me! Anyway, back to the project at hand. These little ice cream cups still come with the wooden spoons. I figured they just had to come in handy for a project of some sort, right? So I saved them. Then, a few weeks ago, I got them out and started playing with them. This is what I came up with:

When they are stacked, I thought they looked like little snowflakes. So I glued them together, wrapped some yarn around them and hung them on my tree.

This is another project you could do with your kids. You could also use Popsicle sticks if you have some of those lying around. I like the bit of wood that it brings to the tree. Another texture amidst all of the sparkles of the tinsel.

And that is the last of the ornaments I have to show you. I guess I went light on them this year! But since I don’t have any other trees hiding around my house, that will have to do :)

P.S. My tree poster was on the blog Saturday Morning Vintage today. See it for yourself here!

See all Sew Merry projects here.

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Tagged: Christmas, DIY, Tutorials