Burlap Initial Wreath Tutorial

Our house is constantly getting mixed up with the neighbor's next door. Everyone from children to grandparents come knocking looking for someone who belongs over there. I have been looking for a cute way to hint to everyone that this is our home, not theirs, so try next door. Luckily our last names begin with different letters, so I thought I would give a try at making a burlap "M"~ surely that won't be mistaken for the neighbor's "C." I think it turned out pretty cute. I learned a few things along the way in case you want to make one for yourself. First, I discovered that you are lucky if your name begins with a C, S, U, W, O, Z, V, or any other letter there might be where you can bend your letter easily from one piece of wire without back-tracking or twisting a second or even third piece of wire on. Where there is a will, there is a way, and the other letters can be crafted, but it takes a little thought to figure out how to put it all together. To make my "M," I had to back-track along one of the legs and also up the middle. Then I used needle-nose pliers to pinch the wires together so they fit smoothly together and also to crimp any loose ends I had so they didn't poke out and snag the burlap. You may need to assemble your letters in pieces. For example, an H would be made with three pieces, two sides of equal length, and one shorter piece for the middle. You may have to play with it a little to figure out what works, but it will come. I should note that I used wire that I bought for a little over three dollars in the fencing section of Home Depot. It is black and comes all coiled up. You should find it close to the re-bar.

Once you have figured out how to make your letter, and the wires have been smoothed and the ends crimped, it is time to work with the burlap. Cut 1 to 1 1/2-inch strips the length of your burlap. Weave the burlap onto the wires by poking it down through the front, and up through the back. Push it along the wire until it stops and scrunches. Repeat until the wired is covered. I worked in three sections, up both sides and then the middle. Depending on your letter, you may have more or less. When you reach the end of the wire, use needle-nose pliers to grab the end and twist it so that a circle forms (make sure to bend the sharp end in) to stop the burlap from sliding off. Use a wire loop and some ribbon, or fabric scraps to hang your project with. You should end up with something like this

Have you ever attempted any projects like this?  I would love to hear about any tips or tricks you learned along the way! 

Happy day to you!

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Welcome To The Ultimate Blog Party 2011

It's party time!!! Welcome to Humming Right Along~ a place where two friends {from forever ago} come together to share all things loved, in this brand new blog! We are Andrea and Jasey, two Wyoming girls, balancing hubbies, kids, and jobs, while managing to find a little time here and there to create. Create what? Home decor and crafts, vinyl, felting, and quilting projects. We love encouraging our kids to get crafty as well. Between the two of us, we've done a little of just about everything and are here to be inspired and hopefully to inspire, humming right along as we go. We are so excited to have you along as we set out on our new adventure! Here's a peek at what's been happening around here:

Cake Stand Tutorial

Pillow Case Art

Kitchen Remodel Reveal

Hope you stick around because we've lots more planned to share with you! We'll be seeing you!

Cake Stand {Tutorial}

Welcome friends! As some of you may know, we celebrated my grandfather's 90 birthday this weekend! He is an inspiration and it was an honor to be part of the celebration. I made his all-time favorite coconut cake, and my favorite Earl Grey Chocolate Cake for the party. Presentation is everything, and I wanted a fabulous way to display these cakes~ something worthy of this special occasion. But in my little corner of Wyoming we are what I like to call "shopping challenged." What's a girl to do? Make her own! I know there are plenty of tutorials for this type of project in blogland, but I just sort of winged it. I have always been a little skeptical about how something like this would hold up, and I am here to tell you that if you use E-6000, you will never know the difference. I am starting to think this glue is magic.

Start by finding a plate and something to use as a base. I wanted something very sturdy that wouldn't tip very easy (small children run amok at my house) so I used a matching bowl instead of a candlestick or wine glass. I found both pieces at Walmart for about $8 TOTAL. I you use items you already own, or purchase them at the dollar store, you could cut the price even more. After you've selected both pieces wash and dry them. Flip both dishes upside down and set them side by side. Use your magic E-6000 run a line of glue around the bottom of the bowl. I put it on top of the raised circle (its not pictured, but looks the same as the ridge on the bottom of the plate). Then quickly turn the bowl over and place it in the center of the bottom of the plate, as pictured. I just eyed it, but you could totally measure it. I placed some hardback books on top to help hold everything together as the glue dried. I let it sit for a couple of hours and it was ready. Easy as cake! 

Doesn't it look fabulous? Several people asked where I bought it, and couldn't believe it when I told them that I made it! It was super sturdy, and washed well (I didn't put it in the dishwasher though). I think I am going to go back and buy more so that I can make another one. I would love to have a matching set!

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Pillowcase Art

When my daughter was born 9 years ago she was given a wonderful gift by her Great-Grandmother Mary.  It was a beautiful pillowcase that she had hand sewn with her name and some butterflies.  It was much too beautiful to be used, so it has been sitting in a drawer for all these years.  Great-Grandma Mary passed away in 2009, so to preserve her memory I wanted to do something with  the pillowcase. I decided the best way to preserve the pillowcase would be to frame it.  I bought this frame for $5:

I sanded and repainted the frame "Tinkerbell" Green which I had leftover from when I painted my daughter's room.  I ironed the pillowcase and got ready to cut it.  Here is a picture of the pillowcase before:

I put the glass from the frame on top of the pillowcase and placed it where I wanted to cut. Then I took my rotary cutter and cut around the outside of the glass.  Next, I put the glass and the pillowcase back into the frame. Great-Grandma Mary lived out-of-state and so my daughter does not have many memories of her, so to make sure she knows how special of a lady she was I wrote about the pillowcase and Great-Grandma Mary on the back of the frame. I also attached a picture of them together on it before hanging it on her wall.  Here is the finished project:

I really enjoyed preserving this pillowcase and the memory for my daughter.  I think I might even have another one she did for us when my husband and I were married that I will do the same with.

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Kitchen Remodel Reveal

When my husband and I bought our first home it was my dream to redo our kitchen, but I didn’t think it would happen for many, many years. So when we started talking about finishing our basement and my mom said you don’t spend anytime in your basement, you should just do the kitchen because that is where you spend the most time, the wheels started turning and before too long my dream became a reality. Here is my kitchen before:

It was fun, but too small for all the entertaining we like to do. So we took a long look at things and decided that we would tear down the wall that was between the kitchen and this little dining room:

So with my mom’s and my hubby’s help I drew up some plans and started to meet with cabinet makers and other contractors. Then we started the destruction and ended up with this space:

It was finally time to put my vision into action. We couldn’t have done it without our amazing family! My dad is an electrician so he was able to help us there and some wonderful uncle’s brought us some tile from Texas all the way to Wyoming! From start to finish our kitchen was finished in 6 weeks! Are you ready for the reveal? Here it is:

Remember, how we combined three rooms into one? Here is our bar, it is 13 feet long. It has a small copper sink, built in microwave, and refrigerator drawers:

We have solid surface countertops made by Samsung and a large farmhouse copper sink. The backsplash is slate:

Our bottom cabinets are black knotty alder and the upper cabinets are stained knotty alder with black crown molding. My dad thought I was crazy for doing the two tone and even asked the cabinet installers to make sure I meant to do that, but I think it turned out beautiful.

Here is the hood and stove:

We even had the wine cooler built in.

Here is our table and small bar for our kiddos to eat at and watch tv:

It was an amazing project that turned out exactly how I pictured it. I am very thankful to my hubby for agreeing to do the remodel earlier then originally planned. It fits our entertaining lifestyle and my love of cooking!!!

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