My BIG project and the Polls are Open!!!

So, if you have by any chance been wondering what in the world happened to me and this little blog over the past few months, it can be summed up here:  

  Shortly after moving back to Washington, we found out we were expecting. Now, you should know I have been incredibly blessed when it came to being pregnant. 5 babies and not one problem--no sickness, no swelling, no heartburn, gained very little weight, and had energy to spare. My doctor would tell me that I was meant to be pregnant. Not so this time!!! Whatever I missed out on before, I made up for this time and thus I have spent the past 39 weeks sleeping, because that was the only thing I had energy for... But, our beautiful baby is here and healthy and perfect and now, maybe I  can get back to crafting every now and then. I sure have missed it!       Speaking of crafting, this couldn't have come at a better time for me. The Blog Wars contest officially starts today. All of the first round projects are in and awaiting your votes. So please, go vote Projects are anonymous so vote your favorite and I'll cross my fingers that I get to keep playing. Polls are open until Sunday night.   Thank you, have a great weekend, and happy crafting!    

May WYLTC...Chalkboard Paint Projects!!!

It's Wood You Like to Craft? time again and this month I got to choose the theme. Oh! What's a girl to do? So many projects on the to-do list...   I have been dying to get a bit more organized in my kitchen, particularly in  my pantry so {selfishly} I opted for CHALKBOARD PAINT PROJECTS for May's theme.   I love chalkboard paint, my girls LOVE chalkboard paint, and as I searched for the perfect idea I found that lots of people like chalkboard paint too! My project list only grew as I kept searching.  But, in the end I found my inspiration and here's what I came up with...

  

I LOVE it! I adore clocks of all shapes and sizes and adding one to this fun little chalkboard just makes my heart smile.

I started with the intention of building a simple frame and then opened up the closet and found one there, the perfect size, just waiting to be used. So I swapped out the glass for a thin piece of MDF cut to fit the frame.

I used my chalkboard paint on the MDF--probably 4 layers, maybe 5. {Not sure, I was catching up on Dance Moms while I worked...}   Once that was done and drying I turned to the frame. Some white paint there and a bit of sandpaper gave it the look I wanted, and then I re-assembled my frame/chalkboard.

  On to the clock...I found this little gem at Goodwill, only $2! It was bright red and said "Happy Holidays!". The cashier thought I was crazy for buying it, you should have seen the look she gave me. But it was the perfect size and had all the hardware.

I pulled the hardware off, painted it black and then white, and then sanded it to match the frame. I covered up the holiday greeting with some scrapbook paper, added a few numbers, and then put it all back together again.

 

I added a few small wooden blocks to the frame to help support the clock and then glued it onto the top of the frame. **Be sure to set the clock high enough that you can still get to the battery compartment**

  And last, I tied a piece of ribbon around the frame and added a few small clothespins to hold pictures, notes, recipes, etc.

Isn't it just SO cute! Right now, it's still in the "LOOK! Mom put a chalkboard on the pantry for us to color on" stage so grocery/to-do lists might have to wait a few more days. But, once the novelty wears off I will be one step closer to my organized goal.   I am thrilled with my project and cannot wait to see what the other WYLTC gals have come up with. Check back all week for some great ideas on how to use your stash of chalkboard paint {cause I know you have some...}   Have a great week and as always, happy crafting!

The Blog War is About to Begin!!!

It's been a pretty great week so far, and should all plans hold, is set to only get better. What am I talking about? Let me share a little news...   I stumbled across a new blogging competition not long ago and of course being me, thought it sounded like a ton of fun so I entered with this project... Ruffled Cinch Bag Tutorial    The fun thing about this contest is the entry is based purely on luck. Not how big your blog is or how many people you can get to go vote for your entry but just good old fashioned fortune! (Generally, I have little to none but gave it a go anyway)   Can you guess where I'm going with this?     YEP, I made the contestant list, first on the list in fact! Color me HAPPY! Heck, color me ELATED!   So how does it work? The contest is sponsored by different crafting companies. Each contestant will receive a package of goodies from each of the sponsors to create a project from. One per week for four weeks. At the end of each week, the projects are posted and open for voting. The bottom 3 are eliminated and the rest move on until there is only one left.  So even if I don't make it through, I still win because I get a bunch of goodies to play around with. Can you see why I'm so excited? And if I do make it through...holy moly you should check out the prize packages...A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!!!   Blog Wars is being hosted by Jonie from Just Between Friends and is sponsored by these amazing companies:     The fun gets started on Monday, May 13th. Jump on over to Just Between Friends to check out the great list of submission projects. And then again next week to see all 12 contestant entries (don't forget to vote for your favorite starting on Friday 5/17).   I'll be back later in the week to share the rest of the fun happenings going on here at Craft Goodies central, until then...happy crafting! 

Blog Wars Prize Disclaimer:

"I am aware that if I am the winner of Blog Wars that I will be responsible to pay taxes on the camera provided by familyshare.com"

Shepherd Pattern...

I've gotten a few requests for the coloring page I used to make my "Good Shepherd" project so here you go:

Coloring Pages : Color a Shepherd Coloring Page

 

I tweeked it a bit around the feet and did trace the face and cut it out seperately from 1/4 inch MDF. Other than that, I think you're good to go! OH! I did make it quite a bit bigger.

 

I cannot seem to find the exact sheep that I used to get my idea from, if you google "sheep clipart" you're sure to find one that speaks to you.

Happy Crafting.