DIY Archives - Small Things Are Big Things

January 16, 2015 by: Kara Noel Lawson

Dollar Bin Challenge Test Tube Candle

Our January dollar bin challenge was a tough one for me. We found those glass test tubes in the dollar section of Michaels (they have plastic ones at Target), and while they are so cool looking, I had no idea what the hay I was going to do with them.
The candle kinda reminded me of a candle and I’m pretty lucky to have clever friends with loads of crafty supplies. Amber from Bambu Earth had some soy candle wax and yummy smelling essential oils. Then I built the stand with a small block of wood and wire.
The test tube candle turned out pretty fantastic.

You’ll need: test tube, soy candle wax, wick, tacky wax, skewer, small block of wood, 24″ wire, Hot glue. {I found a small bird photo holder in the dollar bin at michaels too, and had planned to use that as the base… that didn’t work out. i.e. it wouldn’t stand up. But I love love love the industrial look of the one I designed myself so much better!}

We melted the soy wax and added some Birch Mint essential oil. This candle smells delish… kinda like this soap.

We jimmy-ed a mason jar and wash cloth as a stand for the test tubes.
Use the Tacky Wax to adhere the bottom of the wick to the bottom of the test tube.
Use the skewer to hold the wick in the center of the tube.

Fill the test tubes, being careful to keep the wick in the center of the tube.
{If the wick touches the sides as it burns, then it will turn the glass black.}

As the wax cools it may shrink a bit. We added a bit more melted wax to our candle would go all the way to the top.

Next you’ll hot glue the cork to the center of your block of wood.
Wrap your wire about 5 times around the tube, then bend the remaining wire parallel with the tube and stick the end into the cork.
Finally, put a small bead of hot glue on the bottom of the test tube to secure it to block of wood.

I just love this craft! I want to make a hundred more. Or how cute would it be if you did a long row of test tube candles!?!?!

Check out the rest of the dollar bin challenge test tube crafts…

Homemade Bath Salts with DIY Inspired
Love Potion #9 with A Speckled Owl
Valentines Day candy with Life with Lovebugs
Strawberry milk printable with Popsicle Blog

October 29, 2014 by: Kara Noel Lawson

DIY Plank Headboard – You can make this tonight!

It was 6pm on a Sunday evening and I said to my husband, “I really want to do a DIY plank headboard.” I showed him a blog post of an plank entryway I had pinned on pinterest. He was like, “Bring it!” And came upstairs with a Sawzall and cut off our current headboard. By 7pm we were leaving the hardware store with stain and enough planks to finish the project!

You’ll need:

One 1/2” 4×8 piece of plywood. We used birch and it was lovely!
Stain. We used 3 different stain colors in the Varathane brand – Dark Walnut, American Walnut, and Carrington.
Chop saw
Measuring tape
Pencil
Pennies
Level
Nail gun

1. Have the hardware store cut your plywood. (It’s free!)
Have them do 6 cuts of 4” and 4 cuts of 6” across the long side of the board.

2. Stain your wood. We did 2 of the 4” planks in each stain color. And one in each of the 6” planks. That left us with one extra and we did that in the lighter color because the other two were darker.

3. While the stain dries, measure the length you want your headboard. With our queen size bed, 54” looked great.

4. Once the stain is dry you can start cutting! The Varathane dries in about an hour. Cut one 6” board the full length of your headboard. Level it out and nail it in. This will give you a nice level base for the rest of the headboard.

5. Use pennies to add a little space between the boards. If you need more info on that, check out the blog post… which I referenced about 50 times during this project.

6. We alternated 6” and 4” lines all the way up. We eyeballed the whole thing, making sure there wasn’t the same colors too close together, for too much of the length.
We had 4 lines of the 6” boards and 3 lines of the 4” boards. I might add another 4” layer to the top. You’ll have extra wood so you can really go as high as you want. Wouldn’t it look cool with the whole wall done!

You can do this! I can’t even tell you how happy I am every time I walk into our bedroom!
Part of that is our new bedspread and the art I have finally hung up… after sitting next to the bed for about a year. Yes, the frames were just sitting there. For a year.

The center poster is from Eikon in the Orange Circle. It was less than $5!
The large frame and the two coral pictures are from IKEA.
The hangers are from Target. $5 for 4!
The bedspread, pillows and throw are all from the Target Threshold collection. We have had the same bedspread since our wedding… almost 10 years ago. That thing had seem more than it’s share of baby poop and spit up. It was time.

We didn’t stop with the headboard that night! We did our whole entry as well.
Now as soon as I figure out what I’m putting on that wall, I’ll share that too!

By 1:15 am we had finished the headboard and the entry. And we were all tucked into bed.
We are crazy. But I sure do love having a spouse who hears my dreams and helps make them happen.
How can you make your love’s dreams come true today?

October 14, 2014 by: Kara Noel Lawson

DIY Travel Route Map

I can’t believe it’s been over a year since our trip! Those two weeks were life changing for our family and much needed to regroup after my mom’s death. Which still feels like yesterday to me.

We made this DIY Roadtrip Travel Route Map so we can remember our vacation forever. The shape of this trip makes a heart. How fitting is that?? I can’t wait to add other road trip destinations!

All you’ll need is a map, bakers twine, and a hot glue gun.

1. Tie a knot. (for some reason I love this picture)

2. Glue at your starting point.

3. Follow your route and glue in the right places.

4. Done!

Picking a map might be the funnest/hardest part! A neighbor gave us one at their garage sale and I love it. But I do wish I had picked out brighter twine for our roadtrip route. It would have stood out so much more. I might be redoing it soon.
In all my spare time.
Hahahahahahahahaha…

Here are some great maps I found…
I love this sepia United States Map from National Geographic (only $14.01 on prime)…Or the same United States Map in color… (both $18.96 24”x36”)

Happy travels!

March 20, 2014 by: Kara Noel Lawson

Team Jaime {and Rainbow Yarn Letter Tutorial}

Frikin’ Frak!
Shoot!
Frickity Frik Frak!
Bleep Cancer!!!!!!!
(just in case you don’t know me, that’s my cussing)
One of my dear friends, Jaime, found a lump in her breast and two weeks later she is starting chemo. She had no symptoms (except the lump) and now we know it has passed though her lymph nodes and has metastasized in her liver.
Effin’ cancer.
Jaime’s heart and attitude through all of this is so inspiring. Please check out her blog if you get a chance and let her know you are praying for her with a comment or two.

team Jaime

Jaime’s birthday was right before chemo (Blarg), so we planned a surprise party at Luna Grill (which is super yummy HEALTHY Mediterranean food).

Of course we gave her some Lids, but my favorite gift was a sweatshirt that we put our handprints all over with words of encouragement.
So she can see our hands praying over her as she is in chemo.

We ordered cupcakes from Meringue Bake shop.
(you may remember her cupcakes at my sister’s wedding)

So yummy!
I decorated the tables (I’ll post more on the décor next time).
Jaime loves rainbows and since she brings so much sunshine into everyone’s lives, a rainbow theme was the obvious answer.
By far, everyone’s favorite centerpiece was the rainbow ‘J’!!
So I’ll show you how to make one of your own.

How to make a Rainbow Yarn Letter

You’ll need:

An 18” paper mache letter of choice
Gold spray paint
About 5-10 yards of each color of yarn if using 10 colors
Pencil
Hot glue gun and sticks

This project is great if you already have lots of yarn colors because it only only uses 5-10 yards of yarn per color – a skein has over 250. But if you don’t have any yarn, keep in mind, each skein is about $5. With 10 colors you are looking at a $50 yarn letter! Try to borrow yarn from a friend or buy the yarn and make dozens of letters! (My friend Emmy gave me her yarn AND inspired this project with letters she made for the most recent Adopt Swap.)

1. Spray paint the ends of your letter and any “sharp” curves gold.

Funny story… I was setting out the items for the picture and I kept thinking… something looks wrong. But couldn’t pinpoint it until I was looking at the pictures later! HA!

2. Arrange your colors in the order you want them on the letter. Then divide the letter into equal sections. I just eyeballed it and put a light pencil line where I needed to stop wrapping the yarn.

3. Put a glob of glue around the the top and start wrapping. It’s easier if it looks a little messy. As you are wrapping you may want to add a glob of glue every once in a while to make the yarn more secure. Helpful Tip: Lightly mark the back with pencil, you’ll be twisting so much it’s hard to remember which side faces front, and you’ll want that part to be prettier.

Have a snack close by because the wrapping can take some time!
(I had leftover Minestrone soup from The Fresh 20. Yummers.)

4. When you finish a color, press the yarn into a glob of glue and snip.

5. Then (you guessed it) put a glob of glue down and start wrapping the new color. Be sure you start and end colors on the back of your letter, just in case it looks gloppy.

6. While making turns you have to do a lot more yarn wrapping. Put a fair amount of glue on the curves to keep the yarn from slipping and showing a gap. But since you spray painted a rad color on those curves, you can get piece-y with the yarn and that looks great too!

7. Finish by putting a bead of glue around the top and pressing the yarn secure around the edge. To hid the end of the yarn separate the yarn about an inch from the end and put a glob of glue, press in the end and snip.

Now give this rainbow to someone who brings sunshine to your world!

Please join me in praying for Jaime! You’ll see #teamJaime on some of my facebook and instagram posts. Now you know who I’m talking about.
Effin’ cancer.

January 30, 2014 by: Kara Noel Lawson

Creative Tea Time {with a favor giveaway}

Saturday I got to hang out with a bunch of my friends and get my craft on at Creative Tea Time. The last one was in August and I never got to tell you about it, so I’ll share today. {Along with a giveaway of some of the amazing favors I received!}

First, I wore a cute new outfit.
Doesn’t a cute outfit make you feel better about yourself?
The night before the first Creative Tea Time, I felt like all my clothes were out of style. I mean, this is the longest I HAVEN’T been pregnant in over 7 years. So most of my clothes are ill fitting (too big and too small) and old… aka flare legged jeans. So after the kids went to bed I went to Target. And spent a bit (ahem) of money.
Doesn’t spending money make you feel better about yourself?
That may be a whole other post!

The décor was delightful. And we spent the whole day crafting and eating.
Good times.

Here is what I made, and how to make them yourself… {5 crafts}

Mini Atrium
You’ll need: Small glass container, small succulent, dirt, rocks, moss, various flare to decorate.
How-to: Fill only about half way with dirt and add everything together for your own mini atrium!

Stamped Spoon
You’ll need: Vintage spoon, old dish towel, hammer, metal stamping kit of the alphabet, black permanent marker
How-to: Place the towel on the ground and the spoon in between the folds of the towel. Hammer the top of the spoon flat {towel makes less noise and prevents scratching}. Follow metal stamping instructions for the word or phrase. Color over the letters with the permanent marker and wipe away so you can see the letters.

Wooden Sign
You’ll need: Wood, paint, letter stamps. Optional: fabric, yarn, hot glue for a bunting
How-to: Sign – Stamp letters onto wood. Bunting – Cut circles out of fabric and fold over yarn. Glue together to create half circles
Mine is at my front entry and everyone flips!

Mason Jar Snowglobe
You’ll need: Mason jar, hot glue gun, ‘snow’, stuff to put inside like bottle brush trees and reindeer.
How-to: Hot glue the stuff to the inside lid of the mason jar and put snow in the jar. Screw the lid on and flip over.

Fabric Strip Banner
Easy step by step instructions here.

We were also given a whole lotta swag!
Like a lot!!!
So I’m going to give some away.
Not because I’m nice, I just don’t wear a lot of jewelry or didn’t need whatever awesome thing that was given. You may be wondering if these favors are “leftovers.”
NOPE!
Absolutely not!
Everything was amazing and that’s why I’m doing the giveaway, to help promote the generous businesses who donated to Creative Tea Time.
(Otherwise I would just throw the stuff out… True Story.)
You’ll get a box filled with 14+ items of happy mail… and maybe a lid too!
Follow the instructions in the box below to enter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

(Here I am with some of my IRL friends at Creative Tea Time.)

Till next time!

December 17, 2013 by: Kara Noel Lawson

How to make a Thankful Banner

We are just days away from the one year anniversary of my mom falling and breaking her femur.
I can’t help but reminisce about what was going on this time last year – I was preparing for my friend’s annual cookie exchange and making gifts for all our neighbors. I was feeling excited for the first Christmas in our first home. I had just received our new Bohemian Lids and was planning how to launch them in the new year. Eli was in his first year of kindergarten and the kids were giddy with all the holiday stuff we were doing.
It was wonderful.
We were blissfully ignorant to what would come.
Then my world was jolted, we had two emotional months and then my mom was gone.

My mom would always write special quotes or bible passages on a chalkboard in her kitchen. Simple things that were speaking to her heart for that moment. My mom’s neighbor (and one of her dearest friends) snapped this picture of the last thing my mom wrote on her kitchen chalkboard.

Being thankful isn’t easy.
For me it’s a posture I have to breathe in daily hourly.
Intentionally.

My friend made this Thankful banner pattern. I made one for Thanksgiving, but I feel like I need a constant reminder, so I’m keeping it up year round. I want to always be thankful for this beautiful life that I love.

I want to share this Thankful Banner Tutorial with you! (With permission from the amazing Julie, we also made this banner as a part of my Anti Social Experiment.) This would make a great (inexpensive) gift for your girlfriends, neighbors, or as stocking stuffer!

You’ll need:

Thankful banner template
12×12 glitter paper
Pen
Scissors
Hole punch
String

To make the Thankful banner template you’ll need to download the Bebas Neue font. Print out the needed letters (THANKFUL) in 500 pt size.

1. Print out the template.

2. Cut out the template. (and save it so you don’t have to do it ever again!)

3. Trace the letters to the back of the 12×12 glitter paper. Be sure to do the mirror image of the letters so the letters aren’t backwards! (Tip: to fit all the letters on one paper you’ll have to do them out of order or upside-down.)

4. Cut out the letters. (duh)

5. Use the hole punch at the top of each letter so you can hang your banner. (Tip: See the picture above as a guide for the holes.)

6. String your Thankful Banner and hang.

December 2, 2013 by: Kara Noel Lawson

How to Make a Pie Bunting {and an Epic Giveaway}

Thanksgiving is over and it’s time to plan for the crazy whirlwind we call December!
But I just had to share with you this simple Pie Bunting Tutorial.
The Pie {or cake} bunting is perfect for adding whimsy to your holiday table or for a inexpensive hostess gift!!
You’ll need some awesomeness on top of the glorious desserts you’ll be making with your new KitchenAid mixer… but now I’m getting ahead of myself! (hehehehe)

How to make a Pie Bunting
You’ll need:

12 x 12” glitter cardstock – for this bunting I bought one sheet of gold and one sheet of bronze for .99 cents each. You can make at least 7 buntings with this amount of paper.
Scissors
Hot glue gun
String – about 18” for each pie bunting
Two skewers

1. Cut 1- 1.5” strips of the cardstock. (You’ll have 8-12, 12” strips.)

2. Cut each 12” strip into 3.5-6” lengths. (You’ll have a bazillion pieces.)

3. Fold each piece in half and cut desired shape at the bottom to create a pennant. (I wanted my holiday bunting to be a little bit funky so I made each one different!)

4. Open the folded piece and cover one side with hot glue.

5. Fold over your length of string about 4” from the end, placing each pennant about 1/8-1/4” apart. (Stick with odd numbers for your bunting – mine has 7 pennants.)

6. Tie each end to a skewer and place in your holiday pie {cake} of choice!

These pie buntings will add shine to any holiday table… or make a great hostess gift… or teacher gift… or stocking stuffer!

You’re welcome!

Now you might be wondering about the KitchenAid mixer I mentioned at the beginning of these tutorial… wellllll…
Me and some bloggy friends are putting together another epic giveaway (remember last year). And this year we’ll have 3 winners!
Holla!
All the prizes are A-MAZING!!!
See…

5 quart Artisan Series KitchenAid stand mixer (winner’s choice of color)
Keurig K65 Special Edition Brewing System
Kindle Paperwhite Touch Screen E-Reader

Just follow the instructions in the box below and leave a comment on this post with the item would you like to see under your tree this holiday.
Squeeeeeeeeeeee! I’m so excited!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The “Comforts of Home” giveaway begins Monday Dec 2 and ends at 12:00 AM on Monday, December 9, 2013.
Giveaway is open to U.S. residents only. Void where prohibited.
All entries are optional with the exception of leaving a blog comment. We will never sell, distribute, or spam your email.
Three winners will be chosen by Rafflecopter (powered by Random.org). The first person chosen will choose between a KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer, Keurig K65 Brewing System, or Kindle Paperwhite. The second person chosen will chose between the two remaining prizes. The third person chosen will receive the remaining prize.
This is a non-sponsored post. Prizes were purchased by a group of participating bloggers. KitchenAid, Keurig, and Kindle are not affiliated with this giveaway.
This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. You understand that you are providing your information to the owner of this Facebook page and not to Facebook.
This promotion is powered by Rafflecopter. Metric Feat LLC (“Rafflecopter”) does not sponsor, administer, or endorse this promotion. Participants must read and agree to Rafflecopter’s Privacy Policy before entering and participating in this promotion.

Now I’m gonna cozy up by my half lit tree (free tree on Craig’s List last year) and drink some hot chocolate.

Blessings,
Kara-Noel
Small Things are Big Things on Facebook and Twitter

November 5, 2013 by: Kara Noel Lawson

How to Make Shower Decor DIY – Little Rosettes for Dayz

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™ and Cottonelle, but all my opinions are my own. I’m also eating all my kids’ Halloween candy right in front of them and not sharing one little bit. Whew… I’m glad I got all that out in the open… let’s move on together. #pmedia #CottonelleTarget http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO.

You may not think toilet paper and a bridal shower have much in common… unless it’s a shower for a poopy marriage (yeah, I said it).
But they do… and I’ll prove it.

With the simple techniques in this post, you’ll be able to make adorable decor for any event on a budget! I’ll teach you how to make rosettes, and mini pom poms. Then we’ll use these to make centerpieces, embellish a wreath and a gift for the Bride.

How to make a rose with toilet paper

You’ll need a hot glue gun and a roll of toilet paper. I recommend the Cottonelle Triple Roll because it doesn’t rip easily and it’s so thick you can’t see the tear lines. I mean… just because we are totally cheap smart and use toilet paper, doesn’t mean we want everyone to know we used toilet paper!
1. Rip off the number of squares you’ll need.
I put a size chart below – #1 is about the size of a quarter. (And it’s adorbs!)

2. Fold the sheets in half lengthwise into a long strip.

3. Grab the bottom corner of the strip (folded side up).

4. Twist outward.

5. Roll the twisted part into a ball.

6. Keep twisting and starting turning the rosette.

7. When your rosette gets your desired size leave about a 2” tail on the end to hot glue it to the back of the rosette to hold everything together.

Use the rosettes to embellish… well… anything!

I wrapped a heart shaped foam form with burlap then hot glued a cluster of 5 rosettes to one side. I hung the wreath with tied vintage hankies to add more texture. A wreath like this would be great for the front door or behind the dessert table.

I hot glued 3 rosettes to this hanging chalk board and wrote a custom message with a chalkboard pen. This easy embellishment can also double as a gift for the bride. (Or an easy hostess gift during the holidays!) You can customize the words with the bride’s future last name or the wedding date.
(Remember how fun it was to see your new name in print? Sigh.)

How to make a mini pom pom with toilet paper

You’ll need a twisty (or twine or yarn) and 10 squares of toilet paper.
1. Stack the sheets with the ripped edges all on the same sides.

2. Fan fold the stack, with the ripped edges on the long side, and secure with the twist tie.
(I used twine with the rest of mine and I liked it better.)
3. Separate each layer and fluff into a pom pom. (This is were that hefty Cottonelle Triple Roll comes in handy because the paper won’t rip during the fluffing.)

Centerpiece
To make the center pieces you’ll need a hot glue gun, various glass vases or mason jars, a bit of burlap, some vintage hankies, sticks, dirt and the mini pom poms and rosettes you made above. I also added a bit of texture with yarn pom poms.
I feel like this part is pretty self explanatory with the picture… but just in case you are a crazy direction follower (like me) I’ll give quick instructions.
1. Hot glue the pom poms and rosettes to the sticks… use various stick lengths.
2. Arrange sticks in the vases/jars and keep them in place with the dirt at the bottom.
3. Add a bit of flare, by tying burlap strips and hankies around the jars. This is a great way to bring in the bridal colors! Use bits of fabric or ribbon too.

I hope you enjoyed these easy tutorials! I had so much fun making them.
I’ll be using all these lovelies in a few weeks, for a baby shower in my home. But I’ll be adding a bit of pink flare for the sweet little girl on the way.

Right now if you buy Cottonelle Triple Roll 12 pack or larger at Target you can get a FREE box of Kleenex, with this COUPON (while supplies last).
The package looks like this…

Cottonelle triple roll

The coupon looks like this…

And I look like this…

July 18, 2013 by: Kara Noel Lawson

Spray Painted Stepping Stones

Our house came with 40+ 70’s style hexagon red-ish stepping stones. Brad wanted to throw them out as soon as the house keys were in our hands. But he married a crazy DIY addict who hoards any potential project materials. After some discussion (ahem), we kept them, and I’ve just used some to make a happy path to our compost bin.
Now what should I do with the remaining 34?

Grab your favorite spray paint colors and spray the tops of the stones. No need to worry with the sides because they are covered.

The stepping stones just needed one coat of spray paint. If you want extra staying power, you can seal the paint with a clear coat. I didn’t seal mine because I wanted a quick project.

Dig a shallow hole around your stepping stone, place the stepping stone and pack the dirt around the stone. Be sure the stone is sticking 1/2 to 1” out of the ground, because if it’s level with the ground or lower, you’ll hose it off to take pretty pictures and it will get mud all over the top and you’ll get all flustered and give up on the pretty pictures.
True story.

I love my happy painted stepping stone path.
I love that I can boast about my awesome creation to my husband who wanted to throw the stepping stones out, made from junk.

Happy DIYing!

I’ll be finishing our RV Adventure next week. I was off the computer because of technical malfunctions. Boo. I can’t wait to share all we’ve been up to.