Cathryn's "Craft Corner"

 Ever since I started my new job at the hospital I have had some MUCH needed HOBBY TIME! Nursing school doesn't leave much free time, so I have had several projects that I have wanted to complete but just no time. So as you can imagine I have RELISHED in my oh so rare rare and glorious free time. And by relish, I mean I've been doing all sorts of crafts! Hope you enjoy my creativity as much as I have! [And I mean that in the most humble way possible :)]

Here are the curtains that I made for our kitchen. I bought this material last summer, and I am just now making them. It actually worked out better, in this case, that I didn't have time to make them before because we have moved TWICE since then. Besides altering some clothes and making pillows, this was my first real sewing project, complete with button holes and sewing on buttons with my WONDERFUL sewing machine. The button hole were a bit of a challenge, but I think everything turned out pretty well if I say so myself! :] 

                                  Material:  Printed: $5.00 (on clearance! usually, 15.00 a yd)

                                                 Solid: $ .85

Buttons: FREE! (They are the spare buttons that came with a jacket I have) 

Total Cost: $5.85!! 

 
 

Have you ever noticed that the only mail you get are Christmas Cards and BILLS? Well I have, and I have the hardest time keeping track of them. I copied this idea from my friend Patricia Shelley, who is ultra creative! If you can't tell from the picture, these are window shutters that have been painted. They are PERFECT for holding mail, pictures, and I guess anything small that you want to keep track of!

Shutters from the DI: $3.00

Paint: $1.06

Total Cost: $4.00!!

After marrying Stephan the number of birthdays that I need to remember suddenly doubled! And if you know me, that is not good. I have the WORST memory ever, aside from Stephan whose memory is surprisingly worse than mine. [not a good combo] Luckily I spotted the idea for this little gem on PINTEREST! If you haven't discovered this website yet, I suggest you check it out. I have found so many great ideas and recipes. It's amazing how CREATIVE people are! Anyways, this is a birthday plaque. I'm not finished yet, but when it is done it will have the names and dates of each family members birthdays on wooden circles that will hang below their birthday month. [the letters across the bottom stand for each month] I just stumbled upon cheap enough wooden circles at Hobby Lobby, so hopefully it will be done by the end of the week!  

One hobby that I really enjoy and that I am still developing is painting. I LOVE it, but it is a self-taught talent that is definitely a work in progress. Below is a painting that I started about a month ago. I'm kind of slow because I want it to be perfect. When it's done it will be a red flower that I'll hang in our living room. I really like being able to decorate our apartment with homemade art and crafts! It's definitely more fulfilling than going out and buying someone else's over-priced work. However, I can still acknowledge and appreciate how much more talented others' pieces are. 

Canvas: $5.00

Paint: $.00 [I already had the paint so I don't count the cost]

Total Cost: $5.00!! 

This was my 2nd attempt at curtains. This valance is in our bathroom. Our towels are green and we have a brown shower curtain. I'm already tired of the brown and green color scheme and would LOVE to just buy a different color of towels, but since I'm decorating on a budget I settled on buying some fabric to make a valance. MUCH cheaper decision and it really dressed up our bathroom. I'm considering modifying the valance, but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. 

Material: $2.00

Thread: $1.00

Brown ribbon: $.00 [left over from making my bouquet!]

Total Cost: $3.00!!

This bookshelf was made by my dad when he was in the 8th grade! Which means it is about 50 years old!! Pretty much an antique :] Luckily my brother Scott moved back out here from Pennsylvania, so he was able to stop in Indiana and pick it up for me. It was painted white, but that didn't match my living room. So I decided to go black. And since flat black paint is $8.00 cheaper than glossy black paint I went with the antique paint look. It actually turned out really well! I used a stiff paint brush so I was able to create the antique look without much sanding. I don't know if you can see it, but there are white brush lines that allow the white paint to show through. I'm not explaining it well, but it actually looks really good! 

Bookshelf: Free 90 Free! 

Paint: $10.00

Brush: $1.00

Total Cost: $11.00!! [I don't know if I should count the whole cost of the paint though because I basically still have a gallon of paint left.]

 

Stay tuned. More crafts to come!