DIY: PAINTED CLIPBOARD

Did you guys see the contest on Design Sponge in partnership with Scotch Blue Painter's Tape last month? With so many amazing entries, I was so surprised and excited when I found out I was a finalist! You can see the first round of projects here and the rest here. Anyway, today I'm over on the Ampersand blog sharing the full tutorial of this project for this month's Getting Crafty column. Go see for yourself how you can make a custom painted clipboard.

* the ranunculus photograph within the above photograph is by jessica nichols.

DIY: TIC TAC TOE BOARD

Today I'm over on Design for Mankind, sharing how to make your very own tic tac toe board from items you most likely have around the house! Head on over to MakeKind to see what it's all about. 

DIY A-FRAME WINE RACK

On Monday I shared the first of two DIY projects I created for the DIY Network, and today I'm sharing the full tutorial on the second project...an A-Frame wine rack. This project was a little heavier on the industrial side of things than I normally do, but I really loved the outcome. Continue reading for full instructions.

MATERIALS:
-2 pieces of birch plywood (15 3/8" x 10")
-2 small hinges with screws
-screwdriver
-neon string (1 yard)
-3 1/2"drill bit (these can be pricey, but can be used for multiple projects)
-1/16" drill bit
-150 grit sandpaper (not shown)
-power drill (not shown)

STEP 1: Mark where the center of each circle will go, using a straight edge and a pencil. For reference, the ones shown here are 1 1/2" from the sides and 1" from the top and bottom. Also, each circle edge is 3/4" apart from one another. It might be helpful to use a protractor for this step to ensure the complete circles are spaced how you would like them to appear. Just use a pencil and erase after drilling if needed. *Please note that the drill bit will itself shave off some of the measurement, meaning the drill bit itself takes up some space, so the top margin might be a little less than 1" when finished, etc. This is a DIY project, not a professional piece. 

STEP 2: Using the power drill with the 3 1/2" drill bit attached, drill six holes into each piece of plywood, making a total of 12 holes. 6 on each sheet of wood.

STEP 3: With the 150 grit sand paper, smooth any rough edges created from the drill. 

STEP 4: Measure for the hinges. Here, I measured to the center of the hole. Install one side of the hinge. Matching up the second piece of wood, secure the other side of the hinge. 

STEP 5: Set up the wine rack in an "A" frame manner, leaving the opening to about 6" wide. 

STEP 6: Measure 1" in from the side and bottom and mark with a pencil. Using the 1/16" drill bit, drill a hole into each of the four corners that make up the bottom of the wine rack. 

STEP 7: Using the neon string (10-12" should be enough), loop it through one of the holes and tie a double knot to secure it. 

STEP 8: Take the other end of the string and loop it through the opposite hole and tie it in a double knot, making sure the opening is 6" when stretched to it's capacity. Trim the excess string. Do this same step to the other side and you're all finished!

Set your wine rack upright and load it up. 

500 DAYS OF BLISS

I don't tend to get very personal on this blog, but what I'm sharing today is part DIY and part personal story, so I figured I'll go with it. Last week I celebrated 500 days being married to my husband, Eric. We don't celebrate every tiny occasion, but I intended to do something thoughtful for our first 100 days, and that came and went so quickly, so the next best was to wait until 500 days. I cut out a little saying, trimmed it into a banner and presented it to Eric with joy & delight.

The amazing thing for me about being married to Eric is that he understands me to the core. He goes along with my celebratory ways as if it's something he's thought of too. It's such a gift to be so supported by your spouse. Sometimes I'll come up with an idea, like making something festive to toss on the top of a stack of pancakes, just on any ordinary day. I'll think about it for a bit, then get a tad sheepish about going through with the idea, but then I remember who I'm married to and I say to myself "Do it. He'll love it!" And he does! Together we are creative, optimistic and curious. Separately he is passionate, driven and minimal where I am a day-dreamer, a collector and one who loves to laugh. I often have my head up in the clouds and he soon follows, spouting off all of the possibilities our lives might hold. Life with him is one blissful, adventurous journey and if the first 500 days are any indication of where life might take us, we are going to be immensely blessed.