The Girl Creative

New Daily Deals Site Wants YOU!

2012-02-25T00:00:00.004-05:00

Well, guess what I have? Another sick child. So, that probably means another week without crafting. Sigh. And I have quite a few things I can't wait to get working on. But.....while I am basking in the smells and scents of upset stomachs (insert sarcasm), I wanted to give you a scoop!

There is a NEW daily deals site called Sweet Lia Bella and they are looking for VENDORS! Here's a little bit about the company from their owner, Laurie:

I am a stay at home mom of six beautiful children. I have always looked for ways that I can buy affordable gifts for family, friends and myself while still getting something spectacular. My favorite kind of gift to give is something that has been hand crafted or custom designed. So I decided how great would it be to create a site that combined hand crafted items at a sweet price.

Sweetliabella.com is a company that everyone can afford to buy something extra special for anyone! Sweet Lia Bella will be featuring hand crafted items from sellers from all over the states at a discounted price. Each deal will run for a short period of time.

Sign up to find out what the Sweet Deal of the Day will be. These are going to be amazing deals you will not want to miss. By "liking" our Facebook page you will be directed to the page to sign up for our daily deals so that you don't miss any of the great deals.

Vendors if you have an item that you would like to feature I am looking for you. Contact me at sweetliabella@wowway.com for more information on being a feature deal on my site. Right now I am busy getting vendors ready to start featuring on our sweet deals so sign up at sweetliabella.com and you will be one of the first to find out our first deal!

Jazz up Boring Furniture with Molding

2012-02-23T22:54:00.000-05:00

A fresh coat of paint doesn't always get the job done on boring old furniture. Especially if it doesn't have curves. What about adding crown molding to dress it up a little?

Just check out those curves!

I found this piece on Craigslist a while ago. Truthfully, I probably shouldn't have bought it- I thought it was solid wood, because we were checking it out at a storage unit that was poorly lit. It wasn't until we were loading it into the truck that the guy divulged that it was laminate. Boo! Next time I'm unloading it off the truck. You live and learn, right? I still love the look of the cross sections on the doors- that's what caught my eye.

It turned out just fine after adding crown and a few coats of paint. You'd never know it's laminate.

This was truly a learning experience for me- not every part of this project was a cake walk. Nitty gritty details to come.

First thing's first~ I removed all the hardware.

I found molding on sale, but it was way too big for the top of the cabinet. We don't have a table saw, but we do have a scroll saw- gotta work with what ya got. My poor husband sliced that molding for a good half hour, and I'm sure the blade is pretty dull now. Here's a little tip- find the right size.

We cut each piece of molding to meet at a 45 degree angle on the corners.

1. We stripped off the laminate where we were going to attach the molding. This was easy since the laminate was already coming off.

2. We generously applied wood glue.

3. We placed the molding flush against the table so that it was perfectly even with the top.

4. We used clamps to hold the molding in place over night to let the wood dry.

5. We sanded down the top of the cabinet.

I've heard the Cover-Stain Primer from Zinsser is the best product to use on laminate. You don't even have to sand. Sounds amazing, right? Ok, here it comes (the nitty gritty)- I have a love-hate relationship with this primer. Here's why: the fumes are awful. I had the garage mostly open when I was painting and I had a headache and nausea all evening (no I'm not pregnant- good thing!) Turns out this primer doesn't meet VOC standards and on top of that it contains lead - great! It works wonders on laminate, but be sure to read the label and take appropriate safety precautions.

6. I used a roller brush to apply the Zinsser primer. Set aside my reservations about the chemicals in the primer, it really is great to use on laminate.

7. I used 220 grit sand paper to smooth the surface.

8. I applied Pale Daffodil from Behr using a roller brush and used a regular brush to get the cracks and corners.

Beautiful!

Was it worth it? Oh most definitely- I love that I was able to work together with my husband on this project. And despite the headache (literally), I enjoyed the process of transforming this beauty.

Check out the link page to see where I'm sharing this post.

If you enjoyed this post, come check out more at Que Linda.

Spring Forward Tutorial

2012-02-23T09:37:00.000-05:00

Who wants to play a game? We will call it "I have NEVER"! I will tell you things I have done and if you have done it or had it happen to you then you buy yourself a new craft project to make yourself feel better!

I had ALL of these great St Patrick's Day craft ideas ready to go. I went to the store and bought my supplies and got started. This was the result of the first one:

Has this ever happened to you? Your can of spray paint goes INSANE and sprays everywhere BUT the right direction...even on the garage floor, Oh Just Kidding Hubby! I wasn't spray painting in the garage because it was WAY too cold to go outside : D So has that happened to you? Your project is destroyed by a haywire can of paint, if so buy yourself something!

So that plan was scrapped....even after I tried it again and it did the same thing! Oh what? You have tried things more then once and it had the same outcome..isn't that like the definition of insanity??

OK enough complaining, lets get on to the tutorial! Thanks again Diana for letting me do the holiday/seasonal craft this month. If you aren't sure who I am, I am Kalyn from And I Thought I Loved You Then. I am here each month showing you a fun holiday or seasonal craft!

Oh wait..another I Have Never! Have you seen all of these amazing wood crafts out there and think I can totally do that? Then you realize you don't have a jigsaw and you cut the tip of your finger off with hedge clippers and think it isn't a good idea to buy a saw? What, I am the only one on that one?? FINE!

Well, when I realized a Jigsaw is not a good idea for ME I looked for someone to sell the unfinished, pre-cut wood. I stumbled across Wendy. She sells the wood kits, super cheap, and you can decorate them all you want! She has them for all holidays and seasons. Perfect for me!

When the kit arrives it is packaged super cute. It has the wood, some accessories, and directions in it. I bought a few kits but I decided to show you the Spring kit as it is snowing like mad here and I am protesting!

Start out with your wood, sand the edges just a bit to get the fuzzies off.

Now it is time to decide, do you want to paint your letters or paper them? I am SICK of paper around my house so I went with paint!

Prime all of the wood that is provided. I use spray paint as it is the easiest....OK I know earlier I said a can exploded on me but I am INSANE so I tried again!

Once it is all primed figure out your paint. Wendy gives a few suggestions on what colors to paint some pieces but you can be as creative as you want. I just went to the local hardware store and picked out some paints.

I'm a pretty messy spray painter

As they dry lets start on the bird. Take your bird and its wing and paper it with cute paper. Just trace it out and Mod Podge it on.

Wendy provides a few templates, one of those is for the beak of the bird. Cut out the template and cut out a beak on the orange paper she provides as well. Mod Podge it on.

Once it is all dry hot glue your wing onto your bird.

OK flower time. Once again she provides the templates and the paper. Here is a tip. If you don't feel like cutting out the template, just lay it on the paper and trace over the flower outline with a pen. You will get the outline and only have to cut those flowers once. My flowers aren't beautiful, they kind of look the flowers in my garden, you can tell they are flowers but not as pretty as my neighbors AWARD winning roses..blah blah blah...

Once you have both pieces of the flower cut out Wendy says to ink the edges. I like the look of inked edges but I only had Gold Ink...eh why not?

Now Mod Podge the two pieces together then glue the button, also provided, onto the middle of the flower. How Cute??

To make the stem of the flower take the wire, provided, and twist it together like at twisty tie, leaving a loop at the top. Glue the loop to the back of the flower petals and tada, a flower!

Take the wire and thread it through the hole in the beak. I twisted it around back and glued it so my little girls fingers don't happen to steal the flower and hide it in her SUPER hidden hiding spot that mom can't find and knows half off our stuff is there.

Once everything is dry, take the sticks and put them in the bottom of the bird for legs, and in the base to hold it up as the "I" in Spring. Put a dot of hot glue in each hole to hold them in place. You can add embellishments to the letters if you want, I did not because I tend to go overboard and end up not liking the end result.

You are done! Now that everything is dry, display it!

Thank you again everyone for following along to my tutorial. I hope you enjoyed it! I will see you again next month...hopefully without any more disasters!!

Kalyn

Just Something I Whipped Up

2012-02-19T13:38:00.001-05:00

It’s a miracle. There is silence in my house. My husband and girls are at church practicing for our Easter Production, Kole is napping and I am finally, FINALLY getting the chance to sit down and blog. For the last 2 weeks I’ve been dealing with sick kids. Stomach viruses and ear infections and I think I am finally seeing some light at the end of this tunnel. I was also helping co-chair an event at my girls’ school and that is finally done. I can breathe. And now I can blog. :)

I’ve recently teamed up with Mindy Mae’s Market and I’m going to be showing you some cool projects that you can make from the supplies they offer on their daily deals site. More on that this week!

Last week was so much fun sharing our first kiss stories. I loved reading all of the comments and smiling and nodding to the ones that I could relate to. :) Speaking of “love”, anyone doing the Love Language Challenge? I’ve read the book and it’s so great so I think the challenge will be fun. I hope to get started on that soon.

So, let’s get this party started a bit early, shall we?

Add a link to what you’ve been working on this week.
No Pinterest Round-ups please. I want to see what YOU have done.
Grab a button and post it somewhere on your blog so that other can join the fun.

OHHH, one more quick thing: the linky list this week is going to be sorted from newest to oldest. I thought I’d change it up a bit!

……………HAVE A GREAT WEEK……………

Just Something I Whipped Up

2012-02-12T21:04:00.003-05:00

Welcome to another week of Just Something I Whipped Up! I know this is a crafty link-up party but with Valentine’s Day just a few days away and with LOVE in the air I thought it would be fun to share stories of…………..

FIRST KISSES!!!

Okay, I’ll go first! :) I was 19 (old, I know. Don’t be hatin’ lol) and I was babysitting my little cousins (who were sleeping) with my boyfriend and I knew he wanted to kiss me but was stalling so I finally said “Why don’t you just kiss me already!” He was a bit surprised that I just came right out and said that but I got my point across! That was February 11, 1995.

:::::::What’s your first kiss story?? Share it in the comments:::::::

Okay friends, inspire me! Add a link to what you’ve been working on!

Valentine’s Day Cupcake Toppers {Printable}

2012-02-11T10:29:00.001-05:00

I created these adorable Valentine cupcake toppers and wanted to share with you. I used them for a Valentine's party for Sunday School and I will be using them for the Valentine's party at my daughter's Kindergarten class.

All you need is a 2" scallop/circle punch, lolly pop sticks and some tape and you will be good to go!

Please click on the image to download the PDF.

Please be sure to direct people to this post to download if you would like to share them.

Enjoy!!!

{Love Subway Art – Neutral Colors} FREEBIE

2012-02-09T20:33:00.001-05:00

Hi friends!! How is everyone doing this week? I spent my week taking care of my 5 year old who had the stomach bug that’s going around her school and then today it was my turn. Thankfully it was short-lived and aside from feeling worn out, I feel okay. Mr. GC was great today. He called in sick for work and took care of all 3 kids. And I slept for 4 hours. Dude, that never happens. I hardly EVER get sick. Even when I take a nap, no way does it last 4 hours. Anyhow, so thankful for a hubs who became Mr. Mom today.

Okay, I’ve gotten a few requests for my {LOVE} Subway art printable in colors other than red so that they can keep it up year round so…………..here you go! Click on the photos to download the PDF’s.

** If you choose to share this please be sure to direct people to this post to download**

:::::::Have a great day:::::::

{FONTS}

2012-02-07T10:15:00.001-05:00

I have received some requests for the names of the fonts I’ve used on my {Love Subway Art} so here you go! I’ve also had some requests for the printable in colors other than red and I’m working on that. Should have those available this week. :)

My font sources are Kevin and Amanda, DaFont, Lettering Delights and Creating Keepsakes. If you just Google any of the font names you can find downloads.

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{FYI} I am now taking new sponsors for the month of February. Please click HERE for current advertising rates.

Just Something I Whipped Up - VALENTINE STYLE

2012-02-06T08:28:00.002-05:00

Good morning!! I know this party is late getting started but I was up all.night.long with my 5 year old throwing up and running a fever. :(

Please link up your

VALENTINE'S DAY

projects, crafts, recipes, printables, etc.

Can't wait to be inspired!

Hope you all have a great week and remember that blogging should be secondary. God, your kids and family come first! :)

{Just Something I Whipped Up}

2012-01-29T16:50:00.001-05:00

It’s time for our weekly linky party, Just Something I Whipped Up! Can’t wait to see what you all have been busy creating. Real quick though - I issued a challenge on my Facebook page this weekend. It’s called The 3 to 8 Challenge. Basically this means that from the time your kids come home from school until the time they go to bed, you are doing to disconnect. You are going to turn your laptops, iPads, tablets, Nooks, Kindles, etc. (basically anything that distracts you from giving your kids/husbands 100% of your attention) off and you will focus on your kids. This challenge stems from an amazing article that I read over at Hands Free Mama this past week. I did it this week and let me tell you, it was such an amazing feeling.

God had been putting this on my heart for such a long time but I’ve resisted. What really got my attention was how fast time goes by. Kole just turned 9 months old and I honestly don’t know where the time has gone. I’ve missed out on some simple every day things with my kids because I’ve been wrapped up in blogging and wasting time online. That little tug on my heart coupled with the article I referenced earlier and I’ve finally begun to do something about this. So, if anyone would like to take this challenge with me, I’d love for you to join me. There is nothing you need to do to participate on my end, just purpose in your heart to “disconnect”. :)

Have a great week everyone!!!!

Design Inspire {No.1}

2012-01-28T09:08:00.000-05:00

I am SO excited to tell you about this new series that I’m starting at The Girl Creative called Design Inspire. As a designer, when I’m looking for inspiration for something, I first start with a color palette and then go from there.

I recently teamed up with Zoom Theory Photography and with their amazingly beautiful photos, I am able to come up with some Design Inspiration, thus the name, Design Inspire. Each color featured on the Design Inspire card was taken from the photo.

Here is the first of many that is to come.

Source: Zoom Theory Photography

5 Ways to Transform Your Furniture

2012-01-27T09:55:00.000-05:00

The latest trend for refinishing furniture is paint, but there's more than one way to paint a piece of furniture. Luckily, there are several tutorials out there so even the beginner can successfully turn something old and boring into something fun and beautiful.

Glazing (Antiquing)

Stacy from Not Just a Housewife stenciled this end table with a diamond pattern and then finished it off with glaze. She has a great tutorial for how to use glaze to give furniture an antique look.

Kelsey from Tattered & Inked also used glaze over bright red paint to make the woodwork pop on this end table. I love how Kelsey and Stacy both used the same technique, but achieved a very different look.

Stenciling

Liz Marie stenciled the top of this end table, but left out the glaze to make it look fresh and clean. What a fun piece!

Chalk Paint

Chalk paint has been all the rave for refinishing furniture recently. I've been wondering what all the fuss is about. Liz Marie talks about the benefits of using chalk paint and she has a fantastic tutorial on how to make your own chalk paint at home.

Painting Laminate

Most of our old furniture at home is laminate and it would be nice to give it a face lift, but paint doesn't stick to laminate very well. Centsational Girl shares a tutorial on how to achieve a store bought look with laminate (and without sanding!)

Oil Based Paint

Natty By Design uses oil based paint for many of her pieces. She share tips on how to paint with oil based paint and what brands work best. I love her high gloss style. It makes each piece have an expensive look.

Good Luck with transforming your boring old furniture into eye stoppers!

love~

Janny

from Que Linda.

Valentine's Day Fabric Wreath

2012-01-26T07:24:00.003-05:00

Hey guys! Can't believe we are almost through January, I am getting really excited for Valentines Day! Here is another project that is super easy, not as quick as some in the past, but can easily be done while watching evening t.v.

Supplies:

Fabric-2.5 yards worked for me with left overs
Wire Wreath Form-18inches
Scissors
Decorative Centerpiece

Start off by cutting your fabric into one inch strips. You can go the length of your yard.

Then cut your strips into 8inch lengths, so you will have pieces of 1x8. Make A LOT of these in all of your fabrics. Make them into piles so you can create a pattern.

I really liked my wreath form because it has two different "levels". Start out with making a knot around the top "level"

Slide it all the way to the end, there are little metal markers that help with this. Second do a knot on the bottom "level".

Again, slide it down. Next do a knot on the middle "level". It is the bottom wire of the top "level" and the top wire of the bottom "level". Gosh I hope that makes sense!

Slide them all the way down to the wire marker. Start again-Top, bottom, middle-repeat. I kept an order of my fabrics, I just went in a row of my piles, so that it had a pattern.

It can be time consuming, it took me about 30 minutes just to cut the fabric, but I was also winging it and guessing sizes so it took a bit longer. About another 30 minutes to get half way around, and having to cut more fabric.

As you keep going, there is a definite pattern of top bottom middle, this is what the back will look like.

Just keep going, don't give up, it is no where as tedious as doing a yarn wrap wreath! All together it took me about a hour and a half to finish.

Add in your decoration. The wire form has some little hooks built in. They are more meant to hold the wires together but they are perfect to hang things from.

You are done!

I plan on making these for each holiday. They are such a great way to spice up the front door!

If you have any questions, like always feel free to contact me!

If you would like to purchase this you can find it in my Etsy Shop!

Thank you so much for following along another tutorial with And I Thought I Loved You Then! I will be back here each month showing you some great Holiday/Seasonal crafts!

~Kalyn~

A Quite Coral Dresser Revival

2012-01-25T03:14:00.003-05:00

Good Morning!

As a before + after lover myself, I have a hard time believing that practically anyone could resist the lure of that slightly breathtaking moment when your eyes slide from the old, grubby "Before" picture to the eye-poppingly bright and clean "After."

But something that's essential for achieving that "wow effect" is being able to spot the "afters" in pieces that would look too-far-gone to the untrained eye in their “before” state.

Many an hour thrifting has helped hone my ability to spot the gems (my husband is skeptical sometimes, but half the fun of a good makeover is the moment when he is forced to admit that I “did it again!” : )).

So, when I spotted this sad, neglected, dirty old dresser at Goodwill (my thrifting haunt of choice) a few months back, I could see that it had major "after " potential.

I fell in love with the floral details, the key-hole plates, and the curvy lines.

(Nothing like an adorable little helper to make a nasty task—see that grimy pink scrunchy from 1973?—a little more fun).

What I didn’t love: the musty smell, the numerous dings and dints, and the drawers that I had to pry open with one foot braced against the wall.

But when the manager knocked the price down from $25 to $15, I figured it was worth it to take the dresser on, “issues” and all.

Now, because of the drawers, I wasn’t keen to store anything that I needed to access often, but I had been looking for a unique piece for my fabric collection, and I was sure this one could do the trick.

Sometimes, you don’t have to turn a flower pot into a telephone to “repurpose” an item. Sometimes, it just takes a tiny step outside the box to discover a new but similar use for something with loads of potential.

I took that step and loaded Collette (yup, just decided that now) in my van, scrubbed her down, and gave her a good coat of Kilz oil-based primer.

Then, I sprayed the keyhole plates with Rustoleum’s Heirloom White because I wanted a little contrast and focus on the details:

Next, I hauled out a half-empty can of Sherwin Williams Quite Coral—the same shade that I used to transform a garage sale chandy in a master closet makeover I finished this past summer—and got to rolling and brushing to my little heart’s content (okay, so my heart would have been a little more content with having cookies and milk while paging through the latest issue of Anthro, but none of that would have gotten get the dresser done, so…).

Here she is, all gussied up, better than new, if you ask me:

Just like I’d planned, I put Collette in my craft room and stuffed her full of fabric.

OH, and speaking of repurposing, I also used Collette as a sideboard for all the treats at my daughter, Della’s, 1st birthday party.

Two of the drawers weren’t salvageable, so I made little “drawer curtains” out of Premier Prints zigzag fabric + some clearance lace I had in my stash.

I also bought these fantastic knobs for 1/2 off at Hobby Lobby. 6 of them still cost more than I paid for the entire dresser, but in my opinion, they are sooooo worth it!

Here’s a shot of the whole birthday vignette.

And here’s a shot of the adorable little ladybug that inspired the party-theme.

I couldn’t resist. Can you blame me?

The cost breakdown for the whole project?:

Dresser: $15

Knobs: $27

Primer (I used maybe 1/2): $3

Spray paint (I used 1/4 of a can): $1.50

Paint (already had it): $0

Fabric (already had it): $0

Miscellaneous other supplies: 4.50

TOTAL: $51

So, what do you think? Worth the effort?

I’m pretty smitten, but I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Oh, and I’d LOVE to have you stop by for a visit at:

Here’s a quick peak at a few of my other projects:

You can also join in the fun of the 5D5W Facebook page here

Can’t wait to meet you!

~Abbie

How to Decorate with $0

2012-01-24T09:46:00.000-05:00

You see the shows - they come in and only use what is in the house to make a whole new room and think they could never do that in my house.

Well, I am here to tell you that you *might* be wrong.

For over 7 years now, I have been staging and re-designing homes and rooms and having a zero budget is usually my favorite thing!

With the exception of window treatments in the top and bottom photo, all of these rooms were done with only what the owner had. So while they might not be "trendy" {honestly though, do you want to be a slave to a trendy house or a home that is comfortable?}, they work for the homeowners.

So, how do you decorate with zero dollars?

First, take every single thing out of the room except large furniture items that must stay.

This is the point that I suggest you really clean the room well. No use trying to arrange furniture over old dust bunnies ;)

Now, really think about how you use the space. Is it not functioning because of layout or because the builder told you it was a formal dining, but the only dining you do is at the breakfast table but you are missing a home office? Editing is also key here, taking out extra items and purging can also lighten a room tremendously.

So now with function in mind, start bringing items in. Start with any area rugs (since they are the hardest to add later) and work from there. Once you have the furniture in place it is time for accessories. Shop your whole house, linen closet and storage. You would be surprised what you can come up with if you think outside the box.

This is also the time that calling in a girlfriend, sister (or hubby for the heavy lifting) can be fun!

Good luck with your decorating.

Love,

Bev

PS You can find me here:

Just Something I Whipped Up

2012-01-22T16:59:00.001-05:00

This weekend was a bit crazy and I didn’t get around to posting the Giveaway Directory for this week but it’s up now, so please click HERE if you have a Giveaway that you want to promote {or enter}.

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Last week we had so many great projects linked up! 607 to be exact! Craziness!!! Thanks so much for coming back each week and linking up. And if it’s your first time here, WELCOME!

The top 5 projects from last week were:

Ribbon and Lace Mason Jar Cups from I {heart} Nap Time

Valentine Subway Art from Mom on Time Out

List of 75 Valentine Printables from Crationary

Cinnamon French Toast Bake from What’s Cooking Love?

Classroom Valentines and Decor from Uncommon

Congratulations, you guys!! If your project was featured here, please feel free to grab a featured button below to show off!

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Please add a link to something YOU have whipped up recently. It can be a recipe, a sewing project, furniture revamp, room makeover – pretty much anything goes. NO Pinterest round ups though. As much as we all love Pinterest, we want to see what you have created.

I would love it if you would add a link to The Girl Creative somewhere visible on your blog so that others can join in the fun.

10 Creative DIY Cupcake Stands

2012-01-17T14:02:00.000-05:00

Cupcakes have really come a long way! From cupcake toppers, to creative wrappers to delicious gourmet frostings, they have really become crowd pleasers for any event.

Kole’s first birthday is coming up in a few months and determined to not do something last minute for once, I started looking for ideas to display some cupcakes that I plan on making.

Here are 10 creative DIY cupcake displays that are easy enough for anyone to pull off.

1. Individual cupcake stands displayed on a red polka dot trunk. Don’t have a trunk? Just wrap a box in some cool wrapping paper.

Source: Modern Moments Designs

2. Interchangeable cupcake stands – how clever!

Source: Kirtsy (from The Giver’s Log)

3. Dollar Store Cupcake Stand using glass vases and burner covers. Genius!

Source: The Little Brown House

4. Another take on cupcake stands using burner covers. Love it!

Source: Decor-ganize Crafts

5. Giant cupcake display for larger events – so pretty!

Source: Balancing Beauty and Bedlam

6. Okay, I think this has to be my favorite! I will let the picture do the talking!

Source: Bee in our Bonnet

7. Made from paper (free template too!)

Source: Bird’s Party

8. Cake board, glass candlestick and ribbon – doesn’t get much easier than that!

Source: The Crafting Chicks

9. Flower Pots and Plates

Source: Blog 5 to 9

10. Love this! Aren’t the plates so pretty???

Source: Wedding Wire

Just Something I Whipped Up

2012-01-15T19:43:00.001-05:00

It’s time for our weekly linky party, Just Something I Whipped Up, where you can share projects that you’ve been working on and gain some inspiration from what others have been creating.

Here are the top 5 viewed links from last week’s party:

DIY Dishwasher Soap Packets from Lady with the Red Rocker

Wine Bottle Glasses from Scissors & Steam

Etched Glass Baking Dish from The Creative Imperative

Infant Peasant Dress Pattern and Tutorial from Sew Much Ado

Painted Wood “Eat” Sign from DIY Design Fanatic

Thanks for linking up such great projects! If you were featured in this post, please feel free to grab the button below. (pssst: it’s brand new! just cranked it out today!)

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I would love it if you would add a link to The Girl Creative somewhere visible on your blog so that others can join in the fun.

…………………If you are hosting a giveaway at your blog, please feel free to add it to our weekly giveaway directory located HERE……………….

Giveaway Directory No. 2

2012-01-15T00:00:00.004-05:00

This week's giveaway directory is now live. If you are hosting a giveaway at your blog, please feel free to add your link to our giveaway directory HERE.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and don't forget to come back for "Just Something I Whipped Up"!

xoxo
Diana

Freebie Friday {Embellished Clothespin Template}

2012-01-13T12:00:00.001-05:00

One of the easiest and popular craft projects out there is embellishing clothespins. I made a bunch HERE for my Christmas Advent Calendar. I made them HERE as part of a gift for a friend. Each time I made them, I traced them onto scrapbook paper and then cut them out. Not really a big deal but the little metal springs that hold the pin together kind of got in the way when tracing them and made for a bit of a pain in the butt.

Having the need to embellish some more for a project I’m working on, I decided to create a template to use and I wanted to share it with you. This template will give you 45 strips of paper to embellish 45 standard clothes pins with. All you need to do is print it out on the back of an 8.5x11 piece of scrapbook paper and cut the lines with a paper cutter/trimmer or even a scissor. If you have a 12x12 piece of scrapbook paper that you want to use instead, just trim it down to 8.5x11 and feed through your printer.

Once you have your strips of paper cut out, just Mod Podge them to the clothes pins. After making a bunch myself I realized that the paper overhangs just a tiny bit on the edges. A little sand paper (or even a nail file!) will take care of that and it will also give you a neat worn out look.

Click HERE to download a PDF copy of the template. You can cut out a bunch on different papers and then keep them on hand for the next time you want to make some. It will save you time when you are in a rush and just need a little last minute gift.

If you make and sell these on Etsy or anywhere else, please feel free to use the template. :)

{Please do not share this template. Please direct people to this post to download it. Thank you!}

How Children Adapt to Change – What do you think?

2012-01-11T23:04:00.001-05:00

In the community where I live, our school district is made up of 2 Neighborhood Elementary Schools, one middle school and one high school. In December our school board voted to eliminate the 2 neighborhood schools and convert them each to Grade Level Schools. If you are unfamiliar with both terms, let me explain. Neighborhood schools are schools that serve a particular neighborhood. Children who live closest to their neighborhood school will attend that school. The current neighborhood school that my girls attend is Grades K-5. The other neighborhood school in our district also serves grades K-5. After this school year one school will serve all of K-2 regardless of where in the district you live and the other will serve grades 3-5. The school board’s vote was 3-2 regardless of the many parents who pleaded and spoke their heart to leave things the way they were.

Right now there is a huge debate going on within our district. A group of parents have come together to make a legal appeal to this decision. They are circulating petitions and have even filed a grievance to have the decision overturned.

What it really comes down to (and what no one is really saying) is that the parents in one neighborhood don’t want their kids to mix with the children in the other neighborhood. I live in the “other” neighborhood. I’ve been here for almost 10 years and until this year I never knew that an “us vs them” mentality even existed. So, my house is not as big as yours so you don’t want your kids to socialize with mine? So, my school has more under privileged children who attend than yours does and you don’t want “them” to bring your children down? It’s ridiculous.

But, I digress. One argument that parents are using to make to appeal this decision is that children who have to transition to another school between 2nd and 3rd grade do not do well with that change. I have never had to deal with this so I’m not sure how I feel. What type of school do your children go to? Are any of your schools set up like Grade Level Schools? Have your children had a hard time transitioning to another school after 2nd grade?

If I had my way, I’d keep things the way they are and my feelings have nothing to do with the socio-economic status of anybody. I live a half a mile from our elementary school. I wait outside the school every day at pick-up for my girls to come out. I socialize with the parents of my children’s classmates whom I’ve gotten to know and become good friends with because of this daily routine. I don’t have to put my girls on a bus and wonder if anything “off” will take place at any given time. It’s a real sense of community we have because of how the schools are currently set up. I’m bummed it’s going to change but it really doesn’t matter how I feel or what I think. I just wonder how it will impact my oldest daughter who will now be facing this change next year. She’s excited about the change. A new school, woo hoo! lol She’ll get to ride a bus. Double woo-hoo! (in her opinion) I just wonder if it’s in the children’s best interest…….

I’d love any feedback that anyone might have into a similar situation or even any encouragement about it. I know that my daughter’s life and future is in God’s hands and I can find comfort in that at least. :)

Thanks for letting me share something that has absolutely nothing to do with crafting. :)

What I’m Pinning Wednesday

2012-01-11T00:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome to our first (of hopefully many!) “What I’m Pinning Wednesday”! Each Wednesday, if my family life allows it (and when my fabulous contributors are not posting during their week), I will be featuring some of the neat things that I have pinned to my Pinterest boards.

This week I want to start with a recipe that I pinned and even made. Delicious I tell you! It was a big hit when I made it for our New Year’s Eve party.

Pull Apart Pesto Bread pinned to my “Yummy Foods” board.

Source: Our Best Bites

Next up, this adorable Mason Jar Key Hook. This is definitely going on my to do list. This project is pinned to my “For the Home” board.

Source: Shanty-2-Chic

Also from my “For the Home” board, this to-die-for Hall Tree. I want one of these BAD!!! This was made out of an old door and a bench. Love it!!!

Source: Hobbies of a Homemaker

I adore this Love Sign which I have pinned to my “Valentine” board. I love how the ribbon scraps are holding up some of the letters. And I love the pom-pom garland as well.

Source: Snowy Bliss

If you have a little girl and need help planning the perfect party, then this is for you! I have this amazing project pinned to my “Girlie Birthday Party” board.

Source: The House of Smiths

And lastly, I’ll leave you with this yummy treat I just found: Cookie Dough Brownies which is pinned on my “Yummy Foods” board. If I wasn’t trying to lose weight, I would be all over these like white on rice! ;)

Source: Kelsey Bang

Until next time…………….

Just Something I Whipped Up

2012-01-08T22:37:00.002-05:00

Hi Friends! I hope you all had a great weekend! Anyone do anything fun and exciting? My husband worked so me and the kids just hung out. Throw in a play date and church and that pretty much sums up my weekend.

Before we get this party started let me just say……….

NY GIANTS BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

and

WAY TO GO TEBOW!!!!!!!

2 totally different teams but still. Very good day for us NY Giants and Tim Tebow fans!

Share your creations with us. We can’t wait to see what you’ve been working on. Have a great week!!!

Giveaway Directory No.1

2012-01-08T00:00:00.003-05:00

If you are hosting a Giveaway over at your blog, please feel free to add your link to our Giveaway Directory located HERE.

I hope you are all having a wonderful weekend!

xoxo,
Diana

New! Weekly Giveaway Directory

2012-01-07T00:00:00.000-05:00

Back in my earlier days of blogging I used to have a Giveaway Directory. Each month I would update it and bloggers could add a link(s) to giveaways they had going on at their blog. I just recently started to get into doing some regular giveaways and when I went to go find giveaway listings to help spread the word, I couldn’t find many. The only one that I knew of was the one every Thursday at Someday Crafts {which by the way is terrific and you should take advantage of it if you are hosting a giveaway}. I tossed the idea of starting one back up around and decided to go for it!

So, starting this Sunday, January 8 (and the Sunday’s following it) I’m going to open up a Giveaway Directory located right HERE.

Everything is all set up and ready to go for this Sunday. Please help spread the word and share this post either via any of the methods at the bottom of the post.