I LOVE to collect vintage pins, but I never know what to do with them.  Then I realized that they would be perfect magnets for my fridge and magnet board.  So after attaching magnets to the back of a few vintage pins….ta-da…they became instant magnets.  I use them on the fridge or art room.  Bonus?  These pretty pins are now beautiful and functional instead of tucked away in a drawer gathering dust!

Just attach 1-2 strong magnets (the size of magnet depends on the size of the pin) to the back of the pin using E-6000 adhesive. You may have to snip off the latch on the back of the pin before you can attach a magnet. Oh, and FYI, please keep magnets out of reach of children.

I’ve been drooling over cherry blossom wreaths for over a year, but the $40.00+ price tags and petite sizes (I had a hard time finding the white larger than 10”) kept me from purchasing these whimsical beauties.  Then it occurred to me that I could … maybe …. possibly … make my own wreath.  So, off to the local craft store for an 18 inch grapevine wreath, some cherry blossoms stems (I ended up needing 6) and some floral wire.  Surprisingly, the blossoms were 50% off and I had a 40% off coupon for the wreath (I also remembered I had floral wire at home from another project, whoohoo!).

Total cost $13.00 and I got the size of wreath I wanted.  $27.00 saved (which Mr. Charming would probably point out is not saving money if you spent money…..yeah, I don’t get it either), not bad for an afternoon of spontaneity.

A little anniversary gift for my husband…

Supplies needed:

• 1 –  small chalk board
• 6  –  2” wood blocks
• 5  –  4×6” pictures cut into 2” squares
• 1  –  4×6 sheet of patterned paper
• blue paint
• mod- podge
• Rub-Ons

I wanted to make a little “puzzle” that he had to arrange to see the hidden message and pictures.

I had 6 2” blocks that when I put them together would fit 4×6 pictures.  And then I realized I needed something on which to put the 6 blocks.  I found a small chalkboard at a local craft store that had an opening that was exactly 4×6, so the 6 2” blocks fit inside the edges perfectly.

I painted chalkboard edges with blue acrylic paint (make sure to mask off the inside so it doesn’t get painted) and used rub-ons to decorate the inside of the chalkboard.

I cut 5 – 4×6 pictures into 2” squares and mod-podged (is that a word????) them to the 2” wooden squares. I had to trim a couple of the pictures after I had glued them on because the blocks were a little off so I just clipped them off with scissors.  I wrote a note on a 4×6 piece of coordinating patterned paper and cut it into 2” squares and mod podged it to the squares also.  Let dry, arrange on the chalkboard and tied it off with a ribbon.