Love Rocks

I was really in the mood to make  Valentine crafts but I didnt have the time, or spare cash, to run out and buy anything.  So, I started digging through the craft stuff and found some clear glass rocks and red paint.  Now, I know that these marble thingys are not actually called glass rocks.  But I wanted to call them rocks because I needed a cute name for this post and "Love Marbles" did not sound nearly as cute as "Love Rocks".  So, for this post,  at least,  rocks they are.

I put little red blobs of paint on the back (flat side) of  18 of the rocks and let them dry.

I gave a 5x7 picture frame a coat of the same red paint and let it dry, too.  Then I arranged the rocks in a heart shape and, one by one, glued them to a piece of white card stock and put it in the frame. 

Not bad for a free craft.  I mean, sure, I did buy the frame at the Dollar Store, like, 5 years ago and I also got the rocks there, but, since I had them on hand, I didnt spend any money to make this 3D beauty.  Stay tuned to see the project Im working on to use the glass that I left out of this frame.   

Luxurious Baby Washcloths

I wanted to make a few more gifts for my cousin's shower,  in addition to the fancy wipe cover and her cake (I plan on doing a post about the cake next week).  When I saw these super soft washcloths, I knew they would be perfect. 

Kara, at Creations By Kara, has a great tutorial for the washcloths.  I just cant believe I had never thought to make a washcloth out of softer fabric.  It makes so much sense!  Washcloths are never soft enough for my skin, let alone a newborn.  And the baby washcloths you buy in the stores are so thin and flimsy.  These are so thick and soft, perfect for a new baby.  Or for yourself.  I have 4 daughters so Im going to be making LOTS of them. 

They were so easy to make.  They were also my first real sewing project.  I was kinda nervous because I had not used my sewing machine yet.  It was a gift for my birthday and I wanted to take a sewing class at JoAnns before I tried to make anything.  But Kara made it look so easy that I actually made them first. ( I did take the class this past Wednesday, by the way,  and it was great!)  Check out her tutorial for the easy instructions.

I just love the softness of them and I cant wait to make more for my girls .  A big THANK YOU to Kara for such a great idea and for making it so simple.

Fancy and Functional

I have a Baby Shower to go to in a few weeks and I wanted to make something special. Something other than the standard onesies and receiving blankets.

When I saw the tutorial over at Creative Mommas for their wipes cover, I knew it was perfect. For the details on how to make it, check out this tutorial. It is so easy and you can customize it for just about anyone. This is my version but I LOVE the one they made, too. It makes something functional so very pretty. Now I want to make one for everyone I know!

Alphabet Magnets

My candle holder project left me with a lot of little baby food jar lids.  I kept them because....#1-I am a hoarder....and #2-I just knew if I kept staring at them long enough, I could find a good use for them.  And I am fairly certain that this is what makes me a hoarder in the first place...everything can be used again, in another way, right?  I like to think so.

While staring at my ever growing collection of lids and wondering what to do with them, I realized that the little circle in the center was about the same size as my new circle craft punch.  Could it be?  Was it possible that I could squeeze yet 1 more craft from my $6 toy?  I was giddy with excitement.  Really....It doesnt take much, folks.

Here is what I did:

I punched some scrapbook paper with my 1.5 inch craft punch and put alphabet stickers on the circles.

I spray painted the lids and hot glued magnets on the back.  Then I glued the circles in the center of the lid.

And now you have a nice little set of alphabet magnets for your 2 year old to pull apart, shove under the fridge and carry on with their day, as if nothing ever happened.  Enjoy!

Candy Ornaments

I picked up this cute little candy pick at JoAnns a few weeks ago at a lovely 60% off, making it .39.   My kinda price!  So, I bought 2.  I thought they were cute but I didnt want to use them the way they were.  I wanted to do something different with them.

I wanted them to be individual candy ornaments for my little white tree in my kitchen.  I like to put all things sweet on the kitchen tree(cupcakes, candy, etc.)so I thought these would make cute ornaments.  I just cut them apart with wire cutters.  Or you can gently wiggle the wires out of the candies.  And that leaves the perfect little hole to put a lollipop stick in.  Wrap them up in cellophane, add a ribbon and your done.  Too sweet.  The larger candy on the top is just wrapped in cellophane, sans stick.  I thought it looked better that way.  But there are no rules here.  Stick it, if you want to.  I wont judge.

They looked pretty cute on the tree and you just cant beat the price.  They would make cute little present toppers, too. 

I bought 2 sets of the picks so I wanted to do something different with the second set.  So, I coated them with Mod Podge and then rolled them in Epsom Salt.  It gave them such a pretty, sugared look. 

Wrap them or leave them naked.  They are beautiful, either way.  And the grand total is .13 each.  Sweet.  

Do you ever do this?

I was at JoAnns recently and found a great craft punch at a great price.  It was a 1.5 inch circle punch for $6.  But, the last thing I need to do right now is spend money on something that Im only going to use once or twice and then throw  in my craft drawer, never to be seen again.  If I was to buy this craft punch, I would need to come up with at least 2 or 3 things that I could do with it in order to justify the purchase.  Crafty Rule #1-NO UNITASKERS!  Everything worth owning in the Craft World needs to have more than one use.  So, I bought it.  And then came up with a few things to do with it.

I punched out 1 tissue paper circle and 1 card stock circle.  Actually, in an effort to save my card stock, I used a cardboard tube from the center of a roll of wrapping paper and just flattened it.  Then I glued them together and used a small hole punch to put a tiny hole in the top.  Then I added a ribbon.  Instant gift tag.

I got out a few christmas gift bags from last year and did the same thing.  Punched 1 decorative circle and 1 card stock circle.  If your card stock deficient, and you dont have any empty wrapping paper rolls laying around, you can use a cereal box.  Or any thin cardboard type box you have laying around.  Macaroni and cheese, band aids, whatever  You just need a circle for the back that is a plain color so you can write to and from and to add a little more heft to your tag.  You dont have to use the second circle but it does make it more sturdy.

You can even add some stickers or little jems if you want.  Glitter is always nice, too.

You can also fold a piece of paper in half and punch it with some of the fold in the punch and you get a cute little gift card.

You can use the tags as a wine glass marker, too.  Oh, darn.  Now I have this glass of wine here.  I only poured it to use as an example for the picture but now I guess I have to drink it.  Oh the things I will do for the blog!

So, now that my 1 glass of wine has turned into 2, Im sure the rest of this post will be interesting. 

They look pretty cute around a bottle of wine..  Or maybe I just have my wine goggles on. 

They even look cute on the tree as a simple little ornament.  You could also make a garland out of the circles by gluing them on a string or ribbon. 

So, Im pretty sure my mission was a success.  I found more than 1 use for this great little addition to my craft drawer.  AND I had a nice glass (or 2) of wine.  What a great day.

Vote For Me

This is one of my entries for The Dollar Tree Holiday Craft Contest. Voting starts tonight at midnight eastern time. You can vote once a day through the 28th. Wish me luck!


$5 Wreath