Cute & Quick!

My MIL bought me a cube storage unit for my birthday and I made a few decorative items to adorn the top. I've decided to share them with you! They're both super quick, easy and in my opinion, cute!

I started with subway art. I wanted a home/family theme and got to work on my computer. You could easily do the same thing with your family names, address and maybe a special time or meaningful place. Just make it specific for your home & family, makes it extra special :)

 Then I painted the $1 frame I purchased from Michael's (or Walmart, can't remember which), grabbed a sheet of paper from my personal stash, cut to size and modge-podged it on! So easy. Cut out the subway art, set in the frame and you're finished! I love the damask design and  anything close to it and I wanted black & white for my decor, but you could use any color combo!

Next, I embellished a simple candle with scrapbook rub-on quotes. This is so easy your head might spin! Buy a candle- I got mine at the dollar store because I only plan to use it for decor, not scenting the house- then buy a sheet of scrapbook rub-on quotes (unless you keep some on hand like me, then just pick a phrase you like). Lastly, cut out the quote, tape it to the candle, rub and done! So simple and super cute! Go make one of your own, or several, you'll love it. :) And they can go anywhere in your house.

Here's what my cube looks like with my new crafts:

Kitchen wall update

I've wanted a vinyl quote on the wall above our kitchen pantry for awhile now. Once my hubby bought Cricut software for my birthday, I was more comfortable pulling this off. Adding vinyl to a jar or door is one thing, but with a space this large I wanted a visual before going forward. Vinyl is not something I want to waste with a mistake. So I set everything up, printed it out, added to my wall and really like the end product. It gives some flair to that wall without being too much.

I wanted the "Glory of God" part of the verse to be special, so I fancied it up a bit. All from the same font cartridge, just print vs. script. My husband and my mom both commented that the eat or drink bunched together throws you off a little, but I didn't want it to just look like a regular 'ol sentence. I wanted certain parts to stand out. Anyway, hope you like it!

Tips for using scrapbook rub-ons

Do you like to use rub-ons? I do! They're one of my favorite ways to dress up a scrapbook page in terms of writing/lettering (I don't care for my penmanship). Here's the problem. At least half the time I use them, I manage to rub some other part of a letter onto my page. And I'm very careful, but those little guys still sometimes manage to stick to the page and rub just slightly. This, of course, messes up a letter- or several- that you'll need at some point, plus makes the page look a little messy. Not a fan of this. SO I figured out a better way! Cut, then rub. Maybe you figured this out years ago or maybe you do just fine with the big sheet. But I figured there must be one person out there who could benefit from this information.

I like to use small scissors for this. Carefully

cut out the letters you need

 Place them on your scrapbook page (or where ever

you're using them) and rub. That's it!

Ah, no mess and all the letters are in tact. I also like that this way gives me an opportunity to see the letter placement before applying them. And lastly, I have no idea why the 'y' is ginormous. It's the lowercase y, I checked several times, ha! Hope this little tip helps!

Front door wreath

For awhile now I've wanted to personalize our front door with a wreath. This, of course, is not a novel idea. Lots of people do this, but I still wanted to dress it up in my own unique way. I've been perusing thrift stores lately and happened to find this diaper wreath:

Baby #3 is a boy, so this would work nicely on the hospital door or nursery door when we bring him home, but a diaper wreath is much more fun for showers. I like the colors and the wreath was already wrapped in blue ribbon (under the diapers)- I knew I could re-use the other ribbons. This cost $6.88. I also wanted to personalize the wreath with our last name initial, so I grabbed a letter from Hobby Lobby:

The letter was $1.99 but I used a HL gift card I received for my birthday (I purchased other items as well) so for me it was technically free! I painted and dressed it up with a little ribbon I have on hand then got to work on the the wreath construction.

First, I removed the diapers from the wreath then took off the ribbons from the diapers and managed to keep both the diapers (can use those for baby!) and the wreath in tact. There were, however, lots of glue marks on the wreath itself, so I flipped it over and used the back side. I knew the ribbon end needed to be covered, so I decided to make flowers out of the ribbon wrapped around the diapers. Each piece was short so I just winged it and started looping the ribbon together. I don't know if people make flowers this way, but I like how it looks and serves my purpose.

I used the same ribbon I wrapped around the B to cover the middle and added a scrapbook embellishment on top of that to finish it off. Again, items I have on hand. I made two of these and three rosettes, then attached everything to the wreath. I think the large ribbon bow gives a nice touch and anchors the wreath. Here's how it looks on my front door:

I definitely could've re-purposed this for a baby decoration, since blue & brown are such good baby boy colors, but I love how this turned out. And the best part: the project cost $8.87!! You can't get much better than that and there's no way I could buy a wreath, four different types of ribbon and diapers to boot for less than $9. I am quickly becoming a fan of thrift stores!! Good luck making your own inexpensive wreath!

Bags

I've had this tote bag tutorial in my possession for awhile, waiting for a good time to use it. From Little Lizard King, this tutorial is super easy and cute! A good time came earlier this year when I made a bag for my mom's birthday or mother's day, I can't recall which (they're pretty close together). I didn't follow her measurements exactly, instead I bought a yard of fabric and eyeballed how large I wanted it.

I found the fabric and straps at JoAnn's (during a 40% off sale, yay!) and bought some for myself in case I liked enough to make my own. And I did! I love how they both turned out and mine came in handy for our beach trip last month. Since vinyl is sewn in, they're easy to clean as well. I know it's late in the year to start a beach bag of your own, but it would make a great overnight bag as well.

Homemade Sugar Scrub

My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year. After two surgeries and radiation, she told me she was having a post-cancer/radiation party. I thought she was being metaphorical at first, but she said she was serious. The party was scheduled a few weeks ago and actually turned out to be a surprise 30th birthday party for me! Since I didn't know the party was for me, I had gifts prepared. I thought for an occasion such as this, homemade gifts would be welcome. I embroidered and sewed a little canvas bag- about the size for books- with the breast cancer logo and her name. I finished this particular gift at the very last minute (day we were leaving town for the party) so in my hurry forgot to take pictures! Next time I see her, I'll have to get some pics. I've wanted to make sugar scrub for awhile and thought this was the perfect opportunity to give it a go. I had an idea what ingredients were needed but not the measurements, so I went to the internet and found a great recipe here. I made some labels, dolled it up with a tulle ribbon and wah-la:

I cut her recipe in half and it fit perfectly in this jar, my mom says she loves it!

Project: Embroidery paper

Paper. That you sew. Am I the only person who thinks that's super cool? Okay, maybe I am. I first ran across this idea in Hobby Lobby, I think. They sell several empty containers which are perfect for personalizing. I wanted to try the embroidery paper for awhile and finally decided to take the plunge with my cousin's baptism. I love how it turned out! Cute and functional...she's sent along good reports as well.

If you have an embroidery machine, you can do this too! Buy something to personalize- I know Hobby Lobby has several items such as coffee cups, kids cups & snack containers. Then buy some embroidery paper- I found mine at JoAnn's and bought every style because it was on clearance. Lastly, run it through your embroidery machine just like an outfit or bag. That easy!

Counter Organization

A little while back my husband kept all his workout powder containers and coffee on our counter. Honestly, it drove me a little crazy but I didn't have the storage solution I wanted. Until one day at Hobby Lobby I ran across three glass jars of varying sizes for 1/2 off. Win Win! I snatched them up, added some vinyl labels and wah-la! No more yucky bags and containers on the counter top. I have a much easier timing standing in the kitchen now.

Ladybug birthday party

For my daughter's 1st birthday party, I chose a ladybug theme. I almost went with bugs/nature- like dragonflies, butterflies, bumblebees and the like along with ladybugs- but had so much fun with just ladybugs it didn't seem necessary. At any rate, this was my first party where I had the opportunity to create handmade crafts and I loved it! Almost everything was handmade for this party- I even baked the cake, cupcakes and cookies myself, so much fun!! Instead of the traditional black & red, I chose pink & green for the main colors.

Invitation 

I made two banners for inside & outside but 

the chance of rain led me to hang both indoors

droopier than I like, but had to hang low enough 

to be seen under the fan

High chair banner

Door signs- again, both ended up inside because of

the rain possibility

cans and flower cut-outs for centerpieces

hanging lanterns- semi-homemade. I loved the paper 

lanterns and had to buy them, but were intended for a baby shower

so I covered the feet & carriages with my own ladybugs

Wall decals to decorate the corners lined with streamers

Matching hat, onesie & bib

Cupcake toppers, water bottle labels & food labels

And last but not least, favor bags!

I had so much fun preparing for this party! I love all the details an very much enjoyed personalizing and creating my own decorations for my little girl's day!