Guest: Candace from Sparkle Power

Hello and happy spring!!! My name is Candace Todd. I am a work at home mama that loves sewing, cooking and shopping at thrift stores (specifically for vintage bed sheets!). You can read more about my happenings at my blog Sparkle Power and see what I've got for sale in the Sparkle Power etsy shop.

I am so happy to be guest posting here at Oh So Lovely today and I have a really easy spring project to share with you. Hooray! Let's get started!

Today I want show you how to repurpose a metal tray into a magnetic memo board. This is a really easy project that you could easily get done in an hour or so and it adds a great punch of spring color to your home decor.

I am starting with a metal tray that I purchased at the thrift store. I see metal trays like this in different shapes and sizes at the thrift stores all the time for just a dollar or two.

We want to paint the tray a fun, bright spring color but first we need to spray it with a coat of primer. I always use KILZ for priming, but you could use any brand of spray primer. Go ahead and give it one coat. Once that has dried, spray paint the tray the color of your choice. You may need to do a couple of coats in order to get nice even coverage.

After the tray is painted and dried, lay a piece of tissue paper on it and trace the center section of the tray.

Then cut the tissue paper piece out. This becomes your pattern to cut your fabric with. You could use decorative paper for this if you'd like. I use fabric because I have a large stash of vintage floral linens and they are just so perfect for spring. Pin the tissue paper pattern to your fabric and cut around it very carefully. You want to make sure that you are cutting nice smooth lines, because they will show on your finished tray.

Next, using Mod Podge and a foam brush, paint a coat of mod podge in the center section of the tray.

Line up your fabric piece and lay it on top, making sure to smooth out any bumps or ripples.

Next, paint a layer of mod podge on top of the fabric. Make sure you get the edges of the fabric really well and use a paper towel or rag to wipe up any mod podge that gets on the rim of the tray.

Allow the mod podge to dry for 15-20 minutes & then spray the tray with a clear enamel finish. Allow it to dry and you're done!

Now you have a pretty, springy magnetic memo board to display in your kitchen or office or any room for that matter. Fun stuff, right?!

Over the Weekend, Briefly

This weekend was filled with sweets and relaxing. Paul and I tried Peachwave for the first time and it was delicious! We sold our couch and are planning on heading to Arkansas soon to get our new one. We've been sitting on the futon mattress in the living room, its quite humorous. I made cupcakes on Friday and frosted them on Saturday, the one on the left is mine and the one on the right is Paul's. I asked him to frost one for me and this is what I got...how cute of him to try :)

What did you do this weekend?

Over the Weekend, Briefly

I'm sure we all could be a little more frugal now adays. I've been clipping and organizing coupons left and right. Now if I could just get use out of them, I'm having a hard time because they aren't brands I normally buy, they aren't always that great of a deal or I forget I have them.

I also found an ad for Drug Warehouse and they had seeds 10 for $1.00. I've been wanting to plant a garden this year and I just couldn't pass them up. I got carrot, cucumber, watermelon, tomato, pepper and some flowers for my front yard. I can't wait to plant it all this week.

What have you done to be more frugal?

DIY: Painted Jar

This is another easy project (notice all of my projects are!) that can be used as a pencil holder, a vase or any kind of storage. I'm always looking for cheap, easy ways to organize my craft supplies and this works for me.

Step 1: pour just enough paint to cover the bottom of the jar up to 1/4 high.

Step 2: replace lid

Step 3: shake the jar

It will take a little while for the paint to cover the entire jar so keep shaking and allow to dry for at least 24 hours. I didn't the first time and the pencils got stuck on the bottom...oops!

I even thought of trying multiple colors, but decided to stick to a solid color that would match my decor. You can add bakers twine, jute twine, ribbon, doilies and lots of other embellishments.

fruit smoothie

I got a blender for Christmas and so far all I have made with it is smoothies, but that's ok because we like them in this house. Especially the one I am going to share with you today. I just got a fruit smoothie recipe from online and tweaked it a little bit. For starters I added yogurt to give it a little more consistency...

Ingredients:

-1 cup sliced strawberries

-1/2 cup orange juice

-1 cup of ice

-1 whole banana

-1 cup vanilla yogurt

Directions:

1. Put all of the ingredients in the blender starting with the ice.

2. Blend on low or 1 for about 2 minutes and you're done.

These are a great alternative to sugary dessert snacks, which I need to cut back on!

DIY: Mini Instax Wreath

Before I get into today's project I just wanted to give you my opinions on the instax camera. I had a couple of people ask if I recommended the Fuji instax and my answer is yes, yes, and yes! I love that it's small, easy to carry around, instant photos, and very affordable. The instax mini is perfect for scrapbooking or you could carry them in your wallet since they are about the size of a credit card. I wouldn't recommend it if you're not looking for vintage looking photos because all of the photos will come out just like a polaroid and of course that's the main reason I love it. Hope that helps! 

Now on to my project...

Here's what you'll need:

-yarn in your choice of color

-straw wreath

-doilies

-scissors

-hot glue

-mini clothespins

-Fuji instax camera

Directions:

Step 1. Wrap the straw wreath (with the plastic left on) in the yarn

Step 2. Glue the doilies around the wreath

Step 3. Glue clothespins on top

Step 4. Attach instax photos to the clothespins

And there you have it!

2 Years of Marriage

I just wanted to pop in and say Happy Anniversary to my love! Today Paul and I have been married for 2 years. I feel like I've known him all my life. I'm so glad I chose a godly, kind hearted man that does a lot for me, even when he sometimes doesn't feel like it. He is a wonderful husband, youth leader, and leader of our home. I wouldn't trade him for all the silver or money in this world. I love you Paul James!

DIY: Instax Storage Labels

All you need for this project is an instax or polaroid camera, a black fine tip marker, and mini clothes pins. I used the mini clothes pins to attach the photo labels to a wire desk tray that I keep my yarn, buttons and sewing notions in.

This is a simple and cute way to clean things up a bit. I previously had all of this just thrown in clear containers stacked on a messy shelf. I think this looks much neater and it's cute!