The Dabbling Crafter

Show & Tell: Growth Charts

2011-12-09T10:05:00.001-06:00

Hello There,

I made some growth charts for our daycare providers children. Of course, I did this before I got my Silhouette, so everything was cut by hand. I was very happy with the way they turned out. I tried some new things with these growth charts. They are longer than normal (5 feet) and we made sure we routed them nicely around the corners. I did a night time scene for the first time. I used some paint that is reflective for the stars and moon. I also worked the names of the children into the tree. I hope they are a hit for years to come!

Night time scene. Names removed from the tree for privacy reasons.


Day time scene. Name removed from the tree for privacy reasons.

Show & Tell: Christmas Tree

2011-12-09T09:44:00.001-06:00

Hello There!

I finally got the one element I was waiting for: burlap garland. My husband isn't so sure if he likes it, but I love it. And other people must too, because it was sold out of all the Micheals in the area and their warehouse. I ended up getting it from a yard and garden place that my friend Jenny found.

I'm pretty happy with my rustic red and gold tree.

In even more exciting and pressing news, my husband and I opened our gifts early. (His was XM-Sirus Radio, and I knew he'd want to get that set up before we did any traveling for the holidays) and he surprised me with the one thing I've been dying to get for over a year: a Silhouette Cutting Machine. I super excited! I haven't done a project yet, but I'll have to find time to try it out!

My tree

My new Silhouette Cameo! It's a good thing that I didn't get this earlier this year. This is the updated one that accepts 12 inches wide paper and it just came out in October.

Bows, handmade ornaments and dollar store sleds.

More ornaments.

Tree all lit up and pretty.

DIY Sunday: Christmas Decorations!

2011-12-02T20:07:00.001-06:00

Hello!!!!

I'm very excited to share the decorations I've been putting together. Years ago I bought a bunch of cheap ones. I have been slowly making and buying nicer decorations to replace the cheap ones. I got a new tree this year, so it was fitting I made a new tree skirt.

This tutorial is from HGTV and is a NO SEW SKIRT!!!! I know...can you believe the power of the mighty glue gun?

In addition the tree skirt, I made some ornaments. I saw an example of this in Better Homes & Gardens. Super easy. It's a small embroidery hoop with ribbon.

In my family, we had a tradition of getting a new ornament for Christmas every year from my aunt and grandma. I have around 25 of them. My brother started the tradition with my daughter. This is the ornament he got this year.

This is one of my favorite part of our rustic tree. I have an antique ruler as the star on top of our tree. (after I add one more element, I'll post my tree)

Another Christmas tradition in our house is my mother-in-law gets each of the families one piece to a nativity set they picked out every year for Christmas. My set is almost complete!

I had these letters from a previous Christmas craft. I decided to wrap them in yarn this year and hang them with my metal chain. That looks like a paper garland but it's actually metal...one of my favorite finds at an outlet store a few years ago. Those wreaths cost me less than $.50 I estimate. Micheals had garland on sale for $3.00 for 16 feet. I did the front of my house and had plenty left over for wreaths.

One of my favorite crafts from a few years ago. I decided to hang it on the wooden ladder in our living room.

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Between Naps on the Porch

Show & Tell: Nail String Art

2011-12-02T19:49:00.001-06:00

Hello!

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. I had a ton of fun with my family. My daughter and I went to the South Dakota Children's Museum. It was absolutely wonderful. My daughter had a fantastic time.

This week I met with my craft club to do a super fun project. We used this tutorial from DIY Project-aholic. You create a state out of string and nails and put a heart over an important location. It's was a great fun project. The results were pretty cool. I'll probably frame the board and/or paint it in the near future. Can you guess my state? How good are you at your geography?

Iowa Volunteer Opportunities: Project Linus

2011-11-21T12:36:00.001-06:00

Hello Everyone,

I'm trying to adopt an attitude of giving is much better than receiving this holiday season. Growing up, our family didn't have much, but my parents would still try to include us in volunteer opportunities. I remember walking in the March of Dimes WalkAmerica, collecting supplies for the food bank and handing out meals to fire fighters for the Salvation Army. When I went off to college, I didn't continue this volunteer attitude as much as I should. Now that I have a daughter, I want her to value the things in her life and to "pay it forward." I posted a few weeks ago about a family that decided that birthdays were to be spent doing good deeds for others. I practically cried when I read about the reactions they got from people when they did this. I have decided in the future instead of getting a present, I much rather spend the time with my family doing things for other people.

Now that the holidays are here, there are more people reaching out for volunteers and donations. At work we recently did a United Way fundraiser and Combat Hunger. I just "adopted" a child from the United Way for Christmas and got her a sweet Barbie and convertible. I always wanted a convertible for my Barbies when I was little. (I only got a shoe box instead). It's fun to shop for another kid.

So, I'm in the mindset that I want to help people as much as possible and all year around. So, I'm hoping by posting volunteer opportunities in central Iowa, some of you will also be able to help. The Volunteer Iowa webpage has a great search function for finding organizations that are in need of volunteers.

This post is going to be about Project Linus. This organization makes blankets for children in need. That can mean a child that has a serious illness, has been traumatized or otherwise just needs something to cuddle. I know as a crafter you can get to a point where you're making things that you don't know what to do with. This is a great project for those who quilt or crochet. I'm hoping to use some of my sewing skills and my fun scraps to make something this December.!

DIY Sunday: Distressed Desk

2011-11-20T14:21:00.001-06:00

Hello There!

Today's project is two fold. First, I painted this desk to go on my front porch. I know, it's a bit odd to put a desk on the front porch. I wanted something smaller for the porch, but this desk was free, so it was perfect in that sense. I'm excited to keep decorating it with the seasons and holidays.

I tried to distress the desk and make it look a bit old. (Well, it is old after all. It came from a frat in Ames and was from the 50's) All I did was use some latex semi-gloss paint and then went to work on the desk with some steel wool.

The drawer on the desk will be a planter once it's spring.

The second project is amazingly easy and cheap. You take some mason jars. My jars came from pasta sauce jars. Then you take some acrylic paint and just paint the inside. It's that easy and they look so fun!

On a side note...can you tell that I've been using my nice camera? Normally I use my point and shoot, but my husband has it today. So, the nice camera came out. You can tell the difference but it's so much harder to pull the pictures up on my computer...that's the only reason I'm so lazy about using it!

Thankful for Terrible Toddlers

2011-11-18T13:30:00.001-06:00

Last month a local shop I frequent, Elegant Mommy, put a request out for bloggers/moms to take a letter of "Thankful" and write something involving parenting you are thankful about. I was one of the "T" submissions. I just found out that they posted it in early November. I thought I would re-post the submission for your enjoyment.

Hello Everyone!

As part of the Elegant Mommy T-h-a-n-k-f-u-l Blog Series, I would like to present you with "T is for Terrible Toddlers."

I have a beautiful amazing smart toddler. I've heard the saying (I think you'd have to be under a rock not to of) "Terrible Twos" or "Terrible Toddlers." Sure, my daughter now knows the power of a good temper tantrum. She's an avid climber (specializing in the stairs and the dining room table) and an amazing escape artist. She's a conquistador of our dogs and an explorer of unknown drawers and cabinets. She is a professional organizer. (I mean, she's so thoughtful for putting a screwdriver in my purse. You never know when I'll be needing one on the go) She's already dressing herself. And by that, I mean undressing herself. In public. Thirstie diaper and all.

As moms, we all have days when we might not lose our temper, but we sure give a heavy sigh. Mine came the other day when our daughter learned how to open the door to the bathroom and as anyone who has discovered a bathroom for the first time would do, she immediately started placing items in our toilet. A roll of pennies, a spoon, and washcloth took a toilet bath before I picked her up, washed her hands and promptly placed one of those childproofing knob covers on the door (which means that when my husband and I have to really go, we will not be able to turn that knob if our life depends on it...or drawers at least).

If you haven't experienced the Houdini-esq maneuvers of a toddler yet, you could chalk this up to my daughter not being supervised properly. However, if you've had kids, you'll know that no matter how many baby gates you put up, outlet covers you place or hours spent staring at your child, they are the perfect opportunists. Someone at the door? Phone ring? Changing the wash? Your child will find a way to surprise you no matter how hawk-like your supervision is.

Soon-to-be or new mothers, are you scared yet? Don't be. After all, this post is about being "Thankful." I'm beyond thankful for my toddler. You know what I did when I saw the pennies in the toilet. Laughed. When in my life have I ever seen such a silly sight? What would possess someone to put pennies in a toilet? It was like a wishing well in my bathroom. Ha!

Toddlers are amazing. They are learning things at an extraordinary pace. One day they know maybe one word, then one weekend they have five and then next they are saying sentences. They learn to potty train (eventually). They learn names. They point to things. They play games. They understand things you never ever explain. How did my daughter learn that her doll was a "baby"? How she learn that the baby needs to be burped or rocked when there is no baby at home to reference?

They also start to reciprocate love like never before. They start to give you hugs, blow you kisses and will even say I love you. The first time they give you a kiss, you're world might actually stop. You will want to stay in that moment for the rest of your life. You will probably call or text or message everyone you know letting them know your child just kissed you. They may not understand, but to you, you're life has completely changed yet again. And as parenthood goes, it will continue to change for the rest of your life.

So, be thankful for your toddler and their new expressive selves. They are learning so much, and if you're open to it, you'll get an education as well.

By Krista

http://thedabblingcrafter.blogspot.com

DIY Sunday: Chevron Bookcase

2011-11-13T22:33:00.010-06:00

Hello Everyone!

I have a fun project to share with you today! I got a pretty bookcase from my grandmother a few weeks ago. It was sitting in her garage, but it used to belong to her mother. She asked if I wanted it and I said sure! It needed some serious TLC. The paint was chipping. There was some sort of can of mineral spirits or something that had placed on the top and made the paint bubble on the top. The back had been replaced and wasn't painted.

So. Here's the "Before"

and the "After"

So, here's how I revamped the bookcase to something fantastic. The entire process took like two days working for two hours.

Chevron Bookcase

Supplies:

Sandpaper (60 grit. My sander died and I had to use a block hand sander. So I used a rougher grit than normal)
Paint: White Enamel By Krylon, Yellow Sunshine by Better Homes & Gardens
Blue Painter's Tape
Tape Measure
Pencil

Directions:

Step One: Sand

You will want to sand enough to get out the surface scratches and to make a nice rough surface for the paint to stick. Now, this bookshelf is old...at least old enough to belong to my great-grandmother. There's a good chance that there was lead paint on it. So wear a mask and have good ventilation. Wash and dust the bookcase after you sand it.

Step Two: Paint Your Base Coat

I started out and painted everything with the white enamel paint. I ended up doing two coats. This paint is supposed to be low odor. Which is definitely not the case. I ended up opening up all the windows.

I used a paint pad instead of a paint roller this time and I loved it. It covers thicker and faster than a roller. I might be a convert...at least when it comes to furniture.

Make sure you let this coat dry before starting to tape!

Bookcase all painted and ready for tape.
Step Three: Tape...and Tape...and Tape

So, this is where the tutorial really gets tricky. I did a lot of reading before starting my process and I learned somethings I didn't read about.

First of all. To do my design I did not use a cardboard cut out of the design, which most websites do. If I had, I might have a more precise design but I didn't care if it was completely perfect since it was in the back of the bookcase. I just wanted a fast method. I didn't find a complete tutorial on how to just use painters tape.

This is what I did and it worked pretty good.

The 6 inch Painter's Tape Method.
(I'm claiming this method as my own since I made it up on the fly!)

First of all, I cut all my blue painters tape 6 inches long.

Taping my design. Using my 6 inch precut tape method.

Then, after cutting my tape, I measured 3.5 inches from the top of the bookcase. I did a light pencil line all the way across the top. You can erase the pencil afterwards, or leave it. You will be painting over it.

After measuring the line, I used that as a guide for all my points of the zig zag. I did a (very) rough sketch of it here:

(Click to enlarge)

After doing the first row of tape, I just measured down 3.5 inches from each point and did a little pencil line. I then used those marks as a guide to do my second row. Since all the tape is cut the same, it just be pretty easy to make a uniform design. You will want to make sure you keep the points in line vertical.

Another rough draft to give you the visual:

(Click to enlarge)

You should now be able to do the entire design continuing to mark 3.5 inches from the point in the row above it. The process goes pretty quick once you start if you pre-cut all your tape.

Taping done and ready for yellow paint.

Step Four: Paint Yellow & Touch Up

Now, I'm not exactly sure how you can do this without having to go back and do some touch up. I tried all the tips I found to prevent bleed and they didn't seem to work. I pressed the tape down with my fingernail. I also took the tape off while the paint was still wet. So, be prepared to wait for the yellow to dry then go back and touch up the lines with some white using a nice art brush.

So, I did was one coat, let it dry. Then I did a second coat but then I pulled the tape off while it was still wet. This was supposed to help bleeding, but it didn't do the trick completely.

Step Five: You're Done!

Let your paint dry & enjoy your new fantastic new bookcase!

My insulator tealight holders with springs.

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Show & Tell: Bathroom Curtains

2011-11-10T21:26:00.003-06:00

Hello Everyone,

I decided to make some quick curtains for our bathroom. We had pillowcases hanging on the windows, so really anything would be better. As I said (and will continue to mention) we are renting and didn't pick the colors. I'm trying to work with the colors we have. The curtains are grey and yellow. My next plan is to replace the dark blue plastic drawers with an antique tray stand. I might also grab the light blue paint left over from the top and cover the dark blue.

So, it's another work in process. Kinda the story of our entire house, but we'll get there eventually.

DIY Sunday: White Dining Room Chairs

2011-11-08T12:10:00.014-06:00

Hello Everyone!

Sorry for getting this DIY Sunday out so late! I was in Phoenix this weekend for a family vacation, and when I got back Sunday I felt terrible. I even ended up staying home sick Monday. After a visit to the doctor, I found out I have a severe sinus infection and ear infections in both my ears. Thankfully I got loads of medication and should be feeling much better soon. Let me tell you, ear infections and flying do not mix. I found out today that I could have burst my ear drum or caused hearing loss! I am sure I'm fine, but I still can't hear hardly at all. I'm deaf like my dad right now. (Well my dad is only deaf in one ear, but this definitely makes me appreciate what he goes through. It's terrible not being able to hear well!)

When we got home Sunday, I walked in the door and audibly (well at least from what I could hear) moaned. My house is a complete and total disaster from all the projects I have going on (and all the housework I have neglected because of said projects) Last night, I groggily did some of it, but I have a ton more to do.

One project I have finished is our dining room chairs. We got our dining room table on Craigslist a week or so ago. Last weekend, I went to some junk sales in town and picked up three chairs. I didn't care that they didn't match. I knew I was going to paint them white.

All three chairs. Quite the steal at 12$ for the lot.

Generally, I like to use actual paint and brush it on when doing furniture. This time though, I decided to use spray paint. The result was actually quite good. I'll have to see how they stand some beating.

Chair Revamp

Step One: Prepare and Sand

I first remove the seats from the two chairs that had padded seat cushions. That's super easy with a screw driver. I also pulled off some wood that was chipping off the chair in the middle. I have to admit my very least favorite part of any revamp is sanding. I probably could have gotten away with just priming, but these chairs were pretty beat up and needed some TLC. So I lightly sanded (by hand since my sander died in a literal ball of flames last weekend) all three chairs. I then took a damp wash cloth and wiped them down. After they had dried, I took a clean dry rag to them to get any dust that remained.

Step Two: Prime

I decided to prime my chairs after reading some articles about how it makes spray paint more even (which I found to be true). I used Rustoleum primer, and it worked great. One can got two coats on two chairs and one coat on the other.

Step Three: Paint

I used Rustoleum paint with a satin finish (or semi-gloss). I found that the paint didn't go quite as far as the primer. I ended up using two cans which gave each chair two to three coats of paint. As I've said before, there are two tricks to spray painting. 1) You need to shake hard and often and 2) You need to make slow, light, even, long coats. Make sure you follow the directions! Spray paint usually requires you to make subsequent coats within an hour or wait 24 hours before starting another coat.

Step Four: Protect

Since these chairs are going to see a ton of traffic, I also decided to do a clear top coat. I do have some spray polyurethane; however, polyurethane yellows and I was painting these chairs white. Instead I grabbed some gloss clear spray paint I had sitting around. One can (that was probably already 1/2 empty) was enough to give each chair a top coat.

The three chairs with paint and top coats.

Step Five: Recover

I took the two chair pads I had set aside and decided to cover them. I didn't remove the old fabric. It was ugly but in good shape. I was going to order some heavy duty home dec fabric, but decided at the rate I pick home dec fabric, I probably should just pick some fabric from my stash. I used just a quilt cotton fabric called "Silent Cinema." It's not going to stand the test of time, but allows the chairs to be used now.

I'm pretty happy with the way they turned out! We will need to find one or two more chairs, but right now, the three I've got are looking pretty good.

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The Cutest Chick on the Block!

2011-11-01T08:51:00.008-05:00

Hello!

It was our first Halloween going Trick or Treating, and my little one was pretty excited about the whole thing. Can you blame her? It involved two of her favorite things...running down the sidewalk like a crazy person and candy.

I made her costume this year. She was one cute chick!

The costume was made from: 2 feather boas, a white onesie, white hat, red and yellow felt and white baby leggings dyed yellow. Oh and a lot of hot glue!

I'm pretty happy with the result and best of all, the little one was pretty happy too!
-Krista

My favorite chick!

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Gone Junkin': Last junking trip this summer!

2011-10-30T16:18:00.006-05:00

Hello Everyone!

I had a crazy junk couple of weeks. I went out last weekend and this weekend...and as a result I will not be going out again for a while. :) I spent all day sanding and I have a feeling that I probably have another day full of sanding left. Boo!

Here are my finds!

The bookcase my grandmother gave me. This is the process of being sanded.

The desk I got for free from a local frat house. My husband can't quite see the vision in this piece. I'm going to sand it, paint it and the drawer is going to be a planter.

Okay, so it's a mess (that's what happens when you have 5 projects going on at once), but this is my new table! I got it off Craigslist. Solid Oak for less than a 75$. Totally worth it! (Can you see my gym bench sticking out...might use that with the table)

On a side note...those "curtains" are placeholders until I can order the fab Amy Butler fabric I want. Maybe that will be in the future....

Scale. Will be used as a decoration on the new bookshelf. Scale is from J.B. Knacker in Gilbert, IA.

Tealight holders made from insulators and springs.

Junk Refunkery Finds. In the summer, it will be a plant stand and planter.

Slowly getting there...still looks a bit disjointed..

Headboard that I'm going to paint...free from a friend.

Chairs that will get painted to go with my new table. The middle one is from Junk Refunkery and the other two are from Furniture Zone (both here in Boone)...the lot was less than 12$.

Little one helping me sand down chairs.

Idea Thief: Faux Capiz Chandelier Tutorial

2011-10-28T15:41:00.003-05:00

Hello Everyone!

I had two long winded posts in a row, so I thought I would break it up with a fun one. Remodelaholic has the tutorial on how to make this amazing light fixture for $70.00. That's $230 less than their West Elm inspiration!

Visit Remodal-aholic for the tutorial!

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)

2011-10-28T10:38:00.004-05:00

If you haven't heard of NaNoWriMo, you're probably not alone. In NaNoWriMo's own words:

National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing on November 1. The goal is to write a 50,000 word, (approximately 175 page) novel by 11:59:59, November 30. Valuing enthusiasm and perseverance over painstaking craft, NaNoWriMo is a novel-writing program for everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a novel but has been scared away by the time and effort involved.

Because of the limited writing window, the ONLY thing that matters in NaNoWriMo is output. It’s all about quantity, not quality. This approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write on the fly. Make no mistake: You will be writing a lot of crap. And that’s a good thing. By forcing yourself to write so intensely, you are giving yourself permission to make mistakes. To forgo the endless tweaking and editing and just create. To build without tearing down. As you spend November writing, you can draw comfort from the fact that, all around the world, other National Novel Writing Month participants are going through the same joys and sorrows of producing the Great Frantic Novel. Wrimos meet throughout the month to offer encouragement, commiseration, and—when the thing is done—the kind of raucous celebrations that tend to frighten animals and small children.

In 2010, we had over 200,000 participants. More than 30,000 of them crossed the 50K finish line by the midnight deadline, entering into the annals of NaNoWriMo superstardom forever. They started the month as auto mechanics, out-of-work actors, and middle school English teachers. They walked away novelists.

So, to recap: What: Writing one 50,000-word novel from scratch in a month’s time.
Who: You! We can’t do this unless we have some other people trying it as well. Let’s write laughably awful yet lengthy prose together.
Why: The reasons are endless! To actively participate in one of our era’s most enchanting art forms! To give yourself permission to write without obsessing over quality. To be able to make obscure references to passages from our novels at parties. To stop being one of those people who say, “I’ve always wanted to write a novel,” and become one of those people who can say, “Oh, a novel? It’s such a funny story–I’ve written three.”
When: You can sign up anytime to add your name to the roster and browse the forums. Writing begins 12:00:01 November 1. To be added to the official list of winners, you must reach the 50,000-word mark by November 30 at 11:59:59. Once your novel has been verified by our web-based team of robotic word counters, the partying begins.

This has been on my bucket list for a couple of years. I thought about doing it while I was in law school, but I gave that idea up after about two minutes. After-all, finals for law school were just a few weeks into December. It was insane to think I could write 1666 words per day. (Yes. I've done the math)

However, I think this month might be the golden time to do it. My daughter is big enough she can play on her own, my husband is super busy with school, and I just might need something to keep me busy during that time. So, I'm committing to NaNoWriMo this year! I might not post much on the blog in November, but I'll hopefully have a novel to show for it at the end of the month. Who knows, maybe I'll write the next "Water for Elephants" ---which was in fact written during NaNoWriMo for your information!

I'll try to post excerpts as I go if anyone is interested! They are sure to be riddled with poor grammar and spelling. Wish me luck!
-Krista

Facebook Social Norms

2011-10-26T11:06:00.003-05:00

Facebook Friend Requests

A few weekends ago I was in Texas at a friend's wedding. We were having a good ol' time enjoying some adult beverages, chatting about old classmates and of course, someone brought up Facebook. I mentioned that someone we all know won't accept me as a friend on Facebook, and while I don't really care (it's not like I actually like this person or care what they are doing with their life), it was a bit irritating to be denied when I knew them in high school and college (and it turns out this person is friends with all my friends). We had a good laugh while I ranted about how silly the whole thing was. I swore that when I got back to my hotel room I was going to request again and in the request point out how irrational he/she was being. Because, in the converse, it's completely and total rational to continue to request to be someone's friend when they have no interest. When I did get back to the room, I had completely forgot about it and didn't send the request. (Thank goodness I didn't bring my lap top to Texas)

I have already created enough awkward situations with Facebook 2 am post-bar. Specifically, Person A bullied me in high school. In an undergraduate course, we talked about bullying. I go out with friends that night. Then at 2 am, it's clearly the perfect time to address Person A about said bullying and it's impact in society. The next morning I see I have a message. I don't immediately recall why I would have a message waiting for me until I read the response from Person A. I now remember my brilliant idea. Person A's response is pretty much everything my initial message is not. It's clearly written by a sober person. It's apologetic, thoughtful and actually uses punctuation, lowercase letters and refrains from explicit language. At this juncture, I decide to delete it and pretend it never happened. I have a feeling Person A did not have this attitude. This "incident" has pushed me to advocate for breathalyzers on all computers from the hours of midnight to 4 am.

I had forgotten about our Texas conversation (and my loud affirmations about friend requests) until this morning's commute. The radio station I listen to asked if anyone had an unusual friend request situation. One of the DJ's had received a friend request from someone he didn't really know, hadn't seen in years, and didn't particularly like. He had just left the request unanswered because he didn't know what to do with it. Then, after not seeing this friend requester for years, ran into him a few weeks after the friend request. The first thing the person asked the DJ was why hadn't he approved the request. The DJ mumbled some excuse about not checking his Facebook (although he had very recently posted new pictures of his son). When the DJ got home, he approved the request out of guilt.

So, now I'm thinking about Facebook, and the situation it has created in our society and the concept of "Facebook Friend." I personally approve requests based if I have met the person in real life. If I have met them, and they aren't creepy (and I mean like serial killer creepy. I have a pretty good threshold for just plain unusual creepy), I'll probably accept the request. Every once in a while I go through and weed out the people I haven't seen in years and don't plan on seeing and who I have no desire to know anything about. Oh and the people that are just too dang depressing. You know those people. The ones that only post very negative posts about their ex or their job or their situation. They could win a million dollars and they'd post about the taxes they have to pay. However, for the most part, I think if I ran into people I was Facebook friends with, I would probably have an actual conversation with them. I generally like most of them.

On the flip side, my husband gets severe guilt about denying friend requests. I've gone through his friends and asked him who people are and he often has no idea how he knows them. I find this very unusual. These people can access your information, and you aren't more picky? He just doesn't want to hurt people's feelings.

There is my dad who only approves people he's absolute real life friends with. This is from a professional side. He doesn't want employees as friends when he's their boss.

There's my mom who I'm not sure if she even knows how to deny a friend request (or even to accept it). The other day she was blown away to discover she could de-friend people. I had to guide her through the process, but in the end she deleted some people she didn't know very well.

Of course, most people (well except my husband) do a friend thinning out eventually. It may be because you've moved to a new stage in your life (when I had my daughter, I got rid of people I didn't really know so they couldn't see her pictures). You may have started a new job or are now applying for jobs. How do you decide who makes the cut? Close friends and family? People that aren't annoying? People that haven't posted seventeen status updates in an hour on such inspirational topics such as "it's raining" or "it's cold."

Have you ever discovered you've been de-friended? I had a girl I went to high school with (she's younger than I) de-friend me after being my Facebook friend for a couple of years. I only realized recently because I saw her post on a mutual friend's wall. No hard feelings especially since it took me two years to realize I had been de-friended. Obviously we're not close.

I once had this guy that I was kinda friends with in undergrad (but not close with by any means) send a message me and about 30 other people. It said that if you got this message, you hadn't commented on his posts or wrote on his wall and since you didn't do so, you clearly didn't care about him. Then the ultimatum, he was going to give us a week to post something on his wall or he was going to delete us as friends. Well, that's unusual. It's quite impressive that he went used so much time and effort to determine out of his friends list who hadn't been active on his profile. So, I save him some clicks and de-friend him myself.

I've had friends that have noticed their friends list shrink when they started to post politically charged statuses or links. I'm an equally opportunity political friend approver. I have friends that are all faiths and political parties and don't really mind when they say crazy things. It's probably one of the more entertaining aspects of Facebook. However, if you are too crazy, expect a comment. I would expect one in the converse. If you post that Obama is Muslim or that he wasn't born in the United States or that Michele Bachman should be elected, I'm probably going to show you why this is completely ridiculous. It's my civic duty.

I have had one friend request denied by an ex-boyfriend. I get it. We're not dating. Haven't really talked in a while. But honestly, don't you think we've moved on? Can't we be adults? Oh well. Or there's one of my best friends who I'm going to be a bridesmaid in her wedding who de-friended me because I played a prank on her. But it's not like she's changed her photo in 50 years or ever posted a status. Not much of a loss. ;p

I also have a pet peeve. If my Newsfeed is filled with your Farmville requests, I'll probably hide your posts. I assume you'll do the same if you're sick of hearing about my kid or craft projects.

I worked with a guy once that any time he saw someone walking by that he had requested to be friends with, he would call them over. He would then ask them, in front of co-workers and customers, why they had denied his Facebook friend request. They all had some sort of excuse. (Mostly they didn't bother to go on Facebook) It comes down to this little fact: if you're willing to call someone out on your friend request, you have just proved why they don't want to be friends with you. So going back to fellow college and high school student, maybe this is why this person hasn't approved my request. Or maybe they are just a Jerk. Yeah. Probably just a Jerk.

-Krista

DIY Sunday: Yarn Wrapped Wreaths

2011-10-24T09:16:00.005-05:00

Hello Everyone!

I'm excited to bring you a creation we did with our craft club this month! We made yarn wreaths! If you're on Pinterest (and if you aren't, you should be!), you will have seen this project becoming quite popular. We decided to jump on the bandwagon and do the project. After we did the project, the next day I got my DIY Magazine in the mail, and they had a little ditty about how their entire staff did the project this last month!

I decided to do a tutorial because we did discover some new things we didn't know about prior to doing the project. :)

Yarn Wrapped Wreaths

Supplies:

Wreath aka Pipe Foam Wrapping (None of us purchased the foam wreath forms. Why? How? You ask? Well, you don't need to! Read more about our wreaths below little craft grasshopper)
Duct Tape
Yarn (We didn't know how much to get, but I found to do one solid layer around it took about half of the yarn in one of bunches (what is the word you use for yarn? Is a package of it called a bushel or something?!?)
Hot Glue Gun (You don't actually need this if you are just wrapping the yarn and aren't decorating the wreath at all. But that's no fun)
Decorations (As you can see, we used things like branches, felt flowers and flowers)

Directions:

Step One: Create Your Wreath

Now, you could go and spend too much money on a foam wreath shape. But that's silly for this project! What you need to do is head to your local home improvement store (and that doesn't mean Wal-Mart!) and ask someone (or wander aimlessly for an hour..that's usually my method) where the foam wrapping for pipes is. You will probably end up with a large selection in front of you. We found through our trial and error, that it's pretty important to feel the foam. You will want a sturdy foam that is going to take the shape you want. I found that isn't the black cheaper stuff, but rather the more heavy duty stuff that is used for copper pipes. One "noodle" of it cost $3.00. Not a bad price and I even had a little left over to create some sort of toy for my daughter!

Also, I have seen a great idea where you take a swim noodle and using it for the same purpose. If you can find them cheap enough and don't mind a thicker/wider wreath, that may be a good option.

Play around with the foam and decide how big you want your wreath. Cut the foam to size and using duct tape (and probably another person...another tip we learned through trial and error) to close the circle in. Use an ample amount of duct tape.

Step Two: Wrapping...and Wrapping...and Wrapping...

Okay, this step can be a bit boring (unless you are with a fun group of gals and chat the whole time!). It's pretty simple since you just wrap the wreath with your yarn. You can start it one of two ways. Knot it on the wreath or use a hot glue gun to secure it. I probably would lean towards hot glue gun, but I also referred to my hot glue gun as the "elixir of life"...so I probably have an unhealthy attachment to it.

You can do it many ways. You can be clean and put the the yarn side by side or you can make it a bit messy and overlap. You can be like my friend and switch up the colors. Have fun with it!

We discovered that if you make your own wreath form, you will want to make a couple of layers of yarn. You may want to wrap two or three times to give the wreath shape some support.

Step Three: Decorate

This is really the hardest step. We busted through the wrapping and then we're just staring at one another like "What do I do now?!?!" My two crafty friends used some berry like swag on theirs. (Or as you can see, one of my friends when crazy with the berry stuff. We started to say that her wreath is "Fall with Jazz Hands" So, every time we refer to her wreath we have to say "Fall" and use jazz hands.)

I did felt flowers. Which wasn't really all that original since I did that on another wreath I did. I would post how to make them, but honestly, just Google felt flowers and you will get a 101 tutorials on a 101 different types of flowers. (Is that a lazy blogger thing? Not to actually hyperlink to the tutorials?) A little tip I would recommend, if you can manage it, you may want to put clips on the back of the flowers so you can switch them out based on the season. I did this with my other wreath and was going to do it with this one. But I got lazy and gave up trying to cram the clip into yarn wrapped part.

You can also hang a fun yarn wrapped letter. That's a pretty simple project. Just hot glue and yarn! This is another place you could do a seasonal letter and switch it out!

You now have a beautiful wreath to invite people into your home!

My wreath. I'm on a grey & yellow kick lately.

Yarn wrapped letter and super cute yarn.

Okay...so this one got some extra TLC after the fact. An extra layer of yarn made the wreath a bit more circular and sturdy.

Linked up at:

Gone Junkin': Surprise Junk Trip

2011-10-22T18:42:00.010-05:00

Hi Everyone!

I had a fun day finding some fun junk. It snuck up on me though! Late last night I made plans to go to one garage sale and that turned into a garage sale/junk shop in three different towns! My daughter hung in there for a few stops and then my awesome hubby took her for a few hours so I could have some fun with the girls. I got two little toys for Lila at one place and then found some fun stuff for me!

Up first, a fun yellow cart for my front porch. I'm not exactly sure how I'm going to jazz it up yet, but I had some stuff sitting around that I put on it for now. I think I'm going to rotate the decorations based off the season. We'll see.

Yellow cart find at J.B. Knacker

Second find, a old wooden tape measure. Made it into a star design.

Found this gem at J.B. Knacker in Gilbert, IA.

And last, and my absolute favorite find, a locker bench from Iowa State. How cool is this?

Found a place for it!

Show & Tell: Twine Wrapped Letter Wreath

2011-10-20T09:17:00.004-05:00

Hello Everyone!

So I had to share a fun wreath my mom and I worked when she was visiting a couple of weekends ago. I saw the idea on Pinterest (Seriously people...you must join the addiction with me) and it took off from there. When I have a moment, I'll try to post the one we made for her. (As well as some more pictures of mine)

I have a even more fun project I did with my craft club yesterday that's a wreath. (I'm on a bit of a "wreath" kick as of late). I will post an entire tutorial on Sunday on how to complete that project. Until then, enjoy my first attempt at a wreath!

MOPS Craft: Hot Glue Letters

2011-10-17T22:03:00.005-05:00

Hello Everyone!

This week at MOPS we tried a project I've seen floating around Pinterest. You use hot glue to create raised letters and then paint over the entire thing. Since we are doing it for a group, we did a more economical version with cardboard; however, I do think it would work better on a canvas or glass jar.

Hot Glue Letters

Supplies:

Cardboard (or preferably canvas or even a glass jar)
Hot Glue Gun
Acrylic Paint

Directions:

Step One: Cut to Size

If you're using cardboard, cut to the shape and size you'd like your sign to be. Most people in our group did 8x 10 so it could be dressed up and put in a frame (without glass)

Stretched canvas does not need to be cut to size. (Not to state the obvious)

Step Two: Make a Draft

Using a light hand and pencil, create the saying or word you'd like on the cardboard. Some that we had was "Our Family Name Est. Since Anniversary Year" or "My favorite hugs are sticky" or "What Makes a Home is Who is In It" or "Yarn and Love are the Best Gifts" or "You Are My Sunshine"...lots of great ideas. I have also seen a cursive "love" that I really like.

Step Three: Trace With Hot Glue

Trace your light letters with hot glue. Don't worry about strings. You can pick those off once you are done!

Step Four: Paint

Using acrylic paint, paint over the entire thing. I mostly see these projects done in white, but black and yellow also turned out great. You may want to do a layer, let it dry, and try again. I dabbed on the letters to get better coverage.

Generally, cardboard will start out kinda soggy but will harden up as it dries.

Step Five: Put in a Frame

Dress up your sign by putting it in a frame with no glass or you could try putting ribbon around the outside.

Check out some of our creations!

DIY Sunday: Candy Corn Dress

2011-10-17T10:32:00.019-05:00

Hello There!

I have been on a craft spree over the past few days. I think I made a couple of projects to last the next couple of weeks of DIY Sundays. :)

This one got moved to the top of the list because it's Halloween themed!

I don't make clothes as a general rule. I never seem to get them right, so I don't bother. However, when I saw the candy corn pillowcase dress, I thought I would give it try. There aren't any instructions on how to make it, so I thought I would "wing" it. I grabbed a pillow case I had sitting around and used the measurements from it to get what I needed and set to work. I'm pretty excited about how to turned out!

Supplies:

Orange Fabric (I got a half yard of each color, but I have a ton left over. You could definitely get by with a 1/4 of yard. Although since I had a 1/2 yard and that's about how wide a pillow case is, I used the finished edge as my hem. Less sewing then!)
Yellow Fabric
White Fabric
Some Fabric or Ribbon for the Tie (I used ribbon because I couldn't find a fun pattern fabric in Orange I liked)
Sewing Machine

Approximate Cost: $6.00

Directions:

Step One: Cut Your Fabric

FYI: I made my dress to fit a 18 month old. You will need to make two cuts for each color.

The yellow fabric will need to be cut in these dimensions: 19 inches long and 4 inches wide.
The orange fabric will need to be cut in these dimensions: 19 inches long and 6 inches wide.
The white fabric will need to be cut in these dimensions: 19 inches long and 9 inches wide.

Hint: If you do have a half yard of the yellow, fold it over in such a way that you have two finished edges as the bottom. This will prevent you from having to hem the bottom of the dress. If you don't have a half a yard, or are using some fabric you have laying around, you will want to consider extra length to hem the bottom.

Step Two: Sew Each Side

You will want to first hem the bottom yellow if you don't have a finished edge. Then, holding the yellow to the orange sew along the 19 inch long side. Repeat with the White to orange side. Be careful the seams are both on the same side, so you have an obvious outside and inside of the piece.

Repeat this process with the other three cuts of fabric. You should now have a "front" and a "back" with an unfinished white top edge.
Step Three: Clean Up Your Cuts

Lay your front and back on top of each other with the outside "nice" sides touching. Using a rotary cutter and straight edge, clean up the sides by taking off a half inch on each side. This will insure you have a nice clean edge to sew.

Step Four: Create Arm Holes

This is kinda of a "wing it" step. You will want to fold the dress length wise (or "hot dog" way for you teachers out there). You then will want to use scissors to create arm holes. This is a very ugly illustration via paint I made.

Keep in mind you're going to use some of that edge to hem, so you don't want to cut too much off.

Step Five: Sew Sides

Note: The dress should be "inside out" still. You may want to pin the dress together, and probably pin a bit of the arm hole hem so your stitch is smooth when you get to them. Do not sew armholes shut. Stop before you get to them!

Sew up each side.

Step Six: Pin Top

Now, you will want to take that unfinished edge on the top and fold it over. If you'd like, you may want to pin it or iron it flat. I folded mine over an inch or so. This is where the ribbon or fabric will slip through. Sew along rough edge leaving yourself enough room to slip the ribbon through when we get to that step.

Step Seven: Hem Arm Holes

Fold over arm hole hems and sew in order to create a nice neat edge. Make sure you don't sew close the top sleeve for the ribbon to go through. Also, don't sew the arm holes shut. Just hem the hole.

Step Eight: Thread Ribbon Through Top

Thread your ribbon through the folded over edge. If you have a wider ribbon, attach a safety pin to the ribbon to make it easier to thread through. You can also make a drawstring with fabric if you'd rather.

And Ta Da! You have a pretty finished dress!

My cute daughter rocking her dress with a white onesie and brown tights. It was a bit chilly here to not wear something under it, but if you're lucky enough to live somewhere warm, you can get away with nothing underneath.

Linked up at:

http://todayscreativeblog.net/
http://www.iheartnaptime.net
http://www.thethriftyhome.com/
http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/
http://www.sewwoodesy.com

Show & Tell: Blue Dresser

2011-10-13T22:29:00.007-05:00

I meant to post this a while ago, but I finished the $5.00 dress I found at a garage sale. I sanded the dresser, primed (oil based), and put two coats of the Aura Benjamin Moore paint I had used in my craft room. I did decide to get new drawer pulls. These pulls were simple ones that were $1.99 a piece. I did have to redrill the holes. I didn't really fill the holes because the pulls happen to cover the old ones. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

Dress all sanded and ready for paint!

---Please excuse the crazy layout of this page. Blogger is being difficult!---

Linked Up At:

Idea Book

2011-10-11T11:58:00.004-05:00

Hello There!

I finished a super fun project yesterday, but I'm going to wait until Sunday to post it. (It's hard to be that patient!)

I do have a very simple idea for those people out there that are always seeing something they like or remembering something they need to do, but forget it by the time they get home. I have a little pink notebook I call my "Idea Book". I keep it in my purse. Inside I have a million different things, but there are some things I use more than others. When we first moved into our house, I measured all the windows and wrote down the dimensions in the notebook. That way if I ran into some curtains or fabric I loved, I wasn't calling my hubby to measure and praying he did it correctly. I also often see things online or mentioned or in a store, that I really think is a good idea or I could just use a portion of it for a project. For example, I have a big bin full of old kitchen utensils I got from my in-laws and recently saw a cool pinwheel made out of them. That project went into the book.

My Project List

I also have this grand idea of someday owning a home and getting to decorate it. I have started notes on what color each room will be. I'm sure I'll change my mind a million times over, but I try to pick items with colors that will fit this future home.

I have a long project "To Do list" so if I see a material on sale, I can grab it. I have sketches of project ideas I come up with when I'm waiting for a doctor or to meet someone. If I do make something I like, I try to keep the measurements in the book for future use. I have a thrift store "to find" list. I find that helpful when I'm going garage sale-ing or stopping by goodwill. It helps me stay focused and keeps me from buying something that doesn't quite fit what I want.

Recently, I was "pinning" (I guess this is a verb now) and saw a great idea. Take little pieces of scrap wood or even some key fobs you have around and create a ring of colors from the paint you've used around your home. That way you'll always know if something you're going to purchase is going to work.

Picture from Craftzine

Sometimes I get an idea overload. I have too many projects on my plate, and I just don't know where to start. Having a visual reminder of what I want to get done is a great help.

Now, I have to brainstorm what to do with a bookshelf I recently inherited. It needs some serious TLC.

Have a wonderful Tuesday!

DIY Sunday: Simple Artwork

2011-10-09T17:45:00.005-05:00

Hi Everyone,

I was on a craft spree this weekend even with family visiting. My brother came out Friday and my parents on Saturday. I did this artwork on Friday night while I was waiting to pick my husband up from a vet school social function (2:30 am). I had a piece of artwork that I had done in a few years ago. I was sick of it, and I was trying to figure out something to do with it. I tried to Mod Podge a chevron design on it. It wasn't attractive. I, of course, realized it was not attractive after I had already started it. So I had a partial chevron design on a canvas in my living room. Also not attractive...and confusing to everyone who came over (is that supposed to be art?!?) It was time to change it up.

I got the tutorial from A Beautiful Mess Blog. It's such a clever process that is super cheap to do! The canvas can be a reject painting from your house or Goodwill, one bottle of acrylic paint and one thing of Vinyl Letters for $2.50. I did a lyric from Somewhere Over the Rainbow. It's a song that has a lot of meaning in my life. I am a big fan of the Wizard of Oz, and I walked down the aisle to the song.

I'm quite happy about how mine turned out!

The chevron design showing through a light coat of a paint. I kinda like it like this ha! I had used just plain white printing paper to make the design and then attempted to peel it off before I did this project. Now it kinda looks cool. Oh well...maybe I'll try that for a different project.

Setting out the vinyl letters.

Final result! The tutorial uses white paint, but after much discussion with my mom, we thought white was going to be too boring for all the empty space I left on the canvas. My husband does not like the blank space but I do.

The yellow is much lighter than it's appearing it. A bit of the white is showing through. I like that look. A bit distressed looking.

MOPS Craft: Glass Bead Pumpkins

2011-10-07T23:49:00.007-05:00

Hello Everyone!

I am trying to plan the crafts we're going to be doing for our MOPS group (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers). This past week, we did something seasonal. We did glass bead pumpkins!

Supplies:

Small Pumpkin (70 cents)
Glass Beads ($2.00 at Hobby Lobby)
Optional: Epson Salts (This will have a white glitter finish $1.00)
DIY Mod Podge (Equal parts water and white Elmer's Glue)

Total: Around $3.00

Directions (they are very simple!):

1. Apply Mod Podge to Pumpkin. Don't be shy.

2. Apply Beads. I tried to just sprinkle it on the top. It's better to push it on and try to pack it.

3. Add another layer of Mod Podge and beads.

4. Let it dry for a couple of day!

Ta-Da! Fun sparkly pumpkins. You may want to use a drill or apple corer to scoop out the center and turn the pumpkin into a tea light holder.

If you want to do fun crafts with us, the Boone MOPS group meets every first and third Monday at the Cornerstone Church from 6:30 to 8:30...Childcare if provided!

Idea Thief: Painting Fabric on Furniture

2011-09-30T10:34:00.004-05:00

Hello There!

When I'm going through Pinterest or the blogs I frequent, every once in a while I will come across a project I must do immediately. (Take my kitchen curtains for an example. Or Lila's children book shelves)

This is definitely one of those projects.

You can actually paint furniture. I know. It's revolutionary. I hate (HATE) sewing slipcovers. I can't do it. I read tutorial after tutorial, but they always come down to 1 thing...sewing a lot of fabric. If you've ever seen me take on a large project and there is any degree of measurement or accuracy involved, I will screw it up. This is one of the reasons I'm still trying to sew a kennel cover for my husband (which by the way was part of his Christmas gift last year). I have a half finished quilt I started for a friend that got married in 2009. I have a t-shirt quilt I started sewing in 2007 that has been taken apart twice and is maybe a third of the way done. Lots of fabric and I don't mix.

However, this paint furniture concept has actually changed my world. If you have been a reader for a long time, you'd know I begged and pleaded for this patterned arm chair. I was so excited to have it. I sit in it all the time. And within two months the stupid thing was falling apart. The arm of it is loose. It's so thread bare now, I can see the cushion. It's only 3 years old! Argh! I've been playing around with the idea of cover it (I have to admit...the pattern I loved so much 3 years ago isn't so great now). However, I can't sew large projects.

I am going to paint this old beat up chair...maybe even this weekend. It's a "project" weekend for me...although I really should do the ever large project of "cleaning" instead. So, we will see.

I am thinking a nice yellow to go with our aqua-ish couch (which has held up considerably better) and our eventual grey walls.

Check out Hyphen Interiors for the revolutionary tutorial! Oh, and don't forget to check out the reader's pink chaise they posted as well. It's amazing.

Picture from Hyphen Interiors