DIY – Seasonal switch plates

This little project has stood the test of time.  So far. Knock on wood. I originally made my seasonal switch plates {or ‘festive flickers’ as fiance calls them – although, I think that sounds dirty} over seven years ago, and year after year, we put them up. It only took me seven years to sit down and photograph them … 
They’re one of the first things I like to put up at Christmas, and we always get compliments on them. So below I’ve written a tutorial on how to make them, so that you too can revel in the glory of everyone saying how much a Suzie Homemaker you are. 

What you’ll need: a cereal box or supermarket pizza box {thin cardboard works best}, paint in a range of festive colors, PVA glue {to glue on glittery things. It also dries clear}, glittery things of your choice like snowflakes or stars, scissors, paint brush, a black pen, pencil, and a ruler.

Step 1: decide on a template for your seasonal switch plates. I  designed a silhouette inspired a little by Russian architecture. I have a secret fascination with Russia. Anyways, I drew my template on a folded piece of paper – when I cut out the design and opened it, it was a perfectly symmetrical template. I also cut out a square the size of my light switches. To make sure the templates fit each switch snugly, I fitted and trimmed the inside square with a pair of scissors {scalpel or exacto knife} where necessary. Step 2: with your pencil, draw a Christmassy scene. I went with a different design for each switch plate, but there’s no harm in doing the same pattern en masse. Step 3: once you’re happy with your design, paint it in. I began with the gold background, which I needed to build up with two layers of paint. Once the gold was dry, I went ahead and painted the remainder of the scene.

Step 4: When your paint has dried, use a  black pen {or fine marker} and draw an outline around your design to really make it popStep 5: attack every boring light switch in your home. 

Tip: use a small amount of blue-tack on the back of each to ensure they don’t fall off the wall, if they’re not super snug.

I’ve also done monogrammed seasonal switch plates for our bedrooms. They’re a lot less fussy/time consuming to make, and make a classier more sophisticated impact.

Happy craft hagging 🙂

Sneak peek – beef up your bookcase

I’ve been whittling away at my bookshelves casually for a couple of months now. I posted about my need to revamp my bookshelves (here), and I finally got my bookshelves looking just right. For me. Why, do you ask, does it matter? Because I have OCD when it comes to design and neatness and I don’t feel complete until my apartment has been meddled with on a daily basis. Having unachievable goals helps a lot.

These are a couple tasters of  some of my favorite parts of my shelves. Pretty prettiness. Offish pictures will be up later this week. After I actually take them …

For the love of Star Wars

My better half enjoys Star Wars, to say the least. This time last year I had an idea for a painting. I took an image of a stormtrooper and morphed it into a simple pattern. It took about 3 hours or so to paint, with the detailing getting the better of my OCD.

I would really like to make a large scale wallpaper style pattern like this in needlepoint/cross stitch form, but it’ll have to wait until AC {after college}. For the moment it’s hanging in our hallway amongst a plethora of other treasured delights such as hand written letters from both my grandmothers, and pricey prints I got at an auction on a cruise holiday a couple years ago {free champagne – need I say more?}.