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Friday, September 23, 2011

This is what I did tonight


Tonight I painted and distressed a really old step stool!  I have been obsessing over this project for a while, and thinking how cute it would look with my beachy decor.  My only issue is my colors.  I have browns and greens not the typical aquas.  So I love the whole distressed driftwood look.  Here is my take on a little stepladder with green.  I painted rapidly and messily right over the paint rings and splatter that were already on this very old ladder.  After I let it dry for about an hour, I took the sandpaper to it and gave it that weathered look.  It worked so nicely!  Enjoy!!!

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Jars for goodies

This project was inspired by something I saw on Factory Direct Blog.  I think these are so much fun!  I got the candle holders from my mom for free, and my husband had bought the jars for canning some veggies.  The only thing I bought was the spray paint.  I used Martha Stewart fine glitter and Elmers Spray glue to glitter the lids after I painted them.  I used a little piece of felt and E600 to attach the jars to the candle holder.  You could probably use slow set epoxy also.  Can't wait to fill these with candy corn and fall M&Ms.  Enjoy!

Cool Weather, Cool Projects

This is what I have been up to.  I am kind of crazy about Halloween and Fall.  I have a few projects I am sharing today.  The first is this Blingy Spider pumpkin.  I bought the spider with really no advance intentions in mind.  Just thought he was cute.  Then I ran across a project at Better Homes & Gardens.  Thought it was super cute, but modified it a bit.  I painted the stem silver and glittered it, because I love glitter.  I used different sized stones, because that is what I had on hand.  I do want to add, I used Hot Fix stones, as hot glue wasn't working, the stones were just coming right off.

Sunday, September 4, 2011

This is what's brewing!!!

I have been dwelling on a couple of new projects for Halloween.  I love everything that the fall brings us, especially this fun holiday.  I love whimsical Halloween decor, hot pots of coffee and pumpkin spice, fall scented candles....oooohhhh, gets me so excited!  I am jumping the gun a little here, but why procrastinate?!


Here are my Halloween countdown cubes...hope you like em'!

Same set of cubes, 2 different views.

Friday, September 2, 2011

A Tisket- A Tasket- A little wooden basket...

So I saw a picture of some wooden baskets on Pinterest and the pin led back to a site where you can purchase the baskets.  Who?  Me?  Buy them?  "I can make those".  Of course that's what I said, you should know by now!!!  And...my house is beach themed, so these go perfectly with that.  And yes, I have been to both Martha's Vineyard and Mystic, CT.

You can make these...great storage idea!

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Breathe...

Just a random post.  I am overwhelmed in crafts!  I am trying to prioritize, but finding it difficult.  You would think this was my job.  Maybe it should be.  I have about 20 projects lined up at this point.  A few have been started, others are waiting in the wings.  Where to begin...

Breathe in....
Breathe out....

Thursday, August 18, 2011

What is this made from?


The British Are Coming


Not sure what inspired me to do this project, perhaps the Royal wedding, perhaps the upcoming Olympics, maybe just this rocked out kids fashion I've been seeing for Back to school.  Whatever it was, I'm digging it.  Here's a little something I did for Bella.  Giant Union Jack with "Keep Calm and Rock On" phrase on the back! Cheerio!!!!

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Sew Cute Sandals

Okay, so I have been seeing these super cute t-straps all summer long.  They have flower embellishments down the t-strap, usually in leather or whatnot, monochromatic.  On that note, I decided to make a pair myself...with a little more flare.  This tutorial does contain a bit of sewing, but it can be done either with a machine or by hand.

First, get yourself an inexpensive pair of t-straps.  I got mine at K-mart, and they were buy 1 get 1 half.


Next, I chose my fabric colors.  I wanted something sweet and sassy!  So I threw a little zebra in there with the floral.  I used fat quarters.  Four different colors for four different flowers, but you can use as many as will fit on your shoe.  Don't forget to make 2 sets, as you have 2 shoes.  Iron the folds out and cut into 3-4 inch wide strips.  I used the longest  side of the fabric for the length of the strips.  (Not sure exactly the length, but just as long as you have enough fabric to form a flower.)


 Then you need to fold each piece lengthwise, wrong side out
and pin.  Sew the edge to make a long skinny tube.
 Turn right side out.









Iron flat.









At this point you can make your flowers.  I used a basting stitch down one edge and pulled to make the fabric curl into a flower shape.  You can use a machine for this, or by hand.  I do it by hand.  Whatever works for you.  Sew the flowers together, through all of the pieces so they do not come unraveled at any time.  These need to be pretty sturdy because they will be on your feet and moving around quite a bit.


Now you can put them on your shoes.  I used a huge needle and sewed them on through the leather sandal.  As I went through the sandal and through the flower, I wrapped around the t-strap as well.  I really wanted to make sure they wouldn't fall off while I was wearing them.  


Last step, just to reinforce, I used E6000 glue.  I shot a dab between each flower and the t-strap, threw on a clothes pin and let them sit overnight.  


This is the finished product.  

And on my feet...

Have fun making your own:)




Thursday, August 11, 2011

Tasty Treat

Ever since Dunkin Donuts debuted their Frozen Hot Chocolate, I have been dying to get my hands on a recipe.  After much searching and not finding one that I truly liked, I came up with my own.  The key here is Hershey's cocoa powder.  Okay, I'm a little biased, as I just came back from Hershey Park with a chocolate hangover.  But, I just don't think the standard packaged hot cocoa mix will be nearly as good.  Soooo....here's the recipe.  Try it out and see what you think.  You can modify it to your liking.  Taste testing is fun!!!

Recipe makes about a three 6 ounce cups.

Fill blender about half full with ice cubes.  I added a few extra.  
1 1/4 cup milk (added the extra 1/4 cup when I thought it was a little too thick)
2-3 scoops vanilla ice cream (you could add heavy cream to give it a smooth texture also)
about 1/2-1 tsp vanilla extract
6 tsp Hershey's Cocoa powder
3 tbsp sugar
Blend to desired consistency.  I had to spoon it out of the blender, but that is completely up to you.
Pour into a glass, add whipped cream and a smile:)





Monday, July 25, 2011

First Effort

Okay, so I decided last fall after my father passed to plant this garlic that he had sitting in his garage.  It had been harvested, probably around now last year.  This garlic has been in our family for a very long time.  I remember the smell of it lingering around at my grandparent's house when I was a little kid.  So as soon as I happened upon it, those memories hit me like a brick!
In October I decided to plant it, and low and behold I grew a small crop of garlic.  But, there are lessons to be learned here.  I planted the cloves too close to each other and I should have planted a lot more.
However, as we approach the 1 year anniversary of my Dad's passing, I felt it was a perfect time to post this.  Every year, as long as I can keep the harvest going, it will serve as a reminder to me of years past when I was a child visiting with my grandparents and my Dad!



Aaaaahhhhhh....I can smell it!  And may I add, it tastes wonderful!  There is nothing like it.

I Heart Faces Photo Challenge/Water

Splashing in the surf at the jetty.  Spring Hill Beach, East Sandwich, MA...Cape Cod 2011 Summer Vacation

Enter your Face + Water photo over at I Heart Faces this week.

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Do-over!!!

It is unusual that I post 2 projects in a day.  However, I had a few items lurking around that needed posted. A while back, I had a shell wreath that hung on my basement door.  One day someone decided to fling the door shut, down went the wreath and broke into a million pieces.  So I collected the shells and put them into a freezer bag and they sat there for about 6-8 months.  Over time I gathered a few more shells, real ones from the beach, and some store bought starfish and sanddollars.  I figured they would add a little something.  So here is the shell wreath do-over.  Enjoy!

Summer Wreath

This has been on my list of projects ever since I happened upon it.  Thanks to Burlap and Blue for the tutorial!
Goes perfect with my decor...makes me feel like I am still at the beach!

Friday, July 22, 2011

Got to get out of the funk!!!

Okay, I have a list of things to do, and no AMBITION!!!  Where did it go?  Anyone???  I need a swift kick in the ___!!!

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Feeling Knotty

Haven't posted in a while.  I have been on vacation and cleaning.  Unfortunately, I haven't been crafting all that much.  But, just starting to get back in the swing!
We vacation in Cape Cod a couple times a year, and I absolutely love it there!  I love all things beach related.  Let me add, I don't like excessive heat.  So, not so much tropical beach related, but New England beach.  I love the rocky coast line, I love sailboats, starfish, sand dollars, and all things nautical.  I was inspired to decorate my house in this fashion.  But not cheesy beach,  more like Potterybarn beach decor.  I especially love the Nantucket style shingled houses and Hydrangea.  And everyone seems to have flower beds and hydrangea surrounding their homes.  So these are the things I use to decorate my house.  I bring a lot of ideas home with me each time!

My most recent craft actually took place before I left for vacation.  I used my love of nautical things to make these beach inspired bracelets and a braided rope necklace.  Hope you enjoy!











This morning I decided to try my hand at a nautical knot.  I am going to use this pattern to make a rug for my from door.  Not bad for a first timer!

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Antique Buffs...please hide your eyes!!!

Soooo...I have been very, very busy with so many projects.  I actually started this one way back in the fall of 2010.  My Dad passed away in August 2010.  As I was going through his things, which I would not wish upon anyone, I found this desk.  It was a shabby looking thing, but he used it everyday.  On this desk were his bills, notes, reading glasses, lighters, lots of everyday things.  In the drawers were more of the same things plus pictures, spare keys, my cheer button from high school. (tear)...Okay, anyway, I wanted a way to preserve my Dad and at the same time make it fit into my house.  So I revisited blog after blog to learn how to paint furniture and make it distressed.  Here is the outcome.  I will give you the details in another post.
I refinished the chair that sat at the desk as well.  The mirror came from his kitchen, and the other things were mine.

This was a tiny lamp on my dresser, it matched perfect after I put coffee filters all over it!

A couple of frames I painted, backed in cardboard and put hooks in.

Drawers are now lined with matching fabric from the chair.

Aaannnnndddd........(drum roll)
This is what it looked like before.  Like I said, if you love Antiques, especially if you love keeping them as they were originally, you might want to turn away.

Saturday, March 19, 2011

A Little Bit of Spring

I was inspired, and excited when my local grocery store started using brown plastic bags.  These are going to be great for fall too!  But first, I wanted to do something for spring.  My neighbor's door was the perfect venue.  May I add, a rotary cutter and self healing mat are the best inventions.  Took me no time at all to cut the bag strips.  I did have to give the wreath a haircut though, it was a little too puffy to fit behind the storm door.  Re-used grocery bag wreath!

Monday, March 14, 2011

Green jewelry

Here are my green creations to wear for St. Pat's.  Used some leftover fabric scraps and some other doo dads I had in the house to make these up.  Think they are pretty cute and can't wait to sport them:)

Thursday, March 3, 2011

I'm Looking over...

Yep, that time of year again!  Seeing green!  Just in time for the weather to start to change and green grass peeking through the melting snow.  Okay, there is some brown mixed into the green, but a girl has to stay positive!  It has been a LONG winter.  Anyway, I couldn't find any shamrock piks like the heart piks I found for Valentine's day, so, I made my own.  And although I am not Irish, I love St. Patrick's Day, shamrock shakes, and the color green.

Supplies:  hot glue, bamboo skewers, cute scrapbook paper (or whatever works for you)

I cut out a whole bunch of shamrock shapes using a stencil.
Then I used hot glue to secure the skewers to the inside of the shamrock.  Don't forget, these are double sided, so whether you use the same color paper on both sides, or you mix it up, make sure you trace your pattern the opposite way so they match when you put them together.  Also, I put the glue on the skewer, not on the paper so you have control over where it lands.
Then put the other side on.

There you have it.  I trimmed mine a little since I used a stencil for each.  Another trick, put your paper together and cut out 2 at a time, that would make them even as well.  I thought of that...after the fact:)
I displayed mine in a couple of old Ball jars with some various green stones.  I also put huge glitter on two of them.

Luck O' The Irish!!!

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Valentine Mail Pouches





I have been pondering this project for quite some time.  Trying to combine the many that I have seen from place to place, blog to blog.  So here is my attempt at the chair backer.  I think they came out really cute!  They should work just fine to capture those Valentine's Day goodies!!!

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Pillows from Heaven


I am on a roll with these pillow covers lately!  It is great sewing practice, since it is not my number 1 talent. But, I am getting better!  As they say, practice makes perfect.  Valentine's day is quickly approaching and I don't ever put my decor up until, well, today!  Here are a couple of pillow covers I made for the occasion.  The burlap one,  think I'll keep that out as regular decor.  Just love the quote.  And, giving credit where credit is due...Thank you Jen from Tatertots & Jello for  sharing a link for the heart pillow.  This one is from Copy Craft!  Super duper craft, but took a while.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Subway Art

I used my Cricut and a scrap board to make this subway art.  Think it came out pretty cute!  It was already painted...xtra from Halloween!  Happy Valentines Day!