One week down...

I have survived a full week in the condo now!  It can be really lonely and really boring... thank God for Duke, he does a good job of keeping me company.  While I have spent a lot of time watching TV and studying anatomy; I also met about 8 classmates and a had a blast exploring St. Augustine with them.  I am very excited to start classes in about 3 weeks, but for now I am taking full advantage of my down time for some crafting and well needed relaxation.  Here are a few of the projects I have done this week:

Window Table #2:

I finally finished the second window table.  I made this one with a bottom shelf to hold a basket.  The top is 8 inches deep to store magazines, decoration for the season, souvenirs from various trips, or anything else I decide :)  I even added the window locking mechanism for a fun and functional authentic feel.

Here it is all decorated!  Notice some of the other crafts that have been or will be featured :)

While I wish I could have included a more detailed step-by-step instructions of how I built both window tables, I had limited time to finish construction on each table as I did both in one weekend... the weekend before I moved.  If you have any questions feel free to ask!!

Craft #1 - State Art:

I found this adorable project on Lolly Jane's blog here.  They have some great ideas on here and since the boy and I are long distance I thought this was a perfect piece of artwork!  Check out the tutorial on their site.  Some things I did on mine: Florida has some very detailed shorelines, I kept some of the detail but made some of the lines less defined.  Mississippi has some ridiculous state lines so I made the left side pretty straight.  The stickers I used did not pop like I would have liked on that blue paper so I outlined them with white thread by sewing around the heart.  I also stitched the black "+" in the middle of the two states since I had out the needle and thread already.  I love how it turned out and it looks great on my window table.

Craft #2 - Japanese Kusudama Ball

This is a simple but very time consuming project!!  I love origami and this cute little flower only involves about 7 or 8 steps to make each petal and then some gluing is necessary to make each flower and then the ball.  Only half of the ball is done so far, but I plan to finish it soon.  I have made these flowers before, so when I came across a tutorial on StumbleUpon for how to make it into a ball I had to try.  Check out the tutorial Find Inspirations here.  To help with putting it together, I used paper clips at each joint to hold the glue as it dried.   Here is the first half of my Japanese Kusudama ball:

Enjoy!! 

O.M.J.

Day 3

I am now into day 3 of being at the new condo and I love it!  The location is amazing with a back entrance into an awesome shopping plaza that includes Publix, Pier 1, Bed, Bath & Beyond, Five Guys, Panera Bread, and so much more!  There is also a back entrance into Wal-Mart and easy access to all of the main roads.   I have been so busy unpacking, organizing, cleaning, updating, painting, and anything else you can imagine it takes when you’re a new homeowner!  Since I have been busy, crafting has been at a stop.  But right before the move I got into a few projects.  

Project #1: Knot Coasters

I found a great tutorial for this on StumbleUpon and had to try them!  I loved the nautical feel of the rope Design Sponge used but ended up using the teal blue nylon rope because it matched the chalk board perfectly.  To see their tutorial click here.  While the tutorial is for a trivet, I wanted mine to be a little smaller for coasters.  I started out by making one according to the tutorial then tightened it up so it would be smaller.  This is how mine turned out.  

Project #2: Window Table

This was actually my idea.  I love old furniture and pieces that I can make into new things.  I love the idea of upgrading old windows and have been on the look out for old windows for a while.  I finally found some at the awesome boutique I worked at this summer.  I grabbed two different styles with the idea of making side tables out of them.  Currently I have one finished while the other is still in progress.

This is how the window started.  After carefully removing the glass and some scraping and sanding I brought it back to raw wood.  I cleaned the glass and sat it aside for the end.  I bought some legs and hardware from Home Depot, drilled holes and set the hardware to attach the legs.  I then painted the legs and window, attached the legs, and replaced the glass.  Next comes the fun part: window glazing!  It is similar to caulk but specific for windows.  This was a challenge but after four window panes, I got it down.  Here is the final product:

I have more projects coming including a chalk board strawberry pot and the other window table so stay tuned :)

O.M.J.