Revolutionaries: August 2012

Monday, August 27, 2012

Music Monday #5

Hello all! I heard this song on the radio this week and almost cried when I heard it. It has such beautiful lyrics and it's so chill that I just love it. Isn't it awesome to know that we are redeemed through Christ? As the song says, He gives us a new name and a new life, and we are not who we used to be. I'm so thankful that I'm not who I used to be haha :)

"Redeemed" by Big Daddy Weave

Seems like all I could see was the struggle
Haunted by ghosts that lived in my past
Bound up in shackles of all my failures
Wondering how long is this gonna last
Then You look at this prisoner and say to me "son
Stop fighting a fight it's already been won"

I am redeemed, You set me free
So I'll shake off these heavy chains
Wipe away every stain, now I'm not who I used to be
I am redeemed, I'm redeemed

All my life I have been called unworthy
Named by the voice of my shame and regret
But when I hear You whisper, "Child lift up your head"
I remember, oh God, You're not done with me yet

I am redeemed, You set me free
So I'll shake off these heavy chains
Wipe away every stain, now I'm not who I used to be

Because I don't have to be the old man inside of me
'Cause his day is long dead and gone
Because I've got a new name, a new life, I'm not the same
And a hope that will carry me home

I am redeemed, You set me free
So I'll shake off these heavy chains
Wipe away every stain, 'cause I'm not who I used to be

I am redeemed, You set me free
So I'll shake off these heavy chains
Wipe every stain, yeah, I'm not who I used to be
Oh, God, I'm not who I used to be
Jesus, I'm not who I used to be
'Cause I am redeemed
Thank God, redeemed

(Lyrics from AZ Lyrics)

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Winner of the Cutting Edge Stencils Giveaway!

Congratulations to Megan Ellison, the winner of the Cutting Edge Stencils Giveaway!!

If you haven't checked out my drum table tutorial using the Paisley Allover Stencil, be sure to check it out!

Friday, August 24, 2012

How To: DIY Dishwasher Magnet

If you have roommates, a husband, children, or really anyone living with you, you need a dishwasher magnet. I've seen some really cute ones in stores, but I decided to make one of my own to share on Crafting a Green World... and now, I'm sharing it with you guys!

What You Will Need:

1. Magazines

2. Scissors

3. School glue

4. Recycled cardboard or something strong for the base of your magnet. I used a greeting card that a friend gave me.

5. A magnet. I used a magnet that I had left over from a craft project, but you could also use old magnets like the ones I used in my Paint Chip Magnet tutorial.

6. Hot glue/hot glue gun

7. A pencil

How To Do It:

1. Draw a circle on your recycled cardboard or greeting card. I used a cup because I am awful at making a circle (or maybe I'm just a perfectionist).

2. Cut your circle out. Once I started putting everything together, I ended up using the colored (green) side of the greeting card.

3. Go through your magazine and find the words "clean" and "dirty." I also found a black section in the magazine that I could use to make the line that goes across the middle.

4. Then, glue your line and letters onto your circle. Remember, you will want to glue "clean" right side up and "dirty" upside down so that the circle can be rotated.

5. Hot glue your magnet onto the back.

Once everything dries, you're done! Now you have an awesome and practically free dishwasher magnet!

Linking up to these awesome parties:

Monday-- Bedazzle Me Monday @ Everything Under the Moon; Make It Monday at Brassy Apple; What's In the Gunny Sack Link Party at The Gunny Sack; Weekend Warrior Mondays at Ask Anna; Motivate Me Monday at Keeping it Simple; Life Made Lovely Monday at Life Made Lovely; Amaze Me Monday at Dittle Dattle; Tuesday-- Tute Tuesdays at A Law Student's Journey; Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm; Be Inspired at Elizabeth & Co.; Show Me What Ya Got at Not Just a Housewife; Naturally-Nifty Linky Party at Natural Nesters; Wednesday-- Show Off Your Stuff Party at Fireflies and Jellybeans; Link Party at Passionately Artistic; Under $100 Linky Party at Beyond the Picket Fence; Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style; Thursday-- Thriving on Thursdays at Domesblissity; Catch a Glimpse Thursday at a Glimpse Inside; Hookin' Up With House of Hepworths; Transformation Thursday at Shabby Creek Cottage; Everything But The Kitchen Sink at A Little Knick Knack; Friday-- Financial Friday Link-Up at The Grant Life; Feature Friday at Blissful and Domestic; A Pinteresting Link Party at Tutus and Tea Parties; Tickled Pink at 504 Main; Feature Yourself Friday at Fingerprints on the Fridge; Freestyle Friday at Happy Hour Projects; Friday Frolic at Pocket Full of Pink; Weekend Wrap Up Party at Tatertots and Jello; Simply Creations Friday at My Simple Home Life; Fabulous Friday at Ohh Baby Designs; Weekend Bloggy Reading at Serenity Now; Frugal Friday at the Shabby Nest; Functional Friday at The Not So Functional Housewife; Link Up with Me, Liz Marie; Furniture Feature Friday at Miss Mustard Seed Saturday-- Show Off Saturday at Nutmeg Place; Spotlight Saturday at Classy Clutter; Head to Head Showdown Saturday at I Can't Stop Crafting; Funky Junk's Saturday Night Special; Sunday-- Sundae Scoop on I Heart Nap Time; So Creative Party Time at So Very Creative; Creative Bloggers' Party & Hop at Homemaker on a Dime; Sunday Showcase Party at Under the Table and Dreaming; Think Pink Sundays at Flamingo Toes; Seasonal Sundays at The Tablescaper;

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

How To: Sheet Music Tree

If you saw my How To: Drum Table post, you saw that I staged the drum with a sheet music tree. I made it for Crafting a Green World, but I love it so much I wanted to share it with you all as well. It's SO easy to make and looks super adorable! I got the concept from Two Girls Being Crafty (via Everyday Mom Ideas), but I simplified it a bit.

What You Will Need:

1. Sheet music or other recycled paper

2. Sticks

3. Hot glue/hot glue gun

4. Jar or vase. I used an old jar that I had on hand.

5. Scissors

6. Pencil

How To Do It:

1. Go outside and find some sticks. Easy enough, right? If you have children, this would be a great activity for you all to do together! Put the sticks in your jar and trim them according to the height you would like.

2. Draw leaves onto your sheet music. Make sure you draw several different sizes. I asked my roommates to help me draw them so they were random.

3. Then, cut them out.

4. Hot glue your leaves onto your sticks. Keep rotating your jar so that you don't miss any spots.

You're done! You can put your sheet music tree as a centerpiece on your dining room table (that's where ours is) or as a decoration on a side table/dresser. I would even use this as a centerpiece at a shabby chic, rustic, or vintage wedding (if I added something to the jar).

What would you do with this sheet music tree! Share your ideas below!

Linking up to these awesome parties:

Thursday, August 16, 2012

How To: Drum Table and a Giveaway from Cutting Edge Stencils!

Ohhhh I'm so excited to be writing this post! I've wanted to make a drum table for a long, long time because, as you all know, my roommates and I are musicians (and one of them is a drummer). I researched drum tables on Pinterest and found several amazingg examples from Kara Paslay Designs, Better Homes & Gardens, and Apartment Therapy.

Then, Cutting Edge Stencils contacted me about reviewing one of their stencils. As soon as I saw the Paisley Allover stencil, it hit me. The Paisley Allover stencil + the $5 drum my mom bought me at a garage sale = the perfect drum table! After talking with their incredible staff and watching their how-to-videos, I was ready to take on this project! Here's what I started with... a First Act bass drum:

First, I took all of the hardware off (that's the metal pieces). For the most part, I just unscrewed everything and hoped I remembered how to put it all back together. If I got confused, though, I referenced Kara Paslay Designs' tutorial or begged Crystal (the drummer) to help me!

(Helpful Tip: Remember to take pictures of how everything looked before so that you can put it back in the same place. Also, keep all of the screws and pieces together so you don't lose anything.)

Once you take everything off it should look like this:

The black part that is left is called the "wrap" of the drum. Find the seam where the wrap begins and start to peel the wrap off. Depending on the type of adhesive, this can be a tough process. The hoops of my drum also had a wrap so I had to remove it from there as well.

Once you remove the wrap, you will find the original wood of the drum. Unfortunately for me, there was a lot of adhesive left on the wood. I used paint thinner to get it off because sanding didn't work.

Once the adhesive was off, it was time to start stenciling! I used painter's tape to secure my stencil in place.

Then, I realized that the drum is round. Yup, it's round. I felt like I would mess it up if I just painted over the stencil (because the stencil lifted up in places because of the drum's roundness). I decided to be on the safe side and trace the stencil before painting.

Tracing and then painting was a long process, but it was well worth it!

Once I finished painting the drum, I spray painted the hardware with Rust-oleum's Metallic spray paint in silver.

For the top, I used left over pieces from the slats from my bed. I glued the wood together with E-6000. I don't think it's technically meant for that, but it was all I had (and it worked).

I used the top plastic part (called the drum head) to trace the circle.

Then, I cut the circle out with my jigsaw (yay for using a saw!).

After that, I put everything back together.

(Helpful Tip: Even though you're putting a wood top on the drum, you will still need to put the plastic parts, also known as the drum heads, back on the top and bottom of the drum. They will add extra support.)

First, I squeezed the wood top into the top hoop (the round metal part). You might have to sand the wood top down to fit it inside. Once that was in place, I felt like the top should be brown. So I taped it off with painter's tape and painted it brown.

When the paint dried, I finished putting on all of the hardware. After that, I danced for joy because it was done and it's AWESOME! I loveee the paisley stencil so much! It took the drum to the next level!

I staged it just for fun and went overboard with pictures (of course).

The Vintage Look (Plain Jane):

The Vintage Look (with books):

More of a "Modern" Look:

The drum will actually go in our living room, though:

Now, for the giveaway!

Win 1 stencil of your choice from Cutting Edge Stencils (up to a $50 value)

To Enter:

I'm trying out a new program called Rafflecopter-- you must enter the giveaway though Rafflecopter (below).
Rafflecopter will ask you to sign in through your email or facebook. I will only use this information to contact you if you win!
In order to unlock all of the extra entries, you have to leave a comment about which stencil is your favorite.
If you have any problems with Rafflecopter, please contact me.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cutting Edge Stencils also has a really cool blog where you can find tons of decorating ideas, wall stenciling ideas, etc. It. is. awesome. So check it out!

Giveaway Details:

The giveaway will end on August 25, 2012 at 12:01 am EST. After I announce the winner, the winner will have three days to claim their prize. If the winner has not claimed their prize after three days, I will choose another winner. The winner must be 18 years or older to win and a US resident with a US mailing address.

I wish you all the best of luck!!

Special thanks to Cutting Edge Stencils for allowing me to try a stencil and host a giveaway! Be prepared to see more paisley around here :)

Linking up to these awesome parties:

Monday, August 13, 2012

Music Monday #4

Well, I'm a bit sporadic with Music Monday.. but it's the thought that counts, right? Right. Anyway, I came across this awesome new song from Meredith Andrews and thought it was incredible. This girl can sanggg. Yup, not sing. Sanggg. Isn't is awesome to know that God is constant, He is good, and He is sovereign? He never changes. The world around us may be changing by the second, but He is forever the same.

"Not For a Moment (After All)" by Meredith Andrews

You were reaching through the storm
walking on the water
even when I could not see
in the middle of it all
when I thought You were a thousand miles away
not for a moment did You forsake me
not for a moment did You forsake me

after all You are constant
after all You are only good
after all You are sovereign
not for a moment will You forsake me
not for a moment will You forsake me

You were singing in the dark
whispering Your promise
even when I could not hear
I was held in Your arms
carried for a thousand miles to show
Not for a moment did You forsake me

and every step every breath you are there
every tear every cry every prayer
in my heart at my worst
when my world falls down
not for a moment will You forsake me

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Design Advice: Curtains for my Bedroom

So.. you guys remember my bedroom reveal, right?

Did you notice that I don't have any curtains? I have two windows in my room with no curtains. I know that curtains would dramatically make a difference, but I just can't commit. I don't want anything too busy (because there's a lot going on already), but I don't want something too plain. Dark brown? Light color? Lace-ish? Patterned? DIY or store bought?

Help! Leave your advice/ideas in the comment section below or on my Facebook wall!

Thanks :)

Saturday, August 4, 2012

Repurposed Organizer from a Desk Drawer

Hello! A few weeks ago I shared this post on Crafting a Green World and I wanted to share it with you guys as well. When my roommates and I moved into our rental home, the previous tenant left a couple of pieces of furniture in the storage shed. I went to explore a few weeks ago and noticed there was a large desk, but a few of the drawers were either missing or broken. Until I decide what to do with it, I thought I would take one of the larger drawers and transform it into an awesome organizer! Here's what it looked like before:

I just wiped it down and got all of the dirt/dust off. Then, I filled it with all my stuff!

For example, I put my jewelry/hair pins in the smaller sections like so:

Then, I just filled the drawer with other items that I need. I staged the picture below to show you just how cute this old desk drawer can be:

I put two small and colorful baskets that I got at a thrift store in the back corner. They also provide the storage that you would need for other small items (hair ties, etc). Baskets are always at thrift stores and garage sales!

In the other corner, I put a cute stand for all of my bracelets following this tutorial from Pure and Noble. I talked about it in my Jewelry Storage Ideas From My Bedroom post as well. All you need is a candle stick, plate, and a hot glue gun!

I also randomly placed doilies that I got at a garage sale-- they give the drawer that vintage look that you all know I love!

I love teacups, so I used a tea cup from a garage sale to hang my earrings. Isn't it just adorable?

I've changed the arrangement of the drawer a bit and now it's in our bathroom closet. There's wire shelving in there so it was hard to store any small items (they would always fall through). With the drawer, though, it's perfect! Where would you use an old desk drawer? I was thinking you could even use it in a craft room! What do you think?

Linking up to these awesome parties:

Monday-- Bedazzle Me Monday @ Everything Under the Moon; Make It Monday at Brassy Apple; What's In the Gunny Sack Link Party at The Gunny Sack; Weekend Warrior Mondays at Ask Anna; Motivate Me Monday at Keeping it Simple; Life Made Lovely Monday at Life Made Lovely; Amaze Me Monday at Dittle Dattle; Tuesday-- Tute Tuesdays at A Law Student's Journey; Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm; Be Inspired at Elizabeth & Co.; Show Me What Ya Got at Not Just a Housewife; Naturally-Nifty Linky Party at Natural Nesters; Wednesday-- Show Off Your Stuff Party at Fireflies and Jellybeans; Link Party at Passionately Artistic; Under $100 Linky Party at Beyond the Picket Fence; Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style; Thursday-- Thriving on Thursdays at Domesblissity; Catch a Glimpse Thursday at a Glimpse Inside; Hookin' Up With House of Hepworths; Transformation Thursday at Shabby Creek Cottage; Everything But The Kitchen Sink at A Little Knick Knack; Friday-- Financial Friday Link-Up at The Grant Life; Feature Friday at Blissful and Domestic; A Pinteresting Link Party at Tutus and Tea Parties; Tickled Pink at 504 Main; Feature Yourself Friday at Fingerprints on the Fridge; Freestyle Friday at Happy Hour Projects; Friday Frolic at Pocket Full of Pink; Weekend Wrap Up Party at Tatertots and Jello; Simply Creations Friday at My Simple Home Life; Fabulous Friday at Ohh Baby Designs; Weekend Bloggy Reading at Serenity Now; Frugal Friday at the Shabby Nest; Functional Friday at The Not So Functional Housewife; Saturday-- Show Off Saturday at Nutmeg Place; Spotlight Saturday at Classy Clutter; Head to Head Showdown Saturday at I Can't Stop Crafting; Funky Junk's Saturday Night Special; Sunday-- Sundae Scoop on I Heart Nap Time; So Creative Party Time at So Very Creative; Creative Bloggers' Party & Hop at Homemaker on a Dime; Sunday Showcase Party at Under the Table and Dreaming; Think Pink Sundays at Flamingo Toes; Seasonal Sundays at The Tablescaper;