December - Dejá Vu a Month in Review

Wham! This year has flown by so fast, it feels like I've been shot out of a cannon. December was a quick flash of light. As a courtesy to those of us that rarely have enough time to read all the fabulous blogs on a regular basis, I have for you a review of all the posts at Pretty Handy Girl in December.

1. Using Shutters for Displaying Christmas Cards

2. Painting Brick Fireplaces  - Reader's Spotlights

3. Presto Chango - Christmas Wreath Tutorial

4. Winter Wonderland Photo Gallery

5. Mini Gift Pouches from Napkins Tutorial

6. Glass Jar Votive Holder Tutorial

7. Installing Anti-Tip Bracket on Your Oven

8. Why I Love My Cordless Drill

9. El Cheapo Laundry Room Makeover

10. Creative Gift Wrapping Day #1

11. Creative Gift Wrapping Day #2

12. Creative Gift Wrapping Day #3

13. Creative Gift Wrapping Day #4

14. Creative Gift Wrapping Day #5

15. Creative Gift Wrapping Day #6 

16. Repairing a Pop Up Sink Drain

17. Fixing Common Gift Wrap Problems - Pretty Handsome Guy Guest Posting

18. Creating Magical Silhouette Gifts from Santa

19. The Best of Pretty Handy Girl 2010

And that finishes up December of 2010! I hope you all have a wonderfully Happy New Year.
I look forward to sharing some more DIY empowerment with you in 2011!

Birdhouses with Style

Our preschool silent auction is today. Every year I donate a one-of-a-kind birdhouse to be auctioned off. I never spend more than $3 on the birdhouse and usually buy the unpainted versions at Michael's or ACMoore. Then I get creative by hand-painting a scene and add unexpected touches to the house.

2008 - Jardin da Girasoli de Vendere "Vendor of Sunflowers"

Painting sunny sunflowers and some green grass gave this birdhouse a sunny garden look. I added a gold spigot for the new perch. Using a spade bit in my drill, I cut a hole slightly smaller than the spigot, then simply screwed the spigot in place. For added stength I coated the threads with some E-6000. Can anyone guess what the roof tiles are made from? They are canvas shims! Those are the freebie scraps if wood that come with a painter's canvas! Painting them bright red took the little birdhouse from cute to bidding war worthy!

2009 - Red & White Bird Silhouette Round House

I apologize right now for the condition of this picture! Obviously this is the only picture I took of this cute little abode. The birdhouse was a $2 find at my local Goodwill. The roof was detaching and it was painted an ugly 90's hunter green and burgundy. I gave the house a good cleaning, then glued and nailed the roof back on. After a fresh coat of primer and white paint, I hand-painted the bird motif and the roof and base. The perch is a curtain rod screw (that holds the rod in the curtain rod bracket). Then she received a little green ribbon and a silver bell on the top. So simple, but one of my favorites!

2010 - Christmas Time, Snow and a Pinecone Roof

Another unpainted house picked up at Michael's. This house got some serious head turning attention with a pinecone plank roof, white snow, glitter, and a stick for a perch. The tutorial to make this birdhouse can be found here.

The back has a large Christmas tree decorated for the holidays. I hope the birds appreciate it.

To protect all my birdhouses from the elements (should they really be "for the birds"), I coated them with a few coats of polyurethane.

I know that some of you might be thinking you can't do this, but let me float some ideas for you. Instead of decorative painting try:

• Mod Podge Wallpaper on the sides
• Mod Podge Fabric to the sides
• Use a stencil
• Search the web for picture inspiration and trace it onto your birdhouse.
• Use painters tape to create stripes
  
• Let your little ones decorate the house with paint

So, how much do you think my pinecone roof birdhouse will fetch today? I hope more than $3!

Create Your Own Decorative Bin

Do you remember that cute little blue striped bin in Renee's storage unit? The one that she uses for junk mail and recycling.

How much do you think she paid for that? Would you believe nothing?! I made it for her out of a cardboard box and art supplies I had on hand.

Materials:
Cardboard Box
Black Spray Paint (or other color)
Spray Mount (Spray Adhesive)
Elmer's Glue
Scissors
4 sheets of scrapbook paper (wrapping paper, fabric or wallpaper)

Instructions:

1. I started with a square Huggies Pull Ups box. I knew you wouldn't believe me, so here is the picture to prove it.

 

2. Spray paint the inside of your box (be sure to wear gloves because the spray will coat your hand since it swirls around inside the box.)

3. Spray adhesive on the back of 2 sheets of scrapbook paper.

4. Attach them to opposing sides of the box.

5. If your scrapbook paper wraps around the sides, that is good. Be sure to snip the top of the paper at the corners of the box so it can fold over inside the box.

6. Cut your other two sheets of scrapbook paper to the exact width of the uncovered box sides. Spray adhesive on those two sides and attached them to the box. Then fold over the top edges of the paper.

7. If the folded top edges don't stay glued, put a little elmer's glue underneath and then use a book, clothespins, or binder clips to hold it down while it dries.

And you are done! Cute, easy and cheap! That's how I like my men projects.

Mom Cave - Who Knew There was such a Thing!

If you are an addicted blogosphere surfer, you are probably aware that there are two contests being sponsored by Home Goods right now. If you blog or write about your own personal Mom Cave, you could win $250 to spend at Home Goods! And what Mom couldn't use that?!

Enter Your Mom Cave at Centsational Girl or at Between Naps on the Porch.

So, I wracked my brain trying to think of a space I could makeover into my own personal Mom Cave. Then I realized – HELLO – I already have a Mom Cave! My guest room is just that, a retreat from the 3:1 boys to girls ratio in our home!

From the moment I enter my Mom Cave I smell sweet blooming roses,

and a potpourri of floral soaps in a dish by the window.

This is the room where I sit to sew and create,

or read a new design magazine.

This is the room I can lock myself inside and stop being Mom for a while.

Among the fluffy pillows is where I sleep...

...when Pretty Handsome Guy is sick.

(Secretly, I can't wait for him to travel for work so I can sleep in my girl's retreat again.)

 

The walls are the perfect english cottage garden green.

A perfect palette to display fresh flowers and greens against.

Lest you think I spent a lot of money in this room, you will be surprised to learn that almost everything in this room was a trash-to-treasure creation. You can read more about my finds for this special room here.

A nightstand I made with a curbside door and leftover picket fence material.

A small desk and chair both broken and discarded.

And this little trash bench was made new again and given a  home by the window.

 

So, do you have a Mom Cave? If so, definitely show it off! Give us mamas something to drool over!

Whether you do have a Mom Cave or not, I encourage you to enter the Mom Cave contest here or here. Good luck y'all!