I Heart Pinterest

Can I just say how much I LOVE Pinterest?! I'm sure by now you all have heard of it. I was a little hesitant to sign up at first, but I am so glad that I did! Instead of searching through my bookmarks folder trying to remember the name of the project I'm looking for, I simply find the picture. Plus, it helps me remember things I bookmarked forever ago that I had forgotten about. I love that I can create separate boards (folders, basically) to pin my items to. I also love that I can pick any of the images on the webpage to show up as my "pin". If you want to see what I've been pinning lately, you can find me here. If you need an invite, just leave me your email address and I'll send you one. Trust me, you won't regret it!
I found this cute toddler backpack on Pinterest today and I'm totally in the process of making it. It is from Chickpea Sewing Studio.

photo via ChickPea Sewing Studio.
Madie has wanted a backpack with Tinkerbell on it since January, I think (yikes)! We are painting Tink on and once that is all dry I'll sew it up for my little munchkin. I'll post pics once it's finished.

Dress Up Veil

This was so easy to make! I took a piece of sparkly white sheer fabric (left over from this dress) and singed the edges so they wouldn't fray...you know, because I was too lazy to hem them all. Then I made a casing on one side and slid it onto a plastic headband. I put a dab of hot glue over the fabric on each side so that it would stay on the headband then I glued a little bow and jewel on top. 

Now my little princess can pretend to get married whenever she wants. 

Hand Print Pot Holders

For Mother's Day, Madie and I made these pot holders for my mother-in-law. The idea is definitely NOT a new one, although I haven't seen one before with a ruffle added. This could also be used for Father's Day (maybe without the ruffle, though).

Baby socks

Back in April, my older sister had a baby. It is her third girl, so she didn't really need anything but I wanted to get something for the baby anyway. I saw these cute socks at Target and couldn't resist.

                                      

They were plenty cute as it was, but I knew they could be cuter. So I got out some ribbon, jewels, thread and hot glue and here is what I came up with.

The ribbons were both stitched and glued. I just used hot glue but if you were concerned about it the jewels coming off in the wash you could use E-6000 or get some sew on jewels. I've used hot glue before and never had a problem with the wash.

And for fun, a little close up. Please excuse Blogger for rotating my picture.

Double Layer Tutu - a semi tutorial

I got an email recently from a friend of my husband's family. She sent me a picture of a tutu that she wants to recreate for her friend's daughters but wasn't sure how to get the double layer look without having to sew and wanted to see if I could figure it out. Here is the picture she sent me:

Is this not the cutest tutu?! It makes me wish that my daughter would wear one so that I had a good excuse to make it! Anyway, I did a quick google search and found several places that I could buy the instructions, but I'm cheap and decided that I could figure it out on my own. Sure enough, I did. And can I just say that this is SUPER EASY!!! Don't be fooled by the cuteness of it, it isn't any harder than your standard tie-the-tulle-onto-elastic-tutu.
Ready to learn how to make one yourself?
Start by cutting the tulle for the bottom layer into strips 6 inches wide (the width is entirely up to you, anywhere from 2 to 6 inches wide will work just fine) by twice as long as you want the finished length to be (so for a 10 inch long tutu cut 20 inch long strips). Now for the top layer, cut the strips equally as wide and about half as long. Then you are going to want to stack one top layer strip onto one bottom layer strip so that the middles line up, like so.

I realize that this isn't tulle, but cotton photographs better and quite frankly when I started this I couldn't find my stash of tulle.
Now that you've got your tulle strips stacked together we are ready to tie them onto the elastic (either use plain elastic measured to the size needed and stitched into a circle or depending on what size you need you might be able to get away with a narrow elastic headband like this).
I start by draping them over my finger like so,

then slip the strips under your elastic (which I like to put around my thigh while doing this). I don't have a picture for this next part but you are going to pull the bottom "tails" of tulle through the circle where your finger is.

It should look similar to this (sorry for the blurry pic). Now pull it tight!

Just keep adding your strips of tulle until you just can't fit any more onto the elastic, or until you are satisfied with the fullness of the tutu. If needed you can pull the top layer up to more fully separate it from the bottom (I found my tulle! Light pink is still light pink, what was orange in the pics previously is now hot pink) and trim the ends to make the even if needed.

You should now have two very distinct layers! I didn't finish because I didn't have enough tulle and like I said before, my daughter won't wear it anyway, but this should give you an idea of the finished look.

To get the red and white stripes on the bottom layer, I would do three red then three white and just go back and forth with the blue on top every time.
I hope that made sense and if any of you make a double layered tutu I'd love to see it!

Family History Journal - Mother's Day Gift?

So I'm not ignoring you all, I promise! I have quite a few things that I need to blog about (some I even have the post written and pics taken just need to upload them off my camera), but I'm hosting another craft night with the ladies at my church this week, so I probably won't post much again until next week. But I saw this today and just had to share! Isn't this little decorated comp book super cute?!

source: here

I have a soft spot for comp books (you can see some I've done in the past here, here and here) but what's different about this one from Kissing the Joy as it Flies is that it is more of a family history journal. Kira decorated this comp book and wrote several personal questions in it before gifting it to her Grandma a couple of years ago. Well she got it back recently and posted about it; she even includes the list of over 30 questions she put in this journal. Wouldn't this make a great gift for Mother's Day (or if you're crazy like me and already thinking Christmas...)? I know I'll be making these for my grandparents & my hubby's grandparents. 

Friday Fun Feature - A different kind of singed fabric flower

Maybe you all have seen this before, but I hadn't until earlier this week. How cute is this singed fabric flower!?! I love it.

I made one this morning and I'm wearing right now. I will definitely be making more of these!!! Photo and tutorial from Craft Snob.

Easter Chick

So I'm sure by now you've all seen this adorable idea at Giggles Galore, right? Well as soon as I saw them I knew that I needed them (yes, needed not wanted)! I had one problem...no 2x4 readily available. I would have had to wait several days to get the wood that is laying in my driveway cut and I just couldn't do it. So as I was checking to see that we had all of the ingredients for my husband's birthday dessert, I noticed something. The pudding box was just the right size!!!
Isn't she just adorable!?!

I didn't have yellow feathers, and at the time my hubby didn't have a job (but he does now, YAY) so I was definitely NOT going to buy feathers. I thought about it for a little bit and realized that baby chicks really are more fuzzy than feathery. I filled my pudding box with paper, taped it shut and gave it a coat of acrylic paint (yellow for the chick, white for the sheep which I'll post after I finish the face). Once dry I hot glued some cotton balls on and then took it outside for a coat of spray paint!
Right before the paint job...

and after the paint job. The paint did harden the surface of the cotton balls, but I don't really care about that.

Then I cut a beak and some feet out of felt, painted them the color that I wanted with acrylic paint (because I didn't have the right shade of orange felt) glued them on along with some googly eyes and a pink bow.

Yep, she definitely makes me happy, and you'd never know that under all that fluff is a box of pudding.

Friday Fun Feature - Wood

It's been a while since I've done a Friday Fun Feature, so today there will be more than one! I've noticed wood being used a lot in crafting lately and I love it! And I don't mean 2 by 4s, I mean wood straight from the tree in your front yard.

This beautiful cake stand from Once Wed


Wood thumb tacks

and photo holder, both from Homework

I'm also crushing on this vase from Tradewind Tiaras.

And the one that started it all for me...carved initial centerpiece from Etsy seller BraggingBags.


I think it's time to bust out the saw and the wood burning tool!

Bunny face candy jar

I saw this idea on Inspiring Creations and just knew that I needed one for myself. It's a little bunny pot/candy jar.

For the ears, I sewed fusible fleece in between two layers of white cotton and appliqued the patterned fabric on top. Then snipped around the edges and ran my fingernail over it to help it fray more. I just used hot glue to attach the ears to the pot.
Here he is doing his rightful duty of holding candy.

Doesn't he look so cute next my to egg topiary?!

Egg decor - part 2

You've met the Egg Wreath...now meet her sister, the Egg Topiary!

I LOVE IT!!! I've never seen a topiary quite like this. The eggs are made of styrofoam and were intended to be used as ornaments. I got them at the Dollar Tree *last year* and they don't have them this year, but they have something similar. I think the mini glitter egg picks would work just fine.

source: Dollartree.com

All I did was rip out the piece of ribbon that was the hanger and then cut the eggs in half with a serrated knife. Then I glued them to a foam ball and glued some Easter grass in the gaps and plopped it in a painted pot.

*moment of truth* It actually sat like this for a few weeks and Madie carried it around like it was a princess wand. And the back half of the ball still looks like this (I got sick of working with the grass).

 It's colorful, it's glittery and it goes well with my wreath. Smile.

Egg decor - part 1

I love this egg wreath! I've been wanting one for over a year (I even bought all of the supplies last year but never got around to making it). I recently starting hosting a craft night for the ladies at my church and decided that March seemed like the perfect month for a wreath. I was really hoping to make this wreath, but the majority decided otherwise. So I finally decided to just make it for myself.
There are several tutorials floating around blogland, This is My Life... is the one that I used as a reference.

For some reason I find it extremely difficult to take good pictures of things on this mantel, which is odd to me given how much natural light pours into that room. Anyway, this was a cheap, fast & super easy craft (although the grass makes quite a mess)...and it makes me happy!

Clocks By Staci giveaway winner!

True Random Number GeneratorMin: Max: Result:28Powered by RANDOM.ORG

Congrats to number 28 - Lauren @ Young Nester!

Now I'm off to Sea World & the beach...be back in a few days!

Burlap And Blue Winner!!!

And the winner of the $10 shop credit to Burlap and Blue is...

True Random Number GeneratorMin: Max: Result:6Powered by RANDOM.OR

Jaime @ I'm a Mom not a Professional!

Congrats Jaime!

Clay Pot Leprechaun

How cute is this little guy!?! He was super easy to make. I used three different sized clay pots, acrylic paint, felt, ribbon, paper, a sharpie, some googly eyes and hot glue.

Here you can see his cute little felt arms and hands, along with his ribbon belt and paper belt buckle.

And what's a leprechaun without a pot of gold (or yellow pom poms)? Do you like his freckels? I do.

He was so much fun to make and Madie enjoyed helping me paint the pots. We don't really do anything for St. Patrick's Day, but I enjoy looking over at the mantel and seeing him and the felt shamrock garland I made a few weeks ago.

Another Giveaway - Clocks by Staci

Click here for the BurlapAndBlue giveaway.
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I told you guys that I had another giveaway lined up in celebration of reaching over 100 followers - enter Staci!
Staci blogs over at Craftify It where you will see some amazing things, like her home renovations, such as this breakfast nook.
Before:

After:

And how stinkin' cute are these beadboard key racks!?

Not only does Staci have an awesome blog, she also makes custom clocks which you can find at Clocks by Staci.
Here are a few of my favorites:
I love the simplicity of this framed beadboard clock.



Staci is so clever, she actually used a toy monster truck to created the tire tracks on this clock!

What's not to love about this one...pink & green & polka dots...sigh.

Freakin' awesome - chalkboard clock!!!



I love the idea of using vinyl to put the clock right onto your wall!

These tin tile clocks are gorgeous.

I think this is probably my favorite of all of Staci's clocks. But then again, I'm a sucker for black & white and damask.


Now that you've seen the loveliness that Staci can create, want to know what's up for grabs??? A $25 credit towards a custom clock of your choice!

Here's how to enter:
- Visit Clocks by Staci and then come back here and let me know what speaks to you.

Want some additional entries?
- Follow Ashley's Craft Corner (1 extra entry)
- Follow Staci at Craftify It (1 extra entry)

*make sure to leave your email address in your comment/s if it is not attached to your profile
*leave a separate comment for each entry
This giveaway will close on Wednesday March 16th @ 11:59 pm (MST). The winner will be announced on Thursday the 17th.

Painted Flower Hair Clips

Looking for the BurlapAndBlue Giveaway? Click here (or scroll down).
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Here is the awesome tutorial I posted over at Keeping it Simple and Gluesticks (in case you missed it)!

I love making bows and flowers for my daughter's hair (really, that kid has over 70 hair clips...most of which I've made). I especially love making things that match her clothes. I'd been taking white flowers from the dollar store and giving them colored centers to coordinate with her outfits, when one day I had an epiphany. Why not paint the flowers!? So I did!
I'll show you how to go from this...

...to this!

For this project you'll need:

- White "silk" flowers (I get mine at the dollar store)

- Acrylic paint

- Paint brush (I generally use foam brushes because they are dirt cheap)

- Hot glue

- Jewel or glitter for the center (optional)

- Iron & ironing board (optional)

I usually try to get Daises, but you could probably use just about any faux flowers. Here are what mine looked like for this go round.

 Here is a side view of the bunch. This particular group came with 12 flowers.

1. Disassemble the flowers and separate the layers by size. Each flower was double layered but there were three different sizes of petals. I like a three layered flower, so from this 12 flower bunch I actually ended up with 8 flowers.

2. Iron the flowers flat. You don't have to do this, but it gives a much nicer look. Just make sure your iron isn't too hot. 

See the difference? Ironed on the left, not ironed on the right.

3. Paint! This is a great time for letting those little hands help out. Some colors (generally darker ones) will need a second coat once the first one dries. I recommend painting on a non-stick surface of some sort, or moving the flowers before they dry completely so they don't stick to the paper underneath...because they will stick to the paper underneath!

4. Once dry, assemble. Starting with the largest flower, put some hot glue around the center.

Now put the middle layer on top of the bottom, making sure to keep your fingers away from the little hole in the center (the glue will ooze out through that opening).

Continue with each layer until you are satisfied with the look. 

5. Glue the newly assembly flower to a clip (I use alligator clips lined with ribbon)

6. Add a center to the flower. I like jewels and glitter, but you could just use the center that came with the flower.

For a glittered center, put a blob of hot glue right in the middle, like so. The rounder the better, but don't stress about it.

Then just sprinkle the glitter on top. Let it sit for a minute or two before you shake off the excess, so that the glue can firm up.

See how sparkly?!

Look at how perfectly it matches her dress! That's not photoshopped or anything. It really does match that well!

How about a few variations...

1. Super sparkle flower - just sprinkle the glitter onto the flower while the paint is still wet.

2. You can coat the flower in Mod Podge for a shiny finish. And yes, that is a black flower. 

FYI - I've found that the Mod Podge doesn't hold up well on a flower being worn by a small child. Case in point - all that nasty cracking near the center.

Want a few more examples of flowers with their matching outfits? Ok.

Now take your new knowledge and whip up some super awesome customized flower clips...just beware, this is kind of addicting!
I'd love to see your version if you make some!