Diva Planter

With my 5 month old, Jed, nursing more frequently again, I can't stop eating. So my thinking is: "I'm up (again, munching on something). Might as well, do some crafting".
Makes complete and total sense, right? :)

I recently purchased an aloe plant in planter from some friends who were selling everything for their upcoming missions trip.

I really liked how the aloe plant was sitting on its side. But as with most things that cross my path, I have to make it stand out somewhat.

It turned out to be a quick craft. I gave it a base coat (just in case there was show-through) and then hot glued on my green, blue and white glass beads. I forgot to count how may beads I used, so we can't play *that* game :)

Yes, I gave it a quick blow-dry afterwards (to melt all the hot glue strands, silly) and yes, I burned my fingers plenty.of.times.
But it's all for the better decor good.

What do you think? I kind of feel it needs something more....

**hah, I just realized the irony of me burning my fingers for a craft on an aloe plant.....get it? People usually have an aloe plant as a home remedy for BURNS....

Linked to:
Raising Homemakers
Between Naps on the Porch
Making the World Cuter
DIY Showoff
The Girl Creative
Sumo's Sweet Stuff
Made By You
Today's Creative Blog
Blue Cricket Designs
Fireflies and JellyBeans
Tales from Bloggeritaville
Somewhat Simple
The Shabby Creek Cottage
Beyond the Picket Fence
Sweet Little Gals
remodelahoilic
finding fabulous
romantic home
fingerprints on the fridge
kojo designs
Sugar Bee Crafts
Topsy Turvy
Funky Polkadot Crafts
Let Birds Fly
Kitchen Fun with my 3 Sons
Tea Rose Home

My entry into Strut your Stuff sponsored by Appliances Online and the Bosch Washing Machines

Midnight Crafting

Do you remember those commercials, probably back in the 90's, that said: "It's 10pm. Do you know where your children are?".

Well, I have my own version.

It's midnight. Do you know your wife is crafting?

With a 3year old and a newborn, my days are quite busy and often it's just me going back and forth between the children, meeting their needs. And not only am I feeling like I am not really getting anything done -- it's a good day when I can get food on the table --- but I am feeling my creativity is just pent up. I need to do something. Even a small craft project. Though, with me, nothing is ever small, so to even come up with an idea is an ordeal. Just saying, y'all.

So it was on my mind and aim to get something, anything, done. Tonight. So after putting a strong willed preschooler to bed and nursing a newborn,
I went on my mission.

Decided to do a small project. One of those that you always see as "need to get done" because every time you pass it's future location,
the lack of "project doneness" irks you.

Evidence 1. Notice anything about this wall? Something missing?

See the smaller blue frame? I am notorious for putting up frames, without their pictures. Why? Because putting pictures up is a two step process. You find an awesome frame but need to find the right picture to go into it. Or, the reverse and then you got to find the location for this match made in heaven. It's not rocket science.

Though in my case, I usually find an awesome frame first and then have to find that picture. And usually before finding the picture, I put the frame in the desired location, because, honestly, sometimes that determines the picture, right?
You can't have too many lovey-dovey pictures in your kitchen...

So I had this antique-looking robins egg blue and gold frame (from the clearance section, I think in Marshalls) on the wall for a while. Still not coming up with a picture, I thought I would do something a little different. And during this craft lull, happy cheery pinwheels were perfect.

Using the tutorial from The Mother Huddle, I made an antique-ish pinwheel from fabric scraps by gluing a sand colored suede fabric to a cream lace piece. Then I went through my stash of buttons and actually glued two together. I was really happy to have come across the button that said "Embrace Life".....good message to read daily.

Actually, kind of funny for the message to be Embrace Life, for now, with my completed craft, I'm gonna go and embrace some sleep. :)

There. Now isn't that a happier wall....

You're a Smart Pumpkin....

To continue my fall decor project (projectS, actually!), what else am I to use but pumpkins??

But as my husband declared the other day "Nothing that you create is simple" (though he was referring to his surprise that I made JELLO instead of some major gourmet sounding, looking and tasting concoction)....I couldn't just fill my house with simple, orange (read: normal and ordinary) pumpkins.

No. I had to make a pumpkin. Out of a paperback book.

Some of the pictures make the pumpkin look orangy --- but that's just because I am taking photos with my Iphone...I really do need to get a professional camera and learn.

But can you see that it's just a regular paperback book -- see the chart on the left...

So when you are done reading the nutritional value of your Lucky Charms cereal box, you can read something a little more educational -- like (in my case) "memos to the president".....Yeah, this was a book in our collection that I think my husband got at a yard sale for something like .05 cents. Trying to use what we had in our house and not have to buy anything new, I found it and asked him if he really wanted it --- because once I was done "crafting it", he wasn't going to be able to read it. EVER again.

Oh, and no, this wasn't fully my creativity in the works...but I was inspired by Craftberry's paper pumpkin.

Linky Parties....
The Centsational Girl
and

My Patchwork Picnic Blanket

Back in June, I wanted to make a patchwork picnic blanket. However, with my growing pregnancy and the visit of our two international students, I didn't quite get around to it until this past week.

I went to Walmart and into my own "collection" for fabric and just choose what caught my eye. The pics don't really do it justice - but I love the prints and the assortment of reds, blues, oranges and greens. It was kind of a country vintage inspired look I was going for. Then I had to figure out how I wanted to place them.

It was amusing to me to learn exactly how "technical-creative" I am. For while assorting the fabrics, it was as if I was using some unsaid formula of "one hue of color per line, alternate "crazy" fabric with "quiet" fabric, and not too similar colors or fabric on opposite sides"...etc...anyhow, the final product!

It's on the larger size, but I think I could have made it even bigger...but it's 4 across by 4 down (each 21 inch squares) with a furry soft green backing. (see the top right corner in the picture below -- that's the real cozy side :P)

One of my favorite features, besides the prints themselves, are the ties. This keeps it folded nicely for transport and storage.

One little "oops" --- when folding it for the first time, I poked myself with none other but a sewing pin stuck within one of the seams....sheeseh. Can you see it in the picture? I am pointing to it.

So I just maneuvered it to one of the seam corners and tried to pull out as gently as possible. My fingers kept slipping and it wasn't working, so I asked my husband to just break the pin and grab the pointy side (if the head is floating around in the furry fabric, no one would feel it..) but he was able to pull the whole thing out with pliers with no damage to the fabric!
Thanks, hon!

Overall, pretty excited about my first picnic blanket. I'd say it cost about $35 in supplies. I got about 13 squares, which came in packs of 5 for $7-12 each (depending on whether I got them from Walmart in Canada or in the States), some random pieces of fabric
and a $5 king-sized furry blanket from Goodwill!

The project took about 3-4 hours in total. After buying the fabric and taking off all the price tags (why do stores insist on putting these on the most visible and hard to remove places??), I washed the fabric. I then had to spend about 30 mins unraveling the HUGE mess that came out of the wash. All the fabric sort of shredded a little on the ends and wrapped and entangled itself. I attacked it, using patience and my seam-ripper. Then I ironed each piece (remember, 16 pieces!), and decided on layout. Working on each "row", I pinned two together, sewed that and then pinned and sewed the two longer pieces together. Once I had 4 rows, I then pinned and sewed rows 1 and 2 together and then 3 and 4. Finally, I pinned and sewed "Big piece 1" and "big piece 2"....makes sense?

And by the way, I pressed the seams at every step of the way. It really helped to get the corners crisp. (sorry no pics, but as usual, I am doing my projects late at night and I don't think my Iphone pics at that light turn out so great anyhow...)

Now, you know what we are doing this weekend -- we are going to have a picnic! :)

Linked to: Today's Creative Blog, Blue Cricket Design, Sew Much Ado, Eisy Morgan, Ginger Snaps, Trophy Wife, let birds fly
and

American Mickey Tshirt

Not only to prep my son for his Disney World experience, but to save on costs, I made Eliel a Mickey Mouse t-shirt (great for pictures and instead of wasting time and money in buying an overpriced one actually at Disney).

Now, to find a plain, white, tshirt for a young kid is an ordeal! Simple is, apparently, not popular. I went to all sorts of department stores and thrift stores looking for a plain.white.t-shirt with no logos, no designs and just couldn't find one. At one point, I was even considering getting one with a small design and just covering up with my design.....but then I wasn't paying over $10 for such an item.

I finally found a plain t-shirt (had to look in the "underwear" department) in Bonnie Togs (a children's clothing store, Canadian?).

Funny situation. When the sales associate pulled out the undershirt, I was definitely excited. Then she asked what size. I initially said "2"...but they were folded, so I couldn't really see the right size. (It's my first child, so I do eyeball a lot when it comes to size.) So then, I said, "it's cotton...it may shrink after I wash it...Can you take it out of the wrapping so I can see the actual size". She gave me a little of a look (because the shirt was folded and taped and like somewhat shrinkwrapped in...pretty much, once out, it wasn't easily going back in). Seeing that look, I said, "I will more than likely get this one. I just wanted to be sure of the size. Especially that the next size is a 4"). I didn't know that sizes only go 2, 4, 6 etc. There was no "3".... So she opens it up. I look at it. I squint my eyes. I purse my lips. And I say "Nah, I think I will get the 4". I see her eyes nearly pop out and I try to defuse the situation (and her impending eye-problem) by saying "because I'm just not sure of how much shrinkage, and I have a growing toddler". She mumbled something about 'it's fine' (yeah, real convincing!). I said, "I'm sorry. I work in retail too and I know that that's sometimes frustrating...." and she snapped at me something along the lines of "somehow I'll manage....". Okay, seriously, enough drama. It's called folding, stuffing into a bag and adding some scotch tape. It's not rocket science. It's just the death of a tight crease.

So I got the size 4 (and there was actually two in a pack) for $6.

I then went to the fabric store and looked for an American Flag pattern --- which in Canada, apparently, they don't have! Yet, they had a whole assortment of Canadian Flag patterns. Seriously!? Aren't we like neighbors or something? Can't I just walk across the border to get back into my country and you can't have one (ONE?!) American Flag pattern?

But then I got an idea, that I thought was even cuter. I did find a Vintage Star pattern and some red ribbon and decided to make the Mickey head/profile as an American Flag.

So for about $5 ($3 for the shirt and about $2 in fabric and ribbon), I think it came out nicely! And my son is quite happy to wear it. Now, I just have to hide it until we get to Florida, because he would request to wear it each and every day!

Motivated Mondays Linky Party: Getting Hutched...

I am really excited about this linky party...and this piece I worked on.



Just a background story..(there's always a story with me). I've wanted a hutch and a white dining table for a while now. I really dig the country/cottage/farmhouse look, the white furniture etc, and so I set up an alert on Kijiji.ca (Canadian equivalent of cragislist). Well I found someone who was selling BOTH of these items for a very good deal. Thing was, the pieces were about 30 mins away and was only for pickup and would definitely not fit in our little jetta....I had to settle with the lady that I WOULD get someone to pick up, begging please hold these items....Anyhow, she did and the day before I said I would get there, I found out that my aunt recently bought a Chevy Uplander and agreed to help me out. My husband had something come up that evening of pickup and therefore it was just me who drove out to my aunt's house (oh yeah, which was about 2 mins from the pickup location....) and she saw just me get out of the car and was like, um who else is here to move the stuff, for I don't lift furniture. So we had to drag her son to do the work --- who reluctantly did it, all of a sudden spouting the importance of him needing to do homework!

We arrive at the house and all the lights are off. Determined, I knock on the door and it opens a crack and an eyeball peeps out at me. Yes?, it says. Speaking to the eyeball, I say, "I'm here for the table and hutch". Hold on, the eyeball says to me and closes the door. I'm assuming a hand and arm and fingers helped out in the process. I just turned, looked at my aunt and shrugged. The door opens a brief moment later and out steps a boy about 18 yrs old. "Well, my parents are out, but they left the hutch on the porch". My cousin and this boy attempt to start putting the 2pc hutch in the SUV, but in the trunk/loading area, there is a bulge in which gets in the way of the hutch fitting.....So there they are, using only the light coming from the car as their main source of light and keep switching, rotating, turning, pushing, pulling, heaving. My aunt keeps saying "don't scratch the inside of the car" and I am grimacing....They finally get it in and it really barely fits. They go to put the top part in and have to do the same thing, this time with 3 panes of glass to be wary of. They get that piece in too and the boy is like "k, there you go". And I am all "there's a table too!". The look on the boy and my cousin's face was priceless. Here was the ensuing conversation:
boy: it's probably in the garage and I don't have a key to it. And my parents are out. As if to remind me and to say in other words, can you leave now?

Me: Well, don't you have their number?
Boy: They probably don't have their cell phone with them.
Me: Can you try?
Boy: And if they do, it's probably not on.
Me: When are you expecting them back?
Boy: I don't know.
Me: Is there a backdoor to the garage?
Boy: Yeah, I guess I can just check that.

So he goes to check it and in between the silent knowing glances between my aunt and I, creeeak, goes the garage door. Yes!, I think.

There's the table, says the boy, pointing on one of the beams. And there's the legs, pointing behind a sitdown lawn mower, garbage bins and a massive amount of storage boxes.

When did you say your parents should be back, I ask?

And blessings, here they come around the corner and pulling into the driveaway. And out of the car comes a man, I am assuming, the father.

And if anything sheds more light on the weirdness of the whole situation, especially the conversation, here is how the conversation between them go:
Boy: Where's mom?
Man: Dunno. I thought she was with you.
Boy: Oh okay.

And that was the end of the conversation! Oh okay....
I decided then to just get my goods and get out of there.

Me: I'm here to get that table, that is well, hanging on that single beam up there on your ceiling.

So the man pulls out a ladder and gets it and then like just shoves it into the car.

Anyhow, this is what it looked like before:

It was originally a dark wood color and the previous owner just dry-brushed white paint on it, so it looked like it was bathed in smoke. The handles needed to be updated and replaced and though I kind of liked the glass with the swirly gold thing, it looked like chicken wire done wrong. Really wrong.


And some more pictures of the after.




decided to keep the doors off as I think it made it look bigger. (Guess the same thing in my kitchen, eh?)

Going with my cheap paper theme, I attached this blue floral paper to the backside after painting. It's not yet organized/decorated it as I'd like, but I was so excited to show you! And the cost was about $60 for the actual furniture, $15 in oil paint, $1.50 per knob and about $1 in wrapping paper. Not too shabby...Now I get to start on the table and chairs....

What was a creative highlight for you this week??

Motivated Monday - My NEW Ottoman

Okay, so keeping with my Inspirations List and goal of actually completing a project before starting a new one AND letting my "yes be yes and my no be no" i.e., doing what I said I was going to do ------ here is my completed project.

An Ottoman.





Now the background story on it --- I have NO qualms about finding treasure in other people's trash. About a year ago, my husband and I were driving around on a rainy day and I do what I always do --- what I call typewriter shopping. No kidding, I stare out the window and actually look around at what's been thrown out and my head goes left and right, like a typewriter. And sometimes, when there's just too much potential (i.e. a huge trash mound), my head can fling around and then I am complaining of a pulled muscle. (So then, I have my hand on my injured, but still completely usable neck and continue my shopping!)

Anyhow, so there we were driving along and in the peaceful moment, I yell "Stop the car"! This nearly adds about 20 more years to my husband's heart and after the initial, whatcha you do that for, I say in child-like excitement, lookee it's an ottoman. And then he sees the glimmer in my eye. The wheels in my head turning. And then I turn up the heat...the pathetic look of hope on my face coupled with a look you get from a hungry and abandoned puppy stuck on a busy highway. In the rain. No, in a tornado. And the dog had one leg. That look that begs, be my hero. Only you can do this! I meant business with this one.

So my husband pulled over, got out of the car and put the ottoman in the trunk. Without a word. Oh oh. But I prevailed and was a happy camper. Oh did I mention the ottoman was a 70's style brown, cream and orange floral shag fabric style that met its match probably with a cat, no, with a leopard with a fresh manicure, sat in the rain and had a huge hole? Yeah, but I saw potential.

And after about a year (like I said, I am working on this "inspired-acquire-but-don't-ever-do-the-actual-craft" issue I had going....). I'm just telling you where I am coming from. That's the first step right? Anyhow, about a year later, I was in Ikea and found in the "As-Is" area leftover fabric for something ridiculous like $5 and knew what I needed to do.

To reupholster, I put the fabric on the ottoman inside out, pinned it to get the right measurements, turned it right side out, sewed it and then hot glued and staple gunned the bottom. Oh, and I painted the legs black --- it was an all scratched up brown.

Sorry no previous pictures ---
Ms. New Fabulous Ottoman wants to keep her previous lifestyle hush hush.

So what's your project??? Do tell!