Cheap trick for Wrapping Gifts

Instead of using ribbon, why don't you try using Yarn...

It's usually under $2.00,

  you get a lot,

 & let's not forget it comes in a wide range of colors!

Stringing popcorn!

Last night my mum, brother, and I ate Vintage Ribbon Candy, watched National Lampoons Christmas Vacation, and strung popcorn!

It was a lot of fun! (until I pricked my finger ...ouch!)

The stringing was a long process, it took a few hours, but when we were finished, the tree looked so good!

I love doing stuff like that!

When I look back on Christmas, I always think about the time my family and I made crafts, those are the memories that will last forever! -and those are the best kinda memories to have!

A gift I can give myself

The 'perfect' gift to give to myself for Christmas;

 my own work, in a frame.

It's about time you show off your work Kristen.. (you like how I talk to myself).

I was thinking,

 since it's Christmas time,

would it be wrong to add a little Red Bow on him?

It's just a thought...

Remember you have until tomorrow night; December 9th, to enter for the Giveaway!

DIY Halloween Pumpkin Jar Candle Holders

 Halloween is my all-time favorite holiday!

I love doing creepy, fun, easy crafts for the spooky occasion!

This is the first Halloween / fall craft of the season-

They are called Fright Lights; the idea came from Family Circle Magazine.

In the magazine it says you need all these different materials.. I don't have time to go out and get all the stuff it calls for, so I had to make do with what I had around the house. The one thing I surprisingly had to buy, was black and orange tissue paper, (usually my mum has tons of different colored tissue paper, but for some reason she didn't have those two colors). Thankfully Target has them each (20 sheets for under $1.99).

Anyways, here's the materials I used:

-Black tissue paper

-Orange tissue paper

-Pencil

-Plastic or glass bowl

-Elmer's Glue

-Paint brush or 1" foam brush

-Scissors

-three or more Glass Jars (mason jars, pickle jars, olive jars, sauce jars..etc).

-And some water

-Candles

First Step: Once the jars are clean, you are going to cut Orange tissue paper into 1 1/2 wide strips as long as the jar.

Second Step: Take a glob of Elmer's Glue, and a little bit of water, mix with paintbrush until it's watered down. Brush the glue on to the jar.

Step Three: Add strips of Orange tissue paper onto the jar, overlapping the paper is perfectly fine.

Step Four: Brush glue over the Orange tisse paper; let it dry for a few hours.

Step Five: Once the paper is dry, you can cut out faces or letters that you are going to add on your jar using a pencil and Black tissue paper.

Step Six: Glue on Black tissue paper (faces, letters, etc) on to the jar. Brush the glue on all of the Black tissue paper, let the paper dry, add candles in the jars, and ta da!

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DIY: How to make your own Bike Seat Cover

This Labor Day, ride in style!

Make your own bike seat cover by

following these simple steps.

I found this DIY project thanks to  FOSSIL .

I actually have a little story to share with you all.

It started like this... well a few weeks back, I was on a bike high, I pretty much rode every other day for an hour around the neighborhood, hey, it beats jogging! Anyways, one morning I took it out, I was about half way up the street and around the corner.. when my bike seat just completely fell off! There I was, in the road, trying to put it back on, cars driving by, let's just say the ride home was ugh awkward.. I guess I rode that one a little too hard ehh?

Well finally last week I was out, and my mum picked a nice big bike seat out! Did I mention it was her bike seat that I broke... Opps!

But the good thing is now that we have to new seat, we can make a neat seat cover for it!

This is what you'll need:-Bike seat

-Fabric

-Sewing machine or needle & thread

-Scissors

-Elastic

-Tracing paper

-Marker

-Ruler

Step One:

Trace your bike seat on a large sheet of paper. Add 2-inches all around to account for seams and depth. (If your seat appears to be deeper than normal, add another ½ inch or more.) Using the pattern you’ve just created, cut your fabric. 

Step Two:

Place cut-out fabric upside down and fold the edges inward about ½ inch all the way around, pinning as you go. 

Step Three:

Starting at the back, sew around the cover approx. ⅜ inch from the fold. Make sure to leave an opening in the back as you finish – this is for the elastic to be pulled through. 

Step Four:

Thread the elastic through the seam. (We suggest pinning a medium safety pin to the end of the elastic to help push it through.) Once you try it on your seat, tie the elastic so it fits snugly, but is still removable. Trim the ends or add some extra flair by stringing a few beads on the ends. 

Here are a few examples:

Great idea, huh!

Fabulous Idea

 I think this is a creative idea..

A few months ago, my father gave me a box that glasses of Merlot came in.

The box has been sitting underneath a table of mine for awhile now. Well, yesterday, I was thinking of storing some things in it, so when I opened it the box I noticed some wood; which held the bottles in place, I took them out and just started messing around with them, then came up with this great idea!

All you need is:

 - Wood, (from wine cases).

-Glue Gun, with Glue Sticks.

-Acrylic Paint.

-Scissors.

-and Twine.

(And maybe glass if your going to use yours as frames).

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1. Glue the three pieces of wood together.

2. Paint wood whatever color your heart desires, I went with a Coastal Blue color.

3. Take white paint, and paint around the circles, inside the circles, and the frame.

4. Take twine, measure it around frame, cut it, and only glue the twine to the bottom of the frame, your going to need the top part of the twine to be free, so you can hang it in case you want to use it as pictures frames.

And Ta Da!

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I need to go get some glass cut from Lowes, and some beachy pictures developed to put in them.

But for right now, I am being creative and put them on a shelf in the kitchen. It adds a pop of color in there, and makes the ceilings seem higher.

Hello Laundy Room

It's time to finish the laundry room!

My parents laundry room has never been finished. (My father likes to move from project-to-project). But it's time for him to finish this project!  It's such a small room, it can easily be finished within a few days. I am just so tired of walking in the their, and seeing the mud on the walls, the ceiling that needs to be redone, and the doors that need to be painted. I can't wait to show you all the finish project. I do have to give my father credit, he is a perfectionist, (that's why he takes so long to actually finish a project), but his work is unbelievable, with the help of my ideas of course!

This is our before laundry room....

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And here

are some dreamy laundry rooms!

".. and the thunder rolls, and the lightning strikes.."-Garth Brooks

As you all know, spring is right around the corner, which means it's time for blooms & buds! 

I went out and found these cute little Muscari Bulbs on clearance for $2.50, so of course I grabbed them. I found a Glass Vase, some Rocks, and Soil, and ta da, they had a place to grow! I saw some at Lowes the other day that were blooming, they were such beautiful flowers, the perfect flowers for spring other then Daffodils! -Which I just recently had in the kitchen, but they started getting a little too big, so I planted them outside.. (they are a lot happier out there).

 Are you ready for spring? 

"On the way to work they might stop by a fishin' hole, cause that's how country boys roll.."-Billy Currington

Don't you just hate getting such great pictures, but you hate the mat around the picture?

I have a little story for you all to hear-

Well my mum wanted to get rid of this really pretty picture of Wood Pigeons.. she just said it didn't match in the hall way, with all the other pictures.. well no wonder, the mat is an ugly blue color, with tiny hearts on it! -What in the world was something thinking when they framed this picture, like really? ..

So I took the picture, grabbed a few tools, opened the back of the picture, and thought I could just change out the mat, well turns out someone glued the mat to the picture, sooo that meant I had to paint the mat a different color. I first tried a Cottage White color, but you could still somehow see those little hearts, so I went with an Antique Gold color, and ta da! It came out the way I wanted! It kinda makes the frame look bigger, but it's an illusion - and it works for me!

What do you think? Do you like those tiny little hearts,

 or do you like it done in Antique Gold?

I wanna love somebody, love somebody like you..-Keith Urban

How cute are these necklaces from HandyMaiden on Etsy.com! I was thinking of things I would want for Valentines Day, and I came across these necklaces, I really love the Owl! They are all under $27 which isn't bad for a handmade necklace, they are just too cute!

 

And if you don't like necklaces, she also makes the cutest little animal figurines, such as these cute little Polar Bears, which are $15.



Somethings just need a little change..

So our kitchen is really white, the walls, the ceiling (that's still being done), the cabinets, and the doors. So I thought hey, let's do something a little different and fun! Let's add a chalkboard! I went to Lowes and picked up a little thing of paint -It's under $15.00- came home, took a long board and placed it up against the door, took a pencil and marked the length and width I wanted it, taped it out, and began painting! Max did nothing but sit there and watch.. useless pup, at least he's cute. Later on I realized I needed chalk so I went to K-Mart (haven't been there in nearly a decade), found sidewalk chalk on sale and grabbed it, went home and drew one of my favorite sayings, and ta da! It's done, and it looks great!

So what do you think about chalkboards?