Take time to Give Thanks

I enjoy the Fall season ALOT...the cooler weather, the gorgeous colors, sunflowers, pumpkin bread...you name it, I am sure I love it! ;) There are so many things to be thankful for this time of year and all year.

Several years ago, a lady in our church shared that their family started a Gratitude tradition. For the month of November each family member would write down what they were thankful for each day and at their Thanksgiving meal they would read them out loud and then she would turn them into a mini album.

I wanted to implement this great tradition into my family, but my children were young enough that writing something every day would have been a challenge. I also wanted the attitude of gratitude to last all year round, so with that in mind I went shopping for a box to decorate. Once decorated I placed some cards with lines and a pen and pencil inside. That started our year round attitude of gratitude. Now that the kids are older, they are able to write more on the cards and it is so much fun reading through the years of blessings that have been written down.

The photo above is of an old screen door I altered into a memo board and have it hanging in our front dining room. This year I decided that I would like to display the Blessing Cards for the month of November, before they go into the Blessing Box.

Here are a couple of projects I just recently finished and are taking orders on, in hopes to help you implement this Attitude of Gratitude tradition into your family.

The photo above is of a Take time to Give Thanks Memo Board. I made this using an old wood frame and painted it using the crackle paint technique. It is painted black with white showing through the cracks. Inside the frame I used eye screws and ran twine through them. This works great for displaying photos, memos, and Blessing Cards. I also made a chipboard sign that is hung over the frame that says "Take time to Give Thanks". It is not attached, allowing you to remove it, so you can use the memo board all year around. Email me at: judesigns@hotmail.com to place an order or visit my fb page "Items for Sale" album to see the other items I have for sale.

These next few photos are of a Kraft box I altered and decorated, making it perfect for displaying and storing your families Blessing Cards. I again used the cracked paint technique and added a wood knob to the top of the lid, which I think gives it a more finished look and makes it easier for removing the lid.

Once painted, I started adding the paper, embellishments, and paint. I used old book pages as well as some other scrap paper and paint to get the design I wanted.

On the front of the box I added a mini clothespin that I had added paper to and some metal buttons. The clothespin can be used to display the Blessing Cards, a photo, or note. The box is a 5"x5" box, making it the perfect size to place anywhere in the house. Email me at: judesigns@hotmail.com to place an order or visit my fb page "Items for Sale" album to see the other items I have for sale. Thanks for stopping by!

Magnetic Word Game Board

Wow, I didn't realize it had been so long since I last posted. Time goes by quickly when you are having fun. :) Several months ago, I came across this word game board idea and have been wanting to make it every since. My family and I enjoy playing games, especially word games! Once I found the perfect sized frame, I was ready to start. It came together pretty quickly too.

The frame was gold, so I painted it black and distressed it. I then cut a piece of ply wood to fit inside of the frame, attached metal to it and decoupaged old dictionary for the background. For the game letters I attached magnets to the back of Scrabble pieces, added two saw tooth hangers and voila, it was ready to hang. Great to have in an area, where family spends a lot of time, to play ongoing word games, leave messages or encouraging notes!

Feel free to check out all of the other projects posted on my blog and then be sure to stop by my facebook page at Dippity Dot Creations to keep up with what I am currently working on and check out my Items for Sale album too.

Birdnest Centerpiece

I really, really, really like Pinterest.com for inspiration! How about you? I have a formal dining room table and a table in our kitchen, so I am always looking for fun and inexpensive centerpiece ideas. As I was looking through Pinterest, I came across a three tiered centerpiece that was decorated with bird nests. I loved the look of it, so I ran with the inspiration and this is what I came up with...

I had a three tiered plate stand that used to hold fruit on our kitchen counter and I was excited to get to use it again. I wanted the centerpiece to be in creams, whites, and greens, so I visited a local thrift store and found some very pretty cream plates for $.29 cents each and a cheese plate with dome for $1.99! I purchased the nests, plastic bird eggs, sprays, and balls from Hobby Lobby and Michaels when they were 50% off and the small grapevine wreath from Dollar Tree. I really like the way this looks on our front room dining table and am even happier that I spent less than $15!!

Re-purposed Mixed Media Serving Tray - "Laughter"

As I was looking at a variety of great creations on Pinterest, I came across where someone had taken an old wood frame and turned it into a serving tray. As you know I love to re-purpose frames, so I decided that I wanted to give this a try. I also decided that I wanted to create a one of a kind mixed media piece to go inside. Below are some photos showing you the step-by-step process I went through in creating this tray. Feel free to email me at: judesigns@hotmail.com with any questions.

I had an old wood frame, that I picked up at a thrift store, and thought it would be perfect for this project due to the width of wood it had, the face of the frame was inset, and it had a unique design around the edges.

I painted the frame in a variety of different greens, sanding and distressing in between coats. I have several old drawer pulls on hand, so I found a couple that I thought would work perfectly. Because of the slope of the wood frame, they wouldn't look right to attach them to the top of the frame sides, so I drilled holes through the sides and attached them on the outside of the frame. Once the handles were attached, I filled the holes with wood filler and completed the painting and distressing process.

For the mixed media piece, I used the backing out of the frame as my base.

I decided to create an art piece with a coffee cup and saucer for the inside of the tray. I also wanted to use some of my scrap paper, since I seem to have piles of it. :)

To start with, I used Mod Podge and glued on pages from an old book as the first layer.

I then added the scrap papers I had chosen and glued them across the top leaving some space for the book pages to show through.

I like to recycle cereal and cracker boxes and use them in my projects to add dimension.

On this project I decided to use an empty cereal box to add dimension to the cup and saucer. I traced it and then cut it out. I forgot to take photos of the rest of this process, but it was pretty similar to how I created the back ground. I used old book pages for the mouth of the cup and decorative paper for the cup and handle.

I also used old book pages for the saucer, embossed, and painted it.

I added my "Laughter is the best medicine, but coffee is a good substitute" saying to it and also added some steam coming out of the coffee cup.

Here is a photo of the completed mixed media piece before I put it into the serving tray.

I didn't feel like the backing on this frame was sturdy or strong enough for it to be used as a serving tray, so I added a thin wood backing.

Once glued in, I used wood filler to fill in the gaps around the perimeter, then once it was dry, sanded it and painted it to match the rest of the frame.

My final step was to add bumpers to the bottom, so that it won't damage or slide around on furniture.

This was a fun re-purposing project. If this has inspired you to make one, I would love it if you would come back and post a photo. I would love to see YOUR creation!
Don't forget to visit my facebook paget at: Dippity Dot Creations. If you would like to place an order for a serving tray or a mixed media art piece be sure to email me at: judesigns@hotmail.com

Magnetic Photo Frames

I just finished a few magnetic photo frames and wanted to share them with you. This first one is a 16"H x 13"W frame that can be hung on the wall or displayed on an easel. I decided on a clock theme and created the inside of the frame using tissue paper, paint, ink, and chipboard. The saying "Every day a blessing. Every hour a dream. Every minute a possibility" is such a great reminder and I thought it went perfectly with this frame. Magnetic frames are such a fun way for posting photos and memos.

Here is a close up photo of the saying, which also shows all of the texture and dimension this frame has. Visit my fb page at: Dippity Dot Creations to see other creations I have made and to see what all I have available for sale.

This next photo is a double magnetic frame that has a magnetic chalkboard on one side and a magnetic board with burlap on the other side. I also included two bottle cap magnets and a piece of chalk with twine and a magnet. The wood frames are glued onto a painted metal candlestick. Email me at: judesigns@hotmail.com with any questions or visit my facebook page, Dippity Dot Creations, to see other creations and items I currently have for sale.

This last photo is of a double magnetic frame that has a magnetic chalkboard on one side and a magnetic board with decorative paper on the other side. Also included are two button magnets and a piece of chalk with twine and a magnet. The wood frames are glued onto a painted metal candlestick. Email me at: judesigns@hotmail.com with any questions or visit my facebook page, Dippity Dot Creations, to see other creations and items I currently have for sale.

Repurposed old screen door

I came across this old screen door and decided to turn it into a Memory/Story Board for my Dining Room. I really liked that there were two different sized openings. I added chicken wire in the larger opening, to allow many photos to be hung, and attached burlap in the smaller opening (love burlap!). Antique hardware is a favorite of mine. I came across some neat door knobs and plates so I added one of them to this board as well as a few other rustic accents. My family and I are really enjoying this new display. Currently we are displaying photos that were taken on our recent 20th wedding anniversary trip to Hawaii.

In the smaller section, I wanted to use the saying "Christ is the center of our home, a guest at every meal, a silent listener to every conversation", so I decided to frame it between three frames I found at a local thrift store. I really liked the design on the frames, so I painted and distressed them and added tea cup graphics from one of my favorite websites - The Graphics Fairy, along with the saying and hung them together with twine. I think it turned out neat and unique. :)

Glass Etching

Glass Etching has been a fun way to personalize and create one of a kind decor and gifts. Below are some photos of a few projects I have made. Questions or to place an order, email me at: judesigns@hotmail.com. Items I have for sale are listed on my facebook page: Dippity Dot Creations. Be sure to stop by and take a look!