Monzanita's Arts and Crafts

Coke Can Bracelets

2012-02-20T07:08:00.000-08:00

I'm over at Arizona Mama today showing off my newest obsession! I've made tons of these but this is the one that I wear! Go check it out and let me know what you think!

New Wallet

2012-02-19T13:26:00.000-08:00

I've been wanting a new wallet, so I finally made myself one. My Pinspiration was this envelope system wallet and this clean and simple clutch.

I followed the lined zipper purse tutorial pretty closely, except my dimensions of the fabric were 4x8". I made 5 of them, and then I made my own zipper pull charms with coke can scraps.For the zipper pulls, I used my metal stamps that I won from beaducation. I pounded my envelope category names into the coke can. I went with Eat, Shop, Play and Save. I bent the edges, punched a hole and added a jump ring. Now I can try to remember what that money is for each time I go out.The clutch I made to fit my zippered pouches. I did it a little bit differently than the tutorial, but I used the basic layout and added an extra pocket behind my smaller two. I also put my magnetic clasps into the lining only so that they didn't show through the outside, and didn't stitch all the way up on the sides, so that my other pouches would fit better.

If You Can't Beat Them, Pretend to Join!

2012-02-10T17:01:00.000-08:00

"I can't wait until Valentine's Day is over. My reader and pinterest are clogged with Valentine's Day crap" I told my husband.
"You say that about every holiday" he replies.
"Not Halloween or Thanksgiving!"

So to add to everyone else's clutter I had to make one thing for Valentine's Day. I found this styrofoam heart in a big bag of garage sale craft goodies and tied it to the door hanger with some heart fabric (also found at a yard sale). Boy, I'm festive!

Back to Past Favorites

2012-02-07T04:34:00.000-08:00

Since we finally got back into the internet world, we were able to stream TV shows and have been watching alot of TV. I wanted to do something while sitting there so I started up knitting again. I learned how to knit when I was in the 4th grade, we each had to do about a foot length of a scarf, to add to one that they had been working on for years. It was based on a story, Ernie and the Mile-Long Muffler.

I brought my knitting over to my parents house, and wanted to show my sister how to knit too. We couldn't find any extra needles and I was sure I had some there. My sister mentioned a big box that I had left when I moved out so we had to go explore it.

We spent a good hour or so uncovering the first layer of junk in the box. Most of it was stuff I had held onto for no good reason and I threw it out. (Seriously, invitations to stuff I don't even remember??) I did find lots of pictures, scrapbook pages, cards and letters. When I brought it home, I finally found one pair of needles and some old homework and school projects, including this one.
Anyway, after all that I was finally able to finish one wash cloth and show my sister how to knit a little too. It is just the regular knitting stitch for the entire thing, but it turned out cute! The yarn is perfect texture for a wash cloth, I used it to wash my face yesterday and it worked really well! The needles I used were size 10.5. If you want to make your own, there are tons of good videos on youtube to show you how! I had to use one to remind me how to cast off. I plan to make more with the rest of my yarn, and possibly try selling them or giving them as gifts.

Car Seat Strap Covers

2012-01-26T20:18:00.000-08:00

My little guy had red marks on his neck from the car seat so I had to hurry up and make some covers for the straps! I used scraps I had and some velcro so they really didn't cost much.

Materials:
Thick Fabric (mine reminded me of a Santa suit)
Cuter Fabric
Velcro

Our straps are 1 1/2 inches thick, so all of the measurements are for that size. Also, don't forget that you are doing everything listed here twice, because you need to make a set of two.

1. Cut your thicker scraps 5 1/2 inches by 5 1/2 inches. I just used one for each side but if you want to have more padding you can add another layer or two.

2. Cut your decorative fabric, 7 inches by 7 inches.

3. Center your thick fabric in the middle of your cute fabric. Fold the edges of the decorative fabric over twice and iron it in place. Sew the edges down.

4. Cut your velcro strips to 5 inches and sew them on.

You're finished! Now you can velcro them onto the car seat straps and have better car rides! Thanks for reading!

Souvenir Baseball Bat Display

2012-01-26T14:27:00.000-08:00

I'm over at Arizona Mama today showing you how I made this souvenir baseball bat display. Thanks for checking it out!

Crafting A Christmas (Part II)

2012-01-26T05:30:00.000-08:00

I am finally back in the world of computers!! I haven't blogged in over a month, but this post is an update from my last post. I was able to borrow some little elves the week before Christmas to help me with my projects and get all but one finished. (And it's still not finished!)

Earphone Holders

Pockets for a Skirt (These should have been made from the same color of fabric as the skirt)

Cloth High Chair (We're finding that these are Ok, but not really worth the trouble because there isn't a tray and it's not high enough to be pushed up to the table, instead I'm going to be yardsaling for a plastic high chair that straps onto a chair.)

Stuffed Animal Backpack (Tutorial on this later!)

Everything went well for my Christmas, we didn't really overspend either! How were your holidays?

Crafting a Christmas (Maybe!)

2011-12-16T17:51:00.000-08:00

After pinterest giving me millions of ideas, I wanted to make gifts for my family this year. The entire family is getting a group gift that I bought on groupon months ago (score!). I can't say what it is, but it is a great idea! (hint:Subscription/Memberships are great ideas for gifts!) Even though I have great ideas I have been staying out of the craft room lately. I just haven't been in the mood (notice no new posts). So I'm on a 'if I get to it you might get a gift' basis.

So far, there are only partial gifts. Here are my pintrest links/sketches that everyone will be getting for now!

Earphone Holder (idea I pinned from Here)

Pockets (to put into a skirt they already have, idea pinned from Here)

Cloth High Chair (Ok, it's for my baby but the grandmas would want it for him! Idea was pinned from Here)

Cloth Stacker Toy (I saw a Huge fabric one on Pottery Barn Kids but I'm starting with a small simple one.)

Stuffed Animal Backpack (My own idea! Crazy... I have been getting used to stealing ideas)

I decided to write about our Christmas after writing a comment that kept getting longer and longer on Nicegirlnotes.com. I may be a nerd, but I think it's interesting stuff!

My Mom always has a rhyme she used to buy us presents for anything. It was something you want, something you need, something to wear and something to read. Santa is using that with my 5 month old, although after a page was stolen out of my magazine he may need to find a better book choice than one with paper pages. Other than that there is an outfit, a toy and jars of baby food(yay!).

We aren't going to be getting him anything because he has a lot of what he needs and awesome grandparents that I'm sure will be spoiling him anyway. I am going to try to finish the cloth stacker toy from us, but it looks terrible so far. Lucky for me, the baby won't care, he'll just be happy with the wrapping paper!

Photo Card

2011-12-14T00:03:00.001-08:00

Candy Canes Frame Christmas

Browse our collection of Christmas card designs.

View the entire collection of cards.

November In Review

2011-11-30T08:19:00.000-08:00

This month has been full of work, crafting and fun. I want to record all of my projects so that I feel like I was productive! You can click on the pictures for the full post.

I did some crafts for fall and thanksgiving:

I worked on some gift ideas: (Hair Scarf, Reed Diffuser, Knit Hats)

I made a few height charts:

I went out hiking with the baby:

What did you accomplish this November?

Nursing Cover / Bath Apron

2011-11-27T21:35:00.000-08:00

I'm just going to say it, I think I'm a genius.(Thanks to my friend Shenanigans and my husband to making me feel justified in thinking it!) Why am I? Well I have an awesome nursing cover (I really do love it, and use it all the time) that my aunt made me. It's a blanket with a strap. When I was packing light to go hiking I didn't pack it because of space. I did pack a blanket, and if I would have made this strap sooner it would have been perfect. This strap clips onto any blanket or thing that you already have. Receiving blanket? Nursing Cover, done. Large shirt? Done. Towel? Bath Apron, done. See, I told you I was a genius.

You can make your own, or you can just pick one up at my etsy shop. Make sure to get one for all of your friends too. Any suggestions, comments or agreeing with me on my genius-ness? Leave a comment for me, I'd love to hear it!

Hair Scarfette

2011-11-15T08:50:00.000-08:00

I needed some practice sewing stretchy fabrics, so I pulled out something I've been meaning to do for years.

I had a scrap of stretchy fabric that I use as a headband, but the edges needed to be finished and it could be cut so that it had a straight line.

I first trimmed the scrap. One side had tons of fabric the other had almost none, so I made it matching and even.

Then I folded over the edges and ironed them so that it would be easier to sew. I also pinned them.

On the sewing machine I changed the tension so that it was a bit looser, and the stitches were a bit longer than normal. As I sewed, I pulled the fabric tight.

That was pretty much it. Using a straight stitch and pulling the fabric tighter turned out to be my simple fix. Happy Sewing everyone!

Fall Leaf Mobile

2011-11-07T21:40:00.001-08:00

I would like to call my creation a Chandelier. I think it's beautiful. I saw a picture of leaves dipped in wax hanging to dry on Pintrest and it looked beautiful.

My fake leaves have been featured in quite a few of my posts lately. They were scattered in the grass for my Pumpkin Turkey, and they were turned into a turkey for the turkey hair clips.

Materials:
Silk Leaves
Thread
Popsicle Sticks

Directions:
Glue your popsicle sticks together in the shape of an X.

Use a needle to pull the thread through the leaves and tie the ends. Keep the other end of the thread long and tie that to your popsicle sticks.

That's it! Hang it up somewhere and you have your own falling leaves to decorate for fall and Thanksgiving!

Turkey Pumpkin Idea

2011-11-04T10:31:00.000-07:00

Have any pumpkins that didn't get carved for Halloween? Head over to Arizona Mama to see the tutorial on these Turkey Pumpkins.

What's in My Wallet

2011-10-30T23:12:00.000-07:00

Last Year, nicegirlnotes.com had a fun What's in Your Bag Link Party. I linked up My Purses. She's doing it again this year, and because things in my life, especially in the purse department are tons different this year I'm only doing my wallet.

It was fun to look at last year's purse(s). I didn't have a cute kid then, and my purse was full of work and school stuff. And junk. Now, I carry around the diaper bag, which is a whole other story, and just my wallet. Which you will see is not an ordinary wallet. It's interesting to see the women that carry a fully loaded diaper bag and a huge purse at the same time. I couldn't do it. Especially at the doctor's office where you get stuck carrying a carseat, diaper bag and the baby separately. So before the baby was born I majorly purged my purse so that everything could fit in my wallet. Everything I wanted with me, you know, for "just in case" that doesn't melt and didn't fit I put in the car.

As you can see, I have no money in my wallet. There is a pocket for cash and a pocket for coins, they are almost always empty. Coins go in jars when I get home. (One can only fit pennies and dimes, that's for savings. The other jar is for nickels and quarters, it's for yard sales.)

From the top left(I feel the need to explain myself... feel free to just read the bold, or read nothing at all :)

Chapstick
It's one of my many favorites and it's from The Queen Creek Olive Mill.

Lighter
I don't smoke, but you never know when you'll need it!

Nail Clippers

Hand Cream
I usually have a hotel bottle of lotion, right now I just have this. It bugs me to no end when I have dry hands.

Toothbrush/Pick Thingy
These things are awesome for when you just need a little clean up after lunch

Checks
Yes, I know, you're not supposed to fold checks. My husband tells me that all the time. If you need one in an emergency you really don't care. Most of the time, the people taking your money don't either.

Sanitizing Wipes
I take these from restaurants every once in a while, the little packs are perfect if you need them.

Gum
Just the last little bit of a pack of gum, all folded up. I hardly chew gum anymore, it's just for if my breath needs it after lunch. (I keep saying after lunch, but it's really for when I'm just out the door and realize I forgot/didn't have time to brush. Don't hate me!)

Pen
Always have one. There are extras in the diaper bag too.

Hair Elastics and Bobby Pins
I love this tiny container for them, I think it used to contain a few star shaped erasers.

National Guard Flashlight
I don't know why I carry this, I think my cell phone is brighter. I guess I keep it for in case I need to find my cell phone in the dark.

Business Cards
I have the business cards for my blog, alterations, my mom's blog, and my sister's babysitting. I also found some for my school underneath there.

Jewelry Warranties
I only really wear the same jewelry and whenever we are at the mall I get it cleaned and inspected to keep the warranty up, but I would never think about grabbing these before, so I just carry them always.

Sticky Notes
Phone number and info that hasn't made it into my phone yet, and at this rate never will.

Girly Stuff
There's usually more of this, but I haven't needed it in awhile because of the pregnancy and now breastfeeding. I should probably put more in there for when tragedy occurs. I did notice a few weeks ago that I still have tons in the car though.

Library Card
It's not even mine, it's my husband's. I lost mine and haven't gotten a replacement still.

AAA Card
If I don't use it, I'll be happy, If I do, I'll be happy I had it.

Credit and Debit Cards
They aren't paying me to advertise, but I do like having a red card from Target. 5% off and it comes out of my checking account.

Nail Stuff and Comb
I am off and on about biting my nails so sometimes I try to curb the habit by fixing them up instead. A comb is a lifesaver when you need it. Like I did earlier, and I didn't remember that I had it. Thanks Roo, now I might be able to remember about all this stuff I have with me.

Trash
Expired Credit Card, Expired Coupon and Old Receipts are always good to carry around. I'm glad those are cleaned out now!

Gift Cards and Punch Cards
The gifts cards might have a couple of buck or a couple of cents. I just need to actually use them next time I'm buying something there.

ID
I finally got a sideways license, I went in to take a new picture and that wasn't a good idea, I could have done it online. It would have saved time and frustration, plus I would have a little bit of a better picture instead of one where I was gritting my teeth to keep from yelling at the DMV people.

Favorite Pictures
The first one is me and my husband on a hike while we were dating, the second was from our wedding, and the third is my two boys the day my son was born. That's the best part of my wallet, I enjoy seeing them whenever I open it.

Be sure to stop over to Nice Girl Notes and put up a picture of your purse and the junk in it, so I can be nosy too!

Giveaway Winner!

2011-10-28T22:38:00.000-07:00

To choose the winner of the My Memories Suite I wanted to take this idea from Easy as PIE but I never borrowed a bingo cage. So I used the old numbers-in-a-hat.

Dollie at Dollie Creates is our winner! I will be e-mailing you shortly!

Fun Things and Memories to Come!

2011-10-22T11:20:00.001-07:00

Have you checked out the My Memories Giveaway yet? It's ending Monday, so go leave a comment!

I wrote a Bucket List a couple months ago while sitting in a chair on bed rest. I left a few extra pages open to add to it later. I found this website that helped give me ideas. Now, the most important thing on my bucket list is to go an entire day (ok maybe just a few hours) without needing to change my clothes and shower because of spit up, throw up or pee.

Monica's Bucket List:

Visit Hawaii

Go on a Cruise

Try White Water Rafting

Go Horseback Riding

Become Debt Free

Own a Successful Business

Go Sky Diving

Try Base Jumping

Climb to the top of the Superstition Mountains

Write a Fiction Novel

Go on a Hot Air Balloon Ride

Do Humanitarian Work in a Foreign Country

Learn an Instrument

Learn to Dance

Live in/ Build a Dream Home

Go on a Spa Getaway

See a Volcano

Live in San Fransisco for a few months

Try Mountain Biking in Sedona

Hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon

Climb a Pyramid(the real one in Egypt!)

Go on Every Ride at Disneyland

Build a Tree House

Get a Meaningful Tattoo

Plant and Care for something that can be harvested

Go on the tour at the Queen Creek Olive Mill

Go Salt River Tubing

Rappel Backwards

Re-Create our Trip to Boston

Have One More Child

Go Camping on the Beach

Attend the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

Donate Blood (I am so terrified!)

Have a Dog for their Entire Lifetime

Learn to be Okay When Things Don't Go My Way

Go Back to the Natural Bridge State Park in Payson, Arizona

This is my entry in the Just Ask Bucket List Getaway Giveaway. Just Ask offers a breast and ovarian cancer screening and is encouraging people to share 15 things that I want to enjoy in my lifetime as a reminder to be aware of my health. Want to enter? Head over to TodaysMama.com to get the details.

Boo-ing: Round Two

2011-09-29T13:02:00.000-07:00

Did everyone check out the My Memories Giveaway yet? I don't have any entries on it yet, go leave a comment!

Do you know what "Boo-ing" is? Most people that I talk to don't know what it is until I explain it, and then usually they remember hearing about it. It is a fun door-bell ditching activity to do around Halloween. You take a treat or gift of some sort and a print out (a poem with instructions and a picture to tape to the door, meaning "We've already been boo-ed, go spread the Halloween cheer with another neighbor!") Last year I made my own Boo-ing printable, so I could start it around our community, we get to start it Saturday!

Check out last year's post and grab the printable.

This year, I outlined a few containers you could make to put treats in for you neighbors on Arizona Mama. Go check out 3 Easy Boo-ing Ideas!

My Memories Suite- Giveaway and Coupon

2011-09-27T12:20:00.000-07:00

My Memories gave me the opportunity to try out their My Memories Suite. It is a digital scrapbooking software that is really neat.

You really have alot of options of what you can do with it. I made some flags using their background papers. It was tons easier than when I made my 4th of July Flags. (My printer was running out of black ink, let's pretend I did that on purpose to make them look spookier for halloween!)They have cute backgrounds with tons of color choices already loaded on the program.

I did a few layouts using their picture layouts and adding the backgrounds and accents. I was then able to do an auto-fill of my pictures and adjust them from there. It was super easy!

To finish your album you have the options of printing it at home, professionally printing it (as a book or a calendar!) or keeping it digital. Below is a digital copy of what I made. They had options of high quality ones, but I chose to keep it low, so it would load easier for everyone.

For my readers I have a code to give you $10 off of the My Memories Suite Software and a $10 coupon for the MyMemories.comstore.Just enter STMMMS90802 when you check out.

The Giveaway:
My Memories Suite Software Worth $40

How to enter:
Visit www.MyMemories.com and choose your favorite digital paper pack and leave a comment on my blog telling me.

Extra Entries(1 Comment/Entry Each):

Subscribe to My Memories' Blog- blog.mymemories.com

Subscribe to Monzanita's Arts and Crafts (Top Left of my Sidebar)

Like My Memories on Facebook

Follow My Memories on Twitter

Good luck!

Pressed Flower Cards and Embellishments

2011-09-26T11:48:00.000-07:00

I wrote a guide to pressing flowers at Arizona Mama. Click Here first.

When you have pressed flowers cards and anything else are easy to make. One lady commented that a bookmark would be a good gift idea to make.

Materials Needed:
Pressed flowers
Cards (Or cardstock cut and folded)
Anything else you wish to embellish your cards with
Packing Tape (Or laminate sheets, it works better but I had none)
Envelopes if wanted

Lay your pressed flower on the card where you want it. Anything else that you may want on the card should be placed there already, it usually makes it easier as tape is difficult to put things over. You can also make adjustments to the flower, such as trimming it shorter, pulling off leaves or thorns.

Take a large piece of tape (larger than your card) and place it over the flower, make sure there is about 1/4 inch of tape around all parts of the flower, you want to make sure that the tape will seal well. If your flower is wider than your piece of tape, you can lay another piece of tape on it, but you will get a slightly noticeable line across the entire thing.

Next you will trim the edges of the tape that hang off the sides of the card. You can also fold them over and glue a pretty piece of paper to the other side, hiding the edges of the tape.

This works well for cards, and for small embellishments. I put some of my pressed flowers or smaller pieces of cardstock for putting on cards later, for using as gift tags and for scrabooking embellishments.

I went the cheap and easy route, but if you wanted to do this for scrapbooking you would need to find an acid free tape or laminate sheets.

Thanks for reading and be sure to check out my Arizona Mama posts!

Repurposed Onsie

2011-09-23T07:30:00.000-07:00

My son wore this onsie twice. It wasn't because he grew out of it this time!

Check out what I did with it at Arizona Mama!

Incedibles Costume T-shirt

2011-09-14T13:50:00.000-07:00

Every year at work we dress up for Halloween. There's a theme for everyone in the clinic. This year our theme is superheroes. I will only be working a couple hours that day so I wanted something easy and comfortable. My sister suggested Elastigirl.

This same T-shirt could be for any of the Incredibles, I might do one on a red onsie so that my baby can be Jack-Jack.

Materials Needed:
Red T-Shirt
Black Scraps
Orange Scraps
Yellow Scraps
White Scrap
Ribbon

T-Shirt Instructions:
I used an old T-shirt of my husband's and tried to put it together to fit me, but it would be much easier to use a shirt that already fits.

First I added the black neckline. I used another old T-shirt for this, but any type of black fabric would work. I cut the neckline out of the shirt and sewed it on, but if I was using a T-shirt that fit, I would have cut out black fabric and folded it over the existing neckline and sewn it on that way.

Next, I cut out the pieces for my logo. I googled the logo and copied it from there. You could print it out and cut it out if you needed a pattern. For the fabric I used scraps I had, but if you have more choices than I did, I would choose knit fabrics so that the edges don't fray (like mine did).

I cut the black out of the other t-shirt. I just cut a big oval. I used the black oval to figure out the outside line of the orange. I guessed the inside cuts of the orange and pinned them to the black. I cut a rectangle for the bottom of the i and then cut off the top with a slant. I used a can that was slightly wider than the bottom of the i to trace the next piece of yellow. I used another circle lying around my kitchen for the white in the i.

To sew the patch I started with the black piece with the orange pinned on. I used black thread (I didn't have any orange) and a small, dense zig-zag stitch. I sewed the edges of the inside of the orange. I then pinned on the i pieces and did the outside of the yellow. I then switched to white thread and sewed the middle of the i on.

Once the patch is finished, it's time to sew it on the shirt. On a smaller shirt you may have to take the shirt apart to sew it on, mine I didn't need to. I switched to red thread and did the same zig-zag stitch around the edges.

Mask Instructions:

If you want a model to work with, you can make a quick mold of your face using tin foil. I used a knit black scrap and just started cutting, comparing to my model. I folded it in half to try to make it a bit more symmetrical. I hot glued the ribbon to the middle of the edge on each side, and had plenty so I could tie a bow in the back.

I loved the way it turned out, but next time I will definitely use knit scraps for everything! I will probably just wear both of these with jeans, but it would be easy to use a pair of red sweatpants with black undies over the top if you were brave!

New Recipe Blog

2011-08-25T15:07:00.000-07:00

I have a second adventure in the form of another blog. It's called Real Food for Real People. My mom and I want to get all of our recipes in one easy-to-access place. It also has a good mobile version (thanks blogger!) which I found to be super convenient to use in the kitchen.

There are only a few recipes up right now, but it will be growing fast!

Click Here to view Real Food for Real People.

Mod Podged Coasters

2011-08-23T08:47:00.000-07:00

This is a super simple mod podge project. I found glass candle bases at an overstock store. I mod podged the paper to the underside, and let it show through. On the very bottom I did a very generous coat of the mod podge in case of any spills. I didn't do it for these ones, but a felt piece glued to the bottom would make a nice addition to the project, to further protect your tables.

Cloth Height Charts

2011-08-17T20:01:00.000-07:00

I was stuck in a recliner for awhile on bed rest, and I wanted to make a height chart for my baby boy that I was waiting for. I had been taking up a little bit of hand embroidery, and I thought that a cloth one would be perfect, and I could work on it right then.

This is the first one that I did. Click on the picture so you can zoom in to see it better. I was allowed to do stuff while sitting. So I cut the fabric, while sitting. I then ironed the edges under, while sitting. I cut fabric for the tree, while sitting.

I then stitched on the tree trunk and treetop, while sitting, what else? My sister helped with those, while sitting next to me. Those and the clouds are all done with a very simple running stitch. We also added a bird, he was stitched with a running stitch but then I used some back stitching for his legs, a french knot for an eye, and the satin stitch for the beak.

For the lines and numbers going up the side, I put the cloth in an embroidery hoop to make it easier. I measured and marked the lines with a tape measure and stitched them with a split stitch.

For his name I wanted it to be bigger and more special, so I used a bold chain stitch.

I didn't worry about finishing off the edges because most of them were stitched over at some point. For the top and bottom I basically hemmed them with hot glue and slid the dowels in. The top just has yarn tied to it.

I showed off my masterpiece at work, and my boss wanted one for his little girl. I told him he was crazy because it took me about 6 hours to make this one. He offered to pay me for one hourly so I made this next one.

I did this one a little bit differently. I knew I didn't want to stitch all of the lines, that was the most time consuming, so I bought a fabric paint pen.

With using a fabric pen, my edges wouldn't be finished as well, so I ran them through the sewing machine first.

The design is also majorly different, I had fun cutting out the pieces and arranging them. I pinned them all down and started on the bottom pieces first and continued to the top layer of pieces until everything was sewn on. Sometimes I had to move stuff around to get to the pieces underneath. With this one, I used too many little pieces and that was really time consuming.

I did a tiny bit of embroidery on the ladybugs, using a french knot for the spots and antennae ends. I made a long stitch to separate the wings and for the length of the antennae.

Once everything was sewn on I used the fabric pen to make the lines and numbers. This one was shorter because the girl it was for was a lot taller to begin with than my unborn child so I made it to start at 18 inches. She also had a less of a chance of reaching six feet, so it is a few inches shorter there too.

On this one I sewed the hems for the dowels, because if they were to fall apart in years to come I didn't want to fix them.

I still did the embroidered name, using the chain stitch as before.

With the two different versions that I learned from, my next one will be even simpler by using a simple design like the tree and by using the paint pen. Thanks for reading!

The Wild Olive is a good place to learn the basic embroidery stitches if you want to make a fancy one of your own. Thanks for reading!

Linked to:
Somewhat Simple

Once Upon a Time...

2011-08-17T19:55:00.000-07:00

I used to blog, and I tried to have a giveaway. Since then I ran out of motivation for most my crafts and blogging but I am starting to pick it up again. So I thought I would finally announce the winner of my giveaway! The turn out wasn't as much as I thought it would be, but now I can just roll the dice on who the winner is.

(drum roll)

The winner is:

Lynda B!

Lynda, I will be e-mailing you soon!

Thanks to everyone for commenting, and I'm sorry that I was such a slacker!

Car Seat Cover

2011-08-04T10:40:00.000-07:00

I have a newborn, and he doesn't leave my side yet. I still have to eat though, so he has been grocery shopping with me. We got the worst looks from random strangers. I guess they think I should starve and not buy diapers because I just had a baby.

Anyway, that and seeing my friend's car seat cover (I have seen them called tents) made me want to make one of my own. We bought the fabric to match the green of the car seat and to have simple shapes for him to look at. I bought two yards, and there was plenty extra that I will be using for something cute later.

My friends had plenty of fabric over the back of the car seat where it already has the shade thingy, and I decided I didn't need to cover the seat anymore than I had to because I actually like the looks of it.

I measured the size I wanted by comparing with a blanket I placed over the car seat. I only wanted it a couple inches shorter and for it not to have square corners at the bottom. The triangles I cut off the bottom edges were used to decorate a burp cloth.

This is the finished project, (I forgot to take pictures while I was making it!) but it is pretty much the same shape that I cut, adding an extra inch and minus the straps. The top is just folded, and I cut the other edges to how I wanted.

After cutting the fabric, I ironed the edges under and pinned them together. I did it around the entire piece and then started sewing around the entire thing.

Next I made the straps. I pinned a scrap onto the now finished main piece and used the scrap to measure out the straps. I left a pin to where I had the scrap, so I would know where to sew on the straps. I cut out four pieces the same size as the scrap.

I took two of them and ironed the edges under and sewed around the edges. I then sewed the button hole on one side. I did the same to the other two pieces to make the other strap.

I pinned the straps on and sewed them on. Then, over where I sewed the strap on I hand sewed the button on.

It works great, except now people at the grocery store ask if they can look at the baby, so I'm lifting it up all the time because I can't resist showing off my cute kid!

How to Cut Jeans for Scraps

2011-08-01T16:02:00.000-07:00

This post should be named How to make Redneck Thongs, but there will be more on that later.

I finally cleaned out my craft closet, again. It was bad. I had a ton of jeans I wanted to keep for the material but it was pointless to keep the entire jeans that were taking up tons of space. While cutting them up I found the best order to cut them and which cuts would yield the most useful material. I also found a great way to make redneck thongs for your next redneck party!

Who irons jeans? Not me... Usually. I think of the movie Cheaper by the Dozen.

Kate: [referring to Hank] He's not a doorknob.
Jake: He irons his jeans, Mom.
Kate: Yeah that's weird.

There were a few pairs of jeans that were wrinkled and folded in weird places so the first thing to do is iron the jeans that need it.

The first cut to make is at the bottom. Cut one inch on each side of the seams. Cut each side of the inside and outside seams on both pant legs.

Then cut the bottom hem off, leaving the seams intact. It should look like this after wards.

Turn the jeans inside out. This is the line you'll take for the first cuts.

Some of the jeans were serged so you could cut both sides of the seam at once, and others were sewn down so it was easier to make two cuts around the seam. (With scissors instead of the rotary.)

When you get towards the top of the jeans cut until you get to the eyelet on the pocket.

Keep cutting the backside of the same seam until you hit the next seam.

Next, go back to the pocket side of the seam where you left off and cut underneath the pocket, to the zipper and down to the crotch. You will cut across the inseam.

Next continue your cut on the backside by going up towards the waist. Cut until you get to the next seam.

Cut along the seam below the waist until you get to your other cut. The pant leg should come off now.

This is what you should have.

Now do the same thing for the other pant leg. After that you will get your final Redneck Thong.

Back to saving your jeans...
Take the open pant leg, and cut out the last seam.

You now have a pile of seams, some redneck thongs and a nice pile of usable jean scraps.

Now I tossed the thongs, and almost tossed the seams, but I tried weaving them together, and I might have a post about what I'm making with them later. But I'm not done yet, so it will be a few months. I'll also have the project I've been saving the jeans for, but that hasn't been finished either. If you must know why, cutting these jeans was the project I was working on while I was in labor with my baby boy. I went to the hospital fully dilated but at least my jeans were cut and put away!

How I Made Bassinet Sheets

2011-07-03T23:58:00.000-07:00

Quick Disclosure: I am not a professional seamstress, yet. I make it up as I go, and it is probably wrong, but it works and might help others, any advice on how I could do it differently next time is appreciated and can be left in the comments, thanks!

I am borrowing this cute bassinet from one of my neighbors. It's in my bedroom not the Baby's Room.

My neighbor didn't have sheets to go with it, I think she said it was hard to find ones that fit, but she might have said something completely different. I looked at target and only found pink ones and I still wasn't sure if they would fit.

Finally my super-smart husband looked at me with the "you are such an idiot" face and asked why I didn't sew my own. Duh!! I've been on a sewing everything kick lately, and didn't even think of it. Seriously!

The one it came with is a really easy layout.

First I laid it out on my fabric (I used a Christmas woodland creatures print that was a hand-me down with no other uses) and I traced around it, but about 5/8" outside of it to accommodate the seam, this makes piece A.

I then cut it out, and used it to trace out the next piece (B). I just guessed at the size of B, but I used the original to compare and it has to be straight. I pinned the two of these pieces in place against A.

For the next piece (C) I really confused myself. Use the first piece (A) to trace this one too, but remember that the part you can't see (its under the one you're using to trace) is the part that you are going to be using. I then pinned the two of these pieces in place against A, and pinned the edges that are touching of B and C together (not to A). You should still be able to lift the edge of B away from A enough to sew the edge, the same with where you have B and C pinned together.

The first stitch I did was a zig-zag stitch to hem the edges and to sew B and C together. Using a serger would work well here too. I went from under 1 down to the 2 only sewing together B and C. I did the same thing on the other side with 3 to 4.

I then did a straight stitch around the edge of A (including the pinned on B and C)keeping my 5/8" seam line. I then zig-zag stitched that same edge just to keep my fabric from fraying. (I don't believe in hand-washing laundry, it takes too much time, effort and energy!)

Lastly, I zig-zag stitched along the inside of the C pieces to keep them from fraying also, and that was it. Hope this helps!

The (Mostly) Finished Nursery

2011-07-03T23:05:00.001-07:00

With the first baby on the way, we have been working for months on decorating and setting up the nursery. It was so fun to plan for this mural by drawing on the walls. It was only with pencil, of course!

All of the accents painted on, the clouds, sun, and tree are all painted with acrylic paints, I found that the Joann's Craft Smart brand worked the best. My husband did most of the painting, I only did the clouds and tree trunk. He also stenciled the sun and tree.

The curtains I made, the valance was actually hand-sewn with embroidery thread while my sewing machine was broken and I was couch-bound on bed rest. I appreciate my sewing machine a billion times more now!

My favorite part of the room is the shelf with the cloud, I wanted the shelf to match somehow, and figured that making it a part of a cloud should work.

The height chart is another product of bed rest, with the exception of the cloth sewn on, it is all hand embroidered. It took forever, but I learned some neat stitching techniques for it. I'll be posting more on all of my embroidery projects later.

There's still a few more things that I would like to do, who knows if they will ever get done, but I have a few things on my wish list. One thing is to paint clouds on the ceiling. (Not an option for me and my big belly, I'd fall!) I would also like to paint glow in the dark stars on those clouds so that they were only visible at night. I would like all the main fabrics in the room to match a little better, so a new bumper and bed skirt that match the curtain and height chart are on the to-do list eventually too.

4th of July Flags- Printable

2011-07-03T18:04:00.001-07:00

Hello Again! Here's some yummy chocolate chip pancakes and a free 4th of July printable. I made these to put on cornbread muffins tomorrow for our 4th of July chili cookout in our neighborhood.

Click here for the link to print these for yourself. Once you print them, just glue them together around a toothpick and you can make any food patriotic!

Here's some of the projects that we did last year. Happy 4th of July everyone!

Arizona Mama's Contest

2010-11-19T18:40:00.000-08:00

Arizona Mama and Game Stop are doing a giveaway, and they ask some fun questions to get you excited for the holidays.

Mama’s Holiday Wish List Meme

TodaysMama and GameStop are giving away a sleighful of gifts this holiday season and to enter I’m sharing this meme with you.

1. What is your holiday wish for your family?

My holiday wish is for my family to relax from the craziness! We're too busy and stressed all the time (just like everybody else!) and I would love to relax and get a fresh look at things.

2. What is your Christmas morning tradition?

We wake up super early and line up from the youngest to oldest and run down the stairs to see what santa brought.

3. If you could ask Santa for one, completely decadent wish for yourself, what would it be?

I would want my SD card from my camera (which was in a freak accident that caused it to fall into the Boston Harbor after getting a week's worth of non-replicable photos, but that's a story for another blog post)

4. How do you make the holidays special without spending any money?

Spending time with my family and enjoying all the fun traditions of baking, crafting, and enjoying the season.

5. What games did you play with your family growing up?

Uno and Phase Ten were our favorites. We also were blessed with a huge cupboard full of board games that I liked. I'm still working on my own collection, it's ok though, I'm going yard-sailing tomorrow :)

6. What holiday tradition have you carried on from your own childhood?

Most of them I still go home and enjoy with my family, but we make sure that the decorating and music are made special by not starting until after thanksgiving.

7. Where would you go for a Christmas-away-from-home trip?

I would love to go see my grandparents at their home in Utah, there they would have some of the same traditions as we do, but we could have a white Christmas.

8. Check out GameStop (link to: http://bit.ly/gamestop10) and tell us, what are the three top items on your GameStop Wish List this year?

My husband wants a PlayStation so that he can play games with his brother in Massachusetts. We also want the new Call of Duty (I loved fighting Nazi-Zombies!) The other game I know he really enjoyed was the newest Halo.

It was fun answering these questions, it makes me realize that Christmas is coming, and I have lots of crafting to get started on!

My Dummy

2010-10-09T11:48:00.001-07:00

I have a dummy. It isn't my husband. It's a wonderful replica of me in duct tape form. I had never thought to post about it until I had a near-death experience the other day. I came home to my guts spilled out on the living room floor. My dogs thought it would be fun try to completely destroy me. So I re-stuffed me and taped myself back together.

Here's a quick tutorial of how to make your own duct tape clone that is perfect for all of your sewing projects.

You'll need a friend to help you with this, preferably someone you don't mind if they see your near-nakedness.

1. Find an old shirt you don't mind giving up and put it on
2. Use saran wrap or tin foil to add length to your shirt. Wrap yourself from the shirt you're using down past your rear end.
3. Wrap from the shirt around your neck. Tape the saran wrap to the shirt. Make sure there aren't any spots on your body showing!
4. Start with the breast, make a star pattern out of duct tape over each of them.
5. Begin to wrap your shirt with duct tape. Start from the bottom, wear the saran wrap is and keep taping in circles until you get up to the bra line.
6. Tape around your star shapes, make sure the duct tape covers everything.
7. Tape up to the neck (not too tightly!) and around the shoulders and around the arms. Make the arms about t-shirt length, it helps to know how you will be getting your sewing projects on and off of you in real life.
8. Cut the duct tape dress off of you. start at the bottom (on the side)and cut upwards. Be careful of skin and clothes that could get in the way.
9. Take the dress off and tape the seam that you just cut.
10. Tape the bottom portion closed, and the arms. Leave the neck open for now.
11. Stuff your dummy. ( I used stuffing and lots of misc fabric and such that I wasn't going to use. When I re-stuffed it I also used crumpled newspaper.
12. Tape the neck closed

Now you have a clone, perfect for when creating new clothing for yourself or others near your size, and it's a very small fraction of the price for the dummies that you would get in stores.

Free Give Away- Rose Cards

2010-09-25T07:24:00.000-07:00

I need to get some feedback on what people like at my etsy store. So to bribe everyone to do that I am going to do a Give-Away of my Pressed Rose Greeting Cards.

These Cards have pressed roses on them. The front can be written on by you or me. Such as Happy Birthday, Get Well, Thank You, etc.) The paper is textured and is off-white. The dimensions of the folded card and the envelope are 5 by 7 inches. These ones also have a rose on the fold of the envelope so that whoever you send it to can enjoy the packaging also.
To win these, First go check out my etsy store and leave a comment on this post to tell me what two different items are your favorite and why. For every comment you get one entry. The giveaway will last until I receive 20 comments or two weeks from today, Saturday, October 9th, 2010, whichever comes last. Thanks in advance for your feedback!

My Purse(s)

2010-09-23T20:13:00.000-07:00

First of all, I love reading Nice Girl Notes. It is always so entertaining to read! She is going to be having a link party so everyone can be nosy and see what kind of crap other people carry around in their bag. I have a crafty blog, so I'll show you the crafty side of my purse(s).

Purses? Plural? Yes, I switch almost weekly, sometime more sometimes less. It saves me from actually cleaning out my purse, I just put the stuff I need into a new one!

The two I have been back and forth in the last few weeks are these ones. Both of which I have sewn.

The first one I made pretty recently from an awesome goodwill find. I would have done a tutorial, but I never took any pictures for it.

It started off as a vest that kinda reminded me of a grandma. (no offense gramma!! i just wouldn't wear it) But it had a really cool design on the inside and was a great color. I took the pieces apart, used the front pocket pieces as the front and back and used the rest as strips for the sides and strap. Lots of seam ripping took place, which is why I will never sell this one.

The second one is a tote bag I made for school a few years ago. It was made from the flannel that my sister used to make pajama pants for me. I carried my binder in it for quite awhile. I just barely started using it again and I realize it's not as heavy duty as my vest purse. I'm a much better sewer now. If sewer is a word.

I took everything from both purses to show you, luckily there wasn't anything gross this time around, but I still feel that I need to explain what everything is.

Ok, let's start from the top, and work our way from left to right.

Massage Therapy Textbook- For homework I should be doing instead of crafting
My Laptop- When I'm not on it, it's usually open and on in my craft room or in my purse just waiting to be used, and yes it is very small, made just for my purse
My Wallet- My husband bought it for me when I was trying to get him to go after-christmas shopping (which is my favorite) he hoped that if he bought something for me my shopping hunger would be satisfied
My Great Big Book of Everything- You can read all about this amazing little notebook in my post here
Unopened Paycheck- It's a couple weeks old, don't you just love direct deposit?
Laptop Power Cord and Mouse- Power cord is self explanatory, but a mouse is Extremely important. I have been through about four mice in the past 6 months. First I abused the touchpad that is in the laptop so it didn't work, then I broke my regular mouse, then my dogs chewed my super fancy brand new mouse so I used an old one that also broke and now I'm using my husbands from his computer and he might kill me if I break this one.
Christmas Party Reminder Magnets- I made these for work they turned out super cute but I put the wrong date, so I had to redo them and the redone part falls off, so I took the bad-looking ones home so no one would see them. It also reminds me that I have to work on the actual invitations
Crumpled Old Receipts- You never know when you might need one of these, finding the right one is the problem
Rhino Caffe Menu- I'm doing a craft fair there on Saturday, and have those to tell people about it, and so that I had their address. That size of paper is alot easier to keep track of than a business card.
Random Business Cards- These are hiding under the computer cords. I have a few of these and never really use them. I always want to, but they get lost at the bottom of my bag.
Pens and Pencils- It doesn't matter how many I have in my bad it still takes too long to find one, so I stock up
Thumb Drive- Everyone has a different name for these things. What do you call them?
Coupons- I used to shop only with coupons, now I can't ever remember to use them
5 Gum- "I don't always chew gum, but when I do I prefer 5 gum."
Emery Boards- I can never have too many of these either, there's a few more in my wallet, I never know when I need one!

I feel exposed since I just broadcast my entire life to you from the bottom of my purse, but I hope you enjoyed being nosy!

TP Pumpkin Candy Holder

2010-09-20T21:18:00.000-07:00

I changed out the toilet paper at work, the large rolls that businesses have, and I discovered large toilet paper rolls. My boss made fun of how excited I was about getting "trash". He signed the inside of one of them to try to make the trash "worth something". I didn't sign it, but I made it worth alot more!

I did the same thing as the Toilet Paper Pumpkins look at these instructions, the first ones are the same, but when it comes to the stem stop there and come back to this page.

Instead of making a stem I took a wire of some sort (it was electrical and bent well and my husband said he wouldn't need anymore of it) and I hot glued raffia to it and hot glued it to the inside of the pumpkin.

This is going to work great as a Boo Gift when October 1st rolls around :)

I have linked to:

Caramel Apples

2010-09-20T20:18:00.000-07:00

Cool Air, Fall Leaves, Apple Cider, what else happens in fall? I forget! Well those are the things I wish I had. Instead I still have triple digit weather that seems to never end. So I just pretend. And it's easier to pretend when you are eating something that reminds you of fall and cool air. So we made caramel apples.

We made these the super-easy cheater way.

I put the apples on their sticks in the freezer first, for about a half hour, just to cool them down really good.

I bought a bag of caramel bits in the baking section (next to the chocolate chips) and microwaved them with 2 tablespoons of water. It took about two and a half minutes in the microwave. I stirred it and dipped my apples in it.

We had already chopped walnuts while waiting for the caramel to melt and then we rolled the caramel covered apple in the walnuts.

We refrigerated them for about an hour and then ate them. They were so good! They make me want to take a trip to Apple Hill!

"Boo-ing" Free Printable for Spreading Halloween Spirit

2010-09-12T11:01:00.000-07:00

My family was "Boo-ed" a few years ago. What is "Boo-ed"? It is the best way to spread halloween cheer. Or maybe a way to make doorbell-ditching fun for the homeowner. You take a copy of a poem, a copy of a door sign, and a treat for 2 of your neighbors and you doorbell ditch them. Yep, just leave those on their doorstep and run away. They should then make copies of the poem and door sign and make a treat for 2 other neighbors (that don't have the sign on their door) and leave it for them. Then it should keep going on throughout the whole neighborhood.

Here is a free printable of the door sign and the poem (in black and white to make it easier for photocopying) Click Here for the link to the Free Printable.

As for the treat part of it, I have been making cute holders to put candy in. You don't have to do candy, but I like the idea that the neighbors will know that it's safe. Especially as we're pretty new to the neighborhood.

I decorated some soup cans, cookie tins and sewed small bags with the same design as my reusable gift bags.

I can't wait to start Booing on Ocotber 1st!! Happy Halloween!

Linked to;

Halloween Garland

2010-09-10T07:00:00.000-07:00

This garland was a compilation of other cute crafts I had seen online. The tools you need are:
Toilet Paper Tubes
Scrap Halloween Fabric, cut into 3/4 inch thick strips, by 3-5 inches long
Yarn
Acrylic Paints

First you cut your toilet paper tubes in half. Then you paint them orange and add a black pumpkin face.

Next you will let them dry and start tying your fabric scraps onto the yarn. I made sure my strips of fabric were angled at the ends.

Tie strips for about 9 inches.

Punch Holes in your pumpkin, and thread the yarn through.

Keep tying strips for another 9 inches and add the next pumpkin. Do this until you run out of scraps.

Trim the edges of the yarn and hang for Halloween! Happy Haunting!

This is available at my etsy store click here to view. Thanks for looking!

Also Linking to:

Hair Bow Holder

2010-09-09T17:36:00.000-07:00

The frame came from a yard sale. I think I paid 50 cents. I had the ribbon and fabric and paint on hand, so it was a really cheap project. And I will be using it to sell the hair bows at a craft fair next month so it will be useful to me to display them and to the luck person to end up with this holder.

Sand and paint the frame. I chose the color because it matched the princess crowns on the fabric. (Sorry for the lack of pictures, I forgot to take any until after I finished!)

Use the cardboard backing to measure your batting. I still have not bought batting, so I used 2-3 layers of fleece from another project. Cut out the batting to be the same size as the cardboard.

Use the cardboard to measure your fabric. Give it an extra 2-3 inches around the edges to make sure you have enough to glue to the back.

Layer your fabric first, then the batting and then the cardboard. Stretch the fabric tight and glue to the cardboard with hot glue.

Finish gluing all around. Measure your ribbon to be 4-5 inches longer than the cardboard. I like a lot of extra to make sure they are glued on tight.

Glue one side of the ribbon, make sure there is about 2-3 inches worth glued down. Pull very tight to the opposite side and glue down.

Do the same with the other ribbon and your done!

This is very close to the Ribbon Memo Board I did a few months ago, but I don't want to use staples to poke little fingers, since I was only gluing to the cardboard, not the wood.

Stolen Goods: Super Quick Tutorials

2010-09-09T08:03:00.000-07:00

I don't need much direction when it comes to reading other people's tutorials. Usually. I see a picture or something in the store and try to copy it when I get home. So here are some pictures from the last few things I have done.

My (Super Quick) Pumpkin Jar Tutorial:
1. Mix food coloring with mod podge
2. Paint on jars
3. Cut out paper faces and mod podge
4. Let dry and add ribbon
5. Put candle inside and light :)

(Yes my craft room is constantly messy, fooled you right?!?)

My (Super Quick) Pennant tutorial:
1. Cut and Zig-Zag stitch Traingles
2. Sew to ribbon

Stuffed Toilet Paper Pumpkin

2010-09-06T12:14:00.001-07:00

Last Year and years before I learned to make these cute pumpkins with a roll of toilet paper. Last year I also ran out of toilet paper in my house multiple times, and took apart the pumpkins to use the toilet paper.

This year I decided I didn't want to waste a whole roll of toilet paper, so I used just the tubes and crinkled toilet paper. I tried newspaper but I didn't like the way it looked.

First, you lay your square of fabric down. (Mine were t-shirts sleeves so I bunched them up and secured them with a rubber band.) Then you put your toilet paper tube in the center (I wanted small ones so I cut my toilet paper tube in half)

Next start crinkling your toilet paper, kind of fold it over and over. Place in around your tp tube and fold the cloth over it and stuff the cloth in the toilet paper tube.

When finished stuffing the pumpkin hot glue the fabric to the toilet paper tube.

Next, find something to use as a stem. I used a cardboard roll from aluminum foil. I painted it a darker brown and added leaves. All of these were also hot glued in.

Go Green: Money-Saving or Earth Friendly? (Reusable Gift Bags)

2010-08-29T14:36:00.000-07:00

I don't care why your trying to go green, for me it's just to save money and feel better about not being as wasteful. I'm making a ton of different gift bags to get ready for birthdays and Christmas this year. I reuse the regular paper gift bags, but they get destroyed really easily. Wrapping paper is one use only too.

These bags are pretty simple to make, I made a bunch of different ones from scrap fabric, and they turned out really cute. I don't really use patterns, but these are really just a cylinder shape.

Tote bags or drawstring backpacks would be a good way to wrap presents too.

You can also check my etsy shop to buy some of these that I have made.

Ranking Up: Video Game Slang or Sewing Advancement?

2010-08-29T10:44:00.000-07:00

I officially have learned the art of buttonholes. I would like to give a shout out to those that have really helped me with it. First, my grandma, because I'm sure she showed me how to do it years ago and I had just forgotten until now. And the Internet, for hosting a tutorial that helped me come to a epiphany. Also I would like to thank my sewing machine for finally making sense to me. Last, but not least my thanks goes to my loving husband who has been pushing me to sew buttons for a while.

And my epiphany? What was it? Well, I finally came to the conclusion that my sewing machine is smarter than I think it is. IT took me awhile to figure out that on the button setting it would know what to do without me trying to do it for it. If that made any sense. Most of my epiphanies only make sense to me. Or they are what other people know as common sense.

At least now my range of sewing skills have improved and I will be unconquerable. Until I find something else I can't do.

Felt Christmas Ornaments

2010-08-18T07:15:00.000-07:00

These ornaments took a bit of imagination, I cut most of the pieces free-hand. The only stencil I used was for the gingerbread man body and I used the same stencil for the santa body.

I cut out 2 bodies for each of them and added the other pieces from there. Make sure to cut out everything before you start stitching.

Next, stitch all of the smaller pieces onto the front and back first. (the gloves, buttons, faces, hats, etc.)

Then, start at the top, leave a few inches of your yarn or floss and stitch around the edges of the body.

Before you get all the way to the top, stuff the body with your filling. (I used my felt scraps instead of batting)

Finish stitching the top, and leave the same amount of extra yarn as you did when you started. Tie those two together at the bottom, and tie together at the top.

Now you are prepared with gifts or this year's ornaments. Another idea is to stitch the year on the back and maybe your name or initials. Have fun!

These are available at my etsy store, click here to view them. Thanks for looking!

Candy Jars on Etsy

2010-08-07T13:53:00.000-07:00

I spent the morning making a couple dozen of these jars for SOS Physical Therapy in Queen Creek, Arizona. They will be filling them with candy and using them to advertise to different doctors in the area. I listed one online as a starting idea if anyone else would like their own personalized candy jars. The banner on it is designed on Photoshop and that is listed separately for those who would like to make their own. Thanks for looking!
Click Here to view these jars on Etsy.com.

Rolled Paper Flowers

2010-08-05T12:54:00.001-07:00

These are fun to make with cute scrapbook paper that has a white middle.

First, tear your self a circle- sort of. It doesn't have to be anywhere close to perfect!

Next tear another circle, make it slightly smaller than the last one. Do this a few times.

Take your first torn circle and fold the edges over, like the pictures.

Fold the edges on the rest and layer them.

I decided to make leaves for this one.

Pin everything together by using a brad and your ready to embellish a scrapbook page, notebook or anything else.

15 Cent Notebooks

2010-08-05T12:38:00.000-07:00

I don't think that I ever got a cute notebook or folder, unless I bought it myself. And the latest movie characters on a notebook was never worth my money. Now that I have to buy all of the school supplies, a 15 cent notebook is a good deal. I usually take a quick peek to see how much the cute ones cost, but a whole dollar more for the same thing?!? Forget it!

I don't have kids yet, but I'm a student still. I want cute school supplies too!! So I bought a bunch of the 15 cent notebooks and the equally cheap and ugly folders and took them home to decorate.

I used a little scrapbook paper and some mod podge. I made a folder for my stencils and a cute one to show if I had a little boy. Think about the possibilities! Magazine cut outs could make a collage of your child's favorite things, or you could print a Hannah Montana picture instead. Just be careful when using the mod podge you keep it away from the actual pages so that they don't get glued together or anything!

I made a rolled flower (click here for tutorial)for this notebook, and just glued that over the ugly words in the corner. (I've been fond of anything silvery or gray lately!)

If you don't want your kids making a mess of mod podge, use laminate paper instead. Have fun decorating!

Getting Dirty with Mod Podge- Glass and Yarn Art

2010-08-03T20:26:00.000-07:00

I wanted to play with my new bottle of mod podge, so here's what I made.

Cut out all of your pieces of yarn first.

Paint a layer of mod podge around the entire glass. Then dip them in modpodge ( I put mine on a paper plate to the side, you don't want random yarn fibers hanging out in the mod podge canister later) and stick them on your glass. The mod podge makes a nice clear texture So you want it to be textured all over.

That's it! Now I have some funky labeled jars in my bathroom instead of just plain ones. Have fun crafting!

My Great Big Book of Everything

2010-08-03T12:57:00.000-07:00

I went to Hobby Lobby yesterday and saw a million cute ideas. So I whipped out my Handy-Dandy Notebook and walked around the store, scribbling away. I realized today, when I went to look for the notebook to find something to make and blog about, that the notebook is one of my best ideas. Yes, it's just a notebook. One of those Five Star Fat Lil' Notebooks. I decorated it as we were in the middle of a move, so it's not the cutest. It was made with magazine cut outs and packing tape. I've only used half of it or I would make a whole new one.

The real key to this book is it has most any information I would need in it. I write down my spur of the moment craft ideas. My phone conversations with the insurance company or bank, I have paint chips stapled in for when I go to but paint. My husbands prescription refill stickers are in there so I don't lose them and can call them in whenever I think about it. My class schedule and the books I need to buy for the next semester are written in there with the amazon prices in case I find a better deal. There are lists, calendars, dinner ideas, important phone numbers, sticky notes and other important memos stapled in. Without this notebook, I would forget everything and be lost. Needless to say, it's with me all the time.

Meal Planning Made Cute

2010-08-01T20:34:00.000-07:00

I've been seeing these cute meal planner boards all over the blogosphere and in stores. I wanted one, so after my intense yard sales day I found a frame to use. This would make a great Christmas Gift Idea for those of you planning Christmas early.

I forgot a before picture so this was after one coat of cherry stain. I found the stain in a small 2 ounce bottle on clearance at Wal-mart. I bought it because it was only 50 cents and we needed to cover up some scratches from moving our table.

The frame was much too light to match our kitchen so I brushed on about 5 coats of stain. I then brushed the edges with a stiff brush to make them look a little bit darker. I did this to the crease also. Distressing the frame would work well here too, but I wanted to save myself a step.

My husband came home right after I had finished painting the frame and wanted it for his office. Good thing I bought 2 frames!

In between coats of paint I worked on the paper arrangement. I chose to layer the butterfly paper in the back, the strip of tan textured paper on the left and a title of the leafy accent scrapbook paper. This could be done to look amazing in a million different ways.

I created the printed Jamer's Dinner Menu on Adobe Photoshop. The question of the day was, If you were a restaurant what font would you be? I figured we would most likely be a steakhouse. My husband was teasing me, we have a western room (the guest bedroom, not the kitchen) and thought I was going to put it in there instead of the kitchen. You can buy the printed design on my etsy or order a custom one if you don't want to make your own.

I used scrapbooking tape to arrange all the paper against the backing of the frame, and cut and pinned the vellum down with a brad in each corner. I even mod podged my marker to look cute.

I have it standing on a metal picture frame holder now, I might try some super duty magnets later. Now I can be organized in my kitchen and it's cute! If you want one already finished for you, click here.

145 Days Until Christmas, But Who's Counting?

2010-08-01T20:03:00.000-07:00

Crafters know to start Christmas preparations early. I thought I knew that last year. October wasn't early enough. So this year it's August.

It's time to start REALLY listening to your friends and family to hear if they say they really want something or what they could really use. Remember those ideas, write them down! When the time comes in a few months and you're stumped for what to get them you can pull out your list and thank me. Now only I have to start remembering to do that too.

Family and friends aren't the only ones. If you might be expecting a "Secret Santa" at work, start to remember to pay more attention to your co-workers for if they say something that could help you shop for them later. You may not be picking names yet, but last year someone asked me about what to get someone else who I actually knew pretty well and I had no idea. I knew a few months ago they were talking about something they were keeping their eyes out for but I couldn't remember.

I'm in the process of working on some awesome tutorials to get you started on some Christmas crafts. If you see felt go on sale, stock up!

So here's to the next 145 days of planning for Christmas and keeping your eyes out for sales and good gift ideas!

Queen of the Garage Sales!

2010-07-31T10:29:00.000-07:00

I got home early from a day of yard sales, I cleared the area from my house to my mom's and everywhere in between pretty early today as it was pouring rain. It's very unusual for Arizonan's to have to do anything in the rain so there weren't very many sales still left after a few hours. The ones that were out there were willing to sell their stuff for a ton cheaper, so I took advantage.

I spent less than ten bucks and made off with a new end table (even though I just bought one last week for an awesome price!), a wood chair, picture frames, a book, a cashmere sweater, candlestick holders and more fabric for my collection. Oh, and a cute little lantern. It was quite a good day!

I started walking around my house and realizing that most of our stuff was gotten a one yard sale or another for a really amazing deal.

It's always hard for me to barter. I don't like to but if I really want it I will. If the seller wants really steep prices on the few things I ask about I just leave there are more deals out there just waiting to be found.

A good way to barter is to ask about 2 things for whatever amount. People are more likely to lower their price when you put things together. Grocery store do it all the time. I try to remember that it can't hurt to ask. The worst they will say is "no" and you don't get it or you get it for a higher price.

Good luck to you and all of your yard sale and thrift store finds!

Hand Stitched Flower Idea

2010-07-29T15:42:00.000-07:00

First you will need to make a circle stencil if you don't already have one. Find a cup or bottle that would be a good size for the final flower. Trace the edge of the cup with a marker.

Next, cut out the circle.

Take your circle and pin it to the fabric you will be using. I used a very thin cotton, so I double the fabric over a few times. You will need eight total circles when you are finished.

Also cut a small square out from your scraps to sew the pieces of the flower on. Now you will fold your circles in half. And then in half again. Take the first four folded circles and arrange them into a circle on top of your small square. Stitch these to the square. I only hand stitched them, it was easier for me, but you can also use the sewing machine.

Next, place one of your folded circles over your flower. Layer it on top of where the bottom two circles meet. Stitch these next four on one at a time so that you can over lap the corners in the center a little bit. Do the opposite side next, and then the last two sides.

You're almost done. Lastly, sew on a button for the center. Your flower is finished. What you do with it now is the fun part.

You can put it on a lampshade, or put it on a hair clip, or pin it to a purse or shirt. Make a pair to spice up some shoes. The options are overwhelming! I'm not sure where mine are going to live yet.

These are available on my esty store. CLick Here to view.

Styrofoam Pin Cushion

2010-07-27T23:53:00.001-07:00

While I was sitting on the floor making my Hot Glued Flower I reached over to grab something and knelt on my plastic box of pins and it shattered. Within my reach was a chunk of Styrofoam, a scrap of fabric, my ribbons and my still-warm hot glue gun. So here was my spur of the moment pin cushion.

I wrapped the styrofoam with the fabric (like a present!) and hot glued the edges. I used the ribbon to hide the rough edges. The longest part was putting the pins in. I didn't think I had that many!

Hot Glued Fabric Flower

2010-07-27T23:36:00.001-07:00

This fabric flower was made from some of my tablecloth scraps from when I reupholstered my chair. It was super quick and easy. All you have to do is cut a long strip of fabric, mine was about an inch and a half wide, and dab some hot glue at the very end and twist the fabric to make a roll and you glue it in a spiral to make it look like a rose. Glue your end to the back and cut a piece of felt and hot glue that on the back also. I added a leaf and a clip.

Chair Redone

2010-07-27T13:46:00.000-07:00

The wood on this chair looks great. It matches the table that is in my craft room. And the new garage sale find, an Ikea desk that is REALLY sturdy! Well, only compared to my table that I can never seem to tighten enough. I unscrewed the seat from the bottom and used a flat head screwdriver to pry the staples out of it and take off the fabric.

I used an old table cloth for fabric to cover the seat of my chair. It was important to check both sides of the used fabric to make sure there weren't any stains in the piece that I wanted to use. I cut out the fabric a few inches wider than my seat and cut out the corners so there would be less fabric to get in the way.

Next, I folded the fabric over before I stapled it, to keep the edges from fraying. Once I finished stapling then I screwed the seat back onto the chair and it was done. Doesn't look as awesome as it could be with different fabric, but with using what I had it looks great!

My husband wonders why he spent money on my "bling" if its always turned around so no one can see the stones, but I do have them and I love them!

Clothesline Idea Holder

2010-07-13T21:06:00.000-07:00

This is a simple idea to hold pictures, messages or kid's artwork. I wanted mine in my craft room to hold ideas. For now.

Ribbon Memo Board

2010-07-11T17:58:00.000-07:00

Many people have done this project, and if not, you need to try it. It was easy and it's useful.

Mine were both made from what I had around the house, left overs from other projects. The first one I did I used a wooden picture frame that had held a mirror (used on the wanted poster). It was from the dollar tree. I put cardboard inside the frame to back it since I had taken the mirror out.

First you want to find fabric, batting and ribbon. The fabric needs to be a few inches bigger than your frame on each side. The batting should be the same. I didn't have batting, so I used stuffing. It came out a bit more lumpy, I like to think of it as cloud-like. The ribbon is tricky, measure your frame diagonally (I got 17 inches), add 2-3 inches (20). Multiply that by 4 (80).

Lay down your fabric and then your batting. Fold around the edges of your frame and staple them down. I used a staple gun, but a normal stapler can work also. Make sure you pull the fabric tight.

Next you will cut your ribbon. Of your total length, cut it in half. Then cut one of the halves into a quarter of the original length. Now you have a half piece, and two quarter pieces. Take one of the quarters and staple the edge onto the corner of the back of your frame.

Pull the ribbon across the front of the frame (over your fabric and batting) and staple the other side to the back of the frame. Make sure that the ribbon is laying flat. Do the same thing from the other two corners.

Next take the half piece of ribbon and staple it on the back between the two side corners. Pull the ribbon across the front of the frame to the middle of the top of the frame and staple it on the back. Fold the ribbon to go over the front of the frame and pull to the next side and staple it on the back. Fold it over, and pull it to the bottom middle of the frame. Staple and fold again. Pull it over back to the original side of the frame and staple it next to the other end of the ribbon. Confusing? The first picture is of the finished back of the first sample and the pictures below that are of my second sample. The thinner black ribbon is the first two quarters you stapled on, and the thicker brown ribbon is the single half-piece of ribbon.

That was all that I did on the first sample, I liked it just the way it was, I pinned on a cute flower and cute pin for whatever I wanted to hang on it later. The second sample I added a little more. I used pins to hold down the ribbons a bit tighter and for some cuter looks. On the backside after I pushed the pin though the cardboard I bent them and put a piece of duct tape to hold them down better. (If its on the back who cares what it looks like :) I also stapled a loop of ribbon at the top to use when I went to hang it up. There are all sorts of variations you can do for this idea, just be creative and use what you have! You can find the first sample on etsy.com. Thanks for reading!

Dad's Old Magazines- Refridgerator Magnets

2010-07-08T20:32:00.001-07:00

My dad was having a hard time throwing away his old magazines, so he felt better giving them to me. They were going out the next recycling day, but I decided to cut them up and make some word magnets from them. His magazines were all too 'manly' and it was hard trying to find words that weren't "appliances", "powerful", or "software".

First, gather all of your supplies. You will need magazines, magnets (those ones businesses give out to advertise and are stuck on your phone book), glass gems (mine were bought at the dollar tree craft section), scissors for paper, scissors for cutting the magnets, mod podge, and a paintbrush.

Next, you can start looking for words. Try to find a good selection of words, plenty of adjectives, verbs, nouns and pronouns. Think of how you would make sentences with these. Measure with an average sized gem to see how your word will look with it.

If you are using the free magnets from your phone book or from other businesses it helps to peel the advertisement part from the magnet. It usually leaves the white paper stuck to it, but that looks like a better background than the ad for your smaller words.

Once you find plenty of words its time to start getting messy. Dip your paintbrush in the mod podge and paint the flat side of the gem. Then stick the word onto the gem so that you only see the backside of the word. Paint over the word, and then stick the gem plus the word onto your magnet. Cut out around the magnet and then you can let your finished magnet dry.

It's important to cover the whole back of the gem with the magnet or else it won't be strong enough to stick to your fridge. Also, make sure that you don't use too thick of paper, it can also make the magnet too heavy. If you don't want to worry about it, buy some magnetic tape or magnets from the craft store.

Now you have a whole set of cute word magnets and you can leave fun (or funny!) messages on your fridge (or magnet board.... tutorial still to come!) Here's my listing on etsy.com if you would rather me make these for you. Special orders are available. Thanks for reading!

Cuter T-Shirt Idea

2010-07-08T11:31:00.000-07:00

This was a shirt that someone gave me, I loved the style of the shirt but it said something weird on it, in a font that made it only fit for kids in high school, and not my style.

First, I found some extra fabric I had laying around (actually a pair of white boxers that had been tossed into my scraps after my husband decided he didn't like how they fit) and I cut a square out that covered the words.

The next step to making this fabric look cute is to make a stencil. I like to make my own stencils because then they're personalized and because I don't have to buy them. To make your own stencil, find an image (or if your artsy, draw one!) on a google image search or clip art. Then put it in word or paint and make it the size that you want it to be on your t-shirt and print it out on the card stock. Then you will cut it out. Keep in mind that sometimes if you don't use a stencil image that there can be center pieces that will fall out (Think about cutting out an "A" and how you need the middle triangle to be there), so draw lines of parts you need to keep when you cut.

After you've made your stencil it's time to paint it onto the fabric. Fabric paints work best, but I've found that acrylic paints still work, they wash fine and only fade a little. I sponged my star shape on and then brushed the silver on around it. I also stitched on a button in the center.

When your fabric is finished it's time to take it to the sewing machine. I used a zig-zag stitch to keep the frayed ends from fraying too much and sewed a big square around the writing on the shirt.

Hope you can use this idea to make something even cuter!

4th of July- Ideas for Now or for Next Year

2010-07-06T18:23:00.000-07:00

I had my younger siblings over the day before the 4th of July and was very mean and forced everyone to make a craft to put as a centerpiece for our 4th of July table. They all wanted to use my favorite medium and use the acrylic paints. I had a wooden serving tray, a metal bucket, and cardboard sheets in my craft room closet. This is what they created.
For my project, I had some felt and different ribbons and cords lying around and a big plastic jar that used to hold pretzels. This would be cute in different colors for other times of the year. I hot glued the different mix of ribbons to the felt and then hot glued the felt to the jar. Instead of patriotic red and white stripes it looked more like a candy-cane, so I decided not to use permanent glue on the blue ribbon, so that I can use the red and white stripes and a green ribbon for Christmas. Then i arranged some fake white roses in the newly-made vase. I also painted some extra place mats with the cardboard I had found laying around. They were quick and easy, I had a star-shaped stencil already made from another painting project and the rest was just quickly hand painted. It's a cute way to protect your table on a holiday!

WANTED, DEAD OR ALIVE

2010-07-01T21:01:00.001-07:00

We saw this idea at a trading post near the Grand Canyon and it was a super cute idea, but mine looks much better. One of these will look great in our cowboy themed spare bedroom. If you want one for your house you can paint one yourself, it was a fun project. You just cut a piece of plywood, and paint it to look like wood, or stain it if your piece of plywood looks good enough, and then print some words that you want to stencil and cut them out of cardstock or cardboard and sponge them onto your background. Then I used tacky glue to hold the mirror to the wood and hot glued the leather cord around the mirror.

Love Wall Hanging

2010-07-01T20:39:00.000-07:00

This wall hanging made our apartment look a little more homey. I paper mache'd the frame and the flowers and leaves I painted by hand, and I put everything else together. Its for sale at http://www.etsy.com/listing/50643898/love-wall-hanging .

My New Adventure

2010-07-01T20:14:00.000-07:00

The new adventure is to see if I can make anything that people are willing to pay money for. I've started selling a few things on etsy.com. My shop is monzanita.etsy.com. If you see anything you like and want it personalized I would be more than happy to do it for you, and if you have any other ideas for me, let me know!

All Around Craft Lover

2010-07-01T18:57:00.000-07:00

I like to make things, make things look good and be thrifty. All three combined usually turn out to be pretty good projects. "Monica can make that" is something you hear when friends are around. Usually its just to tease me for being self-proclaimed "cheap" but sometimes it comes in handy and they mean it as a good thing. For me, it is always a good thing. I love being cheap (usually) and I love to feel productive when I make something or make something look good. So the next few posts are products of having a good and productive day.