Sunday, December 22, 2013

Poppin' Corks Y'all: DIY Cork Board Project


Hello again you little rays of sunshine,

It's a rainy day in Wiggins, MS, so I thought I would do a little DIY project for you lovely readers.

Margaux, a sweet non-crafting friend of mine, asked me for help with a birthday gift for her best friend.  Of course it was finals week and of course I don't study, so I said yes!  Margaux had been saving wine corks practically all year to create a project, but had no idea what she wanted to do with them.  That's where I stepped in.

If there is one thing I love as equally as crafting, it's wine.  Moscato to be exact.  We put our heads together and came up with the idea of a cork-board made of corks (like duh), but what we didn't know was what shape to make it in.  So we brainstormed ideas and came up with the state of Louisiana.  I love all things Louisiana, it's like the fun BFF of Mississippi who is really pretty and knows how to have a good time.  So we laid the corks out and began the process.  It's really easy and we were super excited with the results.  Below are the steps and materials needed for the project!  Good luck!

P.S. Don't try to drink all 40 bottles of wine in one night, trust me.  Hobby Lobby conveniently sells corks in a baggie of 8.


Materials:

  • Foam board (I used black because the white clashed with the color of the cork)
  • Hot glue gun 
  • Hot glue sticks
  • Corks

Project time: 45 minutes to 1 hour

1)  Figure out your shape.
This should be the fun part.  Depending on how many corks you have you can do pretty much any shape, any size.

2)  Trace your shape onto the piece of foam board.
Once it's traced, place the corks on the foam board ends up, to make sure you have enough to fill the entire shape.

3)  Once the shape is filled take the corks off and cut out the shape.  I used a box cutter, but an X acto  knife would be better.

4)  Start hot gluing the ends of the corks down starting around the edges of the shape.

5)  Once you have the outline of the shape glued down, work your way to the center, line by line.

6)  I found it helpful by putting hot glue on the bottom of the cork and on the side that connects to another cork.  This makes for a better hold.

7)  When gluing, press down on the cork firmly for at least 2 seconds.

8)  Keep going, don't give up!

9)  Once you have all of the corks glued in place, run a line of hot glue in between each of the corks on the edges for a better hold.

10)  You are done my crafty friend!  Now depending on the size of your shape you can hot glue a photo hanger on the back of the board to hang on the wall.  Since our piece was larger, we displayed it on an iron easel.


If you have any questions or comments I would love to hear from you!

Happy Sunday!



xoxo,

Kate

"Wine is constant proof that God loves us and loves to see us happy." 
-Benjamin Franklin





Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Eat Your Heart Out Annie: A Thrifty Girl's Guide to Distressing Furniture

A lot of people have been asking me how to distress furniture, what paint to use, or the best method behind the madness.  So here I am, at 11:29 P.M. breaking it all down for you-- the easy way!  Who doesn't love the easy way out I mean am I right?! Anyway... below you will find some simple steps to get your booty in the crafting mood!

Step 1.  Examine your flea market find!

Before you get started, do a little checkup on the condition of your piece of furniture.  You need to know if its real wood, or if you have any loose ends you want to tie up before bringing out the color.  Fix whats needed and move forward with the process.

Step 2. Sanding!

Oh boy, this is the worst part.  You have to make sure that you get a smooth surface free of any top coats or old paint.  The sanding process is needed so that the new paint will stick to the furniture.  Trust me, I've tried cutting corners and this cannot be one of them.  You can sand with any type paper it really doesn't matter.  Just make sure you have broken the surface of the old paint, stain, top coat, sealer, etc.  Personally I use an electric sander because it makes the entire process a little faster and I have the upper body strength of a kitten and cannot even bare to do it by hand.

Step 3.  Color Baby!

This is the super fun part! Color choices.  Here is where most people try to sell you something.  Like the $8 million dollar name brand chalk paint that is supposed to work miracles.  Don't fall for that trap! Wanna know a secret?  You can make your own chalk type paint!  Its not chalk, but it has the same matte finish as the name brand for a fraction of the cost.  Your wallet will thank me later.  My favorite brands of paint are the Martha Stewart colors and Valspar that is found at Lowe's.  Once you have your fab color choice, mix together 1 cup of your paint to 1/2 cup of baking soda.  If the mixture is a little too thick add in a couple tablespoons of vodka.  Just kidding, water.  I have found that this can be a bit thick at times but don't you sweat it.  Paint your pretty piece and let it dry overnight!

Step 4. Distressing

Grab a loose piece of sandpaper, say a prayer that your hands don't cramp up, and get to lightly sanding some areas of the furniture to get that rugged and worn look.  You can distress it as much or as little as you like, it really depends on the look your going for.  The most common places I sand are edges of any sort, corners, and any detail the piece may have.  This is the part where it all comes together and you feel like a total achiever, like when Elle Woods got her LSAT scores sent back to the sorority house and was all like "Omg I'm going to Harvard!".  You may want to lightly and I mean LIGHTLY sand the entire piece if you have some rough spots from the chalk paint mixture, it's really just your call.


Step 5.  Seal the deal

So Johnson makes this awesome furniture wax that seals your pretty project up without making it all glossy.  Its a wax, so you literally have to karate kid it, and wax on and wax off.  The best part is knowing you won't have any further scratches and that the wax doesn't take away from the matte look of the chalk paint.

And there you have it!  You've just created a beautiful piece of furniture!  Send me some pictures so I can share them on this blog! I would love to see what you guys do.

xoxo
Kate

Monday, December 2, 2013

Keeping up with Kate


Wow, sorry its been so long since we last chatted!  Time flies when your having fun and do I know how to have fun or what?!  I've missed you all so I decided I would do a little post to fill you in on my life up until this point.

This past summer I interned at Pearl River CC in the public relations department and had a great work experience.  I didn't think I would have such a huge say in what went on, but I was wrong.  My boss and supervisor Mr. Chuck Abadie was great!  He and Mrs. Janet let me do a little bit of everything in the communications office.  From writing billboard copy, working new student orientation, creating recruitment material for the softball team, to implementing new social media, I got to put my knowledge to use.  It was a busy and rewarding summer that I will be forever grateful for.

The beautiful campus of Pearl River Community College.  This building is Moody Hall! 

Along with my summer internship, I decided to take my crafting to another level and open my own store!  I have always been a "trash to treasure" girl and loved my weekend projects of distressing furniture or up-cycling old finds.  I turned a passion into a business venture and began the Facebook page Mementos & Magnolias.  I sell unique art and furniture pieces made from recycled materials.    Sales have been busy and I have my very own intern Maddie Dunn.  She helps with the organization process of the orders that are placed and I am the creative.  This has been such a fun venture and have even sucked my parents in on the excitement.  My dad, the carpenter, has a way to fix everything and is such a great problem solver when pieces come in that need a little extra t.l.c.  My mama on the other hand loves to shop!  She has such an eye and can stumble upon some inexpensive finds for my dad and I to revamp.  Combined we make a pretty good team!  Its a little tough to manage the orders with school on my plate, but I enjoy staying busy!  My goals for the new year will be to launch some pieces on Etsy and buy a few booths at local antique markets.  Two things I have just been a little too busy to do.
A few pieces from Mementos & Magnolias!

Once school was back in session I began my next adventure: sorority recruitment!  I was elected as a member of the Executive Rush Committee and responsible for the decorations for Skit night!  So much work and preparation went into transforming the Alpha Omicron Pi house into a "Kate Spade" Vegas themed party!  With the help of my wonderful committee members, especially Chloe Dickinson, we conquered the night and won so many girls over.  I thought staying within budget would be tough, but I found ways to cut corners and lower the cost of some items.  I think my sorority sisters were happy with the results!
My sweet committee members Roxanne and Taylor posing in front of our fab sign!
Since the launch of my store I have had several calls/emails about creating decorations for weddings.  One Facebook email came from a good friend Maggie Rafferty.  It began as asking for decorations to her asking me my opinions on wedding related items.  A few days later Maggie popped the question to me and asked if I would be her wedding planner!  What PR loving girl could say no to a good event planning opportunity?!  I said yes and we have been in full throttle planning a beautiful October wedding!
Maggie and I at State DECA Competition!
The workload kept getting bigger as I currently have two internships this fall semester.  One with the PR department at Ole Miss and the second as an ambassadorship with Lover.ly.  Ole Miss PR has given me the opportunity to write many articles and press releases that I typically didn't do.  Before this internship I had never had an official byline of my own besides my Pearl River Dixie Drawl days.  Lover.ly is such a great up and coming company to work for!  It is all things wedding related which is great for planning Maggie's wedding!  My supervisor rewards me for things I do on our campus to promote the brand which is a plus! I'm always getting little "happys" in the mail!  These two internships have been so enjoyable!
Lover.ly care package! How thoughtful! 
Here it is, December 2 and my last fall semester as an Ole Miss student is at an end.  I have had some great opportunities to build my resume and better myself in more ways than one.  I'm so thankful for where I am in life and I look forward to what the future holds.

My final thought of the night is bring it on spring semester!!

xoxo
Katie

p.s. I still haven't finished that chair. (procrastination problems)