Some bunny loves Easter and Spring! ;)

Ok, I just couldn't help the title for this one. I've been procrastinating on making a door decor item that is fun and funky for my front door. I've seen the painted burlap decorations at some of the boutiques around here, but honestly, for some paint and burlap, I'd rather keep my $40+ in my pocket and create my own for about $5. Just what kind I wanted is my predicament. Easter egg? Flowers? Heart? Monogram? So frustrating, not to mention I change my mind 99.9% of the time before I actually get around to create something.

Anyone else like that? You plan a project in your head, and it seems 'perfect' and then you decide later- but before you make it- that it simply won't do. No? Ok, I guess I'm the only crazy one. ;) ha ha

So... I was hopping around blogland tonight, and found this adorable chenille bunny toy for a little girl. Perfect for my little girl's Easter basket, but that's not what I had the wheels in my mind churning at. :) This is the perfect shape for my door decor! :) A little bunny! Very Spring-y and Easter covered too!

If you want the pattern for yourself, hop on over to UCreate's blog and get it there. She also shows you how to make your own custom colored chenille with flannel! Sweet!!! I know what save me some $$ for my next quilt project! :)

Now, I have to print out my pattern and blow it up to size. I will post pics of it when it is completed.

Jumpin' on the pallet wagon... sort-of

I love some of the pallet art that I've been seeing on the web lately. So... I decided, I can make it myself and save some $$ from buying it from someone else. :)

Pallets are pretty cheap, sometimes even free if you can find a builder that is willing to give you one. I've even heard of asking places like Home Depot and Lowes if they are willing to part with one or two... I haven't done that yet. I'm too chicken honestly. ;)

So... what I did do, was go to Home Depot's bone yard of misfit boards. You know the ones, that have been declared unfit for someone's project. Some are scrap from boards that people have them cut, some are just warped to the point they can't even be useful- to me- they are the diamonds in the rough. Just perfect for what I wanted to do. :)

I snagged two boards for $1.14 (including tax) my two boards were just over 8' in length. One was a little over 4' the other a little under, but they were cut and worked out perfectly. My newest piece of wall art cost me a whopping $1.14, and I am so happy with how it turned out. :)

Finished dimensions approx. 15" x 20"

How to:

Cut 1" x 4" to 15" long. Repeat 6 times.

Use scrap board (e.g. a stake or paint stir stick for a 5 gal. bucket- you're not going to see it anyway) cut to 19". Repeat 2 times.

Line up your boards how you like. Smooth side out, to become the front of your sign.

Flip over and tack the strips vertically to hold your horizontal slats in place.

Paint the entire front of your sign in desired color. Let dry.

Free hand your saying on boards (as illustrated in picture). Let dry.

Hang on your wall and admire your work.

Seriously. It is that easy.

Stay tuned for even more cool wall art from the lumber yard... ;)

Valentine Lottery Tickets

I found an idea a while back on how to make your own lottery type scratch it tickets here. I made a few for the kids and hubs for Christmas with different things to "win" just like a real lottery ticket- just without the gambling! ;)

I decided to revamp them for Valentine's Day, but use them as mail for my kids' mailboxes that I made for them. This has become such a fun night time before going to bed activity with the kids. They love how they get "mail" each day. :) I'm giving my "lottery" cards to the kids and hubs tonight complete with a "lucky" penny- ones dated with their birth year for the kids and our wedding year for the hubs. :) This project is super easy, and can be whipped up during naptime. :)

Here's what you need:

Packaging tape- I think that the original tutorial used contact paper. I improvised.
Scissors
Cardstock
Acrylic paints- I used red and gold
Paintbrush
Dish soap- I used Dawn
Pen for writing
Imagination :)

Step 1: Think of what you want to have on your "lottery" tickets and write them out. If you have horrible writing, I guess you could print them out.


Step 2: Cover your "prize" with the tape. Set aside.


Step 3: Mix your paint and soap. You need to use a 2 parts paint to 1 part soap. Stir until it is blended.


Step 4: Take your card with the "prize" from Step 2, and cover your "prize" with paint mixture. You might need 2 coats, depends on how you do it, and if you can see your "prize" still after 1 coat.

Step 5: Let dry completely. It doesn't take too long. Mine were dry in 15 minutes.

That's it! :)

Hand out some pretty cool Valentine treats to your kids, family, etc. These could even be made as a class gift if you really wanted to. It's up to you- use your imagination! :)

Refried Beans

I've been trying to feed my family less processed foods in an effort to instill a healthy lifestyle with my kids. Yesterday, my neighbor introduced me to a co-op of local farmers, so now, I have a way to obtain fresh fruits, veggies, herbs, eggs, and meat. So excited! It's funny how that little invitation from her has me giddy with the possibilities of creating some really delicious and healthier meals for my family. :)

So, one of the first things that I decided to conquer that I usually buy processed, (because honestly, I was completely afraid of the making process) is re-fried beans. We have tacos weekly in this house, and I just recently tackled one of my other faves that I used to leave to the pros, Taco Pizza, so I figured this one had 2 options: 1. really tasty or 2. really ugh... not for me. Luckily for me it turned out super tasty!! :) Yay!! My kids also said they liked them more than the "other" kind. Double yay!!

These beans were so incredibly easy to make, total cost for a huge crock pot's worth of 're-fried' beans less than $3. Seriously. Not only were they inexpensive, they are delicious!

Here's the easy peasy recipe:

1 yellow onion (mine was about the size of a softball), peeled and cut into chunks
1/2 jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
3 cups of dried pinto beans
9 cups of water
1/8 tsp ground cumin (I used 1/4 tsp. and it was not overpowering at all)
5 tsp. salt
1 3/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper (I coarsely ground mine)

Step 1. Rinse beans thoroughly in water, and place in crock pot.

Step 2. Put water into crock pot, and turn crock pot on high.

Step 3. Add onion, jalapeno, garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper to crock pot.

Step 4. Cover crock pot and let it cook for 8 hours. Periodically check on it, stir to make sure it doesn't burn to bottom. (Long time to cook, but really worth it. I guess you could do it over night, but I started mine at 10am and they were ready for dinner at 6pm.)

Step 5. I used a slotted spoon to pull my beans out of the crock pot, then placed them into my food processor. If you don't have a food processor, you could mash them however you would like to your desired consistency using a whisk, potato masher, blender, etc . Reserve some of the water to thin out beans if you want them thinner. Entirely up to you.

Enjoy. :)

Ruler Artwork & Family Keepsake

I love today's project. I found the idea/inspiration on Pinterest (shock, I know) and knew that I could make it for less than the hefty price tag on it.

My kids are growing like weeds. I swear the boy has grown 4 or more inches since the summer, the girl has grown a bit too and I'm trying to capture as much of their growing as possible. We move around a lot, so the whole tradition of scratching into a doorway's trim their height and dates isn't a feasible option to keep track of their growth. Also, they are very competitive with "who's taller?" even though they are 3 years apart in age, so this project is perfect. :)

Here is the inspiration here and she found them here. So, an idea popped into my head, I can make this myself for a whole lot less- and get a piece of art for the wall with the bonus of capturing the kids' growth. :) Yay!

Here it is. My version of the previous two links. I love the way it turned out.


Ignore the dog's food bin in the picture- we have a 200# mastiff, and this is the only thing that he can't get into and eat his food! ;)

The cost for this project was about $10- but you could do it for less if you have some of the supplies on hand; which I did, so it only cost me $6.

What you will need:
1) 1" x 8" x 6' board- I bought mine at Home Depot for $6
sandpaper
stain- left over from Oregon Art project
paint
brushes for stain and paint
sealer
stencils (optional)
picture hanger- bought these at Hobby Lobby- left over from Oregon Art project


Step 1: Sand your board- if desired. Mine had some rough edges and a stamp on it from the manufacturer on the side I wanted to use for my ruler.

Step 2: Stain board to desired depth of color. I ended up doing 2 coats for mine. Let cure. Mine took a couple of days because the weather was cold/rainy/damp for a few days after I began the process.

Step 3: Since my board is 6' long (Actually measured it at this point and it was 73" instead of 72"- so measure your board in case yours is off too. You could cut off an inch or so to make it 6' or you could leave it. Either way, it works.) I decided to make my tick marks at 2" intervals.

Step 4: I began my measurement with the bottom of the board is 6". The reasoning behind this, is because I will hang the ruler 6" from the ground, so starting from 0" would be unnecessary. So, the first tick mark is 8", second 10", third 1', etc.

Step 5: Decide on length of tick marks for varying heights. I ended up making my full foot measurements 3 3/4" long, 1/2 foot was 2 3/4" long and the remaining were 1 3/4" long. If this isn't clear, check the picture. :)

Step 6: Stencil in your numbers for the full foot measurements. Or you can skip this step if you are going to just paint them free-hand.

Step 7: Paint your tick marks and numbers. Let dry.

Step 8: Seal with acrylic sealer. Do this in a well ventilated area. I ended up with a headache from this and I did it in my garage. If you can do this outside- I would recommend that. :)

Step 9: Position your wall hanger on the back of your ruler, 1" from the top of your board.

Step 10: Hang on your wall- if you are using a 6" one that is actually 73" like mine is, I put the nail in at 6'6" so it lines up correctly.

That's it! :)

Enjoy your new art piece that will capture your kids' growth throughout the years- maybe even your grandkids too. :)

Oregon Art

I grew up in Oregon, graduated from college in Oregon (GO Beavs!!), found and married my husband up in Oregon, and most of my family and friends still live in Oregon. It is no surprise that in my heart, Oregon holds a very special place.

Awwww...

So, a few days/weeks ago, not actually sure when I saw the inspiration for this, but with Pinterest it is hard to remember "when" because I can lose hours on there without even really trying to. It is crazy. A whole new time warp that is so much fun, but can be very dangerous if you're trying to get stuff done, because your time will evaporate. Okay, maybe not for any of you, but it does for me. ;)

This project is very, very, VERY easy to do. I gathered up my supplies for less than $10- and I have several of the supplies leftover for other projects that I will be posting also. It does however take a bit of patience and time. I ended up re-stringing this project three times before I was happy with the result and it looked the way I had envisioned it. :)




Supplies:
1 spool of string- any color you want I used Navy blue (The kind you use for a sewing machine.) *not pictured

1 package of nails (Mine were from Wal-Mart for 97 cents- hardware section.)

1 package of picture hangers (You need only 1, mine were at Hobby Lobby for $1.99 and there were 6 in the pack. At Home Depot, they sell you only 2 and they are almost $3.)

1 small can of stain (I used Minwax Wood Finish in Weathered Oak- it gave the board an antiqued/weathered look and I love it.) *not pictured

1 piece of wood in desired size (I bought mine at Hobby Lobby for $2, they are normally $3 but they are on sale right now- so if you have a Hobby Lobby head on over and pick one out. They have lots of different shapes and it could be really fun! Of course you can also buy one at Home Depot, I didn't price them out though.)

1 paper printout of your desired state. (Pulled mine off a Google search- just google your state and use the words "--- state outline" and find one you like.) *not pictured

Crayon or Carbon Paper *not pictured

Scissors *not pictured

Pen *not pictured

Sandpaper 120 grit *not pictured

Hammer *not pictured

Needle-nose Pliers *not pictured

Step 1: Sand your piece of wood, to get any roughness off before you place your state outline. Set sandpaper aside for later.

Step 2: Cut your state shape out leaving an extra bit of white around it. Keep the scrap for later.

Step 3: Color the back of your paper with the crayon. If you are using Carbon paper, you don't have to do the coloring the paper, just use the carbon paper. :)

Step 4: Position your state on the board the way you would like it. If using the carbon paper, have the carbon paper between the state paper and the board.

Step 5: Trace over your state with a pen. Press firmly, so the shape transfers fully. If need be repeat in areas that didn't take so well or have details you need.

Step 6: Take scrap paper from Step 2, and cut out a heart shape. Tip: fold the paper in half and cut your heart half that way, so your heart is symmetrical. :)

Step 7: Trace your heart in desired area, you can always use a map for this, and I have my heart centered around Corvallis.



Step 8: If you like what you see, fantastic! Keep going. If not, sand all of the marks off and repeat Steps 4-7.

Step 9: Take your hammer and one nail, and lightly indent your state and heart outline's borders. You are setting a guide for where you will hammer the nails in a bit. This will help you out a lot. :)

Step 10: Sand the entire board so you can not see the markings of your outline, just the holes that you just completed in Step 9. Use a nail to empty the holes from sawdust, because you need it to be clear of dust before proceeding.

Step 11: Stain your board. Follow the directions on your can of stain for this part. Each is different, but the basic gist is the same. Apply stain, wait, rub off, repeat until desired shade is achieved. Do in a well ventilated area, not the dining room where your kids can complain about the smell- not that I would know anything about that.

Step 12: Now for the fun part. Placing your nails into all of the holes. I started with the heart and then worked my way around the state. Really depends on where the heart is if you do that or not, if your heart is near a border, I would recommend it, but whatever works for you. Try to keep the nails at the same depth too, for uniformity. :) Sorry I forgot to take a picture of this step. :/

Step 13: If your nails are a little wonky, use your pliers to straighten them out. I also did this to see if I needed to add any nails for a bare spot, I ended up adding a couple of them, and still had to do one on the heart right before I finished up.

Step 14: Take an end of your spool of thread and make a sliding knot. Place that knot around a nail in your heart. Tie a square knot to secure it in place, trim the end so you are tethered to your piece with the spool of thread.

Step 15: Wrap your thread around a border nail and return to the *same* heart nail you started with.

Step 16: Proceed to the next border nail then return to the same heart nail. Complete this process until each border nail has been tethered to a heart nail. This part is entirely up to you on how you proceed with it. It is a piece of art- each piece will be completely different- that is why art is so cool!

Step 17: Fill in any areas that you think are needed to complete the look. I seriously did Steps 14-17 while watching an hour long show that was DVR'd and had time left over, so this really didn't take too long to do. You can see progress quickly, and you get into a rhythm after a bit.




Step 18: Attach to the back of your piece the wall hanger. I did this, but then I ended up putting it in a plate holder on my mantle. :)

That's it!

Now I'm off to finish 2 other projects, but I will be posting the other one I finished yesterday- tomorrow, and the other 2 the day after tomorrow. :)

Homemade Gifts for Moms, Sisters, Girlfriends, Neighbors, etc. :)

Lately I have been pretty obsessed with sugar scrubs. Seriously. I think that I have a new addiction to the sweet goodness that leaves my skin feeling as soft- if not softer than my 5 year old. How cool is that? :)

Anyhoo... if you don't know what a sugar scrub is, then let me fill ya in real quick. A sugar scrub is a natural exfoliator that you can use on your hands, feet, body - wouldn't recommend your face though, might be too rough/coarse for sensitive areas- to get that extra dry skin off so you can moisturize it into being smooth and silky. The bonus is that these scrubs are very inexpensive and can be whipped up with stuff you have in your kitchen cabinets right now. The basics are sugar and oil. That's it. Easy peasy. Now of course, smelling like oil isn't probably high on your "oh my goodness, I have to make that sugar scrub now!" list but hey- I said it was the basics. ;) That's why you have to add the other ingredients to make it smell super yummy!

If you head over to Brown Eyed Baker's site you can find a delicious recipe for a Brown Sugar and Spice scrub. If you would like something a little more citrus in flavor head on over to Under the Table and Dreaming for her lovely Lemon Scrub- a personal fave of mine.

In case those don't hit the spot for ya, you can go to C & H's website and get three different recipes for sugar scrubs a vanilla, spiced, and another brown sugar one too.

Now... if you haven't found a particular recipe mentioned above to inspire you to go raid your cabinets for some delightful gifts you can seriously whip up in less than 5 minutes, you can always order Erin's e-book A Year of Sugar Scrubs 24 Original Recipes for only $3.99!! I just won a copy of this from Tatertots & Jello, and let me tell ya- it is awesome!! I love how she has different flavors for different times of the year. The Caramel Frappe one, the Pina Colada one... I'm just trying to decide who to give them to! :)

So... if you are running out of time for Christmas gifts or stocking stuffers for the ladies in your life, whip up one of these little jars of pampering goodness. I promise- you won't be sorry. :)

Super Cool Earrings!

These are seriously super incredibly easy to make!

Here's the link from a lady I found through a Pinterest browsing adventure. :) Have I mentioned how much I love that site?? ;)

Here's my spin on them. I decided to make a pair of festive trees. :) Evie's blog has a great tutorial for a more mod looking earring. So hop on over there and make yourself a pair too! :) I whipped these up in about an hour. I used 2 paperclips, some embroidery yarn, beads and a pair of earring wires- all stuff I had on hand. :)

Have a wonderful Christmas! :)

Oh my goodness...

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love to bake, cook, create, etc. My guilty pleasure though, is spicy foods. Every now and then, I get a craving for a sweet treat, but mostly, I'm a savory/spicy kind of gal. My family has moved around a lot in the past few years- so much so, that it seems as soon as we find a restaurant we like to go to, we end up moving away and the process starts all over again. Frustrating. Anyhoo... imagine my squeal of delight to have found a recipe that is pretty darn close to replicating one of my favorite foods in the entire world. Salsa. Huh? Really? Salsa? Yes, salsa.




This salsa reminds me of home, because it is so similar to the kind I used to order in Oregon at my all time favorite Mexican restaurant. I have yet to find a Mexican restaurant that I like even close to the same level in 4 different states- but I digress. My only problem is I can't have enough tortilla chips on hand for that spicy, red deliciousness. I usually and up snacking away on the tortillas and salsa before my meal arrives causing me to have no room for my dinner. You know what I'm talking about! ;) ha ha




So... where is the recipe? Here. That's where. This is the best tasting homemade salsa that my taste buds have ever had the pleasure of tasting. Seriously. It is so inexpensive and you'll see how ridiculously simple this is to make, you will never, ever, ever buy a store brand jarred salsa again. This is the type of salsa that you can eat literally from the bowl without chips. Maybe that's just me being a weirdo, but I swear that stuff is addictive! ;) Enjoy!


Go check out Brown Eyed Baker's website for other goodies. She has a ton of recipes, and even better, all of her pictures make you want to go, bake up a storm and eat until your heart's content. Her food is delish, but I'm not so sure how this is going to be on my waistline though. ;)

Dollar Tree Fashion

So, I recently found Pinterest through one of my friends on Facebook. If you haven't heard of Pinterest, or you haven't had the fun of going through all of the ideas on there, you need to. It is so full of fun ideas that honestly, I'm embarrassed to say I stayed up way too late last night going through 'pins' for inspiration. ;)

Anyhoo... today's project is inspired by a 'pin' that I found fairly early on. It is for a sun catcher ornament thing-a-majig that I had to put my own spin on. These are so simple to make, and you can make a bunch of them for hardly anything. Less than $5 and some time will get you 20 of these little gems to give out as gifts.

If you are making these with children, please use caution. I am going to be making this project with my Girl Scout troop to give to their mothers as Christmas gifts this year and will have them assembled into kits as pictured below.

What you need:

Bag of flat marbles from Dollar Tree

Crimp Cord ends (bag of 20 from Hobby Lobby- on sale for 75 cents; normally $1.47)

2 little coils of Hemp cord (Hobby Lobby- on sale for 75 cents; normally $1.47)

1 pack of Wooden beads 10mm (40 in pack at Hobby Lobby- on sale for 75 cents; normally $1.47)

E-6000 glue or other epoxy (hot glue will not work)

Oven- Preheated to 335 degrees F

Cookie Sheet

Oven mitt/pot holder

Sink or bowl of ice & water (I used my kitchen sink, but a bowl would work too.)

Pliers


Step 1: Place all of your marbles on cookie sheet. Put cookie sheet into oven and bake your marbles for 45 minutes. ** If you are doing this project with a child, please use caution with the hot oven to avoid burns. **

Step 2: When marbles are done "baking," remove from oven and immediately put into ice bath. I literally dumped mine in to my sink from the cookie sheet. Let cool for 10 minutes in water. ** If you are doing this project with a child, please use caution with the hot oven to avoid burns. **

Step 3: Remove marbles from water and dry thoroughly. They should look similar to the photo below. Each marble will crack differently; which adds to the charm. :)

Step 4: Cut your hemp cord into desired lengths. I cut mine into 45" and got about 10 from each coil.

Step 5: Flatten all of your crimp cords. This becomes your bale for your pendant. If you want to purchase bales and skip this step you can. Using the crimp cords is just a more affordable way to make a bunch of bales; since bales are fairly expensive.

Step 6: Place a small amount of epoxy to the flat side of your marble. Place bale on top of epoxy and let cure. Note: If you can't wait for it to dry the 24 hours, wait for at least 1 hour before proceeding, or your bale will not stay in place. :) Your marble pendant should look similar to photo below when complete.

Step 7: Fold hemp cord length in half- first photo below. Thread through bale on marble pendant- second photo below.

Step 8: Thread one of your wooden beads on to the hemp cord- first photo below. Slide bead to the top of your marble pendant- second photo below.

Step 9: Separate hemp cord, thread one more wooden bead on loose end as shown in photo below. You can adjust the length of your necklace at this point; however, make sure to add 1 inch to the length to make sure you have enough cord for the next two steps. :)

Step 10: Tie a knot on loose end. Place a drop of epoxy on knot and slide wooden bead over knot to secure in place.

Step 11: Tie knot on looped end of cord. Make sure it is large enough to slip over wooden bead.

That's it! You're finished!

Repeat process for as many necklaces as you want to make. :)

Coffee Filter Wreath

As promised, I am posting pics of my wreath. Sorry didn't take any pictures of the process of making it. :/

Overall, this project was very easy (time consuming) and very inexpensive. I only used about 50 coffee white coffee filters, about a yard of 1 1/2" black satin ribbon, some food coloring, a dash of salt and a piece of cardboard from the recycle bin. Total cost of this project $1.50- and I have enough coffee filters left for another wreath. :)

I found that dying the coffee filters worked best by boiling 3 quarts of water with about 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt in the water, after the water is boiling add the food coloring. Keep in mind the water has to be much darker than what you would expect. My water actually looked black and the filters as I took them out looked almost indigo, but then when they came out of the oven were the lavender color. I just love the way it turned out! So pretty! :)

Alright, now how to make your own wreath...

Supplies:

White coffee filters (natural/brown ones didn't hold the dye right)

Cardboard cut into the wreath shape you want (e.g. round, square, rectangle, etc.)

1 yard of 1 1/2" satin ribbon (or any type you have on hand)

Hot glue gun

Salt

Stew pot

Food coloring

Stove/Oven

Step 1: Preheat your oven to 225 degrees F.

Step 2: Boil 3 quarts of water with 1-2 teaspoons of salt.

Step 3: Add food coloring to desired color. (You might want to test out a filter- you can dye it darker, if you don't like your result. For the lavender color I ended up with, I used a concoction of 25 drops of pink, 30 drops of blue, 35 drops of purple and 20 drops of red.- No wonder the water was black!) ;)

Step 4: Submerge 6-8 coffee filters at at time in your stew pot. Let them soak for about a minute. Keep the pot on low heat to keep the water hot.

Step 5: Carefully remove the coffee filters from the water, and lay them flat on your oven rack.

Step 6: Bake your filters for 2 minutes. Remove from oven. (Your filters should be dry- if not, keep them in for another 30 seconds until they are completely dry.)

Step 7: Repeat Steps 4-5 until you have all of your filters dyed and dried.

Step 8: Take a filter and scrunch it to make your "flower." There is no "right" or "wrong" way to do this, it is a piece of art, and really you can't mess it up. :)

Step 9: Repeat Step 8 until you use all of your filters. (This is the time consuming part.)

Step 10: Take your ribbon and find the center of the top of your wreath, and glue in place. (This will become your hanger and bow later.)

Step 11: Take your cardboard wreath shape and start hot gluing your filter flowers to cover it entirely. (The amount of filters used will vary depending on size.)

Step 12: Tie the ribbon from Step 10 in a knot, then a bow on top of it for decoration. (or just have a ribbon hanger without the bow- whatever you like.)

That's it! :)

Envelope Saving System

Living on a budget is a fact of life for many of us lately, but who says you have to look like it?? ;)


I found a great tutorial a few months ago when we decided to use Dave Ramsey's envelope system. Kelleigh has made it even easier for your envelopes to look super cute and stylish. You can download her FREE envelope template and labels to make your own customized envelope system here! :) She also has some amazing templates to make just about anything out of paper! You've gotta check her templates out! :)



Photo from Kelleigh Ratzlaff.com

She shows how you can make it fit right into your wallet, but I personally made mine look more like a book. I tied ribbon through it and it has worked well, although it is pretty worn out now and I am going to make it differently this weekend; I will post those pics later. ;) I've also seen where you can put the 1" metal hoops (you can find them at an office supply store like Office Max, Staples, etc.) where your envelope system is like a binder.



This project is very simple with Kelleigh's envelope template and several scrapbook paper pages from your local craft store- sometimes, you can score 4 or 5 pieces of paper for $1! What a deal!! Grab yourself some ribbon scraps, ric rac (wouldn't that be cute!), organza, buttons, trims - whatever you have around and get crafty! :)

Spring Purse! :)

Yesterday, I was inspired by the warm spring (finally!) weather we've been having to make myself a purse. So... I surfed the web and came across several tutorials on how to make one for yourself. Finally I settled on a cute little bag that I found the pattern for FREE here on the blog Made by Rae.


She has some great stuff on her blog, and her pattern is super easy to follow. I do recommend you look through the pattern before you begin, and have her pictures handy to make sense of some of her wording. :)



This project was relatively inexpensive too! *Bonus* :) You will need 2 fat quarters one for the exterior and one for the lining (or you can buy 2/3 yard of fabric). Jo-Ann's has their fat quarters on sale for 99 cents until tomorrow (didn't realize the sale ends tomorrow- but even so, fat quarters are max $1.99 there) and all of their Dritz hardware is 50% off too- so you can get two magnetic snaps for about $2.50 which makes 2 purses with a final cost about $7! :)





Yay!! Not bad for a unique bag for the spring. :)








The finished dimensions of my bag are 11" x 7" and has a 10" drop. :)

Groupon!!!

This place is awesome! If you haven't checked out Groupon yet; you *have* to do it! You can get some screamin' deals on stuff you would normally buy anyway- but for about half the price or better in some cases!! *Bonus* :)

If you're not sure if they are in your area, you can click on the tab that says "Visit More Cities" to see if they are near you or near a city you might be vacationing in this summer - if they aren't you can always send them an e-mail requesting they come to your area! :)

Hope you all have a great week! :)

Dollar Tree + Hobby Lobby +$3 = 2 unique pieces of art!

Not that I need any excuse to go to Dollar Tree, but... I have found several picture frames there that just needed some where to go, and it might as well be my wall. ;)




I was inspired by so many of the blogs out there that have silhouettes, and thought that I could do something a little more colorful than the traditional black and white silhouette; with that thought that's exactly what I did with the following project. This project seriously only cost me $3 between Hobby Lobby's 50% off sale on scrapbook paper and Dollar Tree's frames- even if Hobby Lobby didn't have the sale, it would only have been $4. :)



Well... here they are- compliments of Dollar Tree and Hobby Lobby -which I can't believe I *haven't* been there before today. That place is awesome! So many possibilities! ;) I even bought some fabric there for a wallet that I'm going to post here in a few days- as soon as I finish my 4 sewing projects in-progress that are in front of it... ;)




Supplies:
1 sheet of black scrapbook paper
1 sheet of red print scrapbook paper
2 birdhouse picture frames
2 pics of kiddos (silhouettes)

Roll of Masking tape (not pictured)
Scissors (not pictured)


Step 1: Cut out most of picture surrounding your kiddo (or whatever else you are silhouetting). Note: Leave some border, for the next step, you can see what I mean in the photo shown in Step 2.


Step 2: Tape picture to black scrapbook paper by making a loop with the tape then sandwiching the picture and black scrapbook paper together.



Step 3: Carefully cut out your kiddo's silhouette. (I don't have the expensive cutting machine, so I did mine the old fashioned way. ) ;)






Step 4: Cut the background paper to fit the frame. (I used the glass to measure it for an accurate fit.) Forgot to take a picture of this step. :/


Step 5: Center your black paper silhouette on your background paper.



Step 6: Put in frame. Enjoy your unique one of a kind piece of art! :)


That's it!

Candy Cane Reindeer

This project brings back so many childhood memories. :) My mom used to make these with my younger sister and I to give away as gifts to friends in school. Now my own little girl is going to continue the tradition and pass them on to her entire class Friday. :)

This is a very inexpensive project for a classroom- it could even be done as a classroom take-home project. I bought the candy canes at Wal-Mart for 88 cents; the rest of the items I bought at Michael's. The pom poms have 100 in the package for $2.49, the 7mm wiggley eyes were on sale for $1.49 and have 282 in the package, the chenille stems have 25 in the package for 99 cents.

If you wanted to make more than 1 dozen reindeer, you would have to buy 1 package of chenille stems for each 1 package of candy canes; you have enough pom poms to make 100 reindeer and enough eyes for 141 reindeer. :)

Supplies (will make 12 reindeer)
1 box of the larger candy canes- we used peppermint, but any flavor would work for this
1 package of beige chenille stems (pipe cleaners) you could also use dark brown (or any color- red, green, white, black, etc.)
1 package of 7mm wiggley eyes
1 package of 10mm red pom poms (you can use any color- I've used different colors with different candy canes to make them coordinate.)

Tools:
Glue
Scissors



For 1 reindeer you will need:
1 candy cane
2 chenille stems
2 wiggley eyes
1 pom pom




Step 1: Fold one of your chenille stems in half.

Step 2: Hook your candy cane through your folded in half chenille stem. Refer to photo below.

Step 3: Twist your chenille stem (like a bread bag twist tie) until secure, should be about 3 times.

Note: Make sure you twist close to the candy cane, but be careful not to snap the candy cane.)

Step 4: Bend each half in half again. (It should look like rabbit ears.)

Step 5: Twist each of your chenille stem halves (like a bread bag twist tie) until it is entirely twisted. Refer to picture.

Step 6: Take the remaining chenille stem, cut in half. Cut each half in half. You should have 4 pieces that are the same size.

Step 7: Fold each of the 4 pieces from Step 6 in half.

Step 8: Place one of the folded pieces from Step 7 around one of your chenille stems. Refer to photo below for clarification. Twist this smaller piece (like a bread bag twist tie) in place.

Step 9: Repeat Step 8 only this time place smaller stem higher on the same side. This is your reindeer's antler on one side.

Step 10: Repeat Step 8 and Step 9 for the other side. Refer to picture for clarification.

Step 11: Glue your eyes and nose in place.

That's it! :) 1 down... 23 more to go! ;)