Funny DIY Meme

Vinyl Lettering DIY

Cell phone case

Update Staircase - Remove carpet

Best DIY Project Ever!
I love how my stairs turned out.

How to remove carpet from staircase and give them an updated look for under $100.  It's so easy even a grandma could do it.  I know because I did it, and I'm a grandma.  

Sugar Cookies - Best Ever & Easy

Best Sugar Cookies Ever!

I follow a blogger named Rachel Parcel.  She has a blog called pinkpeonies.com.  I have seen her post over the years about her family sugar cookie recipe. They always look so delicious, but I have a family recipe myself, and they happen to be my favorite thing in the world so I never even considered trying her recipe, until today.  Now I have a new favorite recipe.  Thank you Rachel Parcel.

I did make a few changes just to speed up the whole process.  The recipe is very similar, but I created a way to make the Valentines Day cookies without using a rolling pin. 

My two year old granddaughter and I decided we needed a no fail, faster way to make soft delicious sugar cookies. Her attention span does not make it easy to roll out and cut out.  I have to admit, even without a two year old helping, I have always wanted to find a faster way to make my favorite cookies.  This is going to be my go to method from now on.  If I don't want them to be heart shaped it will even be faster.

I used a cookie scoop, instead of a rolling pin. My two year old granddaughter, Lucy, pushed the cookies down with a glass, and then I formed them with the back of a butter knife to look like a rough heart cookie. Then Lucy pushed them down one more time. They were ready to bake so fast and easy. They looked pretty rough around the edges but after they were baked they looked as good as those done with cookie cutters.

Make sure you do not over-cook the cookies. When they come out of the oven slide the parchment paper with cookies off the cookie sheet and onto a cooling rack immediately. They will continue to cook and harden if you don’t get them off the cookie sheet. Using parchment paper allows you to take them off without waiting until they are cool.

Use a cookie scoop instead of rolling out and cutting out

Keep the dough cold to make this part go faster

Here is the fancy tools used to flatten out the cookies so I don't have to use a rolling pin. This is way faster.

I sprayed the bottom with spray grease and then dipped it in sugar to keep the cookie from sticking.  Lucy flattened the cookies for me.

I used the back of the knife to form a quick heart shape. 

 It doesn't have to be perfect.

The cookies look rough when they go in the oven, but don't worry...

They come out looking great after they have raised and expanded.

We kept some of them circular.

Add some frosting and sprinkles if you like.

They are so delicious and easy!

Download and Print or save to device

Refinished Table 4 Years Later - Update

The Epoxy Table Top is Still Holding Up

Before I updated the table it was very dated

The top was formica

https://youtu.be/AD_IYbAeXck

The original post with all the instructions on the DIY is in the link below:

https://fiveorlesssteps.blogspot.com/2015/01/epic-fail-every-once-in-while-diy.html

Family Traditions Bind Us Together!

DIY Christmas Stockings

Everyone in the family designs their own stocking

Trees, Snowflakes and Candy Canes are always Beautiful

Sometimes couples coordinate their stockings

Nathan is on a mission so he gets a mission tie.
Grant made a torn stocking look. Anything goes!

I buy the stockings on clearance at the end of the year,
but even full price, they are a great no-sew option

Glitter and glue are the only items we used the first few years.  This year I splurged at the dollar store and got some tiny mirrors and a beaded tie.  Still the entire project was under $20.

Family Traditions Bind Us Together

Stability, purpose and security seem to come in abundance whenever we engage in a family tradition. During the holidays we have a lot of them. Some involve food, games, songs, and telling stories, but one of our favorite traditions is decorating Christmas stockings. Everyone in the family gets together one night a year, and creates our own masterpieces. All you need are some plain stockings, glitter and glue.  We put a piece of plastic down on the table to catch all the glitter as well as using plates and paper, but lets face it, glitter does get everywhere.  My boys call glitter Satan's dust.  They hate it, but only in a joking way.  Let's face it, glitter helps keep us all in the spirit of having fun together and creating memories.  There is nothing like telling a 25 year old son he has glitter on his cheek.  That's a good time!

My sons call glitter Satan's dust, but let's face it,
We all love the look it makes on our Christmas stockings

One of the great things about traditions is that they can live on for generations. It’s never too late to start a new tradition. Creating your own Christmas stockings year after year is something our family looks forward to and talks about for months leading up to our big day.

 
In order for this tradition to be something that can be done in one evening and by all ages and artistic abilities we have decided to keep it simple. I purchase a couple dozen Christmas stockings each year when they go on clearance but even when they are full price they cost under a dollar apiece. Buy some glue and glitter and you are ready to go. Make sure you buy extra stockings because every once in a while the design will go completely wrong and in order to keep the peace in the household it needs to be thrown out and started over.

Our family sits around the kitchen table, with Christmas music in the background and we create our works of art. This year I splurged on a few extra gems and mini mirrors. I got the stickered mirrors and some of the glitter from the dollar store.

This is a tradition I highly recommend!

Pinterest Hit! DIY Bling Shoes

DIY Bling Shoes

I bought the crystals at Hobby Lobby on a half off sale.  $7.00

E-6000 Clear Glue

The best Purchase of all was the Jewel Picker.

It has a wax top that allows you to picks the jewels up and places them on the glue with ease.  I smudged some glue on the heel of the shoe.

Only due a small area at a time.  Enough to place about 10 jewels at a time.

I was able to put the jewels on the shoes in about 10 minutes.  This is one of the easiest DIY projects I have ever done.

Update 1-24-2018.  I originally jazzed up a pair of shoes back in 2014.  It has now been 4 years and they are still my favorite pair of shoes.  I wear them about 3 times a month and always get a lot of accolades.  They were so easy to make and worth the effort.  This is definitely a pinterest HIT!

Pinterest Miss - Phone Case

I love How the Case Turned Out
There Is Only One Problem
And It's a Major One...

Over the years I have tried a lot of DIY projects I found on Pinterest and to date, this is still the one that hurts the most.  I love to bling things up to the nines and this one turned out to be so easy and really a favorite.  It made me happy all the time.  I was so proud of it.  I also blogged about all the benefits of making your own jeweled items including a cell phone case. It was quite the conversation piece. Ladies wanted to know where they could buy them and ultimately how to make them. They are so cheap and easy to make, I understood why so many people were interested in joining the b-dazzle world for themselves. But then, I realized a downside when it came to the amazing world of jewels and cell phones. It's such a large downside that I have given up on the jewels all together when it comes to my phone.  Here is why...

The precious little crystals cause interference with the cell phone signal and ultimately make your phone conversations hard to hear or dropped all together.  So it comes with very large regret on my part that I have to announce this DIY project as a major bust.  Sorry one and all for this horrible announcement.

Sofa Makeover Update

Leather Sofa looks like new again!

I originally posted this DIY project on my blog 2 1/2 years ago. I took an old sofa that was destined for a junk pile and created my favorite DIY project ever.

Here is the link to the instructions of how to transpose a leather sectional to look like new:

http://fiveorlesssteps.blogspot.com/2015/02/how-to-turn-old-coaches-into-something.html

Now 3 years later, my sofa is in need of a 10 minute update to get it back to par.

As you can see, there is some wear and tear.  I am happy to report, the stain never came off on clothing.  It does take a few days to completely dry.  Just remember, it is cheap, fast, and easy, but you do need a week of drying time.  Stain dries slowly when it is applied to leather.  After it is completely dried, it does not come off on clothing at all!

On the left is what it looks like after a little stain is rubbed on. Don't forget to wear gloves. Stain does not come off your skin easily.  I did have to buy a new can since my old one was in the garage and dried out.  A small can goes a long way.  It cost $5.60 at Walmart.

This time I didn't have to do all over the sofa.  I just touched up the areas that had a lot of wear.

It took less than 10 minutes.

I still love it!

Leather Couch Make-Over DIY

Leather Couch Makeover
DIY

Don't Throw Away Your Old Leather Couch

This DIY makeover will astound you.

UPDATE Dec. 12, 2015

One year later, my sofa is still looking like new.  I didn't use any sealant, it hasn't rubbed off, and there hasn't been a downside.  This really is the best $10 investment I have ever made!

And It's Easy!

It sounds to good to be true, but it really works.

Once you are finished it is as good as new.

The stain does not rub off at all!

I got a new couch for Christmas.  My sectional had been a good piece of furniture but over the years it had been through the ringer and it was time for it to be retired.  A couch can only take so much abuse.  We picked up a new sofa and brought it home, thinking we would retire our sectional to the unfinished basement until we could find a place to throw it out.  The only problem was, we couldn't fit it down the narrow stairs.  Now we were left with a dilemma.  We didn't have room for two sets of furniture on the main floor so the formal living room furniture had to me moved to the basement to make room for the worn out sectional until I could get it hauled away. 

The next morning I was looking at the sectional and all the trouble it had.

The leather had been worn down so much it was white in places

When the pieces were not attached it really looked bad.
I hate looking at hardware and torn stuffing.

This part has a recliner, but even it was worn and shabby looking.

There were tears all over the place

This piece was really torn.
I had stitched the arm up previously but it still showed the wear.

One day I decided to try something to make this sectional not look like such an eye sore until I could find a truck to haul it away.

I threw down some cardboard on the floor and got the can of stain I have been staining everything around my house.  It was a Kona color which I love.  I only had about a quarter of a can left, but I figured I might as well give it a try.  If it didn't work it was leftover stain anyway so no loss.

I rubbed the stain on one section of the sofa. 

My $8 can of stain had already done so much for me but why not see if I could stretch it a little bit more.

When I came back into the room a few hours later I realized I loved how it looked.  I let it dry completely for 3 days then I tested it out.  I sat on the couch with a white t-shirt on.  Absolutely nothing rubbed off.  Not even a little bit.

This is when I figured out I was on to something big!

Kona Rust-Oleum Wood Stain
On Leather Works Great!
Apply with an old rag you don't mind throwing away.
Don't forget to wear gloves. Cheap flimsy ones are not recommended.
I found out the hard way. They tear too easy.

I couldn't wait to finish up the entire sectional.
It looks very shiny as if it would stick to your skin.
But it feels exactly like any leather furniture.
Nothing rubs off after it is completely dry.

I stitched all the stuffing back into the arm and stained right over it.

I am amazed at how nice it looks.

It did need two coats of stain before it had the desired look.

I stained right over all the hardware and handles so everything matches

I even stained the metal brackets that hold the sectional together when it is in one piece. Now they don't even show up.

Once the leather dries if feels just like it did before.

I can see no downside to staining leather

I did end up needing to buy another can of stain because the leather soaks up the stain more than wood does, but if I had started with a new can from the beginning I could have done the entire sectional and still had some left over.
Not bad for under $10 bucks.

I love the furniture now!
It is no longer on its way to the dump.

What a great way to Up-Cycle!