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Saturday, May 14, 2011

Sprinkle Sugar Cookies

sprinkle sugar cookies

For our big family Mother's Day dinner, my Grandma asked me to bring some treats that would be fun and easy for the kids to eat. I was able to ge a bunch of Toll House cookie dough for $1 a package and knew this would be the perfect treat!! These are SO easy and everyone (even the adults) loved them!!
Friday, May 13, 2011

diy hair bow holder

My bathroom is getting a little too cluttered lately with the thousands of rubber bands, hair bows and clips for my daughter's hair. Since I don't have a whole lot of counter space, I decided to make a hair bow holder to store it all plus add some decoration to the bathroom.



I didn't get a photo of all the supplies, but here's what I used:
• 16x20" frame
• paint (I used Plaid FolkArt paint in Tickled Pink)
• chicken wire (got a roll at Home Depot for about $20)
• hot glue/glue gun
• "s" hooks (pretty inexpensive at Lowe's/Home Depot)
• jars/containers for smaller accessories
• cabinet knobs

First, I painted the frame. I put on about 3 coats. The wood had a couple of dark knots showing through, so I wanted to make sure you couldn't see them when I was done.
 
After the paint dries, it's time to move on to the next step... If you're like me, that means it's time for my smarter-than-me-about-measuring husband! No, really. I am so glad he helped me with this part. He rolled out the wire and measured the frame up to it to get the width measurement. Cut it through, the re-fit it into the frame and measure it up for the height. Watch out for the sharp edges, that wire is like a ninja and will cut you without you even realizing it! (I would have shown pictures, but I didn't want to make someone throw up because of my tutorial...so just trust me, mmkay?)



Once you have the wire cut, try to flatten it out as much as possible. Lay it on the floor or table with something flat and heavy on top of it. This is also the time when you could decorate your glass/backing. My frame didn't come with glass, it was just a bare wood frame from Hobby Lobby. So, mine is going to be without a backer.

Ideas I've done with glass before: spray paint one side of the glass. Let dry and VERY carefully put glass in the frame, paint side up. Then put cardboard or something behind it so it doesn't get scratched and remove the spray paint. You can also cover the glass with fabric, then hot glue or tape to the back of glass and place it in your frame behind the wire. The possibilities are endless. Mine is going to show the wall behind it for now.

Once your wire has been flattened, place inside your frame and bribe your husband to hot glue it around the edges. Our original plan was to staple it with a staple gun, but the edges of the frame ended up being too thin and that wasn't going to happen. Hot glue seemed to work fine though, as it always does. :)

 

Now it's time to decorate!! I got out my bucket of bows & clips and started clipping. I'm a bit OCD, so I put them in order of size and color and types of bows/clips... trust me, you don't have to do it this way! :) I also have a large collection of elastics and clips for flyaways. It's a little difficult to put those kinds of things on something like this, so I found some glass jars for less than $1. I then bought some "S" hooks to be able to hang the jars up. I filled the jars and then hooked one side of the "S" hook through the back of the jar. They hang up nicely and keep things organized.

 

"S" hook, just in case you didn't know

 


I also have plans to put knobs on the bottom of the frame to hang a bunch of headbands, but the hubs has done more than his share of help and has had enough injuries from the wire for the night. He was apalled that I would even suggest hot gluing the knobs on... so, the drilling holes for the knobs will have to wait for another day. Plus, we don't have a drill here, so that doesn't help either. Otherwise I would do it myself. I also think it might need a little more decoration... vinyl? Not sure yet, I just know it needs a little something more.



So here is the finished (well, mostly) project! I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.
Saturday, May 7, 2011

where's your blog spot?

The Blog Guidebook asked their readers, "Where's your blog spot?" I wanted to join in on the fun and see where others do their blogging, too! I'm always curious to know more about the people behind the fabulous blogs out there.

I first started blogging a little over a year ago, posting photos and memories of my daughter's first year of life. I also work at home as a graphic designer, so I started a blog to show my portfolio of invitations & announcements. It kind of took off from there. I'm almost always working on some sort of project anyway, so why not share it with others? That's when Artsy-Fartsy Mama was born.

Alrighty, let's get started!

My blog spot is in my dining room. (Yes, you read that right. Sometimes you just make do with what you have. :D) It's pretty convenient though, it keeps me close to my daughter while she watches her morning cartoons and I can catch up on my blogging and crafting at the same time! Blogging usually happens during naptimes and after my husband gets home from work. Kind of depends on the day. I'm still working on the decorating, so don't judge me too much.
 
Here's where I sit. My iMac for both blogging and design work, an inkjet & laserjet printer and a Silhouette to keep me company. Can't forget a notepad to write down random craft ideas that pop in my head, and a Mountain Dew to keep me going!
Full view of my space, had to show where my chevron canvas calls home :)
Over on the right is where I keep my crafting supplies, store my sewing machine when it's not being used (my dining room table is a makeshift sewing table) and where I keep my tools for cropping & labeling invitations & announcements. This is a rare occasion to actually see the table.
 This is my little pal who hangs out with me while I blog, craft & do the "mommy" thing. Love her!
So now you've seen where I write, create and get inspired. I want to thank all my fabulous followers, I can't say how happy it makes me to see when I have a new follower and I love your sweet comments!

Thanks for reading and hope to see you link up your blog spot at The Blog Guidebook, too!

Photobucket
Thursday, May 5, 2011

rag letters

First, let me just brag about what an awesome husband I have. I got my Mother's Day present early, and I am SO excited!! Totally unexpected! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!!!