52 Reasons I Adore My Daughter

  Valentines Day has once again come and gone.  We were fairly low key about it around our house hold and only played into the hype for the little one's sake. Do you celebrate Valentine's Day with big plans? Or would you rather save the romance for anniversaries and other such occasions, like we do?
  This year I crafted two little books. The end result had a big impact and my efforts were rewarded with hugs and kisses(My favorite!)

  I decided to share my daughter's. I hid it in her lunch box so she could be surprised at school.(How fun! I was excited for her lol)

All of my supplies were from the Dollar Store which included:

*1 deck of playing cards
*1 package of binder rings
*1 single hole punch
*1 scrap booking glue stick
*Various embellishments of your choice 
*card stock as  backgrounds. Or construction paper. Or brown paper bags (That is what I used for the mister's book).
*A black Gel pen or Scrap booking pen, also from the Dollar Store.
*Stamps for the numbers. If you are as lucky as I was, they will also be at your local Dollar Store (Insert happy dance, here).
*Sandpaper to lightly sand down the backs of each card for a more distressed look ( I also did this to the Mister's).
Ta-Da! Be very proud of yourself and tuck it away as a nice little keepsake to look back on. 

Happy Crafting!

Not Too Shabby

  When my Grandmother passed away, I was given her vintage, pine desk.  I loved this desk.

But, vowed to add my own personal touch to it, some day.  I kept my word and created this magnificent work of wonder and amazement!(Okay. Maybe, I am exaggerating a tad bit). 

  Anyways, I sanded it down imperfectly, slapped on some white spray paint and created a  distressed look by sanding down the edges and top surfaces. We also replaced the old, wooden knobs with modern stainless steel ones.  
However, I still felt that it needed a little "something".  So, I decided to create a pattern with masking tape on the sides and paint over it.  I peeled the tape off, and Voila! 

  

 So, there you have it! I actually would like to re-do this project and change up the colors and maybe even the pattern.  I am thinking Grey, Gold, Black, White.  In combination, of course. If you have any ideas, I would love to hear them in the comments below! Don't be shy! 

Sock Bun Tutorial

Have you tried the sock bun, yet?!  Oh my goodness! It has made my life so much easier! Especially when it comes to my daughter being in ballet. No bobby pins required. (That in it self is a blessing).


Here is the video tutorial that taught me just how easy it really is:


Click here for the Sock Bun Video


And here are my photos of my own Sock Bun Success! 

Happy Stylin', Everyone! 

Mod-Podge Step Stool

This past summer I had bought a second hand step stool off of Kijiji and decided to use it as an end table. Before doing this, I decided it needed some extra character. Using what I had around our home, my creative wim landed on the idea of mod-podge and newspaper. After some research, I quickly learned of three DIY mod podge recipes. The three variations are as follows: One using flour, One using Elmer's glue and another using the stove top cook method. I used option A for my step stool. But,I love all three, they work fantastic!
Option A
you will need:   A Jar, Elmer's Glue, Water        
Squeeze the glue into your jar.  Then the water. You want it to be equal parts. Shake, shake, shake! Done! This is the one I used for my step-stool.
Option B                      
The Italian method of decoupage is known as "lacca povera".  It
You will need:  A Jar, Flour, Water, Stove (or boiling water from a kettle).        
Consists of 1 part flour to 5 parts water, boil 3 min and let cool. If you live in humid area, you will need less water (1/4 less). Dries very smooth.
Option C                       
You will need:  Flour, Water, Jar          
1 Part Flour. 1 Part Water. Mix in the jar to avoid a mess.  Shake! Or, If you plan on using it right away, stir together in a large bowl.  Easy peezey lemon squeeze-y!


There you have it! All three options are also used for paper mache. Did you know that? So save your self a buck and make your own instead of buying name brand Mod-Podge. If you are doing paper mache, do not overlap more than 4 layers of paper, as it will not dry properly. Kids in school typically do two layers, as they tend to over lap more ;) *giggles.

If you want a touch of extra shine, go ahead and add some varnish. Make sure the can says Non-Yellowing! 


Love it or Hate it? 

       

A Post Xmas Christmas Post

DIY Gifts...Love 'em or Hate 'em ?

 This Xmas season I really embraced the DIY world and  fell privy to the abundance of home-made gift ideas that are spinning around the web.  I wanted  to share a pic with you(post Xmas) to inspire you for next year or upcoming events.  It saved us a ton of money, and we were able to spread the love with adorable home made gifts!  Did you follow this DIY trend, also? 
Post a comment, we would love to hear from you!  Thanks for stopping by! :)  


Contents: Chocolates, Green tea, Chai Tea, Earl Grey (6 wrapped in twine), Hot Chocolate
I used what was in our cupboards at the time. We gave this to our daughter's crossing guard :) 

Twisted

Hi Y'all !
I have been trying to find more ways to organize our home, without spending much, if anything at all. One issue that I have been having is finding shirts I hang up, on the floor! But, there is NO way I would spend 5.00 dollars on a hanger with the pinchy things attached and the plastic hangers with the little groove in them just don't hold wide neck shirts, especially if they are moved around in the closet while I am trying to find something to wear. Wire hangers. I loath them. Everything about them is annoying. Until.... I came up with this idea:

.

You can wrap ribbon/yarn around the ends using a hot glue gun to make them more pretty if need be, or to avoid a funny poke mark on more delicate shirts.  

Hope you find this useful, please feel free to comment below! 

Baking Soda Clay!

Happy New Year to Everyone! 2012, already! Can you believe it? Hope everyone arrived home safely. Did any of you access AAA for your free ride home? (The info was posted in my last blog post if I sound like a crazy lady, lol.) If you did, please comment below and tell us how that went! I think it's a fantastic FREE service that will save so many lives on New Years Eve. Anywhoo, upward and onward with today's post, shall we?
As promised, here are the photos of our creations with Baking Soda Clay.
So simple and incredibly cost effective and quick to make (7 min of your time).  Let's tally up the costs, shall we? (I posted the industrial size, but unless you want to entertain an army...lol...just look for a little box that looks exactly like these ones. Or scoop up the grocery store name brand for a little cheaper.)

Baking Soda 1.00                         Corn Starch $1.50


And drum roll, please...

Well, there you have it! I do have a tip for smoothing out any cracks if they form; Wet your finger tips and smooth over, or use the back of a spoon that is a little damp with water ;) I figured this out after we made the ghosts, and applied this technique to the roses.


Enjoy!