Many Projects...One Post

Weeeeellllll...I've done better with my Pinterest challenge than I have with blogging about it.

Here are a few projects that have been finished in the past month or so:

1.  Crochet Necklace

Here's the pin.

Here's my necklace.

This bannister post looks eerily personesque

I think the next one I make will have more beads, smaller beads, at varying intervals, and pull the crochet tighter around the beads. But I really like wearing this one.  Simple, and great colors.

Look at those great colors. So great.

 
I got these beads at Michael's on WICKED SALE...50% off...and decided on DMC pearl cotton for the stuff to crochet with.  I used a small crochet hook (size B...the smallest I've ever used).  I "loaded" all 20 beads onto the floss and started single chaining.  Every 20 chains, I'd bring a bead up and crochet around it.  It's just one big loop...I thought it looked best on me with four even loops which made little bead outcroppings, but it's unbound and has the flexibility to be worn differently.

I'm all for flexibility in accessories.

2.  Nightstand!

Here's the pin.

So. I didn't have a nightstand next to the bed. I was using a ClosetMaid Horizontal Organizer unit. Like this one:

It's an organizer! It's horizontal!

Except on end.

No longer horizontal! And less effective as an organizer!

Which is fine, except that our shoes are all over the floor, and as awesome as the ClosetMaid Horizontal Organizer is, it's NOT a nightstand.

So we got this one for free on Craigslist.

Ug. Ly.

Since I had to sand it down so much, I took the time to prime it.  I'm glad I did.  It made the paint go on nice and easy.

I found a can of "new black" paint that had been returned to Lowe's. $5! A pretty Martha Stewart stencil on the drawer, a coat or two of Rustoleum polyurethane over the whole thing, and a $1 knob from Second Use, and...

A thing of beauty and a joy to be able to store my nighttime crap in.

...voila!  So pretty! It looks great next to our black bed frame, and will go with any quilt we choose to put on the bed.

3.  Pot Roast

Here's the pin.

I don't have a picture of the final roast, nor did I actually get to taste it. But I heard from Recipe Taster #1 that it was pretty good. He's not got a super sophisticated palate, and usually enjoys whatever I cook, so I'll have to post more about this the next time I make the recipe.

Pinterest craft #2 - Wall Hanging Hanger

My original Pinterest project for this week got postponed due to rain, so I did something else.  Yay productivity!  And it wasn't even a direct Pinterest descendant...it's Pinterest-once-removed.  Let me 'splain you.

Here's the original pin.

My sister made an amazing "Grandkids" display for my parents and her in-laws for Christmas, and made me this adorable display of my own baby (and her cuties) as a surprise.

Surprise cuteness!

It was too cute to just hang on a plain old nail.  Even a painted nail.

Andy has discovered the "funness" of browsing through second hand building materials shops, and he's got me on a kick too.  There are several around Seattle, and our favorite so far is Second Use.  We picked out a drawer pull ($1) and an old brass escutcheon (the plate that goes around a door knob or a keyhole...they used to be fancy) ($12).

I cleaned it, and primed it with Martha Stewart's Metal Primer. I used a sponge brush and painted it all over with Black DecoArt Americana Gloss Enamel paint.

I might have used a USPS box as a painting platform.

I followed that up with a coat of Shimmer Silver DecoArt Dazzing Metallic paint.

Blackish-silvery. New-old.

Finally, I gently sponged White DecoArt Americana Gloss Enamel paint on the raised filigree on the escutcheon. (Don't you want to just write it again and again and again?  Escutcheon!  Escutcheon!)

I mounted the painted escutcheon (last time, I promise) on a small piece of craft plywood, painted with a lovely desert turquoise DecoArt Americana acrylic paint and "distressed" with white.

Not too shabby, but definitely shabby chic.

I screwed the drawer pull on where the doorknob would have belonged.  And...voila!  A picture hanger cute enough to hang my sister's gift upon!

Adorable, if I do say so myself.

What do you think?  Etsy worthy?

UPDATE:  Here's the whole thing a-hangin' on the wall!

Two great crafts that taste great together.

Pinterest Craft #1 - Meal Planner

So I joined Pinterest, and immediately pinned about a thousand things I wanted to create or bake or eat or read. And DID NOTHING.

My 2012 resolution - do something.

I roasted beets and parsnips based on this pin.  And I baked the most delicious figgy peppery bacony scones based on this pin.  Then, it was time for crafting.  Clearly, crafting based on eating was going to be important.

Figgy Peppery Bacony Deliciousness in scone format

Here is project #1...a menu planner.  We had signed up for a CSA box of organic vegetables to be delivered to our house...a particularly Seattle-y thing to do, we felt...but we have a nasty habit of leaving our fresh veggies in the crisper too long.  If we planned our meals in advance, we would introduce some intentionality to our eating, and use those delicious veggies up. 

Here is the original pin.

I started with a collage frame from Michael's that I'd gotten for about $5 the day after Thanksgiving.  There are actually 7 days in a week, but this frame has only 6 openings.  (It's fine...we eat out on Sundays.)  Each opening is 4"x6".

Whoever these kids are, they're adorable.

 Next, I picked out 6 pieces of patterned scrapbook paper.  TO THE STASH!  I decided on colors/patterns that I thought black dry erase pen would show up on easily.  Also, we have an orange wall nearby where I wanted to hang the menu planner, so I coordinated with it.

Finally a use for all these delightful papers!

I wanted to put day-of-the-week markers on the paper itself, under the glass, so I was free to write over the entirety of the opening.  TO THE STASH!  I had these wonderful metal letters that were self-adhesive...and they matched my color scheme!

Read down, L-R. I know the order.

Put those papers in the frames, and voila...one menu planner!

All we need is some groceries!