Paint Chip Nursery Decoration

Since I haven't had too much time to be crafty myself lately, I wanted to share a beautiful craft project that a friend made us for Cameron's room. Using a tutorial from Blue Velvet Chair, she created this cool "C" framed creation! You can easily make this for your own child, as a shower gift or as a birthday present for a little one.

Using paint color samples and a star hole punch (rather than a plain circle one), here are the final results -

Once we put his new white and pine colored dresser together, this will hang proudly on the wall above. Thanks Allison!

Valentine's Day Craft Ideas

Since I've been wrapped up in baby planning, I figured it might be a good distraction to think about the upcoming Valentine's Day holiday, since it's a perfect time to be crafty. Whether you are making favors for a kids party, food crafts or something for your honey - there are plenty of fun and unique ideas to choose from.

Here is a gorgeous project that I discovered last week from Paint Me Plaid (via Theresa Cifali) - click here for the full tutorial.

This next project, from Delish via Peter Piper Picked, is perfect as an inexpensive decoration and doubles as a sentimental gift. Using a small vase or candle holder, pictures and any type of heart-shaped or red candy, you can create these adorable decor pieces for just about anyone; significant other, best friend or even kids. In fact, I think I will attempt this for our house with some pictures of the baby and my hubby. Of course, the baby has to get here first!!

This may have something to do with my third-trimester junk food cravings (seriously, I made it to the final month before I started craving cookies all day) but I love this Valentine's Day Shortbread Cookie recipe from Diamonds for Dessert. Shortbread is one of my favorites and the cute colors and tiny shapes make these even cuter!

What kind of fun and festive ideas do you have in mind for Valentine's Day?

Holiday Baking Plans

Last year, I went all out with my cookie baking and candy-making but this year, I'm scaling things back just slightly. The two-toned twisty candy cane cookies just aren't happening this year! Here is last years platter of goodies: 

This year, I'll be tackling the chocolate covered Oreos (as seen above), M&M cookies and only one type of chocolate bark (skipping the almond one this year).

If you are interested in making the candy cane cookies, here is a great recipe from The Etiquette Factory Blog. It's described as a "basic sugar cookie with a little something extra" and they freeze well so technically you could make the dough in advance and then cook them right before Christmas. These were always a favorite growing up in my house but I don't think I have the energy to make them considering the M&M cookies almost killed my feet the other night. 

I don't think I need to include the M&M cookie recipe since it's pretty much the same one as the chocolate chip cookie recipe on the back of Nestle Tollhouse Morsels, except instead of adding chocolate chips, you bake the cookies for 8-9 minutes, take them out and add the M&Ms, then put them back in the oven for another 2-3 minutes. You shouldn't put the candies on until they are mostly done baking or they will melt and look terrible. 

Peppermint candy bark is another really easy but impressive thing to make for the holidays. It's simply 

• one bag of chocolate chips
• one bag of white chips
• crushed up candy canes and 
• peppermint extract (optional)

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or wax paper, pour the melted chocolate chips to make a thin layer covering the bottom and let it solidify. Then melt the white chocolate chips (adding the peppermint extract for extra flavor) and drizzle all over the top. Then sprinkle your crushed candy canes over the top so that they will harden into the white chocolate. You can also add the candy canes to the white chocolate first if you prefer and make a full second layer. Put the pan in the freezer for about 20 minutes, then remove and break into pieces.

A tip: put candy canes in a thick Ziploc bag and crush them with a meat tenderizer (smooth side). Don't try to put them in any appliances such as a blender, coffee grinder or food processor. 

Finally, making Chocolate Covered Oreos is easy but looks like you spent hours in the kitchen. Using these fun molds from Wilton (only $2):

along with candy making chocolate that you can find in any craft store, you can make these treats for a fraction of the cost of buying them in fancy chocolate shops. I use white chocolate for the designs, so I can color the trees green or the bulbs red and blue. Once the design is filled in (or not - as seen in the plain chocolate Santa above), you just add a thin layer of chocolate, add the cookie, pressing down slightly and then cover the bottom with more chocolate. I was going to skip these this year but my in-laws loved them and I couldn't disappoint!

What kinds of fun, holiday baking do you have planned?

Handmade Christmas Cards

Every year I make a dozen or so handmade Christmas cards to sell as add-ons at my holiday fairs. This year, I made a few extras so that I could send them to family and friends. I have to admit that I don't make too many paper crafts and I bought  a lot of pre-made scrap booking supplies for these particular cards. Here are some of my favorites:

It has taken me about a week to get all these cards ready to go but they will finally be going out in the mail tomorrow. As for today, Bunch and I are hanging at home and enjoying the last free weekend day that we will have before the holiday partying starts next weekend - watching Christmas movies and enjoying our tree. 

Not that things will slow down after the holidays since then the Countdown-to-Baby starts!

How to Make Tile Coasters

Here is a fun project that will make a great gift for the upcoming holiday season! Follow this easy tutorial and in one afternoon, you will have a wonderful gift for neighbors, co-workers, teachers, etc! Or pair with a bottle of liquor or 6-pack of beer for the guy in your life - they are always so hard to buy for :)

Here are my supplies, as seen in the picture: 

• Tiles - any size, any style (the ones I used are 1x1 inch, already spaced - from Home Depot $4.99, in blue & brown)

• Tile setting mat - sticky plastic to hold the tile in place

• Cork board - this should be sturdy, as it will be the base of the coaster

• Grout - any color, feel free to experiment

• Float - to spread the grout (these can be found at Home Depot)

• Sponge - to clean off groat after is has dried 

Not shown:

• Scissors 
• Table covering
• Plastic gloves 

The first step is to determine how big you want your coasters to be. I decided on 4 x 4 rows, cut that and then cut the tile placement mat and cork backing to match. 

Then, with the cork on the bottom, line up the tile sticky mat and place that on top to match, finish by securing the tiles to the top, like this: 

Because we are using the tile placement mat, there is no need to wait between setting the tile and applying grout. For this project, I used a sandstone colored grout. With your gloves on to protect your skin, use your float to start filing in the grids of your coasters. 

After finishing the top, you'll need to go back and carefully fill in the sides with grout as well. This will require some light sanding after you are done.

When I was finished with both sets of 4, it was time to let them dry and rest up!

I made the rookie mistake of leaving the grout on too long but the good news is that it will still come off. The bad news is that the scrubbing required some extra time and elbow grease. 

Here is one of each of the finished coasters.

And finally - the finished product! Replace the pink and blue ribbon that I used with a fun holiday ribbon and stick in a few small ornaments decorations or Christmas flowers instead.

Holiday Decoupage Plates

To follow-up on my decoupage plate tutorial, I wanted to share some holiday plates that I've recently made. 

Classic Poinsettia

Gingerbread Men

Christmas Kitties

 

Glittery Snowflakes

  

Christmas Dogs w/ lace trim

(the glitter Modge Podge I used for this one didn't photograph well)

Which holiday plate is your favorite?

From the Archives - Decoupage Fabric Plates

Every so often, I like to post popular tutorials from my archives - here is a full tutorial on how to make decoupage plates, using clear glass plates and cotton fabric. Don't let the Yankees fabric fool you, I am a proud Boston Red Sox fan!
 
I'll be posting some holiday plates this weekend that I have recently made, to give you some ideas for gifts. These are great for cookie swaps, neighbor or teacher presents also. 

Here's what you will need to complete this project: 

• Round or square glass plates
• Cotton fabric, in any design
• Modge Podge, regular or with glitter
• Scissors
• Table covering
• Paint cans to hold the plates while they dry
• Matte or gloss clear spray paint

Start by finding some inexpensive glass plates, either at the consignment store or home goods store. Wash them and dry them completely. Next, cut the fabric about 1-2 inches wider than the plate you are using.

Put your first plate face down on a paint can and the piece of fabric face down on the table covering. Cover the back of the fabric with Modge Podge, flip it over carefully and cover the front generously as well. Then, lift the fabric off the table and place the design face down so that the design of the fabric is facing out (see picture). Use additional Modge Podge if necessary.

Use your hands to work out any air bubbles in the fabric, from the center out. Depending on the thickness and texture of the fabric, this may take some time. Move the plate to another paint can to dry thoroughly. Modge Podge goes on white and dries clear so you will be able to tell when it is ready for the next step.

Repeat for as many plates as you have. I made 3 New York Yankees plates, a gray & pink bird plate, which are both in my Etsy Store and a black striped plate, which didn't turn out the way I wanted and was scraped before the final step. Here is a production picture of them drying.

Once dry, carefully trim the excess off with a razor blade so that the edge is flush with the plate. (step not shown) 

In a well ventilated area, place the plates face down again on the paint cans. Using your clear spray paint, spray the backs of the plates completely. 

Finally, clean off any excess glue or fingerprints on the front with glass cleaner and paper towels. 

When you are all finished, your plates should look like this:

 
Happy Crafting - feel free to send me a link or picture if you try this project!

Ice Skate Winter Centerpiece

Before I introduce my latest creation, I'd like to thank you all for bearing with me while my posting efforts have been a little lax. Weather was crazy here in the Northeast last week - for the second time this year and I've been getting increasingly tired as my belly gets bigger!

I'm happy to be back in action and show you a centerpiece that I've been working on. I'll be honest here and admit that I started this project last year but couldn't get inspired to finish it until recently. I went to Goodwill looking for the ice skates and shockingly, was able to find a size 4 girl's set of ice skates in white. I still took the time to spray paint them white to make sure they looked perfect. After that, I positioned them in a basket, surrounded by greens...and that was where I stopped last year. 

I recently rummaged through my Christmas accents and decided that I was going to decorate the corners and make a sort-of arrangement in the skates to make a centerpiece that will look beautiful throughout the entire Winter season. 

I started by using my trusty hot glue gun to secure poinsettia leaves, pine cones and ornaments in alternating corners.

Next, I used some faux glitter flowers, holiday accent pieces as well as some wood, swirly picks to fill out the openings of the skates. Again, using hot glue to make sure everything stayed in place. 

Because there was soooo much glitter on the flowers, I managed to get quite a bit of it on the skates. Rather than try to tediously remove the glitter, I decided to embrace it. I mixed some loose red glitter with clear, silvery sparkle paint and painted a thin coat all over the skates. 

To finish off the piece, I glued single gold bells in the greens and attached a small painted slate to the front that said "Let It Snow", which I think tied the whole thing together. 

Considering this project could have ended up in the "craft fail" pile, I was very pleased with the way it turned out. If you would like to try this project on your own, definitely check out your local Goodwill or Freecycle.org for the skates, to keep your costs down. Also, find plenty of Christmas pics and accent pieces at Michaels, either at the end of the season or with their regular 40% off coupons in the Sunday paper. 

I just wrapped this piece in cellophane with ribbon to sell at the craft fair I'll be doing on November 19th. I'm excited because it is usually a great show and it's the only one I'll be showcasing in before this little peanut arrives!!

 

Crafty iPhone Apps

When upgrade time for my phone finally came around, I was able to convince my hubby that I needed a new iPhone 4S. No, we didn't run out and pick one up last Friday; I pre-ordered it so it would be delivered to the house this week because, well...frankly, I work from home and couldn't be bothered to fight the crowds. So I will wait a few extra days to get it but in the meantime, here are some fun, crafty apps that you might want to consider downloading! 

• Disney FamilyFun's Craft Finder Application
• find crafts by age, time and season
• shopping list generator
• step by step how-to guides
• share your crafts via Facebook and Twitter

•  Stitchminder (for knitters)

• track rows completed
• pattern rows, increase and decreases
• counters can be configured to count upwards or downwards
• counts are always stored when you close the program or get interrupted by a call

•  Coolibah (digital scrapbooking)
• create scrapbook pages on your iPhone, using camera phone photos or other imported images
• save your pages and work on them later
• with upgraded app, you can export high resolution images to use on your home computer or to print
• Free version of the app includes the Coolibah watermark - semi bummer

•  Etsy Addict

• browse the Etsy site, search, browse by category and add favorites
• keep tabs on your stores feedback and sales count
• don't miss out on Etsy shopping opportunities, no matter where you are!

What are some of your favorite crafty apps? 

Crafty Links - Babycakes Approved

The theme of this weeks Crafty Links is Halloween! Ok, so it's only the beginning of October but everyone is already looking for ideas. Hopefully some of these will help you...click on the title for the full tutorial, if available.

Pregnant Skeleton Costume by MakeIt-LoveIt

Dwight Schrute from the Office kids costume by Creator Unknown 

(no tutorial for this unfortunately but you can put it together easily enough)

Dot Candy Costume from Prudent Baby via Jennifer Wells

Candy Corn Costume by So You Think You're Crafty

I know most of these are aimed at the little ones (what can I say? I'm on a baby kick) but they can be easily created for grown-ups too. Happy crafting!