Livvy Loo Who

A very Harry Potter birthday

2011-10-14T10:26:00.000-06:00

Matilda as Harry

My youngest just turned 3 and has been wanting a Harry Potter party for the last 6 months. Well, she got it. We had a blast putting this together and I think it was a hit. (I plan on fixing the order of the pictures, add pics of our invites and favors, and add more text...bear with me).

This is Matilda talking in Harry's voice reciting spells. Actual spells.

I made the wands for all of the kids to take home. I took a 48 inch wooden dowel and cut it into 1/4's. Then I sanded the tip into a rounded point, added wooden beads and some hot glue, then spray painted. They were a HUGE hit, but I should've given them to the kids AFTER the party as favors.

I made that Sorting Hat out of a paper bag and staples. Awesome.

Just some of the food: Sirius Black's dog chow (chex muddy buddies), Hedwig's chocolate lollipops in an owl nest, and the Rice Krispy Snitch.

Notice Mad Eyes' chocolate eyes in the background:)

THE Snitch. Made from Rice Krispy treats, dyed yellow, and melted chocolate for the wings. A hit!

Luna's glasses that I made. Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, and Moaning Myrtle's milk chocolate (Hersheys bites) served in a toilet cup.

Matilda REALLY wanted a Scabbers cake, which is her pet name.

Harry digs red heads:)

THE coolest candle from Party City. It is a sparkler in the shape of a 3.

After Harry took Scabbers off, Hermoine inspects the cake.

Some of the decorations, letters for Harry hanging from the ceiling, a Diagon Alley sign that I made, along with wanted posters.

Broomstick parking with a Nimbus 1800.

Hedwig in his cage with a letter for H. Potter, in the cupboard under the stairs.

Ministry of Magic entrance.

THE Bed

2010-12-13T10:01:00.000-07:00

A while ago I may have mentioned that my super duper handy husband was making my oldest a dollhouse bed. Well, it is done...and in her room!!!! I can't believe that we finished it. It was a lot of work on his part with a little bit of help from me. I painted it after all! Add to that helping him carry it up the stairs (plus a whole lot of curse words and sore muscles for days after) and I can say that at least 30% of it was me. Oh, and did I mention that it fell on my head and I managed to black out a few times that day? Fun times, haha!

Anyway, without further ado....the bed.

Already filled with all of her stuffies.

The Christmas post

2010-12-13T09:59:00.000-07:00

Also known as the most picture heavy post ever:). That is what happens when it has been over 2 weeks not blogging! I have a lot to catch up on.

My favorite guy (isn't he handsome???) and my two favorite girls.

Here are our attempts at a Christmas card photo. About 200 shots and 1 semi good one! Thank goodness for digital:)!

This is the one I finally settled on after getting tired trying. The lighting is off but their expressions are beautiful!

Matilda, love her!

And now to the tree. I adore our tree and it's family feel. It isn't fancy ribbons and bows, silver and gold, or adorned with fake flowers. It is filled with us.

My favorite ornament hand painted by my Nana. Three angels singing.

Another hand painted favorite. This was her signature Santa.


The year that my sister passed away I found three of these angels at Goodwill. My sister loved angels and there was one for each of us three sisters. It was meant to be.

Merry Christmas to all!

On the 2nd day of Christmas...

2010-12-13T09:26:00.000-07:00

my true love gave to me. Two turtle doves. This always seemed a bit redundant to me, I mean, more birds? Okay then, let's go with it.

So, I am in love with this dress! Isn't is pretty? It's from Belle Mere Belle Fille on Etsy.

And because I love Waldorf dolls...this one from Listice's shop.

On the 1st day of Christmas...

2010-12-12T08:55:00.000-07:00

I love this time of year, but this year I have been a bit down. Which means for me more eating and baking, and more shopping. Or going to the mall and doing both. Anyway, I need to blog, it makes me happy to get comments and know that I have that connection to at least a few people.

Last year I did the 12 days of Christmas, but I think I started with the drummers drumming...maybe an attempt to reverse Christmas? Anyway, this year I am doing it right!

Let's start, shall we? On the 1st day of Christmas my true love gave to me...a partridge in a pear tree! Yippee!

I love this print by Cozyblue. Does it have a partridge? No. A pear? Nope...but it is a tree:)!

This is a cute pattern from Annie's Room.

Oh, and how about this gingerbread pear tree shown on Craftzine? Amazing!

Lastly, this pie from Taste of Home. It looks tasty, no?

Congrats to the hat winner!

2010-11-21T08:58:00.000-07:00

Congrats #12, Jessica from A Few Of My Favorite Things on winning the bear hat giveaway!

Bear hat giveaway!

2010-11-17T11:13:00.002-07:00

I am glad to have the opportunity to give away this sweet hat from etsy shop Bowrene! She is kind enough to make this in baby, toddler OR adult size. Check out her shop for more fun items, and she is always up for custom orders!

***EDIT- Don't have a child? Breanna will work with you on an adult hat:)! Thanks Bre!!!!***

To win all you have to do is become a follower (if you already are, then thank you) then leave a comment!

For additional entries (leave one comment for each of the following):

Like Livvy Loo on Facebook
Like Bowrene on Facebook
Heart my shop on Etsy (more to be listed soon...possibly some more capes, I swear)
Heart Bowrene on Etsy

Oh, and this is a quick one. The giveaway will end November 20th at midnight MST!

Necklace winners!

2010-11-17T10:30:00.000-07:00

Via Random.org here are the following winners:

#4

Brandy said...: I'm a follower/ worshiper :-) I am coveting necklace #2!!!; November 9, 2010 12:03 PM

#15

jhitomi said...: I am proud to be your 100th follower (Yay!) ...1st choice would be the mutlicolored four flowers, 2nd choice the one with the heart brooch on it. They are all lovely.jhbalvin at gmail dot com; November 10, 2010 1:07 PM

Congrats to the winners! I will be sending you an email asking for your address!

Didn't win? Well, you can look forward to another giveaway later today:)!

Romantic belt tutorial

2010-11-11T17:44:00.002-07:00

Lately while at my thrift store (I can call it that since the ladies that work there like to have my kids call them Aunt "whatevertheirnameis", I love that place!) I have been buying any wide belt that I can get my hands on.

I mean, the belts are only 99 cents, quite a bargain. Even cheaper is when you discover in your own closet a slew of your own quite outdated belts. I may have even squeaked in delight when I saw some thin, probably fake leather, belts of my own. So I grabbed some embroidered trim I've had for years, my glue gun, and made something fabulous.

Oh, and don't forget to enter my giveaway!!! :)

Here is what you will need:

Eyelet trim, mine is about 2.5 inches wide
A thin belt
glue gun
sewing machine (you can probably just glue the whole thing to be honest)

Measure from the belt hole (?) you are most likely to use to right before the loop on the oppisite side.
Multiply that number by 1.6.

Cut 2 pieces of eyelet trim using your above number.

Sew or serge these 2 pieces right sides together.

Ruffle this piece, setting your machine to the longest stitch and highest tension. On my machine this is 9 tension and 5 stitch length.

Fold over the ends of the trim and sew for a nice finished hem.

Lay the ruffle flat now, smooth, and make sure that it fits the belt, between the holes and the buckle.

Start glueing! To make this easy I first glued the ends and worked my way in. Then I glued one side at a time. Take care to keep the ruffle centered!

Voila, you're done!

While I was trying to get some pics of the belt, the little one wanted some love!

Linked to the following parties!
http://thetrendytreehouse.blogspot.com/
http://www.theshabbychiccottage.net/
http://733blog.blogspot.com/
http://lifeaslori.blogspot.com/
http://www.theshabbychiccottage.net/
http://www.somewhatsimple.com/
http://shabbynest.blogspot.com/
http://thehillsarelivin.blogspot.com/
http://itsahodgepodgelife.blogspot.com/
http://tatertotsandjello.blogspot.com/2010/11/weekend-wrap-up-party-and-sugar-and.html

Solar system banner

2010-11-10T09:03:00.002-07:00

My oldest daughter is pretty nutty about the solar system right now...and I am LOVING it! We have our own library of books, wishes of our very own telescopes, and evening trips outside to say our "good night's" to Jupiter. She is a lot like me when I was young, I loved space...my father used to call me his little Space Monster for awhile there.

Well, I spent hours online looking for a great Solar System mobile and found nothing that I loved. I found one that someone had hand knitted but I can't ~~afford another hobby~~ knit. Then I had an idea of making a banner using some fun fabric that I had on hand and salt dough. Here you can find my recipe for Salt Dough.

We used various cups and bowls around the house and cut out our planets (don't forget to poke a hole out of the top with a straw if you plan on hanging it!). After they were done baking I let Charlotte paint them all by herself. When I say all by herself I mean it. She mixed her own paint, added Jupiter's dot, put clouds on the Earth...all of it! I love the way it turned out! What do you think?

PS, we just hung it by the mantle for "all to see" as Charlotte puts it. More pics to come once we hang it in her room!

Linked to:
http://thetrendytreehouse.blogspot.com/
http://www.mybackyardeden.com/
http://somedaycrafts.blogspot.com/
http://www.luckystarlane.com/
http://733blog.blogspot.com/
http://www.bluecricketdesign.net/
http://www.thethriftyhome.com/
http://tatertotsandjello.blogspot.com/2010/11/weekend-wrap-up-party-and-sugar-and.html

Tree branch earrings and a GIVEAWAY!

2010-11-09T00:18:00.004-07:00

Lately I have been looking at our fireplace, dreaming of fires that will never get started. You see, we have a wood burning fireplace with a crazy draft so we have it covered and blocked. In the eight years we have been here in this house we've had about 2 or 3 fires. Dead serious. So what to do with all of this firewood?

I am thinking about painting the owl all white. What do you think?

Make earrings! In the past I showed you how to make buttons out of tree branches and this is basically the same idea. Of course you can always make the buttons and glue them to an earring post. That is what I am going to do in addition to this earring.

Here is what you will need:

Tree branch or twig/ log
Hand saw or miter saw
Mod Podge
Earring hooks
Jewelry pliers
Drill
Jump rings
Scrap paper if desired

First you cut your tree branch, mine is about 1.75- 2". Cut it about 1/8" thick.
Drill a hole into the top of the earring, fairly close to the top to accommodate a jump ring.
Cut out your image onto scrap paper...endless possibilities!
Mod Podge your paper onto the earring. I also made a plain pair that I just lacquered. Equally pretty!
Mod Podge over the whole earring and let dry!
Attach jump ring and hook
Wear and enjoy!

Now for the GIVEAWAY! You can win any of the following necklaces and 2 winners will be chosen. All you have to do is:

Follow me via Google Friend Connect and let me know which necklace you would choose. ***EDIT- since I am giving away 2 necklaces, please put your 1st and 2nd choices in your comment:). I didn't think that through, haha!***

That's it! Good luck! Oh, and let's close the giveaway on November 16th!

The choices:

Linked to:
http://thegirlcreativepartyblog.blogspot.com/
http://sewcando.blogspot.com/
The DIY Showoff
http://craftedition.blogspot.com/
http://www.thegypsyscorner.com/
http://beckieandbrad.blogspot.com/
http://thetrendytreehouse.blogspot.com/
http://www.mybackyardeden.com/
http://somedaycrafts.blogspot.com/
http://www.luckystarlane.com/
http://733blog.blogspot.com/
http://www.bluecricketdesign.net/
http://www.thethriftyhome.com/

Bathroom Redo

2010-11-08T10:20:00.003-07:00

So I repainted the bathroom on a whim this past week. I had some oops paint sitting around, which I had to then mix with my stash to get a nice blue...nightmare...but fun:)!

Here is the before, not bad, but a little too blah. I made those painting over the toilet buy stretching material over canvas, painting, and modpodging. The silhouettes are just pink construction paper of my husband, Charlotte, and I. No Matilda....time for a change!

Here I switched it up a bit, I found that Good Housekeeping picture at Goodwill but didn't like it in the bathroom. It will go into storage for now!

After...ahh much better! I put in the light fixture that I found at Goodwill as well- with all of the parts! None missing, and it had the original box and instructions. I love Goodwill! Now I just have to finish with a chair rail, possible beadboard wallpaper, and baseboard. Oh, and the fluorescent bulbs we have in the bathroom are not the best for picture taking. Sorry!

The above prints are from Elsita on Etsy.

The burlap sign that I made. Make your own using my tutorial!

Linked to the following parties:
http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/
http://beckieandbrad.blogspot.com/

Poinsettia headband tutorial

2010-11-08T09:41:00.004-07:00

It is beginning to look a teeny bit like Christmas around here. Thanks to the toy catalogs that come early in the mail, Charlotte is REALLY excited. I am not going to lie, I am too! I brought the Christmas cd's out of storage and bought a few new ones this weekend. Yes, I was suckered into ordering Mariah Carey's new Christmas and the new Now Christmas album as well...but I am not ashamed:)!

Anyway, this weekend Charlotte and I went through all of the Christmas storage boxes to see what we had before we start buying more. Very wise. We found some stationery that I bought for her letters to Santa, and we wrote and mailed her list!

***In case you are wondering what is on her list, or need gift ideas for little girls, here is what she wrote. Baby All Gone, a Cinderella doll, a Rapunzel hair braiding doll, and Zoobles. She has no clue what Zoobles are and neither do I:)! I Santa of course ~~have my~~ has his own list for her, haha. ***

Of course Charlotte found all of the singing Elmo's and Rudolph's and has been pressing my their buttons ever since!

So in the spirit of the holidays I whipped up a little tutorial for you! Charlotte loves this headband that I made for her and I do too. It really was so easy and looks lovely!You can use this pattern and make barrettes, holiday embellishments, headbands, bracelets...endless possibilities.

Poinsettia headband

Supply list

green felt
red felt
hot glue gun or any glue really
a headband, I use the ones that come in a pack of 5 and are different colors
my poinsettia template
buttons for the center of the flowers, I used a snowflake button. You could also use white or yellow felt for the center.

Cut out your felt using my template!
Begin gluing starting with the green leaves, overlapping so that you have 8 leaves instead of 4 showing.
Repeat with the red, layering biggest to smallest.
Finish with a button for the center.
Enjoy!

Have fun making these for all the little pretties on your life! Oh, and please only make these for personal use and for gifts. Pretty please?

Linking to the following parties:

http://sumossweetstuff.blogspot.com/
http://sewcando.blogspot.com/
http://craftedition.blogspot.com/
http://www.thegypsyscorner.com/
http://beckieandbrad.blogspot.com/
http://thetrendytreehouse.blogspot.com/
http://www.mybackyardeden.com/
http://somedaycrafts.blogspot.com/
http://www.luckystarlane.com/
http://733blog.blogspot.com/
http://www.bluecricketdesign.net/
http://www.thethriftyhome.com/

Tree initial wall art- Tutorial!

2010-11-05T22:24:00.011-06:00

I really don't know what to call it so I will let you decide:). It is a tree with mine and my husbands initials on it, so it is an initial tree, right? haha. Anyway, I had a wall in the new bathroom that needed filling and since I have a collection of embroidery hoops I decided on this.

Supply list:
embroidery hoop- I used a 12 inch one
muslin or another thick cotton fabric
acrylic paint for the tree
Fine tip paint brush
Embroidery floss
Embriodery needle
Hot glue gun

Optional

Grosgrain ribbon for flowers (or fabric for leaves if you prefer)
Needle and thread for grosgrain flowers
Ribbon for hanging
Paint for embroidery hoop

First you start with some muslin or other thick cotton fabric and an embroidery hoop. You can paint the embroidery hoop at this time or leave it until last (to decide how you like it once complete) like I did.

Then using a disappearing ink marker I sketched out my tree, heart, and initials. To make the bark in the tree I took my marker and rolled it in my fingertips while drawing a line down. It worked great, so try practicing that "technique" on some scrap paper!

For the heart I used a basic running stitch using red embroidery floss.

For the initials I used a split stitch so that it looked a bit more polished.

Both stitches are really easy.
Below are examples of each stitch for you!


	Running Stitch

Split stitch

Here is the end result of my hard labor:).

Now it is time to begin painting your tree. I have an assortment of acrylic paints, the $1 paints at craft stores. I would have preferred brown for the tree but the room it is going in is blue and black so I needed a darker shade. I settled for a brown/ blue/ gray/ green that I mixed. Using a fine tip paint brush I traced my outline, adding few additional touches here and there:).

Deciding that it needed a bit more I thought I would add some fabric leaves or some embroidered hearts throughout. I ended up making some ribbon flowers that I am still not committed to, but I do love them!
Take 4 inches of grosgrain ribbon and burn the ends to prevent from fraying.

Tie a knot at the end of your threaded needle and sew a running stitch at the bottom of the ribbon.

Pull that stitch tight to create a flower or yo-yo.

Notice the Emergen-C in the back. Yeah, I am sick. Awesomeness.

Here I go through the loop at the beginning knot and double knot my thread to secure.

The result...if I were brave enough to commit to these flowers! haha!

***Now is the time to paint your frame if you decide to or haven't painted it already!***

Notice the pins in the back? Yep, that is me trying decide on the flowers!

Pull your fabric tight and tighten your hoop screw.

Cut the excess fabric as you would trim a pie.

Then hot glue the fabric over onto the hoop as shown.

At this point, if wanting a more polished look or if giving this as a gift, add ribbon to the inside for a nice touch.

Finally, loop a ribbon through to hang and admire your work!

PS, you will see that I was noncommittal with the flowers. What do you think? With or without?

Oh, and a great part to the day? Seeing this in the mail!

How cute is she???

Do you follow Enjoying The Small Things and Kelle Hampton? You have to! She is an amazing mother and photographer with an even more amazing story. I love her and don't even know her, although I picture myself as her bestie at times.

Anyway, I donated what I could to the walk that she participated in for Nella (her daughter born with Down's Syndrome) and I got this super sweet thank you letter from the Hampton's. Oh, and Nella thinks I am a rockstar which earns her a place on my fridge:)!

Linked to the following parties:

A shout out for Matilda!

2010-11-03T18:54:00.001-06:00

Yes, that is Matilda on the packaging for an Eddie Bauer carrier cover. The little lady is big time now. She is walking around demanding milk and cookies and calling everyone dahling. She complains about the fit of her onsies and stomps her feet is she doesn't get her way. Ok, I am obviously playing into the model stereotype. But it is pretty nice that she is the model for this!

Oh, and of course I bought the cover to keep for her. Which means that we will have to lug this unopened baby time capsule around with us for at least the next 20 years. I am a sucker!

Quick tip for meatloaf

2010-11-03T13:02:00.002-06:00

I know, way random. WAY random, but it has to be said. Who hasn't had super cold hands while mixing their meatloaf? Or too tough loaf from mixing in their Kitchen-Aid? So I decided to add all of the ingredients into a gallon plastic bag and smoosh it. Then dump it all in a pan and you're done, plus no hand washing needed.

Gee, this is not an attractive photo:)!

Or put it into muffin tins and bake for only 25 minutes like I do:

My meatloaf recipe can be found by clicking HERE.

I also added this to the following parties:

Custom word poster

2010-11-03T10:48:00.001-06:00

I know by now everyone has seen these word collages, but did you know they were so easy do make yourself?

All you need is photo editing software, I use Gimp as it's free and easy for me. Then you have to set aside hours to peruse Leo Reynolds flickr photos and choose your favorite letters and numbers:). I just used letters to make our last name, but I have seen a last name and an "est. 2004" or whatever year you were married. I like the simplicity of what I went with, but for gifts, I can see the Est. being a nice touch!

Leo Reynolds- Alphabet

Leo Reynolds- Numbers

All I did was create a new image in Gimp with an image size of 16x20 (since this easily can go down to 8x10 as well) with a high resolution of course. All of my prints are done at Costco so I use their resolution guidelines:

4 x 6                                    690x460 pixels
5 x 7      805x575 pixels
8 x 8                                    920x920 pixels
8 x 10                                  1150x920 pixels
8 x 12                                  1380x920 pixels
11 x 14 Enlargements         1610x1265 pixels
12 x 12                                1380x1380 pixels
12 x 18 Enlargements         2070x1380 pixels
16 x 20 Posters                   2300x1840 pixels
20 x 30 Posters                   3450x2300 pixels
11 x 14 Collage Posters    1260x990 pixels
12 x 18 Collage Posters    1620x1080 pixels
16 x 20 Collage Posters    1800x1440 pixels
20 x 30 Collage Posters    2700x1800 pixels

I then took the number is letters in my last name (6) and that gave me a nice 2 columns and 3 rows. I copied the letters I liked from Leo's photo album and pasted them as New Layers into my Gimp image. Then you resize those layers and move them until you get your desired image. Then print and enjoy!

Of course these make great holiday gifts for everyone!

I also added this to the following parties:

Thank you!

2010-11-03T08:44:00.000-06:00

I need to post a quick thank you to Frenchy over at Le Chateau des Fleurs for the above necklace! I won her amazing giveaway and forgot to say thanks weeks ago. Isn't it beautiful???

Thanks Frenchy!

Burlap love

2010-11-02T23:02:00.004-06:00

Thanks to Full of Great Ideas I found a way to use up my stash of burlap, and can I tell you that I am in love with this stuff?! Yes, that itchy cheap material is on my current favorite list.

For starters, did you know that you can put this in your printer with the help of some freezer paper??? Yes, burlap, in your printer. You heard me right.

Iron the freezer paper onto the burlap, shiny plastic side touching the burlap, on medium heat with no steam. Iron until the paper sticks to the burlap. Then cut the burlap and paper to standard printer paper size, 8.5x11. After that you print and you're done! So easy and fun, I see many more projects in my near future. A banner perhaps?

Anyhow, on a whim I decided to repaint my bathroom and needed some decor. I printed off onto burlap the definition of bathroom, then mounted it onto scrap foamboard I had around. I put some beadboard wallpaper on the foamboard and placed it into a spare frame (painted in oil rubbed bronze, of course). The tacks that hold the burlap onto the foamboard have buttons glued on them. The flowers are twisted and hotglued muslin, satin ribbon, and more burlap. The black flower is adorned with my grandmother's earring. It gives it a little flair!

I am also sharing the word doc link if you want to print a bathroom sign out for yourself:)! Click here.

Then I decided to print up this, mounted again on beadboard wallpaper, for a friend's new baby. Isn't it great?

So get your burlap out and get to making some for yourself or for gifts! They are sure to be well received!

I also added this to the following parties:

http://www.thegypsyscorner.com/

Super easy headband

2010-11-02T21:44:00.000-06:00

The other day a good friend of mine showed up with a super cute headband. I loved it, and then loved it more when she showed it to me. A piece of elastic tied, or sewn, around your head and a clip on earring attached. Voila! Absolutely perfect for a gal like me, that has a collection of my grandmothers earrings just waiting to be shown off.


Have I mentioned how hard it is for me to get a decent picture??? Oh well, I try:).

So grab your stash of earrings, brooches, really any jewelry and get festive!

Parties!

2010-11-01T23:00:00.000-06:00

Link Parties! I love a good party and blog parties are SO much fun! I found this list @ Girl Creative and plan on adding to it. If I knew how to make tabs under my header this would be easier:).

Raising Memories

Under the Table and Dreaming

Just Something I Whipped Up

Making the World Cuter

Made by You

Market Yourself Monday

Lucky Linky Tuesday

Get Your Craft On

DIY Day

Take a Look Tuesday

Letting The Creative Juices Flow

A Little Craft Therapy

Penny Pinching Party

Show and Tell

Sew Much Ado

Sugar and Spice

Make It Yours Day

Creative Share

Strut Your Stuff

Frogs and Snails

Get Your Craft On

Thursdays Treasures

I'm a Creative Cat

Craft Concoction

Look at Me I'm so Crafty

Feature Yourself Friday

Saturday Nite Special

Weekend -Up Party

Dressing up

2010-10-27T15:16:00.003-06:00

I am on a dress kick lately...and if you followed me on Pinterest (love Pinterest, you HAVE to join:)) you would've seen this dress that I pinned.

Via Shabby Apple:

Originally I thought I would make this out of sweatshirt material but had NO CLUE that material was so hard to find. Like crazy hard. Well, I then just bought some fleece on super remnant clearance at Jo-Ann's and started cutting. I used existing shirts I had on hand and made a pattern. Then I would put it on inside out, re-pin, and adjust. Total trial and error. More error than trial, really, if I am going to be honest.

Here are the two dresses that I came up with:

The pin on the collar is my Nana's. The bow on the other shoulder is a thought, not sure how I feel about it yet.

Following are my best attempts at a self portrait with the dress on. It's tough to get a decent shot of yourself while holding a heavy camera with a really heavy lens. Charlotte tried to take pictures of me, but not a good one out of the 50:).

Overall, I had a bunch of compliments on the dress and I am quite proud of myself. Which must have inspired Charlotte to start designing her own dresses and handbags...

Which led me to make her a Halloween dress for her school party tomorrow.

Yes, the above picture is her in her Christmas pj's on under the Halloween dress. The girl is prepared!

A little look back

2010-10-25T09:38:00.005-06:00

***Edit- This room was featured over at Cottage Instincts! Thanks Cindy:)***

My husband, Will, is busy building a little (big) surprise for Charlotte for Christmas. She knows what she is getting because our garage looks like "New Yankee Workshop" and Will has plans for this hung on the garage wall:

She started to ask questions about Santa as I already started using the "Santa is watching" line. Bad mama. The other night she was afraid to go to bed thinking that Santa was on the roof watching her. I had to tell her that he wasn't really real, just a nice little story that parents tell their kids, but that he is fun to believe in. Yes, I am the mom that crushed her 4 year olds childhood in order for her to not have nightmares about a bearded man on her roof. I felt pretty bad.

Of course immediately following this whole crushing she then asks me..."Mom, is God real?". Wow. I get it, it is kind of the same concept as Santa in many ways as told to children. I love how she just is so inquisitive, and I left her with a simple "yes, and he is always in your heart". She smiled and trotted back to bed.

Long story precluding to the fact that Charlotte is getting the above dollhouse bed and that means Matilda will be getting Charlotte's bed. The girls are growing up.

Which means that I am looking back at Matilda's baby room and wanting to hold onto it for as long as possible. It is pretty wonderful after all. Here are some pics of it when I just finished painting it:

"C" was for Charlotte that I just threw up there in the meantime for our yet unnamed baby girl.

Every little forest needs its own set of mushrooms and gnomes.

Papa Bird coming back to Mama Bird.

A tree in the corner complete with birds, a caterpillar, an owl, and a gnome leaning up against the tree.

The chandelier lit up at night.

Hedgehog and squirrel on a switchplate.

Linked to Between Naps on The Porch's Metamorphosis Monday party and Cottage Instinct's Make it 4 Monday party!

Black and white subtle Halloween

2010-10-20T21:52:00.004-06:00

This year I wanted at least one room to not scream "little kid Halloween". You know what I mean, I am talking the dancing ghosts that shake their booooties. Please tell me I am not the only one who has one of those. It's for the kids, I swear, haha.

So I committed my family room to this. The room where I blog on the couch and watch tv. The place where I cuddle with my girls and my husband. A place that I enjoy hanging out in.

It started off with a little bit of Wordle that I printed off with our 2010 costumes and the girls names. The second was just a fun bunch of Halloween words I put together. They are a nice simple way to decorate for the season. Add to that some Dollar Tree crows, tombstone, and a hurricane full of skulls and I think I achieved a nice simple mantle.

The massive owl is there year round, and I love her.

Here are some other touches of Halloween around the house that are a bit more subdued... for me.

Why hello there Mr Owl with a monocle. Thank you for covering up the clock who's batteries needed replacing for the last 4 years. Ok ok, so it never had batteries!

Our foyer.

Matilda's party

2010-10-20T11:13:00.002-06:00

Last weekend we had Matilda's 2nd Halloween party and it was fabulous! Great friends, fun food, and cute kiddos in their costumes.

Started off the afternoon with a beer run for the dads. Matilda beer is so appropriate:)

Pumpkin cupcakes topped with chocolate cats and pumpkins.

I love these Dollar Tree bottle labels!

Seven layer spider dip!

Cannolis with tombstone sprinkles.

White chocolate covered Oreos!

Treat bags ala Martha Stewart!

Getting party time cuddles with the birthday girl!

She was cracking up at the Happy Birthday song!

Yes, this is how Matilda eats cake. Straight for the chocolate bats.

One of the take home treats was a Ball jar with frosting, cupcake, frosting. These were a hit!

I made this last year, and it made another appearance:).

Charlotte likes the witch!

Tilly gives that vampire baby from Twilight a run for her money.

Haha!

Here are some of the cake recipes that I used:

Pumpkin Autumn cake via Country Living.

Ingredients

3/4 cup(s) (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup(s) firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 cup(s) sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup(s) pumpkin purée
1/2 cup(s) buttermilk
1 teaspoon(s) pure vanilla extract
2 cup(s) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon(s) baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon(s) ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon(s) baking soda
1/2 teaspoon(s) fresh-ground nutmeg

Prepare cake pans: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat three 8-inch cake pans with softened butter. Cut three 8-inch circles out of parchment paper and fit them into the bottom of the cake pans. Lightly coat the paper circles with butter and set aside.
Make the batter: Cream butter until smooth in a large bowl with an electric mixer set on medium speed. Add the sugars and mix until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, until the mixture is smooth and light. Set aside. Combine the pumpkin purée, buttermilk, and vanilla in a medium bowl and set aside. Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and nutmeg in a large bowl and set aside. In thirds, alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk mixture to the butter mixture, blending well after each addition until smooth.
Bake the cake: Pour batter into the prepared pans and bake until a toothpick inserted into the middle of each cake comes out clean -- 35 to 40 minutes. Cool the cakes in the pan on wire racks for 30 minutes. Remove cakes from pans and return to the wire racks until completely cool.

Honey and Spice Buttercream

Ingredients

1 teaspoon(s) unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup(s) dark honey
1/2 cup(s) sugar
1/2 teaspoon(s) salt
2 teaspoon(s) ground cinnamon
3 1/2 stick(s) butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract

Combine the gelatin and 2 tablespoons water and let sit for 10 minutes. Bring the honey, sugar, and 2 tablespoons water to a boil in a small saucepan, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for 3 minutes. Stir 2 tablespoons of the honey mixture into the gelatin until dissolved. Whisk into the remaining honey syrup along with the salt and cinnamon. Strain into a medium-size bowl and beat, using a mixer set on high speed, until doubled in volume and completely cool -- about 10 minutes. Add the butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, while continuously beating. Stir in the vanilla and use immediately or keep chilled.

Linked to Between Naps on the Porch's tablescape Thursday party!

The unthinkable:)

2010-10-20T09:06:00.000-06:00

I did it. I bought Charlotte a costume this year. In the middle of making 30 plus costumes and Charlotte wanting to be a peacock I just bit the costume bullet and bought her one. For the first time in her now 5 Halloweens she hasn't been wishy washy about what she wanted to be and I love that.

It started in late July when we received the Wishcraft costume catalog in the mail. Charlotte loved this catalog and never strayed over her love of the peacock costume. She wanted to read this before bed in leui of her bedtime favorites.

Here is the catalog as I found it in her bed.

She drew a picture of herself in the costume and hung it on her bedroom wall in hopes that the Halloween fairy would bring it to her.

Hand drawn by Charlotte.

When I saw how in love she was and how I wouldn't know where to start to make this I knew I had to buy it. Luckily I found it via a Craigslist search...in New York:). The seller was kind and trusting enough to ship to me. Here she is loving it.

Happy and Happy

2010-09-30T16:02:00.000-06:00

Happy Anniversary and Happy Birthday that is:)! Yep, today we celebrate our 6th wedding anniversary and Matilda's 2nd birthday! Little one had to steal the spotlight I guess!

But we will start with a beautiful fall day six years ago...

The beautiful stairs of the Stanley Hotel.

My shoes embellished with my late grandmother's earrings.

Loved this toffee cake!

Yes, that is a real elk behind us:).

Then we end with a lovely joyful day two years ago...Matilda's birthday.

Even at 2.5, Charlotte knew she was in for it.

Fall has arrived in Colorado

2010-09-28T15:20:00.002-06:00

Despite the 90 degree days we have been having for the past few weeks, fall is here! I can feel it in the air, even with the heat. The sunlight feels different and I see hints of yellow in the trees. It is no wonder why Autumn is the favorite of so many.

This weekend we traveled near Mt. Evans to Echo Lake and let me tell you, the aspen trees did not disappoint. Oh my, it was breathtaking. I say it every year how I have never seen anything so beautiful, and I said it again this weekend. Let me give you an idea of how pretty...

I was slightly obsessed with this floret of trees. We stalked it for miles looking for the perfect shot.

Notice the floret again?

We stopped at this little Idaho Springs cemetery on the way back home. Hoping to capture a ghost...no such luck.

Now before you go any further you should know that this is the point of the post where I show way too many cute pics of my girls. Consider yourself warned:)

Peek

Boo!

I swear she was a model in the past with these poses.

All her.

My woodland elves.

Oh what a hoot!

2010-09-28T12:48:00.000-06:00

First I want to thank everyone for the kind compliments on the owl costume I made. I have to give credit to Tater Tots and Jello for all of the new visitors, due to the shout out! Thanks Tater Tots!

I promise I am getting more done and taking more orders for the Owl Costume! Here is what my house looked like this past week, but don't forget to add a bag-eyed, loss of sleep, mom of two to that! How do moms stay at home AND run a business? I need tips! :)

Embroidered handprint art

2010-09-22T14:47:00.000-06:00

I wanted to embroider something small for the longest time. I am not an expert, but I do find it therapeutic. There is something about sitting there with a hoop, needle and thread that is so soothing for me. I wish I had more ideas in my head as far as embroidering because I can see myself doing this quite a bit on fall nights.

Here is the idea that I had and it turned out beautifully. Which I realize I say pretty often on here. Which I guess makes sense because why would I post about all of the half-butt projects I messed up through the years or only half finished?

Anyway, I digress. Here is the art...it speaks for itself.

Pottery Barn inspired owl costume

2010-09-18T16:15:00.006-06:00

Whooooo made the cutest owl costume for her adorable soon to be 2 year old daughter? Me! I loved Pottery Barn's owl costume but it is pretty much sold out everywhere and $50 is a bit steep for me so I raided my stash and came up with this:

It is safe to say that I love this owl costume. I may just leave the cape as the costume and add a turtleneck and pants underneath. Or I may make a coordinating dress for underneath, which is more likely.

I wish I knew how to make a pattern I drew up into a pdf file, I really want to share this with everyone. ~~And I wish I had hours of extra time to sell them in my etsy shop~~ (see update below)! I am going to try, especially since this fits my big 4.5 year old as well!

Happy Halloween!

~~UPDATE! I now have 10 available for custom orders in my Etsy shop:)~~ I can now take custom orders on these. They will be available in my Etsy shop in the future as I sew them, so keep looking for Christmas!

Linked up to the Weekend Wrap-Up Party @ Tatertots and Jell-O, Sunday Showcase Party @ Under the Table and Dreaming, Motivate Me Monday @ Keeping it Simple, and Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch.

Thrifting warnings!

2010-09-15T20:20:00.000-06:00

First warning is about bed bugs. Gross, I know, but PLEASE be careful when buying furniture, clothing, stuffed animals, pretty much anything cloth (and possibly more, who knows!). The bed bug epidemic is not just on the east coast, it is pretty much everywhere now. They knew this was going to happen with international travel and they don't see it ever going away. Plus this is very expensive to remedy and clean up, and awful time consuming!

And let's not forget the fact that they lay thousands of eggs at a time. Plus the bites, which I was told when they sense you are awaking by both movement and the CO2 in the air they take 3 bites out of you...for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It's disgusting. Just the thought of it makes me want to go shower!

So please just be careful!

PS, this also applies to non-resale shops as well. Even my beloved Gap was hit! Poor Gap:( At least I still have Target!

And another thing (COMPLETELY not related), get some work gloves already! This is the last time I am going to get numerous cuts from refinishing furniture and framing pictures. I mean, take a look at these hands!

Halloween pipe cleaner ornaments

2010-09-14T22:32:00.001-06:00

I needed something to spruce up our Halloween tree. I have been looking at vintage Halloween art on flickr and around the web. My original intention was to just use the illustrations for magnets and earrings (personal use of course!). Then I got an idea to put them all on a sheet and get a 5x7 printed at Costco and make ornaments out of them.

They turned out pretty cool, right? Plus the kids play dolls with them, so they work double duty.

PS, if anyone wants this 5x7 jpeg, let me know and I will email the file to you!

Linked to Blue Cricket Design's Show and Tell.

Stashbusting book and coffee filter wreath

2010-09-13T15:48:00.001-06:00

I was inspired by According to Kelly and her $2 Book Wreath. I knew that it had to be my next craft. Plus I am trying very hard to use what I have on hand (and more than not, failing). So I took an old book I had on hand, just your standard paperback. I cut a circle out of a cereal box and got started!

Here is what the finished product looks like!

Here is what I used:

an old paperback book
coffee filters
scrap paper
glitter
stapler
glue
hot glue gun
scissors (regular and scalloped)
Cardboard or a paper plate
Ribbon

First step was to start making cones out of the paper, which I then stapled.

Put together 3 at a time, 2 in the back and one on top. At this point you can start gluing them to you plate or cardboard circle.

Once finished it will look something like this:

Here is the back view:

And showing you the base.

At this point you will want to fill in any bare spots that you have.

Then take your coffee filters, 2 at a time and fold in half and then half again (into a quarter). Repeat this three more times until you can make a circle. Glue together.

Now for the center. I accordioned 2 book pages and stapled them together then fanned them out to make a circle and glued together.

For a nice touch ala Lark and Lola, place a thin bead of glue in the creases and add glitter.

Then I trimmed two more filters to a smaller circle and glued then on top of my existing coffee filter circle.

Glue the coffee filter "flower" and its accordion center to the wreath, it is that simple!

I did use scrapbook paper for the center of my flower and stamped it with an "M", and then added 2 scrapbook paper leaves. Which turned out like this:

Oh, and I stapled some ribbon to the back for hanging. You can also use a real plate in place of the paper one and add a plate hanger for something more sturdy.

Have fun crafting!

Oh, and this is linked up to the following parties:
Cottage Instincts- Make it for Monday's
Between Naps On The Porch- Matamorphisis Monday

A "what should I do?" post

2010-09-13T09:58:00.000-06:00

I completely think that someone needs to have an "I am stumped, help me!" party where you link to the problem areas of your home that you have decorating block over. Wouldn't that be fun?

I have a few of those and I need some help. Any opinions would be highly appreciated!

For starters, I bought this below for our big open blank kitchen wall. I think it will look pretty great painted white and distressed, but is that all I should do on this wall?

I LOVE the green, but our kitchen is light blue so it has to go.

This is our downstairs bath, it is small and has no natural light. It is currently a cream color and I am thinking about using this Jessie Wilcox Smith print as the focal point. It was a $3 find so I am not completely committed to it.

And lastly, for now, is the ugly space over our counter in the kitchen. I have red accents throughout the kitchen but am thinking about painting things white. I don't know:). Oh, and aren't those countertops grand, haha!

Impulse garage sale stop...

2010-09-13T09:29:00.001-06:00

...that REALLY paid off.

On our way home from the store on Saturday I took a different way home than usual. It was 3:00 but I saw that a garage sale was still taking place. So I pull over, get the kids out, and immediately see a few things that catch my eye. I saw a white twin bed frame that was nice, I was thinking about maybe using it on the wall with a few hooks. Then I saw a hanging light that was pretty great as well. I asked what the price was and he went inside to check with his wife. Came back out and said $5 for both!!! Oh yeah, we were in business. Then I picked up a bunch of other things for $2. Yep, it was $7 well spent.

Oh, and this is linked to Southern Hospitality's Thrifty Treasures party!

Here is the bed:

Note that it is already in our basement. Sometimes it's better not to spring things on your husband and instead sneak it out of your car unnoticed:)

Here are the other goodies:

This is a pencil drawing done by the owners sister back in 1966. She labeled it "stuffed doll". I think she is a knitted duck/ Mastryoka-ish doll, Charlotte thinks she is an owl, and Matilda thinks a penguin. Whatever she is, I know she is awesome:)

She insisted on posing with our new artwork.

Awesome 1970's craft book, cute deer plate, hanging light, set of earrings, and a plate holder thingy.

Matilda likes to inspect my purchases.

Here is the hanging light fixture. I can't wait to see the light pattern it creates once lit!

Fall salt dough

2010-09-09T22:30:00.000-06:00

We are trying to do a lot more crafts these days. The youngest is just getting to the point where she is not trying to eat everything that we put in front of her face. Ok, so she tried to eat this as well but quickly figured out that it wasn't cookie dough:)

PS, when you are done, put these somewhere where your husband won't take a nice big bite and chip his tooth. I speak from experience.

Here is the recipe:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup salt
1 cup cold water

Mix together, adding more flour (if too sticky) or water (if too crumbly).

If making ornaments add a hole to the top before baking! Learned this the hard way.

Bake at 200 degrees for an hour or more. With the pumpkins we made it was closer to 2 hours at 200. You can see the dough dry out as it cooks, so this was not as hard to gauge as I thought it might be.

Finally paint and finish with a coat of laquer. I used good old Mod Podge.


Can you tell which ghost I let Charlotte paint?

Matilda thought standing on the table was great!

Making footprints for our ghosts!

Charlotte loves any craft!

She also likes documenting these fun times with her camera:)

Leaves, acorns, pumpkins and ghosts!

I can see us making these all the time! I love that it is an easy way to get footprints and handprints to cherish through the years.

Even easier magnetic frame!

2010-09-08T09:46:00.001-06:00

So here is the super easy version of my previous magnetic frame. I love it just the same. I already made one for my sister and plan on making some more as gifts. Really cute and just a few dollars, what could be better? Plus, it can easily be updated to match the decor of any room and can easily change with the seasons.

Materials:
an 8x10 frame
Paint (if needed)
Metal 8x10 picture, from Dollar Tree
Scrapbook paper
Magnets (I made my own)


Start with your frame and paint if needed.

Cut your scrap paper to an 8x10 size.

Here is the Dollar Tree picture I am talking about. Pretty spiffy, eh?


A girl can dream, right? :)

Put them all together and you get this pretty end result! If you want to make it really fantastic for gift giving you could spray paint the metal pic a solid color and add some precut seasonal paper with homemade magnets! Perfect gift for any occasion!

Entry way- before and after!

2010-09-07T15:06:00.004-06:00

Our entry has always been on my to do list. We have limited space due to our groovy bi-fold closet doors and a rather small wall to work with.

Here is the before. Really, what was I thinking?

Then I found this at the thrift store. Recall my "do I love it or not?" post? Well, I decided to keep it.

Then I painted it, first with a brush...complete nightmare. Finished it of with spray paint...much better! I did however paint the inside with a brush in Silver Sage. Then I began to distress it. I got REALLY nervous with this step. How does one know when to stop? And the grooves were the worst, I ended up using a butter knife to get in there and get all of the paint out.

But in the end I think I did pretty well.

I am sorry for the lack of nice pics here. This is what our entry way looks every morning when the sun hits the stained glass. It looks much better in person:). What do you think?

Linked to the following parties:
http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/2010/09/welcome-to-86th-metamorphosis-monday.html
http://www.sillylittlesparrow.com/2010/09/toot-your-horn-tuesday-husband-toot.html
http://craftedition.blogspot.com/2010/09/take-look-tuesday-and-giveaway-reminder.html
http://www.thegypsyscorner.com/2010/09/93rd-three-oe-more-tuesday.html
http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com/2010/09/nifty-thrifty-tuesdays-no28_06.html

Also linked to:
http://southernhospitalityblog.com/yardsales-and-al-football/

Simple staircase makeover

2010-09-01T22:14:00.000-06:00

Okay, I am going to come off as a real tightwad, but guess what? This project was super cheap! It cost me a total of $6.50 and it looks so nice! I found these pre-painted accents at Home Depot near the molding and railing materials. Then just (nearly, as I am non-commital to decor) used some Liquid Nails and put them up. If you want a less permanent option, just hammer them in with a long nail. This way you can always remove them and simply fill in the remaining hole later.

So, here is the before and after. What do you think?


Before- not bad...

After- Lookin good!

And putting them up is simple, all you need is a hammer, a drill, a nail punch, nails, and wood putty.


Measure the positioning and make sure the accents are level and nail it in. I drilled holes in them first to prevent them from splitting.

Use a nail punch and tap the nails in.


Fill in with wood putty and then paint.

Then enjoy!

Magnetic picture frame/ holder

2010-08-31T23:00:00.000-06:00

Finished frame! Adore!

I LOVE this!!!! Well, not only do I love this, I am slightly obsessed with this. I hope that my obsession will last until Christmas so that I can give these out as gifts. Ok, no way that is happening, I have crafters A.D.D., no doubt. But there are bound to be some gifts that need to be given between then and now:)

Want to make your own? Here is what you need to do it! A lot of these steps can be avoided of course, like there is no need to stain OR poly if you aren't feeling it.

The list:

Wooden plaque- around 9x7
Sheet metal- I found this in my husbands shop but I saw it at Home Depot as well for less than $5 for a sizable sheet. You could easily make 10 of these with one sheet.
Tin snips- Or metal shears, less than $10.
Paint- Cheap acrylic works just fine.
Stain, and poly- completely optional but I think ebony stain always looks nice.
Liquid Nails- or some other really strong glue.

Start with your unfinished plaque

Paint it with your choice of paint and let dry.

Lightly sand and stain if desired.

Wipe off the stain, add another layer if desired.

For Pete's Sake WEAR GLOVES! Go and buy yourself a cute pair:)

And pay attention to the nearly 2 year old sitting right in front of you the entire time drinking your iced coffee!

Poly if desired, and you have the patience and time to let it dry.

Cut your metal to fit, mine was a bit over 5x7.

Use Liquid Nails to affix the metal to the plaque.

Add weight to the top and let sit to dry.

And...drumroll please...the finished product!

The holder is from Hobby Lobby, 50% off so I think it was $2.50. The ribbon I had on hand from my monogram door hanger. The magnets I made! The wood button I had left over from when I made my own wooden buttons, the 2 flowers are coverted from vintage earrings I had lying around, and the glass magnet I made from magazine clippings. I may put a tutorial up on magnets too, although I am pretty sure most know how to do this and I was the last to figure it out!

Oh, and come tomorrow there is an even EASIER version of this so keep an eye out for that!

What do you think?

The too easy earring holder

2010-08-30T17:59:00.001-06:00

So I have been looking for a nice looking easy way to display my earrings. I was inspired by the numerous radiator and chicken wire frames that are out there and decided to search my craft room and raid what I already had instead of buying more stuff. So lets get to it.

Here is what you will need:

Embroidery hoop (I used a 12 inch one, which cost me $.99 at the thrift store years ago)
lace or a doily (I found an old table runner at the thrift store for a dollar)

No real instructions, just place the lace/ doily inside the hoop and pull tight. Snip the excess material and fabric glue it around the back if you like.

A nice touch would be to paint the hoop as well, I like it bare so that I can always reuse it for its original purpose later in life:).

Oh, and aren't those earrings the cutest??? I made them and I think they are my most treasured pair. I can work on a tutorial for that too if anyone likes.

This was also linked to the Metamorphosis Monday post on Between Naps On The Porch!

Retro garage sale light revamp

2010-08-30T07:41:00.001-06:00

It started with this light. I saw it at a garage sale marked $15 and for $10 it was mine! I loved it, the little one loved, the husband...not so much:) Haha.

I thought about keeping it blue and putting it in the kitchen which currently (note I said currently, this could change with a whim) is blue and red retro kitch. Alas I am a kind-hearted woman and let my daughter have it! A few coats of spray paint and it was ready for her room.

Here was her old one, which went with her vintage nursery rhyme theme. Very adorable but no longer suitable for a 4 year old "big girl".

So I took it down and began a solo trip down my path to becoming an electrician. Yep, you read that right, I began to hang this myself, my husband wasn't even at home! That's confidence.

First I had to realize that I have some very gross 1978 popcorn ceilings, which I knew I guess. I just avoid looking up at them until I have to. Like today. Then I notice the ugly dirt ring which just means another trip to Home Depot was needed for a ceiling medallion.

Followed by my staring at the ceiling and trying to figure out my plan of attack. Trust me I was laughing at myself and possibly throwing out some "oh fudge"'s. But I got it up there! It was trial and error and I had to use some painters tape to hold some things in place, but it works!

And once the cover went on along with the beads, it is perfect!

It looks so great in her room and I think she likes it too!

In Charlotte's words "Mama, how romantic! I really love that you made that for me!". Yes, she is a pretty cool kid!

PS, I linked this great find on Rhoda's page over at Southern Hospitality!

Moss covered monogram- tutorial

2010-08-29T21:37:00.000-06:00

I love how this turned out...and I love the price even more. The whole thing cost me less than $5, thank you Dollar Tree:).

Here is what you will need:

*12" letter- mine was from Hobby Lobby and was $1.99, near the unfinished wood products.
*paint- I used spray paint, Krylon's oil rubbed bronze.
*Spanish moss sheets- from the Dollar Tree. I used 2 sheets.
*Ribbon of your choice- for the letter shown I used 48" total, 24" on each side. The Dollar Tree has this too!
*Hot glue gun

Step 1:

Paint your blank letter and let it dry.

Step 2:

Get out your moss sheet and dry letter.

Step 3:

Cut the moss in the shape of the letter. I needed two sheets due to the width of the "M". I would imagine other letters may only needs one sheet. Now learn from my mistake. I put the moss under the letter and free cut around the letter. The BETTER way to do this would be to hot glue the sheet(s)to the front of the letter then turn it over and cut around it. Duh!

Step 4:

Examine the back of the letter and trim as needed.

Step 5:

Attach the ribbon. Fold over first then glue pretty side up on the back of the letter. You are going to want to glue the ribbon near 45 degrees to avoid puckering once the bow is tied.

Step 6:

Hang it on your door (or anywhere) for all to admire!

Laundry room makeover

2010-08-26T23:13:00.000-06:00

Not much smells better to me than a nice fresh coat of paint. Therefore I paint. I have been gravitating towards browns and blues for the past few years since they are calming colors for me. Trust me, I was a stressed out mess for the few years that my kitchen was a bright yellow! So with all of the leftover paint I have collected the laundry room was first on my list.

Here is the before, it was pretty bad...:

And here is the after:

I found the old wash board at a yard sale and had the Good Housekeeping magazine print done up at Costco (frame from Goodwill) from a high resolution image I found online. Cheap and fitting artwork, my favorite! Oh, and the cabinets were a Craiglist find, one that wound up being right down the street from us, which sure did make for easy transport!

And that drying rack??? I made it! Thanks to Centsational Girl and her tutorial! Sure it is wonky and imperfect, but I made it!!! I drilled holes and cut dowels and sanded and painted and all got to use my husbands shop! It was fun and I am proud of it, especially the bowed out bars and the extra holes that needn't be drilled. And the pegs on the bottom are a great place to display our vintage umbrella collection.

I think it needs a fun vintage light fixture now...yes, I am positive that is what it needs!

Off to finish up some laundry now.

Why is a good hall table SO hard to find?

2010-08-26T08:30:00.000-06:00

I am a thrift shop and garage sale lover, and always had the best of luck when it came to finding nearly anything. When I was looking for an oversized wooden fork and spoon set, found it on the first trip. Trying to find an old tole chandelier? Scored. Old blue onion Corelle dishes? Yep, I own the full set now. But just recently I have been looking for an entry table, something relatively small in depth but fairly wide. Not too wide though, they can't interfere with our lovely bi-fold closet doors, circa 1978 (if I only had the nerve to take a hammer to those). I did find one vintage table that would've been perfect, but someone decided to paint a lovely beach scene on the top and a delightful faux sand finish over the whole table...not something I wanted to spend the next 10 years scrapping and sanding off!

Then yesterday I came upon this table:

I go back and forth between loving it and looking at it like an old television cabinet or submarine hole. I just don't get what that hole is for? I put some of my old books in there and I think it looks nice, but I am still not sold. Maybe someone out there can give me some tips on what to do with this!? I am either going to paint it white and distress it or sell it on Craigslist.

Putting it out there

2010-04-20T11:29:00.000-06:00

My weight that is. I figure if I post it here where someone may see it I will be held accountable in some way and more motivated to lose. So my start weight was 152, and after a week I am now 148. Now, I am not so concerned with the pounds as I am with the way I look and feel but seeing a change is nice. I am walking around the neighborhood more and we just bought an old cruiser bike that I love and want to bike all the time. Well, just a couple miles a day to be honest. But it's a start!

So I started tracking points ala Weight Watchers on my own, I haven't joined Weight Watchers. I used this formula if you are interested to do it at home also.

Weight Watchers Points Formula

1. Are you
female?- score 2
Male?- score 8
A nursing mom?- score 12

2. How old are you?
17-26- score 4
27-37- score 3
38-47- score 2
48-58- score 1
over 58- score 0

3.What do you weigh?
Enter the first two digits of your weight in pounds.
(for example, if you weight 199, you will add 19 to your score)

4. How tall are you?
Under 5’1- score 0
5’1-5’10- score 1
Over 5’10- score 2

5. How do you spend most of your day?
Sitting down? score 0
Occasionally sitting? score 2
Walking most of the time? score 4
Doing physically hard work most of the time? score 6

Now add them all together and that’s your daily total.

My total is now 22, down from 23 a week ago. Now I am not giving myself the 35 flex points that WW does, or deducting points for exercise, so I am not the best example. Something is better than nothing though, right?

I also am using the Calorie Counter by Fat Secret application on my phone which calculates points for me and has a super cool barcode scanner to scan everything I eat. I am pretty obsessed with this application these days, but I am enjoying it! In addition to this I am using another application, Cardio Trainer, which calculates my distance walked (or ran/ biked) and wil even upload that to Facebook if you like. Just another reason why I love my new phone.

Silverware / butter knife garden markers

2010-04-13T21:38:00.001-06:00

With garden season fast approaching, I am highly anticipating my first time growing my own food. I am optimistic that I can do it. But being the crafty gal I pride myself in being, I need to make it cute too. So I have been buying any gnome I can at the thrift stores (most of which appear to be having an identity crisis with ruby red lips). In addition to buying gnomes at Goodwill I pick up butter knives that speak to me. Why? To use as super thrifty and cute garden markers! How great are these?

Here are some of the knives that I picked up, notice how they each have a space on top open for the stamps?

Notice my old marker in my cucumbers? Yes, it's a football cupcake topper!

A better close-up of my bell pepper garden marker, isn't it pretty?

So, you want to make your own? Here is how.

Materials

Butter knives from a thrift store- my Goodwill has them for 10 cents each
(forks and spoons can be used also)
1/8 inch metal letter stamp set- I got mine from Harbor Freight for $4.99
a hammer

Next you just stamp each letter into your knife. And when I say "stamp", I mean pound the crap out of it. You need to really give it some muscle. Buy extra knives and use one or two as practice. Try doing this on a concrete surface covered with a towel or on your back patio. It is loud!

That's it! Easy, right?

Melissa's cream cheese potato soup

2010-04-08T17:43:00.000-06:00

This is some serious good soup. I have been trying to replicate Grand Luxe's creamy chicken mushroom soup for a while now, and I think I am nearly there.

This is what I have so far. You can add chicken, shredded carrots, mushrooms, and peas if you like. I made this plain with just potatoes and it was SO good. So I will leave you with the plain recipe until the other is perfected.

Melissa's cream cheese potato soup:

- 4 c water and 4 tsp chicken bouillon seasoning. Or just 4 cups chicken broth. I like the seasoning best, because it is cheaper:)
- 4 c potatoes (peeled), this is roughly 4 med/ large potatoes.
- 1 8oz pack of cream cheese, I use the light cream cheese.

The following is to taste, or 1/4 tsp - 1/2 tsp each
- season salt
- ground red pepper
- ground black pepper

Boil your broth and potatoes until tender.

Add cream cheese and stir until melted.

Break up a few of your potatoes with a fork or masher.

Serve topped with bacon and cheese if you like, but I loved it plain.

My bucket list...thus far.

2010-04-06T14:48:00.002-06:00

As I approach the ripe old age of 33 I figured I may as well start writing down some things that I would love to do. Thing is I don't like the name "Bucket List". So maybe it will be my Life Tote, or Living Pail, or how about Satchel Tally? Ok, I am way off with that last one, so I am open to suggestions:)

Anyway, here is my first draft.

Oh, and this is great fun. I encourage you to put this on your own blog, or post some of yours in the comments section!

Highway 127 Yard Sale

Austin TX Bat Bridge

and
Carlsbad Caverns bat viewing

Fall in New England (and hopefully see some covered bridges like this to check another off my list)

Mt Rushmore

Own an old house, one that is like a member of the family, not just a place we sleep. Something with character.

Go to Europe...see it all. We will start with castles in England.

Raise chickens

See a Broadway show in New York.

Have Christmas in a log cabin with all of my family. Wood burning stove is not an option.

Go on a ghost tour and hopefully see a ghost.

Make out with Dave Matthews, or at least have him declare his true love to me.

Melissa's best pancake

2010-03-27T14:44:00.000-06:00

So I seem to have fallen in love with pancakes for dinner again. They are so delicious and with my new love of turkey bacon I can't stop. Having had trouble in the past with finding the perfect pancake I decided to post this here. Trust me, after you try this you will be wanting them for both breakfast and dinner.

Here goes:

Melissa's buttermilk pancakes

1.25 c flour
1 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
.25 c sugar

1.25 c lowfat buttermilk
.25 c oil
1 egg
1 t vanilla

Optional- chocolate chips....yum!

Mix the dry ingredients together then add the wet. Of course you know not to overmix and the other joys of making pancakes so I won't bore you. Please try these them let me know what you think!

When it snows...

2010-03-23T14:26:00.001-06:00

and snows...and snows...!

Here in Colorado we've had 70 degree days intermingled with 12 inches of snow. It has been crazy. So this post is just pictures of what we have been up to this crazy "Spring".

We blow bubbles.

We play Queens.

We sled.

We go on wagon rides.

We paint.

We read.

And on occasion we use mom's belt to dress up like a Samurai.

Charlotte's 4th Princess and the Frog birthday party

2010-03-15T12:32:00.003-06:00

We just today wrapped up Charlotte's 4th birthday month of fun. Yes, a full month. It started with our trip to Disney World, got put on hold with my wicked sinus infection, and wrapped up this weekend with her friend party and her real day of birth celebration yesterday. Whew!

Anywho, she wanted a Princess and the Frog party and no matter how much I pushed her towards a really cool Alice party she refused. She would try to please me and agree to the Wonderland themed party but then I would see in her eyes she really longed for a Tiana (the new Disney princess) party. So since I was sick all month and not feeling the whole frog New Orleans party (I mean voodoo and beads for 4 year olds is not so appropriate) I loosely based our theme on the movie. We went with frogs, crowns, and daisies. Simple and still adorable.

So the party started with the invites from my great friend Ruby Dorcas. Aren't they great???

She also helped me find these cute paper dolls online, from Deviantart:

I wish I had time to put this out on party day, a "Pin the frog on the princess" game". I had this picture of Charlotte printed up and used my Silhouette Quickutz machine to cut out frogs. Same as the classic pin the tail on the donkey game but for a Princess and her Frog:)

Kelley from Kelley Kakes made the cake. I just told her that we were having a frog princes party and that Charlotte wanted the inside purple. She did a fabulous job! To top it off the cake tasted even better than it looked, as if that were possible. Iy you are in the Denver area I highly recommend using her. So good! But I think the picture says it all...

Here are some of the goodies I made: white chocolate covered strawberries, double stuffed oreos, and pretzels.

The cookie recipe was Allrecipes "the best rolled sugar cookies" and I really think they were! I chilled the mixture for a couple of hours before rolling. I then cut then into flowers, inserted the sticks and baked for 8 minutes. This left me with a nice soft cookie.

I then frosted them with this recipe that I whipped up:

1c powdered sugar

2t milk

2t honey

1/2t vanilla (you will want to use clear vanilla if you want white icing)

assorted food coloring

First I lined the cookies using leftover melted white chocolate I had on hand from the candies. Next time I will just line then in frosting, or not at all, but I did like how it kept the frosting in place. I then put the icing in a squeeze bottle and began frosting. Pop any bubbles you may have with a toothpick.

Some more simple decorations:

Hope you enjoyed our "Princess and the Frog" party! I know Charlotte did!

Happy Valentine's...belated

2010-02-15T11:19:00.000-07:00

I was busy yesterday feeling the love so I am late in posting these. Here is a cute shirt that I made for Charlotte and SUPER EASY tie on tulle barrettes (bobby pins). If there is interest you know I will do a tutorial for them:)

Cute Minnie Mouse outfit

2010-02-15T08:14:00.000-07:00

I put together this outfit mostly with material I already had on hand. The dress is based on a pattern that I had seen online, but was too cheap to buy, haha. I managed to make the coordinating pants by tracing an existing pair of Charlotte's pants. I love it, and Charlotte does too. Well, let's see how much she wants to dress up as Minnie Mouse when she is surrounded by princesses:)

Now I just realy need to finish Matilda's dress before we leave in 4 days!!!

Our $2 Disney autograph books

2010-02-10T07:59:00.000-07:00

So I am trying to save $ where I can at the most expensive, I mean happiest, place on Earth. I decided to make the girls their own autograph books. I used my new Quickutz Silhouette cutter (no, I don't scrapbook, I just got a really good deal) and cut out their names using the Minnie font. I love them!

Here are my Dollar Tree notebooks turned into the perfect personalized Walt Disney World autograph books. I also picked up some packs of Disney stickers while there if Charlotte wants to decorate the inside of her book too.

Next up, matching Minnie outfits:)

We are going to Disney World!!!

2010-02-05T11:59:00.000-07:00

At the end of this month in celebration of Charlotte's 4th birthday. My little princess is turning 4, hard to beleive. Truly she (and Matilda of course) is the greatest gift, and I can't wait to see their faces when we get there and see some of the characters. So I am asking for any tips anyone has for the parks with 2 young children.

Anything I should bring? I am already looking into making them autograph books, so any crafts I should get on for personalized keepsakes please post here.

2 more weeks until we leave, I need to start packing:)

Another fine day of thrifting

2010-02-02T19:02:00.001-07:00

It's become a tradition on Tuesdays. I drop off Charlotte off at preschool then Matilda and I go thrifting. I love it, she loves it, and we get out of the house. Today was a good day out at Goodwill and I think I picked up some good things.

So here we go:

First I bought this retro black and white swimsuit Barbie (3 or 4 ponytail Barbie) for...brace yourselves...$50. And I can't even believe I did that. I may take advantage of the 10 day return and bring it back. I am notoriously cheap and this is WAY over my budget. Or I may try my hand at ebay and see what happens. If there are any Barbie collectors out there please advise me!

Next I bought my Marie Antoinette chair. It is inspiring, I just love it! There was a matching couch, with embroidered cushions for $10.99, and two of these chairs for $5.99. I only bought one, but would have bought the whole set if I had a place to put them. It was lovely!

Then I bought 3 great little vintage frames with darling little prints. They may go in my daughters room or up on Etsy, that is to be determined! EDIT: the Tavern on the Green prints are now on Etsy.

Then I came home to these Livie and Luca woodland boots for Matilda. I love these so much, thanks Babysteals!

Oh, and did I mention that the girls love the chair. They climbed on it and giggled for over an hour, and I think it makes the greatest photo prop ever.

Matilda had a little lamb

2010-02-01T19:24:00.000-07:00

So I decided to paint my daughter, and I think she turned out quite well! It isn't an exact likeness, and I added the curls that I just recently cut off (so sad about her first haircut, but she was starting to look like Joe Dirt was her proper father, and I can't walk around with people thinking that, ha). That said I still kind of love her! So yeah, I am now taking custom orders:)

Thoughts?

Oh, and that is her lamb that she just adores, it was my version of Wee-Wonderfuls.

And the winner is...

2010-01-29T17:14:00.000-07:00

Michele, the Clipa winner! Congrats Michele, I hope you love your Clipa as much as I do!

I can paint?

2010-01-28T01:25:00.000-07:00

Yep, yet another hobby to check off the list. Painting. And I can't stop! Seriously. I am drawing and painting anytime my kids are playing and napping. I have so many ideas in my head I just need to put them on paper. And I am kind of digging what I've done so far. So sorry sewing machine, I think I am over you, at least for the next few days:)

Oh, yeah, I am going to start taking custom orders, so email me if you are interested!

Coraline and her doll

Princess and the Frog

One more day!

2010-01-26T10:05:00.000-07:00

You have to enter to win, and the contest closes tomorrow night!

Click here to enter!

Tutorial- braided fabric elastic headband

2010-01-25T09:40:00.001-07:00

Browsing the $1 section of Target looking at all of the things I don't need (but want), I saw something I swore was mispriced. Nope, 6 elastic headbands for $1. I knew a tutorial was in the works. So here we go!

So gather your supplies!
Fabric scraps- coordinating or happily mismatched (I only needed 21 inches for my headband)
elastic headband
sewing machine or needle and thread

Getting started:
Step 1- Tear or cut (3) half inch strips of fabric

Step 2- Stack strips on elastic band 2 on top, one on the bottom. Sew to elastic band, front and backstitch to secure.

Step 3- Attach the band to something stable, I used my lampshade.

Step 4- Braid all the way around band, braiding the band WITH the 3rd piece. Move your clip up as needed.

Step 5- Finish the braid leaving 2.5-3 inches unfinished. I went with 3 inches for comfort.

Step 6- Repeat step 2 and securely sew the strips to the band.

Step 7- Snip off excess, at this point try it on to see how it fits. You may need to take out the stitches and bring it up a bit (and sew again) if it's too tight.

Step 8- Show off your smoking hot new headband...after taking 75 pictures of the top of your head, all of which focused on the kids behind you, the floor, or your armpit. And be proud of yourself! You did it all by yourself! Enjoy!

Play with your food

2010-01-24T22:49:00.001-07:00

In an effort to make dinner fun I whipped up some meatloaf cupcakes today. Now I know that somewhere out in blogland these have probably been done. That said I am NOT going to google it, because I like to think that these are my very own creation. Oh, and I didn't use the Lipton soup mix recipe, I used my own (which oddly enough had onion soup in it, haha).

Both kids loved this, but honestly I think if I stuck a candle in anything and sung the "unbirthday" song they may eat it. May. So here it is...

Melissa's meatloaf cupcake (I can't stop laughing at the name)

Preheat oven to 350

Ingredients

2 lbs lean ground beef
1 packet of dried onion soup mix
1 egg
1/4 c ketchup
1/2 c breadcrumbs
2 T worcestershire
2 t season all

Combine meat mixture with hands, do not overmix (makes your end result a bit chewy).
Place meat mixture into greased muffin pan.
Bake for 30-35 minutes.

Frosting and sprinkles: mashed potatoes and peas!

Add candle and sing songs for garnish. Enjoy!

Fun day of estate sales and crafting...and a great mail day!

2010-01-23T08:49:00.001-07:00

First for the things I made! All are available in my Etsy shop:)

Expect a tutorial (or two) this weekend!

Mushroom trinket box with surprise gnome!

Woodland yo-yo headband (hand-dyed)

braided fabric necklace with vintage accent

Now onto a few of my finds at the estate sale. This woman was a fellow crafter and had some useful tools for me. I also picked up plenty of costume jewelry for future pieces. Overall a great time!

Costume jewelry that I love!

A porcelain owl with a pin cushion back.

Then I found a great handmade sewing basket, it's pretty wonderful, right?

AND when I came home I had two whole packages for me. A great ending to a great day!

The first thing I opened were Charlotte's new shoes from Livie and Luca, in their yellow Holland style. I really want a pair for myself they are so precious!

Then I opened my fabric from Hawthorne Threads. So many possibilities!

Clipa giveaway!

2010-01-20T09:15:00.001-07:00

I am SO excited about this giveaway. I saw this product online and for the first time in a long time I was excited about a product. Clipa is something that truly anyone can use. For me I loved that it was a purse hanger and a cute bracelet (or for my daughter, a teether, ha). When not worn as a bracelet it can be hooked to your purse so that you never forget it (and no more digging through your purse!). It also comes in six different finishes so that you can match the finish to your handbag or wardrobe.

How many times have you stopped in your car to only have everything spill out onto the floor? Well, Clipa solves that problem!

Clipa keeps your handbag off the ground and away from germs, water, and dirt (really who knows what else?)! Specially angled, clear non-slip pads provide full surface contact on tables (no wobbling). It is also designed for today's bigger heavier bags.

Now for the contest details. I have one Clipa in their Maya style, polished hematite to give away. How do you enter?

Mandatory: Just leave a comment with your email in the comments section. Yep that's it!

For additional entries (leave an additional comment for each):

-Become a follwer of Livvy Loo Who, or leave me a comment telling me you already are

-Become a fan of Livvy Loo on Facebook, or leave me a comment telling me you already are

-Become a fan of Clipa on Facebook

-Grab the Livvy Loo Who button for your blog, available on my sidebar.

Giveaway ends Jan 27th @11:59PM MST. US only. Winner will be picked via Random.org and announced the following day. Please respond within 48 hours, or a new winner will be chosen.

Good luck!

Thank you for checking out Clipa, from Livvy Loo Who!!!

Craft / sewing room... nearly finished!

2010-01-19T23:01:00.001-07:00

Well, it's getting there! I at least have my corner to sew in. What do you think? I tried to make it practical and pretty.

Here is the before, ack!

And after! Much better...

Tutorial- Wooden twig / wood branch / tree branch buttons

2010-01-18T14:18:00.005-07:00

While in the backyard, picking up you know what, I noticed that there were plenty of tree branches laying around after our last snowfall. So what is a girl to do? Leave the cleaning up to her darling husband and go inside and make buttons! This may be one of the easiest projects you may ever complete, and it's very rewarding to see your finished project.

So let's get started, here is what you will need to make your own DIY wood tree branch buttons.

Branch or twig
Hand saw or table saw
Sandpaper
Drill- I used a 5/64 bit and it was perfect
Wood polish (optional)

Step 1
Find a nice looking branch or twig. The sturdier the better, and you want to make sure that your bark is intact and doesn't peel off too easy. OR you want the bark to peel off really easy if you like the look of barkless buttons. Mine turned out half and half, not ideal for me, but not as bad looking as I thought.

Step 2
Saw your branch into 1/8 inch pieces. If your branch is very sturdy you could go even smaller. You will figure this out after your first cut. Now, I started off using my husbands table saw but that turned out not so well. Let's just say that I still have both eyeballs, but it was a close one. So I quickly switched to a hand saw, fine toothed. Unless eye patches are cool where you live, I recommend a hand saw too.

Step 3
Lightly sand the surface and sides of your button. This is to prevent snags but truly this isn't meant to be a functional button for me, just decorative, so I didn't go crazy with this step.

Step 4
Drill 2 or 4 holes into your button, depending on the look you want. I go for 2 since I am a lazy button sewer kind of lady. Also, the middle of my branch was so weak that I just set the drill on top and a hole was punched in the center. Next time I will look for a better branch. Weak bottom branch.

***No pictures here. It is really hard to hold a camera and drill tiny holes at the same time~

Step 5
Completely optional, and after completing this step I won't do it again. If you want a darker button face then this is a good way to get the look. I tried 3 different types of wood cleaner and polish that I had on hand. My favorite was the wood conditioner that I had on hand for our wood handled steak knives.

Step 6
Arrange your buttons on a crazy pretty bird plate and admire how very crafty you are. I suggest a cup of coffee too. Oh, I mean, put your button on something cool and show it off! I am currently looking for the perfect piece to attach it to. Those pics are to come!

Winner of our first giveaway!

2010-01-15T22:04:00.000-07:00

Thanks Kisha at In Through The Out Door for hosting my very first giveaway. Also congrats to the winner Melissa at http://styleezta.blogspot.com/. Melissa won the faux bois bib necklace, but don't worry, you too can get yours (just follow the links on the right to my Etsy shop!).

Look for more giveaways and tutorials in the near future!

More free Etsy banners!

2010-01-14T14:21:00.007-07:00

hedgehog and gnome banner

matryoshka Russian nesting doll banner

gnome faux bois banner

Click on the banner to save the full-sized version and add your shop name. Enjoy!

Free Etsy banner

2010-01-13T08:43:00.002-07:00

Here is my very first free etsy banner. I made this for my own shop and wanted to share. I LOVE it, but if this isn't your thing, there are more free banners to come if there is enough interest! Thoughts?

Weekend of treasures

2010-01-11T21:36:00.000-07:00

So I am in the process of making myself a craft room and I took it upon myself (who else? haha) to go shopping for decor. And when I say shopping I mean thrifting, during the kids naps! What treasures I found too! Take a look for yourself. Oh and sorry for the lighting, I took these pics at night and really dislike flash:)

First I took a trip to The Fancy Tiger, where I rarely get to go with kids. Love that store, such unique fabrics, many Japanese imports. Here are two that I walked away with, only half a yard each should be plenty for what I need.

Then off to Goodwill(s). It was a good trip.

Lefton Valentine wind up music angel.

Mushroom teapot, perfect for Charlotte's upcoming Alice in Wonderland birthday party.

Now try not to laugh at this next one. When I first saw it, I thought how ugly, but it didn't really matter to me because it was two things...old and an owl. Then I checked the tag and it was a Winnie the Pooh Owl by Gund. And mine.

Cute little bunny couple.

Gorgeous woven porcelain vase

Sewing cabinet with an old Waverly type print. Stand upright and was in perfect condition. I love it!

Two cute vintage fabric remnants, over a yard each.

1960's/ 70's girl baby book, unwritten in perfect condition with the original packaging.

Maybe my favorite purchase of the day, because of its potential. So many things I can do with this book, but where to start. Any suggestions?

Tutorial- Fabric covered cork board

2010-01-10T22:27:00.001-07:00

I am in the process of making the guest room into a craft room, and I LOVE it! I have hit just about every thrift store this weekend looking for storage solutions and cute vintage finds. I came across a plain little memo cork board that I needed but decided on making it a bit better. So I went over to my favorite local fabric store, the Fancy Tiger, and bought some cute fabric (any excuse for fabric shopping!) and got started.

Here is how to make your own:

Supplies

Cork board
fabric
Craft Bond spray adhesive
scissors or rotary cutter and board
acrylic paint
brush
trim (optional)
glue gun (optional)
glitter (optional)

Step 1
Lightly sand the cork board frame and paint it.

Step 2
Measure the inside of the frame where the fabric will lay.

Step 3
Cut your fabric to the above measurements.

Step 4
Tape the edges of the frame with painters tape.

Step 5
First cover your spraying surface with newspaper so that your work space remains clean. Then spray the cork with Craft Bond. Immediately cover with your fabric and smooth away any bubbles. At this time you can gently lift the fabric and reposition if need be.

Step 6
Fix your mistakes:) I misjudged with my placement. One side was short, one was long. So at this point I cut the long edge with a razor and went through all of my notion boxes for some trim to fix the problem!

Step 7
Add your "oops" trim with your glue gun.

Step 8
This step is completely optional, but I really love glitter and wanted a chance to have my husbands workshop all sparkly.

Step 9
Voila! Admire your handy work!

Our very first GIVEAWAY!

2010-01-08T11:49:00.000-07:00

Kisha with "in through the out door" (a fabulous mommy blogger, you should follow her!) so kindly offered to host Livvy Loo's first ever giveaway!

I decided to put up this fabulous faux bois necklace/ bib/ choker/ collar creation. Yes, I am having a hard time deciding on what exactly I want to call this style of neckwear. For now I just think "fabulous" is a great word:)

Check out her blog for details on how to enter. Additional entries are given to those that follow my blog and become facebook fans of Livvy Loo.

Click here to enter!

On the horizon

2010-01-08T11:42:00.000-07:00

I have some great news! A giveaway is on the horizon and I am putting together a few fabulous tutorials, as I know crafty bloggers love tutorials!

On the 12th day of Christmas...

2009-12-25T10:25:00.000-07:00

My true love gave to me, 12 drummers drumming.

I could find a million uses for this hand-stamped ribbon.

On the 11th day of Christmas...

2009-12-24T10:21:00.000-07:00

My true love gave to me 11 pipers piping.

Seeing as though I have a major hole in my heart that is filled with only gnomes and owls I changed this one up a bit. Here is your piper:)

On the 10th day of Christmas...

2009-12-23T10:15:00.000-07:00

My true love gave to me 10 lords a leaping. Of course the geek in me wants to go Lord Of The Rings on this one, but for your sake I wont.

Love the whole set of prints by London Particulars, but this one is fitting since the flight is over the House of Lords.

Okay, I couldn't stop myself! Here it is...

On the 9th day of Christmas

2009-12-22T10:05:00.000-07:00

my true love gave to me...9 ladies dancing. Settle down boys we aren't going there.

Love this print, and all her prints, by Cafe Baudelaire.