Krylon Dual Paint + frame = necklace display

I was lucky enough to be invited to participate in the new Craftermind's project for Krylon Dual Paint. Seriously, I was super excited. I had originally planned on doing a headboard that I rescued from the trash. But I know you better than that, dear reader. I can't expect you to ohh and ahh over something I just sprayed painted. 

"Look, I found a headboard. Wow, I painted it. Ta-da! Thank you, thank you."

"Ohhhh. Ahhhhh. Applause, applause."

But I know that you're not that easily impressed, and wouldn't let that slide.

I've been wanting to make a necklace holder for a while. Mine just get tangled collect on my sunglass shelf. And honestly, I can't remember half of what I own, which means I never wear them. 

This is what I started with. Nothing fancy, just a good sized frame. I really wanted more details on the frame, but for $2, I wasn't going to complain.

I then hit up Lowe's, and picked up some trim for $5 (I already had the Gorilla wood glue at home). Just a suggestion. Measure before you cut to see if you have enough wood. I cut first, then realized I only had enough wood to go on top and bottom. So one of my wood pieces has a seam on it. Oops.

I let it dry over night. Then I laid it out on my super fancy painting station (otherwise known as a bar stool with a trash bag wrapped around it)

Then I got out my spray paint that Krylon was nice enough to let me try. I usually use Kilz primer (when I remember to primer) so I was really excited to try this out. I'm all about saving steps where I can. It went on super easily, wasn't thick and gritty like Kilz can be. I did three coats, it had really great coverage.

Next I marked and drilled my holes. Most I spaced out every 1.5 inches, some I did at 2 inches (for those chunkier necklaces). I drilled the holes with my dremel. They're not pretty, it took me a few holes to realize that I needed to put the drill bit on my mark, and then turn it on. If I already had it turned on, it would just skitter and dance all over the place. Then I screwed the hooks in the holes (I picked up a pack of I think 50 hooks at Walmart for $3). My holes were a bit too big for the hook screw part, but it wasn't anything a drop of E6000 didn't fix. I admit, I need more patience with my crafts, and should have waited for the cordless drill to charge so I could use the correct size drill bit, but I make it work.

I picked up some antiquing glaze at Lowe's for $8 (they don't sell it at Home Depot, FYI). I've been dying to try this stuff out, and knew it would give my necklace display some depth and dimension.

It's super easy to use, just apply it with a stiff bristle brush, it has about a 15 minute window that you can mess with it. Make sure you get into all the nooks and crannies.

Then take a paper towel and wipe it off. You can take off a lot or a little, it's up to you.

And then it's time to hang it up! I went from this mess of forgotten, tangled jewelry...

To this!

And a couple of close-ups.

The POW necklace 8th from left is from You, Enhanced. The 3 necklace on the far right is from Fabulously Flawed.

Flower bib necklace is from my etsy shop. The 3 stone necklace to the right of my bib necklace is from Whimsy Shop.

Supply list recap:

picture frame
decorative wood trim if your frame is plain
gorilla wood glue
hooks
Krylon Dual Paint
Valspar antiquing glaze
E6000 if needed


Thank you Krylon and Crafterminds for allowing me the chance to play with your new Dual Paint! I was super impressed by the coverage of it, and how smooth it went on.


Krylon sent me the new Dual Paint to try out. Check out their latest promotion, The Dual Duel, where Krylon is looking to find The Ultimate Restorer. To win this title, enter your spray paint restoration project and encourage friends and family to vote for your project as their favorite for their chance to win too.





Showing off Krylon at these parties:

Have you heard of the Creativity Expo?

Have you heard of the Creativity Expo? No? Then keep reading.

Wholeport is hosting a Creativity Expo. They will send you a FREE sample of YOUR choice, with FREE shipping. The catch? You must create something with your free sample, and post it on their facebook wall. Oh, and did I mention that when you post the pic on FB, you are entered in a competition for a $50 coupon to www.wholeport.com. Hard, right? 

Interested? Want to know more? Pictured below are the 9 gorgeous samples you can pick from. I couldn't decide between numbers 3, 5 and number 8. I ended up going with number 8. Wholeport has already mailed my package, AND sent me a picture of what beads they were sending.

You can find descriptions of the nine supplies by clicking on the images below and by visiting this album on their facebook page.

So you want to PARTICIPATE?

1. Like them on facebook or follow them on twitter and then send an email to create@wholeport.com saying that you have done so. Make sure you mention in your email which of the nine crafting supplies you would like to receive and include your mailing address.
2. Create your masterpiece. They want you to incorporate these supplies into the most beautiful, unique, fun, CRAZY crafts you can think of! Have fun with it.
3. Admire it for a moment.
4. Then take a picture of it and post it on their facebook wall along with a description of which supply package you used and what you intend your creation to be. They will upload your picture and description into the Creativity Expo Contestants facebook album. Each person to upload a photo of his or her creation will also receive a $2 coupon to www.wholeport.com!
5. The top 10 creations with the most likes on facebook will each win a $50 cash coupon for www.wholeport.com. So tell your friends, your family, your acquaintances, everyone! The more people that see your lovely work, the merrier!

That pesky little FINE PRINT…

The deadline for requesting one of the nine crafting supply packs is July 9^th 2011.

The competition to receive a $50 coupon to www.wholeport.com will continue until August 1^st 2011.

Any QUESTIONS?…

Please check out the Creativity Expo FAQ section. Or if you have questions or comments on WholePort, the Creativity Expo, crafting, or life in general, please don’t hesitate to contact them at create@wholeport.com .

So, dear LC&W readers, are you doing to do it?

If I win one of the ten $50 prizes, I'll be getting some of these cloisonne beads. There are so many gorgeous things on their site though, and the prices are so cheap, that I'll be able to get a ton of things. Which is AWESOME.

Musical Princess Potty? You're FIRED.

We decided to start potty training my middle daughter when she was about 18 months old. I was working as a waitress, and my husband was staying home with the kids (he had just moved down to Texas to be with me and wasn't working yet). So he took on the responsibility of potty training Jasmin. 

We went to Walmart, and him, being the nice guy, decided to pay the extra money and spring for a musical potty. You know the ones, they play a little song when your child goes potty in them.  Like, woo-hoo! You went potty, here is a little ditty for ya.

So, one day, he sat in the bathroom all day with her, loaded her up on liquids, and waited, M&M's on the counter, ready for her to go potty and try out the new seat. 

She started doing the "pee-pee" dance, so he sat her on the princess potty, ready for her to go potty so they could hear the music and enjoy an M&M. 

Jasmin started to potty, and as soon as the music started playing, she screamed, jumped up and ran to the corner of the bathroom. And yes, while she was running and crying in the corner, she was still peeing. Fun, right?

Ever since then, every time Jake would try and get her to sit on the potty, she would refuse. And if you tried to pick her up to sit her on it, she would make a guttural scream (we called it the Gremlin sound). So as you can imagine, potty training her was a long, hard process, thanks to an apparently very scary chair. 

I recently found a product called a Little Looster that I would have loved to have had with Jasmin's potty training. Like you I'm sure, I hate spending money that I don't have to. I wasted $30 on a princess potty that Jasmin hated. And after we finally got her to use that, it was soon time to transition her to using the regular toilet. Why not save a step (and money?).

The Little Looster is a stool that wraps around the base of the toilet. Instead of your child having to have their feet in front of them (like with a regular rectangle stool), they can have them out to the sides (where it's more comfortable for them). I was a little worried about the size of it when I received it, but it fits snugly around the toilet, meaning neither hubby or I have to move it out of the way when we use that bathroom. Plus, in the girls bathroom, the sink is in one part, and behind another door is the toilet and shower. I'm able to open and close the door, even with the Little Looster around the toilet. 

It helps keep your kids stable when they're on the toilet, which means no more having to grab the sides of the toilet (YUCK) to keep from falling in. 

My older daughters are 5 and 8, and they love having it in there. They've both said how much easier it makes it to sit on the toilet. 

 
I took these photos of Jasmin earlier to show you what a difference the Little Looster has made. And I didn't notice until I uploaded the pic that on the pic without the Looster, Jasmin has her hands on the sides of the toilet for balance (Yucky yucky). 

I've been really happy with my Little Looster, which retails for $35. Have I mentioned that it's a 2011 Gold Medal winner? And it's been featured on Parents.com and on Fox News? 

Monica at Little Looster is offering Life, Crafts and Whatever readers a $5 discount. Use the code REV6MM when you check out. 

Thank you Monica for allowing me to try one of these. I know when it's time to potty train Ava, this will be a much better potty training experience than what we had with Jasmin. 

Now you're speaking my love language, baby

Once a year, hubby and I take a seminar at church called Marriages That Last. It's 3 hours long, they provide breakfast, they have professionals come and talk to ya. It's pretty cool and we always leave feeling all newlywed-ish and warm and fuzzy.

One of the things they talk about is a book called The 5 Love Languages.

No, I'm not getting paid to tell you about this book. (But that'd be awesome.) Nor do I expect you to run out and buy it. But who doesn't want something to better their marriage? 

If you go to their website, they have a free assessment test, where you can figure out what your love language is. There are 5 of them. duh. 

• Words of Affirmation

  Actions don’t always speak louder than words. If this is your love language, unsolicited compliments mean the world to you. Hearing the words, “I love you,” are important—hearing the reasons behind that love sends your spirits skyward. Insults can leave you shattered and are not easily forgotten.

• Quality Time

  In the vernacular of Quality Time, nothing says, “I love you,” like full, undivided attention. Being there for this type of person is critical, but really being there—with the TV off, fork and knife down, and all chores and tasks on standby—makes your significant other feel truly special and loved. Distractions, postponed dates, or the failure to listen can be especially hurtful.

• Receiving Gifts

  Don’t mistake this love language for materialism; the receiver of gifts thrives on the love, thoughtfulness, and effort behind the gift. If you speak this language, the perfect gift or gesture shows that you are known, you are cared for, and you are prized above whatever was sacrificed to bring the gift to you. A missed birthday, anniversary, or a hasty, thoughtless gift would be disastrous—so would the absence of everyday gestures.

• Acts of Service

  Can vacuuming the floors really be an expression of love? Absolutely! Anything you do to ease the burden of responsibilities weighing on an “Acts of Service” person will speak volumes. The words he or she most want to hear: “Let me do that for you.” Laziness, broken commitments, and making more work for them tell speakers of this language their feelings don’t matter.

• Physical Touch

  This language isn’t all about the bedroom. A person whose primary language is Physical Touch is, not surprisingly, very touchy. Hugs, pats on the back, holding hands, and thoughtful touches on the arm, shoulder, or face—they can all be ways to show excitement, concern, care, and love. Physical presence and accessibility are crucial, while neglect or abuse can be unforgivable and destructive.

I know mine is touch, followed closely by gifts. Hubby's is acts of service, followed by words of affirmation. 

It helps to know your spouses love language. Like, if hubby tells me he washed my car for me (acts of service), yeah, it's great and I appreciate it. But since my love language is touch, him grabbing me and giving me a big bear hug is what would make me feel loved. And since hubby's love language is acts of service, yeah, he'd like it if I bought him a new shirt (gifts), he'd really feel the love if he came home and I had cleaned the house. 

The book goes into more depth about the different love languages, and gives ideas on what you can do to speak your spouses love language.

Have you read the book? Heard of it? What's your love language? What's your hubby's?