Mule 'n Nag Crafts

My Pantry Makeover

2012-01-26T14:39:00.000-08:00

It's time for me to show you one of the deep dark secrets of my house: the pantry.

I know, not very shocking to most, but to me it was. Once upon almost three years ago, Mr. Nag and I were looking to buy our first house. We wanted a house to knew we'd be in for 7+ years, a house to grow into. One thing on my must list was a nice-sized pantry, if we were a growing family I needed a pantry to be ready for when we're 'grown'--- a must for the Mister was a 'build-your-own' home. This was hard to do in the area we wanted to stay in. So, since marriage is about compromise, I sacrificed pantry square-footage, to build the house we wanted. I did so knowing that we would do something about it later.

Later has come, my friends.

I wasn't able to add a magic-extending spell, I wish (like Hermione's bag-- Harry Potter 7). However, I was able to do the next best thing which was ORGANIZE. I know that's a dirty word to some people, but it's seriously easy and addicting once you start. Let's go outside in.

OUTSIDE

First off, your eyes don't deceive you, it is a Magnetic Door. In order to make this you need: metal (from the roofing section-- it comes in rolls), cabinet trim (you can even have them cut it there, if you don't own a saw-- we do, so I had to let Mr. Nag use his tool), and calk for windows and mirrors (in the calking section). You also need a little patience to let everything dry (overnight-ish, each time). Basically, cut & mount the metal, let dry. Then, repeat with trim. Put a lot of weight on the metal, so it doesn't dry wavy.

Days until countdown: I saw this idea floating around the web & pinterest, on a board painted with Chalkboard paint, so I thought it would be great to put it on the door. Yes, Mr. Nag has a BIG birthday coming up. :)
Remember: This is our little reminder section. Reminder for anything... including being awesome. ;)
What's Cooking: This is how I meal plan. I like to look more than just a week ahead, so I printed off a 2012 calendar half-sheet size & plan as much as the upcoming month as I can. Days get switched here and there, but overall, it works well & cuts down over-shopping at the grocery store.
Our Week: The most recent week in our lives. This is where all appointments, meetings, parties, nightly dinners will go. It's dry-erase vinyl. Yes, I know Wednesday is missing. This was the first time Silhouette ever played with DEV, they didn't get along, until I sweet-talked (i.e. fixed the settings on the machine). Unfortunately, I only had a couple of sheets, so I ran out before I could finish Wednesday. This will soon be remedied, as I bought a roll of DEV at Hobby Lobby today. :)
Love Notes: Another idea I saw around, I think the original was at {Kiki Creates}. Basically, it says, I love..... because.... The idea is to think of random reasons for loving family members. The one in the picture says I love the hubs because he made breakfast and lunch; he also made dinner later that night. My guy is amazing!
Mail Organization: I was sick, sick, sick of seeing mail and other random papers sitting around on our counter. One trip to Target later, I came home with the mesh magnetic basket, the mail sorter, and chalk marker holder. Sweet! Not sweet, Mr. Nag is still getting used to this and that little Netflix envelope sat there for THREE days--- it's okay though, he does other good things (like make the aforementioned meals).

INSIDE

Over the Door Organizer: If you're pantry is smaller than you want it to be, the first thing you need to do is buy one of these. It instantly adds so much space. We bought this one on {Amazon}. This is where we put boxed goods & other random things.
Dollar Finds: I found these mini-baskets in the Dollar Section at Target. Perfect for storing plastic cutlery (and chalk markers on the door).
Backsplash & Cereal Organization: The backsplash is actually painted fiberboard. Every shelf has one, the top shelf's is wider. I'm not going to lie: it. took. forever. BUT, it was worth it. I cut out a stencil from my Silhouette, stenciled it on, then painted every little section. Each time I finished a section was a victory. Add, it's easy to change. Not like that's going to happen anytime soon, though. We got the cereal containers at Target; easy to figure out which cereal is which. FYI: Chalk Markers are GREAT for labeling. I can use them on chalkboard (vinyl), plastics or metal. So, I wrote the kind of cereals & snacks for the snack shelf. Fantastic!
The Basics Shelf: I <3 IKEA. It's not a small heart, either, it's rather large. Every room in our house has a little bit of IKEA in it; it's like our extra family member. This pantry reorganization would have crumbled to the ground without IKEA. All of the silver-lid & blue-lid containers came from IKEA.

Snacks & Baking: When we get home from the grocery store, we immediately get rid of anything self-packaged within a box. This saves a ton of space. This is especially true for the snack shelf. Bigger snacks have their own blue-lid container, while small snacks are group together in a Target-It-so skinny tray. Then, I have a green tray with all our Drink Mixes in it. The shelf under snacks has two baskets, one for extra (or random) condiments and the other for Baking Goods. If all of my similar items are together, then I don't have to hunt for them when in 'kitchen' mode.
Cans & Floor Level: Target rescued me on this shelf. Three-tiered organizer so I can easily see everything. The floor level has a closet container from IKEA; it contains my foil, wraps, paper products, and extra snacks. Anything on these two shelves is shatter-proof, since little hands can touch.

It's amusing to me how much this has made a difference. If Mr. Nag has to make dinner (which has been a lot lately, sorry, babe!), then he knows exactly where to look. He's still getting used to having a place for the mail, but he's allowed a little bit of a learning curve... only a little. I'm excited for when the kids get older and we'll be able to have the weed laid out for us, or have a random love note from one of them. This was definitely a for a future project... I just hope that future includes Wednesday. :)

I link up {HERE}.

The Greatest Thing: Free Printable

2012-01-23T12:32:00.000-08:00

One of my all time favorite chick-flicks is {Moulin Rouge}. I love everything about it: the music, the theatricality, the romance, Ewan McGregor's singing, the ~~immorality~~... okay... maybe not everything...

I absolute LOVE the line: "the greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love & be loved in return." I love it so much, Mr. Nag & I hung it up in our bedroom. Seriously, what a way to sum up how we should live!

Since it's the time to share LOVE, I wanted to show my love for our readers & create a printable with this fantastic saying! Bonus: I made multiple versions (they are 8x10). If you don't have a place to put it, this would be a great wedding gift (that's what I did for the last wedding we went to).

cream

blue

grey

pink

purple

red

Enjoy! Share the love & don't forget to follow us!

I link up {HERE}.

Attaining Your Goals: FREEBIE

2012-01-19T13:28:00.000-08:00

At church, I have the responsiblity to help plan & execute meetings to help the women in our congreation. I have a few creations from the recent future that I want to share with you. It's up to us what we want to talk about & this month we decided to focus on GOALS. It always seems to be the topic of choice for this time of year.

I researched & researched because I really didn't feel like blowing it in front of a group of women whom I respect & revere. So, I found LOTS & LOTS of information & attempted to gather it into one coeasive book & a couple goal-making worksheets.

We wanted the women to realize making & keeping goals is really easy (okay... who's still reading?) as long as you keep them SMART. Resource {HERE}. So, I made a booklet gathering all of the sticking points of the SMART system & combined it with quotes I found from some of our Church Leaders, & highlights I kept on seeing when researching. I also used AMAZING printables I pinned on my {quotes pinterest board} for extra words of motivation.

Click {HERE} to download the book. Remember to print it like a book. (not speaking from experience at all... when the book appeared upside-down on one side... yikes).

After you know WHAT kind of goals to make... then you make them! Write them down using these FREE to download creations--- all I ask is to follow Mule 'n Nag, get us known, please!

Yearly Goals: break down goals into these four catagories and put this somewhere you will see it ALL THE TIME. FYI: it's meant to be a 5x7 (or 4x6--- can't remember) size, so remember than when printing out. ;)

Monthly Goals: THEN break down the yearly goals into easy to reach monthly goals (you don't have to work on all four yearly goals every month--- that's why you have all of the months in front of you--- to plan it).

Goals Breakdown: I got this design/concept/idea from {Buttoned Up}. I absolutely LOVED how it was laid out, however, I wanted something with a little personal flair & less words on the top. Break your monthy goals into weekly tasks--- so you can check them off even more.

Even if you don't reach your goals--- you tried--- the journey is worth taking! Tara over at Tales of a Trophy Wife is spending this whole year doing a {40 by 40} list, she's inspired me so much that I am going to write (and post-- and update) a 30 by 30 list. I may not get all of it done, but I'm so excited for the challenge!

I link up {HERE}.

FREEBIE: Forever Family Printable

2011-12-19T11:38:00.000-08:00

FYI: There are a couple typos in the advent calendar--- it's hard to find ALL of the footnotes at midnight! I got them & re-uploaded (if that's even a word) them. Sorry!

Need a last minute Christmas gift?

It's so hard to believe how FAST December has gone by, my in-laws are coming in town in two days, so I've been working my tail off to get prepared. (It's also the first time anyone is coming to visit OUR house for Christmas, so I'm trying to not freak out too much).

Anyway, I, like a lot of you, have been doing a bunch of gift-making. One of the gifts was inspired by something I found on {pinterest}-- serious addicted to that site-- sheesh!

I loved this & knew I could recreate it with my computer skills for simple Christmas gift.

It's sized for 8x10. Print it out anyway you want & grab a frame to go with it. And you're done!

Merry week-of Christmas! Enjoy it all!

Guest over at Tales of a Trophy Wife

2011-12-05T07:26:00.000-08:00

I'm posting over at {Tales of a Trophy Wife} today as part of her {The Best Thing I Ever Blogged} series. You can even see a couple things I haven't blogged about yet!

Trophy Wife is incredible & I'm stoked she wanted me to participate on her blog! Thanks, Tara!

Stories of Jesus: Advent Calendar (Freebie)

2011-12-01T12:49:00.000-08:00

I'm a stickler for advent calendars. I made {two} a couple years ago. I love watching my kids get so excited to pull another activity down or move Joseph & Mary closer to Bethlehem.

Updating the title on the second one was the first thing I did with my Silhouette last Christmas.
Last year, a woman from church shared with us the advent her family likes to use, click {HERE}. It basically gives a scripture story from the life of {Jesus Christ} tells you to find the corresponding pictures with the story.

I REALLY liked the idea of having a scripture advent, so I printed off the provided diagram. Upon printing, I discover two things: 1. I couldn't read the print out, 2. Since the publication of this calendar, the numbers for the pictures have changed, so I couldn't find the pictures. Then & there I vowed to make the advent into a book before the following Christmas. A book that would contain the scriptures & pictures for each day all in one place.

It is now the following December, and I made my deadline. Barely. :)

The picture on the cover is called, Gentle Christ by {Del Parson}. LOVE it.

I absolutely LOVE it. For the month of December, this will be our family scripture study. Now, since it's Christmas & I'm so excited about making this, I'm sharing it with y'all. Consider it an early Christmas gift. Just, do us a favor, and follow us. ;)

Since I can't redistribute the pictures, I just included the background of those pages. I used {THIS} page & {THIS} to find most of my pictures. The only story that I couldn't find a picture for was the Three Wise Men page, so I googled it & found one I liked.

Gather It:

Created documents (click on each number)-- 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Scissors
Laminator (or your nearest copy center)

Create It:

Print. Don't forget to find the pictures!
Cut off the white trim---optional
Laminate. Use your own or go to your nearest copy center (FedExKinkos, Office Max, Office Depot, etc.) & have them do it. IMPORTANT: When you put the pages together, make sure the scripture & picture are on the same page. Then you can read it like a tradition book or fold it over so the whole family can see the picture while the reader reads the story.
Bind it. While you're at the copy center, get it bound together, so your family can use for years to come. Be sure to get a spiral.

This is my favorite page:Oone of my favorite scriptures about Christ with my favorite picture of Christ; it's called Christ's Love, also by Del Parson. I love the happiness in His eye's and the gentleness of His smile. I hope He gives me this look one day.

Enjoy.

FREEBIE: Thanksgiving Subway Art

2011-11-01T16:34:00.000-07:00

Happy first of November! I hope everyone had an enjoyable Halloween. We went all out this year and hopefully I can get some pictures up later in the week. I'm in the midst of planning my daugther's Minnie Mouse party for next weekend, so that's why I say 'hopefully.'

My son kept asking me if we can have Halloween again.. yeah, buddy, in 364 days :)

In honor of the grateful season, I come to you with another FREE subway art printable! This time it's Thanksgiving!
It was made to be 8x10 or 5x7. Click on the picture, until you get the largest size, then save it. Print it through your favorite store--- personally, I go with Costco.

If you use it, please let me know. Send people back here, help us get more followers!

Happy Thanksgiving season, everyone!

In case you missed: {Halloween}{Easter}

Linking {HERE}

Welcome, Foolish Mortals!

2011-10-26T11:33:00.000-07:00

Before this year, our outdoor Halloween decorations consisted of four skulls to hang in the tree, three blacklights, one Styrofoam tombstone & an 'autopsy room' sign. We revamped the autopsy sign and turned it into {THIS}.

We put up the tombstone, but it kept blowing away. I was so sick of placing and replacing the stinking foam that I wanted to make our own set of stones that simply would not move in the wind. We had a couple scrap pieces of 2x8 and 2x12, so we decided to make our own out of wood.

Since we are BIG fans of all things DISNEY, we modeled ours after {The Haunted Mansion}.

Gather It:

any size scrap wood you want (we used 3 ft-ish of 2x8 & 2x12 scraps)
saw
wooden stakes
screws & drill
vinyl & cutter or cardstock to make stencils
ebony color wood stain & brush
Grey spray paint (I used Krylon double coat) 2 cans, just to be safe

Create It:

Find your Wood: We live in a fairly new neighborhood, so there's always some kind of construction going on. If you're lucky, you can find fairly decent pieces of wood for free in their scraps pile; all you have to do is ask.
Cut the Wood: We had three original pieces of wood; I drew the top curve of the stones then the hubs cut them out with his hand saw (the guy could really use a miter saw--- Christmas, maybe?)
Stakes & Screws: Using two screws per stake, attach two wooden stakes to the back of each tombstone.
Stain: Liberally apply the dark stain to the stones. Follow the directions on the can & get every showing piece of wood.
Create Stencil: While you're waiting for the stones to dry, it's time to create the stencils. Since I wanted to do stones authentic to the Haunted Mansion, I googled for a list of actual tombstones at the Haunted Mansion {HERE}. FYI--- UR Gone is in the mausoleum.. so it is authentic. Then I created the stencils in Silhouette Studio & cut them out. The HM font is called "haunted mickey." As always, if you have a Silhouette & want to make theses, I will email you the document. Weed & apply the vinyl like you would any other vinyl project. If you don't have a cutter, create your stencil by printing your design on cardstock, then cutting out what was painted then use it the way you'd normally use a stencil.
Spray Paint & Wait: Lay your stones out on some tarps in a well-ventilated area & then spray them like there's no tomorrow. Cover every little itch, wait for front to dry (according the can) and flip over and paint the back. I used all of one can & barely had to open the second. After the paint is dry, use tweezers or a small hook to gently peel off the vinyl. Under the vinyl stayed the color of the stain creating an engraved wore look. If you got the right kind of spray paint & stain, you don't need to seal it, but if you're paranoid go ahead.

Your homemade homage to the home of 999 haunts is now ready to display. They'll be dying to see what you did. :)

Stay tuned for one more homage to a different Halloween classic. :)

I'm linking {HERE}

Skeleton Greeter

2011-10-17T12:12:00.000-07:00

Two weeks to Halloween!

I have a confession: I love {Pinterest}. I spend entirely too much time on it, but I end up finding crazy awesome ideas. I saw {THIS} idea about a month ago and knew we must make our own.

It's a Skeleton Wreath made by Meg at {Mega-Crafty} & {Mega-Spooky}.

Here's my version:
My Little Notes:

You really can buy the bones anywhere. We found our at Target. It was $20 for the bones, and I'm sure we could have found them cheaper somewhere else, but I was way too excited to start this project (and so was my hubby) so we caved and got the bones.
If you follow any of my advice: Don't buy the styrofoam glue (especially if you're impatient like me). In my experience it did not stick at all, I even waited the time it said to, tried to move it and... you can imagine the rest. My husband, the trusty engineer, said he thinks the glue is just repackaged white glue. It sure acted like it... PLUS it's not water-proof; so, if you plan on making it an outdoor wreath, definitely get the corresponding glue. Before I changed my glue, I kept having visions of my Skeleton creation falling apart in the next rain. Even though I don't usually have to worry about THAT in Texas, it DID rain the week after we made this.
Now I bet you're asking, well how do I stick it together now, Amber? Well, I'll tell you: Gorilla Glue (or as our 2-yr-old says Monkey glue--- she has a thing for monkeys and don't ask me how) and some well placed alummium wire to make the joints even more secure. Think about it, Skeleton man doesn't have any cartlidge to help him stay together... that's what the GG does, adds cartlidge.
Play around with the bone arrangment. Mine started out as a wreath and I quickly realized that wasn't going to be very effective. So we messed around until the bones were perfect. Then we added a spooky sign for an even creepier touch (the sign was actually one of our first Halloween decorations we bought).
Work in sections at a time, to give the GG a little more time to dry.
He's hung up with picture hangers and some string behind his head. The positioning of the string makes it so that he protudes out a little... in the face of anyone who comes to the door.

I'm excited to see the expressions of the Trick-or-Treaters... if we get any ;)

I link {HERE}.

2x4 Harry Potter Books

2011-09-28T12:45:00.000-07:00

We come from a family BIG on Halloween. I love getting the whole house decked out in a tastefully spooky nature. Each year, we add to our decorations (something I picked up growing up). One of the things we added this year was my "ode to Harry Potter." I'm a rather big Harry Potter fan (still jealous that Meg a.k.a. Mule went to the World in Florida). So, I was bummed our Halloween decorations had no Harry Potter in them anywhere. Que this idea. I loved them so much, I shared the idea with the planning committee for our church craft day and everyone wanted to do them.

2x4 Harry Potter Books

Not attending our Super Saturday and want to make some too?

Gather It:

2 ft of 2x4 wood
2x2x2 wood cube
dark stain (optional)
orange, black, green, purple, cream & gray paint
vinyl or contact paper
2 black pipe cleaners
acrylic sealer
glue gun or gorilla glue

Create It:

Cut your wood. You need two 4 1/2 inches long and two 6 inches long.
Stain it using the directions on the stain can. This is an optional step. I wanted my book to look worn & used, so I added an extra layer of color to make the books look really distressed (it's showing through on the Quidditch book).
Paint. First, paint the pages. Using the cream paint, paint three sides to make each block look like a book. After that is done paint each book a different Halloween color. I double-coated everything. Don't forget to paint the spider.
While you wait for the paint to dry, hop onto the computer and create the book covers, spines & spider face. I used my Silhouette to cut it out of vinyl (or you can use contact paper---thickness 1, speed 2) and use the negative as a stencil. OR-- if you don't have a cutter--- an exacto knife is your friend (I did it A LOT before I got my machine). Trace it onto the contact paper and cut it out with an exacto knife. If you want the Silhouette document, email me.
Put the stencils on your books & paint. The bottom books just have spine stencils; the top two have small pictures too. After everything is dry, use a little bit of gray paint to make the books look even more used and distressed--- then seal it so they don't get scratched-- unless you want them to look even MORE distressed.
Cut the pipe cleaners into fourths (half--- then half again). Using your glue of choice, glue just enough of the tip of the pipe cleaner to the bottom of the spider... since it's a spider... glue four legs on each side.
Assemble the books from bottom to top with a layer of glue in between each, all the way up to the spider. Remember to put the glue on the small book FIRST when you transition in sizes.
To glue on the side book, put a strip of glue along the edges of the stacked books, then gentle push the side book on the glue. After that dry, flip the whole thing upside down, and add a little more glue to the bottom of the side book/stacked seams (for added strength).
Let dry and enjoy your new Harry Potter addition to your Halloween decor.

If you're not a Harry Potter fan, I also have just Halloween stencil too. The book titles are: Haunting Haunts, Perfectly Potent Potions, Spooky Stories & Tales, and Spells & Charms.

Enjoy!

I link {HERE}.

FREEBIE: Halloween Subway Art

2011-09-13T11:44:00.001-07:00

So-- I've been spending most of my time prepping for my church's annual crafting Saturday. We are doing a 'year-round holiday' theme. Every craft has to do with a holiday.

For our super-easy craft, I made (and found some favorites--{Eighteen25} is a GREAT source) Subway Art. The women can either paint a frame or use their own. Like I said, super simple.

One that I designed was the Halloween one. I LOVE how it turned out. Since I loved it so much, I thought I'd share it with y'all.

It was made to be 8x10 or 5x7. Click on the picture, until you get the largest size, then save it. Print it through your favorite store--- personally, I go with Costco.

Happy Haunting!

Click on the link, if you missed the {Easter} one. We included that as one of the Subway options too.

Linking up {HERE}

Millennium Falcon Shirt

2011-09-01T12:08:00.000-07:00

As I've said before, my boy is a rather big Star Wars fan. One day, we went clothes shopping and out-of-the-blue, he asks me for a Star Wars shirt. This is how the conversation went:

Knight (what I always call him on this blog): Mama, can I get a Star Wars shirt?
Me (not panicked yet, because that seems do-able): We can look (because we were going to a consignment shop). But, don't you have one? (A Clone Wars one I got at a consignment sale).
Knight: Yeah, but I LOVE the Millennium Falcon. I want one with the Millennium Falcon.

First, I thought it was ADORABLE he was that specific, and then I started to panic. How in the WORLD was I going to find a specific type of Star Wars shirt that was probably sold THIRTY years ago. I know retro shirts are popular, but specifically one with the Millennium Falcon? I knew the odds were against me.

Until, I remembered I was crafty. So, we bought a plain shirt (for $2) and in a couple of days, he had this to wear:

A Custom-made Millennium Falcon Shirt.
Want to make one for your Star Wars fan?

Gather It:

Plain T-Shirt
Printable Fabric ( I got mine at Joann's a LONG time ago. It was $20-30 for a roll and I've used it for NUMEROUS projects and STILL have LOTS left. GREAT investment).
Wonderunder (if desired)
thread or sewing machine
freezer paper
Silhouette or exacto knife
acrylic paint

Create It:

Find a picture of the Falcon using googleimage search. Make sure the pixels are big enough so the picture doesn't look grainy.
Follow the directions on your printable fabric to print the Falcon print onto it. (duh). Mine needed to be cut to the right size to fit in my printer. Print and wait for the ink to dry. Follow the rest of the directions to prepare the picture for sewing.
Fuse Falcon to shirt with Wonderunder. OR just sew it on with a straight stitch. I did both.
Use Silhouette (or word editing software) to create the saying.
If using Silhouette, just type and cut with Freezer paper (I use the vellum settings when I cut freezer paper). Be sure to measure the size of the shirt, so the words aren't too big. If using word software, print and trace onto freezer paper. Then, cut out with exacto knife. I did this method before I had my Sil (what I call her), and it worked great too.
Paint with acrylic or fabric paint. Wait to dry between coats. Do 2-3 coats.
Iron an uncut piece of freezer paper to top of shirt to heat seal the paint.
Pull off and let your Star Wars fan enjoy the fastest ship in the galaxy!

I think he liked it.Seriously, he does. He wears it almost immediately after it is washed (nope, the picture doesn't fade in the wash). Just remember to follow the fabrics' instructions on how to launder.

I hope you enjoyed my trip to the galaxy far, far away. The force is telling me, I'll probably blog about it again (especially since my knight--- maybe Jedi Knight is more appropriate now---wants to have a Star Wars Birthday party for his next birthday).

Linking {HERE}

Yoda Onesie & Rattle

2011-08-28T11:41:00.000-07:00

I know my last post was about Star Wars, I just can't resist. Actually it took my best friend to have a little boy to get me to do more shirts. And what did I make him?

A Yoda Onesie & Matching Rattle

I found the idea {HERE}. She makes incredible Star Wars shirts; Leia, Chewy, Boba, etc. and they're super cute. The problem for me was the price, when I knew I could make it too. So I bought felt, wonder under, and created my own pattern.

After I made the front, I added something to make it different. The other famous quote from the green jedi master.
Courtesy of a little bit of Freezer-Paper magic.

I'd share it, but I don't want to seem like I'm taking away business. Instead, I'll give some tips.

Use things around your house to match the shapes for yoda. I used a bowl, bobbins, spools.
Make a pattern out of paper FIRST before you trace or cut your felt.
Remember to do the face details BEFORE fusing it to the shirt (or sewing the rattle).
Wonderunder is your friend. My iron plays nice with WU when I set in on the cotton blends setting. First step (fusing WU to the piece) says 3-5 seconds--- count on 5. Wait until it cools down to pull it off. If when you start to pull, set it back under the iron. With the second step (WU to fabric) have the damp cloth (I use old kitchen towels) and I iron it in 10 second intervals; I check every 10 seconds to see if it's fused. Iron until completely fused.
Work from the bottom up. Here's the order: dark brown middle piece, ears, robe (sand-colored) pieces, head, cane, hands.
You can sew in on with a machine, but I don't recommend it. I like the detailed look of the blanket stitch.

One more Star Wars themed post, something for the budding space pilot.

Linking {HERE}

I'm also attempting to enter this:

maybe it'll give me more 'posting' motivation...

Motivational Yoda Plaque

2011-08-10T13:23:00.000-07:00

The Hubs and I are rather big Star Wars fans (my inner-nerd loves to come out occasionally).

So big, in fact, we dressed up as the whole Skywalker clan for Halloween last year. Hubs was Anakin (pre-Darth Vader), I was Amidala (Clone Wars pre-carefully placed rips), and the kids were Luke and Leia.
Yes, we're training our kids to enjoy the certain galaxy far far away. They may or may not be able to hum the theme. They can.

A couple days before Father's Day (I know, a little late on the posting about it, Amber!), I had a BRILLIANT (easy and inexpensive) idea for a gift.

This has got to be one of Yoda's most famous lines. We quote it all the time to each other when we say 'I'll try.'

Gather It:

6x12 wooden plaque (I got mine at Michaels)
Grey Acrylic paint
Key Lime & Black Vinyl (or similar colors in paint--- got my vinyl at Expressions Vinyl)
Silhouette, Cricut or Exacto Knife
Small L brackets
Glue or 3M stickers

Create It:

Paint the plaque. I did a couple coats and I left a little wood showing because I wanted it to look a little rundown, like Yoda.
Cut the vinyl. I used my Silhouette and the font SF Distant Galaxy. For the Yoda image, I found a pumpkin stencil, imported it into my software and traced it to get our favorite green Jedi Master. I'll email you the doc, if you have a Silhouette and want to make your own.
If you don't have a Silhouette, I email you the stencil to cut out with your exacto knife... win win. Print the stencil and then trace it onto your vinyl and carefully cut the pieces out.
Take all of the negative vinyl out and use some transfer paper (glorified masking tape--- you didn't hear that from me) to 'transfer' the vinyl to the board. I applied Yoda first and then the words on top of him.
In order to get it to stand, secure the L-Brackets on the back bottom corners with 3M tape or glue.

Voila! Your local Star Wars fan will now of daily force inspiration. Hubs took his to work and it's displayed where everyone can see it when they walk in. (Personal victory because He LIKED it!)

Linking up {HERE}

Take the Money & Run

2011-08-02T09:11:00.000-07:00

A new reality game show premieres tonight on ABC at 9/8c. The premise is pretty cool. The contestants have an hour to hide $100,000. After the hour is up, they get arrested and it's up to another team, made up of law enforcements officers, to find it in the following 48 hours. If the law finds it, they keep it; if not, the hiders get the cash.

Working with the law team are two professional interrogators, the only series regulars, and one of them is my Father-in-law. Here's a clip of him at work:

It's really surreal for us, especially my husband. Imagine seeing your step-dad (or Dad or Grandpa) on a reality show and then you might understand how he feels. We've never had a chance to see him in Detective mode. The kids even get excited when they see Grandpa on a commercial. It'll be fun too see him in action.

So, if you need a show on tonight while you work on your latest craft, watch Take the Money and Run.

And ask yourself the question, where would you hide the cash?

Star & Stripes Necklace

2011-07-09T13:00:00.000-07:00

Diamond Glaze and I have a love/hate relationship. I LOVE what it creates, yet hate how it doesn't work for me. Every time I'd try to make a cute necklace pendant, the glaze would bubble and... grr... we just don't get along.

I'm slightly determined, so I bought circle pendants on sale a while ago, telling myself I'd try the necklace again. The problem was I could never really pump myself up to trying it again, mostly because I couldn't come up with a cute idea that I absolutely HAD to try.

Until the Fourth of July and it's patriotic beauty came around. I grabbed my pack of pendants and tried again.

This time, it worked.

Stars & Stripes Necklace

Gather It:

blank necklace pendant
scrapbook paper
scissors
diamond glaze
needle

Create it:

Basically, trace the correctly-sized pendant circle onto the scrapbook paper and cut it out. I thought it would be great to have one Star and one Stripes pendant---hence the name of the necklace. I know, rocket science.
Trim until it fits in the pendant and place it in flat in the pendant. Make sure there is no space between the back of the paper and front of the pendant.
VERY VERY slowly drip the glaze into the pendant, until the pendant is full. Make sure not to get any bubbles because they will dry as bubbles (ask me how I know).
Wait overnight to dry, then string onto chain, ribbon, whatever you want to put around your neck. Enjoy!

Patriotic Decor

2011-07-05T12:47:00.000-07:00

Happy FIFTH of July! We had a fun neighborhood get together at our house yesterday (and my in-laws came in town for the holiday), so naturally I had to add a little bit more to my Patriotic decor. Here's what I got:

Stars and Stripes Banner

I completely spaced on creating a tutorial for this... if there's enough interest. It's a lot like the {USA Hang}.

Table Runner
Last year, I participated in a {U-Create Create with Me challenge} to make {quilted table runners}. I loved the idea so much that I've made one for almost every holiday. I just need to make St. Pat's next year and my day-to-day one and I'll have a complete set.

Subway art and Dresser Cover

Found the Subway art {HERE}, got the America at Hobby Lobby on sale, and used my extra fabric from the Table runner to make a quick cover. I love the extra color it brings in.

Cutie Tutu

I know she isn't a decoration, but I couldn't resist making her a Patriotic Tutu (since I had tulle leftover from the banner and door hang). Tutus are super simple; elastic sewn just smaller than your subject's waist and lots of loop knots to create the full skirt. I used the tutorial {HERE}. The only thing I did differently was cut the width of the strips in half, so they were 3 inches wide, instead of 6 inches. She LOVES it.

I also made the matching bow with three leftover strips, a little bit of wire, ribbon, alligator clip, and glue gun.

Did I mention I LOVE the Fourth of July? ;)

Fireworks!

2011-07-02T12:53:00.000-07:00

I found {THIS} idea and decided it needed to be tweaked to fit me and added to our growing Patriotic Decor. Our TV shelves just looked entirely non-festive.

Wooden Fireworks!

Gather It:

Wood--- mine is 7, 10, and 13 inches tall (2x2 wide)
Red, White, Blue Paint
vinyl/stencils for stars, stripes, and words
Drill & bits
wire (cut into 9 3-ft pieces)
needle-nose pliers
pencil or marker

Create It:

All three fireworks need a base coat of white. I used glossy wood stain, but it would be just as easy (probably easier) to use craft (acrylic) paint.
After they dry, choose which one you want to be stars, stripes, and words. For the Stars/Stripes, place the vinyl over it and then paint over any white area you see.
For the white firework, use the negative vinyl as a stencil and paint the words on.
(I used the Jane Austen font). As always, I'll email you the doc, if you have a silhouette. Yes, I used the church news to protect my table--- hopefully that's not too bad. ;)
Add a few coats and wait to dry.
After dry, drill a whole in the center top for the wire 'whicks,' I used the tiniest bit available.
Holding the firework in one hand and wire in the other, start to fish the wire in the hole. When it gets difficult, use the needle-nose pliers, instead of your fingers. Repeat three times for each firework.
To get the whick curly, wrap the wire (starting from the top) around a pencil or marker (I used a fat dry-erase one). Continue until you get to where the wire and wood meet, then gently pull the marker out. Repeat for the rest of the whisks!
Enjoy your new fireworks! Sure to bring that extra BANG to your celebrations!

Simple USA Wall Hang

2011-06-30T13:31:00.000-07:00

Before this year, I had minimal Fourth of July decorations; this is a minor tragedy because the Fourth is my FAVORITE holiday. I LOVE everything about it; patriotism, the colors, BBQ, swimming, parades, fairs, fireworks (professional and not-so-professional). This is actually the holiday when my husband met my parents for the first time (and asked my Dad for my hand), I think you get the point that I love the holiday.

Not decorating for it felt like a crime, so I dusted off my thinking cap and came up with a fun, easy and inexpensive door hang for our laundry room door (it must be passed by anyone entering/leaving our house---high traffic area).
Disclaimer: Excuse the pictures of the random steps in the process. I'm still getting a hang of the whole document-while-crafting thing. :)

Gather It:

3 wood stars
Acrylic Paint
1 11x17 foam sheet (they're 1.99 at any craft store)
3 in wide ribbon, 29 inches long
1/2 wide ribbon, 3-5 inches long
patriotic scrapbook paper and solid cardstock
Red, White, and Blue Tulle (I got the 6 in' wide rolls at Hobby Lobby) you need 3 24 in strips
Glue Gun, Mod Podge, and a couple felt scraps

Create It:

Before I start any explanations, one of the reasons I LOVED this idea (besides the fact that I came up with it) is that it is very versatile. Depending on your decor (and budget), you can do do one color of paint, tulle and scrapbook paper or you can do what I did and alternate it. It would be cheap to do the first option--- but the choice is yours!
Paint your stars. I know it sounds like a cheesy song title, but do it anyway.
While the stars are drying, trace and cut out circles in the paper and foam craft sheet. You'll need three paper circles and six foam circles. I used a kitchen bowl to find the circle size I wanted; it was 5 inches wide. Cut out the USA letters by either tracing them onto the cardstock or use your craft cutter (I used my Silhouette and used the "Lumos" font).
Attach the paper circles to the foam circles using Mod Podge; wait 10 minutes to dry. Apply Mod Podge to the back of a letter and put one on each circle, then seal the whole thing with a top coat of Mod Podge.
Now's the time to break out the glue gun. After the stars and circles are dry, apply glue liberally to the back of the foam circle and attach to the center of the star.
(Reminder: I had a method to my color combinations. I had Red, White, and Blue in each star section. For example, the top star was Red with blue scrapbook paper and white lettering and tulle. Then White Star-Red paper-Blue lettering/tulle and Blue Star-'White' paper-Red lettering/tulle. You could just do all the stars one color, paper another and lettering/tulle the last, but I really liked the affect mine created).
Next, glue the stars to the 29 in long ribbon. I started by taking a scrap piece of regular ribbon and scrap felt to create the loop to hang the creation. Then, about half way down the star, I applied hot glue TO THE STAR and attached the beginning of the ribbon. My stars were 4 inches apart from bottom corner to top point. In order to put the glue in the right place, I traced the ribbon down the middle back of the star and applied hot glue in that section. Repeat the same process with the third star.
If you want, you can stop here. Hot glue the other foam circles to the back of each star to secure the ribbon and your done. I thought it needed something extra, enter the tulle. If you want to add the tulle, don't glue the back foam circles just yet.
Take your 24 inch strips and cut them into 4 sections... that's 6 inches each. So you should have 4 6x6 squares of tulle for each star. At this time, cut a few more scraps of felt too. You need the felt to secure the tulle. See, I told you random picture of felt...
Take one square and fold it accordion-style all the way across. Then, fold the square in half. Place your tulle in one of the four corners of the star and apply hot glue to the bottom of the tulle. Then, CAREFULLY apply the felt piece to secure the glue and tulle. Seriously, I had a few HOT moments because I decided to leave my finger on the felt a little too long. Repeat until each corner has a piece of tulle. Add the back circles and admire the extra Patriotic flare you gave your special high traffic door!

Signed Book Giveaway

2011-06-27T11:45:00.000-07:00

Our Aunt is celebrating her {blogoversary} by giving away a SIGNED copy of {Uncommon Criminals} by {Ally Carter}. It's the second book in Carter's {Heist Society} series. In the time that I don't craft, I read (who really wants to clean their house anyway?) and Heist Society is a fun, fast read. I highly recommend it.

If you want to enter the giveaway, go {HERE}.

Also, stay tuned here because I've got a WHOLE bunch of crafts from the past few months to show y'all!

We LOVE Frames

2011-06-18T11:32:00.000-07:00

Looking for a fast Father's Day gift? Or just a unique way to tell Grandma or Grandpa that the kiddos are thinking about them? Check out these:

The We LOVE frames. We (I say we because my kiddos did the painting behind the cardstock) made one for Daddy and the two grandpas for tomorrow, however the possibilities are ENDLESS. I can't remember if I've seen this around or not, but I LOVE the possibilities (I think I already said that...)

Gather It:

Regular weight paper
Paint
Frame
Cardstock
Exacto Knife, Cricut or Silhouette

Create It:

Let the artists have some "paint time." Personally, I just let the kiddos paint whatever they want.
While the masterpieces dry, create the cardstock mat. I used my Silhouette to type and cut out the right size. However, if you don't have a cutter, type it up in Word (or a similar program), print out on the cardstock, and cut out what you printed with the Exacto knife.
Once the kiddo art is dry, cut it out to fit the frame. Since I have two kids, we bought double-frames: one frame is art from Knight and the other from Princess. :)
Now, here comes the hardest step, put the cardstock and art in the frame and enjoy everyone's 'hard' work. ;)

Mother's Day? = Everyday and a FREEBIE

2011-06-17T08:03:00.000-07:00

Getting back into the blogging habit may take some time, but I'll figure it out. I'll just blame the whole directing a HUGE production thing for getting me out of the habit. Luckily, I started creating things again and, with luck, I'll be able to show y'all what I've been up to.

Onto to Mother's Day... I know it's a month late and Father's Day is a couple days away, however, I may argue (being a Mom myself) that you don't need a holiday to give Mom's a gift. Here's a list of what I made for Mother's Day:

Let's start off with a FREEBIE I made, I found this poem somewhere on the blogosphere. Since it was anonymous, I copied it to use as a Mom's gift for friends. If you ever have a friend who has a bad day, this would be perfect to share.
We made Handprint Flower Magnets for all the grandmothers (greats included). Found it {HERE}. Really simple all you need is: fingerpaint, laminating materials, E6000, glue gun, clothespins and the tongue depressor/popsicle stick. Make the prints, let them dry, laminate, glue stem and flower together. Then, glue in this order: stick, clothespin, magnet. IMPORTANT: let the glue dry between each step. I loved these so much, we made a set for me for Mother's Day! ;)

My MIL is really into gardening so we made her {THESE} plant markers.

(The picture is from the website I completely forgot to take a picture of the ones I made). Really simple, we even made her a strawberry marker since she LOVES to grow strawberries (she is Californian after all).

My other MIL (yes, I have TWO) enjoys her coffee so she got three new {coffee cozies}.
Really simple and really personal. Just click on the link to get a picture (because I forgot... again).

We went to Disneyworld with my parents shortly after Mother's Day(it.was.awesome.), so I made my Mom a tote to take with her. I basically cut out fabric Mickey ears, sewed them on and the {freezer papered} the writing onto the bag.
A few of them got this tile...
Oh boy, do I love my {silhouette}. It's just a 5x5 tile with vinyl adhered to the front. If you have a silhouette, I'd be more than happy to email you the document.

And I may have gone a little crazy making a bunch of {these} bracelets.

Some for me, my daughter, friends, and my mom; because everyone deserves new bracelets now and then. {HERE} is a video tutorial for you visual learners. ;)

Now, I know Mother's Day just passed, but I think any of these presents will excite 365 days of the year.

Poison... Poison Ivy

2011-04-15T08:37:00.001-07:00

This is a gift I made for my cousin. She's totally into Batman, especially the girls. Her favorite is Poison Ivy. I'm pretty happy with how she turned out. This was my first venture is yarn hair for amigurumi. Now I know how much time and yarn it takes to do. I realize it's pretty thick but I figure Poison Ivy likes lush plants so why can't her hair be? I may use this body patter to do other people in the future, definitely girls with long hair. You can't really tell but there's 30+ leaves individually sewn onto her. That's how I did the bodice.

And on a side note, this is the 50th amigurumi I've put on dA! Who knew?

(LOL! Emotes transfer over from deviantART!)

Crocheted Bags

2011-04-14T09:26:00.000-07:00

I actually finished this bag before I finished the Mickey Mouse Amigurumi. I had originally planned to type out the pattern but I don't think that's going to happen now. There's lots to do at the end of the semester including packing, studying, and taking the finals. Anyway, this bag is mostly made out of puff stitches and single crochet stitches. When I finished the crocheting part 3 days after starting (I got really fast suddenly. O.o), I knew that it would need a lining. It was made to keep things in the bag and to prevent it from stretching too much. I found a purple fabric for the out lining and used the left over black and white that I used in a kanzashi and dress. I really like how it turned out.

I finished this one this past Monday. I signed up for the Ward Talent Show to display some art and wanted to show this with all of that. Originally, I had planned on adding Mickey's face to the bag but I decided that it was more iconic this way. I also did braided yarn for the strap so it wouldn't stretch too much. The bag closes like the bag above but with two smaller buttons. I like how it turned out and I know it'll be fun to wear around Disney World this summer. =D

Mickey Mouse Amigurumi

2011-04-07T11:27:00.000-07:00

In honor of going to Disney World this summer for an internship, I made Mickey Mouse! I love this amigurumi. You want to know my favorite part of him? The gloves. I finally figured a way to make hands that were convincing that I could crochet and no stitching together. There are some felt details on the bottom of the feet to represent soles for the shoes, but you can't see them very well in this shot. I like him a lot. He may become my little pal when I'm out at Disney World. He'll probably show up in some pictures that I take there. I haven't quite decided. ;)

FREEBIE: Easter Subway Art

2011-04-01T12:22:00.000-07:00

With Easter coming up, I've been thinking a lot about {Jesus Christ} and His Resurrection. I also happen to be directing a play with the same subject matter (2 weeks to go)--- that might be the bigger reason why I'm constantly thinking about Him.

In our house, we have very few Easter decorations because we don't want to put more emphasis on candy, eggs and baskets, then on the Savior of the World. Don't get me wrong, we still celebrate Easter, but the biggest thing we celebrate is that Jesus Christ LIVES!

So--- this morning, I dove into a popular decor medium right now, Subway Art, and created subway art to focus on the Savior.*Made to fit 5x7 and 8x10* I printed mine off at Costco and it looks great!

I just might print off wallet-sizes as a gift for my cast and crew. For all their hard work.

The scripture in yellow is {John 20: 29}

And--- because I wanted to continue to share--- I share with you, our small reading base, in hopes that we all remember who made Easter truly great! ;)

Birthday Amigurumi

2011-03-17T09:27:00.000-07:00

Happy St.Patrick's Day! Sorry that I haven't updated these sooner. A lot has been going on lately and I finally have the time to write about it. I've actually made a couple of things lately that were presents for some people that I knew. It's time to write about them!

This is a bear that I made for a friend in the ward named Keziah. (She'll be a roommate next year!) She invited me to her birthday party on Feb. 25th but I unfortunately had to use that time to prepare for Crop Because You Care the next day. I decided to make her this as to apologize in a way. I also wrote a hand note. Thankfully I was able to give both of them to her in person. She really seemed to enjoy the gift.

This amigurumi xenomorph was for Danny. His birthday was on the 1st and last year I guessed on what he liked by making him an amigurumi Cthulu. I was trying to discuss what could be more epic than that but he wasn't sure. Luckily, I knew that he's a HUGE Alien fan. I decided to work on a xenomorph. He's always said that he's wanted a pet one; well, now he can... sort of. He seemed to really enjoy it. He did tell me that it blew the cthulu out of the water. Mission accomplished! =D

Disney Vacation Countdown

2011-03-16T12:23:00.000-07:00

Production Update: It's going well--- we have 30 Days until the performance date and I'm really excited! In the meantime...

My family just recently booked our first big family vacation to Walt Disneyworld! We're really excited and to help the days pass, I decided to make a countdown. I found a couple really cute ones in the blogging world, but none really fit want I wanted to do. Mostly, I wanted to make it generic (used for Disneyworld, land, and maybe Cruise..one day) and I wanted it to be reusable.

Enter my Silhouette.

How did I make this?

Supplies:

cutting machine or scissors
black, red, and yellow cardstock
permanent marker
yarn
tape
adhesive
spare container-- I used a Crystal Light container (love those things)

The Process:

I googled Mouse Ears, used the Trace feature and began cutting ears out... a lot of ears... 70 to be exact. If you don't have a cutting machine, you can always use a Mickey Mouse cookie-cutter or print them on cardstock, etc.
NOTE: My last 10 ears, and the multiples of 10 (20, 30, etc.) are bigger than the rest of the numbers. I had 16 big ears and 54 little ears; that's if your countdown starts at 70 because your family is just as impatient as mine.
For the title, I used my Walt Disney font and set the word 'countdown' along the bottom edge of a circle. Then I cut it out. And glued it to a couple other sheets of cardstock. Remember to watch for the little pieces.
To assemble. I taped 10 ears each on a strings of yarn. Then I tape those strings underneath the sign. (Don't forget to write the numbers on the ears before taping them to the string). Eventually, I'll laminate them all, but I'm kind of in the middle of direction a rather large production... I had to be efficient... next vacation.
Each day, my son and I cut off a Mickey Ears for the day. If the Mickey Ears for the day happen to be BIG ears, then he also gets to pick an activity out of the Mickey Jar. (to assemble that I used an old Crystal Light container and extra ears from my cutting madness).
I printed activities out on red and yellow cardstocks. Here's what we'll do by the end of the countdown: Disney-Themed Dinner, Create our "Must-Do" List, Postcard People List (who we'll buy and send postcards to), Mickey Ear Day (wear Mickey Ears all day), Disney Movie Night, Disney Music Marathon, Wear Disney Jammies, Have Mickey Pancakes, Make Family Shirts, Make Number Tattoos for kiddos (temp tatts to put on their arms in case they get lost), Color Disney Pictures, Bounce Around like Tigger, Disney Crafts (great ideas HERE), Get/make an autograph book, Read Disney Stories, Hide the Mickey game (kind of like hot 'n cold), Pack Bags and Carry-ons!

We're really excited to go on our vacation and this countdown makes it just a little bit more Magical!

Last Minute Valentine Decor

2011-02-11T13:50:00.001-08:00

So much for my 'I'll blog more crafts this year' resolution, I know. However, I have a decent excuse. At the beginning of the year, I was asked to be the director of a musical drama put on by my {church} called {Savior of the World}. That's pretty much been taking all of my extra time and will be until April. Which is great/challenging/daunting all at the same time because it's a play about our Savior, Jesus Christ. Wish me luck!

Since I have a pretty big addiction to crafting, I couldn't help myself for Valentine's Day. I wanted to have something up---so I needed it to be easy, fast, and cute. Last year a wreath tutorial from {The Idea Room} was huge around the blogging world. So huge I couldn't find a heart-shaped wreath until April. I bought one and it sat in my office until a few days ago when I have it some HEART!

I took the tutorial from TIR and {Little Birdie Secrets} and made them into something different and more my style.

My Notes:

I used 1/2 yard duck cloth, 3/4 yard of v-day fabric, and 2 fat quarters of a coordinating fabric. I cut them into 3 by 3 inch squares.
I used the straight pin-technique from TIR because the glue just wasn't working for me.
It took one evening to do, the next morning I used a scrap felt piece, some ribbon, and my glue gun to give it a place to hang.

I also made a table runner, inspired by the other ones I made from {THIS} tutorial. I think I'm going to go through all the holidays and make one for each--- including my normal decor. Notice my SOTW stuff spread all over the table... like I said... my life until April. :)

Happy V-Day everyone!

Random Nag Facts

2010-12-30T11:41:00.000-08:00

So, since I'm getting back into the blogging swing of things, I thought it would be a good idea to join Amy at {The Idea Room} and her {Getting to Know You Party}. So, here's a few tidbits about me.

**I'm the oldest of four kids all born within five years. Shocker, right? It's not like you knew about Megan? :) We grew up all over the place because of the military, our Dad going to school and job transfers. The six of us (including our parents) are pretty close because we always lived so far away from extended family. We have a great time together and I know I'm insanely lucky to be a big sister to three awesome, intelligent and down-to-earth people. I'm proud to be their sister.

**The blog name comes from nicknames Meg and I gave each other growing up. Meg is as stubborn as they come and I have a tendency to push things over and over again. With these personality traits, we then saw {A League of Their Own} with Geena Davis and Tom Hanks. The sisters in the movie call each other 'Mule' and 'nag' and when we saw that we started to laugh because that's totally us--- except for the whole professional baseball, WWII thing.

**I am a serious sports fanatic. I've played basketball since third grade and I will never get tired of the swish noise from a made shot. After all the moving around, we ended up in St. Louis during my high school years and, as a result, I LOVE the St. Louis Cardinals. To the point that when my husband and I were dating I had to take him to a game in order to see if he'd at least tolerate it... just my luck it ended up being a pitcher's duel.**Also in high school, I caught the theatre bug. My best friend convinced me to try out for a couple of plays and I loved it. As a result, in college I minored in Theatre Studies with an emphasis in Theatre Education. I still get goosebumps when I go to the theatre. This picture is Ash & I as {The Call sisters} in our last play Senior year. It wasn't too hard for us to do. :)
**I majored in Elementary Education. I was able to teach pre-kindergarten for a year before I had my son---also known as my little knight.

**Speaking of the previously-mentioned best friend, she is one of the few people in the world that knows the whole me and still loves me anyway. It's nice to have a relationship like that, outside of your family. Even though she's really family--but that's the next fact. We went to school together, got married a year apart, and even had our first kiddos 3 months apart. She read a lot and you can check her out at: {Ashwey Reads A Lot}. (see, I wasn't kidding).

**I also love to read, but I don't read nearly as much as Ash. I don't think anyone can. My favorites include: Harry Potter, Mortal Instruments series, Hunger Games trilogy, Artemis Fowl and Twilight.

**While at Brigham Young University (where we went to school), Ash introduced me to this crazy guy that I can never stop thinking about, luckily, he's my husband. The two of them are actually second cousins once-removed and didn't meet until a few months before she introduced the two of us. We've been together for almost SEVEN years (what the what!) and he's seriously fantastic. I got lucky enough to find a guy that never really got into sports, so I was able to teach him all I know. And, in return, he's able to show me how the world really functions (he's a mechanical engineer).

**I love chocolate and peanut butter. best. duo. ever.

**I'm a member of {The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints}. I have come to know that Jesus Christ is the Savior of all mankind. With His help, we can all live forever with Him, our Heavenly Parents, and our families. How sweet is that?

**My husband and I have two kiddos, a boy and girl, exactly 18 months apart. They are so intense right now, especially since our Princess is now a toddler. I love the new things Knight says to me each day and I'm so excited to see them grow.

**I'm a closet Titanic collector and enthusiast. It all started with a book report in the third grade (a lot happened then) and I get irked when people think it's because of the James Cameron movie.

**I love to create. But isn't that why my sister and I have this blog?

Recommitting because....

2010-12-29T14:38:00.000-08:00

Santa listened....
I got a Silhouette.

Thankfully, Megan's been more than willing to show off her amazing creations. I feel like such a slacker... but just because I haven't been blogging doesn't mean I haven't been crafting.

I even made myself a huge list of things to do before Christmas and... guess what... I completed the whole thing.

So--- in other words--- have a few things to post about. If there are still faithful readers out there... stay tuned...

Christmas Presents

2010-12-28T19:34:00.000-08:00

Now that Christmas has come and gone, I can now post pictures of the items I made as gifts. I'm pretty happy with how they turned out. I'm also glad that they liked them so much! It was also an interesting experience since I had to make two gifts of the gifts completely before leaving for break. The other one I had to have the body ready to finish when I got home. Boy, did my fingers hurt.

This gift was for my Mother. She mentioned something to me some day that she would like crocheted chilies. I guess she forgot because she was completely surprised. It now hangs on the shelves in the living room.

To be honest, I've always wanted to make something KC Chiefs related for my Dad. I was always worried though because they weren't doing so hot in the past. I figured he would say something like, 'Oh, this is cool. Too bad they suck.' I'm glad they're doing well. A part of me wishes that I had the time to do in single crochet stitches instead of double. Oh well. He still liked it.

My siblings and I would love to watch Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles together when we were younger. We even had one of them as a 'pseudo name' since there was four of us and them. My older brother was Raphael; and he has continued to be his favorite of the four since. I really like how he turned out. I may have to make the other three. ;)

Christmas Tree Star Topper Pattern

2010-12-13T15:27:00.000-08:00

Christmas Tree Star Topper Pattern

Size G Hook (4.25 mm)
1 skein Red Hart Super Saver or worsted weight yarn
Polyfil Stuffing
Pipe Cleaners (for the stand)

Abbreviations:
sc - single crochet
st - stitch
tog - together
dec - decrease

Main Part (make 2):
*MAR* (magic adjustable ring)
Rnd 1: 6 sc into ring (6)
Rnd 2: 2 sc into every st (12)
Rnd 3: *1 sc for 1 st, 2 sc into next stitch* (18)
Rnd 4: *1 sc for 2 sts, 2 sc into next stitch* (24)
Rnd 5: *1 sc for 3 sts, 2 sc into next stitch* (30)
Rnd 6: *1 sc for 4 sts, 2 sc into next stitch* (36)
Rnd 7: *1 sc for 5 sts, 2 sc into next stitch* (42)
Rnd 8: *1 sc for 6 sts, 2 sc into next stitch* (48)
Rnd 9: *1 sc for 7 sts, 2 sc into next stitch* (54)
Rnd 10: *1 sc for 2 sts, 2 sc into next stitch* (60)
**END (Cut the first one ONLY.)

Points of Star (5 total):
*Take both circles that you've made. Put the wrong sides together.
Rnd 1: 12 sc one one circle, 12 sc on the other circle (24)
Rnd 2 - 3: 1 sc around (24)
Rnd 4: *1 sc for 1 st, 2 st tog (dec)* (16)
Rnd 5 - 7: 1 sc around (16)
Rnd 8: 2 st tog around (8)
Rnd 9: 1 sc (8)
**END. Weave in end to point.

This should make a star that is approximately 5" tall. This hasn't been tested except for me making my own as I went along. If you have any questions leave a comment and I'll get back to you a.s.a.p. You can make this for personal use only. Thank you!

Umbrella Kanzashi

2010-12-01T20:33:00.001-08:00

Here's a new kanzashi. I recently made a shirt and a skirt for my sewing class. I finally got the shirt back and can wear the two together like they were made to be. =) I decided that I needed something for my hair to put it all together nicely. The skirt is made from the umbrella fabric and the shirt the tan fabric. Both pieces also have the same ribbon on it; while the shirt has the same buttons on it. Like the other headband creations I have made this to be able to go onto another ribbon or small headband. What do you think? Should I post the whole thing together when I wear it on Sunday? ;)

Craft Dump

2010-10-28T11:22:00.000-07:00

I've been so far behind on posting on the blog about my recent craftiness. This post will probably be HUGE. I'm sorry! D= (Anything seen here can be remade. All you had to do it request it on my Etsy. ;) )

This is Frank. I wanted to make a plushie completely out of felt that was Halloween themed, and since I love Frankenstein by Mary Shelley I thought I would make him. I know he's not true to the monster in the book but I guess I took some creative liberties by making him how I wanted him to look.

These next two were gifts for an aunt. Her costume is Steampunk but she doesn't have any accessories that she could wear with it. I decided to make the bracelet first. I wanted to use kanzashi to make something feminine with edgy side. I like the contrast between soft and hard in the materials to the shapes. The wire wrapping and chain making was interesting since I didn't have any pliers. Needless to say my fingers were raw after making it. >.< The ring came after the bracelet. While making the gears for the flowers I had an extra. (All made out of Cold Porcelain clay. Clay I made from scratch!) Then it was painted and had wire hot glued to the back for it to be adjustable.

I held a contest on my deviantART page. The winner had to get an image of my 7,000 page view (along with other information) and then note it to me. The winner actually didn't know what she wanted so I had to nudge her in a direction. At first I mentioned Halloween theme and then she said that was good or something like a panda. So, I made a panda using purple and white instead of the normal color combo. It's about 3.5" tall. It's on its way to Tunisia right now! I hope it makes it safely. *crosses fingers*

While I was making the panda, I made these pumpkin earrings. I thought they would be a nice touch to wear on Halloween and during the Fall season. I almost put Jack-O-Lattern faces on them but I wouldn't wear them any time but Halloween then. I'm actually wearing them right now and they're super light and easy to wear. =)

This was actually made a long time ago. It's a Rabbid from the Raving Rabbid series by Ubisoft. I love these guys. They make me laugh so much. xD I made him in mind of my other felt key chains so they could be put together.

And finally I made this yesterday. This is a Weighted Companion Cube from the game Portal. I love watching the boys play the game and wish I could do it myself. I've been scared to because I know it will be frustrating. Perhaps some day I will try. This also was made to match my other felt key chains so they could be put together on the same key ring.

Trick or Treat Bag

2010-10-01T12:03:00.000-07:00

I meant to create this bag for my son a year ago--- but with being 8 months pregnant and moving into our new house it took a back seat. This year is different! Here's a simple and fun way to make the kiddos in your life their own Trick or Treat bag!

Supplies:

1 yd of two coordinating Halloween fabrics (if you just want to make the bag get 1/2 yard)
1/4 yd heavy weight iron-on interfacing
Halloween-y thread
Sewing Notions

Instructions:

Cut out your pieces. You'll need 2 of everything in both fabrics. 12" x 7 1/2" (LARGE) rectangle, 12" by 3 1/2" (SMALL) rectangle, and 1 1/2 x 19 1/2 for the straps.
Pair opposite fabric straps to each other and sew along both 12" sides with 1/4" seam allowance. Turn inside out, press and sew finishing stitches along each 12" side again. Set aside.
With RIGHT sides together, pin one L rectangle to one S rectangle along a 12" side. Do with all four pairs. Sew together. You should now have four large squares.
Press out, then cut two pieces of interfacing to match size of your two outer squares. Press to bond interfacing. Then sew a finishing stitch just above second fabric (pictured in last photo).
With right sides together, sew the similar squares together. DO NOT sew around the top. Outside to outside and lining to lining. Leave a 3-4" gap at the bottom of the inside lining fabrics. (My hole was a bit to small).
OPTIONAL: If you want your bag to stand, match side and bottom seams to form a point. Sew a straight stitch 1" down from the point. Double stitch for added strength. Trim off the point and repeat for three other corners. (FYI: this is call Mitre corners).
Now it's time to put it all together. With the WRONG side OUT on the outer fabric, pin the straps 3" from the seam. I did matching fabrics facing each other, but you can do opposite. That's the beauty about this bag!
Turn inner lining RIGHT side OUT, tuck inside the outer fabric. The right sides should be together. Repin straps through the lining too and stitch along the top of the bag.
Pull bag right side out through the opening in the lining, arrange the bag, press and complete the bag with a finishing stitch!
Don't forget to hand stitch the opening in the lining. I did and remembered a few days later. I was just too excited to give the bag to my little boy!

You're done. Now all you have to do it convince your little trick-or-treater not to carry in around the whole month of October! Good Luck!

Do you recognize the fabric? I used the extra to make my pumpkins and will finish off the coordination with a table runner!

I'm using this tutorial as an entry for this... wish me luck! Hopefully, I'm chosen!

U-Create Create with Me: Fabric Pumpkins

2010-09-29T14:36:00.000-07:00

I took at crack at making some Halloween Fabric Pumpkins with Kari over at {U-Create}.

Super simple! Here's the {tutorial}. I added my own personal touch by using fun Halloween fabric and using fleece to make the face on the green one.

If you have minimal sewing skills and a machine--- this project is perfect for fall! You can even make gifts for neighbors and friends!

Family Night 1-2-3

2010-09-15T14:23:00.000-07:00

About a year ago, I read about this idea in the {Ensign}. I knew it would help us improve in having more habitual {Family Home Evening}.

FHE, 1-2-3!

The original idea called for glass jars... FHE Jars. I really want to have glass for something I knew my young kiddos would freqently touch (I kept imagining glass shards flying all across our tile), so I waited to make the craft until I came across the perfect plastic containers. Thank you, Crystal Light!

Supplies: 3 plastic containers (I reused our old Crystal Light containers), larger container to hold them in (I got mine at Hobby Lobby in the clearance section), large Popsicle sticks, 3 sheets of scrapbook paper, spray adhesive, sticky velcro circles, small wooden cutouts (one for each family member) and multiple permanent markers.

To make the containers

Cut out a large enough rectangle to wrap around each container (mine are 6 by 8 1/2 inches)
Next, lay out some cardboard/newspaper and spray a generous coat around one container. Wrap the rectangle around and repeat for the other two containers.
If you have a cutting machine, you can cut out the numbers 1,2,3 for each container. If not, do what I did and cut them out of paper and glue them on.

The activitiesThis is actually the most time-consuming part. Using your judgment (and the Popsicle sticks) write down individual choices for each component. What, I didn't tell you what each container actually contains? Well... let me explain...

The containers hold a different part of FHE. Every week (or the week before after the evening's activity) draw one stick from each container.

Here's how to divide the containers:
1- Songs: In ours, I wrote the song title and the number found in the Children's Songbook. You could also do songs from the hymnbook.
2- Spiritual Thought: Things like family stories or names of books/magazines to get lessons from (such as the Friend, Ensign, Nursery Manual or Preach My Gospel).
3- The Night's Activity: This is where you could have a Family council, testimony meeting or evening at the Pool.

Don't forget the Wild Card in each container. If you have older kids, you could even create the options for your next FHE! We've had a month with this new system and our two year old loves to pick the sticks--- he even tries to throughout the week!

Lastly, stick velcro pieces all around the outside of your large container and on the back of your wooden cut outs (I have stars for our family). This will help you keep track of who's in charge of the three different containers, prayers and treats!

I hope this helps to make your Family Nights run a little easier--- I know ours have!

Birthday Gifts & Another Giveaway

2010-09-01T11:50:00.000-07:00

My best friend's daughter turned two last week, so I made her a few presents:

A reusable Sticker book. I used{THIS} tutorial from {Samster Mommy}. It was really easy to make; in fact, I need to make my kiddos one too! The only thing I did different was the ribbon binding. Instead of using thin ribbon around each page I used my glue gun and a wide-ribbon (1 1/2 or wider) to fold it over to do two at once.

I also made her some felt bracelets:
I got the idea {HERE}, but didn't follow the tutorial at all. I wanted to make the bracelets more durable (they are for a toddler after all), so I doubled up the felt and used snaps instead. I also used a little bit of Heat 'n Bond to attach ribbon as well. I finished each off with a simple {blanket stitch}. When she grows out of them, she (or her mommy) can use them as bookmarks!

Finally, one of my FAVORITE craft blogs is giving away my soon-to-be FAVORITE tool--- the Silhouette, check out the giveaway {HERE} or just enjoy Somewhat Simple {HERE}.

Even More Silhouettes!

2010-08-26T13:10:00.001-07:00

I hope this time it actually works! Here's the links:

{Kara's Party Ideas}
{Grosgrain}
{The Shabby Nest}
{Under the Table & Dreaming}

BYU Cougar Amigurumi

2010-08-21T09:59:00.001-07:00

I had this idea to make a new amigurumi. I was testing out some shaping to amigurumi while making him. You can't really tell from these pictures but his arms and legs curve. I finally figured out how to make that work. ^^ I wanted to also add lots of details like the footpads and beads. I hope you can see them all. I would imagine taking him to football games. ;D I do wonder if he really looks like a cougar though. My dad kept making fun of him by saying he looked kind of like a deer. D= Oh well. I also made his sweater removable but I doubt he will have it off that often. ;)

Mule Designs on Etsy!

2010-08-17T15:41:00.001-07:00

I've finally done it! After lots of people giving me feedback and support I have finally opened an Etsy Shop. Say hello to Mule Designs! I'm so excited that I can't even tell you. It's been a long time coming and I have lots to sell. I have well over 20+ things already made for the shop. The only thing now is to put them all up for sale. Wish me luck everyone! <3

I also have a business card! Feel free to share it. ^^

Memories Quilt

2010-08-12T09:59:00.001-07:00

I finally got a chance to make myself another quilt. I have only made one big quilt and a smaller one in the past. Those quilts were probably easier than this one. The main reason is that they were both made with squares of the same size. This one is definitely not all the same size.

I call this my 'Memories Quilt' because it is made with t-shirts, denim, and fabrics that all have some memories attached to them. Lots of the t-shirts are from Youth Conference, Girl's Camp, and high school. There are some that were from trips we made as a family, but in reality they still happened when I was in high school.

It took me a total of 3 days to finish this quilt. I did most of the cutting on the first day; sewing and cutting the front on the second day; and then basting and putting the edging on the third day. This quilt is BIG, too. It's a little over 5' wide and 8' tall. It'll definitely be nice to take out at school since it will fit over my bed there nicely. And it will be good to have to lay out on the grass with or take to football games to stay warm. ;)

Want to know how I did it? You can see that a lot of the pieces are the same size. I made piles of shirts that I knew would fit in the same template size; each row was a pile. Since I was doing four across for the t-shirts I knew it would be good to use the scrap fabrics I had to make triangular pieces. (These pieces were already triangles because they were headbands in the past.) I was able to also get more fabrics on the quilt that way. When you enlarge the picture you'll see that some of the pieces had to be made to fit into their square shapes. I just used fabric from the same t-shirt to make it less apparent. Then I sewed the rows together and then the rows to each other. When you get that part done you need a bottom layer of fabric and batting. I trimmed those to the same size as the top and use a yarn darner to bast some yarn through all three layers. Then you pin and sew on the edging!

To be honest it really is an easy project. You just have to make sure that you have the time to actually do it. I like how mine turned out and now this way my t-shirts and fabrics will last a lot longer!

Fast 'n Easy Hooded Towels

2010-08-11T09:08:00.000-07:00

A couple nights ago---for thirty minutes TOTAL--- I made these for my kids:

Hooded Towels!

All you need is: one large towel, one hand towel, matching thread and sewing notions.

I mostly followed {THIS} tutorial from {Make 'n Takes}.

MY CHANGES:
I (my husband) ripped the seam out of the top of the hand towel and that's where I sewed for the top of the hood. Then I pulled opposite corners together and sewed across the top to create a flat top---instead of a pointed one.
I also sewed right sides together since I had a raw edge.
I used the leftover half to create the first letter of each of my kid's names.

The finished project is really large on a toddler/baby, but they'll grow into it. And, what a perfect baby shower gift for all of us who have expecting friends (and even the older siblings too)!

Really easy, really fast and now my kids have towels that aren't ones we've been using since our newlywed days.

New TLS Technique

2010-08-07T16:42:00.001-07:00

I found a new technique for TLS (for me that is) I thought it would be perfect to make some easy and cool looking polymer clay goodies. I first had to think of things that I would want to do with the technique; and then it hit me. This is what came out of my recent polymer clay madness.

Since I'm a fan of The Hunger Games Trilogy and with the upcoming release of Mockingjay, I thought it would be perfect to make some things for me and other fans to have for the celebrations. I started with easier thing first and then went on to the harder stuff. These are what I made for The Hunger Games. (The first two will show up in my upcoming Etsy shop.)

Book charms.

Mockingjay pendant.

Trilogy bracelet.

Book thong.

Katniss' mockingjay pin.

I also did some other charms using the same technique. These are things that will shop up in my upcoming Etsy shop. I also liked how these turned out.

Twilight Saga book charms.

Legend of Zelda pendants. Logo and heart container.

Fast 'n Easy Jewelry

2010-08-06T13:30:00.000-07:00

This week I added a few new items to my jewelry collection.

For the bracelet, I used a tutorial from Little Birdie Secrets {HERE}. The only difference for my bracelet is I tied knots in between my beads. I also made sure the beads wouldn't pop out by putting a dab of FabriTac on each of them.

I used {THIS} tutorial from Smashed Peas and Carrots for the rings. I loved how they turned out. I used mod podge for the cover coat and instead of getting a cover button kit, I got the snap together buttons in the same size.

I LOVE how these turned out and they were super inexpensive to make. Just another craft to be addicted to. :)

Amigurumi & Cosplay Status

2010-08-04T14:53:00.001-07:00

This is another amigurumi to be sold in my future Etsy shop. I like the contrast in yarns and thought it would be perfect for a cute little bear! The picture is horrendous so I'll make sure to have a better picture up for Etsy. I'll let you all know when that happens. I just want to make a few more things before setting it up. ;)

Some of you may know that I'm working on a new cosplay. This one will be Vincent Valentine from Final Fantasy VII. For him I had to make some faux metal. I used a tutorial posted here. I actually changed it up a a bit. I made the pieces the same way but then I only did a layer of Elmer's glue, no water. Then I have five layers of gold acrylic paint. Attaching the pieces to the boot covers and glove that I made turned out to be harder. I had to end up using super glue and it worked really well. I'm pretty happy with the results being my first time doing this method. What you do think?

More Silhouette Giveaways

2010-08-03T12:27:00.000-07:00

So---As I stated in {this post} I didn't get one of these amazing machines for my birthday--- the funds just weren't there. :(

BUT--- there are a few sites out in the blog-o-sphere ready and I'm crossing all fingers and toes... praying that I win ONE of these... check them out....

{V and Co}
{Sugardoodle} The one I was just featured on! :)
{Dollar Store Crafts}
{Tidy Mom}
{Infarrantly Creative}
{The Idea Room}
{A Soft Place}
{Mom Advice}

Check them out and enter yourself... or just think lucky thoughts for me. :)

Peachy Sweets Day Dream

2010-07-31T19:23:00.000-07:00

On deviantART there is a contest called "James and the Giant Peach Day Dream Contest." Now how does this qualify as a day dream? Here's the reasoning I put on deviantART:

For the last couple of weeks I haven't been able to eat foods high in sugar without my stomach turning sour. It's usually temporary and only lasts for a couple hours but it's still uncomfortable. I find myself wishing that I can have sweets again. I guess you can say I day dream being able to eat my fill of sugary delights. So this is my entry; me surrounded by peachy sweets. Maybe this will be me again someday.

You want to know the ironic thing? I'm not even sure if I like peaches. It's been forever since I've actually eaten one. However, I thought that the peach flavored delights would fit best seeming that it's for the James and the Giant Peach.

I also said this on deviantART:

This is about 2" tall and 3" wide. I'm not sure on the estimated time that it took to make this. I know that the girl figure took about 2 hrs. I guess you can estimate yourself using that. ^^; Made from different colors of sculpey and fimo clays, as well as TLS.

I failed to mention that I also used glass beads and sculpey gloss glaze. I hope I do well. Wish me luck!

Missionary Work Bookmark

2010-07-22T08:00:00.000-07:00

So, now that you have a reminder for yourself to {write a missionary} it's time to make something for the Elder!

I used President Thomas S. Monson's "The Five M's of Missionary Work" as the framework for this bookmark.
Print out, laminate, and send to a missionary! It's that easy!

Remember, if you use this or like this--- link back to me!

Write a Missionary Reminder

2010-07-17T13:49:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, our little brother reported to the {Missionary Training Center} to serve a two-year mission for our church, {The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints}. I know I can speak for Megan, when I say we're going to miss him, but super excited for him to serve the Lord and preach the gospel to the people of Ohio.

I made a couple of things I thought I'd share with y'all.

First, I wanted our family to have permanent reminders to frequently write him while he's on his mission. So, using {THIS} article as a guideline, I made this:

I laminated them and taped our on the fridge, some place I knew we'd see every day, so we have a daily reminder to write a missionary.

Feel free to take this and share with family and friends who also have missionaries, BUT please link back and DO NOT use it in any way, shape, or form to sell. Thanks!

Next--- something for the missionary...

Patriotic Ruffle Dress

2010-07-16T13:47:00.000-07:00

Before the Fourth of July (obviously), I made this dress for my 8 month old:

I used the tutorial from Sumo's Sweet Stuff {HERE}. As long as you have a basic knowledge of a sewing machine, this dress is really fun to make. I had never done ruffles or a gathering stitch before (I know, shocker) and now I wonder why I was so afraid to try. It took me a couple hours total.

My sister also taught me how to do a {Kanzashi flower} to match. I L-O-V-E how the whole thing turned out on her (she's with the one and only Mule of this blog).
But, I think anyone would with a model this cute.

A Doll & Amigurumi

2010-07-11T16:30:00.001-07:00

It's been way busy since I lasted posted. I have to write about two movies that I've seen as well as this one. There are a ton of people over and that just makes everything crazy. I probably should be drawing in my sketchbook instead of doing this but I've let it go far enough.

First, I finally finished making Coraline's doll. I started making this last Christmas vacation it wasn't until recently that I got the blue yarn to finish her. She's not entirely perfect but I'm okay with that. If I ever make any more in the future then I know what changes to make to the pattern I created.

Second, I started making some more amigurumi that I could possibly sell soon. (That is when the sketchbook is done. No more making things until then.) I decided to make some small animals wearing a hooded vest. I like how they turn out. I think more animals will have to be made in the future. ;)

Finally, I've wanted to make one for a while but I got around to him. This is Totoro from Hayao Miyazaki's My Neighbor Totoro. I think it's a really cute show. He's not he most perfect amigurumi ever. I like the base but the face needs some work. A little smaller will be better for possible future ones.

Make Your Own Bento Bag

2010-06-28T16:05:00.001-07:00

Recently I got myself a bento box. I love it. I've heard from a friend that they are easy to use out at school. I realized that when I got it I needed to make a bag to carry it in. I needed to make sure that the bento would stay together and would travel safely. If you wish to make your own then go to my DevantART account to *THIS*. It's a very easy and simple tutorial on how to make your own. Go a head and try. ;)

Lots of Crafts

2010-06-28T15:57:00.000-07:00

I need to post these before the masses start showing up at the house later today. I've done these quite recently, it's just that I haven't put them up on the blog yet. Either because I was being lazy or busy with sketchbook and being out of town. So here are the new things.

First off, I made some more kanzashi. One is for a cousin that was getting married last weekend. I decided to make her a kanzashi using her wedding colors: black, white, and hot pink. Then the other kanzashi is made from an old beret that I only wore occasionally because I hated the design. Now I wear it a lot more often. I like how this turned out as a first try of doing shidare (dangling parts) of kanzashi.

Then I made a charm as an art trade with a DeviantART friend, Demi-Plum. This is her avatar that she currently has on her profile. This charm actually has no paint on it at all. That's right. The eyes are all polymer clay.

The next charms were more things for my cousin getting married. They are also in her wedding colors. I decided to make a dragonfruit cane so that I could have uniform slices for the charms. I mostly like how these turned out. The cake park of the big cake is messy; not fond of that.

Then lastly is something for my Granni. She turned 75 yrs. old while I visiting for my cousin's wedding. She loves things that are red, white, and blue. I thought she would enjoy this. She seemed to at least. ;)

Silhouette Giveaways

2010-06-21T13:50:00.000-07:00

So--- last Christmas I asked for one of these machines:
It's called a {Silhouette} and it's really the best crafting tool out there; and I haven't even touched it yet. I know a good product when I see one. Go the website and check out all the cool things you can do with it; glass etching, vinyl decor, heat transfer, paper crafts and MORE! As an added bonus there's no need to buy extra cartridges. All you do it hook it up to your computer and go!

We didn't quite have the funds for Christmas, so I moved it back to my birthday next month.

As a back up plan, I'm entering in a ton of giveaways to win this machine ($300 value) on a few websites.

{Tatertots & Jello}
{Oh, Hello Friend}
{Southern Hospitality}
{Thrifty Decor Chick}
{Today's Creative Blog}
{Southern Savers}

I'll update as more become available. Go to these websites and enter for yourself. Trust me, and don't forget to let me borrow it if you win. ;)

Two Kanzashi

2010-06-15T11:26:00.001-07:00

A while ago I decided to try a new craft called kanzashi. I decided to finally pick it up again. I really want to have an Etsy shop and I was trying to come up with something else I could sell in it. Kanzashi came to mind. They are also fairly simple so they are something I can do when I'm not working on my sketchbook. This time around it was also a lot easier to find tutorials on how to do them properly. I also decided to use fabrics that I had around the house and also reuse old clothing for some of the fabric. Yay for being green!

The first one here is one that I made to match a new dress that recently got. I wanted to try this time making a kanzashi that had multiple layers. The other kanzashi that I did before were only one color and layer. I think this turned out pretty o.k. for my first try. I don't think that I'll ever use felt to make petals again though. The petals turn out massive as does the flower. This one is a little bit over 3" wide. It was a nice learning experience though.

This kanzashi started because of the fabric choice. I had an old pair of pajama bottoms that were ripped and the stripes gave me an idea to make a 'Fourth of July' kanzashi. The other thing I wanted to do was to make the kanzashi look like it was a firework blasting off in the sky. Not just because of how the colors are laid out, but also the overall shape. I think that it turned out pretty nicely.

Toy Car Caddy

2010-06-11T13:42:00.000-07:00

One of the things we made this last month was a group of these:

Toy Car Caddies

My little knight had a birthday and had friends who had birthdays, so I knew when Meg came in town we had to use some of our craft time to make these for the boys.

We used the tutorial {HERE} at {Homemade by Jill}. Funny thing is we grew up in the same stake together and it's really cool to see all the things she's created.

A couple things we did differently:

used yellow ric-rac as the road divider instead of little rectangle pieces.
Instead of the car applique (which is way cute) we used some leftover Radiator Springs postcards we printed on fabric for my son's birthday party.
We used regular weight fabric for the car pockets and it turned out just fine.
Once we got to the third one, I realized the dimensions need to be increased if larger cars were to ever fit in the pockets (like Mater and the Tractor from Cars). So, instead of using Jill's dimensions on the third one, these are the ones I used: 19.5 by 10 for the whole thing, 19.5 by 6 for the car pocket fabric, 19.5 by 3 black felt strip for the road. When you create the pocket width, start from the middle and make the two middle pocket 3.5 inchs wide instead of 2.75 inches wide.

The feedback I've gotten is good; all of the boys love their carriers. Here's my son enjoying his on a long car ride home. And you can bet we'll be taking it when we travel at the end of the month.
If you have a little boy in your life and minimal sewing skills, making one of these is a MUST!

Still Addicted

2010-06-08T13:14:00.000-07:00

We're still here.

Trying to recover from birthday bonanzas and a month of visitors... but we haven't forgotten about our blog and we haven't stopped crafting.

Stay tuned for the long-awaited toddler shorts and toddler drawstring backpack tutorial. Plus things we've made using other tutorials...

So... like I said... we're still here and crafting. :)

Ex-Shower Curtain Birthday Banner

2010-05-04T19:49:00.000-07:00

My little knight has a birthday next week---which means he has a birthday party this weekend. I've spent lots of my craft time getting ready for the party and finishing his homemade gifts. As part of 'getting ready for the party,' I wanted to make a permanent birthday decoration for our family: a birthday banner. I didn't want to spend a lot of money so I used an old shower curtain fabric sitting at the bottom of my craft bin and turned it into our new birthday banner.What you need:

old shower curtain or a couple yards of home decor fabric
1/4 yard fabric for letters
WonderUnder or your preference of fusible item
12- 6 inch ribbon strips
2 7/16 eyelets and eyelet tool
Rope, yarn or string
sewing notions

How to build it:

Create a Template for your triangles. I made my triangles equilateral with the bottom side 8 inches and the two other sides 11 inches. Trace 26 triangles (front and back for each letter of the phrase 'happy birthday') onto the wrong side of your fabric and cut out with pinking shears.
Create a template for your letters using a publishing software. I used Microsoft Word and I used the font 'Ad Lib.' Print out, trace on, and cut out on the letters fabric. Also, trace and cut out letters from the wonderunder. Remember to make sure the letters are backwards.Adhere WonderUnder using directions and then sew in place on the triangles. You should now have 13 lettered triangles and 13 non-letters ones.
Now take a non-letter triangle and place it wrong-side up. Take 2 ribbon strips and place them near the top of the triangle on either side. I didn't measure how much of the ribbon I put inside the triangle, just eyeball it. Make it enough so the ribbon stays after sewing.
Place the Letter 'i' triangle on top of this first one and pin it into place. Sew around the edge of the triangle. Working from the middle out helps to keep the ribbons in the right place.
Repeat this process with the other triangles until you get to the H for Happy and Y for birthday. These letters only need one ribbon to attach to the rest of the banner. Sew around triangles.
You should now have a banner, but no way to hang it. This is where the eyelet come in. Following the eyelet directions, insert one in the outside corner of the triangle, just inside your sewing seam.
Take your rope, yarn, or string and cut it long enough to fit the space you want to hang the banner and VOILA!

A Birthday Banner from an old shower curtain. Have fun!

Stay tuned; I have more birthday inspired crafts including a couple birthday presents and CARS party decor!

File Folder Games

2010-04-21T13:41:00.001-07:00

During my absence, I spent a week of my crafting time doing making these:

File Folder Games!

They're really easy to do!

What you need:

Manila file folders
computer and printer
coloring tools--- I used crayons and pencils
buy (or find a friend who has) a book full of games. I recommend {Finch Family Games}. Each book comes with a CD; so you can choose to color the games in yourself or print out colored versions. This is the book I bought:Sticky Velcro circles
scissors
Three-ring binder, two inches wide
binder clips

Some hints/tips when making file folder games:

Use the colored-in version of the games, if you can't color for a long time. Personally, I colored half of mine in and printed out the other half. Here's a close up of one of the ones I printed out pre-colored:
If you take your game to get lamintated (which I recommend), cut down the folder before adhering the game to it. It'll save you time at the print center.
Also, leave space in the middle crease so you can hole punch the game after lamination.
Since you hole-punched your games, store them in a three-ring binder. I bought a two-inch binder (it fits about ten games and pieces).
Home laminate the game pieces. You can use clear contact paper (about $5 for one roll), self-laminating sheets, or a home laminator. All reasonably priced.
Use binder clips to keep pieces with the correct game. It also comes in handy keeping the game closed.
When we go to church, I only take three or four games with me. As apart of our Sunday morning routine, I go grab a couple games and stick them in my son's sacrament bag.
Sticky velcro circle are just fine to use as your pieces. I was really worried that they would be too loud during sacrament meeting. I now know from experience, it's not.

This is a simple, quick and fun way to make quiet games for your kids to play during church. Plus, you can color in the pages any down time you have. Just remember to have fun! It doesn't have to be perfect, your kids will play with them no matter what!

Crochet Flower Bracelet

2010-04-13T14:51:00.001-07:00

I stayed up late last night because I could and made this. My roommate is getting married later on in the summer and is having a bridal shower before everyone goes home. I wasn't sure what I would be able to do for her since I don't have a lot of money. As I was watching YouTube I discovered bead crochet. (That isn't part of this because I don't have a hook small enough. Later projects in the future hopefully.) Since I couldn't get that to work with my hook I started playing with my string and thought of making a bracelet. Then came the flower idea and using the beaded star in the middle. I think that it turned out pretty nicely.

Past Craft: Pin the Tag on the Missionary

2010-04-13T12:12:00.001-07:00

Sorry about the gap of posts, we had a string of visitors and now our house has been contaminated with sickness. I probably should be sleeping, but I wanted to free myself of the crafting guilt and post a project. :)

I have been crafting in my long absence, so stay tuned. I'm also slowly but surely getting the courage again to think about quiet book which means a post on tips for you and some templates.

Onto the craft!

At church last year, I served as a Primary teacher up until my daughter's birth. One of the lessons was one missionary work, so I wanted to find a cool activity to do with my class (11 year olds). I had an idea for a fun game: Pin the Tag on the Missionary, so I found a drawing of a missionary (sorry I don't remember where I got it) and started from there.
How to play:
Players earn elder tags by doing the activity or answering the question on opposite side. Once all Elder tags are divided then play as 'Pin the Tail on the Donkey.' Player closest to the tag box is the winner

How to Make Your Own:
Supplies:
scrapbook paper, construction paper, poster board, black cardstock, favorite adhesive, a marker, laminator (or access to a local FedEx Kinkos), list of activities (see end of post for ideas)

Cut the posterboard to 11 inches by 14 inches. I did this because I didn't want to carry a huge game around and I wanted it to fit in the laminator.
Design your missionary. Basically, I found a drawn picture of a missionary, printed him off and cut him apart to use as templates for my missionary. I also used my creative license to add a Book of Mormon. Don't forget to draw a tag box on your missionary. Mine is 2 in by 1 1/4 in.
Glue pieces onto board. Now onto the Elder tags.
Open up a publishing software and create the back of the tags. I made 24 2in. x1 1/4 in. text boxes in one document in Word. In each box I have an activity to act out or a question to answer. Print and cut out.
Using your black cardstock, cut out 24 2.5 in by 1.75 rectangles. On one side, write the word 'Elder.' Glue an activity box to the other.
Now you're ready to laminate and play!

My class ended up having a lot of fun playing the game and now it's stored away for when our kids get older.

NOTE: In my sick haze, I can't quite figure out how to upload my 'tags' document, so I'll give ya'll the next best thing, my ideas:

Things to act out:
reading the scriptures, introducing yourself to others, tie a tie, fixing a tire on your bike, riding a bike, cooking a meal, knocking on doors, sewing a button, writing a letter, saving money, ironing a shirt/blouse

Questions:
Talk about your favorite Church hymn/song.
Tell something you can do to help your testimony grow.
Give someone a sincere complement.
Who is your favorite person from the scriptures? Why?
Share what you could write in a BoM to give to a friend.
Tell why you appreciate Jesus Christ.
Name two ways you can set an example.
How could you be a friend to someone who seems to be left out?
Name a Church magazine/book you could share with a friend.
Repeat and/or explain an article of faith.
Name a Church activity you can invite a friend to.
Repeat and/or explain your favorite scripture.
Name two ways you can be kind to others.
Name a Church video you could share with a friend.

Enjoy!

Wedding Gifts

2010-04-08T07:46:00.000-07:00

My cousin, Carlee, is getting married today and having a reception tomorrow. I thought that I would make her and her husband some gifts since I don't have a lot of money. Her's was the easiest to come up with since I didn't know anything about Eric. I think I figured out something pretty generic that he'll like.

I first made Carlee's gift. Since she's a hairstylist, I thought that a headband would be nice for her. I decided to go with a three-layer flower that alternated some color. (I found out how to make this flower on YouTube a while a go.) I figured out the leaves on my own and then crocheted a way for the flower to slide on the ribbon. I made the attachment wide enough to fit on most headband if she ever wishes to switch it out.

Then came Eric's gift. At first I wasn't sure what I could make him; then I figured that he probably had an MP3 player or iPod. Most people do nowadays. I wanted to use the gray as the base and then use the same colors as Carlee's gift but you can see that idea changed. It really depended on what button color I chose to close it on the back. It ended up being yellow because I liked the contrast so much. I decided to go with a monster face from there. I also made the case big enough to fit my iPod which is the biggest size physically so I was safe to give it to him. (I think when my current case dies I'll be making one kind of like this. xP )

My hope is that they find a use for these gifts and like them. I guess I'll find out when I give these to them.

Girly Nursery

2010-03-15T12:17:00.000-07:00

We finally finished our little girl's nursery and I have to say, it's one of my favorite rooms in the house. I think I love the kids' rooms and downstairs because they're all painted. So---here's the rundown on what I did.

First off---I found fabric I wanted to use in her room. From the fabric I pulled the two paint colors: a light pink and fuchsia-type pink. Then we painted. :)
Second---One the long light pink wall, where her WHITE crib is we painted circles to frame the letters of her name. Don't know how to paint circles? Find a bowl in your kitchen in the size you want and use a pencil to trace it on your wall. Then paint--- it's that simple!
Third---On the window wall I made inexpensive art and the valence for the window. I got plain wood embroidery hoops, stained them the dark brown. Then I put some of the fabric in the hoops used Fabric-Tac to glue them to the inside of the hoops and had three pieces of art for my little girl's room.

Close up of some of the hoops.

Fourth--- I made the mistake of buying wall stickers at Target thinking they'd work on textured walls. They don't. Within a day, almost all of the stickers fell off. To feel as though we didn't waste any money, I found three cheap panoramic frames and put the dots on the plastic outside of the frame. I never took a picture, but if someone really wants to see it---I will. I don't know if I like it enough to keep it in the room.

Fifth--- To finish it off--- THIS and THIS are on the little wall, right next to the closet. Overall, I'm really pleased with how everything turned out, but I'll take a little more time to think things through before I move onto the Knight's bedroom.

I used lavender and light green to accent with dark brown and white furniture.

Quick 'n Easy: St. Pat's Decor

2010-03-10T19:20:00.000-08:00

So I made this in a little over 30 minutes the other day and I LOVE how it turned out.

All you need is: thin canvas, dark green acrylic paint, scrap green fabric, a little bit of ribbon and mod podge

1--Paint the canvas
2--While canvas is drying cut out shamrock leaves using a heart clipart
3--Mod Podge the leaves
4--Glue ribbon to the back of canvas
5--Hang and Enjoy!

Alice in Wonderland Charms

2010-03-08T14:22:00.000-08:00

I was a silly person and stayed up really late last night to make these. The idea came and I couldn't stop thinking about it. So I just went ahead and made them. I decided to use different colors of polymer clay so I wouldn't have to do the painting step. This morning I finally glazed them after doing all of my homework. I think that they all turned out pretty well. I thought of making the Cheshire Cat's mouth more prominent but I thought that would make him stand out too much from the others. What do you think of them?

Past Craft: Heart-felt Baby Toy

2010-03-05T12:10:00.000-08:00

Sorry about the absence, my mommy duties have outweighed crafting because of a sick boy. :(
I'm only getting half of things done, so I thought I'd show off something I made last month.

I used the tutorial {HERE} to jump off of and created these for my daughter for Valentine's Day:

They are really simple and she's already had them in her mouth a few times.

All you need is: scrap fabric, ribbon, stuffing, extra jingle bell, krinkly plastic (from disposable wipes container and sewing notions.

I put the bell in one, the plastic cut into pieces in another, and put ribbons on the outside of the third. To connect them, I cut three long strips of a jersey fabric and braided them together. The ribbon also make it so they can connect to a playyard as well.

They may not be perfect, but I made them for her---and that's what counts.

Origami Kusudama

2010-02-23T14:14:00.000-08:00

I was going on this thing making new kinds of origami flowers and found this flower. Then I found that if you make 12 of them then you could put them into a kusudama. I thought I would give it a try and this is what came out. I finally got the chance to use my origami paper. The beads are even made out of origami paper because I lack real beads. xD I'm pretty happy how it turned out though. I think I'll be trying other kusudama in the future. ;D

Here's where I found out how to do it: [link]

Dress-Up Tie: For Big-Headed Boys

2010-02-19T11:18:00.000-08:00

Sorry about my absence, my little girl was blessed this past weekend and I had a lot of family in town. Since she was blessed, I wanted the rest of the family to look nice too, so what does that mean for Daddy & Toddler? Matching Ties!!!

I didn't have time to visit {this marvelous shop}, so I used THIS tutorial to make my son's tie. I was very excited until I went to have him try it on and I could barely get it over his head AND once it was over his head, it was too big around his neck. For a few minutes I wondered how I would fix this...then three words popped into my head: Sew-On Snaps.

To do this you'll need: a tie, matching embroidery floss, needle, two Sew-On Snaps (size 1)

Follow the elastic-type tutorial, until you measure your little stud's neck. Then do this:
Take the measurement and add an inch to the neck loop of the tie. Then, cut in the middle of the loop.
Blanket stitch the new edges so they won't fray too bad.
On the edge, about an half-inch in, sew on one side of the snaps. Snap the other half back in as an easy way to match it up on the other side, then sew it on. Repeat with second snap.

You've now created a new tie for your little man!

Linking to:
Market Yourself Mondays at Sumo's Sweet Stuff &
Just Something I Whipped Up at The Girl Creative

First Feature

2010-02-12T13:02:00.000-08:00

We finally got featured for the FIRST TIME for the gospel quiet book I made over the summer! Woo Hoo! It just happens to be on one of the BEST craft blogs---UCreate--- check it out HERE!

Thanks for nice words, I promise to work on templates/tutorials. I made two books back-to-back over the summer, so I've been taking a break from the world of Quiet Books. Now I know there's interest, so I'll try my best to get those done soon.

A Contest Entry

2010-02-12T11:06:00.001-08:00

Here it is. My submission for Red Heart Yarn and JoAnn's crochet/knit contest. As part of the rules, he is made from from eco-friendly yarn. I bought four colors of this kind of yarn. 70% of the yarn is acrylic while the other 30% is made from recycled products. They'll be judging on technicality, orginality, use of color, and quality. I believe that I did what I could in those categories. I had plans to make a little star and heart for him to hold but with how the arms turned out I thought that would be funny looking. He is about 12.5" tall from ear tip to toe and 8.25" wide from hand to hand. Wish me luck! I won't know if I made the top five until the end of March. ^^

Oh, I also made some Valentine's for my roommates. They all seemed to really like them. They're made out of vellum, scrapbook paper, and craft foam.

Football Wreath

2010-02-08T19:29:00.001-08:00

Every year we have a Super Bowl Party at our house. We had a great time and can't wait for next year. We've been doing this since we got married, but this year, using THIS idea as a spring board, I finally made a permanent decoration:

Being the Sports Fan that I am I LOVE how this wreath turned out. With a styrofoam wreath and some felt---we now have super decor to match the game!

The Saints and Colts emblems are both just pinned onto the wreath. Each year I'll make the emblems of the Super Bowl teams and have this awesome wreath. My husband teased me that I would probably have to make my teams' last. Don't worry Chiefs--- your day will come!

Valentine's Shirts: Boy & Girl

2010-02-03T12:45:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks ago, I made these for my kids:

All I needed was wonderunder, a little bit of fabric, floss, and fabric markers.

His says: Heart breaker-in-trainingHers says: SweetheartI sure L-O-V-E these two!

TLS Charm Experiment

2010-02-03T10:30:00.001-08:00

Sometime ago I finally got my hands on some TLS (Translucent Liquid Sculpey). I've been wanting the stuff for a while to make icing and jelly stuff for my charms. I was able to get it because Aunt Cheryl gave me a gift card for JoAnne's. (I also got my fabric for my new costume for 50% off at the same time. ^^) After having the TLS for a week I finally go the chance to try it out (Thursday last week). It's messy stuff! I'll just assume that I'll get better with it over time. I'm glad how the frosting came out, but not the blue berry juice and jelly. I think I used way too much chalk color in it because it didn't turn out as transparent as I wanted. In the future I know what to do and here's hoping to better charms in the future! =3

Alphabet Magnets

2010-02-01T11:41:00.000-08:00

First, off, we hope you like the make-over! It was about time! What do ya'll think? I got all the elements as freebies from Digi-Scrap Depot---love them! Don't forget to Grab our Button and become a follower! Now--- onto the Alphabet!

I finally finished a Christmas present to my kids this past week. ALPHABET MAGNETS!What you need:

6 pages of felt
Embroidery Floss
Needle
Basic knowledge of blanket stitch (great tutorial HERE)
Small baggie of poly-fil
Glue Gun & Sticks
3/4 in magnets

DISCLAIMER: When using the finished product, remember, if the magnets are removed from the felt they could be a choking hazard. As with all toys, supervise your children! :)

Here's what you do:
1. First find a font you like and type up the alphabet. I used Grilled Cheese sized 250.
2. Cut out the letters and use them as a guide to cut out on felt. I just held the letters in place, as to save time from tracing onto the felt. (NOTE: I cut out enough multiples of letters for my kids to spell their names i.e. Bob needs two B's instead of one).3. Use the floss to blanket stitch around each letter. Sounds simple, but it's time consuming. Just take the letters with you whereever you go. Save yourself a little hole to stuff in some poly-fil; stuff and sew the hole closed. Repeat with all letters.
4. Use glue gun to attach one magnet to the back of each letter. Repeat with all letters.
5. Put on fridge or other magnetic surface for child to find after nap. Watch and Enjoy!

Mini Ami Dude & Contest

2010-01-28T17:24:00.001-08:00

I found my ball of string by chance yesterday and decided to make an amigurumi out of it. This is what came of that. I didn't really have a plan when making him. I like the color combinations of the embroidery flosses and the string. I wanted to do something more with it but this is what came out. I guess that's what I get for not planning ahead. xD He's a little over 3" tall.

And recently I was e-mailed something interesting by JoAnne's. JoAnne's and Red Heart Yarn are teaming up to do a contest. If you use Red Heart's eco-friendly yarn and either crochet or knit your own design then you can enter. The prizes are pretty cool too. A $1000 JoAnne's giftcard for first in both categories and a $500 JoAnne's giftcard for the runner-ups. They are judging mainly on originality, use of color, and technicality. I'm think of making an amigurumi for the crochet half of the contest. I'm going to try to use as many techniques as I can and give it a shot. Wish me luck

Headband Holder

2010-01-25T12:58:00.000-08:00

After I made my daughter's hair clip holder, I suddenly found that her headband storage became the problem. I knew where the clips where, but not the headband. Whoops. So I made this:

All I did was stain the board from JoAnn's. Then I used extra fabric from a previous project for her room to cover a few extra clothespins (I used fabri-tac, but mod-podge can be used too). Then I hot glued them all to the board and added a couple of sawtooth hangers on the back.

Cute headband storage. Done and done. Now I'll know where to find them.

Birthday & Zombie

2010-01-24T18:40:00.001-08:00

Since my birthday was last week I decided to make a charm that I could wear as a necklace. I figured that the best way to say that it was my birthday with one look would be a cupcake with a candle in it. I think that this turned out nicely. ^^

The whole weekend I worked on a new amigurumi. I've wanted to make this one for a while but I finally got the time to make it. I really like creepy and cute things. I believe that this guy fits. He is a Zombie Bunny. And what better way for a zombie to live than to have access to his own brain. It's also of good quality since some of the brain stem is still attached. xD

MAGNETIC Calendar Central

2010-01-21T12:11:00.000-08:00

I've been wanting to take a crack at my own homemade calendar since I first saw it in the blog-o-sphere HERE. So, I took the new year as my opportunity. Instead of just making it dry-erase I also made it magnetic. All you need is: a large enough picture frame, fabric of your choice, a permanent marker, and sheet metal (we got ours from Lowe's).Then, I made magnets to differeniate Holidays, Church meetings, Dr. Appointments, etc. For those you just need Mod-podge, heavy duty magnets, and whatever you want to back your magnet with. I created ours in Word with images relating to the holiday, etc.It won't be complete until I have vinyl for it, but such is life.

I know--some of you out there are saying---I wouldn't make this because I don't have anywhere to write down future information. I solved that problem by creating a Family Planner/Journal for 2010.
All I bought for this was the book and divided it into 12 sections. Then I printed off the ONLY monthly calendar template (click HERE-projects page 3) onto full page of shipping labels and stuck it to the first page of the section.

The idea is to use the rest of the section to write down little (and big) things that happen in your family over the month. A really simple way to get some kind of family history done. Over the year, I'm really excited to see if the system works, I'll keep you posted!

Rain Gutter Bookshelves

2010-01-18T12:09:00.000-08:00

Our playroom caught the bug:

It's seriously so cool and inexpensive. You just need to know your way around Lowe's and some minor power tools. Little Knight used to throw books on the floor to find the one he really wanted to read; it doesn't happen anymore. He even puts them back after he's done! Oh, how I wish it was that way with all of his toys!

Click HERE for the full tutorial.

Christmas Presents

2010-01-07T10:46:00.000-08:00

Now that I finally have the time I can write about the Christmas presents that I made for the family. I wanted to post them earlier but the end of break came so fast and then school started this week. I'm getting used to this weird schedule of mine.

I stared with my Mom's present first, the kokeshi doll. I made the pattern pretty easily and then used that same pattern for the rest of the family's gifts. Dad got the golfer; Zak got Indiana Jones; and Parker got the missionary.

I also made another ornament for mom going with the cowboy flare. She really liked the fact that it was a penguin and suggested that I made more in the future because it was the only one she had. xD Then I made Dad the Y keychain since he's big football fan. ;)

Christmas Freezer Paper

2009-12-22T20:15:00.000-08:00

Freezer paper stenciling creeped into my Christmas decorations...

and I couldn't be happier :)

Here are some more detailed instructions--this was my first attempt to take pictures with every step, so sorry I don't have all of the pictures:

1. You need freezer paper. :) The only place I found it was Wal-mart; next to the tin foil. Cut out a small square/rectangle/circle to cover your idea and onesie; do this three times per onesie. Set two aside until you're ready to iron.

2. Now's the time to put your design on the paper. I usually make my designs in word, publisher, or acrobat, print it out on regular paper and trace it to the freezer paper. (The reason freezer paper can do this is because it has a light adhesive on one side of the paper and it bonds to your project when heat is applied). The adhesive side feels grainy; it's the side that will face your onesies. Trace your design to the SMOOTH side of the paper.

3. Next is the cutting. Use masking tape to keep your design from moving around the cutting surface (I usually use a spare piece of cardboard---diapers' boxes work real well). Think about what areas you want the color of the paint and color of the onesie; cut out the most intricate parts first and remember to save the small pieces needed for white spots (like the middle of an A).
4. Set the iron to cotton/wool; basically you just want to make sure the iron isn't on steam. First, take the second full piece of freezer paper and iron it to the inside of the onesie with the grainy side facing up toward you; this keeps the paint from leaking to the back of the onesie. Check to make sure it's stuck to the onesie.

5. Then, iron your cut-out to front. Iron from the biggest to smallest piece. It takes a couple of seconds for the paper to bond to the fabric. Just make sure it's on there well; be careful not to touch it too soon or you'll get a nice heat shock.

6. Paint. I use an up-and-down motion just in case the paint seeps. Let it set for a 15 20 minutes, then paint another coat.
7. After the paint in fully dry---I usually give it a couple hours---take the stencil off and iron the other full non-cute freezer square on top of the new painted design (this seals it and keeps it from coming off in the wash). Wait for the paper to cool and peel the inside and outside paper off.

Congrats---you've successfully made a new onesie and have become addicted to a cheap and easy way to vamp up kids' clothes--or Christmas stockings!

Hair Clips & Holder

2009-12-17T10:50:00.000-08:00

Before 'Princess' was born I went a little crazy making hair bows (a girl can never have too many) and all of these pictured went to VT sister who also recently had a girl, so I don't feel too bad for making so many:

Exhibit A

Exhibit B

Since I made so many bows, I needed to make a place to put them. Enter Exhibit C:

Here's what you need:

an old frame, ribbon and a glue gun---That's it!

Strip the old frame down. Throw away all the photo backing stuff and use pliers to take out the little metal pieces. Then flip the frame over and lay out your ribbon. Glue the free end to the frame, pull tight then cut. Glue the other end of the ribbon. Continue gluing ribbon until you reach the end. Then put the bows on the holder and hang it up for the world, your kids, to see.

Once There was a Snowman...

2009-12-07T19:29:00.000-08:00

This is the latest addition to the Christmas decorations. I knew that I wanted to make a snowman originally thought of giving him the traditional top hat. But when I was over a Nett's this weekend there was this tiny hat on the fireplace. She had no idea where it came from and I thought that it would be perfect for this guy. I started making him at Nett's and showed it with the hat on. She thought it was cute, so I kept going. I don't think I really ever asked if I could use it though... Sorry about that, Nett. If it's not o.k. then I can crochet it another hat. ^^; I guess I was excited to make it... Anyway, he's about a foot tall without the hat on. The more I look at it I wonder if I should have tried to do something else than the snowflakes at the bottom. Oh well. I guess if I end up not liking them then I'll change it

Christmas Advent Calendars

2009-12-03T15:01:00.000-08:00

Last Christmas season, I felt a overwhelming desire to create more family traditions, so we can have them established 'as long as the kids can remember.' One things I like a lot about Christmas time are Advent Calendars, so I made two.

I spent most of January making this one:
(Click here to get the instructions). UPDATE 2011: The link has been taken down, basically it's a piece of duck cloth, a lot of felt, glue & cutting. Here's a magnetic version from {Say It On The Wall}

If you can't tell, it is Joseph & Mary travelling to the stable over the month of December; once they get there baby Jesus is placed in the stable. I made one for us and one for our dear friends. I also taught a class last month (a couple days before little princess was born actually) to fellow women for their families.

I spent March & one May day to make this one (tutorial found here):

Each day has a Christmas related activity in it. The kids will pull it off in the morning and then we'll do the activity some time that day. Activities include: Christmas Tree Campout, watch Christmas movies, make cookies and give away, etc. I spent time looking for ideas and picked our top 25. Over the years, the activities will rotate days. Some activities are too old for my kids so we'll probably just color and watch old Christmas specials on those days.

All in all, I was really excited to make these and now I'm really excited to use them this month! Now, get crackin' all and create a calendar for your family--- it's not too late!

My First Thanksgiving

2009-11-22T20:28:00.000-08:00

What happens when you have a baby right before Thanksgiving and you forgot to get her anything with the 'my first thanksgiving' phrasing on it? (True Story)

Well... you make it of course. With a little muslin, floss, turkey iron-ons, felt, snap clip, and one long-sleeve gerber 0-3 onesie. A crisis can be averted. Your baby will have a onesie and hair clip for a happy turkey day.

Yay for a happy Turkey Day.

More Charms & Another Headband

2009-11-14T19:39:00.000-08:00

I was trying to think of charms that would probably sell in the future. I'm gradually making a stockpile of them to sell. These mushrooms are some of what I was thinking I could sell. And then my fruit blobs, of course. They're my own design and I thought it would be nice to have them in rainbow order to take a picture of them.

Well, I couldn't stop there. I kept on going. First I made other charms like the ninja and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Funny thing about the ninja and animals. I actually made them thinking I would photograph them separately. As time went on I thought that it would be kind of funny to put them in a picture like this together. (I knew that my camera hates taking single charm photos, so this was the best solution really.) I think it actually turned out pretty cute. xD

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are actually charms that I've been wanting to do for a while. I just kept forgetting to do them or ran out of time. I like how they all have individual personalities and their shells.

Coraline's doll actually came to being when I decided that I wouldn't be able to make an actual doll myself. I don't have the money to obtain the materials so this was the next best thing I could do. This is my favorite charm that I've made. I did my best to get all the details that I could into the charm. (Like two holes on the yellow buttons and four on the black ones.) She even has a wire body on the inside to give her more strength. I was pleasantly surprised when I finished her. I didn't think that I could actually pull it off. But here she is! My pride and joy of the charms. ^^

And finally since I'm going to see New Moon on Friday with Jenni, I thought I would make the Cullen Crest as one of my headband attachments. It can slide onto any kind of ribbon and certain headbands. I'm please with how it turned out. ^^ Now I'll be able to wear it with my other Twilight inspired charms. xD

Charms, Charms, Sculpture.

2009-11-12T11:59:00.000-08:00

I was coming up with some new ideas for charms that I could sell and this is what happened. First I created a cat, monkey, and then Max from Where the Wild Things Are. I used the same star shaped that I developed while making some Harry Potter charms. The face turned out too big on the cat and I was too lazy to fix it. (Not in the future though. I won't let laziness get in the way of my crafting again.) I still like how they all turned out though. (Oh, and Max has a cute tail. My camera was being stupid and wouldn't get the tail without washing it out.)

After those three I decided to make a bun of snails. Why snails? I don't know. I thought they would be cute and simple. Turns out that I was right. My favorite one is the purple shell with a blue body. The mushroom was just something fun to make. In the future I'm going to make more of them in different colors.

Then when I was done with the snails, I remembered that an Aunt's birthday was last week. We were going to go do a dinner over the weekend but people ended up getting sick. Then we were going to try on Monday but it go rescheduled for this coming Saturday. So I can actually have a chance to give this to her now. My aunt always seems to like the things I make and this seems to fit her.

Mini Bunny Amigurumi

2009-11-09T15:34:00.000-08:00

Meet the newest addition to the miniature amigurumi. I started this one about a month ago and finally finished it yesterday. I ended up being so busy during last month that I only got the things done that needed to be done. I don't think that this one took too much time to do. It takes about as long to do him as the bigger amigurumi. He's my favorite out of the miniatures

Headband Attachments and a Locket

2009-11-06T09:56:00.000-08:00

I've had this feeling for a while that I need to start selling the things that I make. So yesterday I started to make things that I could possibly sell. These four things are what I'm calling headband attachments. You can slip them on any ribbon or headband and wear them. They were all pretty fun to make.

These flowers are known as kanzashi. It's the japanese art of making flowers out of fabric. Usually these flowers are made for geisha to wear in their hair and out of silk. As we can see, I don't have any silk and this is my first time making kanzashi. I actually attached the backs of the petals wrong in the first one and did it right in the second one. I personally will only wear the first one. The second one I made in mind for my 4 yr-old cousin.

This is just three skulls made out of polymer clay and wire. I painted them with acrylic paint and slipped it onto a ribbon. I wore it to school today and someone noticed it. they actually asked me where I bought it. I had to tell them that I made it. ^^

The second one with polymer clay and beaded stars. It's my least favorite out of the bunch. I really like stars and wanted to make something fantastic with them. Unfortunately I don't have any ribbon to sacrifice for it so it came out like this.

This is a locket that I made for my aunt. She decided that she wanted to be a Steampunk chick for Halloween and I thought that this would be perfect. I ran out of time to print the pictures of her kids to glue in there. I also need to figure out how to make it close properly. The next locket maybe. ;)

Thankful Turkey

2009-11-04T12:18:00.000-08:00

I got this idea last holiday season from a magazine and we've made it into a tradition. It's not to late to start your own. Meet Tom the Thankful Turkey.

All you need to create Tom are: two different-sized styrofoam balls, felt, two tones of brown yarn, tacky glue, construction paper, toothpicks, and tape.

Shave the bottom off of the larger ball---remember to shave enough so that your turkey will stand upright.
Wrap the larger ball in the darker color of yarn and the smaller ball in the lighter.
Using the felt, cut the shapes needed to give Tom a face. Then, use a few toothpicks to attach the two balls.
Draw feather shapes onto the construction paper and cut out.
TA-DA---you've made Tom the Thankful Turkey!

Now, take a little time each day to write something, anything you are thankful for onto one of the feathers. Tape a toothpick to the back of the feather and stick it in Tom. Have every member of the family do so---even the ones who can't quite talk yet.

By Thanksgiving, Tom will be a very full-feathered turkey and you and your family can take the time to read the things ya'll wrote down over the month! It's a cute way to get your young kids involved and thinking about what they are thankful for.

Take the time to be grateful for all your blessings!

A Birthday Amigurumi

2009-10-31T10:20:00.000-07:00

A roommate that I had last year had her birthday this past Monday. She comes over a lot and it's nice to have her over. She always seemed to enjoy the amigurumi that I made. She even threatened to take some of them when I wasn't there. So I finally got around to making one for her.

For this amigurumi I used camouflage, white, and pink yarn. The camouflage yarn gives a nice striped texture to it. It actually gives me an idea for a present for my younger brother this coming Christmas. I just need to get a hold of some yellow/orange/red yarn to do it. ;) I'm not entirely sure how long this amigurumi took to make. I had to rush it since I started making it on her birthday. I think it turned out pretty cute. I almost wanted to keep it myself. xD

Easy Halloween Jar Lights

2009-10-29T19:29:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of October I made these to give to my visiting teaching sisters:

I got the idea here, and noticed my cousin and her neighbor made some at the same time I did (here). Instead of using stringed lights or a real candle, I put a battery-powered flicker light at the bottom and stuffed them with candy.

These are REAL easy to make, so if you don't have anything up for Halloween QUICK--- find an empty jar, some tissue paper, mod podge (or something similar), construction paper--- and MAKE ONE (or two)! Here are the steps:

Clean out your empty jar and cut the tissue paper into strips.
Apply a base coat of mod podge to a section of the OUTSIDE or your jar then GENTLY press the strips onto the jar until the podge is covered. Repeat until the whole jar is covered. Let dry for a few hours.
Using the construction paper, cut out a face for your creation. Once the first coat is dry, apply podge to the back of your face pieces and place onto the jar.
Wait a few minutes and then apply a even coat of podge over the whole creation and let dry overnight.
After dry, place your preference of lighting into the jar and enjoy!

I also made some for my family too, since they were so easy to make. My picture is on the camera and my transfer drive went into a hiding amidst the move, but I made a pumpkin, ghost, Frankstein and Spider. Frank was made from a tall Pace jar and Spidey was a jar of unopened baby food leftover from Little Knight's pureed days.

NOTE: Since we moved into our house, I haven't been able to get to any of my craft stuff. My darling husband says it's getting me ready for the couple months after Little Girl is born; I say I'm wasting my 'nesting' energy. (I'm actually using it to get a few things organized and decorated) :)

So, my goal is to get a couple more things done before Little Girl is done, but I guess, like everything else in our lives right now, it's a wait and see... so ya'll will have to as well!

UPDATE: Here are my jars...

Gospel Quiet Book

2009-10-22T11:46:00.000-07:00

Don't forget to follow us, if you haven't already!!! My next few posts are not new crafts, but things I did right before we moved into our house (hence the reason for the lack of posting).

Now that I've finally mailed the second book, I have no hesitation in posting the page pictures.

The only template I used was for Joseph's coat (found here); every other page is a Ambo creation. So, if you happen to enjoy the pages and use them as inspiration, please link here and give credit.

After baby girl's birth, I just might make templates, if there is a big enough demand and we somehow get more readers...

Picture 1: Noah's Ark--fill with animal finger puppets, Tree of Life--sliding people & snapable fruit, Pioneer Wagon--lace cover & attach wheels, Temple Puzzle Page---build temples, & Time for Tithing--pay tithing with envelope and slip inside
Picture 2: Joseph's Coat--colors snap on and off, Jaredites' Journey--boats unbutton from glowing stones, Singing Voices--felt note and beads slide, Puzzle Storage--for temples, & My Scripture Case--pack scriptures for Sunday, can even put real pencil and paper for drawingPicture 3: Temple Puzzles for puzzle page
I made these all for a friend and, after taking a long, much needed quiet book break, I will have no choice but to fulfill the urge to make some for my own children. :)

Freezer Paper Stenciling

2009-10-12T11:21:00.000-07:00

I discovered this a few months ago and did a bunch for both my Knight and future Princess.Since it's really easy, it's really really addictive! All you need is a shirt, Freezer Paper (I only found it at Wal-Mart), acrylic or fabric paint, exacto knife, brush, iron and an idea. The possibilities are endless.

Draw your own design out on the paper, print it out (after cutting it to fit your printer), or trace it onto the smooth side of the paper. Cut it out with the exacto knife (cut out the small pieces first). Then iron it onto the shirt with a full piece of paper also on the other side. Paint the design, wait for it to dry, then take off the stencil. Last but not least, iron one more piece of paper over the design to heat seal it. Wait for it to cool down and TA-DA!!! A new shirt for your child!!!

Last week, I made this Halloween shirt for Little Knight.

Isn't he cute?!?!

Gospel Quiet Cards

2009-10-08T12:47:00.000-07:00

I wanted something 'little knight' can look at during those church moments where he seems to be on his last 'good behavior' leg. So, this is what I came up with:

Basically, they are Gospel Flash Cards. Wanna make your own, it's real easy! The great thing is that this project is so flexible you can make as many or as little cards as you want!

What you need:

Clip Art and/or Pictures for each subject
Book Ring or Ribbon
Any kind of Publishing Software or scrapbooking supplies for all you handy scrapbookers out there!
Scissors
Some type of lamination (I did mine at Kinko's for under $5)
Single Hole Punch

Instructions:

Go through and pick however many gospel topics and/or principles you want for the cards. If anyone needs inspiration, here's my list: Jesus Christ, Joseph Smith, First Vision, Book of Mormon, First Presidency, Twelve Apostles, Baptism, Gift of the Holy Ghost, Atonement, Sacrament, Temples, Priesthood, Articles of Faith, Plan of Salvation, Tithing, Word of Wisdom, and Second Coming.
Once you have a list then find pictures and/or clip art to go with each card. (I used a lot from Free LDS Art).
Then, using your publishing software (word, publisher, etc.---I used my lovely scrapbooking software) choose a size to make your cards (mine are 4 x 6) and put the picture with the right card. Some of my cards have more than one picture because I didn't want the picture to look all pixily.
Onto the back: write a little bit about the subject for the back of the card. For example, on the Jesus Christ card, I wrote: Jesus is the Son of God. He died so we can live with Heavenly Father, Him and each other forever. He is our Savior. (Remember to make your back the same size as the front).
You can either choose to print them front to back or separately, either way, print it all out. Match them up and go get them laminated. If you happen to have a friend who has a machine, borrow it! OR you can you Contact Paper (not as durable and kind of tricky) OR go to Kinko's and use their machine. If you don't know how to use it, they'll show you!
Cut out the cards, leaving enough room at the top to punch a hole, and string them through the ribbon or extra book ring!

Now you have a set of gospel cards that your kids will use plenty of Sundays. Our little knight loves to look at the pictures, he even sits quietly in my lap during sacrament to look at the sacrament picture and watch the boys (he's 17 months old). Trust me, you'll have smoother Sundays if you make these cards!

Humanoid and Tutorials

2009-10-04T21:40:00.000-07:00

This was the amigurumi that I did before the cupcake and onigiri. It is, by far, my favorite. If you know Beth Doherty and her work, then you'll see some resemblances. I'm inspired by her stuff. She's great at what she does.

I wanted to create a humanoid pattern of my own that I actually liked. I thought that he came out great. Although, he did come out a lot tougher than the drawing I did beforehand. xD Someone also on Gaia Online wanted to know how I embroidered my amigurumi and how I made clothes. So I made some tutorials. Here they are:

Embroidering
Shirt Tutorial
Pants Tutorial
Crochet Hat w/ Ear Holes Tutorial

My First Quiet Book

2009-10-02T09:29:00.000-07:00

About a month ago, I spent two weeks of my extra time sewing, hand-sewing, ironing, cutting, cursing felt and a missing zipper foot, I did what I set out to do--- I made a quiet book for our kids.

It's not perfect, but I made it and that makes it all worth it.

I used a lot of resources, most stemming from the blog: How to Make a Quiet Book. I changed a bunch of things to my liking, however, I recommend this site for anyone who is silly enough to attempt their own.

I just recently finished a gospel-themed Quiet Book (yes, two in two months and my husband and child are still alive) for my best friend's daughter, but I'm not posting that until I send it off... so stay tuned!

I'll expound on them at a later date, maybe even throw in a couple of templates (especially the gospel one because it's more of my brain-child), but, for now, I have a few other things I want to accomplish while my son attempts to sleep... we're having a rough day.

Here are the pages:

All of them pre-sewing binding

The finished numbers page (props to my husband and his mad knot-tying skills or this page would still be unfinished)

Amigurumi Onigiri and Cupcake

2009-10-01T15:43:00.000-07:00

Here's the deal. I'm going to start with my most recent crafts. There way too fetching many for me to post on this blog. (I do have over 2 yrs. of crafts and that's a lot to fish through.) However, I might go back and find my favorite crafts to show. It just won't happen instantly. Without further ado...

Last month's Ami-Along theme was food. I was able to finish these a few days ago and still was able to post them up on Gaia Online to show the other amigurumi enthusiasts before September was over. I also wanted to do a doughnut but I ran out of time. When I make more cupcakes in the future, I'm going to fix that icing edging. It doesn't look as wavy as I want it to be. I think I figured out the problem though, so it should be really simple.

I'm also debating if I want to share my patterns. Mainly I don't want to share them because I want to sell these things someday. I do know how cool it is to find something you love for free though. I enjoy the internet for that reason. I just don't know if I'm ready to give out the patterns just yet. ;)