Friday Five

(1) Want to get a head start on Fall craft projects. Check out 101 Festive Fall Tutorials. And while you're there, take a look at 101 Simple Handmade Gift Tutorials, to get a head start on homemade holiday gifts.

(2) Hubby will be so excited to know he can eat pizza rolls again. I love that these Homemade Pizza Rolls are made with my new favorite ingredient...wonton wrappers. 

(3) Loving this Phonetic Alphabet printable. 

(4) Made this No-Sew Super Hero Cape and Mask for Bubba. 

(4.5) He thinks he's The Flash...not that he even knows who that is.

Life Size Lego

   (5) Bubba's Halloween costume this year?

DIY Diaper Cake

I helped Mimi put together a diaper cake for a baby shower in honor of a gal in her bible study group. I had never made one before, but knew it couldn't be that difficult. 

I did a bit of Googling and found the easiest tutorial from Momaroo.

We used a basic cake stand as our base. 

The instructions said to start out with one large piece of twine and add folded diapers until you've made the size you want {I'm not sure how this was done alone, Mimi and I found it difficult with two of us trying to hold the diapers}. We found it easier to create smaller sections of diapers with twine, then wrap each section together with the larger piece of twine. It comes out exactly the same as the tutorial, and prevented the diapers from moving around while trying to tie them together. 

I decorated each layer with pretty girly ribbon using double sided tape and bit of hot glue. Mimi made the bows. And we topped it with a cute pair of baby booties. 

-Karla

DIY Wedding Day Emergency Kit

I put together this handy Wedding Day Emergency Kit for my friend JJ, to give to her at the bridesmaid luncheon the day before her wedding. I intended to make a cute little tag for it as well, but you know how I am. Maybe it will make it on Moni's kit in a few months...or not - we'll see. Either way, it is quite a handy little bag. 

JJ swore up and down she did NOT need an emergency kit. But, she was wrong. As I knew she would be. Which is why I made it anyway. 

Of course you can pick up a pre-made kit {you can also find M.O.B/M.O.G survival kits, bridesmaid's kits, and even a cute Hemergancy kit here}. Funny fact: I saw the survival kits I linked to on the Today Show the other day - while I was writing this. 

I'll be honest, making it yourself and purchasing it off of the website is about the same price. However, making your own version is much more meaningful, you can pack it with any specific products that your bride uses, and you can pick out a pretty cosmetic bag that you know your friend would like. 

Here is what I included:

Sewing kit

Small scissors

White chalk (for masking stains)

Clear nail polish

Mints

Bandages

Blister protection

Antacid

Pain reliever

Blotting Papers

Cotton balls and Q-tips

Tweezers

Emery board

Nail clippers

Lip balm

Tissues

Lint Roller

Lotion

Bobby pns

Comb

Small Mirror

Baby wipes

Wet Ones

Makeup remover wipes

Stain remover

Baby powder

Razor

Deodorant

Straws (so the bride doesn't mess up her lipstick)

Toothbrush/paste

Toothpicks/floss

Tampons/panty liners

Snacks

Matches

Krazy glue (for shoe heels, decorations, even jewels, etc.) 

Not included in my kit, but equally important:

*Static-cling spray or (my favorite) Dryer Sheets

*Double-sided fashion tape

*Eye drops

Contact lens solution 

Extra earring backs

Smelling salts

Nail polish in the shade the bride is wearing

Hairspray

Hair ties 

Scotch tape

Safety pins

Linen handkerchief

Corsage Pins

I went through my house first, and found quite a few things on the list - including the snacks. Then, I went to Walmart's travel product section and found nearly everything remaining. What I didn't find in that section was in the surrounding area. I picked up the cosmetic bag at Target. 

I also created myself a "Matron of Honor Emergency Bag." Which included the dryer sheets/fashion tape/eye drops {mentioned above}, sand paper (to rub on the bottom of slippery new shoes), flat iron, hair dryer, headbands, a clothes steamer, and bottled water. I'm the kind of person that likes to be over-prepared...can you tell? You just never know what you might need. 

Although, we didn't use everything from the kits, they were EXTREMELY helpful for those unexpected emergencies. Moral of the story, don't let your bride try to tell you that she won't need an emergency kit....because she {and everyone else getting ready with her} will need it. 

-Karla

Picture Frame Dry Erase To-Do List

I'm baaaaaaaaacckk! 

I hope you just read that the way I said it in my head. 

I've made it through the busiest 3 weeks of my year {so far...I have a few more busy weeks ahead}, and I have a super easy DIY project for you.  

Remember this frame I painted awhile ago when I made over that adorable tray?

Well, I turned it into a dry erase to-do list. You can use it as a message board, too. I just really wanted a place to write a weekly to-do list. Let me also note, that after I wrote the list on there when I completed this project, ::cough cough, a month ago, cough cough::, I never have updated it. Whoopsies. 

Anyway, it was super simple to through this together. 

I used a printable scrapbook paper as my background {from Karen Lewis Designz <--- so many cute and free printables!}. 

I love the old tea stained paper look!

I printed out 3 copies and taped them together to fit the frame. 

Since I was missing the back of the frame...ya know, the part that is supposed to keep the pictures, or in this case, papers stuck to the glass...I used a 1/4 piece of foam board for the back. You can pick this up at the Dollar Tree for, um, a dollar. 

Put it all together, and whatta got.....

{again I hope you said that the way I was thinking it}

an oh-so-sweet message board/to-do list. 

DIY Drummer Onesies & Burp Cloths

These little onesies and burp cloths made the cutest addition to the little drummer baby shower decor. 

Here's how you can make them yourself!

What you need:

• freezer paper

• image to trace

• x-acto knife

• paint & paint brush

• iron

• onesies & burp cloths

To create your stencil - trace your image onto the freezer paper, shiny side down, and carefully cut it out using the x-acto knife. For the drummer, I just google searched drummer silhouette, and for the words I typed it out in a Word document. 

Remember to save the little pieces that go inside the letters. 

Using low heat, iron the freezer paper onto the burp cloth or onesies, then paint the blank space. 

This ironing technique works great when you're not using the same stencil for multiple items. I did this for the first onesie, then ended up having to carefully hold the stencil in place for the rest. 

Once the paint is dry, remove the freezer paper. 

Or, if you're like my impatient self, remove the freezer paper before the paint is completely dry and touch up the spots you messed up by removing the paper too soon. 

Once the paint is really dry, go over the image with a warm iron {place an old t-shirt or cloth between the picture and the iron first!}.

For the burp cloths, I used Gerber pre-fold cloth diapers - available at Target. For the stars {seen in the picture at the top}, I used black glitter scrapbook paper - also from Target {pack of 2 for $0.99}. And the mini clothes pins I picked up at Michael's and spray painted black {chalkboard paint, of course. It was the only black paint I had available}. 

DIY Vinyl Record Bowl

I really thought it was going to be a lot harder to make these bowls. But it was actually insanely easy. 

I followed this easy tutorial, but I thought I would include a few pictures for ya'll. 

Place in a 200º oven for 8-10 minutes.

Quickly place inside of a bowl to shape the record. 

Use for storage, as wall art, or for a chip bowl {as I did}.

DIY Vinyl Record Door Hanger

This door hanger was a very last minute idea. I was really done with making things for the shower, but 2 days before I thought my cute Easter Bunny door hanger didn't really fit the theme, and I needed something to replace it stat. 

Of course, since this was a last minute project, I didn't remember to take pictures of all the steps. But, it really was quite easy, and took me only about 20 minutes to complete. 

Cut out circles to fit the center of the record from scrapbook paper. 

Apply a thin layer of glue to the record, and paste on the circle. 

I printed out a picture of a drummer {the same one I used for the onsies and burp cloths}, then traced it onto another sheet of scrapbook paper, cut it out using an X-acto knife, and glued it onto one of the records. {If you don't like the drummer you can always replace him with a guitar, musical note, or anything else that fits your theme.}

I don't have a picture of the final step, but all you have to do is hot glue all of the records together. Then attach a piece of ribbon {also with a bit of hot glue}.

You end up with this adorable door hanger - perfect for a musical/drummer themed shower. 

This post linked up over at: 

DIY Vintage Record Cake Stands

I had intended on making a drum related center piece/cake stand for the shower. But ended up going a different music related route. I keep referring to the baby shower as a "little drummer" theme, but it was actually more of a music theme with drums being our main instrumental focus. 

I was inspired by these vintage record cake plates; but what I ended up doing is a simplified version. {I didn't even realize that they used candlesticks as their base until I went back to find the link for this post}

Prime and paint the candlesticks.

I used Krylon spray paint and primer. Then used a clear matte finish spray. 

There is a screw pictured, but I didn't end up using it. 

I just hot glued the record to the base. Hot glue works well enough, but I would suggest using a heavy duty super glue if you have it on hand. I didn't {and didn't want to run out and buy any}, so the hot glue worked for me.  

I stacked two together {but did not glue them}, and used a smaller record on top to make a 2-tiered cake stand. 

Also, it's worth noting, even though I wiped down the records before using them, since I didn't use the plexi glass, I laid down a napkin for the little pastries on the center stand to sit on. 

How To: Remove Wax from a Candlestick

I bought a couple thrifted candlesticks for the vinyl record cake stand I made for the little drummer shower. One of them had the end piece of a candle stuck inside. 

Here is the quick and easy way I got it out:

All you need is a blow dryer and plastic knife.

Use the blow dryer to soften the wax for a minute or two. I didn't time it, but know I didn't use the dryer for that long. Just remember to do this over a piece of cardboard or paper plate {or something of the sorts}. 

I found the best way to do this, was to hold the candlestick in one hand and the dryer in the other, and tilt the candlestick to one side. That way when the wax melted, it would drip on the cardboard and not run down the stick. 

Then use the knife to pop the piece out of the candlestick. 

Super easy! 

Thursday Things

(1) I missed the Kate Spade Sale...bummer. 

(2) I told myself to go back and look through everything when I had a minute. But that minute never arrived. 

(3) Oh well. I probably didn't need to waste the money anyway, since everything in our house is deciding to crap out on us. Super. Fun.

(4) Such a brilliant use for a table.

(5) {I never thought I would be saying this, but...} I kind of can't wait for Bubba to be in to Superheros, so we can make this Superhero City. A-friggin-dorable is all I can say. 

(6) Bubba was fitting his nap today, so I put him in his room and shut the door {ya know, for quiet time}...

(7) This is where I found him 45 minutes later. 

(8) At least he's asleep. 

{Side-note: I'm very much against Cry It Out (he wasn't crying at all), and every time he called for me (2 or 3 times) I checked on him and asked if he wanted me to lay down with him. Just thought I should add that in, if someone stumbled upon this and thought that I locked my kid in his room and just let him scream (that is not the case, at all)}.

(9) Super cute printable from eighteen25.

(10) I have a new obsession with felt. So don't be surprised when you see a ton a posts about our felt crafts. 

(11) Someone loves Roseanne as much as I do {probably even a bit more so}. I didn't think it was possible. I love that "I Love Lucy" is also her favorite show. This chick is right up my alley. 

(12) Bubba and I watched this after reading the above post. So many memories. Oh Lucy, how I love ya. 

Happy Thursday!

Decor Redo: Candleholder to Soap Dish

I saw a pin on Pinterest, to use a cake stand as a hand soap dish. {sorry, for some reason I can't find the pin}

I have been searching for a small enough cake stand for a couple months now ..... and have yet to find one that is (A) small enough, and (B) cheap enough for me to buy it.

Then, last week, I stopped by the thrift store, and I found this little candle holder. It's the perfect little size, and was the perfect little price.

I used Krylon Dual Paint & Primer in red, and Krylon Crystal Clear Gloss Finish. {And, really, if I had already had the right color spray paint to match Bubba's bathroom at home, I would have only spent $3 on this whole project}

I really liked how it turned out. Except, I would not have a bar of soap to put there to take the photo .... but at least I had a couple small sample bars from the Conscious Box I bought last month. 

Furniture Makeover: Old Frames

I picked up these old frames at a yard sale for $1 each, and have been holding on to them for the right project.

I painted the large frame lime green to match the decor in my kitchen; and the smaller frame a neutral creamy white color (Mountain Grey - Olympic). When they were dry, I sanded over the paint to give it the shabby chic look, which I so love. Then, I sprayed them with a matte finish spray paint (Krylon).

I was inspired by this old frame (sorry, I can't find the original source). However, I wanted something that I could hang notes from as well, and I wasn't totally feeling the straight lines and wire. 

So I used jute twine, and criss crossed my way down the back of the frame. No rhyme or reason. I just kind of made up my design as I went; and I ended up criss crossing back up the frame to fill in empty spots. 

I just used thumb tacks to secure the twine. Press the tack into the wood, wrap the twine around it 2-3 times, tie a knot, {if needed} lightly hammer the tack down. I read somewhere to use nails, but Bubba was sleeping, and the banging was too loud (I certainly did not want to wake him up...I wanted to get my project done after all).

I'm not loving the blah-ness (not a word, I know) of the mini clothes pins. I'm thinking my next project will have to be jazzing them up. But I love the random old pictures I get to look at every day...most are random shots of people and things, but my favorite is of the Colosseum. My Great Uncle Bill took these photos, and I found them in an old metal tool box I have sitting in my living room. 

This one actually took me longer to finish. I think it was because I wanted each line to be perfectly straight and even. Such a pain! 

It doesn't have a home yet, but I'm thinking of putting it on the empty wall of our spare bedroom/office. 

What have you been working on these days?