I apologize...

If you came to this site to look for new content,  you won't find it.  I've been  struggling to get this blogspot website to work correctly.  In the meantime, I've toyed with the idea of setting up a new blog/website/on-line store on a WIX site.  It seems that's a little more work than I anticipated.  As it turns out, I'd really rather create and craft than do any of this...

So for now, the best thing to do is check on my projects, crafts, furniture flips, personalized projects, home décor items, sarcastic remarks, and pictures of my grandkids on my Facebook page. 

Find me at So Very Shari Creations.https://www.facebook.com/So-Very-Shari-Creations-266454463458868/

 

THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST...Come check me out!

Nautical Guest Room Makeover

 I found 2 of these damaged wooden ship wheels at a local "junk" store for $4 each.  Not sure what I was going to do with them, I put them in the basement with my other treasures. 








While doing our guest room makeover a couple months later, I realized we needed a new full size headboard and I knew just what I was going to use.  

So I drew up the plans for my husband...







who follows directions really well!










We finished decorating the room in an updated nautical theme. 







With the second ship wheel, I made some nautical wall art, but

thought maybe I'd gone a little "overboard" in the room - so I sold it at a craft fair.




 

Upcycled Cabinet Transformation

I found this old, beat up cabinet at a garage sale for $5.  I had no idea what I was going to do with it once I got it home...but I knew it would be something different!  Or at least I had to convince my husband of that. 

As usual, I "Googled" images and scoured boards on Pinterest until I found something I liked. 
Which I did.  Yes, this was my Pinspiration Piece.  I was quite lucky this time, as usually my Pinspiration comes from multiple photos of things that I like and I work like a crazy person trying to fit them all together in one project.  After removing the doors and all the hardware, 

I painted the exterior  Heirloom White and the interior True Turquoise from Glidden.  I had used it on a vanity that I madeover for my granddaughter and thought it was such a pretty color.    While that was drying I cut out the inserts from the center of the doors with a jigsaw. 

I replaced them with chicken wire - purchased from Tractor Supply Company. 

With this project, I learned a few lessons: 1) How to use a jigsaw 2) Wet paint globs turn to dry paint globs (they don't magically flatten out) and 3) chicken wire hurts. 

But it was all worth it for the final result:
 

 

Rustic Wine Rack - Wineaux

What do you get when you cross a wooden ironing board, towel rack and garden rake?  A rustic wine rack, of course. 

When I bought this old wooden ironing board at an auction for $10, I wasn't exactly sure what I was going to do with it, but I knew it would be something good!

I stripped it down - it had at least 5 layers of ironing board covers among the deteriorated foam and an odd assortment of yucky stuff.  Every layer went immediately into a garbage bag.  My husband then shows up, shaking his head, and mumbling his usual phrase, "what the heck do you think you're going to do with that?".  My typical response, "you'll see!" (and so will I once I figure it out.)

I searched Pinterest and  Googled "old ironing board projects" and found a lot of photos, but nothing that I wanted to replicate.  I saw a few wine rack ideas, but not like I wanted.  At that point I realized that I did want to make some kind of wine rack, but what would I use to hold the wine bottles?  For the next couple months, I came up with a dozen different ideas -  fortunately, this time, my husband wasn't quick to jump on any of them, because I kept changing my mind.  (Some of the holders I had thought of were: hose clamps, old belts, leather straps, wooden shelves with holes, metal wine bottle holders, etc.).  This part would come later.

I had seen several "pins" of wine glass holders made from old garden rakes.  OK, that would work - I found one at the flea market for $3.  I brought it home and tried to explain to my husband my vague idea of the ironing board wine rack.  He cut the handle off and we decided to paint it with a new plastic coating spray paint we'd seen at the Home Depot to protect the wine glasses.  Our Home Depot only had red Plasti Dip, so he used that and then painted brown over the red plastic coating.  I found the wrought iron-look rack on an on-line garage sale for $10.  That was also painted with the plastic spray and covered with the brown paint.  The legs were removed from the back/bottom of the board and stained a dark warm brown.

I wanted some kind of shelf or box to hold a corkscrew and wine charms.  This was made from wood and covered with wine corks and cork squares.  On the front I added "Wineaux" (it's such a fancy looking word) with colored, adhesive vinyl. 

Once I had all the components figured out, it was time to assemble it.  I laid it all out on the board and my husband attached the pieces with some sort of fasteners that look like large staples.  He then added some heavy duty hooks to the back so it could be mounted on the wall.

I just LOVE the way it turned out.  My plan was to sell it, but now I think it may find a way to my dining room wall.

Cube Art

Do you work in a cubicle (maze, cube farm, whack-a-mole game)?  If so, do you decorate it for the holidays? 


Recently while shopping with family at Home Depot, I spotted these cool things:   

It's a paint roller grid used to remove excess paint off of a roller.  They come in 2 or 3 sizes and are pretty inexpensive.  Immediately, I began to think about what I could make with it.  I noticed the hook area (at the bottom of the picture) and thought it could hang over a door or a cubicle wall.

After letting the idea roll around in my head for a while, I decided to try creating some cube wall art and see what happens.  I thought I'd check on-line to do a little research on cubicle decor and found an article about making cubicles more comfortable and less boring.  According to the article, the easiest and quickest way to personalize your cubicle is through accessories.  http://lifehacker.com/5987607/how-can-i-make-my-cubicle-more-comfortable-and-less-boring

 Here's what I came up with on my first few attempts.

They are fun to make and you can create a variety of themes.  It's like a masterpiece on a mini canvas.

Information Center - old school style

For some reason, I love the look of washboards. Thank God, I've never had to use one, but there's just something about them that intrigues me. 

I found some small washboards at an antique dealer and bought 3 of them to make something for my 3 daughters for Christmas - though I wasn't sure what yet.

 

Then, I saw these mail organizers at Bed Bath & Beyond and thought I could attach them to the washboards to make something to help keep track of mail, keys, etc. http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/wall-mount-bronze-mail-key-rack/1017284797?Keyword=mail+organizer

 

Unfortunately, when I got them home, I realized that the mail organizers were too big to attach to the small washboards I had.  I was still stuck on the idea of attaching them to a washboard, so I searched for some bigger ones on-line, on Craig's List, and came across these at Hardware World.

http://www.hardwareworld.com/Washboard-Galvanized--Large-p7OAIBV.aspx?gclid=CPaO87WigbsCFYNaMgodZHAABQ

Still not exactly sure as to what I was going to do or how the final product would look, I asked my husband to paint them for me.  (He does all my spray painting claiming I'm too messy).  I told him to use the Espresso paint I had just bought and when he brought them in from the garage, I realized it wasn't the color I wanted.  So, I told him that I would use them anyway, as I hated to ask him to paint them again.  Knowing I wasn't happy with my choice, he offered to go buy the Dark Walnut that I really wanted and he painted them again...with only a little grumbling.  At this point they were starting to come together, but still needed something...

Then, I remembered the chalkboard contact paper I had purchased and only used once.  This would look good and be functional at the top of the board - above the galvanized section.

http://www.amazon.com/Con-Tact-Self-Adhesive-Chalkboard-18-Inch-6-Feet/dp/B000KKMO90/ref=sr_1_1/176-2912478-1246869?ie=UTF8&qid=1385428786&sr=8-1&keywords=contact+chalkboard+paper

For some reason, I didn't think the galvanized section would be magnetic.  So I splurged for the magnetic paint (even after reading multiple reviews on how terrible it is) and was shocked and happy to learn I didn't need it.  The magnets stick without it.  So I made a few magnets from the bottle caps I had on hand (Michael's clearance).  

 

I hope the girls can use them and appreciate the creative process I go through to finish a vague idea I had!

Glitter & Glass



I love glass and glitter.  When I saw the pictures on Pinterest I knew it was something I needed to try.  The pink glitter jar photos are from the plumadorable.com website, where I got the original instructions for this project.  Both the list of supplies and instructions are so simple, it only takes minutes to complete a project. 

You need only Pledge floor polish, glitter (fine works best), and your glass piece (jar, ornament, bottles, etc.) and other decorative pieces are optional.

 

Here are the instructions for the Christmas ornament that I made:

Simply clean the glass ornament and allow to dry.  I purchased a 4-pack at Michaels.  Pour in a small amount of Pledge and swirl around so the entire inside of the ornament is coated.  The clear polish acts as a glue and causes the glitter to stick to the sides of the ornament.  Dump out the remaining polish (back into the bottle is OK) and pour in some glitter.  Swirl and shake the glitter around inside the ornament until the entire inside area is coated.   Allow some time for the Pledge polish to dry and your project is complete.  Please keep in mind that the glitter can scratch off if you touch it with the metal holder.  The good thing is that since the glitter is on the inside, it doesn't fall off all over your clothes or your house!   I added a black ribbon and a "diamond" buckle to look like Santa's middle.

 

If the inside doesn't get coated as completely as you'd like, you can rinse it out with warm water and start again. 

 

Here are some more photos from PlumAdorable.com

Christmas Crafting - 2013 Season

Tonight as I'm cleaning up my craft room, I realize that my Christmas crafting is over for this year. I'm feeling a little sad as I look around at all the unfinished projects and the supplies for all the ones I didn't even start. Then I thought of all the great projects I did complete, all the new things I learned, the things I was able to teach to someone else and the things I pushed myself to try and I'm proud of what I've accomplished. I am so thankful for my friends, new customers and the repeat customers that keep coming back. But most of all, I'm thankful for my patient, tolerant, hard-working husband who never says 'no' to any of the crazy ideas or the mundane, dirty or horrible tasks that I ask of him. His encouragement and commitment are beyond compare. Thank you, Russ Jamieson, for taking care of all the everyday things so I can continue to do the fun stuff. I'm one lucky woman!

Here are photos of some of my Christmas crafts

Rustic Christmas decor - shows my love of country and mason jar crafts.

Candy cane crock










 

Authentic, vintage washboards decorated for the season.

 

 Personalized old sled

 

Vintage flour sifter arrangement

 

 

 

Please check out some of my other posts while visiting my blog. Feel free to leave a comment and look for me on Facebook at So Very Shari Creations.

Rustic Christmas with old Mason Jars

I love Christmas, crafts, and especially Christmas crafts! I've been pinning possible projects on my Pinterest boards for years.  Sometimes I go back and look at all my pins for inspiration.  I usually like to combine and deviate - very seldom making something exactly like the picture or tutorial. 

                     My latest Christmas project combines my love for rustic things and mason jars.  This idea came from a couple different pins like these.

There really isn't much of a tutorial, but here's the list of materials that I used:

1)  old wooden box
2)  green garland - use wire cutters and cut into smaller branches
3)  berry garland - use wire cutters and cut small groups of berries
4)  3 pine cones - from an old christmas decoration
5)  2 mason jars - I put epsom salt in the bottom to represent snow
6)  2 berry scented candles - placed in the bottom of the mason jars, on top of the salt

There is a lot of opportunity for creative freedom here. Decorate to suit your taste and decor.

Gallo Bell Christmas Ornaments

A few months ago, my daughter, Ashley, saw that Gallo Family Vineyards would give away free wine corks if you promised to post pictures of your creations.  I requested some and received my order (completely free) a couple weeks later in the mail.  I put them in my fancy cork holder until I figured out exactly what I wanted to do with them.  Then I saw a Christmas ornament on Pinterest here  (http://livelovelaughwithlindgrens.blogspot.ae/2011/12/christmas-crafties.html) and knew what my first project would be.

Earlier this week, I posted my Gallo bell ornament on the Gallo facebook page and they asked me to share how I made them, so I created this simple tutorial.