Oh My Gluestick

Oh My Gluestick has MOVED!

noreply@blogger.com (Tommie) — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 16:13:00 +0000

Oh My Gluestick has launched a new site on Word Press! We are working toward moving the shop and blog in to one convenient location. Please join the fun and let us know what you think of our new look!

ohmygluestick.com

Please visit us HERE!

Creative Homespun Angry Birds Party by Oh My Gluestick

noreply@blogger.com (Tommie) — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 01:49:00 +0000

PARTY DETAILS

My kiddos love Angry Birds. They are better at the app than I am! Since they have back to back birthdays, I decided to throw them a joint party this year. I love homespun parties and a shindig in the back yard is perfection in my book. Considering this would be a joint party, I'd need a theme that would attract them both, so I proposed Angry Birds and they were thrilled. My excitement grew the more I thought about how to do this party on a budget and without succumbing to purchasing premade commercialized goods. This was the easiest and most labor intensive party I've done to date, but the result was completely worth it! Not only did the kids enjoy themselves, the parents who attended did as well.

INVITATIONS

I based the invitation design on some of the app games. This party was celebrating two kiddos, so I needed to pull out all the stops and make sure both were happy with the design. They followed my process with eagerness and were thrilled with the outcome.

ACTIVITIES

We had four separate activities and a face painter. The activities made this party what it was. Brilliant. It was organized, fun, and kept everyone engaged.

The first activity was the life size Angry Birds game. I purchased these awesome timber print blocks from Amazon. This was the most expensive item for the party and hands down worth it! The piggies were made of recycled cans adorned in green construction and tissue paper. The birds were plushies we already had. The kids all took turns knocking down the blocks and piggies while the parents took turns building the structures.

The second activity was Pin the Beak on the Bird. I created the bird with red poster board and used scraps from my stash to create the rest. The beaks were made with plain yellow print paper. I drew a template, traced and cut out all the beaks. On party day, I wrote the names of the participants and used glue dots to attach the beak to the bird.

The third activity was the Golden Egg Hunt. I spray painted 96 Easter eggs gold. Some of the eggs were stuffed with small prizes and toys. Six eggs held a special "Winner Winner Chicken Dinner" certificate for the kids to turn in for a larger prize. A flashy, sparkly Rubik's Cube. Watching the kids run through the gate to find the eggs was the highlight of my day and made the tedious task of painting all those pieces insignificant.

The fourth activity was busting up the hand made Angry Bird piñata. This was the first piñata I had ever attempted and the first try was a bust. Literally, but without all the fun of hitting it. I wasn't sure the thing would make it to party day. I was completely worried it would either not puncture or that it would, but before we had a change to hang it. Luckily, it made it and splattered like a good piñata should. Only days later did we realize we forgot to blindfold the kids.

My dear sweet creative friend and soul sister agreed to paint faces for the party. I gave her a sheet of the birds I used for the cake toppers, necklaces, and magnets. She was all pro and the kids were completely still and patient waiting for their turn. I have never seen anything like it! The results were amazing.

EATS & SWEETS

The party was between lunch and dinner, so we had lots of finger foods: Bird Bites (Chick Fil A nuggets), Birds Revenge (pigs in a blanket), Bird Seed (basically white trash mix), Piggie Treats (rice crispy treats), and Worms (gummy worms).

I made cupcakes for the guests and the kids each got their very own smash cake decorated with a structure made from caramels and tootsie rolls. Each cake also featured three Piggies and a red Angry Bird keepsakes made from polymer clay that will now live in our dollhouse.

DECORATIONS & GOODIES

The decorations were my favorite part of the planning because I was able to do most of the crafting with my kids. They loved participating in creating the décor for their own party and it made them proud. I was beside myself with how much they wanted to help with. It was an amazing journey and helped create this buildup that made them both full of anticipation. The décor was basic, easy, and most of the supplies we already had in our craft stash. Bonus.

We made the sidewalk border Birds and Piggies by cutting out basic shapes with the Cricut and then taping them to wooden skewers. The piñata was made from flour paste and newspaper strips. Once that dried, I coated it in a layer of plaster of paris before gluing on the tissue paper. The center piece was paper machete as well. Part of the nest was made with bag filler and plaster of paris while the other was branches I pulled from one of our trees. I used glue dots to secure eyes to all the red and green food containers I purchased from the dollar store so as to make them look like piggies and birds. I blew up 24 green balloons and made a banner out of them. I contemplated drawing piggy faces on them, but they were pretty as they were.

The treat boxes were from the dollar store with brown filler made to look like nests. The kids and I made Angry Bird bottle cap necklaces and magnets for the take home goodies to go in the boxes. Each were tied with brown ribbon and a tag to match the invitations saying "Thanks for crashing our party!".

I created the door sign and hung with ribbon welcoming the guests to have a "smashing good time".

Pennant banners were made with paper from my scapbooking stash and little nests with bird eggs from the dollar store dressed the tables.

The kids and I wore Angry Bird shirts purchased at Walmart for $7 each.

VENDOR CREDITS & RESOURCES:

-Invitations and paper goods from Oh My Gluestick
-All other décor was handmade.

I Dig You Valentine Personalized Tags by Oh My Gluestick

noreply@blogger.com (Tommie) — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 00:28:00 +0000

Valentine treats are already in the making for some. Don't let the treats go without cute little personalized tags available in two colors. Get them HERE.

Rockstar Girl Dance Party Invitation by Oh My Gluestick

noreply@blogger.com (Tommie) — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 00:25:00 +0000

Party like a "ROCKSTAR" for your little sweetie's next birthday bash! This invitation is customizable for hair and eye color as well to look more like the birthday girl. Get it HERE.

Polka Dot Puppy Party by Oh My Gluestick

noreply@blogger.com (Tommie) — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 17:39:00 +0000

New to the shop is the Polka Dot Puppy party collection. The collection incudes:

1. Customized 5"x7" Invitation Design
2. 5x7 Thank You Notes
3. Gift Tags
4. Buffet Labels
5. Puppy Chow Ziploc Baggie Tags
6. Door Sign
7. Happy Birthday Banner
8. Water Bottle Labels
9. Four Design Party Circles

Click HERE to get it!

Christmas for the Fur Babies

noreply@blogger.com (Tommie) — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 23:31:00 +0000

This year, we have been baking and crafting non-stop. Most of our goodies have been to share with our many friends and loved ones including the fur babies. The kids and I started off by making a large batch of Tail Waggers for the dogs we love most. These are easy to make and will not last around these parts. Anyone who's ever gotten a batch always asks for the recipe, so here it is.

Tail Waggers Recipe)
(from Southern Living Incredible Cookies)

2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups cornmeal
3/4 cups uncooked regular oats
1/3 cup instant nonfat dry milk powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups beef broth
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Combine first 7 ingredients (dry ingredients); make a well in the center of dry ingredients.

Whisk together broth, oil and 1 egg; add to dry ingredients, stirring until a soft dough forms.

Roll dough to 1/2 inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut with a 4 inch dog bone-shaped cookie cutter, and place on ungreased cookie sheet.

Whisk together remaining egg and Worcestershire sauce; brush on cookies.

Position oven racks to divide oven into thirds. Bake at 300 degrees for 2 hours, placing a baking sheet on each rack. Turn oven off, and let cookies stay in oven with door closed 2 more hours.

Makes 40 (4-inch) canine cookies.

Next, we made catnip felt toys for our favorite felines. Our cats went nuts over them, so we made some to share with our kitty friends too. Easy as pie and such a fun project for the kids. Now, that Santa brought Tay her own sewing machine, she can help this process go a little faster.

I hope you all had a lovely holiday weekend!

XO,
Tommie

Mama's "Shut yo mouth!" Reese's Cup & Potato Chip Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Tommie) — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 22:49:00 +0000

The only thing that might make this cookie better is a tad of bacon sprinkled on top. Seriously. No joke. I will be creating a bacon cookie in my test kitchen soon. Hubby and I have been conspiring over the recipe. But that's for another day.

This cookie came to me while eating a snack of Ruffles chips and mini Reese's cups after the kids had finally gone to bed. I know this sounds terrible, but I can only eat like a teenager once my little ones are asleep and out of the realm of picking up horrible snacking habits from their closet eating fatty of a mother. When I snack, it's usually because of stress and almost always consists of something sweet and something salty. At this particular junction, I was standing at the kitchen counter chatting with my husband about the 8 hour shopping marathon I had just sprinted to cover the rest of our kids' Christmas lists. Hubby watched while I topped whole Ruffles chips with mini Reese's cups before popping them in to my mouth. He followed suite and delighted. I then declared this would become a cookie and made it happen a few short hours later.

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 eggs

2 sticks of softened butter

1 cup sugar

3/4 brown sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups roughly broken pieces of Ruffles potato chips
11 oz bag of Reese's mini cups (roughly chopped)

Cream butter, sugars, eggs, and vanilla together in mixer. Gradually mix in flour and baking soda. Once wet and dry recipes are combined, stir in chopped Reese's cups with a wooden spoon. Reserve 1/4 cup of Ruffles chip pieces and set aside. Add in remaining 1 3/4 cups of chips pieces with a wooden spoon. Drop small spoonfuls on to a cookie sheet about 2 or so inches apart. These cookies really spread and thin out, so space on the side of caution. Using the remaining 1/4 cups of Ruffles chips, crumple into crumbs and sprinkle on the top of the dropped cookies. Bake at 350 on the middle rack. Bake six minutes then rotate sheet and bake another 6 minutes. Share and enjoy!

Mama's Creamy & Addictive Fudge

noreply@blogger.com (Tommie) — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 21:43:00 +0000

I have been making fudge for years and have really perfected the consistency and my method. It's super stinking easy and it tastes expensive! No joke. You will die when you see how easy it is!

Look at this face. He was SO busted this morning. He's not even 2 yet and he knew there was yummy goodness on the counter and couldn't resist himself. He pushed that big ol' kitchen chair up and helped himself murmuring "mmmm, good" before I caught on. Three pieces shoved in his mouth and an expression like the cat who caught the canary, I snapped this little memory for his scrapbook.

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups of milk chocolate chips

14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp heavy cream

2 tsp butter

1 pinch of salt

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Combine chocolate, condensed milk, butter, and cream in sauce pan. Melt on low stirring constantly. Once melted, turn off the heat. Add in salt and vanilla. Stir well. Cut in nuts. Once mixed in, turn goodness in to a wax paper lined 8x8 Pyrex dish. Spread evenly and cover top with press n seal (do not let it rest on the chocolate). Pop it in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight. Once firm, turn it out on to clean wax paper and cut in to bite size pieces. Resist eating the whole batch. I dare you.

Family Art Prints Wall Decor

noreply@blogger.com (Tommie) — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 06:47:00 +0000

New to the shop are these three prints. They hang on our walls, but are customizable for yours. Perfect for Christmas, weddings, anniversaries, showers, or whatever the occasion. Visit the shop to purchase.

Sock Monkey Shirt Tutorial with Original Red Heel Rockford Socks

noreply@blogger.com (Tommie) — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 01:28:00 +0000

Oh my goodness. If you are a faithful follower, you know my passion lies with all things sock monkey. It has been so since my baby boy {now almost 5} was in my tummy. I never had a sock monkey as a child, rather a sock bunny that I adored. I fell in love with sock monkey quite literally before the stuffed toys started flooding the stores. When you love something with a passion, it becomes part of you. Sock monkey is now one of my identifiers with my lovely kiddos, closest friends, and sweet admirers. When a friend of mine asked if I had a tutorial for the shirt I made for my youngest's first birthday earlier this year, I replied "No, but I should!".

Now here we are. I offered to do a shirt for her sweetie pie's first birthday and his big sister since there are two socks in a pair. Why waste a perfectly good sock?

First things first. You will need:

a shirt,

a pair of Original Rockford Red Heel Socks

Pellon interfacing

Pellon fuse

back buttons

red, black & white thread

iron

sewing machine

scissors

wax paper

sharpie or printer

{Note: The shirt in the "supplies" list is white even though this tutorial is done on black shirts. The white shirt shown here is my original design for my son's first birthday done before this tutorial.}

This pattern is drawn on wax paper and consists of pieces for a boy or girl since I was doing a shirt for both. You can either print one of these out on to wax paper or trace on to wax or tissue paper after printed on printer paper for an easy pattern.

Take one sock and cut down the back from top to toe. Then, cut off entire toe section after red heel as shown above.

Iron your Pellon interface to the sock section left all the way up until the red heel as shown. It's tricky, so you will want to do it separately. The Pellon keeps the stretchy fabric still and stiff so you can cut out your pieces without difficulty. It's wondrous and amazing.

Separate the red heel from the curved portion of the sock to make it easier to iron to the Pellon interfacing. Once ironed on to interfacing, simply cut out only the red portion.

For the top of the sock you haven't worked with yet, iron on your Pellon then cut out your pieces. You can get the hat and muzzle on the white portion and head out of the brown. Once everything is cut, fit it all together to your liking.

Accessories such as bow and ball were cut from red fleece fabric. Iron to Pellon first, then cut. Pinning these small pieces in place prior to ironing help keep them in place and is recommended.

Fit the Pellon fuse over the sock monkey pieces leaving a bit of room around the entire design and cut out the square. Take the pieces and fit them on the front of the shirt where you want them to be. Using only the head, pin it and flip the shirt inside out. Using the pins and knowing where the other pieces will fit, iron on the Pellon fuse to the inside of the shirt directly under where the sock monkey will be sewn in.

Sew each piece on to the shirt separately to prevent bubbles and bulk. Ironing each piece on to the shirt prior to pinning, helps prevent this. Once the face, muzzle, hat, and accessories are sewn on, hand stitch the eyes, nostrils, and eyebrows with black thread.

If there's anything missing or something that doesn't make sense, please feel free to reach out and ask questions. I am happy to help. ohmygluestick{at}yahoo{dot}com.

Disclaimer: Please use this tutorial for personal use only. It was not designed to help you create a business from my hard work.

You have the shirt worked out. Now all you need is a matching cake topper! Click here to get one.

Happy sock monkeying!
Tommie

Dear Santa, we can explain....

noreply@blogger.com (Tommie) — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 00:52:00 +0000

I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving. I enjoyed our little family, the time off with the kids, and our enormous meal! I tried to just sit back, relax, and enjoy the Harvest before rushing in to Christmas mode. I did however, have our Christmas cards in the mail first thing Friday morning. I couldn't help it! I was so very excited about our cards this year and have been planning them since January. Yes, I know that sounds absurd but I saw the cutest and most original cards on Pinterest at the beginning of the year and knew they would fit our family perfectly. My husband was even excited and got in to character for the camera. Love it! The photo shoot was truly the best part and my kids were total rock stars. Even the baby! I wish I could give the person credit who came up with such brilliance, but haven't been able to find the source of the pic. Without further ado...

If you still haven't ordered cards yet, let me take out the panic and design them for you.

The Consequence Jar

noreply@blogger.com (Tommie) — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 23:59:00 +0000

The Consequence Jar. That sounds pretty ominous, doesn't it? It's actually very effective at our house. It is a magical jar that saves me from loosing my mind and voice daily. The jar is full of little tasks the kids have to perform. Some tasks are chores while others are silly things the kids have to do which really lightens the mood. I don't have to yell and order is restored within minutes.

We've been administering the Behavior Chart program for some time and while effective, I have discovered the system is best partnered with the Consequence Jar. I posted about the Behavior Chart last month. The details of how that system works is here. Basically, any time the kids have to clip down they also pull a consequence. Just the thought of them getting a chore is enough to keep a degree of order in the house. However, I do have two wild little boys, so chaos is most definitely sure to ensue at some point. That is where the beauty of the consequence comes in.

Say for instance little T is jumping off the couch when he knows he's not supposed to. One, he will have to clip down and two, he will have to pull a consequence.

His task may be to simply sing a silly song while jumping up and down or he will get a task that helps me out like vacuuming the living room rug or organizing the bookshelf that little S has massacred for the eightieth time that day. Either way, I'm not about to blow my top and he's going to settle down. Order restored without tears is glorious as far as I'm concerned.

It all started one weekend when little T had hit rock bottom on the Behavior Chart. This kid could not keep his wits about him nor could I as a result. I thought there needed to be a little incentive to keep him on track. Big T needed a little nudge too. The reward jar is great. They {and I} look forward to those being filled up so we can do something fun or earn an extra special activity. Clipping down definitely shows them how close or how far they are to achieving a bonus of poms at the end of the day, but in that moment of transgression something great needed to happen. Something of magnitude.

I informed my children what was coming, that mommy was going to make a list of tasks they had to perform every time they clipped down. My husband was super on board and enjoyed coming up with ridiculous things for them to do like wearing undies {a clean pair} on their heads or singing like their mouth is full. The kids were all about it too! They were excited about the silly things and watching each other have to do them. They even helped cut out the tasks and put them in the jar. Excellent. I had immediate buy in from all parties involved.

Here is the list we draw from:

Vacuum living room

Walk around house for 10 minutes with underwear on your head
Walk around house for 20 minutes with undies on the outside of your pants
Clean bathroom counters and sink
Fifteen minute back massage for Mommy
Hop on one foot while singing “Old McDonald Had a Farm” (3 verses)
Do 3 laps around the backyard while yelling “Mommy is the best!”
Do 3 laps around the backyard while yelling “Daddy is the greatest!”
Sort everyone’s laundry
No TV for 30 minutes
Clean up playroom
Pick up all the toys from the floor and put away
Fold all the blankets and put them away
Do the dishes
Clean out Mommy’s car
Give sibling a hug and sing “You are My Sunshine”
Clean bathroom mirror while whistling
Wipe down fridge & dishwasher and have a snack after
Tell your siblings 3 things you love about them
Tell Daddy 3 things he does that you appreciate
Tell Mommy 3 things she does that you appreciate
Choose 2 things of yours to donate to Goodwill
Wipe of kitchen table with Mom’s cleaner
Wipe down kitchen counter with Mom’s cleaner
Go to piano and play us a song
Walk through house backwards while singing “Oh I Wish I Were an Oscar Meyer Weiner”
You are FREE this time, but this is a WARNING!
You are FREE this time, but this is a WARNING!
Do 10 jumping jacks while singing “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”
Water the plants by the front door
Organize the shoe shelf
Make Mommy & Daddy’s bed
Wipe down walls by back door & next to pantry door
Wipe down wall in your bathroom under light switch
Give Mommy & Daddy hugs and kisses telling them how wonderful they are
Organize the book shelves
Make up a song about getting along and sing it in front of family
Draw a picture of you being super sweet with Mommy and Daddy smiling big smiles
Run in place while singing “I’m a Buff Baby” from Adventure Time 2 times
Rub Mommy’s feet for 10 minutes
Sing “If You’re Happy and You Know It” like your mouth is full
Clean front glass door
Clean kitchen windows
Clean up toys from back deck
Sweep off back deck
Jump up and down while screaming “I love my family!”

This system works for our family. I have seen the benefits and holding them accountable has made them more aware and helped me deliver on promises and deviate from idle threats. There are certainly better days than others and nothing is fail proof. We as parents pick our battles and do what we can to keep the peace while teaching valuable lessons to our kids.

Thankful & Blessed: Free Thanksgiving Printable Set

noreply@blogger.com (Tommie) — Sat, 10 Nov 2012 20:16:00 +0000

Yesterday, I posted the burlap Thankful & Blessed banner we are using for Thanksgiving this year. Here, I have put together the whole collection to share with you.

The collection includes:

the Thankful & Blessed banner

the Thankful and Blessed sign to frame

as well as the Turkey Coloring page for the kiddos, the I am thankful for....place mats, a set of place cards or buffet labels, and the Gobble, Gobble snack bag tags.

PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR THE THANKSGIVING COLLECTION FREE PRINTABLE FILES.

I hope you enjoy it this collection and your holiday!

Gobble, Gobble!

Tommie

Thankful & Blessed: Free Printable Thanksgiving Banner by Oh My Gluestick

noreply@blogger.com (Tommie) — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 21:35:00 +0000

*****************************Update: Get the full set here!***************************

I am thankful for so much in this life and am truly blessed. It is something to feel this life's blessings and something completely different to share them. I love being able to create pretty things. If no one else in the world digs my work, I know at least that my 6 year old daughter does. She tells me at least once a week she wants to do what I do when she grows up. That is such a gift! To hear those words from her tiny mouth is special and straight from God. If you don't know my story, my relationship with my own mother is nonexistent. I want the opposite for my little girl and strive every day to be a mother she can be proud of and someone she knows without a doubt she can count on. I will show her everything I know and hope that one day she will return the favor.

This weekend, she is helping me to finish up and hang our Thankful & Blessed banner to get us ready for Thanksgiving. This year, we are using lots of burlap and browns, so the banner letters were made to look like real burlap.

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FREE BANNER LETTER FILES.

If you have found this free printable, I hope you can use it and will enjoy it. Cheers!

Tommie

Free Tooth Fairy Tooth Receipt by Oh My Gluestick

noreply@blogger.com (Tommie) — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 20:12:00 +0000

WE'VE MOVED! PLEASE VISIT HTTP://OHMYGLUESTICK.COM FOR THE LATEST FREEBIES, PARTY GOODS, AND DIY TUTORIALS.

Last night, I was putting the finishing touches on our Thanksgiving banner that I was planning on sharing today when my first born baby girl derailed me by showed me her very first wiggly tooth. I wailed with excitement and cried on the inside. My sweet 6 year old has her first loose tooth Hurray! And. Gasp! She's going to get her big girl teeth soon and then she'll be driving and then she'll go to college and then she'll get married! This is how it went in my brain. I mean, this is momentous as is every major event in a child's life. Sheer proof that no matter how I might try, I can't stop her from growing up. I'd love her to be my little girl forever, but that isn't fair to her. So, I will just continue to hopefully make her childhood magical and memorable. I prepare myself to get in to creative mode when my husband tells my sweet angel that the last time he saw her toothless was when she was a baby and he can't wait to see her like that again. Oh. My. Gosh! Tears are flowing just as I type this. How can such a beautiful thing slice my mama heart in two like that!? Gut. Wrenching. It does feel like just yesterday she was this tiny little baby curled up in my arms. Now she's tall and long and I can barely hold her on my lap. She's also warm, funny, brilliant, and remarkable. She's so excited to loose her teeth and for her it's a right of passage. Most of her friends have already lost a few, so she is ready and as much as I want to sift through baby pictures and cry over how fast it all goes, I will be ready too.

I have been planning for the Tooth Fairy experience since she was born. I always had in mind what I would do and how it would go. Now that it's happening, I really need to get my act together and set the plan in motion. At the rate this girl is wiggling and moving her tooth, it will come out this weekend for sure! I spent the better part of the morning designing her tooth box which I will share when it's done. I will also share the Tooth Fairy Tooth Receipts that I designed in a pack of four here. She's a rock star and I thought the design should reflect that a bit. Here's an example, though the download you will receive is blank.

If you are here and have found the free Tooth Receipt printable, I hope you enjoy them and the experience as well. ~~Tears!~~ Cheers!

PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR THE TOOTH FAIRY RECEIPT FREE PRINTABLE FILE.

Tommie

Free holiday card templates

noreply@blogger.com (Tommie) — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 22:25:00 +0000

With October fast behind us, Christmas is rapidly approaching. We barely get time to think about Thanksgiving with Christmas décor crammed down our throats at every turn. It's time to think about shopping and getting out holiday cards. It's enough to make a mama panic a little. Luckily, this year I have created four holiday card templates in different themes to help take the stress off. All you need to do is come up with the perfect snap shot, print, and you're all set!

The Merry little Christmas card can be downloaded for personal use here.

The Santa card can be downloaded for personal use here.

The Merry and Bright card can be downloaded for personal use here.

The Season's Greetings card can be downloaded for personal use here.

Thanks for stopping by. Enjoy and happy holiday planning!

Chevron Prints and address change cards

noreply@blogger.com (Tommie) — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 21:18:00 +0000

It's day 6 of the "30 days of THANKS" series at our house, and I am so thankful for good friends. Sadly, one of my sweet soul sisters is moving out of state. This girl and I are truly kindred spirits coming from similar backgrounds and having very similar beliefs. She not only gets me, she is one of my biggest supporters which is huge for this small potatoes graphics designer mama. Yesterday she asked for me to create her address change cards. It was a punch to the gut making the move more real for me, but was honored that she always asks for me to design her paper needs trusting in my abilities to deliver her vision.

The cards are mustard and shades of grey chevron with skeleton keys. I had so much fun with this one!

After I finished her address cards, I could not stop. I created a set of 3 home decor prints in greys and turquoise as well in the same pattern. Since I used my signature color, I am looking around the house to decide where I can hang these prints for myself.

I'm always eager to create custom art work and designs. Contact me at ohmygluestick(at)yahoo(dot)com.

30 Days of THANKS

noreply@blogger.com (Tommie) — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 21:10:00 +0000

Yesterday as I was wrapping up loose ends to our Halloween costumes, I realized, "YIKES!", November is upon us and rapidly approaching. I started to panic as I realized I wanted to start our "30 days of THANKS" starting November 1st and had nothing prepared. As a family, we plan to write down what we are most thankful for every night during dinner and display it for the month. I thought I might make a little mini tree and hang little leaves with our thankful messages on them. However, counter and shelf space is always an issue in our house so I decided to do a flat tree instead. I had visions in burlap, so I went to the garage and spotted the perfect board and got to work.

Initially, I thought I'd use my Cricut to cut out a leafless tree, but the board was too big and I wanted the tree to cover it. I taped three sheets of dark brown card stock together and drew on my design with a white gel pen until I was happy with it. Notice the parts I scratched out.

I cut the tree out with scissors and laid it against my board to see where trimming needed to occur. Surprisingly, cutting out the tree by hand took loads less time than I thought it would and I decidedly enjoyed how relaxing it felt. I know. Weirdo.

Since I thought I might pin the leaves to the board, I thought having a cork underlay would be best. I picked these two cork boards up ages ago {from the curb} and now one of them has met its greater potential.

After easily removing the trim, I laid it on the board and trimmed where necessary. These boards are cheap, so that was a disaster! Tiny messy pieces laid about my freshly cleaned floors. Figures.

Next, was trimming the burlap. I love this stuff and hate it all at the same time. It sheds and sticks to everything. But it sure it *purty*.

Anyone who's ever attempted hot gluing this stuff knows it can be a pain. Literally. My secret is using a wooden stir to do the hard work of holding the fabric in place while the glue sets.

I then secured the paper tree to the front tacking the trunk and each branch in place with a dot of hot glue. I want it to stay in place, but want to be able to tuck the leaves under the branches too. I will then secure the leaf with a thumb tack or sewing pin under the branch so it doesn't show.

Since I am hanging our tree from the door by the kitchen table, I needed to create "hooks" to loop ribbon through. I hit up our stash of soda tabs we are saving for Pop Tabs for Charity and borrowed two. These little beauties are great in a pinch to do on the fly projects like this. I scoured the garage for two small screws and secured them to the board through the pop tab. Easy peasy. The next step was to find some pretty ribbon and loop it through the tabs tying knots on the ends to prevent them from slipping.

Now the tree is hung, but needs it's leaves for our thankful notes. For those, I turned to my Cricut. While the tree was relaxing, cutting out thirty small leaves didn't seem like a good use of my time and school was almost out, so I needed to wrap it up quickly.

I pulled several different colored sheets of card stock and used Cricut cartridges Doodle Charms and Stretch Your Imagination for the different leaf shapes. I realized the same tree does not produce random different shapes, but I wanted variety so that's what I did.

When my husband got home, he commented on how much he liked which made me happy. I love crafting and especially dig it when my vision turns out they way I intended, but I really dig it when my husband takes notice. After I explained to him my plans for the tree as a family, he was really on board.

Are you doing "30 days of THANKS"? How do you plan to celebrate? If you create my little on the fly craft above, I'd love to see it! Happy crafting.

Trick or Treat, Smell My Feet! Halloween Shirts: Free Iron On Transfer

noreply@blogger.com (Tommie) — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 20:05:00 +0000

Our family absolutely enjoys our holiday traditions. However, I am starting to think I have maybe set the bar a little high for myself and struggle to keep up with all the traditions from year to year. I do enjoy the details, so when it stops being fun, I'll have to quit. This year, for instance, I cut our annual costume party from the mix. I'd like to say I was sad to do it, but honestly it was a relief. I always rush and scramble til the very last minute to pull off a vision that I never fully get to enjoy while it's happening and never have the pictures after to do it justice. Since Halloween is my favorite holiday of the year, I decided to simplify and enjoy my kids' enthusiasm of the festivities that made the cut.

The pumpkin patch is a must do. We go every year and I would like to say I don't stress to get a good picture of my kiddos, but I do. The more we have, the harder it is to get everyone to look, smile, pay attention, etc. However, I really love going with them and try to just relax while we are there and let things play out naturally. It is for the best. I also like for the kids to match { I know I sound super high maintenance, but they are only little once and will not let me do this with them forever!} and usually find a cute Halloween shirt or pair of jammies and get one for each kid. Since they are all at such varied sizes, I can't really do that anymore so I've had to find other alternatives. Last year, we were all pirates, so I made their shirts by sewing on cross bones to white shirts. The year before that, I created iron on designs and printed them on transfer paper.

That's what I decided to do this year. I quickly threw the designs together very last minute realizing we would be out of town for a wedding during the time we were planning to go to the patch. Hubby found an amazing event with pumpkin houses in the area we were going to be in and made it work.

The shirts turned out so cute and the kids looked adorable in them! I'd like to say they all cooperated during the pictures, but the truth is they were down right tired. We ended up having to park like 2 miles from the joint and walked our sweet little kids to exhaustion. It was truly an adventure and I don't think they will ever forget it.

To download your own Trick, Treat, Smell my feet iron on transfers from Oh My Gluestick follow the links below. You will need to print these on printable iron on transfer paper and follow the instructions on the package. This year, I used a pack from Walmart. It was not as good as the brand I'd purchased before from Hobby Lobby (though I can't remember what the brand is!)

For the Trick shirt download, click here

For the Treat shirt download, click here

For the Smell my feet download, click here

Side Table to Checker Board

noreply@blogger.com (Tommie) — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 18:30:00 +0000

My kids love board games and revel in competition. This is a little disturbing given their age, but I do enjoy fun game nights with them and am no stranger to competition myself. One day, I came across this old side table sitting on the curb. It had seen better days, I'm sure, but I was drawn to the gorgeous scallop details under the top. It's was fairly sturdy needing minor repairs and mostly a little TLC.

I get so excited when I find a new piece. I went right to work when I got home. The entire top of the table spun. I'm assuming that's why the previous owners tossed it. Honestly, it just needed to be re secured and I was able to do so in just minutes with my drill and a few new screws from my stash.

With the structure secure, it was now time to get to work on the aesthetics. When I look at this perfectly square top, all I can see is an old fashioned worn-looking checkerboard. "How cool would that be!? My kids would think I'm awesome", I think to myself. I quickly get to work gathering supplies from my stash.

Supplies:

yardstick

pencil

small art paint brush

foam brush

a couple of rags

fine grit sand paper

Annie Sloan Old White chalk paint

Annie Sloan Clear soft wax

black acrylic paint

red acrylic paint

First I painted the table in it's entirety in Annie Sloan Old White chalk paint. This took two coats.
Once dry, I roughed up the edges and top with the fine grit sand paper. It doesn't take much with the chalk paint and that gorgeous dark wood shined right through.
Then, I took the yardstick and penciled an outline of my chalkboard in the center of the table top.
Once the outline was shaped, I painstakingly hand painted each square with the red and black acrylic paint. This was certainly the most tedious step.
After the acrylic dried, I gently roughed up the edges a bit with the sand paper being super careful not to lift off the acrylic paint from the table. It doesn't completely adhere to the chalk paint so extra caution is necessary.
Once I had my worn down checker table roughed up to my liking, I took an old rag and wiped off any dust collected during the roughing up step.
Lastly, I took another rag and Annie Sloan's clear soft wax and wiped down the whole table.

This piece turned out more amazing than I could have hoped for. I really had my work cut out for me while hand painting those squares, but it was so worth it and the whole family has enjoyed pulling up a chair to play. Oh! And my kids definately think I'm awesome.

Homemade Croutons

noreply@blogger.com (Tommie) — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 17:08:00 +0000

I have never been a salad person. I was an extremely picky child and remember my mother giving me "salad" that consisted of iceberg lettuce and salt in a wooden bowl. I shudder at the memory. Unfortunately, I'm not as picky as I once was or I'd be super model skinny.

Over the past few years or so though, I've come to really enjoy salads (not my mother's version). I love adding tons of crispy veggies, juicy grilled chicken, and yummy dressing. I also love croutons. Oh yes! Those little extra zesty crunchy flavor bits really make a bowl of leaves special. However, croutons are a bit pricey and they don't really last, so I have developed a fool proof delicious zesty little crouton recipe to jazz up salad night. Enjoy!

Homemade Croutons

Ingredients

6 slices wheat bread with crusts removed and cubed

4 tablespoons melted butter

1 tablespoon zesty Italian bread crumbs

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

1 teaspoon grated parmesan cheese

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

1 dash red pepper flakes

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

2. Mix all ingredients except bread cubes until smooth.

3. Pour mixture over cubed bread in medium bowl until bread cubes are evenly coated.

4. Spread coated bread cubes on a cookie sheet in a single layer.

5. Bake for 25 minutes or until dry and golden brown.

6. Once cool, serve or store in airtight container.

From Cocoa to Toothbrush Holder

noreply@blogger.com (Tommie) — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 16:32:00 +0000

My kids love the themed toothbrushes. Me? Not so much. The only reason I don't care for them is the ends are ridiculously enormous and will not fit into any of our cute toothbrush holders. I've tried several things and have all but given up. Last week, I emptied a cocoa container and couldn't bring myself to throw it away. I saw it's potential for something, but what?

This morning, for some reason, it dawned on me to utilize the cocoa container for the kids' toothbrushes. Cutting slits in the lid would help support the toothbrushes and also give way to the giant ends when pulling out and putting back. I had visions of mod podging beautiful papers to the container to pretty it up, but I already liked the chocolate brown and honestly, who knew what this container will go through with my 19 month old. Nope. I would cut out some vinyl letters for the word "BRUSH" and call it a day. If it doesn't last, it took literally minutes to put together and no money spent. That's my kind of craft.

Little Notes of Love

noreply@blogger.com (Tommie) — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 14:24:00 +0000

For the first day of school, I wrote my sweet girl a note and slipped it in to her lunch box. On day two, she asked me in the car on the way to school if I had written her a note. I had not. I quickly grabbed the only scrap of paper in my car {a gas receipt} and wrote my darling a little love note. I have done them every day since and they always make it back home to me in her lunch box. I thought it was the sweetest thing that one, she wants and expects them daily and two, she keeps them! So, I have started collecting them on my magnet board in the kitchen. The other day I realized I needed to take them down as there were so many the magnets were not holding them up and I didn't want to lose them. When I went through just a month's worth it made my heart happy. She and I are so connected and have such a neat relationship. She's my first born and only girl. I hope that we are always this close, especially through those crazy teenage years. She's a lovely, beautiful, smart and funny girl. She lights up my days and I'm so glad I have done the same for her with little notes of love.

Behavior Chart: Pretty AND Cheap!

noreply@blogger.com (Tommie) — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 18:43:00 +0000

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UPDATE: We now couple the Behavior Chart with the Consequence Jar. Click here for the details.
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Until recently, we have been using a behavior system in our home based on earning tickets. This started when my daughter was in Kindergarten and her teacher used this system in the classroom. It was perfect for her and my preschooler. Throughout the week, they had opportunities to earn 10 tickets for good behavior and deeds. By Friday, if they had earned their 10, they could cash them in for a prize from the "treasure box" which in our home was a Rubbermaid container with goodies from the dollar store, gum, one dollar bills, etc. This was a great incentive but we all sort of outgrew it and it's effectiveness.

I have seen the behavior charts in classrooms and on Pinterest and decided recently to try it. I have 2 requirements for things like this that hang in our home where everyone will see it. One, it has to be pretty. I wasn't a fan of the traffic light colors others have done, though I do understand the reason for using red, yellow, and green. It's just not for me. Two, it has to be cheap. I ~~did not want~~ was not going to spend any money on this project in case it didn't work out with the kids. Being a crafty girl, I had most of the materials, but did need to purchase a couple of things in the end.

1. I used colored card stock I already had from my scrap booking stash and printed the words:
AWESOME, SUPER, GOOD JOB, OOPS, WARNING, 5 MINUTES, 10 MINUTES, LOSE PRIVILEGED. Each strip is 4x11 inches.
*This was a pain to print with my printer. I ended up having to tape my card stock to the middle of a regular sheet of paper to fool my printer in to doing it for me. Once I had this system down, it was fine.

2. I needed to mount the colors to a solid cohesive background, so I purchased a piece of black poster board {$0.69 at the Dollar Store} which I ended up cutting in half and taping together vertically to make it longer.

3. I mounted the strips with picture mounting squares {again from my scrap booking stash}. I left a pretty good space at the top of the poster board before I started mounting the strips. I had plans to fold the top in half to create a sleeve to loop a hanging ribbon from.

4. I cut a strip of cardboard and taped it to the back with black duct tape to give it strength. I've seen others laminate their charts, but again I was going the cheap route and opted to do it differently.

5. I folded the top of the black poster board down towards the back and taped it entirely with black duct tape. This created my sleeve. I took a strip of black ribbon, looped it through the sleeve and then tied the ribbon ends together. This is how I will hang the chart. Note: I also used Command Damage-Free Hanging Poster Strips to help secure the chart to the wall. These worked to my advantage because I placed the chart over our chair rail. Because of the chair rail, we won't have an issues of not being able to move the clips up and down even though the chart is stuck to the wall with poster strips. Make sense?

6. The chart system works with clips for each child. Since my sweet little baby boy has disassembled all of my wooden clothespins, I purchased these large, sturdy plastic white clips from the Dollar Store {$1}.

7. Some like to have their children decorate their own clips while others have written their childrens' names on them. I had these little felt creations I had made for another project and decided they were perfect since my daughter loves butterflies and son is way in to turtles. I hot glued these on to the clips. Easy peasy.

8. The rewards for good behavior is based on a merit system of earning pom poms. Since I only had a plethora of black and decided more color would be better, I purchased a couple of packs from the Dollar Store {$2}.

9. Each kid needs their own jar to collect their pom poms. I collect and save jars, but didn't have the same size and shape, which would most certainly have caused some ruckus. To remedy this, I purchased two of the exact same jar from the Dollar Store {$2}.

10. I created and printed out name plates on white card stock with their little creature on them. Using my Xyron, I turned the name plates in to sticky labels and stuck them on the jar. Bam! I then krazy glued some wooden knobs {left over from another project} to the lids and spray painted them with brown spray paint {that I had left over}.

11. The sign hangs under an old Southern Living at home cast iron and glass wall sconce. The glass holds all the poms to be earned.

12. The clips are moved up and down based on these requirements which I got from this blog and tweaked to fit our family's needs:

There is one clothespin for each child.

Every day everyone starts out on "Good Job" (clean slate).
The child moves the clip up one space for every good deed.
Every time the clip hits "Awesome" they get one pom pom in their jar.
Only mom or dad can tell the child to move the clip up or down, and only mom or dad can give pom poms.
If a bad choice is made the child moves their clip down to "oops", and for each bad choice after that continues to move down and do the consequence. You skip the other green spaces when a bad choice is made since that wouldn't be "super" or "good job".
Every good deed moves them back up one space (even though they wouldn't repeat the consequences listed in the red section when moving up....it's just the concept of slowly moving back up, encouraging multiple good choices for reinforcement.).
If at any time they refuse to move their own clip, mom or dad moves it 2 spaces down.
It's an automatic red (5 minute time out) for hurting someone intentionally (you skip the "oops" and the "warning").
If a child is on any green space at the end of the day they get 5 pom poms in their jar.
When the jar is full the child gets their pre-chosen reward (treat, prize, night out with mom or dad, etc.)
Privileges lost are 1- treats, 2- friend time, 3- screens (TV, computer, phone etc.)
If a privilege is lost before 3pm they lose if for the rest of the day. If it is lost after 3pm it is lost for the following day.
Good deeds may include: saying "okay", following through and checking back on things asked by mom or dad, using good manners, eating all of the meal (or at least a good portion of the healthy parts), listening the first time, getting dressed or brushing teeth without asking, doing homework or other chores.
Bad deeds may include: whining, saying NO, crying (when not hurt), biting, hitting, kicking, saying mean things, not sharing or not completing assigned tasks

So far, so good! We've had this in place for a bit now and the kids are doing so well with it. Every morning, they make their beds, get dressed, eat fast, and brush teeth without me having to ask or nag. It's also helping my oldest son sleep in his bed all night. SCORE!

Everyone has their own way of doing things, this was just my take on a popular {and clearly successful} behavior manager on a tiny budget. Enjoy!

Halloween Teacher Gift

noreply@blogger.com (Tommie) — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 15:44:00 +0000

While perusing the Halloween section at the Dollar Store the other day, my daughter found the cutest Halloween erasers and asked if she could please get them for her teacher. How could I resist her thoughtfulness? She loves her teacher and that is what every mother dreams of and hopes for. So we picked up the pack of erasers and upon checkout, noticed the most gorgeous color orange mugs. Light bulb!

Once home, we decorated the mug with a black Sharpie then baked in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Once it cooled, I filled a cello bag with the erasers and some candy we had already purchased to help us celebrate October. I tied off the bag and felt it needed a little something extra. I took two black pipe cleaners, folded them each in half twice and cut the two folds giving me four even pieces from each. I hot glued the eight legs to a black pom pom, bent in the middle and glued to the top of the cello bag. The next day, my sweetie pie proudly carried her mug to school. When she got home, she had this note in her folder: