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. 

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!

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.

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.

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!

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.