DIY: Head Band Holder

I'm not sure about others with daughters, but I often found head bands lying around all over the house - on the floor, on her dresser or desk, but no real spot to store them.  This frustrated her...it frustrated me.


A couple months ago, I had this idea - I was going to create a head band holder - not sure how or when, but it was going to get done. And then, as I was rinsing out an ice cream tub, just like the one pictured, the idea came to me.



Today, while at Canadian Tire, I bought some really cool "Duck Tape", Lo helped me decide which pattern.  This stuff is awesome - so I'm going to watch for if it ever goes on sale.  It was $5.99  The patterns are awesome - and from what I've seen on line, you can make some pretty amazing things from Duck tape - who knew????  =D


I wrapped the Duck tape around the ice cream tub - this was a bit tricky at time - trying to keep the tape straight while going around an unevenly shaped circular container was a little frustrating.
But it all worked out and Lo has 2 super cute head band holders.

Let's hope it helps her keep her head bands in one spot instead of all over my house. Ha!

Happy Crafting!!!!!!

Creating My Own Wall-Art

I am definitely not an artist, but when I saw this post Two Girls Being Crafty via Pinterest (yet another crafty item from that wonderful site), I decided to give creating my own wall-art a try.

I made a run to Michaels and picked up some supplies
* 16x20 canvas (yay for a 50% sale - perfect timing)
* brown acrylic paint pen
* acrylic paints
I used Martha Stewart multi surface Satin acrylic paints (only chose this brand because they were 30% off)
* round sponges in 3 different sizes.

I started this morning by taking my canvas and painting it with "Summer Linen" - the white was just a bit too stark, the creamy colour made it look just a little warmer. I used a small paint brush to cover the canvas...don't forget to do the sides, too ;)

The paint did not take long to dry, so about an hour later, I started drawing, with my paint pen, a variety of branches. It was recommended to use a paint pen, for us non-artsy types - I don't think I would've had the same precision with a paint brush. This was fun to do - made me feel artsy. My sister got that bulk of the art gene, sadly.

While the kids were napping, I decided to start adding colour to my painting. This was the fun part. I used a variety of colours that I felt would go well with my dining room/living room. The colours I used were Habanera, Geranium, Yellow Jacket, Green Olive and Scallion. I just dabbed my round sponges into the paint and then placed them sporadically around the canvas.

I am very happy with the finished product - What do you think? Right now I have it placed on our beige wall - but may move it over a tad onto our brick coloured accent wall - not sure.

Another successful crafty creation from Pinterest - man, I love that site. And if you have time - check out Two Girls Being Crafty - they have some great things to make on their site...I can't wait to check out more of their posts.

April 26, 2012 - Birthday Card

We've been invited to a 1st birthday party for a little sweetie that lives on our street...and seeing as it's been a while since I put my scrapbook desk and Cricut to use, I decided to make this little princess a birthday card.

I found a similar card while searching on google and decided to create my own with my own personal touches.

The Cricut cartridges I used for this card are
* Create A Critter - for the hippo, and flowers (which are a layer option of the cute little rabbit)
* Cuttin' Up - letters for her name
* Plantin SchoolBook - for the number 1

I used scraps for the paper - sorry I don't have names for the printed paper like some scrapbooking websites do. You could use any combination of colours and patterns for this type of card.

I love the look of different patterns together - Not sure if you can see, but the light pink layer of the hippo is embossed with little hearts - adds a bit of dimension to it. I also used small adhesive squares to maker he hippo stand out a little more.

The brads I used were from the Making Memories line which I purchased at Michaels. I love using things like brads and eyelets - they are so easy to use and add a touch of colour, texture and charm to your cards or scrapbook layouts.

I love making cards for my friends and family...so much fun!

DIY: Birthday Wreath

While searching through my new favourite site Pinterest, I came across the neatest birthday wreath. It sounded really simple and I really wanted to do something special for us on our birthdays. So - I thought I'd give it a try.



Here are the supplies you will need.

** 16" styrofoam wreath
** floral pins
** balloons (I used 480)
** ribbon. (2 spools for sure!)



I found the ribbon and wreath at Michaels for $14.99 but 40% with my coupon. The floral pins I found at WalMart for $1.77 for 100 (Michael's had them for $3.44 for 50)...Balloons were from the dollar store. The ribbon is to wrap the styrofoam wreath - the one I bought seemed to shed bits of styrofoam all over the place so I'm glad I bought it...BUT, the spool I purchased only covered half the wreath and I was in such a rush to get it done that I found bits and pieces of other ribbons to finish it off....not thinking that it would look terrible from the back - through the door. But oh well....

The wreath was the easiest craft I've ever done. So, first off I wrapped the wreath with ribbon and then got started on the balloons. All I did was take two balloons, lined them up top to bottom and put them through the floral pin, being careful not to puncture the balloon. I then stuck the floral pin through the wreath...over and over. It was so easy...the kids were even able to help me do it. They loved being part of our new family birthday wreath.

I added some curly ribbon and a little birthday banner and voila! I LOVE IT! It's so bright and cheery and a fun way to celebrate our birthdays! Here is the finished product:



UPDATE: I couldn't stand looking at the mismatched ribbon through the door once it was hanging, so off I went first thing this morning, Buddaroo's 4th birthday, back to Michaels to get another spool of ribbon. I took all the balloons and ribbon off, unwound the awful ribbon, added the pretty red ribbon, put the balloons and ribbon back on and am SO very happy with it now! It looked beautiful on the door and I received many great compliments on it. Buddaroo LOVED having his picture taken with it this morning =D

DIY: Coasters

For teacher's Christmas presents this year, I decided to do something crafty as I had 4 teachers to buy for this year. I had seen
this craft on Pinterest, and thought I would try and make these beautiful handmade coasters.



Supplies you will need:
** 4x4 ceramic bathroom tile - I found these at Home Depot - very inexpensive, 31cents each.
** Mod Podge
** Acrylic Sealer - these were a bit more than I thought but for the amount you'll use, it'll last forever.
** Sponge brush
** Scrapbook paper, any print - I used Christmasy paper ;)
** Thin cork board - I found this at Michaels - was the most costly of all my items.

I didn't take many pictures while I was making them, but it really is an easy craft the steps will be pretty self explanatory.

STEP 1:
Take your tile and brush on the mod podge - cover the entire tile with the glue.
STEP 2:
Place your pre-cut scrapbook paper onto the tile (I cut mine into 3 3/4" squares to leave a little bit of a tile border
STEP 3:
Brush another coat of mod podge over the entire tile/paper surface and allow to dry
STEP 4:
In a well ventilated area, spray a layer of acrylic sealer over the top of the tile/coaster. This will provide a shiny finish as well as make the coaster water proof for any spills or condensation from drinks, etc.
STEP 5:
When the coasters are dry, hot glue a 4" square of thin cork onto the bottom of the tile - to prevent any scratches on your furniture. I had read that you could also use felt for this, but I found it too hard to cut, so I stuck with the cork.

I made 6 sets of 4 coasters - 4 for the teachers and 1 set for each of our parents for Christmas. Everyone loved them - and it was nice to give something that was handmade with love.