Burlap Wreath!

I am extremely excited to share that my husband and I bought a house yesterday!  Fun story...In our purchase agreement, the owners asked for additional time past closing since we put an offer in not long after they put the house on the market. After all negotiations had been had, it was determined that they would get an additional 30 days once we signed the paper work. We were fine with it. They were fine with it. All hunky dory! Well, more exciting news. After signing the papers, they informed us that they had already found a place and should be out this weekend, leaving us 4 days to pack. Mind you, we have only just begun throwing some stuff in boxes, thinking we were getting ahead of the curve. Be prepared. This will be a breeze we said. Ha!  

Anyway, we came home from work all determined to get a bunch packed. Unfortunately, my husband had to run in to work- disaster averted, but he was gone the majority of the night, leaving me to pack alone. Unmotivated as I was, I found myself stalling. After finally convincing myself I had to do something, I packed both bathrooms. Don't worry, I left necessities. Then I remembered I had to do my post. So, telling myself I will be very motivated tomorrow...it's coming on the weekend...we have plenty of time...I decided to finish my first house project and do my post! 

I WILL be motivated tomorrow!

Now, as for the project, I am not going to give step by step only because I tried following the ones I saw online and I just started to get frustrated. I will tell you some things I found helpful.  Also, buy a lot of burlap. I went through much more than I thought I would. The other piece of advice is to twist the ribbon before starting your next loop. 

Quick tutorial:

1. Gather your supplies. 

2. Paint letter. Set aside to dry. 

3. Using wire, secure the ribbon to the inside of your wreath.

4. Slip the ribbon in the first loop. 

5. Behind, twist the ribbon and then feed through the second loop.

6. Again, in the the third loop.

7. Twist a couple times and bring the ribbon back down to the inside of the wreath and repeat.

8. Once you get to the end, secure with wire. 

9. Make bow.

10. Weave color of your choice in between.

11. Secure letter & bow and...

TA DA! :)

I know it sounds a little confusing. I hope the pictures will help some, but I found you just need to play with it. Keep in mind, it doesn't look great right away. Have some patience (thank goodness my friend was around when I started it! She kept me going. ; ) and have fun!

What you need:

90 ft of wired burlap ribbon- Yes, I used all 90 ft!

Accent color ribbon of choice

wire wreath

paint colors

wooden letter

ribbon or string to attach letter

wire

scissors

paint brushes 

QTips (I used these to make the dots on the M)

   

Popsicle Stick Puzzles

If you are looking for a fun and creative craft, look no further!  After spending an evening at a "Paint Night" party with my cousins and aunt, I was still in the mood to paint. :)   

When I realized we needed to come up with a craft to do at work the next day, my eye landed on an ice cream bucket filled with these craft sticks.  I remembered seeing popsicle stick puzzles all over pinterest, so we decided to go with it!  Rather than pasting a photo over the sticks we decided to pull out our selection of acrylic paints instead.

1. First we arranged the amount of sticks we wanted to use snugly together, then carefully taped them with some masking tape.

2. Then we flipped them over to have the clean slate for our "art."

3. Next, we painted them!

4. They dried pretty quickly so we separated them once we were done painting so that they wouldn't be stuck together when fully dried.

5.  When the puzzle is completely dry, you mix up the sticks and put it together!

Here are the puzzles we made (& named!), from left to right:

Alaskan White Out

Summer Breeze

Autumn Bliss

Japanese Sunset

Four Seasons

Japanese Cherry Blossom

Love Birds

Apple Orchard

***To make it fun, we took a picture of each puzzle then printed a color copy of it.  We stored each puzzle with the picture so that we would know what we were trying to achieve when playing with these puzzles! So much fun! :)

Laminated Place-mats

My sister Renae did this project with my younger siblings and me.

 If you don't have a laminator, you might want to get one! They come in handy for a lot of things! :)

These place mats are awesome to use for little kids!  You can do it at any time of the year, too.

They are great in the fall for Thanksgiving!

 

 

 All you Need:
leaves
color crayons
paper
laminator
laminator sheet


1. You gather leaves!

2. Stack two pieces of paper, and put your leaves sandwiched between two papers.
 (Remember to put the leaves upside down so the ribs are facing up!)

3. Peel the paper off the crayon, lay it on it's side, and color lightly over the spot the leaf is under!
(It doesn't matter how many leaves you choose to use, try not to let the papers shift well you are coloring.)

4. Put the colored piece of paper through the laminator according to your laminator instructions!

 

And there's your Place-mat!
Enjoy NO stains!

 

Cloud Dough

My sister told us about this, so she helped us make it. It's FUN doing things with our sister! I wish all our sisters still lived with us. I have SIX sisters! All of them love to do all kinds of things. I will tell you one thing about each of them.

Sarah: takes care of her kids

Tricia: cooks 

Renae: does crafts  

Laura: cooks when she's in the mood  

Lucy: babysits 

Clara: plays with baby dolls

INGREDIENTS:

Corn Starch

Food coloring

Conditioner

TOOLS:

Small mixing bowl

spoon

1. Put conditioner and food coloring in bowl and mix.

2. Put some corn starch in, mix until the way you what it to feel.

Hint: If you put yellow in blue conditioner you get green.

HAVE FUN!!!

DIY Tacky Christmas Sweater

    

We have been getting ready for Christmas here in Tennessee.  I have been having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that it is that time of year.  I do love the South but when there isn't snow or a ton of family to see, it doesn't feel quite the same as when we we're up North. Days of getting together for family Christmas parties, cookie bakes, wrapping presents together, etc.

However, I was very excited when work said we were having a tacky Christmas sweater contest. Figuring it would help make me feel like Christmas was around the corner, I went and purchased a few things at Good Will and Walmart.  I also painted my nails to get into the festivities. Ta Da! Not only wanting to wear this awesome piece of art once, I wore it while we decorated the shed for Christmas.  Yes, we did.  Fireplace, karaoke, Christmas lights and tree are ready for our soon to be here family to come and celebrate with us.  Then...it will feel like Christmas. 

You can make one of these beauties for your festivities:

Good Will shirt

Walmart paints

beads

Pins 

Scraps of fabric

thread

needle

By the way, I didn't win the contest.  Thought I had a fighting chance but people really get into this.  I now know for next year. ;)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

                                                                                                                                      

Christmas Gift

With Christmas right around the corner, we're getting ready for our Christmas lunch/ Secret Santa reveal at work. For the past couple months we have been exchanging little gifts, candy, etc. You know the drill.  Well, I have a few things around for my person, but I wanted to make her something.  Before we began, we each filled out a sheet to give ideas of what we liked.  This saying was my person's favorite so I wanted to make a picture with it displayed. 

I would really liked to have had more time (because 2 months just isn't enough ;). I would have done it with paints like I did for the picture I made my Father in law. Being that I was a procrastinator, I decide to use a permanent marker instead.  It was much faster and it actually worked well.  

If you would like to make something like this, it was easy, cheap, and it will mean something to her. 

All you need is:

Picture frame (I found one at Good Will)

Burlap

Permanent marker

Scissors

Duct Tape (that's right!)

1. Find a picture frame you like.  Pick a phrase.

2.  Remove whatever is in picture frame and clean glass well. 

3.  Measure the burlap and cut.

4.  Write saying. 

5.  Replace burlap for the paper in frame. 

6.  Put backing on.  Because I didn't have staples, I neatly placed duct tape.  Grandpa was right, you can use duct tape for everything.  Don't judge. ;)

DIY Detective Kit

My little brother's birthday was about a week ago. He turned nine and I wanted to do something creative that would be fun and encourage him to use his imagination. I've seen "detective kits" on Pinterest and decided to create my own. 

My niece and nephews were also there when he opened his gift. They all thought it was pretty cool and within minutes my nephew that is about Isaiah's age came out with a blanket wrapped around his shoulders and a random hat that they found so they could be "detectives" together! I think I'm going to need to make a few more kits. :)

This project was pretty inexpensive for me because I had fabric and supplies on hand. Whatever I didn't have I was able to purchase from Walmart or Goodwill.

For your kit, you'll need:

bag or briefcase

cape (store bought or homemade)

hat

magnifying glass

flashlight

2 small containers {Crime Scene Specimen}

small plastic bags {Evidence Bags}

blank journal {Crime Journal}

small notebook {Clues}

small drawing pad {Fingerprinting Paper}

ink pad {Fingerprinting Ink}

small container for fingerprinting dust (I used a mixture of baking powder & cocoa for the dust)

clean make-up brush (for the dust)

clear tape {Fingerprint Lifting Tape}

pen

self-adhesive address labels

I labeled the items so that he would know what to use them for.

(I also put clear packaging tape over the labels to keep them cleaner and more durable.)

It was so much fun walking through the store and imagining what you could use different items for. Don't worry about everything looking the same as the kits you see online. The best part is being creative and making your own kit!

I used some fabric I already had to make a cape with a wide collar that ties in front like Sherlock Holmes. It's also reversible so he can be in plaid or a blotchy brown. That will help when he needs a disguise. :)

I was able to get an old audio cassette carrying case from Goodwill for $0.99 that was perfect to use for the briefcase.

I wrote on it with a paint pen from the craft section at Walmart and let it dry overnight.

When everything was ready to go, I loaded it all in the briefcase....

...and snapped it shut. :)

Perfect for storing neatly and keeping everything in one place!

He even used it as his Halloween costume this year when he went trick-or-treating.

Doesn't he look like he likes it?! Or maybe that's the thought of all the candy awaiting him...hehe!

Bleach Pen T-Shirts

My sister's wedding is getting closer and time is flying by! I posted the Bridal Shower Ideas for you guys, but I think you might like this one a bit more. :)

Bleach pen t-shirts are ridiculously easy and you can make them for anything! To support a team, for parties, a family reunion, or even for your kids when you go to the fair or the zoo. They are fun to make, especially when you get creative and just have fun with it! 

I made this t-shirt for my sister to wear at her bachelorette party (she paired it with a cute scarf to dress up the tee) and she can wear it the morning of their wedding to get her hair done.

I just used a black cotton t-shirt from Walmart that I got for $3.00 and I think the bleach pen was around $3.00 as well, so it's even a cheap project! I only used a small amount of the bleach pen so I can make more tees, too!

**I would suggest testing the fabric of one t-shirt before doing a big project to make sure you like how it looks.

GATHER YOUR SUPPLIES:

*dark colored cotton t-shirt

*Clorox bleach pen

*stiff piece of cardboard

Step 1: Insert the cardboard into the t-shirt so it's sandwiched between the front and back.

(This is an important step. You don't want the bleach to bleed through to the other side.)

Step 2: Smooth the fabric out.

Step 3: Draw your design.

Step 4: Let it set for 45-60 minutes, or until you're satisfied with the color of the edges.

Step 5: Rinse well, and then wash in recommended cycle for your t-shirt.

That's it....have fun with it! :)