The Fixer Upper

February 7, 2017msdebbie2u Bored Gma, Fairy Gardens, Feeling Crafty, home decor, Keeping the Kids Happy, rainy day project, Stitches and Sewing, Uncategorized Leave a comment

So, my followers, its been a while since we last spoke. The back is doing extremely well following surgery, and I went back to work. Then suddenly, in December, BAMMM, work injury to my knee. Fell like a wounded water buffalo, and injured the PCL. So needless to say Gma found herself sentenced to 8 weeks house arrest, and a huge amount of bored. So while visiting our somewhat local Habitat for Humanity Restore, I found this darling little 1 bedroom 1 bath fixer upper. It came fully furnished, but was in bad shape.

(no amount of peptol bismol pink from the previous owners could save it)

But the price was right $25.00 bucks!

So, the first step in any fixer upper, (after closing escrow) is demolition! Stripped the wall paper off, peeled up the vinyl flooring, removed the windows, and unsafe railing on the upper deck.

Made a couple structural improvements, to the base and back wall.

We removed the hinged roof and decided to give it a shake roof. unfortunately, the cost of dollhouse shingles is over $20 bucks a square foot, Luckily, I found craft sticks at the dollar store and bought 2 packages for $2 bucks! Taped them together in bundles of 20, cut them to 2″ shakes. Used the yardstick to make straight lines, and glued them on with wood glue.

While the glue dried, we painted the entire place with Kilz paint. Cures all evils, stains, smells, bad paint choices, and seals the bare wood. Making it a nice blank canvas to create!

The back roof panel is glued and screwed secure, and the front is hinged so they can open and play inside the attic.

Next, I decided on my color palette, the pink I was stuck with, Hubby convinced me not to paint the vintage Barbie furniture it was mostly pink. But I had some leftover Minnie Mouse print and added a few fat quarters in a pretty blue to balance out the pink overload! Yep, there was sewing and construction involved! I painted the outside walls “Tiffany” blue, and added white trim molding. It helped stabilize the house.

Flooring is next, since there was a kitchen and bath, of course I tiled it! After doing projects on our real homestead, I consider myself a self-taught expert! I had leftover tiny hexagon tiles and added 2 sheets matching tile with black tiles (looked like flowers to me) I still had adhesive and silver sparkly grout leftover from the wishing well project, so it really only cost $6 bucks for tile. ‘

The bedroom, living room and attic needed wood floors. I was in the local flooring store, and found 3 planks of snap together dark stained real wood flooring. The guy just gave it to me since they were samples. All I had to do was measure, cut and snap together. Since is was so thick, no need to glue or nail it down. (hope she doesn’t trip between rooms, lol)

Windows needed replacing, looks like they used page dividers and a sharpie to make them. I splurged on Ikea 5×7 frames ($1.99 ea) and just glued them in place.

It’s not complete unless the patio is covered. Lowes kindly donated a scrap of Astroturf so she can relax with her shoes off. (all I had to do was ask!) Decided to do a more substantial railing. Since I was using black as an accent, decided to try it on the top rail. Used the same molding I had put on the corners of the house, but painted it gloss black

So this whole renovation took about two weeks, with drying times, so I had plenty of time to sew accessories and cover the 70’s Barbie fabric.

The sofa and chair pads got recovered and the pillows. Made all new bedding (yes, I did fitted and flat sheets, duvet cover, bed skirt and pillows) all new curtains and drapes with fancy beaded finials on the curtain rods. I hung them with command hooks, the rods are 1/2″ dowels, cut to fit the windows. I was considering cup hooks but the walls are paper-thin and they would have come through the outside. I sacrificed a white bar towel, cut it up, hemmed it and added appliqué hearts for the bath.

I decided to put “puck” lights in the rooms, easy for them to operate, but they kept falling off. I used my go to E300 super glue to attach the bases and problem solved.

The attic isn’t complete yet, think I want to put a closet pole (small metal towel bar?) across the side and hang her clothes up and maybe some cuter storage bins for her shoes and accessories. You know ladies, make it a “dream” closet, right?

And lastly, don’t miss the family picture above the sofa, it’s the best part!!

So I encourage you to do your own fixer upper, it was a blast! Maybe I can tackle a real size one?

Enjoy!!

Debbie

Playtime in the Car

September 11, 2016msdebbie2u Feeling Crafty, Keeping the Kids Happy, Outdoor and Garden, rainy day project Leave a comment

Here’s a quickie I made for my Grandniece Dolly’s car trip to Disneyland. They’re driving down, and I remember those days of trying to keep an excited

5-year-old entertained in the backseat. I made her a travel box with stuff to hopefully make the ride smoother.

First up was a travel tic tac toe tin. I found a small metal tin in the dollar bin at Target and it was already red! So I added some cute washi tape around the bottom and painted her a Minnie Mouse on the top.

I used a small ruler and permanent marker to put the grid on the inside of the lid.

Collected some bottle caps from Papa, he was happy to help. You need 10 total, 5 of each color. Some button magnets and outdoor glue, attached to the back.

I painted mine black and red, and put a mouse outline on top. You can do whatever shape, or theme suits your kiddo.

I also made a backup set of caps, using a punch and putting the images inside the cap and the magnet on the back. (I’m sure some of these will end up under the seats! Sorry Mom and Dad…

Enjoy!

Debbie

Faux Milkglass Trays

May 23, 2015msdebbie2u Chalkboard Inspirations, Feeling Crafty, home decor, rainy day project, wedding ideas Leave a comment

So we all know how cheap I am. Why buy it, when you can craft it right?

That is why you’re looking at this post in the first place, we’re alike.

This is the initial mock-up for the dessert table.

Chalkboard, vintage black, white and silver. It will be redone about a hundred times, and until I place the last cake pop, is subject to change.

The wedding colors will be accents (Sea glass blue and blush) flowers in delicate pastel, pretty beachy shades.

Cupcakes, cake pops, and baked goodies will be the final touch!

So lets focus on the base of this arrangement.

To make the faux milk glass serving platters:

Supplies needed:

Assorted plates, platters, candlesticks, dessert bowls, vases and glasses.

White gloss spray paint

Waterproof, outdoor glue

After a hasty trip to the dollar store, I purchased several platters, candle sticks, dessert bowls and glasses.

Spent about $20. but should come out with 10 serving pieces, and three vases for fresh flowers.

First step is to wash and remove all stickers, oily film and prep your glass items.

I use the Goo-gone to remove stickers and ink, then rubbing alcohol to remove the goo gone. (Its oily and the glue won’t stick well).

Attach the candle sticks to the candle plates, the dessert bowls to the oval platters…you get the idea, using the glue.

Center them so they will balance when turned over. Allow to dry overnight, since you’re going to paint it, it could dissolve the glue if it’s not set well.

Be sure to cover your work area well, and spray away!!! I did two coats on most, some needed touch-up after I turned them over.

Allow to completely dry or you will risk fingerprints in the paint. (No, I didn’t learn that the hard way)

These were my favorite, candlesticks and a candle base. The glass was heavy and they turned out nice.

I’ll be putting cake pops, cupcakes, and assorted baked goodies on all of them!

Rehearsal Dinner is my chance to impress my son’s future family, and introduce them to ours.

I come from a long line of crafty ladies, who would rather spend $75.00 in supplies and make something with LOVE, than allow anyone else to cater or design for me.

Enjoy!

Debbie

Margarita Bar Towel

May 23, 2015msdebbie2u Feeling Crafty, home decor, Man Cave Game Room, rainy day project, Stitches and Sewing, wedding ideas Leave a comment

Ok, so I’m going to blame Frank for this. Was it his fault? No, I never said that, I just said I was going to blame him.

So, you ask how was this his fault? I bought him a shirt for the rehearsal dinner. (In case you didn’t know, youngest son is getting hitched in June) and I asked him to try it on. Several times I asked him to try it on…. I got an XL because I loved the shirt, and they didn’t have a large. I’m pretty handy with the sewing machine, and I figured I could just take it in some. Problem was, he wouldn’t try it on while I was available to mark it. Long Story short, he tried it on alone, told me it was really big, and I took it upon myself to take it in, sans measurements. Needless to say I took it in too much! Ugh! A perfectly good, Jimmy Buffett Margaritaville Shirt, too small!!

After blaming him relentlessly, and a good nights sleep. INSPIRATION!! Bar towels for the Margarita bar at the rehearsal dinner. GENUIS….

Supplies needed:

One super cool Magaritaville Shirt (made too small) or any other print you’re fond of

Colored bar towels to match fabric (mine were 16″x19″)

Simplicity pattern #1483 (make sure you get these on sale)

Sewing machine and some time to kill

So early this morning, scissors in hand, I chopped up what was left of the shirt, removed the super cool buttons (they say Margaritaville on them) and began redeeming my sewing confidence. I did use a pattern, Simplicity #1483, since I really didn’t want to screw this up. This pattern retails for $17.95, but if you watch for your local fabric/craft store sales, they will go on sale for 5/$5.00.

I picked this one up months ago during one of those sales, and finally used it on this project.

I may have spent a little too much time attempting to get the coolest parts of the fabric strategically placed. Could of probably gotten another set of tops, but I tend to fuss over details.

Worked out OK, I got five tops, and the package of bar towels came with five!

The tissue pattern made it easy to see placement over the prints.

You could totally do this without a pattern, in fact next time I will improvise the front flap into a curved or squared shape instead of the point.

Just make a newspaper square about 8 1/2″ X 4 1/2″ for the base, a 5″ wide middle piece, and 6 1/2 x 4″ flap.

The overall size approx 9″ x 9″.

When cutting them out, I did utilize the sleeves (the already hemmed edge) for the bottoms of a couple of the towel tops.

If you are using an obvious one way print, be sure to cut one side upside down. Because after you sew them together, the “flap” needs to be upside down so its right side up when finished.

Sew according to directions, right sides together. leaving the bottom open. Turn and press a hem along the bottom edge (some were already done) and stitch that down.

The pattern calls for velcro on the flap to attach, but I opted for a button/buttonhole option. The buttons from the shirt were cool, and since my “Opal” does them automatically, why not?

Next step, I removed the hem from one of the short sides of the bar towel. (to reduce bulk) and gathered along that edge.

Another of Opal’s super cool attachments, is this automatic ruffler. Made gathering the towels super easy and fast.

Next, I just put the gathered edge of the towel inside the top, the pattern calls for it to be sewn along the bottom edge, but my towels seemed long (I didn’t trim to 13″) so I put them all the way into the square portion. Pinned the corners and across the top, then topstitched across and down each side to secure the towel inside.

Final step, I sewed the buttons on, going through the front and the towel, but not the back of the topper. (that made it pucker, and I didn’t like how that looked)

There they are… Margaritaville Bar towels, ready for the Margarita Bar at the Rehearsal Dinner!

So when you screw up, pretend like you meant to, and look for inspiration to cover it up!

Enjoy,

Debbie

Easy Glitter Cupcake Ornament

September 29, 2014msdebbie2u Christmas Craftiness, Feeling Crafty, Ornaments for the Tree 2 Comments

Ok, we’re good friends by now, and you know, I’m completely obsessed with Christmas and glitter.

So this post shouldn’t come as a complete surprise. I’ve seen some pretty cute cupcake style ornaments for the tree,

but let’s take it up a notch.

Supplies needed:

70mm glitter non-breakable ornaments. I choose brown (chocolate cake), red (red velvet cake),

gold (yellow cake), and copper (spice cake)

vintage printed cupcake liners

plastic holly leaves with red berries

Snow Writer, dimensional glitter pen and spread (wasn’t sure which look I wanted)

Hot glue and glue gun

Gather up your supplies, the “lobby” store already has them out, the others will be stocking them soon.

Start by hot gluing the ornament into the cupcake liner with the top up, or slightly tilted (your call).

I used two liners and put a drop of glue in the bottom one to make them thicker.

I let it stand a couple of minutes to cool off.

Using the tip of the snow writer, frost your cupcake and let it “drip” down the sides. This stuff dries hard, but will run a little when you put it on.

I wrapped the holly stem around the hanger top, and put a little “frosting” over the stem.

Set them aside for the “frosting to harden. (2-3 hours)

Ta Da!! Yummy cupcakes that sparkle and shine!!

Perfect for that candy/sweets tree I’m planning. And I didn’t even have to turn on the oven!

Enjoy!

Debbie

Rock Candy Ornament

September 1, 2014msdebbie2u Beautiful Beading, Christmas Craftiness, Feeling Crafty, Ornaments for the Tree Leave a comment

So it’s September already, and I’ve decided that Christmas in July didn’t happen, and August was a blur….. time to start making holiday stuff and I’m already behind! i was thinking this year Id make a candy/cookie/sweets themed tree this year. Seems I have to start somewhere, so the idea is usually first, and the how-to later.

Lets get started with a super easy one.

Supplies needed:

wooden beads

12″ dowels

16 gauge wire

mixed plastic faceted beads

hot glue/glue gun

white/wood glue

I started by separating the beads by color. One of those zen OCD tasks that completely relaxes me, until the dogs bump my table and I find myself crawling around on the carpet picking them all up.

Cut the 12″ dowels in half and glue a wooden bead with the wood glue on the bottom of each.

Next cut a 3″ piece of wire and twist a small eye on the end, then I wrapped the wire around the top of the dowel to make a hanging loop.

Tip: You could also use ribbon or colored wire but I prefer mine to disappear in the tree.

Using the hot glue gun, begin adding the beads about half-way up the stick and cover completely over the wire and the top of the dowel. Be careful when using the hot glue, you can get burnt in a second. Make sure to slide them around randomly so they’re not straight rows. I stacked extra beads toward the top to give it more of a taper look like the candy has.

Tip: after you have made several of these, use your blow dryer to vaporize the “spider” strings the glue gun leaves behind.

So the first bag of beads yielded 7 finished ornaments, looks like its back to the store for more beads. I have to laugh, hubby thought they were real!

So enjoy your day crafting!

Debbie

Trailer Trash Bucket

June 27, 2014msdebbie2u Feeling Crafty, Outdoor and Garden, Uncategorized Leave a comment

So I happened upon this funny idea for a trash bucket for my R.V. and couldn’t resist making it.

We always seem to have a collection of empty buckets with us,

for trash, recycling and pinecones…. so why not decorate them? Right?

Supplies Needed:

Bucket from the bakery at the store (Free)

sketch paper

permanent markers

stickers, letters, outdoor paint

It started with a blank canvas.

Sketched a few ideas. Some made it, some not…. figured out simpler lines were easier on a round surface.

Used a little goo gone to remove the bakery sticker. Washed the bucket inside and out.

I outlined the trailer with a marker, and if you put the original inside the bucket,

and hold it up to the light, you can trace it onto the front of the bucket with the marker.

I figured out that an ink pen just wouldn’t write on this surface.

Kinda like a coloring book page, put the bold lines down first, then add the details later.

I did cheat a little bit, used scrapbook letters for the “Trailer Trash” and some tiny pinecone stickers too.

Traced a cutout of a moose kissing a moose….think I’ll add a heart between their noses.

You can decorate in any style that suits your decor. The next one will have some bears on it.

As Always, Enjoy!!

Debbie

Lucky Ladybug Garden Ball

May 11, 2014msdebbie2u Feeling Crafty, Outdoor and Garden 10 Comments

OK, so the conversation started, “Do you have any ‘old’ balls lying around?” followed by an uncomfortable silence. Wait! that’s not how I meant that. Let me try again, do you have any old, bowling balls? Yes, after he stopped laughing, and told me I made his day…..Mr. bowling alley gave me two cracked, unusable old balls! FOR FREE!!! Score!!! So, since we all know I spend too much time on Pinterest, I saw this idea, and these were so cute, I had to find a couple of ‘old balls’ to make my own super cute ladybugs for my garden.

Supplies needed:

Old unused bowling balls (got mine free for making him laugh so hard)

black spray paint

red and white outdoor craft paint

16 gage craft wire black

two wooden knobs approx 1″

Started by spray painting the bowling ball black. Not as easy as you might think. First it rolled in the newspaper wet, and stuck to the paper. Had to scrub it off, and repaint. Do a couple of light coats, and you wont have to sand down the runs of paint I did. (ugh!)

I ran electrical tape down the center of the ball to section it in half. Since I planned to use the finger holes for his antenna, it was easy to place the tape between the holes and around the ball. Then I taped around the bottom about 1/4 of the way up to mark the area for his shell (wings). I also taped 1/4 of the way around the “face” area to stay black. Then I painted the red “wings” with a brush. I used the roll of electrical tape to draw circles on either side, and the inside of the roll to mark the smaller dots. (Genius right?) It did take a couple of coats of red to cover the black, then couple coats of black for the dots, but since it’s going to be in the weather and under the sprinklers, the thicker the paint the better.

I placed the eyeballs slightly touching each other using the electrical tape to draw the circles and a silver sharpie (tough to see lines on black background) and did several coats of white letting it dry between each one. I used a penny to outline the pupils. Intentionally off set them so he looked kinda cartoonish. (Yep, that’s my style, funky). I found holding it in my lap worked best, between the weight and the fact you’re attempting to work on a round surface, it was a little harder to paint than I expected.

Next I made his antenna out of the black wire. I just unrolled the package and cut it in half. I wrapped it around whatever was handy, in this case a hi liter. The size fit into the finger holes and I wanted a “springy” looking antenna. I painted the knobs (balls) black and inserted the wire into the holes on the bottom of them. then put them into the finger holes of the ball.

I did spray them with clear gloss sealer to help them last longer. Don’t know if this really works, but seemed like a good idea.

Viola!! Ready for his new home!!

I have gotten 3 more ‘old balls, so I’m going to do a bumble bee, pink and purple bugs next. Stay tuned for more photos when they’re done drying!! And as always…

Enjoy,

Debbie

Fabulous Fairy Gardens

April 7, 2014msdebbie2u Fairy Gardens, Feeling Crafty, Outdoor and Garden 1 Comment

Meet Giselle, she’s my muse. I’m currently obsessed with fairies and fairy gardens. She’s my inspiration for a looong blog about her home, and the future homes for her friends. Brace yourself, this is gonna be a long one, with more cuteness than you can stand. Lots of teeny tiny, pretty magical things.

First let’s pick out her a home. Hmmmmm? perhaps a pretty birdcage. Think she would be happy “caught” in a nice white Victorian style. Found this white wire one with a lovely crystal birdie on top at Michael’s, the top opens completely up making working inside easy. Since the bottom had a rather dense border around it, I decided to cut a cardboard circle the width of it to lift her “floor” up to the level of the open bars. This also gave me room to poke items through the bottom, and later the battery pack for something magical….

I’ve already been working on items for her place, including a table and some lovely wire chairs. Purchased flower pots and a “pickle” barrel. I’ve been secretly collecting some decor items, as well as crafting items too. I laid them roughly out to figure out how big a patio and path I wanted on her “floor”.

I applied some tacky glue with a paintbrush, and used decorative sand from the dollar store to create the path and patio. Probably could have used sandpaper if I had any, but this was just as easy. Next I added dried moss to the sides, and lined the path with tiny polished stones.

A wonderful friend of mine, makes tiny chairs out of wire. She did these two “peacock” style green wire chairs from a pin I had pinned for inspiration. She originally made the seats of moss, but they didn’t show up well in the space. I toyed with both a flattened acrylic stone, still too light and finally decided to “upholster” two large button covers with a micro rose print for the seat cushions.

The table was crafted using 20 gauge wire table base, and an oval piece of balsa wood. You could also make a nice one from a small slice of wood from a branch. Just watch your scale.

I decided to stain the tabletop a dark walnut. Also used the same stain on the pickle barrels, but top coated them with a gold paint and rubbed off the excess. Using outdoor expoy glue, attached the base to the top after staining. You could paint, stain, mosaic, or leave natural your table top. Whatever you and your muse decide

Since its early morning, I gave her a cup of coffee, some purchased gardening tools, and a teeny tiny pot to plant. You can glue these on or use miniature wax to stick them to the table.

Thought she needed some “friends” so I took a few seashells, and a little “transparent” Fimo clay to create a bunch of snails to live with her. I made a slimy body with antenna, pushed the shell into the back, and baked according to package directions.

So many great ideas on pinterest, saw this cutie. Wire shepherds hook, with a teeny tiny birds nest made out of an acorn top. I got this, acorns, check, moss, check, teeny tiny eggs made with clay (baked with the snails) check….

How ’bout some mushrooms? of course! Just out of the oven as well, baked escargot, Mushrooms and eggs….Hubby thought I was talking about dinner. Imagine his surprise when he peeked in the oven!

I put the mushrooms on toothpicks. that way I could poke them into the ground. I have several red & white glitter clay, and pink and white marbled. (In already planning a second outdoor home).

Golf tee plus marble…equals gazing ball! Mushroom, rocks and moss….

Final touch, lights!! set of 20 super tiny battery-powered lights! Magical!!! Pushed up from the bottom, batteries not included, but worth the last-minute revamp of her floor.

You can find some fabulous miniatures online, and the craft stores and some garden centers are now carrying many super cute items for fairy gardens, but follow my motto: don’t buy what you can make! She has a friend waiting for an outdoor home. I have a leaky bird bath perfect for her future home. This is going to be a group craft with my friends, so well post as soon as we get them done!

Enjoy,

Debbie

Chardonnay Angel (Pinot, Moscato or Merlot)

March 16, 2014msdebbie2u Beautiful Beading, Christmas Craftiness, Feeling Crafty, Ornaments for the Tree 1 Comment

I have another confession, I really don’t drink much wine. The corks used here, were bought from the craft store. Yes, I’m more of a cocktail drinker, not a fine wine connoisseur. But you can certainly consume until your hearts desire, and collect your own personal supply of corks!

Supplies needed for these “chardonnay” Angels:

Wine Corks (from the craft store or last night)

Angel Wings (I inherited these beautiful lacy ones from my Mom’s stash)

Beads, tassels, charms, eye pins, jump rings, sequin pins

pliers and wire cutters

I started by attaching the wings to the back of the cork with sequin pins.

Next I found a pretty head bead and used an eye hook and smaller seed bead (to keep it from sliding off) and pushed into the top center of the cork.

Another eye pin with a tassel on the bottom, some pretty beads on the stem. Push this into the bottom of the cork (centered). You could do multiple strands of beads, chains, seed beads. Use your stash and be creative. I was looking for a vintage, copper and cork combo here.

Thought she needed a little more sparkle on her cork, so I added seed beads with sequin pins around the edges (top and bottom) of the cork. I did have to take off her wings, should have done this step earlier. Live and Learn! That’s the beauty of doing it yourself. You can add/subtract, take it apart and put it all back together again until it looks the way you like.

So try not to overindulge in the vino, but be sure to save the corks!

Enjoy,

Debbie

	msdebbie2u on Snowflake Christmas Tree …
	Anna on Snowflake Christmas Tree …
	Anna on Snowflake Christmas Tree …
	Anna on Snowflake Christmas Tree …
	msdebbie2u on Snowflake Christmas Tree …

msdebbie2u

Adding My Flavor of Sparkle to Everything!

Tag Archives: senior craft

The Fixer Upper

Playtime in the Car

Faux Milkglass Trays

Margarita Bar Towel

Easy Glitter Cupcake Ornament

Rock Candy Ornament

Trailer Trash Bucket

Lucky Ladybug Garden Ball

Fabulous Fairy Gardens

Chardonnay Angel (Pinot, Moscato or Merlot)