Posts Tagged ‘crafts’

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and I’ve been thinking about making cards. It’s been a few years since I’ve made my own Valentines and, quite frankly, I miss it! Making Valentines is fun!

I want to share that fun with you, so one reader is going to win part of my craft stash – supplies for making at least half a dozen cards – and my copy of the February 2012 Family Fun magazine, which is full of more great Valentine’s Day ideas.

So what’s included?

• 6 pink gift tags
• Red, black, pink, and patterned tissue paper
• Miniature clothespins
• 12 white cupcake liners
• 6 white envelopes
• 3 pages of sheet music with various love songs
• 6 small pieces of patterned paper
• 6 bookmark-sized pieces of scrapbook paper
• Red and pink heart confetti
• Ribbon, lace, and twine
• Hershey’s Kisses (A Valentine’s package HAS to have chocolate!)
• Anything else I may find to include between now and February 1
• February 2012 Family Fun magazine

a Rafflecopter giveaway

One of my most popular posts is this one, where I linked to several different chalkboard walls posted around the web. Since that seems to be something a lot of y’all are interested in, I thought I’d expand on the idea of chalkboards and highlight more uses of chalkboard paint.

Oh, and if you’re like me and can’t stand the feel of the chalk or the way it sounds when you write with it, you may be interested in chalk pens.

{via}

• Label your herbs.
• Number tables at a wedding.
• Paint a dresser.
• Or a headboard.
• Create a fun table.
• Paint a globe and let your kids sketch in the countries.
• Make reusable gift tags.
• Identify drinks with chalkboard labels.
• Paint the inside of a lunchbox for an easy way to leave lunchbox notes.
• Make chalkboard placemats.
• Or chargers.
• Paint your refrigerator!

I picked up these picture frames a few months ago at The Love of Jesus Thrift Store in Richmond. It’s one of those places that seems to price things randomly. You know, where two identical vases could easily have two vastly different price tags. Their picture frames are priced like that. Sometimes you can find an awesome deal and sometimes you have to wonder what on earth the pricing crew was thinking.

Apparently these frames arrived on a good day. I got six or seven of them and they were all marked either $0.25 or $0.50. They don’t have backs, and some of them don’t have hanging hardware, but they all matched and I thought they would be perfect for a project.

They’ve been spread across my dining room table for the past couple of days, so I thought I would share them as this week’s “find.” This weekend I’ll post pictures of what I did with them!

Have you been thrift shopping recently? What great treasures did you unbury?

One of my favoritest bloggers {Emily of Jones Design Company} is going to be celebrating the arrival of May with a special Flower Week. Each day, from May 2 through May 6, she’ll be posting new flower projects and tutorials on her blog. She makes some of the most lovely things and I’m excited about following along!

Over the last two weeks I’ve started several of the items on my Project 52 list and completely finished one.

• Started purging my wardrobe. I’ve gone through my closet and dresser, now it’s time to tackle the box of clothes that didn’t fit anywhere when we moved into our house. I’m holding a clothing swap next month and will be taking all my “leftovers” to Goodwill when we’re finished.
• Got more than halfway through making my sink skirt. I should be able to finish it up this weekend.
• Finished my dry erase board. Pictures coming soon.
• Started the cupcake liner wreath. I should be able to finish it up while we watch a movie tonight.
• Went through an entire stack of magazines, pulled out the articles I was interested in, and moved the stack to a box that will be listed on Freecycle.
• Michael and I (mostly Michael) planted two trees in our front yard (in the middle of a downpour!). We also dug up and hand-cultivated the garden area in front of the porch, getting rid of the scraggly, unlovely plants that were there. We bought seeds, soil, mulch, etc., and I started a dozen plants indoors so that we can transplant them outside when our large garden area is ready.
• Put up one bird feeder outside. It’s not hanging yet,  but it’s got lots of visitors anyway, including a cardinal couple.

My weekly list has been a good springboard, but I still haven’t pulled out my cello. I’ve gotten in all the reading and the piano practice, and I’ve written a couple letters. The list has also motivated me to take more pictures, though I haven’t really been adhering to a certain theme each week. I guess I need to make a list of ideas for that, too!

In order to give myself an outline of some of the non-work-related things I want to accomplish, I’ve set a goal of tackling roughly one project a week for a year, for a total of 52 projects (which means I have a little bit of catching up to do). I left approximately three months’ worth of projects undecided, to allow room for new inspiration and ideas and I’ve marked out the ones I’ve already finished this year. I’ll try to remember to post updates here as I finish each additional project.

Here’s the list so far:

1. Plant garden
2. Put up bird feeders and houses
3. Put up hanging flower baskets
4. Make cupcake liner wreath
5. Create and order wedding photo albums
6. Finish sanding dining room chairs
7. Finish painting dining room chairs
8. Finish painting laundry room
9. Sew sink skirt
10. Make curtains for kitchen and family room
11. Put up “white board” in kitchen
12. Set-up craft area
13. Make Baked Alaska
14. Paint “accent” wall in dining room
15. Paint cookbook shelf
16. Purge closet
17. Donate and/or sell crates of books
18. Sew covers for pillow forms
19. Dye napkins
20. Install another shelf in bathroom closet
21. Hang clock in living room
22. Read Large Family Logistics
23. Purge and file papers
24. Hang chandelier (requires finding one!)
25. Put knobs or handles on entertainment chest
26. Hold cookie exchange
27. Make quiche
28. Frame and hang/display wedding photos
29. Hang “Price of Freedom” print
30. Install flooring in craft room and get rid of the extra
31. Finish installing switch plates and outlet covers
32. Complete bedroom curtains
33. Hang plates on dining room “accent” wall
34. Install or hang a “headboard”
35. Have vows printed, framed, and hung
36. Scan, enlarge, frame, and hang letter from Michael
37. Write Grandma, Uncle Billy, etc. to ask questions about Grandpap
38. Paint the porch
39. Paint kitchen window sashes
40. Give bathroom second coat of paint over tub
41. TBD
42. TBD
43. TBD
44. TBD
45. TBD
46. TBD
47. TBD
48. TBD
49. TBD
50. TBD
51. TBD
52. TBD

Additionally, each week I want to:

• Send a letter
• Play the piano for at least an hour
• Play the cello for at least 15 minutes
• Read for at least an hour
• Photograph a specific theme or idea

What are some of the things you hope to accomplish this year?

I don’t care what anyone says, I don’t think us girls ever outgrow our love of dolls. Just this morning I came across these handmade darlings over at Jones Design Company. Emily made them for her daughter and her friends’ little girls. But I would imagine that any girl, no matter what age, would love to have one of these in their possession. Aren’t they just adorable!

{Photo copyright Jones Design Company.}

{Confession: My present from my parents for my 21st birthday was a baby doll. And yes, I asked for it.

It was a sweet little Gotz baby that my mom and I found at Tuesday Morning for a song (at least compared to how much they’re worth) and May was nearly upon us, so it became my birthday gift.}