Downeast Basic Knockoff

I saw a necklace at Downeast Basics here. I like how girly and pretty it was, but for 13.00 I thought I could make it for myself at half the cost. I already had the pink bicone beads from another necklace I had made. All I really needed to buy was the chiffon which I bought 1/8th of a yard for about .62 cents and I didn't even used the full piece of fabric. I think it is pretty dang close to the necklace and maybe cost me about $3.00-$5.00 to make. I also bought some ivory chiffon to make a similar necklace but with ivory, clear beads, and brown ribbon. I cannot wait to wear it!

Not Your Grandma's Pearl Necklace

I was surfing the web yesterday and ended up on some jewelry pages. I love the new look right now with pearls but I have always felt a bit cheesy for wearing them. I found a few that had a chain element to them. I thought they would be perfect, fancy but not too fancy. So I pulled out my jewelry making kit and made one of my own. The hardest part was deciding what pattern to put it in and I had some other beads to it to give it a younger feel. I have a couple of pictures to show it in a few different lights.



The one below I kinda laughed while I was taking the picture. I was reading that Catalog Life blog where she kinda pokes fun at random items sitting around. So while taking this one I thought. In case I need to leave my necklace just sitting on the lawn at least I know it will look pretty.

I found another necklace on Downeast Basics website that I am going to try to make. It is right here .

Happy CRAFTING!!!!
Linking to:

Cheapo's Apothecary Jars

Does anyone else have the problem that once you get one thing organized all of a sudden everything else in that place seems a mess? I made that junk bucket for my brushes and all of a sudden where I kept my bobby pins and hair ties bugged me. Me being the cheapo that I am thought I wouldn't even bother looking to buy some 'real' apothecary jars. I went on over to Dollar Tree to find something that might possibly work. I found some Two Way Spice Jars tucked away. On a side note why are things that are awesome always tucked away? Why can't they be out for everyone to see?

They once had ugly stickers on them that indeed said, Two Way Spice Jars, but that would look funny in the bathroom right? Peeled them off and scrubbed them to get all the leftover glue off the jars. I pulled out my handy dandy Cricut cut out some vinyl and stuck them on the jars. B for bobby pins, H for hair ties, and Q for Q-Tips. All for about $3.50 swwwwweeeeeeetttttt!!!!!!

Simple Wreath

Phew the past week has been crazy! After getting that amoire finished and in our bedroom, my husband had drill for the Army and that ALWAYS makes for craziness! So I finally sat down yesterday and said I need to relieve some stress and I need to make some stuff or I am going to go crazy!!!! The first thing I made is this wreath. It was super simple to make and I did it all without a drop of glue! Instead I use sewing pins, that way I could change the fabric anytime I wanted to and didn't waste a wreath.

First I started off with a stryofoam wreath that I purchased from Dollar Tree. I just used scraps of fabric that I had. I first pinned a piece of fabric to the wreath on the diagonal that way it wouldn't pop out the other end. Then I just continued wrapping the fabric overlapping the fabric.

Then once I was finished I simply stuck a pin at the end on the diagonal again.

I cut out some fabric and some burlap to make flowers and stuck them into the wreath by using some colored brads I found on sale. That is pretty much it! Simple, quick, and easy.

FINALLY FINISHED!!!

Oh ya I said it!!! I have completed my very first furniture transformation! It looks pretty dang close to what I had pictured in my head. YAY for not having to put our 'bedroom tv' on a dresser!!! (I know, I used to hate the idea of a tv in a bedroom too) It was pretty aggravating at first to try and figure out what was the best way to paint it. However we endured and pushed through it and now have a beautiful armoire to set our new television in!!!

BEFORE

AFTER

I went to my version of yard selling at my landlord's house. Who happens to live right next door to us. Which some might think is annoying, I happen to love it. My husband is gone quite a bit for the Army so it is nice to have someone I can call over in a second to help with something. My landlord yard sells like no ones business (I love sleeping way too much to get up early on a Saturday). He sold it to us for.... get ready $10.00!!!! We finally decided on buying some mis-tint paint and using the project spray gun. After it was painted I used a glaze to fill in all the detail work. I found a tutorial on how to use glaze at All Things Thrifty, I LOVE this blog, I spent hours looking at all the fun stuff she has done. I am in awe of the blog, if you are not a follower I suggest becoming one.

This has been one of the most challenging but rewarding projects I have done so far. I love it and cannot wait to get it into my bedroom! Thanks for reading my blog!!!!

Almost finished

I haven't posted something for a couple of days, not because I have not wanted to but because my husband and I have been working on a piece of furniture. But we are almost finished and I am quite pleased with how it is going along. Then I can start something new! Like LAMP SHADES!!!! I found some at the DI this weekend that are still in the plastic and were only $2.00 a piece! Then there is another project with baby jars... I have many ideas swimming around in my head. I hope to have the new piece done tonight so I can move it into the house instead of under the carport in the driveway. I will give a little sneak peak.

Isn't it pretty??? I bought it from my landlord/neighbor/junk collector for a mere $10.00. So maybe I will have some pictures of it finished tonight. *fingers crossed*

Ring Tray

I have a little confession to make. I refuse to wear my ring while I am sleeping. I am always afraid that I am going to scratch my face or snag it on something and lose a diamond out of it. So I usually just place it on my nightstand every night. I once lost it on the floor :( I freaked out of course, but I found it. I know pretty irresponsible right? I kept looking for trays to put my ring on at night, they were all either too expensive or kinda ugly. So I came up with this quick and uber easy tray!

I went to the dollar store and found some tea candle holders. They had a pretty big selection and guess what??? All for a dollar haha... I got this green flower looking piece:

And this clear smaller one for the base....

First turn the base upside down and apply hot glue or E-6000, whichever you have.

Then just put the larger candle holder on top of it!!! SUPER EASY!!!!

But the glue showed through :( That is not cute! So this is where your creative instincts tell you to go!!! I just used some paper cut flowers that I had hanging around and a jewel from my jewelry making kit.
PERFECT!!! Now go to the dollar store... it is calling your name!!!

I love my kids!

Here are a few reasons why I love my little boys:

• They love me just the way I am.
• The way they are so sweet in the morning with their sleepy little eyes.
• How they have no concept of time or money,
• How they think they are soooo sneaky, when really I know exactly what they are doing.
• They do not care that I cannot carry a tune, they love to hear me sing to them.
• Also they don't care that I dance around like a fool.
• The way they say I love you.
• Their hugs are the best I have ever had.
• How they think that my kiss makes everything all better.
• They think I can do anything... (this is also pretty bad if it is something that broke and I cannot fix it)
• They don't care if we just sit around in jammies all day.
• The way their faces light up when I come home if I have been away.
• Their smell, even if they are kind of smelly...
• MOST OF ALL I LOVE THEM BECAUSE THEY ARE MY KIDS AND I WILL BE THEIR MOMMY FOREVER!!!! :)

Junk bucket...

While on a date with my husband at the D.I. I found four buckets tucked away on a shelf. I loved the detailing on them and for only a buck I figured they were worth the dollar and would figure something out with them later. Today I was getting my hairbrush out of the drawer I keep them in and as usual I had to yank the drawer open from them getting stuck. Something needed to change. Either I get something else to put the brushes in or build a bigger drawer. Since I rent, obviously the getting something to put them in won. Some paint and some decorative pieces would turn one of these buckets into my new bathroom accessory! Here is a before picture.
I am really into aqua right now (pretty much like everyone else it seems) and just so happened to have some leftover spray paint from my lamp makeover. No point in buying more paint if what you have is good right?
Then trial in error came into play. I tried ribbon, didn't like how bumpy it would look on the bucket. I tried making some of those fabric flowers by burning the edges of some satin, per the candle in the background. After burning my fingers a few times I bagged that idea too. I pulled out a rosette I had made and compared it to the bucket. YAHTZEE!!!! The contrast between the blue and the off white color of the fabric was pretty.

I made a bunch of rosettes, and hot glued them to the bucket and pressed down firmly to make sure they would stick.

I keep doing this in a row at the top of the bucket and a little over the top to make the rosettes look even.
After burning my fingers a bunch tonight making all the rosettes I finally got done in about an hour. Quick and easy just the way I like it... OH and cheap, the project probably cost me all of two dollars if you count glue sticks, fabric, and leftover paint. The cost of not having to yank open a drawer everyday??? PRICELESS!!!!
OH want to see what I got for FREE from my landlord/neighbor/junk collector???

When he told me I could have it for free I just about did a jump in his garage! It is one thing to find cheap finds at the thrift store. It is even better to find something next door for FREE and not having to drive somewhere to get it! I put it in my bathroom since I think of it as one of those old time washing stations.

Last minute 4th of July shirts.

I wonder if other moms who have all boys have the same frustration as me. I hate trying to find clothes for my boys. The shirts they usually have are pretty lame with little teddy bears giving hugs and what not. My boys want trucks and dinosaurs going RAWR! So while shopping for 4th of July shirts I ran into the same dilemma. All I could find were shirts that were in my opinion too girly. I read on a blog called Imperfectly Beautiful that I can cut fabric with my Cricut! I was at first a little timid about doing it, but I was going to go for it? What was the worst that could happen? I had an old mat that I didn't care if it was ruined or not. The mat wasn't very sticky anymore so I just put some adhesive on it waited for it to dry and away I went.

First I washed all materials, fabric I was cutting and the shirts I was going to put the transfer paper on (to prevent any shrinking after the iron on). After they were washed and dried I cut a section of fabric and cut some Heat N Bond. I ironed the fabric to the heat and bond.

I got the design and size adjusted per the Design Studio. I changed the blade on my Cricut to a deep cut blade. Which I had a really hard time buying since for two it was 15 dollars!!! I justified it by saying that I will only use it for cutting fabric so they will last for a while. I put my speed and pressure on max. I peeled off the back of the iron on transfer since the mat was very sticky now and I did not want the paper sticking to the mat. I placed the fabric on the mat and loaded it into the machine and took a very big GULP! I watched to make sure my Cricut wasn't going to blow up haha! SUCCESS!!!! I had done my very first fabric cut! I gave myself a smile thinking how crafty I had become and how much I love my husband for the fantastic Christmas present. Then I cut out two more designs! I was so pleased!

I practically ran down my stairs to the ironing board and plugged in the iron. Tapping on the board impatiently waiting for the iron to heat up. I looked over the shirts that I was going to put the applique on. The shirts were a little wrinkled after they were dried so I ironed them out to have a smooth surface. After they were all ironed (which I am not very spectacular at. It is a good thing my hubby is more of a T-shirt jeans sort of guy). I place the first transfer onto the first shirt and pressed and held for 8 seconds all over the fabric. I held it up and marveled at how cute it was going to look on my baby.

FINALLY, shirts that are boyish enough for my trio. My oldest son said that he was a bad guy since his had an eagle. Where he got that I have no clue?