It’s time for a new year, and that means it is time to reminisce and look back over 2016. Today, we want to revisit the top 16 DIY projects of the year and bring you an inspirational DIY roundup in the process. Rev your imagination and let your creativity flow!
Top 16 DIY Projects of 2016
A DIY Roundup from Life With Lorelai
We’ll start with number 16 and work our way to the number one DIY project on the blog this past year.
2016 has been a creative and crafty year! We look forward to sharing more wonderful DIY projects and craft ideas with you in the coming year. Happy New Year to you and yours!
I love this idea for an inexpensive way to update your home for the seasons. Framed Seasonal Art from regular contributor, Michelle James. She’s done it again!
Framed Seasonal Art
An Easy and Inexpensive Way to Celebrate the Seasons
I like to decorate my home for the different seasons, but sometimes that can get expensive. I found a great way to change things up whenever I want for just the cost of a piece of scrapbook paper.
I was mulling around my local thrift store and found a frame that was actually on a stand. I really liked it, and knew I could create something fun. I also found these two little wooden buckets that I thought would make great feet for it. So for $2 I was outta there with a project in mind.
This is how these guys looked before.
When I first got it, I thought I would create a chalkboard on one side and a dry erase board on the other but when I took the top piece off I noticed there were two pieces of glass (well, one side is glass and the other side is acrylic) not sure why. But it really didn’t matter. At that point I knew I could sandwich a piece of paper in between and have a fun piece of interchangeable art.
I cleaned everything up, removed the wire handles from the buckets, and gave everything a few coats of white spray paint.
Then, I sanded a little for the distressed look that I love.
After that, I used some wood glue to mount the “feet” to the bottom of the frame stand.
Voila! I was done. This piece of scrapbook paper from Moxxie is just perfect for spring. I just cut the 12×12 piece down to the frame size (8×10), slid it between the glass and the acrylic, and replaced the top piece of the frame. It has screws on the side that allow the top piece to come off, so you can exchange your art as you wish.
Pretty cool right? I ended up really liking it. At first, I wasn’t sure about the feet but I think they have grown on me now. What do you think?
Thanks so much for stopping by. I will see you again in two weeks.
An easy way to add some pizzazz to your home decor
We have been very busy trying to incorporate two houses and three lives into one little house. It has been a challenge, and is still an ongoing process. One of the things we have put a lot of time and effort into is Rory’s room, and vinyl wall art wound up on our to-do list.
You may remember these posts, Guest Room Bedding Ideas and 12 Tips on Choosing the Right Paint Colors. Well, out of necessity, that guest room is an idea of the past… it’s now Rory’s room. We did paint the room with a lovely shade of yellow, Break of Day by Dunn Edwards. We laid a light hickory wood flooring, and added some beautiful white baseboards and trim around the window. Now, the room was set for her furniture and decorating.
Rory has wanted a Paris themed room for some time, so now, she’s getting it. We found some really amazing Paris decorating items at Hobby Lobby. Today, I’d like to share one of those items with you, an Eiffel Tower vinyl wall art piece.
We were pleasantly surprised by how easy the vinyl wall art was to use. The design came in four separate pieces that we had to assemble on the wall to create a fluid Eiffel Tower. The vinyl wall art reminded me of the old Colorforms I played with as a kid–ah, the memories. The pieces were not flimsy, but not too stiff either. They clung to the walls very well, but were easy to peal, move, and re-affix to the wall as needed for perfect placement and adjustment.
And here is the finished Eiffel Tower vinyl wall art…
This entire project only took about 10 to 15 minutes to complete, and it looks great. A definite thumbs up from us on vinyl wall art!
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Looking for some Paris inspiration? Check out my Paris Themed Pinterest Board…
It has been a long-standing tradition at our house for the Easter Bunny to leave a chalk drawing in the driveway. The kids would find this surprise first thing Easter morning, as we left for church. That silly bunny always manages to hop through the drawing leaving his colored footprints behind, as he hops up to the house and away again.
I hadn’t done a drawing in years; but last year, Luke’s two grandnieces where coming for Easter dinner. That meant our tradition had to be resurrected–and this time I was recruiting some help. So, after everything was ready inside the house, Rory and I put on our figurative bunny ears and hopped on out to the driveway–armed and dangerous with sidewalk chalk.
Draw the basic Outline for your Design.
You can see that I used white chalk to draw my outline. You can use a different color, but be sure that you will be able to blend it into your design. Try to keep the outline as light as possible.
Draw in the Details for the specific area in which you are working.
Color in the Design.
Use lighter and darker colors to create shadows and depth to your drawing. Mix colors to make new colors.
Take your Chalk work from Drawing to Art.
This step will transform your drawing into a work of art! It will also give it some real lasting power. Use water and paint brush to wet down the chalk. Paint over the chalk, filling in any missing areas created from the rough canvas. Be careful NOT to mix your colors, unless you intend to do so. This will create a painted type of artwork versus the rough and grainy look of a regular sidewalk chalk drawing. As you paint over the chalk with water, your colors will darken and change, do not worry, they will dry and be beautiful.
Notice how vibrant and solid the colors of the painted bunny look.
Here are Some Additional Tips:
Wear Disposable Gloves while you work. This will keep your hands cleaner, and not dry out your skin. They also change easily when they get dirty.
A Kneeling Pad is your best friend!
Have a Towel or Rag for leaning your hand on. This will help keep you from getting “road rash” from leaning heavily on the concrete.
Paper Towels will come in handy.
Use different cups of water for differing colors, so you don’t muddy the colors of your creation.
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A couple of sample photos will show you the different types of sidewalk chalk art.. Be sure to notice the color layering for depth and interest, as well as the rough and smooth textures. One sample is a regular chalk drawing, while the other has been water painted.
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I hope you have enjoyed this little tutorial. Now, go have some fun creating Sidewalk Chalk Art.
