Altered Candy Box Dots Gift

I am so excited for tomorrow night! I get to go to dinner with my long time friends who I don't get to see nearly enough! We are just going to Panera, but with my friends, it might as well be Disneyland. :) I love those ladies!!
Anyway, we get together to celebrate the birthdays that happen during each month and so, there are 4 friends we are celebrating tomorrow. I don't have a lot of money to spare right now (especially since we pay for our own dinner,) but I still like to do some kind of something crafty, just because I love to do those sorts of things. I will share with you what I came up with.
Super easy... I bought 4 boxes of candy from Dollar Tree. Then I sat down with my Silhouette machine and went to town. I printed an "L" and a greeting, which I cut into strips and dovetailed the ends to make them look oh-so-chic, and cut out white circles to act as a background for the "L"s


... and yeah... That's about it! I just used my tape runner to attach them to the boxes and that was it. Super easy and hopefully they will think I am super thoughtful too. They will, right?? They know I don't have a ton of money. Just keeping it real. ;-) Happy Birthday friends!! Love you!!

Starry Eyed Craft Idea for MOPS/MOMSnext 2016/2017

I am so excited to be on my MOPS/MOMSnext leadership team again this year!! I am heading up the creative activities for another year. It is my absolute favorite thing to do in this world, aside from going to Disneyland and eating lime Tootsie Rolls. Anyway... I thought I would share the crafts that I am doing this year since I tend to get a lot of questions about what our ladies' favorites have been etc. I am happy to share my plans (as I discover them.) ;-)
Feel free to take away any inspiration that you find!

So, here we go:

Craft for September- Painted Wood Beads and Tassel Keychain with Shrink Plastic Theme Charm

I used 20mm natural wood beads that I painted in theme colors, or at least as close as possible to theme colors. I found the beads at Joann in the jewelry making section. 

I bought the leather jewelry cording at Hobby Lobby, also in the jewelry section, along with the jump rings and keychain rings. 

I used a 2 1/2" star shaped punch to cut shrink plastic and edged the shape with a silver paint pen and used a permanent ink pen to write the theme in the middle. I also punched a hole before I shrunk the plastic and then added a jump ring to attach it to the key chain split ring. 

I followed a very simple tutorial to learn how to make the tassel, using this Youtube video.  

And then I just assembled all the pieces. It was that easy! It ended up averaging out to be around $1.50 per mom, and I planned for 65. Hopefully the ladies will love it as much as I do!

Thanks for stopping by!

Burlap Candy Corn Banner

I wish I could take credit for coming up with the idea for this super adorable burlap banner, but I actually found it in the motherland (A.K.A. Pinterest.) I came up with a pattern and got started. There are actually 6 pieces on this banner but it was too hard to get them all in the photo. You'll just have to trust me. ;-)

This project is simple. Just cut out triangles in burlap, paint them (and allow them to dry in between colors,) polka dot them (with the end of a foam brush,) then fold down the top edge about 1/2 inch and sew a loose zigzag stitch across the top and stitch them to twine, which has been hidden in the fold. Then cut various ribbons and rick rack and tie them in between the triangles. Then trim up the edges to get rid of the fraying burlap. Voila!

I keep on selling these so I am guessing that I am not the only one that thinks it is cute. I finally had a surplus and was able to keep one for myself. I think that is the hard part of being a professional crafter. You make them for others, and then miss out on having them for yourself! Oh well. It is fun to send my projects to new homes. I kind of like the fact that they value my work enough to pay for it. Very vindicating. (See kids, the messes are worth it! Yes, you can buy more Pokemon cards...) ;-)

Happy that the weather is starting to change around these parts. Can't wait for the cooler weather to stick around. Happy that pumpkin spice EVERYTHING is happening now. So fabulous. Happy Jen is happy! :)

MOPS and MOMSnext "Be You Bravely" Wood Sign

I thought I would share this sign I made recently. I am a coordinator for one of our local MOPS/MOMSnext groups here in town, and I thought I would try to come up for something cute for one of our "on-time" basket prizes. I designed it using my Silhouette (which I looooooove so much!!) and painted over the vinyl. Tada! An excellent reminder of the yearly theme of Be You Bravely! Also, I will be selling these in my Etsy store, so be sure to check back for that. Someday. Soon. I promise..

Stuffed Burlap and Fabric Pumpkin Trio

These are some super simple pumpkins I made for an upcoming vendor fair that I am participating in. I am so excited! I haven't done anything like this in such a long time! 

It is nice to show what I have done with my time over the last month or so. Makes me feel like I am not such a lazy butt. Sort of. I have about 27 loads of laundry piled on my couch waiting for me to fold them, and I haven't cleaned my stovetop properly since the end of June. Yeah. It's been like that. SO... I am excited for this weekend so that I can put down my stuff and breathe a little. Being crafty is hard work! ;-) 

So here is the first of several posts I will be making showcasing what I have been up to. They will serve a dual purpose. I need to have a place for people to see what is available so that I can accept special orders, and I need to keep up this blog since I committed to doing it. I don't want to let myself down! Hope you will enjoy the upcoming posts. 

Special thanks goes out to my hubby for taking all the fabulous photos in his newly established photo studio in the garage. His talents are endless... ANYWAY... Thanks for stopping by!

Patriotic Pallet Tray

I was recently commissioned to make some patriotic accessories for a relative. I was given some odds and ends from a goodwill store, and challenged to make them into some cute Americana decor. One of the pieces was a woven serving tray that I just couldn't get to cooperate. I decided that it would be much easier to make one on my own. And so I did! This is what I came up with. It was a matter of cutting some wood pieces about 18" long and then painting them, then I cut the 13" rails and painted them as well. Next, I attached the handles, which I decided to distress a little with sandpaper, to give them a little more character. To further embellish my pallet tray, I decoupaged some scrapbook paper flags that I had cut out and finally added "God Bless America," that I had cut out of vinyl with my Silhouette. I used the outdoor Mod Podge over the whole piece and then finished it with Annie Sloan finishing wax to make it more durable for outdoor use. That's about it! I have plans to make some more of these. I picked up some additional handles today, in fact. I am so excited to see what I can come up with! Stay tuned!

Spiced Spider Cider

I have not had a whole lot of free time lately- but for good reason! This time of year starts my busy crafting days and I love every minute of it! MOPS is in full swing and I have been planning and making gifts to bring them each meeting. A recent one came to me while I was at Winco doing my weekly shopping. I came across an excellent deal on Langer's apple cider. $1.78 for a gallon! I thought that was a good place to start.

Next, I had to decide on a cute way to present my great deal on cider. What better way than jarring it up and making a cute little tag?! So that is what I did. It reads, "Along came a spider and sat down be... Cider. Empty contents of spice pack into a saucepan (should have also said, "with the cider," )and simmer for 30 minutes or more. Remove cinnamon and oranges. Enjoy! And BEWARE!" (get it??)

I decided to fill quart jars with cider and water bath
canned them, (covered the jars in boiling water in a big pot and let them simmer for 15 minutes.) Then, I created and added a fabric topper and a tag with a little plastic spider glued to it. I decided on a clever little pun that added to the "cute factor." Hadn't seen it anywhere, so I think it might be my original idea. Don't sue me if I unintentionally copied you... Haha.

It didn't quite seem finished at that point, so, I came up with a little something else. I thought I would add some simmering spices. So, I bought an orange, cut it in slices, dried it in the oven on a rack for 2 hours at 200 degree (flipping them half way through.) When they were good and dried, I added them to a little cellophane bag with a couple of cloves, a cinnamon stick, a pinch of nutmeg and allspice and 1 heaping tablespoon of brown sugar. I then attached that to the lid of the jar with some baker's twine. And voila!  I got lots of compliments on the idea, so I am assuming it went over well. I just think it is so stinking cute!!

I like Halloween, but I don't like the scary aspect of it much. This was my little way to enjoy the spook without blood, guts, and gore. Now, on to my next project...

Happy Halloween!

Wooden Disc Necklace Gift

A while back, I had made some washer jewelry with Mod Podge Dimensional Magic and scrapbook paper and a couple of embellishments. They became pretty popular both on Pinterest AND in real life with the people who received them as gifts. Got me thinking... I wonder if I could come up with something else using the same technique. I had recently picked up some wooden circle discs and discovered that they would be perfect to make some pendants with. So, as luck would have it, I needed another gift idea for my MOPS table mates to celebrate the end of our year. I made them each their own necklace with an affirming word decoupaged onto it and some little rhinestones and a scrapbooking paper flower embellishment.While I was at it, I made myself one, only I skipped the affirmation and rhinestone and added my initial and a pearl bead. Finally, I screwed in a tiny eye hook and hung it on leather cording. Works for me!

Teacher Appreciation Pencil Decoration

I was hanging out with my husband the other day on one of our ultra glamorous dates, and we ended up at Home Depot. As we were wandering around the SUPER fun brick section (sense the sarcasm,) I saw a small little box full of what looked like potential pencils. I had seen an inspiration piece on Pinterest and thought I could totally swing my own version. What a perfect gift for Teacher Appreciation week!! I was able to finish 3 of them in about 1 1/2 hours.So, I had recently finished a project for my Mom and had some left over paper that was the same color as a pencil. Score!! I also found some paper that reminded me of an eraser, so it seemed like I was in good shape. I used my handy dandy Cricut to cut the names out of vinyl, some twine and ribbon for a hanger and some eye hooks from my craft stash. I painted the tip of the project with black paint to simulate the lead. And that is about it! I suppose I could have cut the wood with my new scroll saw, but if you find a box of 12 stakes on a glamorous Home Depot date, for $2.79? You buy them. Then you make pencils. The end. ;-)

Wooden Owl Magnets

I just had a birthday! Yes indeed. I also have a daughter and a friend who share it with me! Now, my daughter has a party planned for this coming weekend and I am busy busy doing projects for her. (More to come about that in a later post.) Turns out that I got to be celebrated too! My friends all got together to celebrate our groups early April birthdays with a potluck. SUPER fun!! I just love those ladies. So blessed to have them in my life. So we had chicken tacos, salad, fruit, beans, and yummy oreo cupcakes for dessert. Mmmmmm. (Beats the sandwich I usually have...)

Anyway, I really like to give handmade gifts to my friends, since we all like the crafty stuff. I wanted to make a little something for my friend Dana. I searched Pinterest and found the cutest owl magnets with clothespins to hold art or business cards, etc. Since I was given a new scroll saw from my Mom for my birthday, seemed like the perfect opportunity to get back into wood crafting. Discovered just how much I missed it! I am so excited!! SO... I sketched out a template and went to work. I sanded the cut out shapes, painted them, decoupaged paper pieces to the owl body and to the clothespins. I added heavy duty magnets to the back with hot glue and attached a jute twine hanging line. I figured that her name will be removed to allow for her beautiful children to display their artwork on the fridge. OR she could just take ownership of whatever metal surface she chooses... I really love the results. I want to make them for all my friends now!

Mickey Mouse "Wash Your Hands" Sign

I was asked by a friend to make something to go in her kid's bathroom. She showed me an inspiration photo and told me that she wanted a Mickey Mouse "something" to hang on the wall over their toilet. I had never seen their bathroom before but was given the freedom to be creative. So, I just went for it. I was so excited to see a picture of the finished product hanging on the wall and the colors matched almost exactly! So relieved! She said she was happy with it and so that makes me happy too! I am once again, a "professional" crafter! Yay! How I did it: I found some cute Disney themed scrapbook paper and rickrack and ribbons and started crafting. I made rag roses into the shape of "mouse parts," and printed the cute little reminder saying on the paper and cut the printed paper strips down to size. I decoupaged them onto a 12x12 mdf board that I purchased at Joann craft store, and then added the embellishments. I ended up adding white buttons to the corners to finish it off, right before it was delivered. You'll have to take my word for it. ;-)

Little Red Riding Hood Clothespin Doll

I have been eyeballing these adorable clothespin dolls on Pinterest for such a long time, stocking up on the bits and pieces but I finally couldn't take it anymore! Marched myself (and my loving husband) to the craft store and purchased the remaining supplies necessary to make some of my own! Another thing that prompted me was the fact that my daughter is having a Red Riding Hood themed birthday party in a month and a half and I needed some kind of cute little table decorations. These would be the sweetest little take away goodies for her guests! This is my first attempt, mind you but I plan to keep going. These are so easy to put together and the possibilities are limitless! I would eventually love to make some for the holidays and seasons as I get better at it. There are some tutorials out there on the internet, but I found I didn't even really need one. Once you have all the supplies you need, you are already there! Paint the parts to please you, embellish as desired, and voila! The stinking cutest little dolls ever. I will say that I wish I had sealed the project with some sort of sealer. I think that would have added to the durability of it. Well, something to fix for next time.

Santa's Coat Milk Carton Treat Holder

I made a project last year using hand sanitizer with the label remade into a "Santa-tizer" (reminiscent of a Santa coat) and it was pretty popular. I thought about other ways I could use a similar concept. This is what I came up with for this year. It seemed like a perfect Christmas party gift for my daughter's 5th grade class. Pretty cute, if you ask me! In fact, my sister liked these so much she asked if I wouldn't mind whipping some up for her to give to her co-workers. So... I only had to make about a gazillion of these babies. Ok, not a gazillion, but 58. (I can't do tiny quantities any more, apparently.) Anyway, it is simple to assemble, though a little time consuming. It is all paper punches or die cut shapes held together with hot glue (on my 3rd bag for this season...) How cool is that? Just one little stamp with simple black ink, a little bit of ribbon, and you are done! Filled my little boxes with Christmas M&M's. I am keeping that company in business this year, apparently.

Reindeer Class Treat Holders

I found another cute little project on Pinterest and thought I would give it a shot. Made 28 of them for my second grade son's Christmas party for next week. Been crafting up a storm lately and having a total blast! Super easy to make this one too.

 Just cut a 5x7" piece of cardstock, roll it into a tube (so it looks like a toilet paper tube,) and then hot glue one of the edges. Turn it over and fill with goodies (we used mini Snickers and M&M candies,) then hot glue the edge in the opposite direction.

Use a paper crimper to crimp the edges, about 1". Then you add the googly eyes and red pom pom nose with hot glue. Draw a mouth of any style you choose with a felt tip pen. Attach the chenille stem antlers with hot glue and you are done!

Pretty quick to assemble which is a bonus. Would make an excellent last minute party favor. Enjoy!