I thought I’d share this post again with a new printable for 2021. Sorry it’s already February, but better late than never.
Tutorial is below and the new printable is here:
I’d love to see if you’ve made one. Tag it with #mugmakes to share!
What better a way to start the new year than with a new calendar. Using my new favorite supply, the craft stick, I created a small calendar stand and designed a month-at-a-glance calendar printable that is ready to download below.
It took me a while to settle into the lazy days of quarantine, but once I did, I discovered a longing to enhance home, for it is where we are spending all our time. I found a comfort in nostalgia, and a search for a childhood hobby on Ebay and Etsy uncovered this…
I knew it would not only provide something to keep me entertained and quench my thirst for a new project, but it would also create something that would enhance home and heart.
So this…
turned into this…
I didn’t keep track of how long it took to complete, but I have gone through 3-1/2 seasons of “Scandal” on Hulu, if that’s any indication.
Here it is hung in our dining room.
So now I’m sort of on a kick, much to Mr. Mug’s chagrin. He prefers to keep our retro house decor to a minimum.
(Consider this a preamble to the needlepoint pillow saga that we’ve had for the bulk of our marriage :).)
Here is my new procurement from ebay…
When I opened the box and saw those bundles of yarn, a wave of nostalgia hit me. Sitting in my parent den as a kid working on a project while “Little House on the Prairie” or “Love Boat” was showing on the 40 inch honking tube TV.
Ah, memories.
The Mugs visited Portugal last August for a family wedding. While there I saw these wonderful tiles that I knew I had to bring home and use to make a sign for our bathroom.
I used some simple supplies I had in my arsenal…
Wood trim, wood craft stick, white glue, miter box and saw, chipboard for the backing.
I also used a ruler, pencil and stain for finish.
With some simple measuring and miter cuts, sanding for a clean fit, glueing and staining, I was able to frame out the tiles and created a sweet little sign to prop up in the bathroom.
It’s also a fun reminder of our trip to Portugal. I love having souvenirs from destinations we visited. It’s even better when it can be something that I had a hand in making.
I’m baaaack. After quite a hiatus I wanted to get back to making, and this was a project I’ve wanted to do for a while. If you’re like me, you save the fortunes from your cookies that strike a cord, evoke positivity or a smile. Over the years I’ve save a lot…
I thought it would be fun to display them in some fashion, so why not in a slick gold frame with some pretty patterned paper.
I chose a 9 x 12″ panorama frame I already had. It was a reddish wood, but I sprayed it gold.
I also had this patterned paper for years in my paper folder (a place where I store papers I’ve found that I think I may eventually use in a project, so once every few years makes it worth it ;)). I cut it to fit into the frame, using the cardboard insert as a guide.
I laid out all the fortunes I’ve collected and chose the 12 that I thought spoke to me the most.
I loosely placed them where I thought I’d like them to go and then measured to get approximate spacing.
I created a template in Illustrator that I could use to guide my placements.
You can download the template if you’re using a 4 x 12″ frame as I did. It prints on 8-1/2 x 11″ paper and you’ll see how to place it below.
template.pdf
I used paper clips to keep the template placed on my patterned paper, and applied my adhesive to the back of the first fortune.
I placed the fortune, using the cut-out in the template as my guide.
I continued this for the left side, my first 6 fortunes.
I then removed the template, flipped it for the other side of my lay out and continued until all were placed.
After inserting it back into the frame, I was all done and ready to hang.
I think it looks really lovely. Some nice daily affirmations of positivity.
And maybe give a Chinese food craving as well :).
While visiting New York last weekend, my sister and I took our annual pilgrimage to Five Below. We don’t have them on the West Coast so I like to make a stop there when I’m visiting. Just like my sister needs her annual visit to Daiso here in California. Five Below has some fun crafts supplies, one of them being eraser clay (you can also find a set on Amazon)…
I wanted to create a garland for Valentine’s Day decor, in the vain of my bat origami garland – something that Mr. Mug might not be offended by from an aesthetics standpoint, and would be modern and fun at the same time. I am also a fan of the craft foam sheets you can purchase at Michael’s or similar. They cut so clean and there is something satisfying about working with them.
Keep on reading!
It’s the end of January (wow), so Valentine’s projects will now commence. First up is a free printable I designed, using words from a song that my mom used to sing to me when I was little. I now sing it to Mini Mug, even though she’s starting to get annoyed when I do. Tough, kiddo. That’s one of the reasons we have kids, so we can embarrass them.
Keep on reading!
I have been trying to be more conscience about the amount of trash we produce as a family, and I realized one of the big contributors was paper towels. I purchased these cloths from Trader Joe’s and had been keeping one on the counter behind our sink.
Reaching for that, instead of a paper towel was definitely reducing our waste, but I was not a fan of the rag just laying there next to our faucet. Keep on reading!
^^ That’s a 6 year old Mr. Mug. Isn’t he adorable?
Inspired by the mini calendar stand I made at the beginning of the month, I wanted to make a small stand to use for photos, or small artwork and notes the Mini Mug makes. She’s been mastering her writing and leaves post-it notes around the house. Some of them are too adorable not to save and display. Keep on reading!
What better a way to start the new year then with a new calendar. Using my new favorite supply, the craft stick, I created a small calendar stand and designed a month-at-a-glance calendar printable that is ready to download below.
Mug Makes! 