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Wednesday, April 27, 2011

DIY Night Light

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

DIY Night Light

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My baby is growing up too fast. While it's exciting to watch her grow and become her own little person, it makes me a little sad. We put away the crib this last week and she's been sleeping in a big girl bed for a couple months now. So, time for a big{ger} girl room! I am kind of basing the design around her rag quilt, so it's kind of a purple, pink & teal fairy theme - hence the fairy stitcheries I made a couple weeks ago. Plus she has the purple Tinkerbell bed set, so the fairy theme just kind of made sense to me.

DIY Night Light

Since we moved the crib, it also left her plug-in night light in the open. It didn't last long, she unplugged it within minutes after putting her down for a nap. We needed a safer and more sensible option. I was deciding which night light from IKEA to pick for her room since they were an inexpensive AND cute option. Then it came to me... why not make my own??!! So, I did.

DIY Night Light

What you need:
  • Glass block (I got mine at Hobby Lobby. I recommend going when glassware is 50% off. You could also use a 40% off coupon when glassware isn't on sale)
  • Vellum scrapbook paper, with or without a design
  • Stickers, cardstock or vinyl for words. I used my Silhouette to cut the letters out.
  • Ribbon to tie around the block
  • Light for inside the block (they have lights at Hobby Lobby next to the glass blocks. You can choose a string of lights or one bulb. I went for the single bulb.)
  • Mod Podge
  • Foam brush
We headed to Hobby Lobby that very day and bought all the supplies. This is a very affordable project. Even after buying everything I needed, I only spent about $12. I also ended up needing:

DIY Night Light

SPRAY GLUE. This was round 2 of gluing down vellum. First round, I painted the front of the glass block with Mod Podge and also the back of the vellum. Immediately the vellum curled on itself, and as soon as I laid it on the glass it bubbled. It dried before I could attempt to smooth out the bottom. I was so mad I didn't even take a picture of the mess. I washed it off and cleaned the glass. We went to the store the next day and bought spray glue and more vellum.

DIY Night Light

Spray the back of the vellum with spray glue, following the instructions on the label. I immediately & carefully placed it on the front and used my Silhouette vinyl scraper to smooth it out and get the air bubbles out. Worked great!

DIY Night Light

Next, I cut out my letters with the Silhouette and practiced arranging them on the block a couple times. Once they were how I wanted, I Mod Podged/glued them on one at a time. Vinyl would have probably been MUCH easier and faster, but I didn't want to buy two whole rolls for such a small project (yes, I am cheap like that). The cardstock worked fine, and I was proud of myself after I was done!

DIY Night Light

Personally, I thought the jewels would be a little too much, so I didn't use them. I wrapped the ribbon around the block and tied a bow on top. The side of the block has an opening with a removable piece of plastic. Pop the lid off and insert your light(s).

DIY Night Light

 Plug in, turn on, stand back and enjoy your personalized night light!!

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Easter kabobs

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Easter kabobs

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Inspired by these cute Easter kabobs, I decided to make my own for my nieces and nephews this weekend for our family Easter egg hunts! I overestimated a bit on the candy, but I guess that's ok. They work great as egg fillers... You would think I would just eat ALL of it (at first it was tempting) but by the end, the smell of all that candy was making me not want any at all! Guess that's good for me, right?

Ok, here's how I did it. There's probably a hundred better ways, but that's how I roll.


Make sure your skewer is free of splinters. Nothing like being jabbed in the mouth with wood shrapnel while trying to eat something delicious... I started with the mini Milky Way. I love the springy colors on the wrapper, so to add color, I left the wrapper on. I just poked a little hole with a pin and cut the wrapper a little on top & bottom. Also, keep a damp rag nearby, it helps to keep the skewer damp and clean after a carmelly and/or marshmallowy treat.


The Reeses peanut butter egg would sometimes crack as I pushed it down the skewer. Not to worry, just go slow, and what's great about this candy is that you can gently squish it back together!! Just lightly rub your finger over the cracks, and they disappear!


Pretty simple, and quick after you get your own system down. I poked holes in an empty cracker box and put some styrofoam inside of it to hold my little guys while I worked.


 Ta da!! I hate marshmallows, especially Peeps... but they sure are cute little fellas!!


Put the cellophane gift bag over top, and seal closed with the wire-ties included. I made tags for all the kabobs and put the end of the wire-tie through a hole in the tag. I could have gotten fancy with cute ribbon or string, but I went with the easiest choice at the moment. Worked just fine, and I'm pretty sure the kids won't mind anyway.


I love how they turned out! Hopefully the kids will love them just as much as I do.

Bunny Bum Rolls

Bunny Bum Rolls

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We had an easter party today with my side of the family and I was in charge of bringing rolls. I wanted to do something a little more fun, so I decided to make bunny bum rolls! Some people thought they were bunny faces, but I guess as long as it's a bunny of some sort that's all that matters, right?! Of course you can use any recipe you want, but I am a simple girl with limited cooking ability, so I just used Rhodes frozen roll dough!

Bunny Bum Rolls

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

chevron canvas

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

chevron canvas

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I LOVE all these Chevron striped projects everyone's doing these days so, of course, I needed my own!
I made my own stripe pattern & printed a few out. The easiest way to get the pattern on the canvas (for me, anyway) was to line up the pattern where I wanted color, and put green painting tape along both edges. I wanted each line to be exactly the same size, so after I had one line taped off, I put another pattern down and started the next line. Sounds confusing, but with the picture it should help make a little more sense. I went over the tape with a credit card to seal around the edges.

Once the lines were all covered with tape, it was time to paint! I love this color (Calypso Sky). I ended up painting about 3 coats to get the coverage I wanted.



 I left it to dry for a couple hours, and actually got some house cleaning done! Go me!! I was getting so excited at how great it looked after peeling the tape off. It leaked a little around some of the edges, but overall I think it turned out pretty good!


 Next, I got out my vinyl. Believe it or not, this is the first project I'm using the Silhouette for... crazy, I know. I'm a newbie and still learning. I cut out some little birdies I designed, and adhered them to transfer tape (see tutorial here). Place vinyl on canvas and rub with your scraper (or fingernails, credit card, the possibilities are endless). Remove transfer tape.

...at least that's how I imagined it working. I'm guessing it's the texture of the canvas, but I couldn't get the vinyl to stick. So I improvised and did what I always do - covered it in a layer of Mod Podge!


I let it dry completely, then applied the vinyl. Not sure if it's an operator error or the vinyl, but for some reason the vinyl still wouldn't stick! Even peeling it off the transfer paper was pretty difficult. Once I finally got all the pieces off and stuck in place, they seemed to still be peeling up.


 So then I put another coat of Mod Podge on top of the entire thing and it seemed to help.

LOOOVE IT!!

Saturday, April 16, 2011

vase makeover

Saturday, April 16, 2011

vase makeover

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I had a vase with some pink flowers from back in my *single* days, and now it just doesn't go with any of our decoration. So, I decided it needed a makeover! Just something different, and to add a classier feel to it. I still might add some finishing touches to it, but I think I am done with it for today.


I started with my original vase (free), bag of floral rocks (on sale for $1.50) and some new flowers (around $3 on sale) and my handy-dandy glue gun. This is a very simple project, and almost impossible to mess up. Gotta love that!


All you have to do is start gluing your rocks on one at a time until you have the entire vase covered.
Simple as that!!


 Not bad for a $4.50 project! I love the new look!
Welcome Spring!! (No more snow, please!!)

Thursday, April 14, 2011

fairy stitchery & tutorial

Thursday, April 14, 2011

fairy stitchery & tutorial

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I finally got some of the things I needed to get working on more projects, so here is the first of many projects to come. Inspired by my daughter's rag quilt, I decided to make some wall hangings to match! I love stitching and especially designing my own patterns.

Sunday, April 3, 2011

monogrammed canvas

Sunday, April 3, 2011

monogrammed canvas

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I wanted to decorate more with the extra damask tissue paper I have, and I needed some artwork... so voila! I came up with a monogrammed canvas! It was so easy, and I love it!!

All you need is:
- tissue paper/regular paper/any kind of paper that you love the design of
- sponge brush
- acrylic paint
- Chip Decor letters (2 small, one large)
- Mod Podge, I used the matte version
- canvas (I bought a two pack, I have plans for another project!)

 I painted the letters, front and sides and let dry. I painted 2 coats. You could also Mod Podge paper on these instead if you want that look, be creative!

 While the letters were drying, I painted Mod Podge all over the canvas. I put it on pretty thick, so I would have time to adjust the paper before it dried. I was originally going for a smooth look, but it started crinkling and it would tear. So, I crinkled it all over and I like the "antique" look I was left with. If you have big air bubbles you can't get out, poke it with a pin and press the air out. Paint over the entire covered canvas again with Mod Podge, and let dry.
After letting the canvas dry, I decided to paint the edges. You can really do anything you want, I was debating painting it or lining it with ribbon. But since it was turning out a little aged anyway, I painted the edges with acrylic paint, and blotted around the front edge to give it that distressed look. I love it!!
 Then it was time to glue the letters on. It took a lot of measuring and adjusting, stepping back, adjusting and measuring some more. I'm a bit of a perfectionist, so I probably overdid it a little. Anyway, once you have them lined up and ready, take a pencil and lightly trace around 2 of the corners of each letter (so you can put them back where they belong). Then I used Amazing Goop glue and dotted the back of each letter. You have a little time to adjust them once you place the letters on the canvas. Line them back up with the marks you made and press down lightly on the letters. I let my canvas sit overnight and it seems to have dried perfectly! You can set a book or something on top of the letters, but try not to get anything too heavy so it doesn't stretch the canvas in or make it tear. I was a little paranoid. :)
After it's dry, it's ready to hang!! I love that canvases don't need any hanging contraptions or anything. I always seem to put them on crooked... Anyway, here is the finished monogrammed canvas!!
Linking to these parties!