A Book Club And Hunger Games Party

Hi there folks!  Now, I know it’s been a while but I have an excuse!  If you’ve been following me since the beginning, by now you have collected some facts about my life.  These facts include, but are not limited to, my phobic fear of maggots, my special education teaching background, my travel baseball team playing son, my soon to be in college daughter, my husband’s dog –which by the way just passed away and left me completely and utterly heartbroken, and last but certainly not least, the pursuit of my master’s degree!  Needless to say, I have my hands full!!! So while I have absolutely continued making things, I’ve completely put the blog on a back burner.  Could you blame a girl? 

Full disclosure here though, during this hiatus I have started a book club!  Gah!  I’m so excited about it and it’s been soooo much fun!  Our first book was The Hunger Games.  We did all three books in the series and met twice to discuss them.  It was a really fun read and everyone in the group enjoyed it.  Our last book club meeting included décor and food inspired by the book. I even threw in a parting gift!  The parting gift that I made is what I’ll be featuring today. 

So I wanted my book club members to leave with a token of thanks for participating and I wanted it to be personalized.  This is what I was able to come up with. 

They say Book Club on them.

I found these solid mugs at the local dollar store.  They looked sturdy and were cheap enough that I could afford to pick up a few without busting the budget. 

Aren't they sturdy looking?!  Jeesh, they were heavy too!

So, basically there's no genius secret behind this.  All I did was make a template using vinyl and my handy dandy Silhouette machine.  

Over this template I spread a thin layer of glass etching cream.  I cleaned it off and tada instant thoughtful book club hostess gift.  

BY THE WAY... Here's my Book Club party!

Notice the sleep serum, Prim's goat cheese, nightlock berries, and District 11 rolls.  

Did you catch the bread and medicine parachutes? 

Notice the arrow through the apple and the game maker's pig roast.  

We took care to make a sushi memorial for Finnick Odair.  

Check out the Mocking Jay cake my friend Dana made!

We also included President Snow's white roses, Haymitch's wine, and Effie's bowl.  The banner idea came from here. 

So folks, there you have it.  I haven't quit making things.  I'm just one very busy bee!  

Nydia 8)

Make Your Own Newborn Baby Shoes

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

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

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

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

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

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)