Michaels Crafts – Country Design Home

Jun 9, 2015

Mason Jar Margaritas!

Last Sunday we kicked off our “summer of wedding fun” with a bridal shower honoring our daughter, the bride-to-be, Kate and her fiance Chris at River Bar in Assembly Row in Somerville.

The day was stormy, so the original plan of being outdoors on the patio was a wash. But this trendy restaurant, with its glass walls overlooking the Mystic River

was the perfect (dry) setting for a casual brunch with family and friends. When my generation were the “brides-to-be”, a shower favor was typically some Jordan almonds (um, yuck) wrapped in mesh and tied with a pretty ribbon with maybe a plastic ring as an embellishment. Whoops…so apparently those are still a thing…when I googled it to find a picture, there were almond favors everywhere! Apparently there is some significant history to the almonds…to read, click the link below…

Jordan Almond Favors via The Knot

Instead of those, for our shower favors I decided to create a Mason Jar Margarita (the bride’s fav : ). Most of the supplies came from Michaels Crafts…with the exception of the tequila and drink mixes! I bought the pint mason jars by the case

Next came the filler, strings and straws…

blue for margaritas,

red for non-alcoholic strawberry lemonade.

I spray painted the metal ring tops to match.

These cute little chalkboard circles, also from Michaels, were the perfect size to cover the floral design stamped on the metal sealing lids of the mason jars.

To those, I stamped a “Thank You” and embossed it with special powder and a heat gun.

(If you don’t know about embossing…which is totally awesome and magical…that DIY will be following shortly) I found the Bartender’s Margarita mix at our local grocery store and added the Starbucks Strawberry Lemonade for a non-alcoholic treat.

I created these labels to adhere to the fronts of the paper mix packets.

To assemble: a bit of paper shred, a tequila nip (which are the perfect size to fit inside the pint mason jar)

a drink mix packet. Screw on the tops, add a straw (we taped the straws to the side first to secure them, then tied the string around for the design.) The assembly went quickly once all the components were ready to go.

And then, the sign.

I had the chalkboard for weeks, awaiting my design genius to kick in to create something fun…you know, nothing really rhymes with margarita… which didn’t happen until 5 am on the morning of the shower…sometimes I do my best work under extreme pressure…so you’ll have to excuse the slightly off-centered-ness. The jars looked so cute all stacked up, and along with some mason jar centerpieces,

added a touch of bright color to the decor. The shower was a huge success, the bride and groom had a great time, and everyone departed carrying a mason jar-hopefully making a toast to the bride while enjoying their drink of choice. Next up, invitation assembly day! Have a terrific Tuesday, everyone! Susan

Filed Under: Inspiration, The 3 R's Recycle, Re-Furbish, Re-Love, The Barn Workshop-DIY Series, The Wedding 2015, Views From My Back Porch · Tagged: #makeatoasttothebride, #masonjarmargaritas, #showerfavormagaritas, Bar-Tenders Drink Mix, DIY Shower favors, Mason Jar Margaritas, Michaels Crafts, Rustoleum Spray Paint, Starbucks Lemonade Mix

May 3, 2014

Michaels Crafts A Brand New Look

By countrydesignhome · 5 Comments

I’ve gotta say, I was more than a bit excited when I recently received an invite to attend a “Sneak Peek Blogger Event” at the newly remodeled Michaels Craft Store in Saugus, Mass.

After all, I do spend quite a bit of time (and $$$!) there gathering materials for my very many, many DIY projects! And, I love to blog about them. So, I was delighted to have an opportunity to meet other area bloggers, take part in a craft session and have a tour of the fresh new look of my local Michaels store! Along with 27 other Boston area stores, the Saugus Michaels is unveiling a brighter, fresher style that is less cluttered, much more organized and shopper friendly.

Upon our arrival, we were greeted and escorted into the Michaels Craft Room (which is, FYI, available to the public for group craft projects-good to know : ) After having a yummy bite and an Italian Soda (many of us had never heard of it, but so delish!), we were instructed in our craft projects, then left to our own devices and Exacto knives to create the perfect Boston Skyline from scrapbook paper and canvas.

Once our projects were completed, we were off on the store tour, led by Brett, the district manager along with several store employees, all of whom are now sporting bright red shirts so they are easy to spot when you need a crafty, helping hand.

Having shopped here numerous times in the past, the first change I noticed was the wall banner circling the entire store, high enough to spot from any vantage point and identifying key shopping areas. Other new features include signage that not only identifies the area, but informs the shopper what is available in each aisle.

A newly expanded section, by customer request, is Home Decor, where you will find aisles stocked with latest trends in home fashions and accessories.

Loving these ruffled pillows and ottomans!

One of the most noticeable changes throughout the store were the information boards associated with the products. I dabble in cake decorating from time to time, and I know my way around a pastry bag. BUT, what would be a simple cake decorating project for me could be an overwhelming task to an aspiring Cake Boss wanna be. So, Michaels solved this dilemma by not only stocking the shelves with the necessary tools, but also by adding these information and instruction boards (kind of like Pinterest in real life : )

The chalk and chalkboard section, which is still so trending on Pinterest right now, has it’s own “Pin” board, where customers can get inspiration, then grab the necessary supplies to create the project of their choice.

While on the tour, this new Tint It Spray caught my eye, (of course, with all the bright, pretty colors : ) with craft ideas and a color sample, plus supplies-brilliant!

As we turned each corner, I continued to be impressed by the overall look of the store with its colorful displays and variety of items for any imaginable craft project. AND, so excited to see that they are finally carrying my latest DIY obsession-Americana Chalky Paint by DecoArt!! I have just started using this product, and I can’t wait to share my first project with all of you. But for now, you will have to take my word for it that these paints and finishes are like nothing you may have worked with in the past.

So, now that I’ve given you the condensed tour, its your turn to head to your nearest Michaels to see what the blogging fuss is about! On Sunday, May 4th, there will be a grand re-opening of the Boston-area Michaels Stores featuring a 9:45 am ribbon-cutting ceremony, and over $1000 in gift card giveaways!! So, get crafty Boston, and…

I hope you have a creative and inspired Sunday, everyone. And if you do happen to visit your local Michaels, tell them Sue from Country Design Home sent you! Susan

Filed Under: Color Class, I've Been Featured On..., Views From My Back Porch · Tagged: #BobVilaNation, #getcraftyboston, #Michaelsstores, Americana Chalky Paint, Decoart Chalky Paint, Michaels $1000 gift card giveaway, Michaels Arts and Crafts stores, Michaels Crafts, Michaels store grand re-opening

Jan 30, 2014

Antiqued Mirror on the Wall

By countrydesignhome · 8 Comments

Who’s the fairest (and most rustic, vintage and gorgeous!) of them all? This mirror was another “throw-away” Coach found “somewhere”. I don’t ask anymore. It’s like a magic cupboard-I need something, I open up the barn door and voila! Instant DIY subject! Today’s project was this old, dirty, chipping and peeling dark brown mahogany mirror. Despite it’s sorry, drab exterior in dire need of some TLC, the actual structure itself was totally solid and quite heavy, I might add. I transformed it from this in a few simple, easy steps.

Here is the How-I-Did-It: 1. Cleaned the mirror and frame thoroughly with heavy duty cleanser. The mirror is not in perfect condition, but that’s fine by me. Adds to the charm, and it stills reflects the light, which is most important. Lightly sanded the frame just to remove any loose particles of old varnish.

2. Primed with Gripper by Glidden. LOVE this stuff. Seals in stains, odors, evens the color and preps the wood to accept the topcoat.

3. Painted with one coat of Glidden Antique Beige

that I added my “chalk-like-paint” mixture to. It is a nice, soft, matte finish that accepts glazes and waxes very well. That recipe here:

4. Added the unfinished medallion to the top for detail.

I purchased this one at Michaels for a couple of bucks. Just glued it on with Gorilla Glue . You have to brush it on, then weight it down

and wait until it’s dry to ensure a good solid bond. Then I painted it with the same Glidden top coat and allowed to dry.

5. Lightly sanded the whole mirror frame and detail to expose some of the dark wood beneath.

6. Painted on this Antique Wax in Scrub Pine from General Finishes. I like this one because you don’t have to work it in with a rag. You literally paint it on!

Brushed it on with a foam brush, then wiped off with a rag, leaving the dark wax in places to enhance all of the crevices and lines and detail.

It leaves some color, but it also adds a nice matte finish to the entire piece. Allowed to dry.

7. Scraped off the excess paint and stain insdie the frame of the mirror. Cleaned the mirror.

8. Here is the finished closeup of my antiqued mirror. I love it, but what do you think? Should I have left it alone or did I give this piece some love? (BTW, if anyone knows the trick to photographing mirrors without me being in the shot, I would love to hear it!!!)

This is a very simple DIY project, it just takes some time and a little patience to allow each layer to dry before adding the next. If you are thinking of trying this process, test it out on a sample piece of wood before taking on a big, detailed mirror or frame. But remember, it’s supposed to look old and messy, so perfection is not an option! Sometimes a little messy is a good thing… Hope you have a reflective Thursday, everyone! Susan