New Home

We bought a new home last month. So many projects I can't wait to do.
Hopefully I get motivated soon. :)





Also, happy but super nervous and a little scared...I got asked to set up a craft table next month!
And I don't have one thing made for it yet. I have been so busy with the move. THIS WEEK I promise myself I will get started. I have ideas and most of the items I need, just have to start and finish them. I CAN do this. I hope.

Chap Stick Cozy

My brother is crazy about his Chap stick. He is always digging around looking for one of his many tubes of it.

I found THIS TUTORIAL on Pinterest and had to give it a try.

(Not sure what I did wrong, but these little babies took me about half an hour to make.
That was cutting, sewing and ironing.

Maybe only 5 minutes to JUST sew)

 

A pretty silly "gift" for a man, but I think it will come in handy.

 

I made him one in camo print, helps manly it up a bit.
And I made myself one, because why not?!

 

 

And I also found THIS TUTORIAL, it is faster and just a bit easier.  

 

 

Sewing, Sewing and More Sewing

I have decided to try my hand at making homemade Christmas gifts this year, in the hopes to save a ton of money. I am a little worried that some will not be to pleased about this, but I am hoping and keeping my fingers crossed for the best.

 

I started with a gift for my niece and for my nephew.
I used this amazing FREE tutorial & pattern to make a set of fish....
Little Fishy Pattern

---This is the inspiration---

---These are mine---

I left the button eyes off, make them safer for the little ones.

I have made 2 sets of 5 fish each. I also placed a magnet in them. And I will be using a dowel rod with a magnet attached to the end as a fishing pole.
(Will post pics when I finish completely)
I must say, I am pretty happy with them SIMPLY because I had EVERYTHING to make them already in my craft room. It was all leftover material and stuffing.


 

I also learned an easier way to print my patterns. Now, I am sure I am the last person to figure this out. BUT, I used to print my patterns out on plain ole white printer paper.
So they would be sturdier, I would then tape them to a piece of cardstock and cut them out.
Silly me, I realized I had cardstock the exact size of my printer paper.

You can buy it really cheap, I get mine from Hobby Lobby. 50 sheets for around $2.50.

Buy CardStock Pack

 

 

Crafting Slump Finally Over

I have crafted a little here and there, but nothing too major.

My husband, Craig, bought me a new sewing machine for Christmas. I LOVE this thing. I was a little scared to move on from my Singer Simple to a more complicated Brother, but I am loving it. I have so many feet that came with it, my favorite being the walking foot. And it has a free motion quilting foot. So I have been sewing like crazy.

 

Made my first every rag quilt. Super easy to do. I love how it turned out.
 Rag Quilt Tutorial

I got a Wacom Tablet, I haven't played with it as much as I would like, but I have enjoyed drawing a few things here and there. Can't wait to figure it all out and get better with it. I just need to find time to watch tutorials and search out good tips for it. Thinking it might be fun to design my own layout for this blog. But for now, sewing holds my interest. :)

Halloween Spell Book

Have always wanted to make a "spell book" for Halloween.

I think it will look super cute placed on a recipe rack in the kitchen.

But I was always far too lazy to make the pages for it.

And then I found a WONDERFUL blogger who shared the printable pages for FREE!

Griffithsrated.blogspot.com

I found an old book.

Sprayed the pages with tea. :)

And then used stamps to muddy it all up.

Once I added the top pages, I used a lighter to burn the edges a bit.

Can't wait for Halloween to display it. :)

Witch's Potion Jars

Saw these Witch's Potion Bottles tutorial and KNEW I had to try them.
The entire tutorial can be found at Magia Mia

I must admit, mine look nothing like hers. I think I was too impatient. I should have taken my time, but that's just not me. 

I must say, family member's thought I had gone insane when I said "Don't throw that ice cream container away! I want to take it home with me for a project!" LOL 

I also used old prego jars instead of plastic bottles like in the tutorial. But I used what I had on hand already. :)

I have to finish mine up yet.

I want to add bark to the top of this last bottle...

And add bark next to the crow. 

Fall Time...CANDY CORN

I love salt dough. So simple, so easy, so cheap.

Salt Dough

1 cup of fine salt

1 cup of flour

1/2 cup of water (may add more)

Mix it all together. 

I just hand mold some candy corn shapes and some mini pumpkin shapes.
Any shapes will work.

I bake mine for 3-4 hours at around 250 degrees.

Once dry, I paint with craft paint.

And apply a layer of sealant to help give it a more shiny appearance.

I sewed some simple candy corn shapes.

You could even hot glue instead of sewing. I see a lot of people use hot glue!

Stuff and paint. Yes, paint! Right over top the material. So ANY material will work for this.

Grubby them up a bit with cinnamon.

It would even be cuter to attach a candy corn tag with a rusty pin.

But I got lazy. Maybe I will add that one of these days.

Plastic Easter Eggs Into Decoration

Every year after Easter, I cringe when I see tons of plastic Easter eggs go into the trash. Every year I think, WHAT CAN I MAKE WITH THOSE! And I always come up with nothing. So as my husband calls me a hoarder, I let them go into the trash can. And think "Next year, I will have an idea!" 

Well, Easter has long come and gone. At my sister's house last month, she had a box of throw away stuff, (Or as I LOVE to call it, GIVE AWAY'S) As I was going through the box, I saw tons of Easter eggs inside plastic buckets. I took them ALL, much to the horror of my husband. But this time, I had it...I was going to make those eggs into primitive eggs as decoration around the kitchen. 

Wasn't sure if it would work. I have made fake eggs before, but I used fake eggs from Styrofoam.
(I have a weird obsession with fake food. LOL)
But I gave it my best shot. And I think they turned out OK.
Not bad for a recycle project.
Not sure if my sisters will like them as much as I do, but I hope so...cause I see a Christmas present in these! LOL

I spray painted all of the eggs.

The color was off...But they needed the base coat anyways.

Found a color I liked for the eggs.
And painted them using a blush brush.
(It works great for quick applications and good coverage)

I then used a small paintbrush. Dipped it into dark brown paint.
And then ran my finger over it to give a speckled effect.
I am happy with how they turned out. 

 

I used this tag. Printed it on fabric and attached to my basket. 

Primitive Photo Holder

Found this idea on Pinterest...

The full tutorial can be found HERE at Southern Color.

 Tried my hand at it. And I am happy with the results. 

(My pictures make some of my items look yellowish. They are in fact NOT yellow at all.)

I am on the hunt for mini clothespins.(like the original pin!)

 I think that will look much nicer to hold the photo in place.

Birthday Party Decorations

Helped out with the decorations for my nieces 16th Birthday party. Which was also a joint party with her boyfriend. 

My favorite thing I did was the balloon tower.

Which I could not have made without my amazing husband.

He used some 2x4s and made a base.

(All I can tell you is that it was shaped like an X and he screwed the pieces together)

He used a drill and drilled a hole in the middle of the boards the same size as a piece of PVC pipe. Which was purchased at Home Depot in 10 foot pieces. And we cut them down to have two 5 foot pieces.

It's as simple as placing the piece of pipe into the hole.

 

Then take 2 blown up balloons and tie them together. 

Take another set of 2 tied balloons, and twist them onto another set of tied balloons.

And they slide/twist right on to the pipe.

Keep adding these layers until you reach the top.

I made 4 of these towers. 

 I wanted to go as cheap as possible with everything, but still make it look good.

I searched and searched for ideas on what I could make using crepe paper.

I found tons of good ideas, but wasn't too happy with them for a 16th party.

So I came up with my own.

I adapted this 3D letter idea, made with poster board.

You can find it HERE

And once I had the letter made, I covered them with crepe paper.

I used the same technique for the 16. This time I covered with fringed crepe paper. 

(They looked better before transporting them to the party LOL)

I used the crepe paper and made fringe streamers. 

Following THIS tutorial from pinterest.

I made flowers for the table centerpieces using tissue paper.

I used THIS tutorial.

I found some cute buckets at the Everything's A Dollar store.

And I made some using cardboard tubes that I wrapped with crepe paper.

I made card tins using old popcorn tins. 

I spray painted them. Cut holes in the top for the cards. (Actually, my husband did that part! LOL Not sure how he did it) And added lettering with my cricut.

And making photo boards using poster board and my cricut. Super easy.

I wanted to make a sign using chalkboard paint. But I got lazy.

So my husband gave me a piece of aluminum sheeting he had sitting around. 

I taped off the edges with black tape.
My intent was to use dry erase markers, but they didn't work. LOL

So I used paint and hand painted all the words.

I wanted to come up with super easy and quick dessert ideas. So I scoured pinterest. 

The first thing I came across, where these awesome cupcakes, using cotton candy for a topper.

Cotton Candy Ideas

Made cake boxes using boxes, wrapping paper, ribbon, and crepe paper.

Wrap the boxes in wrapping paper. 

Cut the crepe paper in strips leaving about 1/2 inch from the top uncut.

Use double sided tape to stick it on. And cover the top edge using ribbon.

I also made some dessert stands using different sized vases, and glued on a cake board to the top. 

I also made strawberry brownie skewers.

I used a cookie cutter to cut up a batch of brownies. 

Used strawberry marshmallows. And strawberries.

And stuck them all on a skewer.

Melted some chocolate and drizzled over them.

I used my leftover strawberries and dipped them in chocolate. 

And I used the leftover marshmallow and dipped half them in chocolate.

 

And I made some chocolate covered pretzels using Wilton's pink and green chocolate melts.

Camper Remodel

I finished all up with the camper. Did not take me as long as I had hoped.

 (LOL I LOVE having projects to do)

I scrubbed the entire thing down.

I recovered all the valances.

Made curtains for all the windows.

Recovered the fold down couch.

Made pillows.

Made a shower curtain.

And went shopping! Got matching sheets and bedspread, towels, and rugs.

Now its time to go camping!

I am looking forward to it.

BEFORE

     The Couch BEFORE...The Couch AFTER                 

 

I could not even begin to imagine how to explain how I covered this couch. A ton of trial and error. I did remove the couch from it's frame first. Measured, measured and measured once more for good measure. (Hehe Had to throw that pun in)
Then I was able to use the wooden frame under the cushions to staple on my material.

LOTS of staples. It was actually easy, just time consuming and daunting because of the size.

Made bucket seats. 

Very simple to make! Used buckets from Home Depot. And hubby cut me a plywood topper for them. I use my bucket as a guide to measure how much material I needed to cut. And then sewed elastic in the top seam.

(I just winged mine. But HERE is a good tutorial)

You can see how I messed up the sewing for one of my buckets. I liked the more flowy look for my material. And on one of them, I cut the material too short! Oh well, live and learn.

I found a brand new sleeping bag at the thrift store in my EXACT colors! That really made my day!

 I draped it over the couch.

The BATHROOM.

The BEDROOM 

I hated the plastic room divider that was on the wall.

It easily came down.

I sewed a curtain, and hung it using a tension rod.

Have to hang the pictures yet...

KITCHEN

A couple more little things I want to do yet. But for the most part, it is finished!