Quiet Books

Okay, I'm a nerd, but I am totally excited about these!  In fact I just finished them today and I am already blogging about it!  I was craft-blog-surfing yesterday (I love to do that on Sundays for some reason) and I found these free printable flashcard type things.  They are all church related and perfect for my kids!  I always wanted to make one of those fabric quiet books with all the zippers and buttons and all that...but lets face it, who has time for that??? I think my procrastinating paid off and now my kids are too old... right...two of them at least?

These topics are so basic and they are just right for kids.

Perfect!  The kids are all starting to memorize the Articles of Faith!

Okay, so I realize there's not a lot of "crafting" going on here, but can I just tell you how much I love simple and cheap projects?!  All I did was download these pictures, order them as 4x6 prints at Sam's Club one hour.  Then I planned on laminating and binding them...but I got smart and decided it would be cheaper (and a lot less work) to just buy $1.99 brag books and shove them in there.  SO easy and I LOVE the results!

We are headed out for a LONG car drive next week, so I decided to make a little learning book for my 2 yr old.  I think he might actually look at it because he loves cars so much!

And the final product.  I hope my kids will actually look at these in church and maybe learn something???  Maybe we will take these in the car too!

Boring Living Room Re-do

Step One: recover lampshade.  It was a beige color and it blended right in with the wall...boring.  So I bought a new shade, with a cooler shape, at Target, and some cute fabric at JoAnne's and used a lot of hot glue.   I am really digging this turquoise color lately with black or brown...or maybe both!  So I am going to try and add a little color slowly to the whole room, starting with this blue.

And I had these tan colored stick thingies in this vase, also blended right in with the wall, so I found super cute new ones at TJMaxx the other day for sooo cheap!  I love the colors with the blue!

Then I found this awesome pillow there too.  I am so in love with it.  I only wish there were two.  But that's the sacrifice you make when you shop at those kinds of stores I guess!  Take what you can find.  Plus I think I will go for lots of different color pillows anyway, not just turquoise.  Like yellow and black&white and maybe red.  Ooh, sounds fun doesn't it?!  Next step is buying some furniture to paint and distress.  I am going for a "shabby chic" meets semi-modern look.  I am sick of the old red, green, brown...blah blah blah....wish me luck!

Cars blanket for my little buddy

I wish you could all feel how SOFT this is!!!  They have this really expensive material at Madsen's (the polka-dot one) that I have always wanted to use, but not pay the price for!  I finally had the perfect project for it.  I bought this remnant of Cars fabric like 2 yrs ago for dirt cheap.  My oldest was over it, but about 3 months ago my 2 yr old fell in love with all things Cars.  I thought the fabric was a little cheesy, and there wasn't enough for a full blanket, so I decided to cool it up with a strip of this (totally affordable if only buying 1/2 yd) and brown minky on the back. I am sooo in love with it, and it is so soft, did I mention that already?! 

The real test was if Owen liked it...uh yaahh!  He asked me almost every day if I had "worked on it" -he went with me to buy the fabric, so he kinda knew what was going on.  He was soooo excited when it was finished.

I love how he points to all the characters and tells me their names.

He has snuggled it to sleep for every nap and at bedtime since he got it.  I'm way into this "quilt" pattern and can't wait to splurge on some more ridiculously over priced fabric for the new baby!

$3 Nightstand

Yah, you read that right....$3.00!!!  Wahoo!  I never find good deals at DI.  I always wonder how people do, but this one time I got lucky!!  I found this little beauty there and saw some potential for my little girls room.  She's been needing a nightstand for a while now.

Now I will admit, I started this project in September...finished it in October...just posting now! 

AFTER!!  A little pink pain, some dark stain and sanding!

Oh and a little glass knob.  I LOVE how it turned out!  It looks so cute in her room.  

HALLOWEEN PILLOWS!

I took the kids to the fabric store and let them each pick out fabric for a pillow case.  They thought that was pretty cool, and I think they did a really great job!!!  I love the way they turned out, we might have to carry on the tradition for each holiday now.  I have trick or treat bags too, pictures to come!

ALRIGHT...just ONE more SKIRT ...i SWEAR!
I really couldn't resist this pink and black TWIRLY skirt!

The layers, all ready to sew together

I love gathering. It takes forever, but cutest results ever!

Throw that elastic in there... so much easier than a zipper!

I had the fun idea of adding black tulle to the bottom tier. I LOVE it!

Looks like a skirt...getting excited to try it on Lucy. Of course I only get a chance to sew at midnight, so I have to wait until she wakes up the next morning to try things on! She usually loves anything I make her so it's worth the wait!

The finished product!
When people tell her it's cute, she always says "it a twirly skirt" and then gives them a little spin!

A TU-TU for my princess!

Yah, she already has one, and a bunch of dress-up clothes...but what little girl doesn't love another poofy, twirly, girly tutu!?

Once again, went with the pink and black!
I saw a photographer that had a little girl with only a pink and black tutu, and matching pink and black headband/flower on. It looked sooo cute!

This one was really easy. I just got a thick piece of black elastic and tied strips of dark pink, light pink, white and black around it. Sewed it together (after measuring her waist of course) attached some pink flowers from my stock pile and done!

STAMPING METAL
How fun! I saw this on someone's blog and thought it would be fun to do with my activity days girls. But for now I practiced on my kids!

I went to the hardware store by myself (lol) and found this metal stamp set and some flat washers. It was pretty comical to see me at Harbor Freight. Luckily I ran into a fellow crafter there, so we laughed together!

I stamped the letters, then colored them in with a black sharpie. I wiped the excess off very quickly, and voila! (my kids love to say that)

If I were cooler, I would put this on a real chain and make it look more professional. But for now, the ribbon and bead will have to do.



KEYCHAIN
I have seen these (well, similar) for sell at craft boutiques and almost bought one. Then I found a tutorial online to make my own!

You just sew two coordinating pieces together, with some interfacing in between. Then you add a keychain loopy thing.

Sew it together and add some decorative ribbon!

The stitching is not perfect, so don't look too close! But from far away it is way cute. I love how easy it is to find my keys in my purse!

More sewing projects...

It seems like that's all I've done lately. I think it's so fun to buy fabric!

I always tend to make things pink and brown for girls, so I thought I'd give pink and black a try! I really like the combo! And who doesn't LOVE this minky on the back!? So I made this for someone and haven't given it to her yet...hope she's not looking at my craft blog ;)


SKIRTS
I decided to make a skirt for my Lucy! I found this adorable fabric at JoAnn's and free tutorials online!

I just added a little ruffle at the bottom. Don't mind the spill on her shirt...it looked really cute before lunchtime :)

This one is a bubble skirt! I think these are so cute. I thought this corduroy fabric would be perfect, but it's actually a little too heavy. Knit or cotton would be way better!

I can't believe how cheap and EASY it is to make skirts. I think I might have an addiction problem. I keep wanting to get back to the store for more fabric for the next skirt!! Does anyone know, did the baby boutique on 17th get rid of their fabric section?!

Aaaahhh! Was it really February the last time I posted! That's pretty funny. I guess crafting takes a back seat to mothering and fun summer activities!

Well, here are a few of the things I've managed to squeeze in lately!

Retro Apron

I'm not kidding, I bought this pattern and fabric about 6 months ago. I just got around to making it finally! I love it. All except for the blue ribbon. I just had it laying around and used it because there is a little of blue on there. Well, it looks pretty dumb. I think I'll unstitch that part!
The real reason I waited so long was because I was afraid to use a pattern! It was my first time and I wanted my mom to help me :) Turns out it wasn't that scary at all and I finished most of it with no help!

CAR SEAT COVER-Rag Quilt Style!

Okay, great story here! One day this lady calls me out of the blue and asks me if I make car seat covers. She needed it in two days for a baby shower. She got my number from my friend that she met at JoAnn's. I say sure and we agree on a price. We went with the green, pink and brown theme (which I LOVE). I put green straps on it and some pink flowers.
Anyway, I get a call a couple of days later and the lady's sister tells me that the girl I made it for is actually a girl I knew from Logan way back in the ol' college days! (She lives in this area now though and we have a mutual friend in my ward and I've run into her a couple of times at Target and stuff). I was so excited! I'm glad I made it for someone who I know will love and appreciate it! It's a small world!


CAMERA STRAP

I know, this is kind of a boring one :) and a not so sexy pic of me... BUT look at that cute fabric I found for my strap. So much prettier than the black with bright red CANON written across it!

Flower Headbands

My girlfriends and I got together and made some very cute, trendy flower clips! We did some for our daughters, but the fabric ones are going to look hot in our hair too! I LOVE these organza and tulle ones that you burn the edges of! I admit, I am a little compulsive and get a LOT carried away. I made one to go with every color outfit I could think of. Apparently we don't wear a lot of orange or yellow around here. My husband asked me what I was planning on doing with them all....um wearing them!

Faux-canvas Temples
Sorry for those of you who look at my family blog too, (you get to see it twice) but here is my latest project. I took some great shots of the Temple, messed around with them in Photoshop to make it look "vintage" and mounted them. They look really great on an easel! I have the Idaho Falls, Rexburg, Salt Lake and Logan. I did one craft fair, and hope to do another one soon. If you want to check out some photos and prices, I made a simple blog to show a sample of each. It is canvastemples.blogspot.com and my e-mail for these is canvastemple@gmail.com They make awesome wedding and Christmas gifts (especially with a personalized title)!

CLOCKS
So I had some old clocks lying around, and I had a great idea one day to re-do them with some scrapbook paper. I'm not sure if it was a great idea, they could be a little cheesy, BUT at least they are different and I like a change. (and free)

This one is in our bathroom.

Lucy has been wanting one for her room, and the budget doesn't allow for a new, cute clock right now, so I found this old one in the basement. Apparently at one time our kitchen was done in "fruit" theme (niiiice).

So I took it apart, painted the frame white and found some paper and flowers that match her room.

Glued it all together, put it back together 5 times, and this is the final result. I think it's pretty cute. She loves it anyway!!!!

Airplane decor
We picked these airplane prints up at the HAFB museum LAST summer! They have been sitting on the floor in the boys bedroom because I had no idea what to do with them. 4 frames this size would be too much money, and my husbands idea was great...but I wasn't going to wait around for him to do a project, he's too busy!

So this is what I came up with. I got a tip from an overly friendly lady at a craft store one day that canvases were cheap at Big Lots. I can never find anything there, but I gave it a shot. Sure enough they were a great price! (only if you're not looking for high quality though)

Anyway, easy and painless, I painted them brown first, then mod-podged them on to the canvas.

Hung them up in a sqaure and they look great on the blue and brown walls! My next project is this same idea with the canvas and the mod-podge, but with the IF temple.