Dashes and Dots DIY Floral Mugs

Not too long ago I rocked out some polka dot and floral mugs with the awesome, permanent and totally food safe Painted by Me markers. Rob and I have talked about having lots of dishes where nothing matches but there is a common theme of black and white. Well, actually, I told him about it and he thought the idea was good enough to get behind so it's all systems go!

I'm not sure if you've ever looked for unique pieces within a very strict color scheme but it's a royal pain in the neck. Even with a color scheme as simple as black and white I'm having a hard time filling the cabinet with enough dishes for a service of 2 let alone a party of 8. And that is a good part of why I'm totally digging Painted by Me. I now have 6 mugs that match even though they don't "match" and it's perfect! Today I'm going to show you how to rock these suckers out!

Floral Polka Dot Mugs

I have always loved florals and I am super exited that they are coming back in style. Right at this very moment I'm rocking gray sweatpants with big, pretty pink roses all over. And while it was pouring this morning they were quite comfy and warm, at the moment they are a bit too hot. But they are pretty so I'm still wearing them! 

Wanting to bring a pop of color to my new black and white dishware scheme it seemed a brilliant idea to make my very own mugs. This way I get to pick the exact colors and style. In the end I love them so, so much!

Tie Dyed and Beaded Lattice Tank Swim Cover Up

Inspired by spending some time at the beach and remembering a macrame book written by my boyfriend's father, I tie dyed and beaded up a swim cover up for myself. Typically into MUCH more modest swim suits but unable to find much to fit me late in the season I would up rocking a string bikini which was kind of sort of fine in the water but a bit uncomfortable when taking to the sand. This tank is cute and gives me a little bit more coverage, at least in my head, so I can be comfortable walking and swimming!

Abstract Tie Dye Comfy Dress (with pockets!)

As any girl can tell you dresses can be way comfy. Especially loose, flowy dresses. Add in pockets and you're extra special lucky because that my friends is the perfect dress. My perfect dress quickly got stained and so it met up with some Tulip tie dye and I must say that it's the prettiest dress I have in my closet these days!

Bright & Colorful Tulle Skirt with Colorshot

I have wanted a tulle skirt for quite some time. But I ran into a few issues... either they were too expensive or not the color I was looking for. When Tulip Colorshot sprays came out I fell in love with the blue color and knew I wanted my very first tutu since I was in elementary school to be that very color! In the end my tulle skirt is pretty and colorful and just what I was hoping for!

Color Shot Lace Shorts Tutorial

Right now I'm really into pastels. My favorite shorts are a pretty light apricot. So preppy. So pretty!

Since I literally have a pair in every color that was available I thought it might be neat to spiffy up a pair by spray painting a lace pattern on with Colorshot. I went with my least favorite color just in case this didn't pan out as hoped, because sometimes it doesn't. Luckily this time it did!

Dad's Day Handy Man Trio with The Ultimate

My dad is a really, really handy guy. Back when he was a kid he helped my builder grandfather build homes. Like from the ground up! Foundation, framing, plumbing, electrical. That experience as a kid has him with a wealth of knowledge the average DIY Joe would kill to have.

And since it's Father's Day very soon, I thought I'd peruse the hardware store for some quick items to help him keep his little hardware things together!

For this project you will need:

Aleene's The Ultimate

Miscellaneous boxes and hardware items

Miscellaneous things to glue on (we'll talk more about that below)

Random Rainbow White Jeans with Color Shot!

 

Maybe it's because I was a kid in the 80's but I absolutely love white denim. You'd think I'd love acid wash jeans but I don't. Just no. I ordered a pair of white skinny jeans off of the internet and I wasn't quite as happy with them as I had thought I would be. Rather than return them I thought I'd DIY them and now I've got a pair of random rainbow white jeans that are pretty fab and totally one of a kind!

This project is so simple and so much fun and uses Tulip Color Shot. This stuff is amazing and one of my newest craft obsessions. I'm going to be painting up everything. Just you wait and see! But let's start with these fabulous technicolor trousers.

Tie Dye with a Twist

Tie dye is all about twists and folds and walking away with something completely unique and different every time. You can tie the exact same style of shirt the exact same way and there will always be differences to tell them apart. 

But why do so many only tie dye men's white cotton shirts? There are so many other options out there for us ladies to wear tie dye that is more flattering than an over-sized men's shirt. Today I'm going to show you tie dye with a bit of a twist. There are no rules only surprising results!

Zentangle® Sneakers

If you're crafty I'm sure you've heard of Zentangle®. I spent the longest time, and I do mean LONGEST trying to resist the doodling fad. But one day I decided to borrow a book from the library when I couldn't find anything else I wanted to take home. 

I got after it wit a piece of pink construction paper and my purple glitter pen. It looked like a tween was working it but it was so much fun. That was 1 week ago. And now I'm obsessed with two different notebooks and a good gazillion black markers to doodle my Zentangles® with. It seemed only  natural that I'd get after a pair of sneakers before too long. I held out 7 whole days!

Bring the Sticky Back - Renew Cutting Mats with Tack-It Over & Over

Fancy cutting machines are so much fun to have. They are also expensive. You have the upfront cost of the machine and the supplies... cutting mats, blades, etc. And buying new cutting mats frequently gets old pretty fast. Good news though! You can extend the life of your Silhouette mat or Cricut mat and I'm going to show you how. Think about those dollar signs 'cause you're about to save some cash.

DIY Dot Patterned Sneakers

 

Some days you've got it and some days you don't These shoes weren't my first or even second attempt to get a very foggy idea I had come up with and decided I needed. Red, yellow, pink and black diamonds. 

My first effort was comical and looked circus ready. My second I ditched the color for all black and then realized that though neat looking, weren't what I was going for. Just like Goldilocks, the third try was just right!

 

Grab a pair of white sneakers and
your Tulip Fabric Markers and let's get to it!

DIY Floral Denim Crossbody Purse

I'm going to let you in on a little bit about how I work... what makes me tick. I'm out shopping and I spy the cutest floral crossbody bag. It's just 10 bucks but then I see one without the floral pattern for only 5 bucks. So of course I go cheapo and get the $5 bag and DIY it to my liking! So basically I'm cheap and crafty. That's me in a nutshell, really!

Twine "Wicker" Lampshade Tutorial

 

My home decor style tends to change quite frequently or at least every few years. I'm going away from the stark, clean and uncluttered rooms to something a bit more comfortable and homey. I have always loved wicker but with cats it's just not possible. Or it is but it looks like heck within a week. So I decided to incorporate the look by making a faux wicker lampshade from my newly remodeled half bath!

Temporary Furniture Makeover

 

Sometimes you don't want to spend big bucks on furniture. I was pretty sure that I wanted a black TV stand but I wasn't positive about it. Rather than spend tons of money on one, this one came from Walmart instead. It's nice looking and does its job but it's starting to show signs of wear, most of which is incurred when my nephews visit! Wanting a change but not sure what I wanted (again) I went with a temporary design solution using Aleene's Repositionable Tacky Spray that only cost me TWO BUCKS!

Silly Frames for Silly Photos

 

If there is one thing my family is good at it is refusing to take a serious picture. We have no pictures where we're all politely smiling with our hair and makeup done and Sunday clothes. We have pictures where we act a fool or just have fun. So I decided to bling up some silly frames for some of these silly pictures with Clear Gel Tacky Glue!

Hand Drawn Oxford Sneakers

You might recall that I have a bit of a "thing" with shoes. I love them and I often window shop for them online. One of my very favorite pair of shoes that weren't DIY are my ASPCA kitty cat Vans. Perhaps I'm just a Vans fan because when I saw these oxford drawn sneakers at We Heart It I was instantly smitten. And when I couldn't find them to buy I went DIY of course!

13 Fashionable Fabric Glue DIYs For You

I don't pay attention to high fashion as much as I wish I did. There used to be a time when I kept my eyes peeled to see what killer new looks I could DIY myself. But luckily these fab bloggers do pay attention to the world of fashion and have some great tutorials showing you how to keep your wardrobe in the know on the cheap.

Colorful Crystal Watch Band

I have a jumbo thing for watches. They're functional so I can wear them any time and there is something comforting about the way they wrap around my wrist. So I thought a personalized, crystallized watch band would make an amazing gift. 

Unfortunately I've decided to gift myself with this one because I LOVE it! Oops!

 

Glittered Skinny Belts

 

Sometimes I want to add a quick and low budget bit of pop to an outfit. Loving my over-sized throw-like cardigan, I thought it would be nice to cinch it with a skinny belt for a more fitted look. And then it seemed only right to toss in a bit of glitter as well!

For this project you will need:

Skinny belts

Tulip Fashion Glitter

Tulip Fashion Glitter Bond

 

I love this skinny belt. It's plain and brown, which isn't bad in and of itself but it has a fabulous buckle!

 

To update simply apply your glitter bond...

 

Sprinkle glitter liberally over a piece of paper to easily collect and return the stray glitter back into your tube.

 

Allow to dry and rock it out!

I decided to go brown glitter on my brown belt to keep things kind of sedate, but on my belt with square cut outs thought SILVER was the way to go for an edgier look!

All in all, this project took about 5 minutes. The hardest part was waiting for my belts to dry!

For more fun projects, I hope you'll visit me at Dream a Little Bigger!