The Card Box

When I got married I wanted a unique card box that could be re-used after the wedding reception. So I did a little research. I'm a DIY type of gal so I decided I would make my own. But then I found this card box and realized that I know squat about working with wood and power tools. And I also didn't want to be the bride walking down the aisle with a missing hand. So I did what I could and delegated this project to my Mom who delegated to her friend the carpenter! He built the box and I painted it to look like a garage.

See, my husband is a mechanic! So, I thought instead of making a card box that looked like a house, you've probably seen them on etsy......It would be way cooler if we had a garage! So, here it is! Isn't it adorable!? Now that the wedding is over with, I use it to store the toddlers extra toys! It looks cute sitting in my living room! The roof of the box is painted with chalkboard paint! And it's lots of fun to see what people write on it when they come to visit now! And it keeps the toddler busy sometimes! I used my computer to make a sign to place on the front of the garage just like a real garage would have. This box is heavy duty so it will last a lifetime. I can pass it down to the kids or keep it forever and ever and ever!

I hope this has inspired you do think outside of the box so to speak when you're planning your own celebration. Try to use things that have a dual purpose! If you can't make it yourself then maybe you know someone who can! If your local high school still offers its students a wood working class, call the school and ask if they would be interested in taking on the project! Schools can always use generous donations! Just a thought!

Crafting with the Toddler

I craft with the toddler often. She starts the mornings off with crayons and a coloring book or paints! Occasionally, she'll dig the jar of buttons off of the shelf and arrange them on the table to make a pretty picture. She is very creative! Well, I was sitting on the couch folding laundry the other day and realized that I don't have one single kid-made ornament on my tree! That is an outrage! I use to have tons of ornaments that my boys made in school and at home! I had so many that I would hang them from garland above the door. But, sadly they were lost in the great basement flood of 2006! It was such a sad day! You can't replace them and now that the boys are teens they are not a fan of recreating them! Double sad! I miss my babies!

I wanted to fix the fact that my tree was lacking character. So I decided to trade the toddlers crayons and paint in for scrap book paper one morning. At first she wasn't happy about it. She loves her crayons! But, once I started to trace her hand on the back of this pretty paper things started to look up!

So, just a quick how-to, since I didn't have my camera when I made these and don't have pictures to follow along with it.......On the back of a patterned piece of scrapbook paper (the back was a solid color otherwise you could glue your cut out onto a solid or print and then cut that out), I traced her hand using a pencil. That way I could erase any lines that might show.

Then, I brought out the glue and lord help me. I am still cleaning glue off of my chair! Originally, I thought I would just let her dip her finger in the glue and finger paint the hand print with the glue but she wasn't having any of that mess! So, I grabbed a cotton swab and let her dip it instead. On the hand print in the picture, I helped! So of course it's all nice and neat. But she used a more artful approach when left to her own devices and she pretty much covered the entire hand print with glue. I had to make sure she didn't take too long with the glue since I didn't want it to dry. I wanted the glitter to stick!

Once the GLITTER came out she was all in! Loving this project to pieces! Yes she was! I'll be cleaning glitter up for a very long time. I don't care! So, she has everything in the dining area coated with glitter. There's no more glitter and  that's her cue to shove off. Leave Mama to do the dirty work once again. I left everything to dry on the table while I vacuumed the rest and swiffered what I could up. I used a hole punch to punch a hole in the cut out once it was dry, for my ribbon. But, on some of them I used fishing line. I don't know why.......I just thought I'd try it out, save some ribbon. You could also use yarn! Or embroidery thread. Maybe string some beads through to make it extra fancy!  You could even trace their hands on a recent picture if you wanted to make it more personalized. The possibilities are endless. On the back of our hand prints I wrote her name and the year so we could keep track. We'll see what it looks like next year! :)

Success

Yesterday, I set up shop at a local fall bizarre.....I've mentioned it before. I was nervous. This was my first show, alone. I'm not good at selling. So, I worried that I wouldn't get a lot of sales. Basically, I wanted to minimize my stock. I have been working for a few months on various items and really didn't have anywhere to put it all. It had to go. So, I priced it to sell.

The show was small. I would say there were a dozen or so booths. When I got there most of the vendors had already set up and were just conversing with the other vendors. So, I felt like all eyes were on me. That made me feel uncomfortable. I love the things I make but sometimes I feel like I'm the only one who loves them. I lack confidence sometimes. But, I started setting up my booth, keeping in mind that I was just here to prove to myself that I could do this alone and  I shut everyone else out. I focused on getting things set up and pushed forward.

Once I was done I stood back and smiled. My booth looked good. (I apologize for not taking pictures. Taking pictures in situations like that make me feel awkward. Kind of like the time when I followed a guy around walmart because he reminded me of a character from a Stephanie Plum book and I wanted to get a picture for my cousin. His wife said NO! ) Then, I sat down and organized my bags for easy access. That's when the other vendors came over to check my booth out. I always feel nervous when people step up to my booth. I start to feel like the little train that could! "I know I can!" Just smile and pretend like you have total control over your bladder!  

Well, enough of the play by play. The moral of the story is.......

I put myself in a position that scared the bejeezus out of me and found that it wasn't really any different than posting to this blog! Just because the people I'm directing my words at can actually see me as I'm talking.... it shouldn't cause me to panic! It wasn't bad! I had fun! I sold some things! I made a friend! I got a lot of compliments! If I hadn't put myself out there I would never know that I can do it. Or that it wasn't really anything to freak out about! Don't be skurd!

Just Like MacGyver...only without the facial hair.

Seriously. I just want to brag a little bit. I was on the brink of being sad today but pulled a Barney and got Awesome instead. You know, because that's how we do it, right?

I procrastinated again. Because well, that's also how I "do it"......I'm going to be showcasing some of my handmade goods at a local bazaar this weekend and waited til the last minute to figure out my display. Shame on me. My budget for props is a big fat zero! I have no money to spend on this show boat! But.......



Simple denim flower...Sold.



Not need to panic! Luckily, I have tons of stuff to play with. So, I took a little break from being super Mom to dig down deep and channel my inner MacGyver. (You know who MacGyver is right? He's the guy on TV way back in the day that could save the world using a paper clip, a tampon and a carton of eggs. I know! Impressive!)



I bought this frame last year for a buck! True Story!



So, I'm standing in my workroom/dining room, looking at all of the things I have at my disposal. Keep in mind I'm doing this while the toddler is pummeling me with her fake sword.......repeatedly......when will I regain sanity Lord? Anyway, I keep reminding myself that  MacGyver worked under pressure too! So, I got this!



I need something to showcase a few of my better, more impressive, tiny bit more expensive hair flowers on. Something that goes along with my Vintage Shabby Chic motif. Well, I think I did ok. Using a bargain picture frame that I bought last year (so the cost doesn't count right?), a piece of scrapbook paper and some leftover ribbon I engineered this handy little hair flower holder! And the bonus part is.....I can use it over and over and over and over and over and over!

 If you got, USE IT! Just saying! 



Popsicle stick bracelets

I recently met up with my craft class for a session. I call it a session because I think we all leave it feeling refreshed and ready to rule the world.

Cue Rocky theme song.

This week I left my girls in charge of deciding what we would be making. Keep in mind these are teenage girls we're talking about! I'm learning that they think about boys and accessorizing the most.

They used their internet time to do a little research and came up with this idea.

Popsicle stick bracelet

They started with wide popsicle sticks and boiled them in a pan on the stove for 15 minutes. Easy enough!

While the sticks were boiling the girls chose glasses.....the kind you drink out of.....to use to form the bracelet. They had a hard time finding glasses that would be the right size. Therefore, the bracelets don't stay on the wrist very well. So make sure you have a glass that has a small opening. I thought a wine glass would be good. We'll see about that since I plan on trying this project again myself at home.

When the sticks hit their 15 minute mark in the boiling water they carefully removed them, one by one, from the water with tongs! Originally, their idea was to dump them into a strainer to avoid the hot water but, they found that this only caused the sticks to cool faster and therefore they weren't bendable. They broke quite a few sticks in that process. So, back to the drawing board. Again, they boiled the sticks for 15 min, this time leaving them in the pan on the stove and using tongs.....Problem solved! 

this stick splintered as it was shaped but this is the idea.

Once they had their stick out of the water they were able to slowly shape them to fit into the glass. Where they would leave them to dry all night and most of the next day just to be sure they wouldn't straighten themselves out. A few of the sticks splintered as they were shaped. Notice the photo above. I wouldn't try to cover these with scrapbook paper like we did because I don't think the splinters would allow a smooth area but I thought you could actually cover it with fabric to hide the splintering and to keep your arm safe! Waste not ladies and gents. I'm going to work on that today at some point to see if it's a good idea or not. 

After your popsicle stick bracelet is completely dry you can cover them with your paper. We used scrapbook paper. 

bad photo....sorry.

We traced an unshaped stick onto the back of a piece of paper, cut it out and trimmed it to fit the stick. Using mod podge we adhered it to the stick, let it dry and BAM! It's a cool bracelet! 

I'm so proud of the girls for taking charge of this project and working through the road blocks that popped up. To see them so excited and so proud was truly a wonderful thing. They gave me some advice in case I wanted to do this project again. Use smaller glasses, don't reach into the pot of boiling water and take your time forming the bracelet! The students have become the teacher!  

*I realise that I am not the best at writing a tutorial. Please bare with me! I'm working on it. I hope this inspires you to tackle a project of your own. I do think these would be a fun thing to make and as far as decorating them, the possibilities are endless! Fabric, paint, paper and wait for it........GLITTER! I would not suggest wearing these in the shower or while doing dishes! Not sure they would hold up!