minutes to spare...

Sunshine Award

2010-04-15T10:00:00.024-05:00

I can not tell you how excited I am to receive this award. Not only have I brightened someones day, but this is my very first blog award. So thank you to Leslie over at Night Owl Crafting.
Now it is my turn to share The Sunshine Award to 12 other bloggers that have brought sunshine into my life. I need to pause right here for a minute and tell you that I did not even know where to begin, and this took me a few days.
So without further ado here are the 12 I narrowed it down to and I am awarding them The Sunshine Award. (in no particular order)

1. Creative Itch is one of my favorite blogs to follow. If it is not the crafts Misty shares it is the recipes. On of the posts I like most is her notebook/scripture covers. Now if I could just figure out how she gets that cute little flower to lock in place. hint hint Misty. Also hosted at the creative itch is the Sew Cute Tuesday link party.

2. Stephanie's Kitchen has the most amazing recipes. Now don't start drooling but take a look at these chocolate bowls. I haven't quite got the confidence to try them yet but they are going to happen soon.

3. Inspiring Creations is full of unique and fun crafts. Lindsey is definitely one of the most creative blogger out there. This is one of my favorite of her crafts, not to mention her Be Mine plaque.

4. Becky over at Beyond the Picket Fence also has some very unique ideas in store as well. Currently on my to-d0-list is her ruffled burlap pillow. She also hosts the Under $100 link party each week.

5. Punkin Seed Productions is where you will find Kristi and her amazing talent to create meaning out of wooden blocks. Here is one of her latest creations.

6. Life as Lori has an amazing fresh upbeat feel about it. If you have ever been over to Lori's site you know she has a love for topiaries. This one is one of my favorites. BTW Lori was my very first follower:). Lori is the host of Get your Craft on Thurday.

7. Courtney is the author of Red Heads Craft More Fun. This is a fairly new site that I follow. I became hooked when I saw her jute monogram idea.

8. The Tidy Nest is next. Alisa is also very talented. I can not tell you how many times I have made these flowers. They are absolutely the perfect finishing touch.

9. Now if you are into building things and like a good start from scratch project that has a fantastic tutorial Remodelaholic is for you. Cassity's blog is both inspiring and well just plain amazing. This headboard tutorial is another thing on my to-do-list.

10. Smashed Peas and Carrots is another of my favorite blogs to follow. Maggie has alot of fun crafts with great tutorials and recipes. But my favorite part about Maggie's blog is this picture, is her smile just not contagious. Thanks Maggie I needed that.

11. Bitty Bits and Pieces is probably the newest blog that I follow. I found Kim because of my love for Moda fabric, but I think her love is greater than mine.

12. Sumo's Sweet Stuff is another great crafting blog. I have been finding great ideas from Summer's blog long before I even joined the blogging world. Something I find funny is that because of the chocolate chip cookie dough truffle recipe that she posted awhile back, my family is now starting to look like "Sumo" wrestlers. They are so good, we just can't make them enough. Here is a picture from her tutorial. Also hosted in the Make it yourself Monday link party.

Alright ladies here are the rules for the Sunshine Award!

1. Put the logo on your blog or within your post.
2. Pass the award on to 12 other bloggers.
3. Link the nominees within your post.
4. Let the nominees know they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Link back to the person from whom you received this award.

Winner Winner......First Ever Winner

2010-04-09T17:48:00.004-05:00

Okay the first ever winner at Minutes to Spare is............
drum roll please.

Misty from the Creative Itch!! Congratulations, shoot me an e-mail at stephanie.thomas1@tx.rr.com with your mailing information.

I want to thank you all for participating, I had a lot of fun. I really enjoyed reading what type of craft is your favorite.

Child's Artwork Easel

2010-04-08T10:22:00.005-05:00

Embellish an oversized clothespin, use as an easel for Mother's Day artwork. More kids crafts for Mother's Day found here.

Wild Flower Pin Cushion

2010-04-07T22:12:00.011-05:00

After making lots of fun bags, I had a lot of left over scraps. Pin cushions are just the thing for scraps and they make great gifts. Here is the latest pattern I have found. And here is how it turned out. Bigger than I thought it would be, but still so cute.

Linked to:

Mother's Day Frame

2010-04-06T17:03:00.003-05:00

Gearing up for Mother's Day. I found this cute frame idea. Something older kids could make on their own. Hmm... I wonder if cub scouts could do this? I am the Bear den leader you see.

Spring Flowers T-shirt Tutorial

2010-04-06T08:12:00.002-05:00

Check out this great little tutorial for this darling little girls spring t-shirt. It's over at the Moda Bake shop.

Burlap Spring Wreath

2010-04-05T14:25:00.021-05:00

I know April showers bring May flowers, but I couldn't wait until May. My version of the ever popular burlap wreath.

Close up of the little flowers. I can not take credit for their design, but I can not remember what blog I found them on and can not seem to find it again, my apologies. They are very simple. Just cut a 2" strip of fabric fold in half and gather along the cut edge. Once enough gathering is done to make the flower, tie it off and then snip around the edges. I added burlap and a little fabric cone to the centers.

I also wrapped my door hanger in jute so that I could simply hang the wreath on it. No ribbon or anything needed to hang, but you could still add it if you like.

Linked to:
The Girl Creative

First Ever Giveaway!

2010-04-05T10:55:00.008-05:00

This is my first ever giveaway. I planned on doing this when I reach 50 followers, which I did a week back. I decided to make a bag since I received an overwhelming response to them when I posted about them earlier. Dimensions: 8Hx10Wx4D
It also has 6 pockets on the outside.

Inside view: 3 pockets and a tab to hook keys or whatever on.

So here is how the giveaway works.
-First entry; Become a follower and tell me that you have, or let me know if you already are.
-Second entry; Let me know what your favorite type of craft is so I can get to know you better. (painting, sewing, woodworking, mod podge :) ect.)
-Third entry; Let me know what your favorite craft of mine has been so far.

I will pick a winner on Friday April the 9th. And post the
winner later on that evening. Good Luck and thank
you all for visiting my blog.

Stephanie (yes, I still need a siggy)

MOD*A

2010-03-31T13:32:00.002-05:00

Oh happy day! My sister-in-law and I went to the Moda warehouse today and had bolts of fun. Just look at what we got. Sewing heaven, that's what this is. Now if I could just get rid of the stash I already have, I could justify buying more.I just Love Love Love Moda fabric.

I made one....

2010-03-30T08:21:00.005-05:00

or two...okay four. Did you? The DIY Dish just recently had their first show and these darling birthday cake pin cushions are what they made. I loved how my first one turned out so well I made a few more as gifts and I have already thought of a few more people I would like to give them to.... so I will be making more.A couple of close-ups.

So again my question is did you make yours, I made mine?

And if you did leave a blog address so we can come and take a look.

Fun Fabric Bags

2010-03-29T11:19:00.048-05:00

I am so excited! Sometime over the weekend I hit 50 followers, and in my mind I had decided that I would do a giveaway when this happened. So stay-tuned later this week for my first ever giveaway, I just need to whip something up.

This past week I have been busy sewing. My daughter wanted a bag for church to carry her Young Women's binder in. So I started scouring blogworld to see if I could find something that would work. These are the result. I just love how each turned out. I found the pattern here. It has 6 pockets, 3 on each side between the two layers of fabric.

This is the first one I made following the pattern exactly. Finished size is 8Hx10Wx4D. Then I added the little flower. Tutorial for the flower here.

This one is my daughter's, I enlarge to fit my her binder. Finished size is 11Hx13Wx4D.

I got a little smarted as I went along. This one has added pockets on the inside.

And this one I just finished. I used the original dimensions, but I tapered the top piece to look more like a purse. I again added pockets on the inside, I also made the straps as long as the bigger bags. That way it can be worn on the shoulder. The original patterns straps were a little short for my liking. Now I just need to decide what I want to use as a closure for the purse.

Super easy, and fun fun pattern.

Linked to:
The Persimmon Perch
Today's Creative Blog
The Gypsy's Corner

New Friend Friday

2010-03-26T09:07:00.003-05:00

I am participating in "New Friend Friday". I am fairly new to blogland, I just started this blog in January. I have to say it is very addictive and fun.

I used to craft all the time with my sister-in-law but when she moved away it was no longer any fun to do by myself. Now even though I do it alone, well my little helper is always here, I still have someone to share it with. All of your wonderful comments make me smile. And my kids just love that we have fun new decorations. Funny that they would like it as much as me. Thanks for listening.

Stephanie (Oh and I need to learn how to create a siggy)

Easter Garland

2010-03-21T18:51:00.035-05:00

Well I seem to be hooked on garlands, so this is my Easter version.

Some close-ups of the eggs and carrots.

For instructions on how to make garland click here, for decoupage eggs click here.

Linked to:
The Persimmon Perch
The DIY Showoff
Keeping it Simple
Life as Lori
The Girl Creative
Sumo's Sweet Stuff
Cottage Instincts
Today's Creative Blog
Someday Crafts
Finding Fabulous

Decoupage Easter Eggs

2010-03-21T18:12:00.029-05:00

Do you have have any of these hanging around in your Easter stuff? I don't know about you but eggs that do not match-up drive me crazy. And black Easter eggs!?! My kids came back with these last year after an Easter Egg Hunt.

Well don't throw them away, put them to good use. Here are some ideas.

Add them as decor around a candle.

Add them into your Easter arrangements.

Add them to your door knob as a cute decoration.

Create plant stakes out of them. (For these I drilled a hole and put in a meat skewer and then wrapped with floral tape.)

Use them to hang from a garland.

And not to be forgotten is the little purple egg nesting on
my "G" in Spring.

Here is the 411 on how to make them. Some of the eggs you will need to drill holes into. (The ones that you would like to hang or create plant stakes with).

If hanging, you will need to string this through before you start to cover the egg. I tied a little knot so that it did not accidentally come out. I also left a very long end coming out the other side, this way if the string got icky I could just pull it through and cut off the icky part. BTW I used hemp as my string.

The next step is to tear your paper into small pieces and then start applying piece by piece using mod podge. (This is my pink egg on the garland, the holes were drilled on the sides verse the ends.)

When you are done you will have beautiful eggs to decorate with.

Linked to:
Keeping it Simple
Sumo's Sweet Stuff
The Girl Creative
The DIY Showoff
Making the World Cuter
A Soft Place to Land
The Gypsy's Corner
Today's Creative Blog
Finding Fabulous

SPRING

2010-03-16T16:06:00.034-05:00

"Spring" Decor is all the rage it seems, and why wouldn't it be after a long cold winter. Here is what I came up with.
I love how it turned out.

Here is what you will need:

8" chipboard letters found mine at Hobby Lobby
scrapbook papers
mod podge
hot glue/gun
paint/paintbrush
and ribbons and such for embelishments.

First I traced all of my letters backwards onto the back of my papers. Then cut them out.
Next I painted the sides and backs of my letters. I did mine all the same, Lisa Pink (delta). I forgot to take a picture but this is pretty self explanatory.

Once dry I used mod podge to glue on the paper and then sanded and distressed the edges just a touch. Then I set out to make each letter unique, using ribbons, buttons, hemp and a little purple decoupage egg.

Here is a close up of my "G" with a little nest. I just love this one.

Once done I hot glued all letters to a board that I painted Ivory (delta) and distressed the edges just a little. I love how *SPRING* turned out.

Linked to:
Today's Creative Blog
Skip to My Lou
Simply Designing
Somewhat Simple
Life as Lori
Fireflies and Jellybeans
A Few of My Favorite Things
Tatertots and Jello
Making the World Cuter
A Soft Place to Land
The Gypsy's Corner
Someday Crafts
Finding Fabulous

Bunny Bait

2010-03-15T12:38:00.017-05:00

It has been well over a week since I last posted but we have had a very busy week full of violin/orchestra competitions and well my kids come first (his orchestra did very well by the way they scored 1's across the board).

Saw this cute little picture frame at Dollar Tree. Just knew that it would be perfect for something spring, just not black.

So I painted it leaf green (delta) and then distressed it. Added my cute little carrots that I cut out of 1/4" plywood and then added paper with mod podge. I cut my lettering out on my cricut and stuck them to a piece of burlap. It was missing a bunny so I sewed a tube of burlap together (fabric size 5X7 1/2"), sewed the bottom shut turned it right side out and dumped in some rice to weight it down and then stuffed in some batting. I then zig-zagged around the ears and then cut around my zig-zagging. Next I tied a piece of fabric around the ears to pull them in, painted on a little face and wha-la.

Linked to:
Skip to My Lou
Sumo's Sweet Stuff
Keeping it Simple
The Girl Creative
Fun to Craft
Today's Creative Blog
Simply Designing
Somewhat Simple
Life as Lori
Fireflies and Jellybeans
Tatertots and Jello
A Soft Place to Land

Twisted Breadsticks

2010-03-03T08:47:00.015-06:00

A friend of mine gave me this recipe a few years ago, and it was fast to become a favorite in our family. I must warn you, it is impossible to stop at just one!

Twisted Breadsticks

1 1/2 C. warm water
1 T. yeast
4 C. flour
2 T. sugar
1 t. salt

1 cube margarine
3/4 C. parmesan cheese (in the green plastic canister kind)
garlic salt
basil

Combine water and yeast (let yeast do it thing) then add sugar, salt and 2 C. flour. Mix together. Slowly add remaining 2 C. flour until dough clings to hook. Let double in bulk. (about 30 mins.)

Melt margarine, add parmesan cheese, 1 to 1 1/2 teas. garlic salt (to your liking, I use closer to 1 teas.) and sprinkle in a pinch of basil. (optional)

Coat bottom of baking sheet with margarine mixture.

Roll dough into rectangle between 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into 1 inch strips, fold in half, stretch and twist together at the same time so that the breadstick is approx. as long as the width of your baking sheet. Continue until all dough is gone, placing breadsticks next to each other on the baking sheet (this will help them to rise together). Coat the top of breadsticks with margarine mixture and let rise another 30 mins. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes or until parmesan cheese starts to turn golden brown.

These are so yummy, my mouth is watering and I just had them last night. Enjoy!

Linked to:
Fireflies and Jellybeans
Someday Crafts

Bit O' Green

2010-03-01T14:19:00.013-06:00

What will your "Bit O' Green" be? Not sure yet well here are a few ideas that I have come up with.

Shamrock pins, more info here.

A"Lucky" gold coin with a green tie for your gradeschooler.

Just drill a hole into the coin, thread onto some hemp and tie on a green piece of fabric.

A headband of green.

A green stone choker.
Thread beads on jewelry nail and attach to ribbon.

Fabric bangles.
Strips of fabric wrapped around hair bands, then just add some green bling.

Hope this gives you a few ideas I sure have enjoyed making them. Now I just need a "Kiss Me, I'm Irish" project.
Anyone have any good ideas?

Linked to:
Skip to My Lou
Today's Creative Blog
Life as Lori

Rearview Mirror Decor?

2010-02-25T11:10:00.001-06:00

Out with the purple Mardi Gras beads and in with the new. For two years now my husband has poked fun of the beads hanging from my rearview mirror, placed their by my daughter after a school parade of some sort. Well complain no more. Now I have something that looks just like me - in my car. Crafting is no longer just for my home.

So what do you think? Cute isn't it. *Sidebar* FYI if you ever have a small chip/crack in your window, do not drive 21 hrs. straight through to Utah because they received a great snow storm and your husband just has to go skiing. Because somewhere in New Mexico in the middle of the very very cold night, and the temperature hits -9 degrees your windshield will crack instantly from one side to the other. Nice though isn't it.

Started with these cuties, any flower will do.

Cut my burlap 2 1/2"X15". Put hot glue down the middle and folded 1st third over.

Added a piece of tin (I cut off my roofing roll) to one end, and then folded and hot glued the other side down.Hot glued a flower to each end of my burlap strip (on the same side).

Last, I added a small but powerful magnet to the opposite end of the tin piece.
I originally hot glued the magnet but it would not stay, so I out powered it and glued it on with gorilla glue.

Linked to:
Somewhat Simple
Life as Lori
Fireflies and Jellybeans

Kroger * Kellogg's Cereal Deal*

2010-02-24T17:42:00.000-06:00

Just got back from Kroger (Smith's, Fry's) and found an amazing deal. Kellogg's Cereal is on Sale 4/$10. (Frosted Flakes, Fruit Loops, Corn Pops, Apple Jacks and Rice Krispies) When you buy 4 in one transaction you get 2 Gallons of milk Free.

Plus there was a blinkie machine there with $.70 off one box of Kellogg's cereal. So for $7.20 I got 4 boxes of cereal and 2 gallons of milk.

Then when I checked out, to my surprise I received a catalina for $3 off my next purchase. So now I can rinse and repeat the above transaction and only pay $4.20.

WaHoo!! I feed 5 kiddos and cereal goes fast around here. Now to figure out what to do with all of that milk. Does milk freeze?

Shamrock PinUpdate

2010-02-24T13:25:00.001-06:00

For all of you "no sew" crafters out there, I made the shamrock pins at least without the sewing machine. You will still need to hand sew the leaf to get the puckered look. Actually you may be able to try doing this with a glue gun. I did not try that. Silly me...no sew duh. Anyhow this time I used a heat and bond instead of zig-zagging, and achieved the perfect stiffness for the fabric. It gave it a much cleaner look, not so rugged and tattered. Now you just have to decide what look you like best. To see previous post and obtain patterns and further directions click here.

Linked to:
Creations by Kara
Skip to My Lou
Life as Lori
Simply Designing
Somewhat Simple

Shamrock Pins

2010-02-23T08:53:00.001-06:00

I have a thing for making Holiday Pins for my kids teachers. But I have never made a shamrock or anything for St. Patrick's Day (pin wise) for that matter until now. Yesterday I found a pattern for making the cutest little flowers over at the DIY Dish.

Now as soon as I saw the pattern another idea came to mind, and these little shamrocks were born. The tutorial on how to make the flower is on DIY Dish as well as the pattern download. While you're there don't forget to enter their Giveaway. They are giving away a Janome sewing machine and a Janome embroidery machine.

For the shamrock I did not stagger the petals (at least on the one with two layers) I also did not use felt as you can see. I like printed fabric, so in order to make it stiff enough I cut out two layers of fabric and placed the wrong sides together and then quickly zig-zagged around them so the edges would stay in tack. You will also need to trace one on and then flip the pattern and trace the next one on so that they will match up perfectly. For the stem I just rolled a piece of fabric and then zig-zagged down the middle. Then I tacked them together and sewed on a button or some beads for embellishment, glued the pin to the back and whala I was done.

Below are some close-ups of each one. I think they turned out so cute, as you can tell or I would not be sharing. And they are the perfect thing if you need a little " Lucky Green".

For a no sewing machine pin go here.

Linked to:
Today's Creative Blog
Skip to My Lou
A Soft Place to Land
The Girl Creative
Sumo's Sweet Stuff

Blocks for Dad

2010-02-21T19:31:00.001-06:00

I have had a few friends ask if I would post a picture of the gift I helped my daughter make for the kids to give their Dad for Valentine's Day. So here is my version. The original design was by Steph over at Somewhat Simple, I basically just stole the idea. And it was the perfect gift, he actually loved it. You see he thinks that Valentine's Day is just a made-up commercial holiday to get you to spend money. Well I showed him, I had all the materials here to make this, except for the $1.98 1/2" board that is painted
white. And now I have enough of that board left to make other
designs along this line.

Shamrock Garland

2010-02-19T15:12:00.001-06:00

I took the Heart Garland down and the french doors just looked bare. So off I went to find some green fabric. I added some rainbow fabric where my coins hang down, not sure whether or not it will stay we'll see if it grows on me. What do you think? Found the gold coins at Hobby Lobby, and just drilled holes through them in order to string them up. Tutorial for making the garland here.

Linked

Sumo's Sweet Stuff
Life As Lori
Fireflies and Jellybeans
The Girl Creative
Somewhat Simple
Skip to My Lou
A Soft Place to Land
Simply Designing

Easter Pennie Pockets

2010-02-16T23:17:00.002-06:00

Aren't these adorable. I found the tutorial for these here, but I was too late for Valentine's Day so I made some up for Easter. These little door hangers are super easy to whip up and will make great gifts. I plan on giving mine away towards the end of March to some gals I will be visiting. I will probably type up a little message to roll up and put inside as well. A treat and a message in a cute little package, what could be better. For those of you who have a sewing machine but think you can't make these, think again. This is a super beginner pattern with only 5 straight line stitches. Just follow the edge of your foot for a 1/4" seam, and remember stick pins are your friends.

Here are the rest I made, they just don't have anything in them yet. Aren't they darling... I am thrilled at how they turned out.

Linked

A Soft Place to Land
Today's Creative Blog
The Girl Creative
Sumo's Sweet Stuff
Fireflies and Jellybeans
Somewhat Simple
The Creative Itch
Skip to My Lou

Finally... Quilted Hearts

2010-02-14T17:59:00.000-06:00

So I have been working on this for a few weeks. I couldn't find a pattern of what I wanted, so I finally just drew one up and then had to call my sister-in-law for her expertise. It turned out exactly as I wanted. It's finished measurements are: 29" x 15". I'm thinking I will leave it up for another week so I can enjoy it for a little bit.

Charming Photo Frames

2010-02-08T13:45:00.000-06:00

Charming little photo frames for everyday. I found these little 3x3 frames at the dollar tree the other day and knew they would be just perfect for filling in the little spaces in my home decor.

Here is the 411 on how to make your own. First pick out the colors you want to use and cut them just a little bigger than needed. Then cover you first section with mod podge and place your paper on so that it hangs over all edges. I had to finger press all the bubbles out because the frame is arched and the credit card was not working for me.

Next you have to cut down the paper so you can fold it around the edges. place more mod podge and finish working out your bubbles on the edges. Once my edges were dry, I folded in my corners and pressed them down making a good crease. Then I flipped the paper back over and made my cut on the angle. Now it is time to add another color. I chose to go with the opposite side to give the other piece more time to dry. When all four sides are done apply a coat of mod podge and let dry.

After all sides are done if you have a corner that did not turn out so well, I did on my first two. Just apply some ribbon to cover it up. Place a glue dot on back and pull ribbon through the frame opening, then in order to get the corner to lay flat I twisted the ribbon over so that made like a bow tie look on the corner. Then fastened it to the back with another glue dot and cut off the end. Add any other embellishments and you are done.

And since they are frames you can change what goes inside. From holiday to everyday. I just love how they turned out.

Linking:

The Creative Girl
Sumo's Sweet Stuff
Creations By Kara
The Persimmon Perch
Cottage Instincts
The Thrifty Home
A Soft Place to Land

Book Page Wreath

2010-02-01T10:16:00.000-06:00

I found this fantastic book page wreath over at Fireflies and Jellybeans. Isn't it adorable. She has great style and I love how versatile she makes it, to give it different looks. To see how she does it you will need to go and check out her tutorial.

TARGET: Special K Cereal and Granola for $.72 a box

2010-01-28T12:32:00.000-06:00

Special K $2.94
Special K Granola $3.29
$0.50/1 – Kellogg’s Special K Cereal, TARGET – (target.com)
$1.00/1 – Kellogg’s Special K Granola Cereal, TARGET – (target.com)
Free Special K Granola, wyb Special K cereal – (specialk.com)
Final Price: $0.72 each, when you buy 2

Thanks, Money Saving Mom

Free Star Wars Action Figures

2010-01-27T10:42:00.000-06:00

Every now and then I find a deal that I just have to share. With 4 boys, 3 of which are star wars fanatics, and a birthday coming up, I just had to post about this find.
Free Star Wars Action Figures After Rabate

....Get 3 FREE Saga Legends Action Figures by mail with the rebate HERE when you purchase any one of the following by March 20th :
Star Wars Blaster, Star Wars Clone Commander Blaster, Star Wars Force Action / Electronic Lightsaber, Star Wars Duel Action Lightsaber, or the Captain Rex Electronic Command Helmet. If you saved your $5/$20 coupon printable from HERE ... this could end up being a great deal for you!! Let me know if you find any of these on clearance...I remember seeing the helmets on clearance at Target but I am sure they are long gone.
Register receipt must be dated 1/25/2010 through 3/20/2010....and must be postmarked by April 3rd, 2010.

Thanks, She Saved

Reversible Block Keepsake

2010-01-26T22:33:00.000-06:00

I have now created an entire box of things that I will need to store somewhere full of Valentine's Day stuff. I have no idea why I have never really made Valentine's stuff before...but I sure have some now. So today I decided to try something for everyday. I was cutting out 12 I am a child of God letter sets for my sister-in-law, she is going to make some blocks for her primary children. As I thought about her idea it evolved into something a little more detailed. So off I went to find a chunk of 2x6 to cut into just the right size. Then I applied mod podge and scrap paper that I ripped and distrested, and then re-mod podged. Next I went after my 4 yr. old little buddy to be my guinea pig. I applied paint to his hand and then placed it onto the block. I figured that if I did not like it I could wipe it right off and try again since I had reapplied the second coat of mod podge. However it worked like a charm the first time.

At this time I decided that I needed something on the other side. And "Families Are Forever" was just the thing.

Here is a close-up of the bow on top, made of fabric and hemp, with an button hot glued to the top.

Burlap Heart Wreath

2010-01-25T16:41:00.000-06:00

Have you seen all the gorgeous wreaths out there for Valentine's Day? Well, I wanted them all but...but...but I really only need one. A couple of my favorite are: The Fabric Rose Wreath over at smashed peas and carrots, and the burlap wreath found at Craftaholics Anonymous. There was also an entire heart wrapped in jute but my patience is too limited for that. So I combined them all and this is what I came up with.

I also used the rushing technique I learn at SEW4HOME to gather my burlap. It gives the gathers the curvy "S" look. However, I did not use the bias tape technique I just left my edges raw. I cut my burlap into 3" strips that were 45" long and sewed them together. After I gathered (rushed it) I hot glued it onto a wire coat hanger that I bent into a heart.

More Hugs & Kisses

2010-01-25T08:57:00.000-06:00

When I originally went to Hobby Lobby to buy X's and O's this is where my thoughts were leading me. But I also picked up the wooden X's and O's that I made in a previous post. This is what I have so far. I am not sure that I won't add more to them in the future but for now here they are..

These letters are the hollow ones that look like they are made out of kraft paper. I painted them black and white, added rhinestones and stenciled hearts on with glitter. The stencil was made on my cricut using a sheet protector that I cut up. Let me know what you think or suggestions you might have.

What is Love...

2010-01-21T21:53:00.000-06:00

Looking for new ways to display photos of the kids. Came up with these little photo stands.

My intentions were to use wire. Looked in my craft boxes - couldn't find it, looked in the garage - no such luck. I know I have some so I'll be asking hubby next if he used it and forgot to put it back where he found it. Anyhow, what I used instead are the little spiral paper clips. I just took the needle nose pliers and held on tight and bent about a 1/2" down. It did take a little bit of gusto.

Let me know what you think.

Be Mine

2010-01-21T15:40:00.000-06:00

Thanks to Lindsey @ Inspiring Creations
I now have a "be mine" sign.

Yes, I know mine is almost identical to hers but when
you see something you love why deviate.
And I absolutely Love It!!

XOXOXO

2010-01-20T18:17:00.000-06:00

To match my heart garland, I just had to have some hugs and kisses.

I bought my X's and O's at Hobby Lobby, they are 5 1/2". Then I added decorative paper with mod podge and then used a distressing pad on the wooden areas not covered by paper.

In order to get them to stand I hot glued a piece of black ribbon on the top and bottom of each pair of XO's. I tried hot gluing together but it just didn't look right. If anyone has a better solution I would love to hear it. For now at least they will lay flat for storage.

Valentine's Day Pillow

2010-01-20T13:20:00.000-06:00

Made this adorable Valentine's Day Pillow by following the tutorial at Sew4Home.

Close-up of the ruched heart.

Heart Garland

2010-01-19T22:30:00.000-06:00

After seeing and trying so many wonderful crafts, I decided to design one of my own.

Here is how I did it:
First I picked out 6 colors of fabric. I used about 1/4 of a yards for each. I ripped it into 1 1/4" strips and then cut into 6 1/2" pieces. (My garland is about 54" long.)

Next I took 4-ply (#72) jute and tied a knot at one end and then started tying on the fabric strips. The first few will be tied over double the jute to cover the end of the jute. Once I reached close to my desired length, I tied another knot, cut the jute and covered the end the same way.

Then I made my hearts. First I designed them on paper. Once I had my desired shapes, I traced them onto 1/4" wood and cut them out on my Dremel scroll saw. Sanded and applied decorative paper with mod podge. Then I cut around the edges with a blade and sanded the pieces again. Next I applied distressing ink, and then applied a coat of mod podge to seal. Once dry I drilled my holes and tied the hearts onto the garland.

Another picture a little closer up.

Linked:

A Soft Place to Land