DIY Archives - Page 3 of 11 - Persevering Momma

DIY Music Themed Birthday Banner And A Free Template

March 13, 2017 by Ashley 1 Comment

Many of you may know that I recently celebrated my son’s 1st Birthday. I put together a Rock ‘n Roll music themed birthday party for my little man because of his love for music and musical instruments. While I have never seen myself as a crafty person I did get crafty this time and made LOTS of DIY Party Decorations! One of the things I made was this DIY Birthday Banner.

DIY Music Themed Birthday Banner

Supplies Needed:

Black Scrapbook paper or Cardstock (I got two banners out of one piece of paper.)
Sheet Music Scrapbook paper or Craft Paper (I used a roll of craft paper from JoAnn Fabrics.)
Birthday Banner Template (linked below)
Adhesive mounts (I used Glue Dots.)
X-Acto Knife or Portable Paper Cutter
Ribbon (I used this because I liked that it was rustic looking.)
Scissors
One-Hole Punch
Cardboard

Step 1

Print out the birthday banner template to get you started. My banner template includes everything you need to spell out HAPPY BIRTHDAY. I added the letters to help out those who do not have access to die-cuts like I do. If you don’t want to use the letters you can draw your own on or buy poster letters to stick onto the banner.

Step 2

Cut out the template. I cut out one of the big flags and one small one to use. I used cardboard as my template so if you would like to do this then I would recommend you trace the template and cut out the cardboard. (I find cardboard easier to trace multiple times than a piece of paper.

Step 3

Place your banner templates over the back of your scrapbook paper or cardstock and trace it with a pencil. You will want to trace all of the flags for the bigger banner piece on the black paper and then trace the smaller banner piece onto the back of the music paper.

Step 4

Cut out the traced pieces. I used the paper cutter, but you could use an X-Acto Knife or regular scissors. I like my lines perfect which is why I went with the paper cutter.

Step 5

Cut out letters onto paper using scissors or a die-cut if you have them.If you chose to draw them or use stickers you would do this onto the music paper.

Step 6

Use adhesive mounts to glue the two pieces of banner together. If you cut out letters then adhere those as well.

Step 7

Punch holes onto the top two corners of each banner piece. I chose to punch the holes just above the corners of the music paper so that they were even.

Step 8

Finally, string up the pieces of the banner in order and you are done!

Create Your Own Holiday Cards From Your Computer

December 10, 2016 by Ashley Leave a Comment

This post would not be possible without the reward I received from Fotor, whom gave me the great idea to make Holiday Cards at home this year.

If you are looking for a low cost way to create Holiday cards to send to family then I have the perfect option for you. I love using simple online photo editing tools because you can do some really amazing things with them. Most of the pictures that I post on here are edited in some way using these tools. Right now though I am completely in love with Fotor.com. You might be wondering why and that is why I am writing this for you.

Fotor Templates Make The Perfect Holiday Cards

I have taken some time playing around with the various different templates that Fotor.com has to offer and I have fallen in love with their Holiday Card themed templates. The templates are so easy to use that there is virtually no learning curve to using their software. Check out what I did with their free software.

As you can see if you have the free account there is a watermark over the image. You can subscribe for $8.99 a month right now or you can pay for a full year which comes out to $3.33 per month! Both options are a great deal. If you are just planning on making a couple of Holiday cards right now I would suggest you buy the one month subscription. Where as if you are planning on editing photos year round like I do then I would recommend the year subscription because you will save some real money.

Once you have created your Holiday Card you can save the image and then get it printed! There are so many quick options for getting the pictures printed. You can easily send them to your local CVS or Walgreens via their phone app for pretty cheap or go through a card making service and have them print them for you. The perk for using a card service would be that they would also provide you with envelopes, but it isn’t really hard to find nice envelopes this time of year.

Additional Uses For Fotor

If you aren’t in need for Holiday Greeting Cards you can also use Fotor for many other projects. They are great for making Facebook Cover Photos and picture collages. If you are a blogger who posts a lot of projects on Pinterest then their collage feature would be great for you! It turns making collages into a snap. This can help you cut down time when you are trying to tie up the finishing touches on a variety of different projects on your blog.

Rising Above Water Seepage

October 26, 2016 by Ashley Leave a Comment

My family’s life has been topsy turvy since the birth of my son due to many different obstacles being thrown in our path, but the must annoying obstacle has been the fact that we have been getting terrible water seepage in the basement where we reside. The seepage was so bad that we would have to move up to the guest room for weeks while the basement aired out. After much deliberation it was decided that we would remodel the basement.

This meant we had to tear all the carpet out as well as pull off all of the trim. The last time we had water seepage was the worst because it actually went above the carpet and ruined the trim along the floor. Tearing out the carpet and prepping the basement was the hardest part of the transformation.

Installing the new floor

We looked into our options and found Dricore Subfloor. This floor is made specially for basements. It lifts the floor so that the concrete can breathe as well as keeps our floor and possessions dry from any seepage we may get. In additions to this it also raises the temperate of the floor by approximately 6 degrees.

Installing the dricore was very easy. All you have to do is hammer three pieces together on the floor. There is no need for nails or screws. The most work you will need to do is cut down pieces with a saw if your room isn’t the perfect size to fit the squares without adjustments.

Once you have the dricore down you can choose from many different flooring options. We inevitably decided to purchase padded laminate that rolls out on the floor and needs no other form of adhesion. This option is great because if we need to get to the dricore it can be easily picked up and moved out of the way.

Final touches

Our final touches to help prevent water seepage in the basement was to have a sub-pump installed. We don’t have much extra space so unfortunately we had to use half of the nursery closet. I will admit I was terrified that the pump would be loud and problematic when it came to having my son sleep in the same room, but this pump is very quiet.

Three Halloween Duct Tape Projects Your Kids Will Love!

October 20, 2016 by Ashley Leave a Comment

Halloween is a week away and you might be looking for some fun ways to create some low budget projects that you and your kids will love. While a majority of these projects need to be completed by you, your kids will have a blast decorating the house, pumpkins, and wearing these fun masks. Take the time to grab the couple of needed supplies to get things going!!! Let’s get these duct tape projects started!

Project #1: Spider Web Door Sign

Materials: black, orange, and gold duct tape, oversized sheet of paper (ideally 18″ x 24″), parchment paper.

Tools: pencil, ruler, scissors, white grease pencil

1. Fold the oversized sheet of paper in half lengthwise, then fold in half crosswise. From the folded corner, draw a diagonal line to the opposite corner. You should now have two triangles. From the same corner, draw two more diagonal lines, dividing each triangle in half.

2. Starting at the bottom left corner, draw slightly U shaped line upward, connecting to the left end of the diagonal line above it. From this point, draw another U shaped line to the next diagonal line, and repeat until you reach the top right corner of the folded paper.

3. Starting approximately 2″ inward from the bottom left corner, repeat step #2.

4. Starting approximately 4″ inward from the bottom left corner, repeat step #2. You should now have 1/4 of a spider web pattern.

5. Carefully cut out the top two lines of the web pattern, cutting each drawn line approximately 1/4″ thick. Leave the middle part intact. Unfold the paper. This is the web template. Set aside.

6. Using black duct tape for the front side and gold duct tape for the back side, make a double-sided duct tape fabric measuring 18″ high and 24″ wide. (See instructional video: below)

7. Take the web template and place it on top of the fabric. Trace the template onto the fabric. Remove the template and cut the web pattern out of the fabric.

8. On the parchment paper, draw a spider. (You can also do a Google search for “spider drawing” and trace any free illustrations.) Cover the drawing with orange duct tape. Flip over the parchment paper and you can still see the drawing. Cut out the drawing. Remove the parchment paper from the back of the spider and place it on the web.

9. On the parchment paper, draw “Boo!” in large bubble letters. Cover the drawing with gold duct tape. Flip over the parchment paper and you can still see the letters. Cut out the letters. Remove the parchment paper from the back of the letters and place it on the web.

Project #2: Pumpkin Stickers (Faux Jack O’Lantern)

Materials: black duct tape, parchment paper, pumpkins

Tools: pencil, scissors

1. Draw Jack O’Lantern faces on the parchment paper.

2. Cover the drawing with black duct tape.

3. Flip over parchment paper. You can see the drawing through the parchment paper. Cut out the Jack O’Lantern face pieces using scissors.

4. Remove the parchment paper from the back of the face pieces and place on the pumpkins.

Project #3: Masks: Three Different Looks Using the Same Template

Plain Mask

Materials: black duct tape, parchment paper, gauge wire

Tools: mask template, grease pencil, scissors

1. Print and cut out mask template.

2. Make a double-sided duct tape fabric measuring 6″ high and 8″ wide. (See instructional video: below)

3. Trace the mask template onto the fabric using the grease pencil. Cut out the mask.

4. Align the top slits so the eye holes of the mask are almond-shaped. The top of the mask should become rounded and contoured. Close the slits with small pieces of duct tape.

5. Pull the side slits of the mask towards each other, which closes up the V space. Hold it in place with small pieces of tape. This should further round and contour the mask.

6. On the inside of the mask, tape a 1″ piece of wire across the nose. Then bend the mask in half vertically.

Bird Mask

Materials: yellow and black duct tape

Tools: scissors

1. Make a plain mask.

2. Cut 10″ strips of yellow duct tape. Place them on the worktable lengthwise with the sticky side facing up. Fold in half lengthwise by pulling up the bottom edge toward the top, but not all the way up. Leave approximately 1/4″ strip of the sticky side exposed at the top.

3. Starting at the bottom edge, cut out long triangles from the folded strips that measure approximately 1/4″ wide. Be sure the wide base of each triangle is at the top sticky edge.

4. Add the feathers to the mask. Work one side at a time, either the left or the right. Start the nose and work your way around the outer edges of the mask. Be sure the point of each feather faces out. As you add the feathers, try to space them evenly.

5. Add a small black strip of duct tape vertically over the nose.

Feather Masquerade Style Mask

Materials: white, fuchsia, and black duct tape

Tools: gauge wire, scissors

1. M202. Using the fuchsia duct tape, make a flower. (See instructional video: below) Cut out petals.

3. Attach the fuchsia flower to the right side of the mask using small pieces of black duct tape.

4. Cut a 10″ strip of white duct tape. Place them on the worktable lengthwise with the sticky side facing up. Place a 10″ piece of wire lengthwise in the vertical center of the tape strip. Cut a second 10″ strip of white duct tape and place it lengthwise over the first strip, sticky side facing down. At one end, cut an upside down V shape. Starting at the pointed end, cut narrow V slits along the sides toward the middle of the strip, almost touching the wire in the center. This is a feather.

5. Repeat step 4 for a second feather.

6. Attach the two feathers to the right side of the mask, behind the fuchsia flower.

Richela Fabian Morgan began her duct tape odyssey 8 years ago with a simple bi-fold wallet, before writing the best-selling crafting books Tape It & Make It, Tape It & Make More, and Tape It & Wear It. She is an indie crafter specializing in paper, adhesives, and found materials. Her newest duct tape crafting book, Duct Tape Bags, is available nationwide. For more information, please visit, www.RichelaFabianMorgan.com and connect with her on Facebook, www.facebook.com/CraftyRichela, Pinterest, www.pinterest.com/craftyrichela and Instagram, @richelafm. For more fun duct tape projects, make sure to check out Fabian Morgan’s YouTube Channel, www.youtube.com/user/CraftyRichela.

5 Trendy Ways to Use Pallets as Furniture

October 18, 2016 by Ashley Leave a Comment

Wood pallets have changed the way we think about furniture. From being earth-friendly to being outrageously stylish, it seems pallets have found a way into our homes and into our hearts. Here are 5 trendy ways to use pallets as furniture to give your home some great style.

#1 Coffee Table

Pallets make great, totally customizable coffee tables. You can buy them pre-made or do it yourself for a perfectly unique look for your space. These coffee tables can be colorful, classic, contemporary, beachy cool, or any other style your heart desires.

These gorgeous tables are not only on-trend, but they’re super easy to make yourself. Pallets are cheap and all you really need to make them ready for your home is a bucket of stain, paint, lacquer, or just a stack of sandpaper. Simply finish them any way you want, let them dry and move them where you want them. Furniture has never been so effortless.

#2 Bookshelves

Bring fashion and function together with a pallet bookshelf. Pallet bookshelves come in hundreds of shapes, sizes, and styles to perfectly match your aesthetic. From wall mounted shelves to big bookcases, you can get any book shelving you need with all the endless possibilities of pallets.

#3 Headboards

It might sound simple, but a large painted pallet can make an absolutely adorable headboard. Stain it for a more traditional look, or paint it to match any color scheme.

While you can buy pallet headboards, it’s much cheaper to make them yourself. Besides, if you DIY, it is almost guaranteed to go perfectly with the decor of your room. There’s none of that frustrating shopping around and not finding exactly what you want.

#4 End Tables

Pallets make for excellent DIY end tables. Use reclaimed, or new pallets to create beautiful artwork that will add beauty and functionality to your home. Besides, you’ll have the pride of telling your guests you made them yourself.

Or, you can purchase pre-made pallet end tables for the same gorgeous look with less work on your part. Either way, it’s a lovely win-win situation.

#5 Chairs

Pallet chairs are all the rage for both indoor and outdoor furniture. These simple, hearty chairs make excellent, long lasting furniture that you can customize for color, pattern, style, and trend.

Another great aspect of pallet chairs is that they’re easy to change. If you decide that next year, you’re not so in love with those blue cushions you have been using, then simply swap them out for new cushions. It is so much less expensive than buying a whole new furniture set every time you want to change the look of your living room.

Pallets make great furniture. Either purchase them pre-made or do it yourself to create that perfect aesthetic you have been searching for. Pallet furniture is sturdy, green, and totally cool. The possibilities are endless. Pallet furniture allows you to do something that most other furniture restricts; your imagination.

Bio –

This guest post contribution was made by Challenger Pallet and Supply of Idaho, making everything from new custom pallets and heat treated pallets, to block pallets and crates.