Last Day!

Happy Friday!!

Just a friendly reminder that today is the LAST DAY to enter in the St Patrick's Day Pint Glass giveaway on my Facebook page!
If you haven't yet, be sure to follow the simple instructions & enter!
Www.Facebook.com/kendallmariescrafts

I've been working on quite a few projects this week all that should be wrapping up over this weekend - more to come on that soon!

Feel free to share any projects you have in the works - I'd love to see them!

Have a great weekend!

Xo Kendall Marie

NEW ITEM! Nautical Theme Painting

As I work on the rooms in my house I'm decorating (now that the craft closet is checked off the list I'm down to a Nautical Theme Nursery and a Cowboy Theme Little Boy's Room) I'm trying to branch out and try different crafts/DIY Projects (Paintings, curtains, wall vinyls etc.) Some haven't turned out exactly as I've hoped, but the majority I'm really loving how they are coming out and so as they are completed I'll be adding them to my etsy shop!

Today I added my first one - A nautical theme canvas painting perfect for a nautical themed nursery, little boy or even little girl's room (the colors of the painting can easily be changed up to be a little more 'girlie' if desired.)  The acrylic canvas painting states "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (symbolized with a starfish) Always Remember How Loved You Are"

A variety of canvas sizes are available with pricing starting at $20.  To order your own nautical painting click {here} 

End Grain Cutting Boards

Glass, Plastic, Wood - what is your cutting board made out of?

Since my husband has taken up woodworking I have learned of the benefits to your knives of using wooden cutting boards over glass or even plastic cutting boards, and have also learned that cutting boards can serve the dual purpose of being a truly beautiful decoration in your kitchen.

A Fine Handcrafted Hardwood cutting board may be more expensive then a plastic or glass board you could get elsewhere - but the beauty of the cheaper boards can in no way be compared.  Made of a variety of wood (cherry, walnut, maple, etc.) the amazing color and detail of the wood grain immediately draws the attention of everyone who enters our kitchen.

In addition to this, the natural way the End Grain of the wood gives and then self heals with each cut allows for an ideal cutting surface that not only lasts longer itself but also doesn't dull your knives like other surfaces. 

Not only are the design patterns for end grain cutting boards endless, but it can truly be said that no two are the same as they each have their own uniqueness from the natural wood.  Here are a few that my husband has made - each one different and each as beautiful as the other - which design do you like best?

Craft Closet Complete!

Earlier this week I mentioned a few projects I've been working on this week - 3 rooms in our new house (talk about exhausting!) - A Nautical Theme Nursery, Cowboy Theme Boy's Room (not quite completed yet but I'm very excited to say the entire room remodel will be for under $40! - More on that later!) , and my very own Craft Closet!! I've been working on little projects for each of these throughout the week (vinyl wall decor, paintings, hanging pictures, etc.) but decided it'd be best to first finish my craft closet as getting my craft supplies re-organized will certainly help the other projects go much smoother!

I'm so excited to have a craft closet - as any DIY craft person knows, a craft area can sometimes look a lot like a natural disaster area! Sketches out, paintbrushes out, wine glasses drying, etc. while I always re-organize all my supplies when I'm done and leave the area (previously my kitchen table) without a trace of the disaster that was once there it's not uncommon for my craft area to look like more damage then good mid-way thru my process.  So I'm very excited to have an area that I can keep all my supplies out instead of boxed up, and can close off the disaster work-in-progress scene without having to pick it all up when we have company come over -  It's the little things!  :)

 

Putting together the Craft Closet

1 - Pick the closet: The closet we chose to use is a 2 door coat closet at the top of our stairs. Our new house has SO much more room then our previous house that we've easily been able to sacrifice this additional coat closet. 

2 - Color theme - while it's not mandatory, I decided I wanted a color theme for my craft closet. Having just a little over a year ago had a black & white theme wedding, I had a bunch of baskets & boxes saved that went with this color scheme so I decided to make this the theme of my craft closet.

3 - Shelves - In addition to the standard wire rack at the top of the closet,  my husband cut for me 2 shelves the length of the entire closet.  I knew I wanted one around 'desk height' to do the majority of my work, so I went ahead and painted that board (solid black with a white pattern) and had it installed. Next was deciding whether I wanted the other board cut to make multiple shelves on each side or one full length board above my newly installed 'desk'  After talking it over and looking at some of the supplies I would be needing to store on the shelf I decided it would make most sense to have the single full length shelf - so I painted this board white with a black design sponged onto it.

I've now fully 'moved-in' to the craft closet - my husband plans on installing some lighting under the shelf above my desk which will be nice, and I do plan on adding to the craft closet (ribbon holders, vinyl holders, etc.) over the next few weeks - rather then making the decision solely based off looks, I want to see where things will fit best practically. 

So - for now - shy of a little more organization, here is the finished closet!! I just love it! :)

 

Do you have a craft room or closet where you do your work?

Any tips/suggestions on what to add to the closet?

 

Xo Kendall Marie 

 

St. Patrick's Day GIVEAWAY!! :)

I can't believe there's only a little more then a week left in February! That means only a few short weeks left until we will get to meet baby boy #2! (We expect to meet him around March 19th) But it ALSO means it is time for another GIVEAWAY!!!

St. Patricks Day is quickly approaching (Monday March 17th) so what better item to giveaway then a Handpainted St. Patrick's Day Beer Pint Glass?!

  

To Enter:

1. Like my Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/kendallmariescrafts

2. Comment your name on the contest post [Click Here]

 

Do both no later then February 28th

A winner will be randomly selected and posted on March 1st

Good Luck!!

 

Xo Kendall Marie

What crafts are you working on?

Saw this today and got a laugh out of it...it's SO true for me! Thought I'd share for my fellow DIY/Craft-lovers :)

 

What crafts are you working on this week???

First 3 to comment with what they're working on will receive a $10 gift certificate to my Etsy shop!

**Please include a valid email address with your comment so I can email you the gift certificate code!**  

 

Having just moved into a new house I have a nautical theme nursery, cowboy theme little boy's bedroom and craft closet all in the works each being put together with DIY projects - some of which will be added to my shop once they are done - can't wait to share pictures!  

 

For now here is a sneak peak of one of the canvas pictures I painted for my son's cowboy theme room - he was very specific in wanting it to look like him on a horse with a laso ;)

Can't wait to hear what you have in the works!

 

Xo Kendall Marie

 

DIY First Anniversary Gift

As two people who both really enjoy making things (my husband is the woodworker [check out his awesome fine hardwood cutting boards here] while I'm the crafter/painter/repurposer) my husband and I both agreed that for our anniversary gift we would keep the gifts more personal by making them.  Having just moved and being somewhat on bed rest for the remainder of my pregnancy, I was a little more limited on what all supplies I could gain access to, and so to Pinterest I went to look for some ideas!

I posted in a craft group that I follow asking for suggestions, but unfortunately didn't get much more help then a friendly reminder that the gift of the First Anniversary is supposed to be paper.  Knowing I have a Cricut, tons of scrapbook paper and accessories, I figured going with this 'paper gift' tradition would work just right! 

Wanting to make the paper gift personal to us and our wedding day, I decided I wanted to find something that would include our wedding vows and/or first dance song.  With this I went to pinterest and google to look at some ideas, before deciding to make this Framed First Dance Lyrics Cutout.

If you'd like to make this Framed First Dance Lyrcis Cutout, doing so couldn't be easier (and more inexpensive) by following these instructions:

 

DIY Framed First Dance Lyrics Cutout

 

You will need:

Picture Frame (size of your choosing - I used a 5x7")

Scrapbook paper - 5 colors, ideally ones that match your house decor

Color 1 - Background

Color 2 - Tree

Color 3 - Heart

Color 4 - Bird #1

Color 5 - Bird #2

Cricut & Craftroom - OR - Scissors to cut on your own

Writing Utensil (Marker/Pen/Pencil)

Gluestick/Glue Dots

 

Steps:

1. Using the Cricut basics cartridge available for free to everyone in the cricut craft room OR a pair of scissors - cut out a two rectangles to fit the background of your picture frame using Color 1 and Color 2.

2. Using your writing utensil (I used a fine tip black sharpie) write the song lyrics to fill the rectangle you cut out on Color 2. 

TIP: If the lyrics do not take up the entire rectangle you may want to write them multiple times.  Not all the lyrics will show since the the tree pattern will be cut out of this, so the duplication will not be noticeable.

3. On the Color 2 rectangle that is now filled with lyrics, cut out the tree shape you would like keeping in mind that the larger/fuller the tree, the more lyrics you'll have showing.

You may have a design on your cricut you'd like to use, I drew the tree on the back of the rectangle and cut out by hand.

4.   On Color 3 using the cricut basics cartridge cut out a heart sized correctly to the trunk of your tree.  Write on this your anniversary date.

5. On Color 4 and Color 5 cut out equal sized 'love birds' (can be done using the 'A Childs Year Cartridge' or by drawing and cutting by hand) sized to fit on the tree branches.

6. Assemble: Glue the tree onto the background, heart onto the tree trunk, and birds onto the branches.  Place into picture frame.

 

I had the scrap paper, picture frame and marker on hand, so I was able to do this entire project for free.  If you need to purchase the frame I suggest checking out your local dollar store as they often have a wide variety of decent frames all for $1.  The paper you can get for around $0.50 each at your local craft store - possibly even cheaper elsewhere.  Basically this project can be done for less than $5!

As always have fun with it and make it your own! The biggest benefit behind a handmade project is just how personal you can make it! And please post pictures of your finished First Dance Lyrics Cutouts you make! I'd love to see them!

 

 

Part Two of my husbands Anniversary gift is something that kept with the paper theme but took a bit more work and time - stay tuned for more on my "Life is An Adventure" project!

 

Xo Kendall Marie

Happy Valentines Day!

Happy Valentines Day! (a few hours early!)

Having just moved into a new house (the boxes everywhere are enough to drive me crazy but I'm very excited about my 'craft closet' that will soon be set up!) having spent the past 48hours "iced-in" (this Florida girl has definitely learned since moving to South Carolina that ice-days aren't as fun as they sound, they're MESSY, and they come with some miserably cold weather !)  and being less than a month away from meeting our new little bundle of joy (did I mention we JUST moved and our whole house including the nursery are still in boxes?? AHH!!) my husband and I who usually celebrate holidays a bit on the extreme side decided to enjoy a more low key V-Day this year. As much as I love Holidays - I'm one of those people who truly LOVES buying gifts and planning unique ways to make the Holidays fun - I haven't been feeling the greatest this trimester and so a more low key Valentines Day sounded just perfect to me.
That being said however, I still couldn't just buy a box of chocolates and card and be on my way...that would just be insulting to my new Cricut machine ;) So in addition to buying a box of chocolates, I headed to my favorite place - the Cricut Craft Room! After years of wanting a Cricut, now that my wonderful husband has spoiled me with one I've decided that the time I used to spend reading thru dozens of greeting cards in the store, rarely being truly satisfied with whichever I'd settle for, will now be spent in the craft room making a truly personal and equally, if not more-beautiful greeting card! Cricut has SO many V-Day card options it can be a bit overwhelming, so rather then browsing thru all the available options, I decided to look for a card that fit a specific theme (I call my husband my 'honey bee' so I wanted a bee-themed card) and in a few short minutes had found, purchased, and cut the 'Bee-mine' card layout! Filled with a personal note, stuffed in an envelope and just like that I had my card!
In addition to the Bee-Mine greeting card and valentines day staple heart shaped box of chocolates, I wanted one more thing to complete my husbands gift, keeping with the theme behind the holiday and not so much the commercialization of it, so off to Pinterest for some inspiration I went! Having in the past made my husband the '52 Reasons I love you' (if you haven't seen this/made for your significant other, it's a really cute gift and very simple to make...take a 52card deck, and on each card write a reason you love your significant other.  I even included some pictures on some of them.  Bind them together with a metal ring and you have a great personalized gift to make your boyfriend/husband smile) I was on the hunt for something similar but obviously not the same, which lead me to my inspiration for "the ABCs of you & me"

Making it couldn't have been easier.  Thanks to my Cricut and Extreme Fonts cartridge the entire booklet was complete in less then an hour.  

To Create "The ABCs of You & Me"

1.  Obtain a mini note booklet or bind together notecards - if you want to do front & back you will need 13 pages, if you'd like to only do the front you will need 26 pages PLUS a cover 

2. Cut letters sized to fit on your pages yet still allow room to write.  I cut my letters using Extreme Fonts on my Cricut, Font: Junior, Size: 2" 

3.  Glue letters on each page, and fill in a memory/reason you love your significant other/etc. that starts with that letter on that page

4. Decorate the front as you please - I covered the front of mine with a solid cardstock, accented with some string and a heart and titled it "the ABCs of you & me" with the date of this Valentines day. 

*This project can easily be done without a Cricut as well and can be modified to be as simple/complex as you would like.  If you'd like to keep it ultra simple but still just as nice looking, draw the letters on each page rather then cutting/gluing - the options are really endless - have fun with it and feel free to share your finished projects in the comments! 

First 3 projects shared in the comments by March 1, 2014 will receive a $5 gift card to my shop!

67 Chocolate Kisses

I can't believe it is already February! I feel as though I was just posting about plans for the new year! This month has started off on a great foot with NEW items being listed, NEW orders coming in, and an exciting FIRST for Kendall Marie's Crafts - being asked to take part in a fundraiser! My shop will be donating an "I teach therefore I drink" wine glass as well as a gift certificate to my shop that will be included in an auction to benefit patients with PCOS. Just as I enjoy doing contests and giveaways, I also enjoy taking part in fundraisers and would love to be included in a couple more throughout the year! **If you or someone you know is hosting a fundraiser event, please don't hesitate to contact me via my etsy page or Facebook page!**

Speaking of giveaways...Incase you missed the announcement on my Facebook page - there were 67 chocolate kisses inside the Be Mine wineglass. Our contestant with the highest guess (she guessed 54 chocolate kisses) WON the glass full of chocolates! Congrats and Happy Valentines Day to our winner!! :)

If you like FREE stuff and haven't already, be sure to like us on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/kendallmariescrafts

I have contests and giveaways just about every month, and Facebook is always the first place they are announced!

:)

Also incase you missed it, as promised, we have quite a few NEW products in the shop! Be sure to check out the NEW teacher coffee mug, St. Patrick's Day wine and beer glasses, as well as burlap canvas paintings!

www.etsy.com/shop/kendallmariescrafts

I also have several wooden signs and a couple of new glass designs in the works that I hope to have up over the next couple of weeks - keep an eye out! :)

In addition to all I've already mentioned, I do have one more exciting announcement! (In my opinion I've saved the best announcement for last!) Kendall Marie's Crafts will officially become my full time job in just a few short weeks! I'm so very excited for this opportunity, and look forward to the challenges and rewards that come with growing a business! We are expecting baby boy #2 in mid-March, so aside from the few weeks that I may be out of commission while I recover and adjust to life with a newborn again (baby boy #1 just turned 5!) I am already excitedly planning the growth of my shop to include new designs, branching out in many different directions, and also adding to this blog to not only include updates on the shop, but to include a weekly DIY craft, homemaking tips, etc. So stay tuned for all that is to come! :)