Bookshelf Crafts

I had a couple mini projects that didn’t really fit onto this month’s mantel.  Instead I used them on a bookshelf that’s in the living room.

Let’s all agree to not mention that I probably should have dusted before posting pictures all over the blog world…



The vase started out as the package for one of those fun wine glasses.
I just wrapped it in some fun scrapbook paper and tied a piece of yarn around it.

 

We’ve all seen these yarn balls all over Pinterest. 

Yarn dipped in watered down glue and wrapped around a balloon.

Simple, cute, and did not involve a trip to Hobby Lobby.  (the last part made hubby happy.)

Linking up to the following parties...

Night Owl Crafting

Sugar and Dots

Handy Man, Crafty Woman

The D.I.Y. Dreamer

Katie's Nesting Spot

A Little Knick Knack

March Mantel

So I’m pretty much done with winter.  We really didn’t have one around here, and spring fever has officially taken over.  This is probably why I was more than ready to switch out the February mantel a few days early.

Say hello to March!

When I started this little project, I envisioned a lot more green.

For someone who loves green as much as I do, I really don’t have a lot of it…décor wise.

My goal was to not buy anything for this mantel.  It was really hard for me to not go to Hobby Lobby on this one.

Linking up to these parties...
Coastal Charm
Today's Creative Blog
Tip Junkie
Sugar Bee Crafts
I'm Topsy Turvy
Funky Polkadot Giraffe
Blackberry Vine
Sugar and Dots
Handy Man, Crafty Woman
The D.I.Y. Dreamer
House of Hepworths
Tales from Bloggeritaville
Katie's Nesting Spot
A Little Knick Knack
2805
French Country Cottage
The Shabby Nest
Nutmeg Place
Flamingo Toes
I Heart Nap Time

Oscar Party Fun

Happy Monday blog world!  I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.

 I hosted my 5^th annual Oscar Party.  It was a great time with fun food and wonderful people.

Last week I did a tutorial on the some fun wine charms.  These were a hit!

Even the pregnant ladies drank their water out of wine glasses, just so they could use a charm.

I hung some fun paper streamers over the windows. 

Let’s not talk about my drastic need for curtains…

These were made with hand cut the stars and punched the circles.  I added some fun scrapbook embellishments for a little flare.

The vases were wrapped with scrapbook paper.  Then I threw in some fun flowers that I had on hand.

I made an impulse buy at the grocery store for the cheap yellow tablecloth.

Why do they make these so cheap that you can see thru them?!?! 

We ate fun food based off the nominated movies.  Some of them were a stretch, but I wanted fun food that was easy to make.  

Hot Dogs for Moneyball

French Fries for Hugo (yeah…I know this was one of those stretches I mentioned)

Carrots for War Horse



Fruit Bowl for The Descendants

Pretzels for Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (another stretch…)

Wine for Midnight in Paris

Cucumber Water for The Tree of Life (some may call this a stretch, but after sitting thru that “movie” I thought it was pretty clever.)

Chocolate Pie for The Help (I HAD to do it!)

Black and White Cheese Cake Bites for The Artist (I would consider these a craft fail, since they were supposed to look like this…  But they tasted wonderful!)

Did anyone else have an Oscar Party this year?  I would love to see your pictures!  It’s never too early to get ideas for next year.

Joining these Link Parties...

Brassy Apple

DIY Home Sweet Home

Skip to My Lou
Craft-O-Maniac
Keeping It Simple
Polly Want a Crafter
C.R.A.F.T
Singing Three Little Birds
I Should Be Mopping the Floor
Sew Can Do

Oscar Party Wine Charms

This Sunday is my annual Oscar party.

This year, I wanted to update the decorations.  I’ve been using the same cheap decorations for the past couple years and I thought I would give this year’s party a craftier feel.

First up, some Oscar party wine charms.

This is the second time I’ve made wine charms like this, and I love the way they turn out.

I start with some inexpensive jewelry parts.  Bought at 50% off at Hobby Lobby, they only cost me $1.97!

Trace the jewelry plate onto the paper of your choice and cut out.

Mod Podge the paper to the jewelry plate and allow to dry. 

Follow that with another coat of Mod Podge.

Next, apply a thick coat of Inkssentials Glossy Accents Epoxy.

I love this stuff!

I placed a scrapbook embellishment right onto the wet epoxy.

The epoxy will take a while to dry.  These dried overnight, and a couple of them aren’t quite dry yet.

 Finally, insert the ear wire into the jewelry plate and around the stem of your glass.

I'm thinking this will help make sure the pregnant ladies don't get their drink mixed up with the

"fun" drinks. 

Joined these link parties
2805
French Country Cottage
The Shabby Nest
Flamingo Toes
I Heart Nap Time

I love saving money!

A while back, I found a tip for getting a Cricut mat sticky again (see the last picture).

I finally got all the sticky out of my Silhouette mat, and thought I would give this a try.

I used the Zig 2 way glue pen (chisel tip).

Applied one coat of the glue all over the board.

It starts out blue, but will turn clear and shiny when it’s dry.  About 20 minutes.

Once it is dry it is SUPER sticky.  Too sticky.  I tore my paper trying to get it off the mat, sticky.

http://imperfectlybeautifulms.blogspot.com/2010/02/make-your-cricut-cutting-mat-sticky.html via Brooke on Pinterest

I fixed this by repeatedly pressing my hand on the mat and removing.  Continuing until the mat no longer left the table when I lifted my hand. 

After that, it worked as good as new! 

Plus it only cost me $4.20! (Originally $6.99, but I used my fabulous 40% off coupon at Hobby Lobby)

I love saving money!

Joined the Link Party at
The Thrifty Home

Wedding Card

Today I have a simple card that I made to go with this weekend’s wedding gift

Making this card, I confirmed that I need a new blade for my Silhouette.

I love the simple design.

 I used my Silhouette, but it could easily be done with a punch or by hand.


Linking up with these parties!
Today's Creative Blog
Strictly Homemade
Cherished Bliss

Name Sign

Happy Monday everybody!

I hope you all had more productive weekends than I did.

I started my weekend with several projects in mind,
so that I would have plenty of things to share with you this week.

It ended up being one of those crafting weekends were nothing ends up going right.

My first project was a name sign that I am giving as a wedding gift.

For Christmas, hubby gave me

It's the vinyl starter pack for my Silhouette.  I had been eyeing it for months, so it was definitely a win in the gift department.  So I kind of felt bad when I spent most of the project cursing. 
In hind sight, I probably should have started with a simpler design.

Hind sight is 20/20...

The project started out as a $.79 frame that I found at a thrift store.

I gave it a good cleaning and a couple coats of black glossy acrylic paint.  So far so good.

Then came the fun stuff.

A. the vinyl jammed in my Silhouette when I tried to load it.

B. they make removing the unused vinyl look easy in all the instructions and blogs.

See that lovely empty space?  It was going to say "est. 2012".

Yeah, that section is now in the trash.
...maybe I need a new blade in my Silhouette, or more patience.  I’ll start with the blade.

They say practice makes perfect, and I have several more projects that involve the vinyl,

so I'll definitely be getting the practice.

As for the other projects I wanted to finish over the weekend?
I'll be working on them during the week...that is if the crafty gods allow me to.

Hope all your weekend crafts went smoother than mine.  Can't wait to see them in all the link parties!

Joined the Link Party at
Craft-O-Maniac
Keeping It Simple
Between Naps on the Porch

Oops!

So today I decided to try my hand at these Link Parties I see everywhere.

“What a great way to get my new little blog out into the big blog world”

Well, I’ve been feeling like a dope all day.

First I did this…

Then this… 

Finally, this…

This last one is my favorite…because the second I saw it, I thought.  “Duh”

So if I have joined any of your Link Parties today, please don’t judge.  I’m new to this blog world and just learning as I go.  So far it’s been fun!

Can’t wait to get this...

To look like this...

Kitchen Wall

Let me start by saying I’m not a fan of my kitchen. 

The previous owner of our house must have just bought whatever flooring, countertops, and backsplash was on sale that day at Home Depot, cause none of it really matches.

Unfortunately, the thought of remodeling this room is not even on a back burner, it’s on a different stove completely.  So I must cope.

Decorating is my coping mechanism…

I love the way this wall came together.  It’s a mixture of the wine theme I chose back when we registered for wedding gifts (along with everyone else…) and the country kitchen items I’m slowly finding to replace said wine items.

The crate was a Goodwill find.  $1.50! 

I stole the idea for the grader from here.





This little bit of decorating is the start of a more livable kitchen.

Joined the link party at

2805 - Potourri Friday