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Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Kitchen Towels

As I'm learning to sew, I found this cute and easy project. I bought bar mop towels at Walmart and found cute fabric that I loved. I cut out strips of fabric, zig-zag sewed the strips onto my towels, and voila! Cute, cheap, easy, practical kitchen towels. I was going to give them as a gift, but loved them so much I kept them for myself...

Valentine's Day Cards & Gifts

I made some cute gifts for the moms and grandmas for Valentine's Day.  I made cards with paper doilies, sewed borders onto flour sack towels, and crocheted dish cloths. It was a fun and easy project and they were all so excited to get a little surprise in the mail. 












Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Sewing - Baby Burp Cloths & Tie Onesie

I'm excited about sewing - and my friends are having lots of babies - a perfect excuse for trying out some new ideas.

I looked at many different burp cloth ideas online and decided to make these - you start with a nice, thick cloth diaper (mine are Gerber from Target). I washed them and my fabric to avoid shrinkage.  I measured the size of the thick middle part of the diaper, cut fabric to match,  and then sewed it on with a zig-zag edge.


I used a soft flannel material, and bought several patterns in coordinating colors. I love how they turned out, and a set of four wrapped together with a ribbon will make a darling gift.



I also made a cute little tie onesie. I cut out the tie shape, used wonder-under to iron it onto the onesie, and stitched around the outside. My sewing machine skipped a few stitches (grrr....) - so if you look close you'll see this, but it's still so cute!

Monday, February 6, 2012

Spring Decor Updates

I've had the chance to go on a couple of shopping trips and have picked up some cute things for my home.  Here are some of my favorites.


I had the blue woven table runner, and I always pick up neat candlestick holders at sales. I have a set of brass, a set of bright silver, and a set of darker silver colored candlesticks. I bought cream candles of assorted sizes, and added in these cute little silver pots with fake plants that I just picked up at Ikea.  I love this little bit of spring in my dining room.


Another piece of greenery in my dining room is this cute little topiary. Best of all, it was 40% off at a local shop that was going out of business.

Yikes - looking at this photo, I realize we really need to paint that door to match our decor.


I found this cute little table runner at Kohls - in case you haven't noticed, I am in love with owls. I also took a bowl I had in the kitchen cupboard, put a cream candle in it, and added two big bags of conversation hearts around the outside.  Last but not least, I have a little turquoise Buddah for good luck. I found him at Target for $10.  I love this little bit of Valentine's Day decor in my kitchen.



Close up of the centerpiece.



I found this cute spoon at Pier One for about $30.  It's an actual chalkboard - so you can write on it if you'd like.  The colors - gold with touches of blue - go perfectly with my home decor.


This is a little peacock picture painted on slats of wood. I found him at a local greenhouse. I used a command hook and hung him on the tile backsplash over my stove. Love it.


This little fella was a Christmas gift from my hubby. It's from Anthropologie and ridiculously expensive. I would never have bought it on my own - but I so dearly love it.  With 2 boys and a hubby, the cookie jar is unfortunately empty almost all of the time.


I'm seeing these lanterns in all of the stores. I found this one at Ikea, for only $15.  It sits on top of a bookshelf.


I found this cute owl garden stool at Home Goods - one of my favorite stores.  He was $30. Since it's winter, he's going to live by my fireplace (fireplace tile soon to be replaced) until it's warm enough for him to go outside.

I hope you enjoy seeing my 'treaures.' 

Stay tuned, we are almost finished with the boys' bedrooms. Photos coming soon.

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Jute and Yarn Covered Wreaths

I have finished two new wreaths for my home - a jute covered letter 'B' and a yarn wreath covered with felt flowers.




To make this wreath, I bought a paper mache letter at my craft store, along with a roll of jute twine. I used my glue gun to glue the end of the twine onto the back of the letter, then I sat down with a good movie and worked on wrapping all of the areas of the letter.  When I was finished, I glued the twine to the back of the letter again, and I also used some glue on the outer corners when I was having difficulty getting the twine to lay nice.

In the end, I had wire edged satin ribbon (from The Container Store) and added a hanging bow and a decorative bow.  I think it turned out so cute, and my husband even liked it.

This was my inspiration photo, from Pinterest:


Another cute idea for these paper mache letters I might do for my oldest son's room. Simply cover the letter with burlap - isn't it darling?



I also love these letters, covered in yarn. They would be so cute for Valentine's day!



For my second wreath, I had seen this photo on Pinterest of a yarn covered wreath.





I had been wanting to make some felt flowers, but didn't know what to do with them. This was the perfect solution!  This is my wreath:


And a close up of the flowers - which were so much fun to make!


My genius plan was to attach the flowers to the wreath with little velcro dots, so that I could easily swap out for different flowers.  However they're not sticking too well, and I need to either permanently attach them or come up with a new plan.

The bad news - hubby does NOT like this wreath. Too girly for him, I guess.


Friday, January 27, 2012

Crafting Overload!

I have crafting overload right now - so many projects, so little time!


We just got new carpeting upstairs, which set off updating paint in my boys' rooms.  Now I've decided to make new artwork - Sam is getting a burlap covered pin board, some scrapbook paper art, and a few more ideas that I'm trying to finalize.  Ben might get some Lego art. Stay tuned to see how it all turns out.


Of course I have other projects. I'm wanting to make a pennant banner for Valentine's day. I finished a twine wrapped letter "B" as a wreath for our front door, and a yarn wrapped wreath with felt flowers. I will post photos of these completed projects soon!


I'm also itching to sew - I want some cute kitchen towels with trim, and I want to make myself a plush owl. I also have a co-worker with a new baby, and every baby needs a gift!


So bear with me as I have craft ADHD, with 10 projects going on at once. It should be worth the wait!

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Tutorial - Monster Chore Chart

 Is there a ten step program for people addicted to Pinterest? If so, sign me up!

I found a great idea for a chore chart, and decided to make one for my boys. They have been asking for an increase in their allowance, so this is a way for them to earn more money.

The finished product:


I think it turned out really cute! I started with a metal 12"x12" sheet from the craft store...


Then I glued on a piece of cute monster paper. I used letter stickers to spell out 'Chores' on a piece of cardstock, framed it, and added it to the top.


I used these metal key tags and removed the key ring, then I wrote out the chores and their amounts on the front, and glued a magnet to the back.



This chore chart is now hung inside our pantry, and my boys do a chore and put their completed chores in a cup to be paid out once a week. So far, it's working out well.

Lego Birthday Party

My youngest son turned 8 and we held his party at a local gymnastics center. He wanted to have a "Star Wars Lego" theme party.  Since we couldn't find what we were looking for invitations, we made our own. They were fun to make, and turned out great!



We also decorated goodie bags...


...and I made a lego cake - which gets an E for effort but a D for looks. There is a cake decorating class through Community Ed that I'm considering.


In the end, we had a fun party and a very happy birthday boy, and that's what matters most.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Happy New Year - and don't forget the less fortunate...

I took a few days off and celebrated the holidays with my family.  How can it be that the holidays just get better every year? Everyone got along, the food was great, the company even better.  My boys are at an age where they're pretty self-sufficient. They enjoyed time with their cousins and were truly thankful for all of their gifts.

At this time of the year, everyone tries to 'get back to normal.'  I had a real eye opening experience this holiday. My beloved Sister-In-Law has a new job - she is the homeless liason for her school district. She  is responsible for 250 students. I heard so many sad stories, so I asked what I could do.  She said the kids often ask for help getting the simple things - socks, underwear, quarters for laundry, and personal hygiene items. It seems everyone is in need these days, but the thought of going to school without underwear? Or being teased for having dirty clothes? That's just not fair.

My SIL says the Purex 3-in-1 laundry sheets are great for students, they're lightweight and easier to carry than a bottle of soap.  Amazon has them on a great sale right now, so I ordered several packages.  Then I went to Target (love, love that store).  Have you ever noticed how they have their 'repackaged' items at a discount? I found so many packages of socks and underwear - all on clearance because the packages had been opened.

Last but not least, I have scarves coming out of my ears - yes, even after giving away about 20 of them as gifts. So tomorrow's mail will contain a big box to my SIL - full of socks, undies, scarves and laundry supplies.  It feels so good to help these students.

What can you do to keep up that spirit of giving?