leaf and letter handmade

framed verse!

2012-01-15T16:13:00.001-05:00

i'm sure lots of people have seen this image on pinterest of a standard thermostat box surrounded by a pretty white frame. since we rearranged our semi-playroom furniture, our thermostat has kind of been unintentionally emphasized, & i thought it would be really fun to do something similar.

i had already printed out a fun bible verse printable with it in mind for a playroom, & was just trying to settle on a fun place to hang it. i painted an very cheap, very old frame bright yellow & added a little ribbon & got this:
[grr. clearly some tiny fingers have gotten a hold of my camera lens.]

i love it! since we are renters right now, it's a fun way to hang more art & color without yet another hole in the wall & the whole thing is easy-peasy to switch out or take down if we tire of it later. for now, i'm loving the extra playful kiddo colors & having a little more of God's word permeating our home!
framed anything fun recently?

january crafts.

2012-01-08T12:12:00.001-05:00

if you're like me, all you can think about when it comes to january/winter/post-christmas crafting is snowflakes. blue snowflakes, to be exact! & maybe some snowmen for good measure. when my good friend ebeth asked me to make some hairbows for her girls, i of course suggested snowflakes & snowmen. they were super easy & turned out adorable!

first, gather some supplies. polka dot ribbon, white buttons in 2 sizes, & some clearance mini ornament glitter snowflakes, all easy found at the local walmart. [& the mini ornaments were 50% off after christmas! yay!]
i made the bow using this tutorial with about a yard of ribbon per bow. it's real easy, but i find that each bow turns out just a little different each time.
assemble your button snowman. i used half of a mini craft stick [popsicle stick] as a base & then covered it in back with a little scrap of the ribbon:
& cut a little strip of felt for his scarf. cut a tiny fringe on each end to make it more scarf-y & secure with hot glue.
eee! so cute!

attach the assembled snowman to the front with hot glue & a bow clippie [also from walmart] to the back.
the snowflake is even easier... make bow. glue snowflake to front. glue clippie to back. presto.
these turned out so cute i think my big K needs some for her bow arsenal!

sidenote: i may or may not also be inadvertently be dressing my children like fluffy little blue & white snowbanks. i just can't help it.

for next year.

2011-12-31T22:48:00.005-05:00

also, can i just live in a west elm christmas? look at these unbelievable pictures. i want to buy/make/and yeah... just basically live in. seriously.
felty white snowflakes & natural tree/bark/woodsy stuff... massive inspiration for next year! note taken.

a diy target christmas.

2011-12-30T14:58:00.009-05:00

i swear there must be somebody at target headquarters that reads all the handmade blogs. ok, probably lots of somebodies. in the design department. every year, loads of their ornaments have quite a handmade feel to them... which means, rather than blowing my [non-existent] budget in the 50% off rack on the day after christmas sales, cheap diy-ers like myself will instead file the ideas away in our mental i could make that files.

[i guess i should get a clue when one of the collections of ornaments was unabashedly called "contemporary craft" right?]

i mean, look how easy! sorry for the terrible photos, i was using my cellphone & hoping the store staff didn't call security on me. & because i like things extra ~~lazy~~ easy, click the words themselves for links to supplies & tutorials to make something similar!

salt dough + cookie cutter + white paint + glitter
[similar tutorial]:

paper mache star + wool roving
[similar tutorial]:

styrofoam ball + yarn:

toilet paper roll + silver paint + glitter spray
[this one was metal, but i think you could make something very similar with a little time & this tutorial for the basic idea! maybe a similar metal one could me made with a coke can & tin snips?]

felt circles + yarn/twine/a pipe cleaner
[similar tutorial]:

& lastly, the one i actually almost made this year as stocking mongrams or gift tie-ons, because they reminded me so much of the ornaments from anthropologie i liked so much 2 years ago!
these i think would be super simple... cut a letter out of cardboard [like a cereal box], hot glue a sweater scrap across the front & around the edges, & back it in felt:
maybe i need to make these now in order to actually have them finished by next year? i think so.

handmade christmas gifts!

2011-12-28T08:57:00.001-05:00

i guess since it's the day after christmas it's safe to share the gifts i made this year without ruining any surprises! i swear every year i'm going to start christmas crafting in october... now with 2 kids, if i want to make handmade gifts as well, it might be more like august!

i like to mix handmade things with store bought accessories to put together a unique gift. for my dad's wife who loves tea & is very cold natured, i saw this tea infuser at the grocery store & knew it would be perfect! i added some organic mint tea & then made these sweet little rice handwarmers to go with them. they are basically a beanbag with rice inside [super easy to make! 2 squares of cotton with a scoop of rice inside.] i used a mix of cotton and a sweater scrap left over from a pillow i made to make them look a little more special.
i made little 'handmade by' tags for everything, & for the handwarmers i added a little note explaining that if you microwave them for 30 seconds, you have a cozy little warmer to slip in your pockets or put on an ache or pain.
the little girls in our family are some of the cutest in the world, i swear. i decided they all [including K] needed some matching hairbows! it was the perfect excuse to try out some felt giftwrap type bows & a little ribbon christmas tree.
with simple packaging on a paint swatch card, also stamped with the 'handmade by' stamp. [the smaller one on the left is for my baby niece due in may! whoo hoo!]
i love how the little ribbon loop trees turned out!

the ones i'm most excited about are these photo wall art frame thingys! i saw the idea thanks to the shanty to chic ladies, & knew it would be perfect for several people on my list! it's a really lovely personalized gift but inexpensive enough that you could make dozens of them.

i followed their tutorial pretty exactly, but here are some details: the wood was one 1x10 from home depot & i had it cut into 2 lengths, a 42" length to fit my sister in law's last name, & a shorter 18" i made into say "joy" in christmas colors! there's a short little square-ish piece left over that could make a cute single-letter monogram. home depot makes the first 2 cuts of your board for free, so for about $8 the one board made 3 gifts!
the picture frames are from the dollar tree, and the red frames are spray painted rustoleum's colonial red, a deep rich perfect christmas red. you can print any letters you'd like from this generous flickr site, and the beautiful "joy" photos are a free download from craftily ever after!
i added some picture hangers on the back, and ta-da! easy, gorgeous christmas gift. i'm so thrilled to give this one away!

i am still dreaming of someday making all the presents one christmas... but we'll see if that ever happens!

i did it.

2011-12-25T23:58:00.001-05:00

i finished the stockings on time.
they were a near tragedy the first year i started them. then last year, big pregnant with my little boy, i stayed up almost all night to finish every body but the baby's.
this year, they're done. the whole family. and it feels so good. & i didn't even have to sit in a cold basement sewing them. i seriously had a little moment seeing them all in a row, thinking about how much our family has grown in 7 little years.
we are so blessed.

merry christmas!

[ps- this last little stocking was loosely inspired by alicia paulson's monogrammed stocking. i just loved that little classic toe & heel detail!]

no-budget christmas decor: popsicle sticks!

2011-12-23T20:08:00.001-05:00

popsicle stick crafts bring to mind kindergarten camp crafts, don't they? but i think they get a bad rap. they're pretty ingenious & versatile little things. case in point: this adorable little winter sled ornament that my husband made in sunday school in... wait for it... 1986.
[i love that someone thought to write the year on it- he was 5, i would be 3.]

cute right? and has clearly endured the test of time despite being made out of literally nothing more than popsicle sticks & what looks like some hot glue.

there's actually a lot to like about popsicle sticks: their woodenness. their paint-ibility. their wood stain-ibility. the fact that they come in every size from tiny almost-appetizer-mini-stick to giant tongue depressors. and most of all? they are dirt cheap. and so they definitely are on my list this year of no-budget christmas crafts.

i'm going to church them up & start calling them crafts sticks so i can stop picturing the sticky, slobbery mess that is a popsicle stick after my 3 year old eating a popsicle.
so i picked up a pack of large ones [ for $2.50 at wal-mart], medium sized ones [150 for $1 at the dollar tree, & i had some mini ones on hand from a nativity project last year. ]
i saw so many of the cutest ideas on pinterest... little christmas trees, angels, snowmen, & mangers for the nativity. i settled on making some little angels as ornaments/gift toppers for the angel-loving ladies in my life. they turned out so cute i made an extra one for myself & one to hang on my neighbor's door with a snowflake cookie!
i used one of my daughter's toy tinkerbells to trace the wing shape onto cardboard [a fruit snacks box] & then used a glue stick to cover it with book pages & hymn music pages. then i painted the sticks to use for her dress, cut her arms & legs to size [half a mini stick] & hot glued it all together! i used a little 1" flat wooden circle for her head, & a little squirt of glitter glue for her halo.
the first one turned out a little big, so i ended up cutting the large sticks in half to make shorter, fatter angels! the stars are from a pack of glitter foam stickers that i found at walmart with the craft sticks, although if i make these again i'd use a wooden shape.
i love these because there's so many ways you could do them! they're like little paper dolls when you're putting them together. the little ballet-flat feet are totally my favorite part:

other no-budget christmas decor ideas:

paper star tree topper

framed letters

paper snowflakes

candy canes

jute & ruffle wreath

pinterest inspired christmas cookies!

2011-12-21T08:42:00.001-05:00

i didn't make nearly as many cookies or as much of a variety this year, mostly because the four of us have been sick for at least 2 weeks, & well... i am also completely untrustworthy to be left in a house alone with a plate of cookies.

but it just didn't seem quite right not to make any at all, & when i saw a christmas variation on the classic hershey-kisses-stuck-in-a-peanut-butter-ball, i really wanted to try them!

i looked for the candy cane hershey kisses everywhere, finally found them at cvs of all places, & now they are a new favorite. these ended up being the perfect cookie for K to help with- she unwrapped the kisses, rolled the dough balls in the sprinkles, & then put the kisses in the cookies when they were fresh out of the oven. i didn't take a picture until there were only these last little stragglers left, so they're not the prettiest. but they tasted great!
inspired by these

the roll-out kind i did after the kiddos had gone to bed. here are my secret weapons when it comes to cookie making: betty crocker cookie pouches [cheap, super easy, & ridiculously delicious. handmade without all the measuring!] & my new cookie/cupcake decorating set that has these great icing squeezers:
they make it insanely easy to use icing tips to make fancy icing! easy, fun & mess free. seriously, has me written all over it.

then i also made little stars stacked into trees:
inspired by these

and some lovely white on white snowflakes
inspired by these.

hubs & i were both craving egg nog in a mad crazy way, so we picked some up on the way home from last-minute christmas shopping & i set up a little cookies'n'eggnog tray for us to munch on while we wrapped presents by the tree. new tradition, i think.

no budget christmas decor: star tree topper!

2011-12-20T09:37:00.001-05:00

never underestimate the power of cardstock to make something cool out of basically nothing. or scrapbooking paper to add a pretty print on the cheap. or modge podge to add a little strength to your paper-made thing & a shiny finish to make it look, well, not so on the cheap!

my favorite tree topper from target broke last year, so i was on the lookout for something quick & easy to replace it with this year. this project did take a little time, but it was easy & completely free! i found a lovely free printable template thanks to pretty & cozy that i decided was definitely worth a try, & came together so nicely i decided to fancy it up with some book pages & modge podge. i LOVE how it turned out!

i printed the template on cardstock, cut it out & hot glued it together per the tutorial. then i added a dollar tree party hat as the cone that keeps it on the tree. here's how it looked all glued together:
& here's how it looked a hundred years later [not really, but man it did feel like it took awhile!] when i finally got it all decoupaged... i glue stick-ed some green construction paper onto the cone so it would blend into the tree. that was a quick fix since family was coming over to dinner that night, but i felt like it was a little lackluster on the tree.
and, you know, crooked. gotta fix that.

i'm crazy about how the book pages look, but i do admit it seems like a star tree topper should be a tad more sparkly... even my hubby asked if i could add some glitter to it. keep in mind, if my manly-man glitter-hating hubby says it needs more sparkle, it needs more sparkle.
so back to the ever-trusty dollar tree for some tinsel garland [9 feet for a buck. yay!] & i glued it around the edge of the star. i also added little leaf shapes cut from dark green felt so that the base blended more into the tree. totally, completely LOVE.
yet again, my amazing hubs was right. now i just have to figure out how to store it for next year without it getting completely squished. any ideas?

christmas tour 2011!

2011-12-19T21:27:00.001-05:00

i really love christmas decorating. i also really love christmas crafting. so any chance i get to integrate the two into handmade christmas decorations, i get a little tingly inside. i get super sentimental warm & fuzzies when i pull out our collection of ornaments & decorations & it's almost like a puzzle, a personal challenge, to use the same things in new ways.

so, welcome to our home! imagine it's evening- you're coming over for coffee & there's a big plate of christmas cookies waiting for us heaped high with red & green icing...
we have lights on the front porch this year & they make me so happy. my kiddo sits & watches through the long windows on either side of our door for them to turn on. the big, sparkly clear snowflakes were a dollar tree find this year, & i'm tempted to go back & buy about 50 of them & go all anthropologie on my chandelier next year.
i like for there to be little reminders of the season in every room. little peeks of red & white are hiding in secret little places [& the edible ones are high up on a shelf like this one out of self-preservation from my very sneaky 3 year old.]
my decor isn't fancy, is often free & there aren't any magazines coming to photo it anytime soon. but it's friendly & warm, & being tucked in the back of our town homes gives it a cozy glow when the sun goes down. [that's my optimistic way of saying there's not a single ray of sunlight for photo-taking after about 3:30 pm.]

the stockings are hung by the erm, sofa with care... our tv is above the mantle & they just look so much more festive in here.
i made these stockings last year & it was an epic undertaking... this is the first time i'm seeing all 5 of them hanging together [there's one for the dog. no babies baking at present!] & it makes me so happy thinking how much our family has grown. if our house was on fire & all the living things were safe, i'd be clutching these stockings while escaping the flames.

seriously. hand-stitched.

we've had the same artificial pre-lit tree for the past 6 or so years now, almost as long as we've been married. i miss the smell of having a real one quite a bit, but this one just makes us laugh. it comes apart into 3 pieces & is basically a member of the family now. this year, between a new crawler, afore-mentioned pesky toddler, & one dog [the best behaved of the bunch when it comes to the tree] the presents are safely tucked upstairs rather than under the tree.
we moved our furniture around & ended up with a dining room with completely empty walls. so in addition to decorating we've been hanging mirrors & picture frames this week too.
a pool swim noodle & some jute ribbon were my wreath ingredients of choice this year. i finished it in one afternoon, immediately hung it on the big white mirror for some color, & i think it might be my favorite wreath i've ever made! [here's a tutorial i did explaining the pool noodle thing.]
i did a fun red & white 'tablescape' for a family dinner this week. the glass ball ornaments are always on clearance after christmas & the big glass vases are also dollar tree. i was super excited to find the red chargers for .98 cents each at wal-mart in the perfect shiny red. i figure when they get worn & scratched up looking, i'll hit them with a little krylon glitter spray & they'll be like new!
i lost my mantle to the big screen a few months ago, but my big candlesticks are still my go-to spot for decor each season. the unpaintable pumpkins in october gave way to my little forest of simple christmas trees:
they're made from dollar tree party cone hats [a pack of 8 for $1 which means if you have some ribbon or felt on hand you can make 8 little trees for just a buck! that gets me excited. the biggest one on the left is actually crocheted.
each one is covered in scraps of different stuff... ribbon strips cut with pinking shears, felt circles, and wrapped in yarn. easy peasy & completely cute! they're one of my favorite things to unpack and find a place for each year.

thank you so much for visiting my little space here. i hope you'll visit back often for fun things like a few tutorials & this year's the no-budget christmas decor series!

my family & i wish you the merriest of seasons as we celebrate our savior's birth & the abundant life we live in him. merry christmas!
[yes, even oh, deer gets in on the merriment. although, he did tell me he misses his red scarf from last year.]

no-budget christmas decor! framed letters.

2011-12-16T10:56:00.001-05:00

remember these large & cheap frames i found at goodwill a while back? [& by cheap i mean cheap. 11x14ish frames for $1.50 each!]
i originally planned to use 4 of them to hang silhouettes cut from paper, one for each member of our family. i did a little distressing to the white frames with sandpaper, and glued down a mix of book pages, french pages & old hyms directly onto the cardboard backing [super easy with spray adhesive!].
i stuck the ill-fated silhouettes directly on the book pages as the background. the silhouettes of the kids turned out absolutely adorable, but the ones of hubs & i were, well, let's just say less than flattering.

on to plan b: i cut out some letters from red scrapbooking paper to spell 'noel.'
the contrast is great & i absolutely love how the frames, well, frame the large mirror! fills up a lot of empty dining room wall space in a lovely, inexpensive way.
and when christmas is over, any 4 letter word will work! (haha). i'm thinking 'home' or even 'love' for around valentine's.

have you framed anything a little unexpected recently?

here are the other no-budget christmas decor ideas:

paper snowflakes

candy canes

jute & ruffle wreath

no-budget christmas decor! jute & ruffle wreath.

2011-12-15T23:08:00.002-05:00

i wasn't sure what exactly to call this wreath, since it kinda has a lot going on... jute, burlap, felt, ruffles [some of my favorite things!].
but really, the thing i'll always remember most about this wreath is that it is made out of a pool swim noodle.

you know, one of these?
crazy, right? this is what i used... 1 pool swim noodle, 2 rolls of red-stripe jute ribbon & 2 sheets of red felt. i had the noodle & the felt on hand [don't tell my daughter i chopped up & crafted her noodle!] oh, and also a bit of duct or masking tape [not pictured]. i did spend $2.50 on each roll of jute, so it's not entirely no-budget.
trim your noodle down if it's too long to bend into a wreath shape. i trimmed about 6 inches off mine, which is really easy to do with a bread knife [very similar to cutting styrofoam]. when your noodle is the length you want, bend it into a circle & secure it with the tape. tape it down nice & tight! you don't want your wreath popping open later...
the tape spot is a perfect place to start hot gluing the jute ribbon. you don't want to glue it straight to the noodle because it will melt! glue the end of the jute ribbon to the tape & then wrap the jute until it covers the wreath.
even with 2 spools of ribbon, i had a little spot where they didn't meet. i just wrapped an extra strip of felt around it & then that's where the felt ruffle will go.

take the 2 sheets of felt & cut one sheet into 2 pieces so that you have 3 graduated strips from small to large. i totally eye-balled it, & you can trim them up until they look how you want them to!
sew a gathering stitch or do a cheater squish-ruffle through the middle of each strip of felt. now you should have 3 long ruffles! make sure they're long enough to wrap around the fatness of your wreath. adjust the length of the ruffle if necessary.
glue them around your wreath one at a time, stacking them from large to small. i just did one strip of hot glue right along the stitched line on the bottom & then wrapped it around the wreath.
this is what the back of the ruffle looks like- i ended up gluing a little rectangle of felt to cover the edges to secure them & also in case the back shows since i knew i wanted to hang it on a mirror.
i immediately hung it with a bit of another type of jute ribbon from the back of the mirror. i absolutely love love love how it looks.
it took about 2 hours, which translates to 45 minutes if you subtract child distractions & photographing the steps. i also wrapped & re-wrapped the jute about 4 or 5 times trying to make absolutely sure the 2 spools would cover enough of it that i wouldn't have to go buy another one just to finish it! the whole thing is light as a feather & cost all of $5!

here are the other no-budget christmas decor ideas:

paper snowflakes

candy canes

no-budget christmas decor! candy canes.

2011-12-13T13:47:00.001-05:00

to me, nothing beats red & white for christmas. it's just so classic, and so clean & graphic & typifies the season. more specifically... a candy cane. when you see a candy cane, you just can't help but think christmas!
i love cheap decorating with candy canes. i bought 3 boxes at wal-mart, 98 cents each for 12 candy canes. [i love bob's brand because they're just the right shape, color, and mintiness, if you decide to eat them after decorating!]

there's only one rule when it comes to decorating with candy canes... when in doubt, keep adding more. eventually there will be enough to make it look more like you did it on purpose & not like your toddler has been stashing them about the house.

really, you can do no wrong. mason jar + candy cane = insta-christmas-y & cute!
i originally wanted to make a bajillion paper snowflakes & hang them with candy canes until they obliterated the boring-builder light fixture in our dining room. unfortunately, the thing hangs so low that the face-smacking risk was high, so instead i stuck them in the hanging chain until i felt it was sufficiently covered. again, not crafty rocket science, but a little cute & colorful for a light fixture that i'm trying to ignore how much i dislike it.

boring light fixture:
light fixture with a little christmas spirit!
other fun things to do with candy canes: glue them around your candles or a wreath, or just set them in a vase.
all of the above also goes for little round peppermints: throw them in a bowl with some ornaments as a quick centerpiece
you could even use your friend the humble candy cane to make a gift! here's an idea. the dollar tree has some very plain, simple glass hurricanes/vases in the perfect height and shape for using with candy canes! all it takes is one vase, candy canes, hot glue, & a bit of ribbon.

just set the glass level on the table so that the candy canes are all even- you want it to still sit flat even with the candy canes around the bottom. then gently glue them hook-side down with a long strip of hot glue.
glue them all the way around, spacing carefully, until your vase is covered.
add a bit of ribbon & you're ready to use it as a centerpiece or give it as a gift to your favorite hostess-y homemaker! this one cost me all of about $4 to make, including putting a candle in it.
you could give it with a candle in it, or even some pretty red flowers. i've also seen it done with the hooks pointing upwards like this:

here's the full list of no-budget christmas decor ideas so far:

paper snowflakes

no-budget christmas decor! paper snowflakes.

2011-12-12T21:38:00.006-05:00

if my budget for christmas crafting/decorating was next-to-nothing last year, i must admit it is literally nothing this year. this year, unlike any we've had before, is a use-what-you-have, really get creative, necessity is the mother of invention kind of year when it comes down to it. we've got tons of blessings to be thankful for, but extra cash for decorations just isn't the priority, you know?

so allow me to introduce a mini-series of sorts, if you will... the no-budget christmas crafts series! my next few posts will be all about how to make a few fun things basically for free, a few special additions to your tried & true traditional christmas decorations.

today's craft was a bit of an afterthought. we were cleaning/sorting/rearranging our desk area & the hubs handed me a couple of sheets of plain white printer paper. instead of putting it away with its kind, i quickly stuck it in my 3 year old's stash of paper that she's allowed to create upon. she's totally obsessed with scissors right now, and when i sat to play "cutting" with her, i thought some paper snowflakes might be nice!
i attempted one of these cute ones from life is sweet [found via pinterest, i believe?], but really all i did was fold them up & cut cut cut. really, you can do no wrong. i started with different sizes of paper so i'd have a couple different sized snowflakes. here was my favorite bigger one:
and my favorite little one:
here's where we decided they needed to live, on top my ballard-inspired corkboard above the desk. [i have a tutorial coming soon for that corkboard, it's just not quite done yet! can you see the spots where the nailhead trim is missing? hopefully the snowflakes have strategically covered them.]
they were so pretty & such an instant-gratification craft, i ended up making a couple more. and i'm already brewing ideas on how to store them away & save them for next year. try to fold them back up? glue them to some sort of cardboard backing?
all these took was some plain white paper & scissors. if you have those on hand, then they're completely free! i'm thinking now they might need some book page snowflake friends?

craft & bake 2011!

2011-11-10T09:27:00.013-05:00

the one thing i forgot to bring in all my packing up for the show was my camera! so all i've got are these terrible little camera phone photos. it was such a bummer because i was pretty happy with my set-up this year. i guess it's better than nothing, right?
i decided to only do 1 show this year, & it was a no-brainer to go with craft & bake. it was a huge success last year & because it's geared towards students and their wives at our local college, it's super affordable to participate! with how much effort & work preparing for a craft show is with 2 kiddos underfoot, i've really been evaluating whether or not to continue doing craft shows at all in this season of life, & how my craft business fits into our family life (i never want it to become the other way around!).
i debuted almost all-new product, & so as a result my set-up was somewhat new if for no other reason than i had never displayed some of these products before! here are some of my thoughts & tips from this show:

invest in a workhorse display piece.

your display does not have to be expensive or fancy, in fact, i think some of the most simple displays are the most beautiful that allow the focus to stay on your lovely product. however, i've learned a few things by trial & error as i've 'graduated' from just laying everything flat on a tablecloth to trying to make it a nice display. one of the first displays i made was an old window [$20 at a flea market] attached with brackets to a piece of shelf board [$10ish at home depot]. it's a bit of a beast to carry around & fit in my car, but it is a great neutral backdrop that adds something visually interesting to my table. it's unique, but also can display a very wide variety of different products!
here's the post about how i made it. i've used it at almost every show i've done. these pictures show a bit of the progression of my display set-up [& products!]:
i store it on top of a bookshelf in my house until it's needed for a show- most things i use for display work double-duty decorating my home in their off time! if you're looking for fun display ideas, pinterest has so much inspiration your head will explode.

2. have a command central.

ie: a little space where you can keep your show essentials handy but hidden from your overall display. mine is this little crate [the $10 kind from michael's, although a weather-worn vintage one would be fantastic too if that fits your booth 'look'] spray painted green. it also pulls double-duty as part of my display, but is a perfect, secure, hidden spot to tuck my cashbox, calculator, & diet coke.

3. bring a few unexpecteds.

there are tons of great lists all over the internets about what to bring with you to a craft show, how to prepare, etc. but i will say that besides just the extra price tags & such it's really helpful to have some scissors, a roll of cute ribbon, & something that attaches quickly & easily like a clothespin. i can't tell you how many times these items have come through for me in a pinch! an example from this show: i totally forgot that i was supposed to provide a wrapped up item as a door prize. well, i picked out one of my bangles to use, but thought i had nothing to wrap it with... i put it in one of my shopping bags [brown paper lunch bag] folded it over, clothespinned it shut with a mini extra clothespin & fashioned a quick bow from my little emergency ribbon spool.
a few extra business cards inside the bag & one clipped to the bag later... not too shabby! [sidenote: whenever i include a business card in a package, i always make it 2 or 3 so that if the person likes my stuff they can keep one card & give 1 or 2 away! just a quick way to hopefully help word-of-mouth work for you.]

and just a few more notes about shows in general:

-if the table right next to you has a similar product, don't panic. people are going to like whatever they like, & attitude is everything. if you're happy with your product, you will represent it the best you can & leave the decision to the shopper. just place the item that is the most similar on the opposite end of your table from the other seller to create some visual distance. i bet no one will even notice that the items are similar!

-the economy is really, really tough right now. don't be discouraged if people seem to love your stuff but no one is buying. think of all the times you've gone to a craft show & wanted to buy someone's entire table but had to pick only 1 thing from the entire show instead. be gracious to the folks who ask for a discount on your $6 item because it's the last hour of the show, & the folks who inspect an item thoroughly while asking questions with the clear intent to go home & try to make their own. these things happen!

-always try to remember to take a photo of your whole booth all set-up. it helps you remember the set-up if you liked it & gives you big-picture perspective on some of the details you might need to change in the future- for example, i can see clearly from my photos above that i need a longer floor length tablecloth! also, larger juried shows sometimes require a photo of your set-up as part of the application process.

-always try to buy at least one thing from a fellow seller, even if only a cupcake pop as a 2pm pick me up [which i totally did. delish!]. show your support for the show & for local small business. walk around & talk to the other sellers, it's such a great way to make new friends & network!

two more photos: yay! i'm working on getting some of these new products into my etsy shop in the new year!

upcoming show!

2011-11-03T18:42:00.008-04:00

i've been a bit under the radar as usual when a craft show is approaching... craft & bake 2011 is this weekend & i've been swamped trying to get everything together! i have lots of new products i've never shown before, which is great & exciting (!!!) but thaat means i'm almost starting from scratch planning & executing an all-new table layout. pinterest has been a huge help of course & i'm so excited to see it all come together on saturday!

you can tell from my recent tweets that some hardcore crafting prep has been underway:

i'll spare you any more slightly-frightening-projects-in-progress photos, except for my dining room table piling up with finished lovelies, all ready to go!

pinteresting: paint stick letters!

2011-10-13T17:31:00.002-04:00

prepare yourself for the cutest, cheapest craft in the history of ever.

i was really thrilled when i pinned this cute paint stick letter on pinterest:
i wanted something big, dramatic & monogram-y for above finn's crib. i'd considered getting the ginormous paper letters from joann's, but couldn't quite talk myself into spending even the fairly reasonable $30 for the 3 of them. so when i realized i could make big letters without tons of decoupaging & with supplies i mostly already had, i jumped on it!

big adorable handmade decor for next to nothing? you're speaking my love language.

all you need are craft paint, a few paint sticks ( i never leave home depot without a handful, even if i'm not painting) & some small, very inexpensive bolts with nuts to 'close' them. you can see in the second one what kind of bolts i used.
[edited to note: home depot's paint sticks are WAY better than lowe's. they look like real wood, whereas lowe's looks like pressed plywood. i found this out the hard way after getting about 5 bajillion of them from lowe's for another project & wishing i'd gotten them all from home depot instead.]

i didn't take many photos in progress on this one, but it's seriously easy. all i did was trim off the curved part of the paint sticks [i scored both sides with a kitchen steak knife & then gently snapped it apart], sanded the edges just a touch & laid them out to form the letters. you can trim them a little shorter depending on your letter.
then i just painted them with craft paint & used a little brown ink pad and sandpaper to distress them a bit. i marked where i wanted the bolts, drilled a little hole (very gently!), stacked them up & bolted it all together!
the best part is they're seriously light as a feather, so super easy to hang. i just hot glued a picture frame bar on the back & i think it will hold fine.

i loved it so much, i'm making a second one for over the boy's crib... i'm going to do a fun little monogram thing but i'm waiting on one more part to get here so i can finish it. can't wait to 'reveal' the whole nursery!

the letters took me literally about 15 minutes. i think they'd look equally good spelling out something cool on a playroom wall, or a single letter on a mantel, or anywhere else you need a little typography goodness in your decor! is there anywhere you want to get a little (big!) wordy?

the almost unpaintable pumpkins.

2011-10-11T08:36:00.003-04:00

it's finally october, and that means it's time to pull out all the pumpkin decor! here's my pumpkin project for this year:

dollar tree pumpkins before:
and after!
do you totally love the feeling of tackling a project you've had bookmarked/pinned since forEVER ago? i really, really do. in fact, i had this idea bookmarked back before there was a pinterest. [at least before i stumbled upon it.] the shanty 2 chic blog was where i first discovered the illustrious combo of heirloom white spray paint + ralph lauren smoke glaze... or as they put it, 'shanty-ing' something up.

so, i had added their 'shantied' pumpkins to my to-make list about 100.5 years ago, calling them 'white twine pumpkins.' and today, i finally made them!

first, i found these little beauties at the dollar tree. carvable, sure, but apparently the dollar tree should market whatever material these pumpkins are made of to nasa or something as they are almost completly impervious to paint. [don't know why nasa would need anything nearly completely un-paintable, but you know what i mean.]
i'll explain:
first i painted them with gesso, an art canvas primer that i really like any time i'm not sure a surface will accept paint [ie: if i think it will either slide right off or soak right up to where it takes a million coats to cover it.] well, it was a new brand of gesso i'd never used before, and i wasn't impressed. it was basically no different than plain old white paint.

so i went for spray paint, but the nozzle on my heirloom white clogged up or something, as my brand-new can suddenly refused to spray. at all. no matter what i did. grrr.

so i went for just plain cheap white spray paint. and after spraying continuously for about 10 minutes with nearly no color change i stopped and busted out the big guns... kilz. brushed on. primer of all primers. and unbelievably, even that barely provided much coverage.

[i decided to spare you the photos of all these frustrating in-progress painting attempts. i'll just leave it to the before and after as though it was the sweet & simple little project it was supposed to be!]

but i still didn't want them shiny-white, so i pulled out some off-white craft paint & glopped it on nice & thick with a sponge brush. success! there was still the tiniest whisper of that bright orange showing through, but i didn't worry since i knew the glaze would darken it up quite a bit.

so i brushed on & wiped off the glaze & was finally feeling hopeful that they might actually look like i wanted them to when all was said and done! but i did coat them with several very generous hits of clear-coat sealing spray. i did not want all that paint flaking off to that oh-so-lovely fake orange. then it was just a matter of glue gun gluing a little twine on them! & finally, they looked how i wanted them too!
& here's the detail of how i wrapped the stem, although the sun setting makes the pumpkins look a little bluish.
so... $2 dollar tree pumpkins & $534 in paint [not really, just felt like it] & a little twine later... cute mantle place pumpkins that look really cute with my grapevine pumpkins from target a few years ago. and they've found a happy home on my newly thrifted & spray painted candlesticks.
yay! bring on the cardigans and lattes, i'm ready for fall!

pinteresting: thrifty candlesticks!

2011-10-10T09:07:00.009-04:00

so, i know spray painting a candlestick from goodwill is not exactly craft-blog rocket science. but i thought i'd share what a difference a spray makes... i'm so in love with the power of spray paint to transform almost anything, especially the power to make old junk into something beautiful and new!

it started [of course] with an inspiration photo from pinterest:
[by the way, the original pin was just the picture, no website source. i found it later on a blog but forgot which one. if you know/are the original source, please leave a comment to let me know so i can give credit! thanks!]

i loved the green/cream/black mix and was looking for something for my super-boring mantle. now that we're storing the t.v. in the cut out above the fireplace, i've lost my mantle as my seasonal decor spot. i thought some tall candlesticks like these would add some color & drama on each side of the t.v.

i saw lots of cool diy ideas, including making some out of lovely table legs or stair spindles [which i may still have to do to get the third pair tall enough] but my budget was, as usual, next to nothing. crafting on a dime, here, literally!

i first found these golden wonders for free at the student share shop & thought they had great shape! but of course the glittery gold had to go. i picked up a can of a lovely shade of green [eden by rustoleum- been using it everywhere!] & ta da!
then the hunt was on for 2 more pairs in increasing heights right off the bat i found some lovely brown ones at goodwill! i had intended to paint anything i found, but the brown color of these was great! the only problem was they were small at the top for tapers [complete with yucky wax residue of all random colors!] not exactly the look i was going for!
but the price was right:
[sidenote: i'd love to find out one day what the pricing rules/strategy is at goodwill. is it up to each salesperson who sorts it to slap a price on there? or is there a big chart in the back or something?]

so i glued on 2 of these wooden rounds from michael's & stained them brown with minwax dark walnut... & they match almost perfectly! i can see the difference, of course, but not enough that it bothers me.
pretty darn close! and i'm so happy with how they look together, nice and balanced on each side of my mantle:

i'm still on the lookout for a third set that i'd like to be the tallest that i'm thinking of painting a distressed white [the ever-favorite heirloom white probably!]. those are the ones i may have to use a little table leg or stair spindle for.

so... before:
& after... not to shabby for around $6 right? yay!

pinteresting: bucket storage!

2011-09-16T15:58:00.020-04:00

i pinned this photo on pinterest because i thought the little bucket configuration was really cute- especially for like a back door/porch organizer of summer stuff or outdoor toys like sunscreen, shovels, water guns etc.
(originally from apartment therapy, i believe)

then i saw these little pink buckets in the $1 at target & an idea was born for a smaller, table-top version, for storing all my little girl's tiny hairbrushes & accessories that get lost in her bigger toy boxes. i wondered if they even made pink zip ties & then lucked out found the colorful package of them at dollar tree right away!
they're the perfect shade of pink. & if your buckets have little handles, you don't have to drill holes! makes it an even easier & quicker project. just zip tie them all together & then trim the ends!
it looks super cute in her room, and even ended up being just the right size for diapers or pull-ups (which she is only wearing at night now, praise the Lord!).
you can leave it on its side like this, or turn it with the buckets flat. here's another fun, summery way you could use it:
super cute, super easy, super quick project, all for only $4! love it!

supplies!

2011-09-10T18:57:00.002-04:00

$20 at the hardware store gets me excited about life. i love the thrill of fresh supplies... new projects are coming soon!

something lovely this way comes...

2011-09-08T09:59:00.002-04:00

you can always tell when a craft show is approaching in this house... my kitchen counters start to look like this:
thankfully, my family is always super patient and gracious with me... and by family, i really mean my amazing husband who must be constantly biting his tongue when there is about a one inch square space of countertop left on which to make a sandwich, etc.

love him.

but i'm proud of myself for trying to really plan ahead this time [like, 2 months ahead of time!] so as to avoid the major stress of trying to build up inventory the week of a show. and after a couple late nights of painting, i have a nice little stack of nearly-finished hairbow holders & more in progress! yay!
& my sweet family can rest assured, knowing that come november 5th when sebts craft & bake is over, the house will get back to what passes for normal around there!

diy in strange places.

2011-09-07T18:27:00.002-04:00

i'd love to peek in on the meetings where they decide how to decorate places like anthropologie & starbucks. anthro is well-known for their super-interesting store displays, & i've seen some really interesting coffee-inspired & repurposed elements in our local starbucks. right now they have a really cool painting that looks like it was painted in coffee grounds, & once i saw what looked like a canvas decoupaged with used coffee filters- sounds odd, but they looked like really cool coffee-dyed ruffly circles, almost doily-like.

when i stopped by for a recent iced coffee [my almost-daily summer staple] i saw two new cool things i really liked & thought would be cool even in a home rather than a coffee shop. [please excuse the creepy stalker-like cellphone photos.]

the first was a configuration of what looked like canvases [or wood or cardboard or something!] covered in burlap coffee bags. i love the look of the bags' printing showing up randomly, and i think this could be cool if you stretched the burlap around pieces of cork for a unique corkboard, especially in a home office! i like the extra-large scale of it too- it fills the space so nicely!
[sidenote: does it bother you when people sit in coffee places with their feet up like they own the place? like they're at home chillin' in their bathrobe or something. feels a little unsanitary to me for some reason.]

the second was a chalkboard wall- nothing to new or exciting there, but i thought the way they had sectioned it off with pieces of wood almost like a chair rail was creative. you could even use white moulding for a really nice finished look.
sorry, random dude in starbucks. didn't mean to take a stalker-esque photo of you! just goes to show, you never know where you'll find crafty decorating inspiration!

pinteresting: pom poms!

2011-07-26T08:50:00.002-04:00

like many of my fellow crafty folk, i've completely fallen for pinterest. i think it's completely genius, and it has become my go-to for all sorts of craft ideas, home decorating, party ideas, and even recipes! i check it more than i do twitter or facebook. love it.

i'm sure you've heard the saying "those who can't do, teach" & if you've seen the movie the wedding planner, "those who can't wed, plan!" well, i think it turns out that a new saying has taken hold in my life:

those who can't craft, pin!

having a second child [and a dog who is so needy she might as well be a third child] has taken even more of a crunch out of my crafting time, and more significantly, energy than i'd even expected! something always has to give. if i get something crafty done, it almost always means the house is a wreck & we had goldfish crackers & fruit snacks for dinner.

after several weeks of super early mornings with my big girl who just moved into her new big girl room & bed, i've decided it's time to invest in light-blocking curtains for her room. seeing as how many of the ones out there are ugly/boring/expensive, & how i have a difficult time choosing/committing to such a large & potentially statement making element to a room- i was having a hard time. then i remembered this image sitting in my 'pretty to make' pinboard:
pom pom trim on curtains! so i've decided to try to find simple white black out curtains, and then add some fun pom pom trim to customize them to the room & make them comparable to this super expensive anthropologie set:
i'm always amazed at how much anthro stuff costs in comparison to how simple they really are! then i started thinking about all the lovely fun things you could do with pom pom trim! pretty much anything with an edge can be made cuter- bath towels, kitchen towels, pillows, tablecloths, blankets & quilts! you can even add it with iron-on tape if you're the no-sew type! these are my favorites that i'll definitely be doing in the near future!
i even found a really fun way to try out making my own little pom poms [that i wish i'd known about back when i made my pom pom wreath]:
i can't wait to get busy pom pom-ifying everything! pinterest is the best! you can find all the original sources for these photos on pinterest.com... many of them include instructions or tutorials to make your own!

new things to come!

2011-07-21T20:52:00.001-04:00

i teased you with a little sneak peek several weeks ago of several new things i've been working on... slowly but surely i am trying to get a leaf & letter etsy shop up and running, and trying to be super pre-prepared for my favorite craft show coming up in november. here is another peek into a few things that are almost finished!
crafty time is few & far between these days, but when i do have time to work on things, it is so fun! i got several of these fun wrapped bangles almost done last night after the babies were in bed. i'm excited and can't wait to get all this good stuff finished & into a shop!

latest custom bib!

2011-07-19T08:46:00.005-04:00

at the end of june we were invited to a first birthday party for our sweet friend baby stella. her mommy mentioned that she was into "anything hawaiian" after their recent trip to visit family, so i thought a hawaiian-inspired lei flower bib would be just the thing!
all the teeny stems were a little difficult to stitch [and didn't show up super well] but the bright pink couldn't be more perfect for a sweet & fun little big girl like baby stella. we didn't get a picture of her wearing the bib, but here she is enjoying our little back porch pool with my crew:
yay for birthday bibs!

what we made today...

2011-06-11T20:43:00.001-04:00

don't you love how i said that so optimistically, as though we make something every day? hah!

this evening as i pulled some play dough out of the cabinet ~~for kenna to play with~~ to distract kenna as i cooked supper, i thought about her how i had tried to imprint her tiny little feet in clay when she was just about finn's age. i had bought a little kit from babies 'r' us & was pretty disappointed at how difficult the clay was to work with... not like play dough which is so soft & squishy. [not to mention that little infant hands & feet love to stay all balled up instead of nice & flat for imprinting- very hard to maneuver by just one person!}
then i thought about the little dried up play dough chunklets i had cleaned up from under her craft table where they had dried overnight...

hmmn.

so i hijacked the bright pink & blue & mixed them each 50/50 with some white to make a more baby pink & blue. i rolled it out flat between wax paper & then stepped finn's little foot right into it. after realizing my big grown up girl was too big for either a footprint and a handprint [how is that possible?!?] i ended up doing her thumbprint.
i pulled out some regular old alphabet stamps to do their names [kenna's initials]. i had to stamp the letters nice & deep for them to show, & i actually thought the edges of the stamps made cute little squares in this case, kind of like baby blocks.
ohh teeny feets. love.

now, before you mistakenly think me some domestic maven of craftiness with a 2 year old & 3 month old in tow, i wish i could post a picture of me putting these quickly together all while supper risked burning in the oven, the baby squalking very loudly to be fed & cleaning up the giant dollop of yogurt spilled on the rug.

and we'll have to see if my lovely play dough ornaments are just a crackly dried-out mess by morning!

quickie kitchen craft!

2011-06-09T15:39:00.001-04:00

i am the first to admit how horrible i am at meal planning. it's one of those things that seems like it would be simple [chose meals, make list, buy groceries, cook meals] yet i'm classic for coming home with a cart full of groceries and 'nothing to eat' because it feels like all i bought was a couple bags of chips, some yogurt, and a box of trash bags.

so i started trying to write out my weekly menus on a magnetic white board on the fridge. that lasted for all of a week before i was writing out everything i ate weekly in an attempt to start losing baby weight. [fail.]

also? i hated how the cheapo walmart white erase board looked on our black fridge. so boring. so i'd seen this idea all over blogland & thought it would be a lovely little diy alternative.

before:

after:

so, in a quick free crafting minute [in between pretending to clean/organize my studio as i've been needing to do for months!] i pulled out the following:

a white 8x10 picture frame

[clearance from target for something insane like $1.82]

an 8x10 piece of pretty scrapbooking paper

some self-stick magnetic strips

[also purchased from walmart to help the cheapo white board stay on the fridge. they happened to be exactly the perfect width for the edge of the frame. hurrah!]

stick it all together... instant quickie pretty functional kitchen craft that i like SO much better. you just write directly on the glass of the frame & wipe away!

ps. as you can see i gave up with food listing of any kind all together and just went for pretty. and that verse? perfection for a busy momma with a new-ish wee one and a crazy toddler.

not rocket science, but quick fun crafting nonetheless!

papoose.

2011-06-05T13:01:00.001-04:00

while i'm getting a little bit of fun stuff done here & there, here's where my little man has been hanging out, snuggled up on the couch behind me [i like to sit & craft on the floor in front of the coffee table most nights]:
i like hearing his little huffy-puffy not-quite-newborn-anymore-almost-an-infant noises while he sleeps.
[he's not as suffocate-y as he looks. just snuggled.]

love him.

eee! excited.

2011-06-04T00:33:00.006-04:00

so.

i'm finally getting a bit of a chance to work on some new pretties...

i've been making good friends with the ginormous pile of felt that's been waiting in my studio for the perfect moment... and by perfect moment i mean the 2 hours or so i have between the kids napping at the same time including laundry & all that other non-crafting stuff i need to do]. this is what my studio trash can looks like at the moment... all that color has to mean something good, right?
and i nearly cleared out my paypal account thanks to the lovely offerings at fabric worm and hawthorne threads. i decided i wanted to spring for some new fabric for this new line of products rather than counting on the stash to do everything i needed. i couldn't be happier with this big pile of brightness that arrived on my front porch this week!

& here's a sneaky little sneak peek of what's coming... cryptic, i know. i'm SO excited!

mother's day handmade!

2011-05-15T11:38:00.013-04:00

there's something extra special to me about a handmade gift. it doesn't have to be anything fancy... a sheet of paper stickered and scribbled by my little girl is definitely a treasure! but sometimes it is extra fun to be given something handmade that is a bit of a splurge, made extra valuable by its beauty and meaning as a gift.

that describes my mother's day gift from my family perfectly! i'd had my eye on this etched on my heart charm necklace from bon bon charms for months now... stamped in sterling silver with mine & hubby's initials on it. well, look what came in the mail just a few days before mother's day:
isn't it lovely? i love the simple little packaging as well. i immediately started wearing it, and it looks perfect with the silver "k" necklace matt gave me when kenna was born [that i've worn almost every day since then!].
i even had it on the morning i gave birth to finn! see it hiding down there under his giant sweet cheeks? [that was literally right after he was born!]

they make the sweetest little jangly noises when i walk, like a tiny windchime. all i need now is a little "f" charm to go with them!

happy mother's day!

spring mantle inspiration!

2011-04-24T15:08:00.001-04:00

i saw this photo on a really great blog [really great because j.j. is not only a fun crafter with cute style, but an amazing singer/songwriter]:

firstly, let me say i can hardly get over this mantle itself... the stone fireplace? the adorable painting? the chunky ledge & oh gracious those huge corbels. LOVE.

not surprisingly, it's pretty similar to another inspiring mantle from the lettered cottage i wrote about awhile back:

note to self: i still really want to make a ginormous chalkboard. & a numbered plate.

so once i regained consciousness from my corbel envy, i got to work on my mantel, using what i had on hand... starting with several thrifted freebies from not too long ago- a broken up old window frame, and a mini chalkboard & wooden letter. well, truly starting with one very stark white empty mantel:

the reverse side of the window frame had some lovely old chippy, very pale blue paint on it, so i layered it right on top of my mirror. then i made the letter into a mossy monogram with the help of a little dollar store faux moss leftover from christmas:

these mossy letters are a pottery barn knock off that have been showing up everywhere because they're so cheap & easy to make! all i did was cover the letter with my 'squiggle & squish' method- one nice big squiggle of hot glue & then squish the moss into it. repeat section by section until it's covered! i added a length of pretty jute ribbon the the back & loosely knotted it for hanging:

[next time i would paint the whole thing green first so that the letter doesn't show through & the back isn't so ugly! i didn't even think about it until i hung it up & you could see the back in the mirror.]

see what i mean? whoops.
but it's so pretty when it's done! i glued a little moss along the edges to, to make it a little fuller & to be sure the edges were covered.
then i wrote a little spring message on the chalkboard & tucked it off to the side. [& you can see the perfectly chippy blue paint!]
nothing fancy, but better than nothing to fill up all that white mantel space! it's a little pastel-y for my liking & could use some big hurricane vases or urns or something on either end, but it'll do for now. especially knowing that summer is just around the corner & i'll want to start all over!

easter basket love!

2011-04-20T09:49:00.002-04:00

easter is rapidly approaching & it's one of my favorite holidays. maybe even more so than christmas when it comes to celebrating the life of my savior... if you think about it, it's pretty amazing to celebrate his birth [christmas], but how much more so to celebrate the fact that he would sacrifice his own life on the cross to save mine? [easter]

i have to admit, i think easter baskets are a fun tradition for the littles, since death & resurrection are kind of deep topics for them at a young age. not that you can't start teaching them early, but i think it's cool to focus on the new birth & life we have through salvation in Christ- a major gift he's given believers that we celebrate on easter.

so, if easter weren't like, you know, this weekend i'd be using this tutorial for a wrapped piping basket by v & co. to make coordinating baskets for the kids. however, the only way i see 2 easter baskets getting made is in the dead of night between a.m. feedings.

in other words, not likely.

but look how cute.

and look how easy! although i do find v & co. in particular great for making not-so-simple stuff look as though it is really easy & no big deal- she's just talented that way. hers look uniquely homemade but not cheapo crafty & sit so sweetly and well-constructed on the table holding eggs. i'm a little concerned that mine would look wrinkly & slouchy & would be sure to be covered in melted chocolate & jelly bean slime before i could even get a picture for the blog.

[please tell me someone else has that problem too?]

but yes. definitely on the "one day" list.

dear blog...

2011-04-19T23:39:00.003-04:00

dear sweet crafty blog that i would love to have more time & crafty energy for, to write thoughtful posts in with new projects & beautiful photos...

i haven't forgotten about you.
i'm just too busy with the toes right now.
& the sweet head smell.

& the little gurgles & the nursing 12 hours a day/night & the wild & crazy 2 year old big sister.

but i'll be back.

thrifty goodness!

2011-03-14T14:44:00.001-04:00

in addition to the little red rainboots, i've had some good luck with thrifting recently that i'm pretty excited about!

usually my thrifting trips are mostly about clothes for the kids than anything else- they're small & cheap & usually not worn out yet since wee ones outgrow their clothes so quickly [often you can even find things brand new with tags!] but the other day, i stopped by our little local student share shop [like a thrift shop only available to students] & found a petite haul of crafty goodness!
the amazing thing about the student shop is that it's free- what better way to satiate a need to craft than with free materials? guilt-free.
the two letters most likely originally spelled out 'baby' but i figured i could use both since our last name starts with a b. i'm thinking one for the new baby nursery & possibly one for a spring front porch wreath!

the chalkboard, though small & unassuming, i'm super excited about for taking pictures like these, probably at birthdays or with a love note on anniversaries or to send far-away relatives fun photo messages in the mail [or even email!] this is my friend nancy ray's amazing photography site, just scroll down until you see the super cute photo booth-style photos with the chalkboard messages.

i know they're only like $1 brand new, but $1 saved is $1 that makes you not mind if the item ends up sitting in your craft room supply stash until you have almost completely forgotten what you were going to use it for.

hopefully that's not just me.

when i saw a lovely pile of large-ish white frames at goodwill a few weeks back, i could immediately think of 3 maybe 4 projects i wanted to do with them... & at the nice size of just a little bigger than 11x14, they were irresistable at $1.50 each! so i snapped up half a dozen, thinking that if all else failed, i could paint them all black, get some photos in there & then add them either to the black & white wall in our dining room or create a little gallery wall where all the frames are the same size & look beautiful.
they're not the most high-quality frames of course [& the terrible fruit prints will have to go!] but once they're painted or crafted into something else altogether & up on the wall, i won't even know the difference! 3 of them [i think] are headed for the boy-nursery-on-progress, definitely one to the guest bathroom, & possibly the other 2 are headed for big sister's new big girl room.

yay! can't wait to get these little guys into their next incarnation & show you!

booty goodness.

2011-03-08T10:54:00.003-05:00

no, not that kind of booty. ahem.

these little boots just happened to hop in my basket at goodwill the other day... originally intended for baby brother when he was still on the way here.
$4 later they came home with us and though they were super cute up on the big brown dresser in his nursery in progress, the minute they were on toddler-level, look what happened:
yep! hijacked by big sister. she just can't help herself- she's crazy about boots. here's more proof:
these ones weren't thrifted [the hat was!] but rather bought brand-new in desperation at the threat of snow. the pom poms on the back are only slightly adorable & what 2 year old doesn't need pink boots?
this pair is truly vintage- handed down from me when i was her age, circa the early '80s. anytime she can get her hands on them, they go straight on her feet [even if she's not wearing anything else, obviously.] i just love how much she loves them!

not that we're wishing for rainy days necessarily, but what could be more cheerful than little red rainboots? too cute.

thing 2!

2011-03-06T14:49:00.004-05:00

i'm excited to say that our little thing 2 has finally arrived! we barely made it to the hospital in time & he was almost born in the hallway... but he's here safely & big sister is elated! [read the full story here!]

finnegan walker

i'm trying to live through these early constant-nursing days & catching up on sleep when i can, but my list of little boy crafts is waiting in the wings!

strawberry pillows.

2011-03-02T16:38:00.001-05:00

i can't even stand how cute these strawberry pillows are over at purl bee!

these are at the very tippy top of my to-make list for after i've survived some of the newborn days. they are so sweet, so springy & so perfect for a certain little girl's pink & green big girl room. love them.

if you're feeling a little more mini-version, v & co. has a great how-to for a pincushion sized one & you wouldn't even have to use it for a pincushion... i think it would be adorable as a zipper pull to cheer up a little springtime rain jacket!

custom hairbow holders!

2011-03-01T16:20:00.002-05:00

remember my hairbow holder tutorial from several weeks ago? i made it for my niece as a christmas gift & it turns out there are other precious small people in need of a special spot for their hairbows. and luckily, two lovely ladies in need of gifts for such small people emailed me about a custom order!

here's the original hairbow holder i made for my niece:

i have to say that custom orders are pretty much one of my favorite things ever. i love the personal contact & getting to plan a handmade adornment to exact specifications. soooo much fun to creatively collaborate!

my absolute favorite part... the dots around the edge [& a little glimpse to my simple secret for perfect dot-making]:

they were both based on bedding sets that my two lovely friends wanted to match for gifts [the 3rd was an extra.] it was so much fun to pick up the custom colors & designing it all out:
matching up the perfect ribbons:
and here they are all finished!

oh the fun little details!
is there a small somebody in your life in need of a customized hairbow holder? email me & let me know! i would love to make one just for you!

craigslist wishlist!

2011-02-26T21:31:00.003-05:00

i know window shopping on craigslist doesn't really count as crafty [even though we all know most craigslist finds are a cool way to get something on the cheap & transform it into something fabulous with a little sanding/painting/creativity] but with my due date looming this weekend & no baby yet, a craigslist wishlist is about as crafty as it gets around here.

especially considering the amount of diy decorating blogs i read... ahem.

most times i am looking for fun & not actually to buy, but if i had some cash to burn & the luck that these steals weren't already snapped up, here are some things i'd be trying to coerce my husband into picking up for me right now:

it has only taken me about 20 minutes to convince myself how badly i need this set of 4 gorgeous ladder shelves for my craft room re-do i'm [still] working on.... and get this: all 4 for only $125. a massive deal, especially for something that doesn't need to be painted at all! i'm already picturing them covered in little baskets and jars full of all my craft stuff.
this super cute 'shabby chic' bedside table looks just about like what i'm looking for for my little girl's big girl bedroom after the baby gets here... again, minus the sanding, painting, & decoupaging that adorable little drawer since it's already done for me! it would match perfectly with her green & pink decor [remember the lamp?] & is also right in our price range at $60... aka $50 if i work the bargaining angle & the sellers are friendly!!
my long-term search however, is [big surprise] anthropologie-inspired: a perfectly beat-up, worn-in leather couch. you know what i mean: something not so scary brand new that you're afraid to let anyone within 10 yards of it, but not so old & funky that you think it might have been infested with something in somebody's great-aunt's basement at some point [eww.] i've seen several great ones, but not surprisingly, they get snatched up quickly when the price is right.

i guess it's kind-of the holy grail of craigslist thrifting if you will. but check out this one i saw this week, which actually has a matching loveseat... perfect.
confession: i emailed the sellers about all of these. i couldn't help myself.

we've both bought & sold a couple of things on craisglist over the years. it can have its strange aspects, but overall is a fun & pretty harmless way to buy inexpensive furniture! anybody else have a favorite thing to search for on craigslist?

forgotten stamp.

2011-02-23T15:56:00.006-05:00

a week after valentine's day & look what i totally forgot i had:

and of course [sing with me now...] what might have been:

whoops.

note to self: remember for next year.

ps- if you want to make your own [maybe a 4 leaf clover or a little balloon for spring?] these little stamps are so fun & easy! here's the full how-to: carved eraser mini-stamps.

little artsy crafty organization!

2011-02-22T18:29:00.001-05:00

i only have 1 kid [so far] who is only 2 years old, and already it's so easy to feel like all the toys & art supplies & little tiny things are taking over the whole house. i'm such a nut for organization that this only proves to fuel my fire for pretty organizers. and if they can be made totally cheap or almost free, then even better!

even though there's something great about a huge bucket of crayons just waiting to be dug around in...
[gotta love all the smudges & fingerprints!]

i've noticed if they look messy, k is more likely to make a mess with them [ie: finding great joy in chucking them across the room rather than coloring with them. & we had our first coloring on the walls incident this week. eep.] and as she gets bigger, if they look messy before she even starts using them, she's much less likely to clean them up in a nice way & keep them nice for next time.

enter the internet & its wealth of genius bloggers who are making incredibly cute organizers for just such a problem! here are the ideas i'd like to steal for our little artiste in the making:

who can resist anything color-coordinated, especially if it's this bright & fun? definitely not me. this montessori-inspired tin can color-coordinated crayon holder [by mom's crafty space] is super easy to make & so colorful!

i seriously love this pbk knock-off spinning organizer [by the crafter's file box] made with a lazy susan & brightly colored mini buckets [honestly, you have me at 'mini buckets' for just about anything!]. i've seen these little brightly colored buckets at target bunches of times & have always wanted a reason to buy a whole stack of 'em! another great idea i saw was adding a bigger one in the middle so there's a place for paints & sticker books & staplers & those awesome little kiddo-safe scissors. love it!

martha's tin can caddy seems perfect for bigger stuff like markers or paintbrushes or rulers etc. & even has a handle for easy transportation to & from your workspace & again, is made out of super cheap materials like recycled cans!

how cute would all these little caddies look lined up on a shelf waiting to be pulled out to make little kid masterpieces? i always believe that pretty sorters & organizers make you want to put things away if only because it looks so nice & makes things so easy to find later when you need them. it's a self-fulfilling prophecy- if everything has a home, it's easy to put everything in its home & be totally organized! yay!

i'm not gonna lie, i'll probably have to make all three. [i may or may not already be saving mandarin orange cans for the crayon one.] i'm already picturing them in my imaginary kiddo-friendly craftspace. now if only i can pass on this obsessive organizational ferver to my kids...

little art book.

2011-02-17T15:40:00.013-05:00

so i have a budding little artist in my midst:

& i decided that valentine's day was the perfect time to decorate a little sketch book with her name on it [kind of literally] to create in! her momma is well known for having little scraps of paper everywhere with lists, little sketches, things to remember, etc. & i wanted my little one to have her own book to create in.... and i was inspired by reading about soulemama's theory that you should try to give your kids "real" art supplies even when they are little.

so i found 2 little sketchbooks [blank pages without lines] in pretty colors on clearance for $5. they have really nice smooth fabric covers & a spiral spine so they lay flat. the green one is for me [not sure what it's for yet- mailing list sign-ups at craft shows maybe?]

the little periwinkle blue-ish one was for k & i painted a little pink k with dark pink dots on the front cover to make it more girly.
it looked so cute amongst her valentine's gift:

so far it's been a perfect place to attach, un-attach & re-attach stickers into collages, & momma has tried hard to be hands-off with it. 2 year old art should have no rules, i suppose [other than please keep it in the book & not on the walls] and i have tried to accept the cheezit-orange fingerprints already in it as part of the art.

although i admit the painted k on the cover was strategically placed to cover one up. ahem.

but she is in love with her little art book & loves to carry it around with her sticker booklets and keep it near her crayons & markers stash. and this momma says anything that keeps a busy 2 year old occupied for more than 30 minutes straight is a success. win!

convertible bow headband

2011-02-12T14:48:00.003-05:00

my baby just turned 2 & still barely has enough hair for a hairbow to stay clipped in- and trust me i have tried lots of different kinds of clips! so i came up with a little headband that bows can be clipped to so that she can still wear them! here's how to make it:

convertible bow headband

you will need:
-a strip of elastic band that fits the child's head [measure it around your kiddo]
-a strip of fabric 2 or 3 inches wide and roughly twice as long as your elastic
-a 2" piece of grosgrain ribbon

step 1:
cut out all your pieces. take your strip of fabric & iron down a little seam on each side of the fabric.

step 2:

fold the fabric in half so that the folds are touching wrong side to wrong side, & iron it again so you have a long tube.

step 3:

sew down the 2 folds together so that there is one long seam [sew as close to the edge as you can without falling off!]

step 4:

use a safety pin to guide your elastic through the fabric tube. holding onto one end of the elastic, scrunch up the tube onto the elastic- so that you can hold both ends. this definitely takes 2 hands & was impossible to get a picture of! here is the sewn fabric 'tube' & the elastic ready to go in:

step 5:

sew the two ends of the elastic together [it helps to keep using that safety pin! careful not to let your tube slip away from you]. then fold under one end of the fabric tube, place the other end inside it, and stitch that fold down. you want the elastic to stay in the tube without showing!

step 6:

fold the ribbon around the headband right side to right side & stitch the ends together. then gently flip it over so that it makes a nice looking loop around your headband [a crochet hook helps with this part!]

and presto!

now you have a headband with a loop that all your hairbows can clip into! almost anything will clip right onto the little loop: big hairclips, little tiny bow clippies, hair flowers, even anything on a bobby pin!

here's my sassy little stinker wearing hers at christmas with a cream bow clipped on:

and since it was red & white, we totally will be re-using it for valentine's!

loving lately!

2011-02-11T12:12:00.002-05:00

maybe it's because i'm on the short countdown of having a baby this year, but i can't get enough of all the fun valentine's projects out there even though i know it's not likely to happen around here! if i had unlimited energy and resources, there's about 50 things i'd be making & totally love/heart/pink & red-ifying the entire house! here are my favorite

1. for future reference [i love to be able to find things later when i do have time aka the 'crafty file' concept.]

2. in hopes that some of you crafty folk do have the time & energy this year & maybe have not yet seen some of these ridiculously adorable ideas to inspire you! sharing the love, folks, sharing the love. literally.

candy postcards

valentine banner

love canvas art

spool fabric love letter

yarn love sign

ruffle chalkboard hearts

ruffle fabric & paper hearts

paper heart garland

ric rack love banner

valentine coupon booklet

i love these so much i might make them all next year. how genius is that method for perforating the little coupons in the booklet? i'm going to check & see if i have a wooden spool in my stash- that unraveling love note is just too sweet!

i admit i bought M a valentine's day card at target last night instead of making one. i'm a bad, bad crafter sometimes! but it just said the right things, you know? & it unfolded like an accordion, wasn't cheesy or stupid, & had really pretty black & white photography in it. i think that's all you can really ask of a store-bought card these days.

hope you have big pink & red plans with your valentine this year!

the valentines that were!

2011-02-08T16:57:00.001-05:00

i thought i'd post this a little ahead of time from valentine's day because it's about the easiest way possible to send out handmade valentines! [even if you have a whole kiddo class or 2 to craft for!]

you know that in all my good intentions for crafting, i have lots of almost-were cautionary tales thanks to my last-minuteness- especially for valentine's because it really sneaks up on you!

this year i wanted to keep it sweet & easy & involve my little one's art in some way.

so, inspired by the layered felt ones i saw the other day, i tweaked my already-in-progress plan a little. first off, i sat K down with one sheet of white paper and lots of different pinks & reds:

[she loved those little red heart stickers so much that they ended up everywhere except on the valentines- there is still one on our unfinished basement stairs that still makes me smile!]

love the reds & pinks- this totally makes me want to make this crayon holder by the way!

i was planning to cut hearts out of the paper she colored & glue them to some plain cardstock cards with envelopes, but instead i:

1. cut out the heart

2. cut out a pink construction paper heart slightly larger

3. cut out a red construction paper heart slightly larger than that

4. put a stripe of glue gun glue right down the center of each layer of heart

5. glued the whole thing to the cardstock card!

putting the glue just in the center like that makes the edges fluff up a little bit [& dries super fast, which is very instant gratification. love.]
my favorites are the extra scribbly ones... i love this little coloring age!
& so we shall successfully send out valentines this year! she's too little to have a whole class to make them for yet, but they're perfect for grandparents & our little cousins! too fun!

if you're looking for some other fun pink valentine-y tutorials here are some of my past ones:
the crocheted little heart garland,
easy peasy pink fabric pennant banner,
the love brownies,
or maybe even some little pink button hair clips just for fun.

or maybe your lovely babe needs a sweet little happy hearts bib to wear while she eats pink cupcakes and strawberry marshmallows? mmmm. i think so.

while all those pretty pinks were out on the table, i sat & made this:we're working on potty training, & K gets to pick out a treat when she has a success... there are a few tiny bottles of bubbles and about 2 candy necklaces in the treat bucket, but mostly it's all stickers. so i thought a little sticker potty chart would be fun so she can stick one sticker on the chart to see how well she's doing & play with the rest of the little sheet, sticking them on her shirts or wherever.

i was completely inspired by prudent baby's adorable one, and when she gets big enough to understand the different 'kinds of tries' i'll definitely be making one like that!

tutorial update!

2011-02-06T23:28:00.007-05:00

because you know how much i love organizing things... i just had to tell you that i updated my tutorial page, so if there's a specific project you're looking for, odds are you can find it right here!

tutorials, patterns & inspiring things!

you can always find them quickly by clicking on 'tutorials' link up there on the top bar right below the leaf&letter logo. yay!

if you're looking for something fun & new to work on, be sure to check- you might have missed one!

love, love me do!

2011-02-04T10:31:00.001-05:00

just a few valentine-ish irresistibilities tempting me:

lemons with a pea

what little token of love are you hoping for this february? are you treating yourself to a little sweet something?

one more...

2011-02-02T10:09:00.002-05:00

i've got 1 last lonely little 4th blogiversary thank you just waiting for a happy home with one of you lovely readers...

i'm so very glad you're here and would love to send a little thank you your way! leave a comment here if you're intrigued & it's all yours!

giveaway now closed, thank you all so much!

snowball pom pom wreath!

2011-01-28T09:54:00.003-05:00

we're finally getting some almost-not-frigid temperatures around here, so i'm feeling the pressure to share this super cute winter project with you before i'm completely taken over with wanting to make flowery springtime things!

a snowball pom pom wreath!
i'd been wanting to make a yarn-wrapped wreath for some time now, but as i gathered up some materials from here and there the ''vision started changing... i had a foam wreath & a package of 10 styrofoam "snowball" ornaments from the dollar store, and as soon as i saw these packages of soft, fluffy wintery-creamy pom poms, i was suddenly envisioning a winter white snow ball wreath! it just seemed right for all the snowy days we've been having around here since christmas & i spent one really cozy night in front of the fireplace making it:
i started by wrapping my foam wreath in batting to make it a little fluffier & also so the green wouldn't show through my creamy pom poms. i gently stretched it & wrapped it around as i hot glued it:
once the whole wreath was wrapped, i added a little strip of my favorite unbleached cotton fabric [$2 a yard at walmart! love love it] to hang it by. i glued the loop in place & tied a loose knot at the top:
then i took the snowball ornaments which were basically just styrofoam balls with a little ornament topper glued on- but at 10 for $1 they worked perfectly! i popped the topper off & wrapped them in skinny cream yarn:
i left 2 long strands so that i could tie them around the wreath. this way you can slide them around a little until they sit how you want them to on the wreath without hurting it- they'll get secured down later!
then i made some big, fat fluffly poms with thicker yarn & have to say why have i never made these before?? they were so fun & easy to do! there are lots of great tutorials out there, here are a few quick photos of how easy it is:
i situated the yarn wrapped balls and the large poms together around the wreath, spacing them out since they're the biggest parts of the wreath. the big poms can be tied on just like the snowballs! you also want to make sure your wreath still lays flat.
next is to get a little little fluffy poms glued around to fill the empty space. i only suffered about 3 1st degree glue gun burns on this part- every time i'd get one covered in a good blob of hot glue the whole pom would go rolling down my finger like a little lava-covered cotton ball- ouch! not even kidding... some of those fancy glue gun tweezers or something might be a good idea here!
start by nuzzling your little poms up & around the bigger poms & yarn balls- that way they won't move around when the whole thing is done!
fill in all the empty space [this part can take a little while!] and then you're done! the cutest, fluffiest little winter wreath ever!
here it is in the daylight. the hanging loop ended up a little too short, so i just clothespinned it to the top of my paper bag wreath for now:
it makes for a really nice winter-white mantle- perfect for the still-snowy 'gap' months between christmas & spring!

the whole thing cost me about $9... $1 each for the styrofoam balls and wreath form $2 each for 2 packages of little poms & $3 for the fat yarn! the skinny yarn & fabric scrap was from my stash.

sooo fun! is this a hot-glue project you would try?

date night!

2011-01-25T21:24:00.000-05:00

so i really hope it hasn't honestly been almost 4 years since M & i had this very particular kind of date night... maybe it's just that since having kids i slowed down long enough to really savor our dates & take pictures.

one of the things i love most about the wonderful person that M is, is that he can think of a list of 20 fun things to do together that we don't normally do to make the date fun & interesting, but by the end of dinner, we've somehow settled on my absolute favorite... coffee, cupcakes, & each of us together with our own pile of books & magazines at the local bookstore.
i spent a little time flipping through my favorite diy/home decor magazines & didn't even get to where women create [a book of studio inspiration] thanks to the fact that one delicious cupcake & one caramel latte later, i had settled on this little gem:
the craft, inc business planner workbook.

i had read meg mateo ilasco's craft, inc. when it first came out a little while ago, and i thought it was full of super useful info for cottage industry start-ups [it's actually still sitting on my bedside table since i flip through it pretty regularly.] this workbook has similar info, but in really helpful write-able charts & sheets, and includes info for bloggers, crafters, writers, small businesses, and small businesses that have grown into not-quite- so-small businesses.

the only copy left at the store was a little beat-up, so i came home & my awesome husband immediately got on amazon & ordered it for me along with his last couple of books for classes. he knows how much i like having a workbook-style book that i can make notes in & customize & use different colored pens & washi tape & dream big plans in.

not to mention he knows that the simple purchase of a book for me speaks volumes [pun intended!] about how he feels about me & believes in my dreaming big plans.

so yes... great date night, awesome husband.

hope some of you have been on great date nights, or fun coffee runs or just taken some time to get lost in a magazine. what are your favorite date night plans? have you gotten super inspired by any good books lately?

resolute-ing.

2011-01-24T16:49:00.002-05:00

i'm not a good one at resolutions. clearly, since it's already mid-january & i'm just now really thinking about it.

i'm not good at realistically making them & i'm not good at realistically keeping them [which probably somehow go hand-in-hand.] and it would seriously bother me to solemnly vow something here & then not follow through. so instead of resolutions, now that i've had over half of january to think about it, are going to be more like intentions that i remember throughout the year & purposefully act on them.

i'm putting them here so you can hold me accountable. please do.

write more often, when it's fresh in my mind & i'm the most excited about sharing. that makes for much more fun remembering later when you re-read what you've written, don't you think?

follow through more punctually. [i'm bad at this!] ie: not announce a giveaway here unless it's finished & ready to ermm, give away. and to have more giveaways, because that's just fun!

finish projects before i start the next. i am terrible at this. [just ask my dining room table. or my husband. actually, don't ask my husband, he will tell you it's true.] this relates to #1 because it's frustrating to start a project & then not be able to write about it for weeks & weeks because that one part needs to be glued & then i need to wait for pretty daylight to get a good photo, etc. etc.

and all this talk of resolutions [specifically, project-finishing and follow-through] brings me to the last ornament... of the year that is.

you all know i have a thing for handmade christmas ornaments. well, it always seems like there's just one more that squeaks in at the last second, when all of the rest of the christmas stuff has already been put away. i guess since i celebrate christmas decorating exactly on december 1st & tend to make a big deal about things like the 1st ornament of the season, maybe you'll forgive me for being so behind as to make & put away the last ornament of the season in january.

i'd seen an insane number of ridiculously adorable mini-wreath ornaments all over the internet, and fresh off the yarn-wreath high of making a pom pom wreath [oh yes, friends. coming soon!] i decided to do a little trash-to-treasure version. i started with a to-go cup lid and two yarn scraps in my favorite green:
and a tiny piece of ribbon for hanging. whoops... ended up not using the buttons. the wrapped yarn was just too cute to cover up!
but it did need a little something. i had so much fun making fabric flower/posy/poof thingys for my headbands that i decided to try out a mini one for this little wreath.
look how little! yay!

now i can really put the christmas stuff away, know what i mean? and at least it's before january 31st, right?

inspiring work places!

2011-01-22T01:02:00.001-05:00

several months ago [like, last summer] i started working on getting my basement studio space organized & put together for optimum functionality. 'studio space' sounds so much better than crafty mess in the basement, & basically, i just wanted to know where things were enough to not spend 98.2% of my crafting time looking for something.

i bought some wire storage shelves and some pretty green organizers & it started looking pretty decent!

being that it's in the basement which is great in the summer but freezing in the winter with little daytime light, i started bringing projects upstairs to work on them in the warmth of the house- which resulted in little piles everywhere & my sewing machine right in the middle of the table. christmas came and went & walmart discontinued my lovely green bins... so i lost motivation to keep throwing money at it... ahemmm, i mean making it pretty.

i even toyed with the idea [being pregnant, crazy, & wanting to rearrange the entire house anyway] of moving both kiddos into the same room so that we could have an upstairs playroom/craft room where i could actually get things done with wee ones underfoot.

thankfully, husband was here & safely talked me out of it.

so it's not exactly the 'studio' of my dreams yet, but it is a space to hold all my stuff and i'm grateful for that! it still needs quite a bit more re-organizing work & a couple more lamps or twinkle lights to give it some personality, but i'm hoping to 'reveal' it soon.

in the meantime, i've been noticing that lots of crafty folks are posting their own lovely workspaces that i would love to hijack & well, basically live in indefinitely. here are some spaces i love:

the pleated poppy

[totally stealing the alphabet card idea for the new nursery- already have cute japanese lanterns like that in big sister's room!]

gussy sews

[including some fabulous tips on organization & time management!]

oh, sweet joy!

[whose is sneakishly tucked into a closet! genius, i say.]

be sure to click the links to check out the amazing goodies coming out of these ladies' work spaces! prepare to be inspired!

a day alone with my glue gun.

2011-01-19T11:34:00.001-05:00

it has been ridiculously cold & a little bit snowy off & on around these parts... a little unusual since we are usually more on the warm side of things, even in winter! even though we're going a little stir-crazy from not wanting to leave the house in the cold, it has made for some long winter afternoon naps for my restless 2 year old... which means mommy gets an afternoon of peace with her glue gun!

in other words, the sad little pile of ancient projects that had one piece 'just waiting to be glued' could finally come to a finish. but some new projects too!

i had wanted to try out the fabric flowers/poppies/ruffle-y beautiful thingy-s i've been seeing all over the blog world, and finally got to! i made a pink one for K & a green polka dot one for me:
the green one is going to be made into a pin for my winter hat, but the pink one was going straight onto a headband- and it worked out perfectly when i saw this cheap-o set of 2 headbands at wal-mart that were already ribbon wrapped in pretty grosgrain ribbon because there was a pink one and a brown one:
which meant i could finally finish up a fall headband that i started, intending to have worn it pumpkin-picking & such. i had started testing out the 'rolling' method of making a rosette just to see if i could make one & not make a mess of it. i did one in my favorite mustard-yellow amy butler print to try fabric & one with a thick twill-tape type ribbon, both of which i loved! especially with the brown ribbon headband.
and the third:
i had been looking for a big fluffy flowered headband to wear last easter with my yellow easter dress [told you these were old projects!]. the best i could find was one with a little clump of flowers that made me feel a little silly wearing it since the flowers were close to the center of the headband rather than stylishly off to the side- know what i mean? here's what it looked like before:
[the crazy face was thanks to wiping a giant jelly-bean mess from my toddler. & it shows the headband the best! note to self: next time take better 'before' shots before i start gluing!]

i had bought two really cute flower clips for super-cheap from forever21 & thought they would look awesome added to the headband somehow. so i surgically removed the clips from them [which took forever] & then glued one to each side of the little flower cluster already on the headband. a little extra felt on the back to secure it & done! yay!
so now this happy home has 3 [three!] new headbands for us lovely ladies to chose from [yes, i already share hair accessories with my 2 year old. don't judge.]
by the way, it's kinda hard to photo headbands! for some strange reason i tend to look partially bald if i try to photo them actually on me. but i'm totally loving this mason jar for displaying them... i'll have to keep it in mind for future craft shows!
love new headbands! it's better than shopping! is anybody else making flower-y things & wishing for spring already?
ps- don't forget that you, my lovely blog reader, can win a little gift just for saying happy birthday to my blog! yay! just click right here & leave any comment you like at the bottom.

4 years & a lifetime ago...

2011-01-13T23:33:00.014-05:00

4 years ago this month, a girl really loved to make things by hand. so right after christmas, at the start of a new year, she decided to start writing a blog about it where she could post pictures and say yay! to the internet when a project turned out just right. she wrote for the 1st time & excitedly waited to see if anyone would read.

she started a little etsy shop for the jewelry she was making, & took part in a few local craft shows, just for fun. she loved her new husband, working full-time kept her busy & she kept on crafting. cupcakes, new shoes, garlands, coffee, clothespins & anything french made her happy.

the blog turned a year old & she almost missed celebrating it.

4 years later, the girl was still writing in the little blog. far from perfect, the little blog changed as much as the girl. she wrote about moves. she wrote about the day her mom died. she wrote about new babies and christmases and sweet exhaustion. she learned how to be a mommy & hopefully how to love her savior just a little better. God taught her the difference between happiness & joy.

she even changed the name of the blog. she still loves her husband after 6 years of marriage, now her babies keep her busy & she keeps on crafting.
[cupcakes still make her happy.]

i've really come to love this little crafty space of mine, though it has at times been a labor of love [& a slave to my perfectionism] all for an unbelievable 4 years now. the simple desire to make, just for the sake of making, runs in my blood as they say. i think of how terribly much i would love to have a record like this of the things my mom made & it's become my hope that this little space will be that kind of gift to my little girl someday. i feel slightly sad & a little guilty when i haven't been here for a few days, like that feeling you get when you suddenly realize you haven't seen a good friend in awhile.
hi, friend!

if you are here reading, i hope you have always felt welcome, for whatever amount of time you've been stopping by.... & if you haven't heard me say it, i am so glad you're here.

so in celebration of this little spot of internet & in thanks to you my wonderful friend, i'd like to send you a little package full of some lovely & sweet little things... kind of like you would send a friend on a no-reason-just-for-fun day... something a little ruffly, something magnetic, something you can wear... just some sweet little things in a fun little package.

are you up for it? just click comments & tell me hello. or tell me you've been reading all along or just found me from clicking something else. or tell me your favorite flavor of cupcake. because if i could mail you one, i would!

[ps- make sure there's a way i can email you so i can get your address from you! i know it's scary to just post it on the internets for the world to see.]

so, thank you. i'm still excitedly waiting to hear from you. yes! you.

& happy birthday, blog!

giveaway now closed, thank you all so much!

hair bow holder!

2011-01-11T15:15:00.003-05:00

it didn't take me long as a momma to figure out that if any crafting around here was ever going to actually get finished, it would have to be quick & easy! but i really love giving handmade gifts, especially at christmas, so i'm trying to take advantage of every minute of naptime & bedtime.

my niece is the queen of hairbows [as we call them down here in the south!]. i think she wore one home from the hospital and hasn't gone without one since! i had already wanted to make her a hairbow holder when her mom specifically asked me to make one for her. how could i resist? this is a quick, fun, and inexpensive afternoon project that i really, really enjoyed making! you really can make it as simple or detailed as you like, and it only takes a couple of dollars in materials.

hairbow holder

you will need:
about a yard of 1-2" ribbon [something sturdy-ish like grosgrain]
a little wooden plaque [about $1 at the craft stores]
a keyring or book binding ring
a bit of felt
a fine tipped sharpie
some craft paint
a glue gun or staple gun

step 1:
paint your wooden plaque in fun colors! i use a little bit of gesso [thick white looking paint that is meant for priming canvases] since it makes a nice smooth surface, and keeps you from having to use up a whole bottle of craft paint.

have fun with this part! think of the little girl you're making it for... her personality, her room colors, etc. add fun details like polka dots painted with a pencil eraser!

step 2:

when your paint is fully dry, add a monogram to the center. draw, trace, or use the pencil transfer method to add your letters. then outline & color them in carefully with the sharpie. [ps- you don't have to do a monogram. you could paint a flower, glue on a picture, decoupage on a pretty scrap of paper...]

step 3:
cut your ribbon to about a yard, shorter or longer depending on how many bows you want it to hold. fold one end of the ribbon over straight across & hot glue it, then fold one more time & hot glue again so that you'll have a nice, finished end.

step 4:

attach your ribbon and hanger to the back. take the unfinished end of the ribbon & loop it through the key ring. carefully position it on the back of your plaque & use the staple gun [or glue gun] to attach it right under the ring. hot glue the felt circle over the ribbon to give the back a nice finished look & to protect the wall when it's hanging [this step is optional!]. all done!

now you can wrap it up all pretty with either a couple hairbows and have the perfect simple gift for the sweet little bow-wearers in your life! come to think of it, this would be a super cute little girl baby shower gift... a bow holder & a "starter set" of baby's first bows!

of course, i don't have a "finished" picture as i popped this little baby into a gift bag as i was running out the door to my brother's house for christmas- it was a special request gift by my sister in law for my sweet little niece. i love love love making handmade gifts!

::: edited to add :::

my sweet sis-in-law heard my complaints & sent me a picture of the holder holding its hairbows. a photo really is worth 1,000 words for size reference/amount of hairbows it holds/ribbon length/etc. yay!

i made my first apron!

2011-01-10T22:38:00.002-05:00

i apologize from the get-go for what will probably be terrible pictures in this little how-to! i've been relegated to crafting in the evenings, long after the winter sun has disappeared, & especially in the recently rain [that we wish was more snow!]. i can't quite get used to the dark of night at 5:30 pm- there's just been no sun!

i've been indimitated to try making one in the past, but i've wanted an apron for so long now, i ended up just asking M to buy me one for my birthday... thankfully we found some super cute handmade ones at a craft fair on a recent trip. that way at least it was still handmade, i completely love it, & i had no idea how much i would fall in love with wearing it!

my sister-in-law and i like to try to & out-do each other with our sentimental gifts. this year, naturally thinking along the line of aprons, i decided i would finally go for it & make her one [& ended up wanting to make myself a coordinating one!] i decided on this simple method that turned out really cute- it is a little involved if you aren't super comfortable with your sewing machine. i wouldn't necessarily call it "quick & easy" [a little bit more of a labor of love, honestly] but don't be intimidated, just try it! i they make perfect gifts!

what you'll need:
-a small apron of simple shape [or large, whatever seems will fit your apron wearer]
-about a yard of fabric for the apron
-about 1/2 yard coordinating fabric for the ties
-any ribbon or trim etc. you'd like to embellish it with
step 1:
iron your fabric, fold it in half & lay it out flat. place your apron on top & smooth it out.
step 2:
cut around your apron shape with an extra 1/2 inch or so [cut straight across the top, not around the ties!]. since your fabric was folded, you should have 2 apron shapes.
step 3:
put the 2 apron shapes face-to-face, right side of the fabric to right side. stitch all around the edges, leaving a little un-sewn space to turn it right-side out with.
step 4:
turn it right-side-out, sew up the little space, and iron it again so that the edges are flat. it's optional, but sewing around the entire apron right at the edges at this point will make it look more finished and professional!
step 5:
cut about a 2 strips, about 3 inches wide, of your coordinating fabric for the waist ties and 2 strips about 1 inch wide, for the neck ties. use the ties on the original apron [& the size of your apron wearer] to guide you on the length they should be. you can roughly tie them around yourself if you're unsure!
step 6:
sew the 2 strips face-to-face & turn right side out just like you did with the apron. then attach the smaller one to the neckline. the longer one should go across the front of the apron & be stitched around the top to stay in place.

optional:
i actually ended up using some wide twill tape for the neck straps because my fabric strips were so thin it made them insanely hard to turn right-side-out. if you have more patience than me [or cut the strips more carefully!] there shouldn't be a problem, but the twill tape was easy & i liked how it looked! all i did was fold under the exposed edge & then stitch a square with an 'x' through it to secure it [like a purse handle!]

yay! you made an apron!
now the fun part: embellish however you'd like! this is where the sentimental part came in for me- i scanned a copy of my mom's chocolate chip cookie recipe card onto printable fabric, cut it out, sewed it at the top of the apron, & then zig zag stitched the edge.
i love that it is in her handwriting & has all the stains & marks of a well-loved recipe.
this little number was a christmas present for my sister in law- i've had to hold off on posting this one to keep from spoiling her surprise! i love thinking of her being able to wear this & thinking of my mom each year at christmas, baking cookies [& as she pointed out- using the recipe!]

i made the steps as detailed as i could, but i realize the pictures weren't too self-explanatory. please leave comments & questions if you're confused or get stuck- happy apron-making!

valentine's ideas!

2011-01-09T14:27:00.002-05:00

usually i'm annoyed with stores skipping straight from christmas to valentine's, but i do have to admit to myself that it is already january, and for some inexplicable reason, i really want to make valentines this year! with a baby due in early march [which around here may very well actually mean late february] i figured the only chance for success was to start early.

not a bad mantra for me in general.

turns out, unsurprisingly, that valentine's must be a super-inspirational holiday in the craft world, because there are tons of adorable ideas out there. a quick search on one pretty thing brought up this handful of ridiculously cute ideas!

for my love:
a lightbulb message via design*sponge

especially with those fat, round lightbulbs!

or this love frame via the inadvertent farmer

i'm picturing this in a daddy's office, perfect too if you have 4 kids!

for sisters or grandmas:
a cute little sachet via craftypod

although i think those stacked hearts would be cute sewn onto pretty much anything. oooh like the end of a scarf!

for the house:
a valentine wreath via tatertots and jello

i'm totally on the hunt for one of those heart-shaped wreaths to make this with!

for the kiddos:
heart-shaped multi crayons via the long thread

these would be a super cute idea to make a big batch of if you felt like being one of those awesome moms that brings in a little something for your kid's whole class!

and though i can't knit a stitch, i couldn't help but say awwww when i saw this incredibly cute idea: a holding-hands mitten! via coco knits- even cuter that she called it a smitten mitten. love.

now that the inspiration fires are burning, i've got to get to work!

first project of 2011!

2011-01-01T22:51:00.001-05:00

i'm trying not to get myself all worked up about "resolutions" this year, seeing as how i am definitely the type of person that makes them but does not keep them. so instead, i'm simply trying to take one project at a time & instead just be resolute about finishing and enjoying them! a lot of my ideas and inspiration revolve around the house... the tricky thing about a rental is that you move into a completely builder-beige blank slate [which, if you're like me, is just dying to be "done over!"] but you're only allowed to do so much because the space is not really yours. thankfully, some of the changes M & i have in mind are considered upgrades to the house & we're allowed to do them.

first thing first, we're still working on getting the master bedroom just right. so new year's day, M started off with a bang by installing a beautiful new ceiling fan! i absolutely LOVE how it looks in the tray ceiling!

and speaking of builder-beige-blank-slate, this main wall in our living room has always seemed to me like the perfect spot for something statement making- a big piece of artwork, a huge framed mirror, a big shelf... something big. it's the first thing you see when you come in the front door, & we just haven't had the space in the past to really go big.
we did build a little shelf, and i added every unclaimed picture frame in the house i could find, including some empty ones, onto it for some collage action:
but the more i think about this wide expanse of wall, and the more i think about the tons more family photos i'd like to be able to put up there, the more i'm loving the idea of a wall-long chair rail two thirds of the way up [rather than halfway up like a usual chair rail]. it is so easy to move the frames around when they're leaning up there rather than nailed into the wall. and of course, a board and batten treatment underneath would be just lovely, and not to difficult based on some of the tutorials i've seen! here are my inspiration photos:

the nester

just beachy

our humble abowed

color zen

[& ps. this is my favorite tutorial for it so far if you want to try it too- makes it look so easy!]

[pss. i'm seeing tons of blogs talking about the new pantone color of the year, but i can't get these beachy blues & greens out of my head!]

like handmade friends.

2010-12-31T21:00:00.002-05:00

putting away the christmas decorations is always a bit of a bummer for me- it's so fun for the house to be so full of merriment, and then it just feels so naked when you take it all down! although i must admit i do like having the space in the living room back from where the christmas tree was [K has her little toy corner back!]

i thought as i was carefully packing up each ornament, wrapping it & tucking it into its little pocket in the ornament box, that i would get some pictures of some of the handmade ornaments over the years. i like the idea of making at least one each year, and i can't wait to see some of the ones that K will make as she gets bigger!
i started with these beaded stars forever ago. they take forever to make but turn out so beautiful and sparkly when the lights hit them!
the anthropologized felt star- i think it might need some glitter.
the little felted crocheted snowflake- still one of my faves!
the little felt flower ornament made from a jar lid!
i made this little glass snowflake one this year by punching out snowflake shapes with a paper punch on aluminum tape [from home depot- i think it's meant for pipes or something?] & then adding some 'faux snow' inside. love it!
probably my favorite one: last year i made these flat etched glass ornaments- the snowflake one was my tester & the other was a gift for my brother & sister in law. i have one more blank one sitting unfinished in the craft room to make one with my family name. i love family/monogram kind of ornaments!
it's not on the tree because only one of my salt dough ornaments turned out cute enough to keep... painting them got a little experimental! i think i'll try again next year when K is big enough to help.

we have a cute little collection of some kiddo-made ornaments that my mother-in-law saved of my husband's and though i don't really have any i made as a kid, we have lots that my mom made over the years which are just as special. the only good thing about packing them all up is thinking of how in just a few months i'll get to pull them back out like old friends.

merry christmas & happy new year!

the stocking success story!

2010-12-28T10:32:00.001-05:00

it started out as a saga- a near disastrous event starting with 1 overly optimistic crafter & ending with 3 paper bags hung by [sitting below] the chimney with care.
i'm speaking of my attempt to make homemade stockings for my family last year. in short, i started too late and ended up choosing to sit and smootch with my hubby by the light of the tree on christmas eve rather than shiver in the cold basement with my sewing machine. and despite the fact that i had relished in the thought of a whole year to finish them, they sat on my craft table in a little bag, only to be pulled out again, last second, & still totally unfinished this year.
precious hubs knew not to mention it, as i had already mentioned that the stockings must happen for real this year. however, when he asked ever so gently and carefully on christmas eve-eve if the stockings were going to happen, i said yes. and i meant it. even if i didn't sleep all night to finish them. i even brought my sewing machine up from the cold basement, figuring that trying to sew with numb fingers wasn't helping the equation any.

1 christmas cd on repeat, lots of mugs of apple cider, and a few stretch breaks later, they were done. at 2:14 in the am. and so, ladies & gentlemen, i present to you the finished stockings:
left to right they are kenna's, mine, and matt's. halfway through lining kenna's i realized the fabric i picked for kenna's lining would have been perfect for the frontand now i'm tempted to redo it... but "fixing it" would truly mean redoing it almost from the beginning & i'm just not sure i'm willing to do that.

here are some of the fun detail-y things up close:
i'm choosing not to allow the fact that there are still technically 2 unfinished stockings [1 for baby-boy-on-the-way and yes, 1 for the dog] sitting in pieces on my dining room table deter me in any way from considering this a success story. i'm also ignoring the silly fact that we had to line them up on the bench beside the mantel because we still didn't have stocking hangers [bought them 50% off this week at the after christmas sales!]

and best of all, i got to see my little girl up to her armpit pulling tiny gifts out of homemade love. totally worth it.

hovering.

2010-12-26T08:56:00.001-05:00

so, christmas is just now ending... we're hovering in the glow of freshly fallen snow [8 inches!] and a christmas tree i don't quite want to take down yet. and though i feel the relaxation of no more immediate major deadlines to get things made as gifts, i am starting to feel the flood of things i want to make now that christmas is over....

things for next year, ornaments i want to make/finish before i pack up all the other christmas stuff, and wanting to make the house a winter snow cabin to avoid the usual post-christmas-decorating-letdown [ie: when you take down all the christmas decorations and the house looks naked! is that just me?]

and of course, there seems to be always the ever-present desire to completely redecorate the house, made only more intense and more crazy-driven thanks to the nesting flurry of only 10 weeks [!!!!!!] left to go!

so, until i catch up on a few tutorials and fun things i have started [but not finished before christmas!] here are a few inspiration photos i'm pondering, constantly thinking of ways to make home more homey:

because it is.

for christmas next year- extra fluffy wreaths

loving that blue & the his/hers effect- & i am now scouring craigslist for the perfect table to saw in half!

because a new year & an entire line of new products is coming your way from leaf&letter... & the flower hair clips must be displayed like this!

[ps- so, so sorry to not include photo credits- these are from my random inspiration folder & apparently i was too lazy to bookmark the original site. many apologies!]

ok, internets.

2010-12-18T15:38:00.002-05:00

you're killing me here. i mean, really? less than a week before christmas & you're going to deliver a handful of the cutest little crafty ideas i may have ever seen?

i shouldn't be surprised... it happens every year. i make a list of ornaments i want to make, and then somehow it just doesn't happen. then i look over the list later & think well that's ok. maybe next year. but these are just too cute!

mini yarn wreath ornaments:
which means you could also make ruffle felt wreaths in mini-ornament form!
adorable paintstick ornaments:
tiny garland trees with wine cork stands:
and ok, not technically christmas related necessarily, but i'm dying to make some of these amazing tiny wooden cupcake stands!
i did make 1 this year... probably the secret to its success was that it was made back in november. and now i have to head back down into the craft room & get busy on these adorable ideas!

christmas 2010!

2010-12-17T00:20:00.003-05:00

i had a hard time figuring out where i wanted to go with our christmas decor this year. i wanted to do something a little different than the red and white of last year, but realized we really didn't have anything else since we were almost starting from scratch last year after all the moves. i thought about green trees with a snowy cabin feel, i thought about traditional red & green mixed together, and nothing felt quite right. and of course, we have the same tight budget as last year [aka, no buying out pottery barn anytime soon.]

but after seeing this tablescape by the nester full of white dishes [my obsession], neutrals, a little silver-snowy-sparkle, and all kinds of basket-y goodness, i knew that was it. about $10 at the dollar store and $12 at target later [that purchase included faux snow... whee!] we had a reasonably presentable-y decorated house.

the mantel:
i kept my paper bag wreath up [even though i really, really want to make a green ruffly felt one]. i have been amazed at how well this paper one has lasted and fit in with every decor i've put together so far- just what i wanted from a neutral little wreath!
i continued the basket-y and twinkly theme with some rattan ball light strings that i got from target forever and a day ago [always intending to put them out on the porch but never did] and some branches with twinkly lights in vases. i got 2 additional tall candleholders from the dollar store and filled them with kraft paper shreds and silver ornaments. everybody's christmas cards as we got them in the mail added just the right amount of color!
speaking of color, oh deer got a little himself... getting into the christmas spirit with a pretty red scarf. doesn't he look ready to go caroling?
the living room shelf still had the pins in for the felt snowflake trim and i added all my little winter trees around the pictures. doesn't it look much more warm & friendly than last year when it was so sparse?
and finally, the tree. which i can't take much credit for since my sweet hubby has decorated it for me each year since my mom died. i seem to get partially paralyzed at the thought of it since it used to be our tradition to decorate it together- it became a sad thing instead of a happy thing marking the start of christmas. but once it's done, i love to just sit and look at it, snuggling up on the couch with the puppy or to watch a movie after little one has gone to bed. and i love that it's right in the window where passing neighbors can see it- what's more cheerful than a twinkly christmas tree through the window?

& you can see the debut of my merry christmas banner that i started last year and finished around november of this year- SO determined to be able to finally use it!
the stockings are still in progress, the christmas pillows i have planned are holding on by a thread, and the advent calender i wanted to make i had to just let go of for this year... but oh well! i think kenna will be able to understand it better next year anyway. [or at least that's what i'm going to tell myself as i furiously sew stockings the day before christmas eve, desperate to have them done!]

the front door:
i unintentionally went for sparse and wintery with the front door- i moved those black urns from the back porch to the front & then was at a complete loss of what to put in them! a little moss and faux snow [also from the dollar store] at least made them look a little more wintery [once we took the pumpkins out!]
& my favorite part- this year's incarnation of my grapevine wreath, with acrylic snowflakes and tiny silver ornaments tied on with twine. the tin "noel" is from target a couple years ago & has two tiny jingle bells on it!
& since she inspired my "theme" this year, i'm linking up just for fun to the nester's christmas tour of homes- man alive, there are some pretty houses out there!

on the cheap: salt dough ornaments!

2010-12-13T20:43:00.012-05:00

if there were ever a truly quick & easy & fun christmas idea to share [not to mention insanely cheap], it would definitely be this one! salt dough is probably as old as the hills, but i have to credit one of my favorite crafty-momma sites, prudent baby, for bringing it up to date with this amazing tutorial!

this seriously couldn't be easier [& the tutorial explains it perfectly & gives lots of ideas!]

you will need:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup table salt

1/2 cup water

& that's it! just mix it up in a mixer until it makes cookie-dough consistency dough, smush it up, roll it out, & use cookie cutters on it like you would normal cookies. i have a sad lack of cookie cutters around my house so i used some of my daughter's plastic play ones from her play kitchen... what could be happier than making cute ornaments with pink plastic cookie cutters?

i did bells and stars and attempted a little toddler handprint one [i made a clay footprint ornament from the year she was born & was barely a month old at christmas & it's so precious to me now- her hand is already bigger than her newborn foot was!]. i was thinking it would be cute to put kenna's thumbprint in the little stars for the grandparents. they look like cookies but i'm sure would taste completely disgusting:

then you just pop them in the oven at 200 for 4-6 hours or overnight until they're dry [halfway through i flipped mine over]. then the fun part... paint or glitter however you like!

now, allow me to assure you that the "quick & easy" part ends here if you are, like me, completely a perfectionist & especially prone at the moment to angry pregnant hormonal breakdowns if you flick the brush wrong you mess up 30 minutes of detailed painting work. only the star turned out somewhat well, although the gold i added looks more like smeary paint than the light wash of shimmer i had hoped.
instead of throwing them in the trash & walking away [as i wanted to do last night] i picked up some cheap glitter glue and red glitter today to try to salvage them. this one looks a bit like an iced cookie when covered in glitter glue:
and the rest of the bells i just painted white and outlined in glitter glue and then glitter. not what i was originally going for, but not a complete craft fail thank goodness!
[ps- someday it will not become night time every day at 4 pm and i will be able to attempt decent pictures again. i hope you will still be reading this blog and will not have totally given up on me when that day finally comes.]

on the cheap: christmas card scrapbook!

2010-12-08T11:35:00.003-05:00

i guess this idea would only work as a gift for someone else if you were in the habit of saving all the christmas cards someone else sends you... but it's something i've wanted to do ever since we first got married & started sending out our own cards, especially since some of them have been handmade! it's especially ideal for christmas cards where they can vary really widely in size and not fit in traditional simple photo albums.

i originally saw this idea on young house love's blog as a baby book, and thought it would be a quick fix for archiving all the christmas cards i wanted to save. it really is a simple, simple project with just a few easy materials!

all you need is:
-an 8x8 diy scrapbook with slide-in pages
-a pack of 8x8 scrapbook papers, two-sided in pretty christmas-y patterns
-photo safe double stick tape/squares
-all your christmas cards!
-number stickers or stamps to note the years [optional]

step 1:
make sure your paper pack size fits your scrapbook size, ie: 8x8 and 8x8... this is completely key to it being the easiest project ever!
step 2:
pick a paper that coordinates with your card, and stick 4 double stick squares on the back of the card, one in each corner. slide out the white paper stock in the scrapbook sleeve, and slide in the pretty paper with your card attached.
step 3:
repeat for all your cards, and add number stickers or stamps to chronicle the years [i'm apparently terrible about not printing what year it is in the information on the card!]
and done! you can also make a fun title page with stamps or stickers, which i'm still planning to do for this one!
looking through the old cards made me realize how many of them i've ordered from shutterfly, especially our christmas card/baby announcement hybrid of 2008. they are just the best for christmas cards, baby announcements, or even new year's cards if you missed the boat on christmas one year! not entirely handmade, but you do get to pick a design and a photo and add your own info, and it's much easier to send out 100 christmas cards when you haven't sat up all night handstamping and gluing them [yeah... did that one year. and only sent 20 cards because of it!]

the best part is that this year, they're offering anyone who writes a blog 50 christmas cards for free! all the details are right here. you'd better believe i'm taking them up on it! now i just have to decide which photo to use this year...

snowy surprises.

2010-12-05T22:06:00.005-05:00

every once in a blue moon it looks like this in our little town of suburban north carolina [although rarely this early in the year!]. the streets shut down, people come out of their houses to laugh and throw snowballs, & the stores have run out of bread & milk because of the mere suggestion of the possibility of snow:
and every year, i get in the mood to do this:
is there anything more beautiful than falling snow? especially from warm and snuggly indoors, with warm socks & a burrowed puppy on your feet, by the light of the christmas tree:
this year, it is a brown ruffly scarf [from the most fun pattern!]. last year it was a hat. and look, oh look, how cute that hat is this year:
gracious, when did those little cheeks get so grown up? i don't know who's happier the hat still fits, my hat-obsessed little girl or her momma.
happy snow day! winter is finally here.

diy gift card holders& a giveaway!

2010-12-04T23:29:00.002-05:00

i've heard some people say they think giving a gift card is a tacky, impersonal gift. i however, love them. i love gift cards. because not only have you given me a gift to unwrap, you've also given me the gift of going shopping to pick out something i love. 2 in one!

the trick for me though is that when i give a gift card, i want it to have a really cute little home. i don't want just the mini paper envelope it comes in at the store [although i do love mini paper envelopes.] i want it to be able to hang on the tree and/or have a little something extra that makes you even more excited that it is a gift card! so i came up with this little number:

i thought some felt card holders would be super cute done in different christmas shapes- a stocking, ornament, mug, and a tree! if you have all the ingredients in the right place at the right time [i swear i spend 90% of my crafting time running down to the basement to the sewing machine, back up to the kitchen to take a picture, upstairs to the iron, etc...] you could spend one naptime, about an hour, whipping a few of these up! & now i'm looking for excuses to give everybody on my list a gift card!

i created a template especially for this project. you can click this link & save it as a photo [jpeg] or right click the photo below to save it- then just print with your options set at "letter size" [in other words, one full sheet of normal printer paper] & it should fit your standard gift card perfectly!

you will need:
christmas shapes template

a few sheets of felt [love me some eco-felt!]

scissors

sewing machine or glue gun

tiny scrapbooking grommets & setter [optional- i used 1/8"]
ribbons etc. of your choice!

step 1:

print out the template & cut out 2 identical copies of your shape. double check it with your gift card to make sure it fits within the edges!

step 2:

using your gift card as a guide, cut a strip off of the top shape so that the gift card is slightly visible at the top- so that it will come out!

step 3:

stitch or hot glue any embellishments you'd like to the front of your shape- anything you can imagine! sequins, glitter glue, ribbon, trim, decorative stitching, or even more felt shapes. i stitched on ribbon & some pom-pom trim & took advantage of my sewing machine's awesome snowflake stitch!

step 4:

carefully stitch or hot glue around the edges of the shape so that your card will fit in. you can go all the way around without stopping, or just go from one edge of the opening to the other- just don't sew your opening closed!

step 5:

poke a tiny hole in the top of your shape & set the grommet according to the instructions on the packaging. if you don't want to mess with this, just poke a tiny hole & string some ribbon through. i used skinny jute twine- love it for hanging ornaments!
at the last second i also added a little circle of contrasting felt for more color & to stabilize it [ie: the grommet is set through 2 pieces of felt]. i thought it turned out cute, totally optional though!

lastly, slip a loaded gift card in to hang on the tree [or tie to another gift!] for your lucky and unsuspecting recipient! yay!

here are the other cute patterns all finished:
[the ornament doesn't have its grommet because the grommeting became a tad noisy as the night got later...]

how cute would this mug be with a coffee/tea card any time of year?!

and one of my favorite ways to give a gift card would be to make a cute luggage tag & slip a starbucks gift card inside... who doesn't love getting a quick starbucks while they wait in the airport? perfect for a friend who travels often!

so... on to the good stuff... i am giving away all 4 of these gift card holders! just leave a comment here on this post to say hello or your favorite place to buy gift cards from, and i will enter you in a drawing to win one! let me know if you have a preference which one you like best [i'll do it first come first serve.] everyone is welcome to enter [especially if you're brand new here or know me in real life] & don't forget your email!

i'm going to be doing a series of quick & easy gifts/decor ideas for christmas in the next couple of days... check back often for more project ideas!

a few of my favorite things!

2010-12-03T11:32:00.003-05:00

in an ideal world, time & money would be unlimited... meaning i could buy out everything i want on etsy for everyone on my christmas list! unfortunately, as we all know, that's just not the case for most folks. i'm excited that most of my christmas shopping is done, with the exception of a few things i'd like to make for family that i'm still working on of course [stay tuned for more about those!]

here are some of the awesome handmade goodness i would be purchasing with wild abandon if i had the cash! some of them are vendors i've seen in person at recent craft shows, & some are etsy shops that i may not have even ordered from, just admired for a long time!

::: an apron story :::

for my birthday a few weeks ago, my sweet husband bought me an amazing apron from this great vendor! she has lots of really pretty prints, and adorable child sizes. what could be cuter than a matching mommy/daughter apron set? i think every lady on my list needs one. here i am rocking the apron after wanting one for a nice long while... it's reversible and currently even fits my pregnant belly!

::: visibility :::

some of the cutest hand-painted signs in existence. i saw this vendor's booth in person at mistletoe market and seriously wanted to buy out everything! perfect for little neice's and nephew's rooms.

::: the felted pear and sewn sweets :::

wouldja look at the cute felt food in these 2 etsy shops! you already know i dream of a handmade wooden play kitchen for my little helper, can you imagine the cuteness of filling the shelves and fridge of that kitchen with all these creative & beautifully stitched little munchies? love. and i'm laughing now because i just realized the felted pear has all your fruits/veggies, and sewn sweets is dessert headquarters!

::: sosorosey :::

this shop has some of the most creative crochet designs i've ever seen, and there's not too many people i think you couldn't buy for from here! ornaments for a new baby, a desk/dresser organizer for your favorite guy, a christmas trivet for your mother-in-law, some beachy decor for your sister, and even a garland for your tree! seriously, i want to buy this whole shop.

::: jaqueline knits :::

all i can say is that i've wanted a little green apple jacket for forever... don't you?

just a note: none of these ladies have tempted me with goodies in any way to promote their shop- i just love their products & love to share the cuteness! i hope you'll be buying as much handmade loveliness as you can this season to support your local people who love to make things by hand!

thinking christmas?

2010-12-02T13:14:00.000-05:00

every year, i get delusions of grandeur... errm... way too overly optimistic thinking that if i just started in the summertime, i could gather a bunch of ideas together and hand make all my christmas presents for everybody! this year i really could do it, i tell myself.

but somehow, something always always brings me crashing back to reality, and most of the christmas crafting that gets finished at all is done huddled in my craft room late into the wee morning hours the night before. remember the christmas stocking saga of last year? that is a true picture of my crafty-optimism-turned-procrastinating near-disaster.

however, after being continually inspired by the handmade holidays master list and hoping that some of you reading here are doing so because you actually finish your crafty projects, i thought i'd post some great inspiration and project ideas specific to the groups of people i think they'd be perfect for! ie: kids, sisters/girlfriends, or the ever-difficult brother-in-law crowd.

here are my favorites!

for all the ladies:
[sisters, sisters-in-law, moms, mother-in-laws, girlfriends]

etched snowflake glasses

monogrammed tote bag

stenciled tea towels

for all the guys:
[brothers, fathers, father-in-laws, brother-in-laws, husband's best friend, etc]

monogrammed neck tie

kindle [electronic book] cover

photo coffee sleeve
[although i think i would pick one favorite photo & print it on printable fabric & stitch it directly on rather than making the photo removable]

for the babies & kids:

little mary janes [so deceptively easy looking!]

toy car cozy

fabric magnet alphabet and numbers

fabric flower hair clips

kid's step stool or dot stool

sorry there are no pictures of any of these fabulous projects, but just trust me when i say that each website they came from is a treasure trove of ideas! now if i can just get my 2 year old to nap long enough to take a chunk out of my monstrous list of christmas ideas, starting with the ones i didn't finish last year!

sweet shop birthday!

2010-11-30T18:21:00.001-05:00

last week, my sweet and tiny newborn woke up a wild and happy 2 year old! so after pulling out an appropriate birthday girl outfit:

we put up the birthday banner from last year [i have to admit i love this thing. i hope she wants to put it up when she turns 40!] hard to get a good picture of it though:

and opened up her own little sweet shop for her cousins!

i have seen SOOO many amazingly cute renditions of the "sweet shop" birthday idea that i thought it would be perfect for our happy little girl. we had to plan it all right after a week-long trip to my grandparents, so it wasn't the most organized thing ever! but it was cute and fun and just right for a sweet family party. the perfect phrase for an invitation came to me while browsing ideas months ago, and i ended up "picniking" a fun photo just in time to email it out to everyone:

one of the projects i had to let go of due to limited time was that i wanted to make her a little paper banner over the candy saying "kenna's sweet shop" [similar to the merry christmas one last year]. but we did have a little sign directing our friends to help themselves to a goodie bag/party favor full of candies... mini boxes of nerds, smarties, hershey kisses, dum dums, jelly beans, and candy necklaces!

[still cute despite an almost-out-of-ink print cartridge!]
and the perfectly pink "piece of candy" cake!

even the newest member [until the baby gets here of course!] of our little clan got in on the celebratory action:

& of course, a few other party necessities. i made 2 dozen of these cupcake-sized rice krispy treats & we are still eating them!

there was just enough food, just enough playmates, lots of love and LOTS of candy. all in all, life is pretty good when you're turning 2!

happy birthday little one! & thanks for giving momma a reason to go a little crazy on the party themes!

[ps- we both wore super cute rosette hair clips that i got a few weeks ago at a local craft show. i can't for the life of me make those little rosettes to look right, so i bought us each one and love them! if you're looking for one, her shop is called 'inspired by kate' on etsy... hopefully she'll have some listed after the holidays!]

twenty-seven.

2010-11-29T14:21:00.007-05:00

a delicious family,

with one more on the way.

i think i might be bogarting all the blessings, y'all. turning twenty seven today is looking pretty good so far!

little turkey for a little turkey.

2010-11-26T22:54:00.004-05:00

before i forget & the thankful holiday is long gone, i'm thankful to have a little person [soon to be 2 little peoples!] in my life to create things for, such as this little turkey number that a certain someone wore while stuffing her face with stuffing:
if you're looking for your own sweet little something on a bib, the whole petite bee shop is waiting just for you! new christmas designs are coming soon...

ps- become a facebook friend of petite bee & you can view a whole gallery of happy bib wearers and other custom bibs i've done recently. you can even send me a photo of your happy bib wearers so i can add him or her to the gallery! love it!

turkey day cupcakes!

2010-11-24T16:05:00.000-05:00

this year for thanksgiving, we baked up a whole army of turkeys:
i saw this idea somewhere the first thanksgiving we were married, and made them "for the kids" for thanksgiving dinner at my in-laws. unfortunately, the only kid in the family at that point was our just-turned-2 niece. needless to say, we had to help her eat the cupcakes... poor kid couldn't be expected to eat a whole dozen by herself!
here are the details, they're very cute with not too much effort!

beak- candy corn with the yellow part cut off, glued on with icing
body- chocolate cupcake with milk chocolate frosting!
head- mint milano cookie
eyes/wattle- piped chocolate icing
feathers- archway molasses cookies cut in half
i made them again this year for the kids of our sunday school class when we got together last week. kenna was thrilled to help me make them, asking for more "bites" of chocolate icing & shouting "turtee!" and there wasn't a single one left after the party. success! my precious family is certainly what i'm most thankful for, today and always.

"so then, just as you received Jesus Christ as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness." -colossians 2:6-7

happy thanksgiving!

fabric stamped lampshades!

2010-11-21T17:26:00.000-05:00

when i did a little lamp shuffling after making the pottery barn inspired lamp, i had left one of our bedside lamps naked with no shade. we used to have completely non-matching lamps because i am apparently scared of anything being too matchy-matchy, but i have seen photos everywhere of matching lamps on either sides of the bed or between twin beds that look completely fabulous. so when i got these two lampshades in excellent shape completely free, i thought i'd at least try out matching lampshades on either side of our bed.

before:
[i tore off the thick top and bottom trim]

i've been wanting to add a touch of yellow since our room is kinda beachy, and i thought it would give a little sunshine-y feeling and a pop of color. but among all the yellow fabric from my stash, there wasn't a single piece that wasn't flowery... i wanted bold and graphic.

i had just bought some fabric paint [including yellow] to try freezer paper stenciling, and decided to really branch out and try stamping directly onto the lampshade with it. it worked out really well!

i started with these super cheap stenciling sponge brushes to make a perfect circle, and a plain old plastic juice lid to make a ring.
the stencil sponge is perfect for making a nice fat circle! i just loaded it up with paint and squished it gently with my hand inside the lampshade to give it a sturdy surface. same with the juice lid... although some of them i had to go back over once or twice to get a solid line.
i had a bit of a pattern in mind as i went, but just kind of made it up on the go. in hindsight, it probably would have worked better to sketch out a bit of a plan very lightly in pencil. it started to come together as long as i tried to keep the spacing even.
after the paint was dry, i planned to hot glued some rope-like jute to hide the torn edges where the old trim used to be, but i could never quite find exactly the trim i wanted.

so i put them in our master bedroom to see how they looked, and just couldn't get crazy about them. not loving it! sometimes [ok, often] that happens with me and my jump-in-and-go-for-it crafting style. while i thought they would be adorable for a kiddo bedroom or playroom, they just weren't doing it in the beachy-serene thing i have going in our bedroom.

i actually made these back in may... it is now november and they have sat there all these months, unfinished & totally wrong for the room. so, if you ever find yourself reading here & lamenting some unfinished project of your own, come back and have a look again at these sad, half-finished little lampshades.

ooh, and then check out craft fail, because it could make anyone feel better. i read it all the time because it usually makes me laugh that good weepy-hysterical-almost-crying laughter that feels so good. and then i do feel better.