Cork Board!

This one is a quicky!  I had a cork board that was damaged and I didn't want to throw it out.  I was in the dollar section at Target and found this cute contact paper and adorable flag pins that matched! 

It was so incredibly easy to cut the contact paper to size and secure over the cork board. 

All I had to do was add photos and done!  So simple and matches perfectly with my office!  Hope y'all enjoyed! Have a great day!

Shelly Monograms!

I'm crazy about the beach and monograms!  If you are too, then you'll love this craft!  Way easier than I expected!

What you'll need:

-Letter (I used "H" for my last name)

-Paint

-Sea Shells!

-Paint Brush

-Hot Glue

My letter was a natural wood color and I knew I wouldn't be able to completely cover every inch with shells, so I painted the letter white first.  After the paint was dry I began placing shells and gluing.  I didn't map it out, I just worked each piece one at a time.  

I was surprised everything fit together as nicely as it did.  My biggest concerns were that the hot glue wouldn't hold the shells and that the shells wouldn't fit together well. Happy to report those weren't issues! I normally use shells that I collect at the beach, but for this craft I wanted a better variety of size, shape, and style.  I purchased these shells at Walmart, the shells were about $4 cheaper at Walmart than Michael's.

It fits perfect in my living room that's decked out in beach decor!  I have so much fun making these crafts and I hope you're enjoying them as well!!! Thanks for stopping by!

Adventure Book!

This was one of those crafts I wasn't quite sure where I was going with it and I made a few mistakes... but I still love it! I found photo albums on sale at Michael's and didn't really plan on decorating them... Until I was on a Pinterest binge and saw a few different things that lead me to this!

What you'll need:
-Photo Alum (the one I choose was fabric)
-Sea Shells!
-Ribbon
-Mini Pearls
-Sharpie
-Contact Paper
I get 95% of my supplies from Michael's, other times AC Moore, Walmart, Target, and Amazon (god bless prime!)

Initially, I used the sharpie to write directly on the fabric, but didn't anticipate the ink bleeding, it wasn't cute!  I tried painting over the marker and that did turn out cute, however I wasn't paying attention and I smeared the paint- sad face- there was officially no going back! So after all of my silliness, I used a small piece of contact paper to cover up my fails!  I just used the Sharpie to write on the contact paper.  I'm not very good with cutting a straight line and that's where the ribbon saved the day!  I used hot glue to secure the ribbon and trim the contact paper (to hide my uneven cutting.)  I added the final details of mini pearls and sea shells with hot glue. 

I'm very satisfied with this project!  Now, I just have to decide what photos are worthy being a "Mermaid Adventure!" Hope y'all enjoyed this one! Thanks for reading!!! 

Flip Flop Wreath!

To make the flip flop wreath you'll need:

-4 pairs of flip flops 

-Hot Glue Gun 

-Crazy Glue

-Embellishments! (Ribbon/shells)

-Letter or Word

Initially when I made this wreath I used a styrofoam base, but it ended up not working out the best!  It's actually easier to attach the flip flops to each other. 

To start, organize the flip flops in the pattern that you prefer. I made a "t" shape for the first layer, and then added the second layer between each flip flop. I then used hot glue to secure the flip flops in place, however I found that if you place the wreath in a high sun area, the hot glue won't hold for long! When I touched up the wreath I used hot glue in combination with crazy glue and that seemed to work much better! 

You can add whatever embellishments you prefer! I used ribbon and sea shells. Once everything is assembled, attach a word or letter in the center (it helps cover where all the flip flops intersect.) Michael's always has a lot of cute embellishments, like butterflies, flowers, and such!

I hope y'all enjoyed this craft! Have a great day! 

Here begins the Mermaid tails!

I previously had a blog, Pink Paisleys, about crafting and low budget interior design. Well, I decided to scratch that and revamp! I left a few old craft posts from my Pink Paisley days. I plan to continue posting about all of my crafting, but, add a little more of a personal touch- so you may see beachy things that make me smile or photos of my cat(fish), Olivia! I hope y'all enjoy!!!

Jewelry Box

This was by far the longest project yet!  I began working on this project a few months ago and I never really had the perfect pieces to put it all together.  Now that it's 100% complete, I'm glad I took my time!  I've wanted a jewelry box to store costume jewelry for some time, however, I didn't want the typical department store fancy wooden jewelry box.  I just happen to find a plain wooden box on sale at Micheal's (who would've guessed... I found something on sale at Micheal's?!) and that's where this adventure began!

To start, I painted the exterior of the box.  I stumbled across stationary that coordinates with my bedding.  Using a little ribbon and Mod Podge, I secured the decorative paper. My jewelry box sat like this for a few months.

Until... I found a mirror to place on the inside lid!  Using scrapbook paper, I created a background for the mirror and added a little ribbon for a delicate touch!  Once again, my jewelry box sat for a few more months.

For the longest time, I wasn't sure how to put the finishing touches on the inside of my jewelry box.  I contemplated using fabric verses paper to cover the bottom.  I also wasn't sure if I wanted to cover the sides or just the bottom with fabric.  I finally decided to cover just the bottom with fabric and paint the sides.  I used a mixture of Elmer's glue and water to secure the fabric to the bottom of the jewelry box. Once it was dry, my jewelry box was FINALLY complete (after about 6 months)!

As I stated earlier, I am very pleased with the way this project turned out.  My ideas changed over time, for example, intentionally I didn't plan on putting a mirror on the inside of the jewelry box.  It wasn't until a mirror popped out of an eye shadow compact that I got the idea!  The same went for the fabric on the bottom of the box.  I was in search of fabric for a while and it wasn't until I ruined a tee shirt when I finally locked into the idea.  I used the old tee shirt to cover the bottom of the jewelry box.  When I purchased the box it was on sale for 49 cents.  I also purchased the stationary used on the top of the lid.  All of the other supplies were from other projects or recycled.

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Making a house a home (Or in my case, apartment!)

This project didn't turn out as planned!  My initial idea was to paint an inspirational quote on a canvas.  I started by painting my canvas green.  While I was cleaning my paint brush, my cat decided to walk across the wet canvas!  Her paw prints were too cute to paint over.  I let the "ruined" painting dry and tried to think of a new direction for my project that would include Olivia's prints.  Tonight I decided to add my own hand prints and "Welcome to our home."  It turned out much better than I expected.  I cannot wait for it to dry so that I can hang it in the hallway!

This was another great project that only cost about $6!  My canvas was only $5... It was purchased at Micheal's during a 50% off canvas promotion.  The paint was 50 cents (each color)!  Even though the project took an unexpected turn, it was still less expensive than purchasing a welcome sign from Walmart or Target... And ours is truly one of a kind!