Krafty Kat

Headbands

2011-11-21T04:39:00.001-08:00

I’ve been really busy lately…..how about you? It seems this is the time of year everything starts speeding up from here on out through the holidays and doesn’t settle back down until after New Year’s.
I’ve still squeezed out a little time to bust through my stash and make some headbands….I like to give them all names…

Have you had time to get anything done lately?

Sharing this post:

Fairy Land

2011-11-13T09:15:00.001-08:00

Just wanted to share with you a little project I was working on earlier this week. I always loved making fairies in a jar and I felt compelled to create a little 3D scene of fairies that had not been captured but were free in their own natural environment: Fairy Land.

95% of this project was made with paper. Rolled paper flowers, paper mache walls, decoupaged toilet paper rolls and paper plates...

Most of the fairies as well as the text for the Fairy Land sign I found at the Graphics Fairy.

I did add wings and embellish the fairies with lots of shimmering glitter to make them seem more sparkly and magical.

I have never made anything like this but I had a lot of fun doing it and look forward to making more.

I'll be sharing this at some of the best link parties if you'd like to come too!

Pecans and Dropcloths

2011-11-08T14:17:00.000-08:00

Pecans and dropcloths…that’s two words you don’t hear together everyday. But today you will! I have brought them together for a little fall decorating in my dining room with this simple, rustic vignette.

Fall is a time of harvest so I harvested what we have. Here in the South, during this time of year, one thing we have a lot of is pecans. All of these pecans came from my yard. I filled a galvanized planter with them as my centerpiece.

I flanked the sides with dollar store vases that have been hotglued to dollar store glass candlestick holders to make my own hurricanes. These were both filled with my harvested pecans. I took some leftover dropcloth material and cut into strips that I tied onto the vases. I love the way the canvas looks…even more than burlap!

I added my framed ‘Be Thankful’ print from last year and a mini pumpkin.

Those ceramic chickens have been spraypainted, you should have seen them before! Wildly colorful dollar store “what-nots” that I had to tone down a notch.

A blue and white plate sits in the back. I really don’t know anything about it – I just liked the way it looked.

A found turkey feather sits in a little glass bottle. It reminds me a little of the old quill pens people used to write with – if only the bottle were filled with ink!

This shabby white tray holds a few other harvested items – acorns, fallen leaves, magnolia cones. I love the colors and textures of real fall leaves!

I have taken down my Halloween decorations in my built in shelves and gotten them ready for Thanksgiving. We really enjoy Thanksgiving around here because there are three birthdays in our family during this time. November is just one big celebration that leads into the most wonderful time of the year….*sigh.

Anyway, I’ll have to show you all that another time because I have to get ready to see my daughter’s school play.

Have you harvested anything this fall season? (I just love that word!)

I'll be sharing this around the web if you'd like to follow along and find more inspiration:

Take 5 Candy Hack

2011-11-03T23:06:00.000-07:00

My absolute favorite candy is Take 5. It is the perfect candy because it has a little bit of everything – sweet,salty, crunchy, chewy, and it has peanut butter, chocolate, and caramel!

I used to eat them on a more regular basis but over the past few months, I have tried to lead a much healthier lifestyle and only treat myself to something sweet once in a while. It’s working too because I have lost about 30 pounds! The other day though I allowed myself to have a special treat and I got a Take 5. As I was eating it, it occurred to me that I could easily make it myself. So, that’s just what I did.

Ingredients:
Mini Pretzels
Peanut Butter (crunchy would be more authentic but I used creamy)
Homemade Caramel Sauce (See, I told you that last post was going to be useful)
Chocolate Bark Candy

Directions:

Cover your workspace with wax paper and lay out mini pretzels (I used @40).

Spread peanut butter over the pretzels. I love how they look like little hearts.

Spread heated caramel sauce over the peanut butter. Let cool.

Melt chocolate bark candy in microwave (carefully).

Dip pretzels in melted chocolate. Let cool on wax paper.

When the candy has cooled, store in an air-tight container.

A great way to gift these candies is in a recycled drink mix canister.

I took an old drink-mix canister and removed the paper wrapper. I lined the inside with wax paper and stacked the candy inside ( I was able to get 10 into this size canister).

Then I added a simple label with baker’s twine. I kept the outside of the container plain but you could embellish these in so many ways.

To give a larger amount, try using a Pringles chip canister. Just be sure to clean the inside well and you will have to cover the outside with paper or fabric.

I hope you’ll try my hacked Take Five candy. It would be great for the holidays. But you might want to give most of it away and get it out of your house. Otherwise your butt might get too big to fit into that cute holiday outfit you had planned to wear!

I'll be sharing this recipe at the following link parties. Hope to see you there!

Easy Homemade Caramel Sauce

2011-11-03T20:39:00.000-07:00

I L.O.V.E. caramel! I love it in my coffee, on ice cream, and in candy. It is so easy to make too – there’s no need to buy it at the grocery store. Here is how I do it:

Ingredients:

1/2 pint Whipping Cream (you can use regular or heavy cream)
1 1/2 Cup Sugar
1/3 Cup Water
1- 2 Tsp Vanilla Extract

Directions:

Put 1 1/2 cup sugar in pot. Pour 1/3 cup water over the sugar. Heat until boiling.

While it is heating, make sure your cream and vanilla is ready. Resist the urge to stir the sugar. Soon, you will be stirring lots. Watch the pot closely. The boiling sugar will start to change colors.

First, it will yellow a bit. Keep watching closely.

Keep watching.

When it turns a golden amber color, pour in the cream.

It will bubble up and now it is time to take your whisk and stir, stir, stir.

It is starting to get thicker…

Almost there…

See how easy that was? No candy thermometer, no complicated ingredients, just simple goodness!

When it thickens, which will probably be about 5 minutes later, take the pot off of the heat and add the vanilla. I like to use 2 Tsp vanilla but I know you might not like that much so use your own judgement. Stir it in and then let it cool.

You can store your caramel in a jar and keep it in the fridge (if you can keep it at all). Just heat it up when you need it.

It makes a great gift. Just add a label or gift tag and you’re done.

Who wouldn’t love to receive this?

Now, this caramel sauce will come in handy for my next post…

*Wink*Wink*

I'll be sharing this post over at these great parties if you want to go check them out:

Fun Stuff for the Kids

2011-11-01T15:25:00.000-07:00

Happy November 1st! My kids are on some kind of candy overload right now but I’m gathering ideas for fun stuff to do when the candy runs out! Click on the pictures for links.

I love these autumn leaf crowns! I can see many magical woodland adventures taking place with these on.

I found this fun recipe for DIY bathtub soap crayons.

These flowers are so pretty and easy to make with cupcake liners!

Another great fall craft is this leaf mobile.

They’ll have a blast making this seriously cool galaxy playdough.

This is one that is better for you to make for them instead of with them but this is so perfect for all the petite princesses who aren’t ready for real makeup yet!

With Thanksgiving coming up, these handprint turkey jar toppers will be perfect!

Speaking of jar toppers, I love these made with old plastic animal toys! This would make remembering where things go so easy and fun to put away. You could really adapt this to any theme (dinosaurs, cars, even characters!)

And, if you are like me and have lots of extra pumpkin seeds leftover, use them to make pretty mosaics in fall colors!

So, when the kids start to drive you crazy, drive them crazy (in a good way) instead by doing some of these fun activities!

Join the fun below:

Homemade Croutons

2011-10-30T08:13:00.000-07:00

This morning I made the kids bacon, egg, & toast cups. They are really delicious and I discovered them via Pinterest. I like making these when we want something different. I didn’t get any pictures of mine but here’s a good example:

Image: Flip Flops and Polka Dots

When you make them, you cut the crusts off the bread. I hate to waste anything! So, instead of tossing them, I just made croutons. It was so easy to do and I don’t think I will ever buy croutons again!

I just took the little crusts and cut them into cubes. I melted about 3 tablespoons of butter. Then I added a pinch of salt, 1 tsp of garlic powder, and 1 tsp of italian seasoning. I mixed the seasonings into the butter then tossed the bread into the bowl and tried to get them all evenly covered.

I spread them out onto a cookie sheet and baked in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes. They smelled so yummy baking. I allowed them about 15 minutes to cool and then stored them in an air-tight container. Later, when I make my salad, I can pull out my fresh croutons. They are so tasty!

You could also do this with bread that is going stale. If you are not using the crusts, bake a little longer (20-25 minutes) so they can get crispy.

My Halloween Decor

2011-10-27T20:51:00.000-07:00

The built in shelves in my office are my new favorite place to decorate (since I no longer have a mantel). It is basically the heart of the house and from my desk, I can see outside into the backyard, into the kitchen, the living room, and into the hall. I feel like I am in command central. My boyfriend and I both have our desks facing each other and my desk is closes to the built-ins. The shelves go up nearly to the ceiling and are the perfect spot to decorate and change with the seasons. I have touches of fall all over the house but these shelves are really the only place I decorated this year for Halloween. Come explore…

Check out the orbs! It really is haunted! Ha, ha!

Don’t let those scare you, come take a closer look…

I brought out several things from last year like the Spooky pennant banner, wooden pumpkins, candy corn, and Happy Halloween blocks.

Across the top is a fall leaf garland that I am keeping up basically from September to November. I found some orange styrofoam pumpkins from the dollar store and I spray painted them to make them look ceramic.

One row of shelves has lots of little baskets that I use to hold various craft supplies and I added some little pumpkins to these.

I filled a galvanized planter with colorful fabric and lots of wooden candy corn.

On the shelf above, I wrapped a piece of orange crepe paper around a simple white candle.

I have these three amber colored bottles that I decorated with various graphics. The biggest one is an image that I played around with of a girl and a cat. I embellished with strips of crepe paper and burlap and inside I placed a flameless tealight to flicker. The next is a bat and then a skull that I attached with a little twine.

I found a really nice vintage owl illustration from the Graphics Fairy and added a background with a big harvest moon and framed it.

I printed out some cute vintage jack-o-lanterns from Matthew Mead and strung them up with orange ribbon and a little white rick rack. Also from Matthew Mead is the cute vintage cat face. Love these!

Here and there are black glittery spiders creeping and crawling along the shelves.

The bottles with the witch hazel & life renewal potion labels are from last year. I have a flameless tealight candle behind just to flicker a little (hard to see in the pictures).

Then there is a dead bouquet. I painted some artificial flowers black and added gold glitter and put them on skewers. I filled a jar with them and added a little black tulle.

A giant rat scurries along some old books…

A chalk spider web on black paper is home to another big black spider.

In a frame on the shelf below is another image of a cute girl on a pumpkin with a black cat from the Graphics Fairy that I added a little glitter to and glued to some vintage sheet music.

Another black blossom adorns the stand for the creepy skull. There is a flameless candle underneath.

The whole thing just wouldn’t be complete without a spooky dollar store bird.

Hope you have a spooktacular Halloween!

Einstein – Last Minute Costume Idea

2011-10-26T10:01:00.000-07:00

I just couldn't resist posting this! At my son’s school, they had a “nerd day” for spirit week (last week). He has been recently reading about Albert Einstein and decided to dress as him. It was really simple to do. I sprinkled baby powder in his dark hair to give it that grey look and added some gel & hair spray to make it stick up. For the mustache, we took a small piece of polyfill and painted it grey and he taped it on. Grey felt would work great too. Clothing wise: just simple dark shirt (sweater if you have it), pants, and old leather shoes. I think a white lab jacket would be great too. That’s it.

To Improve my Quality of Life

2011-10-23T22:04:00.000-07:00

I know these things would make such a huge difference in my quality of life. Click on photos for links to sources.

Carrying in all those bags of groceries would go much quicker with these.

The cord would always reach with a built in wall extenstion cord.

I need a cute little charger pocket like this.

Sharpie Pencil. Writes like a pencil ( & eraseable) but becomes permanent when dry.

Who doesn’t need this in their kitchen?

I would always have a comfy place to stretch out and watch tv.

I could transform any paint I had into spray paint with this spray gun.

Sometimes a porch swing isn’t laid back enough. Sometimes, you need a porch bed swing.

For all those times, my PMDD symptoms flare up, I could just escape to my secret hideout.

If I couldn’t have a secret hideout, I would settle for a secret compartment.

When I want to be seen as who I really am.

Cleaning electronics would be a breeze with this special putty that get all the dirt, germs out of the little nooks & crannies.

Cotton Candy Martini for when I want to feel like a kid at a carnival and maintain my adult sophistication at the same time.

For when taking the stairs just isn’t fast enough.

Something else to make my grocery shopping trips just a little easier.

Just in case.

Brooklyn Blackout Cake

2011-10-23T07:49:00.000-07:00

For my daughter’s 13th birthday, I let her pick out what kind of cake she wanted. She is a bit of a chocolate lover so I expected her to want chocolate. She came back with a picture of Brooklyn Blackout Cake, a famously rich dark chocolate three layer cake that looked unbelievably decadent. I was a little intimidated and unsure if I could pull off such a feat. My baking usually involves a box of cake mix. I searched and found a recipe that I thought looked good.

I had never heard of Brooklyn Blackout Cake but apparently, there was a chain of bakeries in Brooklyn named Ebinger’s founded in 1898 by George and Catherine Ebinger. It was famous, especially for its blackout cake sold in a signature blue box. They eventually closed due to bankruptcy in 1972. Named for wartime blackouts, the Brooklyn Blackout Cake was a layer cake with a pudding filling and was frosted with dark fudge and covered in cake crumbs. The Ebingers never released their original recipes and have left their devotees clamoring to find a substitute that can hold up to the Ebinger standard.

The recipe I used was from Leite’s Culinaria. Follow the link for ingredients and directions. She calls her recipe new and improved because she altered the pudding filling to be thicker and stay more firmly on the layers. The only thing I did different was use Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa powder (blend of natural and Dutch-process cocoa) for the unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa. For the semisweet chocolate, I used Ghirardelli. Other than using the dark cocoa, I pretty much followed her recipe to a T. She gives easy to follow instructions and I just went step by step. I did not use parchment paper as she did, simply because I didn’t have any but I didn’t have any problems with my cake sticking to my pans.

The cake turned out beautifully and my daughter and her friends were quite impressed. Everyone loved it, even my significant other who doesn’t really like chocolate. I sent a piece to my mom and she said if you can make this, you can make anything! It is a perfect dessert to take to dinners and functions when you want to make a good impression. This cake is a chocolate lover’s dream. It is rich and decadent but the pudding filling helps to balance it so that it is not too much.

I don’t know how this cake compares with the original Ebinger’s Blackout Cake but it tastes so good,it doesn’t even matter. I wish I would’ve taken some better photos because these really don’t do the cake justice but at the time, I wasn’t even thinking about blogging about it.

Proud to have this post featured!

You can also find it at these parties:

Pretty Pencils

2011-10-21T19:38:00.000-07:00

I don’t know about you but I am always jotting things down and making little notes and lists to keep up with everything that’s swirling around in my head. With all that note-taking, I go through a lot of pencils. Usually they look like this:

You know, plain ole’ Number 2. Gets the job done but not much to look at. Well, why not have pretty pencils? I love florals, especially roses and I have plenty of this wrapping paper left over. I cut my paper into strips the same length as my pencils (7”) and about 1.25” wide. I decoupaged (with my homemade mod podge mixture) the first one on then decided to try the spray adhesive.

I think spray adhesive is to glue what spray paint is to paint. It’s just so much quicker and in most instances works just as well. So, I sprayed the back of the paper lightly then slowly and carefully wrapped the paper around the pencil, smoothing it down as I went until the pencil was covered. Another benefit of using the spray adhesive is that you can (especially with fabric) have time to adjust what you are gluing if you don’t have it placed just right. Just be sure to put down some newspaper or something to protect whatever surface you are using from the spray or it will get sticky. Also, make sure to use it in a well-ventilated area although it doesn’t smell really strong. Basically, follow the same rules that you would with spray paint!

By the way, in case you are not familiar with my ~~redneck~~ homemade mod podge and you don't have spray adhesive on hand, it is just regular plain white school glue that I have thinned with a little water. Works great and I can usually find glue for less than 50 cents a bottle (a fraction of the cost of mod podge)!

After covering the pencils with various papers (scrapbook, gift wrap, old maps – I even printed off some French sheet music from the Graphic Fairy!), I decided to cover the front of a plain spiral notebook to match my floral pencils. I just measured the front, cut my paper the same size, sprayed and placed it on. I smoothed it out really well and when it was dry, I added a bit of rick-rack and ribbon. Now, I can feel pretty and feminine when I make my little notes! I loooove it!

I can see making these as little matching sets and giving them as gifts. You could do a little notepad with a matching pencil or little bundles of pencils or even make a pencil box & fill it with pretty pencils!

You could use newspaper, tissue paper, scrapbook paper, wrapping paper, anything that is not too thick (ie. card stock). Get creative. I am thinking of making some for the kids using their favorite candy wrappers.

Fall Rag Garland & Mini Burlap Rosette Wreath

2011-10-19T14:48:00.000-07:00

My mama is working on a fall table runner and asked me if I wanted her fabric scraps. Sure, I said. I knew just the thing to do with them.

I cut them into strips approximately 1.5” by 6”, frayed the edges just a little, and tied them onto a long strip of brown ribbon. Such a seriously simple and cute way to decorate. I love the scrappy, homespun feel. I hung it up on my kitchen window to add some fall color to the plain window (still haven’t gotten a curtain).

I also hung a mini wreath (thrifted, of course) below it. I have lots of leftover canvas dropcloth left over from the teepee we made last year. I cut a strip, frayed the edges a bit, and wrapped it around the wreath (using hotglue to hold) and made three little rosettes and hotglued them on. An excellent tutorial for making fabric rosettes can be found here. I attached another strip to hang it with and was done.

Have you made anything beautiful with just scraps lately?

Vintage Kitchen Pretties

2011-10-18T15:03:00.000-07:00

These pretty little kitchen things make me want to go put on a pot of coffee, bake a cake, get my whole house smelling good, and look cute doing it.

...just click on the image to link to the source.

Fabric Covered Clipboard

2011-08-25T04:27:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I just discovered the magic that is spray adhesive! I know, it’s been around forever but I’ve just never tried it. Oh, it’s so easy! Just like it sounds - you spray and stuff sticks. What I like best about it is the fact that you have a little time before it completely sets if you need to readjust without making a huge mess. I should've known I would love it, I mean it's like spray paint, only glue!

Also, let me say sorry about the quality of these pics but they were taken at night while the kids were asleep so...ya know!

The first thing I did with it was cover an old binder for my daughter. I used some leftover Michael Miller fabric. It’s cute but I didn’t realize that I could readjust it and my fabric wasn’t ironed soooooo- it’s a wrinkly mess.

She still loves it so that’s all that really matters. I added her name and the class with some vinyl letters I cut out using my Silhouette. Learn from my mistake if you decide to do this and make sure to iron your fabric first and if you place it and it still seems wrinkly, you can lift it up and readjust and smooth it down.

My next project was to cover a clipboard.

I didn’t really have any other cute fabric right now so I took one of my daughter’s old dresses and cut a piece to cover a clipboard.

It is a very thin, sheer material so I didn’t have to iron it. I love the pink, rosy print- so girly! I sprayed on the adhesive and carefully placed the fabric over it, smoothing it around the edges. At the top, I cut out the space for the clip to go. Then, I took strips of the same fabric and tied them on to create a fluffy puff at the top. (Because what could be more girly than fluffy puffs?)

I think maybe I should velcro a chunky, pink pen on the bottom. What do you think?

You could really go all out with these and embellish your little heart out. I can’t wait to get some more fabric and cover some more notebooks, binders, and clipboards. I have lots of ideas- maybe use the silhouette to cut some fabric into fun shapes and then spray them on top of the first layer. You could personalize all of your kids’ binders. These would make great teacher gifts, or you could make recipe books, photo albums, scrapbooks, anything that you could use a notebook, binder, or clipboard for!

10 On Tuesday

2011-08-23T08:00:00.000-07:00

I thought I would participate this week in one of my favorite blog’s link party. It’s called “Ten on Tuesday” and it’s over at It’s A Crafty Life. Basically, you blog about whatever you want, as long as it’s a list of ten and link it up. It’s lots of fun!

My kids just started back to school which is nice, not only because it gives me some time to actually hear myself think, but I can spend a little more time crafting, blogging, thrifting, etc. It will be so divine to have some “ME” time!

Now, that they are back in school and September is almost here, I can’t help to think about fall! I have tried to reason with myself- after all, it’s still a sweltering 100 degrees here in Georgia. But, all I can think about is pumpkins and leaves and apple cider and hay rides. I want to drag all of my fall decorations out but I am making myself wait a little longer. So, to pacify myself, I have been pinning fall pictures like a mad woman over at Pinterest. Here are my 10 Fall Inspiration Pics:

Look at that real corn in there! I am definitely doing this!

In love with that galvanized tiered stand full of fall goodness!

Wow! These stacked pumpkins would make quite a statement!

Okay, seriously, I could never make a bouquet this beautiful but what a great idea to put it inside a white pumpkin. This is so unexpectedly romantic!

Cider Bar? Yes, please.

Mod podged leaves…

How adorable are these apple candles with the wax dripping down the sides.

Love this indian corn wreath for Thanksgiving.

So simple.

Oh. My. Goodness.

So, have I got to you yet? Are you as ready for fall as I am? For more inspiration, check out my boards on Pinterest. If you have the time, join in the party over at It’s a Crafty Life and share your 10 on Tuesday.

Rose Colored Glass

2011-07-29T10:03:00.000-07:00

I am seeing the world through my rose colored glass (not glasses).

Remember when I showed you how to make your own beach glass? Same method here. I took a glass candlestick holder from the thrift store (these things make excellent pedestals for dessert trays,etc.) and a glass container that I believe came from some sort of air freshener.

You could use any small jar, glass, etc. Painted on the color and when it dried, I just glued the container to the candlestick with some Amazing Goop. You could use superglue, hot glue, whatever you have available. You could also go with any color you like so if you want some accessories to match your blue or yellow (or whatever color) room- here you go! I don't know if you can see if but there is a white ring around the inside on the top that wouldn’t come out because I had water in it or something for so long but it’ll still pass.

I think it turned out pretty. I will probably just put it in my girls’ room to hold jewelry and other girly stuff.

DIY Beach Glass Jars & Bottles

2011-07-16T19:50:00.000-07:00

It’s summertime, one of my favorite times to decorate. I love the casual beach cottage look. One thing that gives you that relaxed coastal feel is beach glass. You can find these bottles and jars in flea markets, thrift shops, online, etc. Or you can make your own.

I have been ~~hoarding~~ collecting my old salsa and pasta sauce jars and glass bottles lately and this was the perfect project to get them out of the cabinet. I have seen several blog posts about how to do this. There were various methods shown from painting inside the bottle or jar, oven-baked paint, and using actual glass paint. Some of them were absolutely amazing. Some of them were not. One thing I noticed is that they either looked totally transparent (like a blue Ball jar, which I do love) or were not translucent. True “sea glass” is colored and catches the light but has a certain frostiness about it.

That’s what I wanted. This is how I did it:

DIY Beach Glass

Supplies:

Blue & Green Food Coloring ( I used the Neon colors from McCormick just because I like how intense the color is)
School Glue
Dish Liquid
Water
Paint Brush
Glass Jars, Bottles, etc.

Directions:

Start with clean, dry glass bottles and jars and prepare your workspace (put down some old newspaper or something!).

Mix the school glue and water as if you were making homemade mod podge. WHAT? You don’t know how to make your own mod podge? So easy! Just mix 2-3 parts glue to 1 part water. That’s it!

Add a few drops of blue and green food coloring. Add more blue or green depending on your preference.
Add just a little dish liquid. How much is just a little…well, not too much!

Blend well. I just like to say that. It makes me feel like I’m making some special recipe.

Now, carefully paint the mixture onto the outside of the glass and let it dry. Watch out for being too streaky or leaving drips. Don’t worry, if you mess up – just wash and start over.
Enjoy!

One thing I should mention is you can put water inside for fresh flowers. You just have to be VERY careful not to get it wet on the outside.

Also, this is a great technique because there is no commitment. Maybe during the summer you want pretty beach glass but during the fall you want jars to fill with Halloween candy or whatever. Just wash and the jars are as good as new.

They look great in a grouping or alone, in a windowsill, as a centerpiece, on a shelf, pretty much anywhere.

See, wasn't that easy (not to mention free if you have everything on hand)? Go grab your bottles and jars and give them a new beachy look!

PS. Scroll down for a list of places I link up to for some great parties!

Hello Out There

2011-07-12T20:50:00.000-07:00

(Sorry- not a good photo)

Well, hello, blogworld! I haven’t seen you in quite a while! I have to admit, I have enjoyed getting away for a while. No, I didn’t really go anywhere. I haven’t really done much of anything. I did move. A block away. It was a big ordeal though. I’m glad to be settled in and ready to get back to old routines. Like my blog.

I started this blog last fall with no idea what to expect. I quickly learned all about taking (& editing) better photos, leaving comments, linking back, blog parties, giveaways- you know, all of this stuff that takes up a TON of time. I wanted to do well so I threw myself into my blog and my craft projects. I felt like I had to have several awesome crafts each week that were linked up to all of the major craft/decor blogs on the internet. Not only that but I was hosting my own party and blog-hopping all over the place to see what everyone else was up to. I was doing pretty well too. I was getting featured regularly and gaining lots of followers. This all went along just fine for about 6 months until I just burnt out.

Everything was going great but the kids were about to get out of school and you know how hectic things get at the end of the year. I just felt so overwhelmed and just had to stop. I hate that I just kind of quit but I couldn’t keep going. My life was too busy and I was having a hard time not putting 110% into my blog to be all of the things to all of the people I have to be in “real life”.

Well, lesson learned. If I wasn’t a mom who participates in her family’s life, I could be a blogaholic and put in bookoodles of time/money/energy and be great at it. However, I have a lot of hats to wear and a lot to get done on a day to day basis. But, I ♥ blogging. I can’t help it! It fulfills and completes me. I love being able to share with you whenever I have a crafty or creative idea or see something that I like that I think you will like too. I don’t want to give that up! I have to just cut back. I can blog on a regular basis without losing myself in it. I have to find my balance and I am ready to try. If any of you have any tips, I would love to hear.

I look forward to getting back into my blogging groove and hope you’ll stay close by. I can’t wait to show you my new craft room and my other new spaces. In the meantime, if you’d like, check out my boards over at Pinterest. I have quickly become seriously addicted. Have you?

It’s been so good to be able to talk to you again. I have missed you so much!

Stay Krafty,

Kathie

No Party Today!

2011-05-17T05:44:00.000-07:00

Sorry, guys, no party today!

I don't know about you but blogging has left me going, "Where did all the time go?" Don't get me wrong, I love blogging as much as I love crafting and decorating but it has just gotten to the point where it has been taking up so much time that it just doesn't leave enough for anything else. And right now, I have had so much going on. I have tried to cut back on posts, but I am still just too busy! I am probably just not that great at time management. Be that as it may, I just have to take a break from it. I have lost balance. My kids are about to be out of school and be taking up most of my time. I feel that is how it should be.

From time to time, I may still post a project here and there but it will probably be very sporadic. I am sorry to say that I am also putting a hold on the link party too. I will truly miss it and all of you! I hope you understand.

Hugs,

Kathie

"Sweet" Headband Holder

2011-05-11T08:03:00.000-07:00

After making my hairbow holder, I realized that now I needed something for all of the headbands. My little girl has gotten to a stage where she actually wears more headbands than anything now, so I had to come up with something!

I have been working with a sweets theme for her bedroom and wanted to play with that idea a little. I am sure by now you have seen the fabulous headband holders in blogland that have been fashioned from old oatmeal canisters. Well, this is a spin on that idea but instead of standing upright, mine is laying horizontally. I started with this canister from a protein shake.

I wish I would’ve had some spray adhesive but I did not so I had to work with what I had which happened to be a hot glue gun. Hey, it works! I removed the paper label from the can and hot glued a layer of quilt batting on.

Then, I cut a rectangular piece of fabric from some old clothes that were about to be tossed out and glued it on.

On each end, I tied the excess fabric with some ribbon and pulled tight. That was it!

It looks like a big piece of candy in a wrapper and works great for keeping her headbands in place. It also reminds me a bit of a roll pillow.

Here it is next to some of her bedding so you can get an idea of how it will go with her room. I would love to show you her room but right now it is a total wreck! Her comforter set is Kingdom Parlor Play from Disney. The comforter itself is reversible with the word “Sweet” on one side and a floral print and ruffle on the other.

She has these two pillows, one that looks like a giant cupcake, and another that is reversible.

It looks like it could’ve came with the set!

I think I’m done now with “hair stuff”. I made some more headbands and clips but I’ll spare boring you with each and every one!

One more time, though…isn’t that cute?

Gettin’ Krafty With It

2011-05-09T19:15:00.000-07:00

First, let me just say that I hope all of you who are mothers had a nice, relaxing Mother’s Day! Mine was great. The day itself was pretty typical of any other Sunday but Mr. Krafty Kat took me out to a movie Friday night. I can’t help but believe that this gift was more for him than me. After all, we went to see Thor in Imax 3D.

...But when you think about it, it really was for me:

That’s right, in Imax 3D! :)

Anyway…

Back to our link party, ladies! Here are a few features from last week you should definitely check out:

Originate and Renovate’s New Camera Strap Cover

Racks and Mooby’s Mini Marshmallow Flowers

Heidi’s Hubbub’s Image Transfer Coffee Gift Bag

Homework’s Faux Tile Tray

Peppermint Plum’s Make your Own Twix

Rae Gun Ramblings’ Banner Tutorial (for Pennant, Word, and Page Banners)

If you were featured, grab that button!

Now, on to this week’s projects! I can’t wait to see what you’ve got to show me! Remember, anything goes, as long as it’s Krafty!

Grandma’s House Printable

2011-05-03T18:56:00.000-07:00

Thinking ahead to this weekend and Mother’s Day, I thought this would be cute for Grandma. After all, she is notorious for spoiling the children and conspiring with them and just generally letting them get away with way more than we ever would! You can print this out if you like and put it in a frame like we did. I used an 8 x 10 frame we already had. I didn’t paint this frame because I know she likes gold tones and it would go well with her decor. I added some vintage lace rosettes and buttons along with some gems to accent the frame.

I hope she likes it!

You can download the printable here if you like.

Gettin’ Krafty With It

2011-05-02T21:33:00.000-07:00

Hey... did you miss me? I missed you!

And, I’m ready to get back into the swing of crafting and blogging. I have to say that I did enjoy taking a little breather though. I needed it! I planted some flowers and I got the pool cleaned out and we’ve started swimming. I got a little too much sun this weekend but it was so worth it! I had a wonderful Easter and enjoyed some quality time with the kids and the rest of the fam. The kids went back to school today though and I got back to crafting.

I am planning on selling some of our junk this weekend at a massive yard sale and I think I’m going to bring along a few items I have made to see if anyone is interested. I’m so excited I can’t stand it! I’ll probably be showing you all of the stuff I’ll be taking with me this week.

But, enough about me! I want to share some of your awesome ideas today!

Too Much Time on My Hand’s Vintage Airplane Bedroom

Johnny in a Dress’ Window Pane Coat Rack

Suzy’s Artsy Craftsy Sitcom’s Handmade Decorative Soaps

4 The Love of Wood’s Paisley Highboy

Sweetened by Kagi’s Barney Birthday Party

Fine & Handy’s Jewelry Box Redo’s

Mind-blowing ideas, right? You guys never cease to amaze me!

If you were featured here, grab that button and show the world!

OK, on with the party! It’s May, we finally got Osama Bin Laden, and I just saved a bunch of money on car insurance by switching to ..Just Kidding! We don’t really need an excuse. let’s just party!

Hairbow Holder

2011-05-02T17:50:00.000-07:00

Hey bloggy friends! Remember me? I know, I’ve been away a while but I’m back! Sometimes, life happens and you’ve just got to live it!

Anyway…..

Remember this framed Easter display I made a while back?

Well, it was time to transform it. I removed the white rick rack (although I could have easily just used it). I found the cardboard backing that went in it and covered it with this dotty wrapping paper (recognize it from my bunnies?)

I stapled strips of swiss dot grosgrain ribbon in a criss-cross pattern (kind of like if you were making a photo/bulletin board) and that was it! I just clip the bows onto the ribbon.

Super simple and now I have a great display for my little girl’s hairbows, which I need to get on the ball about making her some more! The great thing about it is I can easily change out the paper (or even use fabric) for a different look.

I plan on making a separate holder for her headbands so check back to see that! Also, I plan on trying to sell some hair stuff and lots of other miscellaneous items at a big giant yard sale (EEEEE - can't wait!) and I think this will make a great display!

Please be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the page to see all of the other parties I link to or check out my link party page!