Back in mid-May I began our kitchen makeover. It was quite the project, with the DIY pieces taking over 55 hours to complete. Yikes :/. I’m so happy with the finished product, though!
I’ll give you a quick before and after photo before explaining all the changes we made.
I just love it :). Ok, now for all the changes… Continue reading
A few months ago, my husband and I decided to redo the vanity in our guest bathroom. We already painted the walls and bought a new shower curtain a couple years ago, but we still needed to spruce up the vanity. I’ll share with you the process of painting cabinets Fallon-style (aka – I have no idea if I did this correctly, but I think the cabinets turned out great!).
Here are the before pictures: Continue reading
My dad and I participated in our first ever craft fair this past weekend. It was quite the experience, and we learned a lot!
Pictures of our booth are below. I was happy with it for our first ever booth display. It just seemed so overwhelming, though – too much stuff in too small of a space.
We learned from other vendors that it’s not so much about having a ton of items as it is about having a really eye-catching display. Which, of course, makes sense. After seeing other craft booths over the weekend, we now have ideas about how to make our booth more inviting.
We plan to do this again, but need time to recuperate. Craft Booth…Take Two may have to wait a year :). This was exhausting! Lol.
Check out my Shop to see the currently listed items.
What suggestions do you have about creating a successful craft booth?
Recently, I began selling some of my crafts at a local store. I’m so excited! I hope to have an Etsy shop soon…we’ll see. Be sure to check back in the coming weeks to see if I’ve opened one :). Below are some of the items I took to the local store – chalkboards, chicken wire frames, earring and necklace holders, and ‘I love you because…’ dry erase frames.
Here are some other items I’ve made…
Do you have any business tips for me???
SavvyExpression finally has a tagline – Upcycle Your Life. While on a walk earlier this week, my husband and I were trying to think of a phrase. He threw out, “Upcycle Your Life,” and it stuck. It just fits with everything this blog is about.
up·cy·cle [uhp-sahy-kuhl] To process (used goods or waste material) so as to produce something that is often better than the original. (source: dictionary.com)
Generally, when we hear the term ‘upcycle’ we think of repurposing something old or something that would otherwise be thrown away. I often blog about this – using rummage sale finds to make something new. However, ‘upcycle’ can apply to so much else in your life!
Cooking – taking ingredients lying around the house to make a delicious dish. Fitness – implementing a new workout to become a healthier person.
Most importantly, spirituality – turning your life over to Christ so He can ‘process’ YOU and make YOU ‘better than the original.’
All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags. (Isaiah 64:6a)
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. (1 John 1:7)
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! (2 Corinthians 5:17)
My dad and I are selling crafts at a festival later this year. Here is one item I plan to sell (if I don’t end up keeping it for my own house :)).
Simply staple chicken wire to a picture frame. The frame I used was about 24×21 inches from outer edge to outer edge. I did spray paint the picture frame first – I didn’t like the wood color it was originally, so I used a silvery colored spray paint. When I was finished, it looked too bland, so I added the fabric flowers.
This makes a great picture frame, as it allows you to quickly and easily switch out pictures as often as you like. You could also use it as a place to leave messages, love notes, lists of chores…the possibilities are endless :)!
I will definitely be making more of these.
Happy framing!
My dad and I are participating (for the first time!) in a craft festival. We were just approved today to have our own craft booth. I’m so excited :)! Our main items for sale are upcycled windows and frames. So, my task this summer is to rummage for items we can use for crafting.
On my first major rummaging adventure last weekend, I found a gold mine of old windows. I bought 9 of them for $33.00 (that’s just $3.67 each).
Here is one window I created and plan to sell at the festival. The problem – I have no idea how much to ask for it :/.
Below are step-by-step instructions, along with pictures of the process. Continue reading
For 3 ½ years now, the large accent wall in our living room has been scantily decorated with our wedding picture. The wall needed something else (I’ve known that for 3 ½ years), but, until recently, I just wasn’t sure what.
I decided to put wedding photos of our parents and grandparents below ours. We couldn’t find wedding pictures for some of them, so we used what we could find. I was so pleased with the result – I love the history. It makes me smile :).
Here’s the before:
Before
(I actually forgot to take a before picture, so I went digging through my computer for an old photo.)
Our Christmas tree has been up since just after Thanksgiving. Last year, my husband had the bright idea (seriously) of storing the tree, fully decorated and intact, in our basement. It took literally 3 minutes for us to ‘trim the tree’ this year – how convenient!
The rest of our house; however, was lacking the Christmas spirit. This weekend, my husband and I finally had time to do a little more decorating. Using sticks I spray painted from our yard, unused treasures in our basement, and some items from Wal-Mart, we decorated our mantel (all while listening to Christmas music). The hubby even helped! He’s such a wonderful husband :).
Though we enjoy Christmas lights, decorations, gifts, and time with family, this is not the TRUE reason for the season. Christmas is the celebration of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior’s birth. Let us not lose our focus – Jesus is the reason for the season!
(You’ll see a window picture frame in the pictures below. Click here to see the post about that project.)
Continue reading
Today I finished the second bulletin board I began on the same day I completed this similar project.
My husband and I needed a place to put our lists – shopping lists, grocery lists, to-do lists, etc. Here was my solution:
