In My Own Little Corner

Baby headband from ribbon

2011-07-29T08:00:00.000-06:00

I made this headband a couple months ago for a friend, from this tutorial on YouTube, and modeled it here on my adorable SON, ha ha. Just for measuring sake. It was easy, and you could use any ribbon you have on hand, so that's my kind of craft!

Receiving Blankets with borders

2011-07-28T08:00:00.000-06:00

I love making receiving blankets for baby gifts, and a while back a co-worker of mine showed me how to make them with a cool border around them. I can give a tutorial if anyone's interested. Here's a couple examples, the brown one isn't sewn yet in the pic, but it gives you an idea of what it looks like when it's done!

Another cheap and easy gift idea..

2011-07-27T08:00:00.000-06:00

Mother's Day this year, I found a nice 50% off tray at Hobby Lobby, and then found a cute mug for .75c at the thrift store, added a sweet little flower and BOOM! Cheap and Easy Mother's Day gift! My MIL loved it!

I do need to give credit where credit was due. The flower in the mug idea, that was my mom's! Thanks MOTHER!!

No headboard

2011-07-26T08:00:00.000-06:00

I don't have a headboard. I have an awesome frame, that I'm planning on making into a headboard, but until I have the time to undergo that project, I needed to fill some wall space. So what did I do?? dum de de dum! I used what I had! Not surprised? Ok, well I had some shutters I had bought a while back at the thrift store, painted them silver and hung them horizontally on the wall. I then hung some curtains that were not being used on a high window, and then put up a funky clock I had gotten for $2 at a yard sale as well.

Accent with some easy pillow covers with extra fabric and remnants that I had, and bodda bing.

It does the job!

Classified ad fanatic!

2011-07-25T08:00:00.000-06:00

My husband might say I'm a little crazy when it comes to ads online in the local classifieds. I was just telling him tonight when I found a new electric hand saw online, that I think I know what it feels like to be on drugs! Does anyone know what I mean?? Like that natural high, almost giddy feeling when my heart is racing in my chest, and I'm like smiling to myself, trying to keep from jumping up and down and clapping when I find an awesome deal!? Oh, the hunt is a wonderful thing. Anyways, here are a few of my favorite pieces I found last year when we were moving, from the classifieds.

Sorry, not the best pictures, but this entertainment center was a steal I found online, where one EXACTLY like it sold for $125 that day, and I got this one for $50. I was lucky because it didn't have the greatest photo posted, so it probably got passed up by a lot of people not opening up the ad. I love it! Make sure you look in the ad if it's a possible gem, or call and ask for better photos!

Next, I had just sold our old, ugly, fabric chairs on rolling brass wheels (handed down to us kindly by my grandma when we got married) and matching kitchen table set, in a community yard sale for $70 (yeah, call me LUCKY) and then I found this awesome table online in the classifieds for $80. YAY! I'd say $10 was pretty good. It came with 6 chairs, so I have the other two elsewhere in the house, and they come in handy when we have people over.

I love the sanded down finish!

Ok people, this is my favorite! I wanted a matching set of couches because we had in our living room a large, TOO large, Love Sac, that took up practically the whole living room after it had been lain (?) layed? on a few times, and then we had a nice mocha colored microfiber loveseat. Both cute, both comfortable, but I didn't like them together. I sold the loveseat for $125 and the love sac for $140, making my total budget for new couches $265.

I searched and searched, and in the classifieds online, I found this black, matching leather set from a dr.'s office lobby going out of business. The guy told me to make him an offer. $150? I asked.... He accepted! That means, I made a total of $115 PROFIT! Waahooo! I think that's a bargain!

COULD YOU WONDER WHY I LOVE CLASSIFIEDS!?

Covering the flower

2011-07-24T08:00:00.000-06:00

I WISH I had a before picture of this painting. It was big, I mean really big, like in your face bright pink flower. I liked it. My husband hated it. So I attempted to cover it up. Why throw away a perfectly good canvas? I figured it wasn't going to be perfect, just something to go in the middle of our large gorgeous (aka awful) wood paneling mantle. (The joys of renting, eh?) So in a half an hour or so, I came up with this. This is pre-touchups mind-you so don't go looking at my splatters on the black lines. They're cleaned up now. :) But I used what I had, some wall paint, and brushes, and have a fresh new painting, and a happier husband! $0 spent!

Can't beat $1.25!

2011-07-23T08:00:00.000-06:00

This little iron cutie was .25c at a yard sale, sweet! (there just happened to be a screw in the cement wall right outside our front door to hang it on, which I thought was meant to be :)

Vinyl lettering, another .25c at a yard sale, and the wood was .50c at the thrift store. Perfect size, if I do say so myself.

I count another .25c for spray paint, if you're counting, and voila!

$1.25 Can't beat that price!

Be creative, mix it up

2011-07-22T08:00:00.000-06:00

For a while, I was making all kinds of treat dishes using two plates with a candlestick in between them, (like this) and I still love those, don't get me wrong. I like to give them as wedding gifts, or birthday gifts because they're so personalized to fit the recipient's style. But for one of my husband's cousins who is a little on the funky side, I thought I'd try something different. I used a cup thing in the middle instead, and I think it turned out really cute. I gave it to her with a bag of chips and a jar of dip as one of her shower gifts. The plates and center glass cost me less than $1.50, and it's cute and personalized. Can't get more budget friendly than that!

White spray paint & a $3 shelf

2011-07-21T08:00:00.001-06:00

Just what I needed!

Better late than never..

2011-07-20T22:58:00.002-06:00

It's only been a year and a half since I've posted... I don't really have a good excuse.. Except I'll try and say that I did have my 3rd child 7 months ago.. and we moved a year ago.. yeah, ok, nothing that should've kept me away for 18 months. Anyways, I have still been trying to craft, and I'll be trying to catch up a little over the next few weeks, and then update you on my most current projects. Anyone out there who's still with me, thanks for hanging on!!! ha! I AM ALIVE!!

Foodie Friday - Freezer Meals - Do it with a group!

2010-02-26T22:10:00.009-07:00

It's still Friday.. 2 hours left. =)

This week, my mother-in-law, and sister-in-laws got together and we made freezer meals. We each brought 3 recipes, and the ingredients for our own (minus the meat, which my MIL graciously provided, thanks Becky!), so total we put together 60 meals, 12 for each of us!

It worked out great because not only do we now have 12 oven-ready meals for those days when we don't have time, or don't know what to make, but also the preparation was TONS easier than trying to do it alone. I've tried doing some freezer meals by myself, or even just cooking and shredding meat, and storing it in the freezer for emergencies, but doing it with 4 other ladies was the way to go!! It was awesome because we all worked together. There was a couple people cooking, one doing dishes and replenishing bowls, measuring cups, etc, one prepping for the next meal, one wrapping them up, and then we'd just help out wherever we were needed. That saved us so much time than doing all the prep, cooking, bagging, and cleanup by ourselves!

I had a great time, and now I also have some fun new meals that I wouldn't have made otherwise, and it only took a few hours. I suggest finding a few other ladies, neighbors, sisters, or family members, and take an afternoon doing freezer meals, it will be WAY worth your time!

The Meals We Made:

Chicken Enchiladas

Lasagna

Poor Man's Filet Minon

Chicken Caesar Casserole

Tomato Basil Soup

Chicken Fingers

Turkey and Corn Tortellini Soup

Crescent Sandwiches

BBQ Pork Chops

Crock Pot Roast and Veggies

Spinach Manicotti

Crunchy Chicken Pesto

YUMMM!

Make your own Laundry Detergent = Save some $$

2010-02-26T21:47:00.006-07:00

Here is a recipe that my mom has been using to make her own laundry detergent. The cost per load comes out to $.03c ! That was enough to convince me! As soon as my current bottle is gone (it's almost there), I'm going to try my own as well. She says it works great and doesn't leave any suds in the washer, and also you can reduce or even eliminate using softeners as well.

The recipe she's been using is for liquid detergent, but I also have a powdered detergent recipe, but the dry recipe comes out to be $.15c per load, as opposed to the $.03c. I'll include both.

Liquid Laundry Detergent:

3 pints Water

1/3 bar Fels Naptha Soap, grated

1/2 cup Washing Soda (Arm and Hammer - NOT baking soda)

1/2 cup "20 Mule Team Borax"

2 Gallon bucket to mix it in

1 Quart hot water

Mix Fels Naptha soap in a saucepan with 3 pints hot water and heat on low until dissolved. Stir in Washing Soda and Borax. Stir until thickened and remove from heat. Add 1 quart hot water to 2 gallon bucket. Add soap mixture and mix well. Fill bucket completely with additional hot water and mix well. Set aside for 24 hours or until mixture thickens. You may add additional HOT water if the mixture becomes too thick. Mix well before each use (a dowel works well) Use 1/2 cup of mixture per load. Makes 64 loads.

Here's a pic of the finished product.

Powdered Laundry Detergent:

1 cup grated Fels Naptha soap

1/2 cup "20 mule team Borax"

1/2 cup Washing Soda

Mix together and store in airtight container or bag. For light or small loads, use 1 TBSP. For normal loads, use 2 TBSP. For heavy loads, use 3 TBSP.

For larger batch: Grate 6 bars of Fels Naptha soap and then add 3 cups of washing soda, and 3 cups of "20 mule team Borax". Mix well and store in covered container.

Make sure you keep the detergent tightly sealed, and kept away from small children!

Foodie Friday - Sandwich Thins

2010-02-19T09:04:00.006-07:00

One of my new favorite things EVER is Oroweat Whole Wheat Sandwich Thins. (click on the link to see recipes and ideas, or nutrition information on the Oroweat website) They also come in Multi-Grain. I buy them at Smith's and use them for turkey burgers, egg sandwiches, etc. They're thin but they're sturdy and super soft, that's why they work great for burgers as well as sandwiches, and they taste great! They are even a lot healthier than a single piece of whole wheat bread, as far as calories, fat, and carbs go, for the whole bun, top and bottom! For those of you that do weight watchers, they're only 1 point! They score big in my book, I eat at LEAST one every day, if not more.. I love them! Try them!

Modest Princess Party!

2010-02-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

PBJ: Post By Julie

We had a lot of fun last Halloween, but it made me stop and think……..about princesses.

Ok, so maybe I’m a little obsessed with princesses. I believe that every little girl is a princess in training, and that imagination and role-play is very important for a child. When a girl feels beautiful and special, that confidence and grace can be developed and hopefully find a permanent place in her personality and life. Being beautiful on the inside is more important than what’s on the outside, and as parents and grandparents, we have the opportunity to teach our little ones about who they are and what is expected of them. Helping a child learn to act like a princess, being good and kind, strong and assertive, honest and hard-working, is great practice for being happy in real life. That’s my philosophy.

My granddaughter wanted to be a “yellow” princess last year, so of course I was more than happy to make her a dress to match her aunt (my other daughter), who sometimes makes princess appearances at birthday parties. (This pic was taken after my daughter had cut her hair to donate to make wigs for cancer patients)

Anyway, my daughter played ‘Belle’ in her high school musical several years ago. It was a magical time when she was transformed from an ordinary teenager (already sweet and kind) to a beautiful princess whose appearance and charm seemed to draw people to her like a magnet. At a ‘meet and greet’ opportunity before a matinee performance, dozens of children couldn’t take their eyes off her! They were fascinated by the ‘real’ princess that was talking to them, posing for pictures, and giving them hugs. My sister-in-law’s granddaughters had come to the event and their excitement was evident. One of the little girls asked her mother, “Do you think Belle knows we are related?” and another said “I know what I’m going to tell my class at show and tell next week!” Isn’t that cute? Just being related to a ‘Princess’ made these girls feel special!

Appearing at Princess Parties has taught my girls how important it is to use good manners, good grammar and be a good example all the time because little ones are always watching and listening!

My youngest daughter appears at the parties as Cinderella and is elegant and charming as well. This was a simple dress I made for a dance a few years ago, (not the best photo, sorry) but I have fabric for a more authentic, Disney style dress that I’m planning to make.

If you have little girls now, just be aware that big girls like to be princesses too! I have four daughters and for each formal high school dance they attended, it was quite the challenge to find a dress that was modest, attractive and budget friendly. It takes patience and creativity to put things together, but it’s well worth the effort. When a girl really feels like a princess, she will act the part.

My younger daughters have benefited the most from our ‘dress collection’ because their older sisters handed down their dresses, and my interest in altering dresses happened to coincide with their high school years. I like to find pretty dresses that need a little work. Many come strapless or with spaghetti straps which is unacceptable at our house, so we try to match fabric for easy sleeves, or figure out another solution to make it modest. Shawl’s don’t cut it!

My next post will be on the dresses I’ve found and altered to make appropriate for my girls. I only have one daughter still in high school, so there are only a few formal dances left, but I hope to continue making “princess” dresses for other girls in my area so they can feel special too!

Back to the 80's ladies!

2010-02-12T16:22:00.005-07:00

I've been really wanting to make some leg-warmers.. I mean REALLY wanting to. I finally did, and now I'm dying to make some more. They're so cute!! I just need to figure out what shoes to wear them with. The ones in the pic don't work very well, but you get the idea. I just took an old sweater and cut the sleeve off, being careful not to let it unravel. I put it on my leg so that the cuff was around my ankle, and then pinned and measured where I wanted to hem the top. My sweater fit nicely around my calf, but if you use a larger sweater, you may need to stitch along the side from the bottom to the top to make it more snug. Mine fit just fine, so I just hemmed the top edge. Scrunch them up as little or as much as you want. Couldn't get easier than that! The pic isn't great, but that's basically it! I can't wait to make some more in different colors. They're also cute with boots over top of them with just the top inch or two sticking out. Way fun, and easy!

Don't mind my ugly floor and baseboards... student housing... don't be too harsh!

Linked up to Poppies At Play - Creative Cats!

DIY Puppet Theater

2010-02-12T10:00:00.001-07:00

PBJ: Post By Julie

Last summer I found this little cabinet at a yard sale for 3 dollars!

I decided to make a finger puppet theater that can stay at grandma’s house so all the grandkids can enjoy it. I removed the glass panes from the doors, cut out a panel (it was just heavy chipboard paneling) from the back and

painted the cabinet brown. For the flag poles I used pieces of bamboo skewers with a piece of a plastic tube/straw over it, then glued a carved wood ball on top and painted them all gold.

I drilled holes to put them in and secured with glue. The flags are just painted chip board with gold trim glued on. (yeah E6000 ) I glued several kinds of trim on the cabinet, sewed curtains out of red velveteen which is gathered on a piece of wire coat hanger. The wire is pushed into screw holes where the glass had been secured in the front.

I gathered and put trim and tassels on the drapes and made a “curtain” to hang on the back of the theater.

I used Velcro to hold the curtain on at the top, and made little wood braces on the sides to hold the fabric out/away so little hands can reach up to work the puppets. I might make several more of these with actual scenes on them, barnyard, mountains, castle, etc. to go along with different stories. ( but I think that’s just making work for myself! Haha) For now, we will encourage the kids to imagine anything they want!

The finger puppets are crocheted in the Philippines. My sister-in-law lives there and sent them to me. I did make the little girl one from a pattern, but I might try crafting my own (not crochet). For the bottom half of the theater I think I will make some little storage trunks for the puppets to live in. It’s still a work in progress, but it’s been fun to do!

Linked up to Poppies At Play - Creative Cats!!

Foodie Friday: Sour Cream

2010-02-12T08:00:00.002-07:00

I just have to give a shout out to the best sour cream out there! Daisy sour cream is not only super delicious, but its ingredient list is the most convincing thing of all. I ONLY buy Daisy, even if it's a few more cents than the competitors. I've looked at other sour cream's labels and find dozens of ingredients that I can't even pronounce. .. When you look at the ingredient list on the back label of Daisy, it only has one thing listed: Grade A Cultured Cream.

Talk about pure and natural! It's such a delight to know that the Daisy brand isn't putting in all kinds of junk into something that doesn't need it. If you're not convinced to try Daisy because of it's pure ingredients, give it a taste, it's superb! (And no they're not paying me to say any of this!) =) I wish!

Wow, I'm a bum - oh and a gorgeous candy dish!

2010-02-11T21:25:00.007-07:00

I knew it'd been a while since I've posted, but I didn't realize it's been THIS long, holy cow! Oh well, starting fresh!

This is another one of those candy dishes that I tried before, and this one turned out great, I love it! I found a green glass candlestick holder, and just had to have it! It went perfectly with the black dishes I also found at the thrift store. Another $1.50 gift, we put together with treats and a card for my MIL for Christmas. Maybe it's just me, but even though it didn't cost a lot, I think it's a pretty nice gift! I'd be thrilled to receive one, so I hope I don't seem too cheap. Anyways, just glued them with E6000. I just wanted to post this, so you could see a different color candlestick option with the green, and also to see it with the bowl on top instead of the two plates. Yay! I love it!

Voila!

Linked up to Poppies At Play - Creative Cats!!

New Blog Title

2009-12-18T08:41:00.005-07:00

I decided to change the name of my blog. It was originally called, "My creative attempts" but I have since found another blog with the same title. We even started posting some of our projects at the same linky parties! Small world. I decided to change my title so there's no confusion, and so she won't think I stole her blog name! Ha! My address is still http://www.mycreativeattempts.blogspot.com/ so you don't need to change your link at all if you have it saved somewhere, I'm just changing the title. Thanks so much for all of you who follow my blog, and for all of your sweet comments! I love ya! Happy Holidays!

I hope with all the parties and presents we can remember the real reason for the season!

Merry CHRISTmas!

Inexpensive gift idea - super cute treat dish!

2009-12-14T17:25:00.009-07:00

(These plates are the same size even thought the pic makes the top one look bigger)

Most simple and affordable - but still cute - gift idea!

I first saw the idea on Poppies at Play a long time ago, and have been meaning to make one, but didn't have the time or reason to, until now, my sister-in-law's birthday was coming up, so I decided this would be a good idea for her. I found the two plates and the glass candlestick holder at the thrift store (the pink plates really look awesome in person, super cute and funky; in all the pictures, the orangey splotches look gross, but in person, they're really cute) Anyways, after washing the plates, all I had to do was put the top plate upside-down, I traced the top of the candlestick holder with washable marker, just so I knew where to put the glue, and following the instructions on the E6000 (strongest glue known to man!), I glued the candlestick holder upsidedown onto the bottom of the top plate.

After about an hour, I put glue on the bottom of the candlestick holder and the center of the bottom plate, and flipped it right side up, gluing them together.

(the bottom of the candlestick holder just happened to fit perfectly in that little circle on the middle of the plate!)

Now that it was all together, I used a heavy can of wheat to weigh it down while it dried. It takes between 24 and 72 hours for the glue to fully cure, so I let it dry fully before giving it away.

I think it turned out so cute, I am going to make one for myself! This was probably the most inexpensive, simple, quick... yet... cute, useful, fun gift idea ever! And there's so many possibilities because you can do so many different colors and sizes too, depending on what dishes you find. And because you can make it yourself, it's more thoughtful that way. Great Christmas gift if you're running out of time before the big day next week!

I really shouldn't say how inexpensive it was to make because then my sis-in-law will think I'm a cheapo.. ha ha It's really not about how much I spent, (I would've spent more.. but when you can make something this cute without spending more, why would you?) So for the good of everyone who needs an inexpensive gift idea, I'll share. Not including the glue, I spent a total of $1.50 on this gift! NO KIDDING! Each plate and the candlestick holder were .50 ea at the thrift store. Yeah, a treat dish like this would've been at least $20 at the stores. Can't beat that! I LOVE IT!

Today, I am linked up with none other than Poppies at Play Creative Cats Friday! Go check out the other awesome ideas today!

I'm also linked with Met Monday at BNOTP!

Black Bean Brownies ... Yeah you heard me!

2009-12-07T14:10:00.003-07:00

whatscookingamerica.net

I didn't take a picture of mine, but they looked just like the normal brownies above.

One of my sister-in-laws told me about a brownie recipe using nothing but a brownie mix and a can of black beans, and eliminating the oil and eggs, etc. and I thought I would try to make it! I called 2 out of my 3 sis-in-laws to see if they knew how to do it, but they had no idea what I was talking about, so it must have been the 3rd sis, but by that time, we had looked it up online. It really is just taking a can of black beans, draining them, rinsing them, putting them back into the can and filling it with clean water. Then you dump the beans and water into the blender and blend until pureed. Once its all smooth, mix in with the brownie mix until smooth. Bake as directed on the box. They surprisingly turned out really good! Kind of dense, but also fudgey. The next day, they kind of had a moist fudgey layer on top, (as most breads or baked goods do) but they were really good. Sounds weird, but if you don't have eggs or oil, or want to boost your protein, give it a try!

Burp Cloths and Bibs

2009-12-07T12:25:00.004-07:00

I made a couple of these for my girlfriend who was expecting her first girl, I got the idea from "DIY Showoff" to put a hand towel (just bought at the $1 store) on the back of the bib, which I thought was an excellent idea to absorb more drool!! For the shape of the bib, I just traced one of my sons bibs that I liked the size of, (adding an extra 1/2" for seam allowance) and that's what I used as my pattern for the front fabric and the towel, I put right sides together, sewed them together, and left just a couple inches to turn it right side out. I top stitched all around the whole thing to seal it up, sewed on two small squares of velcro, and it was done! Very simple. It didn't take long at all. I was trying to do the burp cloths (cloth diapers) with the cute fabric on the middle panel like she did, but I ended up not having enough fabric, that's why I just did the band of fabric on each side. They turned out pretty cute, I think, and it was fairly inexpensive. It's a fun idea because they are unique and no other baby around town will have the same ones!

Chair - finished like 2 months ago! Sorry!

2009-12-07T12:14:00.003-07:00

I haven't posted in over a month, that's SAD! Here are the before and after pics of the chair I redid for my Mother in law's B-day. The after pictures aren't as good as I wanted them to be, you can't see the distressing at all, but in person, it turned out just how I wanted. And from what she said, she seemed to love it too! I was really happy about it. Anyways, here's the before and afters!

Before:

After:

Cute little covered button in the center. That was SUPER easy and cute, it added just the right amount of extra detail. I am definitely going to cover buttons more often now!

The fabric was on sale at the fabric store, I used a coupon to get the new foam padding for the seat, and I got the chair at Goodwill, so it ended up being quite the affordable gift!

The Pleated Pillow

2009-10-26T15:50:00.004-06:00

If you haven't seen this.. well... then here it is! This is the most awesome pillow ever! I've made several plain pillow covers, but haven't ever seen this pleated front before.. This has a pleated front, and is just an envelope back. Super Easy! But I never would've thought it up on my own.. I saw this post on Living with Lindsey, and just HAD to try it! I was really happy with how they turned out and they were very easy! You should try it!! Here are the ones that I made for my mom's B-Day.

Cold Saturday morning + Estate Sale = Very Happy Me!!

2009-10-20T23:01:00.009-06:00

My mom and I braved the cold and went out yard sale-ing early Saturday morning. We found this estate sale, and I'm SO glad we went there first!

We found some AWESOME stuff! I was so excited! I've been looking to change the colors in my room, instead of burgundy (which it's been for 5 years) changing it to Aqua, Gray, White and Black. I found the most gorgeous blue jars/vases (?) for a buck each!

I also got some milk glass vases to put in my room as well, .50c each!

Some cute little pewter sugar and cream cups (they need a little bit of shining) but they were very cute for .50c each. Also that little blue glass vase was .50 to go in my mom's bathroom.

I thought at first this was like a door knocker thing, but my husband convinced me that it's like a hand-towel holder. I just thought it would make a cool thing to hang on my wall. I've since painted it black. Love it!

I also picked up this foot stool type thing for $2, which I've also painted black. I'm planning on putting a little cushion on it, so it doesn't look so outdated. But I think the black paint already has made a world of difference! It went from 70's looking.. to updated and modern, I love the circle design!

In this picture, you can also see a bag of wooden dowels, .50 and some socks that my mom had to buy for me cause she felt bad that I was in sandals and freezing cold.. ha ha What are moms for. Also, do you see that rediculously awesome frame around everything?? I got that at the next yard sale.. $4! I was going to just lean it against a wall by itself, but then I thought it would make an AWESOME faux headboard with some wood, batting and delicious fabric! Hopefully that project coming soon.

I just love how it's old and chipped looking, I don't want to change it at all, I don't think. Mmmm, isn't that pretty..

-Later, we did get some more awesome deals, I also got a great umbrella stroller with a canopy for $4

-My mom got a PERFECT condition changing table for $15! (for one of my sisters when they have kids) It's gorgeous!

-She also got a baby swing, a nice one with the mobile, lights, music, etc, for 5 BUCKS! Woo hoo!

-She also got new towels for one of her bathrooms for $3 new.

-She also got a very cool little cupboard with windows on it to make my daughter a finger puppet stage.. more on that to come!! $3!

-I also got a super awesome clock, it's so fabulous, I can't even describe it, but I don't have a picture of it and it's dark and late and cold and it's in my car, so I'll have to post it later, but it was only $2!!

I thought I'd just throw this cute little thing in here cause I love it, I just found it at the DI for .50c, it was white, and I spray painted it black.. now it's going on my wall too!

Yard sales are the best, I'm so sad the season's almost over!!

Frankenstein and Dracula! The Pillar People..

2009-10-12T23:11:00.010-06:00

PBJ

(posts by Julie)

When we finished our house, I wanted to decorate for the holidays with something unique and fun, so I made these 'pillar people' for Halloween. I have put them up every October for 11 years, but they had become so faded that I didn't put them up last year, and boy did I hear about it

from the neighbor kids! So rather than start over, (I really don't have time right now to make new ones) I decided to do a quick touch up with some acrylic paint so I could hang them up one more time.

Before the touch-ups

(The cut out part on the frankenstein is where the gutter sits too close to the pillar, I couldn't slide it between them so I had to cut the fabric.)

I painted over the pant lines, (the faded pants just look grey as long as the lines are dark) the purple vest and coat, and the green face and hands. You can't tell from a distance, but the paint didn't cover the purple very well, it didn't spread well over the double-knit. Also, the green is a little brighter than I like, but oh well, it was quick. The frankenstein face and hands fabric is a rip-stop nylon and the paint went on smoothly there, maybe I'll fix the color when I take them down.

After the touch-ups

I also have 'tin soldiers' for Christmastime, and ideas for a set of people for Thanksgiving. We'll see if I find any time to put them together!

Aren't those awesome!!? (GREAT JOB MOM, I LOVE THOSE!!)

I'm participating in ASPTL DIY Day!

Easy B-Day Present - $0

2009-10-10T12:00:00.003-06:00

My daughter's little neighbor friend was having a birthday party this morning, but I didn't want to spend any money, so I just found some fabric I already had, and then put together a cute little pillow this morning. I wanted to make it have a little something special, so I got some alternating fabric to make a little letter "A" for her name on the front, and I also sewed an extra piece on the front like a little pocket.. It only took about a half hour including cutting, ironing and sewing. I already had the fabric, so it didn't cost me a dime!

I just ripped the fabric (love that! no cutting)

front piece, back piece, and a smaller piece for a pocket (same width, shorter height)

I just sewed the A onto the smaller pocket panel first and hemmed up the top edge of the pocket. I then sewed the pocket right onto the front panel.

Then I just sewed 3 sides and 3/4ths of the 4th side of the front panel to the back panel, and then flipped it right side out, filled it with poly fiberfil, and then sewed the small opening up.

Voila!

Cute easy gift. You could do so many different colors or styles, and adjust it for different ages, boys or girls. And the "free" part is what I like most!

Tray Re-do

2009-10-07T15:27:00.003-06:00

I saw this tray made out of a cupboard door from the Crafty Nest, and I fell in LOVE! I'm talking serious drooling love. Isn't it gorgeous??

So, I've actually been looking for an old cupboard door every time I go to the thrift store, just so I could (try to) make something similar to this. I hadn't found one, but I did eventually find a tray that I really liked at the thrift store for just $3, and it was good sized and very sturdy, so I figured it would do the job.

My sister in law's birthday is coming up, so I thought I'd make it for her. Especially because I loved the black and white so much from the Crafty Nest's tray, and that is SO my SIL's style. I wanted to totally copy her design, like trace it from my computer screen!.. but I reasoned a little bit with myself, and thought I could just use some of her same elements, and do my own design.

Mine is not half as gorgeous as hers, but it turned out ok. I'm kinda sad that since mine wasn't out of a door, I couldn't add the awesome black handles to it. Oh well, some day.

Anyways, here's the before and after pics, enjoy!

I don't think my SIL reads this blog, but just in case.. Happy early Birthday, Jami!

If anyone wants to know, I just used white spray paint for the tray and then black acrylic craft paint, and a paint brush for the design!

I'm participating in Dalomba Days Goodwill Goodies and also Poppies at Play Creative Cats!

To explain how I got my design on the tray:

I drew my design first on paper, and then I colored the back of the paper with chalk so that when I traced it over my tray, it would show my design in chalk on the tray.. but it also smudged blue chalk everywhere I didn't want chalk either! So I tried wiping it all off with a damp paper towel, but couldn't get it all off. It still prominently had made my design on the tray, along with lots of blue smudge.. so I traced the chalk design with a black sharpie. Then, I went at it again with my white spray paint to make sure I got all the light blue smudginess that was left, covered up. It covered up all the blue, leaving a faint gray line where I had used the black sharpie on my original design. Then, I just used my paint and brush over that line. That was way more steps than I was planning on, but it worked. Does anyone else have any good ways of transferring a sketch, if you don't have transfer paper?? I'd love your advice, thanks.

You may have to enlarge that pic to see my lines, but that's basically how it looked before I used my black paint to trace over the whitepaint-covered-sharpie-covered-chalk design.. whew.

Awesome Fabric Bookshelf

2009-10-05T16:42:00.008-06:00

This post is linked to the DIY party @ Shanty2Chic, go check it out!Also linked up to Andy's Poppies at Play Creative Cats!

PBJ
Posts by Julie:

I saw a colorful fabric bookshelf at Big Lots that I thought would be great to have around for the grandkids, but for $30 it wasn't high on my priority list. I browsed at the DI a few times and eventually found a broken shoe rack (or maybe it was a vhs tape rack) but that gave me the dowels I needed for only $2.

I had a piece of particle board left from our kitchen sink that I cut for the sides of the shelf.

I drilled holes for the dowels, and also for two more dowels to help brace/support the lower edge of the shelf.

I painted the side pieces and dowels and then screwed in the lower dowels. (above)

I used a piece of heavy woven navy fabric I had, folded and sewed the long edges and made a casing to fit the lowest dowel. (I had lots of extra length, but later figured out how to use it ) I had to experiment draping it over each dowel to get the right length to hold the books how I wanted.

With the extra fabric hanging down the back of the shelf (after I sewed the last casing) I finished the short edge, folded it up and sewed 2 large pockets that I can store extra books in. That way I can rotate out books if I want but not have to store them elsewhere.

Next, I ran the dowels through the casings, screwed in the dowels, and painted over the screw heads.

Lastly, I hot glued some navy braid on the edges of the sides so it would look more finished, added the books, and I'm done!

I know my granddaughter will be excited to see her favorite books so easy to reach!

How cute! Way to be creative and save some money mom! My kids will love it ;) !!

Delish Costa Vida/Cafe Rio Sweet Pork & Cilantro Lime Dressing!!

2009-09-24T21:48:00.010-06:00

(That picture looks like the chicken salad, not the pork, but that's how the salad looks.. you get the idea!)

If anyone hasn't had Cafe Rio or Costa Vida sweet pork, you are missing out big time! Their pork salads or pork burritos are to die for! About a year ago, I found a recipe just like it, that is so easy, it's crazy! Some of you may have this recipe already, but if you don't, I'm telling you, TRY IT!! I also found a cilantro lime dressing that compliments it SO well, it's pretty close to the one at Costa Vida too. Anyways, I made it for dinner tonight, so I thought I'd share for those of you who haven't made it before.

Now the pork is just 3 ingredients. Yeah, you heard me!

1. Boneless Pork Roast (I use about a 2 or 3lb roast)

2. 1 and 1/2 Cups Brown Sugar

3. 2 cups salsa (mild, medium or hot, whatever you like, I use chunky cause that's what I usually have on hand)

(DON'T BE SKEPTICAL OF THE SALSA.. When I heard this recipe, I thought, "Costa Vida sweet pork does not taste like salsa at all, it's just sweet and juicy and tender and delicious, it can't be made of salsa.."

I'm telling you, the salsa combined with the brown sugar, mixed with the pork juices combine into something sweet and juicy and meaty, with a little kick, it's awesome!)

DIRECTIONS:

Just combine the brown sugar and salsa in a crock pot, and then add the pork roast, and spoon some of the sauce over the roast. Cook on low for 4-6 hours or until tender, (spooning the sauce over the roast several times) then take the roast out, shred it with two forks, and then put it back in the sauce to simmer at least another 1 hour or longer to really soak up the juices. Then you're done! If it seems like it's getting dry while it's simmering, add more salsa and brown sugar! It needs to be juicy!

At the restaurant, they do the pork salad as follows, which I always try to replicate, cause it's AWESOME!

1st- fried tortilla on the bottom

2nd- long grain rice (I've used vermicelli) and black beans

3rd- sweet pork

4th- lettuce

5th- pico de gallo

6th- guacamole

7th- crunchy tortilla strips

8th- grated parmesan cheese

9th- Cilantro Lime dressing (recipe below!)

(If you don't want to use all the ingredients, I would at least do the tortilla, pork, lettuce and the special dressing. Any other toppings are optional, but add a LOT of awesomeness! Especially when combined together!)

Cilantro Lime Dressing

*1 Buttermilk Ranch dressing packet

*1/2 c buttermilk (I never have buttermilk, so I always substitute one of these two alternatives:

a - Pour 1 TBSP Vinegar and the rest of the 1/2 cup with milk

b - 1/2 cup mayo or miracle whip

*1/2 c sour cream

*1 clove garlic (if I don't have real garlic, I've used garlic powder)

*juice of 1 lime (important)

*cilantro (very important!)

*Green salsa 1/2 cup (or a little more if you want a little more kick)

I just combine all the ingredients in my blender and pretty much puree it until it's a thick salad dressing consistency.

On top of the sweet pork, there's not a better combination! Seriously, it's worth it! I didn't have cilantro, so tonight I didn't make the dressing, and I just used ranch.. um, I won't do that again, it's just not the same! (my husband was kinda sad that I didn't do the dressing! whoops!)

Let me know if you try this and like it.. or don't like it (which I doubt =), but I'd love to hear if you try it!

Painting an antique look .. First try

2009-09-23T09:02:00.004-06:00

So, Andy over at Poppies at Play always does awesome antiquing-looking-painting using gel stain, so I thought I'd better pick some up and try it. I had looked at Michaels a couple days earlier, and they didn't have any, but the next time I was at Wal-mart, I checked there, and they had a can. I thought Andy's came in a tube, but I figured.. how different could it be? Well.. I think the one I bought had spoiled somehow.. (don't ask me how that happens??) because it wasn't the color it looked like it would be on the can "honey maple" ( I wanted a darker color, but that's all they had ).. and I knew it wouldn't look exactly like the color on the can, but it was straight orange, and it was.. lumpy. Very lumpy. I tried stirring it, but there was no getting it smooth, it was like chili! It was too gross to post a picture of, I'm serious! Now, I'm no expert, but I don't think that's how it's supposed to be..

Anyways, I really wanted to try the antiquing technique on one of my jewelry frames, so I thought of an alternative. I got some dark acrylic paint and diluted it with water, almost half and half. I had already distressed my frame and then once I painted on the watered-down-paint, I let it sit for half a minute, and then wiped it off with a paper towel. It left the stain on the creases and cracks, and corners that I had sanded, but I was able to rub it off everywhere else.

It gives it a similar effect, so I was happy with it. next time, I just won't go so sand paper happy cause the paint seeped into all the scratches, and I had sanded the front of the frame too, a little bit so it didn't look so polished, but now it has lots of brown scratches on the front. Anyways, I think it worked for what I had at the time, and I'll just have to take that other gel-stain back! Gross!

Have you ever used the gel stain or tried to antique something? Do you have any other antiquing tips?? I'd sure appreciate any of your ideas!

First Award.. Thank you thank you!!

2009-09-21T23:05:00.005-06:00

Thanks to Linds over at That's So Cuegly, "My Creative Attempts" has been given the "One Lovely Blog" Award! That makes me feel so good, thanks so much! My first award! (wipe away a tear!)

I was a little surprised but excited to get nominated, because Lindsey always has the cutest ideas, and does so many projects each week, I could never keep up with her! I try to do what I can, but between 2 kids, hubs in school & work, and myself working a couple days a week, I'm lucky if I get one project in per week.. usually the ones I intend to work on, sit around my house for a couple weeks before I get to them.. but I do have the desire, and I try to fit it in when I can.. so thank you Lindsey for seeing the potential in me! =) Go check out That's So Cuegly, if you haven't already, and you're sure to be inspired! She's the Mod-Podge Queen!

Oh, and Lindsey also created this super cute new button for me! How much does she rock?! I'm a super beginner with Photoshop, so I wouldn't have a button of my own for a LONG time if it weren't for her, thanks again Lindsey!!

Of course it is now my privilege to nominate 5 other blogs for the award, and here they are: (random order)

The Cupkateer

The Junk Blossoms

Gail's Decorative Touch

It's a Daisy Day

The Coolest Mom on the Block

You guys rock! Make sure you display your award on your blog, you deserve it!

Cute and easy fall Decor

2009-09-18T14:49:00.009-06:00

PBJ

Posts by Julie:

I saw a fall floral arrangement at 'Big Lots' that I really liked, but

didn't want to spend $10 that day. It looked simple enough and I figured

I could re-create it if I could find the twigs to make the base with. I

checked at the DI and found this easter wall hanging ($1) that had just

what I wanted, so I bought it and took it apart. I bundled the sticks,

tied them tightly with a scrap of bias tape a little above the halfway

point, then added 3 floral picks that I got at the dollar store. I didn't

glue them, just poked them among the sticks which was sturdy enough to

keep them in place. Then I tied it with a satin ribbon (I found a grab

bag at the fabric store that had 15- 2yd ribbons for 77 cents!) I tried

several colors, but am still wondering if a sheer burgundy ribbon would

look better. Anyway, I saved $6 and had fun making it myself.

USING STICKS FROM THIS::

TO MAKE THIS!!

.....

How gorgeous is that?! I love that she completely reused those sticks and made something totally different.. and WAY cuter! Great job mommy!

DI Finds

2009-09-16T10:53:00.006-06:00

I am participating in Dalomba Days Goodwill Wednesdays! Check it out over there and see some more awesome finds! I got this tray(?) at the DI last week for $1. I love the shape, and just KNOW it has some serious cuteness potential, but it hasn't come to me yet. . my creativity has been a little hindered by the hideousness of this.. I laugh every time I see the cherubs on the side.. I'm very open for all your creative ideas! What color(s) do I paint this thing??

Aaahhh! Why the cherubs??

Many of you have already seen my other recent Goodwill finds. All the frames I'm using for my jewelry holders, being sold at Andy's PoppiesatPlay Craft Market have been bought at the DI. I don't have the before's, but they were all plain old ugly wooden picture frames, that we've painted, and have just put in cup hooks and plastic canvas. There's a million different ways you DIY-ers can change them up to fit your own personal style. At approx $2 each frame, it's pretty much a steal with what you can create!!

Those are just a few of the MANY we've made (my cute mom and I), so get creative!
Goodwill finds are the best!!

Cute new Ruffled Lampshade

2009-09-14T23:50:00.007-06:00

After doing the nightstand for my daughter's room, I wanted to find a small lamp to go on it so she could have a nightlight that she can turn on and off by herself, next to her bed. I found this one at Saver's for $5 and it was the perfect size. It was neutral colored so I could've used it as is, but I wanted to spice it up a little to match her room. I used some extra fabric from her quilt that I made, and made a ruffle that matches her quilt as well.

I'm sure most of you have seen easy tutorials on re-covering a lampshade. This is what it looked like before. (Well, it also had a trim on the top and bottom edges, but I had already pulled those off)

I just basically made my ruffle first, (I can provide full instructions on how to sew a ruffle if anyone wants) and then I traced the lampshade on its side onto the fabric, rolling it as I traced. Once I got that cut out (with some extra seam allowance) I pinned and sewed the ruffle onto the fabric. I had to use two pieces and sew them together because I only had a narrow piece of fabric, so I couldn't do the whole thing on one piece. Since the lampshade had those creases anyways, it worked out fine.

Once it was put together, I just used spray adhesive and attached it to the shade. It was a little harder than I thought it would be getting it straight, since it had to match up where my ruffle would hit the bottom of the shade evenly all the way around.

It isn't perfect, but I put the best side forward, and my 2 1/2 year old doesn't know the difference! It also turned out that this cute little lamp was a touch-on and has 3 brightness settings, so my daughter was WAY excited about that, that she can change how dim or bright it is. Very 80's - awesome.

I'm happy with it. =)
I'm linked up today with Andy's "Creative Cats Tuesday", check it out and see the super cute projects she has today! I've also linked up with Kimba's DIY Day at A Soft Place to Land, there's TONS of DIY project, so skip on over to her place to see what everyone's creating!

Sneak Peak and Pumpkins

2009-09-09T22:32:00.008-06:00

I have been solely working on these jewelry frames for the craft market coming up at the end of the month, so even though I haven't posted in a while, it's not because I haven't been working on anything, I've been doing these frames like crazy the last few days! (Not counting Labor Day, but hey, I get a holiday break!) So, I just thought I'd give you a sneak peak at some of the ones I've almost finished, they're turning out pretty cute, I think.

There will be many more to come...

Also, I've been seeing lots of Halloween decorations coming out already, and I'm way excited! I LOVE Halloween! I think it's fun to have one day where ghosts and witches and skeletons are fun, and not scary. Anyways, I saw this website today about pumpkins, (someday crafts) they are SUPER cute! I thought I'd share my own that I made a few years ago at a ward "Super Saturday" craft day cause they're so easy, anyone could do it. They're just different sized logs painted orange, and then wood shaped like the stems, painted green and glued on top. Easy, but cute to put outside my front door. Sorry, in the pics, they're a little dusty, they've been in storage..

You could also add some raffia or twine, or a cute leafy garland around the stems to make it cuter too!

Easy Peasy!

Adorable playroom

2009-09-01T23:02:00.004-06:00

My mom will be posting some of her projects once in a while, cause like I said before, sometimes I am too busy, (most of the time) and don't have enough projects of my own to post, so this way, I have more brains and creativity from others to help fill up my blog! Anyways, she has been working on a new little table and chairs for the room underneath her stairs, for my daughter, who is her only granddaughter. (so far) Here's Julie's post and pic about the results!

I painted this playroom under the stairs almost 10 years ago, and since
my granddaughter is almost 3 yrs old, I decided I wanted to finish the
table so she could really use it. I already had a small round table,
(the cheap kind with screw on legs) that I cut and painted and my
husband attached it to the wall with hinges so it can be put up or down.
The chairs I found at the DI for $1 each. I sanded the rusty spots, and
then used metallic spray paint on the legs and sewed the slip covers.
-Julie

Way to go Mom!! She makes it sound so easy! It turned out seriously cute, and my daughter Jayci LOVES it! Great job!!

Nightstand.. I LOVE IT!!

2009-08-28T13:30:00.005-06:00

My mom gave me an old nightstand to fix up. It had a nice brown stain, but I wanted to use it in my daughters room, so I had other plans for it! I wanted to paint it white, to match her bed, but then I wanted to do something special with the top of it. My inspiration came from the quilt that I made for her when she was born. I wanted the top of the nightstand to be similar with different color blocks/squares.

After starting to sand it, this is what it looked like:

I then painted the whole thing white, and then I decided to paint the inside of the drawer burgundy to give a pop of color, that won't be showing all the time, as well as the drawer knob.

Next, I was ready to do the top. I found different scrapbook papers at the craft store on sale 5 for .95c so the paper was only $2 for all of it. I used ModPodge to glue the paper onto the table, and then to seal it on top of it.

I put a clear satin varnish coat over all of it, but it felt like it was missing something. I wanted something to match and balance out the red knob, so I took some fabric left over from my daughter's quilt, and modpodged it to the inside back of the shelf. I LOVE it!

Totally awesome jewelry holder!

2009-08-28T12:52:00.008-06:00

I haven't always had a lot of jewelry, but for my birthday, I had some cash to use, so I went crazy at this one store where every piece was like $2! I got a bunch of stuff, but realized when I got it home, I had nowhere to put it.. there was no way it would fit in my small jewelry box.

I had seen someone turn an old door into a jewelry holder with hooks and rods to hold the different pieces, (I apologize, I don't know where I saw that site..) But that gave me the idea, so I was at the DI a few weeks ago and found this plain, tall wooden frame for a buck! I figured that would work. ( My before pics are on a different camera, so I'll post those when I find them.) First, I spray painted the frame black.

Once it was dry, I stapled a piece of plastic canvas to the back of the frame to hold my earrings.

I drilled holes in the frame, and used some hooks that already had the screws on them, so I could just screw them in. I put screws all over to hold all of my bracelets and necklaces.

I needed something to secure the bottom of the plastic, so I found a piece of wood in my mom's garage, and we cut it to the right size, and I painted it black. I screwed it in, and then stapled the bottom of the plastic canvas to it.

It turned out exactly how I planned, and looked even cuter once I got it hung and got my jewelry on it! Yay!!

It's SO nice to have it all off the top of my dresser!! Woo hoo!
I'm in the process of making several more of these for the poppiesatplay craft market this September 26th. There will be TONS of homemade crafts and fun things to buy, so if you're free that day, come check it out!

I love changing pillows!

2009-08-26T23:57:00.004-06:00

I have had the same pillow covers on my couch for quite a while, and I was ready for a change! A couple years ago, I found the easiest instructions on how to make a pillow sham, or if you don't like the ruffly edge, you can just do a pillow cover by eliminating the extra fabric on the ends. Since it was for my living room couch, I prefer not to have the ruffle. (I would probably leave it on if it was for a pillow sham on my bed or something) Before:

After:

I decided to go with 3 big pillows instead of the 2 big, 2 little, cause I was watching "Color Splash with David Bromstadt" and he said he always likes things in odd numbers, 3 or 5, etc. so I thought I'd try it, and I do like it a lot better. Yay, pretty new colors for my couch! Love it!! To try these pillow covers yourself, check out the easy online instructions HERE!

Clock - Dark to light

2009-08-24T23:05:00.005-06:00

I am sick of everything on my entertainment center being dark, so I thought it would be a nice change to paint a dark brown clock I have, white.

I took off the hardware.. covered the insides with painters tape, and spray painted 3 coats of white paint on it.

Once it was dry, I realized I didn't have any sandpaper, but I did have some steel wool that I use for pot-scrubbing. I used that to distress the clock a little bit..

Hmm, once finished, I'm still not sure if I like it all that much. I'm not that into super-distressing stuff, but I think it needs more. Maybe I should get some sandpaper and go at it a little bit, or a lot a bit.. What do you think? It doesn't seem quite right yet...

Necklaces in a jar

2009-08-24T22:29:00.006-06:00

I have been wanting to add or change some things on top of my entertainment center cause I have a lot of dark and black things, so I've been wanting to add some white things to brighten it up.

(sorry that clock already has painters tape on it cause I forgot to get a picture before I taped it) That project coming soon..

I first found this jar at the DI for a dollar! I loved the shape, so I had to have it.

Then I had remembered that about a year ago I had bought some necklaces at the DI for .25c each cause I thought I could use the beads for some other projects or to wear or give as a gift.

I decided to fill the jar with the necklaces and hide the chain best I could, I think it turned out pretty cute!

I'll update more pictures of my entertainment center as I get things fixed and added on..

Why this blog?

2009-08-20T11:39:00.006-06:00

I just thought I'd introduce myself and explain why I decided to create this blog. I've always had a desire to be creative and do things myself, and in the past I have done many craft projects, and looked up tutorials online of how to do things, or went to boutiques and said, "I could SO do that myself for way less money", but I was always too busy with work and other responsibilities that I didn't have time to do much with my desire. Now that my husband and I have two kids and enough financial aid through the University for his schooling, we're at a point where I can finally work one less job, and hopefully now have time to develop this burning interest of mine. Instead of doing one craft project every 3 or 4 months (yeah, I was WAY busy!) I hope to be doing things each week to make my home more beautiful, and to fulfill my desire to be creative and get a stronger sense of who I am and what I can create. The last few months I've been drooling over others crafty blogs, and learning things from their projects, but now is the time for me to go into action!! I'm so excited to start creating! My sister and mom have also caught the refinishing bug, and they've agreed to let me post some of their projects as well, in case I don't have time to get new projects on here as often as I'd like. Anyways, feel free to comment as often as you'd like, and let me know what you're working on too!

I just have to give a shout out to Andy Porter at poppies@play, who is the author of the first "crafty/diy" blog that I started getting obsessed with! ;) She has so many cute ideas and information to help your own projects go smoother and easier. I've copied a lot of others project ideas because I've felt I didn't have the ideas in my own head (which is ok, and good practice, I think) but I love the quote on Andy's blog that says: