$0 - Contact Paper Creations

My new best friend for wall decor is CHEAP contact paper!  Contact paper can be painted and cut into shapes or letters with a cricut (or by hand) to create beautiful wall vinyls for very cheap.  Here's a couple creations from some leftover contact paper I had.  All this from not even a whole roll of $5 white contact paper and some paint.  And, since I was using leftover supplies I had lying around, all these projects were for $0!  Simply paint the contact paper in whatever color you choose (or leave it white), cut out letters or shapes and stick it to your wall or anything else you can think of.  It peels off clean too!

You can create a cute wall vinyl saying with one of your favorite quotes or verses... (this runs across the whole wall, I couldn't fit it all)

Or make an easy canvas by sticking the contact paper on and then applying a thin layer of mod podge on top to seal it... (I also added some antiquing medium on top because I can't get enough of that antique look.)

Or stick your vinyl on pots to revamp some plain white planters...

Or create some privacy on a kids window without bulky, dark curtains hanging down while still allowing some light in during the day... (eventually I plan to take the sheer ones down)

If you're wondering about the roman shades, I made them awhile back and you can find the post here.

I created this nursery wall vinyl previously using $12 vinyl.  That was before I knew contact paper worked exactly the same way.  And there is a lot more contact paper in a roll! 

$0 - Picture or Word Blocks

My first project for the zero budget party are these picture and word blocks that I have had sitting there staring at me since Mother's Day when I made others as gifts.  These are so easy to make and although mine were free to make right now, they are really cheap to make if you don't have the supplies on hand. Here's what you will need:

Wooden blocks

Acrylic paint in a color of your choice

Acyrlic antiquing medium

Small hinges

Sponge brush

Pictures or scrapbook paper (not pictured)

Sand paper (not pictured)

Mod Podge

First you will want to sand all of the rough spots on your wooden blocks.  You can skip this step if you wish but it will make your blocks look much more finished.  Once all are sanded (don't forget to wipe any dust off the blocks), paint each block.  I recommend only doing one coat because it will make the antiquing/sanding part of the project much easier.

Once all of your blocks are dry, you will apply your antiquing medium.  Follow the directions on the bottle, it is very easy.  And remember less is generally more with this stuff.  Paint a thin layer of the medium all over your blocks and then wipe away with a rag until you have just a hint of brown to make it look "antique".

Note: I didn't apply the antiquing medium to the center since the picture or scrapbook paper would cover it.

Wait for all of your blocks to dry and then you will sand each one around the edges.  You don't want to sand all the paint off and be back where you started, just slightly sand the edges and a couple rough spots to give it a worn and ragged look.  Once all your sanding is complete, make sure you wipe your blocks down good to get all the dust off.

Finally you are ready for your pictures or words.  I did one with pictures and one with words for reference.  If you are using pictures, you will want to cut down each picture to the size of the front of your block.  If you chose to do a word, you will need to cut a piece of scrapbook paper to the size of the front of your block.  Then you will need to cut letters out that will fit on top of the piece of scrapbook paper you just cut.

And now it's time to get out the mod podge.  Follow the directions on your bottle but again, this is very simple.  Apply a thin layer of mod podge on the front of your wooden block.  Place either your picture or your piece of scrapbook paper on top and press down evening out any bubbles.  Place aside and let dry.

If you are doing letters, you will need to apply another thin layer of mod podge on top of the scrapbook paper (once your other layer is completely dry).  Press your letter down and smooth out.  Set aside to dry.

Once your pictures and words have completely dried and are attached to your wooden blocks, you will want to apply a top coat of mod podge to seal the deal.  Once again let them dry completely.  I would recommend leaving them be for about 48 hours.  They will be dry within a couple hours but the modge podge is still sticky and does not set for a couple days.

Lastly you will attach your hinges to create an accordion style display!  You can also sand just a bit around the edges of your pictures to create even more of an antique look.  So many possibilities with these...I've already made tons as gifts and for around our home.

Littlest Witch

I was trying to find a cute little costume for my daughter and I ended up finding an adorable little pumpkin but still wanted something different. I came up with this witch costume after wondering through Target, finding this hat, seeing a cute little shirt that said Mommy and Daddy are under my spell and then finding these adorable children socks. I attempted to make this into a tutorial but I'm not sure how good I did because I kind of just made it up as I went along.

What you will need:

Two pairs of socks $2 (I used one child size (arms) and one adult size(legs))

Onesie $1.50 (half off at hobby lobby)

Hat $1 (any size will work because I just cut it to size)

Fabric Paint $.50 (half off at hobby lobby)

Ribbon $1 (plain black half off at hobby lobby)

Tule $.50 (I used 1/4 yard of each color, half off at hobby lobby)

Felt $.50 (just one little sheet will do)

Hair Clips $2 (bag of six, you need 2)

Stuffing (already had)

Headband (already had)

Black thread (already had)

Black permanent marker (already had)

I made the whole costume for under $10. My hints are to look in the dollar section at Target and hit half off sales at Hobby Lobby.

First we will start with the tutu. You will need ribbon and tule.

Cut your tule into about 2 inch strips and double length you want the tutu to be.

Next cut your ribbon to fit around your babies tummy and a little extra to tie off. Then you attach your strip of tule. I did one black and one purple with each knot.

To tie the knot make a loop with the tule in the center of the strip, place the loop under the ribbon and then pull the loose ends of the tule over the ribbon and through the loop.

Continue attaching pieces of tule until you have the tutu long enough to fit around your baby's belly.

Next we will go to the hat. I found a child's hat at Target which of course was too big for a baby.

For the hat you'll need a little stuffing, some felt, left over tule and ribbon, and of course the hat.

Cut the tip of the hat off to the size you want your baby's hat to be. Next place the hat on some felt and trace the perimeter of the hat and cut out. Stuff the hat with felt and sew the hat to the piece of felt.

Then I simply made a miniture tutu like the one above and sewed it onto the bottom of the hat. Then hot glue some hair clips (similar to the previous headband tutorial) onto the bottom of the hat to attach to the headband.

Next up the onesie. You will need a onesie, fabric paint, stencil (or use a cricut like I did), some painting sponges and a pair of children's socks. First, lay out your saying how you would like.

Then simply use the sponge to apply the fabric paint.

I just used a black marker to fill in the letters with holes (such as "a").

To attach the socks to the arms you will first want to get rid of the ankle. It is hard to see in the picture but fold the ankle part of the sock down and sew a line straight across to hide the ankle and make the sock a tube.

Finally, pin and sew your socks to the onesie at the desired length. I just hand sewed them on because I found that easier but you could use a machine as well.

Finally, the leggings. You will need adult size socks, bloomers and some left over tule. You will want to do the same thing to the adult socks as you did for the children's socks to get rid of the ankle and make it a tube. Then, I just cut strips of tule and sewed them to the bottom of the socks. Also cut the toe part off of the socks.

Then sew the cut off end of your socks to the bottom of your bloomers.

I used the same technique as the onesie to put BEWARE on the back of the bloomers.

There you have it, the cutest little witch costume!!

My first vinyl/Cricut attempt

I have seen these vinyl wall decals everywhere lately but they seem pretty expensive.  I remembered my sister-in-law talking about buying vinyl at Hobby Lobby and making her own on the Cricut some time ago so I decided to go check it out myself.  Hobby Lobby has rolls of vinyl for about $8 which is much cheaper than the premade wall decals so I decided to try this out.  I spent nearly three hours messing around with my mom's Cricut to get the right size and to fit everything on the sheets.  After you have everything "thought out", it really is simple and you just sit and watch as the Cricut cuts.  The hardest part was lining the letters up on the wall and pealing all the backs off of the letters.  I found the painted wood ladybug, butterfly, flower, and dragonfly premade at Hobby Lobby for about $2.  The other wall decals (3D butterflys, dragonflys, and flowers) were on sale at Target for $8 and I already had the white shelves.  I filled up quite a bit of wall space for about $20 which is not bad in my opinion.  I think it turned out perfect for a little girl.