Delightfully Trite

Under Construction

2012-03-28T22:47:00.000-07:00

Please don't mind the mess. I am currently working on uupdating my blog and, quite honestly, I'm clueless. Nevertheless, I've never been one to let things stand in my way so I should be up and running soon. Thanks for your patience.

Keep the Page with a Teacher's Appreciation Gift for Day #3

2011-05-06T01:00:00.000-07:00

I racked my brain for yet another useful gift for the girls' teachers. I know that I enjoy reading and for some reason, I am continually losing my bookmarks. (Personally, I think my girls keep taking them for their own uses.) At any rate, I figured a bookmark would be a nice, simple thing I could whip up.

I began by perusing my local Home Depot's paint department. I grabbed a handful of different paint chips (while running into a former student....man am I old!) and ran home before I was tempted to purchase something.

I first tried to glue two chips together, but they had issues. They bubbled in the center, despite being pressed under some heavy tiles. I trimmed the edges with pinking shears and stamped them. Unfortunately, the first two I made didn't turn out well. I hadn't expected the stamps to stick, so that when I tried to lift it from the paint chip it stayed and ended up 'double' stamping the paper. Needless to say, this happened twice. So, I decided I needed to try this again, with a modification.

Outside Stitching

This time, I put two chips together, back sides facing each other and stitched around in a long rectangle. I tried to get as little of the paint colors inside the stitching as possible. Then, I cut around the outside of the stitching using pinking shears.

Hole Punch with Ribbon

Using a hole punch I put a hole near the top (leaving enough room between the hole and the edge so that the ribbon I added wouldn't rip through the paper. I cut a piece of ribbon and stuffed both ends through the hole and slid the cut ends through the center of the uncut side of the ribbon--forming a sort of tail.

Then, to joosh it up, I used my "Brilliance" ink pades and a nice stamp and inked it up well. I carefully put the stamp to the chip, pushing down firmly, then with one hand I held down the paper and gripping the stamp tightly, lifted it. This time, no "double stamping." On the back, I put some 3-D stickers just so it wouldn't be bare, but also so my daughters could write their names after one of the heart stickers--like a card--so the teacher would always be able to remember from whom this sentiment came.

I paired a bookmark with a cheap, but adorable mini box of tissues.

Cost Breakdown: $1.00 per gift

2 Paint Chips.......free from Home Depot (or any hardware store)
Ink Pad...............free, already had this
Stamp.................free, already had this
3-D Stickers.......free, already had this
Thread/Sewing Machine.....free, already had this
Ribbon...............free, recycled from a gift
Mini-Tissues.......$1.00 from Target's dollar section

Coasting Into A Teacher's Appreciation Gift for Day #2

2011-05-05T12:34:00.000-07:00

Day One's gift went well. If you didn't see it, you can find it here. And to tie into the first gift, I decided that the next gift would be a handmade coaster for their glass. Not only are these super simple to make, they are very inexpensive. Two of my favorite things!!

First, I purchased some tumbled, natural stone tiles at Home Depot. They sold for about .30 cents a tile. When I got home, I rubbed the tops down with some alcohol and let them dry for an hour. This is to make sure that there isn't any debris on the front of the tile that may interfere with the stamping that will happen next.

Next, I chose an ink called "Brilliance"--they have them in a multitude of colors. I stamped two designs--one with Blue and the other with Coffee Bean. You could use Staz On brand, but in my area I have a hard time finding them and they are very expensive, plus "Brilliance" works just as well, and usually costs less.

Then, I chose my stamp and inked it well. I centered the design on the tile and pushed down firmly. (I actually stood up and put my weight down on the stamp so as to come in contact with as much of the tile as possible--since these tiles are uneven.) I carefully lifted the stamp and voila! A pretty design.

I let these set for about half an hour or until dry. Then, I placed them into a cold oven. I "cooked" them at 325 degrees for 30 minutes, then turned off the oven, leaving the tile to cool down with the oven. This will take a while, so it's best to do this part when you have a bit of time.

coaster with cork and felt bumpers

Last, I cut some felt (or you can use self adhesive felt bumpers) and glued it to the bottom of the tiles. This keeps the coaster from scratching the surface they are on.

This seemed a little less then adequate, so I ~~baked some cookies from scratch from the refrigerator section and put them into a baggie.~~ I tied the ~~cookies~~ coaster with a bow and slipped a mint stick between the bow and top of the tile. A nice simple and sweet gift for the girls' teachers.

Cost Breakdown: $ 1.13 per gift

Tile...... $ .30 each

Stamps...... free as I already had these

Stamp Pad (Ink).....free as I already had these

Ribbon.....free as I already had this

~~Cookie Dough.....$5.42 for 2lbs @ WalMart--but only used about half the container.~~

~~Baggies........free as I already had these (but you can get them for $1.00 at the Dollar Store~~

Stick Mints.......$1.00 for box of 12 at the Dollar Store.

Teacher Appreciation...Make Lemonade!

2011-05-02T08:25:00.000-07:00

Today starts Teacher Appreciation Week. Having been a teacher, I know that not much appreciation is sent to teachers. I also know, that everyone, no matter what they do, enjoys receiving recognition for the work that they do. So, I decided that my daughters' teachers were going to be shown how important I feel their work is and that I (and my girls) think that they are doing a good job.

Now, I wondered, what can I do that wouldn't be the same old, same old teacher gift? Something that would be different and useful. Not the usual coffee mug or figurine? An item that would be used, not just acknowledged for the rememberance of Teacher Appreciation Week, but that would be enjoyed.

It just so happened, I was in the Dollar Store with my middle miss and she spied some tall glasses with lemons all over them. They were very summery and were paired on a display with some boxes of individual lemonade packets. Then it came to me. A nice little gift that incorporated a fun glass from which to drink some nice, refreshing lemonade.

Since I was busy all weekend, I ran short of time Sunday night to get my little gifts together--as I have something planned for every day of this week. Thankfully, this was very easy and required no artsy-craftsy skill or drying time. I simply filled each glass with lemonade packets, a plastic spoon (or straw) and some shred.

I tied a cute ribbon around the glass with a decorative tag. I also added a bottle of water, upside down in each glass--but that was an afterthought and I didn't take a picture of that. Not bad for an inexpensive and quick put together gift!

Cost Breakdown: $1.50 per gift

4 Glasses....$4.00

2 Lemonade Boxes (w/12 in box)....$2.00

Shred--free as I already had this

Plastic Spoon/Straw--free as I already had this

Ribbon--free as it was recycled from a gift

MakeTime for....Making Time!

2011-03-07T20:19:00.000-08:00

Who says you can't make time? Not me! I fell into this idea when a friend of mine, with whom I also work, was in need of a clock. Her office, while very small, didn't come with a wall clock. Since she is a social worker, it is imperative that she know what time it is as she has students and parents coming and going for meetings. Plus, how annoying not to have a clock when you really need one!?!

So, after she mentioned that she didn't have a clock and that the custodian was supposed to be bringing her one.....soon (which translates to when he finds one that works someplace else in the building AND has time to hang it--in short, not soon enough), I thought, I could make one for her. It could be customized to her job. Something neat looking that people would comment on when they were in her office and would be a one of a kind gift. A clock that would be cute, without being too cutesy and showcase some of the many things she does to assist our families.

So, this is the final product. Pretty cute, huh? My Best Bud Lisa really liked it. (And believe it or not, the custodian came and asked me how I made it because she thought it would be a neat thing for the kids in the after-school program to make.) Check out my tutorial if you're interested in making one, too.

Supplies

clock
scissors
glue stick or glue dots
stickers, photos, miscellaneous decorations
pencil
screwdriver
decorative paper
awl or something pointed and sharp
cricut (optional)

1. Find an inexpensive clock. Any kind will do. Mine was from Wal-Mart.

2. Remove the clock from the packaging.

3. Turn the clock over and remove the back. There are usually some screws or tabs that keep the back attached to the clock's face. My clock had tabs. I just popped them in.

4. Remove the back from the front cover. It should just come apart.

5. The face of the clock is attached to the back of the clock. Turn over the back of the clock and CAREFULLY remove the second, hour and minute hands. Just pull them off. They should come off pretty easily. Make sure to pay attention to the order that the hands were on the clock so that you will be able to put them back in their correct places--or your clock may not work properly when you put the clock back together.

6. If possible, carefully remove the printed face from the clock. If you're able to do this, you can simply trace around the face onto your new background and cut out. I, however, was unable to do this, so I had to trace around the "plasti-glass" onto the back of a piece of paper. (As the "plasti-glass" was larger then the actual clock face, I had to continue to cut down until the new face would fit comfortably over the original face.)

6a. Remove "plasti-glass."

6b. Trace around "plasti-glass."

6c. Cut out.

7. Remove the battery area on the back of the clock.

Some are screwed onto the back, but mine was just clipped onto the back.

8. Lay your new face onto the base of the clock.

9. Turn the clock over. Behind where the battery was attached, there will be the clips that hold the battery and the center hole that is where the hands will be attached. Using a pencil, make a mark onto the back of the paper. This is the center of your clock face.

10. Using an awl, or something shark, gently poke a hole over your pencil mark.

11. Check your new face. Make sure that it fits properly and that the hole is large enough to fit over the housing that will poke through to hold your clock hands. Now glue your face down to the clock. Be sure to push down all the way around to be sure that it is well adhered.

12. Now decorate to your heart's desire. I used stickers that represented things my friend does daily in her job. I added numbers that I cut out using my Cricut and glued down with glue dots. Some of my stickers were 3-D and in one part of my clock I placed numbers over these stickers. I ended up having to really glue these down well so that they wouldn't interfere with the hands making it around the clock. ** Just a reminder....if you add numbers to your clock, be sure that the 12 and 6 are in the right positions, or you won't be able to hang it up properly. (The hook on the back should be where the 12 should go.)

13. Put the battery mechanism back onto the back of the clock. Put the hands back on, in the proper order. Clean all the fingerprints from the "plasti-glass" and put it back onto the clock.

14. Add a battery and admire your work. I had an extra step--as I added a stamped saying around the edge of the clock face.

Let me know if you make one. I'd love to see it!

Dr. Seuss' Birthday Shirts

2011-03-05T21:13:00.000-08:00

As often happens in my house, one of the little girls tells me that tomorrow is Dr. Seuss' birthday celebration at school and can't we run to the store to get a Seuss inspired shirt to wear? (If you have kids, I'm guessing you've experienced this for yourself.)

Tired, stressed and not in the mood to brave the mall where I'm almost certain we won't find any Seuss-like vestments, I try to bargain my way out of shopping. Daughter #2 whines that she needs to have something special to wear as her teacher is going to have a very activity planned.

With a sigh, I remembered a party bag that the girls had all received when we attended my nephew's second birthday party. His theme had been "The Cat in the Hat." I suggested that #2 find her bag from the party...and if possible, find #3's bag too.

So, here is the bag. It is one of those bags that are 'plastic-like' on the outside, but 'fabric-like' on the inside. You know, it's similar to the bags that many stores are currently selling to save the planet. Here you can see what I'm talking about.

Bag Front

Bag Back

Not knowing if this idea I was formulating was going to work out or not, I started cutting out the characters from the bag. The cat wasn't a problem as it had a heavy, dark outline to follow. The Things 1 and 2 weren't as easy, so I simply cut around them.

Cutting Characters from Bag

Next, Daughter #2 put on the shirt (which I fortunately had for another project I hadn't gotten around to making) and we determined the best placement for the cat. I then stitched around the edges of the character, making sure to work slowly so that the shirt wouldn't bunch up as I stitched the 'plastic-like' fabric onto the t-shirt.

Sewing

I did the same thing with the Things 1 and 2, stitching one on the front of the shirt and the other on the back. (Daughter #2 likes a busy shirt!)

Almost Done!

It was looking cute, but it needed a little bit of 3-D, so I took my fabric paint and starting on the character and moving onto the t-shirt fabric I made whiskers on the cat and movement marks around the things. Not bad, if I do say so myself.

Adding Fabric Paint

Daughter #3's shirt-back

Now that I was letting the first shirt dry, I searched for one of Daughter #3's old shirts. I found one that had her name printed on it from school and I stitched the Things 1 and 2 onto it. (Her shirt was much smaller, so I put one character on the front, and the other on the back.) Then, I used my handy fabric paint and made movement marks, much like I had done with Daughter #2's shirt.

When they were dry, I heat set them and they were ready to go! Both #2 and #3 were pleased with their Dr. Seuss shirts and their teachers were impressed with them....as not many kids had Seuss-like clothing. (After all, it isn't exactly trend setting).

Fronts of Suess Shirts

I always feel proud of my work when I'm able to upcycle something and turn it into something new. In this case, I think the "new" shirts turned out pretty well....and were a hit with my daughters!

Knock-Off Painted Jeans

2011-02-06T00:02:00.000-08:00

If you're anything like me, you hate to pay big time prices for things that you can make (or semi-make) for a lot less. Well, today something very much like this happened to me.

My gal pals and I were strolling through the local Dillard's when we passed the little girl's clothing section. Of course, we had to stop and oooh and awww at all the adorable clothes and sigh over the fact that our kids were too old to wear some of the precious little outfits. Just then, we saw these really cute "tween" Bermuda shorts that were strewn with paint.

Turning to my friends I said, "These are really cute and I think I can make these." So, here is my first try at making something like these. I should state here, that I used old, cut-offs since I didn't want to mess up a brand new pair of pants if I screwed up. If they turned out okay, I figured I had salvaged something I would normally only let my kid wear around the house.

So, I purchased some glitter fabric paint. (Yes, you read right, GLITTER fabric paint.....I have three girls so I'm sure the glitz will be useable on many other future products!) Here's the run down on what you'll need to attempt this project:

Supplies

~Old newspaper or something to cover your workspace

~Fabric paints (glitter, neon, or whatever you prefer)

~Cardboard or an old magazine (to put between the layers of fabric)

~Plastic fork

~Scrap of paper (or something to put the paint into)

~Paper towel

~Jeans (old or new--your choice)

1. Cover your workspace and lay your jeans out. Try to line up the side seams so that the pants are laying flat and you are able to see the total front of the pants.

2. Put a bit of your paint colors onto a piece of scrap paper.

3. Put a a piece of cardboard or an old magazine inside of the jeans to preven the paint from bleeding through. (I used the cardboard backing from the fabric paint package.)

4. Now, dip your plastic fork into the paint. Put it on rather thick. ( I dipped it into two different colors at the same time--half the fork in one color and the other half in another.)

5. Now run the tines across the pants from the side seam inward and upward. Continue to recoat the fork and "splatter" paint randomly onto the fabric. (I loaded the tines with one color and then sort of shook the fork over where I wanted the paint to go.)

6. Before dipping your fork into new colors, wipe if off with a paper towel.

7. When you are happy with your "design," follow the directions on your fabric paint as to how to proceed. (My paint's directions stated that the item should remain flat for four hours and then could be washed, inside out, after 72 hours. No mention was made about heat setting, but I may do so anyway-- just to be on the safe side.) When the pants have sufficiently dried, I will flip them over and repeat the whole process again on the back.

After I've finished the back, and they've had time to dry, I will post the finished product. Hopefully, L'il Bit will think they are okay to wear. So far, they don't look too bad.

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial! If you link, please put a link back and give credit where credit is due.

Thanks,

Adorable Hangers from Recycled Materials

2011-01-30T21:12:00.000-08:00

These are the cutest little hangers and cost practically nothing to make (especially if you have children's hangers already that could use some sprucing up).
They can be used for adults, but they are especially cute for a child. The picture here is one that I made. You can find the tutorial on how to make them at Disney's Family Fun. Click here for the tutorial.

I'd love to see your adaptations!

Jewelry As Art

2011-01-30T10:42:00.000-08:00

I've always found jewelry to be a pain to tame. When I housed it in a jewelry box, my necklaces always seemed somehow to end up tangled and knotted. When I tired of having something so bulky take up precious space on my vanity, I placed a fabric lined box in one of my drawers. I thought this would be the perfect solution to my jewelry housing problem. Alas, it wasn't. I found that my necklaces and bracelets still seemed to inter-tangle themselves with my many earrings. I also often 'forgot' I had certain pieces because I couldn't find them and they weren't easily visable so I often went unaccessorized. Not only that, I found that drawer space was becoming an issue. That's when I decided there had to be a better way to store my jewelry.

I realized I needed a storage space that kept my pieces from being a tangled mess. At the same time, I didn't want it to take up my always inadequate counter or drawer space. Most of all, I really wanted to be able to see what I had so that I would be more likely to actually wear it.

It just so happened that I was walking through a Marshall's and there by the picture section was this really neat looking cork board framed with a distressed green frame. I loved it! It was the perfect color to match my vanity area walls and it looked 'antiqued.' As a display on the front of the wrapped frame, there was a picture of pearl headed pins holding photos. So, I marched home, hung the frame and added some pretty pearl headed sewing pins.

I even found these really cool clip things at Wal-Mart in the hardware section that are sturdier then the pins and hold heavier items.

Voila! It is so much better this way and it
serves as art as well!