A little creative time

I love all the crafty inspiration that comes during the Fall and through the holidays.

I had some time in the last month to make 2 new pumpkin crafts. The pumpkin above was so simple! Here is where I found it. It is made from a 12" by 12" piece of paper that was cut into 1" strips, 2 brads (top and bottom), a flower (see it inside), some ribbon, some leaves, and a wine cork. All it took to make it was 15 minutes, my hot glue gun, and a few glasses of that scrumptious red wine. Hey- I needed the cork! wink!

This other pumpkin craft was just about as simple. You'll find the directions here.As you see, both of these ideas came from Better Homes and Gardens. They have an email list you can sign up for called "100 Days of Holidays." It is fabulous! Everyday you get new ideas for decorating, crafts, food, etc. Best of all, you only get the daily emails for 100 days. From the beginning of October to New Years. That's when I do most of my crafting and entertaining anyway so I'm so happy to get new ideas. Especially easy, chic ones like this.

This weekend I'm getting together with some old friends to scrapbook. This is the first time I'm going to a crop in over a year! Can't wait to get some pages done.
Happy Crafting!
Christy

Super Cute Craft

I thought I would try to make this cute, easy craft for the 4th of July. (Click here). If I don't have time, I thought I'd at least share it with the world. ;) So fun!

Have a safe and happy 4th of July!
Cheers,
Christy

More Christmas Crafting...

I stole some time to make these beauties and now I don't have any time to write about them. ;) They are lovely and so easy to make. I do love glitter and tinsel! Thanks for checking in!
Cheers,
Christy

First Christmas Craft

Have you ever gotten a gift that is so beautifully wrapped that the thing it came in is almost as good as the gift itself? I have and it's like 2 gifts in one. I love it!

I bought these plain wine tubes on after-Christmas clearance a few years ago. I thought I might paint them or decoupage them but I liked the faux leather outside so much that they just sat in my closet until the right inspiration came. And.... ta-da! Here is the result:I made 3 of these in 10 minutes. No kidding! (You know me... if it can't get done quickly these days, it'll have to wait.) I'll tell you how. What you need is 1 wine tube, 1 small ready-made wreath (I think mine is meant to be around a candle) 1 flat ornament or embellishment (I found my birds in the $1 bin at Michael's -just like this), and Gorilla glue. I can't sing enough praises about Gorilla Glue. Your hot glue gun will not be able to do this job. Bend the wreath so it contours better around the wine tube. Find the contact points between the wreath and the tube and put the Gorilla Glue on. Remember that Gorilla Glue expands so don't use too much. Glue the bird or your ornament of choice on top of the wreath and let it dry for a couple house. That's it!

Don't forget to put the wine in. This would also make a great container for a big stack of cookies. You better get crafting--only 49 days left until Christmas! Can you believe it?!?!? Cheers!

Back to School Crafts

So, I know we've been back in school for a month but it took me that long to make and now post, some new crafts. Actually, these items came out of necessity. Madeleine needed a sturdy snack bag for 1st grade. Something separate than her lunch box. If you know me, you know how I LOVE to re-purpose stuff. (And I just couldn't go buy a snack bag... boring!)

She had these adorable embroidered jeans in Kindergarten and I just couldn't part with them.
But I could cut them up! Yeah, I know that doesn't make much sense until.... you see what they became.
Ta-dah! The stitching and buttons were already on the jeans. All I did was cut them off at the knee and then stitch them closed at the bottom. I added some ribbon on the bottom with Fabri-tac too. Then I added a ribbon handle, a seam at the top, and a Velcro closure. I actually made 2 bags. The other one holds basic supplies she needs to do her homework and sets at her homework station (the fancy name for the kitchen table). :)

The other re-purposing craft was these hair clips. Fancy flower hair clips are a little spendy. Since I have already splurged on more scrapbook supplies than I could ever use in my life, I repurposed some to make these clips for her. It seems like a lot but trust me, they will all be lost by the end of the school year. The only trick is finding the right adhesive; Gorilla Glue works best. My favorites:Madeleine's favorite:Thanks for checking in on us!
Have a great day!
Christy

A little crafting

So, as much as I would love to be scrapbooking, crafting has been too tempting this summer. So much to do, so very little time! (But just one more week til school starts--yipee!) I have SOOOO many pictures I want to scrapbook too! When my mother-in-law asked me what I'd like for my birthday, I asked for time. Time to scrap, craft, and feed my creative soul. And I got it! (THANKS!)

With my birthday money, I took a class at Papertales (my all time favorite scrapbook store!) and took a technique class (see below) taught by a very talented lady named Jill.I love how it matches perfectly to my walls in my scraproom. So many details and dimension! The piece is white washed over a paper mosaic on wood, stamped, painted, doodled, glittered, and the dimensional flowers I learned to build were perfect for this piece. While I was at Papertales, of course I shopped. I saw these lovely flowers by Prima and now, they are my favorite bracelet. (My lovely model's wrist, Madeleine, is a little small but this fits me perfectly)
Here is how I made it. So easy--I hope you make one too!
You need:

• About 10" crocheted lace trim,
• About 10" narrow elastic,
• the flower,
• a scissors,
• and a sewing machine.

First, sew the elastic onto the middle of the trim. Stretching the elastic as you are sewing it will make it gather and stay on your wrist.Next, determine the length you need to fit around your wrist. (The 10" you started with should offer plenty, even for big-wristed people.) Pin it and sew the 2 ends together. Trim the excess.Next sew the flower on. If your flower is to decorative in the center to stitch it, Fabri-Tac works well too. All done! Seriously, it is that simple! Go make one!

It's an inexpensive, lovely gift for a girlfriend. The best part is that the package comes with 2 flowers so I made one for myself too!

Thanks for checking in!

New Inspiration

If you have a single, creative bone in your body, you will LOVE this website I found called "Make It and Love It." (click on it) I feel like I just hit the jackpot of inspiration! It is run by a couple of busy, incredibly talented, Moms who are so generous to share their gift.

You absolutely must check out their Tutorials section. They give great detailed instructions on how to make everything from a sippy-cup leash to glass etchings to all sorts of home decor and sewing projects. Now, you'll know where I'll be in my spare time. ;)

Cheers,
Christy

Tooth Fairy Pillow

I have all these new, fabulous pictures that I am dying to scrapbook. I've actually had a little free time too. But I've lost my focus on scrapping and have been crafting lately. Madeleine lost her first tooth a couple weeks ago so...Who could resist making this?She's a Ballerina Tooth Fairy--so cute! The mouth is actually a pocket where you put the tooth so it doesn't get lost. She also has a ribbon so she can hang from the bedpost--genius, eh?

I'll confess--not my original idea. :) Great, detailed instructions were on MMMCrafts' blog. Pretty easy and so worth the effort. Maybe it'll become a keepsake from her childhood? Wishful thinking, anyhow. Now I'm working on a Pirate tooth pillow for Sam since he has a couple wiggly teeth too. It'll be a while before he looses any teeth but its easier to make a second one while the supplies are out.

Thanks for checking in. Have a great weekend!
Christy