Quick and Easy Gift Idea-Initial Frame

As a working mommy, I am quickly finding that two of my favorite words these day are "quick" and "easy." I am ALL about homemade Christmas gifts for friends and family, but this year has been trying, as far as finding the time and energy to make the elaborate gifts I once created. Fortuntately for me, I have accepted the fact that I can find balance in crafting and loving on my sweet little girl by utilizing her bedtime to create simple gift ideas like the one below.

Initial Frame

Materials:

-8x11 frame

-scrapbook paper (8x11 or larger)

-wooden letter of your choice (I used "B" for my brother's family, The Beavers)

-acrylic paint

-Scrapbook tape runner

Directions:

1. Paint the wooden letter using the acrylic paint color of your choice.

2. Adhere the scrapbook paper to the cardboard that typically comes inside of a frame using a tape runner (or glue dots or any other fancy schmancy glues or tapes used for scrapbooking). Trim off any access so that it will fit inside of the frame.

3. Adhere tape to the back of the wooden letter and glue it to the center of the covered cardboard (unless you're all about asymmetry, in which case, glue it anywhere!)

4. Place the cardboard back inside the frame. My wooden letter was very thin, so I was able to keep the glass in the frame, but it could be removed for a better fit, if necessary.

TA-DAH!!! I think the entire project took me about 20 minutes (not including paint drying time)! Here's to a low-maintenance yet fabulously crafty holiday!

Despicable Me Minion Costume

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My inspiration, courtesy of http://villains.wikia.com/wiki/The_Minions

If you know me at all, you know that my sewing skills are limited and that following any sort of pattern is beyond my attention span! Needless to say, I would love to give you the step-by-step directions to my Despicable Me minion Halloween costume last year, but I sort of cut and sewed as I went along. Sorry! I can tell you that I purchased 2 yards of yellow felt, one yard of blue felt, 1/4 yard of white felt, 1/4 yard of black felt, 1 small piece of gray felt, and 1 small piece of brown felt, along with craft glue, and a sewing machine. In the simplest terms, I folded my yellow felt in half and cut the sides and bottom to fit my body. I then cut out a "U" shape at the top of the fold so that the costume would fit over my head and sewed from the bottom of each side, leaving room for arm holes near the top. I turned the costume inside-out (fortunately, with felt, there is no right-side/wrong-side) and layed it out on a flat surface. Looking very carefully at Google images of minions, I cut out all of the necessary pieces to fashion the face, overalls, and accessories and used fabric glue to adhere them to the costume. Not too shabby for a "no directions, day-before-the-party I was attending" costume, haha!

Posing in the finished costume, along with some costumed cuties

Interchangeable Accessories for Baby



My sweet little accessories model


While I don't claim to be a fashionista by any stretch of the imagination, with the birth of my little sweetheart, Claire, I am now starting to live vicariously through her wardrobe! The options for baby girl clothing are truly limitless...Unfortunately, the money in my wallet is not! This project allows me to fashionably and affordably dress my little sweet pea to my heart's content!



Dollar Store Items purchased





Flowers created using ribbon



Rolled flowers created using the ribbon lining of the tutu



Bows created courtesy of green and white scarf and ribbon



Organza flowers made using tutu fabric



Fabric flowers made using scarf material

 
Materials:

-baby onesie
-green and white, striped scarf
-purple ribbon
-baby tutu
-headbands (sold in set of four)
(items above were all purchased at my local Dollar Tree)
-scissors
-glue gun
-Velcro (iron-on or sewable)
-needle and thread

Instructions:

1. Wash and iron onesie

2. Adhere a small piece of soft Velcro to the area on the onesie you wish to be embellished. Do the same to the corresponding headbands.

3. Adhere a small piece of rough Velcro to the back of each bow and flower embellishment. Note: The embellishments I created came from a variety of online tutorials, projects I have created before, and simply playing around with the materials I purchased. The sky is the limit, as far as the type of embellishments you choose to make!

4. Here comes the fun part...Mix and match embellishments to create multiple, adorable outfits and accessories! Add a cute tutu or skirt to complete the look (check out the "tututorial" for a simple baby tutu like Claire's in a former blog post)!




One of many possible onesie/headband combinations





Claire modeling outfit number 2! She was waaaay too wiggly for a really good shot of the accessories, but you get the idea!






Another shot of my wiggly wonder!

  

Football Onesie

My precious nephew, Royce last football season

Here is an adorable idea for the littlest football fan in the family, courtesy of my sister, @Kyra Tanner. She simply took a brown onesie she already owned for her little cutie, Royce, and cut pieces of masking tape to form the "stitching." Here are the brief steps to re-create this adorable look:

1. Cut two pieces of masking tape to approximately five inches each (Royce was about 2-3 months at this time, so obviously you will vary the lengths of the tape based on the size of shirt you are decorating)
2. Cut the five inch pieces of masking tape in half vertically so that you now have four, thin, five-inch pieces of tape. Hang the strips of tape not being used on the edge of a table for easy access.
3. Lay one of your five-inch tape strips down the center of the shirt being decorated vertically
4. Cut the remainder of the tape strips in half, making 6, 2.5inch strips (one of these strips will eventually be discarded
5. Place five of the 2.5 inch strips across the center of the shirt horizontally with about one inch in between each strip.

Wa-lah!!! While this look is not necessarily permanent (I do not recommend attempting to wash the onesie with the tape still on), it is adorable and quick and perfect for football season





Royce THIS football season and showing off his moves...TOUCHDOWN!!!

Attention crafters on a budget!!!!!

I came across this awesome site a few months ago http://tophatter.com/. This site hosts online auctions every few hours and allows you to bid against others for craft supplies and awesome items at pre-specified times. They will even send you text messages to remind you when an item you have shown interest in is about to be put up! All items have a specific price when the auction begins, and you simply click to bid as often as you want or need (or can afford). Highest bidder gets the item! Going...going...GONE (cheesy, I know, but it had to be done)! Enjoy!!!

Cricut users...did you know???

 

Ok, so maybe pregnancy and now being a mommy has "hidden me under a rock" all this time, but I totally just discovered today that the cricut website, www.cricut.com/craftroom/ has a Craft Room, in which users can, not only create projects by hooking up their machines to their computers and adjust objects on existing Cricut cartridges in a variety of ways, but also choose from a library of digital images that can be downloaded and edited and cut. I downloaded the "Mustaches and Glasses" images for my nephew Royce's 1st birthday party, which includes 6 types of mustaches and 3 types of glasses, for $1.99. This girl is PUMPED to start cranking out the mustaches to decorate balloons, straws, photo booth props, and who knows what else for Royce's "Mustache Bash!" Thank you, good people of Cricut!

Claire Alexandra Eyer

Our precious baby girl arrived on July 1st at 7:13 AM (on the same day mommy was born 31 years earier)! She was 7 lbs., 10 oz., 19 3/4" and the most beautiful baby in the entire universe (ok, we're ever so slightly partial, but she's pretty darn precious)! Every cliche that has ever been told to us was proven absolutely true the moment we saw her face! She is the love of our lives and it has been truly amazing to view the world through her eyes! We are truly blessed!!!

Sorry I have been slacking on the posts, but I hope this is reason enough to have your forgiveness!

Cricut Vinyl Big Sister/Little Sister T Shirts

Allow me to begin this blog by stating that I LOVE MY CRICUT MACHINE!!! While I have the most basic version that Cricut offers, I am astounded by how many options this wonderful contraption gives me. I recently purchased adhesive vinyl to be used with my Cricut. While I can't even imagine how many new craft options this will now give me, I decided that my first project with the vinyl would be to make temporarily decorated t shirts to celebrate our upcoming arrival. Since our first "baby" has always been our dog (and I assure you, we don't actually treat our dog like she's a human, but we do love her to death and can't imagine life without her), we constantly joke that her "little sister" is on her way. As someone always looking for a new craft project, as well as a photo op, I went ahead and purchased a large, pink t shirt at my local dollar store and got out a matching pink onesie that we had already gotten for baby. Using the "Alphalicious" Cricut cartridge, I cut the phrases "Big Sister" and "Little Sister" out and adhered them accordingly to the t-shirt (yes, for the dog to wear) and onesie. Since we are just using them for a photo, we can simply remove the vinyl letters when we are done and reuse the shirts. Stay tuned for pics of the "sisters"!!!

Melted Crayon Canvas

These creations might be the coolest things I have ever seen! If you have never seen them, simply Google "melted crayon canvas." You won't regret it!

Here is a pic of a melted crayon canvas made for my niece Camdyn by her aunt Heather.

My sister, @Kyra Tanner, decided on a shades of orange theme for her melted artwork in honor of my cousin Dustin, who is a leukemia survivor!!!

The options are limitless, but here is a link with a tutorial for one awesome example

A Nursery for Claire Bear

It is hard to believe that, in just a few short weeks, our baby girl will be here to meet us! On one hand, it feels like just yesterday that my husband and I discovered we were pregnant! On the other hand, I am going MAD waiting to see who she looks like and which features of mine and my husband's she bears. I can't wait to dress her up in the adorable outfits my relatives and friends spoiled her with, take her for walks in her stroller, and even change a gazillion diapers per day and comforting her on restless nights. Mostly, I just can't wait to have her in my arms and call her my own.

Needless to say, I have been desperately trying to keep busy in any way possible. Here is proof of my busy-ness in the form of pictures of  Claire's room! Enjoy!!!


My amazingly artistic sis-in-law, @Tiffany Beaver painted the tree and I added fabric leaves and birds to match the crib bedding. We're hoping  baby Claire comes out with lots of hair so that she can put the owl barette holder to the right of the tree to good use!

I painted the wooden letters to match Claire's bedding and hot-glued them to ribbon. Each end of the ribbon was then tied around a nail in the wall and covered with fabric-covered, wooden birds.

This plaque was featured in a blog post about a month ago, and we have finally found a home for it in Claire's room

Can't wait to put this glider to very good use. Notice the beautiful afghan on the glider, made by my fabulous mommy, @Jane Beaver!

Bird puzzle completed by shower guests assembled and displayed in baby's room. Love it!!!

For those of you who don't know me, I am obsessed with the use of Scrabble tiles in craft projects! I am passing on this obsession to my child!

Since Claire's cousins all live hours away, I decided to incorporate them into her room for her to think of them fondly when she can't see  them. Each one used their hand or footprints to create an adorable little character to add to her nursery decor! Also of note is the adorable picture frame to the left of the windowsill made by my aunt, @Julie Heckman and featuring the 3-D ultrasound pic of Claire!

A closeup of Alison's and Camdyn's nursery contributions-a birdie and an owl

Royce's, Derek's, and Adrienne's creative contributious-a butterfly, a frog, and a bouquet of flowers



Wine Bottle to Beach House Vase

While I'm not a huge wine drinker (particularly not in these past 39 weeks at all, haha!), I love all of the options that the use of its container provides! The list of projects you can make out of their corks is limitless, as are those you can make out of the bottles. In my case, I really liked the pale blue color of this particular wine bottle, so I wanted to do something that would still show bits of that color (which happens to be my favorite) and give it a sort of distressed feel. Using Modge Podge and square pieces of tissue paper, I simply applied a layer of Modge Podge bit by bit then covered the bottle in tissue squares before applying another layer. I repeated this process two more times in order to get the textured effect shown in the picture. Currently, I use it as a decorative flower holder displayed on my bannister.

http://webecoist.momtastic.com/2011/02/28/booze-it-up-13-rad-recycled-bottle-crafts-projects/