M A K E :: clay magnets

One of my favorite things to do in the morning is leave little notes for Elisha to read when he wakes up. We've started to collect our little love notes and I wanted to come up with a creative way to display them. I thought our fridge was the perfect canvas! Here's a super quick way to dress up that empty space in your kitchen, with fun magnets!

 

S U P P L I E S :: clay / paint / self adhesive magnets / brushes

1) Pinch a small piece of clay from your block and use your hands to make a small ball. Use a rolling pin or something similar, to roll your ball out so that it is flat. It does not have to make a perfect circle; I like that mine were a bit oblong - it gave them character!

 

2) Follow the instruction for your clay, and bake them for the appropriate time. Be sure to use a dish that is safe and wash thoroughly once the clay has been removed, as some of it may stick. 

3) Paint! Get creative with designs, patterns and colors! Since our notes have so much writing already, I knew I wanted simple designs that wouldn't distract. Have fun!

 

4) Peel the backing on your magnet, so the adhesive is visible. Place the adhesive facedown onto your magnet and press gently. Complete this with your remaining clay circles.All done!

This project didn't take more than an hour and it was relaxing to be able to paint for fun! I love how much it brightened up an otherwise boring space. Get creative with your shapes and colors - I'd love to see what you come up with! Happy Crafting!

xo. mel

**To view more MAKE posts, click here!

MA K E :: leather card holder

The Summer time is full of days at the beach or pool, where you don't really want to take a big purse. I love to grab a little satchel filled with my essentials. Instead of throwing my whole wallet in there, I like to have a few cards and cash, ya know, just in case. These little leather card holders are just the trick and they're the easiest to whip up!

S U P P L I E S :: scrap leather, scissors, paint/brush, sewing machine

1) Begin my cutting out rectangles from your scrap leather. The easiest way is to place a card down and trace around it, leaving approximately 1/4 inch of extra space around each side. At the end of one piece, cut out a triangle shape - as seen in the photo below.

2 ) Using your sewing machine, use a simple stitch all the way around the two pieces of leather. Trim any excess pieces around the edges so they line up.

Use your paint to add a little extra flair! I love the way the gold came out on the nude leather - it has a nice natural and understated look. This little project took about fifteen minutes and I love them! These would make great gifts too! As always, feel free to leave a comment with any links that show how yours came out!

xo. mel

M A K E O V E R :: makeup stand

When it comes to my makeup, if I can't see it, I forget it's there. I love having a display of sorts for all of my beauty products. I found this little stand about a year ago and love using it to hold all of my beauty items. Over time however, it's become quite a mess. I wanted to clean it up and change it up - nothing a fresh coat of white paint can't fix! 

I picked up a few more jars and some white spray paint, and ended up with a whole new makeup stand that I am simply in love with!  I love the freshness of it!

I loved the result and how absolutely easy it was to transform. So instead of buying something new, maybe you should just give what you have, a fresh new coat of paint! I'm also a bit obsessed with painting everything white right now. I just love love it. So, what are you going to give a paint-over??

xo. melisa

Cause Happiness

Since being out of school I have been completely excited that I now get to read for pleasure and not for homework! It's been a little over three weeks and I'm finishing up my second book; I told you I was excited! I've been reading the ever popular series, The Hunger Games. And yes, the rumors are true, it's completely addicting and such a good read! If you're looking for a fun and easy read, pick up these books!

I'm currently wrapping up the second book in the series and as I was reading last night, something fell out. 

I was amazed to see that it was a note that read: "Use the dollar to go buy the next book :) Hope you've enjoyed them as much as I have. thebdayproject.com" Including a dollar bill along with it. How sweet is this?! This book was purchased by the mr from Barnes and Noble. I'm taken aback (in a good way) that someone went to the trouble to walk into a bookstore, pick up a book, write a sweet note and give a dollar to a complete and total stranger. I love it!! 

This random act of kindness has motivated me to modify my list of resolutions and move this one to the very top: Cause happiness. Every week commit to completing one random act of kindness. This will include things like what I recieved, paying for someone's coffee in the drive thru line, sending a gift of goodies to a sweet blog follower, and just overall trying to make people feel loved and special. It truly is the little things that will make a huge difference in people's lives. Would you like to join me? I believe I will be documenting these acts of kindness and I'm having so much fun dreaming them up! 

xo.

Melisa