Toddler Dress

This dress is much like the other toddler dresses I have made, where I add a skirt to an already-made top, but it is a little different.

Instead of making it a ruffled bubble skirt, I made it a hemmed skirt.  And I bought a tank that had two ruffles at the bottom, so I added the skirt under the ruffles.

 

 

 

Is this the cutest toddler you've ever seen?  Beautiful red hair and wearing her play heels everywhere she goes!

Craft Room Gallery Wall

I'm crazy excited about this gallery wall! I love it so much!

I wanted everything on the wall to be something I loved, something I made or something that inspires my creativity.

1.  You may or may not know, I was a winner of a Hallmark card contest (you can see my card here) and Hallmark sent me a pre-production flat signed by all the judges.  I found a frame to fit the flat and this was my first piece for the wall.

2.  I found this Tina Fey quote on Pinterest and loved it so much, I wanted it on my wall, so I ordered a 5x7 print of from Walmart.  Every time I read it, I think so true!

 3.  Also looking through Pinterest I saw a pin that said "All I want to do is create things and drink coffee and sleep" - which is totally me, except I drink diet coke, rather than coffee.  So I designed an 8x10 of this just using Microsoft Word and also sent to Walmart to be printed.  The frame came from Goodwill.

4.  Walking through Hobby Lobby one day I fell in love with a pack of stickers (I know, that makes me sound like I'm 5, but... #ItsTheSimpleThingsInLife and #YoungatHeart).  I bought them and a small black canvas to stick one on.  (Who knew they made black canvases!)  I made three pieces for my gallery wall with the sticker pack.  The Believe sticker on black canvas and the gratitude sticker on a frame.

  5.  In Target, walking past the home décor/college décor area and I saw this lighted arrow, that runs on batteries and turns off automatically after 3 hours - I loved it so much.  So much!!  It had to be part of my wall!  At $9.99, it was the most expensive item on the wall - I love the challenge of trying to "design on a dime"!

 6.  I stopped by Goodwill to look for frames for my prints, and walked out with two different sized frames than what I needed.  For this wall, I wanted a mix of colors and textures for the frames.  So far, all I had collected were black frames, but I wanted some wood to bring in a natural element and some gold to bring in a metallic, glitzy element. 

This one, I bought for the frame, intending to get rid of the picture in it, but as looked at it, I loved the little painting that came with the frame.  It inspired me!  And made me wonder who Ray is and what his story is. 

I loved this frame and even liked the metal sign in it (it was an orange, vintage kitchen tin sign), but it wasn't right for my wall.  I wasn't sure what I would actually do with it.  Then inspiration hit to just put in a graphic piece of paper on top of the metal sign.  I love it now.  Further inspiration made me realize I could stick magnets to it, since the metal sign was behind the paper. 

I loved this silver/antique looking frame and used it to frame a photo of my precious nephew Henry that I recently took!

 

 

 7.  I decided to add a magnetic dry erase board to use as a "real life Pinboard".  I wanted a plain black square.  I found this one at Target for under $3 - which I thought was an amazing deal!!  I happened to have 2.5 x 2.5 magnets of some of my Instagram photos that I bought from Sticky9 awhile back.  (These are cool, but probably something I could figure out how to make for a lot cheaper.)

  

8.  I made this colorful frame from upcycled magazines.  You can find the instructions HERE.

 9.  I've seen photos clipped on a cord all around the internet - so I knew it was a trend.  Then in Target, I saw this photo line kit - so that tells me it's a definite trend!  Of course, I wanted to make my own.  I bought cord and mini clothes pins and sent my Instagram pics to Walgreens to be printed. 

I painted my mini-clothespins black - this was a terrible idea.  I submerged them in paint, then dumped them out to dry on a piece of paper.  The paint dried in huge clumps and stuck to the paper and I had to use pliers to get them to open.  Note to self - next time buy little black clips.  (Although I do like how they turned out - they were just a pain!) 

10. Metal camera art - I found this at Michael's in the dollar bins, and since I love photography, it fit very well with my wall!

11. Chalkboard - I love this piece so much!! You can see how I made it HERE.

There may be more additions - but for now - my craft room is more inspiring, happier and more "me" than ever! 

Which piece is your favorite?

DIY Chalkboard

 

I've been wanting to try chalkboard paint FOREVER and this project was so fun!

 

For this project you'll need:

a frame (check garage sales or Goodwill)

Krylon chalkboard paint

craft paint for the frame

foam paintbrush

chalk*

Also shown below is mounting hardware I added to my frame.

Step 1:  After removing the glass, clean and then paint your frame.  Mine probably would have benefited from sanding/primer, but I didn't do either and several coats covered it fine.

Step 2:  Spray your glass in a well ventilated area.  I sprayed mine in the garage but had two mishaps - the breeze blew the trash bag onto the paint while it was drying and gnats flying into the paint.  ick!

This is the exciting/scary part - you have to "season" your chalkboard by rubbing your chalk over the entire surface.  My instructions said to wait 3 hours.  I waited overnight, but I think it might be better to wait 24 hours.  *The kind of chalk you buy matters - I had "dustless chalk" from Hobby Lobby and it did not work at all.  I actually recommend sidewalk chalk to season the chalkboard.

After this step, wipe off chalk with a soft cloth.

 

It's so exciting to be able to write on your chalkboard now!!

Put the chalkboard back into it's frame.

 

Great transformation!!!

 

 

Colorful DIY Picture Frame From Upcycled Magazine Pages

Do you want a new one-of-a kind colorful picture frame that is very inexpensive and made from materials you have sitting around your house?

Then this project is perfect for you!

For this project you'll need:
old magazines
bamboo skewers
mod podge
foam brush
picture frame, mirror or piece of thick foam
utility knife or rotary cutter

After rolling up strips of paper to make beads, (see this blog post) I started thinking about using paper for a different project - a mirror or a picture frame.  I looked around at Goodwill and Hobby Lobby for an inexpensive mirror, but that didn't work out.  So I decided to make my own base out of a sheet of thick black foam, that way I was able to make it to the dimensions I wanted.  (For an upcoming gallery wall, I sent a bunch of my Instagram pics to Walgreens to be printed 4x4 - .39¢ each and you can choose pics directly from your Instagram account!)  I decided to make it square shaped and make a 4x4 cutout for a picture and two inch border al the way around. So the square I cut out was 8x8. 

Flip through magazines or junk mail.  Find pages with about an inch of color at the long (vertical) edge and tear it out.  Then cut out (horizontally) a 2.5-3inch strip.  Starting from the inside, torn edge, roll the strip around a bamboo skewer.  At the end of the strip, glue the edge down.

Cut each color down to 2 inches.

Use mod podge to glue each piece onto your picture frame.  This entire project is not a quick process, so allow yourself time to work on it.

When you've finished you have a one-of-a-kind, 100% handmade, upcycled, unique, colorful picture frame.  And (depending on the materials you already have) - it could cost you nothing!

Preparing for a Newborn Photo Shoot

When a new mom finds out she's expecting, she starts preparing for the baby by planning and organizing a nursery.  When a new aunt finds out she's expecting a niece or nephew, she starts preparing for the baby by planning and organizing a photo shoot.  Or maybe that's just me! 

The only newborns I've ever photographed have been my niece and nephew, so since I don't have a lot of experience with it, I started researching.  Here is a summary of the basics I learned:

• 7-14 days old is optimal - you want them sleepy and position-able
• It's best to go to the newborn's home
• The temperature should be nice and warm (you can use space heaters or heating pads, just don't let either have contact with the baby's skin)
• Don't use a flash - it can trigger a baby's startle reflex and upset them
• Find natural light in the baby's home and just experiment with what works best
• You're on the baby's time schedule - if he or she needs to eat or be swaddled or changed in between takes, that is the first priority

Then comes the fun part - start collecting backdrops, props and accessories.  For the backdrops - simple black and white.  I gathered a white presentation board, black fabric and a vinyl square that looks like old wood flooring that I found on Etsy by PeekPrints which is really cool!  

A behind the scenes look at the vinyl:

For background accessories - find chunky, textured items - baskets, blankets and hats should all have great texture.  I found two different chunky woven baskets and several blankets, some really soft and some really textured.  I used the Fabric Strip Backdrop that I made for the baby shower to create a fabric bed and it turned out very successful.

For props - I found an adorable hat on Etsy at SparkleBabyCouture and I was very impressed with this shop.  Hats for boys, hats and headbands for girls.

My nephew's nursery theme was teddy bears, so he had received several bears as gifts.  We took an adorable shot of him surrounded by bears. 

 

I also found vintage blocks to spell his name, at an antique store.

 

 

Do you have any other tips for a successful newborn photo shoot? 

Unique Bracelet Components - Sequins and Paper

My boss brought me this bracelet from Turks & Caicos and I love that some of the beads are made from paper. 

 

I love the novelty of it and the idea that a piece of paper can become a wearable piece of  jewelry.  So I set out to make my own paper beads.

 

For this project you'll need:

 

paper (12x12 scrapbook or magazines)

skewers

mod podge & foam brush

scissors, pencil, ruler

elastic thread

On your paper make looooong thin trapezoids (you can make triangles, but I like the look of the beads better with trapezoids). 

This is what I mean by loooong thin trapezoids. 
Your lines should look like this all the way across the page.

 

Cut out the trapezoids and roll each one tightly around the skewer, starting with the larger end.  Glue

with mod podge, every few inches.  Then seal the smaller end down with mod podge and let dry.  I added clear nail polish, but I think mod podge is sufficient.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then you are ready to design your bracelet.  Thread your beads onto your elastic thread and tie a knot when it's the right size.

 

 

 

Once my paper beaded bracelet was done, I decided I needed a few more bracelets to make a set!

 

 

 

To make a sequin bracelet - you need fine motor skills and time. And patience. And sequins.

 

I threaded my sequins directly onto the elastic thread, but I think it would be easier if you had a needle (none of mine had eye openings large enough for my elastic thread to fit through). 

 

I thought it turned out really pretty and unique!