Crafty Kate

Dinner for Two

2012-08-31T09:33:00.000-05:00

Hubby and I finally got an evening to ourselves. I was planning on making a nice dinner for two.

Instead I raided my décor collection to make a nice table arrangement.

Hubby got home just in time to watch me take pictures of the table, and help me throw dinner together.

Oh well, at least the table looked nice!

Craftastrophe: Craft Table Clean Up

2012-08-28T10:38:00.000-05:00

I’m going to show you all something, but you have to promise not to judge me.

You promise?

Ok…here it is…

My craft table. The Craftastrophe.

I have no excuse; it’s been like this since we moved into the house. But I’ve fixed it! Yay!! It only took moving the whole darn thing to motivate me.

When this side of the basement was the “family room”, Hubby hung black sheets on the cement walls to make it look more finished. He was nice enough to leave them for me when we switched sides.

The move forced me to go thru EVERYTHING! It took about a week…I have that much stuff…

Now I have everything put away,

And organized!!

I’ve decided that I’m not allowed to buy more paper for a while.

I really want to make all the boxes cute and matchy, but just having boxes is a nice start.

It may not be cute or stylish…

But see this…

That’s a clear craft table people!

That's mission accomplished in my book!

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Nutmeg Place
Ginger Snap Crafts
Uncommon
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Vinatage Gwen
Sugar and Dots

Monthly Milestones

2012-08-27T08:29:00.000-05:00

I am in love with all the fun ways to take monthly pictures of a baby. I am determined to do this with Little Miss, for at least the first year. So far I have been successful, but then again, she’s only one month old.

Here are a few of ideas that I fell in love with on Pinterest.

The multiple blanket idea from Young House Love

This idea of hanging of all but the current onsie is super cute. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find the original source of this picture.

I love the idea from Erica’s Bloggity Blog, to use the same onsie as Little Miss grows.

Using a calendar every month, like Under the Sycamore, is also a great idea!

The winning idea is another idea with a MIA original source.

I’m going to try and also incorporate the blanket idea, by using a different blanket in the laundry basket every month.

Wish me luck on actually following thru on this every month!

Baptism Luncheon Decor

2012-08-23T10:28:00.000-05:00

Want to know how I made the streamer, cupcake stand, and flower clip from Tuesday's baptism luncheon food table? Well, you’re in luck!

Now, none of these projects are hard. In fact, you can probably figure them all out on your own. But I’m going to share anyways. I’m just that helpful!

For the streamers, I bought fabric squares and cut them into strips.

Then I tied the strips around a piece of string.

Done. Yep, that was it! My biggest tip, make sure you buy enough fabric. I wanted the streamer to stretch across the length of the table, so I should have bought twice as much fabric. Lesson learned.

The cupcake stand was made from hard Square Plastic Plates and a couple candle holders from Hobby Lobby.

I just used a bead of glue around the top of the candle holder and attached it to the bottom of the plate. I didn’t attach the levels together. This makes them easier to store, and also makes it so I have stand alone cake stands!

The flower in the middle of the table was just three flowers wrapped around a clothes pin. I just wanted something quick and easy. It wasn’t something that needed to last forever, just for the length of the lunch. I probably should have shortened the stems first, so I didn’t have to twist them so much.

Hope these tips help you if you want to try making any of these items.

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Two Yellow Birds
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2805
Happy Hour Projects
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Family Ever After
Be Different Act Normal
Six Sisters' Stuff
Get Schooled Saturday

Baptism Luncheon Food Table

2012-08-21T09:10:00.000-05:00

I was so excited to do a fun food table for Little Miss’s baptism. It was the first time I could do something “girlie”. Of course I spent a month cruising Pinterest for ideas. I must admit, I love the way it turned out!

I knew that planning a luncheon with a newborn would be challenging, so I kept the food simple. Build your own sandwiches with potato salad, pasta salad, and melons.

I got a little fancier with the drinks. (Or at least I made them look fancier) They were just strawberry Kool-Aide with kiwi slices and lemonade with strawberries slices. Both tasted delicious.

I found a couple of easy and yummy dessert recipes on pinterest. The cookies are from Cherished Bliss and the cupcakes are from Polish the Stars.
Both desserts were huge hits!

A special shout out to my sister-in-law who whipped up a delicious frosting, completely last minute!

The vases were empty Frappuccino bottles and a mason jar filled with flowers from Dollar Tree.

The streamer was a fun project that I’ll post more about later this week.

The cupcake stand was a project that I whipped up. It was super easy, but I'll share more on that later this week too.

The whole table came together really well.

Why can't sandwhich condiments be prettier colors?!?

But I must admit, since I’m a procrastinator, I had lots of help getting everything set up. And it was all done with a house full of hungry family. So I have to thank everyone that helped.

It was a fun luncheon to celebrate such an important day in Little Miss’s young life!

A Few of My Favorite Things

2012-08-20T08:16:00.000-05:00

I’m back! I hope I didn’t lose anyone, but I’ve been busy working on the greatest thing I’ve ever made.

I call her Little Miss.

She took nine months to complete and is worth every sleepless night and swollen finger.

When I started this blog, I made the decision to keep my family life private. So I won’t be using her name or putting her face on my blog.

While I was prego, I realized that the baby market is crazy! They have a gizmo or product for about every situation. Some of these products probably aren’t worth the extra money. But here are a few items that, over the past few weeks, I have decided are worth every penny.

Munchkin Disposable Changing Pads

These little bad boys have saved my cute changing table cover about a million times, not to mention they make great covers for those nasty public changing tables and the quick diaper change on someone’s living room floor. They are a little large, so I cut them in half, giving me twice as many in each pack.

Bright Starts Lots of Links

Using these links, I have been able to transform anything into a hanging toy. Little Miss is automatically happy when she sees something interesting hanging over her head. Obviously, you don’t want to hang anything dangerous over a baby’s head, but seeing her favorite toy has kept her happy on multiple shopping trips.

Bright Starts Comfort and Harmony Portable Swing

Little Miss loves relaxing in her swing. I’ve even finagled ours, with the above links, to hang some bright colored toys. These toys keep her occupied for minutes! (This is like hours in newborn talk).

I’ve been working on several projects over the past few weeks; hopefully, I will be able to go back to posting on a fairly regular basis. But if there is one thing I have learned, newborns do not know the meaning of sticking to a schedule. So bare with me as I start this new chapter in the life of Crafty Kate.

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Skip to my Lou
The Blackberry Vine

Crib Wall

2012-05-29T07:10:00.000-05:00

I’ve been brainstorming what kind of decoration I want to put over the crib for a while. I kept coming back to the 3D paper art that people have been doing lately. Problem was everything I found was girlie…and mostly butterflies. This is cute, but since we don’t know if Baby is a boy or a girl, butterflies didn’t seem like the right approach.

Sunday morning, when I was debating if I should roll out of bed or snooze for a bit longer, the idea hit me…Stars!

I had seen several of these 3D stars around Christmas. And when I went to Pinterest for a quick tutorial, I found this from Little Birdie Secrets.

I’m so happy that I decided to go back to Hobby Lobby and get that paper book for the Alphabet Wall, because I just used more sheets from the same book to create the stars.

I even got to use my Silhouette, because I finally got a new Silhouette Blade!

The trickiest part was figuring out how to attach them to the wall. I ended up using big loops of tape on the backsides. Super simple.

The project didn’t take long at all. The most time consuming part was scoring the stars so that they folded easily.

I even have a few extra stars that I might hang randomly in the room to pull it together.

Linky Party!!!

Blackberry Vine
The Gunny Sack
Skip to my Lou
Polly Want a Crafter
Craft-O-Maniac
C.R.A.F.T.
Uncommonly Yours
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Long Weekend Inspiration

2012-05-24T14:04:00.000-05:00

I’m not gonna lie…I’ve been a little lazy this week. But hey, if I can’t be lazy during my third trimester, when can I? So instead of posting a completed project, I’m posting some of my inspiration for the upcoming long weekend.

First up, I am in love with these planter boxes that I’ve been seeing lately. I might have to jump on this band wagon!

This one is from Shanty 2 Chic.

Second is this great frame from It’s Overflowing, made from an old wooden box. We have an old wooden bench that Hubby is going to cut up; I might just have to steal some wood from his pile.

Finally, I have a ton of clear glass vases that I would love to try adding some color to. I love the look from this BHG tutorial.

I’m hoping to take some of these ideas and use them on a summer mantel. If I don’t work on that this weekend, then maybe I can finally put some finishing touches on that nursery.

Wish me luck!

Nursery Alphabet

2012-05-21T12:30:00.001-05:00

Well, it’s finally up. The alphabet project that would never end…

At least it looks good! Not perfect, I won’t point out any of the flaws…I’m sure you can find them. But I’m happy with the results.

You may remember that I started this project a few weeks back.

I was originally picturing the big letters that are all over pinterest. But I couldn’t commit to the price per letter. So I wandered around Hobby Lobby for another route. I decided to use two sets of plain chipboard letters. (because one set just didn't seem thick enough) They were 4.99 a set and I had Hubby with me so that we could each use a 40% off coupon. So the letters ended up costing me about $6.00.

After I glued the two chipboard sets together, I painted the tops and edges. Half of the letters were painted in an off white and half in a very dark brown. Then I used Mod Podge to apply the paper to the chipboard.

To hang the letters I used some 3M poster strips that were cut in half length wise.

This was my very high tech way of marking the center of the bookshelf.

I started at the bottom and worked my way up. As I put the letters up I noticed a pattern to the paper. This was unintentional.

Also, I decided on the messy/whimsical as opposed to the straight line, because it’s more forgiving of errors.

I have to end this by saying I couldn’t have done it without my friend, who was visiting from out of town. Without her help, my pregnant brain would have messed up the alphabet…several times.

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Cover Those Walls!

2012-05-16T06:55:00.000-05:00

So an update on our living room wall. Things are hanging on it! But I wouldn’t call it done.

First, a quick shout out to Snug as a Bug Baby, who shared a great way of hanging arrangements on a wall.

I was originally going to cut out individual pieces of paper for each item and tape them to the wall, but this way was much easier.

You can’t really see my pencil marks, but they are there…I promise.

Now for a quick tour…

Here we have our fun, yet slightly creepy, windy wood guy. We got him as a wedding gift from my mom’s cousin. He makes these little guys from pieces of wood he finds on his vacations.

That empty space to his right is where I am going to put the tile picture. I’m still working on finding a Hubby approved way to hang it. To be honest, I haven’t really looked around much. Maybe I’ll add that to my weekend to-do list.

Next, you will find the lovely cross that I made a little while back.

Hanging over a family picture, you will find a candy box lid…another work in progress. I’m planning on wrapping that bad boy in some paper or fabric.

Now we have the decorative letter that I made along with the cross.

Finally, there is the shelf that belonged to my grandma. On it is the Willow Tree figurine that my sister recently gave us. Also, you might recognize the flower pot from a previous mantel arrangement

I like how it’s coming together. And I’m really glad that it’s no longer sitting in the middle of my living room floor.

In a couple months, I’ll be adding little baby pictures to the arrangement, and an updated family picture!

Linky Party!!
Ginger Snap Crafts
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52 Mantels
Katie's Nesting Spot
French Country Cottage
The Shabby Nest

Nursery Bookshelves

2012-05-14T13:42:00.001-05:00

Happy belated Mothers Day to all you moms out there. I hope you all had wonderful weekends. My weekend was relaxing and slightly unproductive.
But I was able to snap some pictures of the completed bookshelves that Hubby made.

I originally wanted some of those gutter shelves I’ve found on Pinterest. I was a little obsessed with this idea.

source

Then I figured out how much it would cost to make them. It’s the end pieces and corners that will get ya. Luckily, Hubby is handy. He volunteered to make something cute and fun out of wood…much cheaper…

They turned out super cute.

Plus, I love the fun orange that he used. It really helps to break up the green walls.

note to self...do not put a green book against a green wall when taking pictures...

I would give you a breakdown of how he made them, but I was not a part of that process, and I’m pretty sure he was making it up as he went.

As soon as he hung them, I put all the baby books we have for the little one up

Now I need to go book shopping!

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I Should Be Mopping the Floor
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French Country Cottage
The Shabby Nest

Homemade Gift Giving

2012-05-10T07:52:00.000-05:00

I’ve been trying my hand at homemade gift giving, and it seems like my go to idea is picture frames. I’ve become a little obsessed with taking a thrift store find and turning it into something personal.

I used some fun scrapbook embellishments for the letters.

This one is just a block of wood that Hubby cut for me. I painted it and sanded the edges, then I attached a piece of wrapped cardboard and a decorated clothes pin.

Please ignore the bad picture here...I had a house full of people and wanted to get the sucker wrapped...

I got the inspiration from Pinterest.

source

And don’t forget the custom frame I posted a little while back for my Sister-In-Law.

I’m loving being able to give homemade gifts!

Linky Party!!
52 Mantels
Katie's Nesting Spot

Milk-aholic Baby Shower

2012-05-08T11:54:00.001-05:00

Happy Tuesday! My weekend was so good, I was still recuperating yesterday.

I have to show you another great shower that was thrown for me, over the weekend. This one was hosted by my sister, mother in law, and two of my very good friends.

It was a Milk-aholic themed party. So cute!

They even made sure they included my watermelon cravings in the otherwise black and white food.

Good job girls! Love you all!

Linky Party!!
Blackberry Vine
Show & Share
52 Mantels
Katie's Nesting Spot

Cheap and Easy

2012-05-02T07:45:00.001-05:00

The other day, I was browsing Pinterest and came across a tutorial for mounting pictures to tiles. I immediately thought of the living room wall project and had to try it.

I must say, I like the way it turned out. And it was SUPER easy and cost all of $0.13. My type of project!

The tutorial was from Crunchy Betty. I didn’t put any Mod Podge on the top, because I didn’t want to smear the ink, but I still think it turned out really cute.

I used a picture that I had taken a while back.

It’s a view from above of the angel we have in our yard. There’s just something about her that makes me smile.

Next step is to hang this puppy on the wall. First I need a Hubby approved method of hanging. He’s worried that it will fall off the wall and hurt the hardwood floors.

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Sugar and Dots
Southern Lovely
Katie's Nesting Spot

Nice and Easy

2012-05-01T07:39:00.001-05:00

Good morning all! You’ll be so proud of me; I actually completed three of the projects that I started over the weekend! I’m going to show you two today.

They aren’t anything crazy difficult…in fact, they were pretty darn easy.

I’m sure you all know the drill…paint the edge of your piece and apply paper with Mod Podge…done.

These two items are going to be part of the living room wall arrangement that I’ve been working on.

Linky Party!

Blackberry Vine
I'm Topsy Turvy
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Southern Lovely
Katie's Nesting Spot

Weekend of Many Projects

2012-04-30T08:32:00.001-05:00

Happy Monday all! Did you all have a crafty weekend? I sure did, and yet I was able to not officially complete a single project. It’s a skill, I know.

Our weekend was dreary and rainy. I had to enjoy my new potted plant from the inside, for most of the weekend. Every time I walked past my front door, I got a glimpse of it and it made me smile.

Since the weather prevented Hubby from doing yard work, I got him busy working on a couple of the nursery projects I had on his honey do list.

Here is a sneak peak of a book shelf he’s been working on.

I spent a great deal of my time working on some decoupage projects. A couple smaller ones for the living room, and a big one for the nursery.

For those of you on Pinterest, (and for those of you who aren’t…what are you waiting for!) you may recognize what project I’m working on.

Just a heads up…if anyone else is considering tackling this project; keep in mind it means painting and decoupaging 26 letter. 26. Yep, that’s a lot more than you think. At least it feels like it, once you get started…

Hopefully tonight I will complete one of the millions of projects I started over the weekend so I have something fun to show you.

Many Thanks!

2012-04-27T07:12:00.000-05:00

A few weeks back, I made some wine charms as a thank you to my mother-in-law for throwing that wonderful joint shower a while back.

I love how easy these are to whip up.

Now, can I just vent a little? OK, thanks.

I am not a fan of the Thank You card tradition. I never have been. I feel like, if I can thank you in person, than that should be enough. I can understand sending Thank You cards to someone who wasn’t around when I received their thoughtful gift. However, if you’re sitting in the room when I open the present, I’ve probably thanked you a couple times already.

You all can probably imagine what is sparking this need to vent…it’s my cramped hand. The cramped hand I am getting from writing Thank You cards for the people who gave me such wonderful gifts at my first two baby showers.

I was going to be all motivated and crafty and make Thank You cards. I had my eye on a couple of pinterest goodies…

source

But my lovely mother-in-law knew better and bought me a box of generic cards. They are much more realistic.

I have one shower all written and ready to be mailed…if only I had some stamps. My goal is to finish the second shower’s cards by next weekend, when I have my final shower.

Linking up!
The Shabby Nest
French Country Cottage
Finding Fabulous
I Should Be Mopping the Floor

Miss Me?

2012-04-25T19:40:00.001-05:00

Good morning everyone! Miss me?

I visited my mom’s a couple weekends ago and took some pictures of those garden signs in action.

I love where she decided to place the Grandma’s Garden sign. A perfect spot!

On another note…the grass is growing!! We might have a lovely front lawn by the end of the season!

Now I’m working on getting a wall arrangement figured out. I’m close…but not quite there yet.

So now on to a confession…I’m a terrible procrastinator. It’s in my blood…I can’t help it!

I was reading thru a blog that I recently found, Young House Love, this blog has a running to do list of projects they want to complete. I think I’m going to ~~steal~~ use this idea. It might help keep me from getting that procrastinator itch.

Crafty Kate To-Do List

Some of these projects are a long way down the road, but some of them need to be completed by late June/early July (yeah, those would be everything in the Nursery list).

So, if I start to slack off on my to-do list, you all have the right to pester me.

A New Front Yard

2012-04-12T13:16:00.001-05:00

Hello everyone! I know, you were probably thinking that I had given up on this lovely little blog…but no. I just needed to take a step back and decide what I really wanted to do with it. I have a million ideas floating around in my head. Mix that with the energy of a third trimester pregnant lady (yeah…officially in the home stretch!). And you have a fairly sporadic blog.

Any-who…I wanted to share what Hubby was up to over the weekend, I’m so grateful for all his hard work.

Let me back up this story to the weekend we moved into our house. I was washing blinds in the tub, while my sister was unpacking some boxes in the basement. All of a sudden I hear “TURN THE WATER OFF!” Not something you want to hear. Long story short…we had roots in our pipes. Not good.

So our first major project in the house was expensive, not fun, plumbing work. Arg.

It also left us with a lovely mound in the front lawn.

Well now spring has arrived, and it’s time to plant us a new yard. But first Hubby had to pull up the, now lopsided, shrubs and till the entire yard.

A big shout out to my sister’s boyfriend who slaved all day next to him. I know he wouldn’t have been able to do it alone!

So I say it again. Thanks Boys for all your hard work!

April Mantel

2012-04-09T06:39:00.000-05:00

Happy Easter everyone!

We had a wonderful, productive, and fun filled weekend.

Check out my new April mantel.

Remember these…

I gave them one coat of acrylic paint with a foam brush to give them a rustic look.

I feel like the whole arrangement is missing something.

Maybe it needs more flowers?

I feel a trip to Hobby Lobby in the works.

Linking up to these fun parties...

I Should be Mopping the Floor
Sew Chatty
Ninth Street Notions
Serendipity and Spice

Reasons To Skip the Housework
Blackberry Vine
Boerman Ramblings
Homework
Funky Polkadot Giraffe
Raising 4 Princesses
Jillify It
Creatively Living
The Little Giggler
Coastal Charm

The DIY Dreamer

Cousins Frame

2012-04-05T06:38:00.000-05:00

I wanted to share one of the two frames I made for my sister-in-law’s shower gift.

I’m so excited to be sharing this experience with her and I love that our kids will grow up together.

Linking to these parties!
Katie's Nesting Spot
52 Mantels
A Turtle's Life for Me

First Shower

2012-04-03T07:06:00.000-05:00

This weekend, my mother-in-law threw me and my sister-in-law a joint baby shower. It was such a wonderful shower; I had to share some of it with you.

I loved the onsies, bibs, and socks that were strung above the gift table.

And these cupcakes were super cute

Not to mention, delicious!

Everyone was so generous. I am so blessed.

Now we just need some shelves to put everything in!

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The Blackberry Vine

Easter Tree

2012-03-29T07:05:00.000-05:00

I finally had the energy to work on some projects!

I started 3 projects tonight, and only finished 1.

But hey, it’s a definite improvement over the past few days.

After all inspiration that I got from last week’s Easter Inspiration Party, I had to make something with Easter eggs!

So I went with an Easter Tree.

It was super simple and inexpensive.

The eggs I bought, at Dollar Tree, even came with holes in them…I’m not sure if this is standard or not, because I’ve seen a couple tutorials where people have to poke holes in their plastic eggs.

Hopefully I can keep up this motivation tomorrow!

Link Party!

A Little Knick Knack
Katie's Nesting Spot
52 Mantels
A Rosie Sweet Home

Weekend Update...A Little Late

2012-03-28T10:11:00.000-05:00

So this belly just keeps getting bigger, and I keep getting less sleep. You’ll have to excuse the absence in posts this week. I just haven’t been able to keep my eyes open long enough to write anything! I think it’s time to invest in a body pillow!

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.

I did some shopping on Saturday and found these great vases at a new antique store down the street.

I’m not 100% certain what I’m going to do with the tall triangle vase. The “milk” vase, as Hubby called it, replaced a wine bottle on my kitchen wall.

I have a project in mind for the 3 large frames…I grabbed them at our local Red Racks for $3.99 each. I’ll be sharing that one soon.

On Sunday I joined the rest of the country in watching this…

source

Loved It!

I also found out that the girls over at Uncommon shared my GardenSigns on their Facebook page.

I was also given the Versatile Blogger award from Apples andPeanut Butter!

I’m supposed to pass the award on to several other bloggers. As soon as I narrow down my list of favorites, I’ll let you all know who they are.

If all goes well, I’ll be back tomorrow with a completed project…cross your fingers!

Weekend Finds

2012-03-23T07:09:00.000-05:00

I just want to share with you a couple of my “finds” from this past weekend.

First was this chair and plant stand. They came with our house; we found them buried in the corner of the garage.

My mom and sister are going to recommend some sort of self sufficient plant to put on the plant stand. I’m picturing a very colorful flower pot with a plant that requires NO care whatsoever. (My thumb is as far from green as they come.)

Also over the weekend, I found a solution to this problem….

Yeah, that is exactly how many plates Hubby and I have been living with for a lot longer than I want to admit. It makes serving a nice family dinner a little difficult.

But thanks to our local Goodwill, I now have this lovely set of plates for just $6.50!

I bought them because I couldn’t beat the price and I loved the diner style they had. It wasn’t until I got them home that I noticed this…

So, I think that makes it a win/win!

Can’t wait to see what I find this weekend!