Fourth of July Funsies

I have been busily (is that an actual word?) preparing my baby girl's 1st birthday party, which has been so much fun; however, it has left me no time to complete any Fourth of July-related goodies. Fortunately for me, I can craft vicariously through others with these spectacular ideas, courtesy of Lil Luna, How Does She, and Tatertots and Jello blogs, who featured their fave 4th ideas and treats, created by a plethora of amazing creators

Fourth of July Desserts, courtesy of Lil Luna

Fourth of July Decor, courtesy of Lil Luna

Firecracker Treat Holders, courtesy of How Does She

Fourth of July Recipes and Decor, courtesy of Tatertots and Jello

Mod Podge Jewelry

One of the coolest, simplest craft projects that I have seen throughout the many (and I mean many) craft blogs I've perused involves using glass beads, typically used as fillers for vases and decorative pieces, Mod Podge, scrapbook paper or pictures, and magnetic discs to create adorable, decorative magnets.

I decided to alter the idea a smidge and turn them into cute, inexpensive pendants that could be interchangeably strung onto a chain to match every outfit or theme you've got goin' on!

Here's how its done:

Materials:

-clear, glass stones (typically sold in packs of 20ish for $1 at your
 local, dollar store...whoop!)
-Mod Podge
-paint brush
-computer/printer
-scissors
-E6000 glue
-circular bail plate

Directions:

1. Search personal pictures and images/patterns online and print out (I copied/pasted into Microsoft Word and adjusted the pics into circles approximately the same size as the beads).

2. Cut images to fit the flat side of the glass beads

3. Using a paintbrush, coat the flat side of a glass stone with a thick
    layer of Mod Podge. Lay the image on top of the Mod Podge so  
    that the non-image side is facing upward. Allow Mod Podge to
    dry

4. Paint a layer of Mod Podge over the image to seal. Let dry.

5. Using E6000, glue a circular bail plate to the back of each stone and let dry.

6. Trim off any excess paper around the glass stone.

These make adorable pendants, but could also be put onto ring bases to be made into chunky rings! Enjoy!!!

The History of Hoyby---Hoybistory, if you will!

It has been brought to my attention (more than once) that the name of my blog is hard to pronounce and all-around bizarre…Fair enough! Allow me to explain to you why I chose the name that I did...

Once upon a time… a beautiful princess named Shannon was born.

While she was given a pretty ordinary first name (despite the fact that the name was inspired by the song “Shannon,” which was later determined to be about a dog, but she’s not bitter…), her mother (the queen, apparently) wanted to gift her with an extraordinary, middle name…

The queen thought and thought and thought until, one day, she decided she would combine two, family names to make the perfect middle name for her fair (and I mean, fair…this princess burns when a flashlight is pointed at her) princess. She combined her maiden name, “Dalby” with the maiden name of her mother, “Hoyland.”

But how was she to decide which name would be suitable for a beauty such as Princess Shannon? She narrowed it down to two names…”Dalland” and “Hoyby,” pronounced “Hoy-bee” (ok, so Hoyby was never actually in the running and was just a joke between the king and queen, but how lame would this story be without it…its sort of a big deal). When Princess Shannon was brought back to the kingdom, the king proclaimed her to be named “Her royal highness, Shannon Dalland Beaver!”

As Princess Shannon grew up, she made the dastardly mistake of sharing her almost-middle-name with her evil step-cousins (alright…legit, first cousins who she loves to death, but still…). The cousins taunted her mercilessly about the name, referring to her only as Hoyby for years...

Princess Shannon promised the evil step-cousins that she would one day make “Hoyby” a household name and use it to take over the world.

So she started a blog named Hoyby Crafts, featuring her crafts, as well as the crafts and handmade item of others. The cousins knelt at Princess Shannon's feet and begged for forgiveness for their unkind remarks. Princess Shannon graciously forgave them, in exchange for their recipes and crafty ideas..

And they all lived happily ever after… :0)

Hoyby Crafts is on Facebook!!!

Be sure to check out our Facebook page and "like " for regular updates and giveaways!

30 Fab Father's Day Ideas

Lil' Luna recently posted a plethora of amazing Father's Day gifts! Here are some of my faves, but be sure to check out her page for the entire list of projects (all 30 of them!)!