A Creative Princess

Blast from the Past: Lobster Tails Frame

2013-05-20T03:33:00.002-05:00

Alert the media. We finally finished all the tiling in our main bathroom!

There's still odds and ends to finish up, but the tile is down and the new vanity and stool are installed. We're waiting on the Clawfoot Tub to be refinished and that bamboo you see in the corner is going to be used for some trim.

In the meantime, I'm grabbing all the beachy items in the house to use to decorate along with a few new projects.

I thought this would be a good time to repost a frame I made in 2011. It's still out in another room, but I'm thinking it will end up in here.

Anyway, here is the post I did in July, 2011.

Lobster Tails and Clam Shells

It's happened. I've sunk to an all time low in the name of crafting. Greg and I went out to eat the other night and I brought home our lobster tails and clam shells (Yuck!) when we were finished with them.

I did, I wrapped them in a napkin and put them in my purse!

When I got home I boiled them again and washed them with soap and water.

I had this black frame with 4 sections so I painted and sanded it.

I used sand scrapbook paper and then glued the shells on the front of the frame. I had the little white shells that I used for the center of the flower.

I've used lobster tails to make flowers before, but always when we ate them at home. I've never wrapped them up from a restaurant and brought them home. I'm sure the people near us thought I was crazy! No, I'm not nuts, just a crafter.

Happy Sunday

2013-05-19T07:35:00.001-05:00

Brandon was a groomsman in a wedding a couple of weeks ago and we all had so much fun in the photo booth at the reception.

Have a fun Sunday!

Easiest Pot Holder and/or Coaster Tutorial Ever!

2013-05-17T08:07:00.000-05:00

I'm not kidding, this will not only be one of the most simplest sewing projects you will ever do, but also a great way to use up all those fabric scraps you have in your stash.

I found this method in blogland probably 3 or 4 years ago which was "pre-pinterest" and I can't find the source to give the credit to anywhere. Whoever it was, just know that girl is a genius!

(If you know who it was, let me know so I can link to her.)

Before we get started, when I say "inner lining", that fabric under the top is what I'm talking about (that's not the back fabric of the pot holder).

You'll cut all your pieces the same size. I made mind 8" x 8".

You need 4 pieces of contrasting fabric for your top piece and iron them in half. Then 1 inner lining, 1 back fabric, and 1 fusible fleece (ironed to the inner lining fabric).

Stack and weave your 4 top pieces together with the raw edges to the outside and folded edges to the inside.

You now have 1 top piece. You may want to stick a few pins in it to help hold it together.

Then layer your top piece and back piece right sides together and the inner lining (with the fleece) fleece side down (right side of lining is up).

Then sew completely around (don't leave an opening for turning), trim seams and corners.

The reason you don't need an opening for turning is because...

you're going to turn it right side out through the top weaved piece.

Turn and press.

I didn't put a hanger on mine, but you could if you wanted to. Just layer it between the front and back pieces before you sew everything together.

And because I was on a roll, I made us a set of coasters, too.

I cut the squares for the coasters 4 1/2" x 4 1/2".

Go ahead, give it a try. So fun and easy!

Click Here to see the parties I join each week.

It's a Party! #106

2013-05-15T16:09:00.001-05:00

Hi and welcome to the party!

I wish I could invite you all to dinner. A friend of ours is on his way over to bring us Morel mushrooms that he found today. YUM!!

Link up anything you want to share with us this week. It can be your fabulous craft, yummy recipe, giveaway, shop, etc.

I'll feature the Top 5 most viewed links next Wednesday.

I would love for you to follow A Creative Princess while you're here!

If you would like to grab an It's a Party button (on the sidebar) and post it on your blog somewhere, that would be great! Let's get the word out and grow this party.

The more the merrier!

We all love comments, so please visit other links and have fun!

Hits of the Party

2013-05-15T08:19:00.002-05:00

Wow, how did it get to be Wednesday already? This week needs to slow down a bit!

Thank you to everyone who linked up to last week's It's a Party.

Here are a few of your Top Hits:

How clever is this Plastic Fork Spring Sunburst from Pursuit of Functional Home?

I'm loving the bright colors.

We all know how much I love washer necklaces so this Threaded Washer Pendant that Al's Polka Dots and Paisley made is right up my alley.

I love the Yardstick Table that Shabby Love made.

This 3 Strand Ombre Bracelet that Craft Geek made is over the top cute.

What a great idea this Easy DIY Beach Mat Blind from The Thrifty Rebel is.

If you were featured, feel free to grab yourself a button from the sidebar.

I'll be back later this afternoon to start this week's party.

Right now I've got tile and grout calling my name.

(Have I told you yet how much I despise grouting?!)

Chalkboard Key Chain

2013-05-14T07:43:00.001-05:00

So you know how you have errands to run and you go to the grocery store and the bank and then you get home and realize the package you needed to take to the post office is still in the car seat beside you?

I might have a solution.

Chalkboard Key Chains!

Know what they're made out of?

(Besides chalkboard paint, paper, and Mod Podge.)

Granite samples.

They're strong and sturdy and were dug out of the trash.

I painted the backs with chalkboard paint.

Then printed off something cutesy and tore it instead of cutting for the rough edges.

And mod-podged it to the front.

Okay, now what are the odds that I forget to look at my key chain?

Total Randomness

2013-05-13T08:00:00.000-05:00

I thought I should devote a post to let you know what all is going on around here.

For the next week or two, I may be a little quiet and sporadic. You see, Greg has to have total shoulder replacement next Monday and we are frantically trying to finish up the remodeling going on here.

I'll still have posts each day, but I may have problems keeping up with e-mails and commenting.

I hope you understand.

Here, I'll show you what I'm talking about.

That's our bathroom. Nice, huh?

We've actually started tiling it and I spent Mother's Day grouting. All the rest of the tile on the walls and floor should be finished in the next day or two.

We'll get the new vanity installed, but the claw foot tub will have to wait a little bit. It needs to be refinished.

Speaking of Mother's Day, last week I stumbled onto the most awesome website and ordered my own Mother's Day present. The company is KidzCanDesign and they take children's drawings and etch them into silver to make a necklace.

KidzCanDesign

I fell in love with the idea and sent them this picture.

Brandon drew this on his first day of Kindergarten in 1989. I've had it framed and hanging since then.

Since I cried his whole first day, you can imagine how I felt when he came home with this and there we are, holding hands!

I can't wait for my necklace to get here, I'll show it to you when it comes.

I've been trying to get domino necklaces ready to add to my Etsy shop.

I just got this Princess Domino Necklace up and running and need to work on editing more photo's for the other ones.

Okay, this post is all over the place! I did warn you, total randomness!

I've got one more thing for you.

Doesn't this Lemon Sugar Scrub from A Pumpkin & a Princess just scream summer?!

I can't wait to make it!

Have a great Monday!

Happy Mother's Day!

2013-05-12T06:52:00.001-05:00

Wishing all of you mom's out there a truly beautiful and fun day!

And to my mom:

Mom, I still think of you and miss you every single day.

I love you.

Chevron Stenciled Mini Tote Bag

2013-05-10T08:32:00.001-05:00

I needed a small tote bag and couldn't find one anywhere.

So I did what every crafter in the world does, I made my own.

Want to know why there's a bag of pistachio's in there?

Because we spend most of our summer at the ball park watching this little superstar play.

I hate lugging my purse around at the games and needed something small to put the essentials in.

You know, essentials like my phone, cash for concession stand, pistachio's, sunflower seeds...

the important things.

I found this small canvas bag at Hobby Lobby for $1.99. Perfect size.

I was afraid the chevron would show up too much under the flower, so I laid the inside of the flower stencil on first.

Then added the chevron stencil over it.

I created the chevron by using a zig zag border pattern on my Cameo and duplicating it.

Then painted. I used regular paint with fabric medium added to it.

After it's dry, peel the old stencils off and add the flower stencil. Because you added the negative parts of the flower first, you'll be able to see where to put it.

And paint again.

Now the flower looks okay, but I thought the outline needed to be more defined.

So I added puff paint around the edges. Also a button in the middle and a couple of beads tied to ribbon for the zipper pull.

It's too long for my model, but it's perfect for me.

Believe me, you would rather see Jordyn modeling it instead of me.

You're welcome.

Did you notice the necklace she's wearing?

It's the domino baseball necklaces I made for all of us to wear because "Team Jace" needs a little bling in the stands.

And just because I can, let's have one more look at Slugger, shall we?

Happy Friday!

Here are the link parties I join.

It's a Party! #105

2013-05-08T16:47:00.001-05:00

Hi and welcome to the party!

Guess what Greg and I did today? Well, Greg did, I watched. Took a sledge hammer and got rid of the old tub in our main bathroom. We're gutting it and remodeling the whole thing.

We just finished doing that to our bathroom and now the main bath, you ask?
Why yes, we like to punish ourselves like that.

It will be so nice when it's all done, but oh, what a mess!!

Link up anything you want to share with us this week. It can be your fabulous craft, yummy recipe, giveaway, shop, etc.

I'll feature the Top 5 most viewed links next Wednesday.

I would love for you to follow A Creative Princess while you're here!

If you would like to grab an It's a Party button (on the sidebar) and post it on your blog somewhere, that would be great! Let's get the word out and grow this party.

The more the merrier!

We all love comments, so please visit other links and have fun!

Hits of the Party

2013-05-08T04:23:00.002-05:00

I'm pleased to announce that every bit of the 3" of snow that we had last week is all melted and it's been in the 60's and 70's this week!!

Should I get my hopes up and believe Spring is here for real this time?

Here are a few of the great projects we had linked up at last week's It's a Party:

Second Chances by Susan made the most awesome Duct Tape Purse and Flower that I have ever seen!

These Grape Soda Cupcakes from the TipToe Fairy look and sound so fun and delicious.

Who knew that these simple Little Birds from Craft with Ruth Cartwright could be so darn cute?!

These Magnetic Pockets that Jill from Creating my way to Success made are a perfect way to use up your fabric scraps and so useful.

(You should see my refrigerator!)

I can't wait to try these Cheddar, Bacon, Ranch Pinwheels from Krafty Cards, etc. made. My family will love them!

Thank you to everyone who linked up and I'll be back later today to get this week's party started.

Want Some Cool Sunglasses?

2013-05-07T06:17:00.001-05:00

Jace and Jordyn were here Sunday and we did a little sunglasses designing.

This little craft we did turned into a full blown sunglasses party!

Notice Jace's extra mustache? That'll give you a hint of what's to come.

Here's what started this frenzy.

Hobby Lobby had their "Summer!" items half off last week, so I picked up the sunglasses along with some colored craft foam and these:

mustache stickers.

(There were more in the package, but they got ripped into and taken before I had a chance to take a picture.

All we did was take the mustache stickers and stuck them to the sticky craft foam and cut them out.

I cut and added the ball chain to the sunglasses. I used a hole punch through the mustache.

We had a whole pack of craft foam leftover and that's when the fun really started!

Jordyn cut, stuck, and the fun began!

And her work here was done.

(Ignore Greg's shoes laying there.)

Why does he have to leave them in that same place all the time?!

Jace needed a beard to go with his mustache.

See Christina in the background?

Our sunglasses are pretty cool!

Let the party begin!

Have I told you lately how much I love this family of mine?

And yes, we even had Gage involved!

CafePress

2013-05-06T07:15:00.000-05:00

I recently found what has now become my new "go to" site for awesome gifts.

Are you familiar with CafePress?

They specialize in unique and custom items like shirts, mugs, bags, canvases, phone cases and so much more. Seriously, you could spend hours browsing their site!

I really need this mug!

And this phone case with my blog name on it.

This hoodie is perfect for Jordyn!

I started playing around with a custom t-shirt and found it was so easy to do.

You pick out the style of shirt you want and start designing it.

See what I mean? So many choices, so little time!

Here are a couple more items on my wish list:

(Could that bag be any cuter?)

Go ahead, grab a cup of coffee and head on over to CafePress.

I know you're going to love this site as much as I do!

This is a sponsored post written by me, but all opinions and love of CafePress are my own.

Happy Sunday!

2013-05-05T07:16:00.001-05:00

Yesterday we had the joy of celebrating a milestone in one very special little guys life.

Jace's 1st Communion

Papa and I are so proud of you, Jacer. We love you.

Saturday Showcase

2013-05-04T06:52:00.002-05:00

If you're like me and have always wondered how to add a post gallery to your sidebar, then you need to check out this tutorial at A Typical English Home.

Angela did all the work and gives the HTML code to create your own gallery. She does such a great job of explaining it that I think even I can start working on it!

How to Add a Gallery to your Sidebar in Blogger

Have an awesome weekend!

Here's Your {Nautical} Sign

2013-05-03T08:40:00.001-05:00

After we finished our bathroom makeover, I knew I wanted something nautical in there. I really couldn't find anything that just blew me away, so...

I made my own sign. Or frame, or wall hanging, or whatever you want to call it.

I had wood grids from old windows that Greg replaced in a house so I grabbed a set and painted it antique white. And yes, I use the top of the old playhouse that needs to go to the dump as a painting table. Now that I think about it, I should paint and decorate it and actually use it outside for crafts.

The advantage to making the sign yourself is you can use the lyrics from your own favorite song.

I bought thick poster board and cut it into six pieces to fit each individual frame, mod-podged the paper on and used spray adhesive for the burlap.

Then stapled each piece to the frame. I ran out of staples and didn't want to get dressed (being honest here) and go to the store, so I used thumbtacks on the last piece.

To finish the sides, I hot glued jute around it a couple of times.

And used rope to hang (glued on).

It's so hard to take a photo in the bathroom, but I wanted you to see how well the colors in the frame matched the new tile.

Sometimes I shock myself when it all works out like that!

Happy Friday!

Here are the Link Parties I join.

It's a Party! #104

2013-05-01T16:36:00.001-05:00

Before we start the party I want to take this time to thank all of you for taking the time each week to come and link up. That means a lot to me. Thank you!

Link up anything you want to share with us this week. It can be your fabulous craft, yummy recipe, giveaway, shop, etc.

I'll feature the Top 5 most viewed links next Wednesday.

I would love for you to follow A Creative Princess while you're here!

If you would like to grab an It's a Party button (on the sidebar) and post it on your blog somewhere, that would be great! Let's get the word out and grow this party.

The more the merrier!

We all love comments, so please visit other links and have fun!

Hits of the Party

2013-05-01T06:27:00.000-05:00

Happy May Day!

I hope someone hangs a basket of flowers on my front door today. Remember doing that as a kid?

We had another fabulous party last week. Here are a few of the Hits of the Party.

A Little of This, A Little of That shared this adorable Girls Room Reveal.

I love this DIY-Portable Fire Feature from With A Blast.

I can't tell you how happy I am that Sarah Lynn's Sweets shared her Copycat Orange Julius Recipe. An Orange Julius is a must have for me every time I go to the mall!

Did you see the Vintage Rolling Pin Hook Rack at day2day SuperMom? Love it!

Wesens-Art did it again with her super cute DIY Key Purse.

Thank you to everyone who linked up. You're the greatest!

See you back here later this afternoon for this week's party.

Another Lamp Upcycle

2013-04-30T06:59:00.001-05:00

Sometimes all it takes is a little spray paint to...

save a lamp from the graveyard in the attic or basement.

I had this hanging by my sewing machine in my craft room and since I got new lighting for in there, I didn't need it anymore.

We recently bought new furniture for the family room and I ended up with a love seat that could use a small light above it.

So Sunday the light came down and I grabbed the spray paint and headed outside.

Let there be (a new) light!

The "Never Let Your Kids..." canvas doesn't show up well in the other photos.

It's Here, if you want to see it up close and personal.

I scored that "Laugh..." wall hanging at Old Time Pottery for $7.50. Yeah, that was my lucky day!

The "Loved you yesterday..." canvas is Here.

Now, (if you don't mind) I need to vent. It was 80 degrees here in Missouri yesterday and again today. I just listened to the weather for the rest of the week and it's supposed to snow on Thursday!

What the &%$@*!!!

I'm Mat (doormat)

2013-04-29T06:49:00.001-05:00

I've seen this all over Pinterest for a long time and always wanted to make one.

I finally did it last week!

One of the reasons I put it off for so long was because I wanted to cut the stencil for my letters using my Cameo and I didn't know how to cut longer than 24" and I was lazy and didn't want to take the time to sit and figure it out.

(That was the longest sentence ever!)

It was so easy, I can't believe I was so scared to try!

You have to make sure you click "None" for Cutting Mat and that you are on "Landscape".

Then you just put in your own Width and Height for whatever size you need.

I was out of contact paper, so I used regular vinyl. Weed the letters out and use the big piece as the stencil. I had to remember to keep the inner part of the "A" and stick it on, too.

I use a dobber sponge instead of a brush and it really keeps the edges crisp (even on a rug).

I used fabric paint so it's washable.

Here's my problem. I love it and don't want to put it in front of the door and have people walk on it and get it dirty! I know, crazy, huh?

Have an awesome Monday. It's supposed to be 80 degrees here today.

I'm going outside!

Spring Frame Wreath

2013-04-26T09:01:00.001-05:00

You may remember the Easter Frame Wreath that I made. I was walking in the house the other day and decided it really needed to come down off the front door. (Ya think?!)

I really love the frame, so I just took off the Easter eggs and added a rolled paper flower to the middle.

I took a piece of scrap paper (8 1/2 x 11), cut it square, and then cut it into 4 smaller squares.

Roll it into a cone shape and tape the end to hold it.

Please tell me I'm not the only one who sticks the coasters from restaurants in my purse instead of using it on the table. Anyway, you're going to use that (or something like it) to glue the cones on.

Now start gluing them all on to fill in all the empty space and...

add a cute button in the middle.

You can't see it, but I glued a piece of jute to the coaster and then to the frame so that it would hang in the middle.

Happy Friday!

Here are the link parties I join each week.

It's a Party #103

2013-04-24T16:29:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the party! I'm so happy you're here!

I'm frantically trying to get our bedroom and family room cleaned out and deep cleaned because we've got new furniture coming on Friday. Why we bought 2 rooms of furniture and had them both delivered the same day is beyond me! (Hey, I never said we were the brightest crayons in the box.)

While I'm knee deep in dust, I think it would be a good idea to start a party.

I could use a break!

Link up anything you want to share with us this week. It can be your fabulous craft, yummy recipe, giveaway, shop, etc.

I'll feature the Top 5 most viewed links next Wednesday.

I would love for you to follow A Creative Princess while you're here!

If you would like to grab an It's a Party button (on the sidebar) and post it on your blog somewhere, that would be great! Let's get the word out and grow this party.

The more the merrier!

We all love comments, so please visit other links and have fun!

Hits of the Party!

2013-04-24T06:47:00.006-05:00

Happy Wednesday!

We had another great party last week. Thank you all for linking up!

How about we take another look at a few of the great hits of the party?

This Basket Lamp from My vintage window is one of the cutest things I've seen in a long time!

Who, besides me, wants to take a bite out of the screen when you look at these Lemon Pie Bars that Judy of Cranberry Morning made? YUM!!

All of the Grungy Grad Jewelry that Rena from Jewelry Making Journal made would make any graduate happy to receive. I love all of them!

Did you check out the secret ingredient that is in Crystelle Boutique's DIY Chalk Paint? This is perfect for me because I've never made my own chalk paint because I didn't want to buy a whole box of Plaster of Paris. I'll be making some now!

These Shabby Striped Stools from Denise...on a whim are absolutely adorable!

Have an awesome day and I'll see you back here later this afternoon for this week's party.

In the meantime, I'm going to be trying to stencil on a door mat. Wish me luck.

A Beachy Necklace

2013-04-23T07:22:00.001-05:00

A friend of mine was having a beach themed day at her work and ask me if I had any "beachy" washer or domino necklaces. I didn't, but it only took me about 10 minutes to whip her up one to wear.

Seriously, 10 minutes max!

I had these shapes and...

this paper.

I used the sand dollar and mod-podged it to the circle shape. We have a ton of the shell lei's from our trips to Hawaii, so I added a jump ring and attached it to the lei.

Because I didn't have 24 hours for Dimensional Magic to dry, I just used a couple of coats of Mod Podge over the top.

Now that I'm looking at this necklace, and it's supposed to snow here today, I think we should make a trip back to Hawaii for more lei's.

Oh Greg...I've got a great idea!

Rainbow Heart Bracelet and Ring

2013-04-22T06:00:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite places to find craft supplies is Wholeport.

Besides all of your basic supplies, they also have a ton of unique items that you just can't find anywhere else. Like the hearts in this bracelet.

Wholeport recently sent me a package of these bright and cheery cabochons.

Since I know a few little girls that would love them, I got right to work.

I had that bracelet and ring in my stash and the hearts fit both of them perfectly.

I used E-6000 and glued the hearts in the squares and on top of the ring base. Then added Dimensional Magic to the bracelet.

These cabochons come in a package of 10. Wouldn't they make great little party gifts?