Cute Ikea mini-chest

So, I found this tutorial on Pretty Partridge and I LOVE it!!! I want to make one NOW!!!! I always need more storage (who doesn't?) and this storage is seriously cute! The only problem is.......I almost never have the time to drive alllllllll the wwwaaaaayyyyy to my nearest Ikea (1 hour away or 3 hours if I have the kiddos). Why can't Ikea be more like Walmart and Starbucks. I would like to be able to get to any Ikea in less than 5 minutes (in any direction) and buy all the great, pocket-book friendly, home furnishings I love.

Oh, well.....I guess I just have to wait to make this cute mini-chest till I can make my annual trip or until Ikea starts to take my ideas seriously and stops refusing to take my phone calls :)

Have fun!

Meanest Mom Mothers Day Giveaway

Ok, so I know there are only about 4 people that read this blog....But, click on over to the Meanest Mom's blog for a sweet Mother's Day giveaway that will knock your socks off! Hurry, though because the deadline to enter is tonight!

Babies babies everywhere!

Ok, so it's Spingtime and EVERYONE is having babies! So, here are some cute little invites to make if you are one of the lucky few who are not preggo and get to throw all the showers :)

These first ones I did just last month for a dual baby dinner. I did invites for each gal since it was a smaller party and they were each having a different sex. One gal ended up having her baby that day, so she didn't even make to her own shower :(

I used my Cricut and the "Zooballoo" cartridge to cut the cute little elephants and I made them 5" tall. Then for the back piece I set it on "shadow" and still 5" tall. The insert (again designed on Microsft Publisher) is 2 2/4" wide x 3 3/4" tall. I then chalked the edges of each layer and the insert, too. Before putting them together I scored the top to make them easier to open (between 1/4 & 1/2 inch from the top). The easiest way to assemble is to put a small strip of adhesive (tape runner works best) at the top and adhere the top elephant to the bottom elephant. THEN, adhere the insert. On the girl ones I put little bows and they looked soooooo cute! My friend Jessica came over and helped assemble these and it went faster (and more fun to socialize at the same time)

The only thing about these, is they won't fit into an envelope. They ended up being too wide, but were so cute I did them anyways and we just handed them out in person. You could also just use a bigger envelope :)

These cute invites were designed by a friend of mine, Emily Simpson (gotta love her first name!) and I was able to help her put some of them together. I was scared to do these at first, since I had never sewn on paper before these! But, they turned out to be so cute and easy AND you can adapt them to any sort of invite later (I did :)

Start out with your patterned paper of 5 1/4" x 4" (don't forget to ink the edges 1st!) and vellum of 4" x 3 3/4" (print the info on the vellum 1st, so you can print several to a sheet and then cut them down to size). Using a zizagged stitch, sew the vellum to the patterned paper on the top and bottom only. Be sure to tape the loose threads to the back so it doesn't come undone. Then, adhere that a matching piece of solid cardstock of 5 1/2" x 4 1/2" (this is the base and will hide the sewing threads). Do the bow at the top however you'd like and add the "baby" at the bottom using your Cricut or diecut machine....and voila!

These are the most recent ones I made for a dual shower coming up (one gal having a boy and one having a girl). The patterned paper is 4 1/2" wide & 5" tall. Fold it in half tall-wise (so you will end up with 4 1/2" wide x 2 1/2" tall). Ink the edges and adhere the info paper on the front ( 4" inches wide x 2" tall). I just used Microsoft Publisher to design these. Then, with my little sister's help, I filled 4" x 6" bags (you can find them in the craft isle of Walmart or any craft store) with popcorn and stapled the paper over the top of the bag like the bags of candy you find in stores. They were a big hit.....because who doesn't like popcorn?

Have fun!

Stupid Migraines!

Sorry I've been so lame about adding new posts, but I my migraines have gotten worse again lately....so we're back to getting a migraine EVERY DAY! I feel like the people on the migraine comercials who are ripping their heads off, except they only have it for 30 seconds whereas, mine go on for a millenia....and longer. I feel bad for my sweet girls, who are so understanding and patient with me as I lie on the couch with a dozen pillows over my head to keep out the light, sound, smell, and any other sensory stimulant that may send me into a downward spiral of throbbing pain. Too bad I've just about exhausted my options for a cure. Somedays I wish that my MRI had shown something....just so I could have a REASON for all this great character building I've been going through. Oh well, guess there's always tomorrow :) Have fun!

"Be" blocks

I saw an idea in Scrapbook Trends that did something along these lines, but I thought could be improved alot. So, I originally designed these ones for a friend to teach to the YW, and decided to teach this at our ward's Super Satuday last year, too. They were a HUGE hit and I still have requests for them from other wards and ladies that simply want to make more to give as gifts. So here's how to make 'em!

You will need: Three 3.5" x 3.5" x 3.5" wooden blocks, sandpaper, paint (you can use any kind of paint), vinyl lettering, and spray finish or Mod Podge.

Step 1

Get a 4"x4" post at your local Home Depot or Lowes and cut some 3.5" x 3.5" x 3.5" blocks (the 4x4 post is actually 3.5 x3.5....wierd how they do that). At some stores they will even cut the post for you and will just charge a small fee, but be sure to ask first. You can also get already cut and sanded blocks at some craft or scrapbooking store, but they will run around 2-5 bucks per block (versus .50-.80 cents). After they are cut, make sure to sand them well.

Step 2

Paint your blocks. I found that 2 coats looks best. Maybe more depending on the color of paint you use.

Step 3

Sand all the edges on your blocks however you want them to look.

Step 4

The vinyl will come like this so you can cut out the letters and put them on however you like (also, not all blocks are exactly the same size, so I can't pre-arrange them on a sheet).

Step 5

After cutting the letters out, peel away the backing paper (one at a time, as you work) and you will be left with the letter stuck to the transfer tape with the sticky side out. If it doesn't want to come off the backing paper all the way, just rub it with your fingers.

Step 6

Start sticking the letters on the blocks, starting with the big ones first and rub really well to make sure they stick. Then, peel away the transfer tape.

Step 7

Just add the rest of the vinyl letters however you want them....and spray with a sealer to protect the finish (and vinyl). I use Krylon's "low odor, clear finish" matte spray, but you can also seal them with Mod Podge and just paint it on. JUST BE SURE NOT TO STACK YOUR BLOCKS FOR AT LEAST 7 DAYS AFTER FINISHING!! The finish needs time to cure before you stack them. Otherwise, they will stick together and ruin the finish. Believe me...I had to learn the hard way :)

I have the vinyl to make these listed on my new Etsy store...so check it out if you want some!

Have fun!

Fancy Easter Eggs

So, I came across a cute idea on the Martha Stewart site for glittered and masked eggs. I thought they were pretty, so we did this when we decorated eggs as a family. I also set up a tutorial so you can see how to do them and how easy they really are! I cut out all the shapes with my vinyl cutter (each shape is around .25-.40 of an inch), but you can use your cricut or other die cutter or just some small punches. My sister and her fiance got even more creative on them and cut out their own masks for some of them.

Let me know if you need more help with these! Sorry this is being posted so close to Easter. Have fun!

Glittered Easter Eggs

Things you will need for the glittered eggs: Eggs, double-sided adhesive sheets (again, I used my vinyl cutter to cut these), & ultra fine glitter of desired color.

Steps:

1. Apply adhesive shapes to egg (making sure to leave on paper backing like I did in the picture until right before you roll them).

2. Roll in glitter, making sure to coat well.

3. Brush or blow off excess glitter. Martha suggests using a can of air to help with this part, but you can try a paintbrush....or just use your husband air compressor, like I did :) Ta-da! Beautiful glittered eggs!

Masked Easter Eggs

Things you will need for the masked Easter eggs: Hard boiled eggs (you can blow the insides out to make them last longer, but it also makes them more delicate, so we didn't do this), little vinyl shapes or little stickers of any shape, dye.

Steps:

1. Apply your vinyl or stickers randomly around your egg (make sure you seal them firmly so no dye seeps underneath). I used green vinyl shapes in the pics, so you can see them well.

2. Dye your egg to desired color.

3. After drying your egg on a paper towel (to prevent drips), peel off stickers and Voila! Pretty masked eggs.

Pay it forward.....Crafting Style!!

Ok, so cute idea from my friend Jessica! She posted this on her blog and I wanted to do it too!

"Making handcrafted items is a dying art, but they are so fun to make and get! So, here's a little game to encourage the handcrafting to live and thrive. The first 5 people to leave a comment on this post, will receive, at some point during the year, a super-duper handmade gift from me! What it will be and when it will arrive is a total surprise. The catch is that you must participate as well :) So before you leave your comment here, write up (or copy and paste) a pay it forward post on your blog to keep the fun going. Then, come back, let me know you are going to play, and anticipate the arrival of your super-duper handmade gift! Remember that only the FIRST FIVE comments will receive a gift from me, so be quick! This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

1. I make no guarantee that you will like what I make. But, I will try my best to make sure that you do :)

2. It will be done this year (hopefully sooner than later)

3. You will have no clue what or when it will be.

Please make sure to leave your e-mail address too so I can get a hold of you. Have Fun!

More cake pops!

Ok, Ok, so I couldn't resist. After posting the cake pops last night.....I dipped more so I could take pics (and taste the ones dipped in dark choc.). I think they turned out cute so I wanted to post pics right away. I wish you could smell these....so yummy! Enjoy!

Cake Pops Yum!

I just had to post this idea I found on Bakerella's blog! She has lots of great pics and instructions on making these and will give you lists of all the ingredients you will need for each. I tried these (the round ones) last week and they are yummy (and cute). I would have posted my own pics, but the ones I made didn't last and my girls got into the very last ones I was planning to photograph. They LOVED them because they were pink and purple and isn't that every little girl's favorite color? Anyway, on her blog, Bakerella makes all sorts of cute shapes and themes....so go nuts! She also just added a bunch of Easter themed cake pops (she is just too cute!). Here are just a few things that I learned while trying my hand at these cute confections:

1. Experiment with the amount of cream cheese frosting you add to the crumbled up cake. The 1st & 2nd batches, I added a full can and they were just a little too mushy and difficult to dip. The 3nd, however I added 3/4 of a can and it greatly improved the consistency. Next time I might add a tiny bit less to get them even firmer.

2. Don't make any substituttions in the cake mix (ie. applesauce instead of oil or just egg whites to make it healthier). I'm sorry to say this, but these need to be a good old-fashioned unhealthy treat in order to be able to hold together well after adding frosting to make into balls.

3. Start making these 2-3 days ahead of whatever event you want to use them for.....They are stinkin' cute, but take very long to make (and alot of steps). Also, if you mess up the 1st time, you will still have time to try again.

4. Get familiar with the dipping chocolate beforehand. It was very frustrating since I didn't have much experience in this area.

5. Have fun!!!