I finally got off my butt and made something.

The last time I made anything was... well, way too long ago. And so I am super proud to unveil my latest craft!

More picture frames!

I know, I know. Not that original. But hey, it's something! And I think they turned out pretty cute.

Here they are together. And yes, I realize they sort of clash.

In case you are curious, here's a rundown on how to make them.

Buy really cheap wood frames from Michaels. These were $1, but I bought them with 40% off coupons. So you're looking at sixty cent frames!

Trace and cut out a piece of paper to fit the frame. Then Mod Podge it on. Be sure and smooth out the bubbles!

While that's drying, cut out a piece of Burlap to fit the cardboard square in the center. Podge that on.

Decorate the burlap. I used stamps and little glass rocks and a paper flower. Be creative (I'm picturing a green Shamrock...).

Distress the edges of the frame with ink, and then paint a layer of Podge on top, to protect it.

And ta daa! A great little gift, or something to spruce up a shelf. Sorry the picture quality is so bad. I took these at work, right before I mailed them out. Like I said, they make awesome presents.

I am gonna link up to all of these parties. I recommend you do the same :)

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A String of Hearts

Remember how I was going to have my Valentines Decorations all ready by February 1st? Well, that didn't happen. But here is one I finished last night.

I know it doesn't look like much, but it's really pretty in person. I cut out different size hearts in pretty colors, and embellished them with the same techniques I used here. This makes my kitchen look so cute (and draws the focus away from the dirty dishes in the sink).

I am also ready to go with another project that I am super excited about. I spent all night making these things:

Now I just need to go find some branches in the park. And pick up a can of white spray paint. If this turns out half as awesome as it looks in my head, we might have a new favorite project on our hands...



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Valentine Mail Boxes

Once a week, we have "Family Home Evening." Basically, the whole family gathers together for some quality time. That sounds a lot more impressive than it really is. Right now 'the whole family' is just Kurt and me. But we don't let that stop us!

I was in charge this week, and so, of course, we made a craft. He was such a good sport.

I saw some plain white mini mailboxes in the Target dollar Section a month or so ago, and picked them up. Since then, I've seen dozens of ideas on how to decorate them! They are all over blogland.

I thought this would make a cute Valentines Day tradition. The idea is, we can leave little notes or gifts or pieces of candy in each others mailboxes. When we have children, they can stick valentines and other little things in them too. Original idea? Nope. But I think it'll be a fun way to celebrate this holiday.

Kurt designed this yellow one by himself:

It was his first time using Mod Podge. He wasn't exactly excited about it. The man hates glue on his fingers.

When I was little, I would coat my hands with Elmers glue. I loved peeling that stuff off.

When I told him this, he just stared at me. It was like he didn't understand how that could be fun.

He is so weird.

Cute, huh? I got the "you've got mail" idea from this post, over at Miss Crafty Pants. Her font is much cuter. Actually, my mailbox looks a lot like hers. But Kurts is very original.

I'll link these up to the usual places on the right.



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Burlap Backing Tutorial

Remember the Valentines Day Tiles I made a few days ago? And remember how I didn't post a tutorial? That's because I am lazy.

Some of you guys were curious about what I meant by "I glued a square of burlap on the back of the tile (with both hot glue and Mod Podge), and hot glued the Raffia to the Burlap."

So here are some pictures.

This is everything I used. The burlap is just a tiny bit smaller than the tile.

I Mod Podged the back of the tile (pretty thickly), but left the center clean.

Then I filled the center with hot glue.

And used a popsicle stick to press the burlap down. DO NOT USE YOUR FINGERS. You will get burned. Trust me.

After the burlap was pressed down, and both glues had seeped through the material a little bit, I pulled up the edges slightly. And ran a line of hot glue along the side.

Then I used my popsicle stick to press the burlap back down, into the line of glue. Again, if you use your fingers, you will get burned. I promise. You might be tempted to try it, but just say no. Repeat this step on the other 3 sides.

Now it's time to attach the Raffia. I actually like using ribbon better (I used it here). But I didn't have any that looked good with these tiles, and Raffia looks good with everything. You should always have Raffia on hand. That is probably the best advice I can give you.

Grab the center of the Raffia, and smooth it out between your fingers. Run a line of hot glue near the top of the tile. Set the Raffia onto the hot glue.

Then use a popsicle stick to push the Raffia down into the glue. If you want to use your fingers, go ahead. But you will probably get third degree burns.

Once everything is dry, bring the sides of the Raffia (or ribbon) up, and tie them together.

Kurt was all "are you sure that's gonna hold?" So I had him tug on it a little. Now he is a believer. That stuff isn't going anywhere.

And if you are wondering what I used to embellish the flowers, I'll show you.

Little glass stones. The kind people stick in the bottom of vases. Neat idea, huh? And pretty cheap. Especially with a coupon.



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Valentines Day Tiles

I finally finished a project! I've been dealing with some serious Craft ADD lately. I'll start a project, and get distracted by another project. And then another. And then brownies um, healthy food. So now I have 6 or 7 half finished projects strewn around my living room (and yes, it's driving Kurt crazy).

But last night I forced myself to finish this, so I'd have something to show you guys today. You are my motivation :)


They turned out pretty nice, huh? I love decorating tiles. I got these 6x6 beauties at Lowes for 60 cents (ish) each, and busted out the Mod Podge.


For the 3D flowers, I used this tutorial (it's at the bottom of the page). It's super easy. But it uses hot glue, so be careful- I think I burned myself 6 times last night :/


This project uses pretty paper, Burlap, and Mod Podge. My three favorite things, all in one project! I just wish I could take better pictures- these look so much prettier in person.


To hang them, I glued a square of burlap on the back of the tile (with both hot glue and Mod Podge), and hot glued the Raffia to the Burlap. For instructions and pictures, click here.


Tiles are so in right now.


So that's my Valentines Decoration. If you make some of these, post a link! I want to see what you guys come up with. I'll be linking up to all the parties on the right :)

In other news, I have the hiccups. Again. For the 4th time today. I think my body is trying to entertain itself. It's all "Oh, you have to answer the phones at work? Take that! Let's hear you talk now." It thinks it's just sooo funny.

Not cool, body. Not cool.



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Presents for Amber

(sorry this one took me so long to post!)

Let me tell you a little bit about my sister Amber. She is 2 years younger than me, but 5 inches taller. When we were really little, people were always asking if we were twins. She got married when she was barely 20, and I kind of set them up. Basically, she owes her happiness to me.

Making Amber's presents was really fun. Giving them away was hard, though- they turned out so good, I just wanted to keep them. She filled out my short and simple Christmas survey, and I discovered that she wanted Christmas stuff for Christmas. And that's the perfect kind of project for December.

The first thing I made her was this frame and tree. It's pretty similar to the one I featured here.

I love these little things :)

The second thing I made her was this cute pillow. I got this idea from Craftaholics Anonymous (except I just used regular stuffing, instead of grocery bags). I love how it turned out. Burlap is my favorite material (the soft kind, from Joann Fabrics), and I was excited to make something a little different than my usual papery crafts. To see the post that inspired me, click here.

And finally, her Big Present. The one I could not stop staring at. I was so proud of it! It's official name is "The Sheet Music and Burlap Frame," and I also got this idea here at Craftaholics Anonymous. Noticing a theme? You should probably go check out that blog. But first, let me explain what I love about this gift.


The Burlap, of course. and the fact that everything is done on top of the glass, so you can touch it if you want to. That just makes it seem so much more friendly than something stuck behind the glass. And I love the music. I asked Amber what her favorite Christmas Carol was, and I printed it off a sheet music website, onto off-white card stock (I love personalized gifts). Then I distressed the edges. It looks kind of like it's been burned when you see it in person.

And finally, the flower. The tutorial for this 2 Minute Fabric Flower is here, also at Craftaholics Anonymous. You might recognize it from the Magnet Board at the bottom of this post.

Pretty classy presents, huh?

Oh, and before I forget, I also made these ornaments.

I made one for each family member; the girls got Trees and the boys got Stars. I was really excited because since we celebrated with my family on New Years, I was able to get these wood ornaments on sale the day after Christmas. Score!

Well, I should probably go. I need to get started on next years presents.



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Annie's Checker Board

We didn't send Annie a birthday present this year. Because we suck. And because I couldn't find anything I thought she'd like on the internet. So I just gave up and didn't give her anything.

The end.

Just kidding! I had given up. But then I had a stroke of genius. Annie and Jimmy love games. But they have every game in existence. BUT they don't have any personalized, pretty games. And Annie definitely likes personalized, pretty things.

I knew what I wanted: A cute checkerboard game. I had everything figured out ...except the actual board. Then my awesome sister Amber suggested using particle board. It cost like $3, and they cut it into 4 12x12 squares. So if you are thinking about this as a gift, do it. Totally affordable, and you can make 4 of them.

I really suck, and so I didn't get any step-by-step pictures. But I'll try to explain how to do it.

I Mod Podged the front side of the polka dot and the brown paper (I like to do this first, to make the paper stronger). While was drying, Kurt sanded the edges of the wood. Then I layed down a layer of Mod Podge onto the board, and smoothed on the polka dot paper. And I really do mean smoothed- I took an old book and used it to press out any air bubbles and wrinkles. But you can use anything with a firm edge.

I bought these little wooden circles at Michaels for around $1.50. Amber traced 13 circles on the blue paper, and 13 circles on the orange paper (That's how many circles came in the bag. Which is perfect- 1 extra of each). She cut them out, and Mod Podged them on the wooden circles, making adorable little checker pieces.

While we were doing this, Kurt was using a ruler and cutting out one-and-a-half-inch squares of the brown paper. Once I was sure there were no more air bubbles in the polka dot paper, I grabbed the brown squares. To make sure they were even, I layed down a solid row of squares, and then carefully took off every other one. I recommend doing this for your first row. Then I put some Mod Podge on the back of each square, and permanently placed it on the board.

Once that dried I painted on a few more layers of Mod Podge. Because you can never have enough Mod Podge.

While that was drying, I grabbed some pretty burlap, and made a bag for the checker pieces. I just used a hot glue gun to keep the sides together, and then poked some ribbon through at the top.

I gave it to her on New Years Eve (about an hour after it dried), but waited until the Christmas Presents were finished. Once people were sitting around playing some games, I brought it upstairs and handed it to her. Amber suggested not wrapping it, because it was so cute as it was. I agreed, and I'm glad I did. This is what it looked like when she first saw it.

"Yes! I can totally win this game!" -Annie

She really liked it, and so did everyone else, and for a second I thought I had a riot on my hands. I was about to grab the checker board and run (not to keep it. I would have given it back...probably), but then I realized they were just trying to get a closer look.

It was really easy to make, and I'm going to do some of these to sell at a craft show. My favorite thing about it is that it's made of a lightweight wood, and so it's gonna last a lot longer than cardboard would. My second favorite thing is that it cost less than $5 to make. My 3rd favorite thing? Probably the look on her face when she first saw it.



Happy Birthday Annie!
























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Gifts for JoAnn

Here are the things I made for JoAnn, my Dad's new wife. We were really lucky when she came into our lives. I can't imagine anyone who would fit better. They got married this summer, and I could not be happier for them.

I have a lot of explanations in this post, but really no tutorials. Sorry guys. I guess just look at the pictures while you are reading the instructions, and hopefully you'll understand. If you have any questions, let me know!


I made her a frame, since that is sort of my thing right now. Amber helped me pick out the paper. And in the middle I wrote Family- because that is the most important thing in their lives :)


Then I made her these coasters. Again, I've seen this idea on so many blogs! It's pretty simple- Just head to Lowes or someplace similar, and pick up some tiles. These ones were .28 cents each (Kurt sanded the corners down). Then grab some pretty scrapbook paper, trace and cut out squares, and ink the edges. Mod Podge it onto the Tile, making sure to smooth out the air bubbles. After that dries thoroughly, paint on a few more layers of Mod Podge to add a nice finish. I glued on a square of cork to the back of each coaster, to keep them from scratching up their tables. You can buy sheets of cork board at your local craft store.


While Kurt was downstairs playing Rockband, I had a photo shoot with all of the presents I had made. I grabbed these coasters, and distributed them around the house, looking for the best lighting and angles. I know, I know, I'm a dork.


Finally, I made her this snowman decoration. Which I absolutely love. It was quick and easy and super cheap. All you need is a Tile (this one is 6"x6" and cost me .60 cents), a napkin, some mod podge, a 6"x6" scrap of fabric, and a ribbon.

I cut out one square of the Snowman napkin, and Mod Podged it onto the tile. I gently smoothed out the air bubbles, being careful not to tear the delicate paper. The finished project has a textured look, as the napkin gets wrinkly. While that was drying, I Mod Podged/Hot Glued my 6"x6" scrap of burlap onto the back. Then I hot glued the ribbon to the Burlap, and tied it in a loopy bow above the tile. Once the Napkin was completely dry, I carefully coated the front with another layer of Mod Podge.

And that's it. I really, really like this. It only took about 5 minutes to make (not including dry time) and I'm gonna make some to sell next Christmas. I have plenty of leftover snowman napkins :)



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Presents for 'Tel

Chantel is my littlest sister. She's the youngest girl, but she is also only 4'11". And I'm pretty sure she's never weighed more than 95 lbs. So when I say littlest, I really mean it.

When she was younger, we used to have a million nicknames for her. "Telly" "Tubby" "Tubster" "Toilet" (Not kidding) etc. and she'd answer to any of them. But "Tel" is the one that really stuck.

I sent out a survey to each of my sisters a few weeks ago. It was short and easy, and helped me get a feel for the way they decorate, and what kinds of presents they wanted. Chantel has plenty of Christmas stuff, but since she is a newleywed, she needs more non-seasonal decor. She and her husband Mike are arguing between a Tuscan and a Modern theme. So I needed to come up with things that fit both.

...which was really hard. In the end I used a lot of green (her favorite) and called it good.


She really likes my frames, and I chose papers that were more toned down, so they'd fit with any season.


It was super simple to make- We bought the plack already assembled at Wal Mart. Then we just printed "Keys" on stripey scrapbook paper, and cut out the oval. And what did I use as both the glue and the finish? Why, Mod Podge, of course! This turned out to be a great gift. They got really excited when they opened it, and started planning which keys go where.

And now, for my absolute favorite. A Magnet Board. Tons of people make these, and I don't really know who to cite. I've seen them everywhere. All you need is an old (or new) cookie sheet. Grab some pretty paper (or fabric) and Mod Podge it on. Seal it with a top coat of the same gooey stuff.

Now here is where I got creative: I've just discovered Burlap. And I thought "why not add my new favorite fabric?" I love the results.

Sorry guys, I don't have any pictures of the process. But if you look at the finished product while you read this, you should be able to understand what I'm saying.

I cut out a burlap rectangle a little bit bigger than the cookie sheet. I set the cookie sheet down in the center of the burlap, and then pulled the edges over the sides, and hot glued them down right next to the paper. Next I trimmed the edges of the burlap right up to the glue. So basically, the back and sides of the tray were covered in burlap, and it framed the green paper in the center of the tray.

I attached a pretty striped ribbon to the back using both Mod Podge and hot glue, and then attached a 2 Minute Fabric Flower to the bottom left corner (which I learned how to make here, at Craftaholics Anonymous).

Then I made 3 more little flowers in white burlap, and hot glued them to magnets. I love how it turned out.

I think Tel and Mike liked their gifts. But if not, they can just pretend they did, and pull them out of the closet whenever I visit. As long as I can go on thinking that they loved them, I'll be happy.


I'm showing this off at these lovely sites;













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