wordless wednesday: love is in the air.

i'm a maxxinista.

with a little help from heather bailey, i turned my $7 tj maxx find, into something worthy of hanging on my wall. i love a good refashion that's both quick & easy. what have you re-purposed lately?

plastic spoon reindeer

who knew plastic spoons could provide soooo much entertainment value?
check out the easy-breezy tutorial HERE.

plastic spoon turkeys

just in time for turkey day... a super easy craft for you & the kiddos.
& you won't even have to rush out to the craft store. more than
likely, you have all the supplies on hand. & if you don't, just improvise.
ready to make your own plastic spoon turkeys? just click the whrrl
story below. soon you'll have turkeys gobble gobbling all over the place.

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it's beginning to look like halloween.

finished. yep! costumes are finished (at least the kids' are. costumes for me & the mr. are still in the works.) however, the house is still covered in a mess of glitter & tulle. any guesses on what we are going to be for halloween?

stick a fork in it.

lately, crafting has had to take a back seat to life. i have to admit that i have yet to break out the sewing machine since charlie's been born... there's just too much effort involved. so, when i can come up with a project that is quick & easy, i get a little giddy & go just a tad bit overboard.

recently, i was on the hunt for some vintage (otherwise known as someone else's unwanted junk) spoons, for another project i had in mind. i ended up purchasing a whole bag of vintage forks as well, figuring i'd come up with something to do with them. although i still haven't gotten around to the spoon project, i did manage to make a thing or two, with a couple of the forks... i'm loving my new repurposed (or is it cooler if i call it recycled? or is up-cycled?) fork photo holder & fork easel. the photo holder is perfect for holding little snapshots (or possibly a to-do list) on the fridge, while the easel is now proudly displaying some of my favorite recipes. stick a fork in it... i'm done.

happy fourth of july.

here's hoping your holiday is filled with sunshine, family, lots of good food & a few fireworks. no plans are "set" yet, but i'm sure we will end up having a bbq which means loads of mom's patio beans, rene's artichoke dip, and something yummy for dessert, maybe a big 'ole slice of lemonade cake with lots & lots of frosting. if we have a little free time, THIS project will be perfect... both quick & easy. have a great holiday weekend! & don't forget, today's the last day to sign up for the swap!

image via ser.en.dipi.ty

D.I.Y. boutique wipes case tutorial

lately, my crafting time is either very limited or totally non-existant... which makes sewing anything completely out of the question. but giving up crafting cold turkey is definitely not an option. so, i've had to to devise some crafts that i can do standing up, holding a baby, in a very short time period. luckily, you can never have too many fancy-nancy boutique style wipes case - especially if you don't have to pay the fancy-nancy boutique style prices...

D.I.Y. boutique wipes case tutorial
supplies needed: one travel wipes case, some batting, a fabric scrap, mod podge & sponge brush, trim and hot glue.
time needed: 1/2 hour
crafting expertise: beginner... if you can wield a glue gun, you're good to go.

click on pictures to enlarge

playing dress up.

okay, okay... i've got something to admit. i'm kinda getting used to the whole "girly" thing, & a little bit of pink, doesn't exactly mean the end of the world. i'm slowly adjusting to this new life, with this new little girl. & it's definitely true what they say... dressing the little princess for the day is way more fun than the boys ever were. there's just something magical about ruffles & lace. 

decisions, decisions.

way, way back, what seems like a zillion years ago, i thought i had things figured out. of course that particular quilt was more purple-y & girly in the traditional kind of way. but i pretty much assumed it had been hung on the wall to stay. but now that this quilt has arrived home & is currently testing out the spot on the wall, i'm having a hard time making a decision. it really isn't that big of a deal, or at least that's what the hubby is continually telling me. but, right now it is a big deal, at least to my sanity. this simple decision will have a huge, no astronomical impact on the entire room. whichever quilt is chosen will ultimately play a big part in the decision regarding what color to paint the powder blue dresser (perhaps a bright tangerine for a little pop! or maybe we don't paint it at all?). it will also effect (or is it affect?) the wall hangings, light fixtures & all the other little odds & ends that will play apart of making this room "hers"... in the end, this simple quilt decision could totally & completely shape this little lady's personality & life-to-be. okay, so maybe i am being just a bit over dramatic, it's just the hormones talking. but seriously, this is a big decision, & i hate making decisions.

something old, something new...

vintage bed sheets, some new onesies, &  just a wee, little bit of trim, & this little girl of mine has some new dresses to lounge around in. thank you carrie for the inspiration & chelsey for the instruction. another "to do" has now been crossed off the list.

today's project.

after all the chores are done, i'll be pretending i know how to crochet. hopefully, tonight i'll be able to cross another thing off the "list".

something pink-ish is hanging in the closet.

three weeks to go. wow! as i re-read that sentence i get chills up & down my spine. but it's really happening. & after much assurance from my doctor that she really is a girl, i've finally started to give in, just a bit, to the power of pink.

here's my first attempt at crafting a little ensemble for her to wear. (click on picture to enlarge). but i couldn't make only a dress, every little girl needs some matching accessories. so, i whipped up a blanket to match. i'm sure once she sees it, she'll be drooling to wear it.

this is what happens when i go the bathroom...

no, no - this isn't the result of an edward scissorhands inspiration that came to me suddenly while sitting on the pot. instead, this is the work of my own personal edward scissorhands - my 2 year old. apparently he didn't think that my carrie-inspired re-usable shopping bag had enough flair to it. so, he found some scissors (& i'm using the term "found" very loosely here. what i really mean to say is he went to my locked sewing cupboard, i guess the "child locks" no longer are a match for him, & purposely got out a pair of scissors) & started snipping away. who knows? he may have had a real vision here, unfortunately for him, i caught him in the middle of the act & prevented him completing his "masterpiece". now, my over-the-shoulder bag is more of a clutch, but it's okay, it's still cute. hopefully, this will be owen's "scissor story". it seems every child has one, & this is way better than the story of gavin giving himself a haircut.

progress.

her walls are still (& probably will remain) a boring shade of beige. the recently purchased dresser is still powder blue & there isn't a whole lot hanging in her closet. but yesterday, i did manage to hang a quilt on the wall, silently proclaiming the room "hers". granted, i'm not promising that this particular quilt will stay on the wall, i am retaining the right to possibly make a change, depending on how this quilt turns out. but for now, it'll due. so, just in case you were starting to worry that she was going to make her grand entrance into this world, & i wasn't going to be prepared (because let's face it, you might not be worried about that, but i certainly am)... i am still taking those "baby steps", slowly, ever so slowly i'm making progress.

just in case you doubted me...

just in case you thought there was a slight possibility that i was exaggerating just a touch regrading my current mental state - here's some proof. randomly & totally out of the blue, this week i decided i needed to sew a quilt for the baby. mind you, i've already sewn one quilt & several blankets. what i really should be working on is stocking her boudoir with clothes, that she might actually wear. but no, the bee in my bonnet insisted i sew another quilt... i was a little worried that my the other quilt i had made was a bit too girly - because it had purple & pink in it, gasp! so, i thought i needed another, more subtle-ly pink quilt. anyway, long story short - i sewed the quilt. but, when all was said & done, there were two patchwork squares driving me crazy. one square had two pieces of the exact same fabric touching at the corners (yes! just the corners were touching). the other square had two pieces of the exact same fabric separated by only one small square. when i actually thought about it, i knew i was being crazy. hello?! the ENTIRE quilt is patchwork. lots of different fabrics going on there. no one would ever notice, except for me. & yet, all day long, i kept looking at that quilt, letting those two little squares eat me up inside. until finally, i picked up my trusty seam reaper, un-picked my way to those devilish little squares & fixed the problem. when i was done, i really & truly felt like i could breathe again.

believe me now? i'm definitely on the fast-track to the funny farm. hopefully this baby arrives before i make it the entire way.

home-made bling.

under chelsey's most excellent & very patient tutelage i've been trying my hand at a new craft. it's very fun & very addicting... just try not to drop the hot iron on your foot! now that i've got a slew of these done maybe i can get around to making something for the pampered princess - i'm not procrastinating or anything.

making big things small.

just by looking, you'd never guess that the original size of these t-shirts were MEN'S XL. a few snips of my scissors here & there, & the sewing of a straight seam or two, & ta da! new t-shirts my little munchkins can be proud of! for a little more instruction & how-to, go HERE.

a play on words.

what do you get when you combine a t-shirt, a little dye, some home-made stencils & a spritz of household cleaner? the perfect birthday present for a gal who likes to "make stuff".

making soap

because you asked, here it is, a simple tutorial on making soap. & trust me, it really is simple! the first step is to gather your supplies (you should be able to pick them all up at your local craft store): a white or clear glycerin soap brick (of course, how many soaps you make depends on how large your cookie cutters are, etc. but i found one brick makes quite a few little soapies), soap dye or food coloring, soap fragrance (optional, but it's a nice touch), soap glitter (optional, it just gives that extra little bling! bling!), cookie cutters (i used lots of different sized heart shapes), a spray bottle filled with rubbing alcohol, & a non-stick pan (any size works, it just depends on how much you want to make of a particular color. i used both a 9x9" and 9x13"). now we're ready...


1. cut the glycerin bar into smaller pieces & then, using a double-boiler, or a make-shift double-boiler like i do, heat until melted. meanwhile, you'll want to determine how much glycerin you are going to need. the best way to do this is to fill your nonstick pan with water, so that it hits just below the height of your cookie cutter. you can then either measure that amount of water using a measuring cup & use the same amount of melted glycerin, or mark the height of the water on the pan (personally, i think this is the easiest). does that make sense? you just don't want your finished, hardened soap to be taller than the cookie cutters, it'll make cutting out your soaps a bit harder.


2. with the glycerin completely melted, it's time to add the soap dye, fragrance & glitter. follow the instructions on each of the packages, & go slowly... adding just a little bit at a time. trust me, a little can go a long way.


3. when you're pleased with the color & smell (that sounds funny) pour the liquid into your chosen pan (& remember, don't go above your "indicator"). although if you are going the measuring cup route, you'll want to determine how much you need with the measuring cup, & then pour it into the pan, blah blah blah. at this point you have two choices... you can either let your soap harden on your counter (& i have no idea how long that would take), or, if you are as impatient as i am, you'll put it in the freezer for about 10 minutes. whatever you decide, you'll want to spray the top with the rubbling alcohol to eliminate any bubbles that have formed. & don't worry, if you have extra glycerin left over, just use it in the next batch...


4. once your soap has hardened, turn it out, upside down on a cutting board or wax paper (you might want to use a butter knife to loosen it around the edges). & then, go crazy with your chosen cookie cutters. & when you are done, you too will be able to "spread the love... one hand wash at a time".