Moon Phase Chime DIY

Do you ever see something cool or unique and think to yourself, "that would be so easy to make"? I do this ALL the time, but it is a rare occasion when I actually attempt to replicate it. Luckily for you all, today is one of those unlikely times :)

I found this chime on Free People the other day and decided that I could make my own version.

It looks like they put a lot of metal materials into it, such as silver chain and some soldering around the edges. I don't have these things lying around, so my version is a bit simpler, but quite cheaper as well.

Here is what you will need for this project:

For this DIY you will be cutting out 7 clay circles.  Pull off small pieces of clay from the large block and start softening it in your hands.  Use a rolling pin to flatten it out till it is about 1/4" thick.

Then you will take whatever object you've chosen to cut out the circles (a glass or a small bowl should do the trick) and cut out the shapes from your clay.

Keep pulling off pieces of clay and rolling them out until you have 7 circles. After you have cut them all out, use a straw or another small pointed object to make holes in the top and bottom of each circle.

Next is to bake them in the oven. Follow the instructions on your clay (mine said 30 minutes at 275 degrees).

The next step is to paint the circles.  I found a photo of moon phases as a reference. The one I decided to pattern mine after starts with a crescent shape, then goes to a half moon, then 3/4, then a full moon and back down.  I used a pencil to do a light sketch of how I wanted my moons painted.  The white represent the shape of the moon and the black is representing the sky or negative space.

I painted the backs of them too because the moons may rotate so you will be seeing both sides (depending on how you hang your chimes).

After they are all painted you can start to string them together.  I chose black embroidery floss, but you could use anything you like.  Fishing string or twine could work as well.

I decided to cut out 6 equal lengths of string and tie them in between each moon. I think the length of my strings were around 4 inches, but the length is up to you. Make sure you leave some extra string for tying.

Once you have done this, attach a string to the top of the first moon, create a loop at the end, and you are done! Obviously its not as detailed as the original, but I think it is still pretty unique and it's cheap too :)

DIY Donut Coasters

If you know me even a tiny bit then you know I love donuts.

I love these doughy, frosted wonders so much that when I saw this DIY the other day I knew I had to have a set of my own.  So I frolicked to the store, bought 4 cork coasters, and got ready to work!

Here is what you need:

-fun paint colors
-a large and a small paint brush
-craft blade
-cutting mat (not pictured)
-small cork coasters


Step 1: Use something small and round to make the hole in the middle of the donut.  Trace it out with a pencil.

Step 2: Use the craft knife to cut out the circle in the middle.  Make sure you cut on your rubber craft mat. I did a rough cut of the circle just to get it started and then perfected the edges afterwards.

 

Step 3: Use the paint of your choosing and the large brush to make the 'frosting'.  I went with pink! Flip over the coaster beforehand so the pencil marks are on the bottom and out of sight.

Step 4: Paint on the sprinkles!

After this you are good to go! You may want to coat them in Mod Podge if you have it just to ensure that the paint stays on.

So fun right? Another way you can go about this is painting larger cork boards and using them as bulletin boards. I chose to go with this version though 'cause I love me some funky donut coasters :)

DIY Word Magnets

I had a good friend when I was younger who always had these awesome word magnets on her fridge. Every time I walked past I would string together a phrase or sentence - the weirder the better. I loved them so much, but I never found myself investing a few bucks in my own set. Just the other day I happened to see this tutorial on A Beautiful Mess for making fridge magnets, and I knew I had to make some of my own.

All you need to buy is:

-clay
-letter stamps
-magnet tape

You will also need:

-rolling pin
-craft blade (or sharp knife)
-a baking sheet and parchment paper
-an oven

First thing to do is start rolling out your clay. I had to really mold it with my hands because it was extra stiff. Once it becomes pretty soft, start rolling it into a long rope.  You are then going to flatten it out with the rolling pin. I made mine about 1/8" thick.

After you've rolled it out you will want to cut it.  I used my magnet tape as a guide. Simply place it on top and use the craft blade or knife to cut around the tape. My tape left kind of a mark on the top side of the clay, so if yours does the same just flip it over and use the clean side for stamping!

Next is the fun part...stamping out the words! Obviously you'll start thinking of awesome words like chocolate cake and bacon (or at least I did...).  Just make sure as you're stamping your words you throw simpler ones in like and, or and a few a's and s's. I happened to look online at the pre-made word magnet sets and it gives you a list of all the words in the set. You can find it here. This is a good guide :)

Once you have stamped out your words, cut them out and place them on the baking sheet.

After you have cut out all your stamps, you are going to want to cook it in your oven at 275°F for about 15 minutes.

Once they have cooked and cooled all you'll need to do is attach the magnets to the back of your clay. You may need to glue the magnets on just for extra security.

This was a super fun DIY to do. The hardest part was making sure I got all the words I needed! Other than that, it was really easy and totally worth it in the end. I am super excited to bring these to school and see what my roommates and I can come up with :) 

DIY: Pom-Pom Garland

I am quite a fan of polka dots.  In fact, I am wearing a jacket right now that is polka dotted (not sure thats a word, but let's all just agree that it is).  Along with my current attire, my bedding, backpack, and multiple other wardrobe pieces are all covered in this lovely pattern.  I would probably consider myself slightly obsessed.

While the project today isn't actually about polka dots, it does involve pom-poms, which are round and kind of look like polka dots when you hang them up...so I say they count :) 

You will need:

-a pom pom maker (I bought a two pack at Michaels for around $8)

-yarn of your choice

-scissors 

-embroidery floss or bakers twine 

-a large needle

The pom-pom makers do come with instructions, but they are slightly confusing.  So, I thought I would include how to use them in this tutorial.  You will first start wrapping your yarn around one of the arms, starting on the end connected to the base and working out. 

After you have done the first arm, bring it back to the base and start wrapping your yarn around the second arm. Once finished, bring this one back in as well.

Next you are going to start snipping.  Run your scissors along the middle groove, cutting all of the yarn in half. Once you have cut all the way through, take a long piece of yarn and tie it so it fits in the groove. Make sure you pull it as tight as possible, and do a few extra knots to secure it.  

Once you have tied the string around the cut yarn,  pull out the arms and disconnect the two pieces. Inside will be a pom-pom! Fluff it up a bit and cut off all the longer strings hanging out.  Cool, huh? 

Next you are going to take your embroidery floss or bakers twine and string it through the pom-poms. The trick is to feel around in the pom pom to see where the string that holds it together is.  You need to get your needle through that. Its pretty easy once you try it out and do it once or twice.  

You can use a needle with an eye big enough for your string to fit through. I actually cheated and used a bobby pin because I didn't have a big enough needle (shhh, don't tell anyone). 

 The last step is to simply hang it up!

Hope you guys enjoyed this DIY!  

This week is 'dead week' at my school, aptly named because by the end of the week everyone is a zombie.  Its the week before finals and teachers try to cram all of the remaining projects and work in, which is not the most fun thing I have experienced.  Wish me luck! 

DIY: Framed Calendar

I like planning things.  It was just how I was raised. I have learned to be a little more spontaneous over the years, but I still inwardly cringe every time I ask the question "What time should we plan on?" and I hear the response "Oh, whenever. We'll figure it out". Its not that I don't greatly admire those who are so readily carefree and don't need to plan, I just do not fit into that category.  Anyone feel my pain?

If you do, I have a perfect DIY project for you that will aid in your planning prowess. This cool thing is essentially a dry erase calendar made from paint chips and a cute frame.  I have seen quite a few of these on Pinterest, but I figured I would recreate it for you guys :) Also, I just really wanted one for myself....anyhoo, here are the supplies needed:

-35 paint chips of varying colors
(I chose a different color set for each set of days and created a gradient from light to dark for each. You can get these at Home Depot)
-14x8 inch frame
(You can choose a different size but the measurements will be different. Michael's coupon app to the rescue!)
-glue stick
-poster board
-dry erase markers

First off you are going to want to cut your poster board to fit your frame.

After this, you will start cutting your paint chips.  If you have a paper cutter around that would be super handy, but you can use scissors too.  For the day markers you will cut 2 by 2.25 inch squares, 5 for each day of the week (35 total).  Along with this you will need to cut 7 smaller rectangles, 1 by 2.25 inches each.  These will be used as labels for the days of the week.

Once you are done cutting all of these, you will start gluing them to the poster board.  This part was kind of tricky for me because there were a lot of measurements involved. Basically I worked from the top to the bottom.  Make sure you start measuring from the pre-cut side of the poster board (not the side you cut by hand) because this will ensure straight measurements.

I glued the small labels on first.  You may want to lay out a few rows first before gluing so you can measure the distances in between each of them.  Keep in mind that about 1/4 of an inch of the poster board will be covered by the edges of the frame when you put it in. Look below to see the dimensions I used for mine. Once you have figured out the spacing, just start gluing!


























































Once all of the paint chips are glued on and dry, insert the calendar into the frame and you are done. You are now free to write down all of your monthly to-do's! All you need is a paper towel to wipe it off.

Thats all, folks.  Happy planning!