Crafty Me....I Made it Myself!

SNOWFLAKE TIME

2019-11-16T13:31:00.003-08:00

Snowflakes made from Dollar Tree Small Christmas trees

What you need:

6 small, white Christmas trees

White tape (wide)

Patience ....Lol

Enjoy!!!
Watch the video instructions below

Click here for Instruction video :-)

Pizza Dough Recipe

2019-02-16T03:03:00.001-08:00

Happy Valentines Day!!

How about some Heart Shaped Pizza

Well you need the right dough...lol

I tried packaged mixes first and they were too sticky to work with....

so Next we went with the old tried and true

Gold Medal Flour cookbook www.goldmedalflour.com

We decided not to put the shredded cheese in the recipe. Tasted great as always.

Little Things

2018-06-22T03:33:00.000-07:00

Little Things

Simple little things give me the biggest joy sometimes....

It doesn't have to be expensive or too shiny to make my heart bubble up a little.

One of my favorite things.

Earlier this spring I purchased a house and I had a lot

of fixing up to do.
When the weather got nicer, I wanted

to make a little place on my screened in porch to

relax and watch the

trees blow, the rabbits play and watch the hummingbirds feed.

I found a little table at the thrift store and painted it a "beachy"

kind of blue and found some already whitewashed

baskets and shells from the dollar store.

to add a little bit of magic to my night time visits to my new "special place"

I took out one of my wide mouth mason jars and added a little string

of micro lights to it...purchased at Walmart

it gives the impression of Fireflies in a jar.

Fall deco

2017-10-31T02:06:00.001-07:00

My friend Billie Jo is so talented!!!

Check out all her fall wreaths and decorations

Love the color in these!!

Happy scarecrow head :-)

This one is my favorite!!

Autumn Inspiration

2017-10-15T11:03:00.001-07:00

So....I don't know if anyone else struggles with sleepless nights but lately mine have been beneficial, only to the degree that my creativity has been heightened during those wee hours of the morning between 12am and 3:30am.

My son asked me why I am crafting in the middle of the night and my only response was...."well I was awake and my brain was spinning" I thought I'd better take advantage of it.

for the past three years my creativity has been curbed to say the least because of all the stress in my life right now, so a little reprieve is well worth the hours of sleep that were lost. I'd rather be productive than tossing and turning for those few hours.

So this was project #1

I took an antique mason jar and wired the lid to hang off the back and put some glass rocks and river rock in the bottom, constructed a fall arrangement from silk flowers purchased at www.walmart.com

I also saw my bin of fabric in my craft room that I had planned on getting rid of, for the move to a different house and low and behold there was fall fabric in there that was going to look great under the arrangement.

(sorry the picture isn't that great...the phone I have doesn't take great pics but that will soon be rectified) :-)

Now get out there and make something!! lol

Garden

2017-09-26T01:56:00.000-07:00

The summer has come to an end and fall has arrived, although you wouldn't guess it from the 90 degrees temps the last week. I happened to see this picture from my garden on my shutterfly account and it made me both happy and sad. I loved spending time weeding my garden and seeing all the flowers and plants that I had planted, full of life and color. Now, it is time for a new chapter in my life as I get ready to move from this place that I've lived for 15 years.

I've enjoyed my time sitting in this garden, grooming my little area of the world and having an occasional visitor sit with me among the flowers and plants. The first time he came to visit he scared me to death....he leaped out at me from his hidden position where he had seemingly been stalking me, as I waved the collected weeds in my hand, unknowingly. He would periodically show up to lay among the flowers or roll on the patio and would accommodate my need to pet him by laying still for a little bit. I named him "my cat" although he technically belonged to the elusive neighbors who let him wander the neighborhood at his leisure. "My cat" is a good hunter, apparently, because he looks like he always has quite a full belly and seems very content with himself.

We recently had a stray black cat show up and looked like he was starving and I had a little chat with him and told him he needed to learn to catch mice like "my cat". We tried to feed the poor thing but he didn't seem interested and later wandered away, not to be seen since.

Well enough of my ramblings...enjoy the few pics of my favorite spot in my yard...

I may add some more if and when I find them... :-)

Repainted Stool

2017-09-11T20:15:00.001-07:00

Bought this solid oak stool at the thrift store for $5

Restrained the top a darker color

Painted the rest chalky black

I love the way it turned out!!

Cupcake Jars

2017-09-04T02:30:00.000-07:00

Cupcake jars....YUMMY!!!!

A friend at work made these adorable jars for her daughters first birthday....I think the possibilities are endless...

I can see these....with rainbow colors of cake....or fall colors....or Red and Green....

Red, White and Blue with sprinkles....Yummy!!

Hidden jewelry storage

2017-08-31T18:52:00.001-07:00

My friend from high school made this cute and handy jewelry case.

She found the picture at goodwill for $3 and then an old window frame for the back part..attached the artwork with some hinges.

She attached a piece of wood inside the window frame and used cup hooks for the necklaces. You could probably put some kind of little fabric mesh bags on the board to hold rings.

Be creative and I'm sure you can come up with your own version...

Thank you Diana for the great idea!!

(She said she loved the artwork but it had to be practical)

Dress made out of men's dress shirts

2017-08-29T20:03:00.001-07:00

I picked out two men's dress shirts that went together at a thrift store and used the top of one shirt and the bottom of the other and tried to make a dress...I cut the collar and sleeves off and tucked the edges in.. sewing clothing is hard for me. I know most of you can do much better than this... I would love to see what you've come up with..

Whimsical Watering Can

2017-05-31T05:48:00.001-07:00

My creative cousin made this wonderfully cute watering can for her garden and I love it!!!

Items needed: Metal watering can (farm and fleet)

Acrylic jewels (eBay)

Shepherd hook (Walmart)

Pliers

Extra jump rings ( for jewelry)

Attach strings of jewels with jump rings into holes in can...

Another Fairy Garden

2017-04-29T09:40:00.001-07:00

face="Georgia" size="6">I was recently visiting a woman's house when I noticed a couple of different scenes she had set up in her yard... enchanted little places where fairies and trolls live. (There are always lots of mushrooms in these places... makes me think differently of mushrooms.) They caught my eye and I asked her if I could share them with all of you. She loves to share the enjoyment she gets from her little piece of heaven, which is her yard. She told me that she thought of removing the little pond in the fairy garden and then realized that a local toad had taken up residence there and decided that disturbing his little sanctuary would be cruel... so we wait for him or one of his relatives to come back this summer and revisit his spa.

Handmade Oven Mitt

2016-10-24T16:48:00.000-07:00

Handmade Oven Mitt.....

Don't burn your hands anymore!!!!

What you'll need:

Scissors
Fabric
(two different Patterns)
Pins
Insul-Bright
(heat resistant felt)

Sewing Machine

Spring Pinecone Wreath

2016-03-20T20:21:00.004-07:00

A friend of mine gave me permission to post a picture of her latest project...that I think is sooo Cute. she had her grandaughter help her paint the pine cones and oh how cute it is!!!

Take a look and be inspired!

Christmas Stockings from Old Sweaters

2014-11-29T18:52:00.000-08:00

Here is my newest video on YouTube....

I think I really need to add music to these. :-)

I will have to put my son back to work, he can edit these faster than I can.

here are some pics of the stockings after I was done.

I still have one more to make....or two :-)

that fur is the softest stuff...I love the look of it.

The white stocking looks like it belongs to Bigfoot....lol

might have to go back in there and trim his toenails... hee hee

Make Your Own Notepads

2014-11-18T17:40:00.000-08:00

Items you'll need to complete this project ...

Paper cut into the size you want for the notepad
Aleene's Tacky glue
sponge paint brush

Wood to make your clamp, you can decide the size.
2 5" screws
4 washers
2 bolts

Re-Covered Mouse Pads

2014-11-09T14:17:00.003-08:00

Here is a video for Recovering an old mouse pad...

New Projects Coming

2014-11-09T02:24:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the delay in new content. I had to get a full time job due to life changing events and that leaves little time for making new posts or projects.....but....I have one in the "can" as they use to say.... hee hee... and that doesn't mean the toilet....lol

I'm having a little trouble remembering my YouTube password. I have so many different passwords in my head and then websites make you change them periodically....so I'm at a loss for what that one is at the moment. Then, I had the video edited and it disappeared....so I may have to start over again. We will see what happens.

I have also lost all my "camera people" due to "Mine Craft" They are either all playing that (mining diamonds and other things to make square pigs and cows..lol) or they are trying to become YouTube sensations and so they have little time to become Mom's camera person. So I am back to trying to video tape it myself, which isn't always as easy as it may sound.

And speaking of Mine Craft....does any Adult besides "Captain Sparkles" understand that game...I watch them play it and build these elaborate "worlds" with houses and water falls and hidden rooms....all with a pick ax in hand and I just don't quite get the fascination with it. I watch them put all these memorized codes in to move here and there and see their frustration as they allow other people to come into "their world" only to be betrayed and have the world totally destroyed. I don't get the fascination with it. If somebody I invited here to visit, killed all MY sheep (mind you, I don't have any) I wouldn't invite them back and I think I would stop allowing visitor to come near my sheep and other livestock and I definitely wouldn't invite them into my home.

Does anyone else have children who are "Mining" and aspiring to be wealthy like "Captain Sparkles"?

Just wondering.

So, on that note, I go back to crafting and say....soon, my friends. I will have some wonderful creation for you, soon... :-)

Until then, you can check out my YouTube channel my channel My Channel and watch some older videos.

Also, I want to say thank you to all my readers. I may not have many subscribers on my blog, but I do have many who follow me on YouTube and I just wanted to say thank you for reading my blog and watching my videos.

Re-purposed Metal Yard Chair

2014-07-12T18:25:00.002-07:00

A friend of mine was getting rid of some chairs and I was heading to the

dump to make a little extra change so I was thankful to take them.....

I was thinking they were folding chairs

but, then I saw them....I said...

"I don't think these are going to make it to the dump" hee hee

I had the perfect idea .....

I scrapped some of the chipping paint off and put some

Rustoleum on them and viola'

I still may do something different with the tile looking back...but

I'm not sure....

The other one is on my patio...so cute!

I borrowed my neighbor's plant to put on there until I got

one of my own.... I love it!

Thank you Annie for the chairs...much better than taking them to the dump.

♥

"Selfie" Fun Album

2014-06-23T08:42:00.000-07:00

We all know how our kids like to take our

phones and cameras and take pictures of themselves....

who doesn't love a "selfie".

I remember as a kid how I loved looking at pictures

of myself.

So, I was looking through some old CD's of pictures last night

and ran across some pretty funny ones of the kids

and thought to myself...wouldn't it be fun to

make a Shutterfly album or one that you make yourself
with some of these silly pictures that they
have taken over the years...

It would help document their interests and what they were

thinking about and their sense of humor while they

were young.

this is apparently him practicing his mugshot photos... hee hee

One of them made this on the "paint" program

My oldest was fascinated with all my old show wigs that

I wore when singing...I think this was Reba McIntyre

I found a lot of pictures of my son's toys...this was his backpack

ready to spend the night at Grandmas

They took a camera to my moms to document their stay

My son also liked to lay out his clothes the

night before and put his Spiderman pillow in there

for the head. lol

I had to put one of myself in there. We found baby squirrels in

the yard and they were very friendly...this one was trying

to climb up my leg...

not sure what is on his head....

this was probably his first great selfie... love it!

New Quilt

2014-06-04T21:01:00.000-07:00

New Quilt in Progress

I have been wanting to make a quilt to

take to baseball games, for years...

even started a couple.

One was too pretty to put on the ground

at games.....so

I gave it to my sister instead

This one started out as miscellaneous

squares in the middle...then I just kept building it out

towards the edge... It also has sections

of fabric from Block Party Studios with

scripture verses on them.

It was one of my first

"quilt as you go" quilts.

The next one...was sort of a disaster right at the very start.

I bought already cut batik squares at Walmart.

I thought I would just piece them together and

it would be easy peasy...right? Nope

Looked horrible no matter what I did....still haven't decided how to

fix it...

So now I'm on to the next idea...

I have a bunch of squares....all different sizes

that I've made over the years. They

are also all different designs. Some are paper pieced,

some are disappearing nine patch, plain squares,

and samples of machine embroidery...quite a

mishmash

I've decided to put them all together in the same quilt,

even though they are nothing alike. What else am I

going to do with them? right?

So I'm building this quilt in horizontal strips...

and then I will probably quilt as you go.

I don't know what I will do when I run out of squares....

I guess just start making borders.

check out the progress so far

I think it's going to be interesting....

to say the least....

I'll keep you posted on the progress...

Unique "Suitcase" End Table

2014-05-30T07:09:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine posted some pics of a purchase that she

had just made...of an old suitcase.

As soon as I saw it, I knew what I would do with it.

I would make a table!!

Since this isn't actually my suitcase, I can't show

you what I would do...so I'll tell you ;-)

I think I would start by covering all the hardware with tape

and then spray painting it with

whatever color would look good with the handle...

Maybe a little darker color blue.

Or leave it like it is...

If you wanted to, you could recover the inside...if it was something

that you thought you would store things in.

I'm sure Joann's has some cute fabric.

I would then cut a piece of wood a little smaller than the

bottom of the suitcase and would attach some

cute legs to it, and attach the wood piece to the bottom of the suitcase!

I've seen many different versions of this...so it's all up
to your imagination!

and now I'm on my way to the thrift stores to see what I can find

Another Fairy Garden

2014-05-29T02:47:00.000-07:00

Yet another version of a fairy Garden

from our local greenhouse

Village Green

check out their website above for more pictures of
their wonderful gardens....under the tab "garden"

sorry these are a tad blurry....they were taken with my phone...which is not "smart" lol

I think I may move some of my things to a potted fairy garden...

These are the same blue stones that I got for mine....they weren't such a good idea for outside....because when it rains....they tend to go places.... ;-)

I was just thinking that the other alternative would be to

make a creek bed....my manufacturing it in some way and gluing

the rocks to it and then putting it in the garden....that way they would stay put...

they sell all the little plants to go in your pot...so many fun things to put in there...

I love little things...

I love the little house made out of wood....

Taking Great Pictures

2014-05-12T20:04:00.001-07:00

We have a wonderfully talented friend who has a special talent for taking pictures and for teaching others how to do the same....I asked her if she would share some of the info that is on her blog and she said yes....so....welcome my guest blogger
Carolyn.

What Makes a Great Photograph

Let’s be real. Anyone can take pictures these days. Everyone has a cell phone, a point and shoot, or a fancy DSLR. That’s why it’s so hard to break out into photography…because everyone can be a photographer. Do you wonder how the photographers that have successful businesses make it past the “everyone can do it” to “people are coming to me so I can do it for them?” Well they have talent, they’re very business savvy, but they also know The Secret. Instead of setting their camera on auto and shooting aimlessly, they know the secrets to what makes a great photograph.

Composition:
As a building needs a strong foundation, so does a picture. You need a good composition that will grab the viewer’s eye from afar. Does your picture have interesting shapes? Lines? Contrast? Take for instance the picture below. Your eye is drawn to the contrast of the yellow leaf against the gray background. The line of the stick leads you right into the picture. Once you are drawn in, you then notice the other details. Like perhaps the small water droplet at the tip of the leaf.

Perspective: If you use the same perspective in every picture you take, every picture you take is going to have the same perspective. Well, duh! What I’m saying is- if you want to have new and exciting pictures every time…you have to change it up. Shoot above your subject, below them, to the side. Make your subject switch positions. I know some people take 5 pictures of the same pose. Don’t do that! Every time you hear the shutter click, switch up your position. You may be getting an awesome picture you wouldn’t have gotten otherwise.

First picture I’m crouching down with my subject.

Second picture I’m standing on top of my fiance’s shoulders! Oh the possibilites…(and the things you’ll find to use!)

Framing:A subject standing against a plain background can be a very effective picture, but sometimes you’re looking for that extra spark. Sometimes your picture just needs that special something. Framing is using shapes and lines that draw your viewer to your subject. Here I used the four windows to frame our guitar player.

Here you have the doorway to bring your eyes right in to this charming senior.

There you have it. The Secrets. Not so much a secret because us photographers don’t like to share…but more a secret because not many photographers know. When you look at a picture and decide whether you like it or not, I can guarantee it has something to do with these 3 tips. If you find you’re stuck in a rut and aren’t getting the results you want…don’t go out and buy tons of expensive gear. Go back and learn the basic of a photo. This will help you learn what makes a great photo, and help you to re create it. Now these are just my 3 ideas…what are yours?

Happy shooting,

Carolyn

Check out Carolyn's Blog or

visit Carolyn on Facebook

Painted Refrigerator

2014-05-08T22:00:00.000-07:00

Well...I was looking at my refrigerator and thinking..

how ugly it was and why not

paint it black with chalkboard paint...

so here is the adventure...

This is the frig before....ugly almond ...that didn't

really go with the kitchen at all...you

know...90's almond... yuck!

So we started out by using a regular primer on the whole refrigerator....

and then applied the chalkboard paint...it was

the Disney brand.

We let it cure for 7 days before priming it with chalk,

which is basically, lightly rubbing the chalk on the fridge

on its side and covering the whole surface and then

wiping it off....then it is ready to

accept the chalk without staining it...

To clean...just use water on a soft sponge and wipe clean...

I think it looks so much better in our kitchen with our stainless appliances

and darker cabinets...much better than

Almond.

Crafty Me....I Made it Myself!

SNOWFLAKE TIME

Pizza Dough Recipe

Little Things

Fall deco

Autumn Inspiration

Garden

Repainted Stool

Cupcake Jars

Hidden jewelry storage

Dress made out of men's dress shirts

Whimsical Watering Can

Another Fairy Garden

Handmade Oven Mitt

Spring Pinecone Wreath

Christmas Stockings from Old Sweaters

Make Your Own Notepads

Re-Covered Mouse Pads

New Projects Coming

Re-purposed Metal Yard Chair

"Selfie" Fun Album

New Quilt

Unique "Suitcase" End Table

I would make a table!!

I've seen many different versions of this...so it's all upto your imagination!

Another Fairy Garden

Taking Great Pictures

Painted Refrigerator

I've seen many different versions of this...so it's all up
to your imagination!