10 New Year's Plates

I got a Cricut for Christmas and have been DYING to use it!  I made a run to the dollar store and the craft store to see what I could cook up.  I found some adorable plates at the dollar store (2 for $1 in their Holiday section!).  I grabbed some gold and brown papers and some plate easels at the craft store and hurried home.

With the help of my Cricut, I came up with these:

The plates have little gold swirls and stars around the edges. Very cute!

Perfect for our small New Year's Eve party we are having! 

Please don't look too closely at my mantle.  I DISPISE the thing!  We are trying to figure out how to give the fireplace a facelift without tearing everything out (which would require new hardwood floors, etc).  It is not our most favorite feature of the house. We loose a whole corner of the room because of it, and the mantle itself is this teeny little thing.  I LOVE a nice stately mantle, so I am going to figure out how to get one for myself but the angles make it tricky!  Oh - and I hate the black of the fireplace... I really think it looks totally 80's and can't wait to get out my paint brush and slap a better color on the black woodwork!  This project has been on the backburner for the three years we've been in the house... but I think it is almost time to check it off the list since the house is closing in on near perfect for our needs!  PERFECT New Year's Resolution - to finally rememdy the ugly fireplace situation! :)

Happy New Year's Eve!

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1 got scarf?

I saw this adorable scarf and had to give it a try! Now go!  It really is fast.  The hardest part of the whole project: adjusting the tension on your machine! Happy... scarf making AND warmth!

1 Awww - Shucks! Thanks Mama Guru!

I was just pleasantly surprised to find that I had been awarded the Lemondade Stand Award by Tiffany at Mama Guru!  (My thanksTiffany!)

The Lemonade Stand Award is awarded for being a blogger who shows great attitude and gratitude. There are just a few rules for accepting this wonderful award:

1. Put the Lemonade logo on your blog or within your post.
2. Nominate at least 10 blogs with great attitude or gratitude.
3. Link the nominees within your post.
4. Let the nominees know they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Share the love and link to the person from whom you received this award.

So without further ado, I have selected these ten fabulous bloggers.  I have taken a little away from each and every one of their blogs, so please, check them out:

Craftaholics Anonymous

Making the World Cuter

Nannygoat

Sisters' Stuff

One More Moore

Today's Creative Blog

amazing mae

A Soft Place to Land

Create Studio

maya*made

Happy day!

19 Hershey Kiss Rose Tutorial

Hey creative people!  I had a wonderful break for Christmas.  Got lots of nice things, including a new 60GB internal memory camcorder and a CRICUT!!!  Oh... and a huge cake decorating kit - now I just need to find a class in my area!  Santa was VERY nice to the people in my house...

Now onto the Rose tutorial -

I made a bunch of these as favors for my sister-in-laws bridal shower over 5.5 years ago!  They were a big hit and looked so nice in a vase.  I thought it would be a fun little tutorial to share with all of you.  Perfect for the Holidays, probably better for Valentines Day, but hey - I want to share now AND this is a great time to find red Hershey Kisses!

Materials:

Scissors

Plastic Wrap

Florist Wire or stem

Floral Stem Tape

Hershey Kisses

Optional fake leaf

1.  Wrap the stem or wire in floral tape up to about a half inch from the end.  I used an inexpensive stem from the floral supplies in Joann's for this tutorial, but when you are making a bunch of these you probably want to use a sturdy wire.

2. Put the two Hershey kisses butts together.  Wrap them in the plastic wrap (if you can't find red hershey kisses you can always wrap them in red plastic wrap), twist the wrap and pinch.

3.  Place the hershey kisses onto the stem (the stem should go up 1/2 the bottom kiss about 1/2 way).  Wrap the plastic wrap around the stem and then start wrapping the floral tape around the plastic wrap and 3/4 up the bottom kiss, pinching the tape as you go.  Go back down the stem to secure it.  (Just a note - you can start by wrapping the kiss to the stem and work your way to the bottom of the stem).

4.  I didn't take a picture of adding the leaf - but you can do it as you wrap the stem, or afterwards just take a small length of the tape, place the fake leafs stem against the rose stem and wrap the tape around both.

Happy crafting!

0 Merry Christmas!

What are little boys made of?  Weekly Round-Up will return in two weeks.  

I want to take a quick moment to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas!  Enjoy family and friends and the time you have together.  If you are traveling please be warm and stay safe.  I would also like to take the time to thank all of my readers, those of you who come back time and time again!  I started this little bloggy as a type of crafting journal and to share my ideas with others and have received so much in return!  All of the great comments and ideas I receive as well as the well wishes and kind words make it all worth it.  I am looking forward to a New Year, in seeing my children grow as well as what the future holds in my crafting world!  

Again wishing you a Merry Christmas and New Year from my family to yours!

2 That time of year again...

Each year I make the members of my family calendars - for them to use at home and work.  They are simple to do at home - save yourself some money, give it a try!  I like to use Microsoft Publisher because there is already a preformatted calendar in the templates section.  I add blank pages in front of each month and that is where I insert my pictures.  I print them out on cardstock and spiralbind them.  I have laminated the covers before, but it really isn't needed.  This year I added transparency sheets onto the covers. They hold up really nicely.  I love to personalize them by adding peoples pictures on their birthday and with special dates, etc.  I had to make 4 different versions, depending on what family members I was giving it to.  Quick and painless (for the most part!).

Happy crafting!

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6 Themed Gift Baskets... Hillbilly Theme Anyone?

I am a big fan of themed gift baskets.  It really gives me an opportunity to let my creative juices flow and to really personalize and tailor the gift basket to the recipient! 

Here are some of my past themes:

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: I made a large top hat out of posterboard and filled it with Wonka Candy, the new movie and soundtrack.

Redneck (gag gift): I used a brown paper bag as the basket.  I took a box, put in a wife beater (muscle tank), and added a label to the box that read "The Kevin Federline" with a picture of K-Fed in a wife beater.  I also made a redneck beer by designing and printing out a full-page label and trimmed it down to size.  My favorite part of this gift was the butt-crack calendar!!!  Of course I had to add real gifts to the mix so I mixed in a gift certificate to a local restaurant and Blockbuster.  Oh and I can't forget the fake lottery ticket I hid among the real ones!

Vermont: I've done this one a few times - bought all sorts of local Vermont products - maple syrup, local BBQ sauce, VT Life Calendar, maple candy, King Arthur Flour, soap, Green Mountain Coffee, etc.  I gave these to friends that were living out of state and needed a little piece of VT.

Photo courtesy of Michelle Chappel Photography.

Past to Present: I did this basket for a friends wedding.  I found items that reminded me of her and her husbands past (VT items, etc) as well as items in their present (ie: Boston Baked Beans because they live in Boston, a photo book of cool locales in Boston).  I added little sayings attached to items throughout the basket for a more personalized feel.

The Classic Bath Basket: Filled with soaps, aromatherapy, candles, shampoos, bath beads, etc.

Movie Night: Purchased gift card to Blockbuster, added candies, popcorn and popcorn bowl, and a blanket to snuggle with.

Family Game Night: I added a board game, popcorn, local pizza place gift card.  I also added a personalized calendar with family pictures (so they could mark their game night) and family ornaments (because they were cute!).

Warm Me Up: Painted coffee mugs with ceramic paint, added chocolate spoons, packs of cocoa, fluff (because the recipient loves to add fluff to their cocoa), and coffee.

And of course I showed you the Pirate gift box in this post.

UPDATE: Check out my POP Themed Basket.

What are some unique themes you have done?  I am ALWAYS looking for a fun theme!

Happy crafting!

2 Youcanmakethis.com Bundle Winners!

Chosen by random.org was comment #8 Jen @Our fine house "I'm following you! :0)"  and comment #9 Lorina "My little girl! I love sewing.  Great giveaway."  Congrats on winning!

14 DIY Tile Coasters

Don't you just LOVE these?  I do! And I can't wait to give them to their recipients.  I have been thinking about making coasters out of tiles for years (literally!).  I can never find any in the stores that I like and the darn things are expensive.  I ended up shelving the idea when my in-laws brought us back a set from their vacation in Mexico. 

But then I stumbled upon this little post and knew I had to give it a try.  I decided to personalize my coasters rather than use napkins or other decorative papers.  I used my computer for the designs and printed them onto regular computer paper, cut it out and mod podged it onto the tile.  I then sprayed them with clear enamel and glued cork sheets to the bottoms.  Just a few tips I learned - DO let your bottom layer of mod podge dry after sticking on your paper, otherwise you may let air in and it will pucker.  I used two layers of mod podge on top - two thin layers, let dry in between. I found my cork sheets for only $1 each in the scrapbooking aisle at the Dollar Store.

All in all I spent $5 on all 10 coasters!  Can't beat that price.

I added the people coasters to the gift basket for my little sis:

(I don't know why my husband got a PC card (for sundae makings) that says Congrats!  But I have plans to make a little puff box to put the card in).

I am looking for white mugs that I can customize for it as well, but so far, no luck.  Of course, as I've said before there are no box stores near me (closest is 40 mins away) and I don't want to drive there this time of year because it is insanely busy and for two mugs, not worth it!  I'll figure something out!  The last step will be to add a movie to the bundle.  This is my last gift to finish!  Everything else is done and wrapped.  How about you?  Are you ready for Christmas?

Happy Coaster Making/Holiday Preparation!

And don't forget to enter to win the Youcanmakethis.com pattern bundle giveaway - ends today!

3 What are little boys made of? MckLinky Style

Grab the button!

Copy and paste into your blog.

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I am really excited to see all of your great boy crafts/projects/activities!  Please include my button in your blog post so others can come join in the fun!

There are just a few guidelines: 1) please link to your blog post (not your blog main page) so people can go directly to your project and 2) Enter your blog name and in paranthesis add the name of your project so we can clearly see what it is. 





 

5 Kids Art Display Board and a BRAINstorm!

I love how I start a project and THEN I need to brainstorm how to finish it! Have you ever done that?

I have been trying to think of ways to display my children’s artwork. The fridge gets inundated and the papers fall off, etc. I had thought of using cork strips but A) wanted it to be a little fancier and B) didn’t want to spend money!

So I came up with this idea and started working on it about a month ago: Use a piece of spare wood – I used a 2x4 - cut it to length, and sand the edges to round them out. This was quite fun because my 9 year old daughter helped me and got to use her first power tool (I’m a firm believer in girls working with tools!). We then primed the board. Painted it the same orange as our basement and then painted black over it. I sanded down the edges so that some of the orange showed through.  I ended up watering down the black paint and painting over the sanded edges to cover up some of the spots that sanded past the orange and to also give it a more rustic look.

The next step was to add some clips and here is where I got stuck! I thought of using binder clips or clips similar to those. But when I tested it out, I didn’t like the look… so I turned to my BFF Google and found an art board on UCreate, which was actually a Little Birdie Secrets project. I liked their board, but again, didn’t feel like running to Staples to buy the clips! I then saw in the comments section of the Little Birdie Secrets post a link to Twiddle Thumbs art board. I really liked their clip and actually considered running out to get one until I happened upon the Mod Podge Rocks covered clothes pin feature. I had those in house… but then as I started to brainstorm I decided that it would be cool to paint them orange to match the décor and then stamp sayings on the clothes pin in black. So finally, I had my solution… until I realized my stamps wouldn't fit, so instead I painted little hearts onto the clothespins. 

Whew - that was quite the brainstorm! Hope you all made it through OK.  I love to look for inspiration and then morph the ideas to fit my needs/desires.

I love the finished product (and so do the kiddos!  They were using it before I even put it on the wall this past weekend):

(In the playroom in our basement)

And if you are wondering why the clothespin in the middle is blue: my 2.5 year old saw me sitting on the floor painting them and decided he wanted to help. He ran to his art center grabbed his water colors and got to painting.  How could I say no?  I think it is the perfect touch!

So what do you think of my creation? I’m happy with it and the kids love changing out their drawings! Anything to inspire creativity is what I say!

And don't forget to enter my Pattern Bundle from Youcanmakethis.com Giveaway!

Happy crafting!

1 Personalized Santa Video

My friend KK sent me a great Santa video site.  This one is customizable with a picture, name, city, state, hair color and other items you want Santa to say!  It also has different videos by age!  Go check it out here.  

 

To see the other site I shared a few weeks ago, click here (powered by Disney). 

 

2 O Christmas Tree...

I am a bit neurotic when it comes to my Christmas tree.  I cannot have a real one (due to my frisky little kitty - yes, this one below... the one with the stump for a tail... how'd that happen you ask?  That's a whole long story in itself... OK I digress).  I can't have a real tree because said kitty would climb up it, over it, through it... you get my drift.  He is an outside kitty and he is a hunting kitty and the things he hunts are in trees (mostly) so he knows what a tree smells like.  This fake tree is not a tree, so he leaves it alone... for the most part.  He does like to sleep under it. 

OK - now that we have established that I.have.a.fake.tree. I must say that it is a VERY nice fake tree.  In fact, most people are surprised when they get near it and it is fake.  I spend lots, and lots (OCD LOTS) of time fluffing and separating each little branch.  I fill it with my pretty white garland with the little snowflakes and it always turns out just perfect.  See, here it is my first year with it...

And my second...

And year four....

And now this year....

It just looks a little sad this year.  Probably because after getting set-up and primped and prodded and beautified, it HAD TO BE MOVED.  Yup, moved.  We purchased new furniture and moved some rooms around and the tree just didn't fit, so we moved it downstairs.  The poor thing got squished.  And I didn't get to fix it because the kids were right behind me ready to decorate... so I put the lights on.  Check.  And then the kids went to town... with me behind them moving and tweaking the spacing of the ornaments.  Phew - its done... but what is wrong?  Something is missing.  Oh. NO!  I forgot the garland.  OK Kids.  Take the ornaments OFF!  I quickly throw on my beautiful, can't find it anywhere to replace the dwindling strands, garland.  OK... that's how it is SUPPOSE to look!  Alright - let's put the ornaments BACK ON... this time with a little less tweaking and a little more frenzied, lets go we still have baths and teeth to brush and vitamins and pjs, etc before bed time and school and work tomorrow!

Or maybe it is the surround sound speakers just hanging out on the wall with the wires wrapped around them... I told you - we're moving some rooms around!  But hey, its my tree and I still love it!  So tell me, did you have any oops moments this Holiday Season?

18 Youcanmakethis.com Giveaway

With the holidays just around the corner, I want to share this site with you: Youcanmakethis.com features quick and easy gift ideas that you can make for friends, neighbors, co-workers, and of course, family! 

They have all sorts of ebooks with patterns for dolls (love the name of the Kimmy doll!!! Wonder why?), quilts, pillows and so much more!  I can't wait to try out this applique pillow for my children's reading corner:

Youcanmakethis.com also has some great free ebooks to choose from as well.  Do you or a friend have a new baby on the way?  Head on over to the free section of their website and you can learn how to make this adorable receiving blanket:

Youcanmakethis.com is giving my readers this great bundle of patterns to give you a hand in your homemade Christmas.

If you would like to enter to win this bundle of ebook patterns from http://www.youcanmakethis.com/ and learn some fun new techniques, tips, and ideas not only for the people on your list, but also creative ways to decorate your home, all you need to do is leave me a comment!  Tell me who you would like to make this adorable Kimmy doll for.  That's it!  There will be two, yes, I said TWO lucky winners.

For an extra entry, become a follower of this blog and leave me a comment telling me you have done so.  Giveaway ends on December 18 (I want to give you sometime to make these for Christmas, should you decide to do so!) and the winners will be decided by random drawing via random.org.

Oh and if you head over to their blog, you can enter to win hundreds of gift certificates just for watching the videos that are part of their DIY Gift Giving Series and answering a question on the You Can Make This blog.

Happy sewing!

(Disclaimer - I received the pillow pattern as a thank you for hosting this giveaway).