diy – Page 2 – kerricreates

How to Make a Real Portal Cake

Published on March 5, 2017March 13, 2022 by kerricreatesblog1 Comment

Portal and Portal 2 are popular video games. Truthfully, I’ve never played either of them, but according to my son they are the “best video games ever!” Here’s a bit about the games according to my son Micah…”In Portal, you are a test subject in a huge underground facility called Aperture Science that is supposedly under Michigan. You go through the tests (which are puzzles), solving them, and they get harder and harder along the way. At a certain point in the game, you acquire a tool which makes portals that objects and you yourself can pass through. This tool is official called the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device, but is more commonly referred to as the Portal Gun.”

Micah’s 11 birthday was March 3rd and he wanted a Portal Themed Birthday Party! Micah chose to have his party at a Fun Center in our city so that we could play laser tag and ride go carts, so the cake became the main thing that represented the Portal Theme.

In Portal there is a gigantic robot named GLaDOS at the center of the facility. GLaDOS runs everything and she promises you cake at the end of the test, but it turns out that she’s lying. She actually puts you on a platform headed towards a fire pit. In the game, there is a message written on a wall in a secret room, written by a scientist that says, “the cake is a lie!” Here are a couple of images from the actual game.

This was a super fun cake to create! You can watch my tutorial to learn how to make one of your own. This cake is definitely NOT a lie! I used Pillsbury devil’s food cake mix, Hershey’s chocolate bars for the chocolate shavings on the outside of the cake, vanilla and chocolate frosting, cherry gumballs, and a white candle. #CommissionsEarned

For more Portal Birthday Party fun, check out my blogpost from the party. You’ll find links to free printables for “repulsion gel” and “propulsion gel” as well as an awesome tutorial on how to make Portal Cookie Pops.

For another fun teen boy birthday party idea check out my latest blogpost:

Retro Video Game Room (ARCADE) for Teens

DIY Tablecloth Curtains

Published on February 25, 2017February 25, 2017 by kerricreatesblogLeave a comment

A couple of years ago we rented the cutest little house in an older neighborhood. The street was lined with big trees, the neighbors were friendly, and the backyard was filled with a variety of fruit trees. The house itself had a lot of character, including a wall covered in shiplap, a large window with a view of a train trestle, glass doorknobs, and old light fixtures. The master bedroom, however, needed a bit of help. Because we were renting, I didn’t want to invest a ton of money into bedroom decor, as we knew we wouldn’t be living there very long.

One afternoon my husband decided to take the kids to see a movie and he left me with a couple of glorious hours home alone. I had purchased two rectangular tablecloths at Target a couple of days before, so I went right to work on creating some curtains to brighten up my bedroom. The windows truly were the best feature of that room, so I wanted to highlight them.

I can’t believe how easy it was to sew these simple curtains! By the time my family came home, I was finished and my bedroom had a completely new look. Here’s my tutorial on how to make simple curtains out of a rectangular table cloth.

I would love to hear from you. Leave me a comment and tell me about your favorite DIY project and of course show me a picture if you make some tablecloth curtains of your own!

Book Page Banner

Published on February 11, 2017February 25, 2017 by kerricreatesblogLeave a comment

I love books! In this day in age when so many are reading books on Kindles, Nooks, and iPads, you will find me curled up in a cozy spot in my house with a traditional paper book. The library just so happens to be one of my very favorite places on the Earth! I think that is why my eyes are drawn to creative projects made from book pages.

Several years ago I made this pretty little book page banner to hang across my mantle for Valentine’s Day and I have reused it several years in a row because I love it so much! To make one of your own, you will need a book that you don’t mind cutting up (I bought mine from the Dollar Tree). You will also need scrapbooking paper in several colors or patterns. I went with a black, red, and off white theme. Grab a couple of buttons and some twine and you are all set.

I used my Cricut Expression 2 to cut the L O V E letters, but made my own template for the large and small hearts. The book pages are 6 inches long by 4 inches wide. This gives you enough length to fold the top over to hang them on the twine and to cut a 1 1/2 inch triangle out of the bottom of each. For my banner, I stapled the individual book page pieces over the twine and then glue the hearts on after to cover the stapes. For the LOVE portion, I lined the staples up with one of the words to “hide” it as much as possible.

If you love creating banners for your own home, check out my tutorial on How to Make a Pennant Banner.

If you are looking for some other simple and fun Valentine ideas, here are some links you will enjoy.

Valentine Paper Garlands

Valentine Craft for Kids: Cookie Cutters and Paint

Valentine Words of Affirmation for Kids

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Valentine Paper Garlands

Published on February 8, 2017February 4, 2022 by kerricreatesblog3 Comments

Paper garlands have become one of my absolute favorite DIY decorations. They are simple to create, inexpensive, and they are perfect for everything from holiday decor to birthday parties. These elegant heart and circle garlands will add a little bit of love to your home for Valentine’s Day. Watch my tutorial for some tips on how to make some of your own.

For my hearts and circles, I used the Cricut Expression 2, but if you do not have a Cricut, you can simply cut hearts and circles out of card stock. I used 3 different colors of card stock, plain white, and a shiny gold & red that I purchased from the Dollar Tree. Sometimes, when I make paper garlands, I use my sewing machine, but for these, I just used a needle and white thread. I wanted to be able to space them out, so this gave me the option to slide them along the thread and place them where I wanted to. #CommissionsEarned

Some friends of mine gave me this beautiful old window, which made the perfect backdrop to display a collection of Valentine Paper Garlands. Happy Valentine’s Day from Kerri Creates!

Octagon (Geometric) Bulletin Board

Published on February 6, 2017February 25, 2017 by kerricreatesblogLeave a comment

I have had this huge stack of cork tiles in my son’s room for several years… just sitting there… taking up space! So this week, I finally decided to do something fun with them! I created a geometric bulletin board for my 10 year old son’s bedroom wall and I am so happy with the way it turned out. It was a bit tricky getting the right cut to create the octagons, but with a little help from my husband, (who measured and cut the template for me) I was on my way. A couple of coats of paint and some command strips later, and these cork tiles became a really cool memo board for my son to pin up a “few of his favorite things.”

Watch my tutorial on how to create your own Octagon Memo Board. This would be perfect in a bedroom, a dorm room, or an office.

Here are a couple of tips:

Use different textures of paint for contrast

Paint at least 2 coats on each octagon

Leave some octagons unpainted

Lay out your tiles on the ground and play around with different configurations before hanging them up

Use command strips to hang each tile on the wall

Also featured in this video is a collection of my son’s amazing origami creations, strung up across the top of the Octagon Bulletin Board. He has spent hours making these incredible creations, one intricate fold after another. I love seeing them all on display in his bedroom. For those of you who love origami, check out MicahsToyReviews to learn how to make some origami creations of your own.

Pennant Banner

Published on January 26, 2017February 25, 2017 by kerricreatesblog1 Comment

Pennant Banners are one of the most simple sewing projects and can add pops of color to any room or front porch. They can be used as a party decoration, on a mantle or mirror during the holidays, or in a child’s room. They can be made out of paper, material, or burlap. The possibilities are endless! I have made various kinds of pennant banners for many occasions. For this post, I’m featuring the most recent one I made for a friend of mine, but I’m also including one of my most popular youtube video tutorials on how to make a pennant banner.

With Valentine’s Day only a couple of weeks away, you may want to make your own version of this LOVE Pennant Banner to hang on your mantle! After watching my tutorial on How to Make A Pennant Banner, you will need a couple of additional steps to add letters to your banner.

You will need to purchase a package of light Seam A Seam 2 from your local fabric store. Find a font you like on your computer. Print your letters in the size you want them to be on your banner. Cut out the letters. Turn your letters over and trace them onto a sheet of the Seam A Seam. Peal the bottom off and adhere to the fabric you have chosen for your letters. Iron over the top to attach the Seam A Seam to your fabric. Cut out the letters, following the lines you initially traced. Peel the backing off. Your fabric letters should now be slightly tacky on the back. Position them on your banner exactly as you want them. Iron them for about 20 -30 seconds one at a time. Your banner is now complete. For a more in depth tutorial on how to use the Seam A Seam to attach letters to fabric, watch my Advent Bags Tutorial.

My friend decided to use this pennant banner for her daughter’s nursery. It just so happened to work perfectly with the colors she chose and I am so thrilled to see it hanging up in this precious baby girl’s bedroom.

Nerf Target Practice

Published on December 11, 2016October 21, 2021 by kerricreatesblog1 Comment

Who doesn’t love a good old fashioned Nerf Battle? My 10 year old son was who I had in mind when I added Nerf Wars and Target Practice to our Advent activities this year. But let’s be honest…this is fun for any age…even the grown ups!

We started our evening by creating these spinning targets, which were a big “hit!” I prepared everything ahead of time by cutting circles out of empty food boxes and setting out markers, tape, two circles per person, large craft sticks, straws cut to size, pennies to weigh the spinners down at the bottom, a piece of string, and a couple of push pins. Then we sat down at our coffee table to create. Check out my tutorial to see how we made the spinners.

Next we each selected our Nerf Gun, grabbed a couple of soft bullets and had target practice. We also stacked up some red cup pyramids to shoot down and then ended our evening with a boys vs. girls living room Nerf Battle, using a jump rope to divide the room in half. The last one standing was the winner. Want to know who the epic champion of the night was? You guessed it…little sister for the win! #CommissionsEarned

DIY 80’s Shirt

Published on October 28, 2016March 13, 2022 by kerricreatesblog1 Comment

Are you looking for a quick and inexpensive Halloween costume? Or maybe you are attending an 80’s themed party. Well, look no further! Recently, my daughter had “time warp” day at school and we decided she would dress up in 80’s attire. This brought back many memories of my childhood…jelly bracelets, leg warmers, crimped hair, side ponytails, charm bracelets. I could almost hear Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” playing in the background as I made this shirt and reminisced. I was the same age as my daughter is now when that album was released, and it was the first record I ever owned!

Fortunately, I had all of what I needed on hand, so this time warp outfit did not cost a thing! I pulled an old “too small” t-shirt out of my son’s drawer and went to work. In less than an hour, my daughter was all ready for her fun dress up day at school.

Here’s what you will need: An old t-shirt, pony beads, and scissors #CommissionsEarned

Enjoy my tutorial on how to create the neckline and fringes on this totally 80’s shirt.

For more easy costume ideas check out the following blogposts:

DIY (Wings of Fire) Dragon Wings

DIY Axolotl Costume

If you love all things 80’s you will for sure love my latest post:

Retro Video Game Room (ARCADE) for Teens

DIY Framed Chalkboard Wall

Published on October 11, 2016November 7, 2021 by kerricreatesblog1 Comment

I absolutely love chalkboards! They are so versatile and you can change them anytime to create a new look in your home. You can add quotes and drawings to go with seasons and holidays. The possibilities with a blank chalkboard are endless!

When we moved into our home over a year ago, there was an odd roll up door in the living room. It seems like the previous owners had used it as a sort of bar to serve drinks, but we didn’t quite know what to do with it. We have talked about closing it off, but haven’t gotten around to it. A couple of weeks ago, while sitting in my living room, I was struck with inspiration. I saw the frame around the roll up door and thought, “I wonder what it would look like if I turned this into a giant chalkboard?”

A few coats of chalkboard paint later and project complete! I am happy to report that it turned out even better than I expected! I used Rust-oleum ChalkBoard Paint and it took 3 coats of paint to cover the area thoroughly. I let each coat dry for at least an hour before adding another, and one 30 oz. can of paint did the trick. I purchased a white chalk marker and found a quote on that I love. I used our projector on my new chalkboard to get the quote just right and then traced it with the chalk pen. I filled in some of the lighter areas with a regular piece of white chalk to create some contrast of texture and I absolutely love it!!! This is definitely a great addition to the decor in our living room. #CommissionsEarned

Update: over the years, I have transformed our chalkboard many times over and have included several pics (above) of various quotes. I have found that it helps to paint a new coat of chalkboard paint over the blank board each time I do a new quote because sometimes the outline of the previous quote shows through a bit as you can see in “Find Joy In The Journey.”

For more fun DIY projects check out some of my recent blogposts:

DIY Board & Batten Feature Wall

Oversized Scripture Scroll: Ephesians 3

DIY Lemonade Stand

DIY Tinkering Workshop For Kids

My Little Pony Capes

Published on June 14, 2016September 6, 2017 by kerricreatesblog1 Comment

My daughter loves My Little Ponies! The thing that makes me so happy about this, is that I loved My Little Ponies as a little girl too! In fact, my mom actually saved several of my ponies and gave them to Karis a couple of years ago. I cannot even tell you how much fun it is to see my own child enjoying the very toys that I so often played with when I was her age.

One afternoon when Karis was playing ponies she asked me if we could make clothes for them. Now I can sew a little bit, but making clothes for tiny horses is beyond my abilities. I noticed that a couple of her newer ponies came with little capes. With a little trial and error, I figured out a simple way to make pony capes by using small hair scrunchies, scraps of material, and various ribbons, buttons, and fabric flowers that I had in my craft drawers. We spent several hours together designing these “outfits” for the ponies to wear. Most definitely time well spent with my girl, and it brings me joy to watch her play pretend while dressing her ponies up in their beautiful capes.

Check out my tutorial to make some pony capes of your own and click here for the printable My Little Pony Capes Template.