Bent Wire Name Photo Frame



Wire name frame



A little over ten years ago, I had the fabulous opportunity to visit London, England for about a week! It was absolutely fantastic, and I am DYING to go again! One of my favorite memories was of the day we spent exploring Covent Gardens, near the “downtown” area of London, and its surrounding areas.  While I thoroughly enjoyed the shopping and sight-seeing, I LOVED observing the various entertainers and street vendors, from human statues to musicians to CRAFTERS!!!

Human "Statue" at Covent Gardens-One of the MANY amazing entertainers!

Picadilly Circus-so busy yet so fabulous!



My sister and I-typical tourists

One of the street vendors made the coolest name frames, where he used pliers to bend wire into a variety of words. He charged one pound per name, so I quickly wrote down the names of about 12 of my friends and handed over my money. The name frames were a huge hit and an amazing souvenir to own! Ten years later, I have FINALLY taken the time to try this project for myself.  I certainly did not do it at the speed of the street vendor (or even come close, for that matter), and it definitely took me a few tries before I became successful, but I was pretty proud of the end result.  I simply used needle nose pliers to twist wire into my name and made a two triangular shapes behind and below my name to hold a picture. DONE!!!



The artist himself



Slacking for a VERY good cause!

I know, I know...I have really not been good about keeping up with my blog posts this week. I think you will forgive me when I show you my reason why!

And here he is...

Royce Manning Tanner

Born September 22, 2011 at 6:55 AM

7 lbs., 5 oz. 21 inches

Can't get enough of that sweet face!

Mommy (my sister, Kyra) and baby

Proud daddy

Grandma (my mom) and her grandbabies, Camdyn and Royce

So happy my new nephew is HERE!!!

Pop Pop (my dad) holding his grandson

Bib Necklaces

This type of necklace throws a fashionable and cute spin on a typical piece of jewelry. Using a sheet of blue felt, I cut out the bib shape based on necklaces I had seen before (although I am including a cool template that could easily be used). I then glued the end of a piece of 9” gray ribbon to each side of the bib so that the necklace could be tied to wear. Using silver, fabric rosettes I had previously made, I placed the largest rosette in the middle of the bib, the medium sized rosettes on each side of that and the smaller rosettes by edges of the bib. I then embellished the remaining sections of the bib with gray, glass pearls and placed a gray pearl in the middle of each rosette. Now to find the perfect outfit to compliment this necklace!

Here is a template you can use to create an adorable bib necklace for yourself!

 

Simple, Inexpensive Earring Holder

Handmade MULTI-earring holder



Between the earrings I buy and the earrings I make, it is safe to say that I have a PLETHORA of earrings in my collection. The trouble I have had is storing them. Jewelry boxes don’t have enough room and force the jewelry to get tangled and earring holders are often more than I wish to spend for the small amount of earrings they hold. As a result, I found myself scouring my local craft stores for some way to fashion something that will stand on its own and hold LOTS of earrings. After almost an hour in the store, I decided on an embroidery ring and a large sheet of plastic, embroidery canvas. I used a glue gun to place glue on the inside of the embroidery ring. I then rolled the canvas into a cylinder and placed the bottom of the cylinder into the embroidery ring, so that the bottom edge of the canvas attached to the glue inside the ring. I then placed a line of glue along the area in which the plastic canvas overlapped itself along the side of the cylinder and VOILA!!! I have not counted how many earrings I could potentially place on my new holder, but I think it is safe to say I now have a reason to make many, many additional pairs.













Flower Pen Centerpiece/Favors

Looking for some “not your average centerpiece” centerpieces? I created these flower pen bouquets for a bridal shower, not only to serve as cute décor, but also to assist guests in participating in shower games, as each flower is actually a functional pen. Simply wrap floral tape around each pen from just above the pen point to the top so that it is completely covered. Next, take the tops of fake flowers off of their stems and use hot glue to adhere them to the top of each taped pen. Cut a piece floral foam to fit the container that will be holding the pens and place it into the container (I used some really cute, filigreed, bright green Chinese takeout boxes for these particular centerpieces!). The pens can then be stuck into the floral foam and arranged into an adorable centerpiece!



Children's Craft-Panda Visor

Make new friends, but keep the old (sing it if you know it!) one is silver and the other’s gold. As a child/teenager, I had the privilege (yes, privilege!) of being a Girl Scout for 13 years. Scouting allowed me to meet people from all walks of life, try activities I would never have tried otherwise, perform community service projects for those less fortunate than myself and experience the joy of giving back, and travel around the country and world (That’s right, kids..my troop went on a two-week journey to London and Paris!). About a year and a half ago, I decided that it was time for me to start giving back to the Girl Scout program. I met up with someone from my local council and, before I knew it, I was the new troop leader of a Daisy (Kindergarten-1^st grade) troop!

One of the events held by the council was Thinking Day, which teaches the girls about Girl Scouts and Girl Guides in other countries. We were asked to represent a specific country at this event, so our troop chose China. With one week to plan and zero kimonos in my possession, one of the moms suggested having the girls dress like pandas…Done! I told the girls to wear a black and white outfit of their choosing and simply decorated white visors with black, hardened felt, and a black Sharpie to transform them from girls to China’s most well-beloved animal!



Crayon Holder Roll Up

Colored pencil rollup, courtesy of The Modern Hive blogspot





The inside of the adorable colored pencil rollup



If I had all day to make these, I would TRULY make them all day long. There are lots of tutorials out there for making crayon (or pencil or marker or WHATEVER) rolls using fabric, but I like to skip extra steps as often as necessary, so I decided to use a placemat I bought at the Dollar Tree to avoid additional sewing and pressing. Keep in mind that the user will be seeing both sides of the placemat, so it is important to find a placemat that is patterned (or at least attractive-looking) on both sides. Placing the placemat vertically on a flat surface, fold the bottom edge to approximately 4-5 inches under the top edge(a little less than halfway). Pin the end of an 18” strand of ribbon in between both layers on each side of the placemat. Pin both layers of the placemat together along the edges and sew along the pinned edges, leaving one large pocket. Sew vertical lines about 1 inch apart (if you are making a pencil rollup; crayons will usually need lines 1 ½” apart and markers could be up to 2” apart, depending upon the width). A variation of this project could also leave enough room for a notebook or coloring book in the middle or pockets could vary in width to appropriately fit a variety of school tools (rulers, pens, pencils, note cards, markers, the list goes on and on). In case my instructions have confused you thoroughly, here is a tutorial (with pictures!) of this project to help you along your way!

http://sewing.craftgossip.com/tutorial-pencil-or-crayon-roll-from-a-placemat/2009/12/06/

Never Forget

It is hard to believe that, ten years ago, America was shaken to its core yet brought together by its determination to fight back with vigor, determination, and unity. Let us never forget September 11, 2001 and the families and loved ones of those who perished in the towers, Pentagon, and in the air. Despite the horror of this day, America can rejoice in knowing that we have service men and women who are willing to give their lives for their country without hesitation and live in a country that is able to join together and rise out of the ashes to rebuild and to honor those we have lost. God bless America!!!

Here is an amazing, patriotic craft that can be used to honor a day such as this or every day to celebrate freedom and the country in which we live!

http://web.archive.org/web/20090104023812/http://www.plaidonline.com/projectDetail.asp?projectID=707&cat1ID=7&CurPage=2

Super Simple Mustache Pacifier

My sister modeling her future baby boy's mustachifier

Since I seem to be in the midst of a pacifier obsession, I might as well use this project as my next blog post! I simply cut a mustache shape out of hardened black felt and used a glue gun to attach it to the front of a pacifier. Do I think my future nephew will use this binky for its actual purpose on a regular basis? Probably not! Do I think he will look super FLY when he does use it? ABSOLUTELY!!!

30 Years Old and Lookin' Fly!

In honor of my bestest friend Tammie's 30th birthday (which was two days ago...sorry I didn't post on the actual day, but I was out of town celebrating it with her), I would love for you to check out her business venture, Pine Hill Granola. Tammie makes and markets the most delicious granola I have ever eaten! Who knew something SO delicious could be so good for you! Currently, it is being sold in original, blueberry, and cranberry flavors, as well as a version with no nuts for those with allergies, although Tam has HUGE plans for where this product will go (pumpkin spice flavors for fall, hot chocolate flavors for winter, granola cookies, chocolate-granola bars, the list goes on and on)! Be sure to "like" her Facebook page for updates and information on this Dee-lish product, as well as to make purchases of existing products (trust me, it will NOT disappoint!).

The beautiful birthday girl

Tammie, my sister, Kyra, and I---random, ridiculous poses are kinda what we do!



Happy 30th birthday, Tam Tam!!!! Love you to the moon!