Washi tape phone cover

 

I saw this and thought, “why not?” Washi tape is so dang popular that it’s been used to cover everything!  It’s like the classier cousin of duct tape.

I’ve been having this tutorial in my archives for quite sometime and I had a moment to write it up and publish it.

 

This is a quick little project and all you need is a roll of washi tape and a razor blade.

 

Depending on your phone, you may have to take off the back cover.  I know you iPhone users don’t have a removable battery so this wouldn’t apply to you.

Start on one side or start in the middle.  Either way is fine, just be careful to follow the pattern on your tape if needed.  Leave a little extra hanging off the ends.

Don’t worry about holes and extra tape, you’ll trim that at the end.

Using your razor blade, trim off the excess and any holes you have.

I have a clear rubber case for my phone so you can still see the tape through it and it helps to protect the tape from dirt and rubbing.  If you don’t have a clear case, no worries, you can give it a coat of modpodge or clear nail polish to give it some protection.

And… done!  Happy crafting!

Hand-carved stamps

With having a full-time job now, crafting is something I have little time for.  Back when I was home all day, I had more time to keep up with my beloved blog and could work on projects and tutorials.  Now-a-days I only have time on the weekends to do things I love.  (I also don’t have time to style photos to be “blog-worthy” either.)

My latest endeavor has been stamp making.  My mother got me carving tools and rubber for my birthday and since then I’ve been hooked!  Here’s a little of what I’ve been making in my spare time.

I’m still only a novice but here’s a little of what I’ve learned so far:

• Speedball products are pretty good.  It seems like that’s what a lot of people use who carve stamps.  The pink rubber is way better than the blue.
• Take your time.
• Etsy is great place to start when looking for beginner kits.  This is what I got to start with before I moved to the Speedball stuff.  I still use the tools just as much.
• YouTube has a great how-to videos.  Here’s one that I liked.
• Don’t be afraid to dig in! (Pun intended!)

I’m also including a little “Pin-worthy” photo of how I created the stamp I did of myself.

I hope this inspires you to create your own stamps.  It really is fun and you just may surprise yourself!

Free Valentine Printable

Thanks to good ole Pinterest, I found this pretty Valentine print that is offered for free from Persnickety Prints.  Wasn’t that sweet of them? <3

 

My boyfriend has a wireless printer that you can email stuff to directly and it will print the attachment.  I think I’ll download this little lovely and have it delivered to his printer.  Thank you technology!

Christmas gnomes

Woo-hoo!  I got some much needed sewing squeezed in this weekend!  I found this super cute pdf pattern on Etsy and it’s all I could think about during the week.  I couldn’t wait for Friday.



I missed out on filling my Etsy shop with Halloween treats but there’s no way I’m going to miss out on Christmas.  This pattern by Muse of the Morning is perfect for little Christmas gnomes.  The pattern is really simple and allows for embellishing.  To me, I thought they kind of looked like little Santas.



So I will have this cute little trio and lots of others for sale in my Etsy shop, thanks to Muse of the Morning, who so kindly allows her customers to sell the gnomes made from her pattern.
I’m playing around with different color combos for Christmas.  What colors are you doing this Christmas?  Have any ideas?
 

Diy Flower Roundup

I’ve been getting a lot of love lately from other awesome blogs so today I’d like to give some love away in return.

I just love diy flowers.  LOVE!  Here are twelve of the best flower tutorials I’ve come across.  By the way, I’m always pinning flowers, if you love them as much as I do you might consider following my DIY flower board on Pinterest.

So here’s where to find them.  From the top row, left to right:
1. Paper calla lilies | Oh Happy Day
2. Paper towel flowers | The Sweetest Occasion
3. Tissue carnation | Craft Passion
4. Simple wedding flowers | Made
Second row, left to right:
5. Coffee filter flowers | Unusually Lovely
6. Felt flower | A Hoot and a Holler
7. Flower crown | Green Wedding Shoes
8. Anthropologie inspired blooms | Homemade Ginger
Third row, left to right:
9. Crepe paper poppies | A Very Chocolate Life
10. Tshirt fabric flowers | Emily’s Little World
11. Tissue paper wedding centerpiece | Once Wed
12. Sweet sweater roses | June Pfaff Daley

Do you love flower tutorials?  Got any favorites to share or maybe you have one on your own blog?  Please don't hesitate to comment, share with us a link.

Now go have fun making flowers!!  And please don't forget to say hello to the nice ladies at these blogs who shared with us their amazing how-tos.

Colored votives

Lovely colored votives look so happy, don’t they?




My kids made sun catchers the other day and there was a lot of paint leftover.  The paint was perfect for painting glass, obviously, so I painted some glass votives I had on hand.  Whether washed in sunlight or holding a dancing flame, these colored votives add a bit of happy to the room!

Make window clings

I found that plastic cling wrap (Saran) makes great window clings!  Use Sharpies to draw a picture and color in and you get the same effect as sun catchers!  They go up and come off easily.  When laying out the plastic wrap, it’s a good idea to tape it to the table before you starting drawing.

A fun way to dress up your windows on a sunny day or something to do when it rains!

TOMS-inspired tote

I bet a lot of you might recognize this as the TOMS bag.  Only, this isn’t a shoe company, it’s my son’s book tote!




Although, I was definitely inspired by the TOMS bag.




I thought it would be a cute way to personalize a child’s tote or pencil case.
 



It was super simple to make.  I found a font on my computer that was very similar to the TOMS lettering (Corbel) and sized it to fit the tote I was going to make.  I used the freezer paper method (tracing the letters right off my computer screen) to print the letters and the blue bands.



I even added four grommets in the corners just like how the TOMS bags always come.
If you wanted to do something similar for your child (or for yourself) but maybe you think their name is too long or you just don’t want a name, you could always add any other word like “PENCILS” or “PENS” for a pencil case or the word “ARTS” would be cute on a tote.
Do you have any ideas for TOMS bags?  I have a bunch that I don’t use as bags but I just know there’s something I could do with them.
 

Make some carnations and a vase

If I’m going overboard with the flowers and vases, let me know, but I just can’t help it!  I love the feeling that flowers can give a room. 


The vase is actually a drinking glass I bought from the dollar store that I thought had a nice shape for a vase.  I just made some drapes for my best friend’s bedroom and I really wanted to make her a vase with some flowers to go in her room.  (BTW, I will have a tutorial up soon on how to make drapes, so if your interested, be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss that post.)  I painted the inside with acrylic craft paint, letting each color dry for a day before going on to the next.


The carnations were made using a tutorial from Craft Passion.  I think mine actually look more like roses.
How do you feel about making flowers?  I’m totally addicted and if you look through Pinterest, it seems as though a lot of people are.

Make a felt box

I love making things to hold things.  I love containers, boxes, jars, envelopes, bags and anything else that can fit in that category.  So I was super excited when I found this tutorial on How About Orange for how to make a stiffened felt box.  I just love that blog.  Have you ever been there?
I did mine a little different than hers, though.  She made hers from pre-stiffened felt and made a lid for the box.  I didn’t have any stiffened felt but I did have a lot of regular felt and a bottle of fabric stiffener.  Bam!  Stiffened felt!  I’d like to make some larger boxes for the kids toys if I can find some felt for a good price.  Yesterday I entered a give away on I Heart Organizing to win a set of felt boxes from The Land of Nod but I’m not holding my breath.  Her giveaways are like trying to win the lottery. 


Would you like to make some of these adorable little boxes?  Head over to How About Orange to see the full how-to with a template.  What would you use your box for?  Would you embellish it or modify it?

Make a “Control Panel” with your kids

It’s Saturday!  I’ve got a fun project for the kids that should keep them busy for at least a little while.  We like to call this our “control panel” or our “command center” depending on what it’s being used for at the time.  It’s perfect for encouraging imagination (something I think a lot of kids are lacking these days) both during the building process and during play.

Depending on your child’s experience and motor skills, this will require some adult supervision.  How much you involve yourself is up to you but I’m warning you, you may want to join in on the fun!
This project is perfect for cleaning out junk drawers and miscellaneous tools and hardware.  All you need is a piece of wood (we used a wooden stool), random hardware and tools and imagination.  Encourage your child to use their imagination when rummaging through things to use.  Think outside the box when looking for items to use.  You can get ideas from what we used or come up with your own.  Let your child use the screwdriver, hammer some nails, and paint.  He or she will get early experience with tools and how they work and will feel a major accomplishment when you guys finish the “control panel”.
                       
We used plastic bottle caps as dials.  Hammer a nail through the center of the cap and into the wood and with a little paint, you've got controls for voltage, volume or frequency!  They really turn, too!                 
                       
I’m not really sure what that black hook doo-dad is but it had a nail already stuck in it so we hammered it in and now it’s job is to point to numbers (hey, it’s an important job, trust me).  The numbered buttons are made from those plastic glider pads that are nailed into the bottom of chair legs.  I had a bunch left over from redoing some dining chairs and they worked great, not to mention easy for my son to hammer.                       
                       
Hinges are a fun component to add to the control panel.  We made an emergency hatch that reveals the emergency shut off switch button.  It’s vital to any control panel or command center.  You never know what may happen that could lead you to abort your top secret mission.
This really is a fun project for any kid or grown-up.  Search through your tool box or junk drawer.  Poke around in Home Depot.  I assure you that you’ll find some really cool gadgets and hardware.  We also used acrylic craft paint and puff paint to make it look official.  I would make sure that you replace anything that becomes rusty if left out in the rain and use caution when using sharp objects.  Saftey first!
Have you already got ideas?  I would love to hear them!