Home Made Hostess, Gift #2

I was in need of something festive to wear to a Christmas party last week.  Gaudy and over sized accessories appeal to me a great deal so whatever it was had to go along those lines.  I was inspired by Magpie Ethel's collection of vintage Christmas corsages and decided to make one of my own.
This summer I purchased two different kinds of vintage tinsel, one gold and the other silver at yard sales for a few quarters.

I also had a bag of "Swedish molds" from an estate sale that I just had to have but didn't know what I was going to do with them.  After flattening them, I glued cut tinsel all around the edges.  Then added some vintage birds also from yard sale.

They blended together to make a wonderful accessory! 

Home Made Gift #1

I saw this idea on one of my favorite blogs, Deep Space Sparkle and knew Katherine could do it as a gift to her Nonna.  She saw Katherine's lizard this summer and wanted a painting like it.

We used a Masonite board which I will never do again.  The label said the board was primed and ready for paint.  But the paint scratched off very easily so the finished project had to be decoupaged.
I did the main drawing except for the legs.  Katherine is fond of making a tiny tiny drawing on a large piece of paper instead of using the entire surface and I just don't have the patience lately to do a lengthy art lesson. 

Look at her, she's just so proud!
Thank you Patty for another wonderful gift.

My 1st Church Activity

I've recently been put in charge of our church's activities.  I'm really into it!  My first one to plan was our Trunk Or Treat.  I went to my trusty notebook full of pulled out magazine ideas and chose a couple to try.  Martha Stewart is always a good place to start as well.  She had the idea below of the hanging decorations.

I will warn you that the directions that come with some of her projects are not great.  This one had no suggestion of what kind of paper to use so I chose scrap booking paper.  After folding my first 12x12 paper into a fan my hands felt arthritic.  This project just did not work.  My back up plan was to use newspaper which was free and much easier to work with.  I chose not to add the faces, it didn't look good with the newspaper. 
My next  project idea was also by Martha Stewart, candy corn pom poms.  Aren't they cute?!!

Again, the directions to these could have been better.  My outcome wasn't near as pretty but good enough.
Here are my homemade decorations all together.

I did not have a beautiful backdrop for my hard work but I'm happy with the overall effect.

On the food tables I crafted some arrangements with sticks, more newspaper pinwheels, and some dollar store black birds.  I also used purchased Spanish moss.  I could have used some out of our tree but I didn't want to risk bugs getting into the food.

I learned all kinds of things working on this party.  I am considering doing another blog especially for these events.  I was hoping one already existed but if it does I haven't found it.

Face Painting

Katherine had her face painted at Disney and really enjoyed growling, hissing, and climbing like a cat the rest of the day.  I could have spent hours watching them paint faces.  I tried to watch and learn so I could replicate it at home.  I found these cool pics on-line of face painting for some inspiration.

Halloween is about over for this year but maybe next year!

A Cupcake Secret

I was watching "Antonio Treatment" on HGTV and learned from a food stylist how to top a cupcake with the perfect swirl.  I used to start swirling the icing on the outside of the cupcake and end in the middle but it always seemed kind of "flat" looking.  I was using the right tip, it's an extra large one from Wilton # 1M.
The secret is to squirt a pile onto the center of the cake first. 

Then starting on the outside of the cake swirl the icing around onto the top of the original squirt to make a nice high pile of icing.  It'll look perfect every time!

New Shirts for October

I found this t-shirt idea on Brassy Apple several months ago and have been saving it for Fall weather!  I knew my daughter would love it, she really likes Halloween and dressing up.  I couldn't resist making one for Charlie as well.  He doesn't give a hill of beans for Halloween but he was running around in Katherine's kitty cat tail yesterday. 

I used scraps of material I already had but had to buy the t-shirts and some Wonder Under.  As usual any sewing project gives me fits.  I had to learn the hard way to follow the Wonder Under instructions because I burned it the first time.  And it was difficult zigzagging around the ribs especially on the smallest shirt.  But I persevered and have two cute shirts. 

My children were hard pressed to stop for a second to pose for me, these were the best shots I could get.

Off on Winged Shoes

I saw an idea on Etsy a few weeks ago and loved it.  A pair of wings for some tennis shoes.  But I couldn't find it again to buy them!  So I made a pair from a vinyl bag that I bought for $.25.

I used my eyelet setter for scrap booking to make the holes, that worked really well.  I added stitching by hand since the fabric wouldn't feed through my sewing machine. 

They're not near as pretty as the original idea but Katherine's loving them!

Costume Ideas

I've already been hunting for Halloween costumes.  I prefer homemade costumes or something unusual.  Which is why I like to start fairly early so I have plenty of time to search for stuff and to create. Martha Stewart is always a good source for something good.  I've really enjoyed her last two Halloween magazines.  Here are a couple of good ones:

Owls are super hot this year, I was tempted by these two costumes:

And you might remember last year's peacock costume was inspired by the children's catalog, Chasing Fireflies.  This year I really liked the "Medusa".  We're going to purchase the headpiece but come up with the rest on our own. 

As for Charlie, I'm thinking just the classic Dracula would be good.  But I really want this adorable gnome costume (I LOVE HIM) I found last year but I know that the beard would never make it.  Maybe I should go for it anyway.

A gnome and Medusa, I guess we're really not going for a cohesive family look.

$.75 Well Spent

I had a great time thrifting with some friends two weeks ago at Faith Rescue Mission.  All the children's clothes were $.75!  I picked up several items but what I was most excited about was this:

We all made fun of it's bizarre qualities but once I had a good look I liked the felt flowers.  Cutting the flowers off and adding it to a cute sweater of Katherine's could give this tacky number a new life.

While unpacking my bag, Katherine spotted the shirt right away.  "Ohhhh, is this for me?!  I love it!".  I explained that I was going to cut off the flowers and add them to something else but she could have the sparkly shirt.  "It's perfect for a poisonous frog costume!" and then started to put it on.  I don't guess anyone has died of wearing second hand clothes before they're washed.  I try not to think about it. 

Once I started cutting the flowers off I realized that someone had cut each flower out then painstakingly blanket stitched all around each flower.  It was a labor of love for some little girl, I'm glad I bought it.  Here are my end projects:

I sewed snaps onto the sweater and the back of the flowers so they come off for washing.

A Thrifted Find Gets A Makeover

I purchased this at a great estate sale two weeks ago.  The sale was a lot of fun due to reasonable prices.  We don't have many of these sales around here and they're usually overpriced. 
I picked this frame up for $5.00.  It was a broken mirror for a dresser but I was thinking it would be a cork board for my desk.  I bought a roll of cork with a coupon for about $9 and the fabric was on sale for $4.

I am pleased with the results but now I need to make some cute thumb tacks and finish the entire laundry room project.

New/Old Lamp

I bought this lamp from a yard sale about three months ago at the suggestion of Aunt Frances.  I'm so glad she sent me a photo of it!  I loved the color right away but it needed a lot of work.  I purchased a lamp kit but it turned out that there is a bulb that lights up the base which complicated things.  I'm saying this like I'm the one who did all the work, sorry Chuck. 

Several lamp parts later and a new shade and it's ready to light my new work space.  It may not have been the bargain I thought I was getting but it certainly has the charm that can't be duplicated.

A Successful Project!

I took the energy to pull out my sewing machine for a project two weeks ago.  This one is from I Am Momma-Hear Me Roar.  It involves cutting off the bottom of a onesie and sewing it to the bottom of a dress shirt so that it always stays tucked in.  I loved this idea and found it quite easy to do!  It was so easy I made two. 
Ta-dah!

I was very happy with how the shirt performed at church today.  It stayed tucked the entire time and no one could tell that it was a onesie.  I plan on making every one of his dress shirts into a onesie.

Cheap crafts for a crowd

I work with the children at my church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints), we call it Primary.  We have anywhere between 70-85 children who come on a regular basis.  This can be a challenge when you need an affordable craft for Mother's Day and Father's Day etc.  It is also a challenge to have a craft appropriate for children ages 4-11.

This year for Mother's Day I used an idea from one of my favorite blogs, HowAboutOrange.  Here's the finished product made by my daughter to me:

Instead of having the children fold the paper into fans for the medallion we used flattened muffin liners.  This cut down on the time required.  I used a giant round paper punch (purchased at a yard sale for $1!) for the centers.  We already had colored paper and glue sticks in the closet.  All I had to buy were straight pins and muffin liners for a total of about $5.00!

How to top that for Father's Day?!  I searched on line and found something right away at ArtProjectsforKids.  This project uses thin cardboard boxes from the pantry like cracker, cereal, and pasta boxes to make covers for mini books.  We already had plenty of staples, staplers, and paper so no money was spent!  Once the books were made, the children drew pictures and made notes to their dads.  I think it went well.

Another Chandelier Makeover

This is what our light in the master bathroom was,

a miniature ceiling fan with a naked bulb. I've been wanting to replace it with something glamorous. I've found several fixtures that would be lovely but I don't want to pay $150 or more.

Last spring I went to an estate sale and bought a bag of vintage crystals for $12. The metal loops linking the crystals were brittle and had to be painstakingly replaced with jump rings but it was worth sore fingers.
And here's that $2 fixture I picked up at a yard sale. 

I sprayed it with a can of primer that I already had. I like the gray color of the primer. My next step was to figure out how to add the crystals. I decided to use silver necklaces found at Hobby Lobby for $2.99 then drilled holes into the fixture.

Here's the end result with a total cost of $17!

Summer Crafting

I love to craft, it's therapeutic for me. I've collected some ideas for Katherine and I to do this summer. I don't think it's going to be as therapeutic but it'll keep her busy for a few hours each week. Today's craft came from Deep Space Sparkle. It used oil pastels to create a lizard sunning on a branch. I knew Katherine would love it. Most 6 year old girls like Build A Bears and fluffy rabbits, our child loves reptiles.

I drew the lizard in pencil, copying the provided pic. Then Katherine colored in with the oil pastels. We used facial tissue to rub in the oil and to blend the colors a bit. It turned out great! I think we'll save it for a Father's Day gift. If you haven't worked with oil pastels before, it's not as messy as I was expecting. They are similar to crayons but have a more vivid color. They blend so nicely with some rubbing.




This is another site I used for ideas, ArtProjectsForKids.org. Kathy has so many wonderful projects with good instructions. This woman is definitely a great art teacher, she knows what kids enjoy doing. I really like her Monet Water Lilly post from this week.

My First Successful Refashion

My friend, Ginger emailed me this great blog, Made With Love and Glue. This post showed where Rachel took a Miley Cyrus dress found on clearance and turned it into a skirt. I happen to find one of these clearance dresses for $1 at our Wal-mart! I was so excited, mine is a bit different from hers but once the top was whacked off with scissors the end result was just as cute.
Here's our adorable new look! And wow, it took absolutely no talent. I can handle that kind of refashion.

Thrifty Last Minute Birthday Gift

We had three birthday parties we wanted to attend this past weekend. One was for my daughter's best friend from school. I needed a quick thrifty gift. Here's what I came up with:


I think it turned out really cute. The necklace was from Hobby Lobby and the bird charm and bead I already had. I've done the Scrabble tile charm before by drilling a hole into the corner then twisting a head pin into a loop. I think this will be a go-to project for a lot more parties!

Charm Bracelet Party

A couple of weeks ago I was reading Saucy's Sprinkles and loved her charm party idea. I decided right then and there to invite some friends over for a Valentine charm party. Literally, I emailed an invitation immediately. I didn't really think it through until two days before the party. The realization hit me that I don't have 15 chairs or a kitchen table big enough for all my friends. Luckily, we own a large cafeteria table and my dad hooked me up with some chairs from the office. It all worked out in the end!
I made 4 different charms to share and managed to "Dremel" a perfect hole into the kitchen table. I really need a craft space.


I provided the bracelets and my friends brought charms to exchange. It was so fun and everyone went home with a darling charm bracelet. I plan on doing this quite a few more times. In anticipation for Christmas I've already purchased quite a selection of cute things that can be made into charms! Oh I just love charms!