Queen B and Me

My FAVE outfit of the Week ~Take1

2012-03-05T18:15:00.000-07:00

I have decided to add a new element to my blog...
{My FAVE outfit of the Week}
Whether it's mine or someone else's {mostly mine}

Here is my FAVE outfit this week!

{I actually wore it Friday then again on Sunday!}

St. Patrick's Day Prints {FREE}

2012-02-27T18:05:00.001-07:00

~Please leave a comment and follow this blog if you are going to download these printables~

{It's good etiquette}

~These are for PERSONAL use ONLY~

Jess has been so kind to have designed these for us, hop on over to her blog and say THANKS!! http://iridescentdesign.blogspot.com/

DOWNLOAD HERE

As some of you know I have been really sick with pneumonia and my food allergies...
I haven't felt well enough yet to come up with lots of darling ways to display these... Look HERE for some inspiration from the printables at Valentines.

I scaled the tag down to a 4X6, punched a hole in the corner and tied it with some bakers twine. Couldn't be easier than that!!

DOWNLOAD HERE

Linking UP!
Tatertots and Jello
A to Zebra Celebrations {FREE Printables Link up}
Made in a Day
House of Hepworths
The Shabby Creek Cottage
{Primp}
The Rooster and the Hen
No Minimalist Here
Lil' Luna
The Brambleberry Cottage
It's Overflowing
Savvy Southern Style
Ginger Snap Crafts
Funky Polkadot Giraffe
Sugar and Dots
Ask Anna
Home Stories A to Z
Teagan's Travels
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
House in the Roses
Serendipity and Spice
Get Outa my Head Please

Knick of Time
Coastal Charm
Between Naps on the Porch

Since GFC is going away, and I don't like that new linky follower.. Bloglovin is the closest to GFC.. I actually might like it a tad more... it is SO easy to use!
So PLEASE...
Follow my blog with Bloglovin

{Vintage Kitchen Makeover}

2012-02-16T12:51:00.000-07:00

My Mom picked up this Vintage Children's Play Kitchen Cabinet at an antique auction almost 4 years ago.
My Dad was going to re-finish it and give it to my daughter for Christmas that year...
Well he must have given up because I found it in his wood pile ready for demolition!
I asked if I could have a go at it, and this is how it went.......

It was in pretty bad shape, not only were there a gazillion layers of paint on it, someone {my dad} had already tried stripping the paint off... unsuccessfully.

It was weird how the paint wouldn't strip off, it just got all bubbly and gooey and it seemed to make it adhere to the wood even more.

I have never seen anything like it.

The old laminate was all cracked and had chips in it everywhere.

This picture was taken AFTER I had been sanding it, it was horrible to work with.

1}I went through lots and lots of sandpaper! And I mean LOTS and LOTS!! ~Finally! All sanded and ready for paint!

2}First coat of cream paint {with help from my sweet hubs and lil darling}

3}I printed a few shapes on my cricut and used them to stencil these cute designs on to the cabinet.

I Mod Podged some scrapbook paper right on top of the ruined laminate counter top.

~{after I cleaned/scraped it off really good first}~

I can't believe how perfect it matched the paint!

~~{P.S. My little doll has 'made tea' & spilled water, and they have held up great so far.}~~

All FINISHED!!!! I had nightmares about sandpaper for a while... ha! but it was so fun and SO rewarding!

My little bean LOVES it!!!!

{I actually did this 2 years ago, but since I have pneumonia and can't do much, I thought I would share this with you}

Linking Up
{Primp}
House of Hepworths
Made in a Day

Lil' Luna
The Brambleberry Cottage
It's Overflowing
Savvy Southern Style
Ginger Snap Crafts
Funky Polkadot Giraffe
Sugar and Dots
Ask Anna
Teagan's Travels
Coastal Charm
Serendipity and Spice
House in the Roses
Between Naps on the Porch
Home Stories A to Z
Knick of Time
My 1929 Charmer
Redoux
Funky Junk Interiors
Common Ground
French Country Cottage
Flamingo Toes
Tatertots and Jello
Joy in the Jumble
Toys in the Dryer
Five Days Five Ways

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY

2012-02-14T14:18:00.001-07:00

Happy Valentines Day!!

I really hope yours is a lot better than mine!I have had pneumonia now for a lil over a week, and it is NO fun.

As I am sitting here I am daydreaming about snuggling in my soft warm bed... which is where I am headed shortly, so don't worry!

How cute is my little doll!! WOW is she PINK!!!

She got up and got herself all ready for school all by herself!! {well, I curled her hair when I got enough energy to pull my sick tush outa bed}!

It is crazy how stressed I have been about blogging tho, I am serious, I am so scared about loosing readers interest because it's been over a week since my last post.

I know I don't have a huge following, but I don't want to disappoint anyone..

I once heard 'it's not about QUANTITY it's about QUALITY'

So I have decided not to stress about posting every single day, but I at least want to have something for you once a week... till I feel all better, but even at that it may only be twice a week :)

I have been adding some fun lil things to my Valentines Decor throughout the last few weeks. I wonder if you can spot them??
Here is a link to the previous Valentines post I did, just in case you want to see the differences... but I am sure you are too busy for that... but just in case.. Here is another one lol.

I hope you all have a LOVELY day and spend time with those you truly care about! Pretty sure my hubs will be cooking dinner for his 2 ladies, since I am pretty much useless and the other lady is 6!
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

{Don't worry air kisses and hugs are not contagious!}

{Mailbox Makeover}

2012-01-31T13:36:00.001-07:00

Funny Story about this mailbox...

Before the house was even ours, I told my hubs I was going to paint the mailbox and make it cute. He was NOT on board with that idea!

He said that it was a piece of crap and he tore it off the post and threw it away! {not only was I shocked at his He-Man skills, I was dumfounded because it wasn't even our house yet!}

he he he.. Little did he know that I smuggled it out of the trash and into our trunk!

While he was at work, I went to work!

~I took it apart

~I sanded it

~I pounded out dents {most of them anyway}

~and I started priming it

Sorry chaps, I know you are all wonderful and completely sane... but on the off chance I get a psycho reading this...

I couldn't let my address be shown, hope you understand :)

It actually only took me like 45 minutes of prep time before I started priming it, maybe even less.

I forgot to take pics after the first coat of paint...

I ended up spraying 4 or 5 coats!

When the paint was dry, I scratched it up a bit with some sandpaper.

Then I applied the vinyl.

I quickly whipped up a design on the cricut using the storybrook cartridge.

After the vinyl was in place I did about 3 applications of clear coat. {don't want the crazy weather messin with my new paint-job!}

I gave the mailbox to my husband at our closing {signing the papers to make the house legally ours}I also stuffed some Under Armour shirts inside for another surprise... you've got mail!}

He was pretty surprised, he had NO idea it was the old one!

I keep proving to him time and time again that I am a junk transformer, whisperer.. whatever you want to call it, and he continues to doubt me! WHAT MORE DO I HAVE TO PROVE HUN?! BOOYA!

I had plans to build our own mailbox stand... but we found this one while we were at Home Depot one day getting other supplies for our house. A cedar mailbox post! I think it was around $35.00. We got some quick-crete for a few bucks and there you have it a brand new mailbox! {We put it up before we really even got started on the inside, I was sending a message to the neighborhood... YOU GOT YA SOME NEW NEIGHBORS.... WATCH OUT!}

I had a friend stop by to see the progress of our house, she said, "Well judging by your mailbox, I bet your house is going to be darling." AWE THANKS!!

{I think the inside is turning out pretty fab!}

Linking up!

Too Much Time on my Hands

Joy in the Jumble

Elizabeth and Co.

It's Overflowing

Living Life Intentionally

Toys in the Dryer

Between Naps on the Porch

It all Started with Paint {fun blog hop}

The House in the Roses

Knick Of Time

{{{Exciting News}}} ~I am a Contributer!!~

2012-01-29T11:37:00.000-07:00

I am SO excited to announce that I was chosen to be the DIY Contributer for a fabulous blog you probably already LOVE called Lil' Luna! Kristyn is the DARLING girl that's in charge of all the AMAZING posts over there... And if you haven't been to Lil' Luna for a visit, I suggest you do! She has a variety of super cute crafts and Yummy Recipes... SO many great ideas!

I also wanted you to meet some other AMAZINGLY TALENTED ladies that will be a part of the Lil' Luna Contributing Fam! Go visit them and say HELLO! I am already loving all of them!

{oh that's me!}

Boxwood Clippings

Be Mine {Chevron Valentine}

2012-01-25T01:39:00.000-07:00

~Please leave a comment and follow this blog if you are going to download these printables~

{It's good etiquette}

~These are for PERSONAL use ONLY~

Well Jess has done it again! She has designed DARLING printables for us! ~It was up to me to come up with ways to display them. {The FUN part!}

I went to the Dollar Tree the other day to see if they had any good silk flowers {cuz sometimes they do!}

My mom made thee cutest topiaries out of Dollar Store Flowers... Anyway I found the double 5X7 matte board AND those cute heart picks there! SCORE!!! {The blue mason jars came from a local antique shoppe}

I knew all I needed was a little embellishment and we'd be golden!

I had some leftover paper straws from the Paper Straw Wreath I made last week, so I thought I'd make a mini one!

I found a small washer in my junk drawer that I could glue the straws to, and it worked out great!

~These are 5X7 prints~

Download Here

Below is how I actually have these displayed in my home

I took this pic from my phone!{Testing out a new app}

I am kinda not liking the pic below, but I couldn't let you see all the Christmas Cards still on the side of my fridge!

I found this 5X7 Magnetic photo frame at the Dollar Store too!!

I just thought I would show you ONE more way to display these cute printables for super cheap!

It doesn't get cheaper than printing them off and clothes-pinning to whatever items you already have!

Download Here

All YOU NEED IS LoVe, LoVe ~LoVe IS ALL YOU NEED~

Linking Up!!
Lil' Luna
Ask Anna
Dear Lillie
Tatertots and Jello
Fine Craft Guild
Lolly Jane Boutique
Sassy Sites!
My 1929 Charmer
Flamingo Toes
I heart Nap Time
Get Outta my head please
Family Ever After
Five Days... Five Ways
It's Overflowing
Six Sisters' Stuff
Destination: Craft
Itsy Bitsy Paper Blog {Valentines Party}
Michelle Paige {Valentines Party}
Get Outta My Head Please
Home Stories A2Z
{Primp}
Bunny Jeans Decor and More
DIY by Design
Savvy Southern Style
Sugar and Dots
Passionately Perfect
The Southern Product Queen

**BONUS**
Visit http://iridescentdesign.blogspot.com/ for more FREE Valentines Printables!!

Valentines Decor and Paper Straw Wreath

2012-01-19T19:16:00.000-07:00

I saw this fabulous wreath on Tatertots and Jello at Christmas time, I told her I was going to make one for Valentines because I just fell in love with it!

Supplies:

-Small foam wreath form ($3.99 at JoAnns)

-Ribbon to wrap your wreath form

-Paper Straws (I used 20 red and abt 40 Pink)

-Decor.. Ribbon, hearts, bakers twine etc.

-Glue Gun and Glue Sticks

Even though this winter has been abnormally warm, I still wanted to mix a few elements of spring into my Valentines Decor... well because it just makes me happy!

Linking UP!
Dear Lillie
Joy in the Jumble
Serendipity and Spice
Six Sisters' Stuff

Northern Cottage

Fine Craft Guild

I Heart Nap Time

Valentines Day Paper Crafts Decor (EASY)

2012-01-17T19:36:00.004-07:00

I have NO idea what has gotten into me the last few weeks, but I am obsessed with (easy) paper crafts! Maybe it's because they are cheap??... And SO EASY!!! Anyway here are three paper crafts that were cheap, quick and easy!!

Here is what you need for the Hearts Garland...

I used my cricut to cut out the hearts and the scalloped circles. I gathered some old buttons for the middles. Oh and I crumpled up the scalloped circles and added a touch of glitter to the edges.

The 2nd easy paper craft is the large scalloped circles (homemade doilies) that are on the top of my mantel. I found some paper that I liked and cut out 10 1/2 inch scalloped circles on my cricut. Then all I did was fold them to the desired length to hang over.

3rd one, and the easiest... I gathered the scraps of paper left over from the first project and cut out different sized hearts on the cricut... I clothes pinned them to the hanging wire of an old frame that I spray painted.

Gosh I LOVE decorating for holidays!

Linking up!

Five Days... Five Ways

Southern Product Queen

Get Outta My Head Please

Serendipity and Spice

Northern Cottage

Angry Birds Cake Pops

2012-01-14T01:05:00.000-07:00

I am FINALLY posting pictures of these! I made them a year ago!!!

I had never made cake pops before these. It was my hubs birthday and I wanted to do something special... not the traditional cake or cupcakes.

I had just purchased a cake pops book (waste of money! So I am not listing what the book was called) So I thought it high time I try to make them,,, but HOW to decorate them????

I looked through the book a few times for inspiration but nothing stood out to me,, AT ALL!

One day I was perusing some of my fave blogs and I came across this (Angry Bird Cupcakes) post, I knew immediately that's what I was going to make!

Unfortunately I couldn't copy everything exact, because cupcakes and cake pops are totally different... SO I had to get creative, luckily I am always up for the challenge!

When you are buying chocolate to dip the cake, and you need a specific color, make sure you buy chocolate coloring! You can't use normal food coloring to color chocolate. I got WAY lucky when I went to get my chocolate, they already had that perfect blue color, so all I had to worry about was the green.

SUPPLIES:

Cake Mix (your choice of flavor and supplies needed to bake cake)

Frosting (cream cheese tastes best)

Bakers Chocolate in the colors you need and/or chocolate coloring

Sucker Sticks

Chocolate Sprinkles Red, Yellow

Reg. & Mini Marshmallows (eyes and pig nose, both are cut in half)

Black Candy Gel, or Tiny Black Licorice Rope

Assorted Candies of Different Shapes and Colors

For the beaks I used orange slices candy cut into 3rds and sweet tarts candies (already shaped like a beak)

Tic Tacs (mint flavor) and Chocolate covered sunflower seeds were used for the feathers on top of their heads

Reeses Pieces were used for cheeks on white bird

Frosting Sprinkles in the shape of flowers were used for blue birds feet

There's the Birthday Boy enjoying his first bite! He LOVED them, and was SO surprised at how well they turned out!

*Side note* Remove Tic Tacs before eating! The minty flavor does not mesh well with the cake pop goodness!

Linking up!

Five Days Five Ways

Fine Craft Guild

Tatertots and Jello

Organize your kids Art ~Free Printables~

2012-01-06T20:51:00.002-07:00

1 2 3

Jess designed these SUPER cute (free) printables for all of us to share, and to hopefully get us more organized!
I came up with a few different ideas for them, to help spark your creativity! I know you will come up with something brilliant!

1~ I bought a pack of multi colored folders at WalMart for a few bucks, and they happened to match both boy and girl designs perfectly! I like the idea of a folder, because I know I can throw things in there quick if I need to, then I can punch holes & put rings through to hold everything in permanently later.

2~ These little notebooks are a MUST if you have kids! They are only .94 cents at WalMart.

AND they will help your child's dexterity ;)

My kindergartner ALWAYS wants paper to doodle on... she has since she could hold a pencil!

Your little one will think it is SO cool to have their own lil book (I think of it as a journal), that they might not scribble on your Receipts, Bills, WALLS!

I encourage my little one to glue little things she has made, or pictures she likes in her book (which is so not as cute as the one I made for Carson, Jess's lil guy)

What better journal entry than a darling hand drawn.. something or other ;)

3~ Since Carson is still a baby I thought his first few drawings should be kept safe in an envelope (after they are displayed proudly on the fridge for a while!)

Let's face it, you will have good intentions to scrap book these little scribbles, but if you live in the real world, you wont get to it for a while, so why not store them somewhere cute and clearly labeled?

~These printables are for private use only.~

Please leave us a quick comment if you download or if you like what you see

Download HERE

You have no idea how good it felt to gather all the stray papers off my fridge, off Em's desk, or shoved down in her backpack! Now they are neatly organized in this cute folder. I made the Kindergarten and First Grade tags on Picnik (one of my fave websites!)

These are all the papers I have been saving for the last 3 to 4 years from Pre School and Primary.... so I did the Purge! I threw away a small pile, and kept the special things in the box.. The rest went into the book, and Emma just keeps picking it up and going thru it.. "Did I really do this?" she kept asking me.
I realized that I wasn't making the books just for me.
As I was making these books I ran across a cute little book similar to the one above on Pinterest (I was seeking much needed inspiration) see here She scanned in all her daughters artwork, shrunk it down and made cute little books for the Grandparents. I ask you, "WHO HAS TIME FOR THAT?!".... LOVE LOVE the idea though!

Have fun getting more organized this year, and keep checking back for all the fun projects we have in store for you!
~We want to see what you make with these printables, we may even feature you!~

Linking up!

I want to Introduce you....

2012-01-04T21:19:00.000-07:00

I want to introduce you to Jess! She will be a contributor to this blog! I am so excited to have her!!! She is SO sweet and SO talented! We will be working on projects together to help you get a bit more organized... 2012 is supposedly the year of Organization so we are gonna help you out!!

We have lots of fun things up our sleeves for you all to enjoy this year... including lots of FREE Printables! YAY!! HAPPY HAPPY! Here is to a great year together!!!

Hey! My name is Jessica Anderson, I am the mother of a beautiful 1-year old boy Carson and wife to my studly husband (and best friend) Dan. We live out on a farm in central Utah (in the middle of nowhere) and I love it! I pass my time by playing with my sweet little boy, creating, photographing, and cooking. I love to be creative (and you have to be when you live so far away from civilization!) I also love to laugh and have a good time! I believe in making mistakes and learning from them. Nobody's life is perfect, and we all have things we can learn from each other.

Come visit my blog: http://iridescentdesign.blogspot.com/

****************************************************************************************

Small Bathroom Remodel... on a BUDGET!

2012-01-03T18:01:00.000-07:00

This Bathroom was a nightmare to say the least!

(Skip to near the end if all you want is cost breakdown)

1-2-3---DEMO!!!

1 This was my first ever view ~~and smell~~ of the bathroom.
2 I wasn't quite sure what we were going to do yet in here, but I knew I at least wanted a new sink and toilet.
3 Um YUCK, going thru these pictures is so odd, I don't remember it this way, I just remember it all torn apart because that is what it looked like the longest.
4 DEMO TIME! We started with the sink and the toilet, but when we tore out the toilet we found a few unexpected dangers.
The floor was totally rotting out, I don't know how the people who lived here didn't fall into the basement when they sat to do their business...
Anyway we decided that we had better tear out everything and totally replace the subfloor... What a joke!
Under that tile was cement board, under that was more tile (circa 1970's-ish) under that was linoleum (circa 1940's-ish) Under that was the original hardwood floors... then finally the subfloor, which had to come up too!
Since the floors were so bad, we decided to tear the walls down, just to be safe... didn't want any mold surprises!
Well wouldn't you know, the walls had almost as many if not more layers than the floor!
Sheetrock was the outermost layer, when that came down... there was another layer of sheetrock with a few layers of wallpaper.
SO when we got the 2 layers of sheetrock off... well you can see that green square tile on the left wall (I am just now realizing I painted the bathroom almost that exact same color! Holy Cow GOOSEBUMPS!) The tile matched the 1940's linoleum.
Under that tile was lathe and plaster, you can see the dust in the picture, that stuff is horrid!!! It is SO heavy too, one of our loads to the dump was over 4,000 pounds!!

...I am remembering I was SO happy the day we signed the papers on the house; that meant it was time to get dirty! ...Was I really excited for that????? How naive I was!!

1 It was starting to feel like it was never going to have sheetrock on the walls

When we bought the house, we thought that the electrical in the house had been updated and that it was fine... we were wrong!

I found an electrician on KSL (BAD IDEA) because we were in a hurry to get it done, the few friends of ours that could have done it were just booked out too far.

Well this guy promised us the world.. (for cheap).. RED FLAG!

He took FOREVER, and we couldn't sheetrock, or do much of anything else, till he was done! He would come late, BS, then only stay for an hour or two and leave!

By this time we had come to learn of my husbands Father's cancer and we were in no mood, nor did we care much that things weren't getting done (I regret that now.. We should have fired him!)

We found out he had given us a fake name, and someone else's license number.. He never did finish, and of course he got paid!

But, we found out not too long ago that he is in prison... good riddance!

2 YAY Sheetrock was finally on the walls, and we were mudding & texturing

-There were only a few things we hired out for.. Electrical, Framing the staircase, Plumbing, and MUDDING (drywall)! -I had no idea it was not for beginners. Eli and I tried to do Emma's room, HA! When the guy came to give us the bid, he said, "Um, I'm gonna have to re-do this room." Oh well, we tried, and we were getting SO close we just wanted it done FAST and GOOD. He was worth every penny ~~we didn't have~~.

3 One of my ideas that made MORE work than what was necessary. I wanted a cute ceiling somewhere, and since the bathroom was the smallest room, I knew my hubs could do it quick... not! We went thru a few sheets of bead board because he cut the light holes out in the wrong place ha ha ha the adventures of a first time DIY project (of any kind!)

4 Now that there is actually a tub, toilet and cabinet, you can tell it's a bathroom!

We had BATHTUB DRAMA! So here is a little DIY lesson on tubs... Most all bathtubs are 60in long (5 feet) That is also how wide a standard bathroom is.

Well, we didn't know that you are suppose to SET your tub BEFORE you sheetrock.

My hubs was not about to tear out our beautiful sheetrock, so I was left to find a tub that would have to fit.

I found a few, they were all the clawfoot style (which I love) but they were only 54in from edge of lip to edge of lip, well I wasn't about to take a bath with my knees all up in my bosoms! So I was on the search again!

KSL does work for some things (not to hire contractors!) and I found a tub, a nice big soaker tub it was exactly 59in, which was exactly what I needed, but wouldn't you know when I called the guy had just sold it! I looked and looked for another 4 to 5 weeks, and nothing!

*******************************************************************************************************************************************

At this point Eli's dad was getting sicker and sicker and I slowed down my search for a tub.

The DAY after Eli's dad passed away.. I get a phone call early in the morning... this is how it went...

Man's voice: "Hi, is this Andrea?"

Me: "Yes"

Man: "I have been going thru my phone all morning trying to get ahold of you, I am the one you called a while back about a soaker tub."

Me: Shocked, tired, and speechless!

Man: "Did you ever find a tub, I know it's been a while, but I have been holding this tub for a guy and when I called him this morning, he said he didn't want it anymore... which is weird because I have called him once a week, and he has been really excited to get it from me, I was going to deliver it to him next week."

Me: stumbling over my words..."YES I want the tub! I will send you a check today! I have been SO stressed out about what we were going to do about a tub (lame to be stressed out over, I know, but I was!) I can't believe you remembered me! Thank you SO much!

Man: "I remembered how disappointed you were that I had already sold it, so I knew you wanted it pretty bad. Well, I am coming your way tomorrow and I can drop it by."

Me: "Are you serious? You are going to deliver it!? THANK YOU SO MUCH!!"

The man showed up like he said he would, he even brought a friend and they carried it in my house and everything... it fits PERFECTLY!

I like to think my Father in Law was responsible for that, Thanks Jerry!

So I know I had bathtub drama, but unfortunately I had sink drama too!

We went shopping on my birthday (back in July~that same day we found out my FIL was terminal) and I found a sink, it is beautiful! (I will post a pic of it later, after it's installed in my basement.) ~Yes, my beautiful sink has been banished to a far away land~ At least that's how I feel....

Anyway we got it for a steal, but when we brought it home we soon realized it was too big!! TOO BIG!? It's a pedestal sink for crying out loud! (That is how small our bathroom is!)

We had quite a few trips to the antique shops until we stumbled upon this little creation.

Eli found the old granite composite/steal bowl, and my Mother in Law spotted the cute cabinet tucked away in a corner being used as a base for another big heavy cabinet.

The ONLY things we did to the cabinet was put some poly on the top, cut a hole in the back, and added a knob!

I was in shock that it was different shades of blue, and that one of those shades was the SAME as my wall color!

There was no price listed, so the guy working there called some lady at home and she said we could have it for $30.00!!! (feeling divine intervention about now, since our plumber was coming the next morning to finish up, so we were scrambling to find something that would fit)

The bowl was $60, because it came with a stand that made it look like a bird bath... I may use the stand for yard art... who knows.

LUCKILY The faucet ~which I had purchased for the OTHER sink~ FIT PERFECTLY with this setup! I found the faucet on Overstock... cute huh!

PAINT:The wall color Martha Stewart Sea Glass

(I had PPG Porter Paints match all my colors for me, their paint is such great quality)

I will start at the doorway and work my way back...

Towel Ring: Found it at TjMaxx for $7.99! (Hand towel also purchased at TjMaxx $5.99)

Sink Bowl: Antique Shop $60.00

Faucet: Overstock (I will get back to you on the price)

Sink Cabinet: Antique Shop $30.00

Knob for Cabinet: Hobby Lobby $5.99

Mirror/Medicine Cabinet: Found this beauty at Lowes... it was a little on the pricey side, but I feel like it was worth it for the extra storage! With tax and everything it was around $160.00

Vanity Light: Got it at Ikea... it comes in 2 parts at $19.99 each

Stainless wall shelf: Also Ikea at $14.99

Milk Crate: (on top of shelf) Antique shop $14.99

Basket on Toilet: I already had this, I just spray painted it white $cost of can of spray paint

Q-tip holder: (in basket on toilet) TjMaxx $7.99

Toilet: Home Depot (it was a custom order, since I only have ONE bathroom, I was getting a nice toilet!) approx $240.00

Floors: I know you can't see them in this pic, but we went to Lumber Liquidators and bought unfinished pine, they are 4 or 5 inch wide planks. They only cost $1.16 sq ft! That is cheaper than most laminate! BUT, you have to sand them, and stain them. If you do it yourself...which is NOT hard, it saves a LOT of money!

Ceiling: 2 sheets of bead board $19.00 each (I added 2in mdf trim boards for more dimension, it added maybe $30.00 to the project)

Chandelier: (below) I found on Overstock and I am IN LOVE! I will get back to you on the cost, I honestly can't remember. All I know is that it's worth whatever I spent! (I know it was around $100.00 maybe less)

Recap

If I missed something, or you have questions about anything, please let me know!

I linked up...
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
French Country Cottage
Redoux
The Brambleberry Cottage
House of Hepworths
The Shabby Creek Cottage
No Minimalist Here
The Rooster and the Hen
Elizabeth and Co.
It all Started with Paint
Sugar and Dots
Five Days... Five Ways
Get outta my head please
http://houseinroses.blogspot.com/

Between Naps on the Porch

Common Ground
Knick of Time
Coastal Charm
DIY by Design
Savvy Southern Style

Organizing for a small space

2011-12-29T21:29:00.000-07:00

My Belts were taking up WAY too much space, they were all over the floor, and taking up about 10 inches of much needed closet space (don't ask me why I forgot to take a before pic) so I needed a new solution. (if you haven't read my blog before, we restored an 1889 cottage... with NO room for storage) Gotta love these old houses!

SO I dragged my ~~annoyed~~ sweet hubs out the door and we headed for the antique store. I was looking for some type of old crate, preferably one with dividers. I had really wanted one made of wood, but then I stumbled upon this beauty, and at $14.99 I couldn't resist!!!

(I actually bought 2! I will feature in my bathroom post)

All I did when I got it home was wipe it off with a wet rag and some clorox wipes. I already had the wooden crate that I set it on. Then I just rolled up my belts and set them inside. I had a couple belts that wouldn't roll so I grabbed an ikea hook I had lying around, hooked it on the side and it worked perfectly!

Hats were another 'issue' for me, they just kept getting thrown into different places (then usually smushed!) and I could never find the one I wanted to wear.

I had bought these hooks at Hobby Lobby back in July not knowing what I wanted to use them for.

They sure came in handy for my hats! (they still have the hooks as of last week)

I might be the only person you know that keeps her jeans on her nightstand! YUP that is my nightstand, right next to my bed! But like I said, I am pretty short on storage for my clothes. OR... as my hubs puts it, we have plenty of closet space, I just have too many clothes. (probably true)

I make up my own rules, and if I see usable space, I USE IT! Try to look at tabletops, shelves, or empty wall space a little differently, stack some baskets or crates, try to use what you already have, get creative!

OH, and my cute lil girl and my hubs got me those super cute earrings for Christmas, I had them laying in my jewelry box, but don't they look much cuter hanging from my basket!
(They got them on Etsy, HooplaHoopla)

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-28T03:01:00.000-07:00

Merry Christmas to you! (sorry it's a few days late) I hope it was a wonderful day for you all!
My hubs worked a graveyard shift Christmas Eve, so Santa was set to work alone! Though I think the Lindt Truffles made it worth it :) I struggled a little bit to get our little one to bed, but that is not irregular... it happens EVERY night! People wonder why I stay up so late, well this is why -11:30 is when she finally falls asleep!!
She was so cute Christmas morning though... she was really struggling opening her stocking presents (~~hubs~~ Santa's elf wrapped them, used LOTS of tape!) and she kept saying, "Those Elf's wrapped these too good!" Well when she started unwrapping the gifts under the tree she said, "I know Santa wrapped these himself, because he made them easier for me to unwrap." (Santa didn't use a lot of tape) LOVE her! So lucky to have her!

Leave it to Holidays to remind us what is truly important in our lives!

My Father in Law passed away exactly 3 months ago. It is a continual reminder whenever anyone close to us passes of how fragile our lives are and how precious our relationships need to be. (In case you were wondering, me and my lil fam are in the top right corner behind the wreath)

As a family we met at the cemetery on Christmas Eve to send Balloons to Heaven for Christmas. We surprised my Mother in Law with the headstone.. it was set the day before, and she had no idea. We cut it close! We were hoping that it would be in before Christmas... it wasn't looking good, but it happened after all. We love you and miss you!!!

A Few Things on My Wishlist

2011-12-21T01:10:00.000-07:00

Canon EOS Rebel T3i

Been wanting this camera for quite a while now (hunny do you read my blog?! because you haven't gotten the hint yet!- Well maybe you have but you aren't willing to spend $800 bucks on a camera... oh ya, that has to be it!),

I love my Lumix, but it has it's limitations.

SNAP! Conference

I am always wanting to go to these creative conferences but I never hear about them until it's too late. -Or they are in another state, and that just isn't feasible for me right now... Well wouldn't you know, this one is only 20 min from my house and I am just dying to go! I love meeting new friends, I love being inspired, and I love being uplifted by such creative geniuses. Please Please Please can I go!
********************************UPDATE!! I got a ticket to got to SNAP!!! I am SO excited!!*******************************

Silhouette Cameo

Silhouette oh how I dream of you! I have SO many projects I could finish if you were in my life... hear that hunny...no more projects that are half-way done lurking all over the house! This machine is amazing, and I probably don't even know half of what it can do, but I sure would like to find out!! HINT HINT!

My Cottage Kitchen... Just a peak!

2011-12-20T15:40:00.000-07:00

Here is a little peak at my kitchen. We still need to install the kitchen cabinets and the kitchen sink, but I wanted to show ya'll the progress it's making! The kitchen wall color is wythe blue by Benjamin Moore... it is my FAVORITE color, the perfect mix of blue, grey, and green!

A few of my Favorite... Posts

2011-12-18T15:29:00.000-07:00

So I guess this is what happens when you are sick on a Sunday...

you totally revamp your blog!!

Click on the links to be directed to each post, I have one more I will be adding soon, but I need to re-do the pictures first!

HomeMade BirthDay Calendar

I Love a Good MakeOver

PiNk PriNceSs PiRatE ParTy and Freezer Paper Stenciling

Some Christmas Cheer

2011-12-18T01:44:00.000-07:00

Since this house is considerably smaller than our last house, our big tree won't fit... So I have 3 small trees, shoved in a nook or cranny whichever you prefer. My 6yr old says that the small tree is for our 2 kittens (Penelope Mittens, and Fuzz Boy) and our Bulldog Bella, the medium tree is for her, and the biggest tree is for Me and Dad... makes sense I guess. She helped me decorate them, she did the small tree all by herself, pretty good if I say so myself. Well I hope you are all getting crazy white elephant gifts and drinking LOTS of eggnog! God Bless!

The Living Room Re-Do

2011-12-18T00:41:00.000-07:00

I never thought this room would be clean...EVER!

~Wall Color is Martha Stewart Cornbread~

My darling husband bought me an old house I could fix up... I thought it would be SO easy, cuz I'm creative and crafty... WELL that only has a little to do with it! You need to have a ~~LOT~~ little extra cash and be willing to get REALLY dirty and work harder than you thought you were capable!

First things first.. tear out carpet! Next.. sweep up all that nasty dirt.

Oh and did I mention that there was sub-floor screwed AND nailed down to the original hardwood floors.. No I did not, because I thought it would be the death of me! Not only were they screwed AND nailed, there were like 10 different types of screws and nails (we estimated we tore out, or pounded in over 300 nails and screws!)... It was like they ran out of one style so they just grabbed whatever was in the toolbox... Needless to say, my floors have character, lots and lots of character!

Then you take crowbars, hammers, jack hammers(totally serious bout this one, my Dad had a hand-held one that I went to town with!)

And start ripping down the sheetrock, only to find lathe & plaster underneath, which has to come out too!

This was one of the hardest things to do, it is VERY time consuming!

We could only haul it out in bucket loads because the plaster is SO heavy!!

We pretty much tore every wall down to the studs except a few, because that 'few' were brick under the sheetrock.

We also replaced all the electrical throughout the whole house (which is a whole other nightmare for another post :) BUT, the electrician did tell me that I am the hardest working 'Woman homeowner' he had seen in his 20 yrs in construction! (woot woot)

Obviously we had to put up new sheetrock, mud it, and install trim. ~I went with 8in flat trim~

I had a cabinet maker come give us a bid to build a new mantle, well lets just say, I designed it, and Eli and I built it for $210 LESS than what he quoted me, and he wasn't even going to paint it!! We are pretty proud of how it turned out.

I promise I will post a tut on how to build the mantle, it was really easy and cost around $50 bucks in lumber!

Luckily my hubs was a painter for 10 yrs before he transitioned into Law Enforcement, so the painting was almost the easiest part (for him) I was SO impatient by this time, I drove him nuts! PLUS picking the paint colors was WAY harder than I thought it would be, I am sure I changed my mind everyday!

We used MINWAX Dark Walnut to stain the floors, I LOVE how rich they look!

And OF COURSE I had fun decorating it, just in time for CHRISTMAS!!!!

Recap

The Staircase! Done... Well Almost!

2011-12-17T23:05:00.000-07:00

As Some of you know, my husband bought me an old house to restore, we have been SO busy, but we are finally moving in, and I finally have a little time to share the pictures with you. I hope I can inspire some of you to take on a big project or two!

The first picture is the entrance into the master bedroom, we didn't know we were going to be covering it up with a staircase. We had no idea when we bought the house that the attic was so huge,,,, I can't wait to finish it!

We also opened up the doorway into the kitchen, found a chimney, so I HAD to expose the brick.. Obviously! And we also got extremely lucky and found hardwood floors throughout the entire first floor!

(Those are My wonderful cousins guiding us through the stair building)

1 We decided to add the stairs because of the size of our attic to add square footage to our home... WARNING: When you see that the roof is being supported like it is in the above attic picture, you have to reinforce EVERY one of the trusses with at least a 2X8!

-We also have to reinforce all the floor joists with 2X10's! = at LEAST $2,500.00 just in reinforcing!

2 Staircases are tricky! You need to have someone that is experienced help guide you through.

They will know the size of hole to cut in your ceiling according to the hight of your ceiling and how many stairs you'll need.

They will guide you on how to frame the wall to support the stairs

And they will help you cut the stringers (the supports for the treads)

3 Budget about $400 to $450 for lumber (that's doing it MY way) It just goes up from there!

I bought regular 2X10's (which saved $$) to use for the stair tread, I wanted it rustic and paintable!

I used pre-primed mdf for the faces.

And if you want skirt-board (the white trim that runs up the wall) You have to go to a lumber yard, the box stores don't sell it in that width or length. It's Pre-primed mdf measuring 12inX16ft - approx $40.00 each!

~When we add the railing I will give a play by play for that as well~

4 Little bonus... When you build stairs, in a way you are building storage! I suggested to open up the back of the stairs and build a pantry! Now I have more much-needed storage in my kitchen!

Lots and Lots of hours of hard labor, and we did most of it ourselves.

I still can't believe it!

DONE!!!! I can't believe it!!!

Well, Almost... I need to paint a runner down my stairs (maybe) and do some type of railing of course, oh and I need to decide what to do with that back wall...hmmm
Recap

Why I have been AbSenT

2011-11-11T15:17:00.001-07:00

So I know it's been quite a while, but I have good reasons, I promise! I wont go into all the details but we have been struggling with infertility and all the craziness that goes with it. I guess you could say I have been slipping in and out of depression the last couple of years with all the emotional ups and downs (mostly downs), the meds, treatments, hormones, weight gain, acne... need I go on!?... Well now I have decided to feel normal, as normal as possible!

Anyway.. my cute hubs bought me a house, a house I have always wanted.. kind of.. You see, I have always dreamt of buying an old house and restoring it. This particular house isn't exactly what I have always wanted, but I am not complaining... it's old (1889) cozy, and cute... Well maybe not very cute yet, but it will be! So we started renovations mid-June, they were going along great until the unthinkable happened, my husbands father was diagnosed with terminal cancer, and just passed away six weeks ago.

We took a lot of time off from working on the house to spend time with him, we actually ended up moving in with my husbands parents to help take care of his Dad until he passed. The whole situation was very surreal. I still cant believe it happened. We sure learned a lot about life and ourselves through the whirlwind experience, and we will continue to miss him everyday.

So on a lighter note.. our two month project turned into five, but we are finally starting to move in this weekend!!! I documented our DIY project and can't wait to share it with you.

Wipe-Off Kid Apron

2011-03-14T01:34:00.000-06:00

I found the cutest vinyl fabric and knew I needed to make something with it... but at $19 a yard, I knew it had to be something small! The lady at the fabric store told me to make a splash mat to go under my highchair, great idea... but I haven't had to use a highchair in over 3 years! I knew my little gal would love an apron, and as much as she likes to craft and paint, she will be glad I wont make her change into her 'paint clothes'.

Cut out fabric.. I measured her across her chest to cut the top, then I just 'guessed' to cut out the armpits.

If I remember, I will go find it and put the measurements on here.

Fold up edges on bottom and sides, then fold them again and pin tight (don't iron or fabric will melt)

Don't fold armpits or top, that is where the ribbon goes.

If you have a guide foot on your sewing machine, this step is a lot easier! Be slow and careful if you don't.

It's time to pick out your ribbon, cut it to the length of the top and sew it on.

I chose a grosgrain ribbon, because it's usually a little more durable.

I sewed a double line, just for looks, you certainly don't have to.

Leave 12 to 14 inches of ribbon for tie back, then pin it up the armpit, leave a loop for head to slip through, then back down the other armpit. I also did a double stitch here, just for looks.

Pockets were a total guess as well, I cut a square that seemed to fit in nice and looked proportionate.

I took the top square and tripled it's width for the lower pocket.

Cut & fold the ribbon on to pocket, pin it down and sew it on, then fold in sides and bottom, pin and sew them

Lastly, pin your pockets on apron where you want them and sew them on, your done! Pretty easy!

VaLeNtiNe for TeAcHeR

2011-02-14T21:49:00.000-07:00

I wanted to just throw this print in a frame, but guess what?! It was 11:30pm last night and I didn't have a frame! I did however have these cut pieces of beadboard laying around from a Christmas project. OH! I downloaded the print here, she has lots of other cute prints too (FOR FREE)!!

So I picked a paint and started painting, and wiping, and painting, and wiping, till I got the look I wanted. It took abt 15 min to dry.. So in the meantime, I cut the print and some foam core to the size I thought looked the best. I used a spray adhesive to attach the print to the foam core. Then I cut out a felt heart and glued it on the print.

When the paint was dry, I glued the foam core to the board and let dry over night.

This morning I drilled some holes, strung some ribbon through, and wrapped it up for Em to take to school. Gotta love those last minute panics when you know you forgot someone......

HaPpY VaLeNtiNeS DaY!!

2011-02-14T21:11:00.000-07:00

These are the treats Em took to her class today. I bought them in a kit at Hobby Lobby (Minus the Candy) I was SO mad I didn't buy more kits, because they turned out so cute... Well I was perusing the Dollar Store and they had the baggies; 25 pack for a buck! So I grabbed some, now all I have to worry about is making a cute card to staple over the top for next year. PEACE -A- CAKE! I hope you all had a 'LOVELY' day!

Last Minute Christmas Gift Idea (posted a little too late, sorry)

2011-01-19T13:14:00.000-07:00

Christmas Vinyl Blocks

So Fun and EASY to make.... you could make some for ANY holiday. I went to Lowe's and bought a 4X4 board, had it cut into 4X4X4 blocks... they aren't exact squares, but close enough! I sanded them, painted them, printed off vinyl on my Cricut, and decorated with some ribbon.

Every little Girl Needs her own Tree.... Right?

2010-12-06T22:00:00.000-07:00

Me and my little Em had so much fun decorating this together! I got the tree at Kohl's, on sale of course, I think I paid like $17.00. Then the fun part was looking for the Ornaments to adorn this cute palette of pink! We got some of them at Kohl's, most at Hobby Lobby, and some at WalMart.... My FAV is the little Alligator in the feather tutu below!

SQUEAL! I love just going in her room just to stare at it. LOL

2010 Christmas Card

2010-12-06T20:54:00.000-07:00

Our 2010 Christmas Card... we hope you all have a

wonderful Christmas... and here's to a great year!!!

P.S. Don't you love my Em's silly face?! She calls that look her 'crazy eyes'!
I HAD to include it in our card!

Christmas Countdown!!

2010-12-02T14:10:00.000-07:00

This Turned out SO cute!

Get a piece of scrap beadboard and paint it what ever color you want. I cut mine 8inX22in

I used my design skills and creativity, to make some fun numbers in photoshop, picnik, and on my cricut to embellish the board.

I used hot glue, glue dots, and big clips to attach everything to the board.

I added little Christmas Activities/Captions to the side or back of every number. Examples: Pick a Treat - Have a Snowball Fight - Watch a Christmas Movie - Make something special for Dad - Read a Christmas Book - Make Sugar cookies with Mom... and so on. I set a HUGE jar of Christmas Treats next to it, for the picking!! :)

Have a Happy Countdown!!
-if you want me to email you some of the images I used, leave me a comment with your email!
This project did not come without some battle wounds.. unfortunately, I cut my finger REALLY bad on the Martha Stewart Circle cutter, and spent the day at the Insta-Care. :(

EASY-PEAZY Picture Frame Turorial

2010-11-24T22:47:00.000-07:00

Start out with some left over beadboard, cut it to the measurements you need -depending on the size of picture you use. I used Acrylic paint that I had lying around to paint into the grooves, then wipe clean with a wet rag.

I used a lot more paint for the frames below, to give it a more distressed look. -Then cut some foam core board the same size as your picture. Use spray adhesive to attach the picture to the foam core. Then use a high bond glue to attach the foam core to your board. I used 5x7 pictures, I cut my boards to 11x11.

Add some ribbon or netting and your done! you could drill two holes in the top, and string some ribbon through to hang it, or set it in an easel which is what I prefer to do.

Robertson Family Fall 2010.... aren't we cute! I am giving these as gifts to my Grandmothers for Thanksgiving. ***Stay tuned to see what I am doing with the 'red' board at the beginning of this post, it's gonna be SO cute!*** I got this picture frame idea from the 'Creative Crate' Blog

Virus..turned Sinus Infection, a new roof, and a funeral!

2010-11-05T00:08:00.000-06:00

So Sorry for the absence, I haven't felt like crafting lately, nor blogging about it. I went to the Doc exactly a month ago today, and I am STILL sick! I cannot seem to get rid of whatever I have got... antibiotics, oils, herbs... nothing is helping! Plus in the middle of all this my sweet Aunt Susie passed away leaving a hole in my heart. Oh and to top it off, I had to get up on the roof with my sweet hubs and scrape all the shingles of our roof aagghhh!!!!
Here's to a better month!!! I love November and the Holiday cheer it helps to ring in. I am hoping I can start posting some fab Christmas crafts and gift ideas very shortly... stay tuned!

HaLLoWeEn QiEt BoOk

2010-10-14T16:30:00.000-06:00

This is my twist on a Halloween Quiet book that I saw while shopping in Gracie Lous Quilt Shoppe. It is not even near done, but I wanted to get it posted quickly, just in case someone wanted to borrow the idea before Halloween.
First start by cutting felt into 5x5in squares. (Unless you want it bigger) I cut out 9 squares.

Begin picking some fabrics you like, I picked some I wanted to sew together on one page as well.

Cut that fabric just slightly smaller than 5x5in. *You will be cutting around the edges with pinking(spelling?) shears so the fabric wont fray.

Find some embellishments you like... I got some big googly eyes and cute ribbons etc.

Don't these neat shaped pipe cleaners go great with the spider I am making!

Here is a sampling of all the pages... they are just not quite done. :(

When I finish sewing all the individual pages, I will start stacking them in the order I like *back to back* and sew them together. When that is done I will put 2 or 3 metal rings or clasps through the sides to complete the book! So fun for your little Ghouls and Goblins!

I think the BAT is the only page that is completely finished- SAD! I had better hit the sewing machine! Peace Out!

MoNsteR TeE's

2010-10-14T15:38:00.000-06:00

I had a BLAST making this little Monster for MY Little Monster! And she LOVES it!!!

I got the inspiration while I was walking through Wally World and saw this Monster gift bag on an endcap. I quickly snapped a pic with my phone, and I used it as my inspiration!

I think the shirt turned out quite a bit cuter than the bag!

I am also composing another Little Monster, it's not quite done, but I wanted to get it posted in case anyone wanted to use the idea. I got the inspiration for this tee at the fickle pickle.

It will be much cuter when it's done, I need to embellish it and such! I will post a pic when it's done. (knowing myself, it will be after Halloween)

PiNk PriNcEsS PiRaTe PaRtY!!!!

2010-10-03T19:21:00.000-06:00

I MADE THIS! Look at this AMAZING CAKE!!! (My FIRST FONDANT CAKE EVER!) I know I sound a little PROUD, but I am A LOT Proud! It turned out better than I could have imagined!

~It started with the previous posts... with the T-shirts and invites, and this post is how it ended!

I am so theme-y it's kinda embarrassing!

I found this cutie patutie Pirate outfit at TjMaxx, I couldn't believe it! I used it as my inspiration for the cake!! I was just going to make her a T-shirt along with the rest of her party guests, but I totally lucked out!

I found these chocolate cookie molds at JoAnne's.. Perfect Skull and Crossbones to go with my theme.

You pour the chocolate in and push an Oreo cookie into the back of it, so when they are done, you have chocolate covered Oreos, and they are to die for! Pretty cute eh!

The Cake! It took me 2 days to make, but well worth the final product! It was pretty tasty too, if I do say so myself!

Capt'n Emma and her first Mates The Pink Princess Pirates! (the PPP) All the boys were in the arcade, of course!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOUUUUUU!!!!

Here I am, I'm the Mom... my little one was scared of all the skeletons that adorn the entrance, hope that explains the tears.

I had a long talk with her and convinced her they weren't coming to life. (poor kid has probly watched Corpse Bride 10 too many times) -A lot Happier now!

Our sweet little Fam, just the three of us.

The party was a success! Our little bean was as happy as ever, and I am happy it's all over.

ThE InViTeS

2010-10-03T18:34:00.000-06:00

This little Pink Pirate said "AARRRR ME MATEE" to EVERYONE for a good 2 months before her Birthday! I thought she would get sick of it sooner or later... but no! I originally took a bunch of pictures like this while I was making her invites because I wanted to include them with the invites in a cute collage.. but by the time I finished everything I opted to X them out... it was just too much.
This is the Collage I made, but nobody else saw!

Here are the actual invitations, I searched online for pirate lingo, and found some pretty cute ideas from other moms who have thrown pink pirate parties! I designed the invites on Picnik.com

I had to include more pirate garb.. of course! For the girls I added a little bling to their eye-patches with stick on rhinestones. I got chocolate gold (which I could only find at Maceys in the candy bins --for $11.50 a pound!!!!) Threw in some temp tattoos, some pirate shaped suckers and other candies, and some pirate jewlery! The Mateys were set!

Thank goodness it's almost Halloween, because I was able to find these cuter than cute sacks! I used pink tissue paper for the girls and black for the boys... Originally I wanted to find cute treasure boxes to put everything in, but I couldn't find any that were reasonably priced. So they got goodies and a T-Shirt with their invites! T-shirt tutorial in Previous Post.

Let's start with the Freezer Paper Stenciling

2010-10-03T18:09:00.000-06:00

We took my daughter to Pirate Island like 8 months ago... ever since then she has been telling me that she wants to have her Birthday party there. I thought that idea would pass with time, (because you know kids, they hardly ever stay on the same thought for long) well it didn't! So I started planning.... and I think this party was more for me than for her! I had ideas coming outa every nook and cranny of my brain! Let's start with the invites.... I decided to go all Martha Stewart and make all the kids Skull and Crossbones T-Shirts.....

I purchased some freezer paper at Walmart, then I freehanded some funny skulls right onto the paper -dull side! (I used magic marker, but next time I will use a pencil (It made the paint bleed in a little). You could also trace something easy enough since it's see-through.

Get a good exacto knife and start cutting, this part is tedious, but believe me when I say,

scissors don't do the job!

When you are all cut out, dry-iron your paper--shiny side down on the shirt. And you are ready for paint! I went to JoAnne's and got the fabric paint in the small bottles, but I also needed spray fabric paint and they didn't have it, so I ended up at Walmart and found they had a better selection of regular fabric paint as well as fabric spray paint (plus it was cheaper)... so if you have a good Walmart nearby, go there... if not, go to Micheals, because they have a great selection as well!

PAINT!

For these I obviously used the spray paint... I bought the "pump spray" if you can, find the continuous spray! My hands got SO tired. It does cost a little more, but I am sure way worth it. Although, the pump spray has a smoother texture.

When the paint is fully dry.. the bottle says it takes 4 hours.. but I did these outside in direct sunlight and they were dry in about 40 minutes. Anyway, when they are dry carefully peel off the freezer paper, then lay a piece of paper over the painted parts and DRY-iron on top of that to set the paint.

To cut my work in half I was able to use ONE stencil for 2 shirts. For the shirt below I used a paint brush and the paint in the small bottles (above) and painted inward from the paper to reduce bleeding. I think they turned out pretty cute!

HaVe YoUr CaKe & EaT iT tOO!.... oR nOt!!

2010-10-03T12:38:00.000-06:00

Diaper Cake for Baby Girl (obviously for a girl!) I take a bit of a different approach to my diaper cakes, I go for an elegant factor. I also add in hair accessories (the top layer is a headband) and bracelets.

BOY!

Awe, cute little Cookie! For this order, the customer requested Cookie Monster be involved. So I built the whole cake and colors around Cookie! It was fun and turned out SO cute. I even hung binkies from his arms because I couldn't incorporate bows or bracelets.

Another Boy cake! I made this pretty generic, I just needed to have one on hand... just in case!

TWINS!!!!

Can You guess how many diapers are in there??? ...... A LOT!!!!!

This was such a fun one to work on, and my largest to date! I had to figure how to blend boy & girl, but I am pretty sure I conquered it!

OVER the HILL Diaper Cake! This was the funniest thing! And of course thee funnest cake I have ever made! A good friend of mine wanted to be funny and give his wife a Diaper Cake made of Depends for her 40th birthday... well I went a little crazy, but they LOVED it!

I included Ensure, Bunion pads, Aspirin, Bingo Marker, Denture Cleanser, Colon Cleanse... I think you can clearly see the rest.

I have plenty more that I have made... even wedding cakes made out of rolled up hand towels, but I had a photographer take the pics... and unfortunately never got the pictures :(

HomeMade Birthday Calendar

2010-10-03T11:26:00.000-06:00

This is such an EASY project and pretty cute too! You could use it as a

Super Saturday project, or give it as a gift.

Whatever you decide to do, just make one, you know you need to!

There is a link below to get the pages to print off, or make them yourself,

it's fun to be creative!

I found this cute idea at Eighteen 25. Go here, for their tutorial and to download the months. **They have a mini version as well! Go here for that one** Then decorate however you wish! I cut some super cute scrapbook paper and glued it across the bottom, which I saw on Eighteen 25. I also inked around the scrapbook paper and then around the whole page. I just love the look inking gives.... to almost everything! Next, find a clipboard (cheap ones at WalMart) and give it a makeover! I just spray painted mine and added a ribbon and an easel.

Now fill in those birthdays!

*NOTE* I have seen thee cutest clipboards lately at TjMaxx and ROSS, they cost the same or less than a cheap clipboard and a can of spray paint, and there is no work involved... well maybe shopping is work to some people, but not me!

Super easy Bracelets for kids

2010-10-03T10:59:00.000-06:00

I wanted to make something with materials I already had on hand.

I always enjoy making things for my little darling, so I decided on a bracelet.

Then I found out her 'boy' cousin was coming over so I decided to make one for him too!

This is the one I made for my nephew, he calls it his "Super Hero Powers"

They literally took me like 15 min to make both of them!

If you want me to post a tutorial on how to make these, let me know! They are SO easy and the kiddies LOVE 'em!!

Fun things coming soon!!

2010-06-21T22:17:00.000-06:00

After being a crafter my WHOLE life, thanks to my super talented Mom, I have decided to dedicate a blog to my creations, makeovers, re-dos, etc....

I can't wait to be able to catalog my endeavors... If people want to stop by and get ideas, they are sure welcome to, but first and foremost I am doing this for me.

2010-05-01T01:14:00.000-06:00