Nautical Print Skirt

I made this cute little skirt for one of my grandangels and luckily - it fit her perfectly!
She is here visiting so I got to see her in it and snap a photo.

Meet Vanessa - she is 10 and lives in Oklahoma.

Don't forget about the GIVEAWAY!

All For The Red, White & Blue Wreath

I have been trying to decide what kind of wreath to make for my front door for July. I looked at so many beautiful ones on Pinterest and I have seen tons of nice ones in blogworld. I already had my straw wreath - I usually keep a small stock on those. Today I finally found what I wanted to get er' done.

I think it is pretty self explanatory.

I found the little paper cutouts at Everything's $1 Store - 5 to a pack and they are glittered and on cardstock. I also bought the red and blue spools of ribbon and the garland there - so that is a total of  $4. Every thing is put together with floral pins.

I think I am pretty happy with it :-)

Don't Forget About the GIVEAWAY!

Easy Peasy Bookmarks for A Summer Craft

With my grandangels expected arrival in a few days - I have been gathering crafts left and right. We always stay super busy with fun things to do and I like for them to have a lot of things to take back home to add to their Texas summer vacation memory banks.

Here is a super easy bookmark craft that is really simple and cute.

Items needed:

cute cardstock

ribbon

glue stick (or glue gun if you supervise)

wooden animals or other embellishments

Scissors

Paper Punch

Trim the cardstock to desired size. These are typical bookmark size. Lay out the design and glue as needed.

These little critters are from Hobby Lobby. If you want to go a less expensive route (altho the little critters are only about 59 cents each) you could draw/cut out your own animals. These are so inexpensive tho and will make the bookmark more sturdy.

Hubby Done Gone Crafty On Me

My sweet hubby wanted to make something "crafty" for me. He is always doing woodwork in his little man cave workshop in the backyard - he has made me some really cute shelves, wall boxes, a purse tree, small tables, breadbox,  etc. but he wanted to make something that was more "us". This is what he made and it is now proudly hanging on the front porch.

Yep, he is a keeper. ♥♥♥

So Simple - Cookie Jar

I have had this gigantic glass jar sitting on my cabinet for 2 weeks trying to decide how to decorate it so I could use it for a cookie jar. I poured over Pinterest ideas. I googled "cookie jars" looking for ideas. I even went on e-bay and searched cookie jars to see if something would trigger an idea. Painting the metal lid black was as far as I got.

Today I decided to go to Hobby Lobby and just look up and down aisles to see if something would jump out at me as a way to decorate. I didn't know if I wanted to lace it up, bling it up, bead it up, deco it up, or what.

I was ready to give up - I headed to the check out to pay for all the little goodies I did happen to find for other projects - and there it was! So simple! Hanging on a little stand - the letter "G".

Yep - soooo simple.

I love it.

Wallpapering the Non Traditional Way

This is a creative alternative to traditional wallpapering. It is inexpensive, fun and very quick! Everything you need is listed on this page and you will be surprised just how little it all costs! I have completed 3 rooms in my own home and it definately gives a different look.
If you would like to wallpaper a room but are on a limited budget, do what I did. I bought scrapbooking paper (when it was on sale at Hobby Lobby) and then cut the individual sheets in various shapes. The cool thing is you can use just a couple of different designs or really go crazy and use as many as you want. In my bathroom (which is pretty big) I used about 12 different designs. In my spare bedrooms, I used only 3 designs. It is fun and easy to do and you can do this all by yourself and it takes very little time. You can't mess it up!
You will need:
Scrapbooking sheets
Elmer's Glue
A large pan ( I use a plastic paint pan)
small paint brush
Water
hand towels
Ok...when you are ready you will make a paste with the Elmer's glue. I just buy the biggest bottles I can find and pour it into the pan and then fill the bottle not quite half full with water and mix with the glue. You want it to be about pancake batter consistency. (I also buy the glue using Hobby Lobby coupons that are printable from their home page. They are usually 40%)After you have cut your sheets of paper and have them in piles by design, just start dipping them into the pan of paint to get them wet on both sides. I use the paint brush to help wipe off the excess. You want them to be nice and wet but not glue just running off of them. Place the paper directly on the wall and smooth it out with a damp hand towel. Just keep repeating the process. You don't have to have any certain method of placing them. You can fill in where you need to. When it dries, it dries clear.You should put down sheets to keep it from dripping on the floor because it can get messy.This is such a fun project and Hobby Lobby runs these sheets at 4 for $1 about once per month. You can border a room for about $15 (average room) You can paper an entire room in no time at all and so much cheaper than traditional wallpaper.You can put these right on top of old wallpaper or paint. No worries with having to remove old paper beforehand!
Scrapbooking sheets are 12 x 12 but they also make a smaller size that is 11 1/2 x 8 which is cheaper to start with. The great thing is being able to mix and match colors and designs. To do just a border - the total cost was $19 for scrapbooking squares plus cost of glue. I bought the squares at Hobby Lobby (4 for $1) and I used a 40% coupon for my glue.

Revamped Vase

While gathering things for my yardsale - I ran across several vases that had accumulated under the kitchen sink. A couple were unusual enough that I thought would sell "as is" but I found this one that was your typical plain jane style - just clear glass. I thought to myself - no one is going to buy this - and just started to stuff it back in its place - then thought why not spiff it up?

So...I spray painted it aqua and white  and then just took a few colors of the bottled fabric paint and made some squigglies - (that is a technical term, you know) and tied some matching tulle around the neck. Now I kind of like it. I am still going to put it in my yardsale - if it sells - great - if not - I have a new and improved vase that will match the decor in my sewing/craft room.

Colorful Tulle Vase - Another Frap Bottle Project

I don't know what it is about these little glass Starbucks Frappuchino bottles but I just love them. Here is another cute project that I have come up with.

I painted the bottle white with spray paint - then literally just took long strips of tulle and tied them around and around the bottle and cut it off where I knotted it to look like tiny bows. (you don't even have to paint the whole bottle - just what you want to leave showing.

Now how pretty would this be alternating gold and white tulle and filled with silk greenery pieces for little centerpieces on the tables? Or maybe black and white tiny flowers?
I just grabbed some lucky bamboo and put in this one for show - but I am going to cut some of my pink and orange roses to put in it later.

Bucket O' Picks

Now how cute is this! I have been looking for something to put my guitar picks in where they would be handy and I could keep them on my desk. I found this tiny little metal bucket at Walmart for 97 cents and had some musical stickers leftover from scrapbooking so I added them. I hot glued one  guitar pick to the bucket and now I have another cute little container for my guitar picks.

Sports Candy Bottle for the Boys (or Girls)

Seems like every craft I make is pretty feminine. I thought I would do something for the boys or tomboy girls. I know my oldest grandangel would go for it. She has a little tomboyism going on.

Items needed:
Starbucks Frappuchino Bottles
Sport related Candy - I found the foil wrapped chocolates with baseball, football, soccer and basketball wrapping foil.
Sport related Stickers - I use scrapbooking stickers
Ribbon or fabric - I had football themed fabric. I think I would prefer ribbon with sports theme - but was fresh out :-(
Spray paint for lid

Make sure your bottle is clean and dry. Spray paint the lid to the bottle. Slap on some cute stickers and tie a bow or ribbon - add candy...and there you have it.

I just love these bottles. I have used them for so many different things. They are just the perfect size for so many things and so easy to decorate. I have a few more ideas I will be sharing soon - so stay tuned.

Another Star of Hope Baby Shower Donation!

I love suprises (even if they are not for me)
Robin from Love This Life has generously offered a handmade sock monkey for the Star of Hope Women's Shelter.

She makes these adorable little monkies completely by hand. I think they are just so sweet! Thanks, Robin♥