Stuff-n-Such By Lisa

Baby Gift Ensemble

2018-08-08T02:10:00.000-07:00

I am really enjoying getting to do a lot of sewing right now and I have been trying new things, such as this version of a "Boppy" pillow cover from "Made by Marzipan" called the "Poppy Pillow Slip Cover".

I have a friend who recently had a baby and thought it would be cool to make her a "custom" cover for her nursing pillow!

She likes the mustache theme and is into camo, so I made a matching bib and burp cloth to go with the Boppy cover.

I found the pattern for the bib at "Alice and Lois" and the pattern for the burp cloth at "Cloud 9 Fabrics".

Supplies/Tools Used for this Project:

Fabric - Alexander Henry Fabrics, Nicole's Prints, De Leon Design Group DE#7567 A "Where's My Stache?" (2011)
Fabric - JoAnn's, Flannel, Gray Camo
Pattern - Poppy Pillow Slip Cover - Made By Marzipan
Pattern - Bib - Alice & Lois
Pattern - Burp Cloth - Cloud 9 Fabrics
Thread - Coats & Clark - 100% Polyester - Gray S910 H6 600
Zipper, 18"
Scissors
Straight Pins
Iron
Sewing Machine - Janome New Home 49360
Clear Tape (to tape PDF Pattern Pieces together)

This combination made for such a cute baby Gift!

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my blog!

For more up-to date craft goodness and some fun, crafty live chat, Like/Follow my Facebook Page Stuff-n-Such by Lisa.

This post is linked-up to the following sites/linky parties:

Post Related Affiliate Links:

2018-05-05T15:31:00.002-07:00

Hello Crafty friends!

I have been absent here on my blog for awhile, have been concentrating more on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube lately as those social media platforms seem to bring me better results.

But, I am wanting to get back to blogging on a regular basis and hope to do that soon!

One new craft adventure I have been on lately, is learning about Art Journaling (aka: Junk Journaling), Mixed Media and Altered Art.

I am so inspired by some of the artists I have discovered on YouTube and Facebook!

I am still learning, so I do not have any completed projects to blog about yet, but I'm hoping that will come soon!

In the meantime, thought you might like to check out my Pinterest Boards on these subjects and get some inspiration yourself!

Also, if you'd like to watch the replay of my Coffee, Crafts & Chat that I did on this subject, just click on the link below:

https://www.facebook.com/stuffnsuch/videos/2117208774995193/

Thank-you for stopping by!

Vintage Pattern Giveaway!!!

2018-02-20T03:08:00.000-08:00

***GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED***

Well...Hello there!

It's been just a wee bit since I've posted here...I've had a lot going on the last year and wanted to focus more on actually doing some sewing and crafts rather than talking about it a lot!

I am back though and wanted to share with my followers this great giveaway I have going on:

You can win 5 Vintage patterns of your choice and a $25.00 Amazon Gift card too!

Lot's of great Vintage Patterns to choose from, including: Simplicity, McCall's and Vogue!

Just click on the photo above and it will take you to my Google Form where you can enter the giveaway!

All of the rules and details are on the form.

Good Luck and come back soon! Lot's of great crafting goodies to come!

Cinderella Princess Dress for American Girl Doll

2017-07-04T14:54:00.000-07:00

Well, It's been a long while since I have posted...about 9 months in fact!
That's just crazy, but I've had a lot going on with my health and just getting priorities straight in my life!

It's good to be back though, and I hope I will be better about posting on a regular basis now.

I've gotten so behind that a lot of the projects I will be posting will be several months to a year old, but I'm hoping they will still be of interest to my readers/followers.

I love to sew and as my regular readers know I've been sewing a lot of doll dresses lately specifically American girl doll dresses!

Here is one I made for my precious Grandgirl "B", a Cinderella Dress from Simplicity 5705 view C.

I have three granddaughters and two nieces who love dolls so I stay pretty busy cranking out those outfits!

I suppose I would consider my sewing skills to be somewhere between beginner and intermediate.
Even though I've been sewing since I was a child I've had large gaps of years where I didn't sew at all.

And for that reason I sometimes struggle with the more difficult patterns and working with fussy types of fabrics.

I can't tell you how many times I cussed while trying to sew these princess outfits with these sheer fabrics such as tulle, satin and crêpe!

I look back on it now though and am grateful for the experience!

If I can get good at sewing these little tiny doll clothes with such difficult fabrics hopefully I will be able to do an even better job on regular size clothing!

When I first bought this awesome pattern, the Grandgirls and nieces were immediately smitten with all the pretty styles and each one picked out their favorite for me to make for them!

I started with the Mermaid dress, which I made and blogged about here.

Then I made the Belle dress for my Grandgirl "J" and thought I was going to end my stint making tiny princess doll dresses!

Fortunately, after a bit of time passed...I was ready to give it another try and make the Cinderella dress for Grandgirl "B"!

She had been so patient waiting for it...and I didn't want to let her down.

I was surprised to find that this one went much smoother than the first two!

It makes sense I suppose...after struggling with the first two and a lot of trial and error on those dresses, I was finally starting to understand all of the pattern instructions and how to work with the difficult fabrics.

I had a little bit of trouble making the "pouf" sections around the waist of the dress, but a call to Simplicity and a google search or two helped me figure it out!

I usually post a photo showing what tools and supplies I used for a project,

but somehow when I completed this project, I forgot to take a photo of the supplies and tools, so since it has been awhile...I won't try to gather all of those things up for a photo, but I will put this list here for reference:

Tools/Supplies Used for this Project:

(Note: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.”)

Pattern, Simplicity 5705 Disney Princess Costumes for 18" Dolls

Fabric - Satin Solid w/Glitter, Sky Blue

Fabric - Cotton/Broadcloth/Poplin? (Not sure exactly as this was a scrap piece) - Used to make the lining/interfacing of the bodice.

Fabric - Cotton Woven, Light Blue (For Headband)

Tulle, Light Blue - (For Slip)

Sewing Machine - Janome New Home 49360

Elastic

Fairfield Polyester Fiberfill (for Puffs/Poufs)

Ribbon, White Satin, w/Silver Accents, 5/8", Christmas House Brand (For Trim on Bottom of Skirt/Dress)

My sweet Granddaughter "B" was so happy, and that's what matters most to me!

Hope you enjoyed my post!

If you did, please leave a comment below, pin or share my post!

Thank-you for stopping by my blog!

Hope to see you again soon!

This project/post is linked to the following Link Parties/Pages:

Spider Web Door Hanger For Halloween

2016-09-06T04:35:00.002-07:00

It's hard to believe that Fall is fast approaching and that Halloween is "creeping" up on us!

Of course what would the Holiday be without a little "Craft Lightning"??!!

This awesome series has been hosted for a few years now by Angie at Country Chic Cottage and Carolina from 30 minute Crafts and it is always so much fun!

This edition is highlighting Halloween and is co-hosted by: Jen Goode from the blog "100 Directions".

I have been collecting bottle caps for awhile, just imagining all the crafty possibilities they hold...so I decided it was time to try and use some of them up before Hubby asks that inevitable question..."What are you going to do with those?"

At first I wanted to make a Halloween-themed wind chime, but soon discovered that in order to make these babies "chime" I would need a ton of them and couldn't possibly get it done in 15 minutes or less, so I moved on to a simpler solution: a Door Hanger!

The most obvious thing I could think of that resembled the shape of the bottle caps was of course a pumpkin or a spider and I settled on spiders and a spider web!

This project was so easy to make and really the only time consuming part was taking the rubber seals out of the bottle caps. For this reason, I recommend you purchase the regular metal bottle caps that are made specifically for crafts, that don't include that seal.

If you aren't in a hurry though and you don't mind the tedious task of removing them, then by all means go ahead and recycle/upcycle!

Here is a short slideshow/video I made of how I assembled this project:

Here are the tools & supplies I used to make this project:

Supplies/Tools List:

(*Disclosure: Some text may contain affiliate links)

Wire Clothes Hanger

Pop Bottle Caps
Cricut Cuttle Bug Embosser (To Flatten Caps)
Black Spray Paint (Krylon)
Wood Block and Nail (To punch holes in bottle caps)
Hammer
Hot Glue Gun (AdTech Dual-Temp)
Glue Sticks (AdTech Multi-Temp)
Ruler
Lace, Black (Remnant from stash...brand unknown)
Lace Trim, Black (Remant from stash...brand unknown)
Scissors
Paint Pen, Silver (Marvy/Uchida DecoColor)
Decorative Bead Trim, Plastic, Silver (Hobby Lobby)
Needle Nose Pliers
Nylon MonoFilament (aka:Fishing Line)
Metal Scribe and/or wooden popsicle sticks

Be sure to check-out all of the other Halloween Goodies in this series by clicking on the info-graphic below!

Thank-you for visiting my blog today, hope you found some fun and inspiration and will visit again soon!

(*Stuff-n-Such, Lisa Hall, is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, and affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com)

DIY Sewing Cards for Kid's

2016-07-21T02:00:00.001-07:00

It's Craft Lightning time again and this one is all about Scout Crafts!

I remember as a young girl attending Brownies and Girl Scouts was always a fun adventure and my favorite part was all the crafts we did!

These organizations always taught such good values and important skills as well.

Sewing was one of the skills I learned back then and this project is a very basic way to teach beginning sewing skills!

I first did this project with my Grandaughters a few years back, to help teach them to sew and now I am proud to say my 8 year old Granddaughter has graduated to using a sewing machine!

As you know, I love to upcycle/recycle things in my crafts and these sewing cards were no exception.

I used old cereal boxes for the cardboard and printed out cute and colorful pictures/graphics from the internet to paste on the cardboard.

I found that the pictures looked better if I used a drier type glue to adhere them to the cardboard, such as "Zip Dry" glue which is used a lot in Scrapbooking projects to preserve the integrity of the photos and not make them appear "lumpy".

I made two versions of the cards, one with small holes for older kids and one with larger (and less) holes for the little ones.

I used some washi tape to cover the edges and poked the holes using a metal scribe on the small holes and the Crop-a-Dile II from We R Memory Keepers for the card with larger holes.

My Granddaughter who was 6 at the time was able to help with almost all of the steps in this project, so I would say it is perfect for any Scout troop with children ages 6 and above!

She was mighty proud when she was done...and so was little sister!

Here are the steps for making the sewing cards:

Here are the Supplies and Tools I used for this project:

Tools & Supplies Used:

Light to Med Weight Cardboard (such as a cereal box)

Photos or Graphics printed out from the Internet

Paper Trimmer, Fiskars

Ruler

Scissors

Razor Blade (Adult Use Only!)

Glue, Zip Dry

Wax Paper (Not shown in photo above), to cover photos/graphics while drying glue with pressure

Heavy Book or Flat Weight to aid in drying glue on cardboard smoothly and firmly

Metal Scribe Tool

Crop-o-Dile II, We-R-Memory Makers

Washi Tape, Scotch Brand

Yarn (Variegated, Multi-Color)

Colored String (Variegated)

Needle, Plastic (for yarn)

Needle, Metal (for string)

Be sure to stop by the other blogs featuring these fabulous Scout Crafts that only take 15 minutes or less!

Just click on the Info Graphic Below.

Thanks for visiting my blog, hope you will find this project useful and fun!

This project/post is linked to the following sites/link-up parties:

Father's Day Dresser Catch-All for Dad

2016-05-12T06:49:00.001-07:00

Time for another round of Craft Lightning and this one is a first...a Father's Day theme!

I really had to wrack my brain for this one...I am NEVER good at gifts for men or even boys for that matter!

I guess I just typically like the "girly" stuff...but fortunately while cleaning out some storage areas on our property, I came across this old crusty tool box (carrier) that hubby was going to throw out because apparently it had outlived it's usefulness...to him anyway!

I knew that I had this Craft Lightning post coming up and I thought surely I could think of something to make from this for Father's Day...and It finally came to me...a "catchall" box for that special "Dad" in you or your children's lives.

I don't know about the guys in your life, but I know my son's and my hubby in particular are not super concerned about where stuff goes when they are tired after a long day at work!

This catch-all will help keep them organized and not lose those important items they need for the next day or in the near future.

Perfect place for a wallet, work ID badge, watch, spare change, neck ties, fitbit, and a wedding ring or other jewelry for those guys who can't wear them at their jobs!

Really the hardest part of this project was getting the old, rusty, grubby tool carrier clean!
I'll have to admit that it took a lot longer than 15 minutes to do that part alone, but of course you don't have to start with something in such bad shape...you can always use a nice wooden box purchased from your local craft store and skip the cleaning step!

I just like to re-purpose old stuff that is headed for the landfill...if I can think of a way to make it useful.

I tried to only use tools and supplies that I had on hand for this project and this time that almost caused a big craft "fail", because the spray paint I used was some paint that had been in hubby's garage stash for quite awhile and I didn't realize that older spray paints can lose their air pressure after awhile and cause spotting.

If you look closely, you can see this is what happened to my project and I started to panic, because I didn't have a lot of time to start over...but after spraying the rest of the project I started actually liking the mottled/splotched look of the paint...it made it kind of gritty looking...more like it was suited for a man, so I left it be and hoped for the best.

Here is a short video of the steps I took to make this project:

Here are the tools/supplies I used for this project:

Tools/Supplies List:

(*Some Text May include affiliate links)

Old Metal Tool Carrier/Toolbox
Primer Gray Spray Paint, Rust-Oleum
Spray Pain, Blue
Cricut Explore
Cricut Design Space (Online Software)
Plantin Schoolbook Font (DAD)
Indie Art Cartridge (Wrench)
Freezer Paper, Reynolds
Recollections Turquoise Geometric Patterned Scrapbooking Paper, 12x12
Fiskars Paper Trimmer
Scissors
Ruler, Wooden
Ruler, Plastic, Cricut
Sharpie Pen, Black
Non-Slip/Grip Material (Not sure of the brand, I had it on hand in my kitchen!)
Aleene's Tacky Glue
Krylon Workable Fixatif
Mod Podge Clear Acrylic Gloss Sealer

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog and I hope you liked my Father's Day upcycled project!

Be sure to click on the graphic below and see all of the other great projects brought to you by other creative bloggers.

Many thanks to the hosts of Craft Lightning also: Angie from the Country Chic Cottage, Carolina from 30 minute Crafts and Danielle from Busy Mom's Helper.

See ya next time!

(*Stuff-n-Such, Lisa Hall, is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, and affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com)

Quick-n-Easy Collage Board

2016-03-10T01:29:00.000-08:00

When I was a child there was nothing that got me more excited than to see paper, glue and scissors!
I knew that meant some crafty fun and what better way to create than to start with these three basic things.

That is the inspiration behind my post today for "Busy Bag", the latest edition of the "Craft Lightning" series hosted by Angie from The Country Chic Cottage and Carolina from 30 Minute Crafts.
This edition is also co-hosted by guest blogger: Stacey with "Glued to My Crafts". (LOVE that blog name by the way!)

When I found out the topic of this version of Craft Lightning, I was a little stumped at first as my creative flow has been lacking lately because of other "stuff" going on in life...but then I remembered a draft post I started a couple of years ago, but never completed and I thought how perfect it would be for this series!

Since I babysit two of my Grandchildren, I often try to think of Crafty Fun to do with them and making collages was something I always loved, I thought it would be fun for the older Grandgirl at the time (Little B), who was 6.

I thought it would be nice to have her make something for her Momma to have at work to remind her of her girls during the day!

We started with a plain piece of cardboard and glued on some pretty tissue paper.

Then I had Little B tell me some things her Mommy liked and of course I knew of some things that my DIL liked and together we came up with ideas to include on the collage.

One thing she really likes is vintage pin-up girl pictures and I had just recently found this cool book full of pin-up photos at a yard sale. It had been partially damaged by water and I got it for practically free, so I felt like it was okay to salvage what pages were still good and not feel guilty about cutting-up the book!

We also printed out some instagram photos using my Zink printer which was really handy for this project!

The Starbucks logo and sweet little girl graphic were printed out from the internet using my Lexmark Printer.

My Granddaughter added some cute stickers and washi-tape accents and then we attached a pretty ribbon to the top for hanging.

I kept this project fairly simple so that it could be easily done by a 6 year old and be done quickly.

Even though the concept of a collage is nothing new...I think it's always timely and loved because of the thought and planning put into it. It says a lot about the person who made it and the person it is made for!

Me and my Granddaughter had so much fun making it too!
Made for some good memories for me and for her also I hope!

Here are the tools and supplies we used to make this project:

Tools/Supplies Used:

Pin-up Illustrations/Pages out of Book, "The Great American Pin-Up"
Zink Printer
Mini Personal Photos (printed on Zink Printer)
Printed Tissue Paper, Expressions from Hallmark, Lt. Purple design on White
Stickers, Tiny Crafts, Felt, Owls
Stickers, Puffy
Stickers, Me & My Big Ideas, Girly, Mambi Mini's, Words
Lexmark Printer (not shown in photo above)
Graphic of little Girl (Internet)
Logo/Graphic of Starbucks (Internet)
Aleene's Tacky Glue
Elmer's school glue stick
Stapler & Staples (to attach ribbon)
Scissors, Large Adult Size
Scissors, Kid-Safe (not shown in photo above)
Ribbon, Satin, Polka-Dot, Fuschia/Dk. Pink
Washi Tape, Tapefetti, Monster High

Be sure to stop by the other host blogs (click on graphic below) and see all the great Kid's Busy Projects you can do in 15 minutes or less!

Thanks for stopping in to visit my blog!

Valentine Love Letter Keepsake Box

2016-01-18T03:08:00.001-08:00

I know it might be "Old School" now...but back in my day, we wrote letters on paper to people we loved and cared about and what better way to store those precious memories than in an upcycled embellished old wine box!

My Sister recently sent me a ton of personal love letters that my Dad had sent to my Mom when they were dating and newly married and he was in the service.

These are precious to me and I wanted a way to store them where I could find them easily, as one day I want to read them all and gain more insight into my parent's relationship. Unfortunately they experienced rocky times in later years and ultimately divorced which was a sad and confusing time for me, but I know these letters will remind me of the love they once shared!

When Angie and Carolina announced the upcoming "Craft Lightning" for Valentine's Day...I knew this project I had in mind would be perfect for these special letters!

For those of you who are new here...Craft Lightning is a great series for craft & DIY bloggers that is hosted by Angie from the Country Chic Cottage and Carolina from 30 minute Crafts, where bloggers/crafters are challenged to create a quick craft that takes 15 minutes or less...minus drying time!

For this project, I kept it simple to meet those requirements...but you could of course get more fancy with this wine box and add more customized graphics or photos, or even stain it and give it an "antique" look!

So many fun and creative ways you can decorate these boxes and upcycle them into something useful and beautiful!

Not only can this box be used for special love letters, but it would make a cute collection box for a child's valentines from school or special photos near and dear to them or to you!

Here is a short video showing the steps taken to make this love letter keepsake box:

Here are the tools and supplies I used for this project:

Supplies/Tool List:

(*Disclosure: Some text may include affiliate links)

Wooden Wine Box
Rust-Oleum Primer and Sealer
ACE Enamel Spray Paint, Antique White/Cooler Beige
Paper Napkins, Heart Themed, (From WalMart)
Scissors
Aleene's Tacky Glue
Mod Podge
Foam Paint Brush
Rubber Stamp, Love, By Craft Smart
Q-Tips (if necessary for touch-up)
Ink Pad, Red, Studio G, Dye Ink*
Krylon Workable Fixatif
Mod Podge Gloss Sealer

* One note about the materials I used...I was a bit inexperienced in using ink on wood and probably did not use the best type of ink or medium to stamp this box. The ink I used was a "dye" type ink and it did not adhere well to the spray enamel paint on the wood and it never really fully dried to where I could coat it with Mod Podge.
What I did to remedy this situation was spray over the stamped areas with a light mist of the workable fixatif. I let that dry and then lightly sprayed it a second time.
Even then, I was not able to cover it with Mod Podge because it began to "bleed" red when I did.
(That is why I needed the Q-tips...to try and fix my messy looking, smeared boo-boo!)
So, I ended up just using the mod podge on the napkin cutouts and after the ModPodge and Fixatif dried...I covered the entire top of the box with ModPodge Gloss Sealer and it worked great to seal the whole thing so it looked shiny and the stamps didn't rub off!
(I think in hindsight I should have used either pigment stamp or acrylic paint to stamp with...oh well...live and learn!)

Hope you are inspired to create by visiting my blog today and be sure to click on the graphic below to see lots of other great Valentine Inspired projects from Crafty Bloggers!

This project/post is linked to the following sites/link-up parties:

http://www.craftsalamode.com/2017/02/what-to-do-weekends-party-211.html

Christmas Cinnamon Stick Car Air Freshener/Ornament

2015-11-09T04:17:00.000-08:00

The Holiday's are here and I have to say...it wouldn't be complete without the inspirational and fun "Craft Lightning" series hosted every year by Angie at Country Chic Cottage and Carolina at 30 minute Crafts!

For those few of you who may not have heard of it...Craft Lighting is a round-up of Crafts that take 15 minutes or less to make (minus drying time).

This year, for the Holiday edition Aunt Peaches joins in as a co-host with Angie and Carolina!

It gets a little tougher every year to come up with something "new" to make that hasn't been seen before...and I'm sure my project is not really new, but I have a hankering for recycle/upcycle projects using stuff I have collected (hoarded) over the years!

So I decided to make this scented Car Freshener Ornament:

I was trying to think of something different than just an everyday ornament and for some reason my car popped into my head as it's fairly new... yet has lost that "new car smell" that we all cherish so much!

So I thought how cool would that be to make a cute air freshener that could double as a Christmas Ornament!

There are other little touches you could add to this ornament to make it even better, but as I was trying to keep it at the 15 minute time frame, I didn't get too lavish!

One thing I thought of...was maybe adding a little pocket/pouch to the back of the ornament containing pot pourri or sachet scents as they are a bit stronger than just the cinnamon sticks alone.

You can also boil the cinnamon sticks to bring out more of the scent if they are older and have been sitting around awhile (like mine had been!).

When the sticks lose their scent, you can either add the sachet or a spray to it, or just use it as a pretty Christmas Ornament for your Holiday Tree!

Here is a video showing the steps taken on this project:

Here are the tools and supplies I used to make this project:

Supplies/Tools Used:

Mason Jar Lid (inside piece only)

Cinnamon Sticks, Holiday Time (Marketed By Walmart)

Small Beads, Wooden, 3 ea. (from excess stash on hand, brand unknown)

Drill, Black & Decker

Drill Bit, 1/8"

Hammer, Small, Ball Peen

Scissors

Scribe/Awl

Small Nail (for punching pilot hole for drilling)

Long Needle, (w/large eye for threading ribbon)

Toothpick (for applying glue to knots)

Ruler

Fabric Scrap (Mfr.Unknown, from Stash on-hand)

Felt, Red, Sparkle, Hobby Lobby

Embellishment, Holly Leaves, Plastic

Gold Cord

Ribbon, Dk. Red, Offray, 1/8"

Gold Leaf Pen, Krylon

Dress Marking Pencil, Lt. Blue

Sharpie Marker

Aleene's Tacky Glue

E6000 Glue

Mod Podge

Hope you enjoyed my post and be sure to visit Angie, Carolina and Aunt Peaches for more awesome Holiday Projects you can make in 15 minutes or less!

(Just click on the graphic below!)

Thanks for stopping by!

Fall is in the Air - Popcorn Box

2015-10-03T20:10:00.000-07:00

Every year Laura from Laura Kelly Designs hosts a great Blog Party where talented bloggers/crafters come together to create something fun from a Popcorn Box!

This is my first year to participate in this fun blog party and because Fall is my favorite season, I decided to decorate my box with that theme in mind.

I love using my Cricut Explore and immediately found some perfect cut-out designs in my library of over 100 cartridges! (Yes...I am obsessed!)

I chose the "Fall is in the Air" sentiment which is from the Autumn Celebrations Cartridge and the leaves were from the Sesame Street Seasons Cartridge.

Of course I didn't have to actually use cartridges as I have Cricut Design Space in addition to the Cricut Explore Machine, so all my cartridges are stored "digitally" in the Design Space Online Application. This is so conveinent and one of the many reasons I LOVE the Explore!

I was also sent a small goodie package for this project from Laura that contained some crafty items from some of the sponsors of this Popcorn Box Blog Party and I used some of the cute patterned scrapbook paper from "Adorn It" for the background on the front of the Popcorn Box.

We were not required to use any of these items in our project they were just complimentary from the various companies.

Here is a collage of all the steps I took to make this project:

Here is a photo of the tools and materials I used to make this project:

Supplies/Tools Used:

Cricut Explore Machine
Cricut Design Space Software/Application
Cricut Cartridge: Autumn Celebrations, Img #M35512 - "Fall is in the Air"
Cricut Cartridge: Sesame Street Seasons, Img #M38F65 - Leaf
Popcorn Box, (Cardboard) - World Market
Patterned Scrapbook Paper - Adorn-It
Various Colored Card Stock Pieces(Black, Cranberry Red, Dk. Brown, Lt. Beige) for Sentiment and Leaves
White Card Stock (for front template)
Aleene's Tacky Glue
Xyron Create-a-Sticker Machine
Precision Point Adhesive - Creative Memories
Foam Mounting Dots - 1/4", Front Porch Treasures
Pencil
Fiskars Paper Cutter
Cricut Tools - Spatula, Bone Folder, Pick
Waxed Paper
Paper Weights

Be sure to check out all of the other great projects in this party by visiting the linky below and be sure to enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter Widget below. There are some great prizes!

Thanks so much for stopping by...and "Happy Fall Ya'll" !!

Linky Code:

An InLinkz Link-up

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Halloween Mason Jar Light-Up Ghost

2015-09-06T04:01:00.000-07:00

I just love Halloween for all the crafty possibilities it brings and what better way to celebrate and showcase Halloween than with a Craft Lightning Round!

I always love participating in this great crafty collaboration with other bloggers and I am so appreciative of the Hosts: Angie from the Country Chic Cottage and Carolina from 30 Minute Crafts. For this edition of Craft Lightning there is a guest host also, Jen Goode, from 100 Directions!

So be sure to check out all of the other great 15 minute Crafts on their blogs also!

I was at a local craft store recently and saw a display of some of those popular glass blocks with lights in them and it gave me the inspiration for my project...a Spooky Mason Jar Ghost that lights up!

I didn't know how to make the mini string lights work well with a Mason Jar in the past, so I was pleasantly surprised to see this gem at my local Hobby Lobby!

It's already set up to fit a mason jar perfectly and the batteries are hidden inside the round piece that attaches to the lid!

I was pleased at the amount of light this gadget gives off considering it's powered by only a couple of AAA Batteries!

I decided to make my ghost a "girlie" ghost by adding a pretty faux fall flower.
It gave her a little flair and didn't take away from her "spookiness" at all!

Here is a video showing the steps to make this project:

Here are the tools and supplies I used for this project:

Supplies/Tools List:

Ball Mason Jar, Large, 7"
Transform Mason Jar LED Light Insert, Loew Cornell
Plastic Wrap, Sunny Select Brand
Aleene's Fabric Stiffener & Draping Liquid*
Plaid Stiffy Fabric Stiffener*
Foam Paint Brush
Scissors
Googly Eyes, Plastic, 25mm, Paste On, Darice
E6000 Adhesive
Aleene's Tacky Glue
ACE Premium Enamel Spray Paint, Antique White/Cooler Beige
Cheesecloth, Food Grade, 100% Cotton, Sew-Ology Brand
Black Felt
Faux Silk Flower, Orange
Latex or Nitrile Gloves
Empty Plastic Food Bowl

*(Note: You don't need both brands of Fabric Stiffener, but I decided to mix the two, because one was really thick and the other real thin and I happened to have both on hand)

Thanks so much for checking out my blog and be sure to click on the graphic below to see more great Halloween Crafts you can make in 15 minutes or less!

This project/post is linked-up to the following sites/link-up parties:

Wedding Noisemaker Favor from Soda Can

2015-06-15T05:11:00.000-07:00

Summer is here and with it brings the wedding Season and what better time to have another round of the ever-popular Craft Lightning Series hosted by Angie at the Country Chic Cottage and Carolina from 30 Minute Crafts.

Guest host for this Wedding Series is the crafty and talented Katie, from "Sweet Rose Studio".

I'm so happy you all have stopped by to see what sweet and sassy wedding crafts can be whipped-up in a jiffy (15 minutes or less...minus drying time)!

When I think of weddings, my favorite part has always been the cute favors offered to the guests as a token of thanks and remembrance of the big day!

A tradition that is repeated at many a wedding is the celebrating or encouraging of a kiss or two between the Bride and Groom and I wanted to think of something different to signal that public display of affection besides the traditional bell.

With a little help from hubby (whose brain I was picking for ideas...), I came up with this simple noisemaker made from an aluminum soda can with bottle caps inside to create the "noise".

I wasn't quite sure how to make an old soda can look elegant (or at least appropriate) for a wedding...but I figured I'd give it the old college try and see what I could come up with.

I spray painted the can with an antique white color and bent several bottle caps in half and placed them inside the can so that it would make lots of noise when it was shook.

I sealed the can top off with a flattened out bottle cap and secured it with E6000.

I decorated the painted can using die-cuts that I made using my Cricut Explore and then accented the can with sheer ribbon and a paper flower on top.

Of course, you don't have to use a Cricut Explore or any other die-cut machine to do this, there are so many possibilities for embellishing the can but for the purpose of keeping this craft to 15 minutes or less, I decided the Cricut was a timesaver.

Here are the steps I took in making this project:

Here are the supplies and tools I used to make this project:

Tools/Supplies Used:

Empty/Used Aluminum Soda Can (Small/Mini)

Soda Bottle Caps

Ruler

Scissors

Pliers

Hammer, Small

Spray Paint, Krylon, Cover Maxx, Primer, Color: Gray

Spray Paint, Ace, Interior/Exterior, Color: Antique White/Cooler Beige

E6000 Adhesive

Scotch Advanced Tape Glider Gun

Cricut Explore Die-Cut Machine

Cricut Design Space Online Software

Newlyweds Image (#MB9501) from Cricut Cartridge (Library) "The Good Old Days"

Cricut Explore Antiquity Pen Set, Fine Point (Color: Midnight)

Sheer Ribbon, Details & Accessories, 5/8", Off White/Cream

Recollections Paper Flowers, Rolled

Recollections Cardstock Paper, Cream

Be sure to click on the info graphic below to see more great wedding projects that can be made in 15 minutes or less!

Thanks for stopping by for a visit...Please leave a comment and let me know what you think!

This project/post is linked to the following sites/link-up parties:

Teacher Note Necklace Made from Upcycled CD

2015-04-06T02:34:00.001-07:00

Every year I like to make a little something for my Granddaughter's Teacher for Teacher appreciation week and this year I've come up with this note necklace that is made from an old CD.

I wanted to incorporate something useful into something fun!

I noticed that the teachers at school sometime have recess or yard duty and I thought it might be handy to have this little necklace with a post-it note pad and pen attached!

I even included a badge clip so that they can easily wear their school badge with the necklace.

To personalize it for a teacher gift, I added the photo of my Granddaughter and a sweet quote/poem about teachers!

This craft can easily be done in 15 minutes (minus drying time), though I'll have to admit, I added a few more things to my version that probably made it take a little longer.

Adding the gold cord around the photo was a bit tedious as it didn't want to easily lay down in a circle.
Also, the way I attached the beaded necklace to the cd was more elaborate than you really need to get.

I was just thinking of how it might lay nicer, so I added the snipped paper clip ends and cut the necklace in half and glued it to the ends of the clips.

This of course took more time than just gluing the whole beaded necklace to the back of the CD, but I wanted to add the square post-it note which took up more room and made it harder to mount the beads directly to the back of the cd.

I started by sanding the CD lightly on the shiny side and a little harder on the colored side because I was using tissue paper to cover it and didn't want any of the writing to show through.

I cut some strips of patterned tissue paper and then cut them into oblong pieces and adhered them to the CD with Mod Podge.

I only put two coats of Mod Podge, but you can add more if you like, just be sure to allow drying time between coats.

I scanned and printed out a photo of my Granddaughter on my Epson CX7400 color printer and glued it to the center of the CD.

(Note: before applying Mod Podge to a ink jet photo print out...apply a light coat of fixative to the photo/print out first...it will prevent the Mod Podge from causing the print to run or bleed!)

I was going to make a print out of the poem on my computer, but for times sake I decided to hand write the quote using a black sharpie marker.

In hindsight...I wish I had gone with the printout, only because I have a terrible time lining up my writing/printing as you can tell from the pictures!

I even used a "template" I made from paper and pencil, hoping to get it right and I still wasn't thrilled with the results, but the message will get across I suppose and maybe it will make the gift more personable!

The note pad/post-it note was attached using double sided foam tape and the pen was attached using the clip on the pen.

I thought of using magnets for the pen, but I didn't want to add any more weight than necessary to the necklace.

This project was quick and very inexpensive to make, I found the beads, tissue paper, pen and post-it notes at the 99 cents store and of course the CD was just an old one I had laying around that I no longer needed.

Here are the tools and supplies I used for this project:

Tools & Materials List:

Old CD (Not shown in photo above)
Sand Paper
Tissue Paper
Beaded Necklace, Plastic
Post-it Notes
Mod Podge
E6000 Adhesive
Workable Fixatif
Aleene's Tacky Glue
Mod Podge Gloss Sealer
Foam Paint Brush
Wire Cutters
Foam Mounting Tape (Two Sided)
Heavy Duty Scissors (Cutco Brand)
Regular Scissors
Sharpie Pen, Black
Pen (with clip)
Pencil
Gold Cord
Cardboard
Wax Paper and/or Butcher Paper
Paper Weights
Color Printer, Ink Jet (Epson)
Paper Clips
Plastic Container (for Mod Podge) (Not shown in photo above)

I made a slideshow showing the steps I took to make this project.

You can view it here on my YouTube Channel:

Or here on my Flipagram Feed:

Thanks so much for visiting my blog!

If you want to see some more great Teacher Appreciation Gift Ideas, click on the graphic below and visit Angie, Carolina and Jessica's blogs for some awesome and crafty inspiration!

This project/post is linked to the following sites/link-up parties:

iPad/Tablet Stand from Repurposed Paper Towel Rolls

2015-03-19T00:48:00.000-07:00

I always love being part of the Craft Lightning Series hosted by my blog friends Angie from the Country Chic Cottage & Carolina from 30 Minute Crafts and I was especially thrilled to hear about this one showcasing Recycled Crafts!

As most of my regular visitors already know...I love to make things from materials that would otherwise be disposed of...so this edition of Craft Lighting is right in my wheelhouse!

One of the things I "collect" and mean to someday USE...is cardboard toilet paper and paper towel rolls and my hubby always wonders WHEN I am going to use some of them up and unburden us from all the mass of cardboard!

He will be thrilled to see that I have made good use of a couple of the paper towel rolls and created this awesome iPad Holder/Stand:

The idea for this came out of necessity really...as we do a lot of traveling to auto swap meets and races in our Motorhome and I like to watch episodes of my favorite TV show of all time (Friends) on my iPad when I am going to sleep.

I have never found a good way to get the iPad to sit-up on the bed in the MH, even with one of those pad covers that is supposed to make them stand up. The mattress is just too squishy and it never stays up!

So I tried to think of something I could make that would keep the iPad upright and still let me view the entire screen.

For some reason the cardboard rolls popped into my mind...I figured if I could put two of them side-by-side and somehow secure them to hold the weight of the iPad then I would have a good solution to my problem and it would be a "recycled" craft!

I picked the brains of my family a bit for ideas on what would work best to stabilize it and we decided on rocks and rubber bands!

The rocks give it weight to balance out the weight of the tablet and the rubber bands keep the glued down rolls from taking on too much pressure from that weight.

I covered the cardboard tubes in duck brand duct tape to strengthen the cardboard and make it look prettier of course!

I made the base from an old Capri Sun cardboard box because it was a fairly thick cardboard and would hold-up well.

I covered the base in duck tape also for added strength.

I glued the covered rolls down on the base using E6000, which I recommend because of it flexibility, even after it has dried.

Some heavy duty glues can become very hard when dry and would not work as well for this project, but the E6000 performed great and allows for any pushing/pressure that may be put on the rolls.

I tried to put an even weight of rocks into each tube, I didn't weigh them, but just tried to pick 10 rocks of similar size and put 5 rocks in each tube.

You can glue these down inside the tube if you like, but I did not.

I left them loose and just shake them slightly to align evenly before I put the iPad in between the tubes.

To seal off the tubes I used old baby food jar tops spray painted silver to compliment the colors in my Flying Pig Duck Tape.

After letting the glue on the tubes and base set for a bit I put shims in between the tubes and let it dry overnight. (This was to be sure that I had some extra flexibility with the size of the slot to input the tablet.) For shims, I just used some mini cardboard baby books that I have on hand for my Grandchildren, but you can use thick pieces of cardboard or wood shims if you have them.

This project came together fast (minus drying time) and was so easy!

I recycled three different items (cardboard tubes, baby food jar lids & a cardboard juice box) that would normally be thrown away and the best part is...I made something I really needed and saved some money (have you seen the price of iPad stands??!! Yikes!).

Here is a collage of the steps I took to make this project (click to enlarge):

Here are the tools/supplies I used for this project:

Cardboard Tubes (from Empty Paper Towel Rolls) - 2 ea.

Duck Brand Decorative Duct Tape, 1.88", Flying Pigs Design

Spray Paint, Sterling Silver, Enamel, Champion Sprayon

Small Smooth Rocks, 10 ea.

Cardboard Box, Capri Sun (Med. Wt.)

Baby Food Jar Lids, 2 ea.

Rubber Bands, 2 ea.

Scissors

Ruler (Not shown in photo above)

Utility Knife, Husky

Adhesive, E6000

Marker, Sharpie, Black

Toothpick (to help place glue on lids)

Hope you enjoyed my post and are inspired to create something from recyclable or throw-away materials!

For more crafty, recycled inspiration be sure to check out all the cool projects featured on the blogs below by clicking on the graphic.

Thanks for stopping by!

Dr.Seuss Inspired Chalk/Magnetic Activity Board

2015-01-22T03:29:00.001-08:00

As a child I loved Dr. Seuss books and my children loved them too!
So I always enjoy this time of year when we all celebrate the Dr. Seuss legacy and I can re-live some childhood and early Mom memories!

I am now a Grandmother and have the pleasure of introducing my Grand little ones to the great books of Dr. Seuss, so I was excited to participate in this Craft Lightning Edition and wanted to create something "Seussical" for the little ones!

I came up with this cute and handy little activity tray that I knew the Grandkids would love.

It was so quick and easy to make and the best part is that it was made from an old cookie sheet I had that had gotten ruined in the oven, so it is a recycle/upcycle project to boot!

Check out the collage photo below to see the "before" picture...you won't believe how yucky this pan was!

In most cases, you would be able to just hit an old pan with a piece of sandpaper to get off any baked on high spots...but in this case, the pan was so bad that hubby had to use some of his power tools to get it clean.

I used Krylon Chalkboard Spray Paint and it worked beautifully!

I couldn't believe how smoothly it went on and how quickly it dried.

I sprayed two coats, front and back and it covered good.

I taped it off and added the red trim around the sides.

I hadn't originally planned on doing this, so I had to "borrow" hubby's engine enamel!

(Hubs to the rescue again...what would I do without him??!!)

I added some washi tape accents on the sides and then added the foam sticker & button magnets for the kids to play & learn with.

(TIP: You could also add alphabet beads with magnets for spelling games for kids, or old scrabble tiles!)

The Grandkids were at the house when I finished the project and they were all pretty excited about it...we gathered them for a group shot...and their "Poppy" (aka: Grandpa) was standing behind me making funny faces to get them to laugh!

Here are the steps for making the project:

Here are the tools and supplies I used for this project:

List of Tools/Materials:

Old/Used Metal Cookie Sheet (Not shown in photo)

Sandpaper

Die Grinder Power Tool w/Sanding Disk (Not shown in photo and not necessary in most cases...my tray was extra dirty!)

Krylon Black Chalkboard Spray Paint

Dupli-Color Engine Enamel Ceramic (Red)

Craftsmart Premium Satin Acrylic Paint (color: Pacific Coast)

Creatology Paint Brush

Water/Water Jar (to thin acrylic paint)

Absorbent Pad/Towel

Blue Painters Masking Tape

Brown Paper Bag (can also use Kraft Paper or Butcher's Paper) (Not shown in photo)

Recollections Wide Washi Tape (9.1m)

E6000 Adhesive

Mini-Wooden Clothespins (WalMart)

Buttons, Red, 1/2" (10 ea.)

Dr. Seuss Themed Foam Dimensional Stickers

Magnetic Strip, Crafters Choice, 1/2" wide

Magnets, Small, Round (2 ea.), (for the mini-clothespins)

Cutco Heavy Duty Scissors

Be sure to check out all of the other great Dr. Seuss Crafts being featured this week by clicking on the graphic below:

Thank-you for stopping by my blog, hope you enjoyed your visit and felt inspired to create!

This project/post is linked to the following sites/link-up parties:

Matching Aprons for a Child and Doll

2014-11-28T03:23:00.000-08:00

One of the best gifts you can give during the Holidays is one made from your heart and hands!

I love to sew and was happy to have found this great printed fabric pattern of a child's apron with a matching doll apron for an American Girl Doll (18" Doll).

It was on clearance at Hancock's awhile back and I immediately thought how cute it would be for a gift for my Granddaughters!

Unfortunately, they only had one set left, so I made a pattern out of tissue paper of the one that I had so that I can make another one in the future and use different fabric if I so choose.

I really did like the fact that it was printed on fabric though. It takes a big step out of sewing...the cutting and pinning of the paper pattern! What a great idea!

I had seen the "panel" type patterns before for stuffed animals and such, but had never seen one for an item of clothing like this, so I was really excited when I saw it.

The printed fabric pattern and directions were easy to follow.

This made for a great gift and was quick to put together, you can probably finish it in an afternoon and you don't need to be a sewing expert!

Supplies/Tools Used for this Project:

Singer Superb 2010 Sewing Machine

Bobbin Winder

Sew So Simple Pattern, Top Drawer, Westminster Fibers Inc., Hot House Child and Doll Apron

Scissors, Fiskars, Large

Scissors, Fiskars, Small

Thread, Coats and Clark, Cotton/Poly, Dual Duty Plus, Blue

Hook and Loop Fastener, Sew-On, 100% Nylon, 3/4", Pink

Straight Pins

Rubber Heat Resistant Fingertips

Marking Pencil

Measuring Tape

Seam Ruler

Seam Ripper

This project is part of the 99+ Handmade Gift Ideas Hop Hosted by: 365 Days of Crafts and Always Expect Moore.

Don't forget to enter the awesome giveaway for a $100.00 Amazon gift card also by completing the Rafflecopter widget below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you would like some great inspiration for more handmade holiday gifts, just click on the projects below and visit each site for more details!

Thank-you for stopping by to visit!

This post/project is linked to the following blogs/link parties:

Duck Tape Soap Dispenser

2014-11-21T03:16:00.000-08:00

I always look forward to another Craft Lightning round to inspire me and get the old wheels turning to come up with a cute crafty creation in 15 minutes or less (minus drying time of course!).

The Holiday version is my favorite but seems to challenge me the most as I struggle to find something I can whip up in a jiffy but yet still make it somewhat unique.

I don't know how unique this one is...I'm sure someone, somewhere has thought of it...but I love to upcycle/recycle household items so I decided to go with it anyway...

I used an old plastic soap dispenser and decorated it with Duck Tape and ribbon to spruce it up for the Holidays!

I suffered a lot of indecision in deciding what embellishment to use on the front and made a big mess trying to figure it out...

Fortunately my sweet Granddaughter B was with me when I was finishing this up and after snapping a few photos of possibilities and then showing them to her, she decided the Gingerbread Man looked best!

Collage of Steps to make this project:

Materials/Tools Used in this Project:

List:

Empty/Used Plastic Soap Dispenser Bottle (Different Size/Shaped Bottle shown here from what I used in project)

Razor Blade

Duck Brand Duct Tape, Red

Scissors

E6000 Glue

Craft Ribbon, Big Lots, Poinsetta Print, Gold Edged, 7/8", 100% Polyester

Craft Ribbon, Michaels, Green Glitter Stripe, Celebrate It, Holiday, 5/8", 100% Nylon

Wooden Embellishment, Small, Gingerbread Man, Mfr. Unknown, from Stock-on-Hand

Notes and Tips:

Because this finished project is subject to getting wet, you'll want to use a permanent type glue such as the E6000 I used, but be careful when using thin ribbon like I did...I didn't realize that if I put it on thick it would seep through and show a bit on the front (you can see my craft "mini-fail" if you look closely at the pictures! Yikes!) After gluing down the first piece of ribbon I was more careful with the second piece and put smaller amounts.
You might be able to use a glue gun on this if you use it at low temp, but I wouldn't recommend using one unless it's your only choice. There is always the possibility of melting the plastic and the resulting smell could be toxic as well.
Another nifty use for this container would be filling it with sanitizer!

This project was super easy and quick but still makes for a sweet little accent in your bathroom or kitchen to spread some Christmas Cheer for the Holiday Guests to enjoy!

Be sure to click on the graphic below and check out all the other great Christmas and Holiday Ideas at The Country Chic Cottage and 30 Minute Crafts!

Thank-you and Happy Holidays!

Ribbon Fan Ornament

2014-11-16T04:00:00.000-08:00

Making Christmas Ornaments has always been a great way to get in the Holiday Spirit for me and I was pretty excited to be participating in this Handmade Christmas Ornament Blog Hop, hosted by Diana over at "The Girl Creative".

Just look at all the cute and creative ornaments that the participants have come up with!

This year I wanted to make something simple and fast since I am on a time crunch because of my crazy schedule.

I still wanted the ornaments to look somewhat elegant though, because I always dream of having one of those fancy designer trees where all the ornaments coordinate!

Of course purchasing ornaments for these type trees can be a huge financial hit to your pocket book especially if your tree is big...and who has tons of free cash hangin' around during the holidays??!!
(Not me, that's for sure!)

I thought about what craft materials that I already have on hand and that I would have a lot of and the first thing that came to my mind was ribbon.

I am swimming in a sea of ribbon!

I started playing around with some of my really wide fabric Christmas ribbon and this is what I came up with...a fan ornament!

I decided to make a few different one's for experimentation since I have no clue what kind of "theme" tree I might decide to do...

These were so fast to make, you could make a whole slew of them for your themed tree in no time at all!

I was pretty happy with the outcome considering it was so fast and easy.

I have been collecting lots of jewelry pieces, beads, buttons and nick-nacks over the last couple of years from all the yard sales and thrift stores hubby and I visit and what a perfect way to compliment these ornaments than with some pretty embelishments!

For one of the ornaments I actually used some lace ribbon that was not stiff enough to hold the fan shape, so I added a coat of fabric stiffener to it and wah-lah! I was able to make it stand up and the lace perfectly complimented my Mardi-Gras themed ornament.

There are so many possibilities of what you can make and so many cute ways to embellish them.

Here is one where I used a button from my stash for accent:

Here is a collage of the steps in making these ornaments:

(NOTE: If you click on the photo collage, you can see a larger version of the picture for clarity)

Here are the supplies and tools I used to make this project:

List of Tools/Materials used:

Ribbon (I used 81/2" - 9" of each for the fan base)
Ribbon, Offray Ribbon Treasures, Cloth, 2-5/8" wide, Christmas Pattern
Ribbon, Gold Braid (Brand unknown, scrap piece from stock on-hand)
Ribbon, Lace, Black, Yellow/Gold, 3-1/2" wide, (Brand unknown, scrap piece from stock on-hand)
Ribbon, Sheer, White, Gold Trim, Wired Edged, Gold Patterned Swirl, 2-1/2" (scrap, stock on-hand)
Ribbon, Nylon/Lace, Old Gold, Scalloped, 5/8"
Ribbon Trim, Beaded, Red Cord/Gold Beads (Brand Unknown, scrap piece from stock on-hand)
Trim, Gold Cord
Decorative Trim, Bead, Gold, Plastic
Jewelry Piece, Old Earring, Holly w/Bell and Gold Bow
Jewelry Piece, Jester Face from Mardi Gras Costume Jewelry
Button, Faux Gold w/Pearl Inset (from stock on hand)
Scissors, Heavy Duty, Cutco
Scissors, Med. Size, Westcott (from WalMart)
Glue Gun, Multi-Temp, Ad Tech
Jewelry Tools, Cutting Dikes & Pliers
Rubber Finger-Tip Protectors
Paper Clips (to hold fan bottom while glue dries)
Paper Weights (to assist with some gluing tasks)
Glitter Glue Pen, Gold, (from set), Advantus Corp, (from Ross)
Glue, Fabric, E6000 Fabri-Fuse
Glue Sticks, Multi-Temp, Full Size, Ad Tech
Fabric Stiffener & Draping Liquid, Aleene's
Foam Brush
Plastic Container (for ease in applying fabric stiffener)
Ruler
Toothpicks (for help in precise gluing)

I hope you liked my project and are inspired to create some ornaments of your own!

Be sure to check out all of the other great Christmas Ornaments in this blog hop by clicking on the link-up below!

Thank-you for visiting my blog!
Hope you'll stop by again soon!

An InLinkz Link-up

Mission Santa Barbara

2014-11-10T03:11:00.003-08:00

In collaboration with other bloggers throughout California, I am participating in a travel series hosted by the fabulous Leanna from "All Done Monkey" called "Exploring the California Missions".

Hubby and I had a planned Anniversary trip to Disneyland this year and I knew it would be a perfect time to visit the Santa Barbara Mission.

We had originally planned on taking our Granddaughters with us, but that did not work out with the timing as the oldest was back in school when we made the trip.

I think she (the seven year old) would have been interested in the trip, though I'm pretty sure the 3 year old would not have been amused, so it probably worked out for the best.

Hubby and I really enjoyed it though, as it had been a LONG time since either of us had heard/learned about the History of the missions and neither of us have ever been to one.

I am a very "visual" person and to be able to see the beautiful grounds,view the architecture and all the precious artifacts depicting that time, was a special treat for me!

The Santa Barbara Mission, also known as the "Queen of the Missions" was the 10th of the California missions founded in 1786 by Padre Fermin Francisco de Lausen, who was Padre Junipero Serra's successor.

The mission was named for Saint Barbara, a legendary martyred church figure of the 3rd century and was the third mission established in the land of the Chumash people at the native site of Xana'yan.

One of the first things you notice when arriving at the mission is the huge, beautiful fountain in the front which was built in 1808.

Also greeting visitors near the entrance to the mission is the traditional El Camino Real Bell next to a statue of Father Serra.

These bells were placed at each mission and they showed the distance between the next mission north and south listed below the bell.

The gorgeous landscaping of the grounds was amazing!

I saw so many variations of plants, trees and flowers that I had never seen before.

This red bloom was particularly intriguing and I wish I knew what it was!

Front corridor of Mission showing the beautiful arches.

There were originally sixteen arches and today there are eighteen.

The Sacred Garden...

There was another Garden at the Mission, called the "La Huerta Historic Gardens" that we were not able to see up close, because a docent led tour is required to view this area, and we were doing a "self-guided" tour.

The cemetery garden...

Saint Francis of Assisi is commemorated by this bronze statue in the garden.

This was the memorial marble cemetary stone (small white stone in photo above) for Juana Maria, the native Indian woman who inspired the book: Island of the Blue Dolphins, by Scott O'Dell, which I read as a child in elementary school.

Her story is an amazing one as she was the last of her native tribe and was left abandoned and alone on the island of San Nicolas for 18 years before being rescued by George Nidever, a Santa Barbara Fur Trader.

You can read more about her story here.

This beautiful tree really stood out in the cemetery garden...it was so unusual the way the tree trunk was intertwined, it almost appeared as if two trees had come together!

It is a Moreton Bay Fig Tree, which is native to Austrailia.

It was planted sometime between 1890 and 1910.

(I found conflicting information on this tree in different literature I found on the subject)

The Skull carvings over the church doors were used to indicated a cemetery location.

The beautiful interior of the church...

Painting "The Assumption and Coronation of the Virgin Mary" from the Murillo school - Brought to the mission in 1798

Jesus and Mary Magdalane (Artist: Bruce Wolfe)

Items from archaeological dig at the mission from the early to mid 1800's

Chumash Decorative Items

Actual Friar's sandal...

...worn by an early Franciscan Missionary...(they don't look so comfy!)

There were so many great displays and artifacts in the museum and I took tons of photos, but I am only showing a few here...because of course I want you to go and check out this beautiful mission yourself!

Bishops Doll

We had fun "pretending" to be Friar's...

But the best part...was we got to meet a REAL Franciscan Friar!

He welcomed us and asked us where we were from, we had a nice conversation with him and I'm embarrassed to say, I did not write down his name and could not remember it when I went to write this post! I was just in awe I guess...I've never had the privilege to meet a Friar before!

Santa Barbara is the only mission continuously operated by Franciscans since it's founding and the church here at this mission is an active Roman Catholic Church owned and operated by the Franciscans.

You can read more about the history of the Santa Barbara Mission here and for more information on tours and visiting the mission click here.

Hope you enjoyed my overview of the Santa Barbara Mission and if you'd like to learn more about all of the other California Missions, be sure to visit Leanna's site by clicking on the photo below for all the participating blogs in this series and their awesome reviews of each mission!

Thank-you for stopping by!

Mason Jar Christmas Air Freshener

2014-10-31T01:44:00.001-07:00

I have been wanting to experiment using containers to make cute gifts for special occasions and what better way than to start with a Mason Jar!

The timing was perfect as my bloggie friend Angie from The Country Chic Cottage is featuring a whole week of of Mason Jar Gifts this week and will post a round-up on November 1st!

I can't wait to check out all the creative ways to use these jars for gifts!

Since the Holidays are just around the corner and my budget will be extremely limited this year, I decided to make my gift jar something that I could give to a loved one for Christmas.

I love the inviting smell of a good potpourri and/or sachet and I decided that I wanted to center my idea around this ingredient.

Here is what I came up with:

There is nothing better than the aromatic smells of the Christmas Season!

I found this amazing scented sachet at Michael's called "Red Door Wreath" by Fresh Scents and it was perfect for this project.

To keep the contents of the jar from getting "messy" I enclosed the sachet material in a fabric pouch.
I have never made a cloth sachet before and I know that usually they are sewn together, but in order to make this project fast and easy, I decided to try and glue the fabric pieces together.

This actually worked well, though I found that one small sachet was not enough, or the fabric I used was too dense and did not allow for the aroma of the scented sachet to come through, so I made another cloth pocket from sheer nylon ribbon that would breathe better and release the scent (see last photo in collage below).

I enclosed some mini-glittered pine cones, mini faux poinsettias and ribbon inside the jar along with the scented packets. I replaced the regular top insert that came with the jar with a decorative slotted mason jar top insert that I purchased from Michaels, so that the awesome scent could escape!

Supplies/Tools Used for this project:

Ball Mason Jar, 16 oz.
Mason Jar Insert, Metal, Decorative, Slotted, Ashland Dist. by Michaels
Aleene's Fabric Fusion Glue
Elmer's Glue-All
Dupli-Color Engine Enamel, Ford Red
Patterned Fabric Christmas Ribbon,
Sheer Christmas Ribbon, Red w/Multi-Glitter, 2-1/2", Offray
Sheer Christmas Ribbon, Gold/Red, Glitter Edge, 2-1/2" (from Stock on hand, Brand unknown)
Mini-Poinsettia Faux Flowers, Ashland Christmas/Noel, Dist. by Michael's (Not Shown in pic above)
Mini Glittered Pinecones, Ashland, Christmas/Noel, Dist. by Michaels
Gift Tag & Jute Tie, Brown Cardstock, Autumn Bouquet, Michaels
Sachet, Red Door Wreath - By Fresh Scents
Rubber Stamp, "Merry Christmas", Stampin' Up (1995)
Dye Ink Pad, Black, Inkadinkado, EK Success
Dye Ink Pad, Red, StampCraft, Plaid Enterprises
Pigment Ink Pad, Gold, Color Box Cat's Eye
Scissors, Westcott
Marking Pencil, Blue, Water-Soluble
Paper Weights

Be sure to stop by Angie's Blog and see all the other great gift ideas to make using mason jars!

I'm sure you'll be inspired to get crafting!

Thank-you for stopping by for a visit!

Halloween Pumpkin Centerpiece

2014-09-26T02:47:00.000-07:00

Halloween is almost upon us and I have been so busy with all of my sewing projects that I almost forgot about my Craft Lightning Project!

I wanted to make something fun to dress up my plain old boring dinner table, so I decided on this Pumpkin Centerpiece made from a faux carvable pumpkin from the Dollar Store.

This cute project can be completed in 15 minutes or less if you are in a hurry!

When I started out...I took out a ton of my craft stuff just to get some inspiration and ideas...

You can see my MESS here...

I tried different combos to get an idea of what I wanted...like adding faux leaves,spanish moss and ribbon to the pumpkin, but after a lot of experimentation, I settled on ric-rac, lace and bead trim to give the pumpkin a bit of a Steampunk look.

Here is a quick photo collage view of the steps I took to make this project:

Here are the supplies/tools I used for this project:

List of Supplies/Tools used:

Faux Pumpkin, Carvable (from Dollar Store)
Old Candlestick (from Yardsale)
Craft Mat, Inkssentials, Ranger Ink
Black Braid Ric-Rac Trim, (Decorative Trim Brand sold at Hobby Lobby)
Orange & Black Ribbon, Polyester and Wire
Black and Gold Lace, 3-1/2" wide, (Unknown Brand, from craft stash)
Thread, White, 100% Polyester, Excell Brand
Sewing Needle
Scissors, Wescott Brand, Craft Scissors (from WalMart)
E6000 Glue
Ad Tech Glue Gun, 2-Temp, Cordless
Glue Sticks, Ad Tech, Multi-Temp
Beads, Gold, (small...exact size and brand unknown, from craft stash)

I am always happy to participate in the Craft Lightning Series of Quick Crafts hosted by Angie at The Country Chic Cottage and Carolina at 30 Minute Crafts!

Be sure to check out their blogs to see more fun, creative and super fast Halloween Ideas!

Thanks so much for stopping by and checking out my Halloween Centerpiece!

As always, I love hearing from you, so leave a comment if you'd like or come visit me on social media (see links in my blog sidebar).

Monogrammed Tile Coaster

2014-07-25T01:33:00.000-07:00

Do you remember going to summer camp or vacation bible school when you were a kid?
I do...and my favorite part was the fun crafts we'd do there!

So, needless to say...I was pretty happy to be a part of this latest Craft Lightning series..."Camp Crafts"!

When I think of the crafts I made as a kid in camp, I think of how the camp counselors did so well at planning the projects to not only encourage creativity but make it easy and practical for a large group of kids!

With that in mind, I decided to make a monogrammed coaster, made from simple and inexpensive bathroom tiles. (I have found TONS of these at yard sales for mere pennies for a load of them!)

Even if you have to purchase these at a hardware store, you can usually get the plain white one's fairly cheap.

I knew that the supplies needed to make this project would be readily available or easily obtainable and affordable for a large group.

Not only that, but it makes a nice gift for Mom, Dad, Grandma or Grandpa.

Parent's and Grandparent's really treasure handmade gifts from their little ones!

This project can also be adjusted easily to make use of other items you might have on hand instead of the exact materials I used here. (See tips below near the end of this post)

For the background of the tile, I decided to use some old "ephemera" I have been collecting lately.

Since It was going to be a "monogrammed" tile, I thought an old dictionary page would be great!

I just happened to have a HUGE old dictionary laying around that I purchased last year for a song and a dance at a yard sale!

I remember Hubs being perplexed as to why I would want to have that monstrous book in our home, when I could use an online dictionary any time.

I explained to him that it would make great ephemera for altered art projects and he has been teasing me ever since about the word "ephemera"...he thinks it sounds funny and he always purposely mis-prounounces it when he says it!

Anyway...I am getting sidetracked here...

I decided to make the coaster for our home, so I purposely used a dictionary page from the "H" section and found the page with the word "Hall" on it...to make the coaster extra special!
(How lucky for me that my Hubby gave me that last name...easy to find that one in a dictionary!)

I glued the page piece on the tile and then covered it with a layer of ModPodge and let it dry.

I used my Cricut Explore to cut out the Monogrammed Intial on black cardstock and then I glued the Capital Letter to the covered tile and then placed a heavy flat surfaced weight on it to make sure it dried perfectly flat.

(Did you notice...my "weight" is a very old school iron! Another one of my fab finds at a yard sale!)

Next I cut a piece of black felt to the size of the tile and glued it to the back side, to make the coaster scratch proof on furniture.

For a nice finishing touch I added some black satin poly ribbon around the edges.

After the front and back side were weighted and dried, I covered the entire front side with another coat of ModPodge.

(I put several coats of ModPodge on, but it's really a matter of preference, as one good thick coat is usually fine, just be sure to dry thoroughly between coats if you decide to do more than one.)

Here is a collage of the steps I took in making this project: (Click on the photo to make it larger)

Here are the supplies/tools used for this project:

Tools/Supplies List:

Cricut Explore
Laptop Computer
Cricut Design Space (online)
"H" Letter Diecut (Font: Winter Woodland )
Black Cardstock
Cricut Spatula Tool
Cricut Paper Trimmer
Cricut Ruler
Ceramic Tile, Off White, Square (4-1/4" x 4-1/4")
Ephemera Page (From Old Dictionary)
Pencil
Scissors
Aleene's Tacky Glue
ModPodge
Paint Brush, Regular
Paint Brush, Foam
Small plastic container (for mixing, thinning ModPodge as necessary)
Wax Paper
Heavy, smooth surfaced weight
Black Felt
Tailor's Chalk, Dritz, White
Ribbon, Satin (100% Polyester),Berwick/Offray, Black, 1/4"

Ideas for possible substitutions and tips for this project:

1) Instead of a tile, try using popsicle sticks glued together to form a square coaster or use old cd's to make round coasters.
2) Small pieces of scrap rubber or eraser pieces can be substituted for the felt as a scratch barrier on the bottom of the coaster
3) The Initial can be painted on, on hand cut from cardstock rather than use a die-cut machine
4) Have kids cut-up pictures and words from old magazines or books to ModPodge onto the coaster
5) Use scrapbooking paper, wrapping paper or tissue paper on the tile/coaster in place of the dictionary page
6) Have kids use things from nature, such as dried leaves or dried flower petals to decorate the coaster. (Be sure they are dried though, because fresh leaves or flowers won't work well with ModPodge!)
7) A handprint or fingerprint design from the child would be a nice gift for Parents or Grandparents...be sure to have the child do the prints on paper first and then glue and ModPodge them to the coaster.

Many thanks to my Crafty Friends Carolina from 30 Minute Crafts and Angie from The Country Chic Cottage for once again hosting an awesome Craft Lightning Event!

Be sure to check out their blogs to see more fun Camp Crafts this week!

Disney Princess Belle Dress for American Girl Doll

2014-07-02T04:30:00.002-07:00

As much as I fretted over the last princess doll dress I made (see post)...I decided to make at least two more, because I promised my Granddaughters J and B that I would!

So...here is the second one...which I made for J's Birthday!

She had specifically asked for a Princess Belle dress and I was worried because me and delicate fabrics do NOT get along well!

I wanted to make it as authentic as possible though and make sure it had that magical look of a princess!

So I did my best to work with the satin, organza and tulle and tried not to cuss too much!

It would all be worth it in the end...to see the smile on J's face!

For this dress I used the Simplicity 5705 pattern.

I made a couple of changes in the embellishments on the dress, mainly because I could not find some of the notions called for on the pattern.

I was not able to locate the 1/4" covered buttons, that were supposed to go on each side of the 1/2" center button on the shoulder drape, so instead just used the one 1/2" button.

The pattern called for 1/2" buttons on the skirt also, but I chose to use

small satin roses in the draping on the skirt, rather than the covered buttons.

I just felt that the roses fit the "Belle" story and looked very "Princess" like!

Another minor change I made, was the trim on the bottom of the dress.

The pattern showed a Disney print themed ribbon for trim and years ago when this pattern first came out, a lot of fabric stores carried a whole line of this ribbon, but alas...when I went to look for it this time, it was no longer in stock anywhere, so I just purchased some coordinating solid satin ribbon.

The draped piece around the skirt was especially tedious to sew...because it is such small scale and

is sewn using such delicate materials!

I think the draping should have laid a bit flatter and closer to the skirt, but this was as close as I could

come to make it to look like the photo on the front of the pattern.

I used baroque satin on the dress and bodice and organza on the shoulder and skirt draping.

That may explain why the draping did not lay so flat...the organza was very stiff and had very little "give".

I took some photos of the dress on my "model" American Girl Doll before we left to visit our Grandaughter in Oklahoma.

On the way there, we stopped in Dallas to visit my Mom and Sister and we went to the American Girl Store there...

and picked out a special Birthday present for our sweet Princess "J"!

I think she was very pleased!

She wasted no time in changing the doll's clothes into her new Princess Belle dress from Gramma!

Then she posed proudly with her Mommy and Daddy and her new doll!

There is nothing better for a Grandma than to see that kind of happiness in their Granchild's face!

Here is a collage of some of the steps involved in sewing this pattern....

Here is a photo of the tools and supplies used to complete the project:

Tools/Supplies List:

Singer Superb 2010 Sewing Machine
Pattern, Simplicity 5705
Baroque Sating Fabric (Yellow)
Mirror Organza (Yellow)
Tulle (Lt. Yellow) (for petticoat underneath skirt)
Broadcloth (Yellow)(for bodice lining)
Thread, Polyester,Yellow, Gutermann (807)
Thread, Polyester, Yellow, Coats & Clark Dual Duty (7330)
Elastic, 1/8"
Ribbon, Satin/Polyester, Yellow, 5/8", Berwick Offray
Cover Button Kit, 1/2", Dritz
Velcro, 5/8" (Cut down to size required on pattern)
Bobbin Winder, Wrights Side Winder
Straight Pins
Measuring Tape
Safety Pins
Scissors, Large, Fiskars
Scissors, Small, Fiskars
Point Turner/Seam Creaser, Dritz
Mini Satin/Polyester Roses, Yellow, Offray (8 ea.)
Marker, Air Eraseable, Violet
Dress Marking Pencil, Blue
Wooden Chopstick, Smooth, Pointed (to help turn and smooth points)
Seam Ripper
Seam Allowance Ruler
Iron, Sunbeam (Not shown in photo)
Press Cloth

So happy you stopped by for a visit!
Let me know what you think of my project by leaving me a comment below!

Thanks!

Scrap Fabric Frame

2014-05-19T05:13:00.000-07:00

I just recently finished my first "Rag Quilt" and had lot's of leftover fabric scraps from that project and since I hate to throw any thing away...I decided to come up with a way to use them and here is the result!

I made the quilt for my sweet Momma for Mother's Day and figured what could be better than a matching framed picture to go with her quilt!

I decided to use a photo I found in a box of old photos that my Sister recently sent to me.

We had to move my precious Mother into an assisted living facility recently and a lot of her "things" couldn't go with her and my Sweet Sister knew that I would love having some of Mom's old photos and I'm thankful she sent them to me...it has brought back such great memories and this is one of my favorites!

It is a throwback photo from 1975 of my Grandma Walker (Maternal), Me and my Mom!

I cherish this photo so much and of course didn't want to give up my recently acquired only copy, so I scanned it and had a copy made at my local Walgreens.

NOTE: Just a tip here for those who don't do a lot of scanning...most commercial scanners that are built-in with your printers will default scan to a low to medium resolution (75 - 300 dpi), so if you are wanting to get a good quality print to have printed out, it's wise to choose "custom" scan from your scanner/printer software and scan the photo at a little higher resolution, because it will turn out better.

I originally scanned this at 300 dpi and tried printing it out on my Lexmark Inkjet printer and it turned out decent but because the photo was from the 70's and not the greatest quality to begin with, that print-out showed lines and some decreased clarity.

When I went back in and scanned it at 600 dpi and printed it out, it was a lot better, so that is the one I used when ordering the final print from Walgreens and it came out really nice and I was also able to order another larger 5x7 print without sacrificing the clarity and quality of the photo.

I added a bit of family memorabilia to the photo above, and it is fitting for this group photo of me, Grandma & Mom.

My Grandma Walker had this family sign hangin' in her kitchen/dining room for as long as I could remember and it was something us kids LOVED to play with!

It was a family "Dog House" wooden sign that had 7 wooden doggies hanging on it with the names of my Grandparents and all their children on it.

Whenever someone was in "trouble" they were put into the dog house, by removing the doggie from it's hook and placing it in the dog house portion.

We had so much fun when visiting Grandma, by putting our own parent's into the "Dog House" and laughing about it!

That is such a treasured memory for me and when my Grandmother passed away, my Mother got this treasure and it hung in her kitchen until a few years ago when I asked her if she minded if I had it.

She knew how much it meant to me and lovingly handed it over to me!

I am happy to be showcasing my scrap frame in another "Craft Lightning" series hosted by Angie at the Country Chic Cottage and Carolina from 30 minute crafts.

I just love this ongoing quick crafts series and for this one there was no particular theme, so it fit right in with my scrap fabric frame idea as it is real quick to make and can be finished in no time at all with a little patience for drying time for the Mod Podge finish!

One tip though...to make the craft quicker (if you are in a hurry)...use larger fabric scraps than I did.

I didn't think it through and used pretty small scraps which made it a little more time consuming than I originally planned, but it still turned out nice and will match my Mom's quilt, so I am happy with it!

Here is a collage showing the steps used to complete this project:

Here are the tools and supplies used:

Supplies/Tools Used for this Project:

Plaid Rectangle Wooden Frame - 4-1/8" x 6-1/8"

Fabric Scraps, Assorted

Favorite Photo

Aleene's Tacky Glue

Mod Podge

Foam Paint Brush

Scissors

X-acto Knife (not shown in photo above)

Black Gel Ink Pen

Marking Chalk

Felt (for frame backing)

Cardboard (for backing insert)

Lexmark 4975 Printer, Scanner, Copier

Thanks for stopping by today and if you get a chance, stop by Angie and Carolina's blogs to see some more awesome 15 minute crafts!