Round 1- Time to Vote!

It's Voting Time!
Our 15 contestants have been hard at work all week coming up with some amazing projects!

This week's champion will win $25 to Name Drop



Our fabulous judges are providing us with their thoughts to help you make up your mind
  
but...ultimately who moves on is up to you!


#1 "EAT" 3D Wall Art
Hannah from Young and Crafty

Hi! Hannah here from Young and Crafty. I know this isn’t a super new idea but I think I put my own spin on it. I have really loved all of the EAT kitchen artwork I’ve seen around. The main thing I wanted to do differently was make it “pop” off the wall. Using wood and cheap mis-tint paint from Lowe’s helped me achieve the exact look I was going for!

I think this is really cute!  Very well crafted and done.  I like that she made it more 3-D in an almost cube kind of way.  The red, white and black together really make it pop.

I think this is such a cute idea! I'm lovin' the big, chunky letters! I may just have to steal this idea for my own kitchen!

I love the color that she chose, it really does make it pop on the wall!  

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#2 Weathered Headboard and Pillow Covers

Terra from mama says sew

I've been seeing different ideas for using old pallets around the web, so when I saw these boards at the hardware store for 85% off, I scrapped my original idea and decided to do something I've been wanting to do for a long time-make a headboard for my bed.  I mustered up the courage to use my husband's power saw to get the boards to the length I wanted, then built the headboard the old fashioned way-with a hammer and nails {okay, and some liquid nails too}. I painted the headboards with a thin coat of gray paint, followed by a white glaze to give it a weathered look. Then I made new pillow covers for the body pillow and the aqua pillow-the flower pillow was my audition project.  Everything except the boards I already had, so the out of pocket for this project was a grand total of $5!

I am always impressed when someone pulls out the power saw, this is a lovely bed.  I like that she made it weathered looking, and the pillows are gorgeous.

  

WAY cute idea to use old wood as a pallet headboard! I love the shabby chic look and the pillows are perfect!!

That headboard is gorgeous.  Just the right color and those pillows are just beautiful!  

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#3 Picket Fence Wreath

Marilyn from 4 You with Love

I am so excited to be a part of American Crafter Season 4 Round 1.  When I heard that the theme was "Hardware Store Gems" I had a million ideas running through my mind.  I decided to go visit some hardware stores for inspiration.  After visiting 3 stores and wandering around Home Depot for 2 hours, I decided to take a spin on "the decorative wreath" while keeping costs down:  focusing on purchasing items that can be re-used for other projects
 
The first step was to spray paint the fence with the white paint.  I then taped the stencils onto the tiles with frog tape and spray painted the letters J-O-Y with brown paint.  This ribbon flower tutorial inspired my screen flower (I used wire as thread).  The flower was then spray painted brown on both sides with a light spray of gold glitter paint added for shimmer.  I cut 1" wide fabric strips and tied them to a string of yarn to create a garland.  Then, I attached everything to the fence and glued the yarn and tiles onto the fence directly to give the impression that the tiles are threaded onto the string.

This is really inventive, I love the new spin she put on the wreath.  

What a creative take on a wreath. I love that it's not the traditional style!

What a fun idea!  I love the word joy hanging down, it adds just the right touch.

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#4 Spring- Inspired Stenciled Pots
Kathryn from Destination: Craft 

I am so excited to be a contestant here on American Crafter!!

When I first heard the theme for this week was going to be Hardware Store Gems, I immediately thought: wood, nails, screws, nuts & bolts...  But then my husband suggested going to the garden side of the hardware store and it was the best idea! I hope these pots make you happy and help you think of spring! I spray painted and then stenciled each pot and then grabbed some pretty flowers for the inside. 

Thanks Amy!!

I really like that she went to the garden section!  Made something totally different.  They are so cute, and bring me right to Spring!

I love anything stenciled! This is a cute addition to a plain terracotta pot.

What a clever way to really spruce up some pots!  So bright and fun!

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#5 Wedding Pallet Art

Katie from Sweet Rose Studio

Hello fellow crafters! I don't know about you, but I am currently obsessed with pallet art and when I realized that I have a wedding to attend in the coming weeks, I knew exactly what I wanted to create for a gift to the happy couple. This piece of art features the lovely couple's new last name and their wedding date. I created this *all by myself* (much to my husband's dismay) from left over 2x4's I cut to size with a tree saw, no less and nailed it all together. I used paint, antiquing medium, and some satin sealer to create the distressed look and love how it turned out! Hopefully the newlyweds love it just as much!

Thanks so much for having me here for Round 1...I hope to see you again next week!

What a great idea as a wedding present.  Very cute.

I am in LOVE with pallet art lately! What an adorable wedding gift idea! My FAVORITE for this week!

Love that pallet art!  Very simple but very cute!

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#6 Nightstand Makeover

Loren from Pandora's Craft Box

I am so honored to be participating on American Crafters and I can't wait to see all the talent. I have had the same furniture for the past 6 years. I always worked full time and was only home to sleep. However, now that I am stay at home mom and I see the same things everyday. I just need a change. The first thing is to make our bedroom our own, instead of just a place were we sleep. One of the things I change was my nightstand. I purchased this nightstand from the salvation army for $7.50. How excited was I! It was yellow and it did not go with my decor so to go with today's theme hardware gems I used paint to change the look. 

I hope you all enjoy it!!

 You can visit Pandora's Craft Box for the detailed tutorial!

 

Thank you so much Amy for hosting and for the opportunity to participate! 

Hope to see you next week!

Great bright and bold colors.  Gave the nightstand a totally new look.

What a fun color for a night stand! I love the purple!

Great transformation!  I love that purple and the drawers are so fun now!

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#7 Jute & Nails L.O.V.E. Plaques

Janel from Hating Martha

 Hi all...Janel from Hating Martha here and I am excited to show you my jute and nails L.O.V.E. plaques. I desperately needed some art for my master bedroom and these were just the ticket. Created from stained wood boards, different size and color nails, jute, and a faucet knob these are fun, inexpensive, and so perfect for our bedroom...dontcha think?

Definitely something I have never seen before.  Very inventive.

 Janel, this is adorable!! I think this is such a creative piece!

What a creative way to use nails!  So clever and cute!

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#8 Coffee Table turned Ottoman

Jess from A Couple of Craft Addicts

  This week's challenge was so much fun. I have this large coffee table that has a top that lifts up and after 6 years, 2 kids, and 5 moves the table has seen better days. The top is warped and splitting and there are lots of scratches. So I had two options: refinish it or make it into an ottoman. Enter American Crafter. The hardware store inspiration was the perfect platform to take my idea and make it happen. I started with a piece of plywood from the hardware store and a non-slip rug mat (to protect the table top). I also used a few key tools from the hardware store like an electric drill and staple gun. I didn't want to drill directly into the table top so I used the plywood. I drilled 18 holes in the plywood for the buttons. Then I laid down the supplies in this order: fabric, batting, padding, and plywood. Next was the process of placing the buttons starting from the fabric and going all the way through the plywood hole and then back down through the fabric where I secured the button in place. Once all the buttons were in place I pulled the fabric tight around the bottom of the table top and stapled it underneath. I finished off the table by lining the drawers with a grey polka dot fabric.

I love how it turned out. The tuffing was a great learning project and now the table is multifunctional as a table, storage unit, and extra seating when we have a group of people over. A great addition to our home.

I LOVE this!  It came out so lovely, I want it in my house!

 I LOVE the fabric used for the seat and that polka dot drawer fabric is the perfect touch!

What a great idea to turn a coffee table into an ottoman!!  I love the fabric she used and the colors are just prefect together!

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#9 Thread Rack Art
Melissa from Melly Sews

My happy dance after being chosen as a contestant on American Crafter was followed by panic about the first weeks' theme, so I headed to Lowe's to brainstorm. After wandering the whole store, I settled on a piece of birch plywood and some dowel rods as my materials, then added wood glue and a can of spray paint. I'm a girl who loves power tools, so I borrowed my dad's scroll saw and cut out the M that I use as the logo on my site. I drilled holes, added the dowels with glue, painted it all, and mounted it on the wall. And now I have thread rack art (with more photos on my blog) to hold my thread spools in easy reach of my sewing machine.

Ok - this just may be my favorite.  I love love love the way this turned out!!!  So cute, and perfect for any sewing room!

How stinkin' clever is this! It's functional and looks like a piece of art! I especially love the "M" ;)

I love this!  It's very stylish but practical at the same time!

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#10 Electrical Tape Strips & Purse Station

Steph from Crafting in the Rain

This challenge was the perfect motivation to deal with a problem area of my living room!  I always had bags piled up by this little wall that's around the corner from my front door. So I painted it turquoise, made chevron stripes out of white electrical tape, and then hung hooks to get my purses up off the floor.  The framed art is paint on a piece of canvas drop cloth.  Hop on over to my blog to see a before picture and a few more details.  

This is very cute, a great wall for any entry.  Using the electrical tape for the chevron was super smart.

This is a great way to make an "empty space" in your house look super cute!

What an awesome, bold wall!  I need something like this in my house!

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#11 Kitchen Makeover

Amanda from Simply Homemade

Hardware gems? Yes!!! My kitchen was in desperate need of a face-lift so deciding on a project was easy.
My hardware supply list is as follows:

* Glossy white paint
*  Decorative molding
*  Mirror tiles
*  Wall and cabinet paint

I began by removing the doors on my upper cabinets. I then cut the molding (all by little old self) and adhered it to the perimeter of the three openings. I then proceeded to paint my guts out! I painted the walls and cabinets and I'm pretty much done with paint for a year or two! I placed mirror tiles on the back of my cabinets/dishes shelves. I'm really loving the way it turned out and I'm not missing my old kitchen in any way, shape, or form! 

Wow.  what a great way to make your kitchen look so much more spacious.  This makeover is fantastic!

 GREAT kitchen makeover! I love the idea of taking off the cabinet doors completely instead of buying new ones!

What a nice and bright kitchen!  Those mirrors really make the room look bigger.  

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#12  Child's Art Easel {From a Garden Trellis!}

Emily from 52 Mantels

I wanted to create an art station that my daughter could grow into and when I saw the garden trellis at Home Depot for under $9, I knew it was the perfect place to start! I paired that with an old picture frame-turned-chalkboard and  attached a scrap wood stand with a hardware store hinge (so that it folds up nicely for storage!). I used more chalkboard paint and a scrap of fabric to turn an old cookie sheet into a magnetic board.  The chalkboard-painted back holds a roll of masking paper (found in the paint section at any hardware store) for endless hours of drawing and fun! Two cute, metal, storage buckets hang from cup hooks and a paint-chip pennant adds another layer of hardware store whimsy to this creative art easel!

How cool is this!!!  My other tie for 1st - will be hard to choose.  How creative!  I love it!!!

 I always love the idea of taking an average item and making something completely different out of it! This is an adorable art station!

What a great idea!!  So fun for kids, the chalkboard is so fun!

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#13 Cool Shade
Jill from I know the Plans I Have for You

I have had SO much fun with the "hardware store" challenge! The shade is made of a 12" air conditioner duct, painted white satin, with a hole drilled through the metal vent part that I used to attach to the lamp. The paper roses are made of 5 different paint color chips. The fabric flowers are made from drop cloth, screen, white linen, nuts, bolts, floor saver felt circles, and a variety of nuts, bolts, and washers. The lamp was taken apart and all of the brass was painted  a high gloss black with the center metal bar painted high gloss gray. I put it back together for a vintage industrial look! I hope you enjoy this project!! I thoroughly enjoyed this challenge!! Stop by to see more details!!

Cool is right!  Wow, all the things she used to make that shade.  I love it!  So inventive and creative, really really well done!

 I am so in awe that you can make an air conditioner duct into a lamp shade... and make it look so cute!!

Such a fun lamp!  The flowers are so cute and really make it pop!

#14 Metal Lace Jewelry

Stephanie from Pinafores & Pinwheels

I am so honored to be able to take part in American Crafter and this week's theme was "Hardware Store Gems". I wanted to make something pretty and ended up creating these beautiful pieces of jewelry. I made all of the pieces {a statement bib necklace, cuff bracelet and earrings} out of one sheet of metal. Check out my blog, Pinafores & Pinwheels for more details, pictures  and a tutorial! I hope you like it and am crossing my fingers to get to the next round! ~Stephanie

Ok - this is my favorite.  I mean WOW, who would have thought about doing that?  How amazing!  They really look like expensive pieces of jewelry!  This is just fantastic!

An amazing transformation to a little ol' piece of sheet metal! I'm WAY impressed!!

That jewelry is awesome!!  So unique and bold!  I love it!

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#15 New Twist on an Old Dresser

Holly from My Sister's Suitcase

I'm Holly from My Sister's Suitcase and I am thrilled to be here in the first round of American Crafter {with so many fabulous competitors!} I started out this week's challenge at Lowe's searching for the perfect "something" to update a really old dresser in my master bedroom. I finally found my hardware "gem" in the sheet metal aisle... it was a 24x36" decorative aluminum sheet - Union Jack design. {With a name like Union Jack, how could I go wrong??}

I painted and re-finished the dresser with chalk paint, cut my aluminum sheet to fit the drawer faces, painted & attached them to the drawers, and updated the hardware. I can't tell you how much I am LOVING my new dresser... thanks for letting me share it with all of you!

I also really loved this!  This dresser is sooooooooooooo pretty!  I really love the mesh on the drawers.  I love this dresser!  Well done!

 I love that you used the decorative aluminum for the drawer faces. It adds so much character to the piece!

My favorite! Wow what a transformation, I wouldn't have guessed that it was the same dresser!  And the idea to use aluminium sheeting is genius!

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You may Vote 1 Time for your 3 Favorite Projects

10 Contestants will move on to Round 2

Voting is open until Sunday night at Midnight

Results will be posted Monday Morning by 10am

Vote Now