The Evolution of Home

Make Your Own Newborn Baby Shoes

2012-03-24T06:43:00.002-07:00

Do you want to look like a rock star at the next baby shower you attend? Do you want your little princess to make all the other baby girls spit up with envy? Check these out! Aren't they as sweet as Nutella? My sister came over last night and showed me how to put these sweeties together. The following is a tutorial with so many pictures that your head will spin!

These are what they look like finished. Trust me the pictures don't do them justice.

This is what you will need.

Make four sole templates out of cardboard.

Cut out four pieces of fabric large enough for at least a half inch overlap all the way around the cardboard templates.

To make the box braid ribbon start with two tied ribbons. We used plain white and another combination of pink and white.

Make a loop with the white ribbon. Make a loop with the pink ribbon. Put the pink ribbon loop through the white ribbon loop and tighten the white ribbon. Now you will hold a pink ribbon loop. Make a white loop and put it through the pink loop. Tighten after each loop insertion. Keep doing this until you have the desired length.

Place the template over the piece of fabric.

Using a glue gun, glue all the seams over to cover the template.

This is what you'll end up with.

If you turn it over, it will look like this. Much neater! You will need two of these.

Now to the other half. Take the other template and glue down the middle like the picture.

Place the stuffing over the glue. Sorry about the picture quality. These were done at night.

You will then drape your fabric piece over the stuffing and turn it over for glue.

Glue all the edges over like this.

These are the unstuffed piece and the stuffed piece together. Remember you will need to make two of each for each shoe.

Take one of your box braid ribbons and place it over the stuffed shoe template piece. You will glue under to attach it.

This is the underside view. Be sure to add two small ribbon loops to each side.

You are now ready to sandwich the two pieces together. You will take the unstuffed fabric covered template and glue it over the underside of the stuffed one. Do this matching up the unfinished sides. This will give your shoes a finished look.

Use the box ribbon to cover the seams of the sandwiched pieces. You will glue this all the way around and finish the ribbon in the back. Don't worry if it's not perfect. We just added a flower to cover any uneven seams.

Add accent flowers and lacing ribbon and you have yourself a super cute pair of baby shoes!

I hope you try your hand at these, but keep in mind that these can be a chocking hazard. My sister is my hero for teaching me how to create these cuties! Thanks sis.

Nydia 8)

Phone Pouch DIY

2012-03-18T12:42:00.001-07:00

Warning: The following post has a ton of pictures.

So I've had a bit of bad luck lately. Yeah, it all started with the day I dropped my iphone in the toilet. Gross! Needless to say it was ruined and I had to run out and buy another one. That was frustrating but it got me thinking about future prevention. That's where this little phone pouch comes in. See the reason I dropped my phone in my own pee is because it was in my pocket. I vowed to never let this happen to me again, so I got to work. I should say however, that I claim to have absolutely no sewing experience or talent. I wish I did but I'm just not that talented. Someday maybe.

I had a bit of left over fabric scraps which were just the right size to sew a little envelope pouch. All I did was sew around the edges and turn it inside out. I ironed it out and then I used a grommet kit to put the grommet in. I already had the supplies on hand. The only thing I had to buy was the key ring and the toggle thingy. I don't know what either one is called but you get the idea. Sorry, I don't have the step by step pictures but this project was fueled by pure hatred of the Apple folks and their lack of waterproofing abilities. Seriously though, why hasn't Apple made the attempt to create some waterproof merchandise?!

Here's the little iphone pouch. She's kind of cute. No more pee phone!

Here she is hanging off of my work lanyard.

Here she is hanging off of my handbag.

No more digging through my purse to find this little sucker!

Here she is hanging from my belt loops. No more back pocket phone slips into pee filled toilets. Now that this problem has been solved, onto world peace!

Nydia 8)

Recycled Spring Projects

2012-03-10T10:44:00.000-08:00

Bare with me folks because I recently busted up my right hand and I am basically one handed right now. In the interim please enjoy some blast from the past Spring crafts. I appreciate your following!

Spring time necklaces to wear with pretty pink blouses and such.

Little butterfly pillow knockoff version of Pottery Barn's.

A really cheap Spring floral arrangement.

Puff paint pillow using stencils.

Seed tape using toilet paper.

Nydia 8)

Fabric Covered Cork Board Message Center

2012-02-20T15:04:00.000-08:00

My kitchen had this rinky dinky message board, hanging on the desk wall, that never got any love. Actually, it was a bit of an eyesore and its only purpose was to make me kind of look like I got my shizz together, if you know what I mean. The fact of the matter is, it looked a mess with all kinds of things just stuck to it. Besides, when is cork board ever sexy? Uhh... never. So I decided it was time to make it new and improved. It looks so much better now than before.

Here's what it looks like now.

Here's the before. I got it for a dollar.

So basically, I took it apart and sprayed the cork with glue and applied the fabric. I did the same thing to the grape thingy. Then, using my Silhouette machine, I created a calendar out of vinyl and stuck that right onto the backside of the glass. Now I can pin things on the cork side and write on the glass side using a dry erase marker.

Not bad for a buck eh?

I am so darn cheap! I swear I get giddy over this. I take my leave.

Nydia 8)

Linked Here:
http://somedaycrafts.blogspot.com/2012/02/whatever-goes-wednesday-105.html

Dollar Store Spring Tulip Wreath

2012-02-19T10:05:00.000-08:00

We haven't had a proper winter here in southern New Jersey. I'm not complaining because I'm not much of a winter person, but can I tell you, a girl can get used to 50 to 60 degrees in February. This is such a stark contrast to last year's snowpocalypse! All this spring type weather has me chomping at the bit for spring. I have official spring fever!!! Is it too early though? Nah.

Ahhh this thing called spring. The thing that has me watching chick flicks, whistling in my galoshes, and longing for spring break. The funny thing is I literally just took my Christmas lights down. Yeah, I'm kind of a hit with the neighbors.

In honor of spring I've created this wreath.

It's made out of dollar store materials! I bought a wreath form for a $1.70 at the not dollar store and the tulips were all from the dollar store. I really like the happy colors in the tulips!

Stick the stems directly into this and you'll have yourself a lovely wreath in no time. YOU'RE WELCOME!

So basically this wreath is made of a bunch of tulips stuck into and glued onto a wreath form. I tucked leaves in to cover any bald spots. It took all of 30 minutes to make and now I have plenty of time to go wax all the hair I grew for winter warmth. Enjoy!

Nydia 8)

Linked Here:
http://somedaycrafts.blogspot.com/2012/02/whatever-goes-wednesday-105.html

You're Number One In My Book Bookmark Valentines

2012-02-12T09:59:00.000-08:00

My sister helped me put these sweeties together and I couldn't be prouder with how they turned out. See when I first proposed the idea to her of handmade valentines, she was not too eager to sign up. As a matter of fact I think her words were more along the lines of "Are you nuts?" or "You know they sell them in stores." I was in my ADHD mode and decided to proceed anyway. Being a good little sister like she is, she went along with the plan. Ha, Ha, Ha!!! (Evil maniacal laughter complete with crazy hand rubbing.)

Omg! I'm crazy for these! Even my husband said they were cute. That's a big deal folks because my husband is a major craft downer!

These are the supplies you'll need for these bookmark valentines:

Big finger felt stickers
Extra jumbo paper clips
Colored card stock (I used Cricut's 6x12 inch cardstock and cut that into fours)
Colored paper (I used origami paper because it was thin)
Silhouette machine
Silhouette sketch pens
Glue stick
Red felt
White felt
Alleens tacky glue

Step 1- Peel the sticker and place it onto the paper clip. Trace the outline of the sticker onto white felt and cut it out. Glue the white felt onto the other side of the sticker using tacky glue to secure the sticker onto the clip. You will now have a sturdy bookmark.

Step 2- Cut different shades of card stock into 3x6 strips and fold those in half. I made 20, one for each kid in the class.

Step 3- Cut the inside printed liner out of origami paper, or any lighter weight paper, about a quarter inch smaller around the perimeter so that the card stock will show some.

Step 4-This part is totally up to you but, I chose a cute font on my Silhouette and sketched the words, "You're number one in my book", with the Silhouette pens. I used different inks to coordinate with the liner colors.

Step 5- Use a glue stick to attach the printed liner to the card stock. Then using tacky glue attach the felt heart.

Step 6- Slide the paper clip bookmark inside the inner page and you're done.

Hey look at that they fit nicely into my old iphone box!

Ok Here they are once more. I just adore these little things. In the meantime my son just shrugged his shoulders when I asked if he liked them. Ugghh!!! Face palm! I'm so under appreciated!

I know it sounds like a lot of work, but I pinky promise it's not. I love how these turned out! Thanks sis.

Nydia 8)

Make A Gum Ball Candy Machine Out of Flower Pots

2012-02-11T07:34:00.000-08:00

This cute candy dish is made of a flower pot and a glass bowl. How simple is that?! I made one for my son's teacher and I made another one for me. When I first saw these, I thought awesome something I can make with my limited abilities. There is really nothing to these. I think the hardest thing about them is deciding what color to paint them.

They are just darling looking and make a great handmade gift!

This one stays with me.

First here's what you'll need:

That's one small clay pot, two water collection trays, they're usually found with the pots, one glass bowl, and a little wooden knob. I found them all at Joann's Fabrics. I think I got everything to make two of these for under $10 with a coupon. The paint was free because I had it already. Oh, I forgot you need Gorilla glue.

Step one: paint everything.

Step two: glue it all together like this.

I just put them together like this without glue to show you how it goes together. You will need to paint it before gluing it.

Optional step three: add a decal or a ribbon or whatever you want. I added vinyl decals made using my Silhouette.

Step four: fill with candy.

Step five: walk around like there's a cape on your back because you, my friend, are a rock star!!!!

Here's another source of inspiration for you, go check this out and give her blog some lovin!

I love the use of the boa!

Nydia 8)

Free From Scraps Valentine's Day Pinwheel Wall Hanging

2012-02-10T13:28:00.000-08:00

I'm still on my Valentine's Day kick as you can see. This project is another crazy easy one. I made it out of all those annoying paper scraps left over from using my Silhouette, Cricut, or from plain old scrapbooking. I'm such a hoarder that I won't throw out the most minute piece of paper.

Yeah, I said it. I'm a hoarder. It's clinical really. I'm done telling people I'm a saver. I'm through calling myself a collector. I've even called myself an environmentally conscientious person. But I know the truth and the truth is I've crossed the line over from innocent pack rat and I've officially taken up residence in Hoardersville.

On a brighter note all this hoarding is saving me money because I don't need to buy supplies as often. That's a good thing right? Right!? Well needless to say these days I'm tighter than a photo finish. I have some major expenses coming up. Major!

So back to the project. I folded strips of paper accordion style and glued the edges together. Tada- a pinwheel thingy. I did this four times, each time making the pinwheel smaller. I glued 8 center circles left over from another project onto the center front and back of the pinwheels to reinforce them. I glued ribbon along the backs of the pinwheels to hang them. Last but not least, I used some left over letters, yes I even kept that, I know I'm sick, spelling the word L-O-V-E.

Look, I know this project isn't perfect,neither am I. My mantra in life is this: If at first you don't succeed, redefine success. I win! Plus, remember, I obviously have mental health issues with all the crap I hoard. Example of things I still keep: Hair- belonging to me, and my children. Left over from first hair cuts and I kept a long braid from when I cut my hair short. Eww! Teeth- tons of baby teeth belonging to my children which served to horrify my best friend. Nasty! Bellybuttons- I saved my children's dried up bellybuttons. Don't judge! O.K. I'll stop because I'm starting to scare myself.

Nydia 8)

Valentine's Day Heart Sketch Print

2012-02-07T05:23:00.000-08:00

This weekend as I looked around the house trying to keep myself busy, as if I'm not already busy enough, I came across a spare canvas that I had lying around in my craft closet. I decided to use my loaf and come up with something Valentine's Day related. To tell the truth, I don't have too many Valentine's Day decorations up. With that being said, I took out my Silhouette and let it work its hocus pocus. It truly is magic.

I had a cute sketch file from Silhouette on my computer and I decided to create this sweet little Valentine's Day print.

Simple, cute, and free. Also, it's low calorie.

Some supplies you will need. Check out those cute Silhouette sketching pens.

I took the canvas as such and painted the edges red with some left over acrylic paint.

The sketch was made using the Silhouette sketching pens and some textured card stock. Those little pens are so easy to use. They just pop in and that's it.

I made a "frame" around the sketch using pink textured card stock which I cut in strips.

I cut some slits into the bottom edge of the "frame" and threaded ribbon through it.

I attached the whole thing to the canvas with glue. This was free, no cost, zero dinero.

End scene. Bow. Close curtain. Exit stage left.

As you can see this was a super easy project that took all of maybe 5 minutes if you bother to thread the ribbon at the bottom like I did.

Nydia 8)

Recycled Valentine's Day Post

2012-02-04T17:22:00.000-08:00

I made some new Valentine's Day related decor but until I post those, check out some of my past stuff. If you want to see how they're made just click the link under the photos.

This heart was made using a paper mache technique.

These are some crayon hearts using recycled crayons.

I made this with the use of my trusty Silhouette machine and a Goodwill frame.

This pretty wreath was made from the pages of a book that was let's just say repurposed.

This little Valentine mailbox was made for my son to take to school. Kids got a kick out of my smiley fingers.

Nydia 8)

A Simple Snowman Kit Just Like LL Bean's

2012-01-31T08:31:00.000-08:00

It's been a pretty warm winter and there doesn't seem to be any snow in the horizon for South Jersey, but whether we get snow soon or not I want to be prepared to make the best snowman in town. I originaly saw this little snowman kit in an LL Bean catalog years ago. I thought it was so cute that I wanted to buy one for my children. As I recall, the price of the kit was more money than I was willing to part with, so I kind of forgot about it. That is until, I saw this on Pinterest and all the brain juices started flowing again.

My tutorial and kit are slightly different than hers, but I did use a lot of her same ideas.
Warning the following images may be disturbing. (I'm a terrible photographer.)

Here's my end result.

Yes. I know her's is way cuter! You must keep in mind though, that I have two left feet -where my hands are supposed to be!

Materials you will need are:
aluminum foil
orange FIMO (polymer clay)
black FIMO
red FIMO
blue felt
black felt
glue gun
pasta machine (optional)
something to punch small holes with
scissors
fabric (if you want to make a pouch)
ribbon (for the pouch you might want to make)
iron on transfer paper (for the stinking pouch that now sounds like more trouble than it's worth)
a printer (look just forget the stupid pouch and put it all in a box)

First I made a carrot shape by scrunching up the aluminum foil. I covered this foil carrot with some orange FIMO.

Shinny futuristic carrot nose.

To flatten the FIMO into sheets I used my craft only pasta machine.

Don't use a pasta machine that you actually use for pasta because you might poison your entire family.

Never craft in anger people!!!

My next step was to make buttons for my snow person. I flattened red Fimo into sheets, then I used a spray can lid to cut the big circles from the polymer clay sheets. I cut three "buttons". I used a pen cap to cut the smaller button holes inside of each of these three circles.

After this, I took the black polymer clay and made small pebble sized balls. These will be my snow human's mouth. I tried to make them irregular so they resembled actual pebbles. I also made the f aux "coal" eyes this way. Use slightly larger clumps of clay and make the balls more angular for the "look" of coal.

You could make a pipe, but I didn't because I'm trying to get my husband to quit smoking and we all know how suggestive a sexy smoking snowman can be.

Final chapter of our polymer clay sage ends in baking all your pieces at 230 degrees for like 30 minutes, or just follow your clay brand's instructions.

To make your scarf, cut a wide strip of blue felt and cut a fringe at the ends.

Hat Process (warning this part may be complicated) To make the top hat, cut a large circle. You could use the circumference of a basketball as a guide. Cut out a circle inside this circle. Use the circumference of your head if you'd like. Now you will have two pieces, one will be the rim of your hat and the other will be the top of your hat. Next cut a rectangle that will go around the circumference of your rim. To find the size, measure the inside hole and multiply that by 3.14. This number is the length of your rectangle. Once your rectangle is cut, you will need to make half inch slits along the length of the rectangle. These slits will be glued along the rim and top. You need to cut slits so the felt won't bunch. Add hot glue to attach around the rim.

Here's a great little video that shows this process. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jP9qv9LMaVY Isn't the video girl adorable?!

Oh I also made a little sack. I took some fabric and sewed up the sides and made a channel for the ribbon to go through. Then I used my Silhouette to make an iron on transfer sheet and my printer. I ironed this design onto the front and called it a day.

How cute is this?!

Nydia 8)

An Easy to Make Valentine's Day Heart Garland

2012-01-16T10:33:00.000-08:00

I might be a bit early with the Valentine's Day decor but I don't care. January has nothing. After the holidays winter should be embarrassed with itself. So, move it along January I don't really care for you too much.

I lieu of February and it's Valentine's Day festivities, I've taken it upon myself to add to my smallish collection of decorative pieces. I refuse to buy Valentine's decorations because I don't consider it as decor worthy as say, Halloween, Thanksgiving, or Christmas. So I'll be posting some ~~crap~~ crafts that I've made in honor of love and its celebratory day.

Here's a simple garland. I made it after being inspired by one I saw on Pinterest, but for the life of me I can't find the original. If someone out there knows who made the original version of this please let me know so I can give credit and a link. I found this so cute and it's super simple to make and took about 15 minutes from start to finish. Seriously people, I made this and put it together while playing Monopoly with my son. I was the banker by the way. That just goes to show you how truly quick and simple this is.

Here's what you'll need:

red felt
slightly less red felt
a sharp scissor
some ribbon

First you will cut out small hearts. You determine how many you will need since it depends on how long you want your garland to be.

Once you have an amount of hearts that you are ok with, you can go ahead and cut little slits into the hearts. These will be what you thread your ribbon through. Fold each heart in half and make two small cuts.

Lastly, thread the ribbon all the way through making sure to space the hearts evenly. Knot the ends of the ribbon and you're finished.

It's so sweet looking. I just love it.

Nydia 8)

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Easy to Make Valentine's Day Felt Flower Picture Frames

2012-01-09T08:18:00.000-08:00

This past week was a bad week for me. I couldn't even go to work. I stayed home for four days sick, knee deep in boogers. I had more boogers than you could shake a tissue at. So while I was at home bored, I decided to go through one of my junk drawers and clean it out. Guess what I found in there? I found a circular for Pier One and so as I looked through it, I saw a picture frames that had felt petals all over them. They looked very feminine and looked very Valentiney (word?) and I thought I could make these. Nothing against Pier One but they were priced like 15 to 30 dollars! What?!!!
I guess depending on the size of the frame, but still that's so pricey.

These were made for just $3.49! Hah! Take that Pier One! Please excuse the night time pictures.

I mean, I knew I had some picture frames sitting around the house that I wasn't using just waiting to be donated.

Exhibit A

Exhibit B

I said why not, worse comes to worse I can just throw them out. Plus, I had some felt left over from this project.

Gah, I just love the little knees!

I decided to hop to it. First things first, I took out my handy dandy glue gun and began to cut out circles about one inch in diameter. I cut more circles than you could ever imagine. I'm talking an obsene amount of circles.

Cut about 1,000,000 of these.

So you take those circles and fold them in half. Then you fold them in half again. So you're folding them into quarters.

You're then going to be putting glue on the end of that. This is what you're attatching to the frame. You will do this row by row. Try to do it neatly as you cover up the frame. You'll know you're finished when you burn your fingerprints right off.

So there you have it. Some super easy very cute Valentine's Day picture frames to give, to keep, or to throw at cats in heat!

Nydia 8)

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Giveaway Winner Announcement

2012-01-03T14:13:00.000-08:00

I'm sick with a wicked cold so I'm sorry I didn't announce this yesterday. The winner is Kitty from A Law Student's Journey! Please contact me with your information because for some reason I am unable to send you notification via email. Thank you to those that entered. I love seeing your submissions and your sites. I find this blogging business a lot of fun and I'm glad there are so many of you out there that share the same interest. Folks please wash your hands and bundle up. I have such a nasty cold would hate anyone else to feel like this.

Nydia 8)

Show Me Yours and I'll Give You Something

2011-12-27T14:19:00.000-08:00

Hey guys, so it's finally been a year and I finally have over a hundred people who follow my blog for some reason or another. This makes me HAPPY 8)! Although, when you think about it, there are about 7 billion people in the world. This makes me SAD 8'(! Just kidding. I'm happy with the followers I do have. Thanks guys!

For those of you that are new to this site, I will explain what I'm about. There are a few ways to describe my blog. First, let me state that I'm not a stay at home mom. I wish I was, but it hasn't worked out that way. My point is, that anyone can carve some time into their schedule to create.

I am a special education teacher by trade and I normally stress to impress, but when I'm making something, somehow I forget those worries and the stress just melts away. No need for Prozac. I win!

I'm also a thrift whore. I love a bargain! The cheaper, the better, and free is the goal. So, a lot of my projects here are either free or done for very little money. The goal is to make things useful again but in a chic way. The mantra is reduce by re-using and recycling the re-used into something functional. Huh?! Get it, good.

I consider myself a jackass of all trades in that I dabble in more than just a few types of projects, but I am by no means a master of any type of art medium. The projects I feature are do-able even if you're missing digits on your dominant hand. Yeah, I do realize that my crafts sometimes look like I made them with my feet.

Many times you will see that my projects are inspired by pioneers that came and crafted before me. These are true artists! I never try to steal someone's thunder, so I give them full credit and a link to their site so you can experience genius for yourself. I love it when I can actually recreate something from someone's tutorial and I try to spread the word.

I would love to see what you've been inspired to create. So I have decided to include a Show Me feature to my little blog where you too can show off your goodies. Great, good, or ugly, I want to check it out.

Bottom line is, some of the things I make turn out great and some turn out barftastic, but the time working on crap-fts has and continues to be time well spent. Enough about me though, I really appreciate your support of this little blog and I want to show just how much by doing this little giveaway. I am giving away a $20.00 AC Moore gift card this time.

What do you have to do to win? Well that's easy. I want you to show me something you've made and grab a button. If you're a follower, then comment that you are. If you're not, then what the heck are you waiting for? Follow me and comment that you're new. If you're a stalker, then kindly go pound sand. I will close the giveaway on Monday, January 2nd and the winner will be chosen randomly. Good luck, I hope you win a buck or 20.

Nydia 8)

Ornaments Made Out of Aluminum Cans

2011-12-24T11:47:00.000-08:00

So are you looking for a way to reuse a soda can? Yeah, I thought you were. Here are some easy ornaments you can make using an empty aluminum can.

This poinsettia is made out of a can of soda. Go figure.

Here's another example of soda can ornaments.

Here's another one. This one is glittery.

Ok so here's a quick tutorial on how to make one.

Drink some soda pop and cut out the top and bottom.

Trace a star shape onto the aluminum and cut that shape out.

See this is all you need.

Use something to crimp folds into the star shape.

Here is a five point star.

Here is a six point star. This one became the poinsettia. Notice that I primed it.

I painted them red and used puff paint for the centers.

Your last step is poking holes through them with a nail and hanging them.

Ta-da!

Nydia 8)

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Christmas Joy Wood Vase Christmas Arrangement

2011-12-21T09:03:00.000-08:00

Post Christmas sales are the best. Aren't they? That's the time of year when you find everything you already paid full price for, on sale at 90% off. Isn't that precious?! It makes me want to tear someones eyelashes out! Last year I found a couple of wooden joy vases, at least I think they are vases, for $1.00 a piece at my local craft store. I snapped them up so quick, I almost created a sonic boom. I didn't know what I would do with them, but the potential was clearly there.

This year when I pulled these puppies out, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with them. Here's what they ended up looking like once I was done working my magic.

Elegance. Pure elegance, I tell you. Ok I'm an encyclopedia dramatica. Please forgive me, but I love them.

Here's what they looked like before. Plain Jane aren't they.

I spray painted them red with some left over spray paint. I tell you I've made like 4 projects with that same can of paint!

My next step was to add height with some pine clippings from the yard. Geez, I hope all this clipping doesn't kill my evergreens. They're practically bald.

Last but not least, I added some charming little handmade poinsettia ornaments. I'll post about those tomorrow so stay tuned. These cost two whole dollars to make! What?! Yep $2.00!

Nydia 8)

Christmas In A Can Christmas Arrangement

2011-12-20T08:55:00.000-08:00

Is there any site in the internet that inspires more than Pinterest? I don't think so. I saw this little project posted there and I instantly fell in love with its quirkiness. I mean, this is recycling at its finest. So I created my own version and here it is.

I am not a patient person, therefore all the things I make need to be easy and take a microwave minute to finish. This was not one of those projects, but I was on a roll with excitement. I was fueled with the thought of the finished product.

I think the original is made out of a coffee can. Mine is made out of a soda cracker can. I am obsessed with eating soda crackers! They are delicious and crispy, nom, nom, nom. Anywho, I eat a lot of these so I have plenty of these large cans around. I don't like to throw them out so I reuse them here are some projects I've made with them. A Ballard Designs knocked off dog food container. Home accent piece. Pretty Monogrammed storage container.

Fugly can that no longer contains goodies.

I took this can. And I spray painted it red with left over paint from this project. Then I cut some black pleather left over from this project and I used a glue gun to attach it like a belt. The belt buckle was made from cutting a soda can into the shape of a buckle.

I went into my yard and took clippings from various pines and placed those into some floral foam inside the can. I sprayed the clippings with spray snow to give it a snowy look.

To make the letters, I took a piece of foam board, free handed letters onto it and cut them out. I spread glue on them and sprinkled glitter all over them. Then I stuck some left over bbq skewers and placed them into the floral foam.

The final touch was adding the ornaments. Those were left over from last year. I can't get over how adorable this is. And best of all, I recycled so many things!

Nydia 8)

Ornaments Made Of Toilet Paper Rolls

2011-12-18T08:29:00.001-08:00

I'm pretty frugal all year long, but around the holidays I try to scrimp where I can. Usually, this means decorating on a Budget with a capital B. If I said it once, I've said it a thousand times, you don't need tons of cash to make your home beautiful. Case in point these toilet paper roll ornaments that I made for FREE!

Aren't they adorable?!

They were incredibly easy to make. The whole family can get involved with this Christmas craft. Think about the possibilities. You can do this craft with students, a senior citizen, as a camp activity, I could go on.

Assembling these is basically the same as I explain here. You just have to arrange them by fives instead of fours. I used a glue gun to attach them but you don't have to. Regular glue will work fine but takes some time to dry. Remember to cut the toilet paper tube down into same sized pieces. To adhere the glitter, you can use spray glue or do what I did and just spread a thin layer of school glue. Sprinkle the glitter color of your choice over them and attach a ribbon, wire, or fishing line to hang.

Ok now I'm going to be preachy but I want to emphasize that the holiday season is about family. Don't go crazy spending and stressing. Give handmade and do more things instead of buying more things. People tend to remember the times they shared not the things they had.

PS. I got the idea from http://michellesjournalcorner.blogspot.com/2009/04/craft-coardboard-stars-from-toilet.html
Here are some others you might like as well.
http://thehappytulip.blogspot.com/2011/11/glitter-ornaments-and-frustrations.html#axzz1gzibS6Pf
http://www.squidoo.com/simple-crafts-toilet-paper-roll-star-christmas-ornament
http://greeneyed.com/2011/12/paper-towel-roll-stars/

Nydia 8)

Huge Popsicle Stick Snowflakes

2011-12-16T11:07:00.001-08:00

I don't know if you're like me, but come Christmas time I tend to over decorate. Is that a bad thing? Nah! I like my house to look like the spirit of Christmas threw up in it. So this past weekend I was looking around the house and saw a blank spot on the living room wall on either side of a large mirror. I decided right then and there that my wall looked nekkid. I remembered seeing these snowflakes on Pinterest and since I had a ton of popsicle sticks left over from this project, I decided to go ahead and make them.

These would be perfect hanging in a window.

It's all really simple. All you need to do is use a glue gun to attach the popsicle or tongue depressor sticks together in a snowflake pattern. Once that's all dry, you can paint it.

Here they are all ready for paint.

I went with white spray paint and I glued epsom salt all over them to give them a snowy look.

You can't tell from the pictures but they look like crystals.

I'll keep decorating until I run out of steam, usually sometime around Christmas Eve eve.

Here they are all finished again.

Here are some sites that feature more of this.

http://sewfantastic.blogspot.com/2011/11/popsicle-stick-snowflakes.html

http://ballardbunch.blogspot.com/2010/11/let-it-snow.html

Now go ~~stalk~~ check them out.

Nydia 8)

Make Your Own Popsicle Stick Bracelets

2011-12-16T11:07:00.000-08:00

This is such an easy craft to do with kids! You could make a ton of them in one sitting and give them out as Christmahanukwanza gifts. Aren't they super cute?!

Here's what you'll need:

large tongue depressor popsicle sticks as many as you like
a pot to hold both water and sticks
pretty paper or fabric or paints
glue
scissors
a pvc pipe or glass with a narrow opening

First you will want to boil your sticks to make them pliable. Once you've boiled them for an acceptable amount of time, just take them out and check how bendy they are. If they are extra bendy, you can begin to curl them into the pvc or glass depending on how tiny the wrists of the wearers will be.

Take care to bend them slowly so as not to break them. I used a pvc pipe because I have puny wrists and I wanted snug bracelets. I let my bracelets dry inside the pipe for two days because I have the memory of a dead squirrel. You only have to wait a day.

When I finally remembered to check on the bracelets they were completely dried and ready for decorating. I decided to use decorative papers in patterns that I like. All I did at this point was add glue to a small length of paper and place it onto the bracelet. I let this dry and when it was completely dried, I cut the overlapping excess paper.

To finish the bracelets off, I simply used a paint marker in a complimentary color to paint the raw edges and I sealed the whole thing with Modge Podge.

These make cute stocking stuffers, fundraisers, classmate gifts, etc. Try some with your shorties over the winter break. At the very least they will keep from destroying your home.

Nydia 8)

DIY Ipad Case

2011-12-14T15:12:00.000-08:00

It is so easy to make an ipad case! If you have two hands with at least four working fingers on them, you can make an ipad case. It is also an inexpensive diy! Let's face it, if you are buying an ipad for a special someone this holiday season, you are going to be broker than you care to be. And wouldn't it be tragic if your gift broke soon after unwrapping? Tragic! I'm here to help you through this dilemma. You too can make this and come out looking like a hero!

Looks pretty classy.

Here's how to make it: I must first ask you to brace yourself, you'll be shocked at how easy this is.

Take one old book. I got a librarian's ok on this, so don't judge.

This baby was in the trash pile at my school and it was just the perfect size to protect my ipad. Some call it luck, I call it divine intervention.

You will need to cut along the inside spine of the book to separate the pages from the cover. Gah! I felt so guilty breaking a book! It felt naughty. I'm such a boring good girl.

The next step was covering the cover with some pretty fabric that I found at the fabric store for $2.89.

I just used spray adhesive to make the job faster. This stuff is super sticky and holds nicely too. Use some Allene's tacky glue or hot glue for the inside fabric on fabric stuff so it's more secure.

Now you need to make a holding board. That is what holds your ipad secure. I used elastic on the corners to hold the ipad in place. What you see in the picture is actually an old picture frame backing out of a broken picture frame that I used on another project. You can even see the area where I ripped off the stand piece. The little stand piece looks like a tie so I think I'll save it for a father's day project. Lol, I'm such a hoarder. That's sad.

I'm showing you the back side because this is where you will attach the elastic. You will do this by securing elastics with hot glue to back side of each corner. Place your ipad in it to make any needed adjustments. Then attach it to the cover with hot glue and let it all dry.

I have a sexy ipad cover and all it cost was about $3.00 worth of materials and about 15 minutes of my time.

If you make one of these please do share so I can show you off.

Nydia 8)

Sophisticated Tree Skirt Diy

2011-12-13T14:56:00.000-08:00

This weekend I went out looking for a tree skirt to replace my fake snow blanket that I usually use. I couldn't find anything in the colors I wanted because by the second week of Christmas, the stores are focusing on Valentine's Day! I hate that! Ok I'm exaggerating- there's still some Christmas decor available but all the good stuff is basically gone at my local stores. No worries though because I figured I would try my hand at making a tree skirt myself.

I rushed right home with unrelated purchases in hand and set out to make this.

Guess what I used to make it? A curtain! Yes a curtain. I found this one curtain panel at Ross in the clearance section for $2.00 and at the time I didn't know what I would do with it, but I liked the pattern and the weight of the fabric and I felt at worst I would make some pillows out of it. I just couldn't pass up such a large piece of fabric at $2.00!

So here's what I did. First I laid out the fabric and cut out a circle using my little snow blanket tree skirt.

I cut around the pattern of the little snow blanket tree skirt. Then I cut out a ruffle piece that was twice the circumference of the snow skirt.

I sewed the ruffle piece around the edge and then I hemmed everything. This took only about 20 minutes and cost less than $2.00 because I still have a ton of curtain fabric left over for another project.

I like the simplicity of it.

I think it suits my little tree.

Nydia 8)

Santa and Frosty Glitter Silhouette Prints

2011-12-10T16:18:00.000-08:00

Do you ever find that your best ideas come to you when you can't write them down? I was driving to work the other day, when I became semi-carcoleptic, you know the feeling, you're driving and you're on auto pilot and your mind travels to dream land. During this temporary moment of escape, I got a great idea for a project. It involved glitter and that's always a great idea this time of year. It stayed on my mind all day and when I came home, I got right to work on making this.

Aren't they just darling?!

Let me fill you in on the back story first. Silhouette had a sale after Thanksgiving and I snatched up multiple downloads. I got two in particular that I loved. One was a Santa and the other a snowman. I loved them but didn't know what to use them for. That's where the car idea came in.

I wanted to make them into glittery prints! Yeah you heard right! Genius! The only snafu was I had no idea how to make a pattern large enough to cover a canvas that was 18x24. I looked all over the Silhouette blog tutorials but I couldn't find a thing. There's probably some tute out there but I have the patience of a preschooler so I improvised.

Ok so if you have the Silhouette SD you know you can't cut huge things. Here's what I did: I basically enlarged the image to the size I wanted which was 20x16 approximately. I made cut outs of each section and then pieced all the sections together. Thus, I created very large templates of my chosen pictures. I felt like the first man on the moon!

If you notice, the large stencils are actually pieced together using different scraps of paper.

Before I began the glitterfication process, I should explain that I spray painted the canvases a walnut color hence the darkness of the canvas. To said canvases, I taped the stencils and the ~~method to my madness~~ process began.

Basically all I did was hold down the stencil and dab glue over the open space. I was super careful not to let glue seep under the stencil. If you notice in the picture the bottom portion is complete. The hat portion is ready for the gold glitter.

Remove the stencil before everything is completely dried. As I took the stencil off I went over the edges with a Q-tip to sharpen them and remove any rogue glitter. I didn't use vinyl, which would've been easier, simply because I didn't have enough vinyl. I'm sure that if you decide to do this, vinyl would be the smart choice. However, I'm here to say it's not vital to your success.

Once they are dry you should shake off the kajillion loose glitter sparkles before they end up EVERYWHERE! And I mean EVERYWHERE, people. You don't want evidence of the twinklization process all over the place, do you?

I feel like a master of all things sparkly!

If you decide to try this, I ask that you share it with me so I can link it here for others to see.

Nydia 8)

I Believe Angel Wing Book Page Wreath

2011-12-07T14:58:00.000-08:00

If you follow my blog, you already know that I like to reuse and recycle to make things new again. Well, this was just what I did with this project. I've already made a book page wreath and the process is shown here, but I've tweaked the process and went with this.

The inspiration came from a picture I saw on Tumbler. I also saw it in Pinterest and various sites on the web so I felt it was destiny for me to make something similar.

I had left over materials from previous projects that I incorporated into this.

To make it I cut out two pieces of cardboard in the shape of wings. I also cut out an oval center.

I ripped a few pages from an old literature book, rolled these up and stapled them onto the cardboard following the flow of the design. I did this for both wings. Once the wings were covered, I added glue to the edges of the paper cones and sprinkled glitter onto the glue.

While the wings dried I started on the center part. I used burlap to cover up the cardboard. I just glued it in place and used puff paint to free-hand the word "believe" in the middle. I then fringed the edges of the burlap to give it an old rustic look.

I let everything dry over night and then I attached all the pieces together using another
piece of cardboard cut to the size of the entire surface of the wings and center piece. On the back of this I attached a hanging string and hung the whole wreath using those plastic stick up hooks that everyone uses at this time of year.

If you're interested in making something like this there are so many inspiring ones out there. Here are a few:

http://livingwithlindsay.com/2009/11/librarians-please-avert-your-eyes.html

http://www.mybackyardeden.com/2010/04/yet-another-book-page-wreath.html

http://inspirationnotebook.wordpress.com/category/crafty/page/2/

http://secondstoryview.com/2009/11/15/diy-book-page-wreath/#wpcom-carousel-808

Nydia 8)

I linked this over at

http://lh6.ggpht.com/-kpfOZWJ-ISM/Tt2HfDww6YI/AAAAAAAAQuE/1nxgXno08Qw/s1600-h/beforeAndAfterButton%25255B3%25255D.gif