A Mother's Day Keepsake

Last year was my first year being a Mother on Mother's Day.  I knew I wanted to have something special to help me remember my little children through the years... and one day I thought this up:

I just went to Michael's and bought a spiral bound book with blank pages (in the art section) and a bottle of paint (washable, of course).  Then I came home and decorated the cover.  The idea is that each of my children will put a hand print on a page each Mother's Day.  That way I can look back on how big or little they were each year.  Someday when my kids are a little older, I hope they will write their name by it, and their age.  Maybe sometimes they'll write a little note with it. 

So like I said, last year I thought this up, and went and bought the stuff... I was all excited about getting my baby's handprint.  Has anyone ever tried getting a 4 month old baby to open their little hands?  It's tough!!  So we ended up getting his foot print instead.

It's amazing how much bigger his little foot is this year than last year!  But this Mother's Day I think we'll try to do the hand print idea again.  Hopefully the paint doesn't get all over the place! 

This little book is already a keepsake to me.  I love it.

Mother's Day and Teacher Appreciation Idea

Finding a gift for my Mother-in-law is kind of tricky.  We've already given her all the usual gifts of flowers, books, gift card, etc...  So, I'm always on the lookout for something to give her.  Luckily, she loves homemade gifts.  As soon as I saw this post on Helping Little Hands about Faux Embroidery, I knew that was what I needed to make for Mother's Day this year.

I purchased the pattern from Twin Stitchers.  She is having a deal this month that if you spend over $10.00, you will get 50% off your entire order!  So my "Our Family Tree" E-pattern was only $6.50!!  Such a deal!    Once I started coloring, I just couldn't stop.  It was so fast, easy, and fun!

While I colored, my daughter watched.  She thought it looked so fun, she kept asking if she could color some.  I was particular about my gift, so I told her we could make another one for her to color.  We decided it would be fun to make one of her school class to give to her teacher.  So, we did our best to fit the whole class on to the tree.  I just love how it turned out.

Kaylee is so excited to color it for her teacher.  Unfortunately, she has a lot of homework to get done first.  I'm hoping this will be some good motivation to get her to move a little quicker.

A few notes:
- These are 14 X 18 inch frames.  The brown one was $20 from Target and the black one was $10 (50% off) from Hobby Lobby.
-  On the Class Tree, I made the tree slightly bigger on the right hand side so that we could fit more kids on it.
- The link to Helping Little Hands is a tutorial with a lot of helpful information.  She suggests what kind of pen and crayons to use and tips to make it easier.

Linked up with:
The Thrifty Home
Someday Crafts
Lil' Luna
Polka Dots on Parade

Sewing for NON sewers!

I'll be the first to admit....I'm not a seamstress.

In fact, I didn't even do well on the sewing part of Home Ec either!

However, my sister and I were in Walmart the other day and I spotted this cute fabric.  It's hard to tell from this picture, but it is already gathered up at the top, and I thought to myself......

"Hey Em, You could TOTALLY do this!  Make yourself an Easter dress"

So........I did.  :)

 

No pattern needed.  I just hemmed and made one seam down the back.

You just measure your bust (I'll not be telling you what mine was! Ha ha!) and add one inch.

Then I added some ribbon (burnt on both ends so it doesn't fray) and Voila!  A Very Cute Dress!

 

 So what do you think?  Ready to try it?  You should totally go for it!

The fabric cost $11.47 per yard at Walmart and $.55 per inch at JoAnn's.

So I got the whole dress for just over 12 bucks!  Not too shabby!

 

And just for fun, these are my favorite kids in their Easter clothes!

Such cuties!

Linked up with:

Not JUST a Housewife

Skip to my Lou

Under the Table and Dreaming

Young Nester

Polly want a Crafter?

The DIY Home Sweet Home Project

Lil' Luna

The Thrifty Home

Someday Crafts

Sisters' Stuff 

Making the World Cuter

DIY Home Projects

There is a great satisfaction that comes when you finish a home project that you've been wanting to do. Since we moved into our home two and a half years ago, I've wanted to put in a back-splash and new faucet in our kitchen. We finally found an open Saturday and got to work. It's amazing the projects you can do that don't cost too much that can make such a huge difference.

Here are the supplies you need:

*12x12 tiles of your choice
*adhesive to back the tiles
*an adhesive spreader
*grout
*a flat bottom spreader tool for spreading the grout (different than adhesive)
*a large yellow sponge to wipe the grout
*a towel to clean after you've sponged
*possibly a tile saw (we ended up renting one)
*Calk to seal the edges

We started out measuring the first piece so that it was exactly side to side and top to bottom where we wanted it above our oven. Then we started at the left and worked to the right. We spread a generous amount of adhesive and then applied the tile and pressed as hard on it as we could. Some of the adhesive came through the little tiles-which I quickly wiped up. We aligned the tiles so they connected and just kept moving through the kitchen. It took us about 4 hours to apply on and then 5 hours to let the adhesive dry before we applied the grout.

Here are the before pictures:


Here are the working pictures (which I am missing out of! :):



And here is the finished product:




I also painted our downstairs bathroom while my husband was out of town last week!
Here are the before pics:




And the after pics: p.s I used Dover Gray satin paint (Olympic)




Other Posts to check out:
6 Step Banister Redo
Nursery Redo
Decorating
Bathroom Side Table
Mudroom Lockers

Linked up with:
Organize and Decorate Everything

Quick (last minute) Easter Idea

  Did you want to make something cute for your kids, a spouse, a church group, or a friend for Easter ,

but then never got around to doing something?

Well, I'm here to tell you....it isn't too late!!

Hurry...right now!!

Go grab:

two plastic cups

a pair of scissors

some Easter basket grass

and whatever candy you have!

My friend, Tonya, is hilarious, smart, cute and very FUN!!

She came over tonight and taught me how to make these cute (super cheap) Easter baskets for our young women!

 First, you take one cup and make slits in it about 2 1/2 inches long.

(You can eyeball it.  It doesn't have to be perfect!)

Second, you make another slit up by the rim of the cup so that you can "hook" it onto the next slat.

It's kinda hard to explain, but I hope you get the idea.

 The first few went easy but the last few were kind of tricky.  Stay with it.

Then...BAM!!  You have these stinkin' cute baskets.

 They look even cuter when you get the handle across the top.

To make the handle, we took the second cup and cut a one inch wide piece off the top.

It's a little bit of a challenge to get the "handles" to stay on, so we slit both ends of the "handle"

and slit two of the opposite sides of the basket and slipped them into each other.

(It's late and I really hope this makes sense!!!  ha ha ha)

 Then we filled each one will some pink grass and some reeses eggs!!

So go make something cute today for someone you love!

(with something you probably already have in your kitchen cupboards! : )

Easter Symbols

Out of all of our Easter celebrations-

I absolutely love this idea that our friends gave to us last year.

It reminds me of something we did as kids,

and it helps teach our girls why we really celebrate Easter.

Easter Basket Ideas

My little boy is 15 months old.

It feels like this is his first time experiencing Easter, because he was so young last year.

So what should we get for his Easter Basket?

I know my husband and I are not the only parents thinking about this... so here are some ideas....

Simple Valance Curtain Ideas

Next to quilts and table runners, I love making curtains!  I wish I had pictures of all the curtains I've made over the years, it would be so funny to look back.  Here are just a few simple ideas for cute valances.

1 - Denim (Raggy) - I love how simple this valance is - no hemming involved!  Made from my denim stash and hung on a regular (cheap) rod.  In my old house, these hung in the laundry room, but now they are in my boy's room.  They go perfect with their denim quilts I made them.

2 - Denim (with belts) - These are the new curtains in my mom's family room.  They have a rustic feel to their room and these simple denim valances are perfect.  My dad even made the belts to hold them up.  Impressive.  This valance is a simple hem on all four sides, with a rod pocket on the top.  Nothing fancy, but so fun.

3 - Towels or placemats - This valance gets the prize for the ultimate easiest valance ever!  I found these towels that matched my colors in my kitchen perfect.  I seriously just hung them over the top of a regular cheap rod and I was done.  No sewing involved!  I used 3 towels.

4 - Simple Pleats on regular rod - I made this quick valance for the guest room at my mom's house.  It has 3 simple pleats in it to add some body.  After I hemmed the 3 edges and pinned the pleats in place, I attached the rod pocket.  Done!  Simple, but so cute to add a little green in her grey room.  So fun.

5 - Hanging from hooks - This is the valance that I have been dreaming up for my new house family room.  I wanted to do something different than I have done before.  So, I had Brian install 5 knobs above my window for me.  Then I took my big long rectangle of fabric and hemmed the edges.  Then, I made a little pleat and added a loop of ribbon across the top to hang it from.  I'm loving the pattern with the hooks, but I'm not loving the fabric.  I think it's a little too busy for me.  We'll see if it sticks.

6 - Old curtains on board - I found some old curtains to show you.  You can tell by all the wrinkles that they have been in storage for a while now.  These curtains were one of my first sewing projects.  I made them at my sewing lessons.  They used to hang in Kaylee's room when she was 3-4 years old.  I even made a quilt for her bed that matched.  (I was very ambitious back then!)  The cool part about these curtains are they are mounted on a board with tacks - no rod pocket.  Then, we mounted the board above the window using some L brackets.   It worked perfectly and I have used that method of hanging curtains several times since then.

A few tips for making a valance:


- When measuring for fabric, remember to include 2 inches on each side for your returns.  (The part of the rod that curves back to meet the wall.)  Also add in at least 1 more inch for your hems or seams.

- Use scrap fabric to practice on.  If you are unsure - try it out on some cheaper muslin to see if it's what you are looking for.  It gets expensive to replace the fabric that you cut wrong.

- I don't know of a rule for how long valances are supposed to be, but mine usually end up being 12 to 16 inches tall.

- Sometimes I hang my valances several inches higher than the window.  This way it blocks less light and makes your windows look taller.



Valances are so easy to make, you don't even need a pattern.  I've never used a pattern to make any of my curtains.  You can do it!  Give it a try.  I would love to see what you make.

Linked up with:
Polka Dots on Parade
Someday Crafts
Lil' Luna
The Thrifty Home
Young Nester
Sisters Stuff

Some of my most recent LOVES!!

I LOVE to get my hair done?  Don't you?

I really LOVE it, but hate to spend the money, so I waited WAY too long this time.

Thrifted!

See this beauty?

It wasn't so beautiful before!

Emily and I saw this at a store that was going out of business-

and she was selling it for $25..

Emily talked her down for me, and I got it for $20. 

It's perfect for my living room.

(I'm so proud of myself, because I never thrift shop. So this is a first for us!)

I'm going to be honest and tell you that my husband did this entire thing.

His only downfall was not informing me that he was starting--

so my before picture is missing the drawer.

But here is the before:

He sanded it down a bit so the paint would stick..

(he had lots of help, too)

Adding the first coat of spray paint..

 After the painting was done,

he bought some new hardware ($4)- 

and we were in business!

(the old one was hideous, believe me)

 I think it turned out awesome.

$25.  Love it.

Easy Peasy Ball Garland Wreath

Happy Friday! I love Fridays and I hope you have something fun planned this weekend.
How did the point counting go for your exercise and food the last 2 weeks? If you kept track please leave a comment and let me know what your total point count is. I give myself a B-. I kept track of my food and exercised the first week really great, but then this week we've been busy and I've had a teething feverish baby that I couldn't take to the gym. So...moral of the story is-there is always next week! :) And, if you haven't tried Cali's spinach shake-you must! We loved it. And I think it's very very healthy.

I wanted to show you something I do to mix up an ordinary twig wrapped wreath (you can buy this at just about any craft store)


Then you can buy these garland type ball ropes. I cut mine up into little ball sections, like this:

And then I place them all around this wreath. I don't hot glue them in because I use this wrath for several different seasons. I make sure that I tuck the balls into the wreath really really well. And this is the cute, inexpensive wreath I come up with!

I LOVE IKEA and we happened to be down that way last week, so I picked up this mat that matches!

The sun is shining and I hope you have a great day!